Episode 3736

Extended Summary

RECAP
A less-than-convincing cop arrives at the Palace to break the news to Dani that there has been an accident at sea – the Blaxland has gone down and the coastguard has recovered Scott’s body.

***

A nice peaceful instrumental plays over the opening scenes

WHARF
Dani sits alone as the sun rises, staring tearily out into the water

CARAVAN PARK
Rhys shakily puts the phone down, before turning to Beth

BEACH
Alf is out fishing as day breaks. Noah runs up to him to break the news.

CARAVAN PARK
Beth’s cup smashes to the floor and she freezes, Rhys putting his arm around her to comfort her.

THE PALACE
Noah comforts Hayley as she cries.

A shot of the ocean, with surfers starting to appear in the water.

BEACH HOUSE
Robbie turns up in tears to see Tasha and they hug, he crying into her shoulder.

Kit is driving back to the Bay, wiping tears from her eyes as she goes.

WHARF
We return to Dani, who is still sitting where we left her. She gets up to leave, and grins in relief as she sees Scott walking towards her, waving. Her joy turns to disappointment as Scott morphs into Hayley. The music fades out as Hayley joins her and Dani reminises – the wharf was where evrything was going to begin for Scott – he was going to build his yacht, and once she had finished Uni they were going to sail away. Hayley is in a worse state than Dani, unable to find words, and it is Dani who hugs her, assuring her that everything is ok.

THE PALACE
Noah hands Rhys and Beth drinks, wondering if he can help by calling anyone. beth asks to borrow their phone book, intent on making funeral arrangements – the sooner it’s all out of the way, the better. Rhys tries to calm her down, but she won’t listen, only pausing when Dani enters. They hug, Dani still looking numb.

BEACH HOUSE
Robbie is devastated, more so because in the last conversation he had with Scott, he told him that he hated him. Tasha assures him that Scott KNEW how much Robbie loved him, but it offers little comfort to Robbie – it doesn’t erase the fact that he told Scott he hated him, and that he’ll never be able to take those words back.

Kane and Irene sit outside, both numbed by the news and still unable to believe that it has happened. Kane wonders how Dani and Beth are coping, and Irene remarks that it’s going to take a long time for people to get over it. Kane is beating himself up about not having been out there with Scott – perhaps if they had both been out there then they could have done something to avoid the accident. He recieves harsh words to from Irene – it’s no one’s fault and there was nothing that anyone could do. Irene convinces him to let Kirsty sleep, rather than waking her with the news.

THE PALACE
Kit arrives, and she and Beth hug tightly, Rhys informing her that the twins are at home with Colleen. They don’t know yet, as Beth didn’t want them to see her in that state. Kit decides to talk to them, and when Dani makes an appearance the two girls take their turn to hug, before Kit leaves. Hayley and Noah watch her go, with Hayley commenting on her strength – and in turn on Noah’s. She tells him that it’s alright to be upset, as he has lost one of his mates.

Cracks are starting to show in Dani’s calmness as she wonders what she is going to do, and Beth is adamant that she will get through it – things will be ok.

CARAVAN PARK
Max is just out of bed, and is somewhat confused to find Colleen downstairs, and the house deadly quiet. Colleen tries to avoid talking about it, but Max know that something is up and demands to be told. Kit arrives just in time to break the news – there’s been an accident… it’s Scott.

BEACH HOUSE
Kane has just broken the news to Kirsty, who is hysterical. She is determined to go and be with Dani, and Kane’s pleas for her to take it easy – doctor’s orders – fall on deaf ears. She refuses to go to the hospital, just wanting to be by Dani’s side, and Kane grabs hold of her. She eventually breaks down into his arms, assuring her that it’s ok – they’ll go and see Dani on the way to the hospital.

CARAVAN PARK
Max is subdued by the news, and Colleen assures him that it’s ok to cry. He thinks he will, when the news has sunk in, but for now he must be brave for everyone else. On cue, Rhys and Beth arrives back, with Max rushing to hug Beth, and enquire after Dani. Rhys advises that Dani just needs some space, and Colleen offers her sympathies. Kit arrives downstairs having told the twins, and they are apparently too upset to make an appearance. She recommends that Beth doesn’t go up – they too just need to be alone. Rhys takes Beth to sit down, and Colleen points out the breakfast that is on offer if they feel like eating, before helpfully telling Beth “if it’s any consolation, drowning’s a peaceful way to die”. Needless to say, Beth looks pretty sickened as she walks out, and Kit sharply points out how inconsiderate she has been. Colleen tells them she never meant to upset anyone… but she never does. Colleen rushes out in tears.

