Episode 511

Extended Summary

Matt runs out of the surf club to the fuse box and turns the power off. Adam comes along and Matt tells him Sophie’s been electrocuted. They both hurry back inside. Matt finds Sophie isn’t breathing and starts resuscitating her while Adam phones for an ambulance. Back at the caravan park house, Ben and Carly are looking through the paper for a job for Ben. Pippa suggests Ben might have to look outside the town. Ben notices George McFadden is advertising for a bulldozer driver. Pippa says George is all right and has the contract for the next stage of the Macklin resort. Despite Carly wanting him to go for something better, Ben heads off to apply. Pippa tells Carly she and Tom have always got by on little income but Carly says she wants nice clothes and a nice house. Pippa reminds her she had that before she came to live with them and Carly admits it didn’t make her happy. Pippa gets a phone call from Don and tells Carly he sent Sophie home for an essay and she never returned.

Adam tells Matt the ambulance is on the way. Matt asks if Adam can take over mouth to mouth but Adam isn’t confident so Matt sends him to get Alf. Adam heads to the store and tells Alf what happened. Alf is annoyed with Adam, since it was his shoddy workmanship that started the trouble, and tells him to call Pippa. At the caravan park house, Carly assures Pippa that Sophie’s probably just wagging. They discuss colours for the wedding; Pippa tells Carly not to go with yellow since it’s unlucky so Carly opts for apricot and notes Bobby would rather be a bridesmaid in jeans. She answers the phone; it’s Adam. Carly tells Pippa Sophie’s had an accident and Adam says they should go to the hospital.

Alf joins Matt and helps him with chest compressions on Sophie. The ambulance people arrive to take over, hooking Sophie up to an oxygen supply. Alf orders Adam outside and asks him why he didn’t put up a warning sign. Adam insists he did and Sophie must have seen it. Alf says he’s called Chris Hale, since it’s a public place and Alf is responsible for it, and asks Adam how he’ll feel if Sophie dies. The ambulance people take Sophie away; she’s stable but they’re worried about the time she’s been unconscious. At the hospital, Pippa wonders what Sophie was doing at the surf club and Carly suggests she hadn’t done the essay and was planning to avoid school and do it that night. A doctor tells them Sophie will live but they’re not sure if there’ll be any damage to the brain or nervous system. Carly offers to call Bobby to say she won’t be in to work, so she can stay with Pippa, but Pippa tells her to go. Carly gives her a hug and leaves.

Alf and Matt are present at the surf club as Adam talks to Hale and another officer. Adam tells them that the chairs he used to barricade the door were moved and shows Hale the sign he put up. Hale accepts reasonable care was taken but says it will be different if Sophie dies. Matt wonders if Tom will sue them but Alf doesn’t think he will. Hale leaves, saying he’ll get a statement from Sophie. Alf is still angry with Adam, despite him protesting that Hale has cleared him, and reminds him of all the trouble he’s caused lately. At the Diner, Bobby assures Ben that Carly being late isn’t unusual. Steven and Viv arrive; Steven is getting his cast off soon. Carly arrives and tells them all about Sophie. Steven and Viv decide to go and visit her. Ben tells Carly he got the job and Carly says they can start looking for a house.

The doctor tells Pippa that there’s no permanent damage and lets her in to see Sophie. Pippa asks Sophie what she was doing at the surf club. Sophie says she can’t remember and the doctor dismisses it as short term memory loss. Sophie looks pleased that they believe her. At the Diner, Carly and Ben look through the paper but can’t find any houses that Carly likes. Carly asks Bobby for half an hour to go out and look. Adam arrives and asks Carly how Sophie is. He sits with Steven, looking despondent over what happened, and mentions the warning sign. Steven says it wasn’t Adam’s fault, suggesting Sophie shouldn’t have been there, but nothing he says stops Adam feeling guilty. Steven goes to see Sophie with a get well card from the girls at school, which Sophie can’t read. Steven tells her if she’d been able to read she’d have seen the warning sign and Adam’s being blamed for something that isn’t his fault. Sophie isn’t bothered and refuses to tell people she can’t read, reminding Steven he promised not to say anything.

Steven chats to Viv near the beach and asks if it’s all right to break a promise if someone will get into trouble otherwise. He’s reluctant to tell her the details but Viv reminds him they’re in a relationship and he should trust her. Steven explains Sophie can’t read, hence her ignoring the warning sign. Viv can only reflect that he’s in a no win situation and either Sophie or Adam will be hurt whatever he does. Steven sarcastically thanks her for her help. At the Diner, Bobby serves Matt and Adam before chatting to Carly and Ben. Ben notes they can only afford a garden shed. Carly is still trying to think big but Ben and Bobby try to convince her she can’t afford it. Adam tells Matt he’s going to go and see Sophie and apologise.

At the caravan park house, Steven looks derisively over a girl’s magazine. Pippa says she’s bought it for Sophie. Steven tries to drop a hint, saying he’s never seen Sophie read anything, but Pippa doesn’t pick up on it and notes how angry she is with Adam. Steven says it wasn’t all his fault, since he put warning signs up and Sophie shouldn’t have been there, but Pippa considers him irresponsible. At the Diner, Carly shows Bobby the picture of her dream house. Bobby says it will cost a fortune and she’d only be able to afford it with a 95% mortgage, which no bank would agree to. She says she went through the same problems when she married Frank and suggests Carly and Ben rent somewhere. Carly refuses to be swayed.

Sophie is pleased Pippa has brought her a nightie but less pleased with the magazine Pippa gives her. Adam arrives and tries to apologise to Sophie. Pippa is angry with him and, even though he’s close to tears, continues to blame him for what happened. Sophie shouts at Pippa to stop and tells her it was her fault because she didn’t take any notice of the warning sign. She admits she can’t read. Pippa and Adam look stunned.