While the whole staff is worried the ER might close, Jeanie has her own problems in dealing with being HIV-positive.

Carol worries about her physics exam while Mark is heart-broken about Susan's departure and focuses solely on his job.

Carol has to fire two of the nurses. Meanwhile, Gant feels Benton is too hard on him.

Carter feels guilty about Gant's death. Benton doesn't want to talk about it.

Benton can't keep his mind on the job, Mark and Chuny break up and Carol does what she needs to do regarding the fatal error she has made.

Doug treats a dying 17-year old cystic fibrosis patient who doesn't want to be resuscitated. Carter gets to operate on Benton.

Race relations become an issue in the ER when Mark Greene treats two injured teenagers, one black and the other white, and assumes the black kid was a drug dealer. It turns the white kid was the drug dealer and the black kid is a high school basketball star and an innocent bystander. When the black student's older brother confronts him, he begins to question his own impartiality. Carol Hathaway helps a young woman who was drugged with Rohipnol and raped. Benton gets an interesting offer from Dr. Hicks. He also learns that Carla Reece has been admitted to the hospital. Dr. Carter treats a woman with a serious condition but he seems to be the only one who sees it. Mark Greene's daughter ends up spending the day in the ER when her mom has to rush to Florida to deal with a family emergency.

Carter is excited about getting his own med student, and Mark and Carol interview candidates for the desk clerk position.

Cynthia Hooper starts as the new desk clerk. Benton and Carla disagree over whether or not their son should be circumcised. Al gets in an accident at work.

His ex-wife Jennifer tells Mark he can't see Rachel until he's got his act together. Reece gets to go home. Al has lost his job.

Another elderly rape victim is brought in. So is the rapist.

Because of benzene that's been spread, the ER has to close. Weaver gets felled and Carter has to take the lead.

Mark finds out Cynthia has moved. Carter's cousin Chase is brought in because of a heroin overdose. Doug and Kerry clash after she found a flaw in his study.

When a compatible bone marrow donor cannot be located, Scott Anspaugh agrees to undergo a new round of chemotherapy, even though there appears to be little point. Doug Ross suggests to Jeanie Boulet that Scott may have agreed to the therapy because of her. Mark Greene has taken on the task of organizing the annual ER banquet only to find that Jerry, on whom he had been relying for much of the preparation, hasn't quite delivered. John Carter confronts his grandmother when he learns that she has cut off funding for Carol Hathaway's free clinic. In the OR, Peter Benton has a major confrontation with Dr. Morgenstern, pushing him aside and taking over an operation. Greene and Weaver criticize Doug Ross over his handling of a sick child and her mother.

Following the incident in the OR, Dr. Morgenstern and Dr. Benton present the case to their colleagues. As a result, Peter Benton finds himself suspended for insubordination pending a full inquiry. Jeanie attends Scott Anspaugh's funeral and has some information to share with the boy's father. Anna Del Amico finds herself ethically unable to perform an abortion and is taken to task by Dr. Weaver. John Carter gets the hospital to take legal guardianship of a patient he feels has been subjected to elder abuse, but subsequently doubts that he made the right decision.

Benton and Elizabeth Corday spend the night together. Corday is shocked when Robert Romano suggests that they go out on a date. John Carter and his grandmother clash over the future of Chase Carter; she wants him cared for at home while John feels he should remain institutionalized where he can continue to receive therapy. Carol Hathaway finally gets around to inviting her mother to a Sunday brunch with her and Doug but is a bit surprised when she shows up with her boyfriend. In the ER, Hathaway comforts a man who is going to die from chemical burns.

Assisted by Carol Hathaway, Doug Ross decides to detoxify a drug-addicted infant in the ER without telling anyone. Jeanie Boulet is feeling rundown and fears that her health may be deteriorating. John Carter is less than pleased when Anna Del Amico's former boyfriend shows up in the ER conducting a study on the need for a pediatric attending physician. Del Amico also has to treat a televangelist who is using her health issues to raise money. Elizabeth Corday is worried that Rocket Romano may be aware of her affair with Peter Benton and that it will affect her fellowship.

