S6 E8 (25 Nov 03) : Understanding by Martin Jameson
Episode Summary
Ric, Diane, and Zubin are in theatre, operating on a man who’s been shot. Ric asks Zubin if he’s heard anything about Kath, but he hasn’t. Diane tells Ric that Kath is obviously the prime suspect, but Ric insists that she’s a friend, and refuses to discuss it any further.
Pippa is talking to Mubbs; she’s pregnant but separated from the baby’s father. However, the baby’s father may have Huntington’s chorea, which means that the baby might have it too. Pippa wants her baby tested.
Jess and Lisa are in AAU. Jess and Nic have spent the night together, after Jess decided that Nic was “too fit to be guilty”. Lisa asks if it is a serious thing, but Jess tells her it’s just a bit of fun. However, Nic, who arrives a little while later with a patient, seems to think otherwise. They flirt slightly, and arrange a date for the evening. Lisa smirks at Jess.
Nic brings Mrs Gilmore, the wife of the man who has been shot, down to AAU, with her son Drew. Mrs Gilmore has shut her hand in a door, and needs to have it seen to. Drew wants to go home, but his mother won’t let him. The police arrive to talk to Mrs Gilmore and Drew. Mrs Gilmore tells the police that the gun just went off – they live on a farm, and the gun was just on the table. As the police leave, Drew begins to cry, telling his mother that he’s going to be arrested.
Pippa’s partner, Carl, arrives, just as Rosie brings in the test results. Pippa has not told Carl that she is pregnant, and he is shocked to find out that she is having the baby tested, because, by being tested, he will find out whether he has Huntington’s also. He wants to leave before they find out. Pippa insists on finding out, and she and Carl argue. Rosie unhelpfully suggests that they should have sorted this out earlier. Carl eventually agrees to hearing the test results. They are positive, and the baby has Huntington’s.
Kath is being interviewed by DI Archer. She tells Archer that she would never have killed the patients; also, if she did, she would never have done it with insulin. She begins to list ways that she would have done it, but her solicitor tells her that that’s not the best thing to do. Archer asks her if she has any idea who might have done it, but Kath says nothing. Kath asks to be released.
Mubbs asks Pippa if she wants some time alone with Carl, but Carl says that Pippa has already decided to have an abortion. Carl says that he already loves the baby, but Pippa says she can’t do it. Carl tells her that there might be all sorts of new treatments in forty years’ time, but Pippa doesn’t want a child with Huntingdon’s. Carl leaves, and Pippa asks for the termination as soon as possible. Rosie tries to intervene, but Pippa says she knows what she wants.
Kelly asks Nic what he wants to do that evening, and suggests bowling, and isn’t best pleased to hear that Nic has a date with Jess that night. Nic walks off, annoyed at Kelly’s reaction.
Kelly sees Drew, who is sitting and crying. She talks to him, and sees that his stomach is bruised. He tells her that he was hit by the shotgun. Drew explains that his father is out of control, and that he shot him. He confesses that his father “does things to him at night”, and that he is terrified of him. Drew’s mother appears, and asks what Drew says. Kelly replies that he’s said nothing, and Mrs Gilmore and Drew watch as Mr Gilmore is wheeled back in. As he lies unconscious, they go to get some food.
Kelly follows Ric and Diane, and tells them what Drew told her. Diane is dismissive, believing that it is a job for the police. Ric agrees, but Kelly persists, asking about child protection, or some other way to help. Diane tells her that Drew’s sixteen, and that it’s none of their business. Ric tells Kelly to leave it.
Mubbs and Rosie are performing Pippa’s termination. Rosie tells him that he was too keen to give the termination, and is annoyed at him, telling him that he should have had more sympathy, and that this is too hasty. He says that Pippa made her decision, and that the best thing he could do was make it happen quickly and easily. There are problems with the surgery, and Mubbs asks for a general surgeon to be paged.
Diane has been paged by Mubbs, and isn’t sure how she’ll be able to handle the operation. She and Ric are in the locker room, and he reassures her that she’ll be fine. He’s about to leave for a board meeting, to discuss Kath’s arrest. Diane tells him to be careful. She offers him some money but he refuses, looking angry. Diane storms off, leaving Ric standing alone looking upset.
