Timing

**Timing** is the eighteenth and final episode of Season 1 of *Chicago Med*. It aired on May 17, 2016.

## Summary

Dr. Rhodes regretfully inform Dr. Downey that his liver cancer has spread to the brain and is not curable. Dr. Manning and Dr. Reese deal with an infant patient with multiple medical issues. Sharon learns that her husband is leaving her. Dr. Choi consults Dr. Charles about a previous patient animal. Dr. Halstead pushes April to get an X-Ray following a serious fall.

## 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

* Gregg Henry as Dr. David Downey
* Deron J. Powell as Tate Jenkins
* Peter Mark Kendall as Joey Thomas
* Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams
* Jeff Hephner as Jeff Clarke
* Marc Grapey as Peter Kalmick
* Patti Murin as Dr. Nina Shore
* Sarah Charipar as Dr. Deirdre Grant
* Tosin Morohunfola as Dr. Allen Vorspan
* Lorena Diaz as Nurse Doris
* Amanda Marcheschi as Nurse Dina
* Melissa Canciller as Nurse Melissa
* Cesar Jaime as Paramedic Cesar
* Mace Montgomery Miskel as Eric Jenkins

### Guest Cast

* Brookelyn Hebert as Shannon Thomas
* Brett Schneider as Nick Thomas
* Leena Kurishingal as Dr. Abby Patel
* Ryan Semmelmayer as Dan Finley
* Drew Schad as Ty

## Plot

The episode begins with Sarah Reese and Joey Thomas walking into the hospital, and talking about Reese's upcoming graduation from residency that night. Joey asks if Reese's mother will be attending, and Reese tells him that she couldn't make it but sent her a cheque instead. Joey suggests that Reese and he go out to celebrate instead, and he will be at the graduation cheering for her. Reese agrees. In the E.R., Maggie Lockwood notices that Dr. Natalie Manning isn't wearing her wedding ring, and asks if she lost it again, but Dr. Manning tells her that she has decided it was time to take it off, referring to her husband Jeff's death. Manning adds that she can't get used the ring not being there.

Dr. Natalie Manning and Reese attend to a six month old baby, Michael, who is suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, brought in by his parents. The baby has an enlarged liver, and the parents tell Manning that the baby has been lethargic recently. Dr. Natalie Manning and Reese bring in a pediatric specialist, Dr. Deirdre Grant who indicates that the baby Michael probably has cardiomegaly, a genetic disease causing inflammation of the heart. The specialist tells the parents that they could be carrying recessive genes, which would explain why they don't show symptoms. The baby's heart slows, and they intervene, bringing his vitals back up and moving him to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Dr. Grant and Dr. Manning send for genetic sequencing from the baby and both parents, to find the exact cause of the problem. In the PICU the baby collapses again and is again recovered by Dr. Manning. Reese goes to Pathology, where Joey helps her with the sequencing the baby's genome. Noticing that she is distracted, Joey asks Reese what is happening and Reese says she is preoccupied with the baby, who is suffering. Joey says he understands that that she is reconsidering her decision to specialise in pathology, and tells her that it enables them to do work that that doesn't put them face to face with suffering patients, which he himself cannot cope with. Later, that evening, Dr. Manning tells Reese to leave and enjoy her graduation, and tells her the baby is stable in the PICU. Reese stays at the hospital overnight instead, watching over the baby. In the morning, at the hospital, Joey wakes Reese, who fell asleep while watching the baby, with her phone battery dead, and missed her graduation. He has brought the genome sequencing results and Reese calls Dr. Manning. Dr. Manning, Reese, and Dr. Grant tell baby Michael's parents that he has LCADD (long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency), a rare genetic condition that prevents the baby from process any fat. As a result, the baby can only use glucose for energy, causing a severe drop in blood sugar. They are administering dextrose to help him and he will be able to have a long healthy life with a properly managed diet. The parents gratefully embrace the doctors, including Reese. Joey brings Reese a graduation gift, which she was supposed to get the previous night. It is a white coat with her name and designation as M.D. printed on it. Dr. Choi sees Reese in her new white coat and addresses her as "Dr. Reese," congratulating her. At the end of the episode, Reese goes to the pathology lab, where she meets Dr. Nina Shore, with whom she will be training in pathology. She tells Shore that she has changed her mind and will not be pursuing pathology, and will be treating patients instead. Shore tells Reese that pathology is her match and she won't have a job if she doesn't take it. She asks Reese what she is going to do, and Reese says she doesn't know. Later, she bumps into Dr. Charles and tells him that she quit pathology and doesn't have a job. Dr. Charles tells her she will be fine.

