This post contains spoilers from Chicago Med season 11 episode 4 from this point forward.
Following the exciting but incredibly dramatic returns of Will Halstead and Natalie Manning, Chicago Med season 11 continues with new patients and more drama among its core group of Gaffney doctors. Going into season 11 episode 4, the teaser promised an intriguing case for Archer as Charles and Frost also work with a pair of patients in need of unique care.
Let's dive into everything that happens in Chicago Med season 11 episode 4, "Found Family," with a recap!
The chilling reason the man severed his own hand
The episode begins with Ripley waking Frost up. He was seemingly sleeping overnight at the hospital. We next meet Dr. Rabari (Manish Dayal), who gives a presentation to a group of Gaffney doctors, including Charles, about using new psychiatry methods about treating patients. Charles advocates against using the technology Rabari was pitching. Charles might not get his way.
After being awoken by Ripley, Frost begins caring for Cora, a young patient with an autoimmune deficiency disorder. She's covered by a sheet of plastic on all sides to keep her safe from contamination. Frost fears that she's attracting sepsis and suggest a stem cell transplant to save her life. A man rushes into the ED with a cooler containing a bloody severed hand.
Another man enters on a gurney behind him, and Archer begins caring for him, but the man with the severed hand admits that he doesn't want the hand reattached. He cut the hand off on purpose. That's a twist! The patient makes high-end furniture and cut his hand off with a power saw. Archer consults with Charles and considers body integrity disorder.
Charles talks to the severed hand patient, who admits that he was picturing killing someone by choking him with his hand. That's why he cut off his hand, so he wouldn't be tempted to follow through with that urge. Lenox and Ripley assist a couple (yes, that's Jack Falahee from How to Get Away with Murder) who need some sutures. The case seems simple enough.
Frost discovers that Cora isn't the biological child of her mother, which could have been a mistake at the clinic she used to get pregnant. They might need to reach out to Cora's real biological mother to test for the stem cells that could help save her life.
Lenox discovers the shocking secret her patient was keeping
Charles believes the man with the severed hand has harm OCD as he cheks all the boxes. Archer and Lenox work to keep the severed hand vital. She admits that she understands wanting to avoid your own impulses, something that she's been doing in her life. A nurse informs Lenox that Faye threw away her original urine sample and asked for another cup.
Cora's potential biological mother arrives at Gaffney and immediately asks to meet her, but her mom hasn't informed her about the situation. She wants to meet Cora even if they don't tell her the truth. One of the nurses asks Ripley if he's noticed anything strange with Frost. She wonders if he's addicted to meth, which is baseless, but she might have a point about his behavior.
Lenox talks to Faye about her marriage in relation to the red sticker on the bottom of her urine sample cup, which is meant as an alert about domestic violence. Faye insists that the kettle exploded, but Lenox gives her the space to tell the truth. While talking about the abuse, Faye begins to pass out. The nurse discovers severe bruising on Faye's abdomen.
Unexpectedly, Charles asks Rabari for help on the case with the severed hand and consult while doing a guided scan on the patient's brain. Lenox and Ripley inform Faye's husband about her treatment for her injuries, but he doesn't understand what happened to her. Lenox pushes for answers to see if he changes his story. He says she fell but doesn't admit to anything elese.
Frost does his best to help Cora decorate her plastic tent as he and her mother introduce her to the woman who could be her real mom. She notices that Cora has a black streak in her, which her own mother had, and blurts out "You're my daughter" loud enough for Cora to hear. Goodwin has to intervene when tensions run high between the two mothers.
Why was Frost sleeping at the hospital?
When Cora asks whether her biological mother could take her away from her mom, Frost can't promise her what will happen but tells her that family doesn't have to do with genetics. She asks if that what his family was like, but he doesn't open up. Charles shows his patient scans of his brain and ensures him that he wouldn't derive pleasure from hurting anyone. There's a small part of his brain that's malfunctioning and insists they can fix that issue over time.
Lenox informs Faye when she wakes up that her lacerated spleen could have killed her. She also implores her to follow her impulse to reach out for help. But Faye still loves her husband, who's outside her door with flowers. Lenox took the liberty to put her number in Faye's phone. Again, Faye insists that she's fine and doesn't need help. Frost appeals to Cora's biological mother to stand down on Cora's behalf. But she was never able to complete a pregnancy through IVF.
Frost understands what she went through and inspires her to thinking about the situation differently, that she couldn't have become a mother without Cora's mom. They have to work together. Cora's biological mother was a stem cell match, which will make Cora feel a lot better after the transplant. Archer reattaches the hand while Charles and Rabari clear the air about his pitched technology. He agrees to allow Rabari to pursue his research at Gaffney.
Cora's moms make peace and plan to forge ahead together in the future. Cora made Frost a picture of them together in a fishbowl. She tells him to hang it up in his house. In the elevator, Ripley takes the initiative to ask Frost what's up. He admits that he was kicked out of his subletted apartment. Ripley offers Frost to stay at his place, and he accepts. And they were roommates! Faye's husband thanks Lenox for saving her life. She tells him she wishes she could have done more.
Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC, streaming next day on Peacock.