2006 EPISODES
June 6 2006. An Apple a Day / The Way of It
Frank and his Emergency Department are, yet again, being put under close financial scrutiny by Alison Newell. She claims that there have been questions asked about the amount of money being channelled into the ED in recent months. Frank knows differently. Alison is jealous of his relationship with Eve and is, as a result, determined to make his life as difficult as possible. Her appointment of Mike Vlasek to the post of Head of Surgery is guaranteed to unsettle Frank. They have never met, but Alison is putting money on the fact that they will not get on. Mike's appointment also unsettles Jack. It was Jack who rudely roused the great man from his bed, for urgent surgical assistance, in the wee hours of the morning a couple of weeks ago. Mike was not happy, and he has not forgotten.
June 13 2006. A Rock and A Hard Place
Peter Phelps & Sam Atwell guest star in a rivetting episode. A couple on their way to the airport to begin an overseas holiday end up in the ED after an MVA. Ignoring medical advise, they are desperate to get on their way as soon as possible, but when x-rays reveal the truth about their situation, an armed stand-off ensues in the ED with Von and Mike caught in the middle.Two big surgery scenes. A young mother, the victim of a bag snatch, is dragged along behind a car but refuses to undergo critical surgery until her missing baby is found. Kate's defense of the mother's right to choose puts her into conflict with Mike who wants the decision taken out of her hands.
June 20 2006 One for the Road
After a heavy-drinking poker night at the Share House, the boys have to deal with monster hangovers the next day in the ED. Sean and Dan have to think laterally before getting to the bottom of a medical mystery. Mike chooses this day to put Jack in charge of his first operation. A queasy Frank has to deal with a particularly nasty throat abscess and a new Nursing Unit Manager.
June 27 2006 By Choice, Or By Chance
Frank and Mike's negotiation skills are put to the test when a father goes to extraordinary lengths to save his son's life. A gruesome operation sends Sean over the edge.
July 4 2006 Tough Love
Confrontation abounds as Dan lashes out at Sean, Mike kicks Jack out of the operating theatre and a debilitating condition puts a young couple's love to the test. Sean and Erica are put under enormous emotional strain as they try to help a twenty-two year-old patient cope with the fact that she may never walk again... and that her boyfriend may not be there to help her. Mike pushes Jack to be the doctor he can be when they clash over an accident-prone patient. Charlotte prods Frank to help her with her Fellowship Portfolio and Mike continues to frustrate Frank by intruding further into his life at Eve's gig.
July 11 2006 When Duty Calls
Mike, out with the MRU for the first time, throws out the rulebook as he tries desperately to free an MVA victim trapped in his car. Also, Erica and Charlotte clash over how to deal with a young girl who has been sexually assaulted.
July 18 2006 Two by Two
Three patients present in the ED with similar symptoms within a few hours of each other. One dies. Is this the beginning of a fatal epidemic or just coincidence? Frank and Mike bump egos over a patient who went to university with Frank.
Jack attempts to play mediator and gets caught in the crossfire. Eve's agent is planning a grand European tour for her. Frank clearly isn't keen on the idea but will he ask Eve not to go?
July 25 2006 Drawing the Line
Mike and Cate find themselves on the site of mega-hit reality show 'Armageddon'. A contestant challenge has gone horribly wrong injuring both of the final two contestants, Moe and Natasha. Tasha has a suspected fractured left leg and Moe is in a critical condition, impaled on a fence. It seems like a simple extrication for Buzz Beasley and Rescue who are only waiting for the okay from Mike to get Moe travelling. However, things become complicated when the show's host, Richard Wallace, tells Moe that leaving the show - even to be taken to hospital - will mean disqualification.
Moe, not about to throw away the possibility of winning a million dollars, refuses to leave infuriating Mike who doesn't realise that the cameras on him are beaming live to air as a newsflash. Back at All Saints, Frank, under the hammer from Admin and Hospital Public Relations watches the ongoing transmission from the Common Room, concerned that the reputation of his precious MRU is going to be sullied or even worse dismantled. Mike is forced to take drastic measures to get Moe to All Saints, and when she's sure of victory, Tasha goes too. But when they get there, a medical complication means Tasha has little time to enjoy her newfound millionaire status.
August 1 2006 Truth Hurts
After a man who has been shot is dumped in the Hospital Grounds, he needs surgery to save his life. However, Mike leaves Jack to fend for himself in the middle of the difficult operation and Jack is furious. The ED's new doctor, Zoe, comes to blows with a patient's mother over an extraordinary genetic condition. Frank has a special delivery to make and a last minute change of heart about letting Eve go.
