On the midseason winter premiere of Chicago Med, we examine the idea of faith. Everyone on staff has faith in each other because of the demands of the job, but having faith in their patients isn’t always as easy. Sometimes it’s because of lack of commitment to their health, other times it’s because of fundamental differences between doctor and patient. In order for doctor-patient relationships to establish trust, it’s important to find a way to get over these differences. This is where faith comes in. It’s a New Year, so why not try for more faith and understanding?
On the romantic front, everyone is paired up and doing well. April and Tate are planning a future and home together. Manning and Jeff, as well as Halstead and Nina, are all settled in as well. That is until Jeff reveals that he and Manning’s late husband had a falling out because he admitted to wanting his best friend’s wife. Manning’s day only gets worse when her patient comes in with gallstones only to end up with cancer which is attacking his heart and his lung function. Because he has such serious reservations about immediate heart surgery, Dr. Manning comes up with a different treatment plan to give him and one of his other health problems time to calm down. It’s to her patient’s detriment since he dies on the table, and potential to Dr. Manning’s detriment as well. The Chief of Emergency Resident returns to from a World Health Organization trip and reacquaints himself with the lay of the land. He finds Dr. Manning’s unique, one in a million case fascinating, and asks her to present it for study. It’s not a bad thing since Dr. Manning did nothing wrong, but that doesn’t mean you want to pile on an inquisition after a bad day.
When we last saw April, she had to make the impossible decision to take a medication which could have horrific side effects on her unborn baby’s health, or she herself would die. Since then April has been keeping busy with wedding plans and housewarming. It’s the only thing that has gotten her through the uncertainty of her pregnancy. Upon learning that her baby’s development at 12 weeks is on the low end, which could be an early indicator for anecephaly, Tate wonders if they shouldn’t consider a late term abortion. April flat out refuses, believing that her faith will get them through this, even if the baby is as unhealthy as they suspect.
Dr. Charles hasn’t been having the easiest time on the home front. He evaluates a recovering addict for candidacy of a heart transplant. This puts him in immediate conflict with Dr. Rhodes, who can’t understand Charles’s concerns that this particular patient will stay on track if she receives a heart. Dr. Charles isn’t convinced that the patient’s approach to staying sober solo will work past the heart transplant, even if it has worked for the past three years. A transplant comes with so many drastic lifestyle changes, and staying sober on top of that is an enormous endeavor Dr. Charles isn’t sure this particular patient can handle. He needs a solid, clinical reason to recommend this woman to the transplant committee, and his daughter Robyn gives him one. She helps her dad remember that grit is a powerful tool in any situation, and unlike other patients, Dr. Charles’s has grit in multitude. It’s what ultimately convinces him that she has the will strong enough to handle a transplant, and perhaps there’s even hope for Dr. Charles to hang onto where Robyn is concerned.
Dr. Choi treats two fighters with very different temperaments. One is Muslim and proud to fight with honor. The other is a racist who believes in fight to the death, and his brother has no problem insulting Dr. Choi. It looks like it causes Choi physical pain to be civil to the latter, especially when his Muslim patient Cyrus has massive brain hemorrhaging resulting in a chronic vegetative state. The whole situation is disgusting to Choi, and rightfully so, until something extraordinary happen. Cyrus’s opponent comes to see Cyrus to apologize for his part in what happened, and because he showed remorse, Cyrus’s parents extend a hand to this young man to join them in prayer. It’s not forgiveness for the fight because no one can quite wrap their heads around the tragedy yet, but it is a step in the right direction. You don’t need to forgive and forget to have compassion and kindness. No one is saying it’s easy, but Dr. Choi knows he would be a hypocrite if he acted with the same hatred he was shown that day. Instead he extends a hand to the brother who insulted him, and the two go for a drink at Molly’s to take stock of everything.
If faith can heal these broken hearts, will it help April and her baby?
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