At the hospital daycare, one of the child-care workers suggests to Peter Benton that he may want to have baby Reece's hearing checked. Doug Ross dodges a bullet by admitting upfront his error in detoxifying a baby without permission. Having been acting Chief for over 6 months, Kerry Weaver puts her name forward to replace David Morgenstern as Chief of Emergency Medicine only to be told she will have to compete for the job. The doctors treat a couple of Elvis impersonators who sky dive into Lake Michigan. When drugs go missing from the ER, John Carter suspects Anna Del Amico's ex-boyfriend.

Lucy finally admits to Carter that she doesn't know how to start an IV. Weaver interviews for the job as the ER Chief. Benton keeps his son's disease a secret. Jeanie intervenes when she finds out a liver transplant candidate is drinking again, and later asks Doug if she can be assigned to work for his pedes project in the ER. Corday gets stuck as the intern of dismissive and insulting Dr. Dale Edson.

Carter and Weaver become unlikely roommates. Lucy is having problems with Carter, and Greene picks up on their squabbling. Corday works long shifts which leads to her exhaustion and a critical medical error, causing a rift with Dr. Anspaugh and problems for Benton. Greene has unpleasant flashbacks when he's hazed by the well-meaning paramedics. Jeanie worries when she and Doug treat a young boy whose childlike mother clearly depends on his 6-year sister to make all decisions. Kerry rediscovers her joy of practicing medicine and decides not to pursue the open ER Chief job, which goes instead to a Dr. Amanda Lee.

Ross helps the mother of a dying boy; Benton attends a parent/child signing class. Corday doesn't give her account in the case against Dr. Romano. Romano blackmails Corday into dropping her support for Doyle's harassment lawsuit against Romano, but Kerry gets Romano to rewrite his insulting and inaccurate review of Doyle's job performance. The ER unites to help an injured woman who needs to find temporary homes for her many dogs as she gets treatment. Mark treats the hospital janitor, Mobalage, whose injuries suggest he has been tortured in the past. Carter discovers something with one of the med students he is mentoring.

Doug faces possible criminal charges after Ricky Abbott dies when Ross shows Joi how to give Ricky a lethal dosage of medication. Doug is delegated to desk duty, Carol's clinic is shut down for acquiring the P.C.A. machine for Ricky, and Greene and Weaver face future disciplinary action for not reporting Doug's earlier mistakes. Meanwhile, Carter and Lucy discover a mutual attraction, Benton studies with a sign language instructor, and Romano begins his first day as acting ER chief.

When a school bus becomes involved in an accident, Mark assists paramedics with treating injured children; Weaver makes a discovery regarding a colleague.

Carter deals with tenant drama at an apartment tower during a ride-along that later has deadly consequences, Lucy has to hide a cancer diagnosis from an ill woman at the behest of the patient's family, Carol finds out she is pregnant, Kerry reflects on her own family issues when an injured wrestler comes to the ER, and Greene continues to help Mobalage, who may be deported if he can't tell the INS about the abuse he suffered in Nigeria.

Greene uses a past trauma to help Mobalage save himself from deportation. Carter applies for chief resident and spends the day in charge of the ER, where he misunderstands a case involving the many broken bones of a baby, while Lucy begins her first psych rotation. Weaver may have found her biological mother, but defies a DNR order to find out for sure. Benton and Corday clash over a surgical fellowship.

The ER has to deal with a stripper and some shady dealings from apparent FBI agents. Lucy reveals to Carter that she's still on Ritalin. Hathaway begins to reveal her pregnancy to those closest to her, including a fax to Doug. Dr. Anspaugh decides that the trauma fellowship will go to Benton, who then faces anger from Romano and Corday. A car accident involving teenagers may have been alcohol-related and leaves one teenager with grievous third-degree burns.

When Anspaugh decides to retire as chief of staff and return to surgery, he appoints Romano as his replacement. Greene expresses reservations about the decision, but Weaver does not support Greene. Romano makes Weaver the new chief of emergency medicine.

After his mother's funeral, Dr. Greene comforts his father (JOHN CULLUM) in San Diego. In Chicago, Romano surprises Corday by appointing her associate chief of surgery. Corday treats Elaine, Carter's lover, for breast cancer.

A recommendation from Weaver allows Jeanie to have temporary approval as a foster parent for baby Carlos. Reggie and Jeanie get married. Lucy and Kovac talk with a young woman whose husband they believe is very dangerous.

