No. 28
Karl is trying to fix the broken toaster. Toadie - drinking from the bottle of OJ - suggests holding it up and emptying all the crumbs out. Karl does so - then looks into it, holding it above him, and causes crumbs to fall into his eyes! Toadie has to clear them for him! There's a knock on the front door and Toadie opens it to Shona, who asks if Mal's up. She goes to look in his room! Toadie tells Karl that *he* can fix the toaster - it's probably only a dud thermostat. There's suddenly a yell from Mal's room:

MAL: Get out of it!

Shona runs out, holding Mal's duvet and giggling! She tells Karl that plenty of other handymen are up by now!

No. 26
Holly is whining as she lies and stares at the unconscious Helen on the kitchen floor. Helen begins to groan and come- to. She tries to get up to reach the 'phone on the wall, but doesn't have the strength and collapses again.

No. 24
The front door bangs and Cheryl emerges from the bedroom area to find Marlene standing there! She gives her mother a warm hug of delight and asks her where she's been. Marlene explains that Cheryl's brother *appreciates* her. Cheryl tells her mother that *she* appreciates her, but Patrick hasn't been through what she has. Marlene sighs at her that it's always about *her* being the victim. Cheryl asks wearily if they can't just support each other. She adds that she's sorted things out with Jo, so there won't be any more dramas. Looking relieved, Marlene smiles that maybe they *can* call a truce and work together for a change. She asks if Jo is still a silent partner. Cheryl admits that there have been a few changes to the staff roster...

Chez Chez
Sometime later, Marlene is sitting at the bar as Cheryl teaches Jo to make cocktails. Marlene smiles at Jo that it's not every day they have a millionaire's wife behind the bar! Cheryl tells Jo to practise pulling a beer. Marlene says she'd like a shandy, so Jo starts making it - as Marlene asks about the art exhibition. Jo tells her that it's taking place at the end of next week. She pours Marlene a perfect shandy. At that moment, Rob comes in and Marlene hands the shandy to him. She heads out, leaving Rob to comment to Jo:

ROB: Don't tell me: you're a born barmaid?!
JO: No, I've got a lot to learn, right? [She turns to Cheryl.]
CHERYL (smiles): Practice makes perfect!

Cheryl leaves Rob and Jo to it. Rob asks Jo if she's really OK with this, but Jo insists that it's fun: for the first time in ages, she's starting to feel useful.

No. 26
Marlene walks into No. 26, through the back door, calling for Helen. Holly runs up to her and Marlene starts fussing over her, calling for Helen as she does so. She doesn't spot her, though, lying behind the counter.

Holy Roll
Susan is standing with Billy, who's yawning and groaning that he must have tried on fifty million boring shirts today! Susan tells him that it's now time to try on fifty million interesting pairs of trousers! She then tells him that he's grown out of everything much more quickly than Mal or Libby did; it's no wonder Melissa wants to enter him in the bodybuilding competition! Billy corrects:

BILLY: Body *shaping* - and don't start!
SUSAN: Why not? I would be *so* flattered if your dad wanted to enter *me* in a competition like that.
BILLY: But you wouldn't actually carry it through, would you?
SUSAN: No way! I'd still be flattered, though.

Billy tells his mother that it's just not his thing - all those poseurs - but it's like Melissa wants to show him off like some kind of prize. Susan comments that he doesn't seem completely *happy* with Mel... Billy assures her that he is - most of the time - but sometimes she's just a bit full- on if he wants to hang out with Toadie: he gets the guilts. Susan asks:

SUSAN: Just how serious *are* you two? And when I say serious, I mean, have you got to the point where you think you might—
BILLY (horrified): Don't. Don't. *Don't* start talking about sex!
SUSAN (smiles): Billy, there's nothing wrong in talking about sex!
BILLY (coolly): There is when you are with your mother and you are in a coffee shop.
SUSAN: Fine - I'll keep my voice down!

