03x11 - The Deadly Connection

[bunniefuu]

Something that
k*lled off the cattle.

You still couldn't tie
it in with the people.

Well, you can't be sure. You
have to make the connection.

You're wasting your time!

You say you have 12 patients?

No. I got 15 now.

Fifteen? Yeah, three
more admitted this morning.

The patient in 109... He's
having trouble breathing.

We've been breaking
our necks to find out

what is wrong with these
people and how to treat them.

Now that we've found out,
you say hold on for a while?

Dr. Quincy, I cannot allow
this hospital to be wiped out.

Gentlemen, you
are about to enter

the most fascinating
sphere of police work,

the world of forensic medicine.

Chris? Chris!

What, Grandpa?

Can you hear me now?

Yeah, of course I can.

Good, good, good.

What did you wanna say?

Nothing...

Now that you have
the radio turned down.

I forgot, you're not with it.

I'm not against it,

but I like things in moderation.

First, when you
get to be my age,

you'll find you'll need a
lot of things in moderation.

Uh-uh.

I'll get it, Chris.

I gotta earn my keep.

Hey, Grandpa, are you all right?

Yeah, yeah. I'm just
a little dizzy, that's all.

Are you all right?

Go up to the house,
Chris, will you?

Don't try to scare
your mother too much,

but I think I need a doctor.

All right, one game
of Liar's Poker, right?

Loser pays for lunch.

It sounds good to me.

Okay.

All right, you start, Brill.

Two sixes.

Ed? Three sevens.

Three eights.

Four sixes.

Five sixes.

Five!

Five sevens.

Six sixes.

Six sixes?

Seven sixes.

Seven...

I challenge.

I challenge.

Yeah.

I got four sixes.
How many you got?

I got one six.

That's five. How many you got?

I got one.

That's six. How many you got?

None.

You can't have none.
You said six sixes.

This is Liar's Poker.

But what kind of
a way is that to...

Okay, okay.

What are you gonna have, Brill?

I'll have fillet
mignon, medium rare,

and a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse.

What? You usually have a
cheeseburger and a bottle of beer!

Eddie? That sound
good to me. I'll have that.

The usual for you?

Oh, no. Something
more expensive.

That is the most
expensive thing we have.

What they got? Mmm-hmm.

Okay, make it three. Naturally.

And?

I'll have a cheeseburger
and a bottle of beer.

Dr. Quincy? Telephone.

All right, listen,
I'll take his hand.

Let's play one more.

Yeah.

Quince, Astin wants
you to hurry back.

He has a 3:00 appointment

and he wants to
see you before then.

I know what he wants.

He wants me to give a lecture
to the morticians in Pasadena.

No... I don't want
to do that, Sam.

That's not it.

He wants to see both of us.

Oh?

I think he wants us
to get out of town.

Okay, I'll get there
right after lunch.

"Pouilly-Fuisse."

And because you've been
working too hard, Quincy.

You know, the air in Arizona
would be terrific for you.

It's a small, quiet
town called Porterville.

Who knows me in Porterville?

You mean they
specifically asked for me?

They certainly did. You know,
you have quite a reputation

as an epidemiologist.

Well, it's hardly a major
epidemic, twelve people.

We don't know how serious it is.

I'm sure if there were more, they
would have asked for someone

with even a bigger reputation.

I don't know about that!

Now, Quincy, please!
You're to see a Dr. Jessup.

Louis Jessup.

He's one of three doctors there.

He also doubles as the
County Health Officer.

You'll find him at the hospital.

What kind of lab do they have?

The lab? Oh,
well, their lab, it's...

It's...

It's adequate.

Well, of course it's
not as good as ours,

but you'll be taking along
our very best lab assistant.

Well, if you'd rather go to
that convention of morticians...

Who says I didn't wanna go?

Horses, wide open
spaces, fresh air...

Everything we don't
know anything about.

