A fisherman lobbies Dr. Westphall to let his brother die in peace and dignity; Fiscus substitutes for Ehrlich on a date with Shirley Daniels; and Helen's stress mounts as the hospital suffers computer glitches and she faces a radical mastectomy. Peter celebrates his birthday and runs into Myra and a gentleman friend.

Dr. Craig performs the transplant amidst a publicity barrage; Morrison tries to adjust to his loss; Luther and Fiscus split an investment in silver futures; and Rosenthal counsels a group on breast cancer.

The medical staff and Joan Halloran fight back when a large private hospital dumps an indigent, unstable emergency patient on the E.R.; Ehrlich seeks advice about his relationship with Roberta; Daniels is tied to the drug abuse charges against White; and Dr. Ridley and Morrison try to figure out a woman's violent mood swings and personality changes. Luther loses a father figure. A bored teenager wreaks havoc with the hospital's computerized records.

A rape occurs in the hospital parking lot; White has trouble adjusting to his restricted status as does Tommy Westphall to the loss of his housekeeper; Cavanero must decide between the man in her life and her career; and a TV crew follows Dr. Craig around to film a documentary.

Dr. Craig tries to stop the TV documentary; Cathy has a rough first day back; Mr. Entertainment finds his true calling; Armstrong continues to feel traumatized; and Rosenthal finally has her breast surgery.

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.

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.

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.

Mrs. Auschlander faces major heart surgery; Dr. Craig is disturbed to see the ravages of time on his mentor, Dr. David Domedion; Ehrlich searches for a religion; the messiah shows up for a Celtics game; and Dr. Westphall announces his resignation at a friendly little bar called Cheers.

The Craigs face a tremendous loss as their first grandchild is born; a newly inspired Dr. Westphall returns to work full of ideas; and Fiscus invites himself up to Dr. Caldwell's Cape Cod retreat, where he sees a different side to the surgeon. Elliot and Marcy discover a common interest in food.

Dr. Westphall drives himself too hard and is hospitalized; Yvonne's parents arrive to see their daughter and to claim their grandchild; Terri has in-vitro fertilization; Fiscus makes a donation; and Dr. Caldwell picks up the wrong woman. Helen goes back to work on the floor. Dr. Westphall's insightful moving man checks into the hospital.

St. Eligius' 50th anniversary spurs memories, including: it's opening in 1935 under the leadership of Father Joseph McCabe, the arrival of recently emigrated Helen Rosenthal and Mark's return as chief of surgery, Mark's bypass on Patrick O'Casey and the death of Maureen Westphall. Morrison struggles to diagnose a difficult patient and cope with the loss of Pete to a kidnapper.

St. Eligius' 50th anniversary spurs memories, including: the growing up of Donald Westphall, the arrival of young Daniel Auschlander and his first meeting with Katharine, a drunken and embittered Father McCabe's departure, and the residency of Mark Craig under Dr. David Domedion. The O'Casey family's long history with St. Eligius leads Morrison to a diagnosis. Pete is returned.

Dr. Turner returns to St. Eligius in time to deliver the baby of an old patient; Chandler has very bad luck as he searches for her all day; and Dr. Auschlander is trapped in a crack house that has been bequeathed to the hospital.

Rosenthal's first husband and youngest son both return to her life; Chandler comes under fire for his activism against apartheid; Dr. Turner finds it hard to let go of the Ettings' baby; The Valeres' wish is finally granted, and everyone wants to date Novino.

Wade tries to get a grip on her marital problems; Fiscus throws an engagement party for Morrison; Rosenthal figures out the self-serving Griffin; and John Doe #6 returns.

The representative of a foreign medical group interested in the hospital visits to absorb the psychic `aura' of the place (via flashbacks) but collapses from a heart attack before he can recommend the sale.

Luther turns sleuth to find out who is responsible for the mercy-killings; Dr. Turner takes a chance doing experimental fetal heart surgery; Axelrod gets back at Novino and Griffin; Morrison buys a gun to protect his family; Yvonne Galecki Craig comes to claim her daughter, and Ehrlich and Papandrao have second thoughts about marriage when the new owners fire everyone in the hospital.

One month after St. Eligius was shut down, it is reopened by The Ecumena Corporation and its head of medicine Dr. John Gideon. Meanwhile, Dr. Craig is offered the opportunity to design an artificial heart, which the younger doctors jokingly call the ""Craig 5000.""

Gideon and Westphall argue over an AIDS clinic, Ehrlich looks for a mysterious woman on his wedding day, Kiem experiments with hypnosis, and Joanne blames Boomer for letting her kids go back to Seattle with her ex-husband.

The orderlies ask Auschlander to talk with Gideon about their grievances, Wade puts up with temporary lodgers, Rosenthal confronts an epileptic nursing student, and Craig gives Ehrlich marriage tips while they start work on a sheep's heart.

It's Halloween at the new and improved St. Eligius, and the craft-matic bed where Mrs. Hufnagel was crushed to death is apparently haunted. Meanwhile, Wade, Craig, and Ehrlich look for a heart transplant recipient and Chandler sucks up to Gideon in order to get promoted.

Dr. Craig and Ehrlich attend a meeting of the Cushing Society, an all male medical society; Wade gets herself into more surgery than she bargained for; Novino takes a special interest in two lonely children; Dr. Gideon offers Ellen a new career; and Chandler is made new chief resident.

Craig proceeds with his artificial heart implant despite some questions about his choice of candidates; Morrison tries to deal with the departure of Joanne for Seattle and Dr. Craig becomes suspicious about the relationship between Ellen and Dr. Gideon. AIDS patient, Brett Johnston, and his lover are victims of gay bashing and as a result of his injuries, Brett is readmitted into the hospital.

Fiscus pulls one last prank on Gideon before turning thirty; Morrison and Novino compete to deliver the 100,000th baby at St. Eligius; Dr. Craig puts on the boxing gloves again; and Lucy walks the Freedom Trail with a dying man.

Fiscus can't understand his nihilistic cystic fibrosis patient or her punk friends; Dr. Gideon suspends Dr. Craig because of the Spooner malpractice suit; Ehrlich and Lucy are unable to console each other when she miscarries; and Rosenthal admits herself to the chemical dependency unit.