The Rookies (TV Series)

A Bloody Shade of Blue (1972)

John A. Zee: Dr. Cooper

Quotes 

• Dr. Cooper : [Officer Terry Webster has been taken to Memorial Hospital after two snipers shot at him while he was in his police car. When the bullets struck the car windshield, numerous fragments of glass were shattered and blown into his eyes. He is now in the hospital operating room and is lying faceup on the OR table, awaiting surgery to remove the glass fragments. He's been given a sedative to help calm him, but he is fully awake and conversing with the eye surgeon, Dr Cooper. Terry's vision is very blurry, which the viewers are seeing from his perspective]  Officer Webster, can you hear me?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's frightened eyes are open and his soft voice is somewhat muffled by the sheet that has been placed over his nose and mouth. He nods slightly as he answers Dr Cooper]  I hear you.

  Dr. Cooper : [the doctor and nurse are looking down at Terry. Their faces and the overhead lights are blurry as he peers up at them]  There are a great many slivers of glass in both your eyes, Officer Webster. I'm going to try to remove them, but I need your help. Do you understand what I am saying?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry, peering up at the doctor, answers in a low, shuddering voice]  I understand.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper continues his dialogue with Terry, looking down at him]  I can't put you to sleep, Officer Webster, because in trauma cases, there's too much of a possibility of... nausea. You've been sedated, but a certain amount of discomfort... will be unavoidable... until the anaesthetic takes effect. Do you understand what I've just said to you?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's eyes, which have swelled up, are beginning to leak tears, which start to drip onto the surgical hat that is covering his hair. He sighs, then answers the doctor softly]  Sounds like... . you're reading me my rights.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper confirms his question to make sure Terry fully understands what is going on]  I just want to make sure you understand what's going to happen.

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's soft voice is very calm and quiet, even though he's scared to death]  I get it... let's do it.

  Dr. Cooper : [the doctor pulls the overhead magnifier over closer to Terry's face and positions it directly over his wide-open, apprehensive eyes; its light shines brightly into them. Dr Cooper, reaching over for an instrument on the tray, replies to Terry in a calm, assured voice]  All right... here we go...

  [Dr Cooper begins the tedious surgery of removing the many tiny glass fragments from Terry's eyes. He looks thru the lenses on the magnifyer and uses tweezers to begin removing the glass fragments from Terry's eyes. It is very blurry as he begins the procedure, as the viewers are seeing it from Terry's perspective] 

• Dr. Cooper : [it's almost the end of Terry's eye surgery. By now, Terry's forehead is furrowed tensely, as he is concentrating hard on trying to lie still and keeping his eyes wide open for the eye surgeon to remove the glass fragments. Dr Cooper concludes the surgery; he then pushes away the overhead bright magnifying light he had been shining into Terry's eyes]  There we are... I think we're done, Officer Webster. How are you feeling?

  [the doctor leans down toward Terry as he speaks] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry is thankful that the surgery is finished. He relaxes, sighs, then he blinks his eyes several times as he answers the doctor softly]  Flattered.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper is looking down at Terry]  Don't blame you. I'm going to put a sterile bandage on your eyes now... it'll have to stay on at least a week.

  [the nurse hands two gauze bandages to Dr Cooper] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [By now, Terry is very frightened. He blinks his eyes several times, then he peers up apprehensively toward the doctor. His vision is very blurry. His nose and mouth are still covered with the sheet and his soft voice is almost inaudible]  One thing...

  Dr. Cooper : [the doctor shakes his head, looking down at Terry]  I can't answer it, Officer.

  Officer Terry Webster : I haven't asked you anything yet.

  [Terry's voice is uncertain and it shakes slightly] 

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper leans down closer to Terry]  You want to know if there will be any permanent impairment. I don't know yet. I got all the pieces I could see, I think I got all the pieces there are, but I can't be sure. Some of them were... infinitesimal.

  Officer Terry Webster : [Dr Cooper is standing at the head of the operating table. Terry opens his eyes wide and looks upward at the doctor. His eyes and voice clearly shows his fear and anxiety]  Will I lose part of my sight any?

