Thu, Feb 5, 1998
Mark rushes out to San Diego when his mother has a serious fall and is hospitalized. When he gets there he finds her suffering from mild dementia and questions the care she is receiving. To his surprise Cynthia Hooper follows him unannounced and uninvited, leading his parents to form a conclusion about their relationship. Mark also learns a lot about his parents' relationship and while he continues to struggle with his difficult relationship with his father, he also learns of some of the sacrifices the man made for his family.
Thu, Apr 9, 1998
Dr. David Morgenstern returns after a six-month absence recovering from his heart attack. His new outlook on life however has Kerry Weaver questioning his abilities. Elizabeth Corday decides to start a study on the use of artificial blood in the ER, but the only problem is that she fails to discuss it first with Rocket Romano. Doug Ross decides to apply for an ER attending position. Scott Anspaugh suffers a major relapse. Anna Del Amico is confronted by an irate husband who wants his ill wife to terminate her pregnancy. At the free clinic, Carol Hathaway has to deal with the case of an underage high school student who is sleeping with her 40-year-old teacher. Peter Benton hits a pedestrian with a car but Carter helps him out with an important piece of information.
Thu, Apr 16, 1998
When a compatible bone marrow donor cannot be located, Scott Anspaugh agrees to undergo a new round of chemotherapy, even though there appears to be little point. Doug Ross suggests to Jeanie Boulet that Scott may have agreed to the therapy because of her. Mark Greene has taken on the task of organizing the annual ER banquet only to find that Jerry, on whom he had been relying for much of the preparation, hasn't quite delivered. John Carter confronts his grandmother when he learns that she has cut off funding for Carol Hathaway's free clinic. In the OR, Peter Benton has a major confrontation with Dr. Morgenstern, pushing him aside and taking over an operation. Greene and Weaver criticize Doug Ross over his handling of a sick child and her mother.
Thu, Apr 23, 1998
Following the incident in the OR, Dr. Morgenstern and Dr. Benton present the case to their colleagues. As a result, Peter Benton finds himself suspended for insubordination pending a full inquiry. Jeanie attends Scott Anspaugh's funeral and has some information to share with the boy's father. Anna Del Amico finds herself ethically unable to perform an abortion and is taken to task by Dr. Weaver. John Carter gets the hospital to take legal guardianship of a patient he feels has been subjected to elder abuse, but subsequently doubts that he made the right decision.
Thu, Apr 30, 1998
Benton and Elizabeth Corday spend the night together. Corday is shocked when Robert Romano suggests that they go out on a date. John Carter and his grandmother clash over the future of Chase Carter; she wants him cared for at home while John feels he should remain institutionalized where he can continue to receive therapy. Carol Hathaway finally gets around to inviting her mother to a Sunday brunch with her and Doug but is a bit surprised when she shows up with her boyfriend. In the ER, Hathaway comforts a man who is going to die from chemical burns.
Thu, May 7, 1998
Assisted by Carol Hathaway, Doug Ross decides to detoxify a drug-addicted infant in the ER without telling anyone. Jeanie Boulet is feeling rundown and fears that her health may be deteriorating. John Carter is less than pleased when Anna Del Amico's former boyfriend shows up in the ER conducting a study on the need for a pediatric attending physician. Del Amico also has to treat a televangelist who is using her health issues to raise money. Elizabeth Corday is worried that Rocket Romano may be aware of her affair with Peter Benton and that it will affect her fellowship.
Thu, May 14, 1998
At the hospital daycare, one of the child-care workers suggests to Peter Benton that he may want to have baby Reece's hearing checked. Doug Ross dodges a bullet by admitting upfront his error in detoxifying a baby without permission. Having been acting Chief for over 6 months, Kerry Weaver puts her name forward to replace David Morgenstern as Chief of Emergency Medicine only to be told she will have to compete for the job. The doctors treat a couple of Elvis impersonators who sky dive into Lake Michigan. When drugs go missing from the ER, John Carter suspects Anna Del Amico's ex-boyfriend.
Thu, Sep 24, 1998
Third-year med student Lucy Knight reports to the ER for the first day of her rotation. Greene takes a paternal interest in her, helping her get acquainted, but she gets off to a bad start with the irritable Carter. The rest of the day finds her informing a wife of her husband's terminal condition, comforting a pregnant woman, getting locked on the roof and trying to figure out Weaver's "Tour on Tape."
Thu, Oct 15, 1998
Lucy finally admits to Carter that she doesn't know how to start an IV. Weaver interviews for the job as the ER Chief. Benton keeps his son's disease a secret. Jeanie intervenes when she finds out a liver transplant candidate is drinking again, and later asks Doug if she can be assigned to work for his pedes project in the ER. Corday gets stuck as the intern of dismissive and insulting Dr. Dale Edson.
Thu, Oct 29, 1998
It's Halloween in the ER, and the medical students throw a party; as a result, Carter decides that Lucy isn't mature enough to take responsibilities. A candidate for the ER Chief position arrives from New York and drives home disappointment for Kerry. Mark screws up when he doesn't recognize a homeless schizophrenic woman is pregnant before treating her. Benton treats Corday to a fun Halloween.
Thu, Nov 5, 1998
The board decides to extend the search for a new ER Chief, leaving Kerry waiting for a decision. Benton visits a doctor who is deaf and he realizes that there is nothing "wrong" with his son. Mark saves the life of a gay prostitute and then tries to get the kid to avoid reckless behavior. Carter loses his Resident Advisor job because of Lucy, then blames her for not going along with his plan to defraud an insurance company, but she inadvertently leads him to shave off a nasty-looking beard he'd been growing. Corday saves two lives and impresses Benton enough that he decides to request she be his intern instead of Dale's. Carol tries to help an elderly Jewish guy find a place to live.
Thu, Nov 12, 1998
Carter and Weaver become unlikely roommates. Lucy is having problems with Carter, and Greene picks up on their squabbling. Corday works long shifts which leads to her exhaustion and a critical medical error, causing a rift with Dr. Anspaugh and problems for Benton. Greene has unpleasant flashbacks when he's hazed by the well-meaning paramedics. Jeanie worries when she and Doug treat a young boy whose childlike mother clearly depends on his 6-year sister to make all decisions. Kerry rediscovers her joy of practicing medicine and decides not to pursue the open ER Chief job, which goes instead to a Dr. Amanda Lee.
Thu, Nov 19, 1998
A man arrives at the ER with his gravely-injured daughter then runs out, presenting a critical situation because he's the only match for her blood type. While Carter and Lucy alternately bicker and work well together as they try to track down the father, blood-supply snafus spur Benton to perform an unprecedented operation on the girl.
Thu, Dec 10, 1998
Corday faces M&M where the board was discussing the mistake that Corday made after she gave the wrong dosage to a patient. She decides to take the offensive and let the board know how wrong it is for her or any other doctor to work 36 hours. The board decides to do nothing about it, and she later decides to amicably end her relationship with Benton. At the hospital arrives Ruth Johnson who was born 100 years ago in that same hospital and shares some experiences with Carter. Carol is horrified by the truth behind a young boy's fatal shooting.
Thu, Dec 17, 1998
It's Christmas day in the ER. An 18-year-old boy arrives brain-dead, and Carter has to convince his parents to donate his organs, since a 16-year-old girl needs a liver. Benton risks his career by preventing Romano from operating under the influence. Ross and Hathaway have a religious dispute over how to deal with a pregnant 13-year-old. Corday is charmed by a musician who is facing surgery for prostate cancer. Dr. Lee flirts with Mark but turns out to have some major issues and strange story-telling habits.