The Doctor Page #4

I don't wanna pull rank,

but I don't know if you realize

I'm an attending surgeon at this hospital.

I knew that, Doctor, yes.

OK, good. So you'll appreciate

when I say I have patients of my own

who are waiting for me

while I'm waiting for you,

which is why I mention

I'm not looking for VIP...

You know, the pity is

you were late getting here, so...

Hang on! I was not late getting here.

Radiology was late with my MRI.

I was not...

Please don't

make me strain my voice.

- Dr. MacKee?

- Yeah.

I'm Charles Reed.

- Oh.

- Come in.

- How we doing?

- Super.

Sit down.

No, I've been sitting.

Dr. MacKee, my feeling - for what it's

worth - if we're going to treat you,

you're going to meet the team here

every day for the next six weeks.

And?

I don't know what it's like

at the top of this building,

but down here, we try to be civil.

Oh, well, upstairs we're very hostile.

We meet our patients, we come

right out and tell them our feelings...

for what they're worth.

OK.

So... we're not gonna fall in love.

What else do I need to know?

Your chest is clear.

We'll get the MRI from tomorrow

and get started

assuming there's no spread

to the lymph nodes.

And the rest of this visit,

we'll fit you up for treatment.

Good.

And if the lymph nodes show positive?

I'll discuss a different treatment

with Dr. Abbott.

And me.

Yeah, sure.

Watch your step. Through here.

If we can just have you come around

on this side... and hop up on here

and lie so your head faces that way.

Careful.

Your last guest stole the bed linen.

Here, we're gonna put

your wrists in the straps.

When I ask you to,

I want you to pull up really hard. OK?

Head down. OK, and pull.

- What are you doing?

- Just marking the target.

- OK. This mark'll come off.

- Hey, it's nothing to worry about.

We just need to take a film and make

sure we're hitting the right spot.

- What are you doing?

- We're just making a mask of your head

in this position, all right? It's real fast.

All right.

...for an hour already.

- I understand. I'm sorry.

- Great. Finally! Dr. Taylor...

- I know, I know.

- Just give me five minutes.

- Doctor...

Hello, Mrs. Arcari.

We'll be right with you.

Oh, man.

- Hey, partner.

- Hi.

God, Jack, you look like sh*t.

Is this the radiation?

- No, this is nearly the radiation.

- What are you doing here?

I have a room full of patients.

What about the valve job later?

What's his name?

Choy. That'll be fine.

I wouldn't want you

cutting my heart today.

I told you, I'll be fine.

Jack, we had a talk this morning.

Nobody planned...

- "We"? Who's "we"?

- Pete, Ed, me. The practice.

No. Pete, Ed, you and me

is the practice!

Gosh, wherever I go these days,

I'm getting cut out of the talk.

- What?

- So...

What did "we" talk about?

Jack, you're sick. Stay home.

Stay home a week, two weeks,

three weeks, whatever it takes.

- I don't want to stay home.

- Annie called me. She's worried as hell.

- I don't wanna stay home!

- OK.

What we don't want to happen, buddy...

is to start canceling surgery time,

missing appointments,

losing ground on the stats, that's all.

From tomorrow,

I have 15 minutes' treatment a day.

- Sure, Jack.

- 15 minutes in six weeks,

that's it, it's gone.

So let's go back to work.

And can everybody wipe that caring look

off their face! Is that possible?

Because it's a royal pain!

Come on, Carrie, let's go.

- Ow! Ow! What are you doing?

- I'm just giving you a tiny tattoo.

What? You're what?

Nice and still now.

These are gonna be permanent marks.

Shouldn't there be a lead apron?

Oh, no. The beam is focused

on your larynx, doc. You don't need it.

But can we have the apron

anyway though, please?

Really, you don't need it, doc.

But, don't move.

- I don't wanna wear kneepads.

- You've got to wear 'em.

- Anybody need a doctor?

- Yes.

It's an abrasion. Leave it open.

- Good day?

- Great.

I thought to myself, "What the hell?"

I went out and I got drunk,

and decided to have myself tattooed.

What do you think?

That's where they shoot the X-rays.

Dr. Reed's not here yet?

Oh.

- Um...

- Oh, thank you so much.

I'm not doing so well today.

Hi.

Sit down. I'm leaving anyway.

Thank you.

Oh, Dr. MacKee. I'm sorry.

Dr. Reed can't be here this morning.

No. No. Why not?

He's been held up. I think there's

some admin meeting all day today.

- When do I see him?

- He'll be here next week.

No, look it, if I can't see him today,

I'll see him tomorrow!

- We're closed weekends.

- Laurie?

I'll be right there, Carol.

I was told this was

to be a daily treatment.

Well, I'm sorry. I don't make the rules.

I'm sure that...

Why don't we from now on,

in this hospital,

we should drop "I'm sorry"

from conversation, OK?

Let's just assume

it begins every sentence.

"I'm sorry, the doctor

can't see you today",

"I'm sorry you have

to fill in another form",

"I'm sorry we gave you

the wrong treatment."

What do we think?

There's not much point

shouting at Laurie.

- Excuse me?

- She's just doing her job.

If you want to shout,

go shout at a doctor.

- I am a doctor.

- Not when you're sitting here.

- How come you're so calm?

- Who?

You. You seem to be taking it so well.

No. I have a grade four brain tumor.

It took my doctors three months to

find it. I didn't take that so well at all.

Actually, they didn't find it.

I rear-ended a few cars,

fell over, blacked out.

Short of the tumor

jumping out and singing,

there was nothing else it could do

to get recognized.

See, now I'd call that negligence,

wouldn't you?

Well, that's-that's...

it's difficult to comment.

Oh, yeah. It's a club, isn't it? I forgot.

- Did you get tests?

- Sure.

- What?

- CAT scan... two.

Of course that was way down the track,

after they gave me aspirin

and sent me home.

Oh, and then what?

There was stress management.

Yeah. Oh, and then traffic school.

That was really helpful.

My father had a patient.

Same diagnosis, grade four.

He has grandchildren now.

- Are you serious?

- Sure.

- June. Let's do it.

- That's me. June.

See you later, June.

You look good today, June.

- I'll check it.

- Thanks, Walter.

- Anytime.

- Murray, do me a favor, will ya?

Call Radiology and ask them

for the results of my MRI.

- Doesn't Leslie have them?

- I can't get her. I can't get Reed.

And I can't wait any longer.

They ought to release them

to you straight off.

I mean, I don't know what you think

I'm going to accomplish.

Hi. Who's this?

Hey, Joanne, Murray Kaplan.

How you doing?

Good. Listen, do me a favor, Joanne.

Pull me an MR file, would you?

Jack MacKee. Capital "M", capital "K".

No. No, it's Leslie Abbott's.

No, I know that, Joanne. Sure...

Hello, this is Dr. MacKee

and this is my file.

No, it's not my patient.

It's in my name. I'm the patient.

No, you do not need

to clear it with anybody.

You just go now, open the file

and tell me if it shows any spread

to the lymph nodes.

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