The Good Doctor 6x18

1. Previously on The Good Doctor...

2. You go going to the club or work?

3. Yeah, these early calls are gonna take some getting used to.

4. Browne retractor.

5. No Browne retractor.

6. I thought I put it on your tray from the supply room.

7. Dr. Kalu is not your peer.

8. He's your employee, and you are his boss.

9. I do not plan to give Jared special treatment.

10. And if I see it, it won't be good for either of you.

11. I'm not expecting special treatment, Shaun,

12. but I don't appreciate being treated like an intern either.

13. Dr. Andrews said he is judging my performance off of your performance,

14. and your performance is not good.

15. You come in with your fancy car and your old tricks and think,

16. "Ta-da, I'm a surgeon," but you're not.

17. I just want to prove that I belong here.

18. When I checked on Yara post-operatively,

19. I noticed you only used eight sutures when you closed,

20. and she had a small bleed. You should have used ten.

21. Dr. Glassman closed the galea and skin.

22. - Dr. Glassman skipped two sutures? - Guess so.

23. At what time did you wake up yesterday morning?

24. The usual, 5:30. Why?

25. At lunch, you had a Cobb salad with balsamic vinaigrette,

26. so that's 450 calories ingested, assuming you kept it down.

27. Yes, I kept it down.

28. Did you use a sauna, engage in rigorous exercise, and/or experience diarrhea?

29. No, I didn't do any of those things.

30. What's with the questions, Shaun?

31. You made an error in yesterday's craniotomy.

32. I'm trying to evaluate various factors

33. that would negatively impact focus.

34. I made an error?

35. You closed with only eight sutures.

36. The size of the wound required ten.

37. We need to figure out why.

38. Why do we need to figure out why?

39. Two sutures, it's a blip. It's not a thing.

40. It could be part of a more troubling pattern needing attention.

41. - Shaun, the surgery was a success, right? - Yes.

42. The patient had a great outcome.

43. There is no pattern.

44. Goodbye.

45. I'm a surgeon, and I belong here.

46. You are a surgeon, and you belong here.

47. I just keep imagining you in the mirror

48. like, "You have the hair of Tracee Ellis Ross and the swag of Beyonce."

49. Do not shame my self-care.

50. Affirmations are backed by research.

51. fMRI evidence shows a correlation

52. with positive changes in the brain.

53. I've just put the finishing touches on a surprise.

54. Drum roll please.

55. Or not.

56. Well, get your song lists ready

57. because you are all officially invited to...

58. Star Karaoke, 7:00 p.m. until question mark, question mark.

59. You know it's gonna be a party when there's double punctuation involved.

60. Yeah, just the chance to unwind and get to know you all a little better.

61. Sounds fun. Thanks for the invite.

62. Prepare to be destroyed. My "Someone Like You" slays.

63. Need a surgical consult for a clinic patient with a dislocated patella.

64. Mm, sorry, ER.

65. You two are it. Room one.

66. When did the chest pain start?

67. I first noticed it Tuesday morning

68. along with shortness of breath.

69. Are you taking any medications?

70. I started with one, then switched a few times.

71. These are used to treat ADHD.

72. And brain fog.

73. I'm a COVID long-hauler.

74. Um, and I just started guanfacine and N-acetylcysteine,

75. which may actually be helping finally.

76. - When was your initial infection? - Eight months ago.

77. It just felt like a mild flu, but then it got worse,

78. like someone poured molasses on my brain.

79. I've done cognitive therapy,

80. memory exercises,

81. still am,

82. whatever I can do to get back in the field.

83. - Which one? - Clover.

84. I'm an evolutionary biologist.

85. - Oh. - Wow.

