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In the overburdened emergency room of Chicago's County General Hospital, a Level One Trauma Center and teaching hospital, the difference between life and death often rests on split-second decisions. As a third-year resident, former nurse Dr. Abby Lockhart continues to assert her authority and responsibility in the emergency room, but the stress and complications of raising a child cause a rift between her and Attending Physician Dr. Luka Kovac. Chief of Staff Dr. Kerry Weaver remains a tough and determined hospital administrator who finds herself at a personal crossroads as she tries to strike a balance between her life as a doctor and the life she now wants as a woman and a mother. Nurse Sam Taggart tries to be a good mother to her own son, who is acting out as a result of his traumatic life.

Abby's overbearing mother, Maggie (recurring guest star SALLY FIELD - "Norma Rae," "Places in the Heart," "Forrest Gump," "Steel Magnolias," "Brothers & Sisters"), arrives at the hospital to comfort Abby and Kovac as their newborn son's life hangs in the balance. Sam returns to Chicago but fears that the police will arrest her, despite her claims of self-defense. Paramedic Gates makes a risky decision with an overdosed teen. And later, Gates escorts a very drunk Neela home after she drowns her sorrows at the local bar.

Pratt assumes his new role as attending physician but gets stuck with the task of dealing with all the new interns. When an older man is brought in to the emergency room with congestive heart failure, Pratt assigns Gates to assess his condition. Later, the man's partner, Bennett Cray (JOHN MAHONEY), comes to visit and must fight with the patient's family to help keep him alive. Meanwhile, Neela meets the new surgical chief, Dustin Crenshaw (recurring guest star J.P. MANOUX), and quickly finds out that he plans to make her life a living hell.

Gates copes with his complicated living situation. After trying to juggle work and a new baby, Abby and Kovac contemplate hiring help. Now that he is the new attending physician, Pratt strives to keep all the interns and residents on track. And Neela is disappointed when Crenshaw (recurring guest star J.P. MANOUX) assigns her menial tasks instead of the surgery she was hoping to perform.

Returning to work after her maternity leave, Abby worries that she has lost her skills. Abby and Pratt try an unconventional method for treating a heart patient in the hope of avoiding a more invasive procedure. And Kovac tries to recall his treatment of a stroke patient, Curtis Ames (recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER - "Bird," "Door to Door"), who is charging him and County General with negligence.

Fearing the worst, Kovac anxiously awaits the decision of a jury in the case pitting him against Curtis Ames (recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER). Meanwhile, Neela is tired of minor duties and tries to prove to Crenshaw (recurring guest star J.P. MANOUX) that she is worthy of scrubbing in for surgery. Morris prepares for his big television debut in the ambulance bay but ends up being upstaged by Weaver. And Ray becomes jealous when he sees Neela and Gates flirting.

Abby and Kovac finally decide to hire a nanny to care for their son, but they are troubled by the potential candidates. During a trip to the park with her child, Abby inadvertently meets Curtis Ames (recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER). Meanwhile, Morris and Sam try to treat a belligerent patient who comes in with what seem to be simple flu symptoms. However, when they discover that the patient's condition is much more complicated, he refuses treatment. Also, Gates and Neela argue with each other at a hospital board meeting.

Abby and Kovac argue about a diagnosis when a woman comes in with signs of spousal abuse. After a group of confused homeless kids enters the emergency room, Gates, Abby and Neela must quickly determine one child's ailment before it is too late. Meanwhile, Weaver is unexpectedly called into action while doing a news report at a school.

Although it's Thanksgiving, the emergency room is far from quiet. Abby is about to head home when she is forced to respond to a bus crash on the side of a ravine. Meanwhile, Neela accepts Gates' invitation to visit his house after work, but they are soon interrupted by an unwelcome guest. And Pratt discusses his brother with Weaver.

Pratt has a tough time coming to terms with the discovery of his brother's sexual orientation. Outside his apartment, Kovac spots Ames (recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER), but Kovac chooses not to tell Abby. Gates begs Neela to give him a chance. And Kovac and Gates treat a young girl who appears to have been assaulted.

With the holiday spirit in full effect, romances heat up the emergency room. Meanwhile, after a homeless boy convinces Gates and Ray to help his friend, who is in critical condition, Gates breaks his promise and calls children's services. Ames (recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER) issues a restraining order against Kovac. And Dubenko (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER) gives Neela the opportunity to be part of a very special holiday miracle.

