The Fifth Stage

Season 1, Episode 14

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**The Fifth Stage** is the fourteen episode of the first season of **Code Black**.

## Short Summary

Leanne goes to a prison to finally confront the drunk driver who killed her family. Also, Malaya begins to feel uncomfortable around her patient, Gordon Heshman (Jesse Bradford).

## Full Summary

Christa wakes up next to Neal. He wakes up and kisses her hand. She can't sleep. He asks if she has any regrets. There are flashbacks to them kissing. Christa says no and asks about him. He says it could get complicated. Christa suggests that they not tell anyone. He asks if she's hungry, but she says there's not time. He starts kissing her again.

Jesse is surprised to hear that Leanne is leaving and has no idea who will replace her. She reminds him that he told her to live. He meant for her to take up yoga. He knows her better than anyone, so she should have talked to him first. She says she doesn't need his permission. The hospital is all she has and that's a problem. She needs more. He asks what she wants and she says she doesn't even know what's not he menu. He tells her to eat, pray, love. That's what Oprah says. She says just for that, she won't cut him in on her lottery winnings. She tells him nothing is forever, but he says some things are and hugs her.

Outside Ed Harbert's office, Leanne waits. She tells his secretary it's her day off and if he calls tomorrow, she'll be happy to come in. Just then, Ed comes out of his office and calls her in, apologizing for the wait. Gina is also in his office. Ed tells Leanne she's earned the right to choose her successor, subject to board approval. She asks what the board knows about teaching doctors in emergency medicine. Not one has worked in an ER, but Ed says he has. He's still an MD. Gina says the board is antsy because she hasn't named her replacement and she's leaving in two weeks. Leanne says she needs more time. Ed says he assumed Mike would be her replacement. Leanne says that's not why she brought him in. Ed says she doesn't have the authority to hire attendings in trauma one. That's Gina's job. Leanne says Gina's a temp while Leanne's been there for 20 years. Ed say Mike is the perfect choice and will be quickly approved. Leanne asks what happens if she thinks Neal's a better choice. Ed says the board would seriously consider that at their next meeting. Leanne just leaves. Gina tells him to let her talk to Leanne.

Mario tells Malaya he'll never get used to switching from nights to days. Malaya says she saw him with Heather. He knows how Angus feels about Heather, so she tells Mario to tell Angus, because he'll find out eventually.

Mike is tethered to Neal for his first shift. Mike says he was already a resident there. Neal's surprised he got hired because he didn't know they had it in the budget. He asks if Mike's father pulled strings, but Mike says that's not his style. Neal wonders where Gina got the money, but he says Leanne hired him, further confusing Neal. They meet an ambulance holding Kiran Petrosian, who was shot in the abdomen. Detective Carmody exits the ambulance with him. She's part of the organized crime unit. They take Kiran to Center Stage and Carmody follows.

In Center Stage, Carmody says Kiran's not the one they need to worry about, his father is. If Kiran lives, they'll get rewarded.

Mario brings in Emanuel Petrosian, Kiran's uncle, who was also shot. He shot Kiran. There's a feud in the family. Risa says Karo, Kiran's father, is in the waiting room. Carmody advises them that if they don't want him back in Center Stage, they need to send someone out to talk to him. Mike offers to do it.

Mike talks to Karo Petrosian and tells him his son is alive. Carmody asks Karo if the guys with him are carrying weapons. He says they're licensed to, but she says they are in there. Just then, Manny Petrosian walks into the ER and several guns are pulled on him. Most of the people in the area duck out of the way, but Manny tells Karo to wait.

Carmody tells Karo to have them put their guns away. Manny shows that he doesn't have any weapons and asks about his father and cousin. Mike approaches him slowly and encourages Karo to have them put their guns down. He tells his guys to go with the officers. Manny says Emanuel must not have known it was Kiran, because he'd never hurt him on purpose. Kara says they've always settled issues between them, but if Kiran dies, there's no coming back from it.

Mike rejoins Neal with Kiran, who is a probable severe liver laceration. They find two more exit wounds on his back, so they take him upstairs for a scan.

Malaya examines Emanuel, who has only one wound that goes straight through. He was very lucky. Malaya asks about his medical history. He declines medication and just asks to be stitched up. He also asks if Kiran is dead. Mario says he isn't.

