New Amsterdam – Croaklahoma
What’s your favorite chemusical?
The scene opens with music from Hamilton in the background, our regular chemo crew is gathered around IV poles and the table playing cards. Willow has a cough that concerns Max, but each patient begins to joke about musical titles for their cancer. Max is hesitant to jump in with the laughter about the cancer diagnosis and journey.
Dr. Bloom in recovery
As Lauren proceeds through the recovery process, she is still reticent to discuss her feelings or how she got here. For now, she is being given a pass as she transitions in to the recovery facility, but that can’t last forever. As evening group closes, Lauren speak up. She tells of how she messed up and allowed herself to admit to believing she was alone and had no friends. It turns out, for at least this one instance, Iggy was wrong. Lauren was very glad that Floyd had visited her, and it made a difference in her will to recover.
The psychiatrist who doesn’t listen
Iggy Frome is very excited to have a sleepover with his daughter at the Natural History Museum. Throughout the day he expresses his excitement and ignores the opinions of those who find the museum “creepy”. At no point does he consider that anyone should or would not be excited for the event. When he arrives back in his office just in time to head out, Michael stops Iggy and reminds him to listen. It turns out, his daughter finds the museum scary too. Iggy has a heart to heart with his daughter as he admits to listening better at work than at home and like all parents wishes that his daughter only ever got the best of him.
Helen channels Max
Helen meets Walter, an elderly man who asks to end his chemotherapy treatment he has been taking at another facility. He has found love and wants to focus more on his quality of life than the quantity. He wins Helen over with his talk of love and she proceeds to request his records and start the process for catheter removal. The journey is interrupted with Mr. Jimenez arrives and halts the removal of the catheter. Walter is a ward of the state and Mr. Jimenez has the legal authority for medical decisions. Having heard the will of her patient, Helen finds her inner Max Goodwin and petitions the judge. Mr. Jimenez makes a compelling case that Walter may be a danger to others and the court reaffirms his position as legal guardian.
In a follow-up conversation he confirms to Helen that he simply wants Walter to be cared for, a scene that plays out before their very eyes, and sparks another Max-like solution from Sharpe. Once again in front of the judge, this time it is Mr. Jimenez requesting the termination of his guardianship, so that it can be transferred to Walter’s Sheila, as soon as she is his new wife. We have known for a bit that Helen is a romantic at heart, and on this day, it has combined with the influence that is Max Goodwin to create a winning solution for an elderly cancer patient.
A Papal Intrusion
The pope is scheduled to address the UN and there is always an emergency contingency plan. Today’s plan: New Amsterdam will handle any issues that may arise with the Pope. For the first time, Max must give up authority of his hospital and is forced to follow rules made by someone else. The intrusion requires relocated several patients and clearing huge swaths of the hospital while tolerating the presence of Secret Service agents.
Along the way, Vijay’s mouth once again gets him into trouble. Comments by Kapoor are assumed to be threats against the Pope and Vijay is confined to his office with a Secret Service agent. Max tries to help sort the situation, but Vijay’s mouth keeps running and Max leaves him to fend for himself. A quick scan of Kapoor’s emails will set him free, but he can’t remember his password. Iggy shows up to josh with Kapoor about his jokes, but the Secret Service also holds him as a potential accomplice with prior knowledge. Despite being held in his own office, Kapoor is a gracious host and makes tea for his “guests”. As the day progresses, small questions to the agent suggest Kapoor is still working despite his confinement and he offers the agent a diagnosis and resolution to a problem. His gun holster is pressing on a nerve and causing him pain and tingling in his back and legs. Kapoor suggests a shoulder holster to alleviate the problem. Iggy uses this offered help as evidence that Kapoor is not planning anything menacing and they are released.
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