"County General"
Starring Anthony Edwards
George Clooney
Sherry Stringfield
Julianna Margulies
Noah Wyle (pilot only)
and Eriq La Salle

Guest Starring
John Amos as Dr. Reed
Sam Anderson as Dr. Kayson
Amy Aquino as Dr. Coburn
John Terry as Dr. Cvetic
and William H. Macy as Dr. David Morgenstern

Special Guest Stars
Christine Harnos as Jen Greene
Michael Gross as Jack Carter
Mary McDonnell as Eleanor Carter
Frances Sternhagen as Millicent "Gamma" Carter
Ving Rhames as Walt Robbins
Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
Valerie Perrine as Cookie Lewis
Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis
Paul Freeman as Charles Corday
Judy Parfitt as Isabelle Corday
John Cullum as David Greene
Bonnie Bartlett as Ruth Greene
and Sally Field as Maggie Wyczenski

The following takes place five years before the pilot.

1- "In the Beginning..."- Mark Greene begins his residency at Cook County General under Dr. David Morgenstern; his first case involves a gang shooting in which one of the gang members' five year old sister is shot in the chest. Surgical resident Peter Benton, one of Mark's acquaintances from med school, is called down to assist cocky attending trauma surgeon Dr. Charles Reed (John Amos). Junior Nurse Carol Hathaway juggles two complicated cases: an elderly priest with end-stage liver cancer and a ten year old with antisocial personality disorder who tried killing a schoolmate. Pedes resident Ross attempts to revive the schoolmate, who suffered three stab wounds to his neck, to no avail. He later comes under fire for attempting the procedure without an attending present. Susan Lewis, just entering med school, visits the ER to observe what life in the ER is like. Young millionaire John Carter is still coping with the death of his brother Bobby without much help from his parents (Michael Gross and Mary McDonnell) and makes what will become a life-altering decision regarding his future. At the end of the episode, we flash forward five years to Carter's graduation from college and essentially, the beginnings of his medical career.

2- "You Can't Go Home Again."- A shut-in who has just suffered a heart attack is brought in by paramedics, and it's up to Greene to convince the man he needs to undergo a bypass surgery. Ross and Carol begin a casual fling outside of the workplace which quickly complicates both of their lives. Benton clashes with his superior, Dr. Reed, on a course of treatment for a comatose patient.

3- "My Kind of Town."- Jen's new clerking career proves as time-consuming as Mark's, prompting a discussion about whether or not they should consider having a child. Doug and Carol are both distracted at work following Doug's suggestion to Carol that they should take their relationship to the next level and her subsequent rejection of him. A fight breaks out at a football game between Bears and Packers fans, turning the ER into a loud and obnoxious work environment. Susan continues her observation at the ER and befriends Mark Greene.

4- "Friendship."- Susan's burgeoning relationship with Mark makes Jen jealous despite Mark's insistence that they are just friends; Doug and Carol come to the mutual decision that they should just be friends; Peter is disgusted by treating a patient who has AIDS, to Dr. Reed's dismay, for shocking reasons.

5- "Love and Learn."- Jen announces her pregnancy to Mark, but doesn't get the excited response she was hoping for. Doug decides friendship isn't enough for him, and makes another move for Hathaway, in the middle of a trauma! Benton and Reed treat Doug and Hathaway's patient, a sixteen year old drunk driver who Hathaway suspects crashed the car on purpose. Later, when his BAL is revealed, it comes to light that the boy had no alcohol in his system. Chloe Lewis drops in to surprise her sister Susan, but later reveals the real reason for her visit: she needs a "loan" from her sister. Jackie and Walt try to set up Peter with a waitress friend of Jackie's, Carla Reese, with comedic results.

6- "Ceasefire."- Psychopath Harry Matthews (special guest star Woody Harrelson) is admitted to County after getting shot by Officer Grabarsky (Mike Genovese) who successfully foiled Matthews' attempts to kill his hostages at a bank he was robbing. Greene is forced to treat him like any other patient, which he does not like, bringing it to Morgenstern's attention. After his release from County, Mark assumes Matthews will go to jail, but he is determined to be insane and is instead sent to an asylum. Mark once against voices his moral objections, and in doing so learns his first lesson in hospital bureaucracy.

7- "Love Story."- Ross resents Carol's objections to them getting together, which causes tension in the workplace. Ross makes a fatal error in the treatment of a ten year old with leukemia. Susan fails a med school practical and questions if she is making the right decision for her career; she confides in Hathaway about what being a nurse is like.

8- "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"- Peter's sister Jackie confronts him about his tendency to care more about his career than his family when he misses his nephew's first birthday party. Mark admits to Doug that he is unsure if he is ready for a baby in his life. Carol talks to her overbearing mother (Rose Gregorio) about her blossoming feelings for Ross.

9- "Epidemic."- A flu epidemic in the dead of December has Ross, Greene, Benton, and Hathaway with their hands full; in the midst of a trauma, Mark puts Susan to work to do palpitations on a dying old woman. Morgenstern lashes out on Greene for letting an unexperienced med student in the middle of a trauma, to which Greene carefully counters by saying "How else is she going to learn?".

10- "Do the Right Thing."- Jen lashes out at Mark when he suggests that they are not ready to raise a child; he says they should consider giving the baby up for adoption. Hathaway suspects her patient, a disoriented old woman, is on the verge of Alzheimer's disease and is scared to allow her to return home where she lives with her drunken, irresponsible son. Benton and Carla take their relationship to the next level and decide to live together, but Peter's initial excitement quickly turns into disappointment when he finds out Carla's manipulative ex-boyfriend still wants her back.