Come on, Sam, let's go.

I should've brought my Stetson.

You own a Stetson?

Yeah. A pair of cowboy boots,
spurs, chaps... I'm a Western buff.

Look at you, a regular
Hopalong Fujiyama.

Thanks.

Gentlemen.

Dr. Robinson in Tucson
speaks very highly of you.

Said I couldn't do any better.

He's very kind.

You say you have 12 patients?

No, I got 15 now.

Fifteen?

Yeah. Three more
admitted this morning.

They all have the same symptoms?

Lack of coordination, lapse in
memory, difficulty swallowing...

And, in a few cases, seizures.

And no clue as to why, huh?

None.

Now, I took all
the standard tests.

I'll tell you the truth, Doctor,

I wouldn't be offended if
you wanted to double check.

The sign of a good doctor.

These 15 patients,

have they got anything in
common besides the symptoms?

Well, that's the big question.

And so far, I haven't
found the answer.

Now, they're split evenly
between men and women.

Age range is 14 to 69.

Most of them don't
know each other.

They don't go to the
same restaurants...

Anybody critical?

Not yet.

But a few appear
to be getting worse.

Lou... Oh, excuse me.

Oh, you must be Dr. Quincy.

Yes, I am.

I'm Dr. Lench. I'm the
hospital administrator.

Nice to meet you. Sam Fujiyama.

Happy to have you here. Listen,
we're really glad to have you aboard.

If you can bail us
out of this mess,

we'll build a monument for you

right in the middle of town.

What we want is really
all the help you can give us.

I assure you, you have that.

Lou, can I see you for a
moment? Most important.

Of course. Excuse
me, gentlemen. Sure.

Sam, what do you think?

Small but functional.

Yep. Now we go to work.

See if we can find the
common denominator.

Right.

Dr. Freeman, report
to Radiology, please.

Dr. Freeman, please
report to Radiology.

Take it easy, Pa.

Paul, get me out of
here, will you, please?

Come on, now.
You can use the rest.

Who's going to pay the bills?

Janie, do you know what a
room like this costs today?

Dad, we can take care
of it. Now, wait a minute.

I've been to the hospital
only once in my life, right?

Let's see now, that was...

Back in '52.

Room like this, 18 bucks.

You can't get an
aspirin for that today.

Just let us worry about
the bills, okay, Pa?

We've got a little
set aside, and...

Oh, yeah?

And you spend it?

How are you gonna
replace our cattle?

What do you do about that?

I'll tell you what you do.

You'll take it easy,
like the doctor says.

They'll find out
what's wrong with you,

all the other people...

They'll know how to treat it,

then they'll turn
you loose. All right?

All right.

I'll give 'em one more day.

All right.

And now we're going.

Because Paul has
to get back to work,

and Chris has chores to do.

Like Jane says,
you can use the rest.

- Goodbye, Grandpa.
- Bye.

I don't wanna rest.

Bye.

I don't like it that
much, anyway.

Yeah.

My daughter?

Send her in.

Dad.

Well, to what do I owe
the pleasure of this visit?

Dad...

I'm worried about Chris' family.

Oh, what about them?

Well, they're in trouble.

Money trouble.

Uh-huh?

Well, you know, with all these
hospital expenses and everything...

Chris told you this?

He didn't mean to,

but I got it out of him anyway.

Uh-huh. And you
wondered if I could help?

Could you?

Honey, I already offered.

I asked Paul... Mr. Davis, if
there was anything I could do,

but he said that
they could manage it.

But they can't.

I know.

But I can't ask
him a second time.

The man has his pride.
You've got to respect that.

All right, honey.

I'll find a way,
somehow, to help him.

Thanks, Dad.

I'm a lucky man

to have a daughter as understanding
and compassionate as you.

You're a pretty
nice guy yourself.

Mmm-hmm.

Right. Thanks. Thanks very much.

So much for the sputum cultures.

