Abby Lockhart
Maura Tierney as Abby Lockhart
First appearance	November 25, 1999
Portrayed by	Maura Tierney
Information
Gender	female
Date of birth	1969-01-10(age 38)
Occupation	Third year ER resident
Spouse(s)	Luka Kovac (husband) Richard Lockhart (ex-husband)
Children	Joe (son, with Luka Kovac)
Relatives	Maggie Wyczenski (mother) Eddie Wyczenski (father) Eric Wyczenski (brother)

Dr. Abby Lockhart (previously Nurse Abby Lockhart) is a fictional medical doctor on the television series ER. She is portrayed by Maura Tierney. Abby's full birth name is Abigail Marjorie Wyczenski. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 286 KB) Promo image of Maura Tierney as Abby Lockhart in ER taken from [1]. The copyright holder is NBC Entertainment. ... Maura Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an Emmy-nominated American actress, best known for her roles on television, particularly as a cast member of the 1990s situation comedy NewsRadio and, later, the long-running medical drama ER . ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The emergency department (ED), sometimes termed the emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW), accident & emergency (A&E) department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and... Dr. Luka Kovac is a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He is portrayed by Goran Visnjic. ... Maggie Wyczenski is a minor recurring fictional character played by Sally Field on the NBC medical drama ER. Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder, is the mother of Dr. Abby Lockhart. ... FicTioNaL is a Gaming Legend. ... The word physician should not be confused with physicist, which means a scientist in the area of physics. ... ER is an Emmy-winning American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. ... Maura Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an Emmy-nominated American actress, best known for her roles on television, particularly as a cast member of the 1990s situation comedy NewsRadio and, later, the long-running medical drama ER . ...

Beginnings

The character of Abby Lockhart first appears in season 6 of ER in the episode "Great Expectations." Appearing once as an obstetrics nurse, Abby helped Carol Hathaway through the complications of labor and went on to become the central nurse character after Margulies's departure. The character was born January 10, 1969. After the November episode, three months later, Abby became a regular character as a third-year medical student beginning her ER rotation. Her medical training had gone into hiatus and she had become a full time obstetrics nurse to provide for her then-husband Richard Lockhart's law school education, but once they divorced, she resumed her medical training. Later on, at the start of Abby's final year of medical school, Kerry Weaver breaks the news to her that her registration for that quarter has been denied for lack of payment. Abby confronts her ex-husband to discover that he has stopped paying her tuition because he is bankrupt. She resumes her part-time OB nursing job, and soon Weaver offers her a full-time ER nursing position. Abby accepts the offer. After several generally rewarding years as a nurse, Abby got her ex-husband to sign off on a loan so she could finish medical school. While she failed her first exam to fully become a doctor, the 2nd try was the charm and she earned her MD on the Season 10 finale. Obstetrics (from the Latin obstare, to stand by) is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (the period shortly after birth). ... This article is about the occupation. ... Dr. Kerry Weaver, portrayed by Laura Innes, was a fictional character on the NBC television series ER; she first appeared as a recurring character actor in season 2, and became a regular cast member in season 3. ...

In the 2000–2001 season, Abby is visited by her mother, Maggie (played by Sally Field), who suffers from bipolar disorder. Abby's childhood is revealed to have been very difficult. During her childhood, she was forced to cope with her mother's erratic behavior when she was not taking her medicine. She also had to deal with her mother's long absences, and had to take care of her younger brother Eric (played by Tom Everett Scott). Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Maggie Wyczenski is a minor recurring fictional character played by Sally Field on the NBC medical drama ER. Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder, is the mother of Dr. Abby Lockhart. ... Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award winning American actress. ... For other uses, see Bipolar. ... Thomas Everett Scott (born September 7, 1970 in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts) is an American actor. ...

The audience later meets Eric, who has been in the Air Force but went AWOL. He, too, is showing signs of bipolar disorder, but refuses to accept this.

Abby's father, Eddie, left the family when Abby was a child, due at least in part to Maggie's uncontrollable behavior. Abby reunited with her father (Fred Ward) in season 13, when he initially approached her under the disguise of being a patient named Eddie Jackson before finally revealing his true identity to her. Frederick Ward (born December 30, 1942) is an American actor. ...