86. I have been studying how white clover adapts to environmental changes...

87. And I'm on indefinite leave.

88. Please stop talking now.

89. Bluish skin, low O2 levels, rapid heart rate.

90. And increasingly labored breathing.

91. Possible pulmonary embolism.

92. Order a chest CTA and echo, stat.

93. I have to go.

94. Oh.

95. You will need this.

96. I sent one half of a high volume order to your printer.

97. These are Glassman's op reports?

98. For the last three months. January to March.

99. October to December is printing in Park's and my office.

100. So you sent reports for, like, 100 surgeries to my printer?

101. No, 176 surgeries.

102. 473 pages.

103. I've emailed Operations to replace your toner.

104. Many elements are in color.

105. And why, exactly, do you need all of this?

106. To find out if his mistake was a blip.

107. Second time I've dislocated my knee.

108. Uh, first was a few months ago, I think.

109. - That was the sprained ankle. - Ah.

110. The dislocation was last year.

111. Your MRI shows no associated damage to bones or ligaments.

112. She's also been complaining about dizziness,

113. swollen ankles, maybe menopause-related.

114. Dr. Reznick is looking to get her on hormone replacement therapy.

115. Orion insisted I come in and get everything checked out

116. before she leaves and moves 6,000 miles away

117. to live alone.

118. I'm moving to Prague next week for a new job,

119. and you can come visit me anytime you want, Mom.

120. Not with a busted knee.

121. To move forward with HRT,

122. I need to confirm all the medications

123. you've used over the last five years.

124. Oh, uh, there was a purple triangle one,

125. but they took me off that last year

126. and an orange-shaped one.

127. I'll review it with you.

128. We need to see how your knee is moving.

129. Lay back, please.

130. Go ahead with the exam, Dr. Kalu.

131. I thought I'd observe.

132. It's a knee exam,

133. not a multi-ligament reconstruction.

134. You told me last time not to assume I know everything.

135. This is just making me do your job.

136. That sounded like an apneic spell. Check her tonsils.

137. Ms. Garcia.

138. Mm?

139. Oh, did I fall asleep again?

140. Yes.

141. Can I take a quick look in your mouth?

142. Mm-hmm.

143. Kissing tonsils.

144. They're so enlarged, they're touching

145. and obstructing your airway, causing severe apnea.

146. You need a tonsillectomy right away.

147. No pulmonary embolism, but multiple cardiac issues.

148. Severe narrowing of the pulmonic valve,

149. hypertrophied right ventricle

150. and opening between the lower chambers.

151. This set of defects almost looks like

152. - tetralogy of Fallot, but— - It is.

153. She has the fourth malformation,

154. overriding aorta.

155. I've never seen tet in an adult before.

156. How is she still alive?

157. Hang on a sec.

158. I have to write everything down now.

159. Tet is almost always diagnosed in infancy.

160. Doctors somehow missed it in your case.

161. Oh, you have a rare presentation.

162. The right ventricle obstruction has been balanced

163. by an increased flow into the left ventricle.

164. Damage from COVID disrupted the balance.

165. The virus may have saved your life.

166. Very few undiagnosed tet patients

167. survive past childhood.

168. A mere 2% make it to 40.

169. You're saying

170. I would have just dropped dead at some point?

171. It's very likely.

172. We can remove that risk with two separate procedures.

173. First, we'll close the extra vessels

174. that have formed to compensate for your heart defects.

175. Then we'll do a surgery to repair those defects.

176. Is it possible the tet is connected

177. to my long COVID symptoms?

178. Could fixing my heart clear up my head,

179. the brain?

180. No. I'm sorry.

181. You snagged our table.

182. Beat Hawks and Nunez to it.

183. You're a champion.

184. One Splenda, half Sugar in the Raw, light almond milk.

185. Now who's the champion?

186. Mm.

187. I have something for you.

188. - Really? - Mm-hmm.

189. An agreement acknowledging a consensual relationship.

190. I, Marcus Andrews, would like to take you,

191. Dalisay Villanueva, on a date.

192. And as hospital president, you know, I already signed it.

193. This is so romantic.

194. Give me the pen.

195. - Dinner this weekend? - Let me see.