11- "Observe and Report."- Lewis is asked by her med school advisor Dr. James Hallahan (Michael Gaston) to spy on rival Dr. Morgenstern due to a long-standing grudge between the two over Morgenstern being appointed chief of emergency medicine. He wants her to watch him and note every mistake he makes so he can bring it to the attention of hospital benefactors. Susan confides in Mark about it.

12- "Silver Bells."- An intoxicated Santa is brought into the ER at the same time as a multi-car pile-up due to a massive snowstorm which has crippled the city. Greene proves himself to Morgenstern as he effectively manages the ER during a time of crisis. Benton breaks it off with Carla, jealous of her ex-boyfriend unexpectedly dropping in to see her all the time.

13- "Custody Battle."- Ross treats a kid who has been abused by his dad, who is in a custody battle for the boy with his ex-wife; Carol feels the boy is in a severe depression and calls for a Psych consult against Doug's wishes. Millicent Carter meets with David Morgenstern to discuss her grandson's plan to become a doctor and makes an interesting business proposition to him if he agrees to keep an eye out for John Carter.

14- "Meanwhile, Outside the ER."- This episode focuses on introducing the lives of several people who will later become additions to the ER. Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) attempts to commit Maggie (Sally Field) following a near suicidal episode where she almost veered off the road on her way home from work. In Croatia, Luka Kovac meets his future wife in a college biology class. In London, Elizabeth Corday passes her MCAT and celebrates with her parents, who encourage her to pursue a career in America, where opportunities abound. Kerry Weaver, just promoted to an Attending at another Chicago hospital, asserts her power by alienating nearly everyone on the staff, learning an initial lesson in what happens when you assert your power too strongly. First year Resident Dr. Robert Romano assists on an ex-lap where he makes a near fatal mistake which makes his supervisor (Jeff Fahey) anxious over whether he possesses the skills to be a surgeon. Romano calls in a favor to med school acquaintance Benton to see if he can get Morgenstern to consider hiring him to County General.

This episode is credited as follows:
Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Maura Tierney, Goran Visnijic, Paul McCrane, and Eriq La Salle.

15- "If At First..."- Romano sits down with David Morgenstern to discuss a career at County thanks to Benton's help; unfortunately, he blows his chances by insulting Morgenstern's medical knowledge at dinner (at least for now!). Romano passes through the ER following the dinner to comment on how ineffectively the place is run and ends up helping Ross and Greene revive a woman nearly frozen to death after getting trapped under an avalanche while skiing.
This episode is credited as follows:
Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, Paul McCrane, and Eriq La Salle.

16- "Already Gone."- A sixteen-year-old diabetic falls into a coma after a night of drinking at his junior prom; his mother refuses to believe her son is already gone and lashes out at Morgenstern when he tells Greene to call the death. Guest Starring Michelle Pfeiffer as the boy's mother.

17- "Glass Ceiling."- Benton is offered a lucrative fellowship by Dr. Reed at an elite pharmaceutical company; it soon becomes clear to him that the firm just wants a black person on the "team" so as to seem ethical and fair.

18- "Man Behind the Curtain."- A twenty year old male rape victim tests positive for HIV; he confides in Greene that he is afraid to tell his parents that he is gay and has had thoughts of suicide feeling like he would not be accepted for his lifestyle choice.

19- "Mothers and Daughters."- Susan's mother calls to ask her to spend the weekend with her when Henry decides to go fishing; Carol's mother, on the other hand, decides to meet with her daughter to persuade her to stay away from Ross when she learns of his womanizing ways.

20- "Be Careful What You Wish For."- Carol finally sucumbs to Doug's attempts to get her to go out with him, but later regrets it when she catches him in a lie about another date he has the same night. A pregnant woman involved in a car crash finds out she has end-stage lung cancer and Susan encourages her to consider her options.

21- "Can't Go Home."- A scared teenage boy comes into the ER claiming his girlfriend beat him up; Div Cvetic is called down for a consult and tells Mark that the story was made up. Reed decides Benton is too cocky and decides to send him down to Pedes for the day to give him a chance to put his life in perspective.

Season Two

Starring
Anthony Edwards
George Clooney
Sherry Stringfield
Julianna Margulies
and Eriq La Salle

Guest Starring
John Amos as Dr. Reed
Sam Anderson as Dr. Kayson
Amy Aquino as Dr. Coburn
Mark Valley as Richard Lockhart
and William H. Macy as Dr. Morgenstern

Special Guest Stars
Christine Harnos as Jen Greene
Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
Ving Rhames as Walt Robbins
Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
John Terry as Dr. Div Cvetic
Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway
Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis
Piper Laurie as Sarah Ross
Yvonne Zima as Rachel Greene
Valerie Perrine as Cookie Lewis
Tom Everett Scott as Eric Wyczenski
and Sally Field as Maggie Wyczenski

1- "Brawl in the Family."- After getting into a fight with his estranged father over his abandonment of his family, Doug's mother (Piper Laurie) comes to the ER to check on her son and urges Doug to stay away from Ray for good.

2- "Break Away."- A sick and stressed out college student OD's on an over-the-counter medicine, nearly killing himself in the process. Morgenstern clashes with Lewis over a patient's course of treatment; Lewis gets Benton to stick up for her.

