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Susan and Pratt walk out with Neela,
asking her if she’s heard from Michael. Neela explains that they’ve exchanged
emails but that his internet connection went died. Gallant watches as an army
ambulance leaves his Iraq hospital compound. A nurse asks him if he wants her
to redress a wound on his arm and he tells her that he is fine. Neela arrives
at home and tosses her bag on the couch and realizes it hit Ray’s friend Bret.
She asks him if his girlfriend kicked him out again and he laughs saying that
they broke up. He hands her a CD with some music that he burnt off the
internet, while Ray emerges from the bathroom and tells Bret it’s all his.
While he disperses into the bathroom, Ray apologizes for Bret being there.
Neela scoffs that she’s used to finding ‘random rockers’ passed out in their
living room. Ray tries to convince her that Bret is a nice guy and that she
should give him a chance. Neela continues tidy up the living room and as she
turns Ray is right in front of her. Ray admits he should just shut up. Neela
sits down and prepares to write a letter to Michael. Gallant does the same and
as daily life proceeds for each of the doctors, their voices are heard as they
write one another the letter.
The medevac comes in and Neela and Pratt tend to a woman
that had both her hands severed in a printing machine. The lady asks Pratt if
they can put the limbs back on and he tells her that everything will be all
right. Neela asks what the ladies name is and we are switched over to Gallant
who is in a similar situation. His patient tells his name, while the chopper
pilot tells Gallant about how the soldier was found. Gallant asks the soldier
what happened while he checks out the injured man’s leg. Neela, Sam and Susan
are helping Doris, the woman with severed hands as she explains what happened.
A med student appears in the trauma room to talk with Susan and she ends up
introducing Neela to Roberto Rosales. As Neela and Pratt are discussing pain
management for the patient, Susan calls in Roberto to assist. Gallant and his
nurse tend to a trauma in their hospital while a surgeon comes in to tell
Michael that they will take care of the soldier. He introduces a new doctor to
Michael and tells him to show her around. While watching the soldier he
introduces himself to the new doctor. While Neela and Roberto take Doris to
the OR, he tells her that him and his wife just had a baby. Neela seems
shocked and asks his age. After telling her he is 24 he asks if she is married
and has children and she replies no. Once on the floor, Dubenko requests that
the young doctor come with him to make sure that they have something to work
with. Dubenko pulls the limbs out and examines them while Neela watches on
uncomfortably. Michael and the new doctor, Whitley, tend to an eviscerated
patient. After finding a pulse, Michael and Whitley move into the OR to talk
to the surgeon. Gallant sees that the patient he was working on earlier needed
to have his leg amputated. Gallant presents his newest patient and gets told
to send him in shortly. He goes on in his letter to Neela about how you miss
the things you once took for granted. Neela watches Pratt play basketball out
in the ambulance bay and approaches him. Neela questions that him and Gallant
were friends and if he missed him. Pratt tells her they are still friends and
that he did and that there was nothing wrong with that. Neela explains she’s
writing him a letter and wonders if he would like to say anything. ‘Tell him
to get his ass back home in one piece. I’m tired of waiting for my rematch’ he
answers.
Gallant walks through his hospital on rounds and comes to a
soldier with gastroenteritis. He turns to the amputated soldier and asks him
if he can get him anything. He replies that he just wants to leave. Gallant
verifies that medevac was on their way and it wouldn’t be too long. Walking
outside it is evident that new supplies and medications have arrived. Gallant
seems happy when he is stopped by a soldier and gets 2 Cuban cigars put into
his chest pocket. Neela and Roberto examine a woman with a rash. Roberto
suggest bug bites (fleas), but the patient refuses that she couldn’t possible
have that. Neela suggests scabies and explains they are a certain type of
insect that can cause the rash. She lists off her orders to Roberto and walks
out. She goes on to Gallant about how she waits to feel like she’s making a
difference. Frank tells her that the wait time on a bed is 18 hours and that
Susan wants to talk to her about discharging some of the people straight out
of chairs. Neela tells him she is working on it. Michael examines a soldier
that was stung by a scorpion. He lists off his orders while another doctor
asks Gallant a question to cover up a ringing cell phone. Gallant insists that
the cell phone is a risk, and that the signal could be picked up and to get
rid of the phone. Neela and Roberto take a child’s temperature in chairs. The
mother insists that it is higher then what the doctors are getting. Neela
tells her out of respect that if the child had the temperature she is
insisting that her son would be dead and asks her to show her on the
thermometer herself. As she is walking back to admit, a man stops her and asks
her to take a look, which Neela does. She tells him that he only has a
backache but the man thinks he should stay to have a full examine. Neela tells
him he can stay and wait the 20 hours it will take to be seen or he can go
home, take some ibuprofen and get some rest. He opts to go home, but seems
embarrassed that she made a mockery of his ailment. Susan watches on with
displease. Susan asked Neela if she just sent that man home without a chart,
Neela confirms that he left on his own. Pratt interrupts, but doesn’t quite
have Susan’s attention. Neela adds that she thought Susan wanted her to dispo
people from chairs, but Susan snaps that she did, but didn’t want to get sued.
