Sam talks to Carter about a patient we don't care about, so that Carter can find a pause in the conversation and insert a question about Alex. "He hasn't given himself a thoracotomy yet," she says wryly. "He'll probably end up a brain surgeon," Carter offers. "Or a grave robber," Sam laughs. She then peels off so that Luka can come around the corner and stop, frustrated, in front of Carter, who asks how the class is going. "Ask Kem," he sighs. "She's doing most of the talking." Carter coughs that she's inquisitive. Luka's like, "No shit, Miss Marple. Now take your calcium pills so your bones won't snap while you're dragging her the hell out of my classroom." Carter agrees to talk to her.

Kem's taken to badgering Neela next, apparently as quizzical as Carter believes, but also oblivious to the fact that it's an emergency room and a teaching hospital, so if she's going to harangue the staff, she should probably have paid some tuition. Right now, she's wondering why all these patients crowding triage haven't gone to their primary care physicians. Neela answers that it's a three-month wait at the clinic. Kem shakes her head, all disapproving. Kem? They're not there for routine physicals. It's an EMERGENCY room. It's where people go when they need EMERGENCY medicine. If I've got an axe sticking out of my head or a cough that threatens to eject my lungs onto my very comfortable and clean couch, then I'm fucked if I'm going to wait for my doctor to check his pager during his kid's little league game. I'm going to the ER. Kem overhears Neela struggling to communicate with a French-speaking woman who's brought in her two kids and has a hacking cough. Kem wanders over with a warm smile and addresses the woman in perfect French. "She's from Haiti," says Kem. Neela smiles at her. Neela is gracious. Kem listens to the cough, and worry clouds her face. "I think it's pertussis," she tells Neela, who's startled. Carter shows up long enough to confirm that they've gotten the odd whooping cough case before, so it's not out of the realm. Carter guides her away and asks how Luka's lecture is gong. "Interesting! Luka's an excellent teacher," she over-praises. "I should get back, but I think Neela needs a translator." Carter instead sends her up to talk to Dr. Ferina up in the infectious-diseases ward. Neela agrees to escort her upstairs, because apparently poor Kem, Kem, Kem of the Jungle can't be expected to both press a lift button and follow signs to her destination. She's lucky she can get around without a swinging vine. "Check out that woman," Kem calls to Carter as she disappears with Neela.