Previously
- A fire rages at Erinsborough High. Trapped in a classroom with Susan, Amber's waters break
- A blast rocks the school while Tyler and Paige are in the goods lift, leaving them trapped
- Another blast leaves Lauren injured and Terese trapped under a column of lockers
- Still trapped, Tyler tells Paige he loves her. She responds that she 'feels something' for him
- Overcome by the smoke and heat, Tyler passes out
- Toadie is also trapped, without his chair. Sheila hears him calling for help, but rushes to safety
- Now in labour with Susan supporting, Amber worries that her baby is not going to survive
- Still trapped, Terese sees Brad carrying Lauren out of the building. He promises to come back for her
Erinsborough High School
Brad emerges from the burning building, holding Lauren and calling for Karl's help. They get her into the ambulance, but she's unconscious, with possible internal bleeding and fractures. Brad announces he's going back inside to retrieve Terese, and heads inside, despite Karl's warning to leave it to the firefighters. Kyle shows up looking for Sheila, but Karl hasn't seen her. Sonya's next on the scene, searching for Toadie; again, Karl can't help, but tells her not to panic. He goes back to Lauren, who's now wearing an oxygen mask, to try and revive her.
In the upstairs classroom, a distraught Amber is still in labour, as an also tearful Susan does her best to comfort her.
AMBER: If we stay here we are going to die. At least if we go out there, we might have a chance. Even if something happens to me, she might have a chance. Please - we have to try.
In the goods lift, a frantic Paige is still trying to get Tyler to wake up, as smoke continues to billow under the doors.
PAIGE: Please don't die - please don't die!
Meanwhile, Sheila has managed to find the exit, and comes across Sonya looking for Toadie. A coughing Sheila says she heard someone calling inside, but doesn't know if it was him. So Sonya darts into the building to find him. Meanwhile, Kyle is relieved to see Sheila, and shouts for an ambo to come and tend to her.
Back in the classroom, Susan and Amber prepare to make a dash for it. Gathering some water and blankets, Susan says they need to stay low and stick together once they get out of the classroom door. They pour water on the blankets in the hope that they'll be shielded from the flames.
SUSAN: It's what I learned at fire drill. I never thought I'd have to do it for real.
Paige is calling for help from the lift, while Tyler is still out cold. She opens his airwaves and begins to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Brad has returned to where Terese was trapped, but she's no longer there. Mark and a colleague have entered the building, and Mark tries to convince Brad to get out for his own safety. There's another blast, and Mark tells his colleague to get Brad out now. Brad and the officer leave, while Mark heads in a different direction.
In the classroom, Susan is texting Karl, with the words 'Love you always'. She then tells Amber that they need to head left out of the door, and straight down the stairs. Amber is struggling with contractions, though, and is finding it painful to move. Susan encourages her to breathe in and out.
SUSAN: Now listen to me. Once we get out there, there's no coming back. Okay?
AMBER: Okay!
They hug, and edge towards the door, terrified. But at that moment the firefighters burst in, and help Susan and Amber towards the staircase.
Meanwhile, Paige is still shouting for help from the lift. Tyler is unconscious, but suddenly starts coughing and comes around. Paige is overcome with relief, telling him never to do that to her again - and Tyler notes with satisfaction that she was worried about him.
PAIGE: Of course I was. I still am. We're not gonna get out of here.
But she tries to pull herself together, and tells Tyler that they will get out. At that moment Mark, who is still running through the building looking for survivors, shouts into the lift to ask if anyone's there. He presses a button and the lift opens. Paige hugs him, and Mark helps her get Tyler off the floor and towards the exit.
Elsewhere, Sonya is looking for Toadie, shouting 'Jarrod'. She finds him conscious on the staircase, but unable to move - and the wheelchair nearby already succumbing to the flames. She does her best to get him up, but to no avail.
We cut to the exterior, where we can see flames billowing from the roof of the school and some extras being helped to safety. An apparently unconscious Terese is now out of the building and on oxygen. Karl tells a paramedic how to go about treating her burns - then tells the firefighters that Susan and Amber are still inside the building, and asks them to check if someone is helping them.
Karl finds Brad by the exit to the building and tells him Terese is with the paramedics. He shouts to her as they load her into the ambulance.
BRAD: Terese - I didn't want to leave you there! I came back, and you were gone. I'm so sorry.
Once she's in the ambulance, Karl tells Brad that she has second-degree burns on her arm and a much more serious burn on her shoulder. Susan and Amber then appear at the exit with the firefighters, much to Karl's relief. Susan asks after Ben (who's Not In This Episode); Karl says he's inhaled a lot of smoke but will be fine. He asks after Amber's contractions, then bundles them into a paramedic's car which will take them to hospital - before rushing back towards the school. We close in on a distraught-looking Brad.
