At the start of medical school,
you and your classmates stand together,
wearing your lab coats for the first time,
and you take an oath.
No justice! No peace!
Equality right now!
Equality right now! Stand up!
The oath has many versions, but each boils down to this...
The practice of medicine should be humane and kind.
_
It turns out there's a catch they don't tell you about...
Medicine mimics the world it lives in. _
_
Hey. Brought coffee.
You see Richard's e-mail?
I can't look at my phone without 50 news alerts popping up.
It's like it's cursed.
He told the staff to take time if they need it.
To rest, protest.
Worry about whether their fiancé's gonna make it
across country in one piece?
Anything.
He understands.
If I keep staring at this wall,
I'm just gonna burn a hole into it.
I should go.
And in this world,
humanity and kindness are often in short supply.
I canceled the few elective surgeries we had scheduled,
told the blood bank to be on high alert,
and put five vents on standby for incoming traumas.
We'll have the tent outside for walk-ups.
Mnh. You think that'll be enough for us?
I think it'll have to be.
We've just barely got our bearings in this pandemic...
Now this.
Well, revolutions don't schedule appointments.
Mnh!
You good?
I... I just want to be doing something I know how to do.
Well, you've done everything you could to prepare.
Now, look, I'll come back if you need me.
It may take me some time to get here, but I-I'll make it.
Wait, back... Back from where?
I'm protesting, Bailey.
Something important is happening out there,
and I'm not gonna miss it...
These moments save lives, too.
You go give 'em hell.
I'm so grateful that you came in today.
Not that I would ask a Black man not to march.
No, but you can text me eight times,
asking if I'm coming in, though.
Mnh-mnh!
That was my phone that did that.
- Oh, okay. - It's new.
Uh-huh.
No, I almost called in a sub, honestly,
but we're barely hanging on with COVID,
so I figured they'll need me.
Speaking of which, did you read my proposal
for setting up the free COVID testing and treatment site
for low-income patients?
I mean, Ortiz's connections...
I think we can make a real impact.
You know we're barely keeping the lights on as it is, baby.
But I will revisit it when the revenues improve.
You want us to wait till COVID's over
before we can open a COVID site, Mom?
Come on. Okay? Dr. Ortiz and I put
a lot of really good time and effort into this.
She's got great ideas.
Just let me get through this week, okay?
- I'm late for my meeting. - Ah.
- Love you. - This week.
Avery. You got a second?
Hey, everything okay?
I've been better, mate.
I don't have much time.
It's all hands on deck here.
Probably won't even have a chance to shower
before I see you tonight,
but I just wanted to see your face.
Well this is it.
My exhausted, driving-for-three-days face.
I feel like we chose the worst time ever
for you to make this drive.
Nah. The sooner I'm with you, the better.
Well, what'd you think of the apartment listing I sent you?
I haven't even looked at it yet.
Maggie.
It's just... I have not been able to focus
on anything besides work and the news and you driving.
I get it, baby. I get it.
But as far as I can tell,
Seattle real estate is the Hunger Games with kitchens.
So if I want this place,
I'm gonna need to make an offer soon.
Okay, I'll look at it. I promise.
Alright.
Next time we talk, it'll be in person.
Be careful. Please.
- Extra careful. - Always.
I love you.
Love you.
She's still sleeping most of the time.
She's very weak.
But stable.
Have Schmitt do her hyperbaric treatment today.
Do we think that Schmitt's qualified?
He'll be fine. I'll put the fear of God in him.
That almost sounds fun.
Dr. Scott...
- Let's order an X-ray. - Yeah.
They're in the south parking lot right now.
Thanks a million, Irene. I'll be back when I can.
Alright, hold still. Hold still.
Cops did this?
Neo-Nazis did this.
"Counter-protesters," I think they're called.
Came at my boy with a billy club.
I jumped in between them just in time.
Well, he got you good. Must've been scary.
I wanted to drop a bomb on the whole lot of them.
If I had one, I would have.
Oh, man, this rage I'm feeling?
That's... That's why we need stricter gun laws.
Alright. Well, I can get you some Valium for the shaking.
No, I'm good.
ER's filling up. I just... I just want to get back to work.
Am I okay, Avery?
Almost.
Next time, make sure you guys hang
- in the back of the crowd, yeah? - Next time?
When they're 18, they can protest all they want.
