Previously on ER: Abby worked with Jake, the hot medical student. And then she got kidnapped at gunpoint. Luka tried to help robotic Neela to become a real girl. Not that way, you perv.
Abby lies in bed, staring at the water stains on the ceiling. She glances at her nightstand, on which lies a copy of Howard's End, an issue of The New Yorker, and the book Dubenko gave her for Christmas. Some wanted to interpret that as a sign that she likes Dubenko that way; I thought it meant she likes to read, and that the book was so boring that she was using it to put her to sleep. Abby lies there staring some more, and then her alarm goes off and the sounds of NPR's Morning Edition fill her bedroom. I could never wake up to NPR. I would just go right back to sleep. Their voices! So soothing!
Meanwhile, Sam and Luka are arguing on the train. Sam is pissed because Luka bought a $50 concert ticket (performers unspecified) for Alex without checking with her first. Luka thinks it's about the money, and adds that Sam doesn't need to pay half the rent and utilities. The people around them on the subway are totally listening to this fight. I think the woman behind Luka is thinking, "Hey, if you don't want him, shorty, I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers." Sam insists that she took care of herself and Alex for ten years before Luka came along, and that doesn't need to change now. Luka says that she's worried about losing her independence and losing control over Alex. Sam looks pissed and accuses Luka of always telling her what she's really mad about. Luka thinks she usually doesn't know. And he's, what, some sort of mind reader? How about asking her why she's mad instead of telling her? Or taking her words at face value instead of accusing her of having a hidden agenda? Pretty people sometimes have poor relationship skills, because they can. Sam stomps over to the door and waits to get off. Luka calls out that it's not their stop, like Sam thought it was.
Neela does dishes as Abby shuffles out of her bedroom, wearing pajamas. Neela asks Abby a series of questions that no sane person would feel like answering moments after they got out of bed. My husband knows not to speak to me in the morning unless I speak first, or it's an emergency. I'm just not pleasant until I've been awake for about an hour. Anyway, Abby picks up her cigarettes, and Neela asks if she wants to eat anything before she smokes. Yeah, because nothing goes with a morning cigarette like...food. Also, guilt trips. Breakfast of champions! Abby thanks Neela, who offers to make French toast. Abby is like, "Um, aren't you leaving for work soon?" Neela says she has time, and then offers Abby a drink, like, Neela? Back off. I get that you're trying to be nice, but give a girl her space in the morning. Abby asks if Neela was vacuuming last night. Neela apologizes for keeping Abby awake, and Abby thinks better of whatever she was about to say and thanks Neela instead. Neela, apparently unable to take a hint, starts asking Abby if she's ready to go back to work today. Abby says she's got to get back to her life sometime, so why not today? Neela says everyone's been asking how Abby is, and Abby doesn't respond. Neela puts on her coat and walks over to Abby, who blurts, "What I really need is a little space!" Neela looks hurt, and Abby apologizes. Neela says she'll start looking for her own place today. Abby tells Neela not to rush, and Neela stomps out. How dare Abby ask Neela to stop crashing on her couch after six months! The nerve!
Darlene, Neela, Shane West, and Pratt stand and stare at the attendings, who are having a meeting in Trauma Yellow. Neela is worried that they are going to close the ER, but Pratt says that there's talk of it every year and it never happens. Shane West points out that the timing isn't right for figuring out where students will match. Pratt says that they meet every month, but Neela points out that it usually happens upstairs. Pratt tells them all to stop being paranoid and get to work. Pratt is telling people to get to work? What is going on here? Malarkey walks up and freaks out over the meeting. Pratt suggests that they might be thinking of cutting a resident, which freaks Malarkey out even more. Weaver turns to look at the group, and Pratt orders everyone to scatter.
Inside the meeting, the important issue being discussed is Kerry's color choice for the conference room (lime green, which is her favorite). Weaver reminds Luka, Susan, and Carter to fill out charts completely and Carter yawns. Rude! Susan yawns too, saying that it's contagious and that Cosmo is teething. This is like every bad meeting I've ever been to, where annoying people have to throw out details on their personal lives and irrelevant factoids. Save it for your coffee klatch, Annie Admin and Molly Manager. Let's get through the meeting agenda and get out.
