Nurse Hathaway helps new medical resident Lucy Knight through her traumatic first day in the ER.
Corday's father visits in an attempt to lure her into a practice back home. Lucy continues to feel ill at ease in the ER. Ross and Weaver still feud over his medical decision to treat the addicted infant. The hospital's air conditioning unit suffers a breakdown.
Benton seeks help for his son's hearing impairment. Carter goes out with former patient, Roxanne. Weaver takes it upon herself to secure a seat of power in the ER when she feels left out.
Corday restarts her career as an intern. Carter finds out that Lucy has been skating by on other people's help after she misplaces a dead person. Ross tries to block Romano's desire to remove a cancer patient's limb.
Halloween is no treat for Ross who has to take care of an overabundance of children. New ER Chief Litvak ruffles feathers. Greene and Hathaway treat a possibly pregnant schizophrenic woman.
An old man doesn't want to leave Hathaway when he comes in for treatment. Carter is tossed from his dorm space in the aftermath of the halloween party and rents space from Weaver. A deaf doctor helps Benton understand that being deaf is a part of who his son is.
Anspaugh steps in as temporary ER Chief as the search continues for someone to fill the vacancy. Corday's first day as Benton's intern includes what could be a very damaging mistake. Paramedics try to shake Greene with a prank on the newby.
Carter and Lucy scramble across Chicago to track down the father of an accident victim who desperately needs him as a rare blood donor.
Carter shows a one hundred year old woman, born at County General, around on a day set to honor her and the hospital's centennial. Benton reconsiders surgery for his son's hearing condition when he looks in on the procedure. Hathaway learns what really happened to a young shooting victim.
Benton's plans on spending Christmas Eve with his son are foiled when Romano passes the buck so that he can enjoy a Christmas party. Carter saves a teen, but unfortunately he is braindead. When a girl comes to the ER in dire need of a liver, Carter tries to convince the boy's mother to let her son go. An old man dressed as an elf irks Greene.
Greene shares personal time with Lee, but her actions cause him to question her true nature. A over-excited father-to-be causes a car crash. Benton tries to communicate with Reese. Carter thinks he may have caught a disease from a patient.
Greene decides against joining NASA. Carter lets Lucy proceed into her mentorship under Benton. Ross's judgement is questioned when he administers unapproved medicines to a patient. Doyle seeks Corday's help with sexual harassment charges against Romano.
A hospital janitor becomes a patient. Ross helps the mother of a dying boy by giving her physician's permission to treat him at home. Benton tries to develop a communicative bond with his son by learning sign language with him. Romano diffuses the sexual harassment suit by threatening to expose Corday's in-house relations and gets to be the ER Chief of Staff.
A big snow storm strikes Chicago, hitting County General with numerous victims including a busload of children that Greene goes out to attend to. Joi's son dies and Ross's involvement in his treatment is questioned. It also endangers the continued existence of Hathaway's clinic.
Ross decides to leave the ER and move to the Southwest under the heat of his involvement with a child's death. Carol keeps the clinic open by resigning her leadership role in it. Greene makes it to the bus crash site and tries to help the children there.
In an effort to make some spare money, Benton takes a job at a clinic in a small Mississippi and has to fight illness and close-mindedness.
Jerry is in awe of a professional wrestler who comes to the ER. Carter is mortified to learn that during an ambulance run, he injured someone. Lucy tries to convince a family to tell their grandmother of her cancer. Hathaway has trouble sleeping.
Weaver thinks that she's tracked down her mother. Greene works to keep Mobalage in the country. Lucy begins her psych-ward rotation. Carter is upset to find that an infant has ingested his father's cocaine.
Carter helps a teen with his studies. Lucy deals with an angry boy and a law student during her Psych rounds. Greene comes to Corday's rescue downtown. Hathaway lends a helping hand to Coco.
A blackout endangers patients throughout the hospital, especially after a crime is perpetrated on hospital grounds. Carter and Roxanne split up.
Teens crash their car on their prom night after drinking. FBI agents keep tabs on an exotic dancer who was fortunate enough to escape a fatal gunshot. A HIV positive woman comes in with a fishing pole wound.
The ER doctors try to locate the parents of a boy found wandering around the city alone. Benton finds out that Carla has married and plans to take Reese to Germany with her. A woman claims to have psychic medical diagnostic powers.