3- "Perks of the Job."- Ross makes a date with a thankful patient much to Hathaway's dismay; Peter clashes with Reed over his demand for less strenuous work hours.

4- "Thrill of the Chase."- A speed demon gets into a massive three car accident which instantly kills two and severely injures several others, including a three year old boy. The man survives, is barely injured, and fearing serious charges, takes off before the police arrive. What he didn't count on was Mark Greene following him.

5- "How the Other Half Lives."- An elderly, rich businessman (Donald Sutherland) makes Carol's life a living hell as he expects better treatment than the rest of the patients; meanwhile, Lewis treats a homeless woman who has signs of physical and emotional abuse who has lost touch with reality.

6- "Commitment."- Carol confronts Doug about how she doesn't like being treated like she's just one of his many options; he finally confides in her that he has serious commitment issues based on his family's history in the relationship department. Carol eventually decides that Doug is a good enough guy to go out on a limb for and they make their relationship official.

7- "Out of Touch."- A newlywed couple on their way to the airport end up at County when their driver has a massive MI en route; Greene and Lewis tend to the severely injured couple while Benton tries in vain to save the driver.

8- "College Days."- Chloe brings in her college boyfriend to the ER after he OD's on acid; Ross cares for a girl who nearly drowned after she fell through the ice on an outdoor skating rink.

9- "Love Always."- A ninety year old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease unwittingly escapes from her retirement home and goes to the ER searching for her husband. Carol finds out the woman's identity, then comes to the heartbreaking conclusion that the man died in a house fire forty years ago and the wife is reliving her final moments with her husband in the hospital before he passed away. Ross plays the part of the husband and allows the woman to find some closure with an event that has traumatized her for most of her adult life.

10- "Stick to Your Guns."- Benton goes to bat for a sixteen year old boy tricked into joining a gang by his older cousin by going to a gang meeting and scaring the members by telling them a story about a gang shooting he worked on with Reed earlier in the week. Benton learns that Reed's son was killed by friendly fire in a gang war ten years ago.

11- "Early Retirement."- A workaholic painter gives himself a heart attack and is urged by Greene and Hathaway to slow down and consider his family before he works himself into an early grave; Reed asks Benton's advice on how to cope with the ten year anniversary of his son's death.

12- "End of the Road (1)."- An inexperienced driver crashes into a ditch on a road undergoing construction, in the middle of an ice storm. It's up to Ross, Lewis, and Hathaway to fix the girl up, but they underestimate the severity of her injuries.

13- "End of the Road (2)."- Ross, Lewis, and Hathaway struggle to keep a comatose Megan Cartwright alive until her parents arrive to say their goodbyes; Cartwright's mother, a lawyer, files a class action lawsuit against County General for her daughter's death.

14- "Family Dinner."- Ross has a romantic weekend planned for him and Carol in celebration of Valentine's Day; those plans are foiled by Carol's intruding mother who brings along Carol's obsessive ex-boyfriend, trying to cause tension between Doug and Carol. Benton's ex girlfriend Carla shows up at Peter's house on Valentine's Day informing him that her boyfriend is out of town for the week.

15- "R and R."- Mark's stress level hits an all-time high as Jen nears the end of her pregnancy, Morgenstern is after him about his tendency to not write up his cases the way he is supposed to, and having to keep Ross, Hathaway, and Lewis in check. Doug suggests an impromptu trip to Vegas with him, which quickly turns into a disastrous situation when Jen finds out about the plans. Carla calls up Peter to tell him to lay low and that her boyfriend has found out about her affair.

16- "Struggle."- A homeless woman discovers she has terminal cancer, and worries about who will take care of her mentally challenged brother she cares for. Doug struggles to find a kidney donor for a dying twelve-year-old boy. Susan confronts Chloe about her using, resulting in a fight that sends Chloe into a fit of lunacy.

17- "Better Days."- Chloe calls Susan from a payphone in Tulsa saying that she has decided to stay with her college roommate for a while; Jen gives birth in County on a day when Mark is being slammed with difficult cases; Ross faces a difficult case of his own when a bullied kid with self-inflicted wounds ends up at County.

18- "The Rules of the Game."- During a fight with Carol, Doug hastily sleeps with the mother of the bullied kid he has been treating in conjunction with Div Cvetic. When Morgenstern finds out, he is livid. When Carol finds out, she is consumed with hatred and vindictiveness.

19- "Paternity Leave."- Mark is denied paternity leave by Morgenstern, and begins worrying about Jen's emotional state post-pregnancy. Coburn suggests she may be suffering from postpartum depression.

20- "The Outside World (1)."- Abby Lockhart has recently married her first husband and experiences marital difficulties, including his cheating and excessive drinking. To fit in with his friends better and to cope with her marital and family difficulties, Abby begins drinking excessively as well.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), Maura Tierney, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

21- "The Outside World (2)."- Abby's brother Eric confronts her about her alcoholism but she is in complete denial; as Abby's life unravels, we transition to some background on Weaver--- Kerry's husband, a surgical resident, feels neglected by his workaholic wife while she is forced to cope with her foster father's death. The episode ends with Kerry filing for divorce and Abby in rehab.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), Laura Innes, Maura Tierney, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

22- "Chicago Hope."- Benton operates on an unlikeable Senator with appendicitis, then discovers a startling ailment that will change the Senator's life forever. Jen resents Mark's insistence that Jen see a psychologist for her postpartum depression. Doug has another falling out with Carol regarding his infidelity which ends with Carol breaking down in tears. When he tries to find her later in the evening, he finds a note saying that she has gone away for a while to clear her head, telling Doug to inform Morgenstern that she will be out of touch for a while.

