Win Loss is the second episode of Season 2 of Chicago Med. It aired on September 29, 2016.
Summary[]
Dr. Manning and Dr. Rhodes both treat complicated cases involving sick babies, only to uncover that the two cases could be connected. Dr. Halstead and Dr. Charles treat a homeless man with an upbeat disposition who sheds some valuable insight that prompts one of the doctors to learn a thing or two along the way. Dr. Choi has a Navy corpsman follow him for the day as they deal with the toll of gang violence in the city, while Dr. Reese tries to understand the delicate balance required in her new position.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead
- Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton
- Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning
- Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese
- Colin Donnell as Dr. Connor Rhodes
- Brian Tee as Dr. Ethan Choi
- Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin
- Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles
Recurring Cast[]
- Jeff Hephner as Jeff Clarke
- Peter Mark Kendall as Joey Thomas
- Patti Murin as Dr. Nina Shore
- Shay Rose Aljadeff as Dr. Leah Bardovi
- Courtney Rioux as Paramedic Courtney
- Saurabh Pande as Dr. Mark Bhatt
- Tonray Ho as Nurse Leah
Guest Cast[]
- Paul Ben-Victor as Mr. McGregor
- Alex Hernandez as Javier
- Demetria McKinney as Mrs. James
- Jennefer Folsom as Gayle
- Eric C. Lynch as Andre
- Collin Geraghty as John
- Sadieh Rifai as Nurse Deb
- Maynor Alvarado as Marco
- Skarlett Beverly as Joy
- Anderson Hayes as Bobby
Plot[]
The episode opens with Dr. Natalie Manning getting dressed, while Jeff Clarke, a fourth-year medical student and her deceased husband's former best friend, lies on her bed. Manning tells Clarke that she has to leave to pick up her son, but that last night was good. Natalie's eye is caught by a photo of Clarke and her husband, while they were deployed together last. Manning notes how young her husband looked. Clarke asks if they are fine and she says "yes", and kisses him goodbye. Dr. Sarah Reese walks to the hospital with Joey Thomas, sharing new things that she is learning as part of her residency in psychiatry, including learning about Capgrass Syndrome. She notes that Thomas doesn't seem enthusastic, and Thomas tells her that a new pathology resident, Mark, is aggressively pursuing friendship with. Joey tells him that he would rather be colleagues with Mark than friends, and when Reese questions this, Thomas is taken aback. They separate after making plans for dinner.
At the hospital, Dr. Ethan Choi is speaking with a young Navy corpsman, Torres, about what to carry in his gear while in the field. Torres is about to deploy in 12 weeks, and Dr. Choi tells him that with the number of gunshot wounds they see in Chicago, his rotation in their E.R. is good training. Dr. Torres notices a notebook in Choi's gearbag and asks him about. Choi tells him it contains some case notes from the field, including a list of things Choi considers important to remember. Maggie Lockwood assigns Torres and Choi to a patient who has been dropped outside the hospital with a gun shot wound injury. Jeff Clarke, who is entering the hospital at the time, stops to help them. The patient, Marco, speaks to Torres in Spanish, and Torres tells Choi that the patient told him he is only 18. At the hospital, Torres asks if this happens often and Dr. Choi says that drive up and drops happen often, as it enables gang members to avoid answering questions. The patient is apprehensive about surgery to remove the bullet, and Dr. Choi urges him to consider leaving the gang world, but understands without Torres's translation that the patient is worried about revenge. Jeff Clarke takes the patient up for scans. Dr. Choi tells Torres about his experience in combat, including an unusual case involving a cobra bite. Jeff Clarke tells them scans show the bullet is not in a dangerous location and the surgeon has decided to leave it in place, and not operate. Dr. Choi compares the patient to a snake, saying he will back out on the streets again. Torres, Clarke, and Choi treat a second patient who has gunshot wounds from gang violence. As the operating room isn't free, Dr. Choi cuts her open in the emergency room, making an incision to stop the bleeding. The patient flatlines while they attempt to save her, and Dr. Choi is forced to give up, as they cannot revive her. He calls time of death. Torres notes that Marco, the gang member, will go home while this patient, a bystander died. Dr. Choi leaves. Torres thanks Choi for his help and says he hopes he can handle his emotional reaction as well as Dr. Choi does. Dr. Choi wishes him good luck and leaves.