Throughout her stay at County General, Abby has been generally friendly and well-liked by most of the staff. She is considered open to talking and listening, yet she remains humble and cautious about her personal life. She has befriended many colleagues in the ER who have come and gone, particularly the female co-workers including Carol Hathaway and Susan Lewis, and later Elizabeth Corday and Kerry Weaver. She is now close friends with Dr. Neela Rasgostra. Currently she and Luka Kovac are the longest residing doctors in the County ER and have become the senior figures on the show. Dr. Luka Kovac is a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He is portrayed by Goran Visnjic. ...

Personal life

Soon after taking the position in the ER, Abby begins a relationship with Dr. Luka Kovač. The beginning of their relationship is overshadowed when they are attacked by a mugger on their first date, whom Luka kills. However they stay together for about a year, but their relationship becomes more strained after the arrival of Abby's mother and the increasing closeness between Abby and Dr. John Carter, and a heated argument leads to their breaking up at the beginning of the eighth season. Despite an initial period of awkwardness and jealousy after their romance ends, Luka and Abby become good friends again in fairly short order. Dr. John Carter is a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He is portrayed by Noah Wyle. ...

Abby's next relationship is with Dr. John Carter. Abby discovers Carter shooting up on painkillers. She tells the attending doctors about it, and at their urging and with their help, Carter enters a rehabilitation program. Once he returns, he sees Abby at an AA meeting. She tells him that she is a recovering alcoholic and had been sober for five years. She agrees to become his AA sponsor. Abby and Carter develop a very strong friendship. This strains her relationship with Luka. Dr. John Carter is a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He is portrayed by Noah Wyle. ...

Several months later, Abby has a particularly horrible birthday and starts drinking again. When Carter catches her having a beer, he confronts her, and she tells him not to worry about her. When Dr. Mark Greene passes away, Carter seeks solace in Abby. She returns to her AA meetings, telling Carter she did it for him, and they become a couple. Abby continues drinking, and Carter compulsively tries to "fix" her. At one point, Carter is ready to propose to Abby at a special dinner he's arranged for her, but at the last minute, he ends up putting the ring back in his pocket and though they discuss it briefly in a later episode, he never tries again. Dr. Mark Greene was a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER. He was portrayed by Anthony Edwards. ...

Their relationship is badly strained when Carter's grandmother (portrayed by Frances Sternhagen) dies, and Abby's brother, Eric, conclusively diagnosed with bipolar disorder, attends the funeral with them and falls into her grave. Soon after that, Carter flies to the Congo and joins Luka, who is volunteering with Doctors Without Borders. When Carter goes to Africa for the second time (presumably to recover the body of Luka, who, in a plot twist, has not actually died), he sends Abby a break-up letter, and their relationship finally ends. Just as with the end of Luka and Abby's relationship, Abby and Carter remain close friends after a period of distance between them.

Abby briefly dates a medical student named Jake for a while in season 11, but their relationship eventually fizzles when Abby does not respond positively to Jake's desires to stay in Chicago to be with her. She also begins to grow close to Susan Lewis and Kerry Weaver.

In Season 12, Abby rekindles her relationship with Luka in the episode "The Human Shield." Initially, they decide to remain friends, but soon become lovers. Three weeks into their relationship it is revealed that Abby is pregnant. She and Luka decide to keep the baby. Luka proposes to Abby while she is pregnant, but Abby is not comfortable with the idea and was discouraged because of her past problems, and later claims she 'doesn't need a white dress' to prove she loves him. Their baby, a son called Joseph or Josip (after Luka's father, Josip), with Joe for short (after Joe Frazier, the boxer whom Abby's long-disappeared father was a fan of) is born by emergency C-section at the beginning of season 13. Abby also has to have an emergency hysterectomy. He is premature and spends several weeks in the hospital's NICU, requiring surgery during his stay. Abby and Luka's relationship becomes strained during this period, but appear much happier in later episodes, caring for their now healthy baby boy. A pregnant woman Pregnancy is the process by which a mammalian female carries a live offspring from conception until it develops to the point where the offspring is capable of living outside the womb. ... The term baby can refer to: an infant a very early computer—the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, nicknamed Baby a musician – Brian Williams – who performs under the name Baby. ... For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

