Cardiac Support

Season 1, Episode 10

Leanne and Malaya treat Jesse after he has a heart attack

**Cardiac Support** is the tenth episode of the first season of **Code Black**.

## Short Summary

Leanne is rattled at the thought of losing Jesse as he fights for his life after suffering a massive heart attack. Also, Mario asks the residents to cover for him when he searches the city for a patient's son, disobeying Neal's direct order not to leave the hospital.

## Full Summary

Gina settles into her new office. She knows people don't like her. She tells Leanne she's been going through Taylor's staff notes, no small feat since they're written in Martian Snark, and she noticed that Leanne hasn't taken a day off in a month and hasn't had a vacation in three years. She appreciates the dedication, but she says Leanne needs to work a regular schedule. Leanne says she'll learn that this is not a regular hospital. Leanne goes to save some lives.

Over the radio, Jody says they don't have thorazine on the rig. Christa tries to respond, but gets no answer. She goes out to see. She, Mario, Angus, and Jesse slowly approach the rig. They hear a banging as they get close. Jesse sends Christa to get security. He opens the doors and Jeff, the paramedic, falls out. The patient pulls the IV out of his own arm and jumps out and tackles Jesse before swinging a tank around. He's subdued by security and Mario tosses them the restraints from the rig. While Christa examines Jeff, Mario goes to Jody. The patient has mostly minor injuries, but Jeff is critical and Jody's knee is degloved.

In the ER, Christa asks if Jesse's okay because he went down hard. He assured her he's fine. Neal and Mario work on Jody, who is worried about Jeff. She says they picked him up pass out. On the way to the hospital, he woke up and went crazy. They don't know what he's on. Rollie and Angus have the hulking patient. Angus suggests they sedate him until whatever he took wears off.

Jeff has blood in his airway. Christa says they need to know if the bleeding is coming from the left or right side. Leanne suggests using their instincts again. Gina objects to a blind intubation, but Leanne does it anyway and intubates on the left, believing the bleeding's on the right because the chest deformity's on the right. Isabel tells them they're low on nasal packing, to Jesse goes to get more and has her take over. Leanne orders a CT.

Jesse enters the supply closet. He starts coughing an then grabs his left arm and chest before falling to the ground.

Jody says they were just trying to help the guy and it nearly got them killed. Jeff has a basilar skull fracture, but it's not severe enough to require surgery. They'll need to keep him for a few days, but they'll both be back on the rig before they know it. Leanne asks Christa if she's seen Jesse, but she hasn't since they were in Center Stage. Jody can be discharged, but she wants to stick around for Jeff. Jody asks what the guy was on.

Angus tells Rollie the tox screen came back negative. He ran it twice. Rollie calls over Mario. Mario examines him and finds his fingertips are yellow. Rollie already knew. Angus missed it. It's spice resin. Spice is a street name for synthetic pot. Dealers spray chemicals on dried plants. Doesn't show up on the drug test. It's a cheap high. Not so cheap for this guy because he's on his way to ICU and if he wakes up, he probably won't remember any of this.

Isabel shows Gina that they're out of nasal packing. Gina says Jesse went for it half an hour ago.

Malaya exmines Aubrey Clark, who was shopping with her mom, Candace, when she collapsed in the dressing room. Candace says Aubrey is perfectly healthy, but Aubrey says she's been feeling run down for a few weeks. She didn't tell her mother because she gets controlling. Candace tells Leanne that the ambulance brought them there, but she needs Aubrey to see their doctor in Beverly Hills, so she asks for the discharge to be expedited. Malaya wants to keep her. Leanne says they can call her doctor and decide together what's best.

Gina goes into the supply closet looking for Jesse. She finds him collapsed on the floor. She rolls him over and starts CPR. She also calls for help. She says Jesse can't die on her first week.

Leanne tells Malaya she's lost her cool like that more than once recently. She says she's just tired. She's worried about Carla, who won't even speak to her. Leanne says this program is the second-hardest thing she'll ever face. Carla's illness is the first. She might have to decide if she can do both.

