|
|
 |
|
 |
|
suddenly stricken with seizure |
who seeks her advice |
Story: Beth Glazer McLaughlin
Teleplay:
Directed By: John Heath
One of Grad's old patients, Vicki Slater, who was diagnosed as HIV positive, stops by the hospital. Vicki drops a bombshell when she announces her intention to have a child. Grad is taken aback, for although Vicki has responded well to the latest drugs, the probability of passing the illness to the fetus is eight percent, which Grad considers too great a risk.
Peggy Fritz, a heavy-set woman, limps/hops into the emergency room handcuffed to her teenage daughter, Rhonda, who is also obese. Peggy complains that she inadvertently stepped on a toothpick and needs to have it extracted from her foot. A judge ordered the pair be handcuffed together for six months as punishment for Rhonda's truancy. Wilkes eventually located the toothpick amidst the ample flesh on Peggy's foot, and soon after, mother and daughter leave the hospital.
Watters asks Catera for a consult regarding a five-year-old girl, Carly Griffin, who was stricken with seizures. After speaking with Carly, Catera tells the girl's parents, Paul and Alyson, that their daughter suffers from continuous focal seizures, which are affecting the left side of the brain. Further tests reveal that Carly has Rasmussen's Encephalitis, which, if left untreated, eventually leads to death. This unsettles Catera, as she realizes the surgery requires removal of the diseased left side of the girl's brain. But Shutt encourages Catera, confident she can pull it off.
As Grad applies moisturizer to her skin, she notices a lump on the upper portion of one breast. Fearing the worst, she doesn't mention the discovery to Kronk. Later, Grad stops by the office of Dr. Louise Ginsberg, a radiologist. But Grad, getting cold feet, decides to return at another time.
Peggy and Rhonda Fritz return to the emergency room. This time, Rhonda complains of severe pain in her abdomen. After briefly examining Rhonda, Wilkes concludes she is in labor. This comes as a shock to both women.
Vicki and her husband, Gary Slater, meet with Grad and Hancock to discuss the possibility of having children. Hancock explains that the hospital can help the couple should they decide to proceed, but Grad interrupts, and focuses on the inherent dangers. An angered Vicki decides to meet with Hancock — sans Grad — at a later date.
Hancock delivers Rhonda's baby ... only to discover a twin. Peggy, still handcuffed to her daughter, turns pale. She clutches her chest, and believing she's experiencing a heart attack, falls to the floor. A janitor arrives with bolt cutters and sever the handcuffs just as doctors deliver Rhonda's second child. Shortly thereafter, Peggy concludes the pain in her chest was caused by eating pizza with cocktail weenies the night before.
Catera convinces the Griffiths that their daughter needs the surgery despite the great risk. Due to Carly's age, Catera believes the girl is capable of living a normal life with only half her brain. Catera proceeds with the delicate operation, and despite tearing a vein in the girl's head, pulls Carly through. Later, Alyson and Paul are thrilled when their daughter opens her eyes and speaks.
Grad returns to Ginsberg's office and has a mammography. Ginsberg concludes the growth is a cyst, not a cancerous tumor. Afterward, Grad tells Kronk about the lump, and admits that broaching the subject would have made it all too real. She also tells Kronk she now empathizes with Vicki's plight. Later, she brings Vicki a turkey baster, assuring her it will "do the trick."
This page has been visited
times.