196. Oh, I'm needed on the ward.

197. Sorry. Lock it down later?

198. Sure.

199. Iced coffee?

200. I'm good.

201. How about a hot coffee?

202. In honor of Daphne's successful tonsillectomy,

203. I got a few options.

204. Is that a latte?

205. Mm.

206. It was a routine tonsillectomy.

207. Those were unusually large tonsils.

208. A good thing her daughter brought her in.

209. You think Daphne was better off not breathing?

210. I don't think it's a daughter's job

211. to make sure Mom goes to the doctor.

212. It's Daphne.

213. Heart rate spiked. She's hypoxic.

214. Turn up oxygen to max flow.

215. Loud murmur from the right ventricle and atrium.

216. Chronic damage from apnea could have increased

217. the pressure in her lungs, causing right heart failure.

218. BP's dropping.

219. We need to get her to the cath lab.

220. Positioning coiling system.

221. Two vessels left to close.

222. Deploying the coil.

223. O2 sats are dropping.

224. Her infundibular muscle is clamping down.

225. She is having a tet spell.

226. Give phenylephrine and 100% oxygen.

227. I have never seen one in-person before.

228. We need to move blood up to the lungs.

229. Give her a bolus and up the opiates.

230. If we don't stop the spasm,

231. she could have permanent brain damage.

232. The chance of a future infundibular spasm is very high.

233. Her tet repair surgery will be much more risky.

234. Pressure in Daphne's lungs is still critically high.

235. Not a routine tonsillectomy at all.

236. Puncturing the atrial septum.

237. Right heart is decompressing.

238. Give nitric oxide to relax and dilate the vasculature.

239. Her apnea really did a number on her pulmonary vessels.

240. No wonder she's clumsy and forgetful.

241. She's been sleep- and oxygen-deprived for decades.

242. It still doesn't make her her daughter's responsibility.

243. Would you want Kellan to put his life on hold to take care of you?

244. Not his whole life, no,

245. but I don't think being overly devoted is the worst quality in a kid.

246. Remove the catheters.

247. I was one of six growing up, only girl.

248. Mom and dad worked a lot,

249. so I was basically second mom since kindergarten.

250. I love my brothers, but...

251. there's a lot you miss out on

252. if you're all about taking care of someone else.

253. She's throwing a lot of PVCs.

254. Maybe an electrolyte issue.

255. BP's dropping. Heart rate 172.

256. We're barely getting a pulse. She's in V-tach. Defib pads.

257. BP and heart rate stabilizing.

258. Get a new chemistry, chest X-ray, EKG.

259. We need to figure out what else is going on with her heart.

260. Oh, please don't disturb my materials.

261. Which are what, exactly?

262. Dr. Glassman made an uncharacteristic surgical error.

263. I am determining if it was an anomaly

264. or part of a pattern.

265. Glassman must be really pleased about that.

266. He is not.

267. You are being sarcastic.

268. Performance review is a standard practice

269. and benefits both doctors and patients.

270. I have identified three additional errors made in the last four months.

271. I don't see a pattern.

272. A dural tear on scarred tissue,

273. closing with a running nylon instead of Monocryl—

274. Is that even a mistake?

275. Dr. Glassman has always used subcutaneous Monocryl.

276. These are variations, minor missteps.

277. You pore through four months of any surgeon's op reports,

278. and you'll find discrepancies like this.

279. - No. - Yes.

280. Not in mine.

281. That's probably true.

282. Eh, if you're not finding a pattern,

283. maybe it's because there isn't one.

284. My patient is awake.

285. Does this mean you can't move forward with the tet repair?

286. There's a medication called propranolol

287. that will significantly reduce the risk

288. of having another spasm during surgery,

289. but because of your long COVID,

290. you're at risk for some very rare side effects.

291. - Are they serious? - Yes.

