Props to Sars and Djb, who livened up stately Wing Manor this week and even left us one unopened bag of BBQ Super Mélange. God bless you crazy kids.
Previously on ER: Mark and Elizabeth were all schmoopy in bed; Mark was all pissy at Weaver for, as he put it, turning him in to the Medical Board; Benton was all schooling Romano's ass about the access to educational opportunities minority students don't have, but Romano didn't care; Bishop Cromwell was all telling Luka that everyone deserves to be comforted in their darkest hour, and then they had a little tiff about whether or not God was there when a little girl died after being struck by a car; Bishop Cromwell was all collapsed at church, and Luka told Fr. Lackey to call 911.
Luka "Haunted, When the Minutes Drag" Kovac, in a dark turtleneck and with a bandaged hand, kneels in front of a guy in a barn jacket, and stares off into space. There's an audio filter on the soundtrack that makes everything sound muffled; I think we're supposed to intuit that he's distracted. But I'm not sure. I don't really understand common TV tropes, so it's a good thing the director's instructed Goran Visnjic to physically shake it off and come to his senses, placing his stethoscope on the guy's chest and instructing him to breathe deeply "again." Barn Jacket says it hurts when he breathes, and asks, "Could it be my heart?" The camera has swung around, by this time, to show Kerry "Jones" Weaver chatting with Kim "Mitchell" Legaspi at the end of the corridor. Luka doesn't answer, so Barn Jacket asks him, "Something wrong?" Mitchell takes off, and Weaver crutches toward Luka and Barn Jacket. "Hey!" Barn Jacket asks, when Luka continues ignoring him. Luka finally shows some sign of life, and Barn Jacket asks about his heart, again. Luka says it's probably a bruise to his chest wall, and that they'll get an x-ray. "You were lucky," he adds, before straightening up and following Weaver to the desk. "We'll probably be sifting through the walking wounded until morning, but I think we're over the hump. Carter just brought up the last critical," Weaver tells him. "How many came in?" Luka asks. "Thirty-seven; five in surgery. Only two ER deaths -- that's not too bad, considering," she replies. "If you don't count the DOAs," Luka adds. Weaver tells him he did a great job, and tells him to go home. Randi pipes up to say that the board's backing up, but Weaver confidently says they'll be fine, and repeats her order that Luka leave for the day.
Luka wanders out the ambulance bay. The "ooo-ooo-ooo" low-rent Enya wailing that bludgeoned us all last week resumes, as Luka looks around, all haunted. The action slows down.
Back inside, the action's still all slow and portentous as Luka presses the button for the elevator, and as Abby "Lisa" Lockhart comes out of Curtain Area 3. At normal speed, she asks him whether he's leaving, and he tells her he's going upstairs to check on the bishop. I'll bet Lisa would be happy to "check on the bishop" for you -- even give him a thorough polishing, if you know what I'm saying, and I think you do. But Luka's referring to the actual bishop. Lisa starts wiping the snow off his shoulders and asks whether another critical came in; he says there aren't any more. He glances over her shoulder and through the glass of the curtain-area door, and asks, "Is she stable?" Lisa says yes, "after three rounds of terbutaline." "Good," Luka sighs. Lisa sort of smiles, and nods, adding, "It was scary, though." Luka turns back, slightly, to see if the elevator's come yet; Lisa follows his gaze, and then asks if he's leaving soon. He kind of pets her arm and says, "Uh, I don't know." She gives him a quizzical smile and asks if he's okay; he says he is, and, hearing it ding, backs into the open elevator. She bites her lip and manages a smile; he does likewise, minus the lip-biting part. The elevator doors slide closed...
...and open on what we may safely assume is the ICU, where everything is in slo-mo again. Luka slo-mos out of the elevator, and up to Bishop Cromwell's room; through the glass, we can see Bishop Cromwell sleeping in bed. Fr. Lackey is sitting outside the door, reading. At normal speed, Luka asks Fr. Lackey whether there's been any change in Bishop Cromwell's condition. Fr. Lackey says that Bishop Cromwell didn't want the breathing mask. Luka asks whether Bishop Cromwell's been asleep, and Fr. Lackey says he's been napping, on and off.
Luka enters Bishop Cromwell's room at normal speed. Hearing him, Bishop Cromwell wakes, and asks Luka for the time. Luka says it's 11:30. Bishop Cromwell comments that Luka's there late. Luka tells Bishop Cromwell that he'll have to be intubated soon. "On a ventilator?" Bishop Cromwell asks. Luka nods, and Bishop Cromwell shakes his head. Luka tries to browbeat him by telling him about his oxygen level, but Bishop Cromwell interrupts, "I've seen what happens after a ventilator." Luka tries again: "If it drops below fifty --" "Thanks, but no thanks," Bishop Cromwell says firmly. Luka raises the corners of his mouth in a "well, I tried" grimace. Bishop Cromwell lolls his head toward Luka and says, "Anyway, my bags are packed." He blinks, and smiles. Luka blinks sadly. To ease us into the seizure-inducing credits, the music starts out much more faintly than usual. I've noticed, watching reruns of L.A. Law every afternoon on A&E, that they used to do that, too; if the pre-credits scenes were light-hearted or wacky or just normal, they'd go into the credits with that screechy sax solo, but if the pre-credits scenes were serious or portentous or sad, they'd start with that low keyboard chord instead. Not that anyone cares; I'm just saying.
Back from the break, a super at the bottom of the screen tells us it's "Seven Hours Earlier." Some poor fool tears up toward the camera, screaming, "Water! I need water!" He makes for the water fountain and starts splashing his face. Lisa chases after him, saying that she told him to give it a few seconds. He whines that "it stings," and she repeats that if he gives it a few seconds, the pain will fade. From the desk, Luka asks , without any particular conviction, whether Lisa needs help; in an irritated tone, she says she doesn't, and that she just gave the patient, Mr. Martin, "a drop of alcaine." Also standing behind the desk in his street clothes, Mark "The Wearing Out his Welcome of the" Greene adds, for Luka's benefit, that Mr. Martin fell asleep under a tanning lamp. Mr. Martin shirtily corrects him, "I wasn't tanning, I was depressed due to lack of sunlight." Passing him, Randi snorts, "Tell me about it. I just got back from lunch and it's already getting dark." I actually enjoy that, because it makes me feel all cozy and cloistered in the house during the winter -- but then, I like winter, generally, because I'm a lazy indoor person. Randi asks whether the groundhog saw its shadow this year, and John "Smirk Giggler" Carter drawls, "Seeing his shadow has absolutely nothing to do with how much sunlight we get." Randi duhs, "Yes, it does -- six more weeks of winter!" Mark hands off his charts to Luka, but since they're patients we barely see again, I won't bother recounting the details here. Mark, donning his coat, tells Carter that Weaver's on at six, adding, "Could you tell her that I'm finished testing tonight, so she can stop avoiding me?" Randi asks, "How'd your personality test go?" Mark tells her that his results were so low as not to be quantifiable by existing scientific methods. Or, he should have. Luka says he thought they were memory tests; Mark tells him that was Monday. Carter asks what's : "Rorschach? Spelling bee?" Mark "cracks," "Swimwear competition, sudden-death Twister...who knows? Maybe a chili cook-off." Because verifying a medical professional's ability to treat patients competently is a joke, you know, to be taken lightly, and all that's really at stake here is Mark's ego and self-esteem. Not. He leaves. Sadly, he will be back later in the episode.