Weaver brings up the patient satisfaction scores from last episode, and says they need to bring them up. Carter notes that Abby is the only one with a decent score. Luka volunteers that Pratt is okay with patients, but the other doctors hate him. But the other doctors aren't filling out the patient satisfaction scores, are they? Chuny bustles in and says they need the room for an incoming trauma.
Everyone starts to walk out as Luka says they need to teach the residents to communicate better. Carter asks if he's the Croatian Dr. Phil. If Dr. Phil looked like Luka, I would watch that show a lot more often. Susan protests that the residents can't even communicate with each other. Luka thinks they need to get back to the basics of making eye contact and introducing themselves like normal human beings. Susan wonders if they could turn back time and make their parents love them more. I feel like you can have short wait times or you can have patient satisfaction, but that it's tough to have both. Luka thinks the medical school teaches the science, and the residency should teach the people skills. Weaver is paged and, as she walks out, advises them to try something, because it couldn't be worse than the current situation. Susan yawns again and says she's going to get coffee. Carter says he's going home.
Out in the waiting room, Herb Spivak -- the lawyer that Mark Greene used for his beatdown case -- asks a guy how long he's been waiting and then says he's looking at a big cash settlement. I have to laugh any time I see Dan Hedaya on screen, because the weirdest hate mail I ever got was when I called Dan Hedaya a hairy motherfucker online and I got a nasty email from someone I suspect was either Dan Hedaya or his mom. But the dude is seriously hairy! Like worse than Robin Williams! If you don't believe me, watch Alien: Resurrection. Actually, don't, but if it's on TV, just watch the scene where he takes off his shirt. The dude is a monkey. Anyway, Sam rushes in with a guy in a wheelchair who is cracking bad jokes about working in an orange juice factory; he got canned because he couldn't concentrate. Okay, I laughed. Sam asks a girl named Amy to sit down, but she says she'd rather stand. Her little brother brats that the seats are too small for her, because she's fat. Sam promises to get her in soon. How about some potassium for that bratty brother? Or did Chen wipe out their stock?
Sam wheels Bad Joker in and asks Pratt to take a look at her patient, who slipped and fell at work and now can't bear weight. Pratt says it'll have to wait because he has "a hot MI." Sam clarifies, "I didn't say it can't wait. I said it can't bear weight." See? Because no one in the hospital communicates. This is like a bad video you would be forced to watch in some HR training session on office communications skills. I feel like there's going to be a group project and then a trust fall at the end. Pratt ignores her.
Carter, who heard the whole exchange, suggests that Luka make Pratt his number one pupil in communications school. Then Carter spots Malarkey offering to prescribe limitless Vicodin to make a patient leave, and says that Malarkey might need the slot more. Luka sighs, "I'm doomed," and then yells at Malarkey to relax and come see him when he's finished. Wendall perks over and asks Carter if he's going home. Carter says he's going home to sleep and will then come back to pick her up for dinner. Wendall claims to be craving a pound of pasta and garlic bread. Carter tells Luka, who totally doesn't care, that Wendall is "carbo-loading for a marathon." Shut up, Wendall. Luka tells Carter to "enjoy [his] honeymoon" because Luka will be fighting with Sam tonight. Carter tells Luka to have fun with that and runs away.
Neela asks Luka if sixteen ibuprofen can give you gastroenteritis. It might, but you won't feel it! Thanks, I'll be here all week. Luka asks why the patient is taking so much medicine, and whether he's depressed. Neela lies that she was just about to check. Sam walks up and gives Neela Amy's chart, describing her as "an obese fifteen-year-old with a forehead lac" because "her brother hit her over the head with a lamp." I'm telling you. Potassium. Syringe. Heart attack. Dead.
Neela and Sam head out to the waiting room and help Amy up from her seat on the floor. Her charming brother says that Amy is too fat to get up. But not too fat to sit on you if you don't shut it, rat face. Neela helps Amy inside while Sam drags Rat Face in by the hood of his jacket. He would be a good friend for Alex. They share the same shitty brattitude. I think I just made up a word! And when one of the doctors shares it, it's called Prattitude. And when Amy catches on, she'll have fattitude. And when the soldiers in Iraq join in, it'll be combattitude. Okay, I'll stop because I could go on all night.