Dr. Manning is treating talking to some pediatric patients, when a woman, Mrs. James, comes in with her two young children, and a three month old daughter, Alicia, who has stopped breast-feeding. Mrs. James tells Dr. Manning that Alicia has been cranky, and while they speak, the woman's young son tells her that he is thirsty and starts crying. The woman apologizes, telling Dr. Manning that her husband is on his way to help but is stuck at work, but Dr. Manning brushes her off, telling her she understands it is hard to look after three young children. Later, after the father arrives, Dr. Manning notices the baby's legs are limp, and not flexing as is natural. Dr. Manning asks about genetic history, and decides to check for brain swelling or spinal infections. Later, Dr. Manning is paged back to the baby's room after the baby goes into respiratory distress, leading Manning to intubate, along with Dr. Choi. Dr. Manning struggles to intubate, managing just in time, but when Maggie asks, Dr. Choi tells Maggie it took almost two minutes.
Dr. Manning talks to the James', and tells them the lack of oxygen during the intubation could have caused a brain injury, but they are monitoring. Seeing Dr. Rhodes treat another patient with a heart condition by shocking the heart, Mrs. James asks if they are "on the floor where babies die." Dr. Rhodes is treating an infant, Timothy Williams, who has Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), while teaching several medical students. He demonstrates how to aspirate fluid from the baby's lungs. While doing so, he notices that Tim's lungs aren't oxygenated well and he is congested. He tells the baby's parents, Gayle and John, that they shouldn't take Tim out of the PICU. As Tim is on the transplant list, he goes to check on whether a heart is available. He is paged back when Timothy experiences irregular heartbeat, forcing them to shock his heart back into rhythm. Dr. Rhodes goes to Sharon Campbell for help, and she offers to try, but reminds Dr. Rhodes that it is difficult to get around the transplant list, and warns him to be careful. Dr. Rhodes goes to Dr. Manning and asks if her patient, baby Alicia James, is a viable donor for his patient, Tim. He asks if Dr. Manning can convince the parents to run a test to see if they are a match, just to see if they are compatible. Dr. Manning is reluctant, because they are still testing, and she does not want to imply to the patients that their child has no chance. Dr. Rhodes talks about he was the first person to operate on Tim, and describes his emotional connection, telling her he can't lose the baby.
Dr. Manning speaks to the James about running the test, but they come away with the impression that Alicia is dying, and cannot be saved, and cannot understand why she is being tested for donor compatibility if this is not the case. Dr. Manning tells them that they don't know what the test results on Alicia will say, and convinces them to allow the donor compatibility test, just in case. They tearfully agree. Dr. Manning tells Dr. Rhodes that Alicia is a match, as they sit in a park near the hospital, watching children play. Dr. Rhodes tells her he knows it wasn't easy and thanks her. Dr. Manning tells him that she wants to save every patient, but it is an impossible situation, because if her patient is saved, then Dr. Rhodes' patient will die, and leaves. Dr. Rhodes goes back to his patient, Tim, who is congested badly. Tim's mother, Mrs. Williams, asks Rhodes if he will make it to the transplant, considering he is getting worse rapidly, and tearfully tells him that they bought a car seat for Tim that they might never get to use. Dr. Rhodes tells her the fight isn't over and encourages her to be positive. Mrs. Williams tells Dr. Rhodes that she heard a rumor that there is a donor in the hospital, but he tells her that they can't disclose such information to them. However, Alicia James's parents see the Williams looking at them, and Mr. James compares them to vultures, hovering over their daughter waiting for her to die. The tests on Alicia don't show any information that explains her condition, but Dr.Manning notices that both of Alicia's brothers have grass stains on their knees. Mrs. James had mentioned to Dr. Manning that she took all three children to the park everyday, and Dr. Manning asks what they do at the park. Mrs. James tells Dr. Manning that she puts Alicia on her belly for tummy time, on the grass, while her brothers play. Dr. Manning decides to check for infectious diseases.
Dr. Manning finds that Alicia has botulism, an infection that is very treatable, which she likely picked up at the park. She starts treating Alicia with anti-toxins, and that she is likely to make a full recovery, and will not need the vent. Dr. Rhodes, in the next room, exchanges glances with Dr. Manning. Later, in the locker room, Dr. Rhodes is frustrated, still trying to get a transplant. He asks Dr. Manning how she copes with the challenges of young patients. Dr. Manning tells him that on rough days, she asks her mother-in-law to watch her son and takes time to herself to decompress and let her emotions settle. She is looking at Jeff Clarke, and tells Dr. Rhodes that she finds a safe space for herself.
