Heartbeat Episode 1.03 Backwards

Pierce's (Dave Annable) surgical prowess makes Alex (Melissa George) hot, and after he completes a particularly challenging surgery, she takes him to an empty room... where they are discovered by Millicent (Shelley Conn) while she's leading a tour for potential investors. Knowing how much Alex will hate it, Millicent punishes their lack of professionalism by sending them to couples therapy with Dr. Hackett (D.L. Hughley).

Initially resistant, Alex ends up talking so much during their session that Pierce can barely get a word in. When Pierce finally has a chance to speak, he admits to feeling like their relationship has been going backwards since he suggested living together. He's not happy, a revelation that stuns Alex.

Meanwhile, an agitated patient arrives, seemingly talking gibberish, but Alex recognizes he's speaking backwards. The patient, Sam, was in an accident as a young child and sustained an unusual form of brain damage; now a young adult, Sam feels so isolated by his language barrier he doesn't want to live anymore. Sam's grandmother insists that they've tried too many failed treatments to get their hopes up again, but Alex still believes an experimental stem cell treatment can help Sam.

After a harrowing surgery, Sam wakes up able to speak normally, and everyone is thrilled... until two weeks later, when the effect of the stem cells wears off and Sam's condition returns. Devastated that she let down her patient, Alex confides in Dr. Hackett that she feels she's let Pierce down too. Alex is able to make amends to Sam when she finds another patient with the same condition, finally giving Sam someone to talk to, and later, she admits to Pierce that she did pull away from him, but she doesn't want to. She's ready to move forward with their relationship.