Meanwhile, Sonya is dragging Toadie towards a set of doors, but he's slipped out of consciousness and is proving too heavy for her. She rushes outside and screams for help, but nobody seems to be around - so she heads back in and continues to try to shift him. Steph suddenly turns up from nowhere, and helps Sonya drag Toadie out of the school to safety.
Erinsborough Hospital
Paramedics bring a coughing, still-in-labour Amber into the ward on a stretcher. Josh is already there, and tells her that he's heard from Brad, who's said Lauren is in the hospital too. Josh tells Amber that Lauren will be fine; they're just checking her over. Amber is wheeled into a treatment room.
AMBER: I'm not ready for this - it's too soon!
Josh tells her that the doctors want to artificially slow the labour, and then give her antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.
AMBER: What about the baby?
JOSH: If they can buy some time, they can administer more steroids which will...
Amber shrieks in pain, and Josh holds her hand.
AMBER: Promise me something!
JOSH: Anything.
AMBER: Whatever happens, the baby comes first.
JOSH: Yes, of course, of course.
AMBER: No, I mean - if there are complications, and you have to choose...
JOSH: Hey, it's not gonna come to that.
AMBER: You don't know that! She comes first, okay? Promise me!
JOSH: ... Okay, okay. I promise. I promise you.
AMBER: This is what I want.
Amber cries out in pain again.
In another room, Brad is with Lauren, and asks how she's feeling. Cuts and bruises aside, she's fine, she says.
LAUREN: I don't know how you thank someone for saving your life.
BRAD: ... I left Terese in there. I couldn't get you both out, you know? I went back for her, but...
LAUREN: How is she?
BRAD: She's severely burned. She needs a skin graft. You know, I couldn't get you both out in the one go. Not without help.
LAUREN: I know that, I remember. Look, you did your best. You can't beat yourself up about that.
BRAD: It wasn't enough.
Lauren encourages Brad to go and be with Terese, but he says he can't, as they're preparing her for theatre. Paige rushes in and hugs Brad, and then Lauren. She explains she was trapped in the lift with Tyler; she's been given the all-clear, and he's just being examined now. Karl comes in, and tells them all that Amber is with the specialist, getting 'the very best of care' - but that the delivery is complicated, so she can't have visitors at the moment.
LAUREN: Thirty-three weeks. That's early for any baby, but with CDH?
Karl says they're trying to slow the birth, but that Amber's contractions are still strong. When the baby's born, she'll go straight onto a ventilator. Karl promises to keep them up to date.
No 26
Sheila is back at home with Kyle. But she's having traumatic flashbacks to the fire, and of hearing Toadie calling for help. Kyle tries to encourage her to get checked out at the hospital, as all the stress of the fire can't be good for her dodgy ticker. But Sheila tells him to stop fussing - an ambo has already given her the all-clear.
SHEILA: I'm not gonna take up a hospital bed when there are people around me who are far worse off. What would that say about me?
Sheila asks Kyle to try calling Sonya again, as she needs to know if Toadie's okay. Kyle says he doesn't want to harass her - there must be a reason she's not answering.
SHEILA: What, because he may not be alright? But he has to be!
KYLE: You're amazing, you know? You get yourself out of something as terrifying as that fire, and all you can think about is him. You're a real hero, Gran.
SHEILA: Hardly.
KYLE: You are. You're the reason Sonya found Toadie and saved him. Without you, he mightn't have got out at all.
Sheila looks unconvinced.
Erinsborough Hospital
Toadie is conscious in a hospital bed, and Sonya and Steph are with him. Karl says they'll do some X-rays and blood tests, and keep him in overnight for observation. Sonya says it's a good job Steph turned up when she did, as she couldn't move Toadie another inch.
TOADIE: I don't get it. How did you find me?
STEPH: Well, I was going past the school and I saw the fire. It's just lucky that I was, and that you're safe, right?
SONYA: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you - you don't know how grateful I am.
Steph leaves them to it. Karl expresses surprise that Steph was only walking past, as he thought she was supposed to be at the school sleep-out protest - but Toadie explains to them that he told her not to come to the protest. He tells them about his visit from someone (Belinda) who knew Steph from the hospital, and who told him that Steph's being in town could trigger another psychotic episode.
SONYA: Who exactly is this person, Jarrod?
TOADIE: I dunno.
Everyone looks perplexed and mildly suspicious.
In her own hospital room, Lauren and Brad are discussing how the fire might have started - but there's no word on that yet. Imogen rushes in and hugs Brad; he explains Terese will need a skin graft, but is in good hands.