Normal growth?

Normal growth. Take a look.

Who was that on the phone?

The state lab.

The arsenic and lead
all within normal range.

There's no increase
in the antibodies.

Which pretty well
rules out any infection.

Except for a slow virus, and
I'm sure we can write that off.

Have any luck?

Oh, a lot of luck,
all of it's bad.

Well, I've been
working the other end.

Looking for a
common denominator?

Yeah, yeah. I gave all the
patients a questionnaire to fill out,

the returns are in.

Drew a blank.

Doctor, I want to make
the afternoon rounds,

would you care to join
me? I sure would like to.

Should I repeat the
spinal taps, Quince?

Oh, no, Sam. What
we got was conclusive.

I don't wanna put those
poor people through it again.

Try the blood counts again, will
you? See how stable they are.

Right.

Hi, Nan.

Hi, Chris. How's your grandpa?

Well, he's a lot
better, I think.

Are you going to the
basketball game tonight?

I don't know. I
hadn't planned on it.

I don't have any homework.

Did you want to go?

Well, yeah. I mean,
if you wanted to.

Yeah... I don't have a car.

My dad's gotta keep the pickup,

in case he has to
go to the hospital.

Oh. Well, we can
use Daddy's car.

I guess. Yeah.

Good. Then I'll
be by about 7:00.

Okay?

I gotta be home by 11:00.

Okay. That'll be great.

What do you see, Doc?

Just your brown eyes.

Touch that finger with
your forefinger, please.

You mean just touch it?

Yeah, just like that.

Let me try that again, Doc.

Sure.

I don't know... I don't
know what's wrong.

We're gonna find out.
You're gonna be fine.

How was lunch?

It was okay. What did you have?

I don't remember.

It couldn't have been
more than an hour ago.

Wait a minute.
Meat loaf, wasn't it?

No, I don't think so.

Come on, Doc...

First I can't touch your hand,

then I can't remember
what I had for lunch...

What's wrong with me, Doc?

You're gonna be fine, as
soon as we find out what it is.

Dr. Jessup, the patient in 109,
he's having trouble breathing.

It's okay, Mr. Davis. It's
all right... Relax, relax.

It's all right.

Nurse, I want you to stay
with Mr. Davis until this clears.

And then, get me a set of chest
x-rays and some blood gases.

He was the first one.

Really? Yeah. And the
one in the most danger.

If we don't b*at this thing in
a hurry, he's the oldest, so...

I don't know how many more
att*cks like that he can take.

It sure is a hard luck family.

It is?

They run a cattle ranch
on the outside of town.

Had maybe three, four
hundred head of cattle.

Right now, they
don't have a one.

What happened?

Some kind of disease.
Nobody ever could find out what.

The whole herd?

No, just a few. But the
rest had to be destroyed.

Can I make a guess
at what you're thinking?

You would be making
a pretty good guess

if you would say
that I'm trying to link

those diseased
cattle with the people.

I already checked it You did?

Sure. But don't let
me stop you, Doc.

I mean, that's one of the reasons
why I brought you out here.

Maybe you can find
something I couldn't.

Maybe I can. All right.

It's weird, sad.

Some of them,

their hooves began to
curl upward, you know?

Their hides got tougher.

Wrinkled. Like elephant skin.

And they began
staggering around.

Yeah. You'd swear
they were drunk.

I got some pictures.

Can you imagine, Doctor?

A bunch of drunken cattle!

Then they began to die off.

Did you check the feed?

That's the first thing
crossed our minds.

They made a complete
analysis. Nothing wrong.

Who made the analysis?
Independent lab.

Independent?

They're straight. That's one
of the things we looked into.

And none of the other
ranchers had this problem?

Just me.

Remember, honey,
we talked about it?

Yes, we...

First, I thought it was
my fault somehow.

That I wasn't caring
for the animals properly.

But I was, Doctor.

I know I was!