Dr. Downey, the head of cardiothoracic surgery, and mentor to Dr. Connor Rhodes, is brought into the E.R. after he collapses at home. He is suffering from liver cancer, and they find fluid in Downey's chest, probably caused by bleeding from his liver, after the liver ablation he had the previous day. Dr. Rhodes takes Dr. Downey in for surgery and is able to find the bleeding and stop it. After the surgery, Dr. Downey doesn't not recover consciousness, and Dr. Rhodes consults a neurosurgeon, Dr. Sam Abrams, as he is afraid that Downey might have suffered a stroke during the operation. The neurosurgeon tells him he should have ordered a head CT already, and tells Rhodes to get one immediately and then call him. Abrams tell Downey that if they do operate, Downey risks losing his ability to use his sense of touch, and without it, Downey will have headaches, seizures, delusions, and so on. Downey refuses surgery, and also refuses Dr. Rhodes' suggestion to get a second opinion on Dr. Abrams's diagnosis. He asks Rhodes to leave for now and come back later. Dr. Rhodes sleeps by Dr. Downey's bedside, and in the morning tells Dr. Charles he doesn't know how to repay Dr. Downey for all that he has done for Rhodes. Dr. Charles asks Rhodes how he knows that he hasn't already.

Dr. Rhodes returns to meet Dr. Downey, who is having headaches. Dr. Rhodes offers him morphine instead of his current pain medication, but Dr. Downey refuses. Downey tells Rhodes that he has hoped he had more time. He tells Dr. Rhodes that with the diagnosis Downey is facing, he would prefer to 'skip' what is facing and asks Rhodes to help him euthanize himself. Rhodes tells Downey that he can't do that and Downey agrees, describing his suffering as "God's medicine." Dr. Rhodes brings Dr. Downey a lei of flowers, honoring his love of Hawaii and his desire to return to there eventually, and Downey sniffs the flowers, thanking him. Rhodes tells Downey that he is transferring to Rhodes' speciality, starting a cardiothoracic fellowship, to which Downey says he is glad he didn't waste his time mentoring him. Downey tells Rhodes that he has no living family and has left instructions for his cremation. Rhodes holds Downey's hand, and thanks him. Downey tells Rhodes it has been a good ride, and Rhodes agrees, telling him that yes it has, before he cries. As Rhodes leaves the room, Downey codes, and a nurse tells Rhodes, who tells the nurse that Downey has a Do Not Resuscitate order, and she should let him go. Later, several of the others offer their condolences to Rhodes after Downey's death, acknowledging their relationship and Downey's role in mentoring Rhodes. Rhodes asks Sharon Goodwin for a few personal days off, and flies to Hawaii, where he scatters Downey's ashes in the ocean.

During the episode, Dr. Ethan Choi consults Dr. Daniel Charles, Head of Psychiatry, about his parrot's aggressive behaviour, telling him that the parrot has insomnia, behavioural problems, and probably has trauma from having previously lived with a hoarder who neglected him. Choi also mentions that he is having difficulty find the parrot a home. Dr. Charles offers to come meet the parrot personally, over lunch. At Dr. Choi's house, Dr. Choi and Dr. Charles eat sandwiches, and discuss the possibility that the parrot has PTSD. Dr. Charles tells a doubtful Dr. Choi that parrots are highly intelligent and that there is a program that matches vets with parrots who also suffer from PTSD. He advises Dr. Choi to keep the parrot and take care of it, and to hang out with the parrot and teach it some new phrases to say. That evening, at his home, Dr. Choi talks to the parrot, encouraging it to fly by demonstrating with his arms flapping, but the bird doesn't leave his hand. As Dr. Choi leaves his apartment, he tells the parrot he will be back tonight and is surprised to see the parrot has learned the phrase "Be back," which it repeats to him. That night, at Dr. Choi's apartment, Dr. Charles and Choi drink beer and Dr. Choi tells him about the parrot's new phrase. The parrot refuses to repeat it in front of Dr. Charles, but when Choi moves away, the parrot flies onto his shoulder. Dr. Charles tells Choi that he has had more success with the parrot than Charles has had with most his patients.

