E.R. (Emergency Room) deel 9 - Al 10 jaar onovertroffen

Episode Summary by Sharon Redfield
It's moving day upstairs at County General. Kerry is packing up Romano's belongings from his office, she has fired his long time secretary, Brenda, and she is slipping into her new position as Chief of Staff. A "lateral move" she tells the Rocket. Seems there is no time to waste as she gives the one-armed surgeon his choice of career at this point: teach, work the ER, or stand in the unemployment line. "What you're doing," Romano snipes back, "is bending me over and driving it up the chocolate highway."
Stepping into his new role as ER Chief, Romano begins his day of insults laced with bigotry, sexism and apathy on the elevator ride downstairs, subjected to the canned Musak version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."

summarizer's note: In the interest of time, all of Romano's name calling in the entire episode is being condensed down to the list below.

Kerry's new male secretary - Nancy
Kerry - estrogen-based malice
Luka - Green Card, Igor
Jerry - Pituitary boy
ER staff - losers, human cesspool
Gallant - Goofus, affirmative action imbecile
Susan - one who ovulates, know-nothing drag ass
Mrs. Tucker (patient) - granny
Nicky (patient) - low life
Eddie (patient) - delinquent

He orders Abby to change scrub companies to Lindeman's because "they hug booty better." Haleh is fired but lets him know that he can't fire her. Jerry is ordered to do some research until he finds out who Romano can fire.

Chen and Pratt are at the Roach Coach getting their morning coffee when Chuny walks by with Chen's birthday cake. Chen assumes that Pratt has forgotten that it was her birthday, but he regales her instead with plans for a special evening.

An obnoxious street vender of various assorted second-hand items (Kippy) inserts himself into Elizabeth's mini van, driven by the nanny, as she says good-bye to her daughter. As the nanny drives away the vendor's foot is crunched under one of the wheels.

One more exam room has been re-assigned away from the ER and into the hands of Dr. Romano as a personal office. Susan comes out of the lounge announcing that her brand new leather gloves have been stolen as Chen and Pratt wheel in the obnoxious vender. Romano makes his presence known at the admit desk by announcing, "Say good-bye to the warm fuzzies of the Weaver era and hello to the age of efficiency and cost effectiveness." His dictator-like tirade continues as the staff lounges around the desk area in forced, unbelieving silence.

Luka, Carter and Abby gown up and head to the roof to meet a medivac patient. The elevator ride is cold and uncomfortable as Luka tries unsuccessfully to chat with the other two, the tinkling of elevator music filling the empty strained moments of small talk. The male flight nurse gives the trio the run down of the male hit and run victim before asking if Susan Lewis is working. The patient, Mr. Rushing, is an accountant from Indiana. Romano walks into the trauma room with no loss for cute quips. "This is why I went into medicine. So I could practice veterinary medicine." [This summarizer takes offense to that]

The staff continues to assess the patient and his possible need for surgery. At the same time, Jerry comes in to tell Luka that there is a collect call from a woman named Gordana for him - a person-to-person call from Zagreb, Croatia. Carter mentions that no personal calls are allowed during a trauma, but Romano goes one further and grabs the phone telling the caller never to call the ER again.

A young man with a nail gun injury is being examined by Susan. His son, Sammy, was the inflictor of this injury - "I knew it was loaded," the young boy mentions. Romano barely gets a chance to step into this doctor/patient relationship when Elizabeth, probably called in for a surgical consult, arrives. Romano recognizes his lack of need here and steps back. Susan tells her that she misses Weaver.

Elizabeth follows Romano into the lounge and tries to give him encouraging words. "Anything I could do to help?" she asks. Romano opens the refrigerator only to have the contents spill out in all shapes and sizes onto his feet. He looks with some resignation at Elizabeth and says, "You could shoot me now."

Back with the hit and run victim, Carter and Abby continue to stabilize Mr. Rushing while trying to figure out what he was doing on a back country road alone, without a car, away from home. His vitals are doing better and there are no drugs or alcohol in his system. Abby notices the man is wearing a wedding ring and tries to track down the wife. Later, when he comes around, he mumbles about his children. Luka and Abby panic about children possibly missing at the accident scene and call the police. Romano gets wind of this and orders Luka to turf him to medicine. "Let him sing Kumbaya there." He goes on to tell Luka that the mandatory therapy has made him soft in the head. Romano doesn't believe in it.