Neal comes by Malaya to greet David Jacobs, who was hit by a metro train and thrown. David says someone has to get Eli.

Malaya hears Gina's cries and finds her with Jesse.

As they work on David, he explains that Eli is his son. He's at the bus stop waiting for him. He has Down Syndrome. He'll get scared if his dad's not there. He has multiple rib fractures. David needs surgery, but he tells them to grab the Yoda doll out of his coat pocket. They'll need it to get Eli. That's how he'll know they're safe. Mario promises David they'll get his son there.

Malaya and Gina bring Jesse into Center Stage. Malaya tells Leanne who it is and she jumps in.

Leanne tells Jesse he can't leave her. Gina pages someone in cardiology. Malaya tells Jesse to fight. He has decreased cardiac function. Jesse needs to go to the cath lab for a stent to break up the blockage. Jesse wakes up and Leanne tells him she has him. Heather comes to take him to the cath lab and Leanne goes with him. As they leave, everyone in the ER stops to watch. Gina tells Neal she knows it's tough, but she needs people to get back to work. She needs him to say something motivational because if it comes from her, she'll come off as a bitch.

Neal calls everyone's attention. He says Mama's on all their minds. He gives them a moment to say a prayer. Then they need to get back to their patients because Mama's number one rule is that they're not allowed to kill a guest in his house.

Hannah directs Debbie Eldrich to Rollie. She's looking for her husband, who came in just before shift change. Rollie looks at the chart and says he's in surgery. His wounds are severe. Debbie says he just got back from Afghanistan. He's a 68 Whiskey, so Rollie says he'll check on him.

Rollie comes in as Cole scrubs in. He says Cole's patient's wife is looking for him. He's holding on and Cole will know more once he's opened up. Rollie says he's Army and in the same MOS and unit as Cole. Rollie says those medic saved him more than once when he was in the service. He asks Cole to repay the favor. Cole says he'd like that, but Rollie saw his chart. He has eight stab wounds. He's doing horribly. Cole offers for Rollie to scrub in with hi almost accepts, but he gets paged back to the ER. He asks for a rain check, but Cole says he'll let Rollie know how Kyle does.

Angus and Mario agree they can't imagine the hospital without Jesse.

On the phone, Malaya is sharing her treatment plan with Aubrey's doctor. She's stable and Malaya wants to make sure she stays that way. Candace apologizes for how she acted before and so does Malaya.

Mario sees the Yoda at the desk and asks what it's doing there. Isabel says they didn't get a chance to go for Eli. She's waiting for a call back from social services. Mario is upset that Eli could be out there all alone. Isabel tells him she'll put him over her knee if he yells at her again. Neal asks what's happening and Mario tells him Eli's still out there and he's going to go get him. Neal says he can't go. They're down one doctor and one nurse and he's needed. He says he should call social services or the police to get Eli.

Mario rounds up the other residents. He asks them to cover for him so he can go get Eli. Christa immediately agrees. Malaya also agrees. Angus is more worried, but says Mario better hurry because he's a bad liar. He says he'll be quick. Isabel comes in to tell Malaya that Aubrey is crumping.

Aubrey can't breathe. Angus lifts her bed up and orders BIPAP. Malaya explains to Candace what is happening. Once they start BIPAP, Aubrey stabilizes. Ultrasound shows early heart failure and Candace says this is why they need to get out of there, because her daughter just keeps getting worse. Malaya suggests that without family history, this can be caused by drug use. Candace says that's not possible, but Malaya orders a tox screen anyway.

Heather is in the cath lab, doing Jesse's stent. She just started her rotation, so Leanne wants an attending. Jesse says Heather seems like a good doctor to him. Lightly drugged, Jesse teases Leanne about her crying and tells her she's not dead. She's alive and they're not. If he dies today, his one wish is that she lives, really lives. He's pretty sure that's their wish, too. Heather shows Leanne a very thing artery wall. Heather thinks she can get past it without doing damage. She does and Heather places the stent and inflates it successfully. Jesse asks if that's it. Leanne says no, now he has to listen when she says to take the salad. He says a man's gotta live.