Dr. Will Halstead is spending time with Dr. Nina Shore, discussing that his expensive insurance and student loans have caused financial problems, forcing him to look for a roommate. Dr. Shore shares an image of molluscum contagiosum with him, comparing it to candy in a bag and laughing. Dr. Halstead laughs awkwardly before leaving to help April treat a patient, Mr. Gregor, who fell and hurt both wrists while trying to catch his fall. They talk about sports and Dr. Halstead shares that he played baseball, and is a Red Sox fan. Mr. Gregor, who is homeless, tells them that he stays near the stadium during the season. Dr. Halstead notes that Mr. Gregor has fallen several times previously, and he and April note that all the events and places Mr. Gregor are referring to occurred many years ago, including at the zoo and stadium. They page Dr. Charles for a consult. Dr. Charles speaks to Mr. Gregor, who describes a quinceneara that he claims to have attended the previous work, but later tells Dr. Will Halstead that the place Mr. Gregor was talking about closed nine years ago. He suggests to Dr. Halstead that it could be either psychological or related to Mr. Gregor's excessive drinking. While they are talking about Mr. Gregor's memory loss, Dr. Halstead describes Mr. Gregor as "lucky," leading Dr. Charles to ask if he is alright. Dr. Halstead mentions that he has embarrassing money problems before brushing off Dr. Charles' offer to buy him lunch with a joke.
While they wait for test results, Dr. Halstead reviews potential roommates on his phone, with Maggie Campbell looking on. Maggie suggests he should avoid looking online, but Halstead tells her he posted on the hospital community page, hoping to find someone like him. Maggie is not encouraging about this, suggesting he might have trouble finding someone who is also a "slightly anal, overly stubborn, rule-breaking control freak," and wishes him good luck. Tests rule out the possibility that Mr. Gregor's fall was caused by a cardiac event, and they do a CT to evaluate whether it might have been a stroke. Dr. Reese describes Thomas without naming him, to Dr. Charles, telling him about his reluctance to make friends. Reese makes a diagnosis, but leaves to do more reading before she can talk about it with Dr. Charles. Maggie asks April if she has responded to her boyfriend Tate's proposal of marriage, which was over two months ago. April tells Maggie she is still thinking about it, and that it is complicated because Tate asked her to give up her job. April says she can't see herself as a housewife, much less in the house Tate shared with his ex-wife. She also talks about her tuberculosis. While they are talking, Dr. Sarah Reese overhears and comes over to ask April about her anxiety, and about her sleep, causing both Maggie and April to realize that she is attempting to analyze April after only three weeks in her psych rotation, to their amusement.
Meanwhile, Dr. Charles notices that Mr. Gregor is in his room, talking to himself cheerfully, and after talking with Dr. Halstead realises that the anti-psychotics they gave him have not reduced Mr. Gregor's symptoms. Test results show that Mr. Gregor's symptoms were likely caused by a pituitary gland tumor, which probably dates back to the period of time relating to the memories he is sharing, i.e. nine years ago. While the tumor grew, it put pressure on his brain and affected his vision. Dr. Halstead notices that Mr. Gregor is suffering a partial loss of vision, and might be legally blind, unable to see anything more than a few feet away. Dr. Halstead consults with neuro, but tells Dr. Charles that they may be able to shrink the tumour with medication, which will give him part of his vision back. Dr. Halstead notes that despite being homeless and largely blind, Mr. Gregor is still cheerful, and that is crazy that he got such a patient on a day when he himself is unhappy. Dr. Charles tells Dr. Halstead that in his experience, "We get the patients we need." Dr. Charles then bumps into Sarah Reese, who has realizes she is analyzing every one around her, and is now analyzing herself. Dr. Charles tells her that this is normally for a first year psychology resident, to think less and listen more. Dr. Halstead goes back to meet Dr. Nina Shore, and this time is more enthusiastic about the samples she shows. Reese leaves the hospital and apologises to Joey and confirms she was unintentionally analyzing him. They decide to go out to dinner and not discuss work.
Dr. Choi goes home and records the name, time of death of the patient who died in the notebook that Torres had noticed earlier, describing her as an "innocent wife and mother."
