Number 32 Backyard
Chloe feels bad for dumping her Pierce problems onto Nicolette, but Nicolette says she's happy to offer friendly support. Chloe doesn't understand why she's not as happy as Pierce about the baby all of a sudden, but Nicolette reminds her that her hormones are all over the place at the moment. She adds that Chloe's health has to be her priority, so the snowballing anxiety needs to stop. Chloe asks how to achieve that and Nicolette suggests a walk in the fresh air to calm herself down and give her perspective. Then Chloe can decide whether it's really an issue or not.

Harold's Café
Rose has bought Hendrix some headphones for his "continued silence" about her sneakily getting info about her ex-husband using Toadie's work email. Hendrix says he has better things to worry about I.e. people being mad at him for stealing Mackenzie's speech. He hopes that Rose has fared better out of their deal. Rose admits that it's been stressful keeping an eye on Toadie's email after she pretended to be him, but is rattled when Hendrix tells her that Toadie receives email alerts on his phone too. They're interrupted by Toadie's arrival, and he's none too happy after visiting Mackenzie at the hospital and hearing about the speech fiasco. Rose concocts a tale of Hendrix hanging around the office in the hopes of peeking on Toadie's laptop, which Hendrix reluctantly goes along with.

TOADIE: There are confidential client files on there. If word gets out that someone unauthorised has had access to them, that could damage my business. Do you understand that?
HENDRIX: What, like, you could lose work?
TOADIE: It could completely ruin my reputation.
HENDRIX: (guilty) I didn't realise. I'm sorry.

Rose averts her gaze from Hendrix and tells him to skedaddle, giving Toadie a 'teenagers, am I right?' scoff to really sell her innocence.

Number 24
Chloe is dressed for her walk but is intercepted by Pierce arriving home from the shop after buying more things for tomorrow's baby shower. Chloe claims she's feeling a bit icky, as well as having cabin fever from being cooped up, and assures him the baby will be able to handle a little stroll. But Pierce thinks if Chloe's feeling unwell she should rest up at home and says he'll make her a herbal tea, "let me look after you." Chloe reluctantly stays home.

Number 22 Backyard
Paul and Harlow have brought Terese home from the airport. They're talking about the siege and Terese says she should have said something about Dax from the outset as he gave her a weird vibe. But Paul and Harlow remind her that Dax was an expert at lying and had been getting away with things for years. Terese is just relieved her family is okay and then asks how Mackenzie's faring. Harlow says she needs to visit her friend and ask for forgiveness. And speaking of forgiveness, Harlow says she's trying to find some for Hendrix after his underhanded part in the speech stealing. Paul tells Terese they'll fill her in on that side of the saga later; for now he wants her to relax after her long flight.

Erinsborough Hospital
Hendrix peeks his head into Mackenzie's room and holds up the headphones as a peace offering to make things even.

MACKENZIE: Headphones for a stolen speech? Are you kidding?
HENDRIX: Mackenzie, look, I'm so sorry for what I did. I know it sucked.

Harlow appears behind him in the hallway.

HARLOW: He really does. I read him the riot act and fired him as my campaign manager.
HENDRIX: She did. Harlow didn't even know it was your speech. She thought I'd written it.
HARLOW: Which is ludicrous now I think about it.
MACKENZIE: (breaking into a smile) Get over here you idiots.

Harlow and Hendrix are relieved to hear that Mackenzie doesn't care about the speech anymore: "almost dying during a siege really puts things in perspective." The only thing she cares about is their friendship. Hendrix says the election results come out that day and asks if the girls are nervous.

MACKENZIE: I guess whatever happens, happens.
HENDRIX: Huh, so mature! I am like a five-year-old compared to you guys.
HARLOW: We know.

Harold's Café
Rose is happy that Toadie shouted her lunch for looking after his kids the other night, but tells him it wasn't necessary. She says Nell and Hugo are angels compared to her two "ratbag" teenagers. Her youngest, Noah, is accident prone on his skateboard and she's in a constant state of distress. Rose gets worried when Toadie's phone dings and she jokes that it's the hospital trying to contact her through his phone about her son. She sighs in relief, though, when Toadie says it's only his client Ted. He heads to the counter to get them another round of coffees and is immediately set upon by Karl, wanting to know all about the chemistry he's seeing between Toadie and Rose.

TOADIE: Karl we've already been through this. She's an employee, whatever sparks are happening between us, nothing can happen okay?
KARL: You admit there's sparks.
TOADIE: (cringing) Don't go spreading that around!
KARL: What do you take me for? Sheila?

Meanwhile back at the table, Rose is about to sneak a peek at Toadie's phone when it starts to ring, startling her. Toadie walks over and answers it (scarily enough it's Sheila) while Rose tries to calm her nerves down.

