Life and Limb

Season 2, Episode 2

Mario and Elliot treat a woman

**Life and Limb** is the second episode of the second season and the twentieth episode overall of **Code Black**.

## Short Summary

Willis must help a promising young soccer player make a life-altering decision after he's seriously injured when a bus carrying his entire team crashes, and another patient's hesitation to share that she's transgender makes it difficult for the doctors to diagnose her severe abdominal pain.

## Full Summary

Elliot is manning the radios. When a call comes in for Angels base, Eloise tells him to answer, because he's Angels base. They're on the scene of a school bus versus truck involving a high school soccer team. There are three DOA already and fifteen critical.

**5 minutes until first victims of MVA arrive**

Mike is still in a coma. Angus tells him he has to wake up. Mike moves a single finger.

**2 minutes until first victims of MVA arrive**

Mario and Malaya come in and he tells them about the finger moving. Malaya says it's great, but Mario says it could be if it was voluntary. Angus things Mike was responding to him. Their pagers go off.

**1 minute until first victims of MVA arrive**

They go to greet the incoming and Angus follows.

Rollie unloads a 17 year old with blunt trauma. He's lost pulse again.

Leanne unloads the driver.

Mario takes a patient with facial trauma.

Ethan greets Holden Paxton. He takes him inside.

As Malaya tries to intubate, she asks if he's the bus driver. A medic tells her the bus driver died on scene. This is the semi driver. He drifted into their lane. Malaya wants to order a tox screen, but Leanne tells her to focus.

Ethan examines Holden, who is more worried about his teammates. His knee is dislocated, but he's dislocated it before, so he tells them not to sedate him before reducing it.

Malaya's having a hard time intubating.

Mario has Elliot take over compressions. Elliot starts and then quickly stops and gags. There's brain matter coming out of the kid's ear. Mario pronounces him dead and says Elliot has six seconds to process before meeting him outside.

Angus wheels in Alex Paxton, the coach. He wants to find his son, who is the team captain.

Ethan reduces Holden's knee.

Leanne is finally able to intubate the driver.

Noa's compressions slow down, but Rollie reminds her not to stop even for a second. Ethan comes over to check on that patient after sending Holden out with Charlotte. He sees that James is a lost cause and Rollie admits that that's true. Risa calls out that there are four more ambulances on their way.

Holden is in a room, upset about James's death.

Eloise says they can't identify the players because they're in uniforms and their IDs are in their bags under the bus.

Charlotte examines Holden's leg. He asks about his dad. He then recognizes Charlotte as an actress. Charlotte calls for Jesse's help. Jesse takes a look and calls over Ethan. He has no pulse in his foot. He needs surgery to fix the damaged artery.

Away from the bed, Ethan questions Charlotte's motives. She says she's there to practice medicine and asks if Holden is going to lose his leg. Leanne comes in and Charlotte defends what she did to both of them, explaining using the exact page number from the textbook it's in. Ethan says she should have ordered a doppler. Charlotte's worried that he'll lose his leg and it's her fault. Leanne says it isn't and sends her back to Holden. Once she's gone, Leanne tells Ethan that Charlotte was top of her class and she's a first-year resident and no prepared for the consequences of a mistake like she made. Ethan says no one is.

Alice Williams asks for the police to leave her husband's room. She's married to the driver, Danny Williams. He's unconscious. Alice thinks her husband just fell asleep. He does what he can to stay awake. Alice says her husband works hard and he's not a criminal. He couldn't bear knowing that he killed people. Leanne says they have to hope his swelling goes down. Alice wonders if that means he's going to die.

Campbell is operating on Holden. Heather is bored because she isn't assisting. He lets her finish suturing the anastomosis, which she does quickly. There are no leaks, but the tissue isn't perfusing. It's not her fault. It was just too late. The leg is no longer viable. They need to amputate below the knee, but because he's a child, they have to get his father's consent first.

Beth has lower abdominal pain. She's had it for over a month, but she has a high threshold for pain. Her girlfriend, Rose, agrees that she's tough. Mario tells Elliot to do a pelvic exam and orders tests. Elliot gives her a pillow to position her and prepares to do the exam.

Charlotte finds Ethan. She knows she was right and Holden will lose his leg. She wants to go with him to tell Holden's father. Ethan says she can, but not to get emotional. That's their right, not hers.

Ethan asks Alex for consent for Holden's amputation. Alex says he's a great soccer player. He'd rather die than have his leg amputated. Ethan says the consequences of doing nothing are grave.

