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A Little Help from My Friends

Chaos Theory
Dead Again
Insurrection
Walk Like a Man
A Hopeless Wound
One Can Only Hope
Tell Me Where It Hurts
First Snowfall
Next of Kin
Hindsight
A Little Help from My Friends
A Saint in the City
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
No Strings Attached
A Boy Falling Out of the Sky
A Thousand Cranes
The Advocate
Finders Keepers
Things Change
Foreign Affairs
When Night Meets Day
Kisangani

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Buy the Season 9 DVD

Episode 190 "A Little Help from My Friends"
Original Air Date: January 09, 2003 
Written by: Julie Hebert
Directed by: Alan J. Levi
Guest Cast:
  • Edward Asner - Dr. Jim McNulty
  • Lisa Vidal - Sandy Lopez
  • Marcello Thedford - Leon
  • Michael Ealy - Rick Kendrick
  • Liz Torres - Mrs. Wilson
  • Patrick Cranshaw - Daniel Gilman
  • Michael Durrell - Bob Gilman
  • Jill C. Klein - Mattie Gilman
  • Sofia Milos- KoKo Gilman (Scheming young wife)
  • Rob Moore - Inseminator
  • Zachary Throne - Mr. Scott
  • Miguel Caballero - Rico Solano
  • Alex Chester - Anastasia Chang (Mathlete)
  • Artur Cybulski - Mr. Hayden
  • Wendy Haines - Avila
  • Jennifer Nicole Lynn - Dr. Maynard (Kerry's OB)
  • Sumalee Montano - Duvata Mahal
  • Jesus Perez - Jose Acuna
  • Zoe Cotton - Grandmother
  • Paul Tuerpe - Sergeant Campo
  • Bob Pappenbrook - Officer Robbins
  • Joshua A. Jackson - Jimmy Pepper

Staff:

  • Abraham Benrubi - Jerry Markovic

  • Yvette Freeman - Haleh

  • Laura Ceron - Chuny Marquez

  • Deezer D. - Malik McGrath

  • Emily Wagner - Pickman

  • Michelle Bonilla - Harms

  • Sam Anderson - Dr. Jack Kayson

  • John Aylward - Dr. Donald Anspaugh

  • John Doman - Dr. Carl Deraad

Abby and Susan are waiting on Luka as he arrives for the Morbidity and Mortality meeting with his peers.  Gallant follows in behind them.  As Dr. Kovac enters, Dr. Anspaugh reviews the case out loud to the others in regards to the patient, Rick Kendrick.

Sandy is working in a room and Kerry asks her if she needs any help.  Sandy tells her nope, that she's got it.  She tells Kerry that she will need to stay out of the room for a few days while she is painting.  Kerry accuses her of "nesting" and Sandy tells her that she is just painting a room.  Kerry teases her until Sandy throws a stuffed animal at her.  Kerry jokingly tells her that she hopes that she doesn't treat the baby that way.

Dr. Anspaugh questions the staff that treated Rick Kendrick.  He asks both Abby and Susan about what they had seen and they answer him, covering as much as they can for Luka.  Luka gets tired of the way Abby and Susan are trying to take up for him and he begins to tell them all what happened.  He tells them that he only had two hours of sleep and was hung over.  He ignored Abby when she told him about the patient and he should have listened to her.  He admits to the crowd that he killed the patient.  Abby replies that the patient is not dead.  Luka walks out and Romano makes a statement.  He wants to know if anyone ever verified that there are really medical schools in Croatia?  Susan and Luka go to the lounge.  He thanks her for sticking up for him and she tells him that he needs to go back to work.  Luka isn't sure if he still works there and Susan tells him that Weaver has already asked for him.

The paramedics bring in a twenty-eight-year-old man named Chip Mealy, who has not had any sleep in three days.  He also complains of obsessive thoughts.  Susan tends to him and learns that he took five over-the-counter sleeping pills.  She asks him if he was trying to hurt himself and he tells her that he was just trying to get some sleep.  She then learns that he has been having problems with his girlfriend.  She tells him that he needs to talk with a psychiatrist and then she can give him something to help him sleep.  Susan asks Chuny to call psych.