Weaver makes an appearance to unload some unfinished projects on Carter. He tries to make a case for Romano's lack of people skills, questioning (around the bend) the appointment. Weaver does not see Carter's implication of impending departmental disaster due to Romano's inability to communicate and tells Carter that he has to at least have an associate professorship under his belt before he can be considered for department head. "I don't want this job, Kerry," Carter mentions under a chuckle, "I just don't want to have to do two of them." It's at this point that Kerry notices her crutch is missing.

Outside in the ambulance bay, Luka finishes a call on his cell phone to his friend in Croatia. He tells Abby and Susan that Gordana is a friend of his from med school. She has a young patient there with Post shunt tetrology with pulmonary atresia. He's outgrowing the shunts and needs specialized surgery that cannot be done in Croatia.

A man, Nicky Broomer, is brought in by ambulance. Having fallen down while running, he has a shoulder dislocation and probable rib fractures. Susan recognizes him as a local junkie who has a habit of being chased by the police.

Pratt finds Kippy, the obnoxious vendor trying to peddle more of his goods over the phone in the phone booth. Pratt unceremoniously throws a bubble pack dose of Tylenol at him and tells him to get a real job. Chuny tells Pratt that the cake will be cut at 3 o'clock and gives birthday present advice to him.

Romano takes a gander at the board and assigns cases based on more of his insults and sexist observations before making his way to Gallant who is doing "Cadillac work-ups on Yugo patients." They disagree on the diagnostic tests and treatment needed for this woman. Romano shouts that possibly Gallant is filling a special needs quota and asks, "Need me to say it slower in the language of your people?" and proceeds to slur his orders (as a person who is developmentally challenged may speak) for sublingual Nifedipine in Gallant's face. At the admit desk, Romano and Carter get into a debate about Gallant. Carter tries to instill on his Chief that he, as Chief Resident, assigns patients to the med students. All it takes to get a door slammed in his face is for Carter to remind Romano that he doesn't have a background in emergency medicine.

Meanwhile, Susan, Abby and Luka are attempting to reduce Nicky Boomer's dislocated shoulder in the trauma room. The patient is screaming out of control - the versed and fentanyl they have given him haven't touched the pain due to his high tolerance and withdrawal. Carter comes in to tell Susan that a man purporting to be her husband is there. She is using all her strength on the shoulder reduction, grimaces with embarrassment but claims her husband when she finally sees him.

The lady's restroom finds Susan and Abby discussing the quickie marriage. Susan met her groom, Chuck Martin (she thinks), on the flight and took advantage of the mini chapel they had initially mistaken for a fast food drive through. She tells Abby that she left the next day and is planning on getting the union annulled.

In the hallway Carter encourages Gallant to stick to his guns with Romano. Abby expresses her reservations about her job security with Romano in town. And in the background Nicky is screaming in pain as his girlfriend begs the staff to do something. Later, Gallant tracks Romano down to tell him that Nifedipine is no longer recommended for patients such as his. Romano tells him that he never told him to use Nifedipine and when Gallant tries to correct him, Romano walks away once again spewing unkind words. Jerry has done his homework and Romano listens as he is told whom he can and can't fire. It seems he can fire "care partners." He turns to find an orderly at the desk. He asks if the man pays union dues. The negative response gets him fired on the spot.

Susan and Chuck discuss their options outside at the Roach Coach. She has to get it annulled, even though they consummated the marriage. Chuck reminds her that they sealed the marriage at least a few times, but that he agrees with the annulment.

Pratt tends to a pregnant woman, 18 weeks along, who collapsed at Marshall Fields while registering for baby gifts. Debra Strickland has been experiencing bad morning sickness and indicates that she "may not be cut out for this." Carter steps in to examine the patient and finds that she is experiencing bad abdominal pain. He asks Abby to page Linda Woo from Surgery. Romano barges in loudly asking if Carter had a surgical candidate, frightening the woman. On the ultrasound a mass is seen on her kidney. When Dr. Woo arrives, Romano takes offense to her attempts to obtain her own history from the patient and Dr. Corday is called in.

