S11 E10 (16 Nov 96) : Flesh and Blood by Lilie Ferrari
Episode Summary
Trevor is quickly getting worse and it is clear that he does not have many hours left. Kate is there, next to him, together with their children Lorna, Andy and Nick. They are upset and in the end they start disagreeing whether discussing practical things, such as Trevor’s life insurance, is the right thing to do at such a moment. They calm down and in the end Trevor dies, with all four of them standing there by his side. Down in A&E everyone is worrying about Trevor and in the end Mike suggests that Baz could go upstairs to check what the situation is, only to find Kate there, packing Trevor’s things into bags and saying that she is alright.
An old woman comes into reception, her shirt covered in blood even though she has not cut herself or anything, and she does not tell anyone what she is called. Actually she doesn’t say a single word, until Charlie starts talking to her about him having the worst possible middle name and asks the woman to guess what it is. She then reveals that her name is Kate, but not what her surname is.
Not much later a 78-year-old man, George Polston, is brought in after having fallen down about fifty feet from a ladder. He seems to be a very lucky man, because he has not broken any bones and apart from a few cuts and bruises everything is fine. However, he keeps asking about his wife with Alzheimer’s, because he has lost her. His wife turns out to be called Kate and the staff guess that he might be looking for the old woman, who is in one of their cubicles. The woman has, however, said that her husband died at Dunkerque, but agrees that her dog is called George. The staff decide that it is worth a try and when they bring her to meet George, they happily hug each other. Social services come to talk to George and it takes a lot of persuasion to get him agree to let his wife go into a old people’s home, but in the end he agrees, even if it is only short term while he is in hospital.
Shaz Newman is a fourteen-year-old girl, who instead of being at school is shoplifting at a local shopping centre with her two best friends. She has been experiencing stomach aches, but tells everyone that they are period pains. After a while she decides to go to Manchester, because she has read that they have good-looking boys there, but her friends do not want to join her. She stops a truck and asks for a lift. She is chatting with the quite young driver, when all in sudden the stomach pains get so bad that she asks him to stop. She is getting hysterical, so the driver calls for an ambulance. He leaves her there, by the motorway waiting for an ambulance, but later on he turns around and drives to Holby A&E to check how she is doing. Shaz’s parents seem to be sure that Shaz is pregnant and has been having a boyfriend without telling them, but in the end Shaz’s problem turns out to be quite much the opposite. She has been having periods but there has been no way for the blood to come out and that is why it has been so painful. She is now referred to a gynaecologist, but when her parents are going to take her home and they walk out of A&E, she all in sudden disappears, jumping into the truck and going towards Manchester.
A place is set up where people during the day can go to donate blood and Gloria is trying to make a list of volunteers from the staff. Some happily put their name on the list, but Richard and Liz try to avoid the whole thing. Josh is pestering Liz about not giving blood and eventually it turns out that she cannot give blood, because she has recently had a tattoo done. Everyone wants to know what it looks like and where it is, but she does not show it to anyone but Mike, who claims that it says “I love Josh”.
Baz is back from her maternity leave and has to take Louis with her to work, because the child minder did not appear. Mike, on the other hand, is working for his last day before going to South Africa to work there. Mike tells Charlie that he does not want anything to be organised for him for the evening, because he hates leaving, and that the two of them will take a pint together, without anyone else around. However, everyone is already preparing how to surprise Mike. Towards the end of the shift Mike is told that a doctor is needed at some place and Josh and Liz take him there by ambulance. When he opens the door to where the patient is supposed to be, he finds all his colleagues in the middle of Africa-themed decorations. Everyone is saying goodbye to Mike and the paramedics give him a helmet that looks like the head of an animal. Richard and Gloria leave the a bit early, going to a restaurant for dinner. In the end of the party Charlie drives Mike, Matt and Jude back to the hospital. Matt and Jude are both drunk and they end up kissing each other and after a bit of hard thinking they decide to go to Matt’s place. Mike is leaving for Cape Town already the day after and after saying goodbye to Charlie he walks home.
Patients
* George Polston, 78, fell some fifty feet from a ladder without breaking any bones
* Kate Polston, George’s wife with Alzheimer, comes into A&E with her clothes covered in blood, but there is nothing wrong with her
* Sharon Newman, a fourteen-year-old girl, comes in with severe stomach pains, turns out to have problems with her periods.
First Scene/words
Kate and her children Nick, Lorna and Andy arrive at the hospital by car. An old woman who is looking lost is standing outside A&E.
Last Scene/words
Charlie and Matt are standing outside the hospital, watching Jude and Matt kiss and take a taxi together.
Charlie: Folly of youth, eh? Tomorrow morning should be interesting.
Mike: Yeah, I’ll be on my way to Cape Town by then.
Charlie: It’s a hell of a long way from Holby.
Mike: It’s only a plane run away, Charlie.
Charlie: I’ll bear that in mind.
Mike: Goodbye, mate. It’s been great.
Charlie: I can’t do this, I’m no good at this leaving.
Mike: Well, look, how about if we just say that it’s just the end of another shift and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Charlie: Yeah, see you tomorrow.
Mike: Yeah, well, see you tomorrow.
Notable Facts
* Ben Price plays Jimmy Sellars.
* Trevor dies November 16th, 1996.
* Kate and Trevor got married in 1969.
* Kate’s and Trevor’s children are called Lorna, Andy and Nick and are played by Brigid Duffy, Jay Lewis and Kevin Bishop.
* Mike starts working in South Africa.
* Charlie reveals to patient Kate that his middle name is Rupert
Quote of the Episode
Kate Polston, one of the patients, has said that George is her dog, but he turns out to be her husband.
Sam: Dogs, husbands… Was an easy mistake!
