Mercy Episode 1.04 Pulling the Goalie

New Jersey is sweltering with a heat wave in October. Veronica is barely out of bed when Mike drops a bomb: he wants to have a kid, i.e. "pull the goalie." Veronica thinks it might be smarter to start with a hamster, but Mike has started by befriending the neighborhood kids, helping them build a go kart. Meanwhile, Sonia enjoys a romantic breakfast with Nick at a diner. When the diner's owner picks up the tab, Sonia is reminded of another perk that comes with a cop boyfriend -- can he take care of a parking ticket for her?

Veronica, Chloe and Angel are ordering breakfast from the roach coach when Harris drives up. When his phone rings, he puts the foil-wrapped burrito he brought from home on his car, only to have a homeless guy run by and swipe it. The nurses watch the chase, chuckling, until Veronica recognizes the homeless guy as Gerard, the guy who peed on her car. Veronica pitches in to help Harris catch Gerard, who's already started to eat the burrito. Despite being cornered, Gerard evades capture, until a speeding bike messenger slams into him.

Gerard survives the crash with a broken wrist, dehydration and a bad attitude, accusing Veronica of stealing his organs. She notices a Marine Corps tattoo and serious abscesses on his feet, which will need to be drained. Harris tells Veronica to discharge Gerard after he's cleaned up, but she advocates keeping him overnight, getting him off the street. With beds full of taxpaying grandmothers who need refuge from the heat, Harris won't hear of it.

Chloe does her best to befriend 18-year-old Jason, who suffered serious facial burns in a propane tank explosion on his 17th birthday. Jason's last skin graft is failing, so Sands recommends one last IV antibiotic to see if they can knock out his infection. Chloe runs after Sands. Jason doesn't like her very much -- what should she do? Sands tells Chloe that if anyone can put a smile on Jason's face, it's her.

Sonia tends to Kevin who has a fractured orbital, after a fight with his soon to be ex-husband Matt, who sustained an eye injury after their fight. Vegetarian Kevin returned home early from a business trip to find Matt serving osso bucco to a low rent boytoy named Steve. Stuck in the same room, the guys won't stop bickering, so Sonia lectures. If they're anything like her, it's rare to find someone you can stand to see everyday. If you even get close to it, it's time to hold on and make it work.

Gerard is still on a stretcher in the hallway when Veronica checks in with him, offering to get him some meds if he starts DTs. Gerard knows that Veronica's up to no good when she hooks a bag of glucose to his IV; she assures him that it's just part of her little plan to keep him around. When the lights go out, Gerard panics. Realizing that he suffers from PTSD just like her, Veronica talks him down.

That night, the girls stop by Delaney's for a cold drink in some cold air, only to learn the AC is busted. Plan B includes hopping the Rec Center fence to lounge in the pool with a couple of six packs. Veronica admits to earning Gerard a room with her glucose trick, earning a warning from Sonia. When Veronica chides her for following rules now that she's in love with a cop, Sonia insists she's not, and turns her attention to Chloe. Chloe thinks things are finally going well with her crush, revealing that she's got the hots for Sands.

Sonia sends Chloe for more beer, then tells Veronica that she has to stop Chloe. Veronica explains that she made her choice. Sands is probably lonely, and he can do whatever he wants. Besides, Mike wants to pull the goalie. Sonia is shocked -- a baby?! Chloe hears the last bit and figures Veronica's pregnant. Unsure, Veronica insists it's just an idea. Sonia warns Veronica that if she's going to have a baby, she's going to have to stop drinking...

Veronica returns home to find Mike fixing the neighborhood kids' go kart in the living room. He likes looking after the kids, it makes him feel good. Veronica tells Mike about Gerard; maybe what she did was stupid. Mike likes the fact that Veronica puts herself on the line for strangers. When they begin to make love right there on the floor, Mike offers to get a condom, but Veronica tells him not to.

The next day, Harris is not pleased to find that Gerard wasn't discharged. Veronica claims he was presenting diabetic symptoms, so she put him in a bed and ordered a blood panel. Although the tests show that Gerard is clearly not diabetic, he does have Hepatitis C. Veronica wants to get Gerard into Mercy's free Interferon program, but Harris refuses. Gerard is an alcoholic loser who won't show up for treatments, and he'll never be able to recover on the street. Veronica offers to find Gerard a place to live, but Harris has made up his mind, and the answer is no.

When the IV treatment doesn't work, Sands knows Jason's skin graft is dying, and urges him to try another graft. Jason refuses. He's going to look like a freak no matter what, and he's done with fake hope. Sands takes his mother outside for discussion, leaving Chloe to reassure Jason. Sands worked with tons of disfigured soldiers in Iraq, and surely he'll find the best possible surgeon. Jason promises to think about it.

