Summary: Megan’s baby is ready to be discharged from County, and Banfield is trying to convince Russell to take him in. He wants more time to decide, since he hasn’t even met the baby yet, but Banfield is ready to jump in with both feet. Claudia drops Morris off in the ambulance bay, and unlike last time, there’s no screaming fight. He tells her he has a surprise planned for her that night.
Passing by, Gates guesses that he’s going to propose. Morris says it’s way too early for that. They could hate each other a year from now. His surprise is that he’s been learning to salsa dance. In case learning something his girlfriend likes isn’t enough to show that Morris has completely changed since we first met him, he’s at County on his day off to volunteer at Camp Del Corazon. It’s for kids who have had open-heart surgery.
As Banfield and Russell are about to go upstairs to see the baby (who really needs a name, so I can stop calling him “the baby”), paramedics bring in a teen named Felix who was found unconscious in the park and is now seizing. Banfield sticks around to help Gates and Chuny, then goes to see the baby. If Russell doesn’t immediately want to take the baby home after seeing his adorable face, I don’t know what to say. Banfield’s protective custodianship of the baby ends when he’s discharged, so if they want him, they’ll need to start getting approved for adoption right away. “When do we start?” Russell asks, already on board.
Morris goes to the hospital gym, where the kids at the well-attended camp are dancing. Sam’s already there and is clearly having the time of her life. A teen named Vera introduces Morris to the camp leader, who goes by the Big Kahuna. He tells Morris to jump in and dance, and let’s just say that if those are Morris’ moves and stage presence, Claudia is going to be very disappointed in his big surprise tonight. The Big Kahuna sends him to try to get a teen named Logan to participate instead. Logan is understandably uninterested (this is more geared toward the younger kids) and doesn’t want to be there at all.
Frank gives Brenner a report Kayson (boo! Hiss!) sent over about a patient’s biopsy. Brenner isn’t happy with the contents. He goes back to treating a guy with bot fly larvae in his leg. Then his day gets even worse when Neela video-calls the staff from her new workplace. Ray appears in the background, which just reminds Brenner that he definitely no longer has a shot with Neela.
The camp has moved on from dancing to other activities. In addition to arts and crafts, there’s a rock-climbing wall and a slime slide. Sam and Vera are making friendship bracelets, which Vera says come with a rule: You have to give them away. A younger girl named Emily says that Sam can give hers to her husband. Sam and Vera talk about guys; neither is dating right now, and Vera says guys aren’t interested in her, since she has a bad heart and scars from surgeries. Plus, she went into cardiac arrest during class and had to get CPR from paramedics. She and Emily discuss their illnesses, and Vera says that the great thing about camp is that everyone fits in.
Morris is more in his element playing basketball with some guys, though they’re beating him, even with their history of heart problems. He takes a break to check in with Sam and catch his breath. He invites Emily to check out the slime slide, but she makes an excuse and runs off. Vera explains that this is Emily’s first time at camp and her parents don’t want her to do too much.
Banfield goes back to the ER to help Gates with Felix, whose father has just arrived. He mentions that Felix pulled a lot of all-nighters to study for midterms, so maybe sleep deprivation caused his seizures. Gates privately tells Banfield that he thinks Felix is using drugs to cope with a father who puts too much pressure on him.
Megan returns to County and tells Banfield that she can’t sleep after leaving her baby there. Banfield assures her that he’s being well taken care of. That’s not why Megan’s there, though: She feels like she made a mistake, and she wants her son back. Banfield takes her to the lounge, and Megan shares her plan to go back to school and get help from her mother and grandmother. She’s thought everything through and isn’t making a rash decision. Banfield says she’ll talk to a social worker, but she thinks Megan should give it more thought. Megan says again that she made the wrong decision. Now she wants to do what’s right.
Felix has a tear in his brain and will need to rest for a few days, but it doesn’t sound serious. In fact, it’s so unserious that he tells his father to go back to work. Gates tries to find out what happened that caused him to lose consciousness, but Felix isn’t sure. He guesses that he slipped on some rocks when he was climbing over them on his way to school. Gates is still thinking that he’s reacting to the pressure his father puts on him – he’s only a freshman, but he’s taking AP classes.
