Dr. Ted

## Episode Chronology

**"Dr. Ted"** is the sixteenth episode of Season 4 of *The Good Doctor*. It is the seventy-second episode overall and aired on May 10, 2021.

## Synopsis

Shaun struggles with his role as Lea’s partner after complications arise with the pregnancy and his instincts as a medical professional kick in. Meanwhile Dr. Park, Dr. Andrews and Asher disagree on how to address an elderly patient’s wishes.

## Plot

At San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, Claire is still examining Lea, after she doubled down in pain from her abdomen. Claire is doing an ultrasound, while Lea says her OBGYN says it was probably ligament pain. Shaun thinks that the OBGYN was not thorough, and proceeds to show a list of tests he wrote that Lea should do.

Meanwhile, Asher is with another patient who has shortness of breath and they find out she needs oxygen. Her name turns out to be Maxine Stanley, who is 87 years young, and she had passed out on the dance floor. Alex walks up just as she goes into defib but on her bracelet, she has a DNR and Alex tells Asher they can’t do anything. Alex calls the time of death, then she has a heartbeat but her pressure is rising. All of a sudden, Maxine is back and says she is alive, then she asks which one of the bozos did this.

Aaron for his part drops by to see Shaun, and he tells him that Lea is fine and he just needs to relax. He tells him that this should be the most amazing moment of his life, so if he blinks he is going to miss it.

Meanwhile, Lea is still in the hospital and Claire tells her that she is fine. Claire sees the baby’s heart rate fluctuate, so she tells Lea that if Shaun were there he would take a vaginal ultrasound, so she orders it.

Alex walks up to Maxine and tells her that arrhythmia didn’t do any damage. She tells him that she can’t stand when her wishes are ignored. He tells her that her wishes were not disregarded. He tells her that she has pumped in her heart, so when the heart stops, it takes over. That is why she was saved.

Shaun is helping Lea pack up to go home when Claire comes in and tells her that they found something. Lea has type 2 vasa Previa, which is when the fetal blood vessels run across the cervix making them extremely vulnerable. They could rupture at any time, such as when her water breaks but also under other added stress. So if it happens, they could lose the baby.

Audrey, Jordan, Claire, and Shaun look at the images of the baby. Afterwards, he makes his suggestions and Audrey says she agrees, but he should not be on this team. Shaun is citing technicalities, as he is not married to Lea and he can operate. Audrey tells him no and that she will not allow it just to make him feel useful. Shaun then runs to Aaron who says he agrees with Audrey, and that he should not be a part of this team. It is simply too much a gamble because its his future child and girlfriend the other doctors are treating.

Alex, Marcus, and Asher are later discussing Maxine, and how she wants the heart pump to be taken out. Asher does not agree, so Marcus tells him to go speak to their patient then and see if he can change her mind, or maybe she will change his mind.

Eventually Asher finds himself playing mahjong with Maxine, and ends up working up the courage to ask her if she wants to die. She proceeds to say she wants to die on the dance floor with a drink in her hand.

Somewhere else in the hospital, Lea is in surgery, Shaun and Morgan are watching on from above. She tells him that Lea is in good hands, even if they are not his hands.

When Lea is awake from surgery, Shaun tells her the baby is fine, and that she did very well and that the surgery was also a success. So now all they can do, is watch and wait.

Maxine also goes into surgery, so Shaun joins Alex, Marcus, and Asher because he says it will keep his mind off Lea.

Later, when Shaun is with Lea, she is having a pulmonary embolism, so he pages Claire.

Meanwhile, Alex tells Maxine that her surgery was a success. She tells him she feels like she has been run over by a truck. Maxine also has problems putting her lipstick on, so Asher helps her. He tells her that his bubby died when he was in med school, and that he would give anything to have more time with her. She in turn states that she has a favorite nephew, and that it would be great to have more time with him.

As it turns out, Lea has a clot, and unfortunately bed rest can increase the risk of more clots. Shaun tells Lea that they have to insert an IVC filter, which is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. He also reassures her that Claire is a good doctor. He then tells her that he wants to make things better, but he doesn’t know how. She then sees a man and woman with their baby in the hallway, so she tells her boyfriend that that is going to be them somdeday. So he doesn’t have to fix anything, he just has to believe.