You think there's
some connection

between this and what's
happening, don't you?

It's certainly a possibility
worth considering.

But no one around
here ever ate that meat.

We shipped our cattle to a buyer
about 200 miles away from here,

and then it went straight
to the slaughterhouse.

And we never sold a cow as soon as
we saw something was wrong with it.

I know it's a long sh*t, but I
wanna check out the feed anyway.

Where did you get it?

Porter Products. Where I work.

Where you work?

Where I work now.

When the herd
was destroyed, we...

We didn't have any
income at all. A lot of debts.

They offered this job
at Porter's, I took it.

Just a stop gap, you understand.

I'm saving my money.

I'm going to be able to
rebuild the herd soon.

Porter Products? Yeah.

I'll give it a try
in the morning.

We pride ourselves
on our quality control.

Not only do we

have samples running
back over 20 years,

but every run has a number.

That's 764, Series 9.

This is what you
delivered to Mr. Davis?

Over 21 tons of it.

Twenty-one tons?

Cattle eat a lot.

Can I take this
with me? Certainly.

Oh, by the way, Doctor...

How are your patients doing?

Well, they're stable
for the most part.

We are pretty
concerned with one only.

Oh? Henry Davis.

Thank you very much for this.

Yeah.

Give him some more
IV bronchodilator.

Better keep a tracheotomy
set handy, just in case.

Do you wanna continue the IVs?

We have to. He can't
swallow. He'll aspirate.

Well, it looks like we
won another one for now.

I'll be in the lab.

Nothing here.

Me, too.

Cattle feed is clean.

Mr. Davis just
had another att*ck.

He came out of it?

Yeah, he's okay. It wasn't easy.

Did you guys come
up with anything?

Cattle feed is clean.

Well, I guess it doesn't
make any difference really.

What do you mean, it
doesn't make any difference?

I mean, if there was
something in that stuff,

something that
k*lled off the cattle,

you still couldn't tie
it in with the people.

Well, you can't be sure. We
have to make the connection.

You're wasting your time!

I'm sorry. Forgive me.

Doctor, I tell you, I
feel so damn impotent!

I got 18 patients.

One of them almost d*ed,

and the rest are stable.

But what the hell
does that mean, stable?

Respiratory infections,

lack of coordination,
lapses of memory.

What happens, Doctor?

Does it go on for
the rest of their lives?

If we could find out what
touched off the cattle.

But you've already
checked the feed once, twice!

But there are other things out there
besides the feed that we haven't checked.

Come on, Sam.

Slow down, will you? Slow down!

Holy Mackerel, slow down.

Come on, Midnight, slow down.

I'm telling you, Sam, next time,

we're gonna use
a Jeep like I said.

I think the proper
expression is, "Whoa!"

Oh, I didn't want him to
stop, I want him to slow down.

I can't believe
you're a cowpoke.

As a matter of fact, I wanted
to be one till I was 10 years old,

then I changed my
mind. What happened?

I got on my first horse.

Here it goes again.
Here it is, look at this.

What are you doing?

Testing the water,
see if it's pure.

How do you do that?

Well, put in the solution, if it
turns purple, it's contaminated,

if it doesn't, it's pure.

It's okay, Sam. Let's go.

Since we haven't
had too much rain,

we're checking the foliage
for herbicide residue.

That's the stuff they spray out here
to get rid of fungus and mold, isn't it?

You know your chemistry.

So, what are you going
to do with all this soil?

Check it for mercury,
lead and nuclear spill.

You know, there aren't any
nuclear plants around here.

Yes, I know. But we use
so much nuclear energy

that we have to take the waste,

put it in giant drums,
and then transport them.

Sometimes during the
transportation there's a leak.

Where does it all wind up?

Sometimes they bury the
drums deep under the ground.

Other times, unfortunately, they
drop them in the middle of the ocean.

Still searching, huh?

