The Good Doctor – Fractured

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea (Paige Spara) wake up early for their flight home. Lea wonders if he wants to talk about last night. Shaun does not. They soon stop at a gas station. Shaun reveals to Glassman (Richard Schiff) about how he spent the night embracing Lea after his emotional meltdown. He says that it felt different when compared to Carly (Jasika Nicole). Glassman agrees that Lea has been a good friend, but asks Shaun to make up his mind before it gets too late.

It’s noon and Morgan (Fiona Gubelmann) is surprised to see Shaun back already. She hopes that he’s fine. Shaun mentions about his father’s demise and the uncomfortable return flight. Soon Nurse Villanueva (Elfina Luk) wheels in a tibia fracture patient, Kerry Gaston (Milauna Jackson), who fell down while mountain biking with her husband Boyd (Tongayi Chirisa). Morgan suggests painkillers to curb the pain, but Kerry is adamant that she doesn’t want them as she had a Vicodin reaction in the past. She is confident that she’ll be able to bear this since she got through child birth. Morgan is shocked to learn that a broken leg pain is less than labor. The residents send Kerry in for imaging.

Park (Will Yun Lee) and Claire (Antonia Thomas) treat Luca (Moises Arias), a patient with bloating in the abdominal region and possible intestinal blockage. Claire recommends an X-Ray, but Luca wants to be cleared out with laxatives alone given he’s unemployed and has no medical insurance. Claire suggests skipping the X-Ray and making do with meds but he would have to stay until he gets a healthy bowel movement and they get some peace of mind. Luca agrees.

Shaun goes to pathology to deliver Kerry’s samples. Carly is hurt that he never returned her calls or texts. Shaun says he was busy but eventually admits that he didn’t know what to say. Carly wishes that he understood how she felt upon being ignored. Shaun is at a loss of words.

Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) finds Claire researching PTSD. Apprehensively, she reveals about her ongoing therapy and how she apparently has developed the disorder which she thinks is a stretch. Melendez believes that doctors make the worst patients. He asks her to remain curious and keep her mind open. Claire soon rushes down to the ER to find Luca who was trying to escape after taking the laxatives but collapsed a few steps away. Judging by his demeanor, Park senses that he’s a drug mule. The residents admit him back in for treatment.

Morgan and Shaun are at Kerry’s MRI. Morgan learns how impressively Carly reacted to Shaun ghosting her. She feels that he’s split between Carly and Lea. Personally, Morgan prefers the smarter, prettier and considerate Carly over unpredictable and flaky Lea. Shaun disagrees with her second statement. He points at Kerry’s MRI results. Kerry needs surgery. They inform her but she still says no to narcotics. She reveals about a past opioid addiction that her family has no idea about and how she worries that narcotics could throw her off the wagon. The residents take it to Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper). Morgan and Shaun brainstorm over anesthetic options but they get to nowhere and finally decide on creating nerve block by playing music during surgery and employing pins instead of a long nail to reduce pain. They take it to the Gaston’s. Boyd wonders if no other option is available. Morgan blames Kerry’s medical history. Soon, the surgery is underway. They play music and administer pins as discussed while regulating any shoot in BP with Beta blockers.

At Luca’s MRI he reveals how poverty threw him into drug dealing and how he wishes that it remained a simple stupid mistake. Claire empathizes with him, but she is unable to change Park’s mind. Upon finding heroin balloons packed in his gut, Park decides to involve the police. Melendez doesn’t want to twist hospital policies either. Luca though doesn’t want to get treated and is about to walk away. However, he is too weak for that. Claire shares that her own poverty-ridden childhood she spent hopping from one trailer to another with a bipolar and impulsive mother. She asks for one hour and if she can’t get a better solution then Luca is free to leave. He agrees. Claire discusses alternatives with Park and Melendez. Park doesn’t empathize with the felon, but Claire explains that poverty is the culprit. She gives her own childhood example of how she once sought to stealing food when her mom abandoned her for a long while. It turns out she got caught by a someone when her bag gave way and showed everything that she stole. She was given a warning which gave her a second chance and allowed her to become a doctor. Melendez decides to be slightly more considerate to Luca.

Shaun needs to use the elevator. He finds Carly in there and starts to walk away, but she asks him to stop avoiding her. Confused by his behavior, Carly wonders if something is up between him and Lea. Shaun reveals that he likes her but feels the need to impress her while there’s no such pressure when he’s around Lea.

Park and Claire explain to Luca how they can remove the balloons, send them to the lab as per protocol and yet have him discharged way before the results arrive. Luca is still apprehensive about their intentions, but Park suggests thanking Claire who went way beyond her call to make life easier for him. Luca thanks her.