292. Well, some of them are not, like nausea, vomiting,

293. muscle aches, and dizziness, but others,

294. such as hypoglycemia or visual changes—

295. We'll start you on the propranolol.

296. There's a good chance you won't experience the rare side effects,

297. but we'll need to keep a close eye on you.

298. And are those patients ahead of her

299. also seniors with diabetes?

300. Do not hang up on me, Phillip,

301. or I'll head down to do this in person.

302. I'll wait.

303. Hey.

304. There is a great new Portuguese spot I read about.

305. I can make reservations for us Friday or Saturday at 7:00?

306. Uh, I'm working a double both days.

307. It's been a nonstop scramble since Baker and Linh left.

308. Well, you have two new travelers starting on Monday.

309. We need staff nurses.

310. These nurses are highly skilled. We—

311. It doesn't matter how skilled they are.

312. Travel nurses disrupt workflow,

313. don't build long-term relationships.

314. Right now, we just don't have the resources for permanent replacements.

315. You just hired a new full-time surgical resident

316. to replace someone who left way more recently.

317. That was Lim's department. I—

318. Yes, great. I'm sending her down.

319. Sorry. We'll talk later?

320. Of course.

321. So you're watching to see if I throw up?

322. Or faint, seize, or have muscle spasms.

323. You know, before COVID, my brain was—

324. I did evolutionary patterns,

325. genetic, uh...

326. how genes go together.

327. The sequence.

328. Now my brain can't handle the sequence of brushing my teeth.

329. My focus, my working memory, all of the...

330. The executive function.

331. It's not always happening.

332. Please page Dr. Wolke to monitor her and stay until he comes.

333. Push your hand against mine.

334. The pattern is errors in executive function.

335. Shaun, I'm in the middle of doing something.

336. Your brain cancer may have returned.

337. - All errors are tied to executive function. - Shaun—

338. Specifically to working and procedural memory governed

339. by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,

340. a common site for a recurrent glioma,

341. which strongly suggests your cancer has returned.

342. My last scan came back completely clear. I'm fine.

343. Your last scan was six months ago.

344. These errors all took place in the last four months.

345. So you need another scan.

346. The evidence is very compelling.

347. No, it's really not.

348. I perform complex surgeries, Shaun,

349. more so than any other doctor on this staff, by the way.

350. So yeah, the percentages would dictate

351. that I might make more minor and irrelevant missteps,

352. if that's what you want to call them, and—

353. And the rate of errors has increased.

354. Yeah, because I take on the tougher cases,

355. the ones no one else will.

356. No, you need another MRI now.

357. Shaun, what I need is to get back to my patient.

358. And you need to knock first next time.

359. It's the greening of the—

360. My turn.

361. I'm trying to get some of my cognitive exercises in.

362. What are you memorizing?

363. It's a poem from The Carrying, Ada Limon.

364. Hmm.

365. The collection is mostly about...

366. not having the life you thought you'd have, I guess.

367. The one I was just reading, it's about spring coming,

368. Instructions on Not Giving Up.

369. - Sounds useful. - Yeah.

370. Too bad I can't read it all at once.

371. I've just graduated from haikus.

372. I never even thought to look at a poem before I got sick.

373. Didn't have the patience for it at the time,

374. but it's basically all I read now.

375. I started writing, too.

376. It's kind of a creative therapy.

377. Mm.

378. There was a kind of poetry

379. to the genetic variations in white clover too.

380. I'd give anything to...

381. Your blood pressure is going down,

382. and your heart rate's climbing.

383. I feel kind of dizzy.

384. Let me check your glucose.

385. She's having a seizure. Crash cart now!

386. We thought something else was going on with your heart,

387. but it's a kidney issue.

388. You have a narrowing of your renal arteries,

389. which was exacerbated by the pulmonary hypertension,

390. causing your kidneys to fail.

391. And this is because of my sleep apnea?

392. We believe so, yeah.

393. Uh, can she get a transplant?

394. I can do a test, see if I'm a match.

395. Unfortunately, your other health concerns rule out a transplant,

396. but a renal artery bypass would allow your kidneys to heal on their own.

