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in: Episodes, S1 Episodes

Buen Árbol

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Buen Árbol is the seventh episode of the first season of Code Black.

Short Summary[]

Angus uses his background in psychology to help a woman who doesn't remember how she injured herself and others. Also, when Christa bonds with an illegal immigrant whose son is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, she becomes determined to help the woman find long-term care for her son in the U.S..

Full Summary[]

Angus eats as he works the radios. He tells Mario he's not going to have to stand up all night. He's excited about it. Another call comes in and Angus gives direction. Angus then hears they're transferring calls from a street-fair accident. Multiple calls come in at once, overwhelming Angus.

A reporter says someone drove a car into a street fair in downtown LA. At least four people are dead and a dozen injured. Leanne and Neal are helping Angus handle the incoming calls when Jesse comes in and says Center Stage is cleared to prepare for incoming. Angus tells Leanne they're asking him to pronounce. BP is 0/0, so Leanne tells him to go ahead. He's surprised, but does it. The ambulances start to arrive, so Leanne tells Angus his radio shift is over. They're all needed on the floor.

7:25 PM

Code: Black

Jesse starts directing traffic into the ER. A gurney is pushed, trailing blood behind it. It's a woman who was hit by a car as a pedestrian. Both her legs were traumatically amputated. A paramedic hands them to Angus, who is told to drop them. They need to stop the bleeding before they can worry about the legs.

Paramedics bring in John Harris, who was hit and thrown. Angela tells him she loves him as she's sent to the waiting room.

The woman who was hit continues to bleed out. Leanne looks at the monitor and asks for a rhythm check. She decides to call it. Leanne says she was strong to have made it this far.

Angus asks a paramedic what he has. He's pushing a chair with Nancy Smith in it. She was in the car and was found walking around at the scene. Angus knows she was the driver. The cops want to talk to her.

Sheriff Adams is there to talk to Angus about Nancy. She has a seizure disorder and shouldn't have been driving. Her license was suspended because of it. Angus tells Adams he can't speak to Nancy yet because they need to run more tests. Adams asks if she's really going to let a resident decide that. Leanne says Nancy's not going anywhere and he can post whomever he wants, but she doesn't speak to the cops until her doctor says it's okay. After he walks away, Leanne asks if he thinks she had a seizure. He thinks yes and she might have psychogenic amen. He wrote a paper on it in grad school. Mario says she could also be lying, but Angus doesn't think so. Leanne thinks Angus's suggestion is more likely. He's worried about Nancy hearing about what happened from Adams. He wants someone from psych. Amy comes up and says they don't have anyone tonight. Leanne says Angus is most qualified. He needs to treat her and keep Leanne posted. Angus is worried about how Nancy will feel when she learns what she's done. Mario says once he's done sewing his guy up, he has to fill out a death certificate for another of her victims. Angus says she's not responsible if she's sick. Mario asks if she was responsible when she decided to drive that day.

As they chart, Christa asks Malaya if she likes basketball. Malaya asks if Christa's asking because she's a lesbian. Christa asks if lesbians like basketball and Malaya says this one does. Christa says having them chart is like asking Lebron to record his own stats while he plays. Neal comes in and asks what's the word. Christa informs him that lesbians like basketball, which he says is good to know. Leanne comes in and directs Christa to Flora Saracho, who is trying to work up the courage to check in at the front desk. Leanne says there's usually a reason when they want to pay cash.

Christa introduces herself to Flora, who asks her to help her son. Christa tries to give her the paperwork to fill out, but she asks for no papers. Christa agrees and starts to examine Pablo, who is having trouble breathing. She says she has medicine to help make him feel better.

Leanne examines her patient. Veronica Franco introduces herself. Her right eye is bulging out of its socket and she is slowly losing her vision. Leanne says they need to relieve the pressure behind her eye before she loses her vision permanently. She's in the military, training to be a pilot. That takes a lot of courage, which is good, because they don't have time for more than local anesthesia. Veronica says she needs both her eyes to fly, so they should just do it.

Christa tells Flora that Pablo has an infection in his lungs, but they drained the fluid and gave him antibiotics. He's had pneumonia before because of the asthma. He has inhalers when they can pay for them. He's been unable to gain weight. Christa examines him again. Then she tastes his sweat. She doesn't think he has asthma. She leaves her phone with Pablo to play games while she talks to his mom privately.

