As Abby and Luka cope with their newborn's life and death struggle, the couple is shocked to receive a surprise visitor: Abby's mother Maggie. Meanwhile, Sam fears the prospect of criminal charges; Neela discovers that Tony Gates will be joining the ER team as an intern and Morris gets his job back while Weaver gets demoted.

A belligerent young man who claims to have the flu turns out to be more than he seems, and presents a challenge to Morris and Sam when he refuses treatment. Abby's chance encounter with Curtis Ames leaves Kovac uneasy. Meanwhile, Pratt discovers a local church's risky drug exchange program, Neela and Gates square off, and Weaver gets an interesting offer.

Abby, Pratt and Morris clash with Moretti's strict new ER procedures as victims of an anti-war rally roll in, including Neela. Gates manhandles a patient he suspects set off the explosion that disrupted the protest. A worried Dubenko lets his emotions for Neela take over during Neela's surgery. Meanwhile, the rest of the staff worry over Neela's condition.

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.

Gates and Julia nurture their newfound romance but are soon interrupted by a troubled phone call from Gates' ward, Sarah.

Dr. Pratt applies for the job of ER Chief and gets turned down. This causes him to give 2 weeks notice. A female soldier, home 2 weeks from Iraq, is 2 months pregnant and her husband demands an explanation. Neela's cousin has arrived from London for an extended visit and gets pursued by both Dr. Morris and Harold Zelinsky. After 9 years absence, a fall in gym by her son brings Jeanie Boulet back to the ER. Not only is she troubled because of her son, but the disorientation of knowing virtually no one on the current staff does not help.

Abby returns to work; Luka applies for a job elsewhere; the reason behind a brash doctor's being at County is revealed.

The ER is on guard as Gates gathers the new interns to treat a terrorist, but it's the new doctor and her tough disposition that has everyone on the defensive.

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.

A woman who broke her leg while trying to escape a house fire is brought in with her husband. The husband, Mr. Lotery did not let the paramedics to check him over. Then his brother-in-law arrives, saying that he predicted that something like the house fire would happen - it was actually an arson. Mr. Lotery's brother-in-law becomes aggressive and accuses him of being a pervert, specifically a pedophile. Mr. Lotery denies the accusations. He was sued but found not guilty. When Mr. Lotery is waiting for his wife who's in line for X-ray, he has the chance to calm down a young girl who is afraid of needles. When his brother-in-law sees this, he brutally assaults him, while Dr. Brenner calmly watches nearby... Meanwhile, Neela gets sued for malpractice.

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.

The ER doctors and nurses help out at Camp Del Corazon, a camp for kids who have had open-heart surgery, working alongside the camp counselor.

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.