Outside the Surgery
Mal is doing some painting as Shona watches and suggests he take his shirt off! She adds that all handymen work shirtless! Mal comments that she's as bad as *Billy's* girlfriend - she wants to enter him in some bodybuilding competition! Shona asks him how come he's so shy; and how many girlfriends has he had? Mal just asks curtly if he can get on with the painting.

No. 26
The front door opens and Hannah heads inside. She calls for her gran, but there's no answer. She walks through to the kitchen and heads to the counter - where she spots Helen lying on the floor, unconscious. She dashes over to her and gasps:

HANNAH: Gran? Gran - can you hear me?

No. 28
Toadie has fixed the toaster, and as it pops up some toast, he smiles that it's as good as new! Karl, not looking impressed, comments that he doesn't know why Toadie is spending his weekend with the toaster. Toadie remarks:

TOADIE: Pretty sad, isn't it: everyone else is in love, but *I* make great toast!
KARL: Well, maybe you'll marry a chef one day!
TOADIE (glumly): I don't think *anyone* will ever have me.
KARL: Possibly you're going about it the wrong way: you shouldn't want a girlfriend just because everyone *else* is in love.
TOADIE: Seems like a good reason to *me*.
KARL: You should fall in love because you've met someone who's special; someone who feels the same way about *you*.
TOADIE (mutters): What do I have to do to become special?

There's suddenly a frantic knocking on the front door and Hannah runs in, crying that it's her gran: she's lying on the floor...

No. 26
A few moments later, Karl and Hannah run into No. 26 and Karl checks Helen's pulse. Hannah asks in concern if she's dead, but Karl assures her that she isn't. He asks how long she's been like this, but Hannah says she just came home and found her. She adds that Helen felt sick and Philip was going to stay home and look after her... Karl calls an ambulance, telling the operator that it's a possible heart attack or stroke. Hannah stands there looking worried.

Holy Roll
Mal hands Shona a milkshake and she tells him that she wants to hear about his ex- girlfriends! She adds that she's happy to tell him about her ex- boyfriend. Mal shrugs:

MAL: Go on then.

Shona tells him that they never talked about commitment; he was more in it for a bit of fun; but she was a bit too infatuated to see that he was a user. Mal says:

MAL: *My* ex liked to play games. I wouldn't say she used me, but I was *not* going to be dictated to.
SHONA (smiles): You and I are so alike. I can tell we're going to last a long time.

They kiss. Shona then asks Mal what they're going to do when she's stuck at school: he'll forget about her. Mal insists that he won't. Shona suddenly takes a bracelet off her wrist and puts it on Mal's, telling him that now he has something to remember her by - and it'll keep all those women away from him, too! Mal looks disconcerted!

Ramsay Street
Two ambulancemen are carrying Helen - on a stretcher - down the driveway of No. 26. They put her into an ambulance as Hannah, Karl and Toadie watch. Toadie asks Hannah if she's called her dad yet. Hannah replies that she has: he's still at the library. Toadie asks if he's going to the hospital. Hannah says he is. She then asks Karl if *she* can go to the hospital. Karl tells her to go in the front of the ambulance and he'll follow in his car. As the ambulance drives off, Toadie stands there looking worried.

Holy Roll
Shona is standing by the jukebox when Mal walks in and says he's finished - and he doesn't want to see another paintbrush ever again! He sits down and Shona starts massaging his shoulders as she asks what they're doing tonight. She adds that she wasn't thinking about anything too strenuous - and she can give him a *proper* massage... Mal, however, says quickly that he can't: he has to do the books. Shona offers to help him, but Mal insists that he really needs to sort things out with work on his own. Shona pouts:

SHONA: You're just fobbing me off.
MAL (insists): No way! Look, we'll do this veg- out thing together some *other* time, yeah?
SHONA (giving in): OK.
MAL: Right.
SHONA: As long as it's some other time *soon*.

With that, she walks back over to the jukebox. Mal sighs heavily.

