Episode 391

Extended Summary

Tom is rushed into hospital with Pippa by his side. While a team led by Doctor Ellis take Tom into the treatment room, a male nurse stops Pippa and asks her for Tom’s details then tells her to wait. At the Diner, Bobby is teasing Carly over spending time with Adam and how quickly he made himself scarce when she turned up when Ailsa arrives and tells them to close up because Tom’s been rushed to hospital. At the caravan park house, Steven is looking after Christopher and working on his raft plan while Sally feeds Dag Dog. Sally is still upset she wasn’t allowed to go to the resort opening, saying they should do everything as a family now she’s officially Sally Fletcher. Alf arrives and tells them about Tom, giving them a lift to the hospital.

Ailsa, Bobby and Carly are already with Pippa when Alf arrives with the other kids. Pippa tells them Tom’s had a stroke. Sally wants to know what a stroke is and Pippa tries to explain to her. She says they don’t know what type of stroke it is yet but he’s stable. Sally asks if everything will be back to normal when Tom comes out of hospital. Pippa says she hopes so.

At the mobile home, Martin is reading a comic and ignoring Lance’s attempts to start up a conversation with him. Lance says he proved that the band was phoney and Nina was using them but Martin isn’t impressed.

Alf gives Pippa a coffee before the nurse arrives to call her through. Carly, who has been looking after Christopher, is feeling tired and hands him to Ailsa. Bobby chides Carly for pacing but Carly points out Tom could be paralysed or brain damaged. Sally picks up on the comment and Alf tries to reassure her but Steven thinks she’s old enough to know and tells her about the possible effects of a stroke. Ailsa tries to make him be quiet but Sally protests she’s not a baby and wants to know if Tom will be all right. The nurse shows Pippa to Tom’s room and tells her Ellis is with another patient but will be along shortly. Pippa tells the unconscious Tom he has to be all right.

Alf and Ailsa do their best to reassure Sally but her belief that everything will be all right isn’t rubbing off on the others. Ailsa decides to take Christopher home and pick up Duncan from the babysitter. Ellis meets with Pippa and tells her Tom will be transferred to the city for diagnosis. She asks about Tom’s blood pressure being high when he came in and Pippa admits he’s been working hard. Ellis says he will need to take a look at his lifestyle. Martin is playing an Image record at the mobile home and tells Lance they could have been great. Lance still thinks he did the right thing but Martin says if he could afford to move out he would.

Pippa is back with the others as they wait for Tom to be transferred. Sally is half-asleep and Carly and Bobby are still bickering. Steven says someone should tell Frank and Pippa says she’ll do it from the city. Tom is brought through and Pippa goes in the ambulance with him while Alf drives the others home.

Lance is talking about all the things he’ll be able to do now he’s out of the band. Martin says he won’t be able to afford any of it but Lance opens up an envelope from Nina containing a cheque for $20,000.After a bit of teasing, he hands Martin one addressed to him and they both celebrate.

Ailsa is still at the house when Alf brings Carly, Steven and Sally home and they say they’ll stay downstairs for a bit while the kids go to bed. Ailsa takes Alf’s beer off him and gives him a cup of tea. Alf says it was the work that did Tom in and he’ll pull back once the shop’s up and running, but Ailsa wants him to watch what he eats and give up the booze. Don finds Bobby alone in the Diner. She says she didn’t want to go home and just sit around and think but Don points out she’s doing that anyway. Bobby tells him they’re both going to eat healthily from now on because nothing can happen to him.

Alf goes for an early morning power walk and is spotted by Lance and Martin, who are off to deposit their cheques. He begins doing pull ups and stretches as he talks to them, nearly hitting Martin at one point. He tells them there was a report on the concert on the front page of the paper which claims it went well and they rush off to buy one. Alf feels chest pains and anxiously checks his pulse…becoming more anxious when he can’t seem to find one.

At the city hospital, Doctor Williamson tells Pippa that the CAT scan has showed Tom is suffering from an intercranial haematoma. They can’t do anything until he regains consciousness and they won’t know if there’s been any damage until he does. He advises her to go and get some rest but she insists on staying. She goes to the room where Tom is hooked up to monitors and sits by his side.