8 August 2006 Extreme Measures
Cate reveals Mike's terrible secret to Frank. Frank confronts Mike who denies everything. But Frank refuses to let this one go. Mike is a risk to both himself and every patient he treats. Will Mike come to understand that truth or will more extreme measures be called for?
15 Aug 2006 Mind Games
When Mike Vlasek suddenly resigns, supposedly to take up a new job in the USA, most of his colleagues are shocked, but Frank has other ideas about his reasons for leaving. Jack takes the news especially hard. Frank knows what's behind the departure and pays Mike a visit at home. For him, resignation is far too easy an option. Frank challenges Mike to stay and face his demons.
2007 EPISODES
6 March 2007. Smoke & Mirrors
Mike Vlasek returns to the ED to discover Frank and Jack have problems just as serious as his own. During an operation with Mike, a shocked Jack steps back from the table when he recognises the patient in front of him. Eve reveals a secret to Mike.
13 March 2007. The Hearts Of Men
Jack is forced to confront his history of abuse when a young boy takes extraordinary measures to avoid being bullied. Mike and Zoe clash over the treatment of a meth-amphetamine addict, who seems unwilling to face the reality of what he is doing. Frank decides the best way for Bart to stand on his own two feet is to take him home with him.
20 March 2007. A Fresh Start
It's Cate's first day back as an ambo and the first day of the rest of her life. She starts off the day full of enthusiasm, quickly finding her feet as she attends to a heavily pregnant woman trapped in a car following an MVA. By the time the woman's removed from the car she's well into labour and Cate and her partner are forced to deliver the baby beside the wreck. Cate is further thrown to find Mike Vlasek back at All Saints. When he confronts her about their past, she's in for even more surprises...
While Jack and Dan find themselves trying to find equilibrium in their friendship, a marine biologist presents with a nasty and painful ulcer on his leg and has no idea what caused it. They call on Mike when it turns out to be a nasty long African worm !
27 March 2007. Back on Track
Frank and Bart are instrumental in helping each other face up to their trauma. Cate, Heath and the ED Team fight to save the life of a young man who tried hurling himself from a horizontal bungee catapult. Cate is unrepentant in her efforts to uncover the truth about the accident.
Zoe treats a young boy for what seems like a simple leg fracture, but has to break the news that he may lose the leg and even die.
Eve has her first appointment with her Obstetrician and Frank promises to seek help from a counsellor.
Sean treats a drunken reveller with a head injury, who leaves the ED not knowing he has a cerebral bleed.
3 April 2007. What Lies Beneath
Mike feels hamstrung by the protocols that he must observe if he is to continue as a doctor. Cate and Heath arrive to treat Angus, a middle aged man who has fallen while cleaning the gutters. He's impaled himself on a garden stake, which he's manage to pull out himself at the scene causing significant bleeding. In the ED, Mike and Zoe stabilise Angus. Angus asks for pain relief. Frank enters Resus in time to see Mike administer the Morphine. Frank berates Mike for breaking the protocol prohibiting him from handling schedule 8 drugs. Mike argues that he needs to be able to administer pain relief. His pager goes and he hurries back to find Angus has crashed on the way back from radiology. They rush him to Theatre.
Post-op, Frank tells Mike he has to follow the protocol. Frank offers to help. Mike accepts his offer - he needs Frank to supervise him having a piss. Frank watches Mike wizz after some moments of performance anxiety. It's a bizarre bonding moment interrupted by Bart's entrance. Charlotte's had a baby boy!
Mikes day is further complicated by some innocent flirting with Cate that he doesnt know how to handle properly so its back to his shrink for advice and this great monologue:
"I really don't know what matters anymore. You know something, we are the only creatures on this planet, along with perhaps maybe a few of the great apes who actually question our existance. All the other species just go through life competing, shitting, copulating, blisfully unaware that one day it's all just gonna come to an end but despite the fact that we know we are toast, we get up each day and we face the world. If we do have an imortality maybe its in that part of us that we pass onto our kids. Is that the answer? I really don't know what I have to look forward to anymore, it can't be work, I hate that already, so what the bloody hell is it?"
24 April 2007: Life Interrupted
With Eve gone Frank is determined to throw himself into his work...And everyone else's. Bringing him into conflict with everyone who comes in contact with him; Mike Vlasek as they argue over the best course of treatment for a trauma patient, Sean as he struggles to diagnose a young mother's mystery illness, Cardiac Specialist Richard Aldridge as he and Zoe attempt to treat a heart patient with a secret and Gabrielle as the battlelines are drawn over the ED's administration.
