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ER
"The British Are Coming"
Act One
ADMISSIONS DESK
Connie and Haleh are chatting at the desk.
CONNIE: So, you met the new doctor yet?
HALEH [shakes her head]: Carol said she's kind of stuck up.
CONNIE: Where's she from again?
HALEH: Some London hospital. Saint Thomas', or something.
[Mark walks up to the desk, and starts working on the files. Connie casts a significant look in his
direction.]
CONNIE: Well, I don't envy her, wherever she's from. Susan Lewis is a hard
act to follow.
[Mark's attention engages at the mention of Susan's name, but he doesn't look up from his work.]
HALEH [glances at Mark, and raises her eyebrows]: You bet. She was a pretty
good doctor too.
[Connie and Haleh giggle quietly, Mark frowns and looks like he's about to say something
when...BANG the doors open and two EMTs belt in. Mark rushes over, the nurses following.]
MARK: What you got?
EMT: Fifty-six-year-old male, Michael Rius. Probable heart attack. Crushing
substernal chest pain radiating down the left arm. Sweating like a pig.
MARK: How long?
EMT: About two hours - since breakfast. He thought it was indigestion.
MARK: Must've been a hell of a breakfast. [They reach Trauma 1] Okay,
thanks, we'll take it from here.
[The patient is vaguely conscious, and his head is flopping backward and forward on the gurney.
The EMTs have bagged him. Haleh takes over as the ER staff disappear into the trauma room. The
EMTs watch through the door for a moment, before heading back to the ambulance.]
INSIDE TRAUMA 1
MARK: Intubation tray and get the monitors set up.
[Connie rushes for the intubation tray, while Haleh sets up the heart monitor and respirator. Mark
inserts the tube and then listens to the man's chest.]
MARK: Okay, let's get a chem 7, cardiac enzymes, and a coag panel.
CONNIE: ST wave is up - he's in fib!
MARK [looks up at the heart monitor]: Paddles!
[Connie pushes the crash cart over, handing Mark the paddles. Haleh is cutting the man's shirt off
his chest.]
MARK: Okay, 190. Clear! [no response...] 290. Clear! [The monitor bleeps into
life again, slowly...] Right, let's try atropine, six milligrams IV push.
[The trauma room doors open, and Kerry Weaver hurries in. Mark is concentrating on the heart
monitor and listening to the patient's chest. He's deep in thought.]
KERRY: Do you need a hand Mark?
MARK: No, I got it. [He thinks for a moment] Haleh, call cardiology and tell
them he's on his way.
KERRY: You're going for angioplasty already?
MARK: Yeah, why?
KERRY [shrugs]: I thought you might consider TPA at this stage, but it's your
call.
MARK [turning back to the patient, irritated]: Yes it is.
[Kerry shrugs again and leaves: Mark watches her go with a none too friendly expression. Haleh
and Connie are looking at each other, eyebrows raised.]
MARK: Haleh...cardiology?
[Haleh leaves the ER sharing a meaningful look with Connie as she departs. We follow her to the
reception desk where Carol is chatting with Jerry. Haleh gets on the phone, just as Doug saunters
up.]
CAROL: Doug! Just the man I need!
DOUG: That's what they all say.
CAROL: Yes, but I actually mean it. [She hands him two files] Suspected
German measles in 2, and a foreign body in the nasal passage in 4.
DOUG [shaking his head and grinning]: I knew there was a reason I went into
paediatrics!
[Mark emerges from the trauma room, with the MI patient being wheeled on a gurney.]
MARK: What did cardiology say?
HALEH: Cath lab's ready and waiting.
MARK: Good. [He looks down at the man who is vaguely conscious] You're
going up to the cardiology department, Mr Rius. They're going to take care of
you up there.
[It's not clear if the patient understands, or even hears what Mark's saying. Mark nods to the
orderlies, who hurry the man towards the lifts. Once he's seen them go, Mark turns back to the
desk. Doug is just walking away.]
MARK: Doug! [Doug turns] Can you make a staff meeting in about half an
hour?
DOUG [grimacing]: I think I might be busy.
MARK: It wont take long, it's just to welcome Lucy Tennant.
DOUG: This Weaver's idea?
MARK [looks a little defensive]: No, actually it's mine. I thought it might be
nice, you know, welcome her to the team, that kind of thing...
DOUG: You've definitely been spending far too much time with Morgenstern!
MARK: Just be there.[Doug grins and turns to go. Mark shakes his head, and
turns back towards the desk to face the smiling nurses.] Don't worry, you're all
invited too!
CAROL: Can't wait.
EXAM ROOM 2
[Doug enters, reading through the patients' charts. There are two children sitting on the bed, a boy
aged about nine and a girl of eleven. Both children have a rash on their face. Behind them stands a
man, obviously their father, and standing to one side, as far away as possible, is a young woman.
She looks about six months pregnant. The father is cross, and the children are silent. Doug looks up
and smiles as he enters.]
