Dr. Shea: Hey, Mike.
Dr. Brown: Hey, Bernard. How's it going?
Dr. Shea: Rough night, huh?
Dr. Brown: Yeah. I got a 14-year-old Hispanic kid who overdosed on a prescription I wrote. His mother just had the darndest panic attack I've ever seen. Last week in my office she was so nervous and quiet. Today she was screaming and throwing herself all over the place. She was so bad she finally fainted. The ER guys had to finally admit her.
Dr. Shea: How's the kid?
Dr. Brown: Well, I think he'll be okay. He's a patient of Carmen's but I saw him in the office while she was on vacation. She prescribed Amitriptyline to keep things less expensive because the mom's out of work. Now, I wasn't going to change her orders. I wish I had now though. (inaudible) wouldn't hurt the kid if he tried to overdose. Social worker's with him now. She'll be here soon to tell me what happened.
Dr. Shea: Did you think he was a suicide risk?
Dr. Brown: No. I just thought he had a bunch of 14-year-old stuff. He's fat and he's Mexican. The other kids tease him. He's probably gay, too, which doesn't make it any easier.
Dr. Brown: Mrs. Gonzalez, do you mind if I speak to Arturo alone for a couple of minutes?
Arturo: (in Spanish) Mom, the doctor wants to speak with me alone.
Dr. Brown: Thank you. So, Arturo. How is school going?
Arturo: Man, how do you think school's going. It's terrible.
Dr. Brown: Arturo, are you seeing your school counselor the way you're supposed to?
Arturo: Yeah. I went a couple of times. I hated it so I stopped. So what?
Dr. Brown: Arturo, we're trying to help you here, so --
Arturo: Look. I said I don't want to see a counselor. She always wants to talk about my sexual orientation. And she's always judgmental about me liking other guys, and it's none of her business.
Dr. Brown: Arturo, we're just trying to --
Arturo: Look, it's none of yours either. And I don't want your stupid pills.
Dr. Shea: What else could you have done?
Dr. Brown: I know, I know. You just hate second-guessing yourself, you know.
Carla Reyes: Dr. Brown, could I talk to you?
Dr. Brown: Sure, sure, sure. Bernard, I appreciate it.
Dr. Shea: You take care.
Dr. Brown: Thanks.
Carla Reyes: Dr. Brown, I'm not entirely sure this was a suicide attempt.
Dr. Brown: How do you mean?
Carla Reyes: Arturo hasn't been taking his medicine like he should. And after talking to his mother, it seems that she would make Arturo take three or four pills at a time to make up for when he missed a day.
Dr. Brown: Three or four? I did everything I could to make her understand the dosage. One a day. I even wrote it down for her. Once. O-N-C-E. What else am I supposed to do?
Carla Reyes: Dr. Brown, why would you think that Mrs. Gonzales could read English any better than she could speak it? In Spanish, o-n-c-e means eleven.
Dr. Brown: Could it be? My failure to communicate with Arturo's mother led to his overdose and almost led to his death? It's the kind of thing that happens all the time on over-the-top TV hospital dramas, but that's just TV, not real life. Right?