Recap
- Max choking and gasping for air and collapsing in Shane's arms after learning that Danny and Des lost the money he put on the horses.
No. 24
Des, Danny, Shane and Clive all help Max to the floor. Clive tells Shane to call an ambulance. He then starts examining the prone Max, checking his eyes and his windpipe. Max begins to come round and he demands to know what Clive's doing. Clive tells him to lie back: Shane's calling an ambulance. Max mutters:
MAX: I just had a bit of a turn, that's all
CLIVE: I hope that's all it was, but it could've been your heart.
Max starts trying to sit up, snapping that he doesn't want to go *near* any hospital; he's not getting into any ambulance. Clive tells him curtly:
CLIVE: Then at least go to your doctor; let *him* check you out.
Max retorts that it was just indigestion. He adds that it's hardly surprising after eating one of Madge's pies, and after hearing he's just lost a fortune. Clive snaps at him:
CLIVE: It's stupid to take risks. It could be indigestion - great, you can get medication to stop it - but at least make sure.
MAX (demands): What would *you* know about it?
CLIVE: Enough to know you shouldn't take chances with your health. I'm a doctor!
There are mutterings of surprise from everyone gathered there. Max exclaims in disbelief:
MAX: A doctor?!
CLIVE: Yeah - so I know what I'm talking about.
Danny points out that Clive knew what to do when Max collapsed. Max just splutters at Clive:
MAX: You? A doctor?!
He grabs his throat as he starts gasping for air again.
A street
Helen and Rosemary pull up to the side of a road in Helen's car. They've stopped outside a house, and Rosemary asks if this is it. Helen nods that it is. Rosemary goes to climb out of the car, but Helen doesn't move. Looking surprised, Rosemary asks:
ROSEMARY: Aren't you coming?
HELEN: I think it would be better if you go in alone. I'll wait here for you.
ROSEMARY: But I want you *with* me.
HELEN (sighs): Rosemary, I've tried to talk you out of this; I think you're making a big mistake - but if you insist on going through with it, it's your decision. Don't ask me to be a party to it.
ROSEMARY: Yes it *is* my decision and I thought you'd understand. You never hid the fact that I was adopted. Didn't it ever occur to you that one day I'd want to find my real mother?
HELEN: Not to begin with. As you got older and didn't ask any questions about her, I thought you were happy with Bill and me, not to be interested.
ROSEMARY (cries): Oh mum, I *was* happy - and then when I grew up, I was so busy with the business I just didn't have *time* for anything else. You could say I got out of the *way* of family life - but now it's different: I'm actually thinking about getting married and maybe having a family of my *own*.
HELEN (smiles): That could be the best thing that could happen.
ROSEMARY (sighs): Oh mum, you sound just like Jim: 'the only way for a woman to be happy is to have a husband'. I thought you were *proud* of what I've achieved.
HELEN: I *am* proud of you, but I don't want to see you turn into a hard, embittered businesswoman.
ROSEMARY (coolly): You know better than that.
HELEN (admits): Yes, that was a stupid thing to say.
Rosemary looks at Helen and then climbs out of the car. Helen reluctantly does likewise. Neither of them notices a woman watching them from the porch of the house they've parked outside. Rosemary says to Helen:
ROSEMARY: I thought you didn't want to be a party to this, mum.
HELEN: I don't - but perhaps I can stop you from being hurt any *more*.
With that, the two of them head towards the house. The woman watches them and then heads inside. A few moments later, she opens the door to Helen and Rosemary and Helen says:
HELEN: Heather, this is Rosemary.
Heather Ambrose invites the two of them in. Rosemary heads into the lounge room. As Helen lingers a few paces behind, Heather says to her tersely that she didn't think she'd be staying. Helen muses:
HELEN: I thought perhaps I'd better.
No. 24
Max snaps at Clive that, for the last time, he's not going to see a doctor. Clive retorts that he doesn't understand how anyone could be so pig-headed against their own health. Des says he'll pop back later to see how Max is, and he heads off. Max glares at Clive and demands:
MAX: What you hanging around for, anyway? Waiting for me to drop dead, eh?