End of Season Two.

Season Three
Starring Anthony Edwards
George Clooney
Sherry Stringfield
Julianna Margulies
and Eriq La Salle

With William H. Macy as Dr. David Morgenstern
and Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter

Special Guest Stars
John Terry as Dr. Div Cvetic
Christine Harnos as Jen Greene
Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
Ving Rhames as Walt Robbins
Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway
John Cullum as David Greene
Bonnie Bartlett as Ruth Greene
Piper Laurie as Sarah Ross

Guest Starring
Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson
Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn
Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway
and John Amos as Dr. Reed

1- "On the Road."- As Doug worries about Carol and prepares his apology for when she finally returns, Helen Hathaway pesters Doug at work telling him how her disappearance is all his fault. Jen finally enters treatment for her postpartum depression. Mark's dad calls him to ask him and Jen if they could use some help with Rachel. Carol discovers her inner spirit while on her solo road trip, leading to an interesting encounter with a group of hippies.

2- "Back to Reality."- Carol decides it's time to return home; having found inner peace while on the road, she forgives Doug but tells him she doesn't have the heart to deal with his antics anymore and they can only be friends. Millicent Carter fears that the family business is beginning to go downhill and goes to the hospital to put a down payment on John's medical career.

3- "Soul Searching."- Carol isn't ready to go back to work yet; she begins to ponder if nursing is what she wants to devote the rest of her life to. Doug takes time off to go ask for a second chance in their relationship, but Carol's mother has other plans.

This episode is credited as follows:
Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

4- "Working for a Living."- Benton tries feverishly to save an old friend with cirrhosis who needs a liver transplant. Reed assists him, and comforts him when the friend passes on. Carol returns to work, but has difficulty re-adjusting to the strenuous nature of her job.

5- "We Are Family."- Coburn meets with Mark's wife Jen to discuss her postpartum depression with her. Susan Lewis gets a call from a police station in Tulsa who informs her that Chloe's roommate has died in a drug-related shootout and Chloe was caught buying drugs. She asks Morgenstern for time off to deal with her family issues, but he shuts her down saying they are too short staffed as it is.

6- "X Marks the Spot."- Susan puts Mark in a tough spot sorting out her issues with Morgenstern; an amateur treasure hunter electrocutes himself with his metal detector and ends up in Greene's care; Carol accepts Doug back as her boyfriend, with conditions.

7- "Running in Place."- A drug dealer is brought into the ER after a shootout. After he dies, his sister goes out on a quest for revenge that ends in the ER and with an innocent bystander getting caught in the crossfire, critically injured. The incident paralyzes Lewis with fear, and has Doug and Mark livid that the hospital is not adequately prepared for such incidents.

8- "Breakfast of Champions."- A toddler is brought in to the ER after choking on a toy from a cereal box; Morgenstern bargains with Lewis for time off, forcing her to make up the time unpaid.

9- "Denial."- Susan arrives in Tulsa to help Chloe sort out her friend's funeral and to confront her about her using; Chloe reverts to her flight instinct and takes off in the middle of the night without leaving a note. Susan tracks her down with the help of Tulsa police to a drug dealer's nearby house. After much careful consideration, Susan turns her sister in.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield, Julianna Margulies (credit only) and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

10- "Saving Grace."- Lewis faces a moral dilemma when an elderly patient with a DNR attempts to kill herself with an overdose of prescription drugs; Carol begins looking for a job outside of emergency medicine behind Doug's back, which comes to a head at work; Carla Reese is brought in beaten up, and Benton suspects her boyfriend is abusive.

11- "Resolutions."- Doug and Carol decide to celebrate Christmas with their own families separately as they don't want their families to assume anything about their unstable relationship. Benton wants to spend Christmas with his mother and his sister, but when his mentor Dr. Reed suddenly has a stroke, all of Peter's plans suddenly change. Carla shows up late at night at Peter's house to get away from her boyfriend.

12- "Life Goes On."- Peter and the rest of the ER staff attend Reed's funeral, following a week long attempt to help him recover from his stroke. Peter enlists an undercover cop to observe Carla's living situation, which leads to his arrest and to profound anguish for Carla.

13- "Havoc."- A fifteen year old gets trapped under an avalanche of snow while skiing; it is up to Ross to save the boy after extensive injuries and hypothermia. An alcoholic mother doesn't notice when her two year old wonders out of the house and into the street, where she is hit by a car and nearly killed; Hathaway has a hard time getting a hold of DCFS.

14- "Another World."- After a near deadly fire at an orphanage, Doug treats a lot of scared and psychologically scarred children; when he finds out that a couple of the kids conspired to burn the building down, he goes on a hunt for the truth and for better living conditions for the kids.

15- "Reprimand."- Morgenstern finds out about Doug's actions and warns Mark to keep the hotheaded pediatrician under control; the benefactor of the orphanage Doug is trying to sabotage also is on the board of trustees for the hospital.

