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In Short: Aaron has difficulty after a gang member shoots up the ER, and then dies on his operating table. After seeing his mother get shot, a boy thinks he's paralyzed. Karen accepts an offer from Phillip to work at Chicago Hope.
Guest Starring: Margaret Colin (as Karen Antonovich), Allen Garfield (as Ray Kadalski), Richard Brooks, Stephen Elliot (as Harold Aldrich), Charlayne Woodard, and Cynthia Martells
Story: Michael Braverman and Michael Nankin
Teleplay: Michael Braverman
Directed By: Steve Miner
TOP Summary:Phillip offers Karen a job at Chicago Hope. She wants to know how much Geiger makes. He say s it's irrelevant--she'll never find a better deal. They shake on it. A paralyzed boy, Marcus, comes into the ER. Soon after a man with a gunshot wound follows. A gang member strolls in and shoots up the ER, hitting a few people--including Marcus' mother--before he himself is shot. Karen has second thoughts. Aaron has to operate on the shooter, Antoine, and jokes about "accidentally" slipping and killing him. Jeffrey tells Marcus' dad that his wife should have a full recovery.
Antoine starts seizing and he dies. Aaron admits to Jeffrey that he's the first patient who ever died and Aaron felt nothing. Aaron refuses to perform surgery on Marcus, then attacks Kadalski. Aaron admits he joked about killing Antoine because now that he's dead he's not sure it was just a joke and he did everything he could. Aaron's comments get out and Antoine's family charge Aaron with wrongful death.
Phillip is upset that someone in the OR must have talked. Camille tells Jeffrey she's worried about Aaron but she's afraid to try and comfort him because he's still hurting over their divorce too. Karen tells Marchs' dad his son's surgery went very well and he should be fine, and then tries to comfort Aaron. He pushes her away. Judge Aldrich is hearing Aaron's case and Arthur, Aldrich's friend, tries to get him on their side, but Aldrich knows what he's trying to do. Marcus is still paralyzed; Karen insists the surgery went perfectly. Phillip surmises it' psychological, because Marcus saw his mother get shot.
Phillip confronts Aaron. If he's going to show up at CH, he'd better do his procedures. Phillip says he knows Aaron did nothing wrong, and reminds him he has a lot of friends there for him. Kadalski tries to help Marcus move his legs. Then Jeffrey gives it a shot, but only scares the hell out of the boy. Aldrich dismisses the case and orders the other lawyer to declare to the room that he is a toad. Aaron's still not sure. He tells Jeffrey he'll always wonder if he tried hard enough. Jeffrey tries to reassure him.
Aaron tries to help Marcus by telling him how he's been paralyzed too since the shooting. But he realized after talking to Jeffrey that even if he didn't operate again he would be loved, and so would Marcus if he didn't walk right away. It's OK to be weak and need somebody else. Aaron massages Marcus' legs, and he can feel it. He starts to move them. Marcus is no longer paralyzed, and neither is Aaron.
TOP Facts:Song: "High Hopes" - There are two artists who perform this song: Frank Sinatra, it can be found on his album Best of...
and by the Gorilla Biscuits, here it can be found on their album Gorilla Bisquits.
TOP Quotes:KADALSKI: How are you feeling?
DANNY: My arm hurts.
KADALSKI: How about emotionally?
DANNY: My arm hurts.PHILLIP: Listen, if you're going to snap, Aaron--
AARON: No, God forbid I should snap, Phillip. I wouldn't dare snap. I mean, I've got bullets whizzing by my head in the ER, I've got to operate on the shooter, patients are dying on me, but I won't snap. God forbid I should snap. That might make me human. God forbid any doctor be human at Chicago Hope. Hey, Phillip, you do me a favor, alright? You tell everybody here to go to hell, okay?
TOP Transcripts:Aaron asks if he could talk to Marcus alone:
Aaron: I've been sort of frozen myself since the shooting. I've been able to walk, but well ... not operate on anybody.
Marcus: Why?
Aaron: Too scared I think. That was something seeing those bullets ... hearing them. That's why you're not moving your legs. Because of fear. They told you that?
Marcus: Yeah.
Aaron: Sometimes I think that all the fear and the pressure is the thing that keeps us from getting, you know, unstuck. But I suddenly realized, I was talking to my best friend a little while ago and I realized, whether I ever operate again or not, he is still gonna love me just the same. And God, it took such pressure off. I don't have to get better right away. I can be weak. I don't even have to be strong. I can just, you know, go limp and I don't know ... free fall, because I have people who love me and are going to take care of me no matter what. And you have that too Marcus. Your parents are gonna love you, even if you don't walk right away. I know that you want to do it today, partly because of them, just like I want to operate because I don't want to let my people down. But let's not think about that today. Sometimes, you know, we have to be there for them. We gotta be strong for them, but today we're gonna let them be there for us. We'll be weak. We'll need them. There's no pressure. (Aaron rubs Marcus' legs.) Just let your family love you. You heel. You got all the time in the world and all the love in the world and all you got to do is just ... go limp and accept it.
Marcus: I can feel that. I can feel you rubbing.
Aaron: You can? I can feel it too Marcus. It feels to me like you're moving them. It's coming back. Maybe we ought to call your parents back in now.... We should give him some time.
(As the doctors leave, Geiger pats Shutt on the back.)
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