Now What?
The Lost
Dear Abby
Shifts Happen
Out of Africa
The Greater Good
Death and Taxes
Freefall
Missing
Makemba
Touch and Go
nicu
Get Carter
Impulse Control
Blood Relations
Forgive and Forget
The Student
Where There's Smoke
Just a Touch
Abby Normal
Midnight
Drive

The episode begins with Abby attempting to draw blood on a patient with the patient screaming "OW" repeatedly before Abby even begins the procedure. Sam asks Abby if she has her schedule for next week. She needs to be off Monday because Alex has a parent teacher conference. Abby says she will work Monday if Sam works Friday. Weaver vetoes the switch saying "Find another nurse. We can't have one of our interns changing bedpans during their residency." Abby says that she hasn't gotten the results of her boards yet, Weaver tells her to call the USMLE and find out what is taking so long. Abby gets the blood drawn on the woman who tells Abby that she is "God's gift to nursing." Weaver leaves and Abby tells Sam that she will still switch with her. Sam says "I thought you were starting." Abby says that she hasn't gotten her results and therefore she can't quit her day job. Neela enters, carrying a pile of books and supplies. Her orientation doesn't start until 4 at University of Michigan. Abby tells her to take some time for herself. A patient at Admit is looking for a doctor to give him some morphine. He asks Neela if she is one, and she says no. Corday says that yes she is but that she is off duty. She tells Neela to start referring to herself as a doctor or she will never gain confidence. Neela tells them that she matched at U of M at Ann Arbor. Pratt appears and teases Abby, telling everyone that she "decided to stay at County and do God's work like the rest of us suckers." Then he flashes some car keys and grins sarcastically "the doctor is in."

Outside Pratt is showing off his new Chrysler, fully loaded, really expensive. Abby asks if he bought or leased the car. Pratt says that he is still a resident which implies that he leased the car. Dr. Chen rushes by with sunglasses on saying that she is late for work. The paramedics pull up with an elderly man who has end stage colon cancer and intractable vomiting. Neela leaves, saying she wants to check on a patient before she goes. Abby tells her to call later.

Luka is driving presumably to work in heavy traffic. He sees a woman broke down on the side of the road and pulls over to offer help. The lady tells her son to stay in the car and goes to her trunk to get jumper cables to fix her car. Luka walks back to the side of the car just as another car comes plowing through the road cones, knocking a truck into the back of the woman's car, pinning her between the two. Her legs are bloody and dangling, Luka hurries to the car as the credits begin.

Carter walks into the ER, Frank asks him how he has been and offers help if he needs it. Weaver and Carter have a brief conversation about Henry and how Carter is handling things. Luka is on his phone with paramedics while trying to assess the woman's injuries. He feels her legs, which are barely hanging on, and asks if she can feel him touching them. She says no and wonders how her son Michael is. Several other people have stopped to help and the driver of the car tries to run. Luka yells at someone to stop him while he is examining Michael.

Abby and Chuny are treating Mr. Gould who is puking and wants antibiotics. Chen walks in and starts to examine him. She finishes and is about to tell Abby what tests to order, but Abby beats her to the punch listing off various tests and procedures. Chen smiles "I thought you were a nurse today." Chuny says "Abby is a nurse everyday, that is why she is going to kick ass as a doc"

In the hallway, Chen asks Abby how she did on the boards. Abby says that she doesn't know and wonders if Chen is ok after seeing the black eye. Chen ignores the question and gives off more orders about the patient. Then she runs into Pratt who asks her what happened. She tells him that she ran into a door. Neela appears and asks Pratt to go see Elgin. The paramedics are working on Linda and Michael. They tell Luka to back off but he refuses. He is helping no matter what protocol or rules he is breaking. He's even going to ride in the ambulance to County with her.

Pratt goes upstairs to see Elgin and to wish him luck. The teen wants Pratt to be his family doctor. Sam and Carter are treating a fifteen year old girl who fell off her horse and broke her collarbone. Carter and Sam exchange looks as the teen says that she doesn't want to miss the Lamplight Classic. Sam says she wishes she was that fearless at fifteen, she was just reckless. She starts to tell Carter that she is sorry about Kem and his son but they are interrupted with Frank telling Sam that Alex is MIA and that his school called when he was a no show. Sam immediately knows that Steve is the reason that Alex skipped school. She calls her apartment but neither Steve nor Alex answer.

Carter and Abby look at the board and make small talk about Sam and Alex. She asks how he and Kem are and puts her hand on his shoulder and tells him that he will get through it. Frank interrupts calling them Peaches and Herb and informs the two of the MVA victims that are less than a minute away.

Luka is giving orders as Chen screams for Trauma, Ortho, and Vascular surgeons to get to the ER now.  They wheel Linda in as Carter and Abby go over to Michael. Sam is walking out of the hospital and Luka is walking in. He stops and watches her walk away. Pratt gets the driver out of the ambulance. He tells Pratt to have his back, Pratt replies with "I'm Doctor Pratt, you're under arrest for suspicion of DUI and you sure as hell aint my brother."  Carter, Abby, Luka, Chen, Corday, Pratt, Chuny, and Malik work on the various victims. Michael starts to thrash violently screaming for his dad. Carter tells him that he is on his way. Michael crashes. Pratt tells Weaver that the driver was on heroin. Carter is trying to put a chest tube in Michael next door. Luka tells Linda that she needs surgery.