A man is in the ER, confused and muttering to himself about Sally. He struggles as Noa tries to sedate him. Angus and Mario help, but when Mario is distracted when Vincent Savetti walks in, the patient pushes them back and starts running. He shoves Noa into a cabinet, but Mario is able to tackle him and restrain him while Angus checks out Noa. Vince asks if it's always like that there and Mario asks what he's doing there.

Mario tells Vince he'll need staples and a CT for the cut on his head. He says he doesn't remember how he got hurt. He asks Mario for money, but Mario won't give it to him.

Angus stitches up Noa's forehead. He hopes it won't scar, but she says that's nothing compared to the one of her back from skateboarding. Rollie is examining the patient, now sedated in a bed. Noa notices that his ring is from Langley Academy. She knows a bunch of people who went there and even dated a few. She uses the name from the ring, Goddard, and checks the alumni website to get a first name, Mark. He has a Facebook and they have mutual friends, so she texts one, who says he's been missing and his brother's been looking for him. His bother, Brian Goddard, lives in LA.

Elliot comes to get Mario, who says he gives off a panicked vibe, which he needs to work on. Beth's CT scan showed prostatitis. She's trans. They go to talk to her.

Brian has arrived. He hasn't seen his brother in over a year. He's schizophrenic and disappeared when he went off his meds. They asks if he knows who Sally is. He pulls out a case and shows them that Sally is Mark's trumpet. He shows Sally to Mark.

Beth says she should have said something, but when she does, it's all anyone wants to talk about, especially doctors. She was never meant to be a man. But her surgery didn't remove her prostate. It's infected, so they need to start antibiotics. Rose overhears this and is shocked. Beth says she's still her and she was going to tell Rose, but Rose asks when she was going to tell her. Rose leaves.

Leanne is doing an ultrasound on Danny. He goes into V-tach. They're able to restore sinus rhythm, but he's in carcinogenic shock. The trauma put too much strain on his heart. His wife knows he's not going to make it. Leanne asks if there's anyone they can call for her.

Holden is on the phone. Alex tells Ethan he's calling other hospitals to get a second opinion. Ethan says he needs to trust them.

Outside Holden's room, Ethan tells Alex he needs to stop Holden right now. If he doesn't get the surgery, he's going to die. Alex says he consented, but the doctors have to make him do it because he can't. For the rest of his life, Alex will be the guy who convinced Holden to take his leg off.

Ethan goes back into the room and tells Holden to put his phone down. He knows Holden doesn't like to give up. He's never lost a game. Ethan says he's sorry Holden lost this one, but it's over. It's time to start a new game and it'll be tougher, but if he works, he'll be just as good at it. The team needs their captain to show them the way.

They wheel Holden to surgery. Campbell asks about the delay for his first surgery. Ethan takes the blame for not getting the doppler, but Charlotte says that it was her. She doesn't want to be treated special there, like she has her whole life. Campbell warns her not to say anything to the family about it. He needs to talk to council first. After she's gone, Campbell tells Ethan that she put them at risk for being sued.

Brian sits by Mark's bed. He starts singing to his brother as Angus watches from afar.

Jesse tells Rose that two of his doctors didn't know, including one who did a pelvic exam. She's a beautiful woman. Rose agrees. They've been together for a few months, but Rose was falling in love. Jesse says lots of different people come to the hospital on the worst day of their lives. The thing they all have in common is needing another human being to care for them. That taught him that they are all exactly the same. Rose says she's been trying to figure out how to tell Beth she's not really 38. Jesse says it might be a good time.

Elliot has placed Beth's catheter. Instead of urine, pus comes out. He starts to freak out. Beth tries to calm him down, but then passes out herself. She's in septic shock, so he takes her Center Stage.

Mario tells Vince his CT is clean. He needs to have his staples taken out in a week. Vince asks for money again, but Mario says he needs to stop drinking. Mario says Vince doesn't know him anymore, but Vince says he's the only one who does. He then leans over the side of the bed and throws up blood. Mario pushes him on his side and they suction the blood. Angus comes to help. They use an IO drill to get access so they could transfuse blood. His pressure goes back up. He has bleeding varices from liver failure due to all his drinking.

Beth is septic. Leanne is having trouble putting in a line. Ethan asks how long she's been there. She and Jesse tease each other about how long they've worked at the hospital, but Ethan says he meant that shift. She says it's been a few shifts. Ethan comes over to where she is and takes over. He's able to place the line.

Malaya and Noa contemplate the contents of the vending machine. Noa says Charlotte has some great trail-mix bars, but Malaya says she went upstairs to talk to Holden. Noa rushes to stop her.

