The Son Rises

Season 1, Episode 9

A member of the cast of The Lion King ends up at Angels.

**The Son Rises** is the ninth episode of the first season of **Code Black**.

## Short Summary

When the lead actor of the musical “The Lion King” tour arrives at Angels Memorial with a throat infection, Leanne gives him a diagnosis that puts both his career and life in jeopardy. Also, the doctors and the cast of “The Lion King” help a 17-year-old boy deal with the difficult decision of taking his father off life support.

## Full Summary

Taylor boxes up his personal effects. He's on two months suspicion with pay. Leanne says it's absurd. He says it could be worse, could be without pay. Leanne asks if it's just because he let Randell follow him around all night. They said he should have called CFS. He didn't because Randell was a good kid who was worried about his mom. Leanne says he's a good man. Taylor shows him a picture of his boat, which is where he's going. First he has to spend a shift with Gina Perello, the hag they're sending to run the play while he's gone. A woman knocks on the door. She says she's the hag.

Frank Irving is being examined in the ER and asks where his wife and son are. Jesse tells him not to move. He says he told the, he didn't want to go first. His family is on their way. Frank was stabbed in the abdomen. Jesse says he paged surgery and Cole is on his way down.

Angus and Mario head outside. They're surprised by the police escort for the ambulances. Neal says it's a home invasion. Dad's inside and this is the mom and son.

Leanne sees on ultrasound that the knife barely missed Frank's heart. Leanne nods to the paramedics watching and tells Cole to thank them for him getting to the hospital without puncturing the pericardium. They don't want to leave until they make sure the family's okay. They stabilize the knife to move him upstairs.

Pete Irving is removed from the ambulance. He has a crushed foot and a probably dislocated hip. He jumped from the second story of his house.

Karen Irving has a large laceration on her arm. As they're taken inside, Pete and Karen try to check in with each other. Pete also asks about his dad. The sheriff says that Pete crawled to the neighbor's house and saved them all.

Frank calls out for his family as they prepare to move him to surgery. Karen says she's okay, but she's worried about Frank. Pete doesn't have a pulse in his injured leg. They take x-rays.

The doctors carefully move Frank out of Center Stage. Rollie asks Cole to give him a moment to talk to his family first, but Cole says there isn't time. Leanne says there is and shows him his wife and son are there. They tell him they love him. He tells his son he saved them and he loves them both. They slowly start to move again. A nurse hits the gurney and Frank crashes. They take him back into Center Stage. They gown up to open him in the ER. Jesse steps in the way so Karen can't see them opening up her husband's chest.

They have to reduce Pete's hip in the ER. It's very painful and Karen struggles to watch her son in pain.

Pete asks Sheriff Adams which of the guys is dead. The paramedics said the cops killed one and asks if it's the big one or the small one. Karen asks if they can wait until Frank's out of surgery to answer questions. Adams says they need to get a statement. The big guy, the one with the gun, is the one who's dead. The little guy is in custody. Pete says the big guy is the one who separated them. Karen asks if Pete's okay to be interviewed, but Angus signed off on it. Pete was locked in the upstairs bathroom. His wrists and ankles were tied. The guy said to stay put. Pete did for a long time. He thinks he waited too long to go get help. He blames himself for not jumping earlier. Karen tells him it's not his fault. Adams also says Pete's a hero. Mario suggests taking a break and Adams says he'll come back later.

Taylor says Gina's younger than he expected. She attributes that to Vitamin C cream and exercise. He tried exercise once. It didn't take. She says she knows the job. She did it in Sacramento last year when they booted their guy. He says he wasn't booted. He's on paid leave. She tells him she'll take good care of the place until he gets back. He asks why the board likes her so much. She jokes that it's hand jobs. She says she has an MBA, went to Columbia for medical school. Did admin training as Mass Gen.

