Finch pages Benton since a breast-cancer patient of his is back with severe pain in her back. Since this whole plot only exists to allow Finch to make a spurious point later, I'll shorthand it: the patient is black. She's in horrible pain, with mets to her spine. She needs drugs. Her local pharmacy can't get her any more morphine because, after numerous robberies, they no longer carry it. He can't give her any drugs until tomorrow because the outpatient pharmacy is closed for the holiday. When Benton tries to admit her for pain control, her HMO refuses it. The American health-insurance industry sucks donkey cock for crack money.

Elizabeth tells Mark that Romano told her not to speak to anyone about the lawsuit. Mark points out that she has to respond to the suit, and that though Romano told Elizabeth he'd handle it, he probably meant that he'd hang her out to dry: true. He tells her that he'll set up a meeting between her and some guy he knows in the hospital's Risk Management department. She thanks him, and observes that he looks tired. He says she does, too. She moans that she shouldn't be "dragging [him] into this." He distractedly reminds her that they're getting married, and that he has no choice but to be dragged into it. Without going into it, someone close to me got sued in a pretty much baseless action a few years ago and it was three exhausting months before it was settled. It's a really shitty experience. Anyway, Lydia shows up to tell Mark someone's waiting for him, and he kisses Elizabeth and books. Oh, and I have also had the experience of working with my spouse; you don't kiss in front of your co-workers -- particularly not in the workplace -- because it grosses them out. ["I see you got the memo." -- Sars] Mind you, that caveat applies to Mark's kissing anyone, in any setting, at any point in human history, on any planet.