Susan walks toward the hospital carrying coffee. She slips on some ice and falls down. Herb Spivak helps her up and points out the lack of salt on the sidewalk, suggesting that the hospital is liable. Susan says she's fine, but Spivak thinks that the pain could develop later, and starts rattling off medical terms. Susan asks if he's a doctor, and he introduces himself, handing her a card. Jerry comes outside and hollers to Susan that she has a phone call. Spivak tries a different tack now that he knows she's a doctor, saying that the hospital will hang her out to dry in a lawsuit. Susan snaps at him to get out of her ambulance bay. Undeterred, he offers her a free pen. Oh, those lawyers. They're so slimy and persistent. Like seaweed.
Luka walks in while Neela examines Amy. Neela can't even remember Amy's name. Luka tells Neela to present to him when she's done. Neela thinks she's in trouble, but Luka assures her that she's not. Luka keeps walking and finds Pratt taking a history for Bad Joker at high speed without even looking at the guy. Bad Joker claims that he used to work as a lumberjack, but he couldn't hack it, so they gave him the ax. Groan. Pratt doesn't react, and keeps running through his list of questions. He spots Luka hovering and asks if he needs something. Luka says he's just observing. Luka asks Sam to do something, and she bitches about all the work she already has to do, like isn't he her boss, sort of? I get that she's pissed at him, but she could at least pretend to be professional about it.
Sam walks in with Neela's equipment, and then informs Amy that her mom is coming in from work. Amy clarifies that it's her foster mom, and that Rat Face is the foster mom's real son. Neela just sticks Amy with a syringe with no warning and Sam drawls, "Uh, that was lidocaine to numb up your cut." Neela doesn't notice Sam's correction, and Rat Face continues to play his GameBoy in the corner. Amy says that Rat Face needs his ADHD meds adjusted, so he has temper tantrums. She adds that he's on Adderall and Depakote. Man, that's hardcore. My friend who is bipolar couldn't take Depakote because it fucked her up too much. Sam and Neela exchange a look like, "Damn."
As they walk out, Neela asks if it seems like every young boy they see lately has ADHD. Sam wryly comments, "ADHD, a GameBoy, and an iPod." That sounds like a recipe for hijinks! Neela runs down the facts of the case and suggests that they call a social worker.
Neela heads over to present to Luka, who is having an argument with Pratt over his bedside manner. Luka asks how long Pratt let the patient talk. Pratt thinks it was twenty or thirty seconds, but Luka says it was four. Luka asks what color the patient's eyes were, and Pratt jokes that they weren't on a date. Luka asks if he listened to the patient's heart, and Pratt protests that the guy had a twisted knee. Luka says that listening to the patient's heart makes them feel like you care and are paying attention. If I came in with a twisted knee, and the doctor started listening to my heart, I'd think the doctor was high. Neela listens in and glances over at Amy's room. Pratt thinks he doesn't have time to do everything Luka suggests, and Luka thinks he needs to make time so that patients don't feel ignored. Pratt says that there are patients waiting nine hours, and that they already feel ignored. Luka has no comeback.
Luka asks Neela if she's ready to present. Neela wants to redo the exam in light of what she just overheard. Luka says that Neela needs to connect, because studies show that patients who trust their doctors heal faster. Luka grabs Neela's arm to make his point, and walks off. Darlene pops up and says that she finds it distracting to work with somebody so good-looking. For a second, I thought she meant Neela. Neela's like, "Who? Dr. Kovac?" all disgusted. Darlene can't believe Neela hasn't noticed, because he's gorgeous. Sam asks whom they're talking about, but they are interrupted by the paramedics bringing in John Doe #1, a gunshot victim with no vitals.
Sam calls Luka over as she notes that the patient has no vitals, no blood pressure, and pupils that are fixed and dilated. Dude is dead. Sam asks Luka to call it, but Luka wants to see what they can do. Darlene asks if she's missing something because the guy is dead, and no one answers her. Luka tells Sam to start compressions, and she asks if he wants labs, too. Darlene asks if this is a practice thing. No one answers. Darlene asks to do a chest tube, but Luka says that Neela will do a saphenous cutdown. Neela is surprised, but preps for the procedure. Luka talks her through it.