Maxine holds a going-away soiree in her room, wheres he tells Asher that she is sorry about his bubby, but what he missed was not more time, it was to say goodbye and this is her saying goodbye. She is refusing the antibiotics, which Alex warns her against.

Maxine is enjoying her tacos at the soiree, Aaron then tells her to enjoy herself, but to just keep the volume down.

Later, Asher sits down beside Shaun who asks him why he is so upset about Maxine refusing treatment, since she has terminal cancer and she is dying, so doctors can’t fix that. Asher tells him that he lost his bubby and more time would have meant everything, because to him time is hope.

Claire eventually finds Shaun alone, so she tells him that she ordered a non-stress test, but that is when she noticed that the baby's heartbeat was getting progressively slower. So she ordered more tests, and it turns out that there wasn’t just one clot, that now there were two. Shaun says he read the results, and that the lungs aren’t responding to the fluids, so the baby can’t survive. Claire asks if he spoke to Lea about it, but he says no. He admits that he can only protect Lea by giving her more time to hope. Claire then asks Shaun if he would like for her to be there, but he says no thank you. So Claire gives him the results, and leaves the room.

Shaun goes in to see Lea, but when she looks at him, she immediately knows something is wrong. He sits on the bed beside her, and as she looks at his face, she starts to cry.

Elsewhere, Maxine wakes up once more and she proceeds to curse.

Audrey then finds herself with Shaun and Lea, where she tells them that medically, Lea can be sedated and have a D&C or some women choose to induce labor so they can hold their child. Lea tells Shaun she has lost her, that they have lost her, and that this is not about medical questions anymore. But she cannot go into labor and not leave there with their baby.

Maxine meanwhile is doing remarkable, because it turns out her body is fighting the infection on its own. She tells Asher and Alex that last night was one of the best nights, and that it brought back memories of her life with her husband and her family. She has had a wonderful life with wonderful people, but they are gone. So now she has to go home alone now.

Aaron tells Asher that it is remarkable that Maxine, ravished with cancer, can get over an infection overnight. He says if Aaron confesses he is going to be upset and if Maxine finds out this could cause a lawsuit. Aaron tells him that he knew it was her decision and he didn’t listen. Aaron says this morning for the first time he saw her pain, he won’t do it again. Aaron tells him that he is going to have to make this right.

Shaun goes in to see Lea, she is in the operating room and about to be sedated. Once she is, he goes outside and Aaron is there. Shaun hugs Aaron, then he walks away.

Asher goes to see Maxine and he tells her that he is sorry things didn’t work out the way she wanted. He then tells her that he some forms she can fill out to end things when she wants, but there are some regulatory hoops she has to get through first. However, Asher wants to help her get through them, so that at no point in this process, is she alone.

When Lea is heading home, Shaun is also with her,and then he grabs their bags as they head out of the hospital.

As Morgan is also leaving the hospital, Alex walks her out.

Afterwards, when Shaun and Lea are home, he brings her a glass of orange juice and sits beside her.

## Cast

* Antonia Thomas as Claire Browne
* Fiona Gubelmann as Morgan Reznick
* Will Yun Lee as Alex Park
* Christina Chang as Audrey Lim
* Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo
* Hill Harper as Marcus Andrews
* Richard Schiff as Aaron Glassman
* Noah Galvin as Asher Wolke
* Veronica Cartwright as Maxine Stanley
* Kett Turton

### Co-Starring

* Dani Manning as Mixologist
* Jihan Amer as Respiratory Tech

## Trivia

* Prior to the premiere of this episode, on May 3, 2021, it was revealed that the series had been renewed for a Season 5.
* Lea miscarries the baby due to complications.
* At the end of the episode, a URL to the Return to Zero: H.O.P.E. organization is shown, which provides resources for pregnancy and infant loss.

## Multimedia

### Episode Stills

*Go to the following page: Dr. Ted/Gallery*

## References

1. ↑ Live Ratings for 4.16: Dr. Ted - Showbuzz Daily
2. ↑ The Good Doctor on The Futon Critic
3. ↑ 4.16 Plot Synopsis - Walt Disney TV Press Site
4. ↑ ‘The Good Doctor’ Renewed For Season 5 At ABC - Deadline