Hathaway befriends an out-of-work waitress, Meg. Seven-months pregnant, Meg cannot afford prenatal care. Hathaway invites her to the hospital, performs free tests and helps her interview for a job in the cafeteria.

Benton struggles with the idea of taking a DNA test to determine whether or not Reese is actually his son. As the signs continue to pile up, Kerry and Mark use a fake patient to convince Dr. Lawrence of his Alzheimer's. Carter has trouble persuading a woman from a nursing home fire to sign a DNR for her husband and later is asked to forge charts for a family with no insurance. Carol continues to meddle in Meg's life, having her arrested so that she can be detoxed. Cleo is blamed for an explosion in the suture room but it may actually be Dr. Dave's fault.

Dr. Greene and Dr. Corday bond with their parents, Lucy cares for a patient with a psychotic break, and Valentine's Day celebrations in the ER end tragically.

Kovac witnesses an accident and saves the young victim's life. Carter slowly recovers from his brutal attack and undergoes excruciating physical therapy. Hathaway helps two sexually active 14-year-old girls.

Even though he suffers from intense pain due to his stabbing injuries, Carter returns to work and prescribes a controversial procedure for a suicidal patient. Greene tries to convince his father to undergo cancer treatment.

After Corday refuses to perform exploratory surgery on Cleo's patient, Cleo enlists Benton's help, infuriating Corday. Abby cares for a pregnant woman with five children who wants an abortion. Greene lovingly tends to his dying father at home.

Dr. Carter struggles with his drug dependency; a custodial strike leaves the ER cluttered with garbage; a riot at a high-school football game leaves several wounded.

A young couple cope with their baby being premature; Greene and Corday struggle with their relationship.

Dr. Carter is allowed a cautious restart with small steps. An extremely blond Dr. Malucci is very curious who's made Dr. Chen pregnant. Dr. Benton has been written out of all the hospital's systems and is stunned by Dr. Romano. An unfortunate incident at a Science Fiction convention makes it look like scenes from the movie 'Mars Attacks'.

In the series' 150th episode, a massive train wreck mobilizes the emergency room doctors. Corday, Carter and Kovac rush to the scene. Corday falls and injures her back, bringing on contractions in only her 25th week of pregnancy. While amputating the legs of a fallen firefighter, Corday stops because of her pain.

Numerous mishaps threaten to mar Corday and Greene's wedding day. As the very pregnant Corday becomes increasingly agitated, the presence of her bickering divorced parents does little to improve her mood. With the intense rain, Greene has a difficult time making it to the church. But, evenutally, he arrives and they joyfully wed.

Maggie contests Abby's attempt to institutionalize her. Weaver treats a few bizarre patients. When Legaspi returns to work after being exonerated of sexual harassment, Weaver tries to reconcile with her. Benton injures his hand while transporting his former teacher to the hospital and must contend with the teacher's wisecracking elderly buddies (TOM BOSLEY and TOM POSTON).

Cleo and Carla clash after Reese gets hurt while in Cleo's care. Weaver and Kovac cannot save the life of a developmentally challenged woman's only caregiver. Abby goes to a therapy session with Maggie. Later, Abby confesses to Maggie that she is afraid to bear children because they might be bipolar like her mother.

The ER is flooded with foster care home residents, attacked by a shooter bent on tracking down his son, who , with the help of Dr. Green, was put into the foster care system amid allegations he was being abused by his father.

Lewis faces a hectic first day back at County General. Benton and Roger become frantic when they can't locate Reese. Carter's grandmother is brought to the emergency room. Carter and Abby deal with inept medical students.

A new medical student, Michael Gallant, arrives in the ER. He's supposed to be working under Dr. Carter's supervision but John's grandmother is unwell. Elizabeth Corday is convinced that other doctors are refusing to work with her as a result of the mysterious deaths. Mark Green thinks she's overreacting but she's determined to find out what happened to her patients. Abby and Luka argue over the attention he is paying to a trainee nurse's aide. Dr. Benton finds himself in court to retain custody of his son, Reese. Carter and Susan Lewis treat a young woman who is both a law and a medical student. Green has to collect his daughter at school when she is suspended.

