Chicago Med season 5, episode 6 recap: It’s All in the Family

Will Halstead

In an unlikely pairing, Dr. Halstead and Dr. Crockett Marcel (Dominic Rains) worked together on a car accident case where their victim was ejected from the seat. His name was David Bridges, a 20-something who apparently also was a Jehovah’s Witness, as he had a “No Blood” card in his wallet.

David’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bridges were brought in, as the doctors needed to consult them regarding the card, which was issued when David was a minor. Will wondered if David was still a Witness, hence the parental consult. David’s parents told Will their son was pioneering (spreading the Word), and they absolutely refused to allow the doctors to give him blood. Will and Crockett told them that with David’s condition, it was unlikely he would survive without getting the surgery he needed. The parents didn’t let up, instead telling Halstead and Marcel they would pray for Jehovah to comfort David.

Will didn’t like the odds of the parents taking risks with David’s life, but Crockett insisted that he had to respect their views, even if he didn’t like them. Dr. Marcel also told Dr. Halstead that he needed a refresher in medical ethics, which left Will questioning his bias.

Being as stubborn as he is though, Will refused to let it go. He had a hunch: based on the fact that David was drinking, doing drugs, and had a tattoo of the Holy Trinity on his body, he believed David was no longer a practicing Jehovah’s Witness. In light of this, and after he talked with David’s congregation leader, Will showed his parents their son’s tattoo.

David had worsened by this time, and Will implored that if they didn’t operate on David in the next few minutes he would die. An emotional moment for everyone involved, his parents walked out and abandoned their son. This now meant the doctors could make decisions on David’s behalf, which also meant they could perform the surgery and give him the life saving transfusion.

The operation proved successful, as David can live without his spleen. When he asked to see his parents, Will told him that they left. David was devastated, and after learning that his surgery required him to get blood transfused, he flipped out. He desperately told Will that he was going to repent – the tattoo, the drinking, getting high, all of that he was doing because he had fallen away from being a Witness. He was trying to get back into their good graces, but now his chances were ruined.

After the rough surgery, Will had a drink with Crockett, as he pondered why he simply couldn’t accept the choice David’s parents made. This also made him wonder about Natalie, and that he probably should start to accept the fact that she was going to tell him about her engagement to Phillip that night of the car accident.

When Dr. Marcel heard this, he confessed that Phillip put that ring on Natalie’s finger after her coma. Armed with this revelation, Will ran to tell Natalie, just as she was going to break it off with Phillip, because she too realized something: she needed to trust her instincts.

She broke it off with Phillip, though not entirely convinced that he lied about the engagement. Will tried to tell her that he should’ve done something sooner, which only made Natalie grow angry at him. She didn’t need him to keep saving her. She was through with having that be their current way of doing things.

Natalie left him with some pretty harsh words: “I don’t need your help, I don’t want your help. Please, just get out of my life.” Cue the violins, and a heartbroken Will Halstead.

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