Charlotte tells Holden there are things they can do to help him cope with his amputation. He says he hasn't looked at his leg yet. He's scared to and doesn't want to do it in front of his dad. She says he can look at it with her. He pulls back the blankets and looks at his leg. He says it's shocking. He says his dad is playing it so cool, but he's devastated. He had high hopes for Holden. Charlotte starts to tell Holden, but Noa interrupts and tells her they need her downstairs for an emergency.

Aside, Noa asks Charlotte if she's trying to ruin her career. Charlotte wanted a friend, so Noa's trying to be one.

Jesse tells Mario Beth will be okay. She's on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Elliot comes up and tells them he's a virgin. He thinks that made him miss something on the pelvic exam. Jesse says that's not true.

Danny's not responding to treatment. They took his breathing tube out to make him more comfortable. He's been in and out of consciousness. Alice asks if the got the tox screen results. They did. Danny wakes up. He knows there was an accident and asks if he killed anyone. Leanne tells him no. No one died. She tells him to rest.

Malaya asks Leanne why she lied. The tox screen showed amphetamines. Leanne says he's already paying the ultimate price, so she chose grace.

Vince wakes up and asks what's going on. Mario tells him he have liver disease and almost died. They saved him, but they'll have to watch him for a while. Vince says Mario's not better than him. He's a fake and everyone knows it. He's a disappointment. Mario says right now, he's Vince's doctor.

Two soldiers come with Ethan to see Holden. They're part of the prosthetics department. Ethan shows off a robotic arm. Holden says he needs a leg, but Ethan says they have lots of those. One of the soldiers lifts up his pant leg to show off his own prosthetic leg.

Mario tells Beth the antibiotics are working. And also, she's not pregnant in case she was worried. He asks her to explain it to her. She was a straight man who became a lesbian? Beth says she always loved women. That didn't change when she became one. It's not that complicated. He says he gets it. Some people don't understand who he is either. Rose pulls back the curtain and apologizes to Beth. She says it's a lot to take in. Beth says she's sorry, too. She wanted to tell Rose, but she was scared. She wanted Rose to see her as her, not as someone the world used to see as a man. Rose asks how she could do that if Beth doesn't let her in. Rose says she loves Beth because she's the first person Rose met that makes her feel like her. Rose does that for Beth as well. Beth tells Rose she loves her, too. Rose leans in and kisses Beth.

Ethan says even in a war zone, they slept. Leanne tells him good night. He asks if Charlotte will make it. She's not going to let Campbell dump her, but she doesn't know if Charlotte will make it. The stakes are too high for everyone to make it through. She has what it takes to get there, now they have to see if she has what it takes to stay. She then asks Ethan why he's there. He owes the Army two years. They decided to put him there until his tour is over. He says he won't give up on Charlotte and leaves.

Holden is being wheeled to talk to his team. Charlotte's not sure she should be there, but Ethan tells her he wanted his doctors with him. Ethan says she's not to blame for what happened. Holden asks if they're coming and they start following him to the waiting room, where his team stands as he approaches.

Angus is surprised that Mario's father could be disappointed when he's a doctor. They hear a trumpet start playing. Mark plays Sally while the whole hospital watches and listens. *Angus remembers sitting by Mike's bed.* Brian comes in and sees Mark playing. He starts to cry.

## Cast

* Leanne Rorish
* Will Campbell
* Malaya Pineda
* Rollie Guthrie
* Angus Leighton
* Mario Savetti
* Heather Pinkney
* Jesse Sallander
* Ethan Willis
* Vincent Savetti
* Charlotte Piel
* Elliot Dixon
* Noa Kean
* Alex Paxton
* Brian Goddard
* Rose
* Beth
* Holden Paxton
* Alice Williams
* Risa Park
* Danny Williams
* Mark Goddard
* Nurse Eloise Munello
* Medic #1 (right)
* Medic #2 (left)
* Medic #3 (center)
1/26
### Main Cast

* Marcia Gay Harden as Dr. Leanne Rorish
* Boris Kodjoe as Dr. Will Campbell
* 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
* Jillian Murray as Dr. Heather Pinkney
* Luis Guzmán as Jesse Sallander
* Rob Lowe as Col. Ethan Willis