397. There's risk of complications, some quite serious.

398. But in success, you could live a full, independent life.

399. But— oh, but serious,

400. as in I could die?

401. Some complications can be fatal.

402. But the risk is relatively low.

403. Are there other options?

404. Well, there's dialysis,

405. but you'd need multiple sessions a week for the rest of your life.

406. Um, that's less risky, but I—

407. I don't think I could handle all that on my own.

408. Mom, Mom, if you want to choose the dialysis, I'll stay in San Jose.

409. I'm sorry.

410. I don't want to keep you.

411. No, you have nothing to be sorry for.

412. All this time you've been sick and struggling, and I—

413. I judged you.

414. But your new job.

415. It's just a job.

416. So the medication you gave me

417. to make my surgery safer

418. will actually make it more risky?

419. That's right.

420. But without that medication,

421. I'm much more likely to have another tet spell.

422. Yes, and possibly more severe than the last time.

423. The brain fog, all my deficits...

424. could get worse,

425. for possibly forever?

426. Yes.

427. But if we don't do the tet repair,

428. your heart will stop at some point.

429. I've already been through

430. losing my thoughts, my whole self.

431. I can't do that again.

432. Find another way to fix my heart.

433. All right, new idea.

434. We go back to the old idea and just do the surgery.

435. It's a non-starter.

436. We need to present a way to help her tet without triggering her tet.

437. A percutaneous valve and VSD closure could help with blood flow.

438. That involves catheters in the heart,

439. which would cause the muscle to spasm.

440. All right. It's time for some WWSMD.

441. Whatever you and Jerome do on your own time is—

442. It's "what would Shaun Murphy do?"

443. What about a shunt?

444. It would improve blood flow, buy a few months

445. to continue her cognitive recovery.

446. Once she feels better about where her brain's at,

447. maybe she lets us fix her heart.

448. Her tet will likely kill her before that,

449. but placing a shunt won't trigger a spell,

450. making it something she'd actually accept.

451. I'll take it to her.

452. I can stay only 45 minutes.

453. I have to review Dr. Glassman's OR videos.

454. Didn't you already review them?

455. Not for symptoms of glioma recurrence.

456. New evidence will convince Dr. Glassman to get a scan.

457. Okay, you binged months of data in one day.

458. You'll have a clearer head in the morning.

459. Until then, here we are, karaoke rager.

460. - Yay. - It is yay.

461. We have song lists. Plus Jared's our friend.

462. He just moved back. Celebration is in order.

463. I will review the videos in the morning.

464. Yay!

465. It sounds pretty wild in there.

466. I was just warming up.

467. - Where is everyone? - There is a lot of food.

468. Yeah, I had it catered. You're the first to arrive.

469. And so far, last-minute rain checks

470. from Morgan, Park, Asher, Danny.

471. Oh, and Jerome.

472. So it's just us four?

473. Which means that all these snacks

474. and song binders are for us.

475. Oh. Yes.

476. The low turnout is the perfect opportunity to discuss symptoms.

477. In your recent surgeries with Dr. Glassman,

478. do you recall observing any balance issues,

479. tremors, or motor weakness?

480. That sounds like the perfect option.

481. How soon can you do the shunt procedure?

482. I'll try to schedule it for tomorrow.

483. I've had a strange year myself.

484. Eleven months ago,

485. I was attacked

486. and paralyzed from the waist down.

487. I thought it was permanent. Almost everyone did.

488. At first, all I wanted was to walk again.

489. I was ready to risk my life to get back to the old me.

490. But as time went on,

491. I started to appreciate my new life, my new self.

492. I started a new relationship

493. that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

494. In many ways, my life improved.

495. You recognize you walked in to tell me this story?

496. I only agreed to do the surgery

497. once I knew my life wasn't at risk.

