[Julia goes to see Charlene's doctor.]
Dr. Mitchell, I'm Julia Sugarbaker. May I come in?
Yes, but I hope this won't take long. I'm on the staff of three hospitals, and I still have rounds.
Oh, I understand how very very busy you are, and I'll be brief. I've come because I'm a very close friend of Charlene Frazier's.
Charlene Frazier is no longer my patient, so I can't see....
Actually I'm not here only for Charlene's behalf, but on behalf of all your patients.
I don't understand.
What I'd like to know is, how many more women are you gonna kill before you retire?!
I beg your pardon?!
You see, I've done a little checking on you, Dr. Mitchell, and I've discovered that Charlene is not the first woman you've told to wait and see. You said the same thing to another close friend of mine, only at that time I didn't know that you were her physician. Well she trusted you. She waited four months before her breasts had become so misshapen she had to come back, but by then it was too late.
Mrs. Sugarbaker, I don't think I would care to discuss with you medical judgments which you know nothing about.
Medical jargon doesn't impress me. I was brought up in a medical family, and my grandfather always said 80% was common sense. There's nothing mysterious about having a lump in your breast. It's simple, when you find one you have it x-rayed or biopsied. I know that. Most physicians know that. What I don't understand is, why don't you know that?
[arrogantly] Perhaps I'm of the old school.
[furiously] That's not "old school"! That's gross incompetence!!!
Well, it's obvious to me that you are an emotional, overwrought woman.
Not emotional, Doctor, I'm just plain mad. Which is why I'm filing charges against you with the state medical bureau and the AMA.
Well, if you want to make a fool of yourself, be my guest, but I can assure you you're in no way qualified to make these judgments. I think this meeting is over.
I think so too, but as for qualified, neither are you. You don't depend on medicine. Your weapon is intimidation. You're a seemingly kind, benevolent authority figure who tells women to let you do their worrying for them. Well there's just one thing wrong with that, Dr. Mitchell; you don't have to do their dying!
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