Dr. Will Hayward

“I could not bring myself to do the post-mortem, so last night I called in Joe Fielding.”

Screenshot of Warren Frost as Doctor Will Hayward, from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
© Lynch/Frost & Twin Peaks Productions.

Will Hayward, Donna’s father

Doctor Hayward is the husband of Eileen Hayward and father of three beautifull daughters Harriet, Gersten and Donna, who is Laura Palmer’s best friend. Will Hayward is a good friend of the Palmer family, who are regularly invited for dinner parties.

On February 24th 1989, Doc Hayward is called for by Sheriff Truman after Pete Martell has found a dead body wrapped in plastic. Doctor Hayward is just devastated when the face of the dead young woman is revealed.

“Oh my God, it’s Laura!”

Doctor Hayward’s story

Will Hayward’s practice of medicine

Doctor Hayward’s numerous patients express their appreciation for his commitment to the practice of family medicine. Doctor Hayward usually treats very common ailments but supports a wider range of medical services at Calhoun Memorial Hospital.

Seventeen years ago, Will Hayward helped to deliver Laura Palmer. In case of emergencies like shooting incidents, Doctor Hayward is asked to operate on patients. When people die in Twin Peaks, Doctor Hayward often serves as a coroner.

Doctor Hayward’s contested autopsy report

Having delivered Laura Palmer and knowing her her entire life, Doctor Hayward can’t bring himself to do the post-motem. He calls in Joe Fielding from Fairvale. He did the work, Doctor Hayward assisted.

“I couldn’t bring myself to do the post-mortem, so last night I called in Joe Fielding from Fairvale.”

The time of death is estimated to be between midnight and 4 am. What killed Laura Palmer was loss of blood. The autopsy revealed numerous shallow wounds, no single one serious enough to have been the cause of death.

Laura had bite marks on her tongue. Probably self-inflicted, hypothesizes Doctor Hayward. Lesions on wrists, ankles and upper arms, where she was bound.

Within the last twelve hours of her life, Laura Palmer had sexual relations with at least three men.

Albert Rosenfield wants further investigation of Laura’s dead body

At the morgue Doctor Hayward has an argument with FBI agent Albert Rosenfield, who got called in by Dale Cooper. Albert calls Doctor Hayward’s autopsy report “amateur”.

Albert Rosenfield wants to further investigate but Doctor Hayward is there to escort Laura Palmer’s body to the cemetary. Sheriff Truman, who arrived at the scene, needs to step in to let Doctor Hayward take charge of the body.

Agent Cooper takes Dr Hayward’s side too, and demands that Rosenfield releases Laura’s body immediately.

Doctor Will Hayward and the murder investigation

Doctor Hayward helps to calm down Laura’s mother so she can be questioned by Sheriff Truman. Sarah Palmer remembers Laura arrived around nine o’clock. She came home from Bobby’s.

Doctor Hayward also examens Ronette Pulaski, another high school girl that disappeared and shows the same lesions on wrists, ankles and upper arms. She suffered a severe head wound and will be unfit to answer questions for quite some time.

Doctor Hayward finds out that the blood on Leo Johnson’s shirt doesn’t match Laura’s. It’s AB negative, Jacques Renault’s blood type.

Sheriff Truman invites Will Hayward on an exhausting hicking trip when they go off to investigate Jacques Renault’s log cabin, where agent Cooper thinks Laura and Ronette might have been on February 23rd.

Waldo, the abandoned myna bird found at Jacques Renault’s secret party place, is diagnosed with dehydration. On Doctor Hayward’s advice, Lucy Moran helps the poor thing to recover with plenty of water and fresh fruit.

Doctor Hayward, a loving father

Laura Palmer writes in her secret diary that, out of all of the men she knows in the world, Dr. Hayward is the most loving to her. He is unselfish, and always shows her a gentle smile of inspiration or forgiveness – or anything that somehow always perfectly fills the gap she feels inside her.

Doctor Hayward cares deeply about his three daughters who make him very proud. Gersten plays the piano like a real professional and Harriet has this thing for poetry.

“Mike, can you wait outside?”

Donna is the one that worries Doctor Hayward. Will Hayward doesn’t like his oldest daughter to hang out with Mike Nelson, who’s behind the wheel while drinking beer.

Doctor Hayward believes in the goodness of his daughter, although there are many things about Donna he doesn’t know. Given his busy work shedule, Doctor Hayward unfortunately doesn’t always have the time to guard over his family.

Doctor Hayward – Quotes

“Donna, I’m sure you understand what you’ve put your Mother and I through tonight.”

“I also know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have done it unless you had a very good reason.”

“But we do have another problem facing us, young lady … Where is Harriet’s bicycle?”

“We’re so thankful to have a daughter like you.”

“So beautiful… Who would do a thing like that?”

“Mike, can you wait outside?”

“I don’t believe I know your parents, James.”

“I have never in my life met a man with so little regard for human frailty. Have you no compassion?!”