Brother's Keeper

**Brother's Keeper** is the fourth episode of Season 2 of Chicago Med. It aired on October 13, 2016.

## Summary

Several patients are discovered to have the same rare infection, prompting Dr. Charles' daughter Robin, an epidemiologist, to be brought in to find the common factor. Dr. Choi and Dr. Rhodes work on an elderly man who is discovered to be very ill, but a conflict in how to best treat him develops between his son and his young girlfriend. Dr. Reese tries to help a young drug addict. Maggie tends to a patient who is dear to her heart.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead
* Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton
* Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning
* Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese
* Colin Donnell as Dr. Connor Rhodes
* Brian Tee as Dr. Ethan Choi
* Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood
* S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin
* Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles

### Recurring Cast

* Ato Essandoh as Dr. Isidore Latham
* Jeff Hephner as Jeff Clarke
* Mekia Cox as Robin Charles
* Patti Murin as Dr. Nina Shore
* Marc Grapey as Peter Kalmick
* Nick Marini as Danny Jones
* Chris Johnson as Doug Kline
* Lorena Diaz as Nurse Doris
* Alyssa Freeman as Hayley Kline
* Abigail Boucher as Elizabeth Kline

### Guest Cast

* Daniel J. Travanti as Edward Hall
* Jeffrey A. Blockson as Erik Tillman
* Victor Holstein as Tom Hall
* Iris Kohl as Laurie Kirmser
* Tiffany Scott as Mrs. Jones
* Ashland Thomas as ED Doctor
* Lauren M. Vance as Hospital Staff
* Deonne B. Wright as ICU Patient

## Plot

As everyone heads into work, Natalie and Jeff kiss before separating in the car, as do Nina and Will. Natalie and Will get out of their respective cars, and Natalie comments that Will looks cheerful today. Jeff walks by, significantly darkening Will's mood. He asks Natalie how her relationship with Jeff is going, and although she initially denies it, he awkwardly tells her that he's happy for her and that everyone knows. Natalie tells him that everyone knows about him and Nina, shocking Will.

Ethan treats Edward Hall, 82-year-old man with dementia found collapsed in his apartment. He is accompanied by a young woman who tells Ethan that she's Edward's girlfriend. They are interrupted by his son, Tom Hall, who angrily tells Ethan that the woman has no claim over Edward's medical decisions and that his father doesn't want any extraordinary measures taken. The two meet in the conference room with Ethan, Connor, Sharon, and the lawyers, who determine that as Edward's next of kin, Tom is the one who gets to make the decision. Ethan tells them that surgery is an option which could improve Edward's quality of life, if successful. Dr. Latham briefly concurs, and Connor elaborates, telling them that surgery could save Edward. Edward's son says his father would not want to take extraordinary measures, and refuses the surgery. Both Edward's girlfriend and Ethan are noticeably upset by this, but Sharon tells them that it's out of their hands.

Natalie's young cancer patient, Haley Kline, returns to the hospital after three days with a high fever. Natalie starts her on antibiotics and runs tests. Meanwhile, Maggie asks Jeff if he wants to come to "the farm". He asks what that means, but she simply tells him that he'll see and leads him away. A young man, Danny, in a nearby room calls for help, frantically telling April that he needs to leave. April consults Ethan, who tells the patient that his bowel obstruction needs to be monitored, as they can quickly become life-threatening. When Danny insists that it doesn't hurt any more, Ethan tries to manually examine his abdomen, but he flinches away violently, saying that he doesn't like being touched. The commotion alerts Daniel, and Ethan explains that Danny was found passed out on the street and has been combative and fearful since he arrived. Daniel tells him he'll get a psych consult and chooses Sarah to do it, thinking that he'll have an easier time relating to her.