Paramedics bring in Aaron Jacobson. He's intoxicated and unconscious. He was on his way to his wedding in Mexico. He and his friends got drunk at the airport and got thrown off their flight. The others are in jail, except Matt, who is with him. Matt says all the had was tequila. Christa comes by and says she can smell the guy from far away. Gina introduces herself. She sends the officers to the break room for coffee. Matt asks if the restraints are necessary. Gina tells him to back up. He asks why just as Aaron leans over and vomits on him. That's why. Taylor points him toward the bathroom. Taylor tries to introduce Gina to Angus and Christa, but he doesn't know their names. Gina does, though. She jokes about Angus getting the job through nepotism. She wonders why they have two residents on one drunk guy. She tells them to divide and conquer. She asks Taylor to continue the tour.

Leanne asks Lawrence Falls if his bleeding was accompanied by pain. He can't talk, so his wife, Mali, says he had a sore throat. He's been on vocal rest for a week. No singing or speaking. He sang today because they're in rehearsal for a performance for the presidents of the US and South Africa. He's part of the touring company of The Lion King. He's Mufasa. Lawrence uses the white board to asks what's wrong with him. Malaya says they have to run more tests, but Leanne believes there's an abscess in his throat. He asks if he'll sing again. She says they'll know more after his CT. As they walk again, Leanne tells Malaya not to wait for a machine to form an opinion. Machines don't diagnose patients. Doctors do.

Cole pulls the knife out of Frank in surgery. He talks to his assist as he does so. Rollie is watching through the glass. Leanne comes in and asks how he's doing. Rollie praises his son's technique, but Leanne was asking about Frank. Rollie says the knife tore him up. It hit the spleen, lung, and the top of his liver. It's a miracle he's alive. Rollie asks Leanne how she got through to Cole. Rollie thinks they have a connection, but Leanne denies it. Rollie wants this job to work out for him. He just wants to find a way in and asks Leanne for advice. Leanne says other than their working relationship, she doesn't know him at all.

Paramedics bring in Edwin Mercer, who has metastatic melanoma. He had chemo that day and was found by his son. His son, Jeremy, is with him. Neal calls Christa to help. They take him to sides. Jeremy tells them his father has dementia and freaks out easily. They start to examine him. He has sepsis pneumonia and he's dehydrated. Christa wants to start fluids and antibiotics. They stabilize him.

Mali and Lawrence's co-workers are sharing stories. Leanne comes in and says they usually only allow one visitor in Trauma One. The cast says they'll be outside. Once they're gone, Leanne says he has a large abscess in his throat. The swelling has spread to his vocal cords. Steroids and antibiotics will help, but it needs to be drained. He asks again if he'll be able to sing. She says they won't know about his voice for a couple hours. She says it's a delicate procedure. They need to do it now. She knows he's worried about losing his voice, but her first priority is making sure he doesn't lose his life. Mali says they're one and the same.

Rachel, Aaron's fiancée, is waiting. Angus comes out and says he's sleeping it off. Matt already told her he'd be fine. Rachel tries to get Matt removed, but Matt points out that she's not family yet either. She asks to see him. Angus says she can't yet. The police want to talk to him when he wakes up. Matt tells her what happened and said the others are in jail. She calls them idiots. Matt says it'll all work out. Rachel doesn't believe him.

Malaya says she saw The Lion King in LA last year. She asks if he was in the show. He was. He's been part of the cast for 17 years. He's been Mufasa since the beginning. Leanne says he gets better every year. She's seen him four times. She took her son to see him every time they were in LA. The first time they saw the show, her son begged for a pet lion for months. Finally, her husband took their dog to the groomer. One very tolerant labradoodle became their very own Mufasa. Mali asks how old her son is now. Leanne's face fall. Mali asks if everything's okay. Leanne excuses herself and asks Malaya to set up the procedure.

Jesse follows Leanne out. She tells him when she came home from the hospital, there was a box of their belongings from the car. Among them was the soundtrack to The Lion King. They listened to it a few thousand times. Then it got lost. The accident must have shaken it loose. Leanne sometimes feels like she's being punished and she doesn't know why. Jesse stops her pace and tells her to listen closely. He very loudly sings the wrong words to Circle of Life. She starts to cry and then goes back to work.