Frank tells Gates that Alex is on the phone. It soon becomes clear that he’s not calling for Sam and getting Gates instead – he needs to discuss something with Gates about a car. Sam comes by the desk to start a shift and Gates tells her that his car was broken into. Frank informs Gates that the police said Felix was in a fight that morning with some other teens.
Sam sees that Frank is using a screenshot of Neela and Ray from the video call as his screensaver. Now Brenner gets to look at it all the time. A pregnant woman named Hedda comes in with leg pain, and as the only attending on the floor, Brenner is in charge of both her case and an incoming one. Sam reminds him of protocol when he recommends care for Hedda that’s not the usual, but he doesn’t listen.
Back at camp, Morris is now really into things but still can’t get Logan interested. Vera encourages Emily to try the climbing wall, but Emily can’t get past her fears. Morris has her ride on his back while he climbs. When they’re back on the ground, she gives him a friendship bracelet.
Banfield reluctantly calls Russell to tell him that Megan wants the baby back. Brenner and Sam treat Hedda, who has a blood clot and needs heparin. She’s worried about it harming the baby, even though Brenner says it won’t. She asks if she can take a beat and consult her brother-in-law, who’s an OB. Sam thinks that’s a good idea, but Brenner says that would delay the treatment she needs. This is a no-brainer. Sam privately tells him (in a gently way) to chill out. She assumes he’s cranky because of Neela, though he claims he’s already moved on.
Morris serves as a designated runner for Emily when the kids play softball (using an empty water-cooler jug as a bat, I guess to make it easier for the younger kids). Vera hits a home run, but she suddenly falls on her way around the bases. Her internal defibrillator is firing. Back in the ER, Megan lurks around, watching Banfield as she works. She chats with Felix, apparently noticing something on an exam and asking if he’s having any eye pain.
Morris and the Big Kahuna bring Vera to the ER, and Morris sends Brenner to the camp to fill in for him. He assures Banfield that the Big Kahuna isn’t just some goofball they brought in off the streets – he’s the chief of pediatric cardiology at a legit hospital. Vera introduces herself to Felix and tells him that she thinks her defibrillator shocked her accidentally. It hurt, but she’s in good spirits. Banfield laughs at her nicknames for Sam and Morris, Xena and Rojo.
Chuny has joined the fun at camp, and she tells the kids that Vera’s okay and hopes to be back with them soon. Emily is now displaying more confidence and enjoying herself. Logan, not so much, and now he has Brenner to watch with him from the sidelines and enable his I-hate-it-here attitude. Just to stick it to Chuny, he ruins a group activity the other kids were doing.
Russell returns to the hospital as the Big Kahuna looks after Vera. She and Felix chat more, bonding over their knowledge of scientific and psychological stuff most kids their age don’t know about. The Big Kahuna figures out what Vera’s issue is – her defibrillator zapped her because her heart rate was elevated while she was running around. He doesn’t want her to go back to camp and exert herself, but Sam convinces him to temporarily reset the defibrillator so it won’t kick in until her heart rate is more elevated.
Russell is upset that Megan can walk in and take her child back after abandoning him. Banfield likely feels the same, but she can’t skirt the law, no matter how better equipped she and Russell are to take care of the baby. She tells him that it’ll take a week or so for the case worker to make a ruling; she still has to talk to Megan’s mother and grandmother. Russell doesn’t have any hope that it’ll work out in their favor. Banfield tells him they need to do what they always do: “We keep working, we keep praying, we keep going.” After seven years of that, Russell is tired of it.
Morris decides to cancel his date with Claudia so he can keep helping out at the camp, which is short-staffed. Then he invites her to come hang out, and even stay the night. Vera gets discharged, and Gates suggests that she take Felix to the camp dance that night. Sam vetoes that, like, let the kids enjoy themselves, Sam. The camp is only for kids with heart problems, but Vera says she’ll see what she can do.
Banfield checks back in with Felix, annoyed that he’s not being completely honest with the staff. She knows that he and his family move every couple of years because of his parents’ academic careers. She’s noticed spots around his eyes that are signs that someone tried to choke him. Felix admits that he and his friends play “suffocation roulette,” where you hold your breath and get squeezed from behind. The first person to pass out loses. Banfield tells Felix he’s too smart to be doing something so dumb.
Hedda is now having chest pain, so Sam runs to get Banfield. Even though Hedda has been given heparin, it looks like her clot has traveled to her lung. Banfield wants to give her TPA, even though there’s a small chance that it could harm the baby. Sam suggests a filter in a vein, which would prevent more clots. Hedda and her husband are concerned about the baby more than anything else, and Hedda asks Banfield what she would do in this situation.