Jess goes to deliver a file to Keller, and Kelly tries to warn her off seeing Nic that evening. Jess gets annoyed, and refuses to listen to Kelly. Kelly storms off, and Jess grabs Ric as he leaves his office. She asks if she can borrow some money, but he tells her that he doesn’t have any. When she tells him that it’s for going on a date with Nic, he gives her the entire contents of his wallet – thirty pounds. He is about to ask something when Chrissie appears, telling him that the police wants to talk to him.
Diane, Mubbs, and Rosie are in theatre. Rosie is taking pot shots at Mubbs, and Diane is trying to ignore them while working on Pippa, who is bleeding. When Mubbs asks whether she wants Ric paged, she says that she can manage without him. She’s pleased with herself when she manages to fix the bleed. Mubbs tells Rosie that she should try and find Carl, and when Rosie snaps at Mubbs, Diane asks what the matter is with them. Mubbs tells her that there’s nothing with them. Nothing at all.
Kelly asks Drew if he’s thought any more about talking to someone. As she’s talking, Mr Gilmore wakes up. Mrs Gilmore comforts him that everything’s alright, and that she told the police that she shot him. She tells her husband that Drew’s there, and that it’s okay. Mr Gilmore panics when he sees Drew, and asks them to keep him away from him. Mrs Gilmore asks Kelly if they can be left alone for a moment, but she refuses; she needs to continue checking on Mr Gilmore. Mrs Gilmore insists, and Kelly reluctantly leaves.
Mrs Gilmore tells her husband that all that happened was that Drew got out of control. Drew apologises. He can’t explain what happened. Mrs Gilmore says they will sort things out as a family, but Mr Gilmore says they can’t cope anymore. Mr Gilmore gets over-excited, and Diane and Kelly come in. Mr Gilmore tells them that Drew is ill in the head, and that he shot him. Drew runs off, and Diane rushes off to find him, as Kelly goes to ring security. However, before she can do so, she sees Kath back in her office. She goes to see her.
Kath is sceptical when Kelly tells her that it’s good to see her back. Kelly leaves, and Kath goes out to the nurses’ station. Ric comes over to see her. Kath explains that the police didn’t have enough evidence to hold her, so they let her go – “reserving the right to humiliate me again at a time of their own choosing”. Ric tells her that the board met that morning and that they’re all behind her. He tells her that she shouldn’t have come back that day, but Kath takes it the wrong way, thinking that he’s telling her to resign. She tells him that she expects loyalty from him – he tells her that he was loyal in that he convinced the board not to suspend her. She storms off, and Ric leaves.
As no one is looking, Drew walks past, and helps himself to some tablets from the medicine cupboard.
Jess and Nic are talking, and Jess tells him about what Kelly said to her. They’re still on for tonight though, and as they kiss, Kelly appears, looking annoyed. She says she needs to talk to him, and tells them that they’ve released Kath. “Good,” says Nic. He doesn’t want anyone to go through what he went through. Jess leaves them to it, and Kelly wants to see Nic, she’s missed him. Nic tells her that he’ll see her tomorrow.
Pippa wakes up, to see Carl sitting by the side of her bed. Mubbs explains that there were complications, and that Pippa will have to stay in for a few days. Pippa tells Carl that it wasn’t her fault. Mubbs tells her that it’s unlikely that it will have affected her fertility. He also tells them that there is only a 50% chance of a foetus getting Huntington’s. Pippa still wants to have Carl’s baby. He isn’t so sure anymore – he wants to do something before he deteriorates. That’s why Pippa couldn’t have a baby with Huntington’s, she explains. She tells Carl to leave her alone. Carl goes, leaving Pippa crying.
Kelly walks past Diane, looking annoyed. Diane stops talking to a security guard and asks Kelly if there’s been any sign of Drew Gilmore. Kelly hasn’t seen him, and snaps at Diane about her previous refusal to get involved. They tell the Gilmores that they haven’t found him. Diane says that it’s her responsibility to tell the police, even though Mrs Gilmore doesn’t want her to. Mr Gilmore says that he is scared of Drew.
Kath goes to find Ric in his office and tells him about Drew. She apologises for earlier, and he tells her that she doesn’t have to explain. He tells her that everyone wants it to be someone else. She asks if he’s found a new place yet, seeing the bags in his office, and he tells her that he hasn’t. She offers him a place at hers, but he refuses, afraid of what people might think.