In a curtain area, some chick we've never seen before is holding up a cloth doll in front of a kid and saying, "The needle goes in, but you can squeeze on the owie ball." Carter enters and asks Malik what's going on; Malik says the kid freaked out when Malik tried to put in an IV. Carter asks who the chick is, and Malik says she's a new intern from Pedes. Carter steps in and introduces himself to the kid, Jason. Long story short -- since, as I said, regular non-trauma patients are so not the focus of this episode -- Jason's mom works as a cleaning lady at a church. She found a bottle labeled "holy water" and thought it would help cure Jason's diarrhea, only when she gave it to him to drink, it turned out it was actually lamp oil. D'oh! Okay, between this and the Bishop Cromwell storyline, I have to ask: is this show now a co-production of Warner Bros. and the United States Catholic Conference? Anyway.
Peter "Minority Report" Benton is in surgery, explaining what he's doing as he goes along. Then he asks, "What time is it?" A black guy, standing by, says it's 4:55; I'll assume the black guy is William White, because...it is. And that becomes apparent in the sentence, when Benton explains that he was asking what time William's interview is; William says it's at 10 AM the day. Benton tells him to get there by 9:30. Still operating, Benton asks William why he wants to be a doctor. "What?" William asks. Benton says that's a common question in the interview. "Oh," William says. Benton presses him for an answer, and William offers, "I want to help people?" Benton groans. "No?" William asks. Benton doesn't answer, but continues explaining what he's doing. William asks what the right answer is. Benton says, "You tell me." William attempts, "The money?" Benton glares. "I want to be a role model," William amends. Benton sighs, "You know, if you're not going to take this seriously --" William protests, "I am! I just don't know! I guess I always thought it would be cool." Benton grunts that at least that's an honest answer. "So I should say that?" William asks. "Of course not," Benton snaps. Shirley comes in and asks how much longer he'll be. Benton dryly asks whether she's timing him. William's eyes widen as he follows the path of some long, pink hunk of tissue Benton's removed from the patient's guts. Shirley explains that there's a mass casualty coming in, and that Benton will be needed downstairs. Benton asks what happened, but Shirley says they didn't tell her. Benton says he'll be about fifteen minutes. Shirley takes off, and Benton tells William he should stick around, since there's no telling what he might see in the ER.
Back downstairs, Pedes Chick is congratulating Jason for being brave. She asks Carter if he's admitting Jason; Carter says he is. Pedes Chick asks where Jason's mom is, and Carter chuckles that she went to talk to her priest. Carter adds that he could have used her, since Mrs. Jason got a little upset after Pedes Chick left. Pedes Chick asks whether Mrs. Jason was upset about her son's health, or because she stole from the church. By way of answer, Carter tells a story about a childhood friend of his who used to steal communion wine for Carter and their little punk-ass blaspheming friends to drink; anyway, all that kid did to atone, back then, was go to Confession. Pedes Chick says, "What about you?" Carter says he just got sick. "So you're a heathen?" she teases. "Protestant," Carter corrects her. "Is there a difference?" she flirts. Put it away, Pedes Chick. Carter turns to leave, and she calls after him that she has an evaluation form for him to fill out if he thinks she did a good job; it's her first day on the job. Carter welcomes her and introduces himself, shaking her hand. She finally gives us a name: Rena Trujillo. Oh, and her official title is "Child Life Specialist." Uh, couldn't she come up with something that sounds less made-up? Why not go the whole nine and call herself a Juvenile Serenity Architect? Carter gives her the eye. She's not even blonde! Carter macks, "Don't forget your voodoo doll." "It's a procedure doll," she explains. "Yeah? [Do] they make them life-size, for really big kids?" Carter jokes. First of all, ew. And second, eww. Third, shut up, Carter. Rena's all Bacall to his Goob...I mean, "Bogey," "Why? You lonely?" Carter says he is: "I work a lot." Rena says that's too bad. Just as Carter's thinking about getting his freak on, Lisa pokes her head in and says that Luka needs Carter. Carter introduces Lisa to Rena, and Lisa perfunctorily says, "Hi. A train derailed by Lakeshore; they're declaring an MVI. I need to set up a triage centre." Carter excuses himself from Rena and books. Nice try making Lisa jealous, Carter.
In the hall, Carter doffs his lab coat and asks Lisa whether there were any passenger cars on the train. She tells him it was a passenger train. Not good. He asks how many victims there were, and she says they don't know: "They're just pulling bodies out; they need docs on site." Carter puts on a flight jacket and heads for the elevator. Luka -- coming to the elevator from the opposite direction, and trailed by Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen -- barks orders. Carter asks whether the helicopter's there yet; Luka says it is, and that they'll meet Carter and Luka on the roof. Chen anxiously informs them, "We don't have an attending." Luka tells her that Weaver is due to arrive in fifteen minutes. Lisa hands them a little picnic cooler, and I think how nice it is for her to remember their lunch until I see the Red Cross on the side. Oh. It's blood. I guess that's just Luka's lunch.
Chen strides through the halls, giving orders to Haleh and Lisa: "Move all stable patients into the hall. Double up the rooms. Anyone walking waits in chairs. Put all surgical teams on alert and notify the OR." Haleh said she already did, and that they're low on ventilators. Chen tells her to grab some from the ICU. They've arrived at the desk now; Randi turns on the TV to a news report about the crash. Chen tells Randi to call the nursing supervisor and float some nurses down to the ER. Haleh tells Chen, "They'll need them up there." Lisa suggests they get nurses from "med-surg." Everyone stares at the TV; Randi breathes, "Oh, my god."
A helicopter lands at the scene. There are already a bunch of ambulances and fire trucks around. Luka and Carter disembark the helicopter and are met by a firefighter who introduces himself as Captain Davis, the Incident Commander. As the two doctors cross the scene, Capt. Davis tells them that they were evacuating the first passenger car when it rolled, and that he has a man crushed underneath. Wow. I don't know what firefighters get paid, but I'm sure it's nowhere near enough. There's some more discrepancy on the captioning as Capt. Davis goes on to say that there are fourteen DOAs so far, and that they're still pulling them out. Hey, it's just like Unbreakable, except that scene was probably a lot easier to clear, considering everyone was dead except Bruce Willis, who didn't require any medical attention at all. Carter asks what happened, and Capt. Davis says that a car stalled on the tracks, and that they figure the brakes on the back passenger cars failed when the train tried to stop. The dark-haired female paramedic spots Luka and Carter and screams that she's got a victim of blunt chest trauma whose blood pressure is dropping. Luka tells Carter to attend the crushed guy, and that he'll take the blunt chest trauma.
Blunt Chest Trauma says that he was supposed to fly: "My damn flight was cancelled." Damn irony! He adds that his chest "feels like something tore inside." He fails to add that he feels all wet and bloody inside.
