MAN: When it comes down to it, there are really only two kinds of gambler in this world:
the gambler who will risk a few quid on very long odds
or the gambler who will risk a fortune on very low odds.
In the end, what really matters is how you handle losing.
If you let it destroy you, well, you weren't really a gambler in the first place.
Forgive me if I'm starting to sound like Kenny Rogers here.
I don't gamble. Really?
We need to insert this catheter to release pressure in her brain.
You hit the wrong area and you wreck her brain forever.
This procedure is your bread and butter.
Get it right, no-one's impressed.
Get it wrong, it's catastrophic.
So, how will we know we're pushing the catheter in the right direction?
You'll feel a give when the catheter enters the ventricle?
By that time, you know you're right, so that's no help.
Dr Wilson?
I don't know. Correct.
We don't know. The odds are good.
I'm an expert, but the stakes couldn't be higher.
Her future.
So, it seems to me, Dr Springer,
you'd better learn how to gamble.
You take Dr Wilson for a glass of water while I collect my winnings.
I get it. The fluid off the brain, right?
That's like your winnings. No, my winnings of Shepherd here.
He offered me 5:2 I wouldn't hit the occipital horn in one go..
Do you think we scared him too much?
I hope so, Shepherd. I sincerely hope so.
I gave you 2:1, by the way, not 5:2.
Anna, why didn't you wake me?!
What? Hello?
You see what time it is?
What were you thinking?
Why didn't you wake me? I did wake you.
Have you seen what time it is?
Where's the car? Nick!
Nick?
Wake up! Oi! Wake up! What?
Where's the car? I left it in town. Too much to drink.
Perfect. Thanks.
Left it in town. Give me that. That's my...
He got beaten. Steeple hasn't had a win all season and he's high in the weights. Yeah, hold on.
St Matthew's please.
Ah, nice of you to join us.
I look to you for many things, Shepherd. Sarcasm isn't one of them.
Well, I've been on a training course: Winning Irony for the Single Male.
When's Nick off? Tomorrow.
Leaving behind just memories, a large overdraft
and a bedroom only government scientists are allowed to enter.
Ah, Sally Fortune, pocket dynamo!
Walk beside me a while and share your wisdom.
Alison Bannister, 29-year-old woman, admitted through A&E.
Case history? Didn't feel too good last night.
Started with dizzy spells, then she tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come.
She's been having headaches and absences for some time, but her GP couldn't find anything wrong.
Then she found she couldn't move her right arm. Thought she was having a stroke.
MRI scan showed a tumour in the left temporal region,
which is where you come in, I believe.
Where is she? Over here.
This is Mr Monroe, the surgeon I was telling you about.
And you are?
I'm a neurosurgeon. I will tell you the truth at all times and you can ask me anything.
Springer, go and talk to some patients.
Try not to be offensive or patronising,
although I realise your age, education and social class make this virtually impossible.
Now, I know how strange it is to be in hospital,
and I know how strange it is to sit by a bed like this.
Give me your arms, please. Hold them up.
That's it. Turn your hands palms up. Close your eyes.
You're a surgeon? Is she going to need an operation?
What do you do for a job, Alison?
I work in a bank, giving mortgage advice.
OK, what's the best deal you can offer me on a Ã£100,000 property with a 20% deposit?
Keep wiggling your fingers as you work it out.
A tracker, 4.15%.
Works out at monthly payments of around Ã£400.
That's good. That's good.
It's a buyer's market. Ah-ha.
OK, I'll come back and talk to you once I've seen the results of your scan.
What's your son studying at university? Philosophy.
Well, if he's going to be on the dole he might as well have something to think about.
Ha-ha! Shepherd, ready for a new day wrestling with 3lb of pinky-grey matter?
Just so I'm clear, you are talking about the brain, aren't you?
Here, I hope you've got the funds to cover my winnings.
I don't need them. She's terrible on the soft.
It's been pissing down on Beverley. Pissing down on Beverley?
Don't you just love the old songs the best? Hah!
Now, not forgetting that the scan reverses the image from the brain,
what do you say to that?
A temporal lobe lesion. No.
No? Dr Wilson, do you speak, or are you here on some scheme for the disadvantaged?
High-grade glioma? No!
You say this:
you bastard!
Personalise the tumour. Name it after someone you hate.