Also during this episode, April Sexton arrives the hospital, with Tate, her boyfriend, who drops her to the door and kisses her goodbye, which is noticed by Maggie. April and Dr. Will Halstead treat a drunk man who is a facial injury and is aggressive. The man shoves April hard, causing her to crash into a wall and injure herself. Dr. Halstead moves to treat her, asking security to restrain the man. Dr. Halstead notices some soreness when he checks on April, but she refuses a chest x-ray, to see if she has collapsed lung, despite Halstead and Sharon Goodwin's urging. April tells them that they are all over-reacting. At Tate's house, April and Tate put Tate's son to bed and Tate notices that April is some pain with her side hurting. Tate offers to avenge her, and April tells him that she's been injured as a nurse before. Tate suggests that she should leave her job, and marry him instead. April tells Maggie about Tate's proposal, and that she told Tate she would think about it, and Maggie tells her she had better think over her decision carefully. The next day, Dr. Will Halstead notices that April is still wincing in pain and insists that she get the x-ray, sending her to radiology. Dr. Halstead tells April that while the x-ray did not show broken bones, they did find a lesion in her lung suggesting that she might have tuberculosis. April is shocked by the diagnosis, and goes home that night to Tate and his son.

Dr. Will Halstead talks to Maggie about his career, noting that Sharon Goodwin still doesn't like him, in response to which Maggie tells Halstead that he has caused Goodwin a lot of problems. Halstead tells Maggie that he has had offers from hospitals in Miami and California, but that their hospital, Gaffney, is a lost cause as far he is concerned, because he is unlikely to get a job there, and he still hasn't heard back. Maggie tells Halstead that Dr. Manning is not wearing her wedding ring, and that he should think about timing. Later, in the E.R., Maggie Lockwood brings Dr. Will Halstead a letter from the hiring committee, and Dr. Will Halstead, assuming it is a rejection, criticizes them for failing to tell him of their decision face to face. He is taken aback when he reads the letter to find that the committee has offered him a job in the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, as an attending physician in the emergency medicine. Dr. Choi congratulates him, and Dr. Halstead speculates that someone must have overruled Goodwin to hire him. Maggie Campbell tells him that Goodwin must have agreed to hire him, as no one overrules her. Dr. Will Halstead thanks Sharon Goodwin, who tells him that she is concerned he will find a way to get fired as a member of the staff, and wonders how long it will take. In the locker room, Manning talks with Choi about missing her wedding ring, and Choi tells her that when one door closes, another opens. As she is leaving, Dr. Will Halstead tells Manning he got an offer from Gaffney Med and that he is accepting, and promises to never argue with her. Manning points out that as an attending, he won't have to argue as he could just overrule her, but he promises never to do that either.

Sharon Goodwin continues to talk to Maggie about her problems with her husband, Bert, who recently retired and has been urging Sharon to retire as well so that they can go traveling. Her attempt to renovate the basement for him did not succeed, and she tells Maggie she feels like Bert is punishing her for refusing to retire. At the end of the episode, Sharon tells Maggie she will go home and cook her husband a big meal, which should improve his mood. The next day, Peter Kalmick, the hospital counsel, comes by to ask Maggie if she knows where Sharon Goodwin is, as Sharon uncharacteristically missed a budget meeting. Maggie goes to Sharon's house, letting herself in with a key. Sharon is sitting on her couch and tells Maggie that Bert left her, telling Sharon that he wants to be happy in the time that he has left, leading Sharon to conclude that she doesn't make Bert happy. Sharon is completely distraught, insisting that she has to go back to work despite Maggie's suggestion that she stay home and rest. They return to the hospital. Sharon asks Maggie if she looks ready to give their new fourth-year medical students a welcome speech, and Maggie reassures her. Dr. Charles asks Sharon how she is, and tells her she doesn't seem herself lately. Sharon tells him that she hasn't had a good day. Meanwhile, as the new Chief Resident, succeeding Dr. Will Halstead, Dr. Choi gives the new fourth-year medical students a tour of the hospital. Manning and Maggie recognise one of the students, an older student called Jeff Clarke - a former firefighter. Manning introduces Clarke to Halstead, telling him that Jeff Clarke and her dead husband, also named Jeff, were good friends. Later, Manning and Jeff Clarke leave the hospital together. At the end of the episode, Sharon Goodwin eats dinner alone, in her home.

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