Carter calls out drug orders for Crushed Firefighter, who screams at Capt. Davis, "Mitch, Mitch -- I'm sorry, man!" "Don't apologize to me!" Capt. Davis orders him. Crushed Firefighter says, "I didn't know it was going to tip over like that!...I need something more for the pain!" Carter asks Pam what she gave him, and she says she started with ten of morphine, but couldn't give him any more after his pressure started to drop. Carter tells her to give him five more, but "after the litre." Crushed Firefighter swallows real hard. Capt. Davis beckons Carter aside; Carter asks how long before they can get the train car off Crushed Firefighter. Capt. Davis starts to explain that they couldn't lift it with the jacks, and Carter repeats, "How long?" "How long do you have?" Capt. Davis asks, in reply. That doesn't sound good.
Run, Luka, Run! Luka runs over to the car that apparently stalled on the tracks. He asks if the driver, a young, blonde woman, is conscious, and is told she is. He leans in and shines a light in her eyes, asking her name. "I couldn't get out," she says dreamily. He asks her name again, and she says it's Shannon. He asks if her neck hurts, and she says it doesn't. Just then Carter appears and yells, "We might need a surgeon!" Luka tells Carter to call it in, like, duh, what is Luka, your assistant? Did you get some mud on your dialing finger, Nelson Rockefeller? Carter duly calls it in.
Luka runs some more. He sees a middle-aged woman on a gurney, and flashes back to a middle-aged woman trapped under a pile of rubble. I think the flashback is in Croatia, but I can't tell; I'm not so bright. Is Luka from Croatia, even? I forget! Was he in a war, or something?
The helicopter illuminates the scene. Luka steps onto a train car. He walks past a bloody, middle-aged guy wearing glasses, with his arm around a paramedic, and flashes back to a bloody, middle-aged guy wearing glasses, with his arm around a short, bloody woman. In his flashback, Luka looks younger (his hair is black, anyway), and he's wearing a grey turtleneck and a black coat; he sort of flattens himself against the wall as he passes the bloody people. Also, you can hear an air-raid siren blaring. Back in the present, Luka picks his way through the rubble to a woman, crying, still sitting straight up in her chair. He asks her if anyone's examined her. She sobs that they're looking for her son: "He wanted to go to the bathroom by himself." He checks her face, and, apparently judging that she's okay, says that they should get her out of there. She says she can't move her legs. He asks if her neck hurts, and she says, "Please, you have to find my son!" He asks her to lean forward, and she sort of sob-growls, "I can't!" Luka leans forward, and we get a close-up of the woman's side; she seems to have a metal bar embedded in her side. Luka urgently calls for Doris, and comes around the back of Metal Bar's chair, I guess to see how deeply the bar is stuck in there. Metal Bar continues crying, and says that her son is wearing a blue sweater. Luka barks to Doris that he needs a line and a set of vitals. Doris says she'll be there in a sec. Metal Bar keeps sobbing that her son wanted to go to the john by himself. Doris comes over, and Luka gives her a bunch of orders, adding that she should call him if Metal Bar becomes hypotensive; he takes off, presumably in search of her son.
Luka picks his way further down the car and finds himself on the wrong side of a bunch of fallen metal and grates and cords dangling from the ceiling and the like. Luka calls out, "Are you looking for a little boy?" The firefighter on the other side says, "He's pinned! We have to cut him free!" Luka asks whether the firefighter can get the boy's (given that his mom is Metal Bar, and the circumstances, I'll call him Pin -- get it?) blood pressure, and the firefighter says there isn't enough room, but that they've taken Pin's pulse, and it's thready. Luka asks how he can get to the opposite side of all the rubble, and the firefighter tells him to go through the roof. Doris calls out Metal Bar's vitals to Luka; he calls out some orders to Doris, and tells Metal Bar they found Pin. She asks if he's okay, and Luka says he doesn't know yet.
Outside, Luka hoists himself onto the roof of the car and lowers himself in through a big hole. The firefighter calls Luka over, and we can see Pin -- barely -- behind a piece of metal with a bunch of vertical bars. Luka flashes back to a pile of rubble, including one side of a crib, with a little baby arm poking out. Geez, manipulative much? Oh, right -- you are. Very much. Sorry, ER! I momentarily forgot your MO, there. I wonder if this will give Luka a chance to redeem himself for not saving his own son when he was trapped. That sure would be lucky, if he can. Luka manages to get it together and asks the firefighter if Pin has an airway. The firefighter says that Pin is breathing on his own, and that they're waiting for a circular saw. Luka leans in and asks Pin whether he can hear Luka. There is no response. Luka says that Pin's pupils are poorly reactive; he figures that Pin's probably suffered a closed head injury and that they really need to get him out. The firefighter's all, the equipment's on its way, and Luka howls, "Get it here, now!" Then the fade is too fast, and we're all jarred by the sudden appearance of an SUV commercial with happy bouncy music. Poor Pin might never get to ride in an SUV again!
Still at the crash scene, another helicopter lands, and Elizabeth "Labour Party" Corday climbs out. A paramedic runs over to her with a bed and yells, "She's throwing PVCs! Do you want us to treat?" Elizabeth yells, "What?!" because the helicopters and everything are very loud. The paramedic says, "A couple ectopic beats -- can we give lidocaine?" Elizabeth asks what the injury is, and the paramedic says that her car was hit by the train: "Possible pubic ramus fracture." Elizabeth briefly checks Shannon and says that, at her age, she doesn't need the drugs: "Just get her to County!" Elizabeth finds Carter, and he takes her over to Crushed Firefighter, giving her Crushed Firefighter's vitals all the while. Elizabeth asks, "They can't get him out?" like, hey, what a good idea! Why didn't someone else think of that? Oh, right -- because it's a train car, and unfortunately David Banner isn't around to turn into the Incredible Hulk and lift it off him. They pass in front of a van, which allows a PA time to help the actually pregnant Alex Kingston gently onto the ground; by the time the camera's moved to the far side of the van, Elizabeth's screaming in pain. Carter hurries back to her and asks if she's okay; she groans "dammit" a few times, but insists that she's fine as Carter helps her to her feet. They continue their march to Crushed Firefighter; Carter proudly tells her that he inflated two blood-pressure cuffs to use as tourniquets.
Carter and Elizabeth arrive at the site of Crushed Firefighter's crushening. She introduces herself to Crushed Firefighter and tells him she's a surgeon. "You gonna cut 'em off?" Crushed Firefighter chokes. "Only if I have to," Elizabeth tells him, continuing, "We can't give much more pain medication because we need to keep your blood pressure up, so I'm going to give you a nerve block, okay?" "Do it fast!" Crushed Firefighter exhorts her. Elizabeth calls out drug orders, including the word "groin," which never fails to amuse me. Hee! "Groin." Pam administers the drugs. Carter says that the blood-pressure cuffs aren't holding, and that he'll re-inflate them. Capt. Davis asks Crushed Firefighter, "Do you want me to call Patty?" "No!" Crushed Firefighter barks. Capt. Davis asks if he's sure, and Crushed Firefighter snaps, "I'm not dying, man!" Carter and Elizabeth exchange a look that says, "Uh. He should call Patty, dude." Elizabeth asks Crushed Firefighter, "Who's Patty?" Crushed Firefighter replies, "Patty's my ex-wife. The guys and I were going out after the shift to celebrate my divorce going through." Aw. That's sweet! What kind of wine does one bring to such a celebration? Capt. Davis tells everyone to get back so that they can "hammer through this concrete." "Just a second!" Elizabeth shrieks, over all the din. Crushed Firefighter protests, "Come on, let's do this!" Elizabeth begs him to hold on. "Get me out!" Crushed Firefighter bellows, as who among us would not? Carter and Elizabeth finish whatever the hell they were doing to Crushed Firefighter's legs as they totally weren't cutting them off, and get out of the way as another firefighter starts jackhammering the concrete under Crushed Firefighter, or around him; it's kind of hard to tell. I say they just give up and turn Crushed Firefighter into MAN TRAIN!