Pratt is on his way in to work and he triggers the metal detector and the alarm goes off.  The officer, not knowing or caring who he is, pulls him aside.  Pratt tells him that it is just his cell phone and that he is a doctor there.  The officer wants to check his bag.  Carter sees the scuffle and comes over to see what is going on.  The security guard finds a gun and Pratt begins to explain.  He tells them that he found it outside on his way in.  It was behind the dumpster and he was afraid that whoever left it went inside and would come back out after it.  Pratt wanted to give the gun to a real police.  The security guard tells him that he is going to have to call the Chicago P.D. to come.  There is a patient being brought in and Pratt runs to assist.  The guard doesn't want him to leave, but Carter tells him that Pratt is a doctor there and he isn't going anywhere.  A woman has brought in a worker named Jose, that has fallen from a tree to the top of her house.  She tells them that she has hired them to cut down the tree and that he fell about twenty feet.  He is with his nephew, another Hispanic man, who was not injured as seriously.  Carter and Pratt have a hard time asking what is wrong, because they both only speak Spanish.

An elderly man is brought in by the paramedics.  His name is Mr. Gilman and he is complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath while having sex with his wife.  Kerry is a little shocked when she finds out that he is ninety-three.  Kerry asks Luka to give her a hand and he helps get the man off of the gurney.  They man is asking about KoKo, his wife.  Gallant is also assisting her.  Chuny comes in and hands Gallant a note.  Kerry asks what they are doing passing notes and he tells her that the note is from Harkins and that she is getting out of the hospital today.  He tells them that he has been helping her with her reading assignments while she has been out.  Luka seems uncomfortable about the discussion and is ready to leave the room.  Kerry asks him to go upstairs to ICU and check a post-intubation film for her and he gladly leaves.

Pratt, Carter and Abby are working on their injured patient as the woman and his nephew are watching on.  He has several broken bones and has a lot of abrasions.  The woman sees that he is in bad shape and needs to call her husband.  Jerry comes in with the security guard and a cop.  They are insisting on speaking with Pratt he tells them.  Carter tells Jerry to get them out and that Pratt is busy with their patient.  The police tells Pratt that Officer Robbins as told him what happened and Carter insist that they leave the room and wait.  He tells Jerry to take them out and bring back someone who can speak better Spanish than they can.  As they leave, Pratt tells Carter, "It's not what you think."

Susan finds her patient Chip crying.  He just wants to sleep he tells her.  Susan tells him that she will get somebody down to speak with him soon.  A girl comes up to Susan and is speaking very fast about how Susan's face is shaped like a square.  She continues on until Jing-Mei comes to get her.  She explains that she is a "Mathlete" and was brought in after acting hyper.  Jing-Mei tells Susan that she is on a math team and Susan tells her that they use to call kids like that geeks.

Luka has gone upstairs to get the film for Kerry.  Luka asks the nurse there about Rick Kendrick.  She tells him that he will probably need dialysis.  Luka goes in to speak with his mother, who is there by Rick's bedside.  He introduces himself to her and then sets down beside her.  He apologizes for Rick's condition and she asks him about what her son was like before this all happened.    She wants to know if he knew he had leukemia and Luka tells her know, that he thought he had the flu or something.  Was he afraid, she asks?  Luka tells her that her son was joking with his girlfriend and did not seem frightened at all.  Romano comes in and asks to see Luka out in the hallway.  Romano asks him what he is doing and Luka replies, "She needs to know how her son died".  Romano says, "One word, Peacefully.  Leave it at that".  Romano doesn't want Luka to speak with the family again.  If they find out what really happened, the hospital could be sued for millions and the other patients would suffer because of it.  Romano says, "If I see you with this patient or his family again, you're fired".  He then tells Luka to go home.

Susan is getting her patient, Chip, a soda.  She explains to him that Psych. is backed up and that it will be a while before they can send somebody down to see him.  He begins to cry again and he tells Susan that everyone is going to hate him.  She asks him why?  She then asks if he did something to his girlfriend?  He tells her no.  She asks him what happened, and he tells her that she walked in on him.  She wants to know if it was with another woman and he tells her no.  Then she asks, another man?  He tells her that he is only ten.  He tells her that it was his girlfriends ten-year-old son.  He didn't do anything to him, but he would have if she hadn't walked in on him.  He tells Susan that he doesn't want to be like this.