I've read more books
in the last couple of days

than I did all through
medical school.

Can't get a hint.

The soil samples told me
exactly what I thought they would.

Nothing.

Where do we go from here?

I know where you have to go,

someplace else for help.
Somebody with more experience.

You're quitting?

Well, it's not a
question of quitting.

Sam and I have done every
test we could possibly think of.

And not once, not twice,
but over and over again.

We've analyzed,
we've re-analyzed.

We made a lot of guesses,
some educated, some dumb.

They have all added up to zero.

Look, I'm sorry.

Besides, they're not pushing,
but I'm needed back at my office.

Work is piling up.

You're leaving in the morning?

Yeah, about 10:00.

I wanna go over to the Davises.
I figure I owe them an apology.

Doc!

Thank you.

I mean that.

What you're saying is that...

That the answer can't be found.

I'm saying, I can't find it.

Sam and I have done
everything we can.

But then, what's the next step?

Except praying.

No, Dr. Jessup will
stay on it, of course.

And I'm sure he'll have some
government specialists in very soon.

Soon, soon,
that's all I've heard.

Soon enough to save my father?

Paul, please.

We hope so.

I'd like you to know
that we thank you.

Both of you.

For trying and for caring.

Yeah.

I'm sorry I exploded.

I understand that. Thank you.

Well...

Can we offer you some coffee?

Well...

And some cake.

I have a specialty on cake.

I couldn't help noticing.

Well, it's a charity affair and I
think I baked a few too many.

Well, if it's no
trouble maybe...

Looks so good. Oh, yeah.

Paul, would you mind carving
and I'll go get the coffee.

We have one of
these all the time.

There's rummage sales,
charity drives, barbeques...

Barbeques?

Only one of those a
year. Pioneer days.

The end of summer, the
town has a big celebration.

You know, the whole
county shows up.

The big parade, the
games for the kids.

And barbeques? Where
do you get the meat?

It's donated. Some of it...

Hey, wait a minute.

You donated one of
your cows, didn't you?

Yeah, a bull.

When?

About a month before the
cattle started getting sick.

No, you mean a month before
you noticed the cattle getting sick.

But they weren't sick!

Look, you may be a good
rancher, but you're not a pathologist.

Wait a minute.

That could be a connection?

Maybe.

Common denominator. Why not?

- May we use your phone?
- Sure.

Call, will you, Sam?
Cancel the reservations.

Right.

Honey, you forgot your lunch.

Oh, thank you.

You and Chris gonna see him?

Yeah, about 11:00. The
Medinas will drive me in.

Dad?

No, no, no, there's
been no change.

I didn't know what else would bring
you out here so early in the morning.

Oh, yeah? You've
heard about the early bird.

I wanted to check out all the
patients as soon as they got up.

I found my common denominator.

They were all at the barbeque.

Well, I guess that
settles it, huh?

That settles the easy part.
Now, comes the hard part.

The cows picked up something,
they transmitted it to human beings.

Now, how did they pick it up?

Eating, drinking, what?

No, we'll have
to rule out water.

I checked yours and it's pure,

so is the soil and the pastures.

I'm afraid it takes
me back to the feed.

Which has already
been analyzed twice.

Did you mix anything with it?

No, nothing at all.

Could anything have
accidentally been mixed with it?

Well, they don't make
anything else at the plant...

Wait a minute, wait a
minute, they used to, though.

They did? Yes. Remember the...

Some kind of
insulating material.

Insul'aid, it was called.

But they moved the whole operation
down to the Dos Robles plant

five, six weeks before our cattle
showed any signs of trouble.

Sometimes it takes more than
a lot more than five or six weeks

for the first symptoms to
show up in humans or animals.

You wanna get a hold
of some of this Insul'aid?

I'd like to, very much.

Well, they don't
sell it here in town.

But I have two friends who
work down at Dos Robles.

I'd appreciate it.

