Hospital – Trucker’s Room
We open where we left off, with Trucker telling Dinah Lee that Curtis needs her and that she should be there for him. “I can’t tell you what to do,” he says, then tells her that it doesn’t matter that he loves her “because we can’t be together.”
Hospital – ICU Room/ICU/Heaven
Kate stands vigil, watching over Ava. Jeremy comes to check up and Kate tells him that he’s “just in time.” He wonders what for.
Meanwhile, up on heaven’s balcony, Ava points out Jeremy to Harry. “He and I had something really wonderful once,” she says wistfully. Harry tells her that he knows all about it and she jokingly wonders if he’s been spying on her. He starts talking up how great the after life is, trying to get her to cross over with him. “Forget Alex. Let him be happy, too,” he says.
But, Ava sees something of interest, namely, a tuxedo clad Alex. She wonders what he’s planning while Kate and Jeremy question Alex about whether he’s really going to go through with it. “I am going to marry Ava, today.”
Ava is touched.
Hospital – ICU/Heaven
Kate gently wonders how Alex will react if his plan doesn’t work, but he’s sure of himself and tells her that he’ll deal with that if the time comes. “I’m afraid that you’re being unrealistic,” she says.
Meanwhile, pushy Harry keeps trying to talk Ava into just dying already. This guy.
Alex explains to Kate that once he’s proven to Ava how much she means to him and how much she has to live for, they’re going to see a miracle.
Father Matchett arrives, somewhat confused, and Kate takes him aside to explain, leaving Alex with Jeremy. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” “I think you need help,” Jeremy replies, offering to do whatever needs to be done. “I loved her once, too, you know. I would have done the same thing.” In terms of what he needs, Alex notes the minor problems of talking Father Matchett and the doctor into letting him go through with his plan.
Father Matchett points out to Kate that Ava is still in a coma. Meanwhile, Jeremy decides to go around Ava’s doctors to Angie. She tells him about her call with Charles and he asks if she can do him a favor before she goes. “It’s not medical, more… matrimonial?”
Ava is touched by the efforts being made for her. “They’re wasting their time,” Harry says, pointing out that there won’t be a bride.
Hospital – Trucker’s Room
Trucker tells Dinah Lee that “it just isn’t right, you and me.” He goes on that she can’t “just walk out” on Curtis. She says that she didn’t and, for the first time, acknowledges that the separation was Curtis’ idea. Trucker is confused and she says that Curtis decided after being told that she loved Trucker. He repeats that Curtis really needs her and she wonders if Trucker doesn’t need her. “It’s different,” Trucker insists. He continues to push things, telling her that they need to take care of Curtis, and she gets her back up a little bit, saying she tried to help Curtis with his PTSD when they were still together, but he wouldn’t let her. She says she’ll still be there for Curtis as a friend, but Trucker declares that that isn’t enough.
She wonders if Trucker thinks it will be her fault it Curtis doesn’t get better. “No,” he says, but then says, “Yeah. You would feel like it was. And you would never be able to forgive yourself for that and it would just tear us apart.”
Buck walks back in, but immediately realizes that he’s interrupting. He offers to leave, but instead Dinah Lee picks up her things and walks out.
Hospital – Hallway
Buck has followed Dinah Lee out and they argue about her leaving. He wonders if she’s going back to Curtis and tells her not to “play head games” with Trucker. He encourages her to go back into Trucker’s room, but she explains that Trucker “doesn’t think we can be happy as long as Curtis is miserable.” He thinks she just needs to convince him otherwise. “Don’t sit around hoping for it to work. Make it work.”
Hospital – Trucker’s Room/Hallway
Trucker tells his doctor that he’s leaving that day. His doctor resists that idea, telling him that he could still take a turn for the worse.
Buck walks in and Trucker asks for back up in his decision to check himself out. The doctor decides to stop fighting this, but warns Trucker that he’ll be better off in the hospital.
Out in the hall, the doctor reiterates to Buck that he thinks this is a bad idea and tells Buck that Trucker shouldn’t put weight on his injured leg and that he shouldn’t be alone at home. “I’ll make sure somebody’s there,” Buck says, getting an idea.
Hospital – ICU/ICU Room/Heaven
Angie has pulled some strings and gotten the okay for Alex to have a wedding at which only one party can consent. As she’s talking to an administrator, Charles comes along to steal Angie away for their date. They do a little bantering, complete with inuendo, and when Alex comes over to thank Angie for what she did, he invites her and Charles to stay for the ceremony.
In her room, Kate and Nurse Edie Falco have gotten Ava made up for the wedding.
Ava watches from the balcony, looking delighted, but Harry just keeps trying to talk her into dying already.
Father Matchett asks Alex if he’s ready to get started. As the ceremony starts, Ava tells Harry to shut up because she wants to listen. She then states that she’s not going to go with him because she wants to stay with Alex. He tells her that if she wants to play hardball, he can do that, too, warning her that what awaits her if she goes back isn’t going to be all “hugs and kisses.” He offers her a glimpse of the future and she becomes distressed, insisting that she doesn’t want to know. “Aren’t you the least bit curious?” he wonders.
The Tides – Living Room
Buck brings Trucker home and helps him get set up on the couch. He then promptly leaves. “You’re just going to leave me here?” Trucker wonders. Buck says he’s in good hands as Dinah Lee comes out from the hallway. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” she says. He tells her that she shouldn’t be there, but she’s not having that. “I know why you’re doing this. You’re being true to yourself, to your friendship with Curtis, to me, and you’ve given so much of yourself already… but I need to ask you something.” “What?” “I need you to do one last thing for me.”
Hospital – ICU Room/Heaven
The wedding ceremony proceeds. Meanwhile, Harry continues to tempt Ava with a look at the future.
Alex says “I do.”
Harry shows Ava some “highlights” of life in Corinth. She’s shocked and upset by what she sees and demands that he stop. He asks if she understands what she saw and then asks if she wants to live knowing what the future holds. It’s Ava’s turn for the “I do,” but, of course, she says nothing.
Episode Cast:
- Buck Huston – Philip Brown
- Dinah Lee Mayberry – Jessica Collins
- Charles Harrison – Geoffrey C. Ewing
- Jeremy Hunter – Jean LeClerc
- Alex Masters – Randolph Mantooth
- Angie Hubbard – Debbi Morgan
- Ava Rescott – Lisa Peluso
- Kate Slavinsky – Nada Rowand
- Trucker McKenzie – Robert Tyler
- Nurse Becker – Edie Falco
- Father Matchett – David Andrew MacDonald
- Harry Sowolsky – Ed Moore
- Trucker’s Doctor – Unknown
- George, Hospital Administrator – Unknown
Loving (1983-1995) 