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John Carter opens his new medical facility and his former colleagues and friends come to show their support. Meanwhile, Dr. Gates treats a teenager with alcohol poisoning after playing a drinking game. Sam is surprised when she receives a birthday present. Dr. Rachel Greene starts her first day as an intern, in the same ER her father worked many years before.

Doctors and nurses from the ER help out at a camp for children who have had open heart surgeries. A woman returns to County for the baby she previously abandoned there.

It's Neela's last day in the ER, but everyone seems to have forgotten that she is leaving. She proves she is ready to be an attending by arguing with Dr. Dubenko over two surgical cases. Meanwhile, Brenner reflects on his past.

Neela and Sam are stunned when they find their transplant plane has left without them. Dr. Carter gets a surprise from an old friend as he waits on his transplant. Meanwhile, Dr. Banfield bonds with a child abandoned in the ER.

Summary Not Available.

Trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization proves frustrating and fruitless, so the Banfields explore their options with an adoption agency. Dr. Carter is overwhelmed by the procedural and technological advances to emergency medicine that have been implemented since he's been gone. Sam gets quite the shock when her mother comes into the ER. Banfield finds out a secret that Carter is hiding.

Valentine's Day in the ER finds Neela spellbound by Brenner. Determined to have a baby, Banfield comes up with a plan but has difficulty getting her husband on board. Neela performs surgery on a young girl's mother. Dr. Carter surprises the staff with a visit to the ER. Gates treats a strange patient who may have injested a toxin while hunting for mushrooms.

A car accident in the ambulance bay leaves a mother severely injured. Morris gets the run around from an insurance company. Neela and Brenner discuss her job offer

An old colleague visits the hospital to see a former mentor who is seriously ill. Sam's sister shows up unexpectedly. Gates and Morris tend to an elderly man who was assaulted on the street. A patient's diagnosis shakes Brenner up.

Morris faces a complicated case involving a young girl hit while riding her bicycle. Gates finds it very difficult to let go of his feelings for Sam. Neela becomes quite flustered when Brenner returns from Australia.

Neela finds herself having a recurring dream about her crazy day trying to save a young girl with sickle cell anemia. Gates works on saving a patient that jumped out of a window during his sleep. Meanwhile, Neela goes in for an attending interview and is surprised to see Dr. Corday.

Banfield treats two brothers that come into the ER with serious injuries after a drug deal goes bad. Gates is upset with Sam that she didn’t tell him that Alex was going home from the hospital. Neela considers pediatric surgery after treating a young girl with sickle cell anemia. Meanwhile, Dr. Banfield and her husband make a critical decision about the future of their family.

Morris receives an unwanted package from his father at the ER doorstep. Sam is anxious about getting Alex off of the ventilator after his accident. Meanwhile, a pregnant woman with a high-risk pregnancy is in danger of getting deported.

Neela is in court to give her testimony over the death of one of her patients who bled out. Alex and Sarah get in a horrible car accident after going to a party against Sam's wishes. Meanwhile, Morris and Banfield are in Nebraska for an ER conference and become snowed in and stuck.

Gates obsession with a homeless war hero has Sam frustrated. When the whole surgery department gets named in a lawsuit, Neela becomes upset at her intern who caused the suit. A husband and wife come into the ER after an attempt was made by someone to burn down their home. Brenner gets physical with a patient after losing his cool.

Dr. Banfield sets out for a run to clear her head but soon finds herself attempting a rescue of a 3 year old girl who is drowning in a nearby lake. While trying to save the girl, Dr. Banfield has flashbacks to a time when Dr. Greene cared for her son at County. Gates tries to help a homeless war hero by pulling a few strings around the ER. Meanwhile, the interns continue to struggle in keeping up in the ER.

Morris decides to teach Chaz various risky medical procedures, much to Banfield's dismay. Meanwhile, Gates oversteps his bounds with Sam.

Gates feels neglected as Sam spends all of her time studying for her upcoming pharmacology exam. Meanwhile, a stab wound victim comes into the ER following a vicious school fight and Brenner takes it upon himself to find out what really happened. Later, Morris surprises Neela and Gates finds himself locked in a stairwell with a young boy on Halloween.

Banfield heads out for a cup of coffee and is caught off guard when she is mugged. Meanwhile, Dubenko is placed back on the surgery team thanks to Dr. Brenner; Banfield and Gates believe the injuries of a gymnast who claims to have fallen are really due to a family member; and Gates learns Sarah got her tongue pierced without his permission.

Neela is disappointed when she finds out Abby’s good news second hand. When a gunshot wound victim comes into the ER, the new chief, Catherine Banfield and Abby butt heads on how to treat the patient.
Abby comes to Sam’s defense when she goes before a nurses disciplinary board.

Dr. Banfield’s arrival and tough attitude causes the whole ER staff to feel defensive. Gates and the new interns fight to save the life of a terrorist while risking their own lives. Neela finds an unlikely advocate in her fight to get Dr. Dubenko back on the surgery staff.

Abby wakes up after the ambulance explosion and realizes that she has a broken wrist but quickly rushes to check on the others in the ambulance. A mother and daughter are also rushed in from the explosion and Abby misdiagnoses the case.
Meanwhile, Morris and Neela struggle to keep up with the injuries sustained from the explosion.

One hour of memorable clips from past episodes, as well as interviews with current and former cast members.

Everybody at County are endangered by the actions of a drunken patient. Also, Pratt moves closer to becoming the new chief resident; gates worries about his budding relationship with Sam; while Kovac and Dr. Moretti have an unexpected encounter.

Neela is under great pressure after her patient needs more follow up surgery. A run-in with thieves has Morris visiting a therapist, and Abby must make a tough decision when offered a great opportunity.

Pratt hopes he can salvage his relationship with a wary Bettina. Meanwhile, Neela feels her patients may be criminals, and Abby fears that Luka is has quit on their marriage.

An upbeat cancer patient has a great impact on Luka as he searches for work as a hospice care worker. At County, a patient of Neela's comes down with an infection caused by her aorta surgery. Meanwhile, Abby treats a beating victim, and Brenner continues to belittle the ER staffers.

Neela has an odd daydream at work after working an all-night shift. Sarah's grandfather has to be taken to the ER when he collapses during an air hockey game. Meanwhile, Gates tries to prove himself to Sam by sending her flowers and Neela must make a quick decision when a patient suffers a torn aorta.

Dr. Pratt and Dr. Brenner get off to a shaky start when Brenner refuses to teach the interns. Meanwhile, Dr. Gates treats a transplant patient who is having heart issues. Abby debates telling Kovac about her affair and Sam learns of Gates and Julia's break-up.

Neela's journey into Orthopedics means teamwork when she joins their hockey team. Pratt is uncertain about moving his relationship with Bettina forward. Sam and Gates are at odds while Julia assists a prison doctor with a guilty conscience.

Abby feels like she is being judged by her peers as she returns from a stay at rehab. Meanwhile, she treats a fire victim who's eyes may have been damaged, and Harold's night with Neela's cousin has given him an ego boost.

Pratt, still upset over Wexler\'s promotion, decides to take his talents to another hospital where he will be appreciated. An old face returns to the ER, where she confronts a dreaded eventuality; and Neela, still manages to impress her colleagues with her doctor skills even after being distracted by a visiting cousin.

In ER's landmark 300th episode, Luka and Abby arrange to head off to Croatia following the death of Luka's father. Meanwhile, a man learns his wife's startling secret while she is about to pass away, while the ER staff reminisces on past patients throughout the years.

Kovac's brother arrives from Croatia to visit, which causes Abby to feel crowded. Gates begins to feel the pressures of being a father when Sarah has a sleepover. Meanwhile, a temporary ER chief is named, much to Pratt's dismay.

Gates and Julia are enjoying their new relationship, but are thrown off when they get a disturbing call from Sarah. Abby's struggles with Kovac gone begin to worry the staff, but she soon receives an unexpected surprise. Meanwhile, Harold is the hero in a critical situtation.

In the midst of the "go green" craze, Morris buys a new energy-efficient car. Abby and Pratt disagree on the diagnosis of a fussy baby. Later, Abby falls back into old bad habits while Kovac is away in Croatia.

Morris and Pratt study for their board exams and Morretti brings in an attending to help with the load. Sam and Abby work with a young woman with elusive symptoms.

Moretti determines that since Gates has been impressive in ICU, he is ready to return to the ER. Neela is assigned to mentor Harold, a young genius intern. Meanwhile, Abby struggles without Kovac and Morris has a hard time resisting other women while Hope is away.

County General is unwittingly turned into a beauty parlor when a former patient decides to give beauty treatments to patients. Meanwhile, Abby is saddened when baby Joe is brought in following a fall off of the jungle gym; Gates helps a young boy's dream come true; and Pratt tries to defend his brother, but ends up making things worse in the process.

A teen wrestler comes to the ER experiencing severe vomiting and Pratt finds that the cause of the problem is very serious. In ICU, Gates tries to help a young child with a deadly disease. Meanwhile, Abby and Morris help two volunteer cops shot in the line of duty.

Dr. Morretti continues to implement new measures that lead many of the doctors to despise him. A teacher and student arrive at the ER after a car accident, and Morris and Sam are shocked when they find out why the two were together. Abby treats a patient with a stomach ache, but finds that there may be more to the ache than meets the eye.

Abby, Pratt and Morris cope with Dr. Morretti's new ER procedures, which are more strict than what they are used to. As injuries from an anti-war rally roll in, Gates worries about Neela and takes issues into his own hands when he learns who was behind the rally explosion.

In the 13th-season finale, Kovac leaves his new bride and ER staff in the hands of a new chief bent on change while he visits his ailing father back in Croatia. Meanwhile, Neela puts herself in a life-threatening situation when she attends an antiwar rally; and Gates has to leave work when Sarah panics about her future.

Kovac and Abby acclimate to their new roles as husband and wife; Hope and Morris enjoy the honeymoon suite; Pratt hopes to win over a new woman; a new doctor (Stanley Tucci) in the ER means business.

Summary is not available.

Summary is not available.

Summary is not available.

The ER doctors treat the victims of a car vs semitrailer accident. A photographer gives Sam a different perspective on life. Morris and Hope are overzealous in their attempts to help Luka and Abby with their wedding plans. Neela and Ray try to sort their relationship out. Gates uses a medical student to take care of his paperwork for him.

Abby and Pratt quickly try to save a family suffering from frostbite after getting stuck in the snow. Neela gets jealous when Dr. Dubenko brings in a new surgical intern. Meanwhile, Gates struggles with the reappearance of his dad and the possiblity of losing Sarah.

When a woman comes into the E.R. with acute liver failure, Gates and Kovac find themselves with a moral dilemma. Neela also questions what is right when Manish decides to give up a kidney for a complete stranger. Meanwhile, Ray fights to get to the bottom of a cheerleaders accidental fall.

Abby and Sam try to treat an obnoxious, aspiring comedian with mysterious symptoms. Pratt finds himself in hot water as he gets questioned about the death of a patient. Meanwhile, Neela is thrilled when Dr. Dubenko allows her to scrub in on a kidney donor surgery. In addition, Abby and Dr. Kovac decide to take their relationship in a new direction.

A desperate Ames steps up his quest for revenge against Kovac while Abby relentlessly tries to protect her family. At County, Sam has unsettling suspicions about the cause of the fire that set her home ablaze. As Sarah looks on, Gates and Neela attempt to resuscitate an unconscious Meg. Stuck in holding, Pratt has time to ponder his situation and his future.