It’s late. Shaun is at the nurses station preparing a pro-con list for Lea and Carly. Dr. Andrews asks him to go home and rest, but Shaun doesn’t want to face either of the women. Instead, he asks him how he knew that his wife was the one for him. Andrews is impressed upon being approached for personal advice as it was primarily Glassman’s domain. Shaun thinks he’s better at this as Dr. Glassman’s a divorcee. Andrews recalls how he felt excited every time he saw Isobel and that she sped up his heartbeat.

Shaun gets home. Lea asks how his day was and soon learns that Carly might’ve created an issue. She’s ready to talk about it if he wants to. Shaun does not. Instead, he sits beside her and checks his pulse. He shifts closer and checks again. Lea finds it odd but lets him be. Shaun realizes that his pulse does not escalate at all. He soon gets a call from Morgan who asks him to get back as Kerry’s condition is deteriorating.

He and Andrews rush back and ask Kerry to give consent for additional surgery which would need administration of narcotics, without which she could die from a heart attack. Kerry still sticks to her decision. Morgan wonders if Boyd could change Kerry’s mind, but Andrews reminds her that they cannot reveal anything to him in the first place. He gets an idea and soon meets Boyd to inform about the new surgery, but repeatedly says that he’s being forced to withhold details. Confused, Boyd approaches Kerry and asks her to tell him everything. She does and worries that she’ll be left alone if she falls off the wagon. Boyd empathizes with her, asks her not to worry and accept the traditional narcotics during surgery. Kerry reveals that she is not that strong to take chances. Andrews sighs as he preps for Kerry’s painful surgery ahead.

Luca’s surgery is underway. Melendez successfully removes all the balloons except the last one which is at a tricky angle. Claire suggests using Potts scissors. Impressed, Melendez asks her to remove it and gives her the honors of closing the incision as well.

It’s morning. Shaun is still on call. He makes a list of things he loves about Carly and reads it out to her. Carly appreciates it but wishes that he opened up. Shaun reveals everything about that night. Carly tears up as she realizes that even though they struggled to lie down together for days Shaun accomplished that with Lea in one night. She walks away, distressing Shaun. Physically and emotionally drained, he rushes to Glassman. He asks Shaun to take a seat as he starts to break down recollecting how his dad never wanted him, his mom never prioritized him, Carly left him, Lea would get tired of him and Glassman himself would get sick of him. He cannot deal with it as he is due in the OR in a few minutes and wonders if everyone will eventually leave him. Glassman warns him to never ever think so lowly of himself and says that he has never been more proud of Shaun. He goes on to say he will never abandon him and given how brilliant a surgeon he is he will pull himself together and go to surgery. Overwhelmed, Shaun hugs him. Feeling better and collected, Shaun leaves for the OR.

The surgeons operate on Kerry without anesthesia. Kerry is writhing in pain. As Andrews hammers down a nail in her knee she grasps Shaun’s hand for support. Shaun allows her to hold on to him tightly as the team hurries up with the procedure.

Luca’s surgery is successful. He blames the unfortunate circumstances which he’s faced in life responsible for making him turn into a cynic with trust issues. He thanks Claire for looking out for him and hopes to repay her good deed in the future. Happy with the day, Claire later meets Dr. Donna (Kelly-Ruth Mercier) for her session and speaks about the day she had. However, she doesn’t talk about Breeze being gone even upon being asked. Donna realizes that she’s going down a self-destructive path by shutting out her mother’s death. Claire gets paged. She rushes back to the hospital only to learn from Park and Melendez that Luca broke into the lab, collected his drug stash and fled. Now, the police are investigating by tracking down security footage but they have no leads. Later, Melendez gives company to Claire who reflects upon how right Breeze had been about her. She does put her trust in the wrong people and constantly feels like a fool. Melendez considers “trying to look for the good in people” to be an admirable quality and, in spite of all of Claire’s shortcomings, he still feels grateful to work with her. Claire thanks him for the uplifting words.

Visibly exhausted, Shaun finally heads home and finds Carly at the bench near his bus stop. She asks him to have a seat. She recalls the first time they met and how she adored his caring nature. Then, she remembers working alongside him in pathology and how he came across to be a genuine guy. Today she saw his truthful side. Even though he did hurt her, she still wants to see him but it’d only work if he stopped living with Lea. Shaun absorbs what he just heard by repeating her sentence. Aware that it would be a big change for him, Carly gives him time to think and is about to leave when Shaun grasps her hand. He agrees to it as he wants to be with her and loves her. Carly is shocked. They get closer and embrace each other to celebrate love for one another.