Recap
Josh flirting with Didge at the swimming pool.
Susan being told she has MS (incidentally, a different take to the one used in the previous episode).
Kirsten believing that Ned wants what's best for him, not Mickey.
Janae seeing Kirsten driving away with Mickey.
Number 26
Janae runs into the house, asking Miranda where Ned is - she saw Kirsten driving away with Mickey, and a car full of suitcases. Miranda calls the police.
Erinsborough Hospital
Karl tiptoes into Susan's room - she's asleep. Or - not so much. She tells Karl she knows it's him, which is rather cute (as well as a nice replay on the time he was in hospital after his heart attack, and knew it was her in the room without seeing her). Karl has brought a basket of food, and Susie can smell muffins; Karl is surprised she can smell them over the caramel mud cake. He has brought her an entire delicatessen of food.
Susan thinks they'll need a winch to get her off the bed when she leaves.
She realises she won't be able to eat the cake with her hands bandaged up, so Karl agrees to feed her. Aw.
Susan says Demi was there earlier, and told her that MS can be hereditary, and Susan worries that their kids might get it, and Karl tells her it's only a very small possibility - less than 5%. Susan wants to tell them, but Karl reminds her that she's the priority now...the kids are coming to terms with her condition, and need time for that before they hit them with something else. Susan concedes.
Sadly:
KARL: Now, cake.
SUSAN: Yeah. Cake.
Number 26
Janae is frustrated because Ned isn't answering her phone, and neither is Kirsten.
JANAE: Right, I need...a...a photo, so they can identify him...
What - he's not dead *yet*. Plus, this isn't 2006, Mickey might live for a little bit longer yet.
Miranda comforts Janae, and at that moment, Kirsten, Mickey and Ned walk through the door. Janae hugs Mickey tightly, pleased that Ned found him. But it turns out - rather predictably, I might add - that Kirsten had Ned's permission to collect Mickey from cricket. Janae storms off that she wasn't told about it, and Kirsten looks suitably smug.
Ramsay Street
Ned chases after Janae, and doesn't understand why she's so upset. Janae calls the police back to say they've found Mickey, and suddenly Ned gets it. He tells her that the suitcases were just Kirsten bringing back some of Mickey's clothes that she still had.
JANAE: Oh, and I was supposed to know that wasn't I, what with my...my magical mind-reading powers.
Janae is really upset that Ned makes arrangements about Mickey and considers Kirsten's feelings, but never considers hers. She thinks it means she and Ned have some big problems.
Physio Gym
Josh and Didge are doing weight training in gym as part of their physio, and bantering together. Josh thinks Didge is struggling with the weights and she finally concedes that she is. Josh wonders why Didge has been down - is it to do with a guy? She tells him yes, but he didn't break her heart.
Didge confesses that she thought this guy felt the same way about her, for a while, until her accident. Josh admits that not everyone can handle a disability. They get back to their training, Josh still giving Didge the eye...
Charlie's Bar
Valda is in the bar counting her cash, when Graham comes in. She tells him that she won't be ordering any more supplies for now, and he tells her that her last cheque for some stock actually bounced, so it's in the hands of his lawyer. Valda's quite distraught, and Graham leaves.
Steph comes over and asks Valda if she's alright, and Valda lies that her suppliers want her to order more underwear because her business is so successful. Steph thinks she must have money to burn if she can afford to bet on the horses, and after she leaves we see that Valda's cash counting was because she was looking at the racing pages in the paper to place a bet. Poor Valda.
Number 26
Mickey leaps on Ned and Janae as they walk back into the house, declaring that his mum is cooking tonight. Kirsten appears to have made herself quite at home. Janae looks pretty cross.
Number 28
Rachel and Zeke are doing some research on the net about MS...although the web page they're on is mysteriously about brain tumours, and the same one that Karl was looking at last week. Karl arrives home, and Libby comes out the bedroom. They ask after Susan, and Karl says she's eaten a lot of the food.
ZEKE: Oh, so there's nothing to worry about. What a relief.
Karl finds out that the kids have been doing their own research on MS, and they think that Karl's lying that everything's okay. He decides to tell them about MS, which is clearly a scene for the benefit of the audience, and sounds more like an OU television lecture.
He tells them that there are four levels of MS, and the extreme symptoms that the kids are worrying about only apply to the most severe. The chances are that Susan's not in that category, although it's a possibility. There's no reason to believe that Susan isn't in the lowest category, and that she could lead a perfectly normal life. (He omits to tell them that someone can progress from one category to another, but we'll let him off for now.)
Rachel asks about Susan's eyesight, and Karl says it's not necessarily a permanent state, it could come back. MS is manageable, and they need to wait to find out what level of MS she has.