CLIVE: I'm hoping you'll see *sense*. Look, it's not unusual for someone to be scared to see their doctor because they're afraid of the diagnosis.
MAX (indignantly): *Afraid*? Who do you think you're talking to? I can take bad news as well as the next man. I'm not having the wind put up me by some *chook doctor*.
Shane chips in that it wouldn't hurt to have a check-up. Danny adds that Clive seems to know what he's on about. Max sighs and snaps:
MAX: All right. He's a doctor? What's he doing running a gardening business, eh?
CLIVE: I wanted to see the real world, all right?
MAX (shouts): Drop out, you mean. No sense of responsibility yous young people today. It was *my money* put you through university. Pretty damn bad investment if you ask *me*!
Heather Ambrose's house
Heather Ambrose says to Rosemary that she understands she wants to know about her mother. Rosemary nods:
ROSEMARY: Yes, anything you can tell me.
Heather, however, replies that she's always thought it was better not to rake up the past; it's the *present* that matters. Rosemary retorts that it's *her* past, too, and she believes she has a right to know. Accepting this reluctantly, Heather asks Rosemary what she wants her to tell her. Rosemary says she guesses the most important question is: would her mother be willing to meet her? Helen sits next to her daughter, looking uncomfortable. Heather hesitates before saying:
HEATHER: I'm afraid you *can't* meet her, Rosemary. Your mother's *dead*.
ROSEMARY (looking shocked): But she *can't* be-
Helen puts a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, but Rosemary glares at her and snaps:
ROSEMARY: No! Don't touch me! You knew all along, didn't you? How could you let me go on hoping?
Coffee Shop
Madge is standing at the counter as Daphne tells her that she'll take as many pies as Madge can bake: the customers *love* them! Des comes in and tells Madge that Max has just had a bit of a scare: he collapsed. Madge, looking worried, asks if he's all right. Des explains that he's all right *now*, but it all started when Danny told Max that he backed the wrong horse... and Shane and Clive were there... and Clive was going on about heart attacks... and Max opened his eyes and he wouldn't have a bar of doctors or hospitals... and when he left, Clive was still arguing with Max! Madge says she'd better get back. Des tells her:
DES: I think you should talk him into having a check-up; he wouldn't let Clive touch him.
MADGE: Well I can't really blame him for *that*.
DES: But Clive said he was a *doctor*.
DAPHNE (looking astonished): You're kidding!
DES (shrugs): That's what he *said*.
Madge says she'd better get home. Daphne tells her she'll give her a lift. As she heads out, Des says quickly:
DES: We haven't finished our talk.
DAPHNE (curtly): This is far more important Des. We can talk *any* time.
Zoe joins Des and remarks that he can't win, can he? Des sighs that he and Daphne just aren't meant to be together.
Heather Ambrose's house
Heather watches Rosemary as she stands in the back garden, looking upset. Rosemary then heads back into the house and apologises to Heather for crying over somebody she didn't even know. Heather says:
HEATHER: Of course, I quite understand. Now, I expect you'll be wanting to get home.
Rosemary, however, retorts:
ROSEMARY: Oh no. No. Now it's even *more* important that you tell me everything you know, seeing as I'll never be able to meet her myself.
Helen says quickly that she thinks it would be better if they *did* go. Rosemary, though, insists:
ROSEMARY: This is what we *came* for.
The then turns to Heather and asks:
ROSEMARY: Where did my parents *meet*?
HEATHER (sitting down, resignedly): At school. They'd been in the same class and they were inseparable right through High School. Your mother was still at school when she fell pregnant. It was a dreadful scandal.
ROSEMARY: So you knew her even *then*?
HEATHER: Oh yes, I knew her when it *happened*. It destroyed her life.
ROSEMARY: Why couldn't they have got married? I mean, wouldn't one of their families have supported them until my father left school?
