Jarreth J. Merz

When a private school teacher is found stabbed to death, the detectives link her case to a victim's center, where she was working with an Iraqi man -- his story helped uncover some major military secrets, which may have led to her demise. Also starring: Adam Beach, Dann Florek, Ice-T, Diane Neal, Tamara Tunie, Richard Belzer, and B.D. Wong.

On Christmas Eve, the chilly emergency room staffers do their best to observe the holiday while a crusading Carter does the same--half a world away in a rundown Congolese medical clinic. Flashbacks reveal his relationship with Makemba "Kem" Likasu (recurring guest star Thandie Newton - "Mission: Impossible 2"), a beautiful African AIDS worker, as their clashes over meager resources slowly give way to a deep love affair. As Carter adjusts to the heat, filth and dangers of the region, he keeps in touch with his Chicago friends and embarks on a personal mission to help a pregnant mother who is dying of AIDS. Despite the anti-American sentiments of his French comrades, Carter remains determined to bring the joy and love of Christmas to the local children of Kisangani. Emmy Award-winning executive producer John Wells wrote the episode.

In a special episode, Carter travels to the war-torn Congo as part of a voluntary medical program. He finds primitive Third World facilities, a few heroic staffers and woeful patients overflowing the tiny hospital while a bloody civil war threatens to engulf them all. After Carter ventures deeper into the jungle to reunite with Kovac, they risk their lives manning a crude outpost used for a vaccination campaign--and soon find themselves in the line of fire between the warring tribes.

Tenax and Domitian start their own racing Gold Faction and recruit renowned charioteer Scorpus to join them. Patricians Antonia and Marsus try to undermine their efforts while Cala offers to help Tenax to ensure her daughters' safety. Emperor Vespasian contemplates which of his sons - Titus the soldier or Domitian the politician - should succeed him.

Carter returns to the Congo to search for the body of a fellow doctor and reunites with several associates from his previous trip. But the chaos, stench and hazards of the country's long civil war threaten to curtail his efforts, and Carter is placed in immediate danger. Meanwhile, still in the strife-torn country, Kovac is seen in flashbacks as he battles debilitating malaria while he ministers to the sick and dying.

In an effort to save his image and cement his authority, Titus publicly sends Berenice away and marries his cousin, a Roman. Tenax’s dark past is finally revealed, and his frantic chase for Ursus leaves someone dead. Kwame prepares for his fight with Flamma, a death sentence.