A bachelor once more, Frank arrives at work determined to have control of at least one area of his life - his work. Consequently, he proceeds to take charge of the first patient he sees, Jordan Friar, a trauma patient who has fallen from a pedestrian bridge. In the course of his treatment, he quickly comes into conflict with Mike Vlasek who is extremely surprised when Frank backs down, with some stern qualifications. Frank wants to stabilise the patient in the ED and Mike wants to rush him to surgery, a point that proves moot when he crashes and they race to save him, spurred on by the sight of his devoted disabled wife.
8 May 2007: Choices of the Heart
When a promising young schoolboy athlete, Drew, is brought into the ED by Cate after having both feet nearly severed by a train, Frank and Zoe want to get the teenager to theatre ASAP. Mike fights to save the boy's future and wants to take the time to run extra tests in the hope his feet might be viable for reconstructive surgery. The odds are low and he faces resistance from Zoe and Frank but perseveres, especially after Dan finds both football boots and ballet shoes in the boy's bag. After talking to the teenager's single Mum, Carol, Mike is even more determined to do what he can to give the boy a second chance. When Vincent doesn't believe Mike can achieve the desired surgical outcome, Jack offers to scrub in and the two men, after successfully operating on the boy's feet, reconcile.
Charlotte has her first day back in the ED after maternity leave and is determined not to let her hormone-led emotions get in the way. By the end of the day, though - after an announcement that catches the whole Emergency Department by surprise- she's left wondering if it was worth coming back at all!
Cate's world is thrown into a tail spin when she receives a devastating phone call regarding her mother.
15 May 2007: Balancing Act
Frank has to rescue Bart who is struggling to stay on top of his internship. Charlotte and Zoe work together, and find that the married man they are treating, for an injured penis, has a big secret. When delicate surgery is required, Mike decides it's time for Jack to fly solo, and sidelines Vincent in the process. Vincent decides it's time to confront Mike on the way he is treating him.
Heath and Bree pick up Brad Simon Burke), a thirty something, married guy who was engaging in a bit of early morning delight, with a mildly erotic twist, with his wife, Fiona. Unfortunately, when he tried to remove the sex toy, a penis ring, in a hurry, he did serious damage to his penis. The situation seems straightforward, not life threatening, and he's at no risk of losing his manhood permanently. Due to an administrative glitch, however, Brad's next of kin has been notified and arrives at the hospital, wanting to know what's wrong with him. Brad has a secret, a big one. And now Frank, Von and Gabrielle, in the interest of peace on the ward, are forced to do whatever they can, to ensure that it's kept a secret.
Zeb, an excavator operator, rolled his machine on himself and has suffered severe abdominal crush injuries. Urgent surgery is required. Jack and Mike deal with the patient in Resus, and when Vincent arrives, assuming that he will be taking over from Jack, Mike tells him he's decided Jack will fly solo on this one. Vincent is not happy and confronts Mike on the issue. But Mike claims he is not being punished - Vincent and Mike do not click, that's all. They will work together but they'll never be friends. Simple as that.
Drew Redman, a young hero whose badly mangled legs Mike repaired last week has suffered a set back. His legs are swelling up inside the plaster casts, and it appears, for a time, that Mike may have made the wrong decision in not opting to amputate in the first place. Drew's biggest problem though, as he sees it, is his Mum, Carol, whom he loves but she is suffocating him by taking control of his treatment and his life. Mike can see his problem. Carol is a strong personality who does not like being told what to do. And she makes Mike a sexy offer he'll find hard to refuse.
22 May 2007: Timing
Everything about the day seems to be going wrong for our team: the innocent are being taken advantage of, the seemingly healthy are dying. And as our team struggle to deal with it all, their own secrets are revealed: the struggles to cope with the pains and disappointments of a life lived free of drugs; the realisation that one of our doctor's might have his own health fears; and a romance blossoming in the ED that no-one saw coming.
Dan and Erica rescue Benny, a terrified man with a mental age of 10, whom they witness being beaten by a gang on their way to work. In the ED Benny, who's taken a shine to Erica, confides that he's been on the streets for three days hiding from 'Mr. Terry' who's trying to kill him. But when Benny's Carer turns up - ex-nurse Leila White - she explains 'Mr. Terry' is the imaginary villain on whom Benny blames his episodes of self-harm.