One more of
Porter's cattle feed,

one more ground up Insul'aid.

Sam, take a look.
Tell me what you see.

Gosh, I don't see anything
except cattle feed, nothing else.

Ain't that terrific?
What do you mean?

Lou, take a look, come on.

Tell me what you see.

Cattle feed, nothing else.

That's right. And that's
exactly what they saw at the lab

when they checked out
Porter's cattle feed, nothing else.

Look at this, here.

Here's the cattle feed.

Here's the Insul'aid. Poison.

Look at the bags,
they're both the same.

Some worker at the plant
could have made a mistake

and mixed them both together.

I mean, the microscope
won't show it up.

There's only one
instrument that would.

Yeah, a gas chromatograph.

That's right.

I gotta get to LA.

Sorry I'm late. How are you?

Fine. What's happening?

Well, as you know,

when the original cattle
feed was sent to the lab,

this was sent to an
independent lab for examination.

All they could see
under the microscope

was pure cattle feed. Right.

Now, when I mixed cattle
feed with Insul'aid myself,

put it together, and I
looked under the microscope,

all I could see was
pure cattle feed, too.

Right, a microscope
cannot separate materials.

The gas chromatograph can.

Now, here's the graph
of pure cattle feed.

See that? Yeah.

Here's the graph of
cattle feed and Insul'aid

that I mixed myself.

Very definitely. Okay.

Now, I'm going to inject

a liquefied sample of the
cattle feed sold to the Davises.

If it matches the second
graph, then we know.

Bingo.

They match, now we know.

What was the Insul'aid?

RD 2.

You mean, those people
have been ingesting RD-2?

I'm afraid so, but at least
now we know the antidote.

RD-2? Never heard of it.

It's a catalyst. Has a
lot of industrial uses.

I wouldn't recommend
it for people, though.

Why did it take so long, Quince?

I mean, before that
epidemic got started.

That... That barbeque was
more than three months ago.

First, the stuff had to go
through the blood-brain barrier.

That accounts
for part of the time.

Then the symptoms didn't show up

until the RD-2 reached
the critical level.

That's the antidote?

Right here. Drive
carefully, will you.

And it was just the other night.

What was?

You had given up.

We didn't have anything
to look forward to then.

We do now.

Oh, Dr. Jessup, you're
wanted in Room 125, right away.

Mr. Davis? He's
had another att*ck.

Don't take your eye off that.

Dr. Roberts, report
to Emergency please.

I'll take over, Nurse.

How bad is he?

Complete respiratory arrest.

Heart rate's 37.

I've got to get his P02 up.

Isuprel.

He's breathing on his
own, but very shallowly.

Keep bagging him, Doctor.

Heart rate is at 80.

Get a respirator.

If he doesn't improve in
the next five or six hours,

I'll trach him.

So, all the cases
have been confirmed?

All seven.

Five in Tucson,
two near Flagstaff.

And it was traced.

Meat from the
Davis cattle was sold

in supermarkets in both areas.

But why weren't
there more victims?

I mean, right here
in Porterville alone,

a hundred people must've
eaten meat from that steer.

We got a handful of cases, why?

Lou, I went to a party
with 20 other guests.

We all ate the same food, five
of us came down with ptomaine,

the rest of us were fine.

Individual tolerance?

That, and the amount
of food consumed,

the different toxic
levels in the food itself.

Now, I think we ought to give
this antidote as quickly as possible.

That's exactly what
I planned to do.

Just exactly what
is in this stuff?

It's a chelating agent.

A chelating agent?

Yeah, but that can
be toxic in its own right.

It could have some side effects.

Severe ones.

Yeah, but not as severe
as what they've already got.

Wait a while, wait a
while. I think we ought to

wait a little while on this.

Come on, will you?

We've been breaking
our necks to find out

what is wrong with these
people and how to treat them.

Now that we found out,
you say, hold on for a while?

