ER

In the minutes following last season's finale, multiple departments spring into action to deal with the aftermath of the shooting. A bound and intubated Luka and a bleeding Abby are found, but is it in time to save their baby? Meanwhile, the surgical team fights to repair Jerry's injuries. Steve and his partners, with a kidnapped Sam and Alex, flee north, but circumstances force deadly action.

As their infant son's fate hangs in the balance, Luka and Abby struggle to make the right decisions and keep the faith. Maggie arrives, determined to help. Luka's status seems uncertain as the hospital board considers a permanent solution to the Clemente affair. Sam returns, unsure of what the future holds for her. The ER struggles to get back to normal, as old staffers play new roles, and new personnel come on board.

A closeted, older gay man with kidney failure comes to the ER. He must choose between his partner, a female impersonator, and reconnecting with his family. Legal troubles loom for Luka. Pratt and Kerry must adjust to new roles. It's the first day on the job for the medical students and interns, and Neela and Gates have a tough start.

A grandfather and grandson are injured in a chainsaw accident, leaving Luka stuck upstairs with one of them in a difficult case. Pratt has his trial-by-fire when he has to handle the ER alone, juggling multiple traumas, teaching duties and a troublesome intern. Neela mentors a new med student, and lends a hand when Pratt makes a serious error. Abby enrolls in a "Mommy and Me" class, but it's not all fun and games.

Award winning actor/director Forest Whitaker begins a six-episode arc as Curtis Ames, a carpenter who suffers a stroke under Luka's care and then sues him for malpractice. In the opener, Luka and Ames square off in court as each man's recollections of Ames's treatment are recounted via testimony and flashbacks. Meanwhile, Luka worries about the implications of the suit and the possible outcomes. Abby returns to work and must adjust to the dramatic changes in her life. An equipment shortage hampers Pratt, Abby, and Neela's treatment of a patient, leading them to attempt a risky procedure. Pratt's early morning trip to the barbershop results in a new awareness of community need.

Luka gets some important news, and at the end of the day, an unexpected visitor. A collision between a motorcycle and a car brings critical patients to the ER. Luka and Ray treat the motorcycle rider, and discover a condition his wife wants kept secret. Abby and Neela work on the driver of the car, but his surgery doesn't go well and his wife soon has troubles of her own. Pratt has a new lady in his life, and a new roommate, while Gates has a different kind of girl-trouble. The women of the ER take some time for stress relief.

A belligerent young man with flu symptoms presents a challenge to Morris and Sam when he refuses treatment. Luka and Abby's childcare emergency means balancing baby care with patient care in the ER until a nanny can be found, but the candidates prove less than satisfactory. Luka has an uneasy encounter with Curtis Ames at the hospital, and later Abby and Baby Joe have a "chance" encounter with Ames at the park. Pratt discovers a local church's risky drug exchange program. Neela and Gates square off at an M&M.

Luka and Abby treat a man injured after driving drunk, but differ about what should be done when his wife appears to have been abused. Later, Luka receives an unsettling package and Abby meets an intriguing stranger. A group of street kids come to the ER when they think one has rabies, and find a guardian angel in blue. Pratt disappears from the ER for a community-related reason, and learns a surprising truth about a family member. Kerry's TV appearance becomes a real emergency.

It's Thanksgiving in the ER, and everyone prepares for the festivities. Luka and Abby's shared feast is delayed when a medical evacuation flight to transfer an older patient puts Abby in the middle of a bus crash scene where she earns the respect of the flight crew. Luka shares concerns about a worrisome former patient with the police, who have doubts about what he thinks is happening. Pratt turns to Kerry after learning about Chaz, and Gates tries to charm Neela, but Meg adds a sour note

Luka is startled when he spies Ames lurking outside his apartment building. The police can do nothing, so Luka decides to confront the problem himself. Pratt struggles to cope with his brother's "coming out." Luka and Gates treat a teenage girl found in front of her school, bleeding and apparently raped. As Abby and Neela try to figure out what happened, Luka must help the girl's mother cope with the assault. Abby's friend from Ike's returns.

Ames takes action that creates tension between Luka and Abby. Teller returns, sending Gates and Ray on a mission. Neela oversees an unusual kidney transplant case. Sam and Ben take a stand when a patient from Mercy Hospital ends up at County. Morris learns the true meaning of Christmas when he plays Santa to a special girl.

