Morrison and Clancy argue over what to do about her unexpected pregnancy; Rosenthal and Dr. Auschlander fail to agree about anything as a nurses' strike looms; the emergency room receives three seriously burned firefighters; and Dr. Westphall collides with a strong-minded Mother Superior over life support for a critically ill nun.
Dr. Westphall bans Sister Dominica from the hospital; the firefighters try to adjust to their injuries; Fiscus meets a fairy godmother; White returns to work; Clancy takes matters concerning her pregnancy into her own hands; and a Federal mediator joins the stalled contract talks.
The rapist returns to St. Eligius; Daniels stays on the job as Rosenthal leads most of the other nurses out on strike; Ellen persuades Dr. Craig to go to a therapist about their marital problems; Luther learns one of the firefighters is fighting his pain in his own way; and Lizzie Westphall leaves for college.
Luther and Warren do some plumbing for Dr. Craig during their temporary layoff; Papandrao leaves the picket line to help Ehrlich in an emergency operation; Dr. Caldwell tries to find new ways for the firefighters to deal with their continuing pain; and Martin finds herself confronting the rapist again.
Breathless (1984) Anonymous Auschlander feels negligent when a long-term maintenance worker develops asbestosis. White attempts to locate his children. A mental health patient admits to the hospital rapes. One of the firefighters develops complications in his treatment. Ehrlich's bid to meet the new nutritionist turns into a disaster.
Dr. Caldwell performs plastic surgery on Manny while Jerry fights off cabin fever; Dr. Auschlander hires Joan Halloran as his new assistant; Axelrod becomes a hypochondriac; White reunites with his family; and a disturbed Daniels decides to do something about White.
Dr. Westphall finds himself a suspect in the Peter White shooting; Morrison finds a psychological cause for a boy's asthma attacks; many of the residents interview for a TV job; and the city honors the surviving firefighters.
Dr. Westphall suffers sleepless nights; a young man from the Philippines is apparently frightened to death by his dreams; Luther dreams of sweet revenge with the help of some `ZZ Top' impersonators; Ehrlich dreams of being washed up on an island of Amazon women; and Morrison suffers from nightmares of Peter White when he and some other residents take part in a dream research project.
A bone-marrow specialist arrives to perform a transplant between two feuding brothers and quickly befriends Annie; the last firefighter gives Caldwell a parting gift; Morrison's next door neighbor experiences a tragedy while baby-sitting Pete; Rosenthal overcomes her fears and begins an affair with Clarendon; and White's killer is cornered on the hospital roof.
Dr. Auschlander suggests a controversial liver dialysis procedure for Wegener's little girl, using her father's liver to do the work; Cavanero is stung by the same rumor she started about Dr. Holtz; and Chandler reports an old voodoo woman for practicing medicine without a license. Dr. Craig is called before the fees commission. Rosenthal meets Clarendon's wife.
Mrs. Wegener returns to find both her ex-husband and her daughter near death; Clancy moves in with Morrison after a burglary; Martin gives Fiscus a letter concerning Daniels; and Lizzie returns from Vassar with a boyfriend.
Fiscus pressures Martin into taking a step outside the psychiatric ward; Judge Farnham questions Dr. Auschlander about the ethics of Mr. Wegener's role in his daughter's treatment while Mrs. Wegener decides to take the child back to Chicago; Tommy's school asks Dr. Westphall to withdraw him; an angry Mitzi confronts Rosenthal about the affair; and Ehrlich tries to help the nymphomaniac wife of a patient.
An old friend of Dr. Auschlander returns from Africa to locate a kidney donor for a young African; Helen celebrates her birthday; removing a bullet in E.R. proves risky to both the patient and the doctor; and Mrs. Hufnagle returns to the hospital.
A donor is found for Tshalla but Ehrlich misses out on the operation; Chandler tries to juggle the multiple wives of a bigamist patient; and Morrison faces a personal problem when Luther is recruited by a Caribbean medical school with doubtful credentials.
Dr. Wyler puts Dr. Auschlander onto a new way of life; Halloran interviews Morrison's co-workers in an effort to build a case for him; Ehrlich takes the Craigs out for a disastrous dinner; and Mrs. Hufnagle loses a chance at a new life.
Westphall places a new doctor in charge of the E.R., and she immediately clashes with Fiscus; Axelrod's visit to Mrs. Hufnagel's apartment sends her back to the hospital; Rosenthal and Clarendon reconcile; Dr. Craig celebrates his 30th wedding anniversary with a visit from his estranged brother; Dr. Caldwell begins treatment of a disfigured girl suffering from a massive facial fibromatosis; and a junkie admits his very pregnant, 14-year-old girl friend.
Dr. Woodley tries to help Maddy decide what to do after her baby is born while Dean sets up a disastrous drug deal; Ehrlich offends a disabled cafeteria worker with his `Health Spot' segment; and Lizzie runs away from pressures at college and tries to reunite her family.
Dean takes off for Florida, leaving Maddy alone to face the future; Myra gives birth to a son, Peter; Hufnagel haggles over her latest bill; Rosenthal struggles with life in the ER; the phone repairman is electrocuted; Dr. Auschlander, angry about his portrait, cancels the dedication ceremony; and Martin returns to medical practice.
Westphall's old friend, Capt. Gloria Neal, arrives to make sure everything is prepared for an emergency as the First Lady passes through the area; Ehrlich creates anguish for a mother and child when he casually reports suspected child abuse; Clarendon faces Rosenthal's children when he decides to move in; and Shirley, out on bail and awaiting trial, returns to St. Eligius.
Dr. Westphall decides to sell his house; Andrea Fordham sees her new face for the first time; Shirley returns to the morgue where she shot Peter White; Rosenthal believes she's pregnant again; and Mrs. Hufnagle faces surgery.
Dr. Westphall decides to sell his house; Andrea Fordham sees her new face for the first time; Shirley returns to the morgue where she shot Peter White; Rosenthal believes she's pregnant again; and Mrs. Hufnagle faces surgery.
A young woman's multiple sclerosis worsens, threatening her life as a circus clown; Dr. Craig helps Dr. Westphall look for a condo; and Morrison feels the pressures of his responsibilities as a doctor and father.
Luther loses his hearing in an explosion; Morrison finds an explanation for his poorer than usual performance; and Axelrod learns that he is Mrs. Hufnagle's beneficiary and meets her son.
Mrs. Auschlander faces major heart surgery; Dr. Craig is disturbed to see the ravages of time on his mentor, Dr. David Domedion; Ehrlich searches for a religion; the messiah shows up for a Celtics game; and Dr. Westphall announces his resignation at a friendly little bar called Cheers.