Westphall's old friend, Capt. Gloria Neal, arrives to make sure everything is prepared for an emergency as the First Lady passes through the area; Ehrlich creates anguish for a mother and child when he casually reports suspected child abuse; Clarendon faces Rosenthal's children when he decides to move in; and Shirley, out on bail and awaiting trial, returns to St. Eligius.
Dean takes off for Florida, leaving Maddy alone to face the future; Myra gives birth to a son, Peter; Hufnagel haggles over her latest bill; Rosenthal struggles with life in the ER; the phone repairman is electrocuted; Dr. Auschlander, angry about his portrait, cancels the dedication ceremony; and Martin returns to medical practice.
Westphall places a new doctor in charge of the E.R., and she immediately clashes with Fiscus; Axelrod's visit to Mrs. Hufnagel's apartment sends her back to the hospital; Rosenthal and Clarendon reconcile; Dr. Craig celebrates his 30th wedding anniversary with a visit from his estranged brother; Dr. Caldwell begins treatment of a disfigured girl suffering from a massive facial fibromatosis; and a junkie admits his very pregnant, 14-year-old girl friend.
Fiscus pressures Martin into taking a step outside the psychiatric ward; Judge Farnham questions Dr. Auschlander about the ethics of Mr. Wegener's role in his daughter's treatment while Mrs. Wegener decides to take the child back to Chicago; Tommy's school asks Dr. Westphall to withdraw him; an angry Mitzi confronts Rosenthal about the affair; and Ehrlich tries to help the nymphomaniac wife of a patient.
Dr. Auschlander suggests a controversial liver dialysis procedure for Wegener's little girl, using her father's liver to do the work; Cavanero is stung by the same rumor she started about Dr. Holtz; and Chandler reports an old voodoo woman for practicing medicine without a license. Dr. Craig is called before the fees commission. Rosenthal meets Clarendon's wife.
A bone-marrow specialist arrives to perform a transplant between two feuding brothers and quickly befriends Annie; the last firefighter gives Caldwell a parting gift; Morrison's next door neighbor experiences a tragedy while baby-sitting Pete; Rosenthal overcomes her fears and begins an affair with Clarendon; and White's killer is cornered on the hospital roof.
Dr. Westphall suffers sleepless nights; a young man from the Philippines is apparently frightened to death by his dreams; Luther dreams of sweet revenge with the help of some `ZZ Top' impersonators; Ehrlich dreams of being washed up on an island of Amazon women; and Morrison suffers from nightmares of Peter White when he and some other residents take part in a dream research project.
Breathless (1984) Anonymous Auschlander feels negligent when a long-term maintenance worker develops asbestosis. White attempts to locate his children. A mental health patient admits to the hospital rapes. One of the firefighters develops complications in his treatment. Ehrlich's bid to meet the new nutritionist turns into a disaster.
Luther and Warren do some plumbing for Dr. Craig during their temporary layoff; Papandrao leaves the picket line to help Ehrlich in an emergency operation; Dr. Caldwell tries to find new ways for the firefighters to deal with their continuing pain; and Martin finds herself confronting the rapist again.
The rapist returns to St. Eligius; Daniels stays on the job as Rosenthal leads most of the other nurses out on strike; Ellen persuades Dr. Craig to go to a therapist about their marital problems; Luther learns one of the firefighters is fighting his pain in his own way; and Lizzie Westphall leaves for college.
Morrison and Clancy argue over what to do about her unexpected pregnancy; Rosenthal and Dr. Auschlander fail to agree about anything as a nurses' strike looms; the emergency room receives three seriously burned firefighters; and Dr. Westphall collides with a strong-minded Mother Superior over life support for a critically ill nun.