Leanne sits in her car outside a diner. A hitchhiker knocks on the door and asks if she's going north. She tells him she doesn't know where she's going. He asks if he can get a ride if she's going north. She points to the sign that says there's a prison in the area warning people not to pick up hitchhikers. She gets out and says she just stopped to eat and wishes him good luck. He asks what she's going to eat and says he likes pie. She agrees to buy him a piece of pie, which excites him.

Paramedics bring in Logan Nicholson, who fell from a fourth-story roof. His wife, Lori, comes in behind him, upset.

They take Logan into Center Stage. They intubate him. Lori tells the doctors that Logan didn't fall. He jumped. He flatlines, so they start CPR. Lori tries to stop them, saying he doesn't want that. He wants to die. They're able to restore sinus rhythm.

Lori shows documentation that she has power of attorney for her husband. Lori leaves and Christa says it's not right for her to make that decision for him. Gina says his side is that he jumped off a four-story building. He's a paranoid schizophrenic. Lori says he's DNR, so he's DNR. Christa continues to object that he didn't sign a DNR. She tries to get Jesse on her side, but he says Logan doesn't want what they offer. Neal says she has a point. It doesn't feel right, but Gina says they have to follow the wife's instructions.

Holly is in the ER. She's had a fever for four days and her knee is injured. Mario examines her. A tech brings her labs just as she says how she got injured. Mario asks if she's sexually active. He then breaks the news to her that she has gonorrhea bacteria in her knee. He has to drain her knee and start IV antibiotics.

Angus watches Heather from afar and tells Malaya she's perfect. Heather comes to where they are and leans on Angus for a moment before leaving. Malaya tells Mario that Angus likes Heather and asks if he knew that. Mario says he could do better. Angus says he just found out she's hooking up with someone else: her surgical attending. A nurse caught them. Angus leaves and Malaya says she hopes Mario wore protection.

Manny finds Mike and asks him about Kiran. He says the feud is their fathers', not theirs. The feud started when they argued over control of their enterprise. But he and Kiran are friends. Mike says Kiran is critical, but they're doing whatever they can. Manny wants to see him, but Karo is still in there.

Gordon Heshman is back in the ER. He calls for Malaya and says he's in severe stomach pain. He's surprised she remembers him, but she says it was just yesterday. He tells her a friend of his died recently, so he's nervous. Malaya says she just went through the same thing. Malaya examines him and says she'll run some tests.

Mike finds his father and brother talking. He wants to know what their dad is doing. He's there for the board meeting. Desmond asks Angus to give them a minute to talk. Once he's gone, Desmond says he's surprised at how well Angus is doing. He then tells Mike Leanne's resigning. Mike doesn't believe it. Desmond asks if he wants the job. Mike says that job should go to Neal or Rollie, not to him. Desmond says he could easily move the board in Mike's favor, but that's why Mike left in the first place. He doesn't want to get any job with his father's help. Mike is paged, but tells his father to do nothing. He doesn't want a favor.

Leanne and the hitchhiker eat their pie. She asks him what's up north. He says his dad is in the prison, but he deserves it. He sees his dad once a month, or at least he tries. Leanne says he's a good son. The hitchhiker says he's not a bad dad even with the stuff he's done. He gestures to the scar on his cheek and says that's where his father cut him. At Leanne's horror, he admits he was joking and violence isn't his dad's thing. He says he doesn't look back and Leanne understands what he means.

Angus does CPR on Kiran, who lost pulse after his scan. He's bleeding heavily from his exit wound. They get a pulse. Angus asks Mike why their dad was there and Mike says he was there to meddle, but won't tell Angus in what. They take Kiran to sides. Neal shows Mike his scans, which show that his liver is obliterated meaning he needs a transplant. They have to check the family for a match. It might be his only chance. Angus asks again why their dad is there. Mike says he doesn't know, but Angus knows he's lying. Mike tells him the truth, which Neal overhears.

Mike tells Neal he's sure Leanne was going to tell him. Neal says they're okay.

In the family room, Mike says they need a moment with Manny because the blood test came back. He's a match for Kiran. Emanuel objects to the idea, but Manny says Kiran could die.