Erica and Bart discover injuries that seem to support this but Von, her gut instincts working overtime, thinks there may be more to the story. Her efforts to prove her suspicions puts her offside with Zoe, who is desperately trying to get to the bottom of the medical situation.
And with the Carer insisting it's time to take Benny home, time is rapidly running out. When a young flight attendant, Alex, is brought into the ED convinced he's going to die the nursing staff take his fears seriously despite the fact his injuries are relatively minor. They've all seen or heard of patients who have talked themselves into an unnecessary death - as has Mike who takes the time to sit with Alex and discuss his fear. Is it just paranoia playing out? Or does Alex know something the rest of the team don't?
Jack, meanwhile, is struggling to put out a fire of his own when a darkly disturbing young man arrives to see him and announces he is a fellow victim of the man who abused Jack in his youth. He wants Jack to join him in testifying against their abuser but Jack is having second thoughts about the whole idea. Travis isn't about to let the matter rest and pressures Jack with two horrifying secrets about their shared history.
29 May 2007: Some Kinds of Love
Zoe and Erica deal with a woman who has been going out and having sex while she's asleep. Mike saves the life of a single Mum and her baby. Jack finds that Travis does not have HIV, and agrees to testify against the man who molested him.
Kenya Hutton, a young woman, is brought to the Hospital with bruising and abrasions. When Zoe and Erica examine her, they find her knickers gone and dried semen on her body. It appears that Kenya has been sexually assaulted. The problem is, she has no memory of it. In fact, she has no memory of leaving her house. Her last memory is of putting herself to bed and going to sleep.
Meanwhile Mike, Charlotte and Vincent work to save Sally, a young pregnant woman involved in an MVA. Vincent embarks successfully on a high-risk procedure to save both Mum and baby, after which Mike challenges Vincent about why his career has stalled at Registrar.
Travis, who told Jack he was HIV+ last week, is brought back to Hospital. His symptoms have worsened, but he refuses treatment. Sean and Jack test him and find he does not have AIDS, but Wilson's Disease. Unfortunately, he's left it too late for effective treatment, and will probably die anyway. However, Jack agrees to help him by testifying against Patrick Wesley in Court.
5 June 2007: End Game
An unidentified patient is brought in by ambulance, having been hit by a bus after celebrating a win by the Cougars Rugby League team. Frank, Mike, Zoe and Dan fight to stabilise him, but the task is proving almost impossible. Mike is all for taking him up to surgery straight away, vowing to work out why the patient continues to bleed so profusely, but Zoe has other ideas. During all this, the others observe that Mike seems to be flirting with Zoe, something that causes Dan to indulge in a little work place gossip. Frank worries about Mike's motives and Sean feels the sting of the green eyed monster.
Meanwhile, Charlotte and Erica are looking after a young ballet dancer, Declan, who has come in with, according to his GP, Guillain-Barre syndrome. But after Charlotte performs a lumbar puncture, it becomes clear that they're looking for something else altogether. His friend, flatmate and fellow dancer, Aidan, arrives to see how he is, allowing Declan to express his worries about his career. If his illness is anything serious, he'll lose his position in the company. But is Aiden all he's cracked up to be? Or is he simply feathering his own professional nest?
Von visits a favourite homecare patient, a dying nun and ex matron at All Saints, Von's first matron when she started at the hospital. Maureen has deteriorated significantly since Von's last visit and needs extra morphine relief, but refuses to go to hospital, preferring to tough it out. Not wanting to leave her, Von calls an off duty Bart, who comes out to give Maureen the increased morphine that she needs. Meanwhile, at All Saints, Gabrielle has discovered that Von, with Bart's help, has ordered morphine. How will the decision to break the rules effect Von and Bart? Can they survive the wrath of Campion?
The gossip about Mike and Zoe continues to spread, leaving Charlotte feeling that Zoe has unfair advantages, and Sean feeling unsure of where he stands. Zoe reassures Sean that all is well in their relationship. While Frank tries to get Mike to back off, fearing he's seeing Zoe as an experiment, Sean is making a decision that could see the end of his relationship with Zoe altogether.
12 June 2007: The Trust Game
BARRY MITCHELL is rushed into the ED having been involved in an MVA. He is suffering from shock , and is presenting with breathing difficulties and a possible ruptured spleen. Intruiging for the ED team, is that BARRY is dressed only in jeans. No shoes or shirt. And no underpants. The ED team soon surmise that BARRY has been involved in adulterous tryst prior to his car accident. But the true story is revealed when CARL WOODMAN sneaks his way into a the ED and tries to attack BARRY. SEAN pulls CARL off but not before BARRY's condition turns into medical crisis. Coupled with another MVA it's a busy time in the ED. While MIKE and ZOE fight to save BARRY's life SEAN learns of CARL's motivation for the attack. CARL reveals BARRY has been sleeping with CARL's seventeen year old daughter, ERIN.