Edwin is awake and asks Jeremy why he's there, thinking he's Paul, Jeremy's older brother who died. Edwin tries to explain things to his father. He forgot his dad's radio. Music always calms him down. Neal and Christa asks to speak with him privately. Jeremy explains that to his dad and they step aside. Neal asks if his father has a DNR order. He doesn't. Christa asks if they have any other family. Jeremy says he does everything for his father. He's only 18. The cancer has weakened his father's heart. It could arrest at any time. If it stops, they can try to resuscitate, which will be painful and probably not success, or they can just let him go. Jeremy thinks they're just giving up on him, so he just goes back to his dad.

Leanne returns to Lawrence. Malaya is taking the lead on the procedure. She quickly drains the abscess. Lawrence then starts bleeding seriously. Malaya is in shock and just watches.

Finally, Malaya steps back in. They agree that the puncture should seal itself in a moment. It does and Lawrence stabilizes.

Mario comes in to examine Karen. Pete asks if he can wait. All she does is worry when she's awake, so he'd like to let her sleep until Frank's out of surgery. Mario agrees to wait 20 more minutes. He tells Pete what he did was incredible. Pete doesn't feel comfortable being told he's a hero. Mario gets it. he thinks because he waited, bad things happened. Mario says he knows what a broken bone feels like and a dislocated hip. And despite those, he dragged himself to get help. That is a fact.

As Malaya washes her hands, Jesse comes and tells her there will be times no one's there to back her up. The only thing she'll have is her eyes and instincts. She has to trust herself. And never give up on a patient, no matter what.

Christa asks Neal what they do about Jeremy. Neal says they have to respect his wishes. He has all the facts. She says there's more to the case than just facts. She wants to talk to him again, but it's not their job to convince him to DNR a loved one. Christa tells him she knows where Jeremy is. She's been there. Neal tell her to be careful.

Mario finds Gina in the cafeteria. He guesses where her accent is from. Finally someone from his neck of the woods. He introduces himself, but she already knows who he is. He's the long shot. He's the least likely person to get here. Neal comes up and introduces himself. He's "Prince Charming." He says it's nice to meet her and leaves.

Angus gives Pete an injection. Karen asks if he's okay and Angus says he's sleeping. She asks him to check Pete again, but Angus promises he's fine. Angus sees marks around Karen's eyes. Karen brushes off the concern. She's more worried about her family. Angus says he'll see what he can find out.

Angus asks Mario and Karen's trauma survey. He's checking up on her. He wonders why Mario didn't order a CTA of her head and neck. She has bruising around her eyes. It looks strange to him. Angus still thinks he's right, but Mario says it's not his patient.

Malaya tells Angus she looked up Gina. She's basically a superhero. Jesse says Gina's their new boss and that's all they need to know. Malaya asks if it bothers him that they gave the job to Gina instead of Leanne. Jesse says Leanne would hate that job. Malaya then suggests Rollie. He's been at the hospital since dial-up. Jesse says that wasn't that long ago.

Jesse finds Angus outside. He says people come out there for three reasons. To think about mistakes they've already made and to think about those they're about to make. Smoke break is number three, but Angus's Mama taught him better than that. Angus asks what happens when two doctors disagree on how to treat a patient. Jesse says it's an age-old question. For a senior doctor, it's complicated, but for a resident, it's simple. They don't know enough to sit on it. It's time to tell an attending. He says he saw bruising under Karen's eyes. He thinks it's petechiae, but she's Mario's patient and Mario doesn't agree. Angus can't be sure without a CTA. Jesse says he just ordered one. Angus says he can't do that. Jesse says if it comes back clean, it's their secret. If not, he's saved two lives, Karen's and Mario's.

Christa sits down next to Jeremy. He knows what she's going to say. It happens every time they're at the hospital. Someone tells him it's time to let his father ago. Christa says her ex-husband told her the same thing when their son was sick. After two painful years, he died. She couldn't look at her husband because she couldn't face that he might have been right. She wonders every day if she made her son work too hard to die. Jeremy says he's sorry that happened, but he promised his father he'd grow up and be the man of the house. He has to fight for his dad.

