S6 E3 (21 Oct 03) : End of the Road by Len Collin
Episode Summary
The episode opens with Detective Archer insisting to Ric that another murder will happen on Keller – she wants covert CCTV cameras installed around the ward but Ric refuses, saying it will compromise patient privacy. Kath and Kelly see the return of the police officer, and discuss who they think is the “Keller Killer”. Kath is convinced the detective suspects her, while Kelly insists it cannot be a staff member behind the murders. Kath warns her that “we all should watch our backs”.
Owen and Chrissie, on the other hand, have other things on their minds! They are both very happy to be back together, and arrange a date for that evening. Just as they share a passionate kiss on the stairs, Tricia walks past, clearly both shocked and disturbed to see then together…Chrissie says she regrets not telling Tricia about her and Owen, as she believes the secrecy is the sole cause of Tricia’s displeasure.
Back on Keller, Trudy Halliday, a terminally ill cancer patient is awaiting surgery to remove part of her abdominal tumour. Her drip stops working, so she asks Nic to take a look at it, which he does, but unfortunately for him, Kath walks in on him fiddling with Trudy’s cannula, causing him to get a severe reprimand from the ward sister. Kelly takes Nic off for a private word, and tells him he needs to start taking things more seriously, as people will begin to suspect them of the killings if the police ever find out that their supposedly deceased mother is still alive.
Ric approaches Trudy Halliday, and informs her that surgery is no longer an option, as her cancer has progressed too far. Kelly tries to give her false hope, which Ric instantly dismisses, clearly not holding Kelly in high esteem.
Owen, meanwhile, finds Tricia, and tells her that whilst he is sorry she had to find out like that, he cannot stand to lose Chrissie again. Tricia is devastated, and when Owen offers her a bracelet that he intended to give her a while ago, she refuses to accept it and throws Owen out. Owen then heads off to surgery, where he is treating a pregnant lady, Karen, who is on a ventilator, and has a fatal aneurysm. Mubbs and Rosie are also looking after Karen, and are exchanging friendly banter over whether or not Rosie’s husband has forgotten their anniversary. Owen enters, and has to tell Karen’s husband, David, that their is little they can do for Karen, and that their priority should be getting the baby out as soon as possible.
David repeatedly refuses to allow the vital C-Section to be performed, as he knows it will decrease Karen’s chances of survival. Eventually, Karen crashes, and Owen ignores him, and operates without consent. He has less than two minutes to get the baby out, with no necessary tools, and barely manages to complete the operation in time. The baby girl is healthy, and David names her Simone, as that was Karen’s favourite name.
Kelly and Nic have resumed their bickering over their mother, until they hear Trudy screaming as her partner, Sheila, tries to restrain her. Trudy has ripped her cannula out and wants to discharge herself. She has given up hope of medical treatment helping her, and wants to die in peace at home. Kelly tries to comfort her, but Ric sternly reminds her that she should be going to her interview with Detective Archer. Ric, clearly moved by Trudy’s misery, offers her a risky operation that will offer her a better quality of life, but will not improve her life expectancy. She quickly accepts, and seems to have regained some hope for the future.
As Diane and Ric operate on Trudy, Diane asks Ric about the interview she faces, and why they think she is a suspect. The operation goes very badly, and as Zubin urges Ric to hurry up, Ric bites his head off, and seems very disgruntled with his old friend. Finally, they finish the operation, and it was a success. Trudy awakens and is thrilled with the news. She agrees to give chemotherapy a go, and wants to fight her battle with cancer.
Rosie’s husband then arrives, and she is called out of her consultation to see him. Clearly thinking he has remembered their anniversary, she is thoroughly disappointed to find that he has come to leave their children with her, as their childminder is unwell. The couple argue over whether or not she should take them, until Rosie’s husband, Sami, storms out with the children: “For someone who wants another baby, you’re not exactly mother of the year””
Chrissie seems Tricia, who is looking very flustered, and approaches her. Chrissie asks her if she has been crying, and if it is over a man. Chrissie tells Tricia she trusts Owen completely, and feels that Amanda’s death affected him and changed him greatly. She says she wants to be with him forever, and insists on cancelling her date with Owen so she can comfort Tricia.
A forensic psychologist arrives in Keller to assist Detective Archer with the investigation. He tells Ric that the murderer is probably a woman in her early 20s-30s. The detective calls in Kath, Kelly, Diane, Jess, and Chrissie for interview.