Mubbs sees Carl sitting in the waiting area, and asks how he is. Carl explains that he couldn’t stay in the relatives’ room because of all the happy fathers. Mubbs tells Carl about support groups, and tells him that he can always hope for the best. Carl is somewhat heartened by this.
Rosie hears Mubbs and Carl talking, and he tells her about his insecurities with Sami. He tells her that he was only trying to make things easier on her, but she tells him that she’s not going to get back together with Sami. They argue, because she believes that he is too arrogant and thinks that everyone wants to “jump into bed” with him, and she leaves.
Diane listens to Mr and Mrs Gilmore talk about Drew. They explain that he’s always been like that, and that he hardly ever goes to school. Mrs Gilmore refuses to let Drew go into a home, but Mr Gilmore says that it’s the best place for him, as he wanted to kill him. He’s not going to get better. He needs both of them, and needs help.
Kelly asks Kath what the police said. They’re checking the CCTV again, and Kelly seems anxious. Kath doesn’t care, and refuses to talk about it.
Carl goes to see Pippa again. He tells her that he’s frightened and doesn’t know how to cope. He tells her that he couldn’t handle it if she walked off because he got ill; because she didn’t want the baby. She tells him that she’ll stay with him. As they kiss, Mubbs enters with some contact numbers for Carl.
Mubbs asks Rosie if she wants to go for a drink. She is annoyed with him. He tells her that she wanted him to change, and he’s trying.
Jess and Nic are about to go on their date. They meet in the cafeteria, where Drew also is. Kelly appears, wanting to talk to Nic. Jess goes back to the cafeteria, leaving them to talk. Nic tells Kelly to keep her nose out of his business, and that he’s being suffocated by her. Kelly admits to killing the most recent patient. Nic watches her leave, stunned.
Jess sees Drew, and sits down by him. She asks how his dad his, and he is defensive. He cries, and tells her about the people in his head, who “get hold of the controls”. He hates them. Jess asks if he’s taken something, as he collapses.
Kath wheels Drew onto Keller, where Diane tells the Gilmores that he’s only sleeping and there is no permanent damage. Diane wards the police off for a few moments, and tells the Gilmores that she’ll keep Drew in for a few days, and that Drew’s condition is probably schizophrenia, which will be treatable. Drew wakes up, and his mother goes to him. Diane leaves, telling the police that they can go in now.
Jess, waiting outside, jokingly asks Kath if Ric would be nicer to her if she shot him. Kath tells Jess that Ric’s having a hard time.
Nic goes down to the basement to find Kelly. He asks her what she meant. He doesn’t believe that she killed the patients, and deliberately misunderstands her, refusing to take in the fact that she killed Colin Long, and that his daughter, Carly, deserved to lose her father. Colin wasn’t in pain, so it was alright. Nic begs her to tell him that she didn’t kill the others too, but she can’t. Nic begins to cry as he realises what his sister has done – for him.
Jess enters Ric’s office, where she curls up next to Ric on the sofa. She tells him that she knows he’s sleeping in the office, and, while she can’t give him £50,000 to pay off his debts, she can give him a room in the flat. They curl up together on the sofa.
Mubbs waits outside the hospital, hoping that Rosie might turn up. Just as he is leaving, Rosie arrives, and they kiss and make up – literally.
Nic asks Kelly why she had to tell him. She tells him that the police will work it out, and that’s why she needs to leave. Nic wants her to give herself up, but she can’t, she’d rather die. She wants him to go with her. She tells him that the police will never believe that she did it alone, that he seems just as guilty as her. “Haven’t I always looked out for you, taken care of you? I need your help now!” she begs him to leave with her.
He can’t go with her. He’s innocent, and he knows it. She tells him that she loves him, and after hugging him, she leaves.
Nic stands alone, crying.
Patients
Ross Gilmore – shot by his son, Drew.
Drew Gilmore – he originally comes in with his father, but then overdoses. He suffers from a psychiatric problem.
Gail Gilmore – has hurt her hand due to a shotgun.
Pippa Barrett – she is pregnant with a baby suffering from Huntington’s chorea, and wants a termination. There are complications during surgery.
(Lucy H)
