A critically ill infant preoccupies Syd, who's entangled with a ubiqutious politician; a romantic getaway in the wild is anything but for Robbie and Tina.

Disclosures about politician Joe Connelly disillusion Syd, who's still battling a duplictious drug company; the Robbie-Tina romace runs a rocky road.

When Jim returns home to recuperate from a serious head injury after being shot in last season's finale, Syd, Joanie and Robbie clash over each other's reactions to the changes in their father. Syd believes Jim needs more help than they can provide at home, Joanie thinks he needs to be surrounded by loved ones in his own environment while Robbie is detached and angry over the ""loss"" of the father he knew. Besides trying to keep the peace in her family, Syd must also deal with a neurotic patient who believes television characters are real people.

WILL SYD AND JOE PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR RELATIONSHIP? - Syd (Melina Kanakaredes) is reluctant to accept Joe's (guest star Steven Ekholdt) invitaton to join him for an evening of romance in the public eye at a glamorous political event. Meanwhile at the clinic, Syd struggles to reconcile a patient (guest star Johnny Whitworth) who has full-blown AIDS, with his estranged father (guest star Frederick Coffin.) On the homefront, an exhausted Joanie (Paula Cale) butts heads with Jim's (Mike Farrell) new home therapist (guest star Debi Morgan). Robbie (Seth Peterson) avoids dealing with family issues by busying himself with do-it-yourself projects at Tina's (guest star Maria Pitillo) apartment. TV-PG

FRIENDS AND LOVERS - Syd (Melina Kanakaredes) and Joe's (guest star Steven Ekholdt) relationship is strained when Syd becomes better acquainted with his estranged wife Erica (guest star Christina Haag) and the two women discover that they like each other. Brought together through volunteer work for breast cancer research, Erica asks Syd to consult on her friend Lynn's (guest star Allison Smith, ""The West Wing"") breast reconstructive surgery. Meanwhile, Joanie (Paula Cale) struggles with financial problems caused by Jim's (Mike Farrell) HMO coverage, or lack thereof. Jim discovers the joys of home shopping on cable television which adds to Joanie's concerns. Joanie and Heather (guest star Dana Daurey) interview a temporary replacement for Jim to run the vet clinic and decide to hire Dr. Sam Magala (guest star Cress Williams). Robbie (Seth Peterson) tries to help Tina's (guest star Maria Pitillo) son Pete (guest star Alex D. Linz, ""Home Alone 3"") with a school science project but meets w

WILL SYD VOTE IN FAVOR OF CONTINUING HER ROMANCE WITH JOE CONNELLY? THINGS HEAT UP WHEN PETE (GUEST STAR ALEX D. LINZ, 'MAX KEEBLE'S BIG MOVE') SETS FIRE TO HIS BEDROOM -- As election day draws near, Syd (Melina Kanakaredes) sees nothing positive about negative campaign tactics used by Joe Connelly (guest star Steven Eckholdt) and begins to seriously question his integrity. Meanwhile, an increasingly hostile Pete (guest star Alex D. Linz, 'Max Keeble's Big Move') realizes Robbie (Seth Peterson) really cares for him when Pete accidentally sets fire to the apartment and Robbie saves him. Elsewhere, during an unsupervised moment at the clinic, Jim (Mike Farrell) administers an injection to a dog and the animal goes into cardiac arrest when Dr. Malaga (guest star Cress Williams, NBC's 'ER') unwittingly gives the dog another shot of the same drug. Later at home, Joanie (Paula Cale) gives Jim an herbal supplement, not knowing it could cause an ulcer.