16- "Lost."- Susan forgets to send Chloe a birthday card and feels horrible all day about it, effecting her diagnosis of a woman with weeks to live. Carol cannot decide if she supports Doug or Mark in regards to the situation with the orphanage. Benton bonds with a twenty year old in need of a heart transplant and makes him a promise he cannot keep. Doug publicly humiliates Morgenstern and the administration in the middle of an M+M, gives them an ultimatum and forces Carol to choose between him and her job.

17- "Hidden Feelings."- A shy and reserved teenager trying to woo the girl of his dreams by learning how to ice skate hits his head on the ice and comes to the ER to get stitched up. Greene discovers that the boy is recovering from leukemia and comes up with a plan to make his dream come true. Carol is distracted at work following Doug's abrupt departure from County, and worries when she doesn't hear from him. At the end of the episode, Doug calls to tell Carol he has decided to practice private medicine in Wisconsin.

18- "Changes."- Morgenstern enlists Mark's help to interview potential candidates for Doug's position; Carol gives Mark a hard time at work, blaming his apathy in part for the reason why things escalated with Doug to begin with. Susan dates a charming paramedic who turns out to be one of Chloe's exes.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield, Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle.

19- "Private Practice."- Doug adjusts to his new job in Wisconsin, but misses Carol terribly; his first patient is a seventeen year old boy with Down's Syndrome who is depressed about being sheltered by his parents and treated differently.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

20- "Do-Over."- Missing the excitement of emergency medicine, Doug asks Mark to talk to Morgenstern about the possibility of Doug returning to County. Having recently filled his old position, Morgenstern denies Mark but in the hopes of humbling the cocky pediatrician, he offers Doug the possibility of starting over as an intern. Doug accepts under the condition that Morgenstern speak out against the orphanage; a compromise between the two is finally met, but Morgenstern warns Doug that the inevitable cut in hospital funding will further decrease Doug's already depleted salary.

21- "Nightfall."- A train derailment which leads to a fire bombards the ER with mass casualties; one of the patients Doug and the new pediatrician are trying to save is a five year old girl celebrating her birthday. Later in the newbie's shift, he is caught slapping a nurse after she disagrees with an order he gave. He chalks it up to frustration following the mass casualty, but Mark Greene views it as a disgusting situation which can turn into good news for Ross.

22- "Daybreak."- The five year old from the train derailment survives a grueling surgery that Benton felt uncertain about; Morgenstern re-instates Doug in his old position after firing his replacement; Susan gets a call from Chloe saying that she is at a clinic struggling to get clean after her release from prison.

Season Four

Starring:
Anthony Edwards
George Clooney
Sherry Stringfield
Julianna Margulies
and Eriq La Salle

Guest Starring:
Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson
Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn
Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway
and William H. Macy as Dr. Morgenstern

Special Guest Stars:
John Terry as Dr. Div Cvetic
Christine Harnos as Jen Greene
Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
Ving Rhames as Walt Robbins
Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
John Cullum as David Greene
Bonnie Bartlett as Ruth Greene
Piper Laurie as Sarah Ross
Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis
Valerie Perrine as Cookie Lewis
and Paul Dooley as Henry Lewis

1- "New Life."- An ex-con with a severe case of emphysema seeks to make the most out of his last few months, and confides in Lewis about his mistakes; a child has a severe anaphylactic reaction on his first day of school and his life ends up in Doug's hands; Jen is mad at Mark for spending too much time at the hospital and not enough at home, which is preventing her from furthering her career. Carol and Doug finally sit down to talk about their issues with each other as adults, and both decide that they need some time on their own to process it all.

2- "Home Improvement."- Too busy to do it himself the way his wife requested, Mark hires a painter to re-do the walls of the house. Unluckily for Mark, the guy ends up in the ER by the end of the day with a broken leg and an axe to grind. Benton impresses his new supervising surgeon by performing an appy on an older gentleman with many health issues.

3- "The Right Stuff."- A New York firefighter, visiting Chicago on vacation, is brought into the ER when he suddenly collapses; Greene and Lewis make the unfortunate discovery that the man has a severe blood vessel disease. Doug treats a kid who got hit by an ice cream truck and Benton is forced to perform surgery on him.

4- "Under My Skin."- A heroic family man rushes into a nearby burning house to rescue his neighbor's young daughter; in return for his heroic deed, he suffers life-threatening third degree burns. When Doug finds out that the fire was lit by someone the girl's father owed money too, he goes after both the people who put that girl's life in danger.

5- "Taking Charge."- Charges are brought against Mark from the injured painter, while Doug has his day in court against the parents of the child hurt in the fire. Susan, Benton, and Hathaway have their hands full in the ER in the absence of Doug and Mark, especially when a slew of injured kids from a football game gone wrong come in.

6- "Headaches."- A man who thinks he has a migraine has Greene suspicious; upon ordering a head CT, he finds out that the man has brain cancer. Morgenstern faces off with Benton when Peter screws up an amputation, and Benton is adamant that Morgenstern did not assist thoroughly enough. When Peter gets home, Jackie and Walt are fighting over Peter's niece's new boyfriend.

7- "Treatment."- An alcoholic mother-to-be is counseled by Susan, Coburn and Hathaway; Ross is told to cool it down by administration the same day that he is forced to work a case that involves child abuse.

8- "Raise the Roof."- Hathaway helps paramedics rescue an impoverished family from their home during an early winter deluge, then later demands a raise from the nursing administrator; she is livid when she finds out from a nurse that Doug has been seeing someone new.