Kerry gets a tempting job offer in Miami. Budget cuts force Luka to eliminate an attending position. As word gets around the ER that Kerry will be let go, emotions run high, and Kerry fights back. Pressured by the staff, an angry Abby confronts Luka. Pratt's efforts at community service backfire when a patient dies from the side effects of medication received at the clinic. Later, Pratt learns the case will be investigated, leading him confess his role to Luka so as to protect Hope. Gates's home life intrudes on the ER, affecting Neela. Morris's missing credit card has Sam concerned about Alex's role in the loss.

Divisions abound in the ER in the aftermath of Luka's and Pratt's actions. A patient's call creates friction between Luka and Abby. A contentious family case leads Gates and Ray to differ over the treatment of one child, while Luka and Abby clash when she needs help with the other. An unauthorized phone call has serious implications for Pratt. Ben takes things to the next level with Sam, but she remains cautious. Ray wonders if he's lost his chance with Neela.

Luka tries to extricate Pratt from a legal mess while Abby, confronted by a vengeful Ames, tries to reach him. Later, Luka finds himself in a tense confrontation with Ames, and Abby must act to protect her family. Neela and Gates rush and unconscious Meg to the hospital. A blaze destroys Sam's new home, and she has her suspicions about how the fire started.

Morris becomes the man of the hour in a busy ER while Pratt must defend his actions, and accept the consequences. Luka faces the ER in the aftermath of the Ames incident. Abby and Sam treat a dying comedian who is unable to make his final appearance. Neela gets her big chance to assist on a double kidney transplant. Ray realizes all may not be lost, after all. Abby makes a surprising decision at the end of the day.

Luka and Gates finds themselves at moral odds when treating a woman suffering liver failure. Abby cares for a couple with injuries resulting from an unusual ceremony as well as a fortune-teller with a prediction for her future. Neela prepares for another kidney transplant, but something seems amiss to her, leading to a confrontation with Dubenko. Ray treats the victim of an unusual fall, and Alex's troubles continue to intrude on Sam's work life.

A blizzard moves into Chicago, stranding a family in the snow. Pratt, Abby, Hope and Ray must struggle to save the family, and keep hope alive when they learn one member is still missing. Luka's got a problem intern in his sights, and he's not pleased. Later, a gang shooting challenges Luka and Pratt. Meanwhile, Luka and Abby begin making wedding plans, but is their engagement still a secret? Sam makes a difficult choice about Alex, and wonders if she's failed him. Neela discovers she's no longer Dubenko's favorite, and Gates has an unexpected, and unwelcome, visitor.

Luka, Abby, Morris, and the team treat the victims of a collision between a big-rig and a family car, including the wife of the truck driver and the son of the car's driver. Sam celebrates her birthday in the ER and meets a photographer who changes her outlook on life. Neela and Ray share some subtle signals. A medical student shadows Gates. Wedding plans continue as Luka and Abby try to decide where to be married and how to cope with a too-helpful Morris and Hope.

Luka treats a man with a failing heart, and later must make heartbreaking decisions concerning the man's Alzheimer's-stricken father. Language presents a challenge when Neela and Abby treat a good Samaritan. Meanwhile, Pratt tries to help Chaz make a new career choice, Gates has troubles with his own father, and Sam's got her hands full with a seminar on handling aggressive patients.

In only 12 hours, a pressured Luka must coordinate the emergency closure of the ER, and the team rallies to make provisions for patients. Chaz is admitted to the ER, worrying Pratt, and Ray is challenged by a young patient. Sam renews her friendship with the photographer Diana, while Gates faces new problems on the father front. At day's end, as the lights go out, Luka makes a pivotal decision about his future.

Luka's carefully arranged formal dinner for the ER staff gives Abby the surprise of a lifetime when she discovers the real reason for the evening. Luka finds himself dealing with Abby's reaction, but love prevails, and in the end, events come off as planned. As the celebration continues, Pratt plays an important role with a bit of panache, Morris and Hope find themselves with an opportunity they can't resist, and Neela finds herself the center of all manner of unexpected attention.

Dr. Kevin Moretti, an ICU specialist bent on change, joins the ER team. Change comes elsewhere as Luka and Abby adjust to being husband and wife, Pratt tries to be a new man to his lady friend, Morris and Hope take things to the next level, and Ray goes missing. Later on, Luka gets a troubling phone call.

Luka postpones his honeymoon, leaving Abby, Joe and the ER behind to begin a different journey. Meanwhile, it's Moretti's first day as Chief of Emergency Medicine, and everyone feels the effects of his style, especially Pratt and Morris. Neela learns of Ray's fate, then joins an anti-war rally and finds herself in a dangerous situation. Gates faces a crisis on the home front.