When a torrential rainstorm pounds Chicago, patients deluge the emergency room while Weaver speeds to an accident site. There, she finds a pregnant woman, Vicki, lying injured inside a wrecked ambulance while live power lines spark. Fourth-year student Michael Gallant makes a dangerous decision in order to help.

After some staff members are caught going through a dominatrix's bag, Weaver makes them attend a sexual harassment seminar, where they learn about each other.

When Dr. Lewis gets a hysterical call from her niece, Susie, she hurries to New York to search for the child and her sister Chloe.

After another hospital shuts down, the ER is flooded with patients. Dr. Pratt resuscitates a heart-attack victim who had been pronounced dead.

Harkins faces a tough call while treating a troubled teen involved in a car crash with her dad; Abby races to stop Maggie from taking manic-depressive Eric out of treatment; and Kovac hits a new low when an elderly woman tips him for his medical services. Meanwhile, an abandoned baby dredges up painful memories for Chen; and Pratt goes to bat for Leon after he's fired from his job for stealing.

Dr. Pratt's disabled roommate leads him to a wounded thief. Dr Carter decides to practice medicine in Chechnya. A doctor makes a pass at Dr. Corday.

Abby's troubled brother is missing. A car runs into a crowd of teen girls. The alderman with syphilis gives Dr. Weaver a promotion. Dr. Lewis looks forward to a blind date.

Dr. Carter tries to prevent a grieving gang member from going after vengeance. Dr. Kovac races against time to save a Croatian boy's life. A baseball player gets treatment for a heart problem.

It's Greg Pratt's last shift at County General and he treats a number of cases that were started by John Carter on the day shift. They treat a 12 year-old near drowning victim who has little chance of recovery; a Buddhist nun who has a special gift of seeing another's inner self; a woman who is convinced that the day's solar eclipse signals the end of the world; a drug addict who scams both of them for pain medication; and a pregnant woman who had her baby torn out of her womb. Dr. Romano has his re-attached arm amputated. Carter receives a call from Luka Kovac asking if he can come to the Congo and help out. Abby is none too pleased. Meanwhile, Doc Magoo's burns to the ground.

On his return to Chicago, Carter gets a downright chilly reaction from Abby who asks him to return her apartment key. At work, they tip toe around one another, neither really willing to discuss their feelings. A new med student, Neela Rasgotra arrives for her ER rotation. Dr. Pratt is paying too much attention to her for Dr. Chen's taste. A woman passes out at the wheel of her car severely injuring herself and the three children in the car with her. Neela makes a good call in the case. Carter treats a man whose HIV has become full-blown AIDS. The ER itself is a bit chaotic due to major reconstruction. The ER desk receives a call from Africa saying that Luka Kovac has been killed. Carter decides to return to the Congo to retrieve his body.

Confident second-year resident Pratt wants to prove his abilities when he works the graveyard shift (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), but his heroics sometimes backfire. Pratt shows contempt for a man, Ed Gamble, who presents no symptoms of disease but temporarily loses his speech. Chen continues to get in the way of Neela's progress as her jealousy regarding Chief Playa Pratt's flirtations with everyone who wears a skirt reaches new levels of ridiculousness.

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 unborn child, while Kovac is adamantly against spending vast amounts of money to keep the forever sickly baby alive.

Neela helps treat two Amish teens who were in a car crash. Sam argues with Dr. Kovac when he pays too much attention to her son.

Carter returns from Africa full of surprises including a new love, Makemba ("Kem"). Pratt accidentally breaks a patient's neck while doing an unsupervised intubation. A whole nursing shift cannot go home until they find one missing Valium.

Sam treats an abused, pregnant teen. Dr. Carter introduces African girlfriend Makemba to wintertime. ER chaos shocks a risk-assessment expert. Dr. Pratt and Abby restrain a man who has tuberculosis.

Carter defends his protégé Neela when Weaver and other doctors rate the residents. Carter urges his student to be more proactive in the emergency room, but Neela goes too far in treating a patient with a brain injury--and sympathetic Gallant errs further by falsifying a medical report. Meanwhile, Chuck protects pregnant Lewis from a pervert who is harassing her. Kovac treats a disoriented young boy whose dad fears that tests will reveal he is not the boy's biological father. Chen is unable to find a caretaker for her combative father. And Corday is uneasy about dating two men at once.