A young girl taps on the admit glass asking for help. Both Neela and Roberto
go to see what is going on. Meanwhile on route to a different area, Gallant
explains to Whitley about the treating of civilians that were wounded by US
Military. In short they explain whom they treat, and who gets treated by the
Iraqi hospitals. Gallant asks her if she needs an interpreter and Whitley
tells him that she speaks fluent Arabic. The girl leads Neela and Roberto to
her car where her brother is. Neela does a quick exam and the mother passes
her a note from the clinic they were just at. It asks that someone from County
needs to rule out meningitis. Gallant examines a little girl who is having
problems keeping anything down. Whitley asks Gallant what he wants to do and
he tells her that she is not sick enough to keep there. He tells the mother
that she needs a hospital in Balad but the mother walks away disappointed.
Gallant tells them to wait and grabs some electrolyte juice for the little
girl to take. The little girl thanks him and both him and Whitley reflect on
how hard it is to send people away when they are standing right there. A
driver comes in asking if there is anything from the city that anyone wants
and Gallant tells him he wants some oranges. The little girl walks with her
mother but looses the scarf that was on her head to the wind. She goes chasing
it, while the driver carries on. The mother calls after her while the truck
passes by the girl and blows up. Everyone drops to the ground until the
explosions stop and then run to help the casualties. Neela carries the boy in
from the car and hollers for help while Gallant gets to the young girl who is
engulfed in flames. He pushes her over in a desperate attempt to put out the
flames. As the other soldiers pull the man out from the truck they quickly
survey each of the victims wounds.
Gallant urgently tries to save the driver, while Whitley
tries to save the girl. He tries to tell the mother that she needs to be
intubated and begins the procedure. Neela is in the trauma room with the
little boy and also intubating. Gallant sutures up the driver and explains to
him that he would be flown home because of his wounds. Pratt discovers by a
test result that the child is suffering from a bladder infection. Neela looks
a little shocked that the child could become so sick while Chuny calls Pratt
in for another patient. Gallant stands at ease with the surgeon that runs the
hospital. He tells Gallant that there is nothing else they can do for the girl
and Michael looks on persistently. He walks up closer to the surgeon and
explains once again that the local hospital cannot care for her. The surgeon
goes on to reply that the military hospital can only do so much. Gallant
voices that he thinks that is just a nice way of saying that he doesn’t care.
The surgeon looks at him and explains that he’s being doing his job for 20
years and not to lecture him on who doesn’t care. Gallant stands down but
continues to request alternate measures for her care, including shipping the
girl to the states for care. The surgeon surrenders and offers Gallant the
chance to see what he can do. Michael excuses himself and makes his way. Neela
explains to the mother of the boy that is brought in what they are planning to
do. Pratt brings in a special ventilator for trial. Neela and Pratt walk out
while the machine is being set up. Neela explains that she wants to file a
complaint on the clinic that sent the note to rule out meningitis. Pratt pulls
her out of the room and explains that the child’s vaccinations were up to date
and that the clinic was only doing what was in their capabilities. Gallant
speaks with a hospital in Kuwait but gets upset that he is not getting
anywhere with them. Clemente asks how he is doing and listens while Gallant
speaks of his frustrations. Clemente leads him back to Jamila where her mother
stands over her daughter to bless him for what he is doing. Neela gets upset
with the clinic on the phone and threatens that if they ever send another
unstable patient that she would report them to the board and slams the phone
down. Pratt asks her if she got it all out what had been bugging her that day.
She explodes in anger saying that one minute Pratt is treating her like she is
God’s gift to medicine and the next he is humiliating her in front of a
med-student. She also adds that if he trusts her, to give her the room and if
he doesn’t to just say so. Pratt tells her he doesn’t and then explains that
she could be the best doctor and help but half the time it’s all in her head.
She agrees that she blows things out of proportion and obsesses too much. He
tells her to stop and she goes on saying that she has no life outside of work.
