Previously
- Nate looks less than thrilled to learn that Lucy is pregnant with Chris's child
- Paige spots Tyler scoping out a car to steal, and warns him against it
- Brad sees Matt speaking to Sharon, and senses that Terese knows something about it
- Terese tells an outraged Brad about Matt and Sharon's liaison, but suggests they stay out of it
- Brad confronts Matt in the middle of a road, telling him Lauren doesn't deserve his infidelity
- But the car Tyler was looking at speeds towards them, ploughing into Matt as he shoves Brad aside
Accident site
Brad stays with a twitching Matt, reassuring him that the ambulance is on its way. He encourages Matt not to move and to try and keep his eyes open.
Power Street - outside Fitzgerald Motors
Paige walks over to talk to Tyler - she's been in the antiques shop, 'rebuying' Daniel and Amber's wedding present! Tyler is acting fairly jumpy, telling Paige she shouldn't sneak up on people. Paige concludes that he stole the car she saw him looking at earlier, and is nervous about it. He doesn't deny it but tells her to go away.
Fitzgerald Motors' owner's daughter Danni suddenly emerges from inside the garage, to do what she does best - tear strips off her staff - despite only meeting Tyler for the first time. Danni's annoyed to have been receiving complaints that the garage's opening hours have been somewhat erratic. She tells Tyler that if it happens again, he's fired - and sets him to work on a car awaiting a service.
Accident site
We can hear sirens approaching, as Brad continues to encourage a struggling Matt to keep his eyes open.
MATT: Take care of Lauren.
BRAD: No, we're gonna get you sorted - you can do that yourself.
But Matt is shaking from pain, and eventually passes out. Brad shouts out in frustration.
Harold's Store
Lauren hugs Lucy, welcoming her back to Erinsborough, and tells her she's 'glowing' - apparently she's ten weeks into the pregnancy. Chris and Nate are with them, but Nate looks uncomfortable at the baby-talk and makes an excuse to leave. Chris explains it away by saying Nate is stressed about his inability to get a US visa, and that he's worried he's letting Chris and Lucy down.
Lou comes in. He's had a call from Brad, and tells Lauren that Matt has been hit by a car and taken off in an ambulance. Lucy and Chris offer to step in and man the store, as a frantic Lauren rushes off to the hospital.
Erinsborough Hospital
Lauren arrives to find Bailey already waiting in the ward, and hugs him. Bailey says Matt's in surgery, and that he's been waiting for news from a doctor. Amber is on her way, while Lou is on the phone to Paige, asking her to come too. After the call, Lou tells Lauren that Matt was the victim of a hit-and-run, but reports that Brad is okay. Lou goes off to fetch drinks.
Lauren spots Georgia in surgical scrubs, and asks her how Matt is. Georgia is cagey, but insists he's getting the best care possible. She explains Matt has internal injuries, most likely his liver - but she won't be drawn on predictions about whether he'll be okay.
GEORGIA: The doctors are doing everything that they possibly can.
Georgia has to rush off, while Lauren and Bailey look worried.
Harold's Store
As they hold the fort, Lucy moans to Chris about how difficult she's finding it to locate a good nanny in New York. Chris says he wishes he could be there to help, and Lucy does too. They hope Matt will be okay.
Accident site
Terese and Paige are on the scene, as Mark asks Brad about what happened. Brad says he and Matt were having a disagreement, but claims it was about Amber and Daniel's wedding, rather than telling Mark what it was really about. Brad explains that Matt pushed him out of the way before the car hit, and that the car just drove off.
Brad is struggling to remember much about the car - but says it was a red sedan with a white stripe. This immediately gets Paige's attention, as she recalls the car Tyler was looking at. She doesn't say anything to Mark or the others about her suspicions for now.
Erinsborough Hospital
Lauren, Amber, Bailey and Lou are anxiously waiting for news on Matt's condition.
Harold's Store
Chris is deep in thought about the baby, and tells Lucy he feels like he's becoming even more invested than he thought he would.
CHRIS: Now I'm thinking about, you know, what it's gonna look like. And how big it is. What it's gonna be like to hold in my arms. I sound soppy, don't I?
LUCY: Sounds like you're starting to feel like a dad.
CHRIS: Yeah, well maybe I am.
LUCY: So is that a good thing?
CHRIS: Well it is for me. How about for you?
LUCY: Well why wouldn't it be?
CHRIS: Well, I remember when we were talking about what might happen when I wanted to up my commitment. Or if you met a new guy?
