Do my eyes decieve me?
Was that Julianne Nicholson I saw on television last night? The elfish looking redhead I was first introduced to on Ally McBeal when she played “sidekick” Jenny Shaw? The really, really cute one, despite giving Calista Flockhart competition at portraying a manic-depressive woman.
Yes, it was, and what an amazing contrast it was to see her play a character who seemed to have it all under control, for a change.
Playing Dr. Jules Keating, a pediatrician in the medical drama Presidio Med, Julianne Nicholson portrays a whole gamet of emotions in the one episode I watched, “Suffer Unto Me the Children” (from Mark 10:14 in the Bible). When the private hospital in San Francisco where they work is suddenly deluged with mothers delivering premature babies, Dr. Keating snaps immediately into action.
Most of the babies are born without many complications, but for two families, things are not going so well. One mother should have given birth to triplets, but when one dies in the womb, the doctors are compelled to birth the other two to avoid the same fate. The two boys are born after several tense moments (which included an impromptu C-section) and are immediately rushed to intensive care.
In another room, a mother gives birth to a girl, but faints soon after due to massive internal bleeding. When she comes to, she is informed that in order to save her life, they had to perform some operation that made her very depressed (I couldn’t hear what it was, I heard “vasectomy” but that’s just WRONG). The mother takes the news hard but is comforted in the knowledge that her baby is fine.
The two fathers happen to talk and while the father of the boys is distressed and depressed, worried for their welfare, the father of the girl is unable to afford much empathy, as his baby girl should be out within days.
However, in a plot twist one could see from a mile away, the baby girl is NOT fine. Apparently there’s an infection in the girl’s large intestine and only surgery can prevent a fatal conclusion. The worried mother refuses to give her consent, but is eventually persuaded. However, the surgery was unsuccessful, and the girl suffers a total failure of the intestine. Having only hours to live, she is brought out to her mother and the rest of the family, to say goodbye.
Of course, so that the episode ends on a happier note, the two boys eventually recover, and are well enough to be discharged.
For a while, I debated whether to blog about this, for several reasons. As you can obviously tell from my summary, the premise of the whole episode is rather weak, the plot is relatively predictable and sometimes, you tend to question the possibility of such a situation in reality. Furthermore, the whole series itself didn’t even finish one season. It was taken off the air two episodes after this one (the ninth). Thirdly, it made me wonder if I simply didn’t just watch the show because of Nicholson, the only actress I recognised from the whole cast.
Last, but not least, I debated about whether to share that I cried during the episode.
But then I said, Hey! And that was it. This post is not meant for any audience in particular, as too many of my more recent ones were. This post is just a reminder of what triggers my tear ducts. It’s interesting that I get suckered for some of the worst drama scenes ever. I cried during Armageddon when Bruce Willis’ character volunteers to remain on the asteroid and blow it up. I cried because he never got a chance to say a proper goodbye to his daughter (played by Liv Tyler).
Now again, I cry because here is a father who will see his daughter die before his very eyes and there’s nothing that can be done about it. I cry because he simply never expected this tragedy. I cry because I can just imagine the kind of future he must have dreamt for his child while waiting to take her home. I couldn’t help it. I just cried.
I cry because I fear the same thing might happen to me… that one day I may never get to say a proper goodbye to my children, never to tell them how much I love them and am so proud of whatever they do. Never to do for my Eowyn what King Theoden did for her namesake.
And that scenario just scares me.
