Tobias Carrick

Tobias, a character in the Open Heart series, is a doctor at Mass Kenmore Hospital and Ethan Ramsey's rival. He is first seen in Book 2, Chapter 3.

Appearance

Tobias has short brown cropped hair, tanned skin, hazel eyes and a small beard. He wears a blue shirt underneath a white lab coat.

Personality

Tobias can be described as competitive, since his friendship with Ethan got destroyed over a man/woman along with everything else. His competitiveness can also be seen when your team is forced to compete against his team when diagnosing Leland Bloom.

Tobias can also be charming when he needs to work a crowd or fundraise.

Chapters

Open Heart

Book 2

Chapter 3: What's Done is Done
Chapter 4: Blind Spot (Mentioned)
Chapter 5: Influence (Mentioned)
Chapter 6: Buying Time
Chapter 7: Wake-Up Call (Mentioned)
Chapter 8: Fair Game
Chapter 9: Undetected
Chapter 11: Countdown
Chapter 12: Control (Mentioned)
Chapter 16: The Kindness of Strangers
Chapter 17: Hopeful Hearts (Mentioned)

Book 3

Chapter 4: Power Struggles
Chapter 5: Too Late
Chapter 6: Checks and Balances
Chapter 7: Team Players
Chapter 8: The Die Is Cast
Chapter 9: Build Up
Chapter 10: Ceasefire
Chapter 11: Wedding Belles
Chapter 12: Steady Hand
Chapter 13: Building Up
Chapter 14: Against the Boards (Offscreen; Physical Appearance Determinant)
Chapter 15: Day in Court
Chapter 16: Moving On

Relationships

Aurora Emery

When you and Aurora are at a diner, another guest collapses. You are about to start chest compressions, but Aurora's quick-thinking stops you when she diagnoses a pulmonary embolism instead of a heart attack. You ask this man to call 911 and he later reveals he works at Mass Kenmore. He hands Aurora his business card, asking her to contact him if she wants a change of pace and says that their trauma needs more cool and motivated doctors. Because he appeared not to recognize her and label her as "Dr. Harper Emery's niece", Aurora takes him up on his offer and transfers to Mass Kenmore.

When Mass Kenmore persuades Stephanie Hill to transfer from Edenbrook to them, you find out that Aurora had mentioned the studies your team wanted to perform and the grants you wanted to apply for. She did not believe telling Tobias would cause him to poach Stephanie from Edenbrook, even though she knows he is a jerk sometimes. Because of this, she decides not to mention seeing you when you decide to poach Ed Farrugia from Mass Kenmore.

In Chapter 16, you and Aurora overhear him and Harper talking about Aurora. It is revealed that he recruited Aurora not to punish Harper, but to entice her to join Mass Kenmore (now Solomon Kenmore). This upsets Aurora, as she realizes he only recruited her because he knew she is Harper's niece, and that he is using her just like how other people used her: to get to her aunt.

Ethan Ramsey

In Book 2, Chapter 6, Ethan reveals they used to be best friends. They attended Hopkins^[1] together, where they met at orientation and bonded over their mutual distaste over the faculty's saccharine attempt at having their new students develop camaraderie with each other. They were both troublemakers but where Ethan would take the direct approach, Tobias was the prankster. For example, while Ethan would rather call their professor with outdated theories an "idiot" to his face, Tobias preferred to switch out the professor's projector slides with rude drawings^[2].

They were like brothers and moved in together the following year, living with each other for two years^[3]. Tobias introduced Ethan to sushi and Ethiopian food, while Ethan introduced Tobias to the latter's first lobster roll at Frank's Clam Shack. However, they soon learned that they wanted too many of the same things: highest G.P.A. (grade point average), the best residency, and the same man/woman (this is determined by your character's gender). Their competitiveness destroyed their friendship.

Years ago, Ethan tried to bury the hatchet but Tobias wasn't interested. Ethan thinks all Tobias wants is to beat him at something, even if it's "who can hold a grudge for longer". Tobias, however, feels that in his youth, he knew that Ethan was a better doctor and Tobias himself struggled with that. He later realized that the competition between the two of them made him a better doctor.