Gerard is distraught to learn that he has Hep C -- did he get it from being in the hospital? Veronica explains how that's impossible, so Gerard admits that he's been self-medicating his PTSD since the first Gulf War with whatever he can get his hands on. Nothing stops the nightmares. Veronica can relate. She explains that the free Interferon program will prevent further damage to Gerard's liver, but he'll have to stop drinking and get off the street. She has a connection at a VA halfway house with round-the-clock meetings. When she asks Gerard to give it a try as a favor to her, he reluctantly agrees.

Chloe is upset to learn that Jason has requested a different nurse. Sonia hangs out with Matt and Kevin. The good news is they're both going to be fine. The bad news -- they can't stop arguing. Claiming that all they need is a little flexibility, Sonia warns them not to blow it. Nick interrupts with news about Sonia's ticket. She didn't tell him that she actually has 18 unpaid tickets, and now there's a bench warrant out for her arrest. The other nurses laugh as Nick hauls an irate Sonia down to the precinct.

Spying Gerard exiting the shower, Harris nearly pops a blood vessel, then confronts Sands. Why is he treating Harris' patients?! Realizing that Veronica had Sands get Gerard into the Interferon program, Harris warns him to be careful. Veronica may be a good nurse but her fanatical belief that the rules don't exist borders on mental illness. Chloe finds Jason on the roof. She apologizes, explaining that she cares about him. Trying to get rid of her, Jason snaps that the doctor she's drooling over obviously doesn't like her. Chloe ignores this comment, and explains she's found one last option for Jason to think about -- a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Sonia bursts out of the precinct in a nuclear rage, stalking over to the bus stop. Her car has been impounded, her credit cards are maxed, and her boyfriend arrested her. Nick tells her to look on the bright side: he didn't really arrest her, and Sonia's license has been suspended for six months, so she won't be needing her car. He promises to drive her back and forth to work until she gets her license back, but Sonia boards the bus, wondering why the hell she got involved with a cop.

Veronica calls her friend at the VA halfway house and secures a bed for Gerard. She's overjoyed, but an annoyed Sands pulls her into the X-ray room to scold her for setting him up with Harris. Veronica points out that she used to forge his signature twice a day in Iraq. Sands explains that they're in New Jersey now, and they can't take those kinds of liberties anymore. Veronica claims she thought they were a team, medically speaking. Sands accuses her of changing the rules to fit her needs, but Veronica insists that this is about the needs of a fellow veteran.

Sands finds Chloe murdering a candy bar in the lounge, and offers a better route to taking the edge off -- tequila. Playing it cool, Chloe promises to think about it. Sonia stops in to see Kevin and Matt, who have made up. Irate, Sonia tells them to run for the hills, as long as they're separate hills. Love sucks. Angel steps in to lay down the law. First of all, Sonia is a menace behind the wheel, and she's just mad because Nick finally called her on her nonsense. And it's a miracle that Matt and Kevin have the right to get married at all. They've got to fight to save their marriage.

Veronica is just checking on Gerard when Harris informs her that he's removed him from the Interferon program, and Veronica is to discharge him immediately. When she refuses, Harris calls her outside for a dressing down in front of everyone. Veronica is using the hospital to fend off her own demons. She only cares about saving Gerard because when she finally unravels, she's hoping someone will do the same for her. Veronica challenges Harris to tell Gerard that he's not worth the free medicine. When Harris turns to oblige her, Gerard's bed is empty. Warning Harris that he better hope she finds Gerard, Veronica runs out.

Chloe joins Sands at Delaney's, where he's already deep into the tequila. He offers to teach Chloe to surf, admitting that she's like his only friend in New Jersey. Chloe feels the same way. When Sands asks about Sonia and Veronica, Chloe explains that Sonia's got Nick, and Veronica's trying to have a baby. Floored, Sands orders another round. Meanwhile, Veronica screams for Gerard, but there's no answer. Frustrated, she picks up a cinder block and hurls it through the windshield of Harris' shiny new car. Gerard pops up to suggest that they both attend a meeting at the halfway house.

Chloe helps a drunken Sands back to his apartment, then makes a move on him. Sands squirms out of her embrace, explaining that he's in love with Veronica. They had an intense connection in Iraq, but kept their hands off each other. Then Veronica returned home to find that Mike was screwing around on her. So when she got stop-lossed back to Iraq, they fell in love. Stunned, Chloe takes a cab back to the hospital, in time to wave goodbye to Sonia. Sonia refuses Nick's offer of a ride and starts walking, but Nick refuses to take her no for an answer.

Chloe takes Jason up to the roof. He was right about Sands; he doesn't like her. Jason explains that his girlfriend from before the accident dumped him as soon as she saw his face. Now he'll never have a chance with someone as beautiful as Chloe. Chloe lays a hot kiss on Jason, promising that he'll find his one and only someone. Meanwhile, Veronica helps Gerard carry his cart of belongings up the stairs of the halfway house, then attends the meeting with him.