Aaron starts seizing. His heart rate is elevated. He's vomiting on himself. Angus is confused because Aaron just had a hangover.

Jeremy is by his dad's bedside. Edwin asks for his son. Jeremy says he's there. Edwin says when the warranty runs out, you have to get rid of the car. That's what they used to say. Edwin knows it's Jeremy. Edwin then asks Jeremy to tell Jeremy his father's looking for him. He's already confused again.

Angus asks Rachel and Matt what Aaron took, because it's the only way he can help Aaron. Matt says he just drank too much. That's it. Rachel then admits that he swallowed a condom full of cocaine for their honeymoon. Angus leaves to go treat Aaron now that he knows what's happening and Matt questions Rachel's judgment. Rachel leaves the hospital. Angus calls for an endoscope in Center Stage

**3:28 AM**

**Code: Black**

Isabel gives Mario Karen's CTA results. He says he didn't order them. When Leanne calls for him, he puts the results down and goes to treat Kurt, who is impaled by a rocket. They take him to Center Stage and page Cole.

Neal puts a central line in Edwin for sepsis. Jeremy asks if it's painful and Christa tells him it is.

Mario sees Gina watching from above and Leanne tells him she's the only boss who matters. Cole comes into the ER followed by Heather Pinkney. He was pulled out of Frank's surgery, so it better be good. Kurt's in shock. Cole gives Heather instructions and prepares to take Kurt to surgery. Leanne stops him and tells Mario to put in a central line. Mario and Heather finish their procedures simultaneous. Cole says he could use Neal's help upstairs. Neal says he's not a surgeon, but Cole says they're all on the same team.

Pete yells for help for his mom, who is seizing. Mario wonders why she's seizing, but Leanne says she's his patient, so he should know.

Cole asks Neal if he's coming or if they stabilized Kurt for nothing. Neal calls Malaya to assist Christa and goes with Cole.

**4:56 AM**

**Code: Black**

As they rush Kurt to surgery, the rocket starts to sizzle. Neal grabs a bottle of water from the nurses' station and uses it to put the rocket out. Cole asks for more staff and says they're taking Kurt into the stabbing room.

They put a mask on Karen, who is still seizing. They push ativan and she stops seizing. Mario mentions the petechiae. He says he ordered a CTA, but the results haven't come back yet. Leanne says he needs to fight for his patient.

Cole has Neal help his team with the rocket while he works on Frank in the same room. A resident pulls out the rocket, which Neal says was a mistake. Neal forms a surgical plan and quickly stops the bleeding. Neal gets paged, so he can't help close. Cole says he's going to steal Neal from Leanne.

Leanne tells Mario to get her comfortable and send her upstairs for a head CT. Leanne asks Jesse to make sure Karen is separated from her son when she gets back so she can speak to her privately. Jesse tells Mario and Angus that they have some stuff to figure out. Mario says he knows he's lucky the patient didn't die. Angus says the patient is the lucky one.

Jeremy calls for help. His father is unable to breathe at all because his lungs are filled with fluids. If they hold fluids, he'll die from the low blood pressure. If they continue fluids, he'll drown in his own lungs.

Mario asks Angus what made him think it was petechiae. Angus says the guys separated them. Why do that unless ... he trails off.

Leanne talks to Karen about why she had a seizure. Karen asks about Frank. He's still critical, but Leanne says they need to talk about her. She says petechiae indicates strangulation. They look for it when they're looking for signs of sexual assault. Karen is quiet, confirming Leanne's suspicion. Leanne asks her what happened. Karen says the guys separate them from the beginning. They took her into the kitchen and put her in the pantry. He put his hands around her neck. She thought she was going to die, but she knew if she was hurting her, he wasn't hurting her husband and son. She says Frank and Pete can never know. Leanne can't tell them. Leanne says Pete and Frank are two of the strongest people she's ever met. So is Karen herself.

Aaron wakes up and asks what happened. Matt says he scared the crap out of them. Angus says he had a heart attack because of the cocaine. Aaron asks where Rachel is. Matt says he never though Rachel was right for him anyway. Aaron is arrested in his hospital bed. Gina says he should be more concerned about his prison wife, a remark that makes Taylor feel like he's looking in a circus mirror.