It is the enemy. There can only be one winner.
Does it have to be that aggressive?
You're taking your knife to someone's head. The only difference between you and a psychopath is good A-levels.
Do you know what Voltaire said about medicine? No. Well, find out.
Ah, Miss Bremner... Fresh meat, I see.
Dr Malory, Dr Witney, surgical trainees.
This is Mr Monroe, neurosurgeon.
Is it me, or are your trainees better looking than my trainees?
I'd love to pretend to be amused by your lame badinage, but I've got a suspected tamponade coming in.
Badinage, tamponade... When she speaks, it's like poetry.
Mrs Khan, aged 65. Road traffic accident.
When she's stabilised, she's got a depressed skull fracture just for you.
So we'll be like a team? Not a team, more of an unfortunate coincidence.
Who decided her heart was the priority? I did.
Not much point in patching up her heart if she's brain-dead.
I read your paper on mitral valve aftercare, Miss Bremner.
I had a couple of questions. You're intelligent. Put them in writing.
Springer... Do I sense a preference for cardiac, or is it just lust?
No. She wrote this paper. One thing you need to remember.
The brain is a mysterious, multi-faceted complex organ that contains our unique humanity.
The heart, when it comes down to it, is just a pump.
No.1, let's forget all this talk about tumours.
Tumour is Latin for lump, OK?
The other thing you should know
is I am 99% certain that it is not cancerous.
OK. That's good, isn't it?
The reason you've been unwell is that the tumour is in your temporal lobe, here.
It's been causing pressure on your brain.
And will it happen again?
It will, and worse, it will grow.
If we do nothing, and let it grow, it will kill you.
I can't say how soon, but it won't be any longer than five years.
It doesn't...feel real.
It doesn't feel like I've got a tumour.
That sounds stupid, doesn't it? It doesn't sound stupid.
And can you take it out? I can.
I'm very good at that, but there are some risks to surgery.
What kind of risks?
It's unlikely, but you could lose your memory.
You could suffer paralysis down one side.
So it wouldn't be me any more, would it?
I'm sorry. I have to tell you the bad stuff that might happen.
But, at the end of the day, it's my choice?
It is.
But, to be honest with you, it's not really a choice at all, is it?
I think it is, Mr Monroe.
I think it is.
Oh, any sign of our car accident, Mrs Khan?
Is that a genuine enquiry or are you niggling because her heart's taken priority over her brain?
I'd rather have a dodgy heart and a good brain. I'm sure Mrs Khan would agree.
I know cardiac isn't your specialism, so I'll spell this out.
Mrs Khan is an elderly patient, whose heart is bleeding as a result of a car accident.
If I don't do something about that as soon as she gets here, she will die.
You're very defensive. I'm not defensive.
I'm just indifferent to your twinkly self-regard.
Talking of dodgy hearts, I'm going for a smoke.
Is this where you tell me the real story, is it?
It is. It'll kill you in the end.
You're the one doing the operating issue I'm worried about.
Have you cried yet?
Is that important? It is actually. You'd be surprised.
Will she agree to the operation? I don't know.
Do you want her to agree?
What would you do? If you were in my position.
I would say, "How soon can you do it?" And before you ask, I have been in your position.
I can't imagine life without her. She's my best mate an' all. She's everything.
If you want her to have the operation, and I've seen this a thousand times,
you go in there and tell her you will love her no matter what the outcome.
That's how people are convinced, not with statistics,
not with promises from surgeons, but with promises from loved ones.
You want me to persuade her, and I want you to tell me the odds of that bad stuff happening.
One in ten. How do you think she'd feel about those chances?
What about what I feel about her chances? You say what she needs to hear to get through this.
Your feelings just went on hold. No offence, but they don't count for shit right now.
Hello. Can I help you? It's my wife. I'm waiting for my wife.
Do you know where they were taking her? Mr Khan?
Hello. I'm Miss Bremner, cardiac surgeon.
I'll be doing the operation on your wife when she's stabilised.
What does that mean? It means I'll be operating on her soon.
You must promise me you will take good care of her.
It's my job to take good care of her, Mr Khan.
Dr Witney here will see you up to ITU. All right?
I need to be with my wife. She doesn't want strangers pulling her this way and that.