9- "Giving Thanks."- A blood donor donating at a Chicago blood drive passes out outside of County, mystifying Lewis and Greene; they discover that the young man has a rare blood disease that he never knew about and are forced to spring into action quickly to get him well. Peter has Thanksgiving dinner with Jackie's family, but is miffed when he discovers that Jackie has also invited Carla. Doug spends his Thanksgiving with a twelve year old in his care dying from leukemia.

10- "The End."- A playwright with a debilitating and deadly disease writes the ending to his life; Carol confronts Doug about his new relationship, while Susan finds out that Chloe is home from rehab and living with her parents.

11- "Visitation."- Chloe shuns Susan when she goes to visit her at Cookie and Henry's house; Mark treats an attempted suicide victim, an absent father for most of his child's life; Doug feels guilty following his conversation with Carol and continues to try to get her back, but is stunned when he sees her making out with a paramedic in the ambulance bay.

12- "Out of this World."- Benton operates on a mother of four who needs breast surgery; a whacked out veteran gets shot by a trigger-happy cop who caught him disturbing the peace--- he thinks an alien invasion is taking a hold of Chicago. Greene, Hathaway, and Lewis get inventive with their treatment of the man, impressing the boss.

13- "Diagnosis: Murder."- Mark treats a woman who seems to have OD'd on her prescription medicine, but an observant Lewis notices that part of the story is not being told; Benton copes with a marathon shift that has him performing multiple surgeries, one with a horrendously bad outcome--- a sixteen year old boy who died on the table during a tricky aneurysm repair.

14- "Stand My Ground."- A day in the life of nurse Carol Hathaway: she attends a nursing meeting where she is chewed out for not adequately supervising the junior nurses, then is forced to serve jury duty, and finally deals with a complicated conversation with Ross.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

15- "Making Up Is Hard To Do."- A man takes his son skiing without his wife's permission, and when the son ends up in Greene's care following a blunt head trauma, he has a lot of explaining to do to his wife. Benton counsels an elderly woman who needs an operation to get a tumor removed. Carol has a conversation with the skier's wife which influences her decision with how to deal with Doug.

16- "The Scenic Route."- Doug and Carol get back together because they miss each other, but both realize that their relationship is dangerously volatile; a little boy seizes in a Chicago mall that Doug is shopping at with Carol and he must spring into action quickly, culminating in a stop at County where he can receive the best care.

17- "Damage Control."- A mentally disabled sixty year old man who was beaten by his abusive brother is brought into the ER; Susan attempts to treat him while Mark battles Morgenstern over his refusal to free up a bed in Psych for the demented brother when the police refuse to arrest the man.

18- "My Word."- Jim Flanagan, the mentally disabled man introduced last week, is given Susan's word that his disturbed brother will be cared for by the hospital, infuriating Mark, who is already infuriated about Morgenstern's decision.

19- "Surgeon of the Year."- Peter impresses County's new Surgical Attending Physician by removing a tumor from a woman's liver. Doug buys Cubby tickets for him and Carol; during the game, they get on the Kiss Cam, much to Carol's chagrin.

20- "Residency."- Mark is promoted to Chief Resident, and no one at work seems to care or show him any more respect than he had before; Susan snoops at Mark's paycheck and notices a great disparity between her pay and his, prompting a tense working relationship between the two.

21- "Showdown."- Susan and Mark diagnose the same patient differently and have to work together to figure out what is really wrong with Mae Richards, an 80 year old woman complaining of disorientation, chest pain and shortness of breath after a fall. Susan thinks the woman's medical history suggests she may have suffered a stroke and not even known it, while Mark thinks that she may have dementia.

22- "Marathon."- A small bomb detonates at a Chicago marathon, injuring dozens and killing three. Greene, Lewis, Hathaway and Ross all find their hands full treating critical cases in the ER, but fall under fire when they treat a less critical six year old over a hemorrhaging eighty year old, and face repercussions from the family of the eighty year old who dies before he is treated. Benton has his hands full in the OR, especially once his supervisor has a panic attack in the middle of treating one of the runners.

23- "End of a Long Day."- Doug proposes that he and Carol buy an apartment together; Mark and Jen plan to go on a second honeymoon to revitalize their stagnant marriage, but these plans come to an abrupt end when Rachel gets pneumonia and needs bed rest for two weeks. Paramedics bring in victims of food poisoning from a retirement home, and discover that one man has more than just food poisoning.

End of Season Four.

Season Five

Starring Anthony Edwards
George Clooney
Sherry Stringfield
Julianna Margulies
and Eriq La Salle

With Noah Wyle as John Carter
and Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter
and John Aylward as Dr. Donald Anspaugh

Guest Starring:
Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson
Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn
Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway
and William H. Macy as Dr. Morgenstern

Special Guest Stars:
John Terry as Dr. Div Cvetic
Christine Harnos as Jen Greene
Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
Ving Rhames as Walt Robbins
Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
John Cullum as David Greene
Bonnie Bartlett as Ruth Greene
Piper Laurie as Sarah Ross
Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis
Valerie Perrine as Cookie Lewis
and Paul Dooley as Henry Lewis

1- "Initiation."- A sorority initiation goes horribly wrong for a 17 year old with MS; Greene, Lewis, and later Benton, are on damage control. Ross is late to work, but once he gets to work, he tries to take the case over, infuriating Mark who takes it up to Morgenstern.

2- "Braindead."- 17 year old Larry Tanner is now braindead after last week's events. Morgenstern reprimands Doug for his actions, while Doug and Mark's friendship is strained following the incident. Carol urges Doug to curb his anger, but Doug's blood boils when he encounters Larry's sorority friends, leading to a near brawl outside of County.