DOUG: Mr Brooks? Hi, I'm Dr Ross.
BROOKS: Jim Brooks. Look doctor...
[Doug ignores him and looks down at the two children.]
DOUG: And I guess you guys are the patients? [The boy exchanges a glance
with his sister. She nudges him gently, and he looks away. Doug grabs a stool,
and sits down in front of them.] Okay, let's take a look.
BROOKS [he is irritated, and impatient]: It just came on overnight. They were
fine yesterday. It's typical, the kid next door had German measles, and Janet
didn't bother telling me! I can't believe it, even of her! I mean she knows
Lynda's pregnant, for God's sake!
[Doug continues his examination in silence for a moment. Then he speaks to the boy]
DOUG: It's Sam, right? [Sam looks at his sister before nodding] Okay, Sam.
Can you take off your T-shirt? I want to take a look at your chest.
[Sam pulls off his shirt: the rash is all over him]
BROOKS: What about my wife, doctor, will it damage the baby?
DOUG [Still concentrating on the child, he speaks to the father. He's obviously
unimpressed with the man's lack of concern for his children]: I very much doubt
it, Mr Brooks. [Then, looking up at the children he addresses himself to the girl]
Now let me see, if this is Sam, you must be Joanne? [Joanne nods silently. She
looks tense and unhappy] So, were you guys playing out in the yard yesterday?
JOANNE [her voice is low, hard to hear]: No.
BROOKS: I don't have a yard. We live in an apartment.
DOUG [still talking to the children]: So, what did you do yesterday?
JOANNE: Watched TV.
DOUG: All day? You didn't go out at all?
LYNDA [stirring from her position at the other side of the room] : I took them
to the mall.
DOUG [looking up at her]: You didn't go to a park or anything?
LYNDA [defensive]: No...they only just flew in yesterday. They were tired.
Look, will this take long? I have to get to work.
DOUG [turns to examine Joanne]: Flying eh? Where've you been?
JOANNE: Nowhere.
BROOKS: They've come to stay with me for the summer.
DOUG: I see. So, where d'you guys live the rest of the year?
JOANNE: Wichita Falls, Texas.
DOUG: Texas! So you're a cowboy then Sam?
SAM [grinning]: No.
DOUG [tousles his hair]: Okay, you can put your shirt back on.
BROOKS: So, what about my wife?
DOUG: Your wife is fine. Why don't you both take a seat outside?
BROOKS: What for?
DOUG: I want to run some tests.
BROOKS: What tests? It's just German measles. [He pauses] It IS just German
measles, isn't it?
DOUG [ushering the man towards the door]: It's just routine, Mr Brooks.
[Malik is passing in the corridor outside, and Doug grabs him] Malik show Mr
and Mrs Brooks to the waiting area, will you?
[Muttering protests, they follow Malik. Behind them, in the examination room, Sam and Joanne
exchange a worried glance.]
OUTSIDE THE ER
[Lucy Tennant approaches the door. She holds a letter in her hand, which she stuffs into her pocket
as she enters. She's nervous, and excited. It's her first shift. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she
enters.]
ER
[Chaos. The EMTs are back with a hit and run. Mark and Kerry Weaver are dealing. They
disappear into the trauma room just as Lucy enters. She stops and watches the swinging door for a
moment, before heading towards the doctor's lounge.]
TRAUMA 1
MARK [getting ready to move the patient from the gurney to the bed]: Okay, on
my mark. One, two, three.
[They shift the woman onto the bed, and the EMTs depart with the gurney. The ER staff get busy.]
MARK: Kerry, will you intubate please?
KERRY: Sure.
[Carol grabs the intubation tray, and swings it towards Kerry.]
CAROL: BP's dropping.
MARK: She's in shock. Start two large-bore IVs, normal saline, wide open.
[He's listening to the woman's chest and looks concerned.]
KERRY: I'm in!
MARK [very concerned]: No breath sounds, hyperresonant on the left side.
She's got a tension pneumo. Get me a chest tube, stat!
DOCTOR'S LOUNGE
[Most people are assembled, but no one seems very interested in being there. Lucy is standing at
the back, looking small and nervous. Mark is late.]
DOUG: So, if Mark doesn't turn up, you think we can all sneak off early?
HALEH: Well, I'm on my breakfast break in five, so he'd better hurry.
CONNIE: What's this all about anyhow?
HALEH: Don't know, but it better not disturb my breakfast.
DOUG: We're welcoming Susan's replacement.
HALEH: Is that all? I've got work to do.
[No one notices Lucy, who is trying to sink into the wall she's leaning on. Her pale face has turned
pink with embarrassment.]
CHUNI: I think it's a nice idea!
DOUG: Maybe, but it's obvious what's going on here. Mark's just
overcompensating because she's Susan's replacement, and he doesn't want
anyone to think...
[Before he can expound his theory further, Mark hurries in, with Carol on his heels.]