Right now, they're going straight home.
Jackson, I need you out here!
Her name is Nell. That's all I got.
She was hit with a tear gas canister.
Shot! Not hit... shot! At close range!
Oh, shrapnel went everywhere.
- E-Easy. - Oh.
- Easy. - Keep it stable.
- Trauma one's open. Let's move. - Okay.
- Ready? - Yeah.
- Let's go. - Let's go.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
Uh, good circulation in the upper extremities.
Nell, does your hand feel numb or tingly?
Excruciating pain isn't enough?
No acute fractures.
Canister doesn't seem too deeply embedded.
Someone give me their hand.
Why?
I need to squeeze the hell out of it.
This thing hurts.
- Two of morphine, Reuben. - Mm-hmm.
Non-expanding hematoma,
but I cannot rule out a neurovascular injury here.
So I think we need a CT angio right away.
Let's prep to move.
- Okay, I'm gonna come with you. - Wait, wait, wait, wait!
Y-You're not taking this thing out of me first?
We want to make sure it didn't hit
any major blood vessels in your neck.
Then we're gonna remove it in the operating room.
We're gonna move as fast as we can, alright?
- Alright. - You ready for us to move you?
? Hey, hey, ho, ho ?
- ? Come on, girl, let's go ? - [CHUCKLES]
? Hey, hey, ho, ho ? ? Hey, hey, ho, ho ?
- ? Come on ? - ? Come on, girl ?
- That's right, let's go. - ? Let's go ?
Okay, keep this on for the next 12 hours,
then apply the antibiotic ointment, okay?
Will this bandage hold?
I'm going back out.
I'll get you some extra Coban to be safe, okay?
- Hey. - Hey.
Got your page.
Yeah, someone's en route
with a rubber bullet injury to the chest.
Should be here any minute.
Ugh, glass bricks.
- You get that, Pierce? - Huh? Yes, yeah.
Uh, just got a lot going on today.
Winston is driving back as we speak.
Yeah, you two aren't wasting any time.
- I'm happy for you. - Thanks.
We're just trying to work out this living situation.
Oh, you're worried?
You're wondering if he prefers using the bathroom
with the door wide open?
Or puts ketchup on his eggs.
Who puts ketchup on their eggs?
Over 54% of Americans, actually.
Okay, rig's here. Let's go.
Okay, we have Guy Houston, 22.
Took a rubber bullet to the chest.
Defibrillated in the field for V-fib.
I think "died" is the word you're looking for.
Welcome back. Let's get you inside.
I need a chest X-ray, cardiac enzymes,
and let's get him on a monitor.
We're heading into the chamber.
Breathing oxygen...
feeling light...
as if you're, uh, floating on a cloud.
But not... not like a cloud in heaven or anything.
Just, um, floating. Like...
just not dead, you know?
We're healing and recovering.
What are you doing here?
Uh, post-op surgical wound infection.
My attending ordered hyperbaric treatment
to enhance healing.
Well, we're next.
And we're also VIP, so you can go now.
Schedule's packed today, so they're doubling up.
Crap, is that Meredith Grey?
Maybe. But don't talk to her.
I'm under strict orders from the Chief
to not cause Dr. Grey any stress.
Of course, no problem.
Just, uh, floating like...
Are you gonna make room or not?
Haven't even finished this supply run...
You're already coming in for more.
Yeah, well, it's just one of those years.
Wait, can I fix that?
Because it looks like you lost a bar fight.
Thank you.
Wow. Okay.
It's not like there's a deadly virus going around...
Spread by droplets.
Oh, sorry.
It's the bloody tear gas, I swear.
How are your sons?
They're alright.
Irene came to pick them up, despite their complaining.
They wanted to stay out?
Yeah, they want to be a part of the change,
not just watch it on a screen.
But you wouldn't let them?
After this? No way.
You think that's a mistake?
No, I, uh... I see both sides.
You know, protesting the police in front of the police
is scary, and so is doing nothing.
Guess I've just buried too much family
to see anybody else's side but my own.
Right.
Captain Emerson, call Radiology.
Yes.
Chad Anderson, 40s,
no past medical history, according to him.
EMTs brought him.
He evidently collapsed while jogging.
I've given him O2, but he's still experiencing
shortness of breath, as well as foot irritation.
Look, I'm fine, okay?