3- "Forward."- In 1993, a single mother gives birth at County to her only child, Emma Cohen, with the help of Dr. Coburn and Drs. Greene and Lewis; in September 2009, Dr. John Carter, who has returned to County permanently following ER's finale, treats the now 16 year old child his friends helped to bring into the world after an attempt by the young girl to leave the world. He brings in a Psych doctor to evaluate her, but it turns out revisiting, and flashing back to, his own life experiences may just help both him and the girl he's treating.
This episode is credited as follows:
Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield, Julianna Margulies (credit only), and Eriq La Salle. With Noah Wyle as John Carter and Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter.
Special Guest Star Hailee Steinfeld as Emma Cohen.

4- "Probation."- Morgenstern suspends Doug's license after the Tanner incident, citing his countless other deliberate violations of hospital policy as other reasons for the suspension; with Mark and Carol's help, he fights to win back his license.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

5- "Cradle to Grave."- A fight between a young couple escalates to a dangerous situation when 20 year old Bill Johnson beats his girlfriend Lisa with a baseball bat for cheating on him; an elderly woman refuses to leave the ER when her husband codes on the table following a massive MI; Greene tends to marital difficulties stemming from Jen's belief that she does most of the parenting for Rachel; with all of this on his mind, he treats an infant who fell down a flight of stairs when she was left unattended by her careless babysitter.

6- "Dog Days."- Greene and Lewis treat a fifty-something woman with end stage leukemia who has pneumonia; Lewis has to babysit for Henry's new puppy when he goes on a trip with Cookie, but when her apartment has to be fumigated, she is left with no option but to bring the dog to work with her during a marathon shift. Carol helps Doug fill out paperwork for getting back his license, but Morgenstern has more bad news for Doug: the family of the boy Doug beat up are filing a lawsuit against the cocky pediatrician. Benton operates on a six year old who was beat up badly by a school bully.

7- "Debate."- A fire drill at a local elementary school during a school debate is thought to be a real fire thanks to a prank call from an unruly student, causing mass panic and several students are badly injured and in need of emergency care. Doug meets with a lawyer about how to prepare for his hearing.

8- "Welcome Home."- A soldier named Jack Carr from the Gulf War with PTSD nearly kills his best friend, mistaking him for an enemy soldier; Greene, Lewis, and Benton treat the best friend while Carol and Div Cvetic speak with Jack.

9- "Strength."- Jack Carr continues to recover with the continued assistance of Mark and Carol, but his luck turns once again when Mark finds out the Jack has a bad infection that is corrupting his system; Mark takes the witness stand in Doug's trial, explaining the death of Larry Tanner and why Ross acted the way he did with Larry's so-called friends. The judge calls a recess to discuss the case with jurors.

10- "Victory."- Doug takes the stand to tell his version of the incident; in the end, the judge understands why Ross acted the way he did and finds him innocent, dismissing the lawsuit and thus allowing Doug to practice medicine again.

11- "A Higher Power."- A jaded math professor, Dr. Ralph Peters, winds up in need of a tracheostomy when his tumor on his neck becomes too large to be treatable; Morgenstern operates. Benton performs a pericardiectomy on a thirty-something accountant who has just had heart surgery; Dr. Peters' hometown priest comes to give the dying man last rights, but Peters becomes a little more than angry with the higher power the priest has devoted his life to. Doug treats Ralph's son who came to the ER with him with a case of chicken pox, but Doug later discovers the boy "gave himself" chicken pox just to be with his dad.

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), and Eriq La Salle.

12- "Signs."- Carol's mother pressures her to settle down and focus more on finding a suitable man than on her job; her job is equally demanding as she has to cope with running the hospital amidst a mass casualty that has the doctors on high alert. The cause of the mass casualty: a poorly constructed new building in Chicago comes toppling down during rush hour, critically injuring dozens. Doug covertly flirts with a new Pedes intern (Olivia Munn), or so he thinks. Carol is devastated that her trust with Doug is once again failing, to the point where she doesn't even talk to Doug about it. The end of the episode shows Carol about to go knock on Div Cvetic's door, but deciding against it. Instead, she drops a note in his mailbox with one word on it, and without leaving her name: "help."

13- "Proof of Life."- Div Cvetic and concerned members of the staff try to track down the author of the note Carol wrote and left under Cvetic's door; a distracted Carol helps Mark treat a mother of six who is expecting a seventh but is informed by Dr. Coburn that there is a great probability that the child will be born developmentally disabled, leaving the mother with a difficult decision regarding the child's fate. The mother suffers from acute abdominal pain that Greene and Coburn feel may further complicate the pregnancy.

14- "Improbable Cause."- The mother of six from last week decides to take her chances with the pregnancy; Doug treats a seven year old girl with a rare blood disorder; a fireman with third degree burns is convinced that the homeowner of the house that was engulfed in flames lit the fire for insurance reasons.

15- "The Hardest Word."- An El passenger faints and falls onto the tracks, electrocuting himself on the third rail; a good Samaritan jumps in after the man to help him and in the process of saving him, dislocates his shoulder; Greene struggles to stabilize the passenger, who also has a heart condition, while Lewis tends to the hero. Doug breaks things off with the new Pedes intern, but she later entices him to one final fling; Carol barges in on the two having sex in an exam room. Carol walks away speechless, and Doug finds himself feeling incredible guilt for his actions, but unable to say he's sorry.