Nancy denies that she could have been in a car accident. She says she never left her house. Angus says she's experiencing a temporary amnesia due to the trauma. Their conversation is interrupted by Amy, asking for more blood for the lab. Nancy says if she believes what he's saying, just hypothetically, were people injured in the accident? He says they were. When she asks if they were seriously injured, he tries to redirect her attention. However, she asks if anyone died and he confirms that yes, people died. Risa tries to get Angus's attention, but Angus gestures for her not to interrupt. Angus asks Nancy is she's beginning to remember. She asks how many people died. She asks if there were children. He says four people died and one was twelve. Nancy still thinks she didn't do it and couldn't not have done it. Her last memory is making breakfast. She felt weird, so she lay down on the sofa. She gets angry with Angus.

Veronica asks Leanne to tell her what she's doing. Leanne explains each step as she does it. She's able to relieve the pressure and Veronica's eye immediately starts to reduce into its socket. She says it'll be a few hours before they know if her eyesight will return to normal and they put a patch over her eye.

Christa is on the phone as she explains to Flora that she believes Pablo has cystic fibrosis. Christa explains that it's manageable, but it needs a lot of attention. Christa knows Flora's not there legally, but she says Pablo is American. She used to work for a family in LA. She made a mistake with her employer. He's Pablo's father, but he fired her when she told him she was pregnant. The only other person to know was her boss's mother, Pablo's grandmother. She's a good lady, but she could only do so much. Flora clarifies that they can't send Pablo away if he's American. Christa says they can't and they wouldn't.

Neal tells Mario and Malaya about two patients. One with priapism from an ED overdose and an old lady with a fractured femur. He lets them decide who gets which patient. They flip a coin.

Mario goes to treat Rick Biddenger, who needs a shot for the priapism. However, before he can, he needs to see the erection as a point of comparison.

Dorothy was injured in the street-fair crash. She needs surgery to regain function in her leg. She has risk factors that make surgery dangerous, so they have to get a surgeon to sign off on her having surgery. Dorothy is distracted by John in the next bed, trying to get up. He is trying to leave the hospital. He's worried the accident has been on the news. Neal says if he moves, he could be paralyzed.

Malaya pulls the curtain and tries to get Dorothy back on topic. Just then, Pablo starts to crash on the other side. Malaya calls for Christa. She puts a mask on his face.

John is finally convinced he needs to get back in the bed. They put his collar back on and slowly lower him into the bed.

Malaya needs Dorothy to acknowledge the risks of her surgery. Dorothy says she gets it.

Christa prepares to do a bronchoscopy on Pablo and takes him away to do it.

Christa is explaining Pablo's case to Leanne. She wants to do the bronchoscopy herself because she spent a lot of time watching them when her son was sick. Leanne warns her not to make the case personal, but she says she isn't. Christa does the bronchoscopy and finds the blockage. She's able to relieve it.

A surgeon agreed to Dorothy's surgery as long as she understands the risks. She wants a shot of walking out of the hospital. Malaya reminds her she won't wake up. Dorothy says she and ten girlfriends started a book club forty years ago. Only two of them are left. Marie picked Atlas Shrugged. Dorothy read the whole book and it's not good enough to kill a bug with. She didn't read the book for nothing. She says she's not going to die today. She doesn't want to bother Marie with it, so she'll do it on her own.

Christa's worried about Pablo and Flora. She needs to get him long-term care, but if she tries, she'll get deported and have to take him with her. Leanne reminds her they're the first ten minutes. They saved Pablo's life, which is their job. They don't follow them home after that. Christa says she promised Flora he'd be okay, but Leanne tells her part of learning the job is learning where it ends.

Mario says the injection didn't work and Rick is still erect. Neal tells him next is a shot of phenylephrine in the corpus. Mario is not happy about that.

Jesse gets Neal for John, who is in spinal shock. Neal says to call neurosurgery because he needs an OR now. They asks Angela to consent to surgery, but she admits she's not his wife. They need to call his wife, Susan Harris.

Flora questions Leanne about Pablo being discharged. Flora says Pablo needs more care, but Leanne says they can't give it there. Flora says if Leanne had children, she would know how Flora feels. Leanne asks if he has any family in the US. Flora says his father won't help. Leanne apologizes, but there's nothing more she can do.