Inside the train car, Luka is not taking his eyes off Pin as the firefighters cut through the metal and move it aside, freeing Pin. Luka urgently asks for a backboard, and gently slides Pin, on his stomach, along the train-car floor toward him. Sars disappointedly asks, "Are those...three-quarter-length sleeves?" I assure her that Luka's sleeves are pulled up, and that he is not, in fact, wearing a woman's top. Luka ruffles Pin's bloody hair and checks his breathing with his stethoscope; Pin is still breathing and has "good air entry."
At County, Weaver has apparently just arrived and been briefed about what is sure to be her Happy Fun Shift. She asks Chen, "How many did you say we'd take?" Chen patiently replies, "I didn't; they're transporting all over the city." Weaver complains, "We're two docs down and a surgeon in the field!" Lisa asks Weaver if she should page Mark, and Randi interrupts, "He's at his competency testing!" Weaver, crutching out from behind the desk, tells Lisa to find out how many victims they're sending to County. Lisa says that "Malucci's on his way down with the first air-evac -- possible aortic rupture." Weaver crutches past Benton, who's trailed by William, and tells him that he's up. Benton breezily says he's got it, and Weaver corrects him that he should be headed for the elevator. She calls back toward the desk for someone to call CT and have them cancel all elective cases. Benton tells William to stay close, and to ask Benton any questions he might have, even though Benton might not be able to answer right away. Quinn comments that William has a nice ass, and Quinn is correct. Benton also tells William not to be surprised when the nurses tell him to get out of the way as Benton attends to the trauma victims: "It's their job. Just try not to knock anything over, okay?" "I don't need to stay?" William asks hopefully. "Only if you want to," Benton replies.
There's a very brief moment of calm, and then the elevator doors open and "Dr." Dave Malucci emerges with a bed, giving Benton the bullet on our old friend Blunt Chest Trauma. Benton asks Blunt Chest Trauma whether he knows where he is, and Blunt Chest Trauma dreamily replies, "I was taking...plane." "Oriented times one only," Dr. Dave explains. William watches curiously as the team steers the bed into a trauma room. Benton calls out that "heart sounds are muffled." William asks what that means, and Dr. Dave tells him, "He trashed his aorta." "It's the major artery from the heart," Benton tells William. Dude, I knew that, and it's not from recapping this show. This kid wants to be a doctor? I don't think so. Haleh observes that Blunt Chest Trauma's neck veins are distended; Benton determines that Blunt Chest Trauma is in tamponade, and yells for no one in particular to call the OR and prepare for a bypass. William hangs in the doorway. Dr. Dave asks him if he's in his third year, and William replies that he's just applying. Benton calls him over to help, or at least to get a closer look at what's going on. As William moves toward Benton, Haleh (predictably) barks, "Move!" and shoves William out of the way. Blunt Chest Trauma appears to be unconscious; Haleh says they've lost the pulse. Benton tells the team to prep for a thoracotomy, and tells William to put on a gown: "It's going to get bloody in here."
Crash scene. Carter stops a couple of paramedics wheeling a victim of an abdominal wound toward an ambulance bound for "Lakeshore." Carter takes a quick look and tells them that she needs to go to a trauma centre, and that they should reroute her to County. Morales calls Carter over and, holding a needle aloft, tells Carter he needs to stick the victim. I think he's supposed to release the pressure in the patient's lung, but I'm not a doctor, besides which, the scene is dark and loud. Morales asks whether Carter was successful in whatever he was attempting, and Carter, with his ear poised over the needle, says he can't hear with all the noise. We get a shot of the night sky, illuminated by at least four helicopters. Carter asks, of the helicopters, "Are these all ours?" Morales replies, "No, it's the damn news!" Vultures! Bringing information about the crash to the friends and family members of its victims! Carter is satisfied with the results of his work, and tells Morales to send this victim, also, to County, for a chest tube, among other things.
Over by Crushed Firefighter, the jackhammering continues apace...until it causes the train car to give way and crush Crushed Firefighter even more, whereupon he screams in pain. Elizabeth leans over to help him, and ends up cradling her back in her hands instead. Carter scurries over and, ignoring Crushed Firefighter, asks Elizabeth whether she's all right. She tells him she may have strained her back. Oh, yeah? So badly it might have to be amputated in the middle of a dusty winter field, with hardly any anaesthetic? No? Then stow it. Crushed Firefighter begs them not to stop digging him out, but Capt. Davis explains that, if they do, the weight of the train will shift onto him. Carter urgently asks whether a crane is coming, and Capt. Davis replies, "From Indiana." "What?!" Carter screams. Capt. Davis promises that it's coming. Elizabeth is still clutching the small of her back as she asks for Crushed Firefighter's blood pressure. Hearing the answer, she looks at Carter, who silently but seriously shakes his head. "Can you assist?" she asks. Carter says he can. Elizabeth leans over and explains, as gently as one can when one is literally screaming into another person's face, that she'll have to proceed with amputating both his legs. Crushed Firefighter starts sobbing in protest, insisting that he's worked on people who've been trapped for hours before they got them out. Elizabeth tells him that he's lost too much blood: "If I don't amputate and control the bleeding, you're going to die." Crushed Firefighter stares into the heavens and curses his fate. Or cries and drools, silently. Elizabeth, taking this as her answer, says, "Okay, then. I'm going to start. Do you understand? I have to start now." Crushed Firefighter nods feebly. Elizabeth tells Carter to prep the area, and calls for a scalpel. Crushed Firefighter makes a face like it really, really, really hurts.