I've told him she's sedated, so it doesn't matter, but...
It's the love of his life. No other explanation needed.
Mr Khan, you come with me. I know a short cut to ITU.
We'll be there before them. What Miss Bremner lacks in manners, she makes up for in expertise.
Hiya. Hi, Dad. You're late!
Are you going somewhere? Oh, ha-ha-ha-ha!
Will you miss me?
I have to have seen more of you to miss you.
Are you not taking the punch bag as well?
You might need it when you're feeling frustrated by the demands of philosophy.
You promised you wouldn't do this. It is a proper subject, Dad.
That's right, because at every accident scene,
you hear the cry, "Is anyone a qualified philosopher?"
Just ignore him. I do. I will.
Monroe.
Oh, really? Oh, yeah, well, that's right.
Tomorrow? Really?
OK. I'd better come and talk to them.
Right, I've got to nip back to hospital. ITU have magicked me up a bed.
Good old ITU! I'll meet you at the restaurant.
Order me something medium-rare. I'm ordering you pizza.
To quote my son, "Ha-ha-ha!"
Dr Witney, I presume?
Hello. Daniel Springer, Monroe's prodigy.
How are you finding it with Bremner? A bit of a nightmare, I expect?
You just have to be good at what you do. That's all there is to it.
I think that's my problem. I'm a bit too good.
Oh. Right.
That's a nice problem to have.
Oh, come on. I think we both know we're the alpha males in our respective packs.
Team Prodigy, you might say. Team Prodigy?
Priceless.
I'd heard you were a bit of a dick.
I want to get at least 95% of the tumour out,
but I don't want to damage any of the good stuff,
so after we've done the painful bit,
we'll wake you up so you're conscious during part of the operation.
That way, we can map out the areas of your brain that control speech and movement.
We'll touch your brain with a very small electrode,
and then we'll know not to go near them.
Right.
It doesn't hurt. The brain doesn't feel pain.
It's clever that way.
Is it... Is it safe?
It's safe, but it's weird.
If you want really weird, I've got a clip of a man playing the banjo while his brain's being operated on.
I don't mean to...
The thing is, this will sound rude, but, you know, how good...
I mean... You want to know how good I am.
See that?
Steady as a rock.
Unfortunately, this is my gun hand.
Do you have children? Uh-huh.
I have a grown-up son and a 13-year-old girl.
We wanted to have children, but I wanted to wait.
You can still have children.
Should have done everything sooner.
You always think you have forever, and now I don't.
Look, I am good at this, you know.
I know you can't promise me it's going to be all right.
No, I can't,
but I can promise you it isn't going to be all right if we do nothing.
Oh, just one other thing... Yeah. What's that?
What are your Desert Island Discs?
No. No. Leave it.
He likes it cold.
Dr Witney! Everything OK with the Khans? Yes.
Why wouldn't it be? No reason. He just might need a bit of propping up.
Did a group hug ever once produce a better surgical outcome? Enlighten me if it did.
Dr Malory, you appear to be wearing my clogs.
Sorry about that. They were the only pair that fitted me.
They're my lucky clogs. I don't like anybody else wearing them.
Dr Malory, leave the clogs on your feet.
I'd hate to do anything to upset anybody.
You just have, Dr Malory.
Sorry I didn't make the restaurant.
You should do something.
You and her, when I've gone.
Go on a safari or something. A safari?!
Why would I want to go on a safari?
Travel. Might broaden your mind.
Best-travelled people I know are always bigots.
So that's a reason not to do it? I hate sunshine.
Is that what you think Mum would like?
Well, she's been talking about it for the last 15 years or so,
so, you know, maybe.
Has she? Yeah.
A safari?
OK, check the drains for bleeding.
Clear. Right, let's close her up.
See how the continuous suture distributes the pressure evenly.
How did you learn to suture so quickly?
By wanting to, Dr Witney.
I'll be all right. You know me. Mm-hm.
I know. I know.
I love you. I love you too.
See you in a bit, yeah?
MONROE: Morning. Morning.
I've done an Alison playlist.
I look forward to you busting some moves, Nurse Wickens.
Springer, Wilson, one last look before the patient arrives.
This is it. This, Dr Springer, is the only superstition I have.
Apart from the lucky playlist. More of a ritual, don't you think?
And the lucky clogs?
