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Doc Halladay: Let’s not waste any time, gentlemen. We all know why we’re here today. We’re being counted upon to save the Phillies.

Dr. Utley: I tried my best. But, as hard as I tried, the patient has gone straight downhill since I’ve been back. In the 11 days since I’ve been back, I think there’s only been one good day.

Dr. Howard: That’s one more good day than I’ve experienced in the few days since I’ve been here. I had hoped my involvement would help the patient rally. Instead, the situation keeps getting worse.

Utley: You’re going to join us, Doc?

Halladay: Very soon. That’s why I’m meeting with you today. I know you guys can’t do this by yourselves. It’s going to take all three of us and a total team effort to save this season.

Howard: And even that might not be enough.

Halladay: No, it might not. That’s the grim truth. But we have a choice. We can tuck our tails between our legs and give up or we can fight until the end.

Utley: Doc, you know I never give up. But the longer this situation goes on, the tougher it’s going to be to keep the patient’s fighting spirit alive.

Halladay: Well, it likely won’t take that long before we know the patient’s fate. The next couple weeks are crucial.

Howard: I’ve heard that if there isn’t significant improvement by the end of this month, Dr. Amaro is going to put the patient on life support and start harvesting some of his organs.

Utley: The problem, as I see it, is that the patient should never have been allowed to deteriorate this far.

Halladay: To be fair, Dr. Amaro thought both of you would be available to help much earlier.

Howard: I can’t help it if he had unrealistic expectations.

Utley: Does anyone really believe we didn’t get here as fast as we could?

Halladay: Nobody is questioning your desire. We know you guys got involved as soon as you could. Only an idiot would say anything different.

Howard: Well, I’ve definitely heard some idiots out there.

Utley: Me, too. But I don’t think we were the ones without a sense of urgency.

Howard: I agree 100 percent. Everyone knew there was a possibility I wouldn’t be here until July. Why wasn’t more done to help the patient sooner? It seems as if everyone — and that includes Dr. Amaro and the rest of hospital administration — was just waiting around for us to show up and save the day.

Halladay: There did seem to be a lack of urgency in this instance.

Utley: You can say that again. You can’t cure a broken arm with a Band-Aid.

Halladay: Are you referring to the bullpen?

Utley: I’m referring to everything.

Howard: Chase, you certainly are a lot more outspoken behind closed doors than you are in public.

Utley: You know I value my privacy. Besides, I don’t like airing dirty laundry in public.

Halladay: Speaking of dirty laundry, remind me to check that the patient has a fresh gown and sheets before we begin the next round of treatment.

Howard: What are our treatment plans? Nothing has worked so far.

Halladay: I’m hopeful that my return sparks a recovery. At the very least, my presence should provide some stability.

Utley: I agree, but I’ll caution you that your return might not mean as much as you’re hoping it will. I thought my return would make a huge difference. It didn’t.

Howard: I thought the same thing when I returned.

Utley: And I had a great first day back. I hit a home run right off the bat. The patient still got worse.

Howard: My first day back also got off to a great start. But, just like when Chase got back, the patient got worse.

Halladay: Maybe having all three of us there together will make a difference.

Utley: Maybe. I guess we don’t have many other options.

Howard: There’s not a DNR (Do not resuscitate) for this patient, is there?

Halladay: No, quite the opposite. We’re supposed to use any measures we can to keep this patient alive.

Utley: That sort of highlights the problem, doesn’t it?

Halladay: How so?

Utley: We may be doctors, but we’re just human beings. We’re not saviors.

Howard: Saving the patient is possible, but it’s unrealistic to expect it to happen.

Halladay: Everyone understands we’re not miracle workers.

Utley: Are you so sure of that?

Howard: Yeah, I don’t want to get blamed if the patient doesn’t make it.

Halladay: So what should I tell Dr. Amaro?

Howard: Tell him not to expect miracles, but we’ll try our best to save the patient.

Utley: Just like we always do.

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