Libby suggest that they think about what Susan would tell them to do right now.
ZEKE: She'd tell us all to get a grip.
Libby says that Susan would want them to eat something, preferably something indulgent, and expensive, like gourmet takeaway.
KARL: Oh!
RACH: Well, it is what Susan would want...
LIB: You know, she would *really* want us to have dessert.
KARL: I'm sure, yes...
RACH: Then I'll do it.
ZEKE: For Susan.
Karl hands Libby a $50 note. Libby takes another $50 from his wallet.
Karl says he expects change; Libby and Rachel fall about laughing.
Physio Gym
Didge is complaining that she doesn't feel at all fit, but Josh encourages her. He then asks her if she'd like to go on a date with him
Lassiters
At Lassiters, Valda has set up some dummies and placed her underwear over them. She's doing a sales pitch! Oliver, Declan, Libby and Rachel watch on, smiling. Valda thinks that Declan might like to buy one for a curvy young lady of his acquaintance.
Harry appears, and Valda begs him to buy something from her at mates' rates so that it will start the (non-existent) punters buying things. Harold doesn't know who he'd give them to other than Lou, and Valda has nothing in his colour. He apologises and walks away.
Number 26
Miranda, Janae, Ned, Kirsten and Mickey are eating. Mickey wonders why no-one's talking, and tells everyone that he got third top mark in story writing at school. Ned asks what his story was about, and he tells them about a kid with super powers who got stuck in a chest.
Janae and Ned silently panic.
Kirsten wants to know what's going on...
The General Store
Josh and Didge are sitting at a table chatting, when Declan and Oliver come in, and Josh realises that Declan's the guy who upset her.
Number 26
Kirsten wants to know why Ned didn't tell her about the chest. Mickey could have died. She thinks they coached their son to lie to her about it, and it was probably Janae who did it. Kirsten starts putting down Janae, and Ned stands there and listens.
She says that if Ned can't keep Mickey's welfare in hand, she will bring the lawyers back into it. Ned isn't happy with that, and Kirsten backs down on the condition that they re-negotiate her part in his life - tonight.
Lassiters
A guy called Trevor is purchasing Valda's car - he writes her a cheque, and she's not happy with the amount. Didn't they agree a price before she handed over the keys?!?! She tells him she thinks the car's worth more, so he pulls a fast one on her and says that the changes in motor tax will hit him, too, and Valda pretends to know what he's talking about. He suggests maybe he shouldn't be buying at all, so she quickly says that the offer is fine with her.
Valda is left standing alone looking cross and upset.
Charlie's Bar
Libby and Rachel are at the bar when Darren calls. Lib goes off to talk to him, and Rachel takes the drinks to a table - walking straight into the guy from the pool - Angus.
The drinks soaks her, and she refuses his offer of another drink. She tells him that maybe they'll bump into each again sometime, and as he walks off, she can't believe she used the words "bump into," cringing at the table!
Toadie comes to the bar and tells Valda that he just saw some guy driving her car. Valda tries to shrug it off, but Steph insists on calling Adam to tell him about it.
Ramsay Street
Ned refuses 50-50 access with Kirsten, but she insists on it. In fact, she wants him every other weekend, too. Kirsten says that they are teaching him bad behaviour like lying, and thank *goodness* Ned manages to find a backbone and calls Kirsten on it.
NED: Kidnapping, manipulation, dumping him whenever it suits you - what, is that teaching him good behaviour?
Kirsten threatens Ned with Tim Collins, and Ned reminds her how upset Mickey was last time over the legal stuff. She tells him not to drive her there again.
Seriously, what a cowbag.
Charlie's Bar
Rachel and Libby are waiting for their food, and Steph calls Libby over. Angus approaches Rachel at the table and offers to have her top dry cleaned, but Rachel refuses. He comments that she's difficult to spend money on - he likes that! She laughs coyly, and he passes her his number in case she changes her mind. In fact, she can call him anyway, if she likes.
Number 26
Janae can't believe that Ned is okay with 50-50 access over Mickey, and Ned lays into her about wanting Mickey to lie to his mother over the incident with the chest. He tells her that he doesn't want Mickey believing lying is okay, and Janae should never have done it in the first place.
I can't believe he's laying all the blame at Janae's door, all of a sudden!
Ned tells her that because of what she did, they are all going to have to pay for her mistake, especially Mickey.
Lassiters
Josh and Didge are sitting in an uncomfortable silence outside The General Store. Didge suggests that next time they hang out, she'd like cake. Josh tells her that he likes her a lot, and she admits to liking him back. He leans in for a kiss, and at that very moment, Ollie and Declan walk up.
Declan is gutted.