(# BELLE AND SEBASTIAN: This is Just A Modern Rock Song)
Here she is.
Alison. Hello.
You look suitably relaxed.
Belle and Sebastian. I know.
If you'd gone private, we'd have them here in person.
Shepherd here is going to send you to sleep with propofol,
possibly from his personal supply,
then he'll bring you round so you can talk to us during the operation.
Yes. Are you feeling all right about that?
Not really. Good answer.
Right, Shepherd, in your own time.
♪ She tried to flag down an aeroplane
♪ I suppose she needs a holiday
♪ I put my arm around her waist
♪ She put me on the ground with judo
♪ She didn't recognise my face
Alison, you're going to hear a beep from time to time as I map out your brain.
OK.
Now, I want you to count slowly for me, from one to ten. OK?
One, two,
three, four, five...
She's slightly dysphasic there. ..six, seven...
Eight. How are you doing, Alison?
All right.
It's all right. It's all right. OK, the motor strip's clear.
You just keep talking numbers for Shepherd. Nine, ten.
Think of him as a very stupid mortgage customer.
OK, back down. Five, four...
Right, doctors, what vessels are at risk here?
The posterior cerebral artery. Two...
Miles out.
Like to take a guess, Dr Wilson? One.
Ah. You've just made a doctor faint, Alison. How do you feel about that?
Was it the good-looking one?
No. Sadly, Dr Springer is still vertical.
As well as handsome. # Too much too young
♪ You've done too much, much too young
♪ You're married with a kid when you could be having fun with me... ♪
And what's this?
It's an umbrella. Good.
And this? Er...
Ah, it's...
I wear one. Can you remember the name for it?
It rains on it. It's a raincoat.
OK, Monroe, she's getting very vague now.
I haven't got all the tumour out. I'm going to carry on a bit longer.
Alison, what's this?
And I put things in. It's a... I put things in.
It's a shopping bag. Another minute.
Time to stop. Yeah. Yeah, er...
Time to stop. OK. OK.
Thank you.
Good. Yes.
Let's have some saline, please,
then, Dr Springer, I'd like you to help Fortune close her up after Larry has worked his magic.
You OK? Fine. Thanks. Nothing to be ashamed of.
The heat, the smell of blood or a rancid anaesthetist are enough to put the wobble on anyone.
I'm fine. Good.
Do you want to scrub in for Mrs Khan's op tomorrow, Dr Wilson?
Yeah. Yes, please.
Shall I scrub in too. No, no, no.
I think Dr Wilson has this one.
Neuro Obs are fine. Seems a bit more confused than we would have expected, but, you know, early days.
Alison...you're doing very well.
Everything's fine. Do you know where you are?
In the... In the...
In the hospital.
Good.
She'll be woozy and incoherent for a while.
She can't even remember my name! She can. She just can't say it right now.
Try not to worry. For how long?
I thought you said she was going to be fine. This is all normal.
There isn't a normal. You told me that.
Go home and get some rest.
You need to be strong now, not some self-righteous whinge-bag.
Dad, I can do that when you've gone. It needs doing.
Da-da! Hey! Ugh!
OK?
OK...
Come here, you big clown, you.
I'm proud of you. Bye.
Oh, here... First week spends.
Oh, thank you.
Look, you might want to have a think about that.
If you want to make that money last, that's a good way of doubling it,
but there are no certain bets.
What was that? That was nothing.
Goodbye. Good luck. Goodbye.
Do you hear that?
Silent for the first time in 19 years.
So, what do we do now?
Shall I get the Scrabble out? Guaranteed to keep dementia at bay.
I'm leaving you. We've only been on our own five minutes.
Aren't you being a bit hasty?
I'm not joking.
What are you talking about?
Nick has gone. I've kept my side of the bargain, and now I want to leave you.
No.
No. What, you're just going to stand up and go after 22 years?
It isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. I've been thinking about it for a while.
So, who is it? Who are you leaving me for?
There isn't anybody else.
At least not for me. What's that supposed to mean?
Six years ago, you had an affair with a woman who worked at the hospital.
No, I didn't. You did. I've known about it for a while, so don't lie.
That doesn't count. You know what we were going through.
It's too late for excuses. It's way too late.
You want a change of scene, eh? A holiday.
