ER Episode 14.18 Tandem Repeats

The hostage situation is firmly in the past for Archie, or so he tells the hospital psychologist. But are things really fine with him or is he burying his trauma? Meanwhile, Neela is prepping for Cheryl Hawkins as she is readied for her fourth surgery, and Abby goes to a job interview at the Peyton Medical Center. Back at reception, Dr. Brinner, fresh from a passionate night with Laverne, deftly ignores her while introducing a new student, Dr. Montoya, to the staff.

While filling a prescription for an elderly woman, Abby has an unexpected allergic reaction. She discovers the source of her allergies when the woman pulls a kitten from her purse. Abby calls a social worker to deal with the woman before confiding in Marquez that she's had a job offer. The arrival of an ambulance cuts their conversation short as Lois, a young woman who passed out in the middle of the road, arrives for treatment.

While Archie contemplates the bullet hole in the trauma room glass, Manny, a truck driver who narrowly missed hitting Lois when she passed out in the road, is wheeled in suffering from a dislocated hip. In the other trauma room, Abby assesses Lois while Dr. Brinner continues to ignore Laverne, instead favoring Dr. Montoya with his attention. Elsewhere, during a difficult surgery, Lucien leaves Neela to finish on her own so he can answer a call from another department in the hospital.

As Archie manipulates Manny's leg and pops his dislocated hip back in place, he is reminded once again that they could have been killed during the recent hostage crisis. Calling into the other trauma room, Archie finds Dr. Brinner has sent his student doctors out to run his errands. When Dr. Brinner questions Abby's diagnosis of Lois's condition, she puts him in his place with her impressive medical knowledge. When she's informed that her parents have been called, Lois becomes agitated and upset.

During Cheryl's surgery, Neela discovers the woman's bowel is ruptured. When Lucien fails to respond to her page, Neela makes the call and fixes the tear on her own. Meanwhile in Lois's room, Dr. Brinner continues to act dismissively towards Laverne, while being a tentative to Dr. Montoya. When a woman, Edith, bursts in frantically searching for her son Lonny, Abby tries to help her. Confused by her request, things get even weirder when Lois calls to the woman, "I'm right here, Mommy." A stunned silence falls.

Lucien and Neela check on Cheryl: She's not healing well. Neela questions her own work, but Lucien says she's a good doctor. Lois admits to Abby that she didn't want the hospital to call anyone because she feared being discovered. In a moment of peace, Abby confides in Lois that sometimes the people closest to us are the ones who have the hardest time. In the corridor, Edith is struggling with the truth about her son and when her husband calls, she lies to him about why she's at the hospital. Edith tells Abby that Lonny disappeared six years ago, so this discovery is a bittersweet one.

Frank, Archie, Dr. Pratt and a security guard watch surveillance footage showing an unknown couple having sex around the hospital. Sam and Gates grow nervous when they see the footage. Abby takes a minute to ask Dr. Pratt if the board will offer her an attending position soon, because she has another job offer. Meanwhile, Abby tells Edith and Lois that Lois has liver failure. Lois admits that she injects estrogen hormones from Mexico, so Abby has a sample analyzed.

Dr. Gates is unsuccessfully trying to get ahold of the surveillance DVD. Elsewhere, Abby's elderly cat lady still refuses to go home. While attending to the old lady, Abby is called back to Lois when she begins to vomit blood. Dr. Brinner decides to use an endoscope but Abby overrides him, saying they will use a new drug that is less invasive. Brinner gives up and lets Abby have it her way. Lucien announces Cheryl's results are back: the operation didn't work. Lucien reminds Neela not to become attached to patients before requesting she inform Cheryl and her family that they have to prepare for the worst.

Edith's husband has arrived, wondering why she's in the hospital with a strange woman. Abby tells the couple to have their argument in the family room. She walks outside as Dr. Jenson from the Peyton Medical Center calls with the job offer. Abby accepts the offer before returning to Lois's room with the estrogen toxicology results. She tells them the estrogen has killed Lois' liver and that the transplant waiting list will take too long. Edith volunteers to be a donor but her husband still refuses to look at Lois. Elsewhere, Neela tells Cheryl and her family that she has to be put on a breathing machine or risk a coma.

While Sam distracts Frank, Gates swipes the DVD of them having sex in the hospital. Dr. Pratt tells Archie he is on the shortlist for chief and tells him he's looking after Tina following her surgery. On his way out Pratt, finds out that Abby took the other job. In a trauma presentation, Sam and Gates are mortified to discover they stole the wrong DVD when footage of them having sex is played instead. Meanwhile, at Tina's place, Pratt says he'll stay a few days and sleep on the sofa so he can look after her.

Edith's lab results confirm she's a match for Lois, but her sclerosis prevents her form donating part of her liver. Edith's husband is still refusing to accept that Lois is his child and leaves the hospital just as Lois goes into cardiac arrest. Abby injects calcium to counter the high potassium level in Lois's blood and save her kidneys. Lois's dad returns to support his wife while outside, Archie takes time out to think about the hostage situation that's preying on his mind. In reception, everyone is talking about the Sam and Gates sex DVD, which forces them to come out about their relationship and kiss in front of everyone.

When Laverne and Dr. Montoya tell Dr. Brinner about their new patient, he is again rude to Laverne. Deciding she's had enough, Laverne takes Brinner aside. She doesn't mind that fact that he used her for sex but warns him that she could get him fired for his insults and discrimination. Brinner hits back, suggesting no one would employ a doctor that slept her way to being qualified.

After Abby escorts Lois and her parents to the elevator for ICU, she takes Lois's father to one side. She tells him that the people we love sometimes do things we don't understand, but we have to ignore that when they need our help. The man is non-responsive, so Abby starts suggesting potential treatment options. He cuts her short, agreeing to have a test to see if he is a donor match for his son/daughter.

Neela observes Cheryl's family standing vigil by her as she breathes on a ventilator. Watching a video on Cheryl's blog about her life battling the illness, Neela empathizes with the family. Lucien comments on Cheryl's last surgery, claiming he left the surgery to save the life of another patient. Neela asks if it was okay to sacrifice Cheryl and scolds him - they both know he should never have left. On her way home, Abby helps Laverne avoid Dr. Pratt. Elsewhere, Archie makes an appointment to see the hospital therapist. After a quiet conversation outside the hospital, Dr. Pratt walks Abby back into reception and introduces her as their newest attending physician.