When a patient dies after being prescribed the wrong medication, Pratt and medical student Hope (recurring guest star BUSY PHILLIPS) wonder if they are responsible. Gates' roommate, Meg (recurring guest star PAULA MALCOMSON - "Deadwood"), with whom he has a complicated relationship, comes to County General and angrily confronts Gates and Neela. And Kovac is forced to make budget cuts that could affect one of the doctors.

Kovac gets jealous when Abby gives too much attention to a patient, Eddie Jackson (recurring guest star FRED WARD). Gates' roommate, Meg (recurring guest star PAULA MALCOMSON), pulls a deadly stunt when Gates moves out of the apartment. After one of his patients dies, Pratt discovers that the police want to arrest him. And Weaver makes a decision that will change the emergency room forever. Recurring guest star FOREST WHITAKER appears as Curtis Ames.

Gates and Neela try to revive Meg (recurring guest star PAULA MALCOMSON) after they find her unconscious in her car. Sam suspects she may know who set fire to her home. And tensions mount as Ames (recurring guest star Forest Whitaker) gets more and more desperate to seek revenge.

Abby and Sam try to treat an obnoxious aspiring comedian, Simon (FREDDY RODRIGUEZ), with mysterious symptoms. Pratt gets into trouble as he is questioned about the death of a patient. And Neela is thrilled when Dubenko (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER) allows her to scrub in on a kidney donor surgery.

When a woman comes into the emergency room with acute liver failure, Gates and Kovac are faced with a moral dilemma. Neela also ponders right and wrong when a patient offers to donate a kidney to a complete stranger. Meanwhile, Ray fights to investigate the accidental fall of a squad of cheerleaders.

Abby and Pratt race to save a family that got stranded in the snow and is now suffering from frostbite. Meanwhile, Neela gets jealous when Dubenko (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER) brings in a new surgical intern. And Gates struggles with the reappearance of his father, Mike (recurring guest star STACY KEACH - "Prison Break"), and the possibility of losing the deceased Meg's daughter, Sarah (recurring guest star CHLOE GREENFIELD).

Sam and Morris are caught off guard when a photographer, Diana Moore (recurring guest star ANNABELLA SCIORRA - "The Sopranos"), comes into the emergency room taking photographs alongside a terminally ill patient. Meanwhile, Neela continues to feel upstaged by the new surgical intern, who seems to be Dr. Dubenko's (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER) new favorite. Also, on her birthday, Sam can only think about her son, who is away at school.

When a young man, Danny Rutley (ANDY PROSKY - "Law & Order"), comes into the emergency room with heart failure, Kovac and Gates must deal with Danny's helpless father, Wayne (ROBERT PROSKY - "Hill Street Blues"). Meanwhile, an Armenian man, Zakar (KEN DAVITIAN - "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"), takes time out of his schedule and risks his life to be a Good Samaritan. Pratt takes the high road and attempts to make amends with his brother. And both Abby and Gates deal with the constant challenges of parenthood. Recurring guest star STACY KEACH appears as Gates' father, Mike.

In a busy emergency room, Kovac feels the pressure to take care of the overflow of cases before the area is shut down for renovations. A lonely Sam befriends terminally ill photojournalist Diana Moore (recurring guest star ANNABELLA SCIORRA), who has a negative outlook. Pratt gets a scare when his brother unexpectedly shows up in the emergency room. And the tension between Gates and his father, Mike (recurring guest star STACY KEACH), reaches a boiling point.

All of the emergency room staffers are surprised when they arrive for the department dinner and find out that surprise nuptials are about to happen. Meanwhile, Ray can't seem to handle seeing Neela and Gates together. But the romantic atmosphere seems to bring everyone together.

Kovac and Abby get used to their new roles as husband and wife, while Hope (recurring guest star BUSY PHILLIPS) and Morris enjoy Kovac and Abby's unused honeymoon suite. Pratt hopes to change his womanizing ways as he tries to win over someone new. Meanwhile, there's a new physician, Dr. Kevin Moretti (recurring guest star STANLEY TUCCI - "The Devil Wears Prada"), in the emergency room--and he means business.

In the 13th season finale, to the chagrin of the County General staff, the new chief, Moretti (recurring guest star STANLEY TUCCI), makes some major changes in the emergency room. Meanwhile, Kovac puts his honeymoon on hold when he must travel back to Croatia to be with his ailing father. Gates is urgently called home when Sarah (recurring guest star CHLOE GREENFIELD) panics that she might be taken away. And after a patient convinces her to attend an antiwar rally, Neela finds her life in peril.