Despite their rivalry, Tobias is willing to help find a cure when you, Rafael, Danny, and Bobby are poisoned. If you did not ask Ethan to stay with you in quarantine, Aurora says watching them work together was like watching them do expert ballet of the minds. If you asked Ethan to stay with you, Ethan does not work with Tobias to find the antidote. Instead Tobias works with the other physicians to help you.

In Book 3, they are forced to work together on the diagnostic team after Leland hires him to replace Baz. In a premium scene in Book 3, Chapter 9, Tobias explains that he was a sore loser and took losses too personal. When Ethan got the job under Naveen Banerji, it was "the last straw". Ethan had gotten a message about an interview for that job one night, and Tobias deleted it without telling him. However, the sabotage didn’t work, and Ethan got the job anyway and moved out afterwards. Tobias gave an ingenious apology, but never a real one because he was too embarrassed and would ignore Ethan whenever he reached out.

Your Character

You first meet Tobias with Aurora at a diner. Although you do not usually deal with him directly, you get an impression of him through Aurora and Ethan. In Book 2, you two are on opposing teams, your Diagnostics Team versus his and later in baseball representing your respective hospitals. When you are affected by the biological weapon that Travis Perry releases, Tobias along with other Kenmore physicians comes to Edenbrook to offer his services.

"It's okay to feel good about what we do sometimes. To let go of the need to save the world for a few minutes and just take the win."

—Tobias to you

In Book 3, when Tobias is introduced as the Diagnostics Teams' newest member, you are surprised. It is your decision on how to treat him, whether to side with him or against him in front of Leland Bloom. You naturally assume that Tobias is Bloom's spy and/or lackey, but Tobias tells you and the team that he honestly has no preference in the types of cases the team takes just as long as they're interesting to work on. In Chapter 6, he offers to treat the team to lunch to discuss how to deal with Leland. If you decide to join them and bond with him over lunch, he is pragmatic in his approach. He agrees that the team needs to function and he has seen enough of Leland to know that the latter will make it difficult. He comes up with a strategy to protect the team's autonomy: Operation Bloom Barricade, a distraction offensive, to work around Leland instead of directly against him. The team can rotate amongst themselves and keep tabs on Leland's schedule. Because he knows Ethan is terrible at schmoozing, Tobias is willing to put in the extra work to compensate.

Leland Bloom

When Leland hires Tobias and places him in the Diagnostics Team, Tobias understands the apprehension of the team members. It surprises him when Leland names him the temporary head of department when Ethan is suspended. If you mention that Harper should be the head instead, Tobias agrees that she has been there longer and knows the ins and outs of Edenbrook better than he does. However, Leland tells the team that it is not up for a vote and he has made the decision.

In Chapter 13, when the team takes a pro bono case to solve the mystery behind the sick wrestling team of a local high school, Tobias mentions that he convinced Leland that it would be a big public relations win for the hospital if they solve the case. Tobias knows Leland isn't stupid, so if the team doesn't deliver on that promise, Tobias knows Leland won't be happy.

Gallery

Other Looks

Miscellaneous

Trivia

He is an attending physician at Mass Kenmore.
He bears a resemblance to actor Jesse Williams.
The name Tobias is one for boys of Greek and Hebrew origin and means "God is good". It's the Greek form of the Hebrew name Tobiah.
In Book 3, Chapter 4, he transfers from Mass Kenmore to Edenbrook after Leland Bloom invites him to work there.
In Book 3, Chapter 8, he is promoted as the new leader of the diagnostics team after Ethan's departure.
In Book 3, Chapter 9, it's revealed that he speaks Cantonese.
In Book 3, Chapter 16, you can suggest he becomes the new head of the diagnostics team if you reject the proposal.

References

[1] ttps://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/

[2] Open Heart: Second Year, Chapter 9

[3] Open Heart: Third Year, Chapter 6

[1]

[2]

[3]