In a dusky conference room, an older dude in a lab coat hands Mark a pile of oversized cards. Mark jokes, "Can you tell my fortune with these?" Mark, shut up. Enough of the "gallows" "humour." In front of Mark are laid out three cards. From Mark's left to right, the first card shows two green arrows, pointing left; the middle card shows three red arrows, pointing up; the last card shows four purple arrows, pointing down. As Mark fidgets with the pile in his hand, Lab Coat explains, "Pick up each card from your pile, and put it under the card to which it belongs." But not really "under" the card, like, beneath it, in a stack, but as if Mark is creating another row of three cards under the existing row already laid out there. Why am I explaining this stupid throwaway scene in so much detail? I don't know. Mark holds up the bottom of the stack in his hand and cracks, "Is that the Death card?" Shut. Up. MARK. GOD. Lab Coat ignores Mark's stupid, unfunny jokes, and says that he'll tell Mark when he's right or wrong. Okay, now, here's where I really start keeping track, because I don't think I could pass this test. The first card shows two red arrows pointing right. Mark puts it under the middle card (three red arrows pointing up). "Wrong." Mark tries to put it under the two green arrows pointing left, but Lab Coat tells him not to try to correct his mistakes, and simply to move on to the card in his deck. Mark replaces the card where he initially put it. Okay, so the card is three purple arrows pointing right. He places it under the two green arrows pointing right. Right? Wrong! That's where I would have put it. Good thing I'm not trying to be a doctor. Mark's third card is four green arrows pointing right; Mark puts it under the four purple arrows pointing down. "Yes." is two purple, down; Mark puts it under two green, right. "Yes." Three green, right; Mark puts it under three red, up. "Yes." Three purple, up; Mark puts it under three red, up. "Yes." Okay, so, now I think I'm getting the pattern: arrow colour and orientation don't matter, it's just the number of arrows you match. Right? Four red, down; Mark puts it under four purple, down. "Yes." Two red, up; Mark puts it under two green, left. "No." "No?" Mark and I repeat, in unison. D'oh! Mark flips another card we don't see; "no" is the answer again. "Do you ever say anything besides 'yes' or 'no'?" Mark asks. "No," comes the predictable answer. Wah wah. And, I am officially incompetent to practice medicine in the state of Illinois.
Crash scene. Luka supervises as Pin, on a backboard, is handed out of the train car through the hole in the roof. We see him running back along the roof to the other end of the car, and then pan down to rejoin Elizabeth's double amputation on Crushed Firefighter. Everyone seems very calm, so I guess it's going as well as can be expected. Crushed Firefighter -- muffled by his oxygen mask -- calls for Capt. Davis and tells him, "I think maybe you should get Patty." Aw. Does he want to get in one last dig before he gives up the ghost? How sweet! Capt. Davis takes off to call her. Elizabeth is in the middle of operating when she suddenly starts groaning and has to lean back, telling Carter where to clamp. Carter asks, "Is it your back?" She squeals, "It's coming and going!" "Intermittent pain?" he asks. "Yes," she moans. "How often?" he asks. She exhales. We all get it, right? If you get it, please send one dollar bill and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to five of your friends, with instructions that, if they also get it, they should each do the same for you and four other friends. I guarantee you that, by the time you've finished reading this episode, you'll have enough money to retire. [not a guarantee]
Metal Bar is still all bloody as Luka returns his attention to her. She looks through the window and sees the paramedics carrying Pin to the helicopter; she quietly says his name, and then tells Luka, "Please -- save him!" Luka asks a nearby firefighter, "How long 'til you're through?" "Another ten minutes, maybe," the firefighter responds. Cut to the part of the metal bar on which Metal Bar is not actually impaled; they're trying to cut through it as she tries not to die.
Outside the train car, Luka runs some more and catches up with Pin on his way to the helicopter. Luka gives some final orders, and the nurse asks, "You're not going with us?" Cut to Pin's face, all little and bloody. Luka relents: "Okay, load him. I'll be right back." The wags in the living room at Wing Manor add, "'I have to go change my turtleneck.'" "'Do I have time for one more flashback?'"
Luka runs over to Crushed Firefighter and tells Carter, "I have to take this boy in. There's a woman back there impaled with spinal shock and I want you to stay with --" Throughout this speech, Elizabeth has been moaning and rocking and generally making such a spectacle of herself that Luka has to stop and ask what the hell is up with her. "She's having contractions," Carter says matter-of-factly. Luka snaps, "What?!" and Carter yells, "She's having contractions at twenty-five weeks!" Damn, Carter -- say it, don't spray it. Elizabeth's all faux-heroic, "I need tocolysis and a fetal monitor! I can keep on going if I can just get [the contractions] to stop." Cut to Crushed Firefighter, who's making a pretty funny face, like, "Oh, this is exactly what I want to hear right now." Here's where the whole thing gets ridiculous. Busy hospitals all over the city because of all the victims? Of course. Doctors needed at said hospitals to deal with traumas as they come in? Obviously. Not one other surgeon, either at County or anywhere else in the city, who could be paged to come and take over a double amputation in the field for a woman who's in the process of having early labour with a scalpel in her hand? Carter, no cell phone to make a call asking for such a surgeon? Paramedics, no radios? Firefighters, ditto? Whatever! That is just stupid. And I will not stand for it! Okay, I will stand for it, but I won't like it. Anyway, Luka asks Pam, "Do you have any terbutaline?" "No," she replies. "In the rig?" Carter tries to jog her memory. Pam says they don't carry it. Elizabeth grunts some more, and Luka tells her to come back to County in the helicopter with him and Pin. Luka adds that Carter should take care of Metal Bar. Carter snits, "What about [Crushed Firefighter]? We just opened the anterior compartment!" Luka barks at Carter to get another surgeon, like, duh! Elizabeth screeches, "We're out of O-neg! We have to finish him now!" Luka asks her if she could monitor Pin in the chopper, and she nods that she could, but that Crushed Firefighter could exsanguinate (I think that's the same as "bleed out") from his left leg. Luka asks Carter, "You were a surgical resident, yeah?" Carter says he was an intern for a year. Luka and Carter exchange a significant look.
County. Weaver, Lisa, and assorted others work on Shannon, the driver of the car on the tracks. She is conscious, but still seems kind of out of it. Weaver asks whether she's experiencing chest pain, and Shannon says she isn't. Shannon looks through the window at Blunt Chest Trauma, as Benton and Dr. Dave continue to work on him. "Is that man from the train?" Shannon asks. Lisa says he is. Shannon asks, "Is he dying?" Lisa says she doesn't know. Weaver asks Lisa to go close the doors, and continues calling out orders. Lisa swings the doors shut...
...and the camera swoops into Blunt Chest Trauma's room; it doesn't sound good. Benton is suturing as Dr. Dave stands by with the paddles. Some random nurse appears in the doorway and says that Finch has asked for Benton to check on a "bad leg injury." Benton hands off Blunt Chest Trauma to Dr. Dave, and takes off, calling for William to follow him.
The halls are crammed with people, blah blah blah it's nothing we haven't seen before. Lily runs up to Benton to tell him about a case that requires his attention; he gives her some orders and tells her he'll be right there. Chen's got a possible liver injury, and Benton gives her instructions even as he works on the "bad leg injury" with Cleo"lympia" Finch. He gently folds back some gauze as Finch tells him he's looking at a "traumatic extrusion of the tibia." Well, of course. Like I said, it's the season of people's bones breaking and poking out of their skin -- only with this one, they've upped the ante; the bone has broken so badly that an entire length of bone -- like, a length half a foot long -- has come completely out of the guy's skin, all in one piece. Like, the guy's got a foot, right, and an ankle, and then...nothing but skin, and tissue, and then more bone. GROSS. And the guy is conscious! So wrong! Benton determines that the guy's major vessels seem intact, and tells them to stick a hard-soled shoe into the wound to keep the pieces of bone apart while they wait for the orthopedic surgeon on call to come take a look at him. (Just kidding.) Chuny calls Benton from the desk and tells him that Carter's on the radio, asking for Benton, and that it's urgent. Benton barks, "Not now!" Chuny replies, in a deceptively casual tone of voice, "He's performing a double amputation by himself." Benton's like, "What?!" Heh. Benton promises No Bone Guy that his bone can be re-implanted, and makes for the phone.