Following Maggie, Jeff discovers that "the vent farm" is where all the brain-dead patients are kept (farm referring to the fact that brain-dead patients are colloquially called "vegetables"). These are patients who either didn't have any family to make a decision, and are being kept alive by case workers, or those whose families still hold out hope that they might recover. Jeff is confused about why they are there, and Maggie tells them that they are there to paint some nails. Natalie finds that her cancer patient, Haley, has a highly infectious condition called CRE, and when talking to Will, he tells her he has patients with a similar condition. Realizing that they might have an outbreak, Sharon Campbell issues safety protocols and brings in Dr. Robin Charles, an infectious disease specalist and Dr. Daniel Charles' daughter, to consult. They determine that the infection probably did not originate in their hospital, but is now placing all their immunocompromised patients at risk. Natalie tells Robin that Haley was here three days ago and she might have missed the diagnosis, resulting in the outbreak. While Will thinks this unlikely, Robin says she doesn't believe in coincidences. Meanwhile, Maggie settles next to a comatose patient, Cindy, introducing Jeff as a medical student, and telling Jeff about her history, and how Maggie was one of the staff who treated her. Maggie tells Jeff that Cindy would ask Maggie to talk with her, and that she accidentally called Maggie and called "Maggie Pie," a name that Maggie's mother used for her. As Cindy had no family or friends, she was moved to the vent farm, and Maggie has been checking in on her every week since and painting her nails for her. Maggie tells Jeff that she feels as though Cindy has one foot in their world, and one in the next, where Maggie's deceased mother is.

Dr. Charles assigns Reese to talk to Danny, the patient with the bowel instruction. Reese talks to him about the Chicago winters and is able to establish a rapport, talking about his shoes and his sister. While they talk, the patient tries to leave again, in distress and vomits. Reese calls Dr. Choi and April, and assures Danny that she is on his side. Danny finally tells Reese that he is on heroin and Reese administers medication for withdrawal. Dr. Charles bumps into his daughter and asks her if they can get coffee, and Robin tells him she's busy. He tries to ask her about her sleep and moving to Chicago, and Robin reminds him that she is not his therapist. Ethan goes to talk to Edward Hall, and tells him that surgery is the best option, and asks for permission to go ahead with it. Edward Hall is confused, and asks Ethan twice if he is a doctor. Edward Hall's son Tom catches Ethan doing it and accuses him of trying to coerce Edward Hall into surgery, leading Tom to ban him from seeing Hall. Ethan and Connor try to persuade Dr. Latham to approach Tom again, but Dr. Latham tells them their job is to be doctors, and not resolve family conflicts. Jeff tells Maggie that he used his contacts from when he used to be a fireman to track down their comatose patient, Cindy's family, and it turns out she has a sister in Spokane.

Edward Hall begins to collapse, and Ethan tells April and Connor that the patient said "Save me," to him, before collapsing. Overruling Tom Hall, they take Edward to surgery, as he has expressed the desire for help. Sharon Goodwin asks Daniel if it is good to have his daughter back and if they've been spending time together. Daniel tells her that he hasn't lived in the same zip code as his daughter for years and that he is glad to have her back although they haven't had the time to spend time together yet, as she's been busy. Daniel tells Sharon that Robin will not forgive him for divorcing her mother and not being around for her. Reese tells Daniel that Danny talked about his heroin addiction to her and that they need to detox. Tina, Danny's mother, has arrived and asks about his treatment plan, telling them she is embarrassed and that they've tried to be good parents to him. When Reese asks about how Danny is feeling, Tina answers for him, and refuses to leave his side, even to get coffee as Dr. Charles suggested. Reese says Danny's behaviour has completely changed since she spoke with him, and they have to discharge him soon. They both agree that there is something going and Daniel suggests that they ask for more tests to buy some time, as this may allow them to speak with Danny separately.

In the O.R., Connor tells Dr. Latham that they are doing the right thing, as Latham had seemed ambivalent before. Latham tells Connor that as far he is concerned it is straightforward - when the patient said no, they shouldn't have gone forward, and now that the patient has said yes, they will, so there's no conflict. Latham also says he himself is not good at dealing with ambiguity, and changes the topic to instructing Connor about the surgery. Natalie tells the parents of her young cancer patient, Haley, that there is a medication for her daughter's infection but that it works best at the early stages of the infection. As Haley has had it for a few days, they cannot be sure it will work. Haley's mother blames herself for not bringing her in sooner, saying that with Haley's cancer she can no longer tell what constitutes an emergency. While Connor and Dr. Latham operate, Dr. Choi asks if April heard Edward Hall asking Choi to help him, and April says she did not ,but they are here to save lives and it is the right thing to do. Meanwhile, Haley starts crashing again and Natalie has trouble intubating her again, as though there is a blockage. Just as they are about to crich her, Will notices that there is an abscess in her throat, blocking the tube and indicating the infection has spread. Natalie tries to intubate again, refusing to let Will crich her, and after struggling, manages to do so. Her parents gratefully thank Natalie. Haley stabilizes but when Robin checks in, Natalie says she is likely to get more abscesses as the infection progresses.