Luka reacts negatively when he sees Abby giving extra attention to a patient; Meg becomes infuriated when Gates moves out; Pratt is questioned by the police after one of his patients dies; Weaver makes a pivotal decision.

Sam fights for a patient who is treated inhumanly by a different hospital. Dr. Barnett and Gates journey to the depths of the the city to help some homeless children. Dr. Morris gets a visit from a family member and turns a new leaf while Neela cares for a kidney transplant patient.

When a patient dies after being prescribed the wrong medication, Pratt and Hope question whether they are responsible. Meg comes to County General and angrily confronts Gates and Neela about their relationship. Dr. Kovac is forced to make budget cuts that could affect one ER doctor.

Luka finds Curtis Ames spying outside the family's building, but doesn't tell Abby; the doctors help a young girl who may have been raped and work on a patient with an ice pick stuck in his ear; Pratt can't fully deal when his brother officially comes out.

Abby is on helicopter duty for a huge bus accident.

Abby and Kovac argue about a diagnosis when a woman comes into the ER with signs of spousal abuse. When a group of confused homeless kids enter the ER, Gates, Abby and Neela must quickly determine one child's ailment before it is too late. Meanwhile, Weaver is unexpectedly called to action while doing a news report at a school.

Abby and Luca are interviewing strange candidates who applied for babysitting baby Joe. Sam has to pick up Alex who is in custody of a supermarket manager as he was caught for stealing beer.

While treated for a motorcycle accident the drivers MRI pictures reveal an already metastasized tumor. A new nurse joins the ER staff. She is from New Orleans and worked there after Hurricane Katrina.

In trial Ames' attorneys try to prove that Kovac didn't pay enough attention to Ames' case back in 2004. Abby is back at work for the first day.

As attending Pratt has to handle a busy ER. Morris is cheering for his biological son, who is playing in a soccer game.. Abby feels uncomfortable with the other mothers in her parenting class.

On his first day as attending Pratt mostly has to deal with the new interns. An old man with congestive heart failure has to decide between his partner and his long-estranged family who didn't know about his sexual orientation. After he is not responsive anymore the two parties have different wishes for his further treatment.

Maggie arrives in Chicago to encourage Abby and Luka as their son's life is at stake. Sam is uncertain if her means to escape stay unpunished as act of self-defense.

Rafe panics during a routine check by a local police officer and Steve is taking drastic measures that this won't happen again. Abby is not clotting properly and her baby has to be intubated.

On his last day in the ER Morris is recording a film for his own goodbye. Steve and an other prisoner got wounded in a scuffle in the country jail. While they are treated by Abby and Ray in the ER, they commit their plan to escape.

Pratt is back from Africa and treats an injured father of two abused boys. The boys don't seem to tell the real story about the injuries of their father. Two U.S. Army officers enter the ER and it doesn't look like they are bringing good news. Clemente acts very strange and doesn't treat some of his patients right. Kovac demands him to take a break.

Dr. Pratt is stunned by the work load in Darfur, but he gets used to the job eventually. Government officials try to arrest a wounded man, who gets treated by Drs. Carter and Dakarai.

Abby has to make a tough decision about letting a 12 year old girl take care of her grandmother who is suffering from dementia or to call social services and split the family apart. Dr. Albright diagnoses a patient as needing surgery, but is embarrassed by Morris, who proves her wrong.

Dr. Pratt is on his way to Darfur. In the airplane he flirts with Fatima, who also gives him an impression on how difficult life will be there.

Neela, not happy with her living arrangements anymore, starts looking for a new place to stay. Gallants parents drop by to see Neela. Car crash patients are brought in the ER. Mr. Gallant, who is a colonel, observes Neela while she works. Talking with Mr. Gallant about the life of an officer, opens Neela's eyes to what her life can become. Sam, who has accepted Richard Elliot's offer in episode "Out On A Limb," finds a pale and weak Elliot when she arrives at the mansion. The man doesn't want any treatment since he as about 20 guests over.

Abby and Kovac discuss baptism. Clemente undergoes a drug test. After it, he goes back to work in the ER. Sam and Ray treat a man who comes in the ER claiming he just committed suicide! Neela must give a speech on Medicine at a conference held in a hotel; Dubenko accompanies her for support. He would like her to become a surgical resident. She is hesitant because her life is chaotic: Gallant is in Iraq and she lives with Ray again.

Dr. Weaver contemplates hip replacement surgery after she finds it hard to do her labor intensive job. Meanwhile, Dr. Kovac tries to ease Abby's fears about raising a child together. Neela decides to attend a support group for military spouses but when she offers her opinions on the war, the meeting turns into a debate. After Sam treats a fainting victim, named Richard Elliot, she finds herself with an intriguing job offer.

Dr. Carter is joined by Dr. Dakarai in the Sudanese desert as they work to treat hundreds of disease infested, and famine stricken people. Carter and Dr. Dakarai must spring into action to save a woman who was raped by a militant group. Meanwhile, back at County General, Dr. Clemente returns from New Jersey wounded. Pratt and Neela quickly work to save a 14 year-old involved in a hit and run accident, but Pratt is infuriated when he discovers who hit the young teen.

Dr. Clemente and his girlfriend Jodie seem to be living the highlife together, when they are suddenly interrupted by Jodie's husband Bobby. When Jodie threatens divorce, Bobby takes matters into his own hands. Abby and Dr. Kovac anxiously await the test results determining the health of their unborn baby. Meanwhile, when Dr. Pratt is put on the auction block for a bachelor charity event, everyone is surprised when a man wins the bid.

Abby has a hard time dealing with the fact that her former medical-school professor and mentor is suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease and has come to the ER with a serious bout of pneumonia. Fran: Ally Walker.

With Clemente is missing in action, Dr. Dubenko vollunteers to take the dayshift but ends up feeling overwhelmed. Ray is put in a very awkward situation when his young former girlfriend comes into the ER with serious abuse-related injuries. With a baby in their future, Kovac and Abby venture out for some baby shopping. Meanwhile, Neela recieves word that she has been selected for the surgery elective that she had been hoping for.

Abby continues to struggle with the decision of whether or not she is ready to become a mother. Meanwhile, Neela and Kovac help a religious teenager weigh all her pregnancy options. Ray has an opportunity of a lifetime with his band and everyone is shocked at the outcome. Clemente's past is starting to catch up with him when the cops come looking for him in the ER.

After a little girl is mistakenly shot, Pratt and Weaver desperately try to bring her back to life. Meanwhile, nurse Haleh holds her annual choir tryouts and everyone is surprised at who is chosen to sing the solo. Evecrosses the line with a patient and causes management to get involved. Abby and Kovac exchange Christmas gifts but, Abby's gift to him is bigger than expected.

Back from Iraq, Gallant (Sharif Atkins) surprises Neela (Parminder Nagra) by telling her he wants to take their relationship to the next level. Kovac (Goran Visnjic) and Clemente (John Leguizamo) vie for the same job making the tension between them even thicker. Meanwhile, Sam (Linda Cardellini) convinces a patient's mother to get the medical attention that her son desperately needs. Morris (Scott Grimes) shocks everyone when he stands up to Weaver (Laura Innes) during a medical procedure.

Neela thinks that she is going on a routine ambulance ride-along with Gates, and soon finds herself in the middle of an emergency, attending to a plane crash site where many are injured and trapped inside a burning building. Meanwhile, the ER opens to trauma victims of the plane crash and Sam struggles with an executive decision that could cost her her job. Neela's bravery has won the respect of her co-workers and especially Gates the ambulance driver but, her day is not over when she receives a surprise.

Neela gets all dolled up for Gallant's homecoming and her co-workers seem to take notice but, her plans change when she receives a call from Iraq. Meanwhile, Abby is caught in the middle between Kovac and Clemente when they disagree on how to save a patients life. When a cop and a little girl become victims of a shoot out, Neela is plagued with the decision of whether or not she should save the shooters life.

There is no business like monkey business in the ER.Clemente, Abby and Neela secretly care for a VIP patient while Dubenko tortures the staff via a robotic television camera from home. Sam is coerced into a management role and is given a dreadful task. Meanwhile, Pratt is visited by his half-brother, and emotions from the past remind him of his father's abandonment.

John Leguizamo joins the cast of ER as Dr Victor Clemente -- Pratt gets a wake-up call when the new attending poses as a patient to test the knowledge of doctors in the ER. Meanwhile, Kovac bonds with the former coma patient and contemplates bending the rules for her. A breast cancer patient convinces Abby to get her first mammogram. Pratt's father Charlie tries to convince his son that he has turned his life around. Kristen Johnson, Laura Innes, Parminder Nagra, Scott Grimes, and Shane West also star.

A patient wakes up from a nine year coma.

A patient who has been in a coma for nine years suddenly awakens in the ER and Kovac struggles with whether he should reveal her the truth about her past. Abby comforts Dr. Dubenko after he finds out some troubling news. New Nurse Manager Eve makes waves in the ER as she implements her strict methods.

The emergency room is jolted when a new nurse manager, Eve Spellman, enforces her strict and efficient new procedures. Kovac and Sam are uncomfortable working together on the same shift. Meanwhile, Abby treats a breast cancer patient who is having a hard time accepting her condition.

Ray attends to Claire, a surrogate mother who goes into premature labor after being involved in a car accident. Claire refuses a cesarean section even though the unborn baby is in fetal distress, forcing the doctors to make an emotional decision. Pratt deals with his feelings from the past and the possibility of embracing the family of his future after he encounters his estranged father, Charlie. Despite Kovac's objections, Sam finds a new apartment and starts to pack.

Sam and Kovac report to the police that her diabetic son, Alex, is missing and is possibly trying to find his father. The boy mistakenly thinks his dad is in Colorado, but the man is actually incarcerated. Unfortunately, Alex left without his insulin. And Neela, Ray and Abby struggle with their first shifts in charge of the new interns.

On Carter's last shift, four new interns begin their tour of duty. After completing their rounds, Carter, Kovac and most of the ER staff head out to Carter's surprise going-away party down the street at Ike's. Ray leaves to go to another party where the revelry is interrupted by a disaster which truly tests his mettle. The casualties are taken immediately to County General where a skeleton staff headed by Abby and Neela must step up to the plate all on their own. Elsewhere, Pratt finally gets the courage to confront his father Charlie. Sam and Kovac search for Sam's son after he runs away in search of his imprisoned father.

Pratt explodes at Neela for performing a complicated procedure on a baby, Abby misdiagnoses an emphysema patient, and Ray's procedural misstep on a stab victim has terrible results. Outside of the ER, Carter dashes off to Paris after learning that Kem's mother has been hospitalized. Once there, Carter discovers some things about himself and makes some life-altering decisions.

Dr. Morris has been appointed the new chief resident and immediately locks horns with Dr. Pratt as they deal with the casualties from a fire at an apartment building. Dr. Lewis is taking out her frustration from not being tenured on Dr. Carter. Dr. Weaver tries to calm Lewis down, but only makes things worse. Ray heeds the advice of several doctors at the hospital and sends a teenaged sickle cell anemic patient home.

85-year-old Jules Rubadoux is wheeled in and erroneously accuses Dr. Carter of killing his wife ten years ago. Although Abby believes Rubadoux is too old to undertake surgery to correct a heart murmur, the attending doctors opt to go ahead with the operation. Meanwhile, Dr. Pratt treats a domestic violence victim and makes a date with the social worker assigned to her case. As Pratt arrives for the date he realizes he has gotten himself into more than he bargained for.