Throughout Season 13, Abby is shown growing into her role as Joe's mother, first by taking time off to be with her seriously ill baby, then by participating in classic maternal activities like Mommy and Baby classes and walks in the park, and then later by gradually reintroducing herself into the ER world. Mid-season tension develops between Abby and Luka, partly as the result of Luka's apparently paranoid behavior regarding Curtis Ames, a disgruntled former patient who has sued Luka due to a stroke he suffered that cost him the use of his arm. Ames eventually breaks into Abby and Luka's apartment, and demands to see Luka. Abby tries to bargain with him, telling him that she used to be an alcoholic, and recounting an occasion where she felt as if she had hit 'rock bottom'. Luka is taken hostage, threatened and has his hand crushed by Ames, but survives his ordeal when Ames commits suicide. In the next episode, an emotional Abby asks Luka to propose to her again. She says if they got through the shooting incident and the Curtis Ames nightmare, they can get through anything - he proposes and the couple get engaged. Later Luka realises that Abby is hesitant and being 'freaked out' by planning the wedding, so he decides to prepare a surprise wedding for her. At first, she has her doubts and fears but eventually she agrees and asks one of her best friends, Neela Rasgotra to be her maid of honor. Dr. Neela Rasgotra is a fictional medical doctor portrayed by Parminder Nagra on the television show ER. Spoiler warning: (The status of spoiler warnings is being discussed at this Request for Comment. ...

At the end of the thirteenth season, Abby and Luka plan to honeymoon in Hawaii. However, the night before they are due to depart, Luka receives a phone call from Croatia informing him that his father is ill, so the honeymoon is put on hold until Luka can return from his urgent trip abroad. After Luka's departure, Abby along with the ER staff has a tough time with the stern and poised new ER Chief Kevin Moretti, who plans to mold the department into a more efficient and professional work environment, but Moretti quickly tells Abby he is very impressed with her work. In Season 14, Abby is struggling to deal with Luka's absence, raise Joe and work at the ER; in "Gravity", Joe is injured after falling off a jungle gym at the playground and Abby ends up falling back into drinking at the episode's end. Her drinking problem continues to escalate, and Abby realizes how bad it is in "Blackout" when she shows up drunk to a "party" in honor of Pratt and Morris passing their boards. Abby finds herself waking up at 3am in Moretti's apartment, realizing later (after sobering up at the airport when trying to find a flight to Croatia to see Luka) she had sex with him. Dr. Kevin Moretti is a fictional medical doctor on the television series ER. He is portrayed by Stanley Tucci. ...

Career as a doctor

In 2003, Abby starts her final year of medical school. Towards the end of the quarter, she is told that someone has anonymously paid off the balance on her tuition. She later discovers it was Carter. On graduation day, Abby finds out that Carter's girlfriend, Kem, has suffered a still birth. Abby offers to stay with Carter. He is grateful, but tells her that it's not necessary. Abby goes on to graduate from medical school and finally becomes Dr. Abby Lockhart. Currently in season 13, Abby is a third year resident. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The expected result of pregnancy is the birth of a living child. ...

In "21 Guns," the 12th season finale, a shootout occurs in the ER between the police and several prisoners who are trying to escape custody. Abby immediately drops to the floor next to the admit desk, which is the center of the shootout, and apparently suffers a couple of minor cuts due to the glass shards. While rolling on the floor to get away from the glass, her stomach slams into a metal cart that has overturned in the small space. She leaps up and begins to tend to the more seriously injured Jerry, the admission worker. In the last scenes, it is revealed that her injuries are serious, and her pregnancy is affected. She notices blood on the bottom of her jeans and faints. She leaves a hand print of blood on the window as Luka watches helplessly in the next room. He had been incapacitated and tied to the gurney by the prisoners, who had injected him with vecuronium, a drug that was intended for a patient. He had to be intubated as the drug had seriously relaxed most of his body muscles, and he stopped breathing and would have died if Sam had not defied her captors and treated Luka so he didn't choke to death. Kerry Weaver finds both Abby and Luka and gets their treatments started right away. Vecuronium Bromide is a muscle relaxant in the category of non depolarising neuromuscular blocking agents. ... Respiratory arrest is the cessation of the normal tidal flow of the lungs due to paralysis of the diaphragm, collapse of the lung or any number of respiratory failures. ...

References

• Biography at ER Headquarters