16- "Run This Town."- Mickey Deitz, a 25 year old drug dealer who lives in a bad neighborhood in Chicago, starts feeling the effects of a life of crime and drugs when he admits himself into the ER for bronchitis, which may turn out to be more serious; Doug and Mark are forced to run back from a conference at another Chicago hospital to run a mass casualty: a huge fire that engulfed an entire street.

17- "Coping."- Carol puts an end to Div Cvetic's investigation of who wrote the "help" note by telling him that she put it there as a joke and she didn't say anything up to this point because she didn't know it would go this far. Div chews her out for doing something so unprofessional. She talks with Doug about the truth, but he is too obsessed with figuring out their relationship problems to take what she's saying seriously, further exasperating the situation.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle (credit only).

18- "Third Wheel."- Doug and Carol permanently separate, and Doug immediately asks Mark to set him up with one of Jen's friends for spite. A man with a serious heart condition gets robbed and ends up under Lewis', Morgenstern's and Hathaway's care. Benton operates on a toddler with a pulmonary condition.

19- "Welcome to the Future."- In 2009, John Carter hosts an event at the Joshua Carter Center honoring the work of Dr. Kerry Weaver and Jeanie Boulet in the advancement of AIDS research. Flashbacks to 1996 show an initial conversation between Weaver, Benton and Boulet about the necessity for such research. Also in attendance to support her old friends is Carol Hathaway (invited by John who remembers Carol's interest in funding clinics for people such as AIDS patients), who draws a connection between a patient she and Doug treated in 1993 and someone involved in Kerry and Jeanie's study.

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies, Laura Innes, Gloria Reuben, and Eriq La Salle. With Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter.

20- "Family Ties."- Paul Samuels, the 16 year old HIV positive patient Doug and Carol treated in 1993, now a successful businessman, meets with Anspaugh and County Management to share his story and offer a generous grant to the hospital in exchange for their assurance that they will continue to inform the public on major health issues such as AIDS. Also in 2009, John, Dr. Morris, and Dr. Banfield treat one of Emma Cohen's friends that she met in therapy, who has a drinking problem.

Starring Anthony Edwards (credit only), George Clooney (credit only), Sherry Stringfield (credit only), Julianna Margulies (credit only), Scott Grimes, Angela Bassett, and Eriq La Salle (credit only). With Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter and John Aylward as Dr. Donald Anspaugh.
Special Guest Star Hailee Steinfeld as Emma Cohen.

21- "Loss, Love, and Life."- Mark and Susan are in the midst of treating a girl in anaphylactic shock when a multiple trauma is brought in requiring all hands on deck. Multiple drivers trying to get home on slick roads in a terrible storm lead to a few casualties, and many injuries. Carol and other nurses triage, while Mark, Susan, and Doug tend to the most severely injured patients first. Benton and Morgenstern operate on those in immediate need of surgery. Meanwhile, Jen wants Mark to make a house call to her stubborn aunt who fell down the stairs and refuses to admit that she has dementia and needs to be admitted to a nursing home. Police report to Mark that one of the drivers involved in the accident who survived was drunk; Doug and Carol fight over one of the victims, which causes Mark to have to step in and break up their fight. A shadow of a figure observing all this action appears at the end of the episode.

Series Finale

22- "A Fifteen Year Journey."- It is revealed that Carter is the figure standing in the shadows at the end of the last episode; he is due to start at County in a day and wanted to see what it was like before he came into work. Like the pilot of "ER," the 1994 portion of this episode takes place over the course of one day. Mark gives his report to cops about the drunk driver; Mark, Susan, Peter, and Carol continue treating patients from the car accident, two of whom die. Doug's shift is over and he apologizes to Carol about everything from the past couple of months, but she tells him that it's too late (a prelude to their conversation in the pilot, and to Carol's attempted suicide in the pilot). He mopes around his apartment all day, then goes to a local bar to drink away his troubles at night--- he is, for once in his life, alone and feeling guilty about the way he's treated a woman. Susan and Carol clock out at 10 pm, two hours after their shift was supposed to end--- they stayed overtime to take care of their patients. They will be back early the next morning for their next shift. Peter stays till one in the morning performing surgery on the most critical patients. Mark calls up Jen to tell him he will be sleeping in the break room that night because he has too much on his plate at work to come home. Morgenstern reprimands Mark for getting too emotionally attached to the cases he works, which is causing him to spend too much time with each patient and depriving him of sleep and other comforts of life (a problem John Carter will come to have).
The last act takes place in 2009. Carter has gathered his surviving colleagues from his first years at County to share with them that he was looking in on them the day before he started. He shares with Doug and Carol how he watched in awe as they fought with one another about their personal problems but still managed to keep the patient's welfare at the forefront of their discussion. He shares with Susan and Benton the immense feeling he got watching them tend to the victims, as well as the valuable lesson he learned from Mark about the consequences of drunk driving, which he used in helping to treat Emma Cohen's friend. Finally, he thanks Lewis for bringing Emma Cohen into the world. Carter thanks them for getting him started on his 15 year and counting medical career, and surprises them by revealing that he has named a wing at the Joshua Carter Center in each one of their names. The episode ends with the group of friends reminiscing in Ikes about old times.

This episode is credited as follows:

Starring Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle. With Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter and Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter.