Episode title: 4457 (Lori Lee returns with her and Connor O'Neill's baby)
Australian airdate: 13/04/04
UK airdate: 26/5/04

Writer: Linda Stainton
Director: Chris Adshead
Guests:
Valda Sheergold: Joan Sydney
Michelle Scully: Kate Keltie
Lori Lee: Michelle Ang
Madeleine Lee: Madison Lu
Margaret Greer: Lise Rodgers
Music:

Summary/Images by: Carly/Karen (Katie)

Lou's Hospital Room
Harold is angry with Lou after finding out where his money went, and even angrier that Lou ran away from his family and friends. Lou is looking very ashamed.

Lassiter's Complex
Connor is telling Michelle that Valda put the hard word on him, saying that Michelle would be better off continuing her studies in New York. "Michelle, I am not a bad person, alright. I work hard... I recycle." Shell tells him not to worry, she was the one that decided to stay, and he didn't make her do anything. Connor's still not entirely convinced.

Lou's Hospital Room
Harold is trying to tell Lou that he'll have to sell up his businesses, but Lou says that they're his identity and he can't. "Well you really are bankrupt then, aren't you," says Harold, grimly.

Hospital
Karl is talking to Margaret, one of the people from the admin department. She wastes no time in asking him out, "Would you be interested in spending a pleasant evening with me?" Karl stutters and stammers his way out of it saying that he's still getting used to his own company, and the separation is still quite new. Margaret is persistent though and writes her number down for Karl anyway.

Pub
Connor is asking Max for advice and wonders if Max would think that he'd be a potential suitor for his daughter. "Oh, I think Summer's still a bit too young, mate," Max replies with a smirk. Connor tells him that all of the Scullys have a problem with him at the moment, bar Lyn, and that they can't see that he wants what's best for Michelle too. Max says that Connor has to prove that to the Scullys.

Hospital - Lou's Hospital Room
Valda has popped by to see Lou, bringing a big fruit platter. When she goes in to see him though, he tells her to leave him alone. "Go away, stop haunting me. Leave me in peace woman." He's been having the hallucinations about Valda again and thinks his mind is playing tricks on him.

Karl is telling Harold that he has to go back to Susan's to pick up some stuff tomorrow when Valda storms angrily out with her fruit platter, shoving it at Harold. "Here, give this to someone that needs the fibre!" Harold casually passes it on to Karl. He then tries to tell Dr. K that it would be a good idea to call Susan before he just goes around there. Karl doesn't get the message though, so Harold spells it out for him. "You are not the only one that's getting a bit of action." Karl looks a bit taken aback.

Ramsay Street
Connor is still worrying about him and Michelle, so he comes up with the sudden idea for the both of them to move to New York. There's a faint glimmer of possibility that washes over Michelle, but then she points out that Connor would lose his Australian residency. Connor just wishes that he could do something heroic for her sometime. Michelle laughs and says "well how about you give me your credit card and cancel your plans for the evening. If the whole world doesn't want us being together, we'll just have to create a little world of our own." Connor looks intrigued.

Karl is coming out of his old house when he sees Max. He jogs over to him and apologises for his behaviour the other night at Max and Steph's engagement party. "I don't know what got into me, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause such a bad scene." Max doesn't stay mad for too long, and smiles. "Ah, it's not the first time my sister and bad scenes have been in the same room together and it won't be the last." Karl says it wasn't Izzy's fault. They have a little catch up and Max can see that Karl is a bit lost even though he says he's doing fine. "Look Karl, if I've learnt one thing over the last few years it's that happiness comes along when you least expect it. What you got to do is grab a hold of it. Hope for the best." Karl takes this on board.

Lou's Hospital Room
Lou is having another restless sleep when Harold comes in. Lou thought he was Rocco or Valda. Harold has come by to apologise for his behaviour the night before, he wants to be there for Lou like he was all those times Harold needed a friend. "If you're worried that you upset me, you did... because you told the truth. I don't like it but I'm going to have to face it, aren't I? The only way out of this mess is to sell up and start all over again. And that's what I'm gonna do."

Hospital
Karl catches Margaret going by in the corridor. "Margaret, I was thinking about your proposition... ah, your proposal... what you suggested! Sorry, I'm not very good at this!" Margaret says that's fine and is keen to go out. She suggests they start with a drink and see where that leads them. She leaves just as Connor and Max come in to see Lou. Karl directs them to his room.

Lou's Hospital Room
The guys walk in, a little shocked at Lou's haggard appearance. Lou looks ashamed and says to Max that he doesn't expect him to forgive him, and that he probably wants him out of the partnership. Lou starts to get upset and Max gently tells him that they're there because he's a good mate, none of that other stuff matters.

Lou's Hospital Room
The air is cleared now, and Max, Connor and Karl are joking around with Lou about how they would have bought shares in the Periwinkle Powder if it had have been a success. Karl says that Lou needs some sleep and Max and Connor leave.

Karl asks Lou if he knew how close he came to the brink out there, and tells him it was only a matter of hours and he's very lucky. Lou asks him if it's normal to have visions when you're close to death, even ones that could happen in the future. Karl says that it's a very common occurrence, "I imagine at my death I'll be thinking of people that meant something to me in life. Least I hope so." Lou smiles, "Me too, mate. Me too."

Pub
Karl and Margaret are on their date. They're talking about separations and divorces (by the sounds of it, Margaret's been through a few). She brings that conversation to halt though, and says that she wants to know more about Karl.

Lassiter's Hotel Room
Connor is lounging around on the bed with his white robe on while Michelle explores the room. Connor keeps asking Michelle silly questions about how much she loves him, like writing into the Erinsborough news about their hotel love shack, leaving no details out of it. Michelle grins and says she'll just show him and gives him a kiss.

Pub
Karl is officially on the date from hell. Margaret is very anti-male, but at the same time can't seem to live without one. She's not backwards in coming forwards and tells it like it is, referring to one of her ex-husband's as a "cringing little worm", and says that she's "wasted my entire adult life on clueless males, who have no idea which end of a woman is up!" Karl hastily excuses himself to go to the bathroom. Max catches him before he goes by, "I wouldn't rely on the bathroom window, it's a bit of a tight squeeze..."

Lassiter's Hotel Room
Michelle has just finished painting Connor's toenails a nice bright red when she asks him if she can give him a full makeover. Connor is well against the idea until Michelle playfully guilt trips him into it by saying that he'd let her if he loved her. He agrees, and then ruefully agrees to wear it in the hotel lobby in the morning as a dare. Michelle happily starts to put some eye shadow on him. Connor reacts like she's poking his eyes out with a pin.

Pub
Margaret is pretty irritated with Karl (he had been hiding out in the bathroom for ten minutes!). She says he's pathetic, just like all her ex-husbands. Karl asks Max for the bill and Margaret scoffs at him, "It's not the 1950s you know, I can pay my own way." She pays Max and leaves, spouting this piece of advice at Karl before she goes. "Stay out of the dating scene until you're up to speed with what women want. And it's not to flatter your chauvinistic vanity." Max smirks at Karl, and Karl just looks bewildered.

Lassiter's Hotel Lobby
Michelle is taking great delight in parading a heavily made-up Connor in the lobby. They're about to walk through when they see Lori standing at the reception desk. A baby is crying in the pram next to her, and it looks like for a moment that it's not hers, but then she leans down to pick the baby up. Connor and Michelle look stunned, and Connor realises what's going on. Lori sees them, looks a little startled, then comes over to them. "Hi Connor... this is your daughter, Maddy." Connor looks like he wants the earth to open up and swallow him whole. Maddy just smiles away like the cutest baby on earth that she is.