ER

It's 5am on St. Patrick's Day and Mark Greene is asleep in an exam room. He is woken up by Lydia, an ER nurse, who says there's a patient for him. He asks why an intern can't take it and is told it's Dr. Ross. Greene gets up to find Dr. Ross very drunk and singing "Oh Danny Boy." He is taken to a bed and Greene asks for aspirin and an IV. Doug tells Mark about his date and asks about Mark's wife. The nurse asks if Doug always does this and Mark replies "only on his nights off." He says he's going back to bed. He is woken up seemingly a few seconds later being told it is 6:30am.

Susan Lewis and Peter Benton arrive. Benton watches a news report about a building collapse as Timmy, the clerk, is getting a call saying they're getting a dozen patients, 7 critical. Greene gives orders and asks Benton what's going on then cancels his orders and asks for everyone to get to the ER. Ross is woken up by the arrivals.

Benton deals with an almost severed hand, Greene helps someone with chest pains, Ross pitches in to help an elderly woman who throws up blood on him, making him quip that it's no place for a paediatrician. Benton wants to help with the hand but the surgeon won't let him so he helps Ross' patient and shocks her when she codes. Lewis helps one man who fell on his face and another with a broken leg. Greene goes to the waiting room to tell one patient's son his father died of a heart attack. The crisis is over, the last two patients were DOA.

In the lounge Benton, Greene and Lewis talk about the patients. Benton gets up for a cup of coffee and is annoyed that the nurses have drank it all. Nurse Carol Hathaway comes in and Benton complains to her, who tells him to make more. He moans about his salary and his hours ("and we still have to make the coffee?") before giving up and asking where the filters are. Mark is told his wife is waiting for him in the cafeteria.

His wife Jen and daughter Rachel are waiting for him, Jen reminds him about a meeting he has but tells him he'll hate it but complains she never sees him between his hours and her studying for the bar exam.

Back downstairs Benton notices a new student, Greene comments on his tailored white coat and Lewis wonders if he knows anything. It's Benton's new student, John Carter. Benton gives him a very quick breakdown of the department and is irritated that he has only done dermatology and psychiatry before now so doesn't know how to start an IV or do sutures. Benton very quickly shows him and introduces Carol and Dr Morgenstern to him. Benton takes him in to show sutures but gets called away for a gunshot victim so Carter has to finish.

Ross also gets a student who crushes his attempts to be charming then rudely tells a parent to leave so she can talk to her son. Ross talks nicely to her and persuades her to leave and speaks to the boy, he thinks the boy has an ulcer.

Carol takes and gives orders as she walks through the department and Ross complains about her preference for football players over him. She tells him he had his chance.

Carter has to start and IV on the policeman Benton was called away for, it's a minor injury. He takes several attempts to get the IV in. Mark sees an older black man about problems with his eyesight. Mark tries to save him some money on unneeded tests because he doesn't have insurance and the man says he's refusing the tests because he's black. Greene responds by ordering the tests and a bill. A cab driver comes in with a woman in labour and Greene delivers with Carter's help before Benton comes in and tells Carter to get back to sutures.

Benton tells Carter to get some lunch and when Carter tells him he doesn't need it Benton tells him to go because he doesn't know when he'll get another chance. As he's going down a hall Lewis is looking after a 13 year old crack dealer who has been shot with an Uzi. A motorcycle accident victim comes in as Mark leaves for his appointment.

After the hectic ER Mark's appointment is at a private practice that resembles an office more than a hospital. He is offered a job with a far higher salary, an office, a ski lodge he can use and foreign conferences every year.

Susan tells a man who smokes a lot that he has something on his lung. When he presses her she says it's possibly cancer and he could have 6 months to a year to live. When he starts to cry after thanking her she tells him that she's learned nothing is ever certain.

An older wealthy woman comes in and is recognised by the clerk. She is sent to Greene who greets her and she asks for help with a hangnail. He tells her it will cost $180 but she insists so he cuts it off for her. She asks about his family. The next shift of nurses come in and Haleh and Carol leave.