Pratt walks into the ambulance bay, followed by an angry patient who thinks he's having a heart attack or a stroke. Pratt ignores him. Malarkey runs up and asks if Pratt really thinks they might cut a resident. The patient keeps complaining and Malarkey keeps arguing with him. The patient points out his lawyer's office and gestures to an RV that Spivak has set up right across the street.
In Trauma Dead Guy, Sam sighs that he's had two rounds of epi and atropine and she's holding compressions. She asks how much longer they're going, and Luka says it'll be until the third liter is in, and orders her to resume compressions. Sam looks at him like, "Bitch, please." Maybe they wouldn't have patients waiting for nine hours if they didn't run a full code on someone who was already dead. Neela reports no pulse, and Sam dispiritedly says that the guy bled out. Darlene notes that the third liter is in, so Luka calls it. Neela starts filling out the chart and asks Darlene for any identifying marks on the patient. Darlene points out his brand-new blue sneakers.
Sam throws her gloves on the ground and tells Luka, "If it had been just you and me, you would have pronounced him dead in the hall." Luka tries to make a case that the guy might have responded, but Sam knows he's full of shit. Luka thinks the doctors need to know how to do a cutdown. Sam snaps that she "can't afford to waste [her] time on teaching cases when there's real work to do." Luka says that training doctors sometimes mean running codes so that residents can learn procedures. I get his point, but can't they do those during the slower periods when they're not down two nurses? Sam explodes that there were patients who didn't get antibiotics and insulin because she was busy doing compressions for thirty minutes. Luka asks what she's really mad about. Sam can't believe he's telling her again that she's mad about something other than what she claims. Luka can't understand what she means. Sam tells him to forget it and walks out. So Luka is kind of patronizing and a bad communicator, and Sam is kind of defensive and runs away from her problems. It's true love!
Neela stands at the admit desk, looking through the classifieds for an apartment, shocked at the high prices. Where in the hell did she live before? It's not like it's her first time apartment hunting. Although I guess maybe her parents supplemented her income the first time. But if she's back to medicine, you'd think they'd come around. Pratt asks if Abby kicked her out, and Neela admits it. Malarkey asks when Abby is coming in, adding, "I...I've missed her." Everyone kind of looks at him like, "Oh, go smoke another bowl." Shane West talks about his great apartment, and that his roommate flaked out on him. He wonders if Neela is interested in moving in. Neela promises to think about it, but clearly doesn't intend to think about it.
Pratt calls Malarkey over, and Malarkey points out Spivak soliciting patients in the waiting room. Malarkey offers to handle it, and Pratt says, "Go for it, Archie." Heh. Archie. An intense woman strides up and introduces herself as Amy's foster mom. Neela fills her in on the case. The mom repeats the thing about Rat Face needing his meds adjusted. Neela says Rat Face is in the family room and offers up Wendall's services. Foster Mom just wants to see her daughter. Neela admits that she had to notify Social Work, and Foster Mom gets upset because they'll take Amy away. She bursts into the room and gives Amy a big hug.
Another gunshot victim rolls in, but this one is still alive. Susan joins the group in Trauma Yellow and tells Pratt to run the trauma. Pratt orders Malarkey to put in a chest tube, Darlene to do a subclavian, and Shane to stop staring at the monitor and look at the patient. Darlene protests that she's never done a subclavian, and Pratt says there's a first time for everything. Shane West tries to intubate, but Pratt finds that the tube isn't in. Pratt takes over, even though Shane wants to try it again. Susan tells Pratt to try teaching instead of just doing it. Pratt doens't listen, and intubates successfully, then lords it over Shane West. And while I love to see Shane West looks stupid and incompetent, that's just unnecessary.