A woman is brought in suffering from the effects of a hunger strike, but she will not accept food or help until she has proof that the INS will grant her son's deportation case a new hearing. Neela, Sam, and Dr. Lewis are incapable of treating her as long as she and her lawyer refuse aid -- which goes against all the doctors' training. Meanwhile, Abby, despite her suspicions, is unable to prove that 72-year-old Birdy Chaddock is the victim of elder abuse.

Neela is surprised when she hears that Gallant came to the ER with the young Iraqi burn victim. Sam is troubled by a visit from her ex-husband. Pratt treats a child whose gun went off in his pocket and learns that he received the gun from an unusual source.

A young girl in Iraq is wounded in a car bombing and local hospitals are unequipped to help. Gallant enlists the support of Neela to secure the needed treatment at County, but getting the girl to the United States proves to be more difficult than initially thought. With time running out, Gallant must resort to calling in a favor to bring the young girl to the states. Meanwhile, Neela is redefining her role at County and rediscovering her feelings for Gallant.

When a young mother of three is brought into the ER with potentially fatal stroke-like symptoms, Kovac and Sam race against the odds to save her life. Knowing that a controversial surgical procedure is his wife's only shot at a full recovery, a husband must make the unenviable decision to risk her life in order to save it. Meanwhile, Neela and Ray discover a dark secret when three ostensibly neglected children show up in the ER. Elsewhere, Carter finds himself in the midst of a love triangle when Wendall's professions of love force him to either cut the ties in Africa or lose her.

Dr. Weaver encounters an evasive patient who shocks her by revealing that she is her birth mother, who put her baby up for adoption at 15. As they spend time sharing their life stories, their budding relationship withers when Weaver confesses to her mother -- an evangelical Christian -- that she is gay. Elsewhere, Dr. Pratt warily turns over an addled elderly woman to the care of Jane while Dr. Carter causes a commotion when he confronts a couple hoping to scam some painkilling drugs.

While examining a young boy, Pratt finds a suspicious gash across his chest and calls Wendall for a consult. Kovac and Pratt examine a man who got shot when he confronted his boss with a gun. Jake tries to convince Abby that being a student shouldn't keep him from dating her.

When a sixteen-year-old girl who had received a kidney transplant from her father arrives at the ER feeling dizzy, Carter traces the problem to a new drug called Zarictal that the girl was taking to control seizures related to her kidney dysfunction. Her father feels guilty because he was the one who pushed for her to take the new drug and its side effects may mean his daughter will have to go back on dialysis. Carter asks Neela to post questions about the drug's side effects on the internet, which causes an uproar when the pharmaceutical company finds out. After Abby and Neela complain about their lackluster dating lives, they end up assigned to work with Jake and Kovac whom they each seem to have a crush on.

Lewis assigns Kovac to teach the residents how to communicate more effectively with their patients in hopes of raising their patient satisfaction scores, which have plummeted. They are put to the test when two teenagers are brought to the ER with gun shot wounds. Kovac, Neela and Sam handle one patient while Lewis, Pratt and Ray deal with another. When a patient dies, Neela does a poor job of informing the deceased's grandmother, who becomes hysterical in the middle of the ER. A personal injury lawyer sets up a mobile office outside the ER, infuriating Lewis as he tries to turn dissatisfied patients into clients. Abby returns to the ER, still dealing with the trauma of her abduction.

As Abby smokes in the ambulance bay, an SUV pulls in carrying a gunshot victim. When Abby runs to the car to help the patient, she's pulled inside at gunpoint and driven away. Ray begins treatment on a woman who soon requests a new doctor. At first Ray is offended, but then learns that there is more to the patient's story than meets the eye.

It's Christmas Eve, and the ER staff scrambles to leave for the holiday. Abby receives a dialysis patient who is in critical condition, but she can't reach his physician because he doesn't want to be disturbed during the holidays. After much effort a distraught Chen finally finds someone to cover her shift so she can attend to her ailing father. Concerned for her, Pratt stops by her house to find her struggling with her father's worsening health. Carter and Wendall grow closer and share an awkward kiss as they wish each other a Merry Christmas.

When a police officer shot during a robbery is brought to the ER, Lewis, Neela and Ray stabilize him, but the injuries to his carotid artery leave him in a coma. His fifteen-year-old son must decide whether to authorize a risky operation which may save his life or leave him in the coma. Abby tries to convince a girl with appendicitis to have surgery at County General, but her father wants her transferred to Mercy because his father died during surgery at General.

Sam and Kovac treat a woman who was brutally beaten and raped and wants to help police although she can barely speak. Lewis schedules a JCAHO emergency drill without telling the staff. Carter and Abby treat a girl complaining of kidney problems, which is just the beginning of her adventure.

In a ground-breaking episode which traces the real-time events in the emergency room, Kovac, Abby and Sam try to save the life of Charlie Metcalf, a man who comes in complaining of a stomach ache, but is later diagnosed with far, far worse.

Neela returns to the ER after working at the Convenient Store near the hospital. On Neela's first day, Pratt expects the interns, Abby, Ray and Neela to take on a large patient load during their shifts at the hospital. Pratt turns processing the patients into a competition, in which Ray is clearly going to be the winner. In the rush to process the patients and stay in the lead, however, Ray makes a big mistake donating a patient's organs against the family's wishes. Ray helps Abby obtain HIV medication from the pharmacy against hospital policy for a patient that had unprotected sex. Carter asks Wendall to walk out with him in a coy pursuit.

Two small children are rushed to the ER after falling from a third story window. The attending staff believes an abusive father is at fault for the tragedy but not all is as it seems initially. Pratt treats a man who believes he has an unsightly rash which turns out to be lung cancer. Dr. Corday is disciplined by the hospital for performing an HIV+ organ transplant; instead of dismissing her, they offer her a non-tenure track position. Sam contemplates moving in with Kovac. Neela decides to leave her job at the mini-mart after Lewis, the new Chief of Emergency Medicine, offers her a job at the hospital.

It's a busy 4th of July weekend and Carter tries to run an understaffed hospital, which is flooded with patients. A biker with HIV is left brain dead from a robbery and his girlfriend wants to donate his organs to a fellow friend, who is also infected with HIV. Carter persuades Corday to perform the organ transplant after several surgeons refused to perform the operation. Meanwhile, Ray is upset with Abby for going above him and ordering a drug test on his patient, a bicycle messenger. Abby later asks Carter out for dinner and drinks in hopes of talking to him about his past problems. Dr. Pratt is back early from his recent craniotomy and is not operating at his best capacity. Carter notices his insensitivity to a stabbing victim as well as the fact that he is still suffering from headaches and sends him home. Corday confronts Weaver on her latest surgeon choice and the fact that she was not involved in the decision-making process. Lastly, Neela looks for employment outside of the medical field and has a hard time finding a decent job.

A lonely Dr. Carter struggles with his unfulfilled dreams in the wake of his girlfriend Kem's departure -- and lurches toward a dangerous temporary solution -- while new doctor Abby faces resentful nurses and tends to a tearful and injured young woman kidnapped from Mexico and forced into sexual slavery. Elsewhere, Dr. Kovac makes an honest confession to a fleeing Sam while Neela must face the music when her domineering, old-school Indian parents arrive in a huff after she abandoned her Michigan medical assignment. In the meantime, Carter treats an Iraqi war veteran who was disfigured in combat, Dr. Weaver suggests to new intern Ray that he tone down his alternative-punk look in deference to frightened patients -- and two ER staffers recover from their injuries.

Dr. Pratt and his passengers -- Dr. Chen and Elgin -- try to elude gunfire from another motorist until Pratt loses control of his sports car and crashes into the Chicago River -- trapping them underwater as rescue crews troll overhead. When recovered, all three are hospitalized with serious injuries that soon spiral downward. Elsewhere, Nurse Sam seeks to escape her returning boyfriend and hits the road to find a new life with her son Alex just as Neela makes a surprising entrance in the E.R. In addition, a somber Dr. Carter and Kem deal with their unborn son's remains, Dr. Weaver intercedes when a cop wants to perform a pelvic exam on a young woman who's hiding a stash of marijuana in a private body part -- and two new interns make an immediate impact.

Dr. Kovac plays the Good Samaritan when he stops to help a stranded female motorist and her young son until they are struck and gravely injured by a car -- forcing the doctor to use all of his skills to keep them alive until specialists can operate at the hospital. Elsewhere, Abby waits for her board results and treats an ornery curmudgeon who feels he's been forgotten by the hundreds of students he taught as a schoolteacher. Meanwhile: a pensive Neela heads for the University of Michigan to begin her internship; her fellow doctors question the bruises on Dr. Chen's face; Dr. Pratt keeps a mentoring eye on a young heart patient but remains disdainful towards a gangbanger patient patient; Dr. Weaver hopes to gain custody of her son, and Sam takes action when it appears that Steve is back for good -- and up to no good in influencing their impressionable son.

Dr. Carter is alarmed as he rushes his pregnant girlfriend Makemba into the E.R. when he suspects trouble, while Dr. Corday gets a jolt from the past when the late Dr. Greene's teen daughter Rachel shows up with her boyfriend looking for a haven -- and some "morning-after" pills. Elsewhere, Neela prepares for her graduation by welcoming 20 family members while Abby -- who hasn't passed the boards yet -- prefers to sit it out. Before the ceremonies, Neela and Dr. Pratt seek out an overweight teenager whose blood pressure could indicate deadly heart disease. In addition, Nurse Sam is uneasy about her ex Steve moving back in her apartment while Frank loudly returns after his cardiac attack.

A panic-stricken Dr. Weaver faces a life-defining moment when she is ordered to give up her son to the Lopez family while Dr. Carter greets a returning Kem -- but their meeting with his father is tense after Carter announces plans for his grandmother's estate. Elsewhere, Abby is in the midst of her psychiatric rotation and tries to help a seizure-prone mother with a controversial drug treatment. Meanwhile, Neela impresses everyone with her lab research, especially when she helps one of the reckless students after he experiments on himself. In addition, Dr. Kovac's relationship with Sam and her son Alex grows awkward when Alex' father returns.

Dr. Pratt's reputation as a flirt catches up to him when an attractive woman informally accuses the young doctor of sexual harassment while Pratt also struggles to diagnose a woman who suffers mysterious chronic seizures. Meanwhile, Abby ponders how to get the attention of her contentious patients during her psych rotation and Neela finds herself studying strokes in a lab populated by brainy but bizarre graduate students. Elsewhere, Sam tries to resist the appeal of the "reformed" father of her son when he temporarily moves into her apartment -- giving a concerned Kovac something to think about. In addition, Dr. Weaver vows to fight for her baby son and Dr. Chen is at wit's end when she brings her combative and ailing father home.

Dr. Weaver rushes to the aid of her female partner Sandy Lopez when the firefighter is severely injured on the job and must fight for her life -- as a frightened Weaver offers whispered hope by reminding the victim of their newborn child. A pregnant Dr. Lewis suffers labor pains and is confined to bed rest, while tension remains between Dr. Gallant and Neela as an investigation begins into the suspicious death. In addition, Dr. Corday gets a pleasant surprise. Neela and Abby get the news about their board scores and Dr. Chen and Pratt treat a frustrated senior citizen who does not want to burden his family with his care.