Weaver walks in on Gallant shocking Mr. Gilman.  Gallant is able to get his heart rhythm back.  Kerry asks if his wife has been located yet and is wondering how she survived the sexual encounter.  Haleh tells Weaver that she must have brushed up against some blood, she has some on her lab coat.  Kerry excuses herself and leaves the room as she orders some test for Gallant to run on Mr. Gilman.

Pratt is suturing one of the workers that were injured.  Chuny is helping him translate and interpret to see what had happened to his uncle, Jose.  Chuny tells Pratt that they are in the US illegally.  Pratt tells Chuny to tell him that they can have their care free of charge.

Susan calls up to Psych. again.  They quickly put her on hold.  Chen's patient, Anastasia, comes up to the board where Jerry is standing, and begins to erase all of the patient's names.  Dr. Chen catches up with her and confronts her about taking Ritalin to help her stay up to study for the math competition.  She tells her to put the names back on the board, and she proceeds to do it from memory to Jerry's amazement.  The officers come to speak with Pratt about the gun.  Susan gets disconnected from Psych. and notices that her patient, Chip, is missing.

Kerry has gone into an empty exam room to do a sonogram on herself.  Abby comes in looking for the Sonosight.  She sees that Kerry is concerned and she helps her.  Kerry tells her that she can't find her baby's heartbeat.  Abby asks her how far along she is and Kerry tells her fourteen weeks.  She asks her if she has been bleeding and Kerry tells her a little.  She thought that she was just spotting.  Abby tells her that she is sorry.  Abby wants to know if she can call her OB?  Kerry tells her that she prefers that it happen naturally.  Abby tells her that she should go home, but Weaver just asks her to bring her some scrubs when she gets a chance.  Abby leaves her alone in the room.

Daniel Gilman's wife, KoKo, has arrived and has all the men at the front desk staring.  She is a lot younger than they had been expecting.  Gallant takes her to her husband and Abby calls all of the men pathetic.  Dr. Kayson and Gallant explain to her about her husband's serious heart condition.  Mr. Gilman whispers to Gallant, "When can I bang her"?  Dr. Kayson is curious as to what the old man asked and Gallant embarrassingly explains.   KoKo tells the men that she and her husband are trying to have a baby.  Dr. Kayson tells him that  when he can walk up two flights of stairs without getting winded, then he can start having sex with his wife again.

A nurse finds Weaver in the room getting into her scrubs and tells her that the officers are wanting to speak with her.  Carter goes into the lounge to get a cup of coffee and finds Anastasia building a dome like model out of empty coffee cups.  Jing-Mei finds her and removes her from the lounge.  Kerry walks in and sees Carter accidentally demolishing the dome of cups and tells him to quit playing with his Lincoln Logs.  She tells him that she heard about Pratt and the gun and that he is suppose to be supervising him.  Pratt needs to be suspended for his actions.  Kerry tells him that he needs to monitor his students better and that they are his responsibility.  Carter looks out of the lounge window to see Pratt standing in front of a car trying to get away.  Carter runs outside and sees that the woman who brought in the Hispanic workers are trying to leave.  Pratt is trying to prevent her from leaving.  Carter tells him to get out of the way and let her leave.  The workers know where she lives and to let the police take care of it.  He tells Pratt that he has noticed all of his problems and that he has seen his kind before.  Pratt tells him that he doesn't know anything about him.  Carter replies, "I know what I see".  Pratt says, "What"?  " Someone throwing their career away", Carter answers.

Kerry walks in to a trauma room where an eighteen-year-old deaf girl has been brought in.  Her id says that her name is Rosemary Bell.  She had passed out and hit her head.  Kerry wants to know why they have her restrained.  They tell her that she was found flailing and incoherent.  Kerry wants the restraints removed.  She is able to communicate with her through sign language.  They learn that she has been there before and that Susan was her doctor.  Abby offers to go and get her for Kerry, but Kerry tells her no.

Dr. Chen is trying to treat an older gentleman who prefers seeing a male doctor.  His name is Jim McNulty and he has a woman with him.  He sees a man doctor walk by and tells Dr. Chen that he would rather be seen by Junior, who happens to be Dr. Carter.  They learn from the lady that is with him that Mr. McNulty is a doctor and was attacked at his clinic by a baseball bat.  He was struck over the head and he fell down on some broken glass and hurt is leg.  Carter tells him that he needs a head CT, since he lost consciousness.  Carter sees Abby and tells her what tests need to be run on him.  Abby is with a young man that has to pee in a cup.  Abby asks Dr. McNulty when the last time was that he had a tetanus shot and he replies, "October....1949".  The boy asks her if the man will have to pee in a cup too and she tells him yes.