After being shot at, Pratt, Jing-Mei and Elgin are trying to get out of their sinking car. Sam took Alex with her while fleeing from Steve. Kovac is considering going after them. Abby wants to go to bed since tomorrow is her first day as a doctor, but is thwarted by Weaver, whose custody battle might take a dramatic turn. A young drug dealer is brought in with "a foreign object" in her tunnel of life.

Neela is still struggling with her decision not to continue becoming a doctor. We discover that Ray is in a band. Kovac and Sam are in love, but where does that leave them?

It's a busy Fourth of July and Carter is the only attending working.

Carter, Pratt, Kovac and Abby are dealing with a woman and her three children who've jumped from the third floor of an apartment building to escape from the violent husband/father. Meanwhile Dr. Lewis becomes Chief of Emergency Medicine, Howard quits his internship and Dr. Corday is facing dismissal.

Neela starts a new job in the emergency room after working at the convenience 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. Pratt turns processing the patients into a competition, in which Ray is clearly going to be the winner.

A rape victim, barely able to speak, does all she can to help police find her attacker.

Gang members kidnap Abby hoping she can save one of their members with a gunshot wound. Ray starts treating a patient, but when she requests a new doctor, he gets offended.

Two teens enter the ER with gunshot wounds. When one dies, Neela botches telling the next of kin, making the woman hysterical.

A soccer mom finds herself completely aware of everything going on around her, but is unable to move or speak after suffering a stroke.

Casualties of a disaster flood the ER, which is short-handed because everyone is at Dr. Carter's going-away party because he's leaving the ER after 11 years. Dr. Pratt looks for the courage to confront his father, Charlie.

Ray objects when a surrogate mother in labor endangers the baby's life by not wanting to have a C-section. Meanwhile, Sam tells Luka that she and Alex are moving out; Pratt meets his half-brother and -sister; and Abby makes a difficult decision about a young boy.

Gallant impulsively asks Neela to marry him that exact day; she says I do but soon gets cold feet. Morris stands up to Weaver on a patient's course of treatment. Luka, Sam and Clemente treat a boy who contracted HIV from his mother. Also, Abby and Luka redefine their relationship and Luka is named the new Chief of Emergency Medicine.

Pratt and Weaver try to create a Christmas miracle when they work to save a girl wounded from gunfire. Eve gets into trouble after punching a disruptive patient. Also, Abby has a special gift for Luka.

An unexpected visitor puts Clemente in the middle of a domestic dispute. Meanwhile, Luka and Abby await test results on their unborn child; Neela struggles with her surgical elective and Pratt ends up with an unexpected suitor when he participates in a charity bachelor auction.

In Sudan, Carter and a colleague struggle to save a woman who was raped by a band of militants. Back in the ER, Clemente asks to return to work after the shooting incident, but Kovac refuses. Meanwhile, Neela and Pratt have a work dispute, and, in a related incident, K.J.'s father shows up again in the ER.

Dr. Clemente's paranoia spirals out of control after he receives threatening mail from his girlfriend's husband. Abby senses something not right when a grandmother and granddaughter are brought into the ER. Sam's jailed ex-husband Steve is brought into the ER and everyone but Neela assumes he is faking sick. Meanwhile, tensions grow when Morris and Albright argue over a patient, Pratt heads to Africa to help Carter and quickly realizes how difficult life will be; Weaver finishes physical therapy.

Chaos reigns in the ER when two prisoners are brought in for treatment, but instead plot a violent escape. Their desperate actions place one doctor in harm's way, and forces one nurse to become a tool in their plan.

Kovac anxiously awaits the verdict between himself and Curtis Ames but fears the worst. Meanwhile, Neela disobeys her chief's orders and also questions her feelings for Gates, and Weaver unwittingly steals the spotlight from Morris in his big television debut.

A mysterious illness leaves little hope when a group of homeless kids enter the ER and one of them believes that Neela is a guardian angel in blue; Abby and Kovac clash over a possible case of domestic abuse; Pratt makes a shocking discovery about his brother, and Weaver is unexpectedly called into action when her television appearance becomes a real emergency.