Neal asks Christa and Angus if they've seen Mario. Angus starts choking on his pizza. He tries to distract Neal and Christa backs him up on his excuse. But Neal asks Christa if she's lying. She asks if he's asking as an attending or a friend. She says she's not lying and doesn't know where Mario is. Neal says if they're lying to cover for Mario, they'll be in trouble and he won't cover for her. She says she never asked him to.

Mario pulls up in front of a house. He calls out for Eli, who found his way home. Mario pulls out the Yoda to show Eli he's safe. Mario says he likes Yoda, too. His dad wasn't a good guy like Eli's. Mario was left alone a lot as a kid. He used to play his Star Wars videotape a lot and it made him feel better. Mario goes to call his dad and gestures for Eli to come with him. On the phone, he asks Risa about David. Risa tells him he's still in surgery. Neal overhears and asks Mario where he is, warning him to be careful how he answers. Mario tells the truth and Neal tells him to get back to the hospital immediately.

Leanne knocks on Gina's window and Gina gestures for her to come in. She heard Jesse's okay. He seems to be, thanks to Gina. Gina says she had to win Leanne over somehow. She figured if she saved Jesse's life, Leanne might like her. Leanne says it's a good strategy. As she goes to leave, Gina includes that she'll need to work a regular schedule. Leanne just gives her a look.

Outside the hospital, Cole and Rollie tell Debbie that her husband came through the surgery, but he's still critical. She says it'll be fine. She knows it. Rollie sees her arm and asks if anyone's looked at it, but she says it's fine. He asks how she knew her husband was in the hospital, if someone called her. She avoids the question. Rollie asks if her husband tried to hurt her. He looks at her arm and sees track marks. Kyle's been trying to get her clean. She waited until he was asleep to score. He followed her. She was high. He tried to take her home and someone stabbed him. She left him there and called 911. She needed a fix. Cole yells at her, saying she did it to him. Rollie tells him that's enough. Debbie says she's sorry.

Neal complains to Leanne about what Mario did. Leanne's confused because he's the one who said that every resident's a lock and you just have to find the right combination. Mario did two things he never could have done before: asked for help and put himself at risk for someone else. He disobeyed Neal, but also proved that they're all teachable. Neal asks if she wouldn't discipline him. She says she'd throw him out on his ass. But she doesn't know anything about it. She goes to check on Jesse.

Jesse is resting in bed. Leanne sits down next to him and strokes his face. Heather comes in to check on him and says she'll come back later when she sees Leanne. After she's gone, Leanne starts to laugh.

Rollie comes into the scrub room. He heard Cole had to take Kyle back into surgery. Cole tells Rollie that he's dead. Cole couldn't save him. Rollie says she'll go talk to the wife. He was Cole's patient, but Rollie says it's not the best idea for him to talk to her.

Cole asks Hannah if she knows where Debbie is, but she apologizes. Debbie overheard the nurses talking and knows her husband's dead. She went to clean up in the bathroom. Cole and Rollie run that way.

In the bathroom, they find Debbie flushing her drugs down the toilet. She says she doesn't want it. She then asks them to help her. Rollie holds her and tells her it's okay.

Malaya and Angus tell Candace they were able to wean Aubrey off BIPAP. Her tox screen showed no meth or cocaine, but really high thyroid levels. She's in a thyroid storm. A side effect of thyroid meds is weight loss, so sometimes patients abuse them to get thin. Aubrey's lost a lot of weight, but she says it's through diet and exercise. Malaya notes that she doesn't have a prescription for thyroid pills, but they've known some girls to sneak their mom's pills. They ask Candace if she has a prescription. She does. Aubrey denies stealing them. The only pills she takes are her vitamins and asks her mom to back her up on that. Candace does, but Malaya asks her to step out with her. Outside the curtain, Malaya accuses Candace of giving her pills to her daughter. Candace, when pressed, admits to it. She didn't think it would hurt Aubrey. Aubrey overhears and asks if it's true. Candace says she just wanted Aubrey to like herself, but Aubrey says she wishes there were a pill to make her mom like her. Aubrey starts to code again.