We're not sure of anything.
All of this is supposition.

Now, don't misunderstand
me, Dr. Quincy.

I think you're right.
I think that the...

The RD-2 got
into the cattle feed,

I think the cattle got sick, and I
think that the people picked it up.

Of that, I'm 90 percent sure.

But not 100?

Not 100 percent.

And until I get hard proof,
it could be something else.

Now, you're asking me
to give dr*gs to patients

that might not help them at all,

but could harm
them a great deal.

But, you said yourself,
you're 90 percent sure.

We don't know how much time
we have, we have to move fast.

Dr. Quincy, please
try to understand me.

I just don't want this
hospital to go down the tubes.

Once, I tried to help a man who
was in an automobile accident

and I was just passing by.

His family almost wiped me out.

Dr. Quincy, I cannot allow
this hospital to be wiped out.

Gentlemen, will you excuse me?

Where you going?

You said you're 90 percent sure?

I'm going to get him
the other 10 percent.

Couldn't have happened.
There's just no way possible.

But it did happen, and it
happened the way I told you.

The bags got mixed together.

But, we take every precaution.

No, Doctor. You're wrong.

Then why did you suddenly shift

the whole Insul'aid
operation to another plant?

It wasn't sudden. We
planned that months earlier.

I can give you all
the proof in the world.

I'm not interested in proof.

Look, I'm not accusing
you of anything.

I'm talking about an
accident, not a crime.

Nothing that you've said

would hold up in a court
of law and you know it.

Who cares about courts,

and laws, and right or wrong.

I care about a lot of sick
people here and elsewhere.

One of them is a very
dear friend of yours.

He could die at any moment.

You have the antidote,
why don't you use it?

How many times
do I have to tell you?

I have to be certain that the
Insul'aid was mixed in with the feed.

Now, why don't
you tell me the truth?

I have!

Dr. Quincy...

You're talking about 16 people.

My heart goes out
to them, it really does.

They're more like family
than they are neighbors.

But if I were to say

that this company's
responsible for their condition,

and I'm not in any
way saying that.

But if I were to say that
this company is responsible,

it would involve more
than just 16 people.

It's not... No, no,
no, let me finish.

If this company is guilty,

we're laying ourselves open
to all kinds of heavy law suits.

Oh, we're insured.

But the coverage
isn't nearly enough.

We'd have to go out of business.

You're worried about business?

It's more than a business.

We're the largest
employer in this area.

There's here, Dos Robles,
and a lot of smaller factories.

That's 1,000 people.

Not just 16, 1,000.

You put that many people out
of work in a county this small,

then you add the families
in. The ripples get wider...

You're rationalizing,
Mr. Porter!

Do you really care
about those people,

or are you concerned
about your business?

'Cause what you're saying
sounds like one giant cover-up.

You knew, didn't you?

You knew from
the very beginning.

You knew that the cattle
were eating contaminated feed.

There is no way to prove that
those cattle made these people sick.

Ms. Field, will you
come in, please?

Dr. Quincy, I share your
concern for your patients.

But, further than that,
I have nothing to say.

Almost? Almost?
He almost admitted it.

I'm sorry, that's
not good enough.

That's as close
as we're gonna get.

See, we can't
prove it in the lab.

All right, we'll question
some of his employees.

Do you know how
long that would take?

Weeks, maybe months,
before we found out anything.

We don't have that kind of time.

We're gonna lose Davis,
and a couple of others, to boot.

All right, suppose
we use the antidote,

and suppose we lose a
couple of them that way,

and suppose there's an autopsy

and no trace of RD-2 is
found, what then, Doctor?

Dr. Lench, that is
a 1,000-to-1 sh*t.

Yes, and that 1,000-in-1
chance POPS UP,

and we have to
close this hospital.

No, I'm sorry.

We won't use the antidote.

I was talking to Chris today about
what might have caused the epidemic.

I see.

And he thought that we
might have been responsible?