BREAK

DINER
Alf mulls over the situation, unable to comprehend how it happened – the weather wasn’t supposed to be that bad, and Scott’s a strong swimmer. Irene tells him not to dwell on things – it won’t bring him back. Alf then starts to beat himself up over the fact that HE wasn’t out on the boat as well, and Irene seems to be getting fed up – she’s heard exactly the same thing from Kane and there was NOTHING that could have been done. It would have done no good losing them both.
Colleen enters, upset at having managed to say the wrong thing again. Alf wonders who she has managed to upset now, before asking when she will learn to keep her trap shut. It only serves to make Colleen more upset, and Irene shushes Alf before following Colleen into the kitchen.

THE PALACE
Dani tells Noah and Hayley that the police could have got it wrong… until they identify the body, it could be anyone, which means that Scott could still be out there. Noah and Hayley stop her going out looking for him – the cops must have been pretty certain – but Dani is adamant that if Scott had gone then she would feel it. Dani refuses to let Noah call Flynn, and Kane and Kirsty’s arrival disrupts them. Dani almost cheerily tells Kirsty that everything’s ok – it might not be Scott, as she reckons the cops have made a mistake. Kirsty is understandably puzzled, and Hayley, Noah and Kane all glance awkwardly around them, as if not wanting to be the first to declare Dani insane.

CARAVAN PARK
Robbie and Tasha join Kit and Max, and Beth has gone upstairs to be with the twins. Robbie heads straight for a bottle of booze in the pantry, and produces it proudly – “I know what’ll cheer us all up!”. He wants to get smashed, assuming that it’ll make him feel so much better about things, and Kit warns him against it. The way Robbie’s acting, he may as well already be drunk and out of his mind. He offer Kit a share – it worked for her after Jack died, but she is adamant that it didn’t – even if it means she didn’t feel anything, it was not a good road to go down. Robbie refuses to listen to reason, and he and Kit are still squabbling over the bottle of booze when Rhys and Beth come down to break things up. Kit clings to the bottle, insisting that she knows how he feels, and drink will NOT make him feel any better – it can only make him feel worse. Beth says nothing, slipping out in the midst of the argument. Kit forcefully tells Robbie that whereas drink may help in the short term, it is NOT the answer, and Robbie walks out, pursued by Tasha.
It is only then that they realise Beth’s absence

WHARF
Beth stumbles down to the wharf in tears, and starts to run messily as she realises Rhys is in pursuit. He finally catches up with her, and after a struggle she collapses to the ground, screaming out and lashing out into thin air. She collapses into Rhys in hysterics.

DINER
Max has come to find Colleen to check that she is alright but her main concern is that she hurt someone by what she said. She can’t understand why she keeps saying the wrong thing, and even Max’s “maybe because you’re really old” response seems to cheer her somewhat.

In the kitchen, Alf tells Irene that he’s going to give Rhys a call to see if there’s anything that he can do. There’s things that have to be done, and he doesn’t want Dani and Beth to have to be put through that

THE PALACE
Dani offers to accompany Kirsty to the tests at the hospital, and Kirsty is taken aback – she should look after herself. Dani insists that she is ok, because Scott’s fine. Instead, she enquires as to how Kirsty is feeling, and Kirsty starts to open up about how she’s terrified about the tests, and the possibility of she having hurt the baby – she hasn’t been eating as much because she has been feeling really insecure, and she thinks Kane will hate her if she has hurt their child. However, Dani is too busy floating away into her own little world, and doesn’t seem to comprehend what she is being told. She is finally coming to terms with the fact that Scott has gone, and Kirsty hugs her as she finally breaks down.

CARAVAN PARK
Kit eyes the bottle of booze in the cupboard, eyeing it longingly before she is interrupted by Robbie and Tasha. Robbie apologises for his earlier behaviour, and has realised that it wasn’t fair. henry and Matilda are still upstairs, and Robbie and Tasha head up to join them. Kit returns to the pantry to eye up the bottle, and as she removes the bottle from its shelf she is caught red-handed by Rhys. She wishes that she could tell him she wasn’t going to drink it – but that would be a lie. She remarks that Scott would have hated her for even thinking about it. As Kit finally cracks into tears, Rhys moves to comfort her.

DINER
Alf thanks Irene for her help in the Diner that morning, before retreating into the kitchen. He answers the phone, and is shocked by what he is told.

THE PALACE
Things between Noah and Hayley are subdued, and when Dani enters Noah tells her that Rhys called to say that he’d pick her up on the way through. Dani knows she doesn’t have to do it, but she wants to see Scott again, and she rejects Hayley’s offer of company. She asks them to send Rhys down to the docks when he gets there.

WHARF
Dani walks down to the wharf, and is stunned to see Scott making his way towards her, amiling and waving. She rushes to him, overjoyed, and throwns her arms around him. All he can say is “Thought you’d come and surprise me, huh?” as he is smothered by Dani. We are left to wonder if Dani’s imagination is playing tricks on her again.