**4:25 AM**

**Code: Black**

Jeff's bleeding out again. He starts to vomit. Christa says to page Neal.

Heather checks Jesse's heart. It's fast, but she's not worried. He looks at it and says paroxsymal SVT. He needs to get to Center Stage. He needs Leanne.

They're able to get Aubrey back into sinus rhythm. They order anti-thyroid medication. Candace apologizes to Aubrey.

Leanne watches as they bring Jesse back in. His heart rate is extremely high. Leanne is still teaching, which shocks Jesse. Mario says he needs adenosine, which will stop his heart to reset it. The catch is that it's going to hurt.

Neal tells them to extubate Jeff. Christa is worried he'll bleed out, but Neal says patients with bleeding lungs don't die of blood loss. They drown.

Leanne tells Jesse she needs him, which he knows. He says he loves her, too.

They pull out Jeff's tube. Neal looks at his lungs and finds that the bleeding was on the left, which is the side they intubated. They re-intuabte on the right and he stabilizes.

They push adenosine for Jesse. He screams out in pain. He flatlines for a moment before normal heart rhythm resumes. The whole ER applauds. Leanne tells him he's not going anywhere and kisses him.

Cole asks Rollie if he found an open bed in the addiction clinic for Debbie. Rollie says the way she talked to Debbie almost killed her. He says he told her what she needed to hear, but Rollie corrects that he told her what he needed her to hear. The temper has cost him a lot in the past. Rollie hoped he'd put him behind him. Cole says he doesn't need a father/son talk. Rollie says it's not a father/son talk. It's a senior attending telling a new hire his behavior was unacceptable.

Eli's by his dad's beside. Mario says he'll wake up soon. Eli tells his dad he's there. David wakes up and Eli tells him not to worry because Eli will take care of him. Mario sees Neal outside and goes to him. Outside the room, Neal asks for an explanation. Mario says he doesn't have one. He was trying to be Mayonnaise, like Jesse said, from An Officer and a Gentleman. He was just trying to do the right thing for Jesse. Neal says all right. Mario asks about the others, if they get a pass. Neal says they do this time and Mario thanks him.

Neal walks past Christa.

Neal tells Leanne about what happened with Jeff. She says she could have killed him, but Neal corrected it. Neal reminds her what Jesse says, "Lean on each other. That's what siblings are for." She thinks she only has Jesse, but Neal says she has all of them. Leanne thanks him. They tap knuckles.

Leanne is getting her things to go home when Cole comes in and sits down on the bench. She walks over to him, kisses him, and then leaves. He asks what she's doing and she says she's living.

## Cast

* Leanne Rorish
* Neal Hudson
* Christa Lorenson
* Malaya Pineda
* Rollie Guthrie
* Angus Leighton
* Mario Savetti
* Jesse Sallander
* Cole Guthrie
* Gina Perello
* Jody
* David Jacobs
* Candace Clark
* Debbie Eldrich
* Heather Pinkney
* Eli Jacobs
* Aubrey Clark
* Hannah Reynolds
* Risa Park
* Isabel Mendez
* Amy Wolowitz
* Sam Pace
* Medic
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### 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
* Ashanti Brown as Jody
* Scott Michael Campbell as David Jacobs
* Jamie Luner as Candace Clark
* Erin Way as Debbie Eldrich
* Jillian Murray as Heather Pinkney
* Matthew Von Der Ahe as Eli Jacobs
* Cozi Zuehlsdorff as Aubrey Clark

### Co-Starring

* Emily Nelson as Hannah Reynolds
* Angela Relucio as Risa Park
* Ellia English as Isabel Mendez
* Gabrielle Carteris as Amy Wolowitz
* B.J. Clinkscales as Sam Pace
* Theo Breaux as Medic

## Medical Notes

### Hulking Patient

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Abrasions on his elbows and knees

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

* **Treatment:**

After being transported to the hospital, woke up and attacked the paramedics while still in the ambulance. He left the ambulance and attacked Jesse. He had minor abrasions on his elbows and knees. He had dilated pupils, indicating drug use. They were unable to reduce the drug's effects, so they sedated him. The tox screen was negative, but Mario examined him and noticed yellow fingertips from spice resin, which is not detected by a tox panel.