Corday shares an elevator ride downstairs to the ER with Luka who presents his case to her for free surgery for the Croatian boy. She is doubtful that even if the funds were found to cover expenses that Kerry would even sign off on it, as neither of them is on good terms with her. Later, she goes to bat for Luka in Weaver's new office. Weaver is not at all concerned with the boy's inability to receive the surgery elsewhere and, instead, bellows about the bottom line, refusing the request for pro bono work. On her way out, Corday tells Weaver that she is concerned about Romano - that he "seems broken by this assignment." Weaver, barely looks up from her paperwork as she quickly responds, "He's a cockroach. He'll refuse to evolve and yet survive us all."

Corday, Romano and Carter discuss the tumor in Debra's abdomen around her kidney. The cancer has spread and she will require surgery and possibly chemotherapy. The baby, "our little accident" as she calls it, may have to be aborted. She demands that the baby be aborted during the surgery instead of waiting, even though in three more weeks the baby may be viable outside the womb.

Romano is hot to get the board cleared and starts grabbing charts, shrugging off a moaning Nicky on the way to a child sitting on a gurney. Eddie has no parents. Carter rounds the corner to witness Romano dealing with the boy and quietly tells Jerry that he wants to see all of Romano's patients before they are dispo'd. The boy is short of breath and as Dr. Romano listens to his chest he is quick to rudely silence the boy when he becomes curious about Romano's arm. Eight minutes spent on that patient, a proud moment for Romano.

Susan admits a patient with a wrist injury. Sandra has fallen in the shower and eventually develops a headache.

Pratt runs across the street to a jewelry store only to find it closed. He resorts to shopping at Kippy's on the corner. The only thing he has that a woman can wear is a lovely pair of leather gloves. The sale is made, as Kippy sports his newly acquired crutch.

Romano snacks on Chen's blue birthday cake as he declares the celebration of staff birthdays off limits. Susan humors him until he tells her to discharge Sandra.

A sudden spell of peace and quiet in the treatment areas makes Abby and Susan suspicious. Pulling back a curtain they find Nicky visiting la-la land as his girlfriend injects a drug scored on the street in between his toes. She chastises the two women for doing nothing for her boyfriend.

Romano is suspicious when he sees that Eddie has not been discharged and Carter is treating him. Carter points out that Romano didn't give the boy enough Prednisode with his Albuterol. His sats are not consistent enough to allow him to walk, much less be discharged. Romano is furious that the resident overrode his orders, and as Carter tries to gently tell him that there are people in the ER willing to help him get acclimated to emergency medicine, Romano speaks over him and eventually screams for him not to get too comfortable in his ER. "Everyone's replaceable," Romano barks, looking around to make sure anyone within a mile radius can hear, "even you."

When Weaver makes a late day appearance down in the ER, she is shunned by the staff until she catches Carter's attention. She wants to check on Romano's progress. He tells her the truth, that he was "abysmal." His is unable to communicate with the staff and nearly killed a patient with an "antiquated treatment." Weaver bolsters her rationalization by mentioning he has "qualities consistent with most surgeons." Even though Carter mentions that Romano doesn't want to learn and he's hostile, Weaver begs him to work around the disabled surgeon.

The police are searching for Mr. Rushing's children with no success. Finally, when his wife appears she stuns the doctors when she tells them that they don’t have any children. The psychologist tells Luka that the patient's depression has produced the delusion of these children.

In the OR, the report from the pathologist is grim. The prognosis is most likely terminal, but she has enough time to give the fetus viability in the womb before she dies. Corday asks Debra's husband to make the final decision on whether or not to terminate the pregnancy while she is under anesthesia. He is distraught and decides not to go against his wife's wishes. Corday is frustrated as the gynecological teams moves in to abort the fetus.

Susan's day continues to be a bust as her wrist fracture patient goes into V-fib and dies. Mindy, a Down Syndrome patient with a slow mental status, has a boyfriend and an STD. She doesn't know what condoms are but she does know that her boyfriend, who turns out to be the floor washer at her facility, loves her. Susan walks out and tells Abby to call the police and laments on her bad day. In the hallway she spots Chen wearing her previously stolen gloves. Pratt is in hot water for buying his girlfriend's birthday present out on the street. Chen gives Susan her gloves back. Abby sarcastically recommends that Susan check them under a Woods lamp first. In the door walks Chuck. It seems they have both had a bad day and even though they are walking down the aisle of annulment, they agree to drown their sorrows together with burgers and fries.

Romano checks in with Gallant who is suturing a wound. Romano wants speed, Gallant wants precision. Romano gloats about his surgical prowess. "I love watching med students suture," he tells the patient while stroking his ego, "It reminds me of how good I am." Without looking up Gallant corrects him: "Was." The patient repeats this for Romano. This exchange earns Gallant a chart tossed in his lap and a patient in exam four with loose stool.