As I was trying to explain to your nurse here...
Dr. Tseng.
She's a second-year surgical resident.
Yeah, but... Pull your mask up.
Yeah.
Okay, look, I was just trying to tell her that it's...
I... Sometimes, I get shortness of breath when I run.
It's not a big deal.
I mean, you know, my... My inhaler's expired,
so you just, you know,
you put me on a nebulizer treatment
and you write me a new prescription for albuterol,
and there'll be one less guy in the room.
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Tseng, has his oxygen saturation been above 92?
Hovering around 88.
Mr. Anderson, is it possible
that you've been exposed to COVID-19?
No. Uh, it's... That's a no.
Hm. Mask up.
Hospital policy.
Move him to an isolated room and give him a full workup...
Chest X-ray, lower extremity duplex, and a COVID test.
Page me with the results.
Okay, hey. Doc, look, I'll take the workup, okay,
but I don't care what your little test says
'cause I know that it's not real.
What's not real?
COVID.
Do I look like a sheep, alright?
I know it's a scam.
How's she doing?
Hopefully, it's confined to just soft tissue damage.
Well, her clavicle felt intact.
We were marching peacefully.
You know, she was marching peacefully.
Can you imagine firing poison gas at this woman?
Still marching at her age?
What was it like out there today?
It was beautiful.
At first.
And then it was frightening and then messy,
but it was still beautiful.
I mean, there were young people
handing out water and masks.
It was... It was organized.
There was this... This feeling in the air.
It's...
You have to put yourself on the line to be part of it,
but good trouble lights you up, you know?
Yeah, sure.
Oh, scans are up.
Ah. Okay.
Oh, well, no vascular involvement, thank God.
See? It tore through the trapezius muscle.
Yeah.
Well, let's book an OR and extract the canister.
Yeah.
Don't see any pericardial fluid.
That's a good thing.
Okay, so was it a... A heart attack?
Because my dad's had two of those.
Kind of.
It's called commotio cordis.
Basically, the rubber bullet must've hit you
at the exact right moment
to interrupt your heart's normal rhythm.
The same thing happens with a heart attack.
Yeah, you were lucky that EMTs were nearby.
Everything was so chill, you know?
Then there was gas and... And screaming
and people running in all directions.
We couldn't even tell which way the cops wanted us to go.
But I swear, we didn't do anything wrong.
Yeah, I'm sure you didn't.
Your X-ray and your echo both look good,
but I do want to admit you for observation and bloodwork
just to make sure your heart's okay.
I-I, uh... I s... I should probably call my mom.
Uh, I will be right back.
Keep him on telemetry
and do cardiac enzymes every two hours.
Hey. What happened to not speaking
until we see each other in person?
The landlord called,
and he said he wants to rent to a doctor,
but he has a few offers
and he needs to make a decision today.
Did you look at the listing?
I did.
I'm not a fan.
It has glass bricks. And only two windows.
And glass bricks.
Um, okay, well,
I told him I'm gonna take it.
Maggie, you know I need a better option
than a hotel or a backyard tent.
It's just for now.
You know, I just want to be in the same city.
Hey, Maggie.
And for the record, no judgment...
- Maggie. - ...do you like glass bricks?
Maggie, I can't... I can't talk now.
I'm being pulled...
I'm being pulled over.
Wait, what? You're being pulled over by the...
By the police, yes. I got to go.
No, no, no, no. Winston, don't hang up.
Turn on your camera if you can,
but do not hang up the phone.
I will stay on the line with you.
Is she mean?
Dr. Grey?
Excuse me?
Uh, sorry. It's just what I heard.
I also heard that she's the best.
But she got sick before my first day,
so I never got a chance to see it.
I intubated a COVID patient on the fly the other day.
Never could've done that a couple years ago.
And my Lembert sutures, which she taught me,
they're... They're getting better.
Every win I've had, any time I do something right,
I hear her voice in my head.
She's the most influential teacher I've ever had.
Even when she's asleep.
And, yes, she can be tough sometimes.
There's always a reason.
I really hope I get to operate with her one day.
Yeah, me too.
Alright.
Music off, hat off, hands on the wheel.
License and registration, sir.
How you doing today, Officer?
Oh, just takin' 'er easy.
Can you tell me why you pulled me over?
I saw... Speed limit said it's 45...