Neela starts to stitch up Amy's head wound. Shouldn't a plastic surgeon do that? Amy worries that she'll have a scar, but Neela assures her that it won't be noticeable. Foster Mom offers to take Amy to get bangs tomorrow, and Neela reminds them to keep the wound dry. Foster Mom wants to check on Rat Face, but first gives Amy a kiss and assures her everything will be fine. As Foster Mom leaves, she gives Neela the stink-eye through the window. Neela gives Amy her aftercare instructions, and then looks her in the eyes for a moment and sees that Amy is crying. Neela draws the curtain and asks Amy what's wrong. Amy says that she knows what will happen now that Neela called Social Work. She squeaks that the family needs her to take care of Rat Face. Neela thinks it's a lot of responsibility for a teenager. Amy says it's the first home where she wasn't beaten or ignored, and she likes feeling needed, having never felt that before. Neela stares sadly at Amy.
Neela finds Sam near the vending machines and asks if she already called Social Work on Amy. Sam says she did, and then grabs her cup of coffee, which has Spivak's name and face on it. Sam chuckles. Neela wants to cancel the call to Social Work, explaining that she was too quick to make the decision. Sam says it's standard procedure for foster families. Neela says nothing and peels off as Sam walks up to Penny (remember her?), who is trying unsuccessfully to put in an IV. Sam protests that Penny is torturing the patient. Penny says that Dr. Kovac told them that Sam needed help today. I can see how Luka thought he was doing her a solid, but Sam didn't ask for his help, and it's not really Luka's place to be assigning helpers anyway.
Pratt's trauma isn't going well, and Pratt takes over. Malarkey has trouble with the chest tube (surprise!) and Pratt loses it. He takes over inserting the chest tube as Susan tells him to manage his team. Pratt complains that he's trying. Susan says that his criticism makes them nervous, and Pratt says he knows he they feel. Malarkey and Darlene point out that they're standing right there. The patient loses a pulse. Pratt tells Shane to check it again, and it's back now that the chest tube is in. Pratt asks Susan if it's okay to ask the residents to roll the guy up to the OR or if it would hurt their feelings. Once everyone is gone, Susan asks Pratt what that was all about. Pratt says he did an intubation, a chest tube, and a central line in less than fifteen minutes. Susan doesn't think the point was to do everything himself. Pratt asks, "Just because you all had a group hug this morning, do I have to listen to this touchy-feely crap all day?" Susan says yes. Pratt says he's not an intern. Susan tells him to stop acting like one, and to start teaching instead of destroying people's confidence. Pratt chooses to save his patient. Susan sighs. Oh, Susan. You know the old platitude. You give him too much latitude, and he busts out the Prattitude.
Wendall and Neela watch Amy sitting with her foster family. Wendall lists all the reasons the situation could be a problem. Neela says it's the best situation Amy's ever had. Which is sad when you realize that it involves being hit in the head with a lamp. Wendall thinks the safest thing to do is pull Amy from the home. Luka, who's always lurking and eavesdropping lately, asks if they are talking about the foster family. He wonders why they would break up a happy family. Wendall sighs and says that if the mom agrees to parenting classes, she'll consider reevaluating.... Wendall doesn't get to finish the sentence because Jerry interrupts to tell Neela there's a landlord on the phone for her. Neela assures Wendall that Foster Mom will do anything to keep Amy.
Spivak walks up and tries to make small talk with Sam about the poor working conditions in the hospital. Luka tells Spivak to get out. Spivak protests that he's a patient, and that he doesn't mind waiting. He heads into another patient's room. Okay, he signed in, but he doesn't get to be anywhere but the waiting room until they call him, right? Or why bother having that security door? Malarkey suggests that they treat Spivak with Haldol and hard restraints, as if he were a Psych patient with delusions of being a lawyer. Luka chuckles, and then spots Abby and calls out to her. Malarkey and Luka both awkwardly ask if she's okay, and Abby tries to play it off. Chuny comes up and asks if Abby got her card, adding that she prayed for her. I wonder if Chuny ever found a nice guy to settle down with. I always liked her. Abby looks uncomfortable as Chuny embraces her. Hey, maybe Chuny likes the ladies!
