Chicago Med season 5, episode 6 recap: It’s All in the Family
By Kari Highman
Chicago Med turned up the heat in It’s All in the Family. Find out what happened in our season 5, episode 6 recap.
This week’s Chicago Med had Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) encounter problems in both her professional and personal life. She dealt with the aftermath of last week’s episode, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which left her patient’s prognosis unknown, and her rash decision questionable.
She wasn’t the only doctor to deal with difficult patients, or tricky issues outside of work. Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) contended with a parent’s religious beliefs that threatened the life of their son in “It’s All in the Family”; not to mention his own heartache over watching Natalie with Phillip Davis (Ian Harding).
Click through this slideshow to find out what happened in the latest Chicago Med episode for each of your favorite characters, starting with:
Natalie Manning
Chicago Med opened with Natalie being contained by Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) and Dr. Lanik (Nate Santana). They managed to wrangle a court order that said Lucas was supposed to be treated at Med, but still there was no excuse for Natalie’s behavior.
She defended herself, saying she didn’t have a choice, but Goodwin reminded her that administering antibiotics without parental consent opened the hospital up for a lawsuit. Goodwin left Natalie with a parting note, saying that if she’s compromised she needs to recuse herself from the case. Natalie stood her ground, but Sharon warned: “I hope for Lucas’ sake and for your own, that that’s true.”
Will caught her in the hallway, offering his support, to which Natalie promptly shut him down, saying that she didn’t need his help. To make matters more awkward for the former flames, Philip showed up to the hospital to surprise Natalie. He brought her breakfast and flowers. She said sorry for not being able to make plans until way later, but he was so understanding and said it’s alright. Will stood by, watching his ex-fiancé cozy up to Phillip. His poor heart.
Meanwhile, Monique (Casey Tutton) came back with Lucas’ latest test results, with a spiked temp and the results that show it’s not pneumonia. Natalie was wrong. Yikes. She insisted he’s septic, so she re-ordered labs, and despite Monique’s suggestion to call Lanik, Natalie said she’s fine, again. Do you see a pattern here?
Natalie was next seen in the break room, when Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) revealed her cancer diagnosis. Natalie felt really guilty for not knowing about it sooner, though Maggie insisted there was nothing she could’ve done. Natalie griped to her about Lucas’ diagnosis, as she was at a loss, even after combing through files upon files of medical research.
“What if a small part of me, was doing it to…prove Will wrong?” Natalie defeatedly asked Maggie this, regarding her decision to treat Lucas without his parent’s consent. Maggie told her to trust her instincts, ensuring her they’ve never steered her wrong.
Feeling more confident in herself, Natalie went back to Lucas’ hospital room to run some more tests. The poor little guy now coughed up blood, and his parent’s tried yet again to stop Natalie’s efforts. Maggie arrived with hospital security, who removed Mr. and Mrs. Harper, which only gave Natalie a little more time.
Lucas’ parents figured out Natalie started treating him before the court order, so they overruled the injunction. While in the midst of another test, Maggie warned Natalie that the police were on their way. Natalie responded, saying that this was her last chance to figure out what was really wrong with Lucas. She continued her test and found bloody inflammation in his airways.
She did not get to the final result, as she was pulled from the table. She was charged with unlawful restraint, as well as medical assault and battery. To make matters worse, Goodwin was advised not to get their medical lawyer for Natalie’s case. Yikes, now who was going to help her?
Apparently, Sharon was, as she talked to Mrs. Harper on Natalie’s behalf. Sharon asked her if she was 100% sure she wanted to sign those papers to discharge Lucas. Sharon apologized if they felt mistrust, because it wasn’t an either or situation. Mrs. Harper didn’t know what to believe anymore, to which Sharon only asked her to trust that they have the same goals. “Everything Dr. Manning did was to save your son,” she told Lucas’ mom.
It turned out, Natalie’s instincts were right about Lucas’ illness not being pneumonia after all. All that blood pointed to an autoimmune disorder, and since he finally got the treatment he needed, Mrs. Harper dropped the charges against Natalie. She saved Lucas’ life, and was relieved as she went off to meet Phillip for dinner.