Adams asks Angus again when he can talk to Nancy. Angus says she doesn't remember anything. Another patient sees Nancy and recognizes her. He starts to yell at her, telling them to arrest her. Sheriff Adams pushes him out of the area as Nancy starts to cry.

Angus talks to Nancy about how she feels. Nancy knows people died. Angus told her that already. Angus says her brain is protecting her by blocking out what happened. She says she's a murderer. Angus offers her a sedative to calm her down, but she refuses. She asks to be left alone.

Amy tells Mario John's actual wife is at the hospital. Neal introduces himself to Susan and explains what happened to John. She's confused because he was supposed to be in Santa Barbara for a deposition. Neal says John needs surgery, but Susan realizes he was having an affair and had lied to her.

Susan is taken to John's bedside and Angela is still there. Susan thinks she's tacky for being there when Susan arrived. Angela says she didn't want him to be alone. Neal presses Susan to consent, saying they need to operate right away. Angela says she's going to go, but Susan tells her to sit down. She asks what happens if she doesn't consent. Neal explains it to her, saying he won't walk again and might not be able to breathe on his own. She asks Angela if she's ready to do everything for John. He has a living will. He chose Susan to make his decisions for him if he couldn't.

Neal sits down next to Susan. There's no time to get a court order. Susan's condemning him to a lifetime of paralysis. She says she's not doing anything. He made the choices that put him there. Neal says she gets to decide who she is. She's still there for a reason. She takes the clipboard from Neal.

As Dorothy is being put under, Malaya asks her what's the secret to being friends with someone for such a long time. She says it's hating the same people. She says The Wizard of Oz is her favorite book. She's not Dorothy by accident. It was her mother's favorite, too. She said the witch of the east died too young. They all die too long. Malaya tells her to relax and close her eyes, but she doesn't want to because she might not wake up. She's sedated.

Mario tells Neal the injection didn't work. Next is aspiration. Mario doesn't want to do it, but Neal reminds him that Rick could have serious organ damage if Mario doesn't treat him. They're not better than their patients. The only different between Mario and Rick is that today, Rick is the one asking for help.

Jesse tells Leanne to follow him. She says he needs to learn manner and he tells her to come right now. They go to Veronica, who didn't want to take the bandage off without Leanne. She doesn't know what she'll do if she can't fly. Leanne carefully removes Veronica's bandage. She's able to follow the light and Jesse tests her vision. She can see. She and Leanne high five.

Risa gets Leanne for Pablo, whose temp is up. Leanne listens to his chest. He's septic, so the move him to Center Stage.

Angus reduces a biker's shoulder.

Angus hears chatter. Neal tells him there's a body on the ramp because someone jumped off the roof. Angus remembers Nancy refusing sedation and rushes to her bed. She's not there.

12:34 AM

Code: Black

They bring Nancy into the ER. Her insides are liquified from the fall. Angus asks to run the trauma. He intubates and they get x-rays.

Leanne brings in Pablo behind them.

Nancy has no pulse.

Christa goes to put a line in Pablo when Flora comes up next to her, nearly causing a mistake. Jesse escorts Flora out gently.

Angus is doing compressions on Nancy. He tries desperately to save her, but Neal sends him away and says there's no cardiac activity. He calls time of death. Angus blames himself, but Leanne says it's not his fault. He did everything he could.

Christa gets the line in Pablo and they give him fluids. Jesse tells Leanne it's not right because Pablo needs more care. Jesse says something in Spanish. Leanne translates it. He says his abuela used to say it. When you need help, find the best person. Jesse asks if the kid has anyone else. Leanne says his father's not interested, but a good tree has many branches.

Neal tells John his surgery went well. John says the surgeon gave him a 50-50 chance of walking again. John says it could have been worse. Susan signed the consent. Susan comes in. She brought clothing and his crossword. He looks away, but she tell him to look at her. He asks what's going to happen to them, if there's still a them. She hasn't decided yet. He says he's done a stupid thing and deserves whatever happens to him, but she says no one deserves this.

Dorothy's been weaned off sedation, but still unconscious. She's breathing off the vent. Malaya wants to take out the tube. She tells Dorothy to give her a deep breath once the tube is out. Malaya removes the tube, but Dorothy doesn't immediately start to breathe. Malaya gives her breaths manually until she starts to breathe on her own. Malaya tells her to click her heals because there's no place like home.

