Home, #23
Original air date: May 19, 2003

The scoop: Colin decides to go through with the risky brain surgery; Andy takes Ephram and Delia along with him to visit his old instructor.

What's up with Andy: Andy, in preparation for Colin's surgery, decides to pay a visit to his mentor, Dr. Douglas, the man who stood by Andy, gave him advice and helped him out throughout his surgical career. At first, Dr. Douglas is less than thrilled to see him. He reminds Andy of their last meeting. Dr. Douglas was distressed when Andy told him he was leaving his practice in New York, not only because of the amount of time Dr. Douglas invested in him, but because it seemed to him as though Andy was throwing away his gift. As Dr. Douglas angrily walks away from him, Andy hurriedly describes Colin's situation. He gets the doctor's attention and over the next day they discuss Colin's condition in depth; examining the possible occurrences and outcomes, analyzing various prognosis as well as any unforeseen problems that may arise. Ultimately, Dr. Douglas discourages Andy from undertaking such a risky and unpredictable operation, not only because of the effect a negative outcome would have on Andy, but also the effect it would have on the whole town of Everwood.

What's up with Ephram: Dr. Douglas holds a gathering of people at his house who want to meet the "incredible" Dr. Brown. While there, Ephram sees how much his dad is respected in his field of medicine. Dr. Douglas tells Ephram about how he knew Andy was something special while he was still in medical school and that his dad is nothing less than a prodigy. Afterwards, Andy takes Ephram out for a driving test around the same parking lot in which he had his first date with Ephram's mom. As the two are sitting together (Andy recovering from Ephram's atrocious driving skills) Ephram tells his dad that he thinks they should move back to New York. Not because he wants to, but because he finally sees what an amazing surgeon his dad was and how much of an impact he had on the lives of many. Andy tells Ephram that he and Delia weren't the only reasons they moved to Everwood. He finally reveals to Ephram that his mother had told Andy about the beautiful town of Everwood and that if anything ever happened to her, he would go there with the kids. Andy was fulfilling that promise. Ephram asks why he didn't tell him that sooner because it would have made the last year much easier. Andy shrugs and says that it wasn't supposed to be easy.

What's up with Colin: Colin visits Andy at his office, looking for some reassurance in what the surgery could bring him. Although Andy's unable to give him any definitive answers, Colin is sure he should go through with the operation. On the day before the surgery Colin takes Bright and Amy on an all day exhibition. During which, he assures Bright that he doesn't hold anything against him because of the accident and that he's his best friend. Then he takes them to a baseball stadium where Everwood's senior class will be holding their graduation ceremony later that afternoon. Amy sees that Colin's motive for the whole day is to "tie up any loose ends" before going into surgery the next day. Amy's upset because she doesn't want to believe that Colin might disappear from her life once again. When Colin tells her that he wrote out his will the night before, Amy doesn't want to hear it and tells Colin that all she wants is for him to come back. When they get back to Everwood that night Colin pays a visit to Dr. Brown. He asks Dr. Brown to promise him that if something goes wrong with the surgery he'll let him go and won't keep up a futile attempt to save Colin if it means he'll face a life as a vegetable or as a different person. Dr. Brown promises Colin he won't let that happen. Colin produces an envelope which has his desires written down inside. Dr. Brown assures Colin that the envelope won't need to be opened. On the morning of the surgery Colin's mother shaves his head and he falls effortlessly asleep when a mask is put over his face and Dr. Brown asks him to count backwards from 10.

What's up with Amy: At the hospital the morning of Colin's surgery, Amy meets Ephram at the candy machine. She's touched when Ephram insists on giving her change for the machine. She asks him when he's leaving for New York and he tells her that he's staying in Everwood for the summer and that maybe he'll visit New York during Christmas. Amy says it would be nice for him to go home for the holiday. Ephram looks at her and says, "I am home."

Final Notes: Colin's family, along with the entire Abbott family, is waiting anxiously in the hospital waiting room for Dr. Brown to come out and tell them how Colin's surgery went. When he finally enters the room everybody stands up apprehensively as Dr. Brown looks around at them all with a look of trepidation.