Michael (Open Heart)

Michael, a character in the Open Heart series, is a patient at Edenbrook Hospital. He makes his only appearance in Book 3, Chapter 7.

Appearance
Michael has brown eyes, black hair, and dark skin. He has light stubble on his face. His casual outfit consists of a dark gray button-up shirt with flowers, gems, and clocks designs.

Book 3

 * Chapter 7: Team Players
 * Chapter 8: The Die Is Cast (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: Build Up (Mentioned)

Your Character
Michael is initially admitted for gynecomastia, which the team assumes could be linked to their fertility issues, as he and his wife have been trying to conceive for several months with no luck. When you go to talk to him, he tells you they both got new jobs, and between the stress and exhaustion, they probably missed the window a couple of times. Fertility tests show that his sperm count is a little low, otherwise he is all right. He and Naomi also tell you that he injured his neck in a car crash in Ireland six to eight months ago, and that he had been given painkillers and muscle relaxants. This makes you suspect his thyroid was damaged, resulting in a hormone imbalance, while Ethan also suspects testicular cancer. Tests for both of these come out negative.

When you visit him again, Naomi mentions he had a muscle spasm which caused him to drop his glass on the floor. You decide to test his muscle strength and find that his muscles feel limp and weak, and he lacks reflex response. The next day, he has trouble swallowing, leading you to conclude he has Kennedy's disease, a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder and that it is progressing faster than normal. When you tell them there is no cure for Kennedy's disease and they can only slow its development, this devastates them. You call Rafael and ask him to help with Michael's treatment, as physical therapy is his best chance at improvement, even though those improvements are likely to be minimal.

When the team discharges him, you assume that is the last that you will see of him. However, you are surprised when he and his wife return to Edenbrook and you run into them in the lobby. They tell you that Michael will be getting a new trial drug for his disease, and he's been placed in the active trial group.

Even though you are not responsible for placing Michael in the active trial group, his position there strains your relationship with Elijah. Elijah blames you for putting the idea in Ethan's head. In Chapter 9, you can choose to mend your relationship with Elijah or give him some space to cool down. If you choose the former, you explain Ethan's reasons and push Elijah to look at Michael as a patient and not just another number and statistic for his trials.

Ethan Ramsey
When Michael tells you that he will be getting the new trial drug for his disease, you suspect and confront Ethan about breaking trial protocol to get Michael assigned there. Whether or not you agree with his reasons, you know that it will spell trouble for Ethan and the team if Leland finds out. However, it is Harper who discovers the discrepancies and reports it to Leland, because she thinks you are to blame and you were jeopardizing the team. When Ethan admits that he was the one that did it, Harper is shocked and Ethan is placed on administrative leave.

However, because the study at Edenbrook is not a true clinical study and is not required to conform to the strict guidelines given to pharmaceutical companies seeking approval from the F.D.A., the hospital board only warns Ethan about his actions before releasing him from his suspension. While Ethan is delighted by their decision, you are more apprehensive, believing that Leland won't let it go.

Trivia

 * His character model resembles Josh Morello from the Red Carpet Diaries series.
 * He shares the same name as Michael Harrison from the High School Story series, Mike Darwin from the Endless Summer series, Michael Kim from Veil of Secrets, Mike Xiao from Wishful Thinking, Mickey Dalton from The Nanny Affair series and Michael Spoors from the Queen B series.
 * The name Michael is of Hebrew origin and means "gift from God".