Frank wakes up after surgery. He's okay. He asks about his family. Karen and Pete are wheeled into his room. They're excited to see him.

Rollie, Cole, and Leanne watch the reunited family through the window and Rollie tells Cole he's responsible for that. Cole says they all are. Rollie offers his hand and Cole takes it. Leanne tells Cole that Rollie wants to be his friend. Cole asks if he and Leanne are going to be friends. Leanne says they're colleagues. Cole thinks he offended her by asking her out. She just wants to know why, what made him think she'd say yes. He says you don't ask someone out because you think they'll say yes. You ask someone out because you're interested. She asks why he's interested. He knows it's been a long time since someone's been interested. He invites her for breakfast, but she declines. She says she's not ready.

Leanne says it's ten minutes until sunrise. Neal says it doesn't feel that way. Jeremy comes up to him and asks what happens if he signs the form. Neal says they'd turn the machines off and he'd drift away in a few minutes. He'd feel little or no pain. He'd know Jeremy was there. Jeremy says Neal hasn't know who he is in a long time. Neal says it might be enough to know he's not alone. Jeremy asks if they have any music.

Leanne checks on Lawrence. Mali asks if he can talk now, but Leanne has a better idea.

The cast of The Lion King gathers at Edwin's bedside. As Neal prepares to turn off the machines, they start to sing He Lives in You. They continue to serenade him as the machines are turned off and he dies.

## Cast

* Leanne Rorish
* Neal Hudson
* Christa Lorenson
* Malaya Pineda
* Rollie Guthrie
* Angus Leighton
* Mario Savetti
* Jesse Sallander
* Cole Guthrie
* Gina Perello
* Frank Irving
* Karen Irving
* Edwin Mercer
* Matt
* Jeremy Mercer
* Mali Falls
* Lawrence Falls
* Pete Irving
* Heather Pinkney
* Rachel
* Mark Taylor
* Risa Park
* Isabel Mendez
* Amy Wolowitz
* Aaron Jacobson
* Kurt
* Paramedic #1
* Paramedic #2
* Paramedic #3
* Sheriff Adams
* Police Officer #1
* Charge Nurse
* OR Nurse (left)
* Anesthesiologist
* Lion King Cast Members
1/35
### Main Cast

* Marcia Gay Harden as Dr. Leanne Rorish
* Raza Jaffrey as Dr. Neal Hudson
* Bonnie Somerville as Dr. Christa Lorenson
* Melanie Chandra as Dr. Malaya Pineda
* William Allen Young as Dr. Rollie Guthrie
* Harry Ford as Dr. Angus Leighton
* Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dr. Mario Savetti
* Luis Guzmán as Jesse Sallander

### Guest Starring

* Cress Williams as Dr. Cole Guthrie
* Christina Vidal as Dr. Gina Perello
* Michael Reilly Burke as Frank Irving
* Alicia Coppola as Karen Irving
* Thomas Kopache as Edwin Mercer
* Wes Ramsey as Matt
* L.J. Benet as Jeremy Mercer
* Shelley Robertson as Mali Falls
* Alton Fitzgerald White as Lawrence Falls
* Jackson Pace as Pete Irving
* Jillian Murray as Heather Pinkney
* Kimberly Whalen as Rachel
* Kevin Dunn as Dr. Mark Taylor

### Co-Starring

* Angela Relucio as Risa Park
* Ellia English as Isabel Mendez
* Gabrielle Carteris as Amy Wolowitz
* Curt Mega as Aaron Jacobson
* Lincoln A. Castellanos as Kurt
* Joshua Keller Katz as Paramedic #1
* Jim Titus as Paramedic #2
* Aris Mendoza as Paramedic #3
* Greg Collins as Sheriff
* Joel Steingold as Police Officer #1
* Ann Marie Lee as Charge Nurse
* Monnae Michaell as OR Nurse
* Erin Spencer as Resident
* Mark Atteberry as Anesthesiologist
* Tiffany Denise Hobbs as Wendy
* Rob Parks as Nathan
* Nompumelelo Sikakane as Lion King Cast Member
* Mukelisiwe Goba as Lion King Cast Member
* Yael Pineda-Hall as Lion King Cast Member
* Kyle R. Banks as Lion King Cast Member
* Sihle Ngema as Lion King Cast Member
* Vusi Sondiyazi as Lion King Cast Member