Crash scene. Carter screams into the radio, explaining what he's doing. Crushed Firefighter, if he has any sense, is praying for his life. Benton wants to know where Elizabeth is.
Cut to Corday, yelling instructions about Pin as both she and he are loaded into the helicopter. Pin starts crashing, and Elizabeth calls out orders and says she'll intubate. She's still grimacing; the nurse asks, "Are you okay?" and Elizabeth moans, "No!" The helicopter takes off. I pray for a commercial break. My prayer is not answered.
The camera pans back down to Carter as he tries to hear Benton's instructions over the radio. Carter tells Benton he'll have to shout. About ten yards away, Crushed Firefighter screams, "Do you know what you're doing? Does anybody know what they're doing?!" If this were on HBO, there'd definitely be a "fuck" in there somewhere. There's one here as I marvel, "Fucking finally! Commercials!" And I'm not even on HBO.
Dude, segment two is always the longest. Always. I don't know why.
Roof at County. Elizabeth unloads Pin, and is met by Lisa. Elizabeth continues giving orders, and Lisa goes into OB nurse mode, telling Elizabeth to let the other personnel take Pin downstairs. "No! Take him to CT!" Elizabeth control-freaks. Lisa helps Elizabeth into a waiting wheelchair and asks her how often she's been having back pain. Elizabeth says that it's been every four or five minutes. Lisa gently asks, "When's the last time you felt the baby move?" Elizabeth pauses a minute and says, "I don't know. I haven't." Lisa tries to conceal the fear on her face -- and you can actually see the fear pass for a second before she smiles; nice work by Maura Tierney, there -- and says, "Okay."
Crash scene. Metal Bar is finally freed from...well, the rest of the Metal Bar. You know. She dully asks Luka, "Can you call on the radio and see how he is?" Luka assures her that they'll be at the hospital soon. Doris gives the bullet. They very carefully arrange Metal Bar on a bed, and she asks, "Am I going to die?" When no answer is immediately forthcoming, she repeats, "Am I?" Luka tells her they'll get her to the hospital. Metal Bar laboriously intones, "If I die before I get there, you have to make sure they take care of" Pin. Luka promises that they will. Metal Bar says that Pin's father is in Kansas City on business, and that they were coming back from seeing him; she thought it would be fun to take the train. Okay, now I have to ask whether this episode received promotional consideration from American Airlines. We get it. It's not always safer to take the train. Flying is all right. I get it. I GET IT.
Quick cut to Carter, still all amputating as Capt. Davis holds the radio up to his ear. Capt. Davis assures Crushed Firefighter, "We're going to get you through this!" Crushed Firefighter nods wearily, like, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, if this 'doctor' doesn't work out, maybe you could see if one of those field reporters wants to try to cut my very limbs free of this silo!" As Benton continues giving Carter instructions, William watches in awe. A nearby machine starts beeping, and Weaver calls Benton over to attend to a boy who's herniating; I can't tell if it's Pin. Benton doesn't move, and continues his contact with Carter. Blah blah, Weaver has to keep calling Benton until he finally tells Carter to call Benton back on his cell phone. Carter says he doesn't have it -- it's in his locker. In his locker? That's the best Contrivance could do? Girl, please. William looks shell-shocked, but does not take this opportunity to run away. Carter continues screaming instructions at Benton -- because that is really going to set Crushed Firefighter at ease. At the crash scene, Crushed Firefighter's like, "What the --?" Carter asks for a cell phone; neither Pam nor Capt. Davis has one.
Elizabeth is being a bad patient as Lisa and Chen attend her. Lisa says that terbutaline's on board; Chen tells Lisa to repeat in an hour. Elizabeth, through gritted teeth, asks whether they're sure McLucas hasn't answered her page. Lisa said that they just paged her, and they should give her a chance to respond. Elizabeth barks, "What about Mark?" Lisa says he's on his way. Chen and Lisa are all soothing tones, and Elizabeth's all raging bitch on wheels. Chen tells Elizabeth, "You're about 25% effaced -- but dimpled, not dilated. Okay? We can control that." Elizabeth mutters, "You think so?" Lisa quietly says that an OB resident is on his way, and Elizabeth snarls, "I DON'T WANT A RESIDENT!" Dude, shut up. You're not helping them, and you're not helping yourself, and I know you're tense and scared, but seriously? Shut up. Everyone hates you now, anyway. Ask around. Lisa very seriously tells her, "Elizabeth, you have to calm down and focus, okay? Give the terbutaline a chance to work." Chuny pokes her head in to say that Mark's on the phone; Lisa heads out to get it. Not shown: Lisa getting out of Elizabeth's room and muttering, "Bitch."
We see Chuny leave Elizabeth's curtain area (which, by the way, Elizabeth has all to herself; so much for doubling up and leaving everyone who can walk in chairs) and head past Pin's bed; we can now see it's him, since the nurse from the helicopter is still attending him. Weaver observes that Pin has "one red pupil." Benton determines that Pin needs a "burr hole" and asks, "Where's your perforating drill?" Don't ask Weaver; I hear she's not so much for the perforating drills anymore, if you know what I'm saying, and I think you blah bling blah. Benton, Weaver, and others move Pin into a trauma room. Dr. Dave's already in there cleaning up a patient who's just died (Blunt Chest Trauma, I believe); Benton commands Dr. Dave to move Blunt Chest Trauma up against the wall to make room. Dr. Dave is all snitty, bitterly throwing up his hands as he takes off; I guess there's still some lingering bitterness from that time Benton punched him out. They start working on Pin; Lily pokes her head in to say that Carter's on the phone for Benton. Benton commands William to come over and hold the phone up to Benton's ear. Hello? Speakerphone? Whatever. William makes for the phone, managing not to get in anyone's way in the process.
Crash scene. Capt. Davis tells Crushed Firefighter that they've located Patty, and are going to send a truck to take her to the hospital and meet Crushed Firefighter there. Crushed Firefighter protests that he doesn't want to see her. Capt. Davis says she's already on her way. Crushed Firefighter is all agitated, "No! No, not now!" Carter shrieks at Capt. Davis to hold Crushed Firefighter still. Benton, by the way? Talking Carter through a leg amputation while drilling into a kid's skull. I bet he can read and sing at the same time, like Albert Brooks in Broadcast News. A little jet of blood sprays onto William's gown. Pin starts seizing. Crushed Firefighter whines that he doesn't want Patty to see him now (with stumps for legs, I guess). Carter repeats the order to hold Crushed Firefighter still. Pin continues to seize. Benton tells Carter to use two clamps. Haleh asks Benton, "Two of Ativan?" "Five," Weaver corrects her. Don't make me bust out "Who's on First" on your asses again, with your wacky trauma-room antics. Benton tells everyone in the trauma room that he has to go into Pin's head, and tells everyone to re-paralyze him. Crushed Firefighter starts freaking out like a big whiny baby about seeing his ex-wife. Carter asks one more question, and Benton finally shakes off the phone. Now we know why Carter didn't stay a surgical resident: he needs to have his hand held all the time.
