S15 E5 (14 Oct 00) : Choked (Part 1) by Katharine Way
Episode Summary
A 12 year old girl, Rebecca, is choking on a piece of apple. Adam performs the Heimlich manoeuvre to remove it. He stays with Rebecca and her mum when they go into hospital. They thank Adam for saving Rebecca’s life. She is treated by Holly in peads recus and asks about the dolphins painted on the walls. Adam tells her that Holly painted them, that she is a genius and multi talented.
Charlie has to bring Louis into work, as his nanny is late. He and Dan try to sort out the situation with Adam; an article has been published about him having Aids in a local newspaper. He doesn’t know, but is told when he arrived into work.A patient loudly demands to know which nurse is HIV positive. Patrick tells him he is suffering from ‘terminal ignorance’. The man says he knows people on the council and has a friend on the Holby Gazette. Patrick replies with “Well my Dad’s bigger than your Dad.” The man tries to punch Patrick, who dodges.
Charlie asks Holly about the article – he’d thought she had stopped the article being published by Nick Costello. Holly talks to Adam, and tells him what she has done. She is upset that she has caused so much trouble. Adam is angry at first but later says she can still come to his party.
Throughout the shift, journalists try to get into the department. One tries to talk to Amy about the state of the department, and another pretends to be a patient but is thrown out by Spencer. Adam talks to a journalist. He says that the article was inaccurate and that he’s not got AIDS, he’s HIV positive. The journalist says that they’re going to run a story telling him who he is, and she has proof because she has recorded the conversation she’s just had with him.
A teenage boy, Joel, has a nightmare, and when he wakes up he has wet the bed. He is uncommunicative to his uncle and aunt, who he is staying with. Joel overhears Mikey, his cousin, complaining about him. His aunt snaps at him when he won’t eat his breakfast, and he runs out of the house. Mikey is upset that he can’t go to the football match they had planned as they had to search for Joel.
Janet Henbury comes into the department with a head injury. Chloe treats her and recognises her, it’s her old French teacher – who used to pick on her. Janet still picks fault with Chloe, and Chloe ends up shouting at her, asking why she treated her so badly. Chloe also suspects that Janet’s condition is more serious than it seems, but when she talks to her, she dismisses it. Chloe mentions it to Max, and while he is examining her she begins to fit. She is sent for a scan and a tumour in the lining of the brain is diagnosed. Janet later explains to Chloe that she was trying to make an example of her to the other girls by treating her so badly at school.
Becky and her mum ask questions – they are scared Becky will contract Aids. Rebecca says she doesn’t want to die. Adam feels that he has to tell them the truth. When he does, they walk away and Becky’s mum says that they shouldn’t have trusted him.
Mikey finds Joel and tries to talk to him. They begin to argue then to fight. Mikey walks away but falls down the edge of the sloping cliff. Joel runs away and phones an ambulance. He returns to the cliff and shouts down to Mikey. There is no reply. An ambulance arrives and Josh tries to climb down the cliff to Mikey. Some earth becomes loose and Mikey and Josh both fall down even further. They both get buried.
Reuben comes into the department to talk to Adam. Adam tells Reuben that he wants him to go away, and to move out. He says he doesn’t want to be with anyone. Reuben is heartbroken – he asks about the wedding. Reuben asks if he can help Adam as a friend, of not as his partner. Adam calls him pathetic, and says he wouldn’t be any use. Reuben walks away.
Patients
Rebecca Bright – Chokes on a piece of apple.
Janet Henbury – Cut head; a brain tumour is later diagnosed.
First Scene/words
Charlie walks through a crowd of reporters outside A&E with Louis.
Patrick: Nursing staff are getting younger all the time. You going to introduce me?
Charlie: Sorry, this is my son, Louis. Louis? Louis, this is Patrick.
[Louis shakes Patrick’s hand.]
Well done. What’s all this about?
Patrick: Search me.
Dan: Charlie?
Charlie: yeah.
Dan: Morning. Seen this?
[He hands Charlie a newspaper, the headline is ‘Aids nurse risked my life.’]
Last Scene/words
[We see earth on the cliff become loose and slide down the cliff, covering Mikey and Josh.]
Notable Facts
* The newspaper that had printed the story on Adam was ‘The Daily Herald’.
UK Viewing Figures
9.97m