Romano has found himself a stool of his own in a bar. He's hammering down hard liquor and insulting the bartender and others around him. The selection of television programming irritates him and he asks the bartender to put something on that appeals to "those in the room without hairy knuckles." The man sitting next to him is not amused and endures Romano's continued insults of the low gross earnings of the bar patrons and the man's occupation as a copier tech. "Well, that explains the dirty fingernails," Romano explains while hammering nails into his coffin, "but not why you enjoy watching half naked chunky-trunks pull tractors with their teeth." This draws the attention of the other working men in the bar as the last nail is pummeled in. "Must be some sort of homoerotic thing for you, I guess." This earns him a right cross from each man sitting beside him and three more punches as he lies on the floor.

furanku	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 14:01
	Vrijdag 28 Mei: De een na laatste aflevering uit seizoen 6. Of MayDay volgt op maandag is mij onbekend. Net5 gaat door met het uitzenden van seizoen7 en de AVRO zendt seizoen 8 nog eens helemaal opnieuw uit. Zo zullen de meeste mensen weer helemaal bij zijn met de serie.. nou ja, blij, E.R. is een serie waarin emoties op de proef worden gesteld, vooral wanneer je meeleeft met de personages en dus zul je af en toe nog te maken krijgen met een aantal prachtige maar verdrietige afleveringen. Dit was naar mijn idee al bekend in seizoen 6 en dan weet iedereen wel ongeveer waar dit om draaide. Emergency Room (ER) Deel 8- Gaan Carter en Abby nog trouwen? Emergency Room: Carter is okay! Deel 7. (ER) Emergency Room - Deel 6 Emergency Room (ER) Deeltje 5! emERgency room. Deel 4. Ladies und Gentlemen.. bereid je maar weer voor op een nieuw topic [ Bericht 38% gewijzigd door furanku op 28-05-2004 14:27:46 ]
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 14:02
	Doug! Vanavond!
dutch-mamma	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 14:14
	Voor Hilje: n.a.v. je spoiler, dat gebeurt aan het eind van episode 8, geloof ik...
dutch-mamma	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 14:16
	Verdorie! Vanavond kan ik niet kijken en nou blijkt mijn video volledig ontregeld & de gebruiksaanwijzing verdwenen... Hmmm, dan maar downloaden van kazaa, vanavond als ik weer terug ben... Wil Dough nog een keertje bewonderen...!
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 16:15
	quote: Op vrijdag 28 mei 2004 14:14 schreef dutch-mamma het volgende: Voor Hilje: n.a.v. je spoiler, dat gebeurt aan het eind van episode 8, geloof ik... Ja, volgens mij ook eind 8, dus dat wordt deze zomer door de Avro uitgezonden. Goeie TT!
bloempjuh	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:19
	Ik ben zomaar thuis! Wow!
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:20
	nu zit ik wel klaar
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:27
	Ik ook! kom maar op!
Hilje23	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:29
	hoe laat? vanavond?
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:34
	Over 1 minuut (zoals elke avond)!
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:35
	En vast!
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:40
	mark is zo lief... en herkenbaar wat ie deed als je net iemand kwijt bent.
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:44
	weaver from hell.
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:45
	K E R R Y
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 18:57
	oh jee het verkeerde medicijn krijgen en zulke ademsnood... brings back memories. carter is echt fout bezig arme man.... maar goed patienten in gevaar brengen.. [ Bericht 89% gewijzigd door DarkElf op 28-05-2004 19:02:49 ]
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 19:02

DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 19:08
	foutfoutfout van carol en luka!
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 19:09
	ja, maar wel begrijpelijk...
DarkElf	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 19:11
	quote: Op vrijdag 28 mei 2004 19:09 schreef Brighteyes het volgende: ja, maar wel begrijpelijk... nee vind ik zeker niet. het is wens van de patient en die moet boven de wens van familie, ja ook dochters en man, gaan.. maar goed dit soort dingen ben ik altijd heel fel in door mijn eigen ervaring dus..
BE	vrijdag 28 mei 2004 @ 19:14
	Ja, ok, je hebt ook wel gelijk... En idd, door persoonlijke ervaringen wordt je er feller in, dat is ook wel begrijpelijk.