MARK: Hi. Okay, sorry I'm late, but this wont take long.
HALEH: Well, I'm on breakfast in three minutes!
MARK [looks at her, slightly irritated]: All right! Urm...
[He looks around, and eventually spots Lucy. She's dying! Mark waves her over. With great
reluctance she prises herself away from the wall, and makes her way through the crowd. Those
concerned look a little sheepish, but stifle their giggles.]
MARK: Okay, this is Dr Lucy Tennant, she's a second year resident, and will
be with us for the rest of this year. She's over from England, so I'm sure we'll all
be even more friendly than we usually are. [He turns to face her...] Lucy?
[Startled, Lucy blushes again. Speak? Me? She clears her throat.]
LUCY: Hello everyone. It's nice to meet you all...I'm really excited to be here,
and... [She runs out of words. The room falls into silence and the stony faces
of the ER staff watch her implacably. It's not what she's used to.]
MARK [comes to the rescue]: Well, I'm sure we all hope that you'll settle in
okay, but please ask if you have any questions, about anything at all.
LUCY [smiles, feeling like an idiot]: Of course. Thank you.
HALEH: Are we done?
MARK: Yes we're done. Thank you for your PATIENCE, Haleh. [Haleh shrugs
carelessly as she leaves, and Lucy watches her go with concern. Mark leans
towards her, speaking in a low voice.]
MARK: Don't worry, she's like that with everyone.
LUCY: Oh, I see.
[Doug approaches them as the rest of the staff file out of the room.]
DOUG: Mark, have you got a minute?
MARK: Sure. [He turns to Lucy] I'll join you shortly. Carol will assign your
patients and...
LUCY: That's fine. I'll be fine on my own.
MARK: Really? Okay. Well, just ask, you know, if you have any questions...
LUCY: That's what I usually do.
MARK: Great. Okay, good. [He turns back to Doug, and Lucy leaves the
lounge.]
ADMISSIONS DESK
[Jerry is still eating donuts, and is now wearing a large, ridiculous looking Uncle Sam hat. He is
hanging Stars and Stripes bunting haphazardly across the desk. Jeanie is trying to work, but the
bunting is getting in the way of the computer. Each time she pushes it up, it falls down across the
screen. At last she turns to Jerry in irritation.]
JEANIE: Can we get this out of the way?
JERRY [protesting]: It's the Fourth of July!
JEANIE: I know that Jerry, but this is really in the way.
JERRY: Where's your holiday spirit?
JEANIE: You don't have to take it down, just move it out the way.
[Grumbling, Jerry licks donut and sugar off his fingers before getting to work on the bunting.]
JEANIE [gives him a mischievous sideways glance]: You shouldn't be wearing
that hat anyway.
JERRY: Why not?
JEANIE [straight faced, working on the computer and not looking at him]:
Because of Dr Tennant. She's English.
JERRY: So what?
JEANIE: Well, you don't want to upset her.
JERRY [frowns, and then his eyes open wide]: You mean about Independence
day? I hadn't thought of that.
JEANIE [repressing a smile]: She might be offended.
JERRY: Do you think so?
JEANIE: You never know. Oh, watch out. Here she comes.
[Carol and Lucy walk up to the desk. Jerry whips the hat off immediately, and tries to hide it under
the counter. Carol gives him a curious glance, but doesn't bother to ask what he's doing. She gave
up on that a long time ago. Lucy doesn't even notice the fuss.]
CAROL [consults the board, and picks up the relevant charts]: Okay, you've
got a choice. There's a wheezer in 4 or a fainting college girl in 1.
LUCY: I'll take them both.
CAROL [shrugs]: Okay. You know where you're going?
LUCY [nods towards the examination rooms]: That way, right?
[Carol nods, as Lucy turns and walks away.]
JEANIE [looks up from her work]: She seems nice.
CAROL: A bit quiet.
JEANIE [turning back to the computer]: That doesn't mean anything. She's
probably just shy.
OUTSIDE EXAM ROOM 2
[Mark is looking through the window at the two children. They're sitting quietly together, almost
huddling. They look small and frightened.]
MARK: So, what's the problem?
DOUG: The father thinks it's German measles. Apparently they were exposed
to it at home, before they came up to visit for the summer.
MARK [waiting for more...and?]
DOUG [continues]: It's not German measles. It's poison ivy. But they say
they've been inside for the last couple of days, and the rash is all over them.
These kids must have been rolling naked in the stuff.
MARK [looks back through the window]: What are you thinking?
DOUG: I don't know. Something's odd here. I'm going to talk to them some
more. [He looks down, awkward] The father is...not too concerned. In fact he's
quite...[looking up]...irritating.
MARK: You want me to talk to him?
DOUG [staring at his toes again]: Would you mind? I just don't think I'll get
much out of him.
MARK [nods]: Is he in the waiting room?
DOUG: Yeah, Jim Brooks. Thanks Mark.
MARK: Sure.
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