Are you?

No!

Well, then, why
does he think so?

And what about that
doctor they brought in?

They are jumping to
conclusions, Nancy.

There's nothing to it at all.

Would you like a
drink? Cola? Root beer?

Cola.

Chris seems to think that, that
doctor knows what he's talking about.

Since when is Chris
a medicine man?

Daddy, be serious.

I am, Nancy.

You remember when
those cattle got sick?

Everybody thought there
might be something in the feed.

To be honest with you, I
was afraid there might be, too.

That's why I had it tested

at a very reputable lab.

I feel kind of dizzy.

Come on, let's sit down.

Nancy!

What's the matter?

I don't understand, Dad.

Help me.

We'll be in Phoenix in
time for the LA. plane.

What a waste, Sam. What a
waste. To lose a ball game like this.

Quince, we did
everything we could.

But we were so close. I
mean, we are so close.

Doctor!

Sam, I think it's RD-2. You
better get her in the hospital.

All right.

What happened?

She got dizzy. I think she's
got what the others have.

That drug, whatever
it is you have.

The antidote?

Yeah, I want you to
give it to her right away.

We can't. Not until we're
sure what caused the illness.

It's what you say it is.

That's not enough, Mr. Porter.

That's my daughter. What
do you want me to say?

I want you to say that you know that
Insul'aid was mixed with the cattle feed

and that you're responsible.

All right.

It was mixed with the feed and
I'm responsible. Now, help her.

Tell Dr. Lench. The antidote, all the
patients get it. Start with Mr. Davis.

She's going to be all right.

I want you to tell me something.

You believe that the sick cattle

are responsible for what's
happening to my daughter?

Yes, I do.

And you believe
that I'm responsible?

Yes.

Tell me something, if your
daughter hadn't gotten in,

would you have
told us the truth?

His coordination is better
already. Did you notice?

I guess that stuff
must work pretty fast.

I'll meet you out at the truck
in a couple of minutes. Okay?

Sure.

Nan?

Hi.

Hi. How are you today?

Oh, pretty good.
How's your grandpa?

Oh, he's a lot
better. Thank you.

Good.

Listen, you know
my dad and your dad,

there's gonna be a lawsuit.

Yeah. We're gonna be
on opposite sides, too.

Right.

It's nothing personal.

You know, I hope it
won't affect you and I.

Oh, I know.

I mean, it won't.

Okay, good.

If it's okay, I'd like to
come by after school.

Oh, that's okay.

It's fine. Good.

All right. All right,
well, I'll see you then.

I got to go, bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Jerry, cut my budget 10
percent? That's ridiculous.

Did you read about us
in the paper again today?

Page 23, the right hand column.

About how I was instrumental in
checking this massive epidemic in Arizona.

Well, of course Quincy was
there. Yes, and Sam, too.

Jerry, I authorized the plane
fare. That's three round trips.

I authorized the phone calls.
I authorized the telegrams.

I authorized the special labs.

Right, Jerry, that is about


Jerry... Come in. I have
four people here in my office.

Right.

Our hero returns.

You were in the paper today.
Page 23, right hand column.

Really? Jerry just called to
congratulate you and Sam.

Well, did you tell him we
couldn't have done it without you?

Oh, no, no. I take no
credit for this whatsoever.

Did Jessup call?

Yes, he did, about an hour ago. He
says the epidemic is just about over.

Oh, and how's the
old man, Mr. Davis?

Up and around. He'll be
okay in a couple of weeks.

Oh, isn't that terrific?
Well, I'll see you later.

Where you going?

Well, see, Sam and I went
horseback riding out there,

and I kind of like it, so
we're gonna do it here.

He's out getting
me some equipment.

Come in.

Oh, you know, there are
three or four cases that...

Oh, did you get it, Sam? Yeah.

Hat. Riding gloves.

Terrific.

What's that?

I saw you ride.