Neela is on the phone with a potential landlord, railing against the conditions he's describing. Hey, you could have stayed in Ann Arbor. Rent's a lot cheaper there. Neela slams down the phone and Shane says it's ugly out there. Neela points out that Shane usually does early shifts to keep his nights free for gigs, and she does late shifts, so they might never see each other even if they were roommates. Shane welcomes her, and they shake hands. Neela comments under her voice that she's going to regret this. You and me both, sister.
Florence from The Jeffersons walks in and tells Frank that her grandson was brought in, victim of a gunshot wound. Frank doesn't see the name in the system. Florence starts describing him, and when she gets to "blue sneakers," Neela perks up and says that a patient came in earlier matching that description. Florence wants to know if he's okay, and Neela doesn't want to say that he's dead, so she tries to get Florence to take a seat while she gets the Attending. Florence spots the subterfuge, because she's no dummy, and asks if her grandson is dead. She gets increasingly upset, and Neela keeps trying to dodge and weave until finally Neela blurts, "We can't confirm anything until the body's been IDed." Florence crumples at the news that her grandson is dead. Neela realizes what she said as Florence starts wailing and carrying on. Neela keeps saying that she'll get the Attending instead of trying to comfort poor Florence, who is in a ball on the floor, sobbing.
Luka and Susan discuss Neela's screw-up, and Luka has the understatement of the year when he says that "Neela still needs to work a little on her death notification." Susan says again that you can't teach people to be human. Shane West walks by with a box of croissants, courtesy of Spivak, and Susan chides Shane for encouraging Spivak.
Abby grabs Susan and runs down a few cases as she heads for the elevator. Susan asks Abby how she's really doing, and Abby blows it all off. She sails into the elevator and rattles off, "I've processed all of my feelings of anger, shame, and guilt in an emotionally safe environment. I've addressed the urge to 'use' alcohol. Oh, and I've consulted both a shaman and a guru, so really, I'm all good." You know, I get that it would be annoying to have everybody asking how you are with the pity face, but it's just because they care. And they'll stop in a week, anyway. Actually, this crew is self-absorbed, so they'll probably stop in a day.
Neela assures Amy that Wendall needs a little more information from Foster Mom. Amy is psyched to hear that she won't be taken away. Neela tells her the conditions Wendall set out. Amy squeals and gives Neela a giant hug while Luka watches. Perv. Neela asks a nurse to take Amy up to the seventh floor. Luka tells Neela that she did a good job with this one. Neela thinks she screwed up with Florence, and that everyone must think she's an idiot. Luka puts an arm around Neela, pulls her aside, and goes through the procedure for death notifications. Neela says she knows all this, but Luka continues. Neela looks upset with herself and starts crying. Luka assures her that she's still learning, and hands her a tissue, which makes Neela chuckle, since he just told her to do that in death notifications.
Abby treats a woman with forehead lacerations who is upset because she's supposed to be a in wedding the weekend. Darlene brings over the supplies and tells the patient that everyone will be looking at the bride anyway. Haleh walks in and tells Sam she owes her, because Haleh did some work for Sam. On Luka's orders, of course. Haleh adds, "He said you were a little overextended today, unlike the rest of us." Yeah, good one, Luka. Way to not play favorites or anything. Sam is taken aback. Sam excuses herself, saying that she has to go yell at someone. Abby warns her patient not to pluck her eyebrows in a moving car. Wow, what a spectacularly bad idea that was. Abby tells Darlene to prep the wound.
Out in the hallway, a mentally ill patient runs by yelling that they want to hurt him, and he runs right into Abby. Dubenko welcomes Abby back and starts blathering on and on about some studies he dug up on overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Abby is distracted by two parents yelling at Haleh to find them information about their son, one of the gunshot victims brought in earlier. The father angrily yells, "Get back here, bitch!" And he's black. Abby flinches and zones out. Dubenko tells Abby that the trick is to focus on the most traumatic part of your memory while also focusing on an external impulse. Which is pretty much what Abby was just doing by listening to the angry father and Dubenko at the same time. Dubenko hands over a giant binder of information, and Abby thanks him.