We could go on safari. What?
Are you trying to tell me you've been unhappy for the past six years?
No. I've made do.
So, you've been happy. If you've been happy in that time...
I haven't loved you for six years,
and try as hard as I can, I can't imagine loving you again.
How can you have lived with me for that long and kept it from me?
Lying every single day? How could you do that to me?
Given all the lies you've told over the years, I'm surprised you have to ask.
Have you thought your wife may be suffering from an extra-axial lesion?
I mean, sudden personality changes, impulsive behaviour...
Frontal lobe tumour. Classic.
Her behaviour was far from impulsive. She's been planning it for six years.
She's known about me and Jackie all that time.
Have you started burning your break-up CD yet? What?
May I recommend you open with Nick Cave's People Just Ain't No Good?
Mrs Khan's all yours. Heart rhythm was unstable yesterday, but she's fine now.
Operation was a success. Good for you.
Feel free to high-five Mr Khan on my behalf.
Is it me, or was she just attempting humour?
Where's Alison? She's still in ITU.
Why? There's a problem.
She went off this morning, and a crash team was called.
They intubated and ventilated her. They would.
They see a patient yawn and they try to get a tube down.
She had a fit and stopped breathing.
You have a fit, you do stop breathing, or did you miss that day in medical school?
I hate this moment, waiting for the cross section that says you fucked up.
No clot.
No haematomas.
Nothing.
So, what do we do now?
We get Shepherd to wake her, then wait and see.
Medicine is what we do to keep the patient amused whilst nature takes its course.
Voltaire. I'm impressed, Wilson.
I looked it up. Good.
You might want to think about cutting down.
I know she isn't going to recover. No, you don't.
I do. I don't know that.
I've been rummaging inside her head for three hours.
I do. I can feel it in my guts. Oh, your guts.
Well, then, that trumps medical knowledge.
You told me to put my feelings on hold, and I did.
But now...
I love her so much, I can't stand it if she isn't coming back to me.
The waiting is part of it. Sometimes, these things happen.
You don't get it, do you?
I promised to stay because I thought she'd be all right.
That's not much of a promise if you don't mind me saying.
You're not actually thinking of leaving her?
Alison's already left me. That isn't her in that bed.
She's not coming back, is she?
We're going to drill two burr holes. Any idea where, Dr Wilson?
Here, next to the fracture.
Dr Springer, I will go contemporary indie for that. Arctic Monkeys perhaps.
We'll then use the Addisons to lift the depressed section away from the dura.
Best accompanied by Bowie.
What will you see when you remove the bone flap, Dr Wilson?
Classic soul. Dr Wilson?
Mrs Khan is waiting.
The dura. And beneath that?
Cerebral contusions. Unless that's a band, I don't want to hear from you, Springer.
Yeah, but I won't just be in charge of the playlist, will I?
Will I? No, no. You'll be in charge of the volume control as well.
What are you writing about?
You.
Shouldn't it be the other way round?
This is very much a trial period for both of us.
Mr Khan, you remember Mr Monroe. He'll be happy to talk you through your wife's operation.
Mr Monroe, thank you so much, so much.
It was a fairly standard procedure. But my wife...
You are both of you miracle workers.
Mrs Bremner here gave my Yasmin life,
but you gave her a life worth living.
Well, thank you. I'll see you when I take the staples out.
Any questions, here's my direct line.
Of course.
Thank you.
What? You just can't help yourself, can you?
It's incredible. Attention seeking.
He was relieved to be talking to someone with a modicum of emotion.
No. He was relieved that his wife is alive. The rest is just window dressing.
The rest of it, you can't do. Why are you so threatened by me?
Oh, I don't know. It might be the size of your penis.
Jenny...
Listen, there's something you ought to know about Monroe.
I very much doubt that.
He doesn't want anyone to know this. Anna's just left him.
Why are you telling me this, Laurence?
Because I... I thought if you knew, you might want to cut him some slack.
Why? When's he ever cut me any?
She was extubated two hours ago, and she's waking up fine.
You had us worried for a while there.
Do you remember who I am?
You're Mr Monroe.
And where are you?
I'm in hospital.
I've had an operation on my brain.
That's right. Do you remember the name of the guitarist in Stone Roses?
John.
John Squire. Well, it looks like we haven't damaged any important stuff.