Number 24
Pierce shows Chloe some jars of baby food he bought. Chloe's confused, telling him that it's way too soon for stuff like that, but Pierce says it's for a baby shower game. Nicolette walks out and tells them she's just been offered a job at the hospital. Pierce doesn't understand why she's taking on another job when she already has one. Nicolette retorts that she thought Pierce would be happy, but Pierce is worried that it'll cause more upset for Chloe and Fay. Chloe jumps in and says she knew Nicolette was looking and she's cool with it. Nicolette assures them she'll still be there for Fay's handover. Pierce gets a reminder on his phone about a Zoom meeting that he needs to take at the office and heads out, telling Chloe not to do anything too strenuous. Once he's gone, Nicolette wonders why Chloe didn't go on her walk as planned and offers to accompany her. Chloe smiles in agreement.

Lassiters Hotel - Toadie's Office
Toadie gets an email from Angela Lane and tells Rose that Angela wants to hire him to help out with Lacy's case. Toadie's not keen and starts to freak out when he hears the elevator ding in the hallway.

TOADIE: She's on her way.
ROSE: What? How do you know?
TOADIE: I can smell her perfume.
ROSE: What, is it fruity?
TOADIE: It's wicked!

He blurts out that Rose needs to cover for him before hiding under his desk like the grown adult he is. Angela walks in and asks to see Toadie, but Rose says that he's not in.

ANGELA: Where is he?
ROSE: At a bar.
ANGELA: Which one?
ROSE: Which what?
ANGELA: Which bar?
ROSE: The... Alpha Bar?

Angela gives her an odd look before passing on a message for Toadie to call her about Lacy. Rose nods and says that Angela smells lovely before closing the door on her retreating figure. Toadie pops up like a meerkat and has to explain to Rose that Angela was keen on him for a bit but they weren't compatible. Plus she was horrible towards Mackenzie so they definitely don't need her business. Rose feels bad that there's a child involved, though, and wonders if Toadie could recommend another lawyer to Angela instead. Toadie smiles and says that Rose has a big heart, agreeing with her suggestion to find Angela a different lawyer. Toadie goes to the bathroom and Rose quickly jumps onto the laptop after getting an email from Kovack & Associates about the Anaconda Trading connected to her ex-husband. She prints out the information and deletes the email, all without Toadie's knowledge.

Number 22 Backyard
Paul brings Terese out a cuppa where she's reading her book and suggests she take a nap to stave off her jet lag. But Terese wants to get back into her normal schedule ASAP so she's fresh as a daisy for when David and Aaron return home tomorrow. Paul says he missed Terese and she jokingly wonders when he found the time for it being caught up in a siege and also supporting Harlow and David. Paul tells her he's not too proud to admit he could have used Terese's support through all of that.

PAUL: Anyway, how are you? Did you get everything out of the trip that you wanted? Everything that you needed?
TERESE: Yes, yes I did. Spending time with the kids was exactly what I needed. It was a chance to recharge and now I'm up for anything.
PAUL: Sounds like I better be on my best behaviour.
TERESE: Yeah, well, you said it... One more thing. I missed you too.

They smile at one another.

Erinsborough Hospital
Susan brings Richie (in a wheelchair) into Mackenzie's room for a visit. Richie's worried Mackenzie won't want him there but Mac's pleased to see him. Susan gets an email on her phone and lets them know the election results have come through. She breaks into a smile and tells Mackenzie that she won. Richie's stoked and congratulates her, but Mackenzie's quite stunned and worried about Harlow. Richie tells Mackenzie she earned the role and was the best candidate. Susan agrees and says that Mackenzie should allow herself to be happy. It takes a moment but Mackenzie starts to smile, revelling in her win.

Harold's Café
Chloe sees that Elly is returning her call from earlier but she doesn't answer, telling Nicolette she'll call her friend back later. Nic asks if they speak often, to which Chloe replies that they don't, but Elly was her first port of call when she first started freaking out.

CHLOE: She was around when Pierce and I got together. Both times.
NICOLETTE: The wedding happened pretty fast, didn't it.
CHLOE: Yeah, and it's not the first time it's come back to bite me. On our wedding day I was the happiest girl in the world. And when I said my vows I really meant them. But once the dust settled and reality set in, I guess I've had a few moments.
NICOLETTE: Does Pierce know?
CHLOE: Yeah, things have come up before and we've always worked through them. But now there's a baby involved the stakes are a lot higher. I just wish I could understand why I'm feeling this way.

Nicolette says the first step is finishing their drinks and then they'll head out on their walk to figure out the rest.

Number 22 Backyard
Harlow has joined Paul and Terese outside and filled them in on the election results. Paul's ropeable that Harlow lost and says that Mackenzie must have got the sympathy vote. But Harlow knows that Mackenzie had the better speech in the end and believed everything she was saying throughout the campaign. Harlow adds that it's a shame that all her research on policy and solutions will go to waste. But Terese and Paul both say they were impressed, with Paul adding that Lucy was too. In fact, there's a hotelier conference coming up in New York next week and Paul thinks Lucy could secure Harlow a speaking spot to talk about her green initiatives. She'd have to leave tomorrow, but Harlow's thrilled by the idea.

