S13 E7 (10 Oct 98) : A Place of Safety by Susan Boyd
Episode Summary
Sean makes a joke to Tina about a patient and about Lourdes. He goes to see a patient who seems to have caught a tropical disease in India. Sean tries to get a bed for the disease patient from India. Eve tells him off for the joke about Lourdes.
Sunny asks Josh to put some money on a horse for him. Josh asks if it’s worth him placing a bet, and decides to.
A young girl (Jody) is brought into reception by her mother. Her mum says she thinks Jody must have fallen but Jody shakes her head.
Max tells Mark not to overdo things, and to take a break if necessary. Mark tells him to tell the others. Max looks at an anti-drugs poster on the wall.
A woman (Gina) tells the owner of the B&B at which she is staying that the Social Services should pay her rent. He says that they haven’t done for the past few weeks, She says it’s not her problem, that she’s tried to get them to pay him but they haven’t. Her daughter (Danielle) joins in. He tells them that if he hasn’t got the money by the evening, he’ll throw them out. Gina talks to her daughter, saying she’ll have to go and see Mick. Danielle says that it’s his fault that they’re in the B&B; she says she’ll go and see Luke.
A young lad answers the door of his flat to another lad (Eugene) who is selling dusters etc. He shakes his head and closes the door. Inside, he starts spliting some drug up into small parcels.
A man, Kevin, tells George the cut in his arm was a stab wound, done by his brother after they’d been drinking. His brother is in the cubicle with him. Kevin says it’s OK, these things happen. His brother shows her a scar on his leg, and Kevin says that he did it last year. He says that you always hurt the one you love most.
Josh and Penny are in the ambulance, looking for a bookie’s. As soon as they see one, they get a call to a man who’s fallen off some scaffolding.
Sam is treating a toddler who’s got a rubber ring stuck round her neck. He cuts it off.
The lad in the flat is just about to inject some drug when the doorbell rings. He hides the drugs and answers the door. Danielle goes straight in – he’s her brother Luke – and tells him that she and her mum and getting thrown out of the B&B. She asks him if he give her any money, and he says he will when he’s got it by selling the drugs.
The man who fell of the scaffolding is brought into resus. George asks if they should stop resuscitating; Max is unsure at first but then agrees.
A woman comes into reception and tells Amy that she’s been bitten by some animal. She was last in six weeks ago with another injury from an animal.
Luke sells some heroin to a young man (Frank). He sends Danielle out for some fags for him, then the two men take the stuff. Frank leaves Luke’s flat, stoned. Danielle and Luke go to sell some heroin.
Amy complains to Duffy (who is now wearing a staff nurse’s uniform) that her back is aching.
Gina tells the owner of the B&B that the DSS won’t do anything. She asks him to talk to them but he refuses. Gina is on the phone to the Social Services again. They are not giving her any help, so she says, “Forget it!” and hangs up. She then calls Mick.
Max tells Sean he’ll talk to Adam about a side room for the PUO (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) – the patient who’s come back from India with a disease. Max asks Adam to get a side room for the PUO. He says the hospital won’t look too good if an epidemic starts because of it. Adam says that he can’t do anything, that the side rooms are full. He goes, and Max tells Sean that Adam will sort out the side room.
Eugene has met up with two other lads in a pub. They are all doing the same job. Eugene starts chatting up two girls at the bar. Walking back with the drinks, he turns round to talk to them and falls over, banging his head and cutting his arm.
The woman with the animal bite is being treated by Chloe. Tina walks past and recognises her from the time before when she was in – she has been in many times before because of animal bites or scratches.
Josh and Penny start looking for a bookie’s again, but they get another call.
Luke and Danielle pull up at what looks like a council estate. A young teenager comes up and buys some heroin. Danielle asks if she can take his dog for a walk.
Frank is walking down a busy shopping street, stoned. He sees a police car with a policeman watching him and walks away. He bumps into a woman and by the time he’s made sure she’s OK the policeman is there and asks to have a word with him. Frank is taken to a cell at the police station and is locked in. Max comes to pick him up.
Eugene and his two mates arrive in A&E, drunk, and start causing a bit of a fuss. Eugene throws up.
Eve tells Max that there’s a policeman wanting to speak to him about something personal. Chloe sees the PC Garrett in reception and asks him to come for a drink with her and Tina that evening. He says he’s there to see Max, not her. Chloe asks what it’s all about but he won’t tell her. Chloe goes and he speaks to Max, out of earshot. Max then goes and tells George that he has to go.
Sean tells Tina that Eugene will not be staying long enough for observations. He tells Eugene that he just needs his hand patching up. One if his mates says that he banged his head too, but he doesn’t listen, he just tells Eve to take care of him. Eve asks him questions about his head injury. She tells Tina to do neuro obs. on Eugene, despite what Sean said. Tina goes in. Eugene’s mates start teasing her and flirting with her. She goes out and Sean asks why they’re still there.
Gina is at Mick’s house. He opens the door and she goes in. Gina begs Mick to let her and Danielle stay for a couple of nights. He says that she and Danielle have been telling tales about him – they used to live together. He talks about Luke selling drugs to kids, and says that she tells everyone that he beat and raped her. He grabs her and says she’ll get punished for telling lies.
Sean tells Eve that there’s nothing wrong with Eugene; she says he needs an X-ray and neuro obs. Eve is called away, but she tells Sean to do as she said.
