J.D. begins to feel distant from Turk, when he leaves him abandoned every time that he tries to talk to him. Elliot fights with Kelso for calling her "sweetheart," and she seeks Dr. Cox's advice. J.D.'s relationship with Elliot goes in a time race, when he has 48 hours to kiss her before he is put into her "Friend Zone."

The three interns are each assigned patients with various illnesses. Statistically speaking, one of the three is going to die. J.D.'s patient is 86 year old Mrs. Tanner, who is in renal failure. 20 year old David Morrison is Turk's hernia patient and Elliot's patient Mrs. Guerrero only speaks Spanish and might have lupus.

J.D. has finally earned the spot as brightest student, but he's got competition: Nick Murdoch, who seems to be nicer, friendlier and has a better butt than him. But even J.D. can't hate the guy, for he is so nice. But he is surprised when he finds Nick sitting in a corner crying because he can't take the pressure of medical internship. Meanwhile, Turk is having problems at the operation table and doesn't tell Carla, who keeps bothering Dr. Cox about it. And Dr. Cox gives Turk a very unique suggestion on how to calm down before surgery.

J.D. gets to see the hospital through the eyes of a patient when he's admitted for appendicitis. Elliot examines him and he tells everyone how cold and rough she is, which drives her crazy. J.D. doesn't want Turk to operate on him, which hurts Turk's feelings. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox is trying to show off to his mentor, Dr. Benson, the ex-chief of medicine, who is also a patient at the hospital. The only thing in his way is Dr. Kelso, who almost dismissed Dr. Benson prematurely.

Turk's competitiveness is starting to annoy J.D., especially when it crosses the line of personal jokes and comes to patient's matters.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cox finally has a taste of good coffee, but thanks to his feud with Dr. Kelso, the only nurse who was able to make it gets fired. Elliot meets a very attractive patient, whom she instantly identifies, but has a really hard time getting him to ask her out.

Ben takes the news of his diagnosis pretty well - at least better than his sister Jordan and J.D. Remarkably, it is Dr. Cox who is the voice of reason and compassion, until his own fears get in the way.

Meanwhile, Turk and Elliot have their own issues to deal with. Turk is upset because he wasn't chosen to assist on a difficult surgery and Elliot is criticized during rounds by Dr. Kelso for the 100th time.

It's J.D.'s last day as an intern, and soon he will become a resident. Carla and Turk are arguing about dating other people. Elliot finally rebels against being everyone's doormat, and J.D. is just trying to stay out of people's way.

Jordan has returned to get a physical and a new patient, Mr. Bober, has been admitted, because he needs his gall bladder removed. He really needs the surgery, but doesn't have the insurance to pay for it. They enlist the help of Dr. Cox, Dr. Wen and Jordan.

When Dr. Kelso challenges the residents by offering a trip to a medical conference in Reno as a reward to the individual, who presents the most interesting case study, J.D. refuses to play along, earning him the respect of Dr. Cox.

In the meantime, Turk misses his opportunity to ask for a new laser on the one day of the year, that Dr. Kelso grants favors, so he is forced to find another way to come up with the goods.

J.D. insists that Carla should open up to him. When she finally starts to do that, J.D. screws it up by telling Turk. Elliot is desperate for attention from Dr. Cox. Turk sees himself in an ethical dilemma when Dr. Kelso picks him over a female surgeon to spend a weekend in Mexico.

J.D.'s brother is in town. Turk is thrown out of a patient's funeral for not knowing his name and feels even worse because earlier he made a bet with Dr. Cox over another patient's life.

Turk is still waiting for Carla to answer his proposal and asks his brother to stay over a few days to help him deal with it. Dr. Townshend, an old friend of Dr. Kelso and one of the nicest doctors around befriends J.D.

Elliot accidentally finds out the sex of Jordan's baby, becoming the object of Dr. Cox's anxiety.

Turk takes J.D. up to surgery, and right from the start J.D. steps all over Turk when trying not to be the geek among the surgeons. Paul hears Elliot say "I love U2" while she was rearranging her CDs and thinks she said "I love you too." Dr. Cox decides to get even with Dr. Kelso by telling everyone he's dead, revealing what people really think of him.

Sean is a bit surprised and disturbed to learn about Elliot and J.D.'s history together, but it turns out his anger is really a cover up for his upcoming six month long trip and he doesn't want Elliot to explode.

Dr. Cox. is forced to swallow his pride and actually ask for help when he decides to throw his hat in the ring for the Residency Director position at the hospital.

Carla picks up an extra shift as a surgical nurse, which allows her to spend the day working alongside with Turk, to his great annoyance.

Elliot struggles to find her defining moment after Turk performs his first solo surgery. Dr. Cox deals with the reality of growing older when his back goes out. J.D. finds out that many of the hospital staff don't know the Janitor as he does.

J.D. believes he may have finally found a mentor in Dr. Kevin Casey, a surgeon with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it turns out that Dr. Cox has always been jealous of the guy.

Meanwhile, the Janitor and his new assistant help Kelso out with a garbage problem.

An ever present butterfly prompts the question on what could have happened different as Turk looks for his lucky do-rag for surgery, and Elliot tries to find a lost stuffed animal for a child needing a bone marrow transplant.

When J.D. has to address a bunch of pre-med students about what it's like to be a doctor, he strays off the beaten path and chooses to discuss his best moments as a doctor instead. When he challenges the rest of the staff to do so, they all remember their best memories in the medical field.

Meanwhile, Elliot is forced to face her fear of children, when she must befriend a ten year old boy, whose father is being treated in the I.C.U.

While planning his birthday, J.D. finds a list of things he wanted to accomplish, before he turned 30. He enters a triathlon to begin. Meanwhile, Elliot discovers a side of her boyfriend Jake, that freaks her out. And Turk is working hard to impress his bosses and takes on a patient, who wants to be hypnotized during surgery in effort to be promoted.

J.D. urges Cox and his fellow doctors to do special, unconventional things for their patients, but J.D. himself is not sure he can shave his head for a woman undergoing chemotherapy, after meeting a woman who loves his hair. Meanwhile,Turk and Carla attempt to eliminate all the stress in their lives, to better their chances of conceiving. Also, Elliot can't stop giving her new boyfriend Keith stupid gifts.

When J.D. rearranges his schedule to allow himself more time to spend with Turk, Turk secretly resents hanging out with J.D. in that time because it interferes with his own "Turk Time."

Meanwhile, Dr. Cox and Jordan go on a double date with Elliot and Keith, and Carla covers for Kelso at work, as he grieves for his dead dog.

Later, a patient almost dies, after giving up part of his liver for his brother, and the hospital staff learns about making sacrifices for the people they really care about.

J.D. is planning on leaving Sacred Heart but before he goes there are a few things that he wants to do including; getting a hug from Dr. Cox, and learning the Janitor's real name. Elliot is ready for the next step in her and J.D.'s relationship and she begins moving her furniture into J.D.'s apartment.