Coma Page #7

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Ham and cheese.

Well, that's all they had.

You mean to tell me

they didn't have any corned beef?

That's what the man said.

No corned beef. The guy must

have been putting you on.

George says we're having an electrical

inspection tomorrow morning.

Are we set for that?

Norman!

Yes, we should be.

- Do you want the bidding program now?

- In a moment.

Did you see the game last night?

Two out, Bumbry's up.

He hits a ball to left field.

White misses it

and goes for a triple.

Lungs, 1100 grams.

Kidneys, 780, 620.

Eighty and six-twenty.

What about the heart?

- I wrote it down someplace.

- What's the temperature?

Right now, 12 degrees centigrade...

...and all the rest at 14.

Where's that heart going?

San Francisco.

I think they're getting

$ 75,000 for it.

- Is that all?

- It was a bad match on tissue-typing.

Only two out of four.

But it's a rush order.

The kidney's a four-tissue match

and in perfect condition.

They'll get 200 grand for that.

It's going to Texas.

A millionaire's son.

Good old George has the connections.

So far, George is doing fine.

What about the other kidney?

They're putting it up for bids.

They'll get 100 for it.

We have a left kidney,

two hours old, ready to ship.

It's a 4-3-6-7.

A 31-year-old male.

The bidding now stands

at forty-two five.

Thank you.

Forty-five.

It's at 45.

Well, it could be in Zurich in...

The fastest routing is New York-Rome.

It'll arrive local time...

...1300 hours, which means

elapsed time is 23 hours.

Twenty-three hours elapsed time,

which would make it 1 p. m. Your time.

That's the best we can do.

Thank you.

What's that?

Look at monitor four.

All units!

All units!

There is an unauthorized woman

in the building.

Let's take her alive.

Visiting room, clear.

Second floor lobby, clear.

Has anyone checked

the main care facility?

We have no report from that sector.

Now on the second floor corridor.

Don't you have a key to this place?

Repeat:
No intruders

on sub-basement one.

Unit one, she's out on the ledge.

It's too far for her to jump.

I don't see her.

She's out there.

She won't get far. We got her now.

Have the dogs start on the north side

and circle the building.

I want security at all exits.

Notify them by radio.

Search the labs and the roof.

I've had enough of this inefficiency.

Perimeter dog team, come in.

Repeat. Come in!

Main control, any readings

from outside? Where are the dogs?

I don't know where the hell she is.

She's got to be

around here somewhere.

There, there.

It's going to be all right.

It's going to be all right.

First floor lobby, check in.

First floor lobby, please respond.

No, she's not here.

Of course I've been notified.

I'm keeping an eye out for her.

If she comes here, we'll get her.

There's no way she can escape.

Let's get this loaded quick.

I got to make it in time

for the Dallas flight.

And we got rush-hour traffic.

Even with the siren,

I gotta get through the tunnel.

Life gets tougher all the time.

I see you got the dogs out.

- We got a little security problem.

- We all got problems.

World's full of problems.

Take it away!

Do me a favor.

Don't say anything to upset her.

I wouldn't say anything.

She's an old woman. She's sick.

- She may die.

- Did the doctor say that?

- I don't know.

- You don't know what the doctor said?

- I'll believe what the doctor says.

- Just don't upset her.

This could be it.

This could be the end.

It's incredible.

Well, I could use a drink.

How about you? Scotch?

Whatever you're having.

I like a woman who drinks Scotch.

You've done a remarkable thing.

Your dedication...

...your concern...

...your pursuit of this problem.

It's all extremely impressive.

And I'm very grateful.

- Thank you.

- Cheers.

In fact, I'm more than grateful.

I'm deeply in your debt.

The question is,

how do we handle this?

You arrest Dr. George.

Sorry, Dr. Harris.

It's Landis in Washington.

Put him on.

Excuse me.

Hello, Tom. How are you?

Fine, fine, just fine.

Sure, I'd be delighted to testify.

You know how strongly I feel

about the matter.

But have you consulted

the president?

I see.

This won't take long.

Good, good.

Good. Thanks for calling.

You've put me in a difficult position.

It seems you know everything.

You're George.

I wonder if you can understand...

...if you can take the long view...

...the view of a person in my position.

You did it?

No decision is easy.

It only looks that way

when you're young.

When you're older...

...everything is complicated.

There is no black and white.

Only gray.

But our society faces

momentous decisions.

Decisions about the right to die...

...about abortion,

about terminal illness...

...prolonged coma, transplantation.

Decisions about life and death.

But society isn't deciding.

Congress isn't deciding.

The courts aren't deciding.

Religion isn't deciding. Why?

Because society is leaving it

up to us, the experts.

The doctors.

You're crazy.

Americans spend $ 125 billion

a year on health.

More than defense.

Because Americans believe

in medical care.

These great hospital complexes

are the cathedrals of our age.

Billions of dollars,

thousands of beds...

...a whole nation of sick people

turning to us for help.

You ought to see somebody.

They're children, Sue.

They trust us.

We can't tell them everything.

Our job is to make things easier

for them. I'm sure you agree.

You're killing people.

We must always take the long view...

...not of the individual,

but of society as a whole...

...because medicine is now

a great social force.

The individual is too small.

That's the drug.

It produces abdominal spasm

and peritoneal symptoms.

It must be very painful.

It's too bad.

But look at it from

the practical standpoint.

Somebody has to make these decisions.

We can't wait around forever.

If society won't decide,

we'll decide.

We'll make the hard decisions.

This is Dr. Harris.

Schedule an emergency

appendectomy in O.R. 8.

It's a member of the house staff,

Dr. Wheeler.

I've examined her.

She requires immediate surgery.

Okay, honey, now just sit up.

Come on, that's it.

That's good.

Here we go.

It's...

...the drug.

Doctors make the worst patients.

They know too much, I guess.

Why'd you run away?

I was just talking to your mother.

She was worried about you.

Everybody's been worried about you.

Honey, I love you.

You're gonna be just fine.

No, Mark, listen.

You have to stop this.

I'm fine. I am.

But your appendix is not fine.

You've got plus-four peritonitis,

guarding and spasm, honey.

Susan, you do.

No, I don't.

There's no question about it.

Check my white count

and sed. Rate. It's normal.

Please.

The tests aren't here.

But with these physical signs,

it has to be appendicitis.

Please!

It's better to be safe

and have the operation.

Besides, you're in the best of hands.

Dr. Harris himself will do

the procedure. How about that?

The chief of surgery

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