Dana and Lu are at odds over the fate of a dead college student's fertilized eggs. The day is further complicated by the arrival of Peter's mother (Sally Kirkland), who clings to the idea that her heterosexual son is gay. Elsewhere, a dying patient (Holly Robinson Peete) and her husband wait impatiently for a donor heart; and Nick's appointment to the ER staff is in doubt. Lana: Jenifer Lewis. Robert: Philip Casnoff. Peter: Josh Coxx. Nick: Brennan Elliott.

After denying employment to a candidate who is both overqualified and overweight, Robert faces off against a civil-rights lawyer (Star Jones) famous for her plus-size clientele. Elsewhere, Dana comes under fire from the Army when she diagnoses a 14-year veteran with Gulf War Syndrome; and Lana cares for the newborn son of a neighborhood streetwalker. Margie: Lindsay Hollister. Gloria: Christine Elise. Peter: Josh Coxx.

Dana's bedside manner is put to the ultimate test when a former high-school rival comes to her for treatment; and an ER nurse considers suing the hospital after she contracts the HIV virus from a patient. Robert: Philip Casnoff. Nick: Brennan Elliott. Lu: Rosa Blasi.

Lu travels to Puerto Rico, where her beloved grandmother (Rosana DeSoto) urgently needs a bone-marrow transplant to survive. As the headstrong doctor copes with this life-or-death situation, she flashes back to her days as a resident, recalling her first meeting with Peter and Lana. Mary J. Blige guest stars as a moody blues singer named Simone. Marc: Christopher Marquette. Dr. Elena Gomez: Renee Victor. Vincent: Gianni Russo.

The news media lays siege to the hospital when the parents of conjoined twins refuse to surgically separate their daughters; and Lu suspects a leukemia patient may have attempted suicide by starting a fire. Dana: Janine Turner. Lu: Rosa Blasi. Robert: Philip Casnoff.

Philadelphia baseball fans blame Dana when the home team loses a crucial playoff game; Lu cares for a piano prodigy (Lourdes Benedicto) with scleroderma, a potentially fatal disease that hardens the body's organs; and Peter helps a retired research chimp find greener pastures. Melvis MacRane: Kent Faulcon. Constance: Karen Malina White. Nick: Brennan Elliott.

An Alzheimer's patient attempts to maintain custody of her 15-year-old son with Down syndrome; and a domestic diva puts the health of her unborn child at risk. Lu: Rosa Blasi. Dana: Janine Turner. Nick: Brennan Elliott.

A woman (Heidi Swedberg) hoping to form a maternal bond with her adopted teenage daughter ignores Dana's advice and proceeds with plans to re-create the child's birth. A second patient of Dana's seeks Lu's care after falling on hard times. Outside the hospital, Marc (Christopher Marquette) is caught cheating at school. Lana: Jenifer Lewis.

Robert's wife's battle with MS becomes more difficult, so he asks Dana to try a new experimental drug on her; and Lu treats a young Korean woman for anorexia. Dr. Jackson: William Casnoff. Dana: Janine Turner. Lu: Rosa Blasi.