In the 13th episode of The Pitt season 2, Orlando is brought to the ER in need of a CT scan immediately. It appears that he's suffered a nasty fall, with brain swelling adding to his condition. Mohan's personal investment in this patient is not lost on Robby, who notices his obvious concern. Javadi is also present, and the Chief Neurosurgeon, Linda, arrives to assist with Orlando's treatment.
To Robby's surprise, Linda actually knows Javadi's mother and offers her the chance to learn from the case. However, Javadi declines, not wanting to be seen as using her mother for an unfair advantage. She's still reeling from what happened earlier in the season with the scan patient. Robby steps up and encourages Javadi to take the opportunity, convincing her to join in on the hands-on crash course.
The night shift arrives, including a returning Jack Abbott, who's understandably upset when he learns about Jesse's situation. However, he quickly takes charge alongside Dr. Cruz, and when the system comes back online, it falls to the Day Shift to register the charts electronically.
Dana and Emma decide to help Digby, the homeless man, with a haircut and shave while this is going on. Meanwhile, Whitaker and Santos are given a new station to update with the records. Santos is still a bit prickly about Whitaker staying at Robby's, but he suggests hanging out together. They also discuss Baran's credentials for running The Pitt, but Santos is not so sure.
McKay has an issue with a patient suffering from jaundice and calls on Santos for help. It turns out that this lady is a bit of a health nut and has been taking 500mg of Turmeric in capsules five times a day. This has caused her liver to fail. McKay thanks Santos for her help afterwards, but the latter shows her cynicism by pointing out how stupid patients can be. She has no empathy for them and doesn't even bat an eyelid at the idea of this lady needing a liver transplant, simply chalking it up to job security for herself.
In the midst of the chaos, a new patient, Grady, is brought in with breathing problems due to asthma. As Baran examines his breathing, she once again zons out and rushes out of the room, which is noticed by Robby. Robby attempts to talk to Baran about her "zoning out," but she shuts him down. Meanwhile, Duke returns from his scan and even starts chatting up one of the nurses, Vivi.
The situation with the asthma patient is taken hard by Langdon, especially when he suggests the wrong diagnosis and believes he could have killed the kid. Langdon struggles to compose himself after the doctors manage to bring Grady back from a collapsed lung. Mel follows Langdon to the breakroom and offers an encouraging word, especially since she's also struggling with her dissertation.
Another doctor struggling here is Ogilvie, who happens to be outside in the ambulance bay, covered in blood with tears stinging his eyes. He's lost his patient and has clearly been crying too. It's hit him hard, and Whitaker heads out to help him.
Whitaker's speech with Ogilvie is truly touching and a definite highlight of the episode, pointing out how they never get used to death but try to find a balance in everyday life.
Back in the ER, Robby says goodbye to Noelle and prepares to leave. However, Duke's scan results come back, and they don't look good. He'll need surgery but first requires a cardiopulmonary assessment. He can't be fast-tracked and will have to wait until after the holiday weekend to be seen.
Robby is visibly upset and curses out in the hallway, prompting Dana to take him aside to talk. Robby admits that he doesn't know if everybody can handle The Pitt without him. He rattles off a number of different reasons before eventually revealing that he may not come back from his sabbatical.
In the midst of all this turmoil and uncertainty, it's clear that everyone is struggling to cope with the challenges they face in the ER. But through it all, there are moments of hope and connection that help them find their footing and keep going.