Neela is driving to Michigan. Chen is helping Carter with Michael. They shock him. Chuny enters and tells Abby that she has to deal with Mr. Gould and she will take over in trauma. Mr. Gould wonders when he is going to get a private room. Abby tells him that he will get one when there is one. He tells her not to patronize him and Abby whines that she isn't. He then goes on to tell her that he was a junior high teacher for 37 years. Weaver calls and asks Abby to call USMLE about her results. Abby asks Frank for the number as Michael's dad appears. Abby takes him into the trauma room as Carter and Chen work feverishly to save the young boy's life.

Sam tries to open her apartment door but it is chain locked. She screams at them to open the door angrily. Steve opens it and tells her that she is home early. Sam looks ready to strangle him. She turns off the TV which is blasting, and Steve's deadbeat friend leaves. Sam tells Alex that he needs to be in school but Alex says that his dad said it was ok that he didn't go. Sam pulls Steve into the kitchen and lowers her voice angrily after noticing that Steve is high. He tells Sam that he didn't smoke in front of Alex, he went outside while Alex watched TV. He wanted to take Alex to his interview with him ,not his dealers house like Sam figured. Alex pipes in and says that he got like the coolest job ever as manager of an apartment building there in Chicago. He says that now he can live with his dad too. Sam looks less than thrilled at the news that Steve is sticking around. Meanwhile, Weaver is talking to her lawyer about her chances for custody of Henry. She thinks the Lopez's are too old.

Sam sits in her room and Steve walks in and shuts the door. He tells her that Alex said "I love you dad" the other day and that he wants to stick around and be a good dad. Steve tells her that he is going to Dallas for a few days to pick up furniture but that he will be back that weekend. He also says that maybe he will go to night school or something. He walks out and sees Alex standing there who wants to go with him. Steve says no because he has to go to school. Sam sits on her bed unsure of what to do or think.

Mr. Gould needs help going to the bathroom. Abby tells him that she will help him. Linda is upstairs in surgery and is in really bad shape. Luka enters and offers help. Down in the ER, Carter and Chen continue to work on Michael. Pratt tells Antwan that he is going to be released soon and Antwan says that he is going to jail.

Alex asks Sam when she is going to cook dinner. Sam comes barreling down the hall with suitcases in her hand. She tosses them on the couch and tells Alex to put all his stuff in trash bags and that she will take care of the clothes. Alex is like what's going on, and Sam tells him they are moving. He says that he is not going and that he likes it there in Chicago. Sam says he doesn't have a choice and that she likes it there too. Then Alex flat out says "You're just being a bitch".  Sam freezes. "what did you just call me?" Alex screams that he is tired of moving just cause she is so screwed up. Sam snaps and gets right in his face. "You know what I'm tired of Alex? I'm tired of pretending that your dad is a good guy. I'm sick of keeping my mouth shut about all the crap he has done and all the stuff he hasn't. And I'm sick of him tracking us down every time he loses a job, so he can come here and buy you enough presents to make you think that he is a real father. Because he's not. He's a user and a loser and I am not going to let him turn you into one too. Now get your ass in that room and start packing!" Alex runs in his room crying and slams the door shut.

Linda is in surgery. Carter brings her husband upstairs and Luka comes out to talk to them. He tells them that they had to amputate both of her legs. Abby finds out that her board results were mailed to County. One of Mr. Gould's former students shows up, thanks to Abby calling the junior high. He tells the man that he inspired him to become a math teacher.
Weaver sits with her lawyer in the courtroom in a custody hearing. The judge says that she will make her ruling that afternoon. Weaver tells the judge that just because she wasn't in a common law marriage that she and Sandy were a family with Henry and that the boy deserves to be with his mom.

Sam is packing things up in her car as Alex grabs the phone and calls Luka at County. He tells him to come over and start to explain what happened when Sam reenters the apartment. Alex hangs up quickly and Luka looks confused. Neela arrives at the University of Michigan. Carter is with Linda's husband when Linda wakes up and realizes that she no longer has legs. Abby finds her boards results in the mailbox. Neela goes through orientation and a campus tour. Abby sits outside and reads the results. She is ecstatic because she passed. Carter walks out and says he is going home. He tells Abby that he never had a doubt that she was going to pass. Carter walks off as Abby bounces back into the ER on top of the world. Neela tells the dean at U of M that she wants out of her residency.

Abby is with Mr. Gould and his student. He tells her thank you and wonders if she will be his nurse tomorrow. Abby says that she will be there and to ask for "Dr. Lockhart." She smiles.

Sam is trying to tie her trunk down which is jammed pack with stuff and trying to get Alex to get in the car. She has tear stained eyes and has to force Alex into the backseat. He notices Luka running up and screams "Luka". Luka looks at Sam and asks her to tell him what is going on. She says I'm not going to let him get to my kid. Luka tells her to wait, but Sam gets in her car and speeds off, with Alex hanging his head out the window in tears and Luka standing in absolute shock in the street.

Pratt gets Chen to tell him that her dad hit her. He tells her that he will take her out to dinner. Then he goes upstairs to check on Elgin whose mom hasn't picked him up yet. He offers to give the teen a ride home.

The three are riding in Pratt's car. Elgin blasts music, but Pratt turns it down at Chen's request. Then a man with a serious case of road rage pulls up beside them and begins mouthing off. Elgin flips the guy off as Pratt speeds away. Suddenly the driver speeds up and pulls beside Pratt and pulls out a gun. Chen screams and Pratt ducks. They try to get away from the crazed driver but he continues shooting. Screams are heard and the screen goes black as season ten ends with a bang.

Reviewed by Niki on May 22, 2004