When Dr. Weaver and other attending doctors rate the residents, Dr. Carter feels obliged to defend the potential of his protegee Neela, but when he urges her to be more pro-active in the E.R., she goes too far in treating a brain-injury patient -- and a sympathetic Dr. Gallant errs further by falsifying a medical report. Elsewhere, a pregnant Dr. Lewis is harassed by a sexual pervert which prompts Chuck to defend her, while Dr. Kovac treats the disoriented young son of a man who fears that tests will reveal he's not the boy's father. In addition, Dr. Chen is at wit's end over finding a caretaker for her combative father and Dr. Corday is uneasy about dating two men.

A psychotic patient makes good on his promise to punish the medicos when he steals an Army tank and grinds his way across Chicago towards the hospital while Sam grows jealous of Dr. Kovac's visiting French friend Gillian -- and one of the E.R. staffers suffers a heart attack. Elsewhere, Kovac is startled at the lack of concern among some 13-year-olds who are diagnosed with chylamidia; Sam ponders the curious relationship between a concerned teenaged girl and her sick father who is in full cardiac arrest, and Dr. Corday is enchanted with a charming fellow surgeon.

While Dr. Carter pines over his separation from his pregnant girlfriend in Africa, a family of four is rushed to the E.R. after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from their furnace -- forcing a claustrophobic Neela to accompany a newborn baby into an extremely uncomfortable hyperbaric chamber to extend its life. Elsewhere, Dr. Lewis is upbeat about her future with Chuck while Nurse Sam has reason to ponder her relationship with Dr. Kovac. In addition, Lewis and Abby treat a maniacal man who's rushed in covered in blood, while Dr. Weaver counsels a mother whose young son tests positive for leukemia. Amid the chaos, Dr. Chen returns from China with her sick father in tow.

Life and death assume an even higher profile as single-mother Sam treats an abused and newly pregnant teen as well as a wife who sees her injured family melt away after a car accident -- while Dr. Carter takes a holiday to show Kem the wonders of a wintry Chicago. Elsewhere, a risk-assessment expert is hired to observe the E.R. and is shocked at the abounding mayhem -- especially when Sam roughs up a patient's friend. Abby and Dr. Pratt restrain an undocumented man who wants to check out despite testing positive for tuberculosis while Sam is quizzed by her son Alex about her interest in Dr. Kovac.

Dr. Carter makes the mistake of bringing his wide-eyed girlfriend Kem to observe the emergency room where she makes an impact -- wanted or not -- almost everywhere she wanders, ranging from an AIDS ward to the classroom and even in an unsanctioned ridealong with the paramedics. The complex Dr. Pratt has a hard night and questions his abilities as he treats a variety of patients, including a young sledder who breaks his back in the snow and a elderly man with fluid in his lung. Meanwhile, Dr. Gallant accompanies the paramedics and is almost shot in a violent domestic dispute where he befriends a frightened boy, and Dr. Weaver dedicates a new center to Dr. Romano's memory that has everyone buzzing.

A reluctant Abby and Neela are assigned to the dreaded NICU -- the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit -- a separate floor where they are confronted with a whole new universe of jargon and helpless babies fighting for their lives as anxious parents wait for miracles that often don't come. The wrenching marathon is part of their month-long rotation, and the pair begin to confront their own fears as they are tested emotionally and professionally. Eventually, they begin to bond with the Chinese parents of sick twins, a baby boy with a faulty heart, a praying mother who refuses to give up hope for her comatose infant -- and even Dr. Weaver, whose newborn baby with Lopez needs the NICU's help.

The return of Dr. Carter from Africa prompts various reactions, especially when he is accompanied by his new love Makemba -- and Carter has other surprises in store -- while Dr. Pratt squares off against Dr. Gallant over a personal matter. A busy Pratt also finds time to treat a young victim of a car accident whose case is complicated by a rare form of osteoporosis and takes an interest in an elderly woman suffering from dementia who believes he is her son. In addition, a whole nursing shift cannot go home until they find one missing valium pill. Elsewhere, Dr. Kovac informs Dr. Weaver about his departure date and Carter deals with a malnourished woman and her equally famished family.

On Christmas Eve, a chilled emergency room staff do their best to observe the holiday while a crusading Dr. Carter does the same half a world away in a run-down Congolese medical clinic as recent flashbacks reveal his clashes with Makemba, a beautiful native AIDS worker over the meager resources -- and they slowly fall in love. As Carter re-adjusts to the heat, filth and dangers of the region, he keeps in touch with his Chicago friends and embarks on a personal mission to save a pregnant mother who is dying of AIDS, he is confronted by anti-Americanism from his French comrades. Even so, Carter is determined to bring the joy and love of Christmas to the local children of Kisingani.

Two distinct cultures collide when Neela treats two Amish teenagers involved in a car accident who are exploring the outside world to determine if they want to return to the reclusive society while Dr. Corday and a few others mourn the loss of a talented colleague. Elsewhere, Sam clashes with sympathetic Dr. Kovac when he pays too much attention to her trouble-prone teenaged son Alex while Dr. Lewis is pained when an unconscious 5-year-old girl cannot be traced to any parent or guardian. In addition, Dr. Pratt scopes out the beautiful Valerie who is visiting her nervous brother Dr. Gallant.

On Thanksgiving, the staff struggles with a shortage of doctors as Abby treats an HIV-positive woman who thinks she might be pregnant while suffering from severe bleeding and an unexpected helicopter crash on the hospital rooftop threatens to harm everyone in the hospital. Nearby, Dr. Lewis is unaware that her "ex-husband" Chuck was involved in the disaster. Elsewhere, Dr. Romano threatens to file a serious complaint against the brash Dr. Pratt and Romano continues to ride medical student/nurse Abby with tough medical questions -- even as she wonders about what Dr. Carter might be doing that same day in Africa.

A busy Dr. Lewis plans a home-cooked dinner with the elderly Hollander -- her depressed patient who is going blind -- treats a stressed-out housewife, arranges for an IRS audit, and then hides the detached arm of the nasty Dr. Romano. Elsewhere, Neela and Dr. Pratt treat a vulnerable 18-year-old who was attacked in jail and Dr. Gallant must gamble with a risky hospital transfer to help a young septic cancer patient. Meanwhile, Dr. Kovac clashes with Dr. Corday over the treatment of a patient she suspects needs an appendectomy and nurse Sam parks her precocious son in the E.R. for a day where the kid gets an eyeful.

Drs. Pratt and Kovac clash over a miscarriage-prone young woman who arrives to deliver a premature baby -- Pratt wants to make heroic efforts to save the tiny soul while Kovac is dead-set against spending vast amounts of money to keep the child alive, but forever sickly. Elsewhere, Dr. Lewis enjoys her time with a sarcastic patient who once threatened to take his own life over his impending blindness. A distracted Kovac also runs afoul of a psychiatrist who over-medicates an abused foster child who wants to go back to his drug-addled mother. Plus, a chatty, upbeat pharmaceutical rep makes the rounds offering goodies, a man gets violent over an exorbitant bill and Dr. Coop makes a romantic play for Dr. Chen.

Dr. Lewis fears for a distraught architect whose degenerating eyesight makes him despondent while a spirited new nurse replaces Abby -- who decides to return to medical school. Elsewhere: disaster strikes when the doctors suspect a mother is abusing her child; Dr. Corday learns something shocking about the charismatic Dr. Dorset, and a green medical student is overwhelmed by the chaos and grisly conditions of life in the E.R.

A confident second-year resident Dr. Pratt wants to show off during the graveyard shift but his heroics sometimes backfire, especially in his contempt for an asymptomatic husband who temporarily loses his speech -- and in the case of a boy whose treatment is delayed after he swallows a quarter. As Dr. Weaver decries the "incompetence" of her staff, she too makes a grievous error while a screaming man with a broken leg must wait endless hours and Neela deals with a little girl who arrives with her beloved grandmother whose status is DNR -- "Do Not Resuscitate." Elsewhere, Abby finds herself desperate for money and credit and later meets both Dr. Kovac and his new girlfriend. Likewise, Dr. Corday warms up to Dr. Dorset.

Abby's frustrating day gets worse when she gets a special "Dear John" letter from Dr. Carter in the Congo while her fellow nurses threaten a walkout and her opinions are ignored -- especially when she is chastised as she seeks to inform a teenaged girl, with failing lungs and heart, that her life is in grave danger. Elsewhere, Dr. Romano's mood gets nastier when he is fitted with an antiquated hook for his missing arm and he takes out his rage by firing several much-needed nurses. In addition, three new second-year residents join the staff -- including the self-assured Dr. "Coop". Dr. Pratt uneasily meets Dr. Chen's old-fashioned parents for dinner, and the playful Dr. Dorset makes an impression with his style and substantial skills.

Dr. Carter returns to the Congo to search for the body of a fellow doctor and reunites with several associates but the chaos, stench and danger of the country's long civil war threaten to curtail his efforts -- and again put him in harm's way. Elsewhere in the strife-torn country, Dr. Kovac is seen in flashbacks as he battles debilitating malaria while he ministers to the sick and dying in a land where life is cheap at best.

A frazzled Dr. Carter returns from his harrowing mission to the Congo only to be confronted by a hostile Abby while an exotic new British medical student causes a stir when she unexpectedly helps a patient -- and angers Dr. Chen as Dr. Pratt flirts with her. In addition: a concerned Dr. Pratt works the margins to help an HIV-infected patient obtain the necessary medical insurance; a woman and her young children are treated after their wrecked car is struck again by a large truck; construction workers add to the chaos of the emergency room; Dr. Romano sports a new look -- and Carter gets an ominous call from Africa.

In a change-of-pace episode, a sweat-soaked Dr. Carter finally arrives in the war-torn Congo as part of a voluntary medical program and he finds primitive Third-World facilities, a few heroic staffers and woeful patients overflowing the tiny hospital while a bloody civil war threatens to engulf them all. Carter ventures deeper into the jungle to reunite with Dr. Kovac as they risk their lives manning a crude outpost used for a vaccination campaign -- and soon find themselves in the withering line of fire between the warring tribes.

A frustrated Carter nearly has a meltdown when he treats two cult victims from a mass poisoning tied to the day's unnerving solar eclipse as well as a wounded gang-banger, a dying Buddhist nun and a heart-attack victim. On the night scheduled to be his last in the E.R., Pratt treats a woman whose unborn child was cut out of her -- prompting a search for the baby -- plus a burned firefighter and other cult victims. Meanwhile, Dr. Romano experiences life as a patient when he undergoes surgery.

Summary is not available.

Abby is threatened by an over-medicated psychotic patient and gets an update regarding her missing brother. Elsewhere, Dr. Romano continues to make rash judgments -- and enemies -- when he orders a man with a severe sore throat to be released and then tries to perform surgery in the emergency room. Dr. Kovac welcomes a old friend -- a fellow Croatian doctor -- to observe the chaos of an American inner-city hospital. Carter also receives some emotional news from home as he guides a group of eager medical students who witness him refuse to give up trying to save a cardiac-arrested patient.

A tense E.R. spins further into chaos when a bitter Dr. Romano assumes control and offends nearly everyone with his inept and dictatorial policies, while Dr. Lewis is pleasantly surprised by the visit of an intimate relative. Meanwhile, a sympathetic Dr. Kovac employs Dr. Corday's help in his quest to bring a sickly Croatian boy to America for his only chance to live. Corday also counsels a frightened young pregnant women whose cancer jeopardizes both her life and the baby's. Elsewhere, Corday's nanny accidentally runs over the foot of a cunning street salesman Dr. Pratt scrambles to buy Dr. Chen a gift for her birthday; and Lewis is startled at what happens to a woman who fell and is admitted with a broken wrist.