Heather comes to Mario and asks what he has. He's preparing to drain Holly's knee. Mario tells Heather he knows about her attending. She says it's not his business. They're not a couple.

Malaya tells Gordon it's not cancer. He grabs her hands and tells her it's great news. She says there were some unusual things in his labs. His blood isn't clotting like it should, but they'll treat him.

Leanne and the hitchhiker arrive at the prison. He's surprised that she's getting out. She says she has someone to see there, too.

Lori tells Christa about Logan's mental illness struggles. It started off quietly, but then grew. They tried treatment, but Logan decided a year ago that it was over. He was clear that he wanted to be allowed to die. She tried to convince him to fight, but it didn't work. Christa explains what will happen if Logan codes again. She asks if that's what Lori wants and Lori says that's what Logan wants.

In the prison yard, Henry walks up to Leanne. He asks why she's there. He sent her 32 letters, but they were all returned unopened. They were part of his recovery, but she says they weren't part of hers.

Manny tells Mike he can't go against his father. Mike reminds him that he said Kiran was like his brother. Manny says he'd be choosing a side, but Mike says at least it would be his choice. Mike says he gets Manny's father, but Manny says respect is everything to him. Mike says Manny needs to make his father respect him.

Henry talks to Leanne. Neither of them knew she was coming that day. He says if she came to yell at him to save it. He's already in hell. He knows he deserves it. He shouldn't have been driving that night. He knew he was drunk. He tells her he's sorry. He doesn't know how many times he has to say it before she believes it. She tells him she believes him, which is why she's there. She tells him she forgives him. She knows the prison isn't his real prison. The real prison was needing her to say those words. It was her prison, too. She walks away from him.

Malaya looks through the lounge freezer. When she closes the door, she's surprised to see Gordon standing there. He apologizes for scaring her. She says he shouldn't be out of bed and the break room is for doctors only. He asks her about the bleeding disorder she mentioned. He googled it and it sound scary. He goes over to the coffee pot. She says he needs to get back to bed. Gina comes in and asks what's happening. Malaya says he's a patient and Gina says he shouldn't be in there. Gina leads him out, which he says is rude. She asks if she needs to call security, but he says she doesn't. After he's gone, Malaya says she didn't need to be so rough with him. Gina says Gordon clearly likes her and even if it's innocent, the implication could be damaging.

Manny tells Emanuel he respects him, but he needs to donate his liver to Kiran. He says letting his hatred blind him makes him weak. He says him donating his liver will make Karo owe them, because he'll be saving Kiran. It gives them an advantage. They take Manny upstairs while Emanuel is discharged and promptly arrested.

Leanne admits that she was waffling. She wasn't sure she could really step away. Gina asks if she made her choice. Before Leanne can answer, Mike comes in and says his answer won't change. He doesn't want the job. Mike says Leanne's the only person anyone can see in that job. If she doesn't want it, it should be Neal.

Logan starts coding. He quickly flatlines. Lori starts to cry. Christa, unable to watch him die, starts CPR. Lori and Neal object and Neal eventually physically stops her. Christa apologizes and leaves. Neal pronounces him dead.

Holly becomes unstable. Mario orders fluids. Mike comes up and Mario updates him on the case. She's in septic shock. They move her to Center Stage for treatment.

Gina is in the locker room. She eats a candy bar from her locker. On the other side of the room, Gordon sits on the bench in scrubs. Gina gets paged and goes to leave, but Gordon reveals himself. She asks why he's in there and why he's in scrubs, but he just tells her she has an attitude problem.

In Center Stage, they rush to treat Holly. Mario says he's not sure if he has an artery or a vein. It's dark, but it's bleeding too much to be a vein. Mike goes to show Mario how to tell. They get the line in and give her fluids. Leanne watches from above.

Neal asks why Leanne didn't tell him she was leaving. Leanne says he was there for the freeway accident. He says both patients survived. She says she made the wrong call an that wasn't the first time. He says he made it, too, but she says he knew it was wrong and that's why he went with her, so she'd be done faster. She didn't do her job right because she couldn't separate her needs from the equation. Leanne says she really didn't take the time she should have after the accident. He's told her that before. She let the job fill the vacuum her family left. She never figured out who she is without them. She needs to do that.