Ambulance bay. Luka hops out of the rig bearing Metal Bar, who is in the process of crashing. Doris asks whether he wants to "run her inside," but Luka decides to do it out in the ambulance bay. He tells Doris to charge the paddles and prepares to shock her. Um. Isn't it dangerous to shock Metal Bar, what with that metal bar in her? I guess not. He shocks her a couple of times, and then spots Mark, showing up to attend to Elizabeth; Luka tells him that Metal Bar has a penetrating back injury and needs to go straight to the OR. Mark jogs past them and into the hospital, saying he'll tell Randi.
Inside, Mark heads straight for Queen Bitch herself. He asks if she's felt any more contractions. She says, "I'm so sorry!" He tells her, "Don't be." She explains that she slipped and fell and thought she only had a backache. Mark asks Lisa about terbutaline (ten minutes ago) and fetal heart tones (good). Elizabeth -- trying to keep her voice down, for a change -- says that the contractions haven't stopped. Mark sensibly tells her that she has to give the terbutaline a chance to work. Elizabeth says that she wants to try magnesium, and Mark soothingly says that they will, if they have to, but that they have to wait and see. She nods, and then starts crying. He hugs her. Okay, that was sad. She's still a bitch, though.
Pin's trauma room. Still being intercut with Crushed Firefighter's amputation. Dude, when they cut to Carter, he is fucking sawing at Crushed Firefighter's leg like it's Christmas day and he's an overcooked turkey. This is accompanied by lots of squooshing noises. It's all quite gross. Carter reassuringly tells Crushed Firefighter they're almost done. Yeah, I'm sure he really thinks you're doing a bang-up job, Smirk Douglas. Not. Especially when the phone slips out from between Carter's ear and shoulder and into the pile of medical waste that used to be Crushed Firefighter's leg. Chuny appears at the side door of Pin's trauma room and tells Weaver that she's needed. Weaver asks which patient, and Chuny says that it's Shannon. Weaver makes to leave, calling out final orders and telling Benton they have to take Pin up to surgery. Benton tries to choke out all the remaining amputation instructions in the few seconds he has left, and leaves with Pin's bed. Carter pretty much begs Benton not to abandon him. Everyone's gone from Pin's trauma room except William, still holding the phone. "Dr. Benton? Dr. Benton!" Carter screams. William regards the phone for a minute and then tells Carter, "Good luck." He hangs up. Heh.
Metal Bar is stable and waiting by the elevator when Pin's trauma team rolls up, trying to cut the surgery line. Luka yells, "No, this one goes straight up! Status, post-cardiac!" Benton and Luka have a little pissing match until Luka sees that Benton's patient is Pin. Luka backs down and asks, "Did you evacuate the clot?" Benton says he did, but that there's still active bleeding. Doris snaps, "She's in shock! He was lucky to get her back the first time." With the camera trained on Luka's face, Benton relents on the OR order, but Luka quietly tells Benton to take Pin first. Benton is in the elevator before Luka can change his mind. Doris is like, "The hell?" Luka's like, "Weren't you paying attention during my many flashbacks?" Then he tells her to start Metal Bar on dopamine, and watches as the elevator numbers light up, carrying Pin to the OR, and to life -- LIFE! And Luka, along with him, to redemption -- REDEMPTION! Or something.
As random extras clean up Blunt Chest Trauma in the room, Shannon tells Weaver, "I wanted to ask you something. [Did] he die?" Weaver asks who she means. Shannon flicks her head toward the corpse of Blunt Chest Trauma and explains, "That man. They cut open his chest. But he died." Weaver quietly says that Blunt Chest Trauma had a fatal injury. "What about the boy?" Shannon asks, meaning Pin, I assume. Weaver says that he went up to surgery. Shannon asks whether Pin's going to die, and Weaver says she doesn't know. And since, if this person is old enough to drive, that's an odd question to ask -- since any clear-thinking person would realize that Weaver wouldn't have any idea whether Pin was going to live or die -- I think Weaver starts to appreciate that Shannon is kind of messed up in the head. Anyway, Weaver asks, "Is there someone we can call for you? Your mom or your dad?" Shannon leans her head back and darkly declares, "They won't understand." "Won't understand what?" Weaver asks. Dreamily staring at the ceiling, Shannon muses, "I thought it would be painless -- the train would hit my car. I'd just be gone." Chuny and Weaver exchange a look of muted horror.
Crash scene. Crushed Firefighter has been freed.
By the elevator at County, Weaver is barking into the phone about being "saturated." The elevator doors open and Carter comes out, wheeling Crushed Firefighter's bed. Chuny meets him there, and Carter asks her for a bunch of tests. Weaver barks some final ass kicks into the phone and hangs up, going over to tell Carter that they're holding OR 6 for him. Carter says he was just up there, and that there was no surgeon there for Crushed Firefighter. Weaver asks whether Crushed Firefighter is stable; Carter says he is, but that he had to sedate Crushed Firefighter with valium. The other elevator door opens, and Robert "Rocket" Romano, in karate gui, comes out and scolds Carter for apparently being "deaf." He flicks Crushed Firefighter's blanket and asks if he's the pre-op amputation. Carter proudly says that it's a post-op amputation, and starts to explain what he did as Romano looks at Crushed Firefighter's stumps and yelps, "What did they use, a chainsaw?" (Yes.) Carter says that he did it; Romano starts to complain about that, too, and then hustles Crushed Firefighter toward an elevator to go up to surgery. Weaver snaps that Carter wouldn't have had to do it if Romano had answered his page. Romano yells that he can't wear his pager in the dojo. Sorry, I'm going to stop after "dojo." My bosses at what remains my worst job ever -- worse than the collection agency, even -- met each other at their dojo (one affiliated in some way with Steven Seagal), making said dojo the site of the formation of the friendship that would lead to the foundation of one of the most poorly managed companies I've ever seen up close. They hired the company bookkeeper -- a complete incompetent -- because he attended their dojo as well. Though I suppose that's a slightly more professional provenance than that of the company receptionist; my bosses met her in the hot tub at their apartment complex. Blah blah, they get Crushed Firefighter up to surgery, and Weaver says that Carter did good work. "I know," Carter mutters. Shut up, Carter. Someone calls Carter, and he hurries over to some other unseen patient.