### Guest Starring

* Eric Roberts as Vincent Savetti
* Nafessa Williams as Dr. Charlotte Piel
* Noah Gray-Cabey as Dr. Elliot Dixon
* Emily Tyra as Dr. Noa Kean
* Christopher Wiehl as Alex Paxton
* Charlie Barnett as Brian Goddard
* Julie McNiven as Rose
* Alexandra Grey as Beth
* Jonathon McClendon as Holden Paxton
* Camryn Manheim as Alice Williams

### Co-Starring

* Angela Relucio as Risa Park
* John Deignan as Danny Williams
* Adrian Burks as Mark Goddard
* Abigail Klein as Nurse Eloise
* Terrence Edwards as Medic #1
* Amy Shelton-White as Medic #2
* Aris Mendoza as Medic #3

## Medical Notes

### Mike Leighton

* **Diagnosis:**

* **Doctors:**

* **Treatment:**

Mike was still in a coma after his fall. While Angus sat with him, he moved his hand.

### James

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Blunt trauma to the chest
	+ Abdominal trauma

* **Doctors:**
	+ Rollie Guthrie *(ER physician)*
	+ Ethan Willis *(ER physician)*
	+ Noa Kean *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Attempted resuscitation

James, 17, came into the hospital after a car accident. He had blunt trauma to his chest and abdominal trauma. He lost pulse in the field and again as he arrived at the hospital. They did CPR, but they were unable to get his pulse back and he was pronounced dead.

### Danny Williams

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Bruises
	+ Abrasions
	+ Cardiogenic shock

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Pressors

Danny came in after a school bus vs. semi crash. He was semi-conscious with multiple bruises and abrasions. They intubated him with difficulty, but he remained unconscious. He later coded, but they were able to defibrillate. Ultrasound showed carcinogenic shock. His wife was told he wouldn't make it. He didn't respond to pressors. He regained consciousness and talked to his wife, but they lied to him and told him no one died.

### Soccer Player

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Facial trauma

* **Doctors:**
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Elliot Dixon *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**

A soccer player came in after a car accident with facial trauma. He'd been coding for twenty minutes before they brought him into the ER. He had brain matter coming out of his ear, so they pronounced him dead at 5:07 PM.

### Holden Paxton

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Dislocated knee
	+ Arterial damage

* **Doctors:**
	+ Ethan Willis *(ER physician)*
	+ Will Campbell *(surgeon)*
	+ Charlotte Piel *(ER resident)*
	+ Heather Pinkney *(surgical resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Closed reduction
	+ Below-the-knee amputation

Holden, 16, came into the ER after a car accident. His knee was dislocated, so Ethan reduced it in the ER. Later, in his room, he had serious pain in his leg, which was pulseless. He was taken into surgery, where they repaired the artery in his leg, but his tissue didn't perfuse and his lower leg was no longer viable, so they needed to amputate his leg below the knee. Holden refused the amputation, but his father consented. His leg was amputated and he was stable and awake afterward.

### Beth

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Prostatitis
	+ Sepsis

* **Doctors:**
	+ Leanne Rorish *(ER physician)*
	+ Ethan Willis *(ER physician)*
	+ Mario Savetti *(ER resident)*
	+ Elliot Dixon *(ER resident)*

* **Treatment:**
	+ Pressors
	+ Norepinephrine
	+ Broad-specturm antibiotics

Beth was in the ER with abdominal pain. Elliot did a pelvic exam and ran a CT, which showed prostatitis. They started antibiotics. When Elliot put in a catheter, all that came out was pus, meaning the infection had spread. He moved her to center stage. She was in sepsis and they had trouble getting access. Once they got a line, they started pressors and norepinephrine. She was then put on broad-spectrum antibiotics.

### Mark Goddard

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Schizophrenia

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Anti-psychotics

Mark came into the ER, confused and unable to identify himself. He struggled against the doctors and broke free, but was quickly subdued and restrained. Noa used his class ring to identify him and get the name of his brother. They gave him anti-psychotics and sedated him. His brother later told them he was schizophrenic and would get like this when he was off his meds.

### Vincent Savetti

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Forehead laceration
	+ Bleeding varices

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Staples
	+ Blood transfusion

Vince came into the ER with a laceration to his forehead. Mario put in staples and ran a CT, which was clear. He was told he'd need to have his staples taken out in a week. He suddenly started coughing up blood. His liver was failing because of alcoholism. They used an IO drill to get access to transfuse blood and then kept him for observation.

### Noa Kean

* **Diagnosis:**
	+ Forehead laceration

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

* **Treatment:**
	+ Stitches

Noa got a cut on her forehead after a patient pushed her down. Angus put in stitches for her.

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode scored 5.87 million viewers.