Abby wakes up when she hears a knock on the door.  It is room service and he is bringing breakfast in.  Abby has spent the night with Luka at his hotel room.  Luka comes out of the bathroom and offers to let her shower.  He is off of work today, but she has to go in.  She stumbles to get dressed and then she leaves.  Abby goes home to find her mother Maggie sewing with a borrowed sewing machine from one of Abby's neighbors.  She tells her that she has a job interview today.  She bought a lot of fabric from the store with the bus money Abby had given her.  Maggie mentions how she thinks that Luka has a crush on her, but she does not know that Abby has been sleeping over at his place.  Abby dismisses herself to the bathroom and counts her mother's pills to make sure she is taking her medication.  Maggie walks in and becomes offended.  Abby asks her to go to the hospital with her for a blood test to prove she has been taking her medicine.  Maggie agrees to go, because she would do anything for her daughter.  Mark and Elizabeth are on the train discussing Elizabeth's hearing that will be taking place today.  Mark tells her to just tell the truth and that she will be okay.  She gets off at her stop and he goes on to work.  Abby and Maggie end up in an exam room so that  Abby can draw her blood.  Maggie is concerned about going to her interview with a big band-aid on her arm.  Abby tells her to let them know that she gave blood.  She then tells Abby that she will come back after the interview and have her blood test done.  Malucci runs into the room, trying to hide from someone.  He asks if they need any help and then says hello to Mrs. Lockhart.  She tells him that it is not Lockhart, but Wyczenski.  Abby gives up and lets her mother go without the blood test.  She is probably tired of hearing her and Dave flirt back and forth.  We find out from the front desk that Dr. Dave was hiding from a girl named Stephanie.  He seems to be making it a habit according to Randi, Cleo and Chuny.  He had another girl after him just the day before.  Maggie runs back into the ER yelling for Abby.  She tells them that some kids just dumped a young girl out of the car and drove off.  She has been badly beaten.  Cleo comes out to help and sees that it is Kynesha, Peter's nephew Jesse's girlfriend.  She tells them that she is okay, but Cleo takes her inside to examine her.  Elizabeth is at an office meeting with lawyers.  She gets her deposition done on camera.  We learn that she has been a surgeon for ten years.  Cleo and Dave are taking care of Kynesha.  Peter comes down the hall and Cleo tries to keep him out of the room.  He tells her that he has to go in to look at her belly.  Abby tells Cleo that blood was found and that they will need to do a rape kit.  Cleo tells Peter that it is Jesse's girlfriend.  Peter goes in to examine her.   Mark goes to speak to a neurologist who tells him that his brain tumor is inoperable.  Without radiation treatment, he will probably die within eight weeks.  Mark goes in to work and learns that it is Kerry's day off.  She has left a note for him telling him that it has been three months and Carter has to have some testing done.  He will need a blood and urine test and Carter tells him that he will let Abby do it.  Cleo and Peter continue to examine Kynesha.  She tells them that she was not raped, but just got beat up from getting out of the gang.  She wants them to fix her face and then let her go.  Corday gets questioned about her involvement with Peter and what happened when his nephew Jesse  was brought in.  They want to know if this is why she was rushed with her patient.  Abby draws Carter's blood as Mark watches on.  Chuny comes in and tells Abby that her mom has been injured and that she needs to go to the clothing store right away.  Peter talks with Kynesha about what happened the day Jesse got shot.  He learns that she knows who murdered him.  She is afraid for her life, but he convinces her to tell him.  He promises not to tell the cops.  Abby goes to where her mother was injured.  She had ran through a glass door and was cut up.  The police tell Abby that she was shop lifting an expensive scarf.  Abby tells the cop that she will take her mother.  The owner wants Maggie arrested and they argue about how Maggie is a much better retail sales person than she is.  Abby tells them of her disorder and the lady drops charges as long as Maggie never comes back.  Mark speaks to Carter about his blood test.  Carter has not been taking his naltrexone and Mark wants to know why.  Carter argues with him for a while, until Mark collapses and has a seizure.  Carter yells for help and Chuny comes in and they give him ativan.  Mark later comes to and Carter tells him that he has someone from neurology coming down.  Mark gets up and gets his shirt on and goes back to work.  Mark acts if nothing happened.  Corday learns that she did Mr. Patterson's procedure in record time.  This does not make her case look any better.  Abby brings Maggie in to look at her hand.  She tells her that she will need stitches and an x-ray.  Abby then leaves and goes into another room to catch her breath.  Luka watches her as he hears her mother arguing with herself behind the curtain.  Peter has got the cops involved with what Kynesha has told him.  She does not even want to speak to the police.  Carter finds Mark outside shooting basketball.  Carter tells him that he looks better.  He wants to know if he wants to talk about it and Mark tells him the truth.  He tells him that he has a brain tumor and that he is going to die.  Carter seems shocked and Mark assures him that he has already spoken to enough neurologist to confirm it.  Mark tells him that he will probably not be working any longer and he goes home.  He asks Carter to not tell anybody until he has spoken to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth's lawyer tells her that she need not elaborate on her answers, but keep them to yes or no.  Luka has Maggie with him and is stitching her up.  She flirts with him until Abby comes in and apologizes for her mother's disease.  Maggie takes offense to this and gets uncontrollable.  She runs toward the exit after Abby threatens her with haldol to calm her down.  She ends up running into a security guard and them back into Luka.  He picks her up and puts her on a gurney where Chuny and Carter restrain her.  She then yells harsh words at Abby and tells her to make them stop.  Elizabeth and her lawyer go in for the second half of their deposition.  Elizabeth is surprised to see Mr. Patterson there in his wheelchair.  Dr. Legaspi examines Maggie.  She tells Abby and Carter that there is no need to admit her, but that she will.  Maggie apologizes to Abby, but she just walks away.  Peter escorts Kynesha to a taxi cab.  He tells her how to take care of her face and that he had to tell the cops the truth.  She rides off and gives him the finger.  Peter and Cleo make up and she wants him to take her to dinner.  The lawyer for Mr. Patterson asks Elizabeth about puncturing the dura.  She tells him that is what caused the paralysis, but that she thought that the fluid was saline.  He mentions that the anaesthesiologist noticed the leaking spinal fluid, but she says that she thought it was saline. He then asks her if she performed a thorough and competent inspection and if she saw any CSF leaks before she closed.  She waits a few seconds and says Yes.  Carter finds Abby outside.  He wants to tell her that her mom took off.  Abby already knew it.  She tells him that this is the end of the cycle.  Maggie disappears for months and Abby wonders if she is dead or alive.  She then shows up unannounced like she did a few weeks ago.  Carter apologizes, but Abby tells him that it is not necessary.  She knew that it would end this way.  He looks confused and she tells him that it is the dance we do.  It always ends the same way.  Luka walks up and Abby and him leave.  Carter seems surprised that they are together.  Cleo and Peter end up at Jackie's so that he can change clothes.  As he gets out of the car, Kynesha walks up.  She tells Peter that she saw the cops getting the gang members and she is scared.  She is afraid that someone is going to kill her.  Peter wants to make sure that Jackie don't see her, so he puts her in the car with him and Cleo.  Elizabeth comes home and finds Mark on the deck.  She is feeling bad about the lie she told and Mark decides to tell her the truth.  He tells her about the tumor and they embrace.  Back at Luka's room, Abby gets out of the bed while Luka is sleeping.  She quietly goes into the bathroom and shuts the door.  She turns the water on in the tub and she begins to cry.    

Reviewed by Tony Conner on 12-11-2000