Carter jogs straight past Mitchell, who reaches out for Weaver's arm as she calls her name and then, when Weaver draws near, remembers where she is and pulls her arm back. Mitchell confirms that Weaver's called her down to see to a "suicide ideation." As they head for Shannon's trauma room, Mitchell asks whether Shannon had "a plan." Weaver says that she parked her car in front of a train. A little too cavalierly, Mitchell chirps, "Oh! I suppose that qualifies." Weaver adds that Shannon's also in a major depression. Mitchell asks, "Flat affect?" "No real remorse," Weaver replies. "About the suicide attempt?" Mitchell asks, not getting it. "For the train wreck," Weaver says quietly. Mitchell fidgets with her papers and switches gears, asking Weaver if she thinks she'll get off before twelve. Weaver says probably not. They exchange a secret smile; Weaver says she'll try to be quiet, and Mitchell instructs her, "No. Wake me. You know. So we can do it." And...the big blow-up last week? No aftermath? Never happened? We're supposed to pretend we never saw all that raging gay yang? Mitchell decided not to be insulted anymore? I don't get it. Bad continuity. I don't need to see everything spelled out, but, hi. A little hint at how they found their way back to liking each other would be nice.
Then we get the opening scene -- Luka, Barn Jacket, etc. -- again, but from the opposite perspective. Walking wounded, thirty-seven, two ER deaths, go home, Luka. After Weaver crutches off, Randi tells Luka that Shirley called. Luka's all, "Huh?" Randi reminds him that he'd wanted Shirley to call him when Metal Bar and Pin got out of surgery. Luka, hesitantly: "Did they...?" Randi says that Metal Bar has sensation in her legs, and that Pin is neurologically intact. When Luka has no discernible response, Randi prompts, "That's good, right?" Luka agrees that it's good. She whatevers, and he heads for the lounge.
Benton rinses his face in a water fountain, and runs into William. Benton is surprised that William's still there. William says that the nurses thought he was a volunteer, and put him to work. Benton chuckles that now William has an experience to talk about in his interview. William says, "I don't know...." Benton points out, "It's yours -- you might as well use it." William explains, "I mean, I don't know if I want to." "'Want to' what?" Benton asks, crossing his arms. William says, "What I saw tonight -- most people go their whole lives without seeing stuff like that!" Benton nods indulgently. William goes on, "Drilling into a little boy's head? Guys having their legs cut off? People dying -- right in front of you?" Benton drawls, "You get used to it." William says, "Yeah -- that's what I'm afraid of. But thanks for helping me find out early." Benton tells him, "Go to the interview." William protests, "Dr. Benton --" Benton repeats, "Go to the interview. You may feel differently in a few days." "I know, but --" William attempts. "Give yourself options," Benton suggests, and ambles off. Quinn exhorts William to walk away from the camera, but his prayers are not answered, either.
Mark's and Elizabeth's baby is going to live, but Elizabeth will need a lot of bed rest. Elizabeth says that the baby suddenly seems real. Lisa comes in to say that OB is waiting, and that transpo is coming to pick her up. Elizabeth, subdued, thanks her. Lisa reminds Elizabeth that the fetal monitor stays on for at least twenty-four hours. "I'll keep it on until I give birth," Elizabeth croaks. Lisa says, "You just have to slow down. No more helicopters." "Right," says Elizabeth.
Then we get a replay of the scene where Luka's on his way up to the ICU. Leaving? No -- Bishop. Another critical? No. She stable? Yes, but scary. Heading home soon? Don't know. Okay? Yeah.
Another replay of Luka's arrival in the ICU, and his greeting Bishop Cromwell. What time? Here late. Intubated. Ventilator? Oxygen. If it drops.... Thanks but no thanks. Bags? Packed. And here, the 52% new material: Bishop Cromwell asks Luka, "How long do I have?" "Maybe hours," says Luka. "Then I'd better hear it now," says Bishop Cromwell. "Hear what?" Luka asks. "Your confession," Bishop Cromwell replies, treating it as the self-evident fact that it is. Luka demurs, and Bishop Cromwell asks, "That's what you came up here for, isn't it?" Luka insists, "I wanted to check on you." Bishop Cromwell knows better: "You're searching for your faith. You think you lost it, but you only buried it. It's never left you." Luka looks down and seems to shuffle his feet. Then he reluctantly pulls up a chair.
Bishop Cromwell makes the sign of the cross in the air and says, "May God, who enlightens every heart, help you to know your sins and trust in His mercy." Luka chuckles mirthlessly, and protests, "Father, I -- I can't..." Bishop Cromwell interrupts him: "Luka. Your heart is burdened, Luka. Talk to me. Let me take that burden with me." Luka licks his lips, looks askance, and offers, "I don't know -- I, uh...lost my family." He looks down. Bishop Cromwell studies him. Luka continues, "Daniela, my wife -- she wanted to move out of Vukovar, but I had to finish my internship, and soon it was too late -- it wasn't safe to move."
As Luka narrates, we see the events he describes, starting with a street covered in rubble and a burning car, with an air-raid siren and falling shells on the soundtrack. "I was going to get some supplies, and I made them stay behind. I was just crossing the street when the mortar shell hit the apartment building."
In the present, Luka throws up his hands in exasperation. "Go on," says Bishop Cromwell.
In the past, Luka tears up a flight of stairs covered in fallen bricks. "I ran inside. There were my neighbours -- hurt, bleeding, dying -- but I passed them by; I had to get to my family." Past Luka starts calling his wife's name as he picks his way through the mess. From the other side of the door, a woman's voice calls, "Luka!" His son, Marko, is dead. They anxiously converse in Croatian about the state of their children; he checks on their daughter and tells Daniela something that sounds like, "I feel her pulse." Daniela tries to move, but she's bleeding around the mid-section; he screams at her, presumably telling her to hold still. "A piece of shrapnel had torn into Daniela's spleen, and she was bleeding to death. When I turned back to my daughter, she wasn't breathing. I lost her pulse. But as long as I kept doing CPR and breathing for my daughter, I thought she had a chance." Given the gravity of the scene, I will refrain from saying that the child actor on whom he's performing CPR is just about the luckiest girl in the world, and -- hey! How did that happen? Luka continues: "I could only pray that someone would get there to help."
In the present, Luka cries, "If I'd picked up Daniela at that moment, and gotten her to the hospital, she could have had surgery -- you know? She could have lived!"
In the past, Luka continues performing CPR. "But I couldn't leave my little girl. I waited and prayed. I prayed someone would come."
"And no one came," Bishop Cromwell concludes.
In the past, night falls. "I called out for hours as I stayed there -- breathing for her, doing CPR. I finally had to stop from exhaustion." He feels for Daniela's pulse.
In the present: "I lost them all." Bishop Cromwell gently says, "You couldn't sacrifice the one to save the other. Even if you had, you'd still blame yourself." Luka, sobbing now, leans forward and rests his head on Bishop Cromwell's bed; Bishop Cromwell reaches out and caresses Luka's head, saying, "These things can't be explained -- why it happens. The providence of God and the mysteries of life and death are the very fibre of our faith. They were gifts of love and life. You are a gift of love and live. Don't turn your back on them." Bishop Cromwell tilts his head up and prays, "God, Father of all mercies, through the death and resurrection of your only begotten Son, [who] was reconciled Himself to the world and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins, through the ministry of holy Church, may God give you pardon and peace. And I absolve you of all your sins." In the past, Luka stands amid the bodies of his family and stares up in despair. Bishop Cromwell concludes, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Machines have started beeping, though so faintly we can barely hear. Luka turns all of them off, and releases Bishop Cromwell.