ER: Season 12 (2005 - 2006)

In the 12th season premiere, Sam and Kovac report to the police that her diabetic son, Alex (recurring guest star DOMINIC JANES), is missing and is possibly trying to find his father. The boy mistakenly thinks his dad is in Colorado, but the man is actually incarcerated. Unfortunately, Alex left without his insulin. And Neela, Ray and Abby struggle with their first shifts in charge of the new interns.

Ray attends to Claire (ERIN COTTRELL), a surrogate mother who goes into premature labor after being involved in a car accident. Claire refuses a cesarean section even though the unborn baby is in fetal distress, forcing the doctors to make an emotional decision. Pratt deals with his feelings from the past and the possibility of embracing the family of his future after he encounters his estranged father, Charlie (recurring guest star DANNY GLOVER - "Lethal Weapon" films, "The Royal Tenenbaums"). Despite Kovac's objections, Sam finds a new apartment and starts to pack. SAM JONES III ("Smallville") guest stars as Pratt's half-brother, Chas.

The emergency room is jolted when a new nurse manager, Eve Spellman (recurring guest star Emmy Award winner KRISTEN JOHNSTON - "3rd Rock from the Sun"), enforces her strict and efficient new procedures. Kovac and Sam are uncomfortable working together on the same shift. Meanwhile, Abby treats a breast cancer patient who is having a hard time accepting her condition.

A patient who has been in a coma for nine years suddenly awakens in the emergency room, and Kovac struggles with whether he should reveal to her the truth about her past. Abby comforts Dr. Otis Dubenko (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER - "The Bone Collector," "Daredevil") after he finds out some troubling news. New Nurse Manager Eve (recurring guest star KRISTEN JOHNSTON) disturbs the work environment when she implements her strict methods. Former series star PAUL McCRANE directed the episode.

Pratt gets a surprise when the new attending doctor, Victor Clemente (recurring guest star JOHN LEGUIZAMO - "Spawn," "Moulin Rouge!"), poses as a patient to test the knowledge of doctors in the emergency room. Meanwhile, Kovac bonds with his former coma patient and contemplates bending the rules for her. A breast cancer patient convinces Abby to get her first mammogram. And Pratt's father, Charlie (recurring guest star DANNY GLOVER), tries to convince his son that he has become a responsible family man.

Clemente (recurring guest star JOHN LEGUIZAMO), Abby and Neela secretly care for a very important patient while Dubenko (recurring guest star LELAND ORSER) tortures the emergency room staff via a robotic television camera from his home. Sam is coerced into accepting a management role and is given a dreadful task. Meanwhile, Pratt is visited by his half-brother, Chaz (recurring guest star SAM JONES III), and emotions from the past remind Pratt of how his father, Charlie (recurring guest star DANNY GLOVER), abandoned him.

Neela prepares for Gallant's (SHARIF ATKINS, not appearing in this episode) homecoming from the war, but her plans change when she receives a call from Iraq. Meanwhile, when Kovac and Clemente (recurring guest star JOHN LEGUIZAMO) disagree on how to save a patient's life, Abby gets caught in the middle. A police officer and a little girl are victims of a shootout, and Neela is conflicted about whether or not she should save the gunman's life. Recurring guest star JOHN STAMOS appears as paramedic Gates.

Neela rides along with ambulance driver Gates (recurring guest star JOHN STAMOS). They respond to a huge emergency after two commuter planes crash in midair and land on a densely populated area of Chicago. Many passengers and pedestrians are injured, and other victims are trapped inside a burning building. Meanwhile, County General treats trauma victims of the plane crash, and Sam struggles with an executive decision that could have serious repercussions to her employment. Neela's bravery wins the respect of her co-workers--especially Gates--but her day is not over when she receives a surprise.

After returning from Iraq, Gallant (recurring guest star SHARIF ATKINS - "Eve," "The Big Time") surprises Neela by telling her he wants to take their relationship to the next level. Kovac and Clemente (recurring guest star JOHN LEGUIZAMO) vie for the same job--increasing the obvious tension between them. Meanwhile, Sam convinces a patient's mother to get her son the medical attention he desperately needs. Morris shocks everyone when he stands up to Weaver during a medical procedure.