Set the cruise to 40.
Winston, are you there?
I can't hear anything.
I'm gonna need you to turn off your phone, sir.
Oh, it's just my fiancée.
She's up in Seattle.
Your phone, sir.
She, uh, she worries about me on the long drive.
Can I leave it on?
Mr. Ndugu, are you failing to comply?
Winston.
If... If... If you're still there,
just keep me on the line.
I'm reaching for my phone.
Winston?
Oh, no, no.
Army Navy, please.
Pick-ups, Bokhee.
My mom mention getting an e-mail from me at all?
I sense you want me to say yes.
She probably hasn't even opened it.
I don't know why I haven't learned.
The only ideas that get through to her are her own.
It's hard being a problem-solver
when the problems are so complex.
I could never do her job.
Yeah, well, it'd be easier if she wouldn't ignore good advice
from people trying to help her.
Wouldn't even bother me as much if it was just me.
Alma Ortiz and I worked really hard on a lot of good ideas
based on her previous experience.
Well, listen, give her time.
We're all feeling next-level stress.
Something tells me that after a week,
she'll be a little more open.
We just pulled a hunk of metal out of this woman,
and you're seriously being super positive right now?
You know, you barely missed getting hit yourself.
Yeah, it should have never happened.
I'm just thankful that the damage isn't worse.
What got me... Well, you saw her.
She wasn't fazed.
She was... She was energized. You know what I mean?
There's power in gathering like that,
I mean, where the truth brings so many people together.
I mean...
Well, you know.
Actually, no, I don't.
Honestly, I've never been to a real protest.
I mean, I've protested plenty of things...
I've boycotted businesses, signed petitions.
Done surgeries for free, given talks.
It seems like every time folks took to the streets,
I always had a reason not to.
I had to work, I had to study.
I could always see how useful money was to the cause,
you know, so I guess I always felt
that writing a check was a worthwhile substitute.
And, hell, maybe it is.
In this country, at least.
You think that's a cop-out?
I try not to judge the way that anyone handles
the traumas that come with living here.
And that includes you.
And your mother.
Clamp.
Hi, you've reached Dr. Winston Ndugu.
- Dr. Pierce! - Just... Just... Come on.
Dr. Pierce!
He's in V-fib again!
Let's push a 6-milligram bolus of adenosine.
Oh, Ortiz! I need you to keep calling this number.
- It's my fiancé, Winston. - He's still in V-tach.
If he picks up, you tell me.
If he doesn't, just keep calling.
Just do not stop.
- Everything okay? - He got pulled over.
I want the officer to know that someone is checking in on him.
Mm.
Let's charge to 200!
Mask up, Mr. Anderson.
Mm. Sorry, I forgot.
The whole "coro-no-virus."
Sir...
...I need you to listen to me.
Your COVID test came back positive.
Additionally, you have
ground glass opacities in your lungs.
That's why you're having trouble breathing.
And your toes aren't red because you run without socks.
Y-You have what's being referred to as "COVID-toe."
"COVID-toe"?
- Yes. - Really?
That's the best you got? COVID-toe?
Are you guys even trying?
This ultrasound of your leg reveals a clot
that we need to treat immediately, so...
Okay, well, whose leg is that?
I'm sorry?
Well, see, I'm a... I'm a runner.
We don't get blood clots. But it's a...
That's a... That's a nice try, though.
- Mr. Anderson, please. - Okay. Look.
You know what I've figured out?
Huh?
I figured out that this little cold
that y'all are so terrified of...
Biggest moneymaker since crypto-currency.
And speaking of, h-how do you get your kickbacks?
I mean, is it like a flat fee
from every patient that you diagnose,
or is it like a... A percentage deal, or...?
My m...
Um, I...
Be back in a moment. I need to answer a page.
Yeah, yeah. Take your time.
What?! What?!
Okay.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
W-What?!
Stop.
Okay, let's try this.
Your blood oxygen is dangerously low.
Your lungs are getting worse.
And if untreated, the clot in your leg
could travel to your lungs and kill you.
We're seeing cases like yours
all of the ti...
Sir, this is not just a cold.
It's not asthma.
This won't magically go away.
Sir, please, let us admit you so that we can start
you on steroids...
...and... and put you on blood thinners.
Look, because even if you are a little bit wrong,
it could be fatal.
