Oliver Davis

Sam treats an abused and newly pregnant teen, Layla (Rheagan Wallace), as well as a woman, Kathy (Marin Hinkle - "Two and a Half Men"), who could lose her entire family after a car accident. Carter takes the day off to show Kem (recurring guest star Thandie Newton) the wonders of a wintry Chicago. Meanwhile, a risk-assessment expert, Arnie Nadler (Richard Kline), is hired to observe the emergency room and is shocked at the abounding mayhem--especially when Sam gets violent with Layla's obnoxious boyfriend. Abby and Pratt restrain an undocumented man, Miguel (F.J. Rio), who wants to leave despite testing positive for tuberculosis. And Sam is quizzed by her son, Alex (recurring guest star Oliver Davis), about her interest in Kovac.

Two distinctive cultures commingle when Neela treats two Amish teenagers who were in a car accident and are exploring the outside world to determine if they want to return to their reclusive society. Corday and a few others mourn the loss of a talented colleague. Meanwhile, Sam clashes with sympathetic Kovac after he gives too much attention to her trouble-prone teenaged son, Alex (recurring guest star Oliver Davis). Lewis becomes upset when an unconscious 5-year-old girl cannot be traced to any parent or guardian. And Pratt notices the beautiful Valerie (recurring guest star Joy Bryant), who is visiting her nervous brother Gallant.

After 10 years at Chicago's County General Hospital, Attending Physician Dr. John Carter (series star Noah Wyle) has risen to a role of respect and moral leadership in the emergency room. His recently graduated colleague Abby Lockhart (series star Maura Tierney) proudly dons a doctor's white lab coat for the first time. Newly promoted to chief of staff, Dr. Kerry Weaver (series star Laura Innes) remains as tough as ever, but chinks have appeared in her armor, especially after the loss of her life partner and the resulting bitter custody battle over their son. Attending Physician Dr. Luka Kovac (series star Goran Visnjic) carries on a complicated romance with streetwise, seasoned nurse Samantha Taggart (series star Linda Cardellini), whose 10-year-old son, Alex (recurring guest star Oliver Davis), looks up to Kovac as a role model, friend and, sometimes, substitute father.

Carter returns to County General to hearty welcomes. Although Abby is shocked to learn that Carter's beautiful African girlfriend, Kem (recurring guest star Thandie Newton), is already pregnant with Carter's child, Abby has moved on with her life as well, going back to medical school. Meanwhile, Pratt's day starts off badly when Gallant finds out that Pratt has been having sex with Valerie (recurring guest star Joy Bryant), Gallant's attractive sister. Frustrated Pratt is repeatedly overruled on medical decisions until he heroically keeps an accident victim alive while a vital MRI is taken. But Pratt then rashly attempts to intubate the patient's son, who suffers from osteoporosis, and ends up breaking the young man's neck, permanently paralyzing him. Also, Kovac informs Weaver that he is quitting to return to Africa. And Sam feels like she neglects her young son, who is misbehaving in school.

To everyone's amazement, Lewis makes a date to share a home-cooked dinner with the elderly Ben Hollander (recurring guest star, Emmy Award winner Bob Newhart - "Newhart"), her depressed patient who is going blind. Lewis also treats a stressed housewife, makes plans to meet with the Internal Revenue Service for a tax audit and even finds time to hide Romano's prosthetic arm. Meanwhile, Neela and Pratt treat a vulnerable 18-year-old who was attacked in jail, and Gallant gambles with a risky hospital transfer to help a young septic cancer patient. Kovac clashes with Corday over the treatment of a patient who Corday suspects needs an appendectomy, and nurse Sam leaves her precocious son, Alex (recurring guest star Oliver Davis), in the emergency room--where the boy gets an advanced education in medicine--for a day.