Logan’s in timeout, basically, and instead of lecturing him, Brenner says he thinks that Logan is keeping himself from having a good time. Logan finally expresses what the real problem is: His friend Sean isn’t there. They had the same illness and made plans for months to come to camp together, since Sean had never been. Last week, Sean died in surgery.
Brenner gets a call summoning him somewhere, and he says he’ll be there as soon as he can. He tells Logan they’re both having bad weeks. A friend of his is in the ICU, rejecting a heart transplant he tried really hard to get for her. Logan thinks Brenner should go see her, even though she’s in a coma. He’s been intubated and sedated multiple times but can usually hear what’s going on and knows who’s in the room.
Megan continues hanging around as Banfield joins Gates and Chuny to treat a patient with a major complication. Then Hedda declines and Banfield has to help Sam with her. Now Hedda needs TPA more than ever, and Banfield decides to ignore her husband’s concerns and administer it. This turns out to be the right choice, as Hedda and the baby both quickly stabilize. Sam’s concerned because Banfield gave treatment without consent, but since the outcome was good, she can’t really complain.
Megan is impressed with Banfield’s work and asks to talk to her. She’s given her situation more thought and wants her son to be proud of her. That means making something of herself and doing something important, like Banfield does. She’d have to go back to school, which would be difficult while parenting.
Megan knows that Banfield is the baby’s custodian right now and asks if that means she wants to adopt him. Banfield tells her gently, like she’s trying not to disturb a hornet’s nest, that she and her husband have been thinking about it. Megan doesn’t want to be completely out of her child’s life. Banfield explains what an open adoption means and assures her that she could still be involved, if everyone agrees to terms. Megan nods, indicating that she’s ready to let the Banfields have her baby.
Gates and Sam take Vera and Felix to the camp, where the dance has started. Claudia arrives and Emily asks if she has a scar. She does, thanks to her shooting. Vera has decorated Felix’s gurney and made him king of the dance. Everyone applauds as he enters. Brenner and Logan print out a picture of Logan and Sean to put up on a wall full of photos of the campers (and, I assume, their friends who couldn’t make it this year). Logan’s finally enjoying himself.
Morris, Gates (on drums), and some others perform “I Feel Good” for the kids. Brenner ducks out, exchanging thumbs-ups with Logan. Banfield, Russell, and Felix’s father come down to check on Felix, who’s having a great time. His father notes that the hospital has some interesting forms of therapy, but this one seems to be working. After the dance, Gates and Sam take Felix to his room, letting Vera stay a while to say good night. Sam thanks Gates for helping her with her mother. She peeks through the blinds on Felix’s window and sees Vera kissing his cheek. Gates teases Sam about not giving them privacy.
Brenner finally goes to the ICU to see Joanie. Lucy is, as always, by her side. The campers spend the night in tents, and Morris catches a guy trying to sneak over to the girls’ side. He’s sorry that his date with Claudia didn’t go as planned, but she enjoyed herself and has no complaints about sleeping in a tent. “Life’s too short to whine,” she says. Morris has realized the same after spending a day with chronically ill kids.
He tells Claudia that sometimes he imagines a time in the future where he arranges a really special night for her, then proposes. He twists up the friendship bracelet Emily gave him into a ring and slips it onto Claudia’s finger, asking what she would think about that. She replies that she thinks she’d say yes. They start to kiss, but Vera and Emily interrupt – Emily needs help falling asleep. Morris happily agrees to tell her a bedtime story. It’s about a blood clot that wasn’t the right color. Emily knows what operation it needs. Claudia listens in, totally in love. Also totally in love: Banfield and Russell, who enjoy every minute they get to spend with the baby.
Thoughts: The Big Kahuna is played by Tom Arnold. Dagney Kerr, who plays Hedda, played Kathy on Buffy.
Camp Del Corazon is a real camp in North Hollywood. Tom Arnold is on its board of directors.
Sam is the happiest we’ve ever seen her when she’s dancing with the kids, and I’d guess it’s because Linda Cardellini couldn’t contain herself. Same with the musicians during “I Feel Good.”
If they ever reboot this show, Vera needs to be on it. She’s awesome.
'90s Flashback 
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