ERIN WOODMAN enters the ED looking for her boyfriend. DAN and the other staff come face to face with some of their own prejuidices; when they realise that the seventeen year old girl is sleeping with a man thirty plus years her senior. Although ERIN swears black and blue that she was the one who made the first move, and that she loves BARRY the ED team will conflict about whether she really knows what she's talking about.
Meanwhile CHARLOTTE is struggling to maintain her spirits after being passed over for promotion. Adding to her woes is her recent discovery that ZOE, the very woman who seems to be usurping her, is sleeping with her good friend SEAN. She wonders why SEAN didn't tell her earlier and is angry with him over this. Adding to her sense of inadequacy CHARLOTTE is unable to prevent her cardiac patient, high powered business woman, CHRISTINE INGLISS from walking out of the ED without proper treatment. Initially distant with eachother CHARLOTTE and CHRISTINE form a bond -- both women are busy burning the candles at both ends in order to achieve their goals. When CHRISTINE ignores CHARLOTTE's medical advice, putting off medical treatment so she can attend a work meeting, she suffers a massive stroke. CHARLOTTE begins to re-evaluate her own life choices.
If it wasn't busy enough for the ED team, things become even more hectic when a quantity of drugs (Normacin) goes missing from the drugs cabinet. GABRIELLE has no choice but to follow protocol and call in nursing admin. It will mean paperwork and interviews with police at the most inconvienient times. FRANK, will mistakenly target MIKE VLASEK as the one responsible. He will be forced to do something he doesn't enjoy and that is apologise to MIKE.
Jack Quade is all pumped up for his court hearing. Today is the day he will come face to face with his abuser-a chance to put the past behind him.
Sean and ZOE manage to survive their first tiff when SEAN buys ZOE a drink and declares his love of sorts. ZOE does likewise... and then tragedy strikes.
19 June 2007: Every Second Counts
Shock waves spread through the ED when Sean's wheeled in on a stretcher after being hit by a car. Zoe is at his side trying to help with his medical treatment, but it's clear to everyone including herself she's in no state to care for him. Frank leads her away and Zoe reveals how terrible the accident was. But now she's got Sean to the ED she's confident he'll be okay. Meanwhile in Resus the extent of Sean's injuries are becoming clear. The team's put under extra pressure when Sean tells them he doesn't want Zoe to know. He maintains a brave front for her. Zoe's not aware of a problem until he loses consciousness.
Tensions flare as the team works to save their colleague. Mike prepares to operate in Resus, but Vincent doesn't want a bar of it. They argue and Dan explodes imploring them to do something. Mike pulls rank and Vincent walks out. To everyone's surprise it's Frank who steps in to assist Mike through the difficult procedure. But just when they seem to be getting on top of things another problem arises.
A confused Zoe listens to them work. She still has no idea what's wrong with him. When Bart tells her Sean has a bleed in his aorta, Zoe realises he knew he was dying. She's angry no one told her. Angry she didn't make more of her time with him.
Elsewhere in the department a young family is determined to spend every last minute together. Alicia is suffering from congestive heart failure and only has a short time to live. Her husband and young baby remain at her side - her husband making a video diary of her last days, so the child will have something to remember her mother by. Initially thrown by what they're doing, Bart soon becomes involved in the family's plight. Pushed by Sean's death to make something good come from the tragic night, Bart manages to get her position on the heart transplant list reviewed and the woman is transferred to the cardiac unit with a chance of survival. Determined to live a life without regrets, he finally gets the courage to tell Erica how he feels about her.
While the trauma in Resus unfolds Charlotte busies herself with the running of the department trying not to think about the anger she felt last time she and Sean spoke. Without even trying Charlotte proves she's capable of the 2IC position she'd been so worried no one thought she could do, but at the end of the day it no longer matters.
And Vincent picks the wrong night to cross Mike...
26 June 2007: The Pain of it All
What if you've seen every leading doctor around and none can even put a name to your condition. Worse, that condition sees you in constant pain during your every waking moment and simple tasks like eating and drinking are almost guaranteed to produce a bout of excruciatingly acute pain. Welcome to Mia's world. She's a young woman at her wit's end. Her latest acute attack, lasting 20 hours, has driven her into the ED where she hopes Bart and Frank will finally be able to name her disease and offer the promise of an eventual cure.