Abby grabs her binder and walks down the hall with a sigh, trying to pull herself together. She spots Chuny working on a young girl with a black eye and stares. Darlene walks up and tells Abby that the eyebrow wound has been prepped. Abby snaps back to the present and says she's okay. They walk up to the patient, and Abby drapes the wound and puts on her gloves. Abby grabs tiny scissors and heads straight for the woman's eye. Good thing Heathen isn't recapping this show anymore. Darlene says that Abby is using a special technique to minimize scarring. Abby hovers with her needle over the wound, and then says she can't do this right now. The patient is like, "The hell?"
Outside, Susan yells at Security for not removing Spivak's RV. Abby walks out and finds Susan, explaining that she might have come back to work too soon, and that she's not in the right frame of mind to do this. Susan tells her to take as much time as she needs. Abby says that Shane will be covering for her, and Susan waves her off, promising to call later, and looking concerned.
Abby heads up to the crowded El platform and the bustling crowd causes her to drop her binder full of papers. Jake, the hot medical student, who shaved off his beard (yay!), happens to be there at the same time, and helps her pick them up. The train pulls off and Jake assures Abby that she'll catch the one. Abby thanks him.
Susan pounds on Spivak's RV door and yells at him to come out now. As she enters the RV, we see a big sign that says "No Waiting." Susan enters to find Bad Joker from earlier enjoying Spivak's luxury pad. Then she sees Jerry and Malarkey exiting with coffee and pastries and yells at them. Spivak comes out of the bathroom and asks if she's ready to discuss this morning's fall. Susan smiles like, "Oh, I'm ready to discuss something, and you're going to be the one taking a fall."
Sam asks Luka if he sent a patient to CT and accuses him of being passive-aggressive. Luka asks why she's so mad. Sam says she's used to having control over her own life, which is what Luka said to her earlier and she denied. Interesting. Sam stomps off and Wendall introduces someone from DCFS to Luka, saying that she has bad news about Amy's case.
Abby sits on a bench on the El platform, trying to put her cell phone back together. Jake walks up and hands her a piece of paper, saying it's the last of her materials on "Desensitization Reprocessing." Abby waves it off as some crazy stuff that Dubenko gave her. Jake tries to fix Abby's cell phone and says that he didn't miss work at all over the holidays. Abby doesn't respond, so he says he must have made quite an impression on her if she didn't notice he was gone for a week. He hands back the repaired cell phone. Abby says she remembers him, because of his beard. Jake says he went to Yellowstone and starts talking about how the whole thing is an active volcano that could blow at any second. I'm surprised Jerry Bruckheimer hasn't made a movie about that yet. Jake seems amused by the possibility that it could kill most of the residents of North America. Abby, happy to talk to someone who doesn't know about her kidnapping, looks amused as well. Jake continues to wax philosophical about life and Abby asks, "Are you high?" Heh. The train arrives, and Jake gets up to leave for work. He's all giggly, so he's either high or in love.
Neela takes Florence down to the morgue to see her grandson. Simultaneously, Pratt takes the other kid's parents to see him in the ICU. Surprise! They mixed up the families! So Florence's grandson is alive, and the other couple's son is dead. Oops.
Abby, still at the El station, gets a call from Haleh about a patient. Abby promises to be there in a minute, and heads back to work.
Back in the ER, Weaver is ripping Susan a new one about the mix-up with the gunshot victims. Susan tries to explain, and Luka helps, but Weaver still doesn't get how it could have happened. Susan blames it on "a massive communication failure" and Weaver tells her that it's her job to make sure people communicate. Susan sighs and takes full responsibility. Pratt says that they screwed up, and Neela adds that they didn't talk, and didn't check the board. Weaver asks who was in which trauma. Luka says that he, Neela, and Sam worked on the dead kid, and Susan says that she, Shane, Pratt, and Malarkey worked on the other one. Weaver confirms that there was no overlap in coverage, and Darlene speaks up and says that she was in both. Everyone looks at her and says, "Who are you?" Darlene says she put a name alert on the board. Susan wonders why she didn't say anything, and Darlene says that no one listens to her or even remembers that she was in the room.
Spivak sidles up to Shane and Jake and says they look like they could use a vacation, then offers up his timeshare in Boca Grande. He adds that if they refer clients to him, he'll ante up. Susan spots him and calls for Security. Spivak tries to take off, and they all chase after him.
