Episode 1306

Aired: Monday June 28, 1971

Nancy Barrett's voiceover: "A new day has dawned at Collinwood, bringing a new light into the darkness that was once the mistress of the great house's life. A man from her past has returned, determined to use every skill he has to save her life..."

In the hospital room, Alan moves towards Liz. He starts to take her pulse and she starts to wake up. She looks over to him. He smiles at her and says "Hello, Elizabeth." She recognizes him, and says weakly "Alan! What.... how..." He shushes her softly and says "They brought me in to be your doctor. I've been a cardiologist in Boston for many years now." "You are my doctor?" Liz asks. He answers "Yes," and then moves his pulse taking hand from her wrist to her hand and adds "You're going to be just fine, I promise you." He raises her hand and kisses it. Liz smiles at him.

After the titles, Liz tells Alan he's being "fairly presumptuous" with his hand kiss, and he answers that he's a "man who loves to take long chances. How have you been all these years, Liz?" She says she's been "mostly fine, until now." He tells her "that's why I'm here. Your doctors decided you needed a specialist. I've gone over your file and checked the test results. I know I can solve all of your problems." She tells him that solving all of her problems would be an impressive feat. He changes the subject and tells her how beautiful her daughter Carolyn is, and how proud she must be. "I must admit I never though Paul Stoddard was right for you, but maybe it was for the best." Liz says she'd rather not discuss the past, and asks Alan how he has been. He tells her how he went to medical school on a scholarship and interned in Chicago before setting up his practice in Boston. Liz asks him why he never kept in touch, and he says that he had gotten married and "also wanted to forget the past." Liz asks him his wife's name, but Alan says "Her name was Roberta, but she died several years ago." Liz says she's sorry, but is obviously thinking about this when Alan says they should discuss her condition.

Carolyn and Roger are in the hospital room with Alan and Liz. Alan has just finished telling them his diagnosis, and that he is recommending surgery. Carolyn is scared over this prospect, but Alan assures her that "this is not that complicated an operation, and it is my specialty." Roger asks him what kind of guarantees he can give them, and Alan tells him that "there are never any guarantees. But there is a very strong probability that with this operation, Elizabeth will be just fine." Roger starts to insist on bringing in other doctors for a second opinion, but Liz interrupts and says that she "trusts Alan completely" and will go ahead with the operation. Carolyn tells Liz she's being very brave, and asks her if she is sure. Liz says yes, and Roger is angry, still insisting on another opinion. Alan tells Roger that other doctors will recommend the same thing, "or their lack of experience with this kind of thing would be obvious." Liz tells Carolyn and Roger that she will go ahead with the surgery because "I know Alan. I know how brilliant he is, and I know how he refuses to fail at anything." Roger tells her she's risking her life on that opinion, and Liz snaps back that it's her life to risk, and she'll live it any way she wants. At Liz' request, Alan leaves the room to schedule the operation.

Outside Liz's room, Carolyn asks Roger why he seems to have no confidence in Alan, and Roger tells Carolyn simply that "she wouldn't understand." Carolyn gets mad and tells Roger that it's obvious Alan "knows mother from a long time ago. What aren't you telling me about him?" Roger tells Carolyn that "there's no big secret" and that Alan was one of the Collins' groundskeepers back when he was in school. "He and your mother were friendly, and since he was going to college at night, he helped her with her studies." Carolyn smiles and asks Roger if they were more than friends, and Roger scoffs and says "No, thank heavens. If I remember, Alan suddenly received a full scholarship to medical school and had to leave Collinsport before anything could develop along those lines." Carolyn wonders aloud what her mother was like "at my age." Roger looks thoughtful for a moment and mutters "No one could tell her anything."

Carolyn is at her mother's side, and tells her "Uncle Roger told me Dr. Slater had once been a Collins servant." Liz says yes, and adds that she thinks Roger still thinks of him that way. "Were you friends with him mother?" asks Carolyn. Liz smiles and says yes, "but that was some years before you were born. I was very young. Alan was going to college at night and always talked of traveling around the world. I loved hearing about it." Carolyn asks Liz why she never stayed in touch with him after he "suddenly got that scholarship and left town." Liz says she never really thought about it, and "I soon met your father after that anyway." Carolyn says that maybe this is her second chance, and Liz says "Yes, maybe it is."