Carter finds Pratt and asks why he dispo'd the tree trimmer without asking him first?  Pratt tries to explain everything to Carter, but Carter is still upset about the whole gun issue.  Abby takes the little boy to the bathroom.  She tells him that she will wait right outside.  Abby sees a man go into the restroom right behind him, but doesn't think anything about it.  Susan walks by and asks her if she has seen her patient Chip?  Abby tells her yes, he just went into the restroom.  Susan is relieved that she saw him.  She asks Abby what she is standing there for?  Abby tells her that she just sent a young boy in there for a urine specimen.  Susan runs into the restroom and Abby follows in behind her.  Susan bangs on the stall and the boy comes out.  They send him out into the hall.  They find Chip a few stalls down.  He is huddled up into the fetal position with the word EVIL scratched out into his forehead.

Weaver sutures Rosemary's head.  She tells her that she has a bladder infection and that it has spread to her kidney's.  She passed out because of the fever and infection and that is how she hit her head.  Weaver asks her if she is sexually active and Rosemary tells her yes and that she only has one partner.  She was afraid to let her parents know, because she doesn't want them knowing that she is having sex.  Kerry tells her that they don't need to know, but they do need to know that she is sick. Kerry is cramping and has to leave the room.  Gallant sees her and wants to ask her something, but she tells him that he will need to find Dr. Carter and she walks away.  Gallant turns to see Koko on top of Mr. Gilman.  He runs in and tells her to get off of him.  Mr. Gilman doesn't want her to go and yells for his Viagra.  Out in the hall, Mr. Gilman's adult son and daughter show up.  The daughter has Power of Attorney and wants the slut out of there.  The son comforts KoKo.   

Susan and Abby speak with Dr. DeRaad about Chip.  He tells them that until Chip states that he is going to do something wrong, he cannot hold him.  He cannot hold him for thoughts about doing something.  Susan tells him that she will get him to say it.

The Math team coach shows up and takes the students.  Chen learns that they have a five hour drive ahead of them and they should be calmed down by then.  Pratt calls Chen a hot nerd.  Jerry tells Pratt that he has a phone call.  Pratt answers the phone and then tells Chen that he has to leave and for her to cover for him.  This isn't the first time she has had to cover and she is upset.   

Abby finds Kerry sitting down in the drug lockup.  Kerry is cramping and bleeding and has already filled four pads.  Abby asks her how long and Kerry tells her for about an hour.  Abby asks her if she wants her to call Sandy and Kerry tells her no, that she is at work.  Abby tells her that she is going to call Maynard, Kerry's OB, on her way out.

Carter walks up and sees Dr. McNulty suturing himself.  He tells Carter that he has been waiting too long.  Carter tells him that he cannot do that.  Gallant pulls Carter away for some help with the Gilman family.  He tells Carter that he can't find Kerry anywhere and he needs help.  A hospital attorney is on the way down.  Gallant explains that KoKo wants to get some sperm from her husband.  She is trying to get pregnant and has a short time to do it.  She has an electroejaculation technician there ready to collect the specimen.  Gilman's daughter doesn't want the procedure done, because she thinks KoKo is only doing it because she will only inherit his money if she is pregnant before he dies.  Carter gets called away and leaves Gallant to tend to this.  A patient is brought in after a three story fall through a skylight.  Chen and Carter are with the patient.  Carter needs more help and asks where Pratt is?  Chen tells him that he had to leave and that she is covering for him.  This upsets Carter.

Pratt arrives home to find Leon on the floor.  He has been stabbed in the buttocks and is bleeding pretty bad.  Pratt tells him that they need to go to the hospital, but Leon is too scared to leave.  Leon tells him that Dukey came to get his gun and couldn't find it.  That is why he stabbed him.

Jing-Mei and Carter are not able to save the man who fell through the skylight.  Carter walks out of the room and Chuny tells him that Dr. McNulty is MIA and that he is diabetic.  Carter tells her to get him back in there.