If you don't know what you're doing, trying to take a plaster cast off with a circular saw is like using a jack hammer to shell a peanut. It's ridiculous and dangerous, and just as you might smash the peanut along with the shell, if the plaster cast is on your leg at the time there's a chance you may lose your leg too. Nathan tried it, and that's landed him in the ED. He did it to impress his girlfriend. It's a stunt that will cost the 20 year old, who still thinks he's 16, much more than he bargained for.
A young archaeologist's life has recently been turned upside down and life just keeps throwing him curve balls. He's recently returned to Sydney from Africa and now fears that he has brought home more than a raft of memories. Tim appears in the Waiting Room convinced that he has a disease that could kill him and throw much of the general public into a state of panic.
As everyone slowly comes to terms with Sean's death, Bart has to face up to another painful fact. The person who he has his heart set on, only sees him as a younger brother. How Bart handles this potentially devastating situation will surprise many of his colleagues
3 July 2007: Crossroads
Jack is forced to confront his history of abuse when his abuser, Patrick Wesley, is brought into the ED with multiple stab wounds. Jack is the only available surgeon and is determined to keep him alive to save his friend Travis being charged with murder. Dan advises against it, concerned for Jack's state of mind and for the legal consequences. Dan calls Mike who hauls Jack out of theatre. When Travis turns up in the ED with a knife and is shot, Jack struggles to persuade him to have surgery. Jack has to reveal his secret to Frank in order to get Travis' consent overridden. When Patrick dies Mike advises him that this is a chance to put the past behind him. But is it as easy as that?
Mike's counsellor believes he's reached a turning point in his addiction recovery when he reveals he has feelings for Zoe, but Mike discovers he may not be ready to deal with such powerful emotions.
Charlotte and Zoe clash when Megan Archer is brought into the ED after collapsing in the street. It is clear she has just given birth, but with an emotional age of seven she is unable or unwilling to acknowledge the birth or say where the baby was abandoned. When her condition worsens Zoe wants to send her to theatre before Charlotte has the chance to discover where she's left her baby. Charlotte goes to Frank to ask him to override Zoe, but Frank refuses. They can't neglect the mother. Charlotte makes one last attempt to get information from the young mother and gains a clue that leads to the finding of the baby. Both Charlotte and Zoe win, but the rift between them has grown.
Bart comes to work with a hangover. If that's not bad enough a police officer shoots a knife wielding Travis right in front of him.
Vincent, his life in free-fall over his feelings about Charlotte, finally tells Mike he's had enough and what exactly he can do with his job! Mike later stares into the temptation of a morphine filled syringe.
10 July 2007: Bodies in Motion
Joe Summers and his son, Hamish, are wheeled in to the ED after a horror MVA. In his shell-shocked state, Joe then proceeds to make a decision that seriously compromises the doctors and nurses' ability to treat his son. However, as the battle to save the little boy intensifies, it becomes apparent that Joe may have a lot to answer for - something that is dramatically revealed to Von and Frank with the arrival of Hamish's mother, Kelly.
Cathy Seabold, a recent surgical patient, has not been following her post-operative exercise routine. In fact, she has been resolutely inactive, and when she arrives in the ED she has no intention of turning that around, even in the face of a potentially life-threatening DVT. It is up to Bart and Erica to find a way to get through to her before any permanent damage is done. And in the process, they rediscover their friendship.
Mike is feeling fantastic after testing himself last week and he throws himself into the day with an enthusiasm rarely seen...That is quickly counter pointed later in the day when he seems to lose all momentum in the face of a medical disaster. And that's the problem, because Jack can't tell whether Mike is just subject to the up-and-downs of a day at the office, or much more sinister forces.
As the day begins, Charlotte is still coming to terms with the imminent results of a major decision Vincent has made in his life. Although she claims to be fine with it, Frank can see she is on the verge of a terrible sadness. And he makes sure he is there for her.
17 July 2007: One Moment in Time
When a Hep C patient, Adriana, walks into All Saints declaring herself to be at end-stage liver failure, Dan and Charlotte are distressed to realize she's embracing her death rather than trying to fight it. When Dan questions her about this she reveals the reason for going off her meds - the recent death of her husband whom she wants to follow into the afterlife. Her survivor guilt is compounded by the fact he died of Hep C - which she thinks he contracted from her.