HEATHER: That was over thirty years ago. People didn't have the same understanding that they have now. Both families were horrified. They were more worried about what the neighbours were going to say than about their children - or the baby.
ROSEMARY: So she *had* to give me away?
HEATHER: She had to do much more than *that*. Her family put her into a home for unmarried mothers and said they never wanted to see her again. They sent some money, but that was where their support ended.
ROSEMARY: My father - I mean, didn't *he* stand by her?
HEATHER: And lose the chance of his tailor-made place in the family business? Not likely.
ROSEMARY (sighs): She must have *hated* me when I was born.
HEATHER: Oh no. No. No, she really loved you - and she desperately wanted to keep you; but with the pittance her family sent, she had to get a job; and how could she look after *you*?
ROSEMARY (sadly): What an awful predicament to be in. At least she had *one* friend.
Heather looks at Rosemary, who clarifies:
ROSEMARY: *You.* I mean *you* obviously stood by her.
Heather nods weakly. Rosemary goes on:
ROSEMARY: The only thing I *don't* understand, then, is why my mother didn't keep in touch. She knew who'd adopted me.
HEATHER: She had to make her own life. Bosses and potential husbands didn't look too kindly on illegitimate children in those days.
ROSEMARY (persists): But I mean, when we both got older--
HEATHER (curtly): And destroy everything she'd *achieved*?
Rosemary stares at Heather and remarks pointedly:
ROSEMARY: You seem to feel very strong about it, Mrs. Ambrose.
HEATHER (quickly): Oh, well of course. I was her best friend.
ROSEMARY: So strongly, in fact, you'd think you'd experienced it *yourself*.
HEATHER: Don't be so ridiculous.
Helen stands up and suggests to Rosemary that they'd better go. Rosemary, however, just stares at Heather and says:
ROSEMARY: That's *it*, isn't it? You *have*. You've been talking about *yourself*. It's *you*. You're my mother.
No. 24
Clive is still sitting with the Ramsays when the front door opens and Madge and Daphne come in. Max groans at his sister:
MAX: Oh no, who sent *you*?
Madge retorts that when Des told her he had a heart attack, she rushed straight back to see if there was anything she could do. Max snaps that he *didn't* have a heart attack. Clive tells Madge that he doesn't know for sure that it was Max's heart, but the symptoms were such that it could've been a warning. Daphne remarks to Clive:
DAPHNE: Des says you're a doctor!
CLIVE: Yeah.
MAX (mutters): Seen no *proof* yet!
Madge asks Clive what she should be doing to look after Max.
MAX (angrily): Nothing!
Shane warns his father that it wouldn't hurt to have a check-up, but Daphne suggests to him that the two of them go next door and let the *others* make his father see sense. Shane mutters that he wouldn't bet on them *getting* anywhere. He and Daphne head out, leaving Madge to ask Clive whether Max needs a special diet.
MAX: *Diet*? Huh! Your pies started the whole thing in the first place!
MADGE (roars): How dare you, Max Ramsay? There's nothing wrong with my pies!
MAX: Yeah? Well how come I was eating one when it happened, eh?
Danny yells at Max and Madge to stop fighting. Madge murmurs that he's quite right. Danny takes a book off the shelf and tells Max that he can read about heart attacks in *there*. Clive, however, warns:
CLIVE: Home-diagnosis isn't a good idea, Danny.
MAX: Ha! Put your little mates out of work, eh?! *This'll* shut you up!
Max then reads:
MAX: "The first signs of a heart attack are shortness of breath, chest pains, giddiness..."
He quickly closes the book again, muttering:
MAX: What does a book know, eh?
Heather Ambrose's house
Rosemary, glaring at Helen, demands:
ROSEMARY: You knew this woman [she indicates Heather] was my mother?
HELEN (admits): Yes.
ROSEMARY: So you planned the little sham between you both?
HELEN (insists): I'm not *proud* of it. Heather was adamant that you didn't know who she was, and *you* were adamant about finding your real mother, and the way you've been feeling lately, would you have believed me if I'd told you the truth?
