It's a busy morning already
for Sam and Gates, who ride the El to work together and miss their stop. Luca
and Joe return from the weekend just in time to offer Abby a ride to work. In
the ER, Dr. Pratt walks in full of sunshine boasting he rocked the interview
for the Chief position, while Brenner berates Neela for her abysmal online
dating attempts. When police bring in a drunk named Art, he promptly tells
everyone that his being in the ER will put everyone in danger. When Luca drops
Abby off at work she presents him with a newspaper, a gift for their first
wedding anniversary. Inside the hospital, Frank makes a call on behalf of Dr.
Pratt, asking for a favor. Putting Art's name out over the radio, the cop who
brought him in is told to keep him in the ER until help arrives. When Art
tells Dr. Pratt he is back in town for his mom's funeral, Pratt begins to
wonder what Art's secret is. Elsewhere, Neela and Lucien's discussion about
her presentation is interrupted by Brenner, who continues to deride her. In
other parts of the ER, Morris calls Abby for help while attending to an
elderly Asian lady who has been brought in by her daughter. Art, on the other
hand, isn't proving easy to deal with, demanding he be released as people want
to kill him, and if anything happens Sam should tell his wife there is an
account in the Bahamas.
Back in the trauma room, Dr.
Brenner finds the Asian woman in the middle of a seizure. He tries to take
over for Abby and Morris, but is told to leave by both of them. In reception,
Dr. Moretti has turned up out of the blue to tie up loose ends when a man
claiming to be Art Masterson's brother-in-law asks to see him. When the guy
pulls the curtain around Art's bed, Pratt investigates, only to find Art being
strangled by his visitor. After a brief tussle, the would-be hit-man is
arrested. As Sam dresses Art's wounds, Moretti asks if Abby is on duty.
Meanwhile, Abby is working on the Asian woman in trauma one whose tests are
all good who isn't improving. Standing in front of the hospital's doctors,
Neela gives a presentation on why a previous patient, Cheryl, died following
her operation. As she concludes, she faces a barrage of doubtful questions,
which Lucien defends her against from his place in the audience. Pratt attends
to Art when he starts complaining of a tight chest and an anxiety attack. Art
is about to tell Pratt the truth about himself when a man he seems to
recognize walks in and tries to take him out of the hospital. The man's
attempts are thwarted when Art has a heart attack. Elsewhere, Moretti tries to
apologize to Abby for his behavior but she refuses to listen. In the rest
home, Luca quietly goes about his rounds while a priest serves the last rites
to a dead man. Checking in on the elderly man Walter in the next room, Luca
hears him admit that he wished him and his wife had had children because maybe
they'd still be together and he wouldn't be lonely in his old age. Back in the
ER, Arts friend tells the cops that they can leave their protection duty. Dr.
Pratt tells him the ER is his world and that he does not have authority but
when the man reveals himself as a U.S. Marshall, the situation changes.
Dr. Pratt has security check
the IDs of everyone entering the ER. He tries to catch up with Gates on the
progress of his relationship with Sam when Morris tells them both "love is
hard, be hard on love." Frowning at the advice, Pratt is called to deal with
the Asian woman's daughter who needs her shoulder examined. Frank meanwhile
tells Dr. Pratt his patient Art is really a mob lawyer and FBI witness called
Arnie Markowitz. While Morris checks the Asian girl's shoulder, he begins to
build a rapport with her, only to have it broken when he learns she works as
an escort, not a doctor. Morris and the girl are called back to the trauma
room where the girl's mom has taken a turn for the worse. Dropping in on
Arnie, Dr. Pratt is first cleared by the U.S. Marshalls guarding him. Once
inside the room, he's confronted by an unfamiliar male nurse with no ID. Dr.
Pratt reacts and pins the man against the wall only to find out he is in fact
a nurse and not another hit man. In her presentation, Neela is still being
battered by questions and defended by Lucien, when he stands up and admits to
the entire medical staff how bad the hospital is and that he was negligent for
leaving Neela to do the operation herself. Back with the Asian girl and her
mom, Abby and Morris have done all they can for the woman but she still hasn't
responded. Morris asks everyone to leave the room so the girl can say goodbye
to her mom. Meanwhile, at the rest home, Luca has a visit from Moretti who
says he doesn't want Luca to make the mistake he did in turning his back on
the one person he loved. Luca thanks him for the visit by punching him to the
ground. Still attending to Arnie, Dr. Pratt takes five to see what his brother
wants, and finds out he has been accepted to medical school and the family is
having a dinner to celebrate. Everyone is expected to be there, including him.
Back with Arnie, Dr. Pratt tells him he is putting everyone at risk and he has
to do the right thing, which is to be moved to a safer hospital under the
protection of the U.S. Marshalls. In the rest home, Walter tells Luca he is
sorry he never got to meet Luca's family as he is leaving and that he will
find the answers to his problems soon enough. In reception, Frank's favor
turns up in the shape of a Jewish jeweler with a selection of engagement rings
for Dr, Pratt to choose from. Escaping from the chaos the rings create in the
reception area, Dr. Pratt flees to the staff room where he bumps into Abby and
tells her he has faith in both her and Luca. Just then Luca walks into the ER.
Pratt returns to Arnie's room
where the U.S. Marshalls tell him they have a secure facility ready for Arnie
and will take him out of the ER. Both Sam and Dr Pratt offer to go with their
patient to make sure he is okay, but the Marshall says neither will be allowed
to go. After the fallout from the presentation, Neela tries to stop Lucien
from resigning, but he has made up his mind and is finished with the hospital.
Following Neela into the surgical lounge, Dr. Brenner tells her he isn't the
heartless beast she thinks he is. This only enrages Neela, who is further
incensed when Dr. Brenner tells her that her problem is she needs a man.
Acting on impulse, Neela takes out her frustrations as the pair tear off each
other's clothes. Abby and Luca take a walk in a park near the hospital and
admit to each other they both want to get back to who they were. Luca realizes
he wants to grow and share his life with Abby, telling her he wants to move
away with her and start over. Abby kisses Luca, whispering she loves him. Back
at the ER, Arnie is loaded into a suspicious ambulance, while Dr. Pratt and
Sam ask the Marshall again to let one of them ride with him. Abby passes
behind the ambulance making its way through traffic, walking back to the ER,
just as it explodes.