498. And even then, I had doubts.

499. I liked who I'd become.

500. I wanted to hold on to her.

501. I'm not...

502. losing my mind...

503. all over again.

504. You don't strike me as someone who's lost her mind.

505. That covers the thrombectomy.

506. In February, you assisted on a—

507. Okay, I'm playing the pregnant lady card.

508. We're going, Shaun.

509. Okay.

510. Thank you. Goodbye.

511. I should head out, too.

512. - Early morning. - Yeah.

513. Maybe focus on being a first-year resident

514. before adding party planner to your resume.

515. The catering may have been a bridge too far.

516. Yeah.

517. I bounced around growing up.

518. Different schools, cities, countries.

519. But, um, wherever we were, my parents had a big house,

520. and I knew how to throw a party.

521. Closest I'd get to feeling like I fit.

522. Old habits die hard, I guess.

523. Fitting in takes time.

524. But I never have, anywhere.

525. Maybe not everyone

526. finds their place.

527. Daphne is getting septic. We have to go.

528. Morning.

529. Hello.

530. Mm.

531. You should not have that.

532. I'm permitted 12 ounces a day. Experts agree.

533. Yes, but that was brewed when I woke up at 3:30 a.m.

534. You make it through the videos?

535. Yes, and integrated the observations

536. Doctors Kalu and Allen made last night

537. regarding possible glioma symptoms.

538. I am now ready to present Dr. Glassman with the revised evidence,

539. which is very compelling.

540. Mm.

541. Thankfully, your infection is responding to the antibiotics.

542. The infection started around your dialysis port.

543. That could easily happen again.

544. The renal artery bypass is still an option.

545. It's too risky.

546. So is sepsis.

547. Thank you, Doctor, but I'll settle for being alive.

548. You shouldn't.

549. You deserve more than that.

550. I know you've had a whole life of feeling sick

551. and stuck and repeating the same old, bad patterns,

552. but your past does not have to tell your future where to go.

553. You can choose a different path

554. and who you're gonna be on it.

555. And let your daughter do the same.

556. Prague is beautiful in the spring.

557. We've scheduled the shunt placement for this afternoon.

558. And that whole speech last night?

559. I stand by it, but it's your decision.

560. I've been waiting for the old me to come back, and...

561. That person may not exist anymore.

562. And...

563. maybe I should be okay with that.

564. Do the tet repair.

565. Releasing the proximal clamp.

566. What made Daphne change her mind?

567. Dr. Allen has a way of getting through to people.

568. Blood flow looks obstructed.

569. There's a kink in the graft.

570. We can undo it, but most likely, it happens again.

571. We could anchor the bypass off of the aorta instead.

572. At that angle, less chance of a kink.

573. Could work.

574. - Extending the incision. - Sternal saw.

575. Starting the sternotomy.

576. O2 dropped to 78.

577. - 65. - She's having a tet spell.

578. Give her 500 cc fluid bolus and 100% oxygen.

579. Giving a mini bolus to increase pulmonary flow.

580. O2 sats are 50. 45.

581. Come on, come on.

582. Give her more oxygen and up the opiates.

583. It has stopped registering.

584. O2's rising.

585. Heart rate's stabilizing.

586. She was in prolonged gross hypoxia.

587. That could extend cognitive deficits...

588. or worse.

589. We won't know until she wakes.

590. Let's get her on bypass before she has another one.

591. - Okay. - Mm-hmm.

592. To a successful renal artery bypass.

593. Cheers. Facilitated by moving speech

594. from a wise and persuasive surgeon.

595. Mm, with a great surgical save by a guy

596. who's about to have some life-changing tacos.

597. Okay.

598. Mm! Oh, my God.

599. Okay, these are amaz— you're amazing!

600. Told you. Blue corn tortillas.

601. Mm-hmm. I can get used to this.

602. - You have some lettuce there. - Oh.

603. - No, no, no, mirror image. - Mm.

604. Now?

605. - No. - No laughing.

