S14 E3 (25 Sep 99) : Truth or Dare by Tony McHale
Episode Summary
Adam goes to talk to Sam, who’s recovering well. He gives him a book and asks Sam how long it’ll be before he’s out of hospital. Sam says about a week, then he’ll go to the coast to see a friend. Adam asks his advice on returning to nursing – Sam’s the only one he can ask because he’s the only one who knows he’s HIV positive. Sam is surprised, but says that if that’s what he wants he should go for it. Adam mentions the accident, saying he wished he could have grabbed Mr. Williams or something. Sam asks if the reason he wants to go back to nursing is some sort of guilt trip because of him; Adam says it isn’t.
Adam speaks to Charlie about returning to nursing. He says he left because it wasn’t right for him then but he knows it’s right for him now. He says it’s frustrating not being allowed to help people when he knows he can, especially when it happened with Sam. Charlie asks if this is all about Sam; Adam says he’d been thinking about it long before then but Sam added to it. He tells Charlie he knows it sounds naive but he wants to return to nursing because he knows it’s something he has to do. Charlie says it sounds like he knows what he wants. Adam says he’s going to apply for the vacancy in A&E.
Penny mentions that Jasmine Hopkins will be OK.
Lucy Fairfax brings 12-year-old Natasha to Holby A&E. Natasha has head injuries; Lucy, her teacher, says she fell. Lucy is told to phone the school; she appears to be doing this but Sunny tells her the phone is out of order. He asks her what happened; she tells him that Natasha was in detention, got angry and pulled a knife on Lucy. Lucy hit her in self-defence, and she fell and injured her head. Natasha is soon out of resusc, and her father arrives. Lucy tells him what happened; instead of being angry with Lucy he’s mad at Natasha. Natasha says it’s his bad example. Lucy suggests that when Natasha is back at school they talk; Natasha is reluctant but her dad wants Lucy’s help. Lucy thanks Sunny for listening.
John and Eleanor return from school with their Aunt Pippa. They are going to get John ready for a fancy-dress party. Their dad Mark is at home but doesn’t let the kids see him; instead he takes his sister-in-law Pippa upstairs to the bedroom. Eleanor shouts for Pippa, who tells her not now, but Eleanor is insistent and sounds frightened. Pippa goes downstairs and finds John in a pile of paint on the floor, covered in scratches – the children had found the paints to try to make his costume but spilt them over themselves and then tried to get the paint off with scouring pads. They call an ambulance and John is taken to A&E. His mother Cathy arrives. Holly asks her and Mark about Pippa as she says the children must have been left alone for a long time – long enough to spill the paint and try to get it off. Cathy asks Pippa where she was; Eleanor says that she was in the bedroom with Mark. Cathy says she will take the promotion she’s been offered in Edinburgh and leave them to it.
An old man has been sitting in reception all day; Amy finally asks him to register but he can’t remember his name or what’s wrong with him. Chloe takes him to a cubicle; she finds a bottle of pills with his name on and goes to find out more. It turns out that the drugs are from a private clinic as they are not legal here yet. They are a cure for impotence but if used too much can cause memory loss. Chloe contacts his wife and she arrives; she turns out to be probably about in her twenties. “No wonder he wanted the tablets” says Eve.
Teams from a sales company are on a weekend outdoor course. Lee and Gary, leaders of two teams, are intense rivals for a trophy. They go on the assault course and get to a high rope bridge to which they have to be harnessed to get across, but there are no marshals to check the equipment. Lee and his team cross safely but he decides to undo a screw so that Gary and his team will take longer to get across by the time they’ve replaced it. Lee gets to the other side before he’s finished, and pulls the harness towards him with the screw loose but not obviously out of place. Gary starts to cross but the harness breaks. He manages to grab the rope. Lee tells him not to look down and harnesses himself on to go to help. He arrives but as Gary is moving to hold onto Lee’s harness he slips and falls sixty feet to the ground below. He is taken to A&E but dies there. Lee tells Andrea, another team member who saw what he did, not to say anything to the police other than that it was an accident, bribing her with promises of promotion and half his list of contacts. She agrees but Lee later lashes out at Steve, the other member of the team, calling him lazy, and fires him there and then. She is shocked by this but Lee says that’s how dedicated you have to be when you’re at the top. She says she’s going to tell someone; he grabs her but she gets away and goes inside. She tells Charlie what happened and the police take Lee away.
Gerry comes into the department to see Eve. He tells her he’s been diagnosed with a form of cancer and asks her if he’s dying. She says there’s treatment but no cure, so yes he is, although it could be months, or even longer. Gerry says he keeps asking “Why me?” as he runs the mission – why would God want to kill him? Eve can’t answer that but says he doesn’t have to go through it alone and promises she’ll be there for him. She goes to see Sam. He tells her that he can’t remember much just after the accident but he remembers being scared of dying. She tells him about Gerry, and how he’s now confused about his faith. She asks Sam if he has faith; he says, “I’ve got you lot.” Eve tells him she’ll always be there for him.
Chloe, Sean and Tina end up alone together in resus. Tina says she feels disgusted with Sean and leaves. Sean asks Chloe if it’s his; she slaps him. He tells her he’ll give her money for an abortion or give her money to support the child. He says he can’t give her anything more as it would be living a lie. Later Tina makes some nasty comment to Chloe. They start arguing; Tina says she doesn’t have anything to do with her, Sean or the baby, and storms out. Duffy comes in and talks to Chloe, saying she can talk to her and asking if she knows what she’ll do. Chloe tells her what Sean said. Sean comes in, sees Chloe and walks out, Chloe calling after him.
Patients
– Natasha Harrison, 12-year-old girl who gets head injuries after gettig hit by teacher
– John Pawley, a sixe-year-old that covers himself in paint
– Gary Naylor, 26 years old, dies after a sixty-feet-fall during team building weekend
– Sir Laurence Wilkinson, an old man that suffers from memory loss
First Scene/words
[A woman, Lucy, is driving a young girl, Natasha into hospital.]
Lucy: Calm down, calm down, we’re here, we’re here. Get out of the way!
[Lucy stops the car and goes to get Natasha into A&E.]
Sunny: Can’t park here!
:Oh sure. We’re here, that’s alright Natasha.
[Lucy lifts Natasha out of the car and Sunny comes to help her.]
Sunny: Come here, give her here.
Lucy: You got her.
Sunny: Close the door. Natasha yeah? Can you hear me, Natasha?
Lucy: She can’t hear you!
[Sunny carries Natasha into A&E.]
Last Scene/words
Tina and Chloe have had an argument and Duffy arrives just as Tina leaves the staffroom.
Duffy: Has that cleared the air or is there more to come?
Chloe: There’s more to come. There’s a lot mroe to come.
Duffy: I supposed that was to be expected.
Chloe: This wasn’t expected. I just didn’t think. Now I’m left pregnant with no one even to talk to.
Duffy: Chloe, you can talk to me.
Chloe: Oh, you know what I mean…
Duffy: Yeah… So how’s Sean being with you?
Chloe: Oh great, he’ll do whatever I want. I can keep the baby or I can get rid of the baby. Only he won’t be there for either, so I’m on my own.
Duffy: Look… I know it’s only early days yet, but have you got any idea what you’re gonna do?
Sean comes into the staffroom, but noticed them and looks at Chloe for a while, before walking away.
Chloe: Sean, Sean…. Sean?
Review by Alison & Karin.
UK Viewing Figures
11.47m
