ER Episode 14.19 The Chicago Way

It's a busy morning already for Sam and Tony, who ride the L to work together and miss their stop. Luca and Joe return from the weekend just in time to offer Abby a ride to work. In the ER, Dr. Pratt walks in full of sunshine boasting he rocked the interview for the Chief position, while Dr. Brinner berates Neela for her abysmal online dating attempts. When police bring in a drunk named Art, he promptly tells everyone that his being in the ER will put everyone in danger.

When Luca drops Abby off at work she presents him with a newspaper, a gift for their first wedding anniversary. Inside the hospital, Frank makes a call on behalf of Dr. Pratt, asking for a favor. Putting Art's name out over the radio, the cop who brought him in is told to keep him in the ER until help arrives. When Art tells Dr. Pratt he is back in town for his mom's funeral, Pratt begins to wonder what Art's secret is. Elsewhere, Neela and Lucien's discussion about her presentation is interrupted by Brinner, who continues to deride her.

In other parts of the ER, Archie calls Abby for help while attending to an elderly Asian lady who has been brought in by her daughter. Art, on the other hand, isn't proving easy to deal with, demanding he be released as people want to kill him, and if anything happens Sam should tell his wife there is an account in the Bahamas. Back in the trauma room, Dr. Brinner finds the Asian woman in the middle of a seizure. He tries to take over for Abby and Archie, but is told to leave by both of them.

In reception, Dr. Moretti has turned up out of the blue to tie up loose ends when a man claiming to be Art Masterson's brother-in-law asks to see him. When the guy pulls the curtain around Art's bed, Pratt investigates, only to find Art being strangled by his visitor. After a brief tussle, the would-be hit-man is arrested. As Sam dresses Art's wounds, Moretti asks if Abby is on duty. Meanwhile, Abby is working on the Asian woman in trauma one whose tests are all good who isn't improving.

Standing in front of the hospital's doctors, Neela gives a presentation on why a previous patient, Cheryl, died following her operation. As she concludes, she faces a barrage of doubtful questions, which Lucien defends her against from his place in the audience. Pratt attends to Art when he starts complaining of a tight chest and an anxiety attack. Art is about to tell Pratt the truth about himself when a man he seems to recognize walks in and tries to take him out of the hospital. The man's attempts are thwarted when Art has a heart attack. Elsewhere, Moretti tries to apologize to Abby for his behavior but she refuses to listen.

In the rest home, Luca quietly goes about his rounds while a priest serves the last rites to a dead man. Checking in on the elderly man Walter in the next room, Luca hears him admit that he wished he and his wife had had children because maybe they'd still be together and he wouldn't be lonely in his old age. Back in the ER, Arts friend tells the cops that they can leave their protection duty. Dr. Pratt tells him the ER is his world and that he does not have authority but when the man reveals himself as a U.S. Marshall, the situation changes.

Dr. Pratt has security check the IDs of everyone entering the ER. He tries to catch up with Gates on the progress of his relationship with Sam when Archie tells them both "love is hard, be hard on love." Frowning at the advice, Pratt is called to deal with the Asian woman's daughter who needs her shoulder examined. Frank meanwhile tells Dr. Pratt his patient Art is really a mob lawyer and FBI witness called Arnie Markowitz. While Archie checks the Asian girl's shoulder, he begins to build a rapport with her, only to have it broken when he learns she works as an escort, not a doctor.

Archie and the girl are called back to the trauma room where the girl's mom has taken a turn for the worse. Dropping in on Arnie, Dr. Pratt is first cleared by the U.S. Marshalls guarding him. Once inside the room, he's confronted by an unfamiliar male nurse with no ID. Dr. Pratt reacts and pins the man against the wall only to find out he is in fact a nurse and not another hit man. In her presentation, Neela is still being battered by questions and defended by Lucien, when he stands up and admits to the entire medical staff how bad the hospital is and that he was negligent for leaving Neela to do the operation herself.

Back with the Asian girl and her mom, Abby and Archie have done all they can for the woman but she still hasn't responded. Archie asks everyone to leave the room so the girl can say goodbye to her mom. Meanwhile, at the rest home, Luca has a visit from Moretti who says he doesn't want Luca to make the mistake he did in turning his back on the one person he loved. Luca thanks him for the visit by punching him to the ground.

Still attending to Arnie, Dr. Pratt takes five to see what his brother wants, and finds out he has been accepted to medical school and the family is having a dinner to celebrate. Everyone is expected to be there, including him. Back with Arnie, Dr. Pratt tells him he is putting everyone at risk and he has to do the right thing, which is to be moved to a safer hospital under the protection of the U.S. Marshalls. In the rest home, Walter tells Luca he is sorry he never got to meet Luca's family as he is leaving and that he will find the answers to his problems soon enough.

In reception, Frank's favor turns up in the shape of a Jewish jeweler with a selection of engagement rings for Dr, Pratt to choose from. Escaping from the chaos the rings create in the reception area, Dr. Pratt flees to the staff room where he bumps into Abby and tells her he has faith in both her and Luca. Just then Luca walks into the ER. Pratt returns to Arnie's room where the U.S. Marshalls tell him they have a secure facility ready for Arnie and will take him out of the ER. Both Sam and Dr Pratt offer to go with their patient to make sure he is okay, but the Marshall says neither will be allowed to go.

After the fallout from the presentation, Neela tries to stop Lucien from resigning, but he has made up his mind and is finished with the hospital. Following Neela into the surgical lounge, Dr. Brinner tells her he isn't the heartless beast she thinks he is. This only enrages Neela, who is further incensed when Dr. Brinner tells her that her problem is she needs a man. Acting on impulse, Neela takes out her frustrations as the pair tear off each other's clothes.

Abby and Luca take a walk in a park near the hospital and admit to each other they both want to get back to who they were. Luca realizes he wants to grow and share his life with Abby, telling her he wants to move away with her and start over. Abby kisses Luca, whispering she loves him. Back at the ER, Arnie is loaded into a suspicious ambulance, while Dr. Pratt and Sam ask the Marshall again to let one of them ride with him. Abby passes behind the ambulance making its way through traffic, walking back to the ER, just as it explodes.