606. No, right, right, right. Very—

607. Very serious matter.

608. Here. Um, yeah.

609. Oh.

610. Just a little bit more.

611. - We should go. - Mm.

612. - Yeah. - Um, we need to get back early for Daphne's post-op.

613. Yeah, right. Um, let's go.

614. The bypass went smoothly, and post-op labs look good.

615. We expect a full recovery.

616. How are you feeling, Mom?

617. I'm...

618. Breathing.

619. Kind of feels like the first time in my life.

620. The post-op swelling from the tonsillectomy has gone down.

621. You're finally breathing without any obstruction.

622. You'll need to stay on top of your medications and follow-up visits,

623. observe some dietary guidelines,

624. but the discharge plan lays it all out.

625. I'll be there to help, Mom.

626. No.

627. You won't.

628. You need to live your own life.

629. But I... I will accept FaceTime calls.

630. And once I recover,

631. I'll come visit.

632. I hear that Prague is beautiful in the spring.

633. That sounds like a plan.

634. Mm, things not go well with Glassy?

635. He returned the files with a note saying

636. he did not look at them and does not intend to.

637. I'm sorry. He probably—

638. It was a mistake to leave them for him to read on his own.

639. Once I reorder the files, I will go to his office to review with him in person.

640. He made it pretty clear he doesn't want to see them.

641. But he doesn't know about the new evidence.

642. Maybe he doesn't want to know.

643. Cancer survivors have to live with that uncertainty that—

644. Knowing is better than not knowing.

645. If he's not ready to look at this,

646. you can't force him.

647. Maybe he's scared, Shaun.

648. And I think maybe you're scared, too.

649. We're about to have a baby,

650. you're about to be a dad,

651. and I think you're worried about family,

652. and Glassman is a part of that.

653. But if you keep pushing, you risk damaging

654. one of the most important relationships in your life.

655. Hey.

656. - Hey. - Hey.

657. I've been thinking,

658. and I need a break from our coffees.

659. Dalisay—

660. I don't think dinner's a good idea either.

661. So we have a different point of view about hospital business.

662. That doesn't change the way I feel about you.

663. On or off the clock, I'm the same person.

664. To me, if you don't value what the nurses do

665. enough to treat us like a resource to invest in,

666. not a line item to be cut,

667. how much can you care about me?

668. And to be honest,

669. if that is your point of view...

670. it undercuts the respect I have for you.

671. Harper Louise Decrane,

672. March 30, 1994.

673. And do you know why you're here?

674. For my heart issues.

675. I had another tet spell, didn't I?

676. We'll need to conduct more tests,

677. but your speech and memory seem intact.

678. And with regard to your heart, we expect a full recovery.

679. And with time, you may recover your full cognitive abilities as well.

680. Maybe.

681. But for now, I'll just focus on being here.

682. "It's the greening of the trees

683. That really gets to me

684. When all the shock of white and taffy

685. Leave the pavement strewn With the confetti of aftermath

686. The leaves come

687. Patient, plodding

688. A green skin growing over Whatever winter did to us

689. A return to the strange idea Of continuous living

690. Despite the mess of us

691. The hurt, the empty..."

692. Shaun, what?

693. Lea thinks that because I'm going to be a dad,

694. I am worried about my family.

695. Okay.

696. She also thinks you are scared.

697. I'm not scared, Shaun. I'm fine.

698. She says if you don't want to do the scan, I should let it go.

699. She...

700. is right.

701. Good. Thank you.

702. I am scared.

703. Dr. Glassman...

704. I am asking you to do the scan

705. because...

706. the data and the evidence are sound...

707. and because...

708. it would be hard to lose my father

709. just as I am about to become one.

710. Do the scan for me.

711. Shaun, I'll do the scan.

712. "'Fine then, I'll take it' The tree seems to say

713. A new slick leaf unfurling Like a fist to an open palm

714. 'I'll take it all'"