Mario gives Rick, now flaccid, a prescription for oxycodone. Rick says he used to be like Mario. Now he's 45 and divorced. The girl he was supposed to be with is 20 years younger than him. He was scared. Mario says he's scared, too, but they don't make a pill for what he has. Every day, he waits for someone to tap him on the shoulder and say the doctor thing was a mistake. Rick says that's imposter syndrome. You feel like you're about to be found out as a fraud. Everybody has it. Mario says maybe that's Rick's solution, too. Everybody gets nervous and they're all faking it. Rick tells him to do him a favor and pretend they never met if they see each other again. Mario agrees.

Flora tells Christa she's scared. Then she sees a woman coming into the ER with Leanne. It's Pablo's grandmother. Flora hugs her.

Christa enters Hector's restaurant. Neal's there and offers for her to join him for breakfast. She accepts, but she's surprised Neal's not at home sleeping. They sit together awkwardly. He says it's a tradition after a shift. Huevos Rancheros and the paper of record. Hector asks if they want to try his new Mexican Bloody Mary. They both say yes.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Woman[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Traumatic injuries
  • Treatment:
    • Attempted resuscitation

A woman, 32, was hit by a car at the street fair. Both her legs were traumatically amputated, but were brought in with the rig. They rushed to stop the bleeding, but they were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at 7:28 PM.

John Harris[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Fractured spine
    • Spinal shock
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

John, 50, was hit by a car and thrown 30 feet. He was put in a collar and had two fractures in his spine, but he tried to get up and walk. They gently put his collar back on and got him back into bed. He went into spinal shock and needed surgery right away. His wife initially refused to consent, but ultimately agreed. After surgery, his surgeon gave him a 50/50 chance of walking again.

Nancy Smith[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Facial injuries
    • Seizure disorder
    • Psychogenic amnesia
    • Traumatic injuries
  • Treatment:
    • Attempted resuscitation

Nancy, 40, came into the ER after running her car into a street fair. She had facial injuries and was confused about what happened. She had a seizure disorder which prohibited her driving. She was devastated to learn that four people had died, including a 12 year old. She then decided that she wanted to be alone. She used that time to get up to the roof and jump. She had massive internal injuries and multiple broken bones. They attempted resuscitation, but she was pronounced dead at 12:45 AM.

Pablo Saracho[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Cystic fibrosis
    • Pneumonia
    • Empyema
    • Sepsis
  • Treatment:
    • Chest tube
    • Antibiotics
    • Bronchoscopy

Pablo came into the ER with trouble breathing. He had pneumonia, so they drained the infected fluid and gave him antibiotics. His mother said he had asthma and used inhalers when she could afford them. Christa noticed that he was underweight, so she examined him further and tasted his sweat. She believed he had cystic fibrosis. When he had even more trouble breathing, Christa did an ultrasound and diagnosed a mucus plug and did a bronchoscopy to open up his lungs. He then developed sepsis, which they treated, but his mother was told he'd need more long-term care.

Veronica Franco[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Bleed
  • Treatment:
    • Aspiration

Veronica had a bleed behind her eye that was causing it to bulge out of the socket. She was starting to lose her vision, so they worked quickly to drain the blood and reduce her eye back into the socket. They later tested her vision and she was able to see.

Rick Biddenger[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Priapism
  • Treatment:
    • Terbutaline
    • Phenylephrine
    • Aspiration
    • Oxycodone

Rick, 45, came into the ER with priapism. Mario gave him terbutaline, but that didn't work, so the next step was a shot of phenylephrine in his corpus. That also didn't work, so Mario had to aspirate the blood. He then gave Rick a prescription for oxycodone.

Dorothy[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Femur fracture
    • Emphysema
  • Treatment:
    • Surgery

Dorothy, 83, came into the ER with a featured femur after being hit by a car. She was told she'd need surgery and that she had risk factors, such as emphysema, that made surgery less safe, so it would have to be approved by a surgeon. A surgeon approved her surgery. After her surgery, Malaya had difficulty getting her off the vent, but she eventually started breathing on her own.

Spider[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Dislocated shoulder
  • Treatment:
    • Closed reduction

Spider had a dislocated shoulder that Angus reduced.

Notes and Trivia[]

Code_Black_1x07_"Buen_Árbol"_Promo

Code Black 1x07 "Buen Árbol" Promo

  • This episode scored 6.90 million viewers.

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

See Also[]

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.

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