We'll get you back into the ward as soon as possible.
Where's Lee? Lee's on his way.
Thanks for you text.
I hope to God she can forgive me.
She doesn't know you've been anywhere, and if she asks, say you've been buying fruit.
Fruit? Yeah. Trust me on this, OK? Fruit.
Hello, you. Hello.
Where have you been?
I've been shopping. For fruit.
Oh.
Right, Missus, normally, I would say try and get some rest,
but personally, I'd be happy if you never slept again on my watch.
All right?
Anna, I know you pick these up. You always pick up your messages.
Please, ring me.
Mr Monroe! Springer.
Is this about you deciding to specialise in neurosurgery?
What? Yes, actually.
Thought as much.
Can I have a word? Sure.
If it's a bad time, I can... Oh, it's not a bad time.
Springer, fssht!
Oh, and the answer's no. I don't think it is a good idea.
Really?
Alison and I were wondering if we could make a donation to help the hospital.
Have you got your chequebook? What, right now?
Always right now, while you're still warm with gratitude.
Make it out to Friends of St Matthew's.
You've been brilliant. Just... You've been brilliant.
I only did what anyone would have done with a medical degree and a borderline personality disorder.
You don't have to tell Alison, do you?
About my...wobble.
Oh, I see. Is this a bribe to stop me telling your wife you left her when she was in a coma?
No! God, no! Don't say that! It makes me feel terrible.
Calm down. I just liked saying it. It's got a nice ring to it.
For what it's worth, I'd have done exactly the same.
Really? Yeah.
Then again, I am a bit of a twat. I would have expected better from you.
When you said you'd been in my position, was that your wife?
Did she have a tumour? No, my daughter.
That's why you were so sure of yourself. That's why you knew the right thing.
My daughter died on the operating table, Lee.
Brain surgeon's daughter dies of a brain tumour.
Long odds by anybody's book.
I'd always play odds of 10:1. That's all there is to it.
Make sure you spend that on the children's ward, then.
I'll make sure it's spent on geriatrics. The children's ward gets everything.
The wrinklies, they get bugger all.
Thanks.
It's a pleasure.
This isn't fair. You can't make a judgement this early.
Most of my early judgements are very good.
You know the flash stuff, but not the basics. Besides, you remind me of someone I don't like.
Who? Me. There's only room for one egomaniac on this team.
I'm not letting this go. It'll go to the board anyway.
I'm just telling you, off the record, I don't think you're right for neurosurgery.
Take that.
I know how it works.
You carry on like you're not part of the old boys' network, but you're exactly the same as them.
You're worse. At least with them, it was clear what the rules were.
Oh, ho-ho-ho-ho, Springer!
You just might have started to get a bit interesting.
Ah. Shepherd tells me your wife left you.
Did he? That was gloriously indiscreet of him.
Well, these things happen. Thanks for the sympathy.
Just don't come after any of my staff for comfort sex.
I don't want to have to deal with the fallout.
You're not thinking of springing any more surprises on me, are you?
None planned. Good. That's good.
So, was the fruit your idea? What?
Lee told me he wasn't here when I came round because he was shopping for fruit.
He knows I don't like fruit.
So?
He walked out on me, didn't he?
So, are you going to tell him you know?
Why would I do that?
I love him.
Why would I want to make him feel bad?
So you're happy to live with the lie if he is?
Is that so bad?
No.
Not at all.
I happen to think that the truth is extremely overrated.
♪ People just ain't no good
♪ I think that's well understood
♪ You can see it everywhere you look
♪ People just ain't no good
♪ We were married under cherry trees
♪ Under blossom, we made our vows
♪ All the blossoms come sailing down
♪ Through the streets and through the playground
♪ People, they ain't no good
♪ People, they ain't no good... ♪
I didn't know you were on call. I'm not.
Where else am I going to go?
♪ People, they ain't no good
♪ People, they ain't no good ♪
What have you got? A double shooting.
Shot his brother and himself, and they both survived.
Sounds like he's not cut out to be a hit man.
If you thought I'd be better in cardiac... Think I'd be easier on you than Monroe?
This prick is laughing and joking about my boy.
I'm not that insecure that I need to show the size of my drill to every passing male.
ITFC SUBTITLES COINNEACH MORRISON