Dr. Weaver finds herself in a deep hole when she bends the rules to treat the syphilitic lover of her powerful new patron -- Alderman Bright -- but when the patient has a severe allergic reaction, she desperately tries to cover her tracks and compromises her ethics even further. In the meantime, Weaver's career continues to get a boost at the expense of a stubborn Dr. Romano and Dr. Carter and Abby reassess their relationship. Elsewhere: Dr. Kovac ruminates aloud on his star-crossed career path while he ministers to a rebellious teenaged girl who claims she was sexually abused at a boot camp for wayward youths, and Carter cares for a nasty middle-aged woman who's slowly being poisoned.

Drs. Pratt and Gallant see the when they are pulled over and questioned as possible suspects in a murderous rampage at the hospital's local diner while a sympathetic Dr. Lewis befriends an enamored teenaged cancer patient who fears he might not have long to live. Elsewhere, Dr. Carter learns a sobering earful from Maggie when he reluctantly takes her to the airport even as he ponders a life-changing personal decision. In addition, troubled Dr. Kovac ruminates on his tragic life when he is forced to consult a psychologist.

As Dr. Carter returns from his scuba trip, Abby veers disturbingly close to a breakdown in her attempt to cope with a multitude of problems, Dr. Weaver confronts the man who stole her purse and Dr. Pratt accompanies paramedics -- and is later surprised by what happens to a comatose homeless man found on the street. As Abby awaits word on her missing flyboy brother and deals with her needy mom, she and Carter try to keep a brain-dead boy alive in order to comfort his grieving parents. Elsewhere, Dr. Kovac finally arrives at the hospital in the nick of time to aid an overdosed teen while Dr. Lewis helps an elderly man whose wife suffers from Alzheimer's and hypothermia. Lewis is also flattered by her teenaged admirer -- which doesn't help sugarcoat the grim news for her young cancer patient.

Abby is distraught when she learns that her mentally troubled brother went missing while flying over the Great Lakes, a desperate Dr. Romano gets some depressing news and the hospital staff is confronted with a group of teenaged girls who are run down by a fellow female student suffering from a rare disease that might have caused the tragedy. Elsewhere, Dr. Chen's relationship with Dr. Pratt takes a new turn; a daughter wants to take extreme measures to keep her extremely elderly mother alive; Dr. Weaver gets a promotion from a grateful alderman and Dr. Lewis ponders her pending blind date with a hunk.

The protective Dr. Pratt is overwhelmed when his mentally challenged roommate Leon leads him to treat a gravely wounded suspect who was responsible for a robbery and holdup -- which also involved the easily duped Leon -- while Dr. Carter stuns Abby when he decides to go to Africa where the medical needs are greatest. Elsewhere, Carter attends to the sickly Dr. McNulty, the curmudgeon he recently met who runs a storefront medical clinic; the emotionally fragile Dr. Romano teeters on the brink of disaster and receives negative news regarding his recovery; Dr. Kovac intends to carry out a threat made to Dr. Weaver, who also re-encounters a grateful alderman who returns bearing financial gifts; and a skilled and bold doctor makes a pass at a shocked Dr. Corday.

Dr. Weaver is caught in a bind when an influential alderman, seeking treatment after a fall, tests positive for syphilis -- information that will likely become public. Meanwhile, Dr. Carter is impressed when he meets an irascible old doctor who runs an inner-city medical clinic. Elsewhere: a sympathetic Dr. Kovac bends ethics when he tricks an injured patient into believing that his terminal wife has already expired; Dr. Pratt decides on his own to invite a dying mother's drug-addled son to her bedside and also keeps a wary eye on his mentally challenged brother Leon as he starts a new job; Weaver and Kovac differ on what to do with a young boy whose repeated medical history suggests paternal child abuse.

When Dr. Pratt is caught bringing a gun into the emergency room, Dr. Carter feels compelled to defend him -- but his colleague's erratic behavior makes even Carter have second thoughts. Meanwhile Dr. Weaver hopes to keep her pregnancy a secret, but physical complications might compromise her plans. Elsewhere, Dr. Lewis keeps a wary eye on a self-destructive patient who admits to molesting young boys; a guilt-stricken Dr. Kovac is warned by Dr. Romano not to admit his fault to the grieving relative of a patient he treated; Dr. Chen treats some student math whizzes who overdosed on Ritalin; and Dr. Gallant confronts a scheming young wife who has designs for her dying husband.

In a form-breaking episode, events just before Christmas are traced in reverse chronological order as a hungover Dr. Kovac's troubled life lurches closer to tragedy when his car accidentally hits another auto on icy roads -- endangering his passenger, young resident Harkins. While on duty, Kovac struggles to help a sickly young man fight for his life. In addition, Abby and the emergency room staff attend to a pair of belligerent elves and a young female hockey player with a head wound.

Abby is heartbroken when her troubled mother interferes with the treatment of her bi-polar brother at a psychiatric hospital while Dr. Pratt treats a frightened young girl who is injured in an auto accident and tries to hides a terrible secret. Elsewhere: a dissolute Dr. Kovac forms an unlikely bond with a lonely elderly woman who offers him a tidy "tip"; Dr. Chen is flooded with teary memories when a baby is abandoned inside the E.R.; and Pratt takes matters into his own hands when his luckless brother Leon is fired from his menial job.

Abby's family nightmare continues when she and her mother go in search of her AWOL brother -- whom she suspects is suffering from serious mental problems -- and the two women meet at a Midwestern air force base in hopes of preventing his military court-martial. Back at the snowed-in hospital, Dr. Carter struggles to get out of Chicago to join Abby while Dr. Corday treats a family of patients who are severely struck by a truck driver while building a snowman. Meanwhile, Corday tries to help the father make a life-or-death decision while she sympathizes with the troubled Dr. Nathan as he struggles with his increasing symptoms of his physical handicap.

While Abby fears the worst when her AWOL brother suddenly disappears, Drs. Carter and Chen treat a frightened Chinese immigrant nanny whom they suspect was impregnated by her employer. Elsewhere, a new resident struggling to overcome his physical disability, tries to help in the E.R. -- but his advice to patients is unappreciated by his fellow doctors. In addition, Dr. Kovac cannot seem to quench his sexual appetites but his admirable resolve on the job to find an eye specialist to treat a young gunshot victim gets him into more trouble; Drs. Gallant and Harkins engage in an escalating game of one-upsmanship concerning their medical knowledge; Dr. Weaver gets some much-needed good news.

Dr. Corday clashes with the new surgical resident over his intervention in the treatment of a sickly young woman who signs a "Do Not Resuscitate" agreement while Abby wonders aloud about the erratic behavior of her visiting brother. Elsewhere, Abby feels torn when she is caught between an official nurse's complaints against Dr. Kovac, her former lover. In addition, Dr. Pratt comforts Dr. Chen after she feels threatened by a patient and Corday suspects that an unconscious, 14-year old female patient has been sexually assaulted.

A suspicious fire on Halloween floods the E.R. with many bizarrely costumed victims -- frustrating Dr. Pratt -- while a frustrated Dr. Romano lets his recent traumatic injury interfere with good judgment when he directs Dr. Corday during surgery on a man with a flesh-eating infection. Elsewhere, Nurse Marquez threatens to file a grievance against Dr. Kovac, who must also treat an older mother who won't accept that her newborn baby cannot survive while Abby and Dr. Carter playfully dress up in suggestive seasonal costumes. In addition, the staff greets an older but wiser surgical intern who tries to overcome a daunting physical handicap.

Young Dr. Gallant gets worked up over the callous treatment afforded to an addled elderly patient under his repeated care and confronts Dr. Pratt when he reports a suicidal Army Ranger -- whom Gallant promised to protect. Likewise, a protective Dr. Carter is agitated when he discovers that girlfriend Abby downed alcohol while out with her girlfriends. Elsewhere: Dr. Weaver just isn't herself as she makes repeated -- and embarrassing -- mistakes; Dr. Kovac dallies with the mother of a little girl facing kidney failure; and Dr. Corday treats the wife of a senior citizen who's suffering from Alzheimer's.

After an enraged drug addict pulls a gun on Dr. Chen and other staff members, a fed-up Dr. Carter leads a divisive walkout when his request for metal detectors is delayed -- thereby endangering the lives of new patients. Elsewhere, Dr. Lewis counsels an exhausted elderly woman whose adult son is dying from Huntington's disease -- the same affliction that killed her husband. In addition, Dr. Pratt tries to safeguard his developmentally disabled brother and comforts Chen after her brush with death; Dr. Kovac treats an HIV-infected boy whose parents arouse his curiosity; and Abby's brother gets an eyeful when he visits the hospital.

Chaos reigns as the ER is overloaded with patients after another hospital is shut down just as Dr. Corday makes an emotional return -- and the aggressive Dr. Pratt enrages his counterparts when he resuscitates a heart attack victim who had been pronounced dead. As the tight-lipped Corday sees the ER for the first time since Dr. Greene's death, she clashes with the tightly wound Dr. Weaver. Meanwhile, Dr. Carter and a frisky Abby hardly care to conceal their growing romantic attraction to each other; Dr. Gallant gets an eye-opening education when he pulls a shift in the psychiatric unit; Dr. Romano faces a daunting new challenge.

The hospital remains in lockdown while the Center for Disease Control probes a mysterious and deadly illness that leaves Dr. Carter, Abby and others quarantined. While Dr. Lewis initially is left alone and fights to save one patient, Carter and Abby grow resolved to their romantic fate over the next several days as they idle away their time inside the hospital with Drs. Chen and Pratt -- and veteran patient Stan the Can. Meanwhile, newly widowed Dr. Corday struggles to adapt to her new medical practice in her native England while over-shadowed by her attentive parents.

Fear grips Chicago when Carter and Abby treat two children with ominous symptoms that force the E.R. into quarantine until federal disease experts arrive. As Carter fights to save the youths, the staff is trapped with the suffering patients and a busload of injured and ornery senior citizens. Media swarm the hospital and riot police guard the exits while the restless victims begin a small riot in an attempt to escape the dangerous and stifling conditions inside. Meanwhile, Drs. Pratt and Chen -- who may have contracted the disease -- put aside their own symptoms as they labor to save the life of frequent homeless visitor Stan the Can.

In an affecting and poignant look at Mark Greene's final days, the once driven E.R. doctor takes reluctant Rachel to his childhood home in Hawaii. There he indulges in life's simple pleasures and tries to impart bittersweet memories and family history to his distant daughter. But as their clashes escalate -- and as Greene's health fades -- so does the chance for a final reconciliation between them.

Dr. Carter reads a letter from the ailing Dr. Greene to the E.R. staff. Meanwhile, Dr. Weaver lashes out at a mentally challenged patient; Carter feels helpless when a terminally ill homeless man continues to ask for Greene's help; and Carter tries to coax a tipsy Abby to attend an Alcoholics' Anonymous meeting with him. Elsewhere: the obnoxious Dr. Pratt learns that he will be assigned to County General for his residency; and Dr. Romano struggles to save a young girl's life after an auto accident reveals a dangerous malignancy.

Dr. Lewis is frightened when she receives a traumatic call for help from her 6-year-old niece in New York and she rushes East to search for the child and her trouble-prone sister, where she enlists the aid of Officers Yokas and Bosco from NBC's Peabody Award-winning "Third Watch" to comb the mean streets. Elsewhere: Dr. Corday fears the worst when she is phoned by Dr. Greene's teenaged daughter in Hawaii where the pair are vacationing; arrogant newcomer Dr. Pratt causes havoc and clashes with the staff when he tries a dangerous unauthorized procedure on a dying patient; Dr. Carter chastises Dr. Kovac for allowing Abby to slip back into using alcohol as a crutch, and Dr. Weaver contends with a crushed couple who can't decide if they want to disconnect their brain-dead son's life support.

