Episode 1222

Extended Summary

Fin and Bobby rush upstairs and Pippa tells them that Dale’s not breathing and she shouts for someone to get an ambulance, while she tries to resuscitate him. Bobby rushes off, leaving Fin mortified, as she watches Pippa trying her best.
Tug and Sarah decide to go and see his Dad but as they wait for the bus, he’s still convinced it will be a wasted trip. She tells him to stop thinking like that because once they get there, everything will be fine. An ambulance goes speeding by and they wonder what’s going on, like you do.

Pippa’s still trying to revive the baby and starts panicking as to why the ambulance is taking so long but it’s just arrived and two officers rush upstairs to take over, closely followed by Michael, who shouts to Fin, to wait downstairs for Sally. As the officers try to resuscitate Dale, they have to ask vital questions but Pippa and Bobby are so upset, they find it difficult to remember what happened but between them, they give the officers the information they need. Michael, Pippa and Bobby just stand there, looking on in horror, and Fin’s downstairs wondering what’s going on. Bobby comes down and says they are still working on Dale and Fin goes to go up, but Bobby stops her. Then Sally rushes in, wanting to know why there’s an ambulance outside and when she’s told what’s happened, she rushes up before Bobby can stop her. She enters the bedroom, just as the officers break the awful news that their baby is dead! The next scene finds Pippa just sitting on the bed, looking absolutely devastated and Michael trying to comfort poor Sally, who’s crying her eyes out. The officers wrap the baby up and put him back in his basket. They now need to talk to Pippa and Michael and explain the procedure in such tragic cases. Bobby’s at the door and she takes Sally downstairs. Fin wants to go up but Bobby tells her she can’t and she starts crying, as Bobby takes Sally into the living room. Sally inconsolable and asks why a little baby like Dale had to die but Bobby can’t give her an answer. The two of them hug one another and just cry. Back upstairs, one of the officers talk to Michael because Pippa is out of it but she does hear what’s being said. Michael is horrified to learn the there has to be an autopsy, followed by an inquest. But the officer assures him that no one’s to blame, as the probable cause of death will be ‘cot death’ and the police have to be informed too. Once again, it’s made clear to him that no one is pointing a finger of suspicion at anyone, it’s just standard procedure.

Down at the Diner, unaware of the tragic news, Shane tells Fisher he no longer sells encyclopaedias; he’s retired. Ailsa steps in and tells Fisher how Adam tried to con a woman into buying them and she’s full of praise for what Shane did. But Fisher is sceptical, because he thinks it’s another scam to try and get him to relinquish the ones that Adam’s been trying to get back. When Fisher almost accuses Shane of taking a leaf out of Adam’s book, he gets annoyed and storms out, passing Nick on the way. Ailsa says that Shane did sound genuine but Fisher is not convinced. Nick comes over and asks what’s up with Shane but the phone rings and Ailsa goes to answer it, leaving Fisher to explain; he thinks he’s upset him! The phone call is from Nick’s sergeant and he’s shocked to hear what has happened to Dale but agrees, he’s the best man to carry out the investigation. As he hangs up the phone, he has the unenviable task of telling Ailsa and Fisher the tragic news.

The bus, Tug and Sarah caught, gets a flat tyre and whilst it’s being changed, Tug reckons visiting time will be over before they get there and that they should get the next bus home. But Sarah convinces him that they should continue so he can find out, one way or another, whether his Dad wants him in his life.

Back at the Ross house, there is a ‘deathly’ silence as Fin, Bobby and Sally wait downstairs for Pippa and Michael to come down. Nick arrives and he tells Bobby he’s on official police business and goes upstairs to speak to the grieving parents. He explains to Michael, his sergeant thought it would be best if he conducted the investigation because he knows them and Michael agrees and thanks him. But it’s Pippa he has to speak to first because she was there when Dale died and so far, she hasn’t said anything – she’s just sat on the edge of the bed, with her head in her hands. He goes over to her and with gentle persuasion, gets her to tell him what happened but she breaks down when she describes finding her baby’s lifeless body. Nick back off and goes downstairs to the girls. He tells Bobby that Michael’s bearing up but Pippa’s in a bad way. The main ambulance officer tells Michael, that they will leave them to say goodbye to their baby and to take as long as they want – but it’s important they say their goodbyes now. Michael kisses the baby and when Pippa says she wants to be alone with Dale, he goes downstairs to be with the girls. Pippa finally gets up and goes over to the baby and eventually picks him up.

Tug and Sarah have finally made it to the city and Tug’s phoned the prison but they won’t give him special privileges to see his Dad. He’s relieved and after promising Sarah that he’ll write to his Dad and explain what happened, he persuades her to stay on and enjoy the sights, before returning home.

Back in the Diner, the news has shocked everyone and Alf can’t believe it because he was speaking to Michael, only a short while ago. Bobby comes in and tell Ailsa, Alf and Fisher what’s been going on and she breaks down, when she remembers how the baby was laughing and gurgling, the last saw him. Ailsa takes her into the kitchen and as she continues to tell Ailsa the rest, the men just sit there, feeling useless. Fisher goes home and Shane, unaware of the tragedy, lays into him for what he said to him in the Diner earlier on but Fisher is in no mood to argue. He stuns Shane by saying he can have the books back because it doesn’t seem to matter anymore and then goes onto to tell him about Dale.

Michael and the officer come to take Dale away and Pippa wants to be left on her own before going to the hospital. She watches from the window as the ambulance drives away with her son.

It ends with Pippa all alone, sitting on the bed with her head in her hands…

Avril M Harrison