Pratt tells her that she needs to stop thinking of County as her life and go
out and have some fun. He asks her when the last time she was out on a date
and she shoots back asking why everyone thinks she needs to get laid. An
amused Pratt pats her shoulder and tells her to trust him that sometimes that
helps. Colonel Kilner is standing over a patient that was brought in, he goes
on to explain why he is there while Gallant tries to ask for a couple more
days to get Jamila set up for a transfer. Kilner tells him that they don’t
have the beds to be allowing that, but Gallant protests. Kilner orders him to
have Jamila out by the morning. Gallant approaches the doctor that had the
cell phone. Frank picks up the phone and calls Neela over. Neela answers the
phone saying ‘hello’ but the delay of the connection forces her to say it
again. She smiles and says Michael’s name.
While Neela is on the phone, Sam asks what is going on.
Morris tells her that it’s Gallant that Neela is talking to. Neela tells
Gallant she will try and hangs up. Pratt voices that he wanted to talk to him
but Neela walks quickly towards the elevators. She tells them both that he is
fine and says hello to everyone. Gallant waits outside for the transport team
to come for the wounded soldier. He goes in to tell him it should be anytime.
The soldier points to a little artifact of a camel that he got for his
daughter and wonders how the weather is back home. Gallant takes the cell
phone and gives it to the soldier to make a call to his wife back home. Neela
walks into the plastics room where Doris is resting peacefully. Neela asks to
speak with Lieberman. Gallant checks on the amputated soldier and tells him it
won’t be long before he goes home. Larabie comes around and hands Gallant some
mail and pulls out a bottle of alcohol. The soldier takes a swig and then asks
who wrote him. Gallant tells him his folks and a friend. The soldier muses
that mail is like gold and Gallant agrees. Kilner asks for a minute with
Gallant and while they walk Kilner congratulates him. He explains that
Lieberman has accepted Jamila under his care and asks how he figured she would
get there. Gallant tells him what he was planning and Kilner interrupts asking
how was going to approve that. Gallant looks at him while Kilner continues to
say that the state department okayed it. Clemente stands by and asks if he had
good news and he walks over saying yes and hugs her. She tells him that she
has had 2 beers under her bed for weeks and asks him if he wants to celebrate
with her. He agrees but as they are walking to her tent Laraby comes out to
tell him that the driver was crashing. Neela checks her mail and sees a letter
from Michael. When she opens her door there is music heard and she shouts out
her hellos. Bret pokes his head out of the bathroom and tells her that the
water is out at his place and Ray said it was okay if he showered there. He
opens a bottle of whiskey and asks her she would like a drink. Saying no at
first she changes her mind to yes. They engage in small talk about the music
being played while Neela thinks about what Pratt said earlier. Gallant tries
desperately to resuscitate the soldier while Kilner comes in to help. Bret and
Neela continue to talk and drink. They chat about being passionate about what
you do and one thing leads to another and Bret kisses her. Gallant continues
compression but it’s not looking good. Bret and Neela continue kissing and
things seem to be moving in a more sexual direction. Kilner calls a systole.
Gallant refuses to give up and calls for more atropine. Kilner tells Gallant
to hold compressions. He backs off while Laraby disconnects the ventilator
bag. Neela giggles and tells Bret to stop for a minute. She tells him he is
great but she wasn’t into it. She tells him that if she doesn’t go to bed that
she would most likely stay out in the living room with him and while he tries
to tell her that isn’t a bad thing, she pushes him off and sits up to
re-button her blouse. She tells him that she doesn’t want to be with someone
just because she is lonely, and he tells her that in order not to feel lonely
that she should be with someone. She agrees and gets up, taking her mail with
her to her bedroom. While the transport team prepares Jamila for the trip,
Gallant looks on. A flight medic tells Kilner that the girl is not stable.
Kilner tells him to just get her to the nearest area and the others would take
it from there. The medic argues but Kilner interjects asking if a doctor went
with them would that suffice. The medic agrees and it looks as if Gallant is
going taking Jamila to Chicago. While Neela reads Michael’s letter, Michael
reads hers on the helicopter that flies him back to Chicago.
Reviewed by Kristyna on
April 25,
2005
NBC Review
THE ER MUST AID AN INJURED IRAQI GIRL -- A young girl in Iraq
is wounded in a car bombing and local hospitals are unequipped to help. Gallant
(Sharif Atkins) enlists the support of Neela (Parminder Nagra) to secure the
needed treatment at County, but getting the girl to the United States proves to
be more difficult than initially thought. With time running out, Gallant must
resort to calling in a favor to bring the young girl to the states. Meanwhile,
Neela is redefining her role at County and rediscovering her feelings for
Gallant. Also starring Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Mekhi Phifer, Goran Visnjic,
Maura Tierney, Sherry Stringfield, Linda Cardellini and Shane West.
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