Erinsborough Hospital
Richie apologises to Mackenzie for playing dirty during the election, and also for lying to her about Shane.

RICHIE: I know it sounds dumb, but I really thought I was helping him. And when I finally noticed that something was a bit off I didn't know how to tell you.
MACKENZIE: You have made some stupid decisions, but your heart's always in the right place. Thank you for pushing me to run, I wouldn't have won without you.
RICHIE: That's so not true. But okay, I'll take it!

Richie asks if Mackenzie might want to give their relationship another shot once they're both out of hospital. Mackenzie says she's been thinking a lot about what's important to her, and Richie is it for her. He breaks into a grin and double checks that they're back on. Mackenzie smiles and nods: "We're back on."

Walking Trail
Chloe and Nicolette are taking a stroll through a tree-lined nature trail while Chloe talks more about her history with Pierce. She says that kids were always a sensitive subject for them, and she always thought her hesitation was due to her Huntington's. But now she can't help wondering if it's about Pierce. Nicolette says Chloe was so happy when she got the HD marker results. Chloe says she was, which makes this sudden anxiety about Pierce all the more confusing to her. Nicolette says she's going to throw some rapid-fire questions at Chloe to answer.

NICOLETTE: Do you love him?
CHLOE: Yes, one hundred per cent.
NICOLETTE: Have you ever thought about ending your marriage before?
CHLOE: No. I've felt pressured, but I'd never want to end it.
NICOLETTE: And have you ever felt negatively about a situation, only to realise that it was the best thing ever?
CHLOE: What situation?
NICOLETTE: Any! Rapid-fire!
CHLOE: Uh, yeah! An ex once bought me a mood ring thinking it might stabilise me. How'd I do?
NICOLETTE: I'm not going to lie - I don't see the appeal in Pierce Greyson. Even if I was into men I think he's about as exciting as a wet muffin. No offence.
CHLOE: ... None taken.
NICOLETTE: But you clearly do, so this is just a wobble. A lot of women panic when they're having a baby, it's a big thing.
CHLOE: So my doubts are perfectly fine?
NICOLETTE: Classic even. So as much as it kills me to say it, you probably shouldn't file for a divorce today. Or tomorrow even. You'd regret it.

They reach the car and Nicolette says they better head home or else she'll be late for her first hospital shift. But Chloe tells her to go without her - she wants to get more fresh air and will just get an Uber home later. Chloe thanks her for being a good friend and Nicolette says that's what she wants to be.

The Waterhole
Hendrix tells Pierce that Harlow has decided to head to New York to speak at a hotel conference. Pierce says Harlow will do a great job and thinks with her jetting off, and Mackenzie winning the election, that Hendrix has had some karma handed to him. Hendrix doesn't disagree. He spies Rose walk in and and heads over to talk to her. Hendrix wants her to come clean to Toadie about her snooping because he's worried about Toadie's business rep. Rose assures the teen it's almost over - once she forges Toadie's signature on some documents sent over by her ex's lawyer that is. This causes more alarm in Hendrix and he tells her that she can't commit fraud. But Rose says she doesn't have any other choice and claims she won't let Toadie get into trouble. Hendrix doesn't look convinced.

Walking Trail
Chloe types a text to Pierce: Just wanted to say thank you for creating the perfect baby shower. I can't wait. I love you. She hits send but immediately gets a sharp pain in her stomach. Chloe tries to stand from the bench she's on, but falls to the ground in pain.

Lassiters Hotel - Toadie's Office
Susan darts into the office and quickly checks that Rose isn't around before making a beeline for Toadie.

SUSAN: So what's this about sparks between you and Rose?
TOADIE: I should have known that would get back to you!
SUSAN: Well of course! It's too important not to.
TOADIE: Okay, yes, under different circumstances I could possibly ask her out on a date. But I'm her boss so that's not going to happen.
SUSAN: I don't see why that has to be a deal breaker if you navigate it with honesty and respect.
TOADIE: No, it could just get awkward. It's too messy.

Susan's disappointed but as Toadie points out, at least it shows he's still open to the idea of dating. Meanwhile, a guilty-looking Hendrix walks in and says to Toadie that he needs to tell him something about Rose.

The Waterhole/Walking Trail
Pierce is happy to get a phone call from Chloe, but is worried when he hears her crying. She tells him she's having bad pains and is worried about the baby. Pierce asks if she's called an ambulance (yes) and if Nicolette's still at home with her. Chloe explains she's out on her own after going on a walk as sirens can be heard in the distance. She tearfully asks Pierce to meet her at the hospital.