You know, I'm still waiting on
that albuterol prescription, Doc.
Thank you.
- 200 joules! - 200. Stand clear.
Still V-fib. Go again.
- Charge. - Charge.
Clear.
Okay, he's back to normal sinus rhythm.
So, what are you thinking?
I think the rubber bullet bruised his heart.
His troponin levels are elevated.
We gotta get him to the CCU.
All this from a rubber bullet?
It wasn't a "rubber" bullet.
It's a metal bullet encased in rubber
fired from a gun at a human being.
They're not meant to be fired close range or directly.
- They can be just as dangerous. - Still no answer.
- Damn it. - V-fib again?!
He's unstable. He keeps going in and out of sinus.
- Charge. - Yep.
- Charge. - Clear!
He's in V-fib storm.
The myocardial contusion is causing
a closed loop of misfiring in his heart.
It's not gonna stop until we get him ablated.
Push 100 mg of lido, give him an amiodarone bolus,
and get him up to the IR suite.
- We'll meet you up there, okay? - Okay.
Still no answer.
Alright.
- Page Richard Webber. - Ready? Let's move.
Tell him to meet me in the IR suite,
and tell him it's urgent.
Ever work in a warehouse?
Not that I recall.
My patient does.
Forklift injury.
They're surprisingly common.
It's good to know.
Hey, uh... Uh... uh...
You might want to up his sedation.
Sedation, right. Uh...
Quick, before he...
- Oh! Oh! - Crap!
That's what I was worried about.
Okay.
Come on. C...
Maggie.
- What's wrong? - Okay.
Winston is on his way back here from Boston.
- Mm-hmm. - He is driving, he's on the road,
and we were on the phone.
We were...
And the police pulled him over,
and I told him to keep me on the line.
But the police made him hang up,
and now I can't get a hold of him.
It's been...
It's been 20 minutes,
and I don't know where he is.
And I have a patient who could go into V-fib at any second,
so I have to get in there and do an ablation.
But this is how it happens, right? Just like this?
So, I-I-I-I need somebody to go and find him now.
- Right now. - Look. Alright, Maggie.
Alright. Okay?
What you should do now is take care of your patient.
What if he tries to call me and I don't pick up?
- Or what if he doesn't call... - No. Yeah.
...and the police just take him... take him?
Look, just give me your phone.
I'll give it some more time.
If there's still no word, I will get into my car,
and I will look for him myself.
- Give me your phone. - Okay.
Yeah?
Mm-hmm.
- Okay. - Mm.
Oh, my God!
Oh, God, his intestines are popping out!
Okay, okay, okay. Let me think.
What do we do? What do we do?
I don't know what to do.
Schmitt. This isn't anyone's fault.
This isn't anyone's fault.
The patient nearly extubated himself
and caused an evisceration. ...and caused an evisceration.
It is a horrible complication...
But it can be fixed.
- What is the first step? - What is the first step?
Chee, he dehisced.
I need you to hold down the patient
so he doesn't extubate himself.
Paralyze him with cis and push more Versed.
And then, I need you to get on the intercom.
And say what?
Tell them to depressurize the chamber
and call for an OR now.
No... No attending?
We are stuck in this chamber until it depressurizes,
so we are on our own, but we do not panic.
Now, we need to put him under, so push more meds.
Now!
Okay.
There it is.
We're ready for the needle.
He's stable.
Go. Do your call.
We'll page you if he goes into V-fib.
- Are you sure? - Maggie, go.
Winston?
- Hey. - Oh, my God.
Are you okay? Where are you?
I'm... I'm... I'm fine.
I... They le... They let me go.
Why did it take them so long to let you go?
Um, because they... they had me get out of the car
and take my mask off.
And, uh...
And then, uh, they had me do a DUI test.
And then, they checked the trunk.
And then, they checked the car.
You know, and then I had to unpack all my stuff,
and, uh, the police dog
- sniffed it over. - What?
And then the dog sniffed me, and they let me go.
So, I'm g... I'm good. Tha... That's what took so long.
W-W-W-Why did the... I mean, I...
Were you, like, swerving on the road?
No, no, no. Uh, my... my bike rack
was obscuring my license plate, and...
And then, they saw me.
So, it just turned into
one of those things, I guess.
They can't do that. They...
Maggie, I'm a little bit shaken up right now.