Thanksgiving at County is quiet, with the normal number of routine (or nearly so) emergencies. But Abby makes up for the lack of excitement while returning to the hospital as the doctor on a helicopter transport.

Weaver cares for a Katrina survivor who's reluctant to have surgery on her foot; budget cuts force Luka to make a difficult personnel decision. Also, Gates' home life intrudes on the ER; and Pratt and Hope are shaken after a patient in their care dies needlessly.

Kovac finds himself in a tense confrontation with Curtis Ames, and Abby must act to protect her family. Meanwhile, Neela and Gates rush to get Meg to the hospital while Sam's new home is soon under threat from fire.

It's Sam's birthday, but she finds it hard to be away from her son Alex. Meanwhile, Sam meets a photographer taking pictures of a terminal patient and she gives Sam a new perspective on life. Dubenko's new surgical intern unsettles Neela during a trauma; Gates is shadowed by a new and nerdy intern and later must tell Sarah the truth that he may be her biological father. Also, Morris and Hope annoy Kovac and Abby when they try to help with their wedding preparations.

In 12 hours, the ER will shut down. As Kovac is under pressure to take care of the patients before the final hours, he makes a pivotal decision about his future. Meanwhile, Sam befriends a photojournalist who returns only this time she's terminally ill; Pratt is concerned when his brother ends up in the ER drunk; Morris confronts Gates when he ignores his orders and angrily sends him home while Gates tries to defend his actions.

Patients include a pregnant teacher whose student/lover was critically injured while driving; a man who is hiding a gunshot wound and a brilliant young boy who knows he is dying, but hides it from his mother. Dr. Moretti continues to remake the ER to his liking, Neela is recovering, Luka's absence is reinforced (back in Croatia and not coming back) and Sam may be starting a new relationship with a police officer.

Abby and a distracted Morris work to save two auxiliary cops brought in with gunshot wounds. Pratt treats a teen wrestler with severe vomiting, but the problem is much more serious. Sam worries over her new beau Litchman. Gates tries to help a young boy in the ICU with a deadly disease. Also, Dubenko visits Neela while she babysits baby Joe.

The city suffers power outages during an unseasonably hot spell. Nursing-home patients are brought into the ER suffering from hyperthermia. Abby and Pratt disagree on the diagnosis of a fussy baby. Abby falls back to old habits and quickly spirals down to rock bottom on a night she'll forever regret.

Abby deals with her upcoming reunion with Luka in Croatia, a heart transplant patient is admitted when her body rejects the new heart, and a new doctor ruffles feathers.

The ER staff deals with the aftermath of the explosion including a severely injured doctor.

When a gunshot wound victim arrives, the new chief and Abby butt heads on how to treat the patient. Abby comes to Sam's defense when she goes before a nurses disciplinary board.

As a snowstorm hits Chicago, Sam's son Alex crashes a car and ends up in critical condition in the ER. Neela gives a deposition in the malpractice suit against her. Dr. Morris and Dr. Banfield are both at a medical conference in Omaha, and when the snow cancels all flights out they share a memorable and surprising evening.

A girl who was hit by a car while riding a bicycle is treated in the ER. When her boyfriend turns up, it seems it may not have been an accident. While a lottery has made millionaires of several nearby convenience store workers, Dr. Banfield and her husband are at the fertilization clinic hoping for their one in a million chance. And as an older woman is brought in assisted by her on-again, off-again husband, three love stories continue in the ER: Dr. Morris meets policewoman Diaz again, Sam discovers that Tony has been seeing Daria, and Neela plays it cool with the returning Dr. Brenner.

Dr. Carter returns to Chicago and talks Dr. Banfield into allowing him to pick up a number of shifts (without pay). Other happenings include Banfield's dogged pursuit of motherhood, Neela's intensifying personal relationship, and Archie's involvement with a patient who was probably beaten while in police custody - with his new girlfriend the detective standing by.

Banfield and her husband look into adoption, while Carter adjusts to a changed ER. Sam's mother comes into the ER in an altered state of mind.

As Carter prepares to open a new facility for the underprivileged, some old friends/colleagues gather. Rachel Greene, Mark Greene's daughter, applies for an internship at County.