Kerry is up in OB and Dr. Maynard has checked her out.  Abby is with them.  The doctor tells her that everything looks okay, but she wants Kerry to take some time off and come see her again in three days.  Abby asks Kerry if she would like to call Sandy, but Kerry shakes her head no.  Abby heads for the door and Kerry stops her.  Abby offers to give her a ride home later and walks out of the room.  As the door is closing, Kerry's patient, Rosemary, walks by and sees her, without Kerry knowing.

KoKo is on her way out of the ER with her specimen.  Gallant asks her about her husband, but she is no longer concerned.  She got what she came for.  She tells him that his kids, Mattie and Bob are with him and she leaves with the  electroejaculation technician.  She is in a hurry because she ovulated that morning.  Gallant returns to the admit. desk and the rest are joking about the whole thing.  Jerry tells Gallant that Pratt is on the phone for him.  Carter sees that he is on the phone with him and grabs it from Gallant.  Pratt hears Carter and hangs up.  Pratt hears a knock at the door and assumes that it is Gallant.  When he opens it, he sees Carter standing there.  Carter wants to know what is going on.  Carter sees Leon injured and Pratt explains what had happened.  Leon tells Carter the true story about the gun situation.

Susan has convinced Chip to speak with Dr. DeRaad.  It looks as if he will not tell, but just as Dr. DeRaad is getting ready to leave, Chip slowly begins to tell him what will happen.  He says that if he leaves the hospital, he will pick up his girlfriend's son from school and will have sex with him behind the baseball field.  Now Dr. DeRaad agrees to admit Chip to the psych ward.

Dr. Weaver looks in on Rosemary.  Rosemary asks her what is wrong and why she was a patient.  Kerry did not realize that she had seen her in a hospital gown earlier.  Kerry takes her hand and cups it together.  She then pulls the hand through her other hand and pulls it downward.  This illustrates a baby leaving the womb.  The sign language tells her that she had a miscarriage.  Kerry begins to cry and Rosemary gently comforts her.

Carter and Pratt are outside of Pratt's apartment building.  Carter asks about how Leon is related.  Pratt explains that Leon moved in with him and his mother when Pratt was only six-years-old.  When Pratt was fifteen, his mother died of cancer and Leon took care of him.  Leon was eighteen and took good care of Pratt.  Leon got into a fight one night and was shot in the head.  This caused his IQ to drop and made him slow.  Pratt had to start taking care of Leon at this time.  Carter tells Pratt that he should get some help with him.  Pratt tells him that he has been doing fine on his own all of this time.  Carter tells him,  "We work as a team. We cover for each other. We lean on each other. The job's too big to do solo, and if you can't get that maybe you should be a surgeon or a super hero or something else that doesn't require trusting people".  Pratt tells Carter that he has never been big on trust.  Carter tells him that if he can't trust people, then nobody will be able to trust him.  Carter tells him that he shouldn't be afraid of asking for help.  It doesn't make you weak.  Carter walks away and Pratt thinks about what he has said.

Reviewed by Tony Conner on January 18, 2003

NBC Review

GUN-TOTING DOCTOR'S BEHAVIOR CONCERNS CARTER WHILE WEAVER CONCEALS SECRET -- When Dr. Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) is caught bringing a gun into the emergency room, Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) feels compelled to defend him -- but his colleague's erratic behavior makes even Carter have second thoughts. Meanwhile Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) hopes to keep her pregnancy a secret, but physical complications might compromise her plans. Elsewhere, Dr. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) keeps a wary eye on a self-destructive patient (guest star Rob Moore) who admits to molesting young boys; a guilt-stricken Dr. Kovac (Goran Visnjic) is warned by Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane) not to admit his fault to the grieving relative of a patient he treated; Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) treats some student math whizzes who overdosed on Ritalin; and Dr. Gallant (Sharif Atkins) confronts a scheming young wife (guest star Sofia Milos) who has designs for her dying husband. Maura Tierney also stars.

TV Guide Review

January 9, 2003: A Little Help from My Friends: Luka pays the price for his misdiagnosis that left a patient with brain damage; Abby covers for an ailing Kerry; Carter pushes his way into Pratt's life after he's caught carrying a gun to work; Gallant tends to a recovering Harkins on the eve of her release from County; and Lewis refuses to allow the psych department to ignore the unsettling cause of a patient's crippling depression.