ROSEMARY (bitterly): You didn't even *try*.
Rosemary turns to Heather and goes on tersely:
ROSEMARY: And *you*: did you think I'd land on your doorstep and wouldn't even *budge*?
HEATHER: No, of course not - and I didn't mean to hurt you so badly.
ROSEMARY: Then *why*?
HEATHER: I *did* love you, *really* - but I had to forget. I couldn't go on regretting. I knew you were well cared for and loved very much. Besides, I'm married now.
ROSEMARY: And your husband knows nothing about me...?
HEATHER: No - and he's not going to find out.
Helen stands up and cries at Rosemary:
HELEN: What's the *point* of all this? Let's go home.
ROSEMARY (tersely): You're right - it's pointless.
Turning to Heather, Rosemary adds:
ROSEMARY: And I'm sorry to have caused you so much anxiety.
Turning back to Helen, she adds curtly:
ROSEMARY: I don't need a lift, thank you. Surely you'll want to stay here and compare notes with *her* [she indicates Heather]; see where your little plan went wrong?
With that, she storms out, leaving Helen looking worried.
No. 22
As Daphne hands Shane a cup of tea, he thanks her for getting him out of next door. He adds that Max is like a four-year-old kid when it comes to his health. Daphne, sitting down with Shane on the couch, insists that he'll see sense eventually. Shane sighs:
SHANE: What a hell of a day it's been, what with dad and then Beth Travers as well. I'm really sorry about that, Daphne - I never meant to involve *you*.
DAPHNE: Is it all sorted out now?
SHANE: I hope so. She's not a *bad* person, really; just very screwed-up.
DAPHNE (smiles): You missed your vocation: you'd've made a great psychologist!
Shane then muses that he really screwed up his and Daphne's relationship. Daphne points out that the break-up wasn't all one-sided. Shane tells her that he was very hurt when she said she wouldn't move in with him - but he can see how selfish he was being, now. He then goes on:
SHANE: Daphne, tell me honestly: are you still hoping that you can make things right between you and Des?
Daphne pauses before shrugging:
DAPHNE: That relationship just wasn't meant to be.
SHANE: Then there *is* a chance for us? I mean, I wouldn't've said anything if I thought that you were still keen on Des; and I won't push you into anything, I can promise you that - but we can start going out together again...?
DAPHNE: Yeah. Why not?
Daphne doesn't look convinced, though.
Coffee Shop
Zoe sits down with Des at a table. He comments wearily that he thinks Daphne's avoiding him. Zoe replies that she's sure she isn't; his timing's all wrong: he can't expect her to have a quiet chat at work. Des, however, retorts that it's those damn Ramsays: first Danny and now Max. Zoe, though, says curtly:
ZOE: For God's sake, Des, stop blaming everybody but yourself. You know perfectly well that the only reason that you and Daphne aren't happily married now is your own paranoia.
DES: Yeah, well, I think I'll just forget all about Daphne; she's obviously more interested in Shane than me.
ZOE (sighs): I don't *blame* her, if you're not going to show a bit more backbone.
DES (mutters): Damn it, Zoe, how can I be more forceful and aggressive when she won't even talk to me?
Zoe sighs that there's nothing she'd like more than to see Des and Daphne happily married, but it's something that the two of them have got to sort out. She adds:
ZOE: I'm going to give you one more chance, and if you can't get it together then I don't want to hear another word about the pair of you.
Des says to Zoe that if she tells him her idea, he'll do his best to make it work. Zoe replies:
ZOE: There's nothing *new* about it. All I was going to recommend was some good old-fashioned courtship. Take her flowers. Take her champagne; and then get down on one knee and tell her how much you love her.
DES: I'd feel really silly!
ZOE (admits): You'd probably *look* silly, too, so forget the one-knee bit - but do the rest!
DES (murmurs): I'll *try* and make it work.
ZOE (sighs): For heaven's sake, be *positive*!
