ER Episode 15.04 Parental Guidance

Dissatisfied with the interns' performance, Banfield decides to start a new system. Each intern gets a mentor with daily two-way crits: Daria is paired with Gates, Ryan with Morris, and Tracy with Brenner. Brenner tells Tracy how he wants to proceed, but she insists on doing things her way.

Banfield tries to grab a coffee at the Jumbo Mart, but the machine is broken, so she heads out. On the street, she's accosted by a young tough. Pushing something like a gun into Banfield's back, the mugger demands her wallet. She kicks him in the groin, then implements a few well-chosen kung fu moves to bring him to the ground.

At home, Neela chats with Ray on her laptop. He's wondering if she's still all work and no play. Neela tries to cover, but Ray sees through her lies, and tells her she's a loser. Meanwhile, Banfield brings mugger Mikey into the ER. She tries to forego treatment for her own nosebleed and swollen cheek bone, but Gates insists.

Tracy wants to intubate Mikey but Morris steps in, claiming that all he needs is a small tube. Brenner and Morris face off, then decide to wait for an X-ray. Mikey sobers up when he realizes Bancroft is in charge. Rather than send him to the Jail Ward, she instructs Morris to keep Mikey for observation, since he mugged her with a pink highlighter pen.

When Sarah stops by to check in with Gates, he asks why she's talking funny. Sarah is forced to reveal her new tongue stud, shocking Gates, especially when Daria suggests that girls get them to pleasure boys. Thirteen-year-old gymnast Julie is brought in with mother Lauren and little sister Claire after falling off a six-foot wall.

Morris tends to a former patient, foxy Christine, who fell off her Pilates machine. She's been having a hard time since the death of her mother. In Trauma Two, the doctors prepare to intubate Julie, telling her she won't be able to talk. When Lauren leaves to take Claire to the bathroom, Julie blurts out, "She pushed me!"

Brenner asks Dubenko what Neela likes. Dubenko refuses to answer, claiming Brenner doesn't deserve Neela. When X-rays come back on Julie, Banfield and Gates confront Lauren. Julie has multiple old fractures. Lauren explains that Julie is an athlete, then calls Claire, who witnessed the fall. Claire confirms that Lauren was nowhere near Julie. Convinced that Lauren is abusive, Gates calls Social Services.

Alzheimer's patient Evelyn is brought in on a backboard with her son Chuck after a car accident. Another driver ran a red light. Tracy assures Chuck that Evelyn will be fine, but Brenner corrects her - they need to do a complete exam. Gates tells Sam about Sarah's tongue stud. Sam thinks it's time for "the talk," but he doesn't want to hear it. Gates asks Sam to do it, but she doesn't think it's her place.

Lauren is interviewed by Liz Dade from Social Services. What happens when she gets mad at her daughters? Lauren claims that her father beat the crap out of her, and she would never do that to her girls. Alarms sound when Julie stops breathing. Gates discovers that Julie's oxygen has been dialed down to 21%. Banfield realizes that Claire was the only one in the room.

Morris tells Christine that she only has a sprain. She's back in physical therapy school, so she knows what to do. On the way out, Christine asks Morris on a date. He claims that policy prevents him from dating patients, flabbergasting Ryan. When Christine hands over her phone number Morris throws it out. Ryan picks it out of the trash.

Tracy tells Chuck that his mother is a great teaching case, drawing unappreciative looks all around. Chuck's father Richard arrives to blame him for the accident, demanding a breathalyzer test. Chuck's a drunk. Chuck claims he's been clean for eight months. After the doctors open Evelyn's chest, Richard escorts her to surgery, ordering Chuck to stay behind until he proves he's sober.

Dubenko relents, telling Brenner that Neela likes screwball comedy and salsa dancing. If Brenner hurts her, Dubenko promises to remove his gall bladder. Liz Dade tells Banfield and Gates that Claire implicated Lauren, and she'll need to call Child Protective Services. The girls will probably be split up and put in foster homes. Gates thinks the matter is settled, but Banfield isn't sure.

After spotting smoke in Trauma Two, Brenner rushes in. Julie's sheets are on fire. Claire explains that she was trying to pull a piece of glass out of Julie's leg and started the fire while sterilizing the tweezers - it was an accident. Banfield calls security to keep an eye on Claire.

Ryan confronts Morris: why isn't he taking Christine up on her offer? Morris finally admits that Christine is a call girl, and besides, he's done with dating. Ryan asks for another mentor; he needs someone well rounded who understands relationships. Handing over Christine's number, Ryan tells Morris to get in the game. It's time.When Julie is moved to surgery, Banfield asks Lauren about Claire, concerned that she may be a danger to others. Banfield thinks Claire needs to see a psychologist, maybe spend some time in the hospital. Shocked, Lauren insists her kids are okay. Gates still thinks that Lauren is at fault; Banfield promises she'll get to the bottom of it.

Gates finds Sarah waiting for him outside, bummed out that he grounded her. She insists she can do what she wants with her body. When Gates offers to have "the talk," Sarah explains that she doesn't have a boyfriend, and she's not having sex. She was going to pierce her belly button, but her friends dared her $10 to pierce her tongue. Gates offers $20, and Sarah takes out the stud.

Brenner has a heart-to-heart with Richard, explaining that Chuck is clean. Richard should give him a chance to show he's trying. When Neela reports that Evelyn's surgery went well, Richard asks when he and Chuck can see her. Neela declines Brenner's offer of a celebratory date, but does relent to a cup of coffee.

Banfield settles in for a talk with Claire, who claims that Lauren always blames her for whatever. Banfield explains that video cameras caught Claire dialing down Julie's oxygen and lighting her bed on fire. Claire confesses to everything, admitting that it felt good to hurt Julie. When Banfield tells Claire she's going need to stay in the hospital for a while, Claire screams and runs for her mother.

Claire freaks out as several people try to get her on a gurney. When Banfield calls for hard restraints, Claire promises, "I will kill you!" Over coffee, Brenner asks Neela to go salsa dancing, and she smells a rat. An awkward shag doesn't count as romance, only poor judgment. Brenner promises he won't hound or nag, but someday when Neela wakes up happy and next to him, he will say, "I told you so."

Lauren admits that lately Julie has been acting violently, but she wrote it off. She doesn't understand why this is happening. Banfield can only say she doesn't know either. Lauren can't believe this is all Banfield has to offer. Shouldn't she lie and say it's all going to be okay? Banfield apologizes, but that's all she has to say. Once she's alone, Banfield struggles to hold it together.