Mercy Episode 1.19 There is No Superwoman

The nurses are all dolled up for a night on the town, so Veronica and Sonia are a little put off when Chloe brings them to a frat party. Football player Andy did invite Chloe et al to a "get together," but he didn't mention kegs. Despite a warm welcome from Andy, Chloe is mortified, and wants to leave as soon as possible. She turns around to discover that Sonia and Veronica are the belles of this ball, surrounded by eager beavers with trays full of jello shots -- they're in no hurry to leave.

Andy tries to find a quiet place to bring Chloe, but wanton debauchery lurks around every corner. Now it's Andy's turn to be mortified; he should never have invited Chloe to the frat. Chloe points out that Andy does in fact have brain damage. Andy's football rival, Doug Taplin, knows it too. Not only is he scoping Andy's spot on the field, he's hitting on Chloe. Andy loads Chloe up with pizza, beer and jello shots, promising to call her tomorrow for a proper date.

Loving all the college boy attention, Veronica and Sonia are reluctant to leave, and decide they need to get more beer. Chloe stops at a convenience store where Veronica grabs beer and a coffee. Suddenly, she spies Deanna, the dead girl from the donut shop behind the counter. Freaked out, Veronica starts hyperventilating when a guy enters, mistaking him for the donut shop shooter, Tommy. When the guy reaches into his pocket, blood appears on the clothes of the girl behind the counter. Veronica drops her coffee, burning herself and runs for the car. Although she's clearly upset, she tells Sonia and Chloe she's fine.

Sands bursts out of the elevators with two girls on stretchers, 16-year-old Shannon and her half-sister Robin, who's 21. Having only fractured her femur, Shannon's awake and very worried about Robin, who was driving when a deer jumped in front of them. Robin swerved and the car rolled down an embankment giving her multiple rib fractures, which tore into her liver. The girls' parents, Gianna and Wade, rush up as Robin is wheeled off to surgery. When Sonia suggests they may want to donate blood in case Robin needs a transfusion, Gianna offers to go first.

On her way into the ER, Chloe is accosted by several wild-eyed patients, including Alicia, a mother of three, who's been waiting 12 hours for test results. She's got fever, back pain and painful urination. Even worse, her kids are starving. When Chloe points her towards the vending machine, Alicia claims she forgot her wallet, so Chloe gives up her lunch to feed the kids. Angel urges Chloe to hurry up and sign in, so she promises a skeptical Alicia that she'll be back with her as soon as possible.

Sands finds Veronica in the meds room. When he sees her bandaged hand, he asks if she lit herself on fire again, then insists on re-dressing the burn. He wants to know if Veronica is dating anyone else yet; she should tell her therapist to hurry up and fix her. Sadly, Veronica admits it's going to be a long slow climb back to mental health. Even her issues have issues. Sonia stops by with results of Robin's blood alcohol test, which completely discredit Shannon's story about the deer.

Back in the ER, Chloe tells Alicia that she has a urinary tract infection and hands her a prescription for the antibiotic Cephalexin. Alicia grumbles, gathers her kids and leaves without so much as a goodbye. Her eldest son Zach does give Chloe a little wave on the way out, prompting Angel to ask about Andy. Claiming that Andy's not her boyfriend, Chloe yanks her phone out of her pocket and texts a break-up message. When Angel recoils, Chloe claims that working in the ER has made her cold, then hits send with a vengeance.

Wade can't believe that Robin's blood alcohol was way over the legal limit, and Shannon makes excuses, but Gianna points out that this isn't the first time. Relieved to learn the cops won't follow up, Wade excuses the incident, saying, "Kids make mistakes." Gianna's dam bursts. Shannon is 21 -- an adult! -- and Wade indulges her in everything. She could have killed Shannon! Wade needs to open his eyes and realize that they're standing in a hospital. Veronica insists the couple take their fight outside.

Harris stops by the nurses' station to talk to Sonia. He just received the autopsy report on Lauren Kempton, who had toxic levels of acetaminophen and morphine in her blood. Usually DNR people aren't autopsied, but in this case, the insurance company requested it. Harris wants to know if Sonia noticed anything -- a suicide note? Empty pill bottle? Sonia holds the line, spewing out the same story she and Lauren concocted on the night of her suicide. Harris backs off, warning Sonia that the insurance company is motivated by money, and they will not stop until they get it.

Shannon tells Veronica that Robin's mother left when she was five, and things have always been tense between her and Gianna. Robin could be nicer, and Wade is a pushover. Veronica has her usual lunchtime session with Dr. Cabe, but waits until the end to reveal she broke up Sands. Cabe insists Veronica explain herself; "I dunno" is not an acceptable answer. Veronica confesses that she's not sure if she can be who Sands wants her to be. She always thought that if she were with him, she'd be okay. Now she's making a lot of major life decisions, and they're all wrong. And she's also having hallucinatory panic attacks. Cabe is forced to end the session, but promises they'll start with the panic attacks tomorrow.

Sonia swallows nervously, spying insurance investigator Frank Sloane talking to Klowden. She fears the worst when Klowden asks to speak with her, but it's just a scolding about empty med trays. Down in the ER, Grace hands Chloe a critical blood culture on Alicia -- she has E. coli in her blood, which is resistant to the antibiotic they gave her! She could go septic and die at any moment. Frantic, Chloe calls Alicia, but gets sent straight to voicemail.