LUCY: Well even if there was a shadow of a chance of that happening, I would let you know.
CHRIS: Well, the men in New York must be blind. Or stupid. Or both.
LUCY: Your support and commitment and involvement in this means everything to me.
CHRIS: Well, being involved means everything to me. Which is why I'm not sure I want to be the kind of dad who flies over once or twice a year just for all the fun bits.
LUCY: So you wanna come over more often?
CHRIS: Yeah. Maybe more than that, even. I want the rest of the fatherhood deal, as well.
LUCY: What, as in, all the stress and the mess and total lack of sleep?
CHRIS: Yep. Patching up scraped knees, bedtime stories, first steps. All of it.
LUCY: Right. Well, that's just gonna be a little bit hard from thousands of kilometres away.
CHRIS: I know. That's the problem.
Fitzgerald Motors
Paige angrily confronts Tyler, slamming him up against the garage and demanding to know if he was the hit-and-run driver. Tyler acts like he doesn't know what she's talking about, so Paige tells him about the red sedan with the white stripe hitting Matt - and that he's now fighting for his life. Tyler takes Paige inside the garage, and insists he didn't steal anything.
PAIGE: Tyler, I am gonna ask you one more time. Is it here?
TYLER: No.
But Paige spots a car hidden under a tarpaulin inside the garage. Sure enough, she pulls it back and it's the red sedan, complete with stripe and smashed windscreen.
PAIGE: Is that it?
TYLER: I swear I've never seen that before.
PAIGE: You're a liar. I'm going to the cops.
Tyler follows Paige - but Danni, who's on her mobile phone nearby, sees them leaving the garage and looks worried.
Erinsborough Hospital
Lauren, Bailey and Amber are still waiting. Lou comes off the phone to Lauren and Matt's eldest, Mason, who wants to get on a flight from Darwin - but Lauren asks Lou to tell him to stay put for now.
LAUREN: We'll all be home soon enough, won't we?
LOU: Of course we will.
Brad and Terese rush in, and Lauren tells them Matt's still in surgery. Brad repeats the lie to Lauren that he's already told Mark - that he was talking to Matt about Amber and Imogen, and the wedding dramas. But he explains how Matt pushed Brad out of the path of the car.
BRAD: He saved my life.
Erinsborough Police Station
Paige marches in, closely followed by Tyler - and tells Mark she knows who the hit-and-run driver was. Tyler insists Paige knows nothing, but Mark demands to know who Paige thinks it was.
At that moment, Danni comes in.
DANNI: It was me. I was the one who hit Matt.
Everyone looks shocked; and shortly afterwards, Mark is talking to Danni in the interview room.
DANNI: I was on my way to the garage, and I got a text - from Toadie. I know you're not supposed to text and drive. I mean, normally I can do it without looking, almost. One-handed, even. But this time, I guess I lost concentration, and the car drifted, and I didn't really notice. Until I heard a bang. I looked in the mirror, and there was a guy on the ground, and another guy helping him.
MARK: You know Matt's in hospital?
DANNI: Yeah. Tyler told me. Is he gonna be okay?
MARK: We don't know. Why didn't you stop.
DANNI: I panicked. All I could think was to get out of there.
MARK: Okay. Then what happened?
DANNI: I went to the garage. It wasn't open yet, so I hid my car under a tarp. Then I called Mum and left a message.
She explains how she gave Tyler a job to do at the garage, but that her mum then called back and 'talked some sense' into her. She noticed the tarp had been lifted and knew Tyler and Paige must be on their way to the police.
DANNI: But I'd already decided to turn myself in. Mark, I know I did the wrong thing. And I realise I'm gonna be charged, but - right now, all I want is for Matt to be okay. I'm so, so sorry.
Danni breaks down in tears.
Meanwhile, in the reception, Tyler admits to Paige that he was checking out the car, but didn't actually steal it.
TYLER: Although if I had, Matt wouldn't be in hospital, and my boss wouldn't be in there getting interviewed.
Paige tells Tyler he's not responsible for what happened; it's Danni who is at fault.
PAIGE: Why didn't you go through with it in the end? Stealing the car, I mean?
TYLER: Let's just say I listened to some good advice.
Mark comes out of the interview room, and tells them that Danni's admitted on record to texting at the time of the accident - and she'll be charged with reckless driving, and leaving the scene.
PAIGE: So she should.
TYLER: But she did turn up to confess of her own accord. Maybe that should count for something?
PAIGE: She left a man lying in the side of the road. Matt could have been dead for all she knew.