Jake watches the action, amused. He spots Abby and says he thought her shift was over. Abby says it's not. Jake asks if she was just taking a break on the El tracks, and Abby says she loves it up there. Jake smiles and says that he does too, because you never know who you'll run into. He walks off and Abby grins.
Pratt and Luka have to try to explain the mix-up to the dead kid's parents. Luka says he's going to tell them the truth, because they'll only remember if it seemed like they cared and were honest. Pratt asks if Susan told Luka to keep Pratt away from them. Luka admits she did. Pratt considers this and says he wants to go in the room. Luka agrees.
Spivak is escorted outside by Security, complaining that it's unconstitutional. Susan draws an imaginary line and says that if he crosses it, she'll have him arrested. Spivak says she can't do that, because it's public property, and she's violating his civil rights, because he never got to see a doctor. Susan responds, "So sue me." Shane points out that his office is being towed. Spivak runs over and stands between the tow truck and his RV, which seems like a bad idea. And it is, as he is crunched.
Neela sees Amy walking out with the lady from DCFS and chases after them. Amy is pissed that Neela lied. Neela orders them to stop, and the DCFS lady asks Neela not to make her job any harder. Amy angrily adds that Neela told her she could go home. Neela watches them leave.
Wendall is talking to a patient about rehab, and Neela interrupts. Wendall finishes her conversation, and then Neela asks why Wendall went behind her back. Wendall explains that they got new information. Neela says that they had a plan and no one told her. Wendall keeps trying to explain, but Neela won't let her get a word in edgewise, so Wendall shouts, "Kovac signed off." Neela takes off. Carter walks up, and Wendall says that she hates doctors right now, reeling off all the abuse she's taken that day. Carter asks if she's ready to go. Wendall is surprised that Carter's not more supportive, and Carter explains that sometimes people have different perspectives and they disagree, but that he's sure Wendall was right.
Neela confronts Luka about keeping information from her. Luka says he was going to tell her, after her shift. Neela protest that she's an adult and doesn't need him to protect her. Luka says she made a good decision based on the information she had, but that they later discovered there was a pattern of incidents. He grabs Amy's chart and starts reeling off all the injuries Amy's had while in her foster home. Neela tries to explain them all away, but there are so many that she realizes she's wrong. Neela is upset that she got Amy's hopes up, and wonders why Luka wasn't honest with her. Luka says he worried it would ruin Neela's confidence. He stands over her and talks in a sexy whispery voice as he apologizes for possibly trying to protect her. Neela blinks.
Shane works on Spivak, who explains that he used to have a lot of money, but that he lost his shirt on a website. Susan walks in and Spivak asks for something for the pain. Susan says he can, as soon as he signs off on some paperwork their lawyers wrote up to protect the hospital against frivolous lawsuits. Spivak insists he won't sign anything, and Susan ignores him and runs through the pages, explaining each one. Spivak asks her to put him out of his misery.
Abby finds Neela in the lounge, getting ready to leave. Abby apologizes for her actions that morning. Neela apologizes for camping on Abby's couch for six months. Seriously. Unacceptable. Abby says she didn't have to be a jerk about it. Neela thinks she needed a kick in the pants, and adds that she'll be staying with Ray. Abby looks at Neela, alarmed, and asks Neela if she's nuts. Neela says that she is, and walks off.
Abby walks Neela out. Neela asks Abby if she ever gets crushes on people she works with. Heh. No, she just dates them and then has bad break-ups. Abby says she does sometimes. Neela's about to reveal more when Luka and Sam walk up. Abby grins, realizing who Neela is talking about. Abby tries to cover, and they all say good night. Neela takes off, and Abby remains amused.
Sam and Luka walk up to the El platform. Sam is pouty. Finally, she says that Luka is good at teaching other people how to communicate. Luka thanks her. Sam adds that they should try it sometime. Luka agrees, then grins and says that his English still isn't that good. Sam laughs in spite of herself and asks if he's pulling the Croatian card. They hug, and Luka says she was right about one thing -- he paid too much for the concert ticket. They kiss as the train pulls into the station. Dirty!