I don't know if I'm good to drive yet.
I don't know if I'm... I don't think I'm...
Uh, Maggie, I'm not good.
Okay.
I'm... I'm not okay yet, you know?
Uh...
I just gotta breathe a little bit, you know?
Okay, okay. Okay, listen, you're okay.
You are okay, and I am here with you as long as you need.
- Alright. - Okay? Breathe, baby.
Breathe. You are okay.
I need saline.
His bowels are drying out.
That's why I asked for saline.
Pour it!
And what are Dr. Grey's vitals?
What's wrong with Dr. Grey?
Nothing, but your patient isn't the only one in here,
and I don't want two emergencies.
So, could you please read her vitals?
BP... 120 over 75.
- O2 sats are 95%. - Good.
Stay that way.
I think I got it all in.
- Don't put too much pressure. - Don't put too much pressure.
I need to avoid bowel ischemia
and abdominal compartment syndrome.
Nice work, Schmitt. Nice work, Schmitt.
Well, our surgery was successful.
I was able to remove the canister
to get your wound cleaned out quite nicely.
No vascular damage.
We'll want to go back in in a few days
just to get everything nice and closed up.
Yeah, a centimeter in the other direction
and it could have been much worse.
Could have been better.
Could have been you.
Eventually, you're gonna, uh, need some physical therapy
just to help get your full range of motion back.
Sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to check
how the toughest patient in the hospital is doing.
Well, you found her.
Takes a gas canister at full velocity
- and still cracking jokes in the ER. - Mm-hmm.
Never seen the like of it.
How you feeling?
Never better.
Well, we did our best.
You might have a little bit of scarring.
Oh, I'm not worried about a scar.
Just go with the rest of them.
Ferguson...
I tore my ACL running from a tank.
Standing Rock, well, frostbite.
And these are just the two most recent ones.
I think I got that beat.
WTO protests, 1999.
They fired tear gas into the crowd,
a few of us ducked into a building,
but they pushed the door closed before I could get inside.
I shattered my clavicle and tore off some skin.
Hmm. When was your first?
Oh, first march?
- Free South Africa. 1988. - Mm.
I got started a little late.
Yourself?
1963.
'63, as in...?
The March on Washington.
My mother took me. I was 11.
You... Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech?
You were there? In person?
I was.
It was August, and hot.
To be honest, I remember Mom taking me to cool my feet
in the Reflecting Pool more than anything.
But I do remember him on that stage...
The sound of his voice sweeping over us.
The power of it. The holiness.
It felt like... possibility.
Like, if, this can happen, anything can happen.
Possibility like that was rare.
And it's worth a few scars.
He thinks COVID is a scam to trick people
into thinking they need treatment,
and then we make them sicker
by not treating them for the things they do have.
I'm sorry. I mean, who is getting this money?
You. Me. All of us.
And who does he think is paying us?
The government.
Oh, and we gettin' rich.
I mean, every patient that we admit... ka-ching.
I mean, why not money?
I mean, look at how much coronavirus has given us...
I mean, a full-on nervous breakdown.
A dead mother.
Constant OCD flare-ups.
Losing seven patients in one day.
Coming home at the end of the day
and seeing the heartbreak on my dad's eyes.
Whoo!
Oh, no.
No.
No, no, no, no.
What on earth?! Who discharged him?!
He signed AMA.
Said he was done and just walked out.
He didn't get very far.
No pulse.
Hurry up with that crash cart!
We offered him treatment, could have saved him.
Instead, he walked away.
Most people never feel what it's like
to be really great at something, Altman, but we do, right?
I do. I can put broken people together
with needles and string.
But... I can't fix this.
I mean, how do I treat someone who is offered help
and chooses to walk away?
I want to hope, Altman.
I want to... mnh... Believe that, you know,
just... Just a little longer,
and... and... and we'll be over this brutal hill.
But...
I just... I just don't know.
Hey. 30 minutes without another episode of V-fib.
The radiofrequency ablation worked.
Any more word from Winston?
He's back on the road.
He'll be here in an hour or two.
I'm glad to hear that.
Whoa, 17 missed calls from "Mom."
I wonder if she even knows he's here.
Are you up for that,
- or do you need me to...? - I got it.
Okay.
Hello?
Okay, okay, okay.
Your son is okay.
This is Dr. Maggie Pierce.
