“Blind Witness” is episode eighteen of season one of First Wave.
An ambulance is being driven to a hospital and the paramedic in the rear can’t get the IV into the struggling patient. They arrive and the patient, Cade, is taken out of the ambulance. He’s described as being a transient who passed out in a coffee shop. He smells of alcohol and is wearing a diabetic bracelet. The doctor wants Cade’s glucose level taking; whilst no-one is watching, Cade swallows a sugar cube. The glucose comes back as almost normal. The paramedics’ equipment might be wrong but they still want to keep Cade in for 23-hour observation. Cade is following up on a quatrain that says that one without sight will see the dark enemy. It’s led him to Grace General in Los Angeles.
Eddie arrives with gifts. Cade had taken a shot of insulin to get into the hospital. Eddie has brought Cade’s things as well as more sugar cubes. Cade wonders what he’s doing there. When he was pulling heists, he knew in his gut when a job was bust. That’s how he feels now. He killed the alien who murdered Hannah, in “The Box”, and has lost his motivation. Eddie reassures him that every time they expose an experiment, a couple more people believe the truth. They’re building a movement for the long haul. Cade wonders what if they can’t beat the aliens. Eddie can’t get into the hospital’s central computer system, because it doesn’t have one. 23 hours is all Cade has and Eddie suggests checking the surgery schedules for the OR after hours.
That night, Cade sneaks out of bed, wiring another patient up to his monitors. He hides from a janitor, who is wheeling what looks like a very unhygienic bucker, and heads to change into scrubs. In the laundry, there are clothes waiting to be cleaned, one literally dripping with blood. Cade enters a lift and another doctor looks at Cade. He follows Cade, unzipping a bag and reaching in as he does. Then complains that young doctors think they are so stylish and to put some sock on. Which is what he was pulling out of the bag. Followed by something to cover Cade’s greens. That did not turn out the way it looked. Cade checks the schedules and asks someone where the patient in 507 is. He’s told that anything over 500 is in the west wing, which has been closed for two years.
Cade enters that wing and finds the room. He knocks and enters and the woman in the bed makes a comment about him holding the chart. Cade asks what makes her think he’s holding a chart. She’s got eyes, hasn’t she? Odd-looking ones. Her chart says she’s blind. The woman, Alikah, doesn’t think Cade’s a doctor – he smells of malt liquor – and makes lots of suggestions as to what he might be. She lost her eyesight when she was 6 months old and had eye surgery 2 weeks ago. Alikah uses the call button and Cade, before he leaves, asks her to ask why they are helping her. Has anyone ever given her anything for free? When the nurse comes, she questions Alikah and, in return, Alikah asks to see anywhere other than this room. Cade returns to his bed and calls Eddie. He thinks Alikah can see aliens. Alikah herself is dreaming. Of waking up in a strange place and removing bandages from her eyes. And seeing someone else there, lacking any.
Dr Reid comes to see Alikah and gives her sunglasses for protecting her eyes. He says she can have breakfast in the cafeteria. From Alikah’s perspective, Reid looks odd. He says that her operation is a new procedure and they don’t know what’s normal yet, but he’s confident enough to schedule the final phase, a cornea transplant. Alikah asks why he’s helping; where she comes from, nobody gives something for nothing. Reid says they are a research hospital and have plenty of funding. Then his face shifts, like an alien.
The aliens are doing medical experiments on people at the hospital, and have very little concern for the welfare of their patients or even basic surgical hygiene. Alikah can see aliens, as an unexpected side effect of her surgery, though the Gua don’t know this yet. Cade wants to get her out of the hospital and have her help him in his quest.