Tina is doing obs. on Eugene, and his mates are still cracking jokes. Sean comes in and says that he can go. Tina objects, but he says that it’s his responsibility.
A man at reception tells Amy, “I have cancer of the soul.” She asks for his name, and he says he is the son of God.
George tells Sam that a cubicle is out of action because a HIV patient has bled in there. Sam calls people with HIV idiots, and says there’s enough publicity nowadays for people tto avoid it, but that people think it won’t happen to them. George tells him the patient has had HIV for sixteen years. Adam tells Sean that he’s got a side room for the PUO.
Sam is looking something up. Adam asks what and then gives Sam the exact details (correctly) on how to treat it.
Luke gives Danielle the money she needs, and she thanks him. Meanwhile, Mick throws Gina out onto the pavement, with her nose bleeding.
PC Garrett goes to see Chloe. She asks him again what he was speaking to Max about, but he won’t tell her. She asks him if he’s OK for the drink that night, and he complains about the fact that Tina is always tagging along. Chloe starts criticizing him and he leaves.
Eugene and his mates are walking down a street, eating chips. They go into a bookie’s.
Max and his son come out of the police station and get into Max’s car. Max asks Frank how much he’s spending on heroin and tells him horror stories about people who’ve come into A&E after taking substances they thought were drugs.
Duffy attends to Jody, the girl with bruises. Jody says that she has not fallen. Duffy says she’ll fetch a doctor.Josh and Penny pull up at the bookie’s and Josh goes in and puts a bet on. Eugene and his mates are still there. Eugene collapses, unconscious. Josh comes to help and says it’s a cardiac arrest.
Max tells frank he needs treatment. Frank denies having a habit; he says he just happened to get caught with some stuff on him.
Luke drops Danielle off round the corner from the B&B. He won’t go in to see their mum, but Danielle tells him that their mum still loves him.
Max pulls up at his son Frank’s flat. Frank asks him in – he hasn’t seen the flat before – and he agrees, but then his bleeper goes and he says it’ll have to be another time.
George tells Jody’s mum that Jody’s bloods are abnormal and that there’s a problem apart from the anaemia that her GP had diagnosed. Jody’s mum asks if it could be leukaemia, and George tells her that that’s one of several things it could be.
Eugene is brought into resus. Sean and Tina recognise him. Sean says that it’s not his fault.
Danielle goes into their room and finds Gina on the bed, unconscious and with blood still on her face. Danielle picks up an emtpy bottle of pills.
In resus, they decide to stop resuscitating Eugene. Sean reluctantly agrees. Max comes in and Sean tells him he sent Eugene home earlier.
Jody and her mum are now in the relatives’ room, waiting for a bed for Jody. Her mum tells Eve that there are just the two of them because Jody’s dad left when she was 12 weeks old. She asks if it can be cured if it is leukaemia, and Eve says it can be sometimes, but not always.
George is on the phone, trying to find a bed for Jody. Max tells Sean he will have to tell him exactly what happened. George tells sean that everyone makes mistakes. The phone rings and she answers it; there is a bed available for Jody, because another kid has just died.
Gina is brought into A&E. Danielle is with her. Duffy and Tina wash Gina’s stomach out.
Max says he wishes he had been there when Sean sent Eugene home, He says they should care for people whether they deserve it or not.
Sam is talking to Danielle. he asks if there is someone at home to look after her. She says she doesn’t want to go into care, and that she can stay with her brother – she’s already phoned him. Sam goes to get her a drink, and she leaves the room and goes outside, just as Luke arrives. She tells him their mum will be OK; she has guessed that it was Mick who did it to her. She tells Luke she can’t hang around in case they put her into care, and asks if she can stay with him. He agrees and tells her to get a cab to his flat. He goes into the hospital.
Max tells Eve that she’ll have to tell him her version of events (about Eugene). Mark tells Chloe that when something like this happens you have to take a long hard look at yourself, not just make excuses.
Luke tells Duffy where Danielle is and goes in to see his mum. He takes her hand. They start to argue about him selling to kids. He says he’s only helping them now they’ve got habits – he was 12 when he first got a habit. He reveals that Mick beat him and threw him out, and she did nothing. Gina says she was too scared of him to do anything. He asks her why she went back for more today, and she says she loves Mick. She says Luke only loves heroin. He says it’s true because it gives him something back. Gina says the thing it gives him is death. He says that it’s the same as with her and Mick. He dumps the money on her bed and goes. His mobile phone rings and he answers it – Duffy tells him to switch it off. It is Danielle, and she says that there’s someone at his flat to see him – it is Frank Gallagher.
Max asks Sean to explain why he overrode Eve’s assessment of the situation. He says that’s the first question anyone will ask if there is an inquiry. Max tells Sean he is unlucky: most people make mistakes but most mistakes don’t result in someone’s death. He says he hopes Eugene’s relatives think of doctors as gods and don’t complain, because Sean will be in real trouble if not.
Josh gives Sunny his winnings, and shows him his own – he put more money on the horse than Sunny did. Penny asks what he would have done if he’d lost, and he says that that’s what life’s all about.
Eve tells Sean that she’s sorry, but she had to tell things as she saw them. The staff are awkward around him. Tina says that these thing happen. Sean replies, “And when they do, what happens to the doctor?”
Review by Alison
UK Viewing Figures
11.42m