Kath is first to be interviewed. The detective gives her a very hard time, bringing up Terry’s death and implying she performs the murders as “mercy killings”. The forensic psychologist ends the interview and sends Kath out. Detective Archer insists she is convinced that Kath is the murderer, but the forensic psychologist tells her he sees no reason for Kath to be guilty…
Chrissie approaches Owen to cancel their date, and finds the bracelet in his pocket. She assumes it was meant for her, and thanks Owen profusely, while he watches on in horror!
Nic walks Kelly to her interview, and asks her if they can move on to a new place. She accuses him of keeping secrets from her, and informs him she will not leave Holby, as she loves her new life there. Jess then asks Nic for a date after work, but this is clearly the last thing on his mind! The detective suspends Kelly, as she is now the prime suspect.
Detective Archer interviews Kelly, who reveals that she has been moving around with Nic for most of their lives. Their father died from alcohol poisoning when Kelly was 14, and her mother “died” 6 years ago. The pair went into care, and left to live together as soon as possible. Kelly later tells Nic that Archer suspects her, and a distraught Nic panics and rushes off to tell Lisa, their union representative.
Chrissie finds Tricia and wants to know why she is so upset that she and Owen are back together. She asks for her mother’s blessing, but Tricia sees the bracelet that Chrissie is wearing and drops her bag in shock. Owen’s house keys fall out, and Tricia reluctantly confesses all. Chrissie attacks Tricia, and the pair fight until Kath, Jess and Ric pull them apart while the detective watches in amusement! Chrissie is taken off ward duty, and Kath goes off to search for Kelly to run Darwin.
An unseen member of staff approaches Trudy’s bed and injects some medication into her cannula…..
Kath and Jess pull back the curtain around Trudy’s bed, and find Nic standing nearby with a syringe in his hand, and Trudy dead. Nic drops the syringe into the sharps bin, and tells the detective that he found Trudy already dead, and panicking, forgot to press the alarm. Trudy cannot be resuscitated, and Nic is arrested on suspicion of murder. Ric is devastated that another murder was allowed to happen on the ward.
Tricia waits with Chrissie, who will be going in to discuss the consequences of her behaviour with Ric. Chrissie is furious with her mother, who tries to offer some feeble excuses.
Ric discusses Chrissie’s actions with her, and she pleas to keep her position: “I can’t lose my job – I’ve lost everything else”. She is suspended for a few days and is sent home to cool off. Tricia resigns from her post, and afterwards, Chrissie tells her she never wants to see her again. Chrissie sadly watches her mum get into a cab, and drive away.
Ric must then face Sheila, Trudy’s partner. She asks how he could have allowed this to happen, and why he didn’t warn the patients of a potential killer on the ward. His words of comfort fall on deaf ears.
Kath arrives at the police station to give her eye-witness account. She is reluctant to blame Nic, and skirts around any issues which imply his guilt. She admits, however, that Nic was seen to put a syringe in the sharps bin and that Trudy had died of an insulin overdose – one of the few drugs Nic had access to. Later, Kelly arrives, and as Kath tries to console her, she snaps back: “It’s you they should be arresting”. She apologises, but Kath is clearly hurt.
David tells Rosie that he blames himself for Karen’s condition. He insisted that she get pregnant, despite her reluctance, and holds himself responsible for the development of the fatal aneurysm. Rosie calms him down, and Mubbs enters, telling Rosie that her husband is waiting outside with a surprise for her. David brings down the baby to see Karen, who dies in her sleep a few minutes later from consequences of pneumonia.
Rosie’s husband, Sami, is outside the hospital, with a bunch of flowers for her. They quarrel, and she asks him if he loves her. He insists he does, but she tells him she wants some time alone, as she doesn’t know how she feels about him anymore. She’s leaving him.
The episode ends with a view of Nic sitting alone in a dark prison cell, looking very frightened.
Patients
Trudy Halliday – comes in with terminal abdominal cancer, but is murdered by the Keller Killer
Karen – pregnant lady with a fatal aneurysm. Her baby survives, but she dies as a result of pneumonia.
Simone (Sam) Karen’s baby girl.
(Kerry)
First Scene/words
DC Archer: It’s not about if there will be another victim, but when.
Ric: Well, you don’t know that. I don’t want to suspend half my stuff on a hunch.
DC Archer: How about on suspicion of murder?
Last Scene/words
[Quietly, Nic is sitting on the bed in his otherwise empty prison cell and it is raining outside.]
Guide by Kerry & Karin.