## Medical Notes

### Frank Irving

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Stab wound

* **Doctors:**
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Cole Guthrie *(general surgeon)*
	+ Christa Lorenson *(ER resident)*
	+ Malaya Pineda *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Surgery

Frank came into the hospital after being stabbed in a home invasion. An ultrasound showed the knife barely missed his heart. They stabilized the knife so it wouldn't shift during transport and took him to the OR. As they transported him, they hit a bump and the knife shifted, so they took him back to center stage and opened him up. They were able to stop the bleeding enough to get him to the OR, where Cole pulled the knife out and repaired the damage. He was stable and awake after surgery.

### Pete Irving

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Crushed foot
	+ Dislocated hip

* **Doctors:**
	+ Rollie Guthrie *(ER physician)*
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Closed reduction

Pete, 17, had a crushed foot, hip dislocation, and bruises and cuts to his face from a home invasion. He had jumped from the second floor of his house to escape and get help. He didn't have a pulse in his injured leg. They took x-rays and then reduced his hip dislocation.

### Karen Irving

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Arm laceration
	+ Anoxic brain injury
	+ Seizure

* **Doctors:**
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Stitches
	+ Ativan

Karen, 42, came into the ER with a large laceration on her right arm. In the ER, Mario stitched the cut. While waiting later, Angus noticed bruising around her eyes. He believed it was petechiae. He ordered a CTA, but before he was able to look at it, she started seizing. They pushed ativan to stop her seizing, which was caused by anoxic brain injury, which was caused by strangulation during sexual assault.

### Aaron Jacobson

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Alcohol intoxication
	+ Seizure
	+ Heart attack

* **Doctors:**
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*
	+ Christa Lorenson *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**

Aaron, 27, came into the ER intoxicated. His friend said he had only had tequila. He vomited and Angus said he was sleeping it off. He later started seizing and Angus said he'd had a heart attack. His fiancée then revealed that he was packing cocaine for their honeymoon. Angus raced back to him and worked to save his life. He woke up after and was stable.

### Lawrence Falls

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Peritonsilar abscess

* **Doctors:**
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Malaya Pineda *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Draining

Lawrence came into the ER with a sore throat and bleeding. He'd been on vocal rest for the sore throat. He had an abscess in his throat, confirmed by a CT. The swelling had spread to his vocal cords. They'd need to drain it. While they were draining it, he started to bleed from his carotid. The bleed sealed itself in a few moments. He was later able to use his voice.

### Edwin Mercer

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Metastatic melanoma
	+ Dementia
	+ Septic pneumonia

* **Doctors:**
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Christa Lorenson *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Fluids
	+ Antibiotics

Edwin, 68, had metastatic melanoma. He'd had chemo that day and was found by his son unconscious. His son said he also had dementia and freaked out easily. Christa examined him and suspected sepsis pneumonia. They started fluids and antibiotics. They then asked his son about a DNR order, which he didn't have. They advised his son that with his cancer, his heart could arrest at any minute and trying to resuscitate would be painful and most likely unsuccessful. Despite this, Jeremy didn't want to let his dad go. The sepsis worsened and his lungs filled with fluid. Jeremy then decided to turn off the machines.

### Kurt

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Impalement injury
	+ Liver injury

* **Doctors:**
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Cole Guthrie *(general surgeon)*
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Heather Pinkney *(surgical resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Extraction
	+ Surgery

Kurt came into the ER after being injured by a rocket. He had the rocket in his abdomen and was bleeding from a possible liver injury. He was in shock. They took him to the OR and the rocket started to fizzle. They used water to put it out and took him to the OR. When the rocket was pulled, he started bleeding severely and Neal stopped the bleeding.

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode scored 7.45 million viewers.