While Dr. Greene tries to immerse himself in his work, he reluctantly discovers that his aggressive illness is hampering his coordination -- and watching other end-stage patients struggle with their treatments has a sobering effect on him. Elsewhere: Greene has a poignant reunion with his ex-wife and later mediates between the staff and a stubborn but deluded homeless man; Dr. Pratt, a self-confident new intern, gets some advice from Greene about his bedside manner; Abby can move out of Dr. Kovac's apartment when her abusive neighbor moves away; Greene treats a family man who receives the worst kind of news; an Egyptologist is hospitalized for a rare disease; confusion over an elderly woman's wishes results in heroic measures to resuscitate her.

Drs. Corday and Greene continue to awkwardly bump into each other in the ER while Dr. Weaver treats victims of a raging inferno -- one that might have cost the life of her intimate firefighter friend. While Corday suspects her husband is romantically involved with Dr. Lewis, Greene is stumped when he asks the reluctant sister of a severely ill woman to donate part of her liver that would save her sister's life. In addition: Greene chastises the adoptive parents of an uncommunicative young boy who almost dies after experimental therapy; Dr. Chen is shadowed by a disturbed man who is the victim of severe psychological trauma; the doctors react to several college coeds after they are attacked on campus by a madman; a couple of senior citizen adulterers are busted in the ER.

In a dramatic change-of-pace episode, after a bout of horseplay following a dominatrix' appearance in the ER, Dr. Weaver orders Abby, Dr. Carter, Dr. Lewis, Dr. Kovac and Dr. Gallant into a day-long sexual harassment seminar -- which unleashes a torrent of truth about their mutual relationships. While the class is delayed for a tardy instructor, the five share intimate details while alternately mocking and challenging each other -- especially with the thorny romantic attractions involving Abby and Lewis with Carter. What's more, Carter and Kovac kill time by engaging in a roughhouse round of fencing that speaks volumes about their contending interest in Abby.

A lonely Dr. Greene faces an uphill struggle for survival and his pain is intensified when the angry Dr. Corday keeps his recovering infant daughter away from him, so he busies himself in the ER treating a father who severely burned himself while experimenting with illegal drugs. While the victim's life is in immediate jeopardy, Greene is further tormented by the man's request not to let his family see him in his horrific condition. Elsewhere: Dr. Chen is confronted with a teenaged comatose patient who confounds her mother when it's discovered that she is pregnant and ready to give birth; a little girl arrives at the ER with her father who suffers from critical gunshot wounds; a teenager is banged-up when his father gets careless with a careening snowmobile; Abby fumes when the man who beat her is released -- and moves back in next door; the returning Jerry clashes with fellow desk jockey Frank.

While their baby daughter continues to fight for her life, Dr. Greene has sharp words with his wife, Dr. Corday, after she orders Rachel out of their home while Abby might regret championing a battered female neighbor who refuses to press charges against her abusive husband. Elsewhere, some bad munchies soon have everyone scurrying for the bathroom as Kovac returns to help out a short-handed staff. In addition: Dr. Carter confronts his mother over issues of emotional abandonment and gets a surprise visit from his father; the ER team treats an elderly "polar bear" swimmer with heart problems; a fearful 15-year-old girl with vaginal bleeding, and a recent lottery winner who's unlucky enough to have been stabbed by a falling icicle; a diminutive lap dancer who accidentally swallows a customer's wedding ring.

Drs. Greene and Corday are gripped with fear when their helpless baby daughter is brought in with an accidental overdose -- while Dr. Lewis treats a father and daughter who were injured after opening an exploding letter bomb. Meanwhile, Dr. Weaver seethes when Dr. Romano hands off some of her many duties to Lewis and Dr. Carter meets a dying 12-year-old leukemia patient that his charity-minded mother brought in. Elsewhere: the doctors marvel over a 13-year-old girl who crashed her car while trying to drive her drunken mother home; Dr. Gallant takes pity on a sickly bum and his friendly mutt Stinky; and Abby gets a desperate, late-night visit from her female next-door neighbor.

Dr. Lewis clashes with Dr. Weaver over the treatment of an injured and condemned murderer who wants to die in the ER rather than wait for his execution while Abby urges her battered next-door neighbor to seek shelter from her abusive husband. Elsewhere, Weaver has a trying day as she is embarrassed in front of her co-workers by her fiery firefighter girlfriend and she is also forced to re-hire the returning Dr. Chen who reveals damaging evidence that could put the blame on Weaver for a patient's accidental death. In addition: a weary Dr. Carter must mitigate between his warring parents as they plan their divorce and also diagnoses a wannabe rapper who tests positive for HIV -- but refuses to tell his naive girlfriend; Dr. Greene tries to help a guilt-stricken father who suffers a heart attack on the day his estranged daughter is to be married, while on the home front, the doctor struggles to find any common ground with his wayward 14-year-old daughter.

An embittered Abby tries to help a crying boy whose single mother died of a stroke and also tries to keep Dr. Carter distracted and away from Paul Sobriki -- the schizophrenic man who once stabbed him and killed a fellow doctor -- who checks into the ER for an injury after being released. Carter also has trouble at home when he clashes with his mother over the care administered to his grandmother as well as other festering family issues. Elsewhere: Abby is startled by news bulletins from both her ex-husband and Dr. Kovac; Dr. Greene confronts his rebellious daughter when he checks out her room and is later asked by a dying burn victim not to let his family see him in his condition; a wavering Dr. Weaver comes to a crossroads with her developing relationship with a firefighter; and Dr. Chen meets with Carter to discuss recently discovered evidence in the wrongful death case that resulted in her dismissal.

As December 25 nears, Dr. Benton boils over with rage and frustration as his custody trial for his son Reese hits a critical stage -- and he must choose between his ER job and the child unless the cranky Dr. Romano agrees to custom-tailor his work schedule. Elsewhere, a busy Dr. Carter finds romance, receives some jolting news from his father who's visiting for the holidays and then ministers to a boy whose fall from a tree causes great concern among his tight-knit family; Dr. Weaver is perplexed by a pregnant woman who's ready to deliver her baby despite remaining in a coma for a year; a sobbing young mother accidentally shoots her son near the Christmas tree, and a curious Abby spies Dr. Kovac's elusive French girlfriend sneaking through the hospital.

Dr. Benton and his attorney begin a bare-knuckle fight in court to take custody of his young son from Roger -- the boy's "other" father -- while Dr. Corday waits for a distraught husband to decide if surgeons can remove his terminally injured wife's organs for transplant before time runs out. Elsewhere: Dr. Greene and Dr. Lewis treat a brain-damaged teenaged boxer who was hurt while sparring with his guilt-ridden brother; Dr. Weaver crosses paths again with a feisty firefighter who once helped her in the field; Dr. Carter tries to aid a young woman who complains of a nasty recurring allergic reaction; and Greene suspects the worst when the boyfriend of his rambunctious teenaged daughter Rachel tests positive for marijuana.

When a torrential rainstorm pounds Chicago, patients stack up while Dr. Weaver speeds to an accident site where a pregnant woman lies injured inside a wrecked ambulance while live power lines spark -- until heroic first-year resident Gallant makes a dangerous leap of faith. Elsewhere: a shaky Dr. Benton gets the lab reports that will determine if he is the father of his son Reese; Kovac's new girlfriend gets in trouble and gives him some unexpected news; Dr. Carter is shocked to see his grandmother wheeled in after breaking her hip in a hit-and-run car accident which injures a young woman -- and Dr. Greene tends to a guilt-ridden boy who feels responsible for the disappearance of his younger brother after playing in a flooded river.

A brittle Dr. Corday desperately searches for a possible "Angel of Death" who's been secretly murdering her elderly patients -- leaving her to shoulder any possible blame -- while a pensive Dr. Benton reluctantly agrees to a paternity test to prove he's the real father of his son Reese. Elsewhere, Dr. Greene hardly shares a happy home with a stressed-out Corday and his wild teenaged daughter Rachel who now also courts trouble at school. Dr. Carter shares disappointing news with his ailing but headstrong grandmother, and he also joins Dr. Lewis in treating a young, self-abusing woman who's been cutting herself. A bright new and inquisitive first-year student makes all kinds of impressions on the curious staff. A resentful Abby nonetheless comforts new staffer Nicole after a traumatic event.

Dr. Corday's ordeal over the recent infectious deaths of several patients balloons when she is shadowed by a taskmaster who follows her to check for cleanliness while Dr. Lewis fields two college patients who are suddenly attacked by a fast and lethal virus. Elsewhere, Dr. Benton clashes with his toddler son's "other" father, Roger, over visitation rights; Dr. Kovac arranges for the ER to hire his friendly French barmaid as a runner with near-disastrous results; Abby flirts with a wounded fireman and Dr. Greene must referee between his self-indulgent 14-year-old daughter Rachel and his tense, fed-up wife Corday.

A wary Dr. Lewis returns to County General and clashes with Abby and others while her patients include a misunderstood Hispanic woman with seizures -- and Dr. Greene treats an injured man whose frantic daughter mistakenly crushed him with her car. Elsewhere, Lewis ministers to a man who is pretending to be comatose for a very good reason; Dr. Benton tries to leave the surgery room when he learns that his young son is missing; Dr. Carter is shocked to see his ailing grandmother brought to the hospital; Dr. Corday must adapt to co-habitating with Greene's teenaged daughter and is investigated when another patient dies of infection.

Former County General alumna Dr. Susan Lewis returns to Chicago looking for a new job and swings by her old digs to renew friendships -- especially with Dr. Greene -- while a nervous Dr. Chen is accompanied by Dr. Weaver to a "risk management" review of her treatment of a deceased patient. Elsewhere, Dr. Benton is caught between a life-saving surgery and the need to pick up his young son before his school locks up. Dr. Corday meets Dr. Lewis and struggles with the parents of a young boy with a rare and chronic disease who have grown discouraged with his long-term prognosis. Dr. Kovac is surprised when a beautiful French waitress shows up in the ER and asks for him.

Dr. Greene is surprised when his rebellious teenaged daughter suddenly appears at the hospital after running away from his ex-wife while a skirt-chasing Dr. Malucci flirts with disaster and Dr. Carter and Abby draw even closer to each other. A hesitant Dr. Chen is tested when she struggles to save the life of an abandoned baby -- who some believe has a birthmark resembling a religious icon. A resourceful Malucci does some fast work when he tries to help an ailing patient while stuck together in a hospital elevator. Dr. Romano dresses down Dr. Weaver when a local newspaper investigates the death of a patient who expired on her watch.

Just when Dr. Carter thinks he's done for the day, the ER sucks him back in frenetic fashion as he is swamped with problematic patients -- including several heavy metal roadies and musicians after concert accidents -- while Dr. Benton is shocked to hear the full report when his young son is involved in a car accident. Newly appointed chief resident Chen panics when she is overwhelmed with patients -- one of whom she misdiagnoses -- while Dr. Weaver is suddenly AWOL on personal business just as several lives are in the balance. Meanwhile, Abby feels neglected by a distracted Dr. Kovac on an ugly night out, and she especially resents his flirty relationship with an attractive French waitress.