Des stands up and declares:
DES: Right. I'll sweep her off her feet!
No. 24
It's evening-time. Max goes to the fridge and takes out a beer, then goes to look at the medical book, which is open on the kitchen counter. He takes a swig of his beer, but then puts his hand to his chest and winces in pain, and he quickly starts pouring the beer down the sink. Danny wanders over to him and he quickly closes the book and hides it in the drawer. Danny looks at him and remarks that he thought he was getting a beer. Max mutters that he's changed his mind. Clive joins them and says:
CLIVE: Glad to hear it.
MAX (snaps): Why don't you go home?
CLIVE: Why don't *you* see a doctor?
MAX (retorts): Well I'm not, so save your breath. You wanna be useful, go next door to the Robinsons' and get Madge: tell her I want me tea.
Clive sighs that he might as well; he's not doing much good *there*. With that, he turns and heads out. When he's gone, Max asks Danny suspiciously what he and Clive have been up to. Danny insists:
DANNY: Nothing, dad.
Max goes on:
MAX: You're a good bloke, Danny. You'd always look after your old man, wouldn't ya?
DANNY: Course I will.
No. 26
Madge is sitting at the kitchen table with Helen, who looks at her watch and remarks that Jim should be home soon. Madge replies that she doesn't suppose Jim will be able to change Max's mind, but it's worth a try. She then remarks:
MADGE: Just imagine that Clive Gibbons being a doctor! I always *knew* there was more to that young man than met the eye!
The front door opens suddenly and Rosemary comes in. She starts to apologise to Helen, but breaks off as she finds Madge there. There's a knock on the front door and Rosemary answers it to find Zoe on the step. She heads inside and says:
ZOE: I saw you coming in, Rosemary. I wondered if I could have a word with you.
ROSEMARY: Of course.
ZOE: I want to apply for the job as Paul's secretary.
ROSEMARY (looking surprised): But *he's* doing the hiring, not *me*, Zoe.
ZOE: Yeah, but couldn't you put in a good word for me? I'd be perfect, honestly! My typing speed's 80 and my shorthand's 120 and I'm used to a Dictaphone and taking responsibility.
ROSEMARY: Hold on! How come such a paragon's been working in a coffee shop?
ZOE: Well, I haven't been back in town long and I wanted something freer than office work for a while.
There's suddenly another knock on the front door and Rosemary gets it. Clive comes in and tells Zoe that he came to find Madge, but *her* being there is an added bonus. Madge asks if Max is all right and Clive tells her that he's demanding his dinner! Madge says she'd better go. Zoe then asks Clive what this 'added bonus' business is. Clive tells her that he needs some fun company, and she's it! The two of them head out, Zoe calling back to Rosemary:
ZOE: You'll put in a good word for me, won't you?
ROSEMARY: Yes I will, Zoe, but I can't promise anything.
With that, Clive pulls Zoe out through the front door! Left alone with Rosemary, Helen throws her arms around her and cries:
HELEN: Oh darling, I've been so worried about you.
ROSEMARY: I'm so sorry.
HELEN: I didn't *want* to lie, but for the first time in my life I just didn't know how to *avoid* it.
ROSEMARY (sincerely): I don't care.
No. 22
Daphne is sitting on the couch with Shane and she tells him that she feels really relaxed with him. Shane replies:
SHANE: So you should! We know each other's bad habits, so we *can* relax.
DAPHNE (indignantly): I haven't *got* any bad habits.
SHANE: Oh no?
DAPHNE: Name one!
SHANE: OK
Shane takes Daphne's left hand in his and examines her nails. He then says:
SHANE: Well, give me a sec, I'll think of something!
DAPHNE: You *can't*!
SHANE: That's the worst habit of *all*: not having any bad habits!
Shane and Daphne smile at each other and then move in for a hug - just as Des's voice says:
DES: The door's open. I hope you don't mind me-
He stops in his tracks as he finds Shane and Daphne in each other's arms.