Episode 5232

Extended Summary

Alf is setting off on his six month backpacking trip around the world, and the household come out to see him off. He wishes Nicole and Marilyn good luck with the pregnancy and Colleen is in tears as she presents Alf with a page of address labels, printed out to herself, so that he can keep in touch. With his farewells said, Morag drives him away to the airport.

With Xavier still critical, Sid explains the situation to Gina and John, that the chemicals have damanged Xavier’s lungs and the ventilator is keeping him alive. If Xavier’s condition deteriorates further then a helicopter is on standby to transfer him to the city. Meanwhile April is progressing well and it’s expected she will be able to go home the following day, but this is little comfort to April as she watches Xavier fighting for his life. When she hears that Xavier is being blamed for stealing the chemicals she feels guilty, and later confesses to everyone that she was the one that stole the chemicals. Gina is shocked to learn this and rips into April, telling her it’s a too late for apologies. April is dealt another blow when her father rings her, having been informed of the situation by Bianca, and berates her for being so pathetic. When Xavier starts to recover, Gina forbids April from having anything more to do with her son.

With Alf now gone, and Morag sticking around in the bay until his return, she takes it upon herself to watch out for Nicole’s wellbeing in light of Marilyn and Sid’s plan to adopt Nicole’s baby. When Marilyn tries to put together a contract to clarify the position of all parties she seeks Leah’s advice, with her having been a surrogate for Sally and Flynn. Her chat with Leah makes Marilyn realise that it’s going to be a lot more complicated than she first thought, and that she should ask Nicole for her input.

Nicole on the other hand feels somewhat overwhelmed by all the minor details, she’d rather just sign and be done with it, which makes Romeo wonder if she’s completely thought it through. When Sid sees the contract he realises that they’re entering a legal battlefield, for a start it’s illegal to cover Nicole’s medical costs as it amounts to buying a baby. With Morag also having heard about this contract and arranging a meeting, she confirms Sid’s thoughts by announcing that the plan is completely illegal – they will have to go through the proper authorities.