In an attempt to locate the source of the outbreak, Natalie suggests that they extubate their other patient, Eric, so they can talk to him and get a history. Will is opposed to this, as it might be too dangerous in Eric's condition, but Natalie insists they can do it carefully. Will reluctantly agrees. In surgery, Latham hums to himself while instructing Connor on technique. He asks Connor if he has seen *The Force Awakens*, pointing out continuity errors that he has noticed in the film. Natalie and Will awaken Eric, and tell him that they are risking his life by removing the tube, but if he consents, they will remove it to get the information they need to save other patients. Eric nods his consent, and they remove the breathing tube, while Robin watches. Eric immediately starts coughing and gasping for breath, but settles enough to speak a little. Reese goes to check on Danny again, but his mother again refuses to let him speak, or accept her offer for a rehab facility recommendation, telling her that they have booked a private rehab. When Reese offers Danny her card, his mother takes the card instead. Danny starts coughing, and Reese convinces his mother to allow them to take a chest x-ray, sending him to radio with April, and telling her it is just a quick precautionary measure.

After talking with Eric, Robin, Natalie and Will find that Eric's roommate was admitted to the hospital a few days ago for a gastrointestinal infection. Eric himself is immunocompromised, explaining how he might have got the infection. Robin starts checking the hospital records to see if Eric's roommate and Hayley may have crossed paths. Sharon informs Maggie and Jeff that Cindy, their comatose patient's sister, has decided to withdraw life support for. Jeff apologises to Maggie, telling her that he had no idea, but a visibly upset Maggie walks away. Natalie checks on Hayley and tells Will she seems to be recovering. Will tells her that Eric is recovering as well, and that it was risky to take out his tube, but it was a good call in the end. Robin tells them that they have found the common link, and Sharon informs Natalie and Will that all the infected patients, including Eric and Hayley had endoscopies at the hospital. The infection was passed on because of a crevice on the tip of the endoscopy which accumulates bacteria. When Natalie says they should inform the FDA, Sharon tells them the FDA knows about the risks with the endoscope, but has not pulled them from use as they are so widely used it will cause an endoscope shortage. Natalie is shocked, but Sharon tells them the FDA made a cost-benefit analysis. Sharon tells Natalie that she will take on the responsibility of taking Hayley's parents. As they leave, Will tells Natalie that he was right, and it wasn't her fault. Noticing, Robin tells Natalie that she and Will are really good together.

Reese and Daniel examine Danny's x-ray, which shows a tracking device inside him, which explains how the woman found her. Daniel says that the woman may not be his mother, and might be a victim of trafficking, either for drugs or sex, and the woman is his pimp. Reese leaves to intervene, telling Daniel that Danny wanted his help, but Danny didn't explicitly ask for it. Daniel tells her she has to be careful as she could put him in danger. Reese tries to intercept them in the parking lot, but Danny and the woman claiming to be his mother drive away. Reese asks Daniel what will happen to him, but he doesn't have an answer. Natalie finds Connor looking at websites for fellowship applications, and when she asks why, he tells her working with Latham is difficult, as Latham is so odd he might "be from Mars." Connor says he's not sure he can handle working with him. Natalie tells Connor to come meet them on the balcony that evening at 7, and that there is more to Latham than what meets the eye.

Choi goes to meet Edward Hall, who is awake. Choi tells Hall that his girlfriend was his strongest advocate, and Hall snorts, tell Choi that he is her "gravy train." He tells Choi, "can't take it with you," and lies back down. April tells Choi he makes the right decision, but he is not so sure anymore. He tells April tht combat medicine is simpler as you save whoever is put in front of you, and he's never had to deal with such complex questions before. Maggie says goodbye to her comatose patient, Cindy, saying "tell mom I said hi," before they withdraw life support and she dies. Jeff holds Maggie's hand as she cries. Daniel smiles at his daughter Robin as she leaves. At 7, Connor goes to the balcony and sees Latham in an impromptu concert, playing the piano, accompanied by Natalie on violin and a few other musicians. Natalie sees Dr. Nina Shore join Will in the audience. Reese goes to Molly's and sits beside Maggie as they both drink in silence.

## Notes and Trivia

* Despite appearing in at least 79 episodes, this episode is the only credited appearance of Ashland Thomas.