The season premiere offers multiple points-of-view of the same events a la "Rashomon" as Dr. Greene ministers to a sobbing young woman who was injured during a confrontational television talk show melee where she learned bitter family news -- but Greene has to face his own demons when a board of inquiry investigates the case of his serial killer patient. Meanwhile, a stoic Dr. Carter must attend a family funeral which reunites him with his detached rich parents. Dr. Benton keeps a watchful eye on the recovering Cleo while he deals with his grieving sister's attempts to cope with her teenaged son's death. A nervous Dr. Weaver returns from her "African" sabbatical and warily waits to see how her colleagues react.

The ER is overwhelmed with gunshot victims when a distraught father goes on a murderous spree at a foster care facility -- and a horrified Dr. Greene realizes that his personal connection with the madman may prove fatal for his new wife and their baby. In the midst of the chaos: Dr. Carter is put in the awkward position of helping Dr. Chen apply for the promotion that he himself was denied, Dr. Benton is unexpectedly assaulted by his ex-girlfriend Carla's husband, and Dr. Finch cuts her hand while treating an HIV-positive patient. Meanwhile, Dr. Romano betrays his prejudice when he tries to force out Dr. Legaspi.

A distressed Abby sees a ray of hope in the care of her mentally unbalanced mother when she receives some sage advice from the older woman in a rare moment of clarity while Dr. Benton's old girlfriend Carla squares off against his new love Cleo. Elsewhere: Dr. Greene's suspicions are aroused when he treats a rebellious 7-year-old boy who bears signs of beatings; Dr. Carter's plans to apply for chief resident are brushed aside by Dr. Weaver while he watches fellow candidate Dr. Chen take her best shot at the position; Weaver suffers pangs of remorse when she meets the new woman in Dr. Legaspi's life and is confronted by a helpless, mentally deficient young woman whose only family member lies in critical condition; and the ER gang enjoys a spirited game of softball.

Due to a clerical error, a startled Abby discovers that her suicidal mother is due in court for a competency hearing and she rushes to testify that she should not be released -- but the older woman musters an alarmingly masterful display of sanity before the judge. Meanwhile, Dr. Weaver gives heartbreaking news to a sassy homeless woman who once hosted a children's show that Weaver viewed as a child. Dr. Benton steps in to help a junior high school teacher who was once his mentor and now suffers a cardiac arrest. A busy Benton also injures his hand while helping a fallen biker and learns that an injured Carla has checked into the ER with his young son Reese. A perplexed Dr. Carter treats a stricken pregnant woman and then is angered when her husband informs him about what prompted her life-threatening episode.

A tense Abby drops everything when notified that her mentally unbalanced mother is found incapacitated in an Oklahoma motel, and when she insists on driving there, a sympathetic Dr. Carter accompanies her -- risking both of their romantic relationships. In the meantime, the road back is potholed with problems as they try to coax the disconnected woman back to Chicago for more professional help. Elsewhere, the very pregnant Dr. Corday is happily wheeled in for her baby's birth with Dr. Greene at her side. An angry Dr. Benton treats a parade of partying fraternity brothers whose alcohol-related medical problems become increasingly more serious; later, Benton offers special care for his former junior high school teacher who jump-started his interest in science as a youth.

On their rainy wedding day, Drs. Greene and Corday must fight fate to get to the altar as he overcomes several roadblocks until he is waylaid in the street by a nasty bleeding pregnant woman -- meanwhile, she contends with last-minute details and her feuding divorced parents. Elsewhere, several ER staff try to free themselves from work to attend the ceremonies, including Dr. Finch and Dr. Benton, ever mindful of the irony that he once dated Corday. However, the uninvited Dr. Weaver heads for an out-of-town medical conference and meets a friendly and appreciative man. When a prison van overturns, Dr. Carter tries to save the life of a crushed corrections officer -- and gets some ribbing about his young girlfriend -- while Abby treats a teenaged female prisoner. Dr. Chen ministers to a hypothermic boy found asleep on a frozen field.

Dr. Benton is a horrified bystander as the elderly black patient he is treating grabs a cop’s gun with tragic results. Dr. Carter, who is rethinking his relationship with Rena, teams up with Abby to treat a class of seventh graders who become sick on their bus from mysterious toxic fumes. Meanwhile Dr. Greene learns the results of his review; and Dr. Corday is determined to prove to Dr. Romano that she can still pull long hours in the O.R.

Dr. Weaver's difficult life is further complicated when she fears her intimate relationship with Dr. Legaspi might be exposed when the suicidal young woman who earlier caused a deadly train derailment claims Legaspi sexually harassed her, while elsewhere, a guilt-stricken Abby launches a desperate search for a stolen baby under her care. In addition: Dr. Carter is dumbfounded when he learns more about his young new romantic partner; Dr. Greene awaits word on his medical competency tests; a pregnant Dr. Corday struggles back to work and runs headlong into the obnoxious Dr, Romano, who is on the warpath and intends to marginalize her responsibilities; Dr. Malucci also butts heads with a belligerent father; and a newly re-awakened Dr. Kovac re-evaluates his life and relationship with Abby.

In the classic drama's 150th episode, a multi-car train accident scrambles the ER and Drs. Kovac, Carter and Corday are overwhelmed by the carnage at the site as they work to save an impaled mother, her young son and a trapped firefighter -- until the pregnant Corday begins to suffer painful contractions. Back at County, Dr. Benton tries to salvage a victim with a shredded aorta and even helps Carter with a tricky amputation over the phone, all of which leaves an observing med school applicant wide-eyed. Meanwhile, the bloody mayhem prompts Kovac to recall the harrowing loss of his own family and he confronts his torment with the terminally ill Bishop Stewart.

Dr. Greene is angered when his post-operative competency is challenged by a medical review board that could cost him his career while a tormented Dr. Kovac can no longer ignore his crisis of faith when he accompanies an ailing but stubborn bishop to a priest's ordination. Elsewhere: Dr. Carter struggles to save the life of a child whose parents refused to immunize him against measles; Dr. Benton chafes in his new added role as director of diversity when he encounters a low-rated African-American applicant who reminds him of himself as a young student; Dr. Weaver recoils when she meets Dr. Legaspi's fellow lesbian friends; Dr. Chen returns after her maternity leave.

Dr. Carter must attend a charity event hosted by his grandfather and cajoles Abby into filling in as his date at the last minute while Dr. Kovac treats an ailing Bishop Stewart and a 16-year-old in need of a third heart transplant who both insist on treatment that could threaten their lives. Also, Dr. Malucci is surprised by a patient's reaction to some HIV test results, and most of the staff -- especially Dr. Romano -- takes notice of Dr. Greene's new and aggressive post-surgery attitude.

Dr. Weaver regrets her decision to report a work-related injury in an illegal sweatshop when the corrupt owners panic and try to eliminate the evidence by torching the premises -- with the illegal alien workers trapped inside -- while Dr. Greene returns to work with a curious change in his attitude and personality. Elsewhere, Dr. Benton is sandbagged by the wily Dr. Romano who lures him into a new position without confiding the political implications of the new job. After confessing his temptation to Weaver, Dr. Carter is restricted from issuing controlled narcotics. Abby treats two combative elderly men who are injured while fighting each other. Dr. Corday wavers again during surgery and risks her career.

Dr. Benton's relationship with Cleo is further strained when the wayward teenaged girl whom he's trying to help resists his efforts to move her out of Cleo's residence and into a foster home while a bishop who's injured in a fall takes an interest in the brooding Dr. Kovac. Elsewhere: Kovac resents having to treat a drunken driver who's responsible for tearing apart a young family; as Dr. Greene recovers from his surgery, Dr. Corday recents some jolting news about her malpractice suit; Dr. Carter is urged by Abby to confront Dr. Weaver about his recent temptation to take narcotics; Weaver clashes with Dr. Legaspi over personal as well as professional issues.

New Year's Eve falls as Dr. Greene submits to dangerous, experimental brain surgery in New York with a hopeful Dr. Corday by his side while a guilt-ridden father who is severely injured in a car wreck is only concerned with the safety of his teenaged son who is also hurt. However, the dad's condition deteriorates as the irascible Dr. Romano is called on to begin desperate heart surgery and Greene's radical procedure soon develops complications.

Christmas is just days away, and Dr. Greene accompanies Dr. Corday to New York on a mission during the holiday season. Dr. Carter fights fatigue as he assists Dr. Chen during the birth of her baby. However, Carter notices that Chen's attitude toward her unwanted baby may be changing even as the adoptive parents wait patiently for their new child. In addition, Carter must fight against temptation to ruin the progress of his drug rehabilitation program. Elsewhere: Dr. Benton receives an ultimatum from Dr. Finch to remove a wayward teenaged girl from her residence; Dr. Weaver treats a boy whose face is badly mauled by a dog.

Abby's mounting frustration with her bipolar mother goes off the charts when the woman causes a major incident at a downtown store. An uneasy Dr. Corday confronts her accusers during a tense, day-long deposition when she and the hospital are sued by a paralyzed former patient. A mourning Dr. Benton meets his nephew's beaten girlfriend who informs him about the gangbangers responsible for the murder. Greene is concerned that Dr. Carter isn't maintaining the conditions of his drug treatment program. Abby's relationship with Dr. Kovac heats up but she seeks consolation from her family woes with Carter.

A stormy Thanksgiving workday in the ER results in a cornucopia of milestone events as a thunderstruck Dr. Greene receives disturbing news while a woozy Dr. Corday is sued for malpractice -- and Abby tries to send her unstable mother off, but the broken woman has no place else to go. Dr. Chen is caught by surprise by her high-tone mother who does not know about her pregnancy. Elsewhere: Dr. Benton's pay is docked by Dr. Romano; Dr. Carter chases down an impatient patient who needs immediate treatment; and an explosion rocks the ER.

An anguished Abby flinches when she is unexpectedly visited by her unpredictable mother while Dr. Benton is shocked to discover details about a severely wounded gunshot victim. Meanwhile, Drs. Greene and Corday pledge to each other that they will escape the ER for a weekend getaway but complications ensue when she must perform surgery on a middle-aged surfer with a bad back. Dr. Kovac suspects that a young teenaged patient -- who proves to be pregnant -- might have been assaulted by her father. Dr. Chen finally confronts the unsuspecting father of her baby.

Dr. Greene risks his life when he accompanies a dangerously weak heart patient in an emergency helicopter that crashes en route to the hospital. While Greene tries to encourage the sick man not to give up hope of a transplant that will enable him to marry his fiancee, Dr. Benton is ordered by Dr. Romano to manage a flood of angry, hurting people as he substitutes for Dr. Weaver on a short-staffed day in the E.R. Elsewhere: Abby is fearful for a distraught Dr. Kovac when he does not show up for work after a personal trauma; and Dr. Carter gambles when he ignores a relative's wishes not to inform her teenaged grandson that he carries the HIV virus.

A frustrated Dr. Benton desperately searches for a new position at any local hospital but soon learns that he has been blackballed by the arrogant Dr. Romano, and he must consider other options out-of-state -- even though he risks losing joint custody of his infant son with the combative mother. Elsewhere, a recovering Dr. Carter is cleared to work on a few trauma patients while Dr. Chen labors to offer a young mother some temporary relief as she tries to secure permission to operate on the woman's terminally ill young son. Abby finds herself attracted to Dr. Kovac but their budding relationship is interrupted by tragedy. In addition, Dr. Malucci casts about in a vain search for an extra skilled hockey player for his team's game that night -- even though Dr. Greene is ready and willing to strap on his skates.