IMOGEN: It was so lucky that you were there to save her.
BRAD: Who told you that?
IMOGEN: Josh heard that you ran back into the building, in the middle of a fire. That was so brave! I seriously thought that you didn't even care about Mum anymore. But you risked your life to save her.
Brad doesn't say anything, but hugs Imogen and looks worried.
In the ward, Karl is fussing over Susan - but she says she's been given the all-clear, and that Nate's on his way to pick her up. Karl tells Susan that Ben is being kept in overnight as a precaution, but that he'll probably be discharged tomorrow. Susan asks after Amber; Karl says things are progressing steadily but that she's exhausted already.
KARL: I just can't imagine what it was like for the both of you in there.
SUSAN: I don't know what would have happened if the firies hadn't found us when they did.
KARL: I could've lost you tonight.
SUSAN: Well, you didn't - did ya?
She kisses him.
In another part of the ward, Mark is beating himself up about not having checked the goods lift sooner. Paige reassures him it's not his fault - she's fine, and Tyler will be too.
MARK: When I opened the doors and I saw him there... If you hadn't have come and helped...
Tyler suddenly emerges, wanting to go home. He says he's been on oxygen for a while, but is breathing normally now - so he's been discharged. Mark hugs him, then announces he has to go back to the school to secure the site.
PAIGE: Is it a crime scene now?
MARK: There will be a full investigation.
TYLER: It wasn't an accident?
MARK: It's too early to say.
Mark thanks Paige again and kisses her, before leaving.
PAIGE: Ty, about what I said in the lift...
TYLER: You said it because you thought we were going to die. Forget it - I can't do this anymore. I'm not gonna hang around, waiting for something that's not gonna happen.
PAIGE: Tyler...
TYLER: You love Mark. Mark loves you. He's my brother and I care for you too much to wreck what you guys have together.
PAIGE: ...
TYLER: I'm moving on. For real this time.
As Tyler walks off, Paige looks somewhat worried.
We shift to Brad and Imogen paying Terese a visit in her hospital bed, while Lauren watches through the window. Terese is on oxygen and her shoulder is covered in what looks like tinfoil. Terese tries to reassure Imogen, explaining about the skin graft she's about to have, and how the set of lockers fell on Terese and Lauren. Imogen wants to know why Lauren's okay, but Terese isn't.
TERESE: I'm not sure. I don't remember. They've given me a lot of painkillers...
Karl comes in, saying it's soon time to take Terese into theatre. Terese asks after Amber; Karl says she's still in labour, and that he'll let her know when the baby's born. Imogen wishes Terese luck, and leaves with Karl - so that Brad and Terese are alone. Lauren is still watching through the window.
BRAD: I'm so sorry this happened to you.
TERESE (tearful): Do you really think that I don't remember that you carried Lauren out and left me for dead? I remember exactly what happened. You chose her!
Lauren shakes her head as she makes eye contact with Terese through the window.
TERESE: I'm the mother of your children - how could you have done that?
Brad just walks out and stands with Lauren, while the nurses prepare to wheel Terese into theatre.
Some time later, Josh, Imogen, Paige and Lauren are all sitting in the waiting room. Karl appears; he says Amber hasn't had the baby yet.
KARL: There are some more complications. As you know, Amber's breathing has been difficult because of the smoke inhalation, and that's made the labour particularly difficult. There are signs of foetal distress.
JOSH: So what does that mean?
Karl explains that Amber is being prepped for a C-section - but Josh protests, saying that everything he's read about CDH suggests that a natural birth is best for the baby, since it helps clear the lungs.
KARL: Josh, a C-section is what's best for the baby and the mother.
JOSH: Last night, right before she went into the delivery room, she made me promise that the baby comes first - no matter what.
IMOGEN: Josh, she was in labour. She just escaped the fire. She wasn't thinking straight.
PAIGE: And neither are you, obviously.
JOSH: No, you weren't there! She knew exactly what she was saying. She thinks she's gonna die.
LAUREN: Hang on. So hang on a minute - Amber's wrong, isn't she? She's not gonna die?
KARL: Just try not to worry, alright? We are doing the best we can for everyone. Baby and mother.
Karl says he'll keep them all posted. Everyone looks worried.
Coming Soon
- Terese reiterates to Lauren that Brad chose her over Terese
- Off Air is slapped with a Notice of Possession, much to Daniel's confusion
- Karl tells Daniel that he's taking over management duties at the bar
- Kyle tells Mark how he and Nate saw Steph having a heated argument with 'some chick'
- Sonya pesters Steph for details of who her mystery friend is
- Mark challenges Steph when she claims she's told him everything she knows