### Jeff

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Basilar skull fracture
	+ Abrasions
	+ Airway bleeding

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Intubation

Jeff was attacked by a patient in an ambulance. He had minor abrasions all over his body and battle signs. In the ER, he had blood from his injuries in his airway. They intubated on the left side. He had a basilar skull fracture, but not severe enough to require surgery. They kept him for observation, but he started bleeding again. They pulled his breathing tube out and found that the bleeding was on his left side, meaning they'd intubated the wrong side. They re-intubated on the right and he stabilized.

### Jody

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Bites
	+ De-gloved knee

* **Doctors:**
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**

Jody was attacked by a patient in an ambulance. She had bite marks on her shoulder and clavicle and a de-gloved knee. They cleaned her knee in the ER and told her she'd be okay.

### Jesse Sallander

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Myocardial infarction
	+ Paroxsymal SVT

* **Doctors:**
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Gina Perello *(ER physician)*
	+ Malaya Pineda *(ER resident)*
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*
	+ Heather Pinkney *(surgical resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Stent
	+ Adenosine

While in the supply closet, Jesse had a heart attack. Gina found him and started CPR. Malaya came in and helped. They got him back to center stage, where Leanne took over. They determined that the heart attack was caused by a blockage and he needed a stent. They took him up to cardiology where Heather placed the stent. She found a very thin wall in his heart, but proceeded carefully through it. After his stent, Jesse looked at his EKG and diagnosed a paroxsymal SVT and told Heather to take him back to center stage. They stopped his heart to reset it and he stabilized.

### Aubrey Clark

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Thyroid storm

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Anti-thyroids

Aubrey, 15, was shopping with her mom when she collapsed. She said her heart was racing. They were able to reduce her heart rate. She said she'd been feeling run down lately and hadn't been able to catch her breath sometimes. Her mother tried to get her discharged so she could see her regular doctor, but her regular doctor wanted her to be treated at Angels. She then started to have trouble breathing. They put her on bipap, but diagnosed global hypokinesis. They asked her mother if it was possible she was on drugs, but she denied it. They ordered a tox screen just to be sure. The tox screen showed no illegal drugs, but she was in a thyroid storm. They learned that Aubrey's mother had been giving her her thyroid pills in order to make her lose weight. Aubrey went into v-tach, but they were able to get her back into sinus. Then they ordered anti-thyroid meds.

### David Jacobs

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Fractured ribs
	+ Dislocated clavicle

* **Doctors:**
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Surgery

David, 47, was hit by an incoming metro train and thrown. In the ER, they x-rayed him. He had multiple rib fractures, vascular markings all the way to the periphery, and a dislocated clavicle. He had free fluid in his abdomen, likely from his bladder. He was taken into surgery. After his surgery, he was awake and stable.

### Kyle Eldrich

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Stab wounds

* **Doctors:**
	+ Cole Guthrie *(general surgeon)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Surgery

Kyle was stabbed eight times. He was taken to surgery. He survived his first surgery, but he had to be taken back after he started bleeding again and he died.

### Debbie Eldrich

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Drug addiction

* **Doctors:**
	+ Rollie Guthrie *(ER physician)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Rehabilitation

Debbie was a drug addict. After her husband died of stab wounds sustained in a fight with her dealer, she flushed her drugs down the toilet and said she wanted help. Rollie got her into a treatment program.

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode scored 8.50 million viewers.