No. 28
Toadie is talking on the 'phone to his mum as Susan and Billy come in, Susan muttering at Billy that he could win a prize for Biggest Whinger in a Shopping Centre! Toadie hangs up and tells Susan and Billy that his mother rang to say that she and his dad have got things together. Susan smiles that that *is* good news. Toadie then goes on that there's another newsflash: Mrs. D's had a turn: the doc bunged her in an ambulance and they're all down at the hospital now.

Chez Chez
Jo serves some customers chirpily as Marlene and Cheryl sit at the corner of the bar and Cheryl comments to her mother:

CHERYL: I'm glad *Jo's* keeping up a bright face: this news about Helen has really thrown me.
MARLENE: Thrown *you*? What do you think it's done to *me*? I mean, I was there and walked out.

She goes on that she knew something was funny: the back door was unlocked and Holly was inside - she should've had a proper look round. Cheryl tells her mother that Helen is in good care now and they have to pray that she gets better.

Erinsborough Hospital
Karl emerges from the room in which Helen is being treated. Philip and Hannah run up to him and ask how she is. Karl, however, admits that it's hard to say: she's still unconscious. Philip frowns:

PHILIP: What... like a coma or something?
KARL: I'm afraid so.
HANNAH (tearfully): Some people never come out of comas...
KARL: Hannah, it's important to remain positive. We're still analysing your gran's condition.
PHILIP: So what happened? Was it a heart attack?
KARL: All the signs seem to indicate a neurological problem.
HANNAH: What does *that* mean?
KARL: It seems she's had a stroke.
PHILIP: So what happens now?
KARL: Well, they've done a brain scan to determine if it's a haemorrhage or a stroke. They'll do an ECG: we have to ascertain if she broke anything in the fall. But really, it's much too early to tell how serious it is. I *can* tell you she's in the best possible hands.

He then turns to Hannah and tells her sincerely that he wishes everyone could be as calm in a crisis as she was: she did an excellent job. Philip asks if they can see her. Karl nods:

KARL: Just for a minute.

Chez Chez
Rob is sitting at the bar, talking to Jo. Cheryl walks over and tells Jo that she can take a five- minute break. Rob tells Jo that they have something they need to discuss. He sits her down at a table as she smiles that she's had so much fun today. Rob remarks that it sounds dangerously like she's getting attached to it. Jo beams:

JO: I *am*. Why? What's wrong with that?
ROB: Well, nothing - if we were planning to stay in the area.
JO: Well we *are*, aren't we?

Rob hesitates and Jo asks what's going on. Rob tells her that things are really starting to come together on this American deal - and it means he's going to be spending quite a lot of time tying things up over there. Jo says:

JO: You're going away *again*? When?
ROB: Well, I'm not sure; nothing's been finalised yet. But I'm not leaving you behind anymore. This time I want you to come *with* me.

A look of shock crosses Jo's face.

No. 28
In the lounge room, Mal taunts Billy that he'll never top his score, and he gets a cushion thrown at him! He heads into his bedroom - to find Shona sitting on his bed! He stares at her in shock and asks how she got in. Shona smiles that his window was open; she couldn't go without seeing him tonight. Mal stares at her.

Erinsborough Hospital
Helen is lying unconscious in the hospital bed, tubes everywhere. Helen and Philip are watching her and Hannah asks what everything's for. Philip replies gently that he guesses it's to monitor her condition. One of the machines is beeping and Hannah says through tears:

HANNAH: That thing...
PHILIP: Yeah?
HANNAH: Just goes flat when she dies, doesn't it...?
PHILIP (sympathetically): Oh Hannah...
HANNAH: That's why they've got her on that: they think she's gonna die.
PHILIP: No... It's on so they can make sure everything will be all right.
HANNAH: Well, why can't they tell by *looking* at her?
PHILIP: I don't know. Because she's in a coma. Hannah, we just have to be patient. I don't have any more answers than you do at the moment.
HANNAH (sobs): She's going to die, isn't she, dad. Gran's gonna die...

She buries her head in Philip's chest and sobs sadly.