On her way home, Veronica spies bloody Deanna sitting in the trauma bay. Recognizing a fellow hallucinator, Harris snaps her out of it, admitting he sees his dead wife in the house all the time. He still doesn't know what it will take to let the dead rest. Mike calls Veronica to Delancey's, where an incredibly drunk Sonia is monopolizing the karaoke stage and pissing off the other patrons. Having once tried out for American Idol, Sonia's not a bad singer, but she's been slurring "Proud Mary" for hours and refusing to stop. When Veronica finally unplugs the microphone, Sonia stumbles to the bathroom to throw up.

Veronica holds Sonia's hair while she pukes, wondering where she learned to drink like that. Drinking isn't the only cue Sonia has taken from Veronica; she's clearly upset about something that she won't talk about. Veronica doesn't tell Sonia anything anymore -- not even about freaking out in the convenience store last night. Veronica just keeps quiet and moves on, like she's some kind of Superwoman. She can deny all she wants, but Sonia knows she's keeping secrets. Veronica pushes. If Sonia's in trouble she better tell. Claiming she's just sad about Nick, Sonia puts an end to the discussion.

The next day at work, Veronica and Sonia are surprised to find Shannon conked out. Apparently, she couldn't be extubated after surgery. Sharon's not sedated, but won't wake up. Recognizing the possibility of fat embolism, Veronica calls for Briggs, who rushes Shannon to the Procedure Room to insert a filter, which should prevent any fat from getting into the bloodstream. Gianna refuses to leave Shannon's side for the relatively short procedure, which is successful. Still, Briggs refuses to promise that Shannon will be alright, and can't say when she'll wake up.

Unable to reach Alicia, Chloe is just telling Angel that she's going to find her when both Briggs and Andy show up. Andy wants to know why Chloe broke up with him by text, while Briggs heckles from the peanut gallery. When Chloe announces her intention to go to Central Ward, Briggs protests. She can't go to the corner of Gang and Rape by herself; he'll drive. Chloe shuts him down, knowing Briggs has no car or license. Andy realizes he's in like Flynn. He's got a four-wheel drive, which is equipped to run down rapists, and heated seats.

Sands and Veronica explain to Gianna and Wade that despite surgery, Robin is quickly moving into liver failure, and will only survive two more days without a replacement. She can get on a donor list, but the wait is usually over a year. The good news? Gianna's a match. She can donate a lobe today; recovery's a mere five weeks. Wade is elated, ready to rush Gianna into surgery, but she puts on the brakes. What happens if Shannon dies when she's in surgery? She can't not be there. And why should she give a piece of her liver to the person that almost killed Shannon?

Sonia visits Lauren's son Paul, who's packing up his studio and is less than thrilled to see her. Sonia explains there's a private investigator following her; will Paul talk to him? Paul will only agree to quid pro quo: he'll do it, if Sonia will tell the DA that his mother's death wasn't suicide. Lauren left all her money to the Grand Street Theater Company. Paul was supposed to get the $5 million insurance payout, but now he's got nothing. Asking if Paul's using drugs again, Sonia insists that she loved Lauren. Still, Paul knows she couldn't have opened the morphine bottle on her own. Sonia is no friend of Paul's; she killed his mother and she should never contact him again.

Feeling terrible for Shannon, Robin tells Veronica that she knows Gianna doesn't want to give up her liver. She can't believe how stupid she was, but it doesn't matter now. Veronica points out that an apology always matters, then proceeds to Cabe's office to talk about her hallucinations, and recount how she enlisted in the first place. She was really green when she first got to Iraq, and her mistakes killed people, just like she killed Deanna. Cabe insists that Veronica didn't kill Deanna, the shooter did. A person has to be content to say they did the best they could, otherwise you go crazy.

Chloe bangs on Alicia's door, and little Zach finally answers. He recognizes Chloe, but his mom told him not to let anyone in. Realizing Alicia's passed out, Chloe asks Andy to break down the door and watch the kids while she calls 911. Andy steps right up, charming both the kids and Chloe. Back at Mercy, Veronica confronts Gianna, who admits she's angry. Veronica explains Shannon's case is wait and see, but they can do something to help Robin. Gianna won't always be so angry, but she will have to live with her decision for the rest of her life.

After Alicia's squared away, Andy and Chloe hang outside the hospital. Admitting he's just had the best date ever, Andy makes his move, asking Chloe out on another date. Before she can say a word, he moves in for a kiss. Recovering, Chloe demands that she wants a real date with reservations and none of his friends. Gianna finds that Robin has pulled her bed alongside Shannon's and is staring intently at her. As Veronica watches, Robin apologizes. Stepmom and daughter break down, crying and hugging. Gianna will surrender some of her liver, and they'll take things one step at a time.

Reeling with emotion, Veronica steps into the hall to call someone and tell them she needs them. Later, Chloe and Sonia listen intently while Veronica tells them all about the Valentine's Day shooting -- while sitting in the donut shop. Both Sonia and Chloe agree that Veronica couldn't have saved Deanna. And if they were in her shoes, they would have run away or hid. Sometimes you do all you can, and the outcome's still bad. Smiling after this conversation, it seems like Veronica may be able to leave at least one of her ghosts behind.