I was one of his doctors today.
Oh, hey.
Richard tells me your new patient Nell
is quite the storyteller.
I'm thinking about going down there to meet her
before she gets discharged.
- Why don't we have scars, Mom? - Come again?
My whole life, whenever I see people marching in the streets,
I hear your voice telling me that just going to work
is heroic enough,
that we need to fix things from the inside.
Succeed first, then give. Like, that's what...
That's what you taught me, right?
And... And here I am.
I'm... I'm successful, I've given,
and nothing seems to change.
I know what it's like to get discouraged, Jackson.
No, I don't... I don't need a pep talk.
That's not what this is.
I...
If our foundation is so good at fighting the good fight,
then why isn't anything getting better?
And don't take that the wrong way, alright?
I'm just saying, maybe both of us have got this wrong.
I mean, look at what is happening
in the streets right now.
Why aren't we there?
Why the hell don't we have scars?
Let's just drop the "we" business
of this right now, okay?
You may not have scars, Jackson,
but I have decades' worth.
And if you think nothing has changed,
why don't you just ask yourself
how many Webbers, Baileys, or Pierces
you would have seen walking through these halls
40 years ago... 20 years ago.
You have no idea the battles that I have fought
and won for that.
And if you don't see any scars,
it's because I'm damn good at this job.
Of course you are. I'm not... criticizing you.
You're incredible. But I'm saying,
aren't you also annoyed with all this red tape?
Having to convince some trustees
when you have a brilliant idea?
Like, what about our ideas?
What about doing something about
the Black maternal mortality rate
instead of talking about it?
What about building our database
for the obvious racial bias in medical training?
What about building our... Our medical school
that we talked about?
So many things we could be doing.
One battle at a time, Jackson.
That's how the world works.
Nah.
It shouldn't be that way... Not anymore, alright?
I don't want to play a role in a system that's just broken.
You sound like your father.
Oh, that'd be the worst thing in the world?
- Mom... - It's been a long day.
- I didn't mean... - You've already said it, Jackson.
Don't try to lie about it now.
Nah!
Hup, hup!
Hey, Dad, wanna get in here?
Liam keeps kicking the ball over the fence.
Because our yard's too small.
Come over here for a second, boys, will ya?
I was wrong.
Not to try and protect you...
I'm your dad. That's part of the bargain.
But I was wrong to tell you to stay home.
This is your country, boys,
and now is a moment.
So, you'll fight, you'll protest if you want to,
but only during daylight and only when I'm with you.
Sound fair?
I heard about the one downtown tomorrow...
If that's not too soon.
Why would it be too soon?
Um, your head?
Oh, yeah. Forgot about that.
I think it's an improvement.
Oh, do you, now?
- Wha... - Hey!
Oh, hey. You need a ride home? Um.
Uh, thanks. I'll walk.
No, let me drive you.
There's a curfew. It's just not safe.
That's alright. I'll walk.
Jackson, you can march tomorrow.
Today's practically over.
Yeah, well, it sounds like
they're still marching somewhere.
I'll walk.
I remember that day I first put on my white coat,
even though it was long ago.
I took the oath alongside my classmates,
and I meant it with every cell in my body.
I heard you eviscerated a patient today.
What?! No!
No, I helped put the bowels back inside.
Oh, my God, what is Chee telling people?!
He's telling people you were a badass
and you saved the man's life.
I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself.
How's Meredith?
Stable.
Her ABG looks even better.
When the wound split, I... froze.
But then, I kept hearing this voice inside my head
asking, "What would Meredith Grey do?"
- I know. That's stupid. - No!
No, I've... I've heard that voice before, too.
And my advice... Keep listening to it.
Wow.
You're really going through with OB-GYN, huh?
Mm-hmm. I listened to the voice.
Hey, if you're starting your residency all over again,
- does that mean I'm your boss now? - No.
Well, technically, I'll outrank you.
Okay, do you want a ride home or not?
But this world has challenged that oath so many times,
I barely remember what it said anymore.
I was only thinking one thing...
"Do whatever it takes to get back to Maggie."
"Survive and get home."
I love you so much.
So now, every day, I take a new oath...
...I pledge to help build a world worth living in.
And never stop believing that world can exist.
Calculating route.
Estimated trip... 11 hours.
Not today.
So far from today.
But someday.
CREDITS