Neal tells Mike he talked to Leanne. Mike things Neal took the job. Leanne didn't offer it to him. Neal says he watched what happened with Mario and Angus and Mike did a great job with them. He tells Mike not to walk away from it.

Christa enters the locker room. She opens her locker and then sees a pool of blood on the floor. She goes around the corner and sees Gina bleeding heavily on the floor.

## Cast

* Leanne Rorish
* Neal Hudson
* Christa Lorenson
* Malaya Pineda
* Angus Leighton
* Mario Savetti
* Jesse Sallander
* Edward Harbert
* Gina Perello
* Heather Pinkney
* Mr. Leighton
* Lori Nicholson
* Karo Petrosian
* Emanuel Petrosian
* Henry
* Gordon Heshman
* Manny Petrosian
* Hitchhiker
* Mike Leighton
* Risa Park
* Detective Carmody
* Holly
* Ari Stricks
* Medic #1
* Medic #2
1/25
### 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 (credit only)
* Harry Ford as Dr. Angus Leighton
* Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dr. Mario Savetti
* Luis Guzmán as Jesse Sallander

### Guest Starring

* Jeff Hephner as Dr. Edward Harbert
* Christina Vidal as Dr. Gina Perello
* Jillian Murray as Dr. Heather Pinkney
* Steven Culp as Dr. Desmond Leighton
* Rebecca Field as Lori Nicholson
* Hal Ozsan as Karo Petrosian
* Michael Goorjian as Emanuel Petrosian
* Will Rothhaar as Henry
* Jesse Bradford as Gordon Heshman
* Deniz Akdeniz as Manny Petrosian
* Ezekiel Bridges as Hitchhiker
* Tommy Dewey as Dr. Mike Leighton

### Co-Starring

* Angela Relucio as Risa Park
* Iris Almario as Detective Carmody
* Melia Renee as Holly
* Taylor Zakhar as Ari Stricks
* Terrence Edwards as Medic #1
* Joe Piccuirro as Medic #2

## Medical Notes

### Kiran Petrosian

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Gun shot wounds
	+ Obliterated liver

* **Doctors:**
	+ Neal Hudson *(ER physician)*
	+ Mike Leighton *(ER physician)*
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Surgery
	+ Liver transplant

Kiran, 20, came in with gun shot wounds to his abdomen. One of the bullets caused a severe laceration to his liver. He went for a pan scan, but dropped his pressure, so they brought him back to center stage. His exit wound was heavily bleeding. They were able to restore his pulse and they called trauma surgery. His liver was completely obliterated, so they checked with the family about potential living donors. His cousin, Manny, was a match for him and agreed to donate.

### Emanuel Petrosian

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Gun shot wound

* **Doctors:**
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Malaya Pineda *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Stitches

Emanuel 40, came in with a gun shot wound to his shoulder. He had no other injuries and had a good pulse in his arm. They stitched him up.

### Logan Nicholson

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Multiple fractures

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

* **Treatment:**

Logan jumped from a four-story roof in a suicide attempt. He had multiple fractures. He coded in the OR, but they resuscitated him. His wife presented documentation that she had his power of attorney and that he wanted to die and he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, so she wanted him to be DNR. When he coded again, Christa ignored the DNR and started CPR, but Neal stopped her and pronounced Logan dead at 3:45 PM.

### Holly

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Knee injury
	+ Gonorrhea
	+ Septic shock

* **Doctors:**
	+ Mike Leighton *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Angus Leighton *(ER resident)*
	+ Heather Pinkney *(surgical resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Arthrocentesis
	+ IV antibiotics
	+ Pessors

Holly came in saying it was her fourth day with a fever with a knee injury. Her labs showed that she had gonorrhea. The bacteria had spread to her knee. Mario drained her knee and started IV antibiotics. After that, she spiked a fever and her BP dropped. She was in septic shock. They put her on broad-spectrum antibiotics and pressors.

### Gordon Heshman

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Stomach pain

* **Doctors:**
	+ Malaya Pineda *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**

Gordon came back to the ER complaining of stomach pain. Malaya gave him pain medication and ran some tests. He had blood in his urine and his blood didn't clot as quickly as it was supposed to. He denied being on blood thinners, so Malaya said she'd get him on vitamin K and run more tests.

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode scored 7.49 million viewers.