Danni, who is being shown out by a cop, hears Paige talking and looks upset. Paige just gives her the evils, until she walks off.
Harold's Store
Chris is still serving customers when Nate turns up. He explains Lucy's gone back to the hotel to sleep off her jetlag. Nate apologises for dashing off earlier, admitting the baby-talk made him feel left out. Chris says he understands and asks Nate to sit down, as he wants to talk.
CHRIS: So, you know how I was happy being a long-distance parent?
NATE: Yeah?
CHRIS: I thought that I'd like to be a bit more involved.
Chris explains his latest plan, whereby he would fly out to support Lucy prior to the birth, and that he and Nate would alternate every three months between living in Melbourne and New York. Chris says they could always go back to the original plan if it doesn't work out, but Nate looks incredulous that Chris is even considering it.
CHRIS: What do you think?
NATE: I think you're kidding yourself.
CHRIS: What?
NATE: These ideas are just stepping stones to you becoming a full-time dad. That's what's going on, isn't it?
CHRIS: No, that's not...
NATE: Yeah, it is. You just can't admit it.
Chris looks disconcerted.
Erinsborough Hospital
Paige has now joined Lauren, Amber, Bailey and Lou in the waiting area.
BAILEY: If Dad pulls through this...
LOU: Not if, mate. When.
BAILEY: ... I am going to be the best son ever. I mean, after all the crap I've put him through. The drinking, the lying... It's gonna stop.
LAUREN: Sweetheart, don't.
BAILEY: No, Mum, I promise to pay back every cent that I lost. No matter what it takes, no matter how long.
Georgia emerges to tell the family that Matt's out of surgery - and that so far the surgeon's happy with his progress. Lauren cries with relief, and everyone smiles. Georgia tells them they can visit one at a time, so Lauren goes first, while Paige hugs and kisses an emotional Bailey.
In the patient room, Matt is hooked up to a heart monitor and drips. He seems to be unconscious, so Lauren goes over and strokes his hair, before taking his hand.
LAUREN: There was a moment there when I didn't think I'd get to hold this hand again. Remember the first time? Ashy Pub, Mount Isa. You made me wait for it then, too. All night, you were the perfect gentleman. Laughing at all my jokes. Holding the door open. Standing up whenever I left the room, and I was just like, hold my hand already, you big handsome spunk. And then when finally - finally - you did, it was... It was like nothing had ever felt so right in all my life. Brad told me what happened. You pushed him out of the way. You just can't help yourself, can you? Always putting everyone else ahead of yourself, even if it's to your own... Well we didn't come this far to lose each other now, did we? I don't care what's happened in the past. Who's done what, who hasn't. All I know, is that I need you. The kids need you. And we're gonna get through this. 'Cause I love you, Matt Turner. I love you so much. And you are not leaving me.
Right on cue, the heart monitor starts bleeping rapidly - and Lauren is shocked as Georgia and nurse-extras rush in, to take Matt back into emergency theatre. Lauren looks horrified as Matt is wheeled away.
Back in the ward, the family is waiting for news once again. Georgia comes out to talk to another nurse, and Lauren rushes over, asking for news.
GEORGIA: A doctor will be out to see you in a moment.
LAUREN: No, no, no. You tell us. Just tell us what's happening.
GEORGIA: No, I - I'm sorry, I can't.
LAUREN: Georgia, you're our friend. Just tell us what's happening, please!
Georgia becomes emotional, and stumbles over her words.
GEORGIA: Matt was recovering fine. And then the bleeding in his liver started again. Which can happen sometimes...
LAUREN: And? And?
GEORGIA: And... then we did everything that we could, but he... he lost too much blood. I'm so, so, so sorry.
Amber collapses with grief, and Bailey and Paige comfort her, as Lauren herself falls tearfully into Lou's arms.
Coming Soon
- Lauren looking sad next to the sketch of Matt
- Brad visits the site of the accident, now adorned with flowers
- The Ramsay Street residents gather for what appears to be a funeral service
- A besuited Bailey says he wishes he had his dad back
- Amber flings something angrily at a wall, while Daniel watches
- Mark threatens Dimato, telling him he's not welcome
- The Turners comfort one another
- Bailey's ex- girlfriend Alice is back, and kissing him
- Danni meets Toadie, but is spotted by Amber and Daniel
- Paige throws Imogen in the Turners' pool
- Terese comforts Lauren, but tells Brad to keep the secret about Matt and Sharon
- Sharon herself turns up, to talk to Lauren about her husband