As Dan listens to Adriana's heartbreaking story he accidentally gives himself a needlestick injury contaminating himself with Adriana's blood. In that one second, his whole life changes and he finds himself shutting down emotionally - even from Erica. He's immediately cared for by Gabrielle and Frank who explain the protocol he'll have to work and live by for the next six months until blood tests prove he's free of the disease - or not.
Cate and Heath are called out to an abandoned silo where a mother and son have crashed 5 metres to the floor below. A race against the clock ensues when the unconscious mother, Lindy, goes into seizure. Once Cate is lowered down she also discovers the Mum is a drug addict who was at the silo - a known pushers hangout - to score.
The Ambos split with Heath taking Lindy to hospital where the All Saints ED and Surgical Teams combine to miraculously pull the woman back from the brink of death. Cate has meanwhiled travelled the son, Caleb, into All Saints where, to Von's horror, Bart's niaive questioning of the teenager forces him to reveal his Mum, Lindy, was prostituting herself for drugs.
Cate and Heath then unwittingly bring in Lindy's dealer, Ronnie - whom Caleb stabbed with a broken bottle when he discovered him having sex with Lindy. Ronnie, desperate to get away before the police arrive, threatens Caleb who suffers an embolus as a result. Ronnie, though, has collapsed while trying to sneak out. While the bulk of the ED staff try and save Ronnie, Von is forced to guide Bart through his very first - and unauthorised - intubation.
When Frank finds out what Bart's done he throws him out of the boy's cubicle, only later apologizing and finally admitting Bart's work was courageous and life-saving. The saving of these two patients sees a new level of trust and respect in the the twin teams of Frank and Bart in the ED, and Mike and Jack on the surgical roster, but Bart is left appalled that Caleb is likely to end up behind bars for trying to save his mother.
24 July 2007: Bad Blood (double episode)
Tony, a man in his late twenties, is admitted suffering from relatively minor injuries, sustained when he and his camera got too close to the action at a game of Australian Rules. He also suffers from a genetic blood disorder, sickle cell disease, which means that implications of his injuries are magnified, many times, and could easily become life threatening. Mike and Zoe find themselves on opposite sides of the medical debate as to how to treat him.
Dan returns to work, after his needlestick injury and possible infection with the Hepatitis C virus. He knows that his results will be through today, or tomorrow, but arrives, ready to assume his duties. Dan finds early in the piece, though, that his fear of contaminating patients with his own blood is seriously compromising what he can and can't do. Then, he finds himself faced with another, recalcitrant patient. Georgia has been admitted with what appears to be a text book case of appendicitis, but she would rather risk death than allow Jack, or any surgeon, anywhere near her.
Charlotte and Zoe are at loggerheads over a young student who has been badly burned as a result of a campus prank. Frank is doing his best to ignore the situation, but Gabrielle insists that it's set to explode.
Frank's intervention has surprising consequences for all concerned.
31 July 2007: 400th Episode. Pressure Point
The ED girds its loins to receive multiple victims from a horror MVA. And Frank is the central girder as he orders beds cleared, supplies of essentials brought in and checks and rallies the troops.
Mike arrives at the scene of the accident: a pre-dawn 'drag race' gone terribly wrong. Of the two cars racing one car has flipped on its side. The other, after cutting a swathe of death and injury through a bunch of spectators. has crashed into a car watching the race trapping a brother and sister. Cate promises the dying sister, Claire, that she will ensure Claire's little brother makes it out of the accident alive. Mike overhears this promise, and takes it on upon himself to deliver it. As victims continue to arrive at the ED the team is put under increasing pressure.
An overworked Jack, who has lost a Resus patient at the start of the day, seems to clash with everyone over patient management in his attempt to prevent it being two losses in the one day. Bart learns a hard lesson when he prematurely reassures the parents of an unborn baby (involved in the MVA) that their baby will be fine. But as Bart and the couple discover just finding a heartbeat doesn't guarantee a happy ending. And when the baby dies, the baby's father, Kieran, tries to exact vengeance on Damien, who he believes to be responsible. Dan drags him off but Damien suffers another seizure and, despite Jack's best efforts, dies.
Damien's best mate and passenger, Chris, admits to Frank that he caused the accident - a moment of misplaced anger that went tragically wrong. He desperately wishes he could undo what he did but now has to live with the consequences.