Carter treats a girl with a cut foot. She's crying because she smashed her Dad's brand new Cadillac. When her Dad comes in he's relieved she's OK but loses his temper when she tells him about the car then calms down. Benton comes in to tell Carter there are 6 other patients waiting on sutures.

Ross helps a boy who has swallowed his house key and can't resist laughing when the mother tells him it's her only key. Carter tells a girl she could have an ectopic pregnancy but she insists she isn't pregnant. He asks Benton for an opinion who confirms the diagnosis, obviously irritated at Carter for needing him.

Susan and Mark are in the cafeteria talking about his job offer and Jen when his pager goes off. He calls down and then tells Susan they have to leave. When the get to the ER everyone is waiting, they've heard the news that Carol Hathaway is being brought in with an overdose.

Carol's roommate doesn't know what she took. Lydia asks why she did it and Greene cuts her off, saying they don't ask that of any other overdose. Her barbiturate level is so high Greene asks if it's a mistake but Lewis confirms she repeated it twice. Morgenstern comes in to talk to Greene about it and Greene says they're doing everything because she was popular. Morgenstern tells Greene "you set the tone" meaning to do everything he can then move on to other patients and don't fall apart.
Benton gets a knife wound victim come in and Carter feels sick so goes outside. Greene follows him and tells him not to worry about being sick and that there are two types of doctors, ones that keep their feelings and ones that don't and if he keeps his feelings he's going to get sick once in a while. Carter goes back in and Benton tells him not to worry about it but don't make it a habit.

Carol is still comatose and Lewis is asked if they've found her family yet, which they had. No one has any idea why she attempted suicide. She's also asked if the media knows yet because it won't look good for the story to end up on the news.

Greene tells a man he has a minor problem but the man is sure it's cancer so Greene has to convince him he doesn't. The man is then angry when he's told to stop smoking and drinking.

Ross sees a baby brought in by the babysitter. She says he fell out of his crib but Ross says the boy has been beaten and to get the mother. A young woman comes in with burns to her thighs and as Greene treats her she flirts with him.

Benton treats a man who has back pain. He has an aneurysm and is scheduled to have an operation the next month but he's bleeding internally, the aneurysm has ruptured. Lewis tells him no one is available and Benton says he's going to start the operation or the man will die and asks Lewis to get Morgenstern back to the hospital to help. When he's getting changed to perform the surgery he admits he's terrified but he's the man's only chance.

He tells two surgeons performing another operation that he'd appreciate some help. They ask one of the nurses to check that he's not joking and one leaves when they find out he isn't. When Benton is told he says the surgeon is the only person in the hospital who knows less about vascular surgery than him. Between them they open the man up and although Benton struggles to find the leak at first he finds it just as someone comes in to tell them Morgenstern is in the building.

Meanwhile Greene is helping a woman with heart trouble. As he's working on her he realises he can't give up his work.

Morgenstern finally shows up and tells Peter off for opening the man up, saying the incision is awful. He takes over and as Benton is leaving Morgenstern tells him he was lucky as hell but right to open him up and that he did a good job. Benton leaves and does a victory punch outside.

The mother of the baby Ross is looking after arrives and complains Ross isn't doing anything so he shouts at her for beating her son, then shouts at his student for being unable to find a chart. He tells the babysitter she did the right thing and tells her the baby will be OK. He later apologies to his student.

Benton asks Lewis about Carol who tells him it's not looking good and police bring in a man suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis who Greene asks to be hydrated.

The wife of the man with the aneurysm speaks to Benton, saying Morgenstern saved his wife, and Benton agrees. She says he told her Benton had done a lot too but Benton replies he only helped out a little.

Benton goes for a nap in exam room 5 and Carter lies down on a row of benches and Jerry doesn't tell him about the rooms. Greene goes back to the exam room he was in at the start and asks to be left until 6:30. A second later he's woken up again. It's 6:30.