Dr. Benton learns the sobering price of a previous challenge to the authority of tyrannical chief Dr. Romano while a recovering Dr. Carter chafes under the restrictions imposed on his role during his first day back in the emergency room after his drug treatment. Likewise, obstetrics nurse Abby is peeved when she is beset by nagging hassles and is asked by Dr. Weaver to fill in as an ER nurse until she can re-enroll in medical school. The collapse of an elevated walkway in a sci-fi convention floods the ER with out-of-this world costumed patients while Dr. Corday must talk Dr. Greene through a complicated procedure via an intercom while she too performs surgery. Ambitious desk clerk Frank -- a former cop -- causes chaos when he keeps running computer security checks on suspicious patients with surprising results. Another patient checks in claiming to suffer from spontaneous combustion.

A sympathetic Abby takes pity on a young couple whose premature baby was born far too early -- a cold fact of life which the desperate parents struggle to accept -- while Drs. Greene and Corday re-define their relationship in the wake of domestic hassles. Dr. Benton engages an equally stubborn Dr. Romano in a war of wills over an obnoxious homeless man who once again requires extensive treatment resulting from his chronic disdain for maintaining his dialysis appointments. Dr. Weaver and a caring Dr. Kovac are helpless to assist a severely comatose woman whose longtime life partner is not legally empowered to cease any heroic means of saving her. Elsewhere, Carter ponders the implications of his future return to the hospital and Dr. Malucci stays out of sight from a candy striper who's on a mission to find him.

Dr. Carter struggles to overcome his chemical dependency in a detox center while Dr. Greene returns from vacation to find the ER awash in garbage during a custodial strike -- and a riot during a high school football game further clogs the halls with the rival wounded. Meanwhile, Greene finds unexpected complications when he treats the first victim, a likable injured player, and discovers that he must also minister to himself for a rash caused by poison ivy. Abby arrives back from another rotation and tries to help an elderly man whose wife is dead on arrival; later, she's furious when her ex-husband jeopardizes her clerkship when he does not pay her tuition. Dr. Benton grits his teeth when he interviews for an attending -- a lucrative supervisorial position -- with Dr. Romano.

Dr. Kovac crosses swords with Benton over prioritizing care for a young victim of a deadly school shooting versus a more seriously wounded gunman. Benton and Dr. Corday share a moment of mutual triumph when they successfully complete a risky but life-saving surgical procedure on a wounded student from the schoolyard. Kovac's draining day continues when he attempts to browbeat a teenaged stabbing victim into allowing him to birth her unwanted and unborn baby despite her adamant wishes to let the child die. A combative Dr. Carter is confronted by Dr. Greene and the other ER doctors over his behavior since being attacked. Greene tries to convince a hardy rugby player that his injuries are more serious than he thinks.

A wound-up Dr. Weaver goes on the warpath when she encounters sloppiness, incorrect diagnoses and improper procedures among the ER staff, and Nurse Hathaway, Dr. Malucci and Abby all feel the heat of her wrath. A disobeying Hathaway earns Weaver's enmity when she revives a "do not resuscitate" cancer victim so that the patient can spend one last conscious moment with her young family while she ponders her response to Dr. Kovac's romantic interest -- and she makes a life-changing decision. When he's not goofing off, Malucci also gets an earful from Dr. Corday, who offers a sobering assessment of his performance. Dr. Greene re-thinks his father's burial request and determines to spend more time with his daughter Rachel.

A weary Dr. Greene remains at home to care for his father and shares a tender moment, while a robust Dr. Kovac tries to court Nurse Hathaway. In addition, faulty hospital procedure causes Dr. Benton to assail Kovac for not checking up on a patient who now might lose his leg; likewise, Dr. Chen is horrified to learn that a simple metabolic test for infants could have prevented a boy's disabling brain seizure. Dr. Carter assumes Greene's shift and is a whirling dervish of activity who can't resist taking over other doctors' cases as well. When an anemic teenager refuses crucial treatment, Dr. Corday makes a calculated gamble in order to assist her. Dr. Malucci is enraged when a 6-year-old car accident victim claims that her father has been sexually abusing her.

Abby plays with fire when she intercedes on behalf of a sick young girl who needs a bone marrow transplant -- but the most eligible donor is her half-sister whose divorced mother refuses to okay the procedure out of spite for the girl's father who's her ex-husband. In another family, Dr. Greene admits his pneumonia-ridden father into the hospital and shares a rare but memorable father-son moment as the older man's time begins to wind down. Dr. Kovac gallantly offers to help Nurse Hathaway buy a used car and they enjoy their spring day on the town. Likewise, a daytripping Dr. Benton takes Dr. Finch out to Los Angeles to visit his toddler son and meet his sister Jackie who can't help but interrogate her guest. Dr. Carter is tormented by visions of his recent brush with death and draws Dr. Weaver's concern upon her return.

Ex-lovers Dr. Benton and a testy Dr. Corday clash when Benton's current interest, Dr. Finch, asks him to overrule Corday for surgery on a young boy who may have suffered internal injuries in a car crash. Abby takes a big risk when she advises an exhausted pregnant wife with five children to undergo an abortion procedure against the wishes of her unsuspecting husband. Elsewhere, Dr. Greene must intimately care at home for his crotchety but humiliated father after the terminally ill man chases away his latest nurse. Dr. Carter reacts harshly to one patient, offers a misplaced diagnosis to another and later offends Dr. Chen when they try to save a young girl. Dr. Romano assumes personal command of the ER and displays his typically obnoxious charm.

Dr. Kovac is unsettled about his responsibility to disqualify a series of patients with kidney failure when a precious donor organ becomes available, especially when one prospect is unaware that she's pregnant -- and must choose between the baby or the transplant operation. A few feet away, Dr. Romano decides to mix it up for a day in the ER trenches and clashes with two angry motorists as well as Dr. Weaver over proper treatment of a terminally ill pneumonia patient. Dr. Carter must do some fast-talking when a former patient, a diabetic young boy whose father previously had no insurance, reappears with dangerous symptoms. Drs. Finch and Benton are dressed down by Romano when a pharmacy misreads their scribbled prescription and issues a drug that nearly kills a constipated patient. Dr. Greene gets angry when Dr. Corday conspires with his crotchety father to place the senior Greene in a hospice.

In pain, Dr. Carter hobbles back on crutches into the ER for the first time since his life-threatening attack and treats an overdosed suicidal patient with a controversial new procedure while a besieged Dr. Greene tries to take charge of a chaotic shift. Among Greene's runaway problems are his cantankerous father who resists treatment for his lung cancer, a poisonous Gila monster lizard on the loose and a non-stop torrent of complicated cases, one of which concerns his girlfriend Dr. Corday's well-meaning attempt to keep a brain-dead accident victim alive long enough to secure permission to harvest his organs. Elsewhere, Abby is devastated when she makes a simple mistake that could cost a terminally ill cancer patient what little time he has left; Dr. Chen is distracted by a hunky nurse who helps out in between receiving treatment for his own fainting spells; amid the uproar, Hathaway is interrupted by her nanny's calls regarding her crying twins; and Dr. Benton and Dr. Finch enjoy a sensual game of pool.

An off-duty Dr. Kovac witnesses a hit-and-run accident that leaves a young girl fighting for her life but he second-guesses himself when he elects to transport her to the hospital himself rather than wait for the paramedics -- and wonders if his desperate measures might ultimately kill her. Nurse Hathaway discovers that a promiscuous 14-year-old schoolgirl has cervical cancer and is torn when the frightened teen refuses to tell her parents. Drs. Greene and Corday react differently when they discover that their parents are getting to know each other very well. New medical student Abby disagrees with Dr. Weaver's quick assessment of a sick patient. Dr. Greene learns some sobering news from a patient's x-rays.

Valentine's Day arrives as the emergency room staff whirls into action on all fronts as they work heroically on two patients who suffered trauma. Even Drs. Greene and Corday are called from home to help. Meanwhile, the police begin an investigation into criminal activity inside the hospital and begin searching for a missing patient.

As Valentine's Day nears, Dr. Corday holds her breath when her domineering mother and surgeon wants to "observe" her at work in the hospital, while Lucy cares for a combative young law student whose headaches and erratic behavior might indicate schizophrenia. Competitive medical students Chen and Malucci jockey for first position but their increasing rivalry only hurts their patients, including a senior doctor with a dangerous tumor. Following a severe traffic accident, Drs. Finch, Kovac and Benton hope to save the lives of the parents of two quaking children who fear the worst. An elderly woman who lost her husband a few months earlier in the ER returns with a serious case of infection.

New medical student Abby Lockhart, the obstetrics nurse who helped deliver Nurse Hathaway's twins, has a chaotic first day when she joins the ER and is spat upon and bitten by a drug-addled teenage wrestler and misdiagnoses a hypochondriac. Dr. Corday grits her teeth when her haughty mother alights in town. Elsewhere, as a flu epidemic sweeps through the ER, Dr. Benton's promise to secure plastic surgery for a badly mauled little girl is in jeopardy and he later uses an unusual procedure to clear an airway on a patient with internal bleeding. Dr. Carter treats a bitter teenager with muscular dystrophy. Lucy tries to make an elderly patient with congestive heart failure comfortable in his last hours.

A simple water shutoff makes the struggle for life even harder in the ER while Lucy is excited for Valerie, a patient she befriended who finally can receive a new heart -- if she can circumvent some last-minute medical complications. Drs. Carter and Chen duel over admitting an elderly patient with Parkinson's whose daughter pleads exhaustion in caring for her. Dr. Greene also is weary of lodging his troublesome father as he deals with the return of Nurse Hathaway, who is experiencing post-partum depression. Later, Greene treats a patient for seizures and suspects that his boyfriend is physically abusing him. Dr. Corday confronts the murderer whose life she saved before he is taken to county jail. In addition, Dr. Benton makes a tentative offer to Dr. Finch, Hathaway soothes a nervous boy with a broken leg and Dr. Malucci personally checks out a Hispanic pharmacy that also serves as an illegal back-door health clinic.

Former emergency room resident Jing-Mei Chen -- once known as Deb Chen -- returns to resume her career in medicine and immediately makes an impact when she treats a runaway teenaged girl who bitterly keeps her identity secret. Elsewhere, Dr. Corday is asked to coax an injured murderer to confess the whereabouts of a woman's body -- to better give her family some peace of mind. The energetic Dr. Malucci tries to fix Dr. Weaver's car while he later discovers that a child hockey player suffering from shortness of breath has a more serious complication than first thought. Dr. Finch reconsiders discharging a talented teenaged athlete who's exhausted by her unrelenting practice schedule and need to satisfy her parents. Dr. Kovac sympathizes over two scruffy teenage brothers -- one developmentally disabled -- who would rather remain on the street than be separated by social services. Dr. Greene bails out of the ER when he learns that his stubborn father ran off from his San Diego retirement home.

On Christmas Eve, a stubborn Lucy tries everything to help a desperate young woman, who is running out of time, get a life-saving heart transplant. A festive Dr. Carter, decked-out as Santa Claus, aids a wounded gangbanger and then offers to trade a gift for his gun, which prompts a flood of other gang members willing to trade their "gats" for choice presents. Dr. Finch regretfully ruins a dysfunctional family's holiday when she places Chad Kottmeier, a besotted teenager whom she previously treated, in the hospital's alcohol treatment program for his own safety. Hathaway gets help from kindly Dr. Kovac when she suspects that one of her four-week old twins might have a fever. An uneasy Dr. Corday must continue to treat a repulsive murder suspect; Dr. Weaver is shown some glitches in the ER's computer that was rated Y2K compliant; Dr. Benton receives shocking news from an angry Carla; and the ER swarms with sickly Santas.