Dan tells Erica he appreciates what she did - the kiss. She made her point and he is grateful to her. Now they can get back to normal. Erica is flabbergasted. The pressure and events of the day keep preventing them having a proper conversation. Bart is sure he senses some tension between them. He takes it on himself to make sure Dan has the support of all his friends, including Ricky. At the end of the day he brings them together with a spiel about love and friendship that unintentionally sends them to Dan's bed.
7 August 2007: Episode 401 - Under The Skin
ROBERT LEE is rushed into the ED after being found bashed in his home. His injuries are horrific; attacked by two men with cricket bats. CHARLOTTE and GABRIELLE are immediately on his side. What kind of psychopaths would do this?
X-rays reveal a mass of old injuries that are badly healed but ROBERT continues to push away the female staff. Finally, he begs MIKE to keep them away. MIKE demands answers. ROBERT confesses that he's just out of jail after serving seventeen years for rape and murder. The men who attacked him in his home were the brothers of the girl he murdered. ROBERT doesn't want anyone's help or pity. He got what he deserved. The only thing he asks is to keep the women away from him. For their sake. MIKE tries to keep the women away but the lack of male staff means it's impossible. Robert starts to unravel and eventually unleashes his fury on those trying to help him.
VON's routine visit to LUKE COSTELLO, an OCD home care patient, turns into a nightmare when she finds he has burnt the skin off his hands after washing obsessively with over fifteen cleaning products. He is in complete agony but the idea of going to hospital is more than he can bear. VON, CATE and HEATH are forced to bring him in against his will and LUKE is ropable at VON. LUKE's condition deteriorates when one of the chemicals he has used binds to his blood and causes heart arrhythmias. The only way to help this man is to figure out what ingredient is causing the reaction. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
FRANK has asked BART to help him interview for the new ED doctor. The interview process is gruelling leaving most candidates a mess. He tells Bart that this is a good learning process for him, but ZOE's furious that FRANK doesn't tell Bart the real reason he's been asked to sit in on the interviews.
When Gabrielle sees one of the candidates, Dr. STEVE TAYLOR, her heart sinks to the floor. FRANK's desperate to know the connection but during his interview, STEVE doesn't get personal. Later, he focuses his energies on helping treat Luke's condition and trying to get GABRIELLE to forgive him, with interesting consequences.
ROBERT stabs MIKE when MIKE fails in his promise to ensure only male staff are near him. CHARLOTTE stitches MIKE up and he refuses pain medication. CATE rushes in to see how he is and suggests a drink "to take the edge off". Could this be the start of something ?
14 August 2007: Episode 402. Mixed Blessings
Craig Roberts and his wife are rushed into the ED. They have been held captive over night by home invaders. And while a difficult underlying medical condition complicates the ED team's ability to save him, his wife struggles with how quickly good fortune can turn to bad.
Meanwhile, it's Steve Taylor's first day on the job. Frank insists he cut his teeth on the less demanding patients, which actually suits him fine but thoughts of an easy day soon disappear when he encounters his first patient, Rosie. She's recently undergone a breast reconstruction, is feverish and has a nasty infection. Her teenage son, Brandon, is making life hell for his mother and the medical team.
Tensions flare as Steve falls foul of Von in his handling of the boy just as Jack falls foul of Steve in his opinion of elective cosmetic procedures.
And while Dan is learning his future with the arrival of his latest round of Hep C results, Bart finds out there's no room in the ED for him anymore.
21 August 2007: Episode 403. Nowhere To Hide.
Lewis and Monica are totally devoted to each other and have been for the last 40 years. So when Lewis' health started to deteriorate there was never a question of who would take care of him. Monica is constantly at his side. She attributes his poor health to Lewis' active service in the Vietnam War and she's right. But Monica has no idea that when Charlotte and Dan uncover what's really wrong with Lewis, Monica's own life will be at risk too.
After Travis killed paedophile Patrick Wesley, Jack posted bail for him, so when Travis fails to turn up for a Court hearing Jack has plenty of good reasons to find out where he is and to get him there. Travis isn't hard to track down and he isn't ducking his 'judgement day' but he has his own views on where and when it'll take place, and Jack is forced to go along for the ride.
Most people believe that if they had a wife and three young kids to feed they'd do anything to provide for them. Jimmy McKay certainly would and it lands him in the ED. Mike and Zoe are shocked by the desperate measures he's taken to secure his income, and it could cost Jimmy much more than he bargained for.
Everyone notices that it's not the usual Bart that's haunting the ED today. He's on a short fuse and Frank is sure he knows why. However it's Dan and Erica who hold the key to Bart's torment but will they be able to make things right before it's too late?