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper replies in a quiet, calm voice]  Part or all. Or none.

  [emphasized] 

  Dr. Cooper : Too soon to know.

  [Dr Cooper starts to place a bandage over Terry's right eye] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry, fighting his fright, stops Dr Cooper]  Hold it... let the nurse do it.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper pulls back the bandage. He looks at Terry, not sure what he means by that request]  Why?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's low voice is shaking, as he's trying hard to control his emotions. He blinks rapidly, hoping to calm himself and looks toward the nurse]  This might be the last thing I ever see... I'd prefer it to be her than you.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper slowly nods his head, understanding Terry's logic]  Makes sense.

  [He hands the bandages to the nurse] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry looks sideways toward the nurse. Although he's frightened, his voice is calm and quiet as he addresses her]  Take off your mask.

  Lynn : [the nurse looks at Dr Cooper, not sure if she should remove her mask]  Doctor?

  Dr. Cooper : Go ahead

  [he walks away from the operating table. The nurse starts to remove her mask] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry is looking at the nurse intently thru the blurriness]  What's your name?

  Lynn : [the nurse looks down at Terry]  it's Lynn.

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's voice, now very soft, is still shaking slightly and he's breathing rapidly]  Smile for me, Lynn.

  [Lynn smiles as she looks down at Terry; her face is blurred, as the viewers are seeing it from Terry's perspective. She places the gauze bandages over his eyes and the OR scene is over] 

• Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper and Lynn, the nurse, are in Terry's hospital room, which has been darkened. Terry is lying quietly in his hospital bed; the bandages have been removed from his eyes in preparation for the doctor's examination on his progress. Dr Cooper is checking Terry's eyes through a lighted scope]  Light hurt your eyes?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry's voice is very quiet, as he's nervous about the doctor's verdict]  Yes.

  Dr. Cooper : Good, it should. Close them.

  [Terry closes his eyes and Dr Cooper lowers the scope] 

  Dr. Cooper : Nurse, would you open the blinds, please?

  [Lynn opens the blinds and the room is flooded with light] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry, his eyes closed, takes a deep, calming breath. He turns his face toward the sound of the doctor's voice, who is unwrapping a fresh gauze bandage]  Well?

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper places the bandage over Terry's left eye]  Progressing nicely, I'd say. There's still a good deal of swelling, but that's a side effect of the surgery. The more it does down, the more I'll be able to see. But, from what I can see at this point, looks... all right.

  [the doctor begins taping the bandage over Terry's eye] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry, fighting his fright, swallows hard to try to control his emotions before speaking]  How long do the bandages stay on?

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper continues taping the bandage over Terry's eye]  Another week at least, maybe longer.

  Officer Terry Webster : [Dr Cooper finishes taping the first bandage]  Do I have to stay in the hospital?

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper turns Terry's head away from him slightly and places a bandage over his right eye]  Why? Don't you like it here?

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry swallows hard again]  Food's lousy... but the people are all right.

  Lynn : [Lynn is observing the doctor working with Terry. She's smiling]  Why, thank you, sir.

  Dr. Cooper : [Dr Cooper finishes bandaging Terry's right eye]  Miss Everett, would you start the paperwork to get this guy out of here? He's saying nasty things about our hospital.

  Lynn : Right away, Doctor.

  [She's smiling widely as she leaves the room] 

  Dr. Cooper : [the doctor is examining Terry's bandages one last time]  Now, when you're back home, I want you to take it easy. And no yielding to temptation and start taking those bandages off to get a little peek. That's ruined more good operations than you can shake a stick at.

  [Dr Cooper leans down toward Terry, with a stern expression] 

  Officer Terry Webster : [Terry relaxes against his pillow and smiles slightly]  Oh, I'm not gonna shake a stick at anything. My doctor told me to take it easy.

  Dr. Cooper : And your doctor means it.

  [Terry hears Dr Cooper abruptly leaving the room. Now alone in his room, he takes another deep, calming breath and brings his hands up to his face. He lets his breath out slowly, trying to calm himself]