At Holby A&E, Max announces that Patrick has passed an exam to qualify him for a consultant's job. Chloe and Anna have an argument about the rent Chloe owes on the flat they are sharing. Chloe is in debt - after selling her houseboat at a loss, she owes seven thousand pounds.
Charlie goes to visit a heavily pregnant Duffy. Duffy tells him she isn't sure if she wants to return to Holby, because it's where Andrew died. Moments later she goes into labour. Charlie is about to call an ambulance, but Duffy stops him, saying she doesn't want her baby born in the place Andrew died. She asks Charlie to deliver it, saying he's her oldest friend and the only person she wants there. When the baby's head is out, Charlie realises that the umbilical cord is wrapped around its neck and tells Duffy to stop pushing until he has freed it. Soon the baby, a boy, is born, but Charlie has to do mouth-to-mouth to start it breathing. Charlie insists on calling an ambulance because he had to resuscitate the baby, adding that Duffy can't cope on her own.
It's Nikki Marshall's first day as an Ambulance Technician. She is on a call with Josh and Fin, on the way to the Green Man pub. Josh is in a hurry and has a near miss with a car; he recovers and heads towards a red light. Nikki, terrified by their speed, asks to slow down. Josh asks Fin whether he should go through, and takes Fin's reply "Easy" as encouragement to continue across the bridge. A car suddenly appears, their paths about to collide. Josh swerves, trying to avoid it, but after hitting the car the ambulance smashes into the side of the bridge. It comes to rest with the cab, with Josh and Fin trapped inside, hanging over the edge. Nikki manages to free herself from the back; after checking that Josh and Fin are OK, she goes to help the victims from the car. One man is lying in the road, with blood blocking his airway. Another, Danny, is standing by, and identifies the first as Kenny. Nikki goes back to Fin to ask for help; he tells her to go into the back to get some equipment that will help save Kenny's life. Nikki manages to clear Kenny's airway before looking up to see the ambulance teetering over the edge. She grabs hold of the back to counterbalance it, but does not have enough weight to hold it. As she is lifted off her feet, the fire crew come to the rescue. They secure the ambulance with ropes, and attempt to pull it back but are unable to do so, so have to rescue Fin and Josh from where they are. Fin is freed, but Josh is trapped by the steering wheel. They cut off the steering wheel and Josh escapes from the ambulance and is caught by a fireman just as it falls over the edge. Meanwhile Danny, realising that it was the ambulance that hit his car, doesn't want them to treat him, and runs away. He is chased by nurse Dillon Cahill, who has arrived as part of the medical team. Dillon eventually catches up with Danny, but Danny collapses.
Motorcycle paramedic Comfort Jones takes over the call to the Green Man. She arrives to find a stag night is getting rowdy - the best man, Kevin, had ordered a transsexual stripper, Delight, saying he wasn't sure if Brendan, the groom, was really straight; Brendan realised the stripper wasn't female and a fight broke out, ending with Brendan collapsing, claiming a heart attack. Comfort, propositioned by both men, is irritated that they've wasted her time. When they get back to A&E, Comfort sees Jack eyeing up Delight, and tells him she's single; Jack gives Delight his phone number.
Max phones his girl friend Amanda, who tells him not to be home before nine-thirty - she's cooking a nice meal as a surprise. He is held up at work by the RTA, but later on Spencer tells him there's a phone call he should take in his office. He goes up to his office to find that Amanda is there, with the meal all set out.
The police arrive at Holby A&E. Sergeant Rachel James spent the previous night with Patrick; she approaches him and they share a kiss. Rachel is married. When Patrick returns to resusc, Max spots the lipstick on his face, and rebukes him for playing around when he was needed in resusc. He tell Patrick he may be qualified for a consultant's post, but he shouldn't presume his promotion is a foregone conclusion.
Back in A&E, Nikki tells Jeff McGuire, the head of paramedics, that Josh was driving too fast. He tells her not to say anything until tomorrow. Nikki goes and speaks to Fin, telling him she thought Josh was driving too fast. Fin isn't happy and tells her to shut up; Anna assures Nikki that he's shaken, and that it's easy to say something tonight that she might regret tomorrow. Colette speaks to Josh when he gets back to A&E. She tells him she was very worried. He tells her what happened, how he thought he was going to die, and Colette comforts him, before having to return to resusc. Josh goes into the staff room to find Nikki there; he asks if she's OK but she just walks out. Fin comes in, and as they discuss the accident Josh realises that Fin also thought he was driving too fast.
Jeff McGuire talks to Rachel; Danny, the driver of the other car is a known joyrider so he is suspected to be responsible for the crash, but Rachel says that there will still have to be a full investigation. Rachel speaks to Fin, and Jeff sits in. Fin does his best to cover for Josh, but is unable to say that he'd have done the same thing in Josh's position. When he has gone, Jeff tells Rachel what Nikki told him. He says that he has to make sure the public have every confidence in the service - if a driver doesn't follow the guidelines, he has to go.
Fin apologises to Nikki for snapping at her. Nikki isn't sure she wants to be a paramedic after all. Fin tells her that Josh has been a paramedic for years and knows more than she does. Nikki retorts that Josh's experience may make him think he's superman, but he isn't - he was driving too fast. Fin leaves Nikki crying in the corridor. Charlie approaches her, and tells her she should talk to Josh before she talks to management. Nikki agrees.
Josh goes to see Danny in resusc. Danny comes round, and Josh asks him if it was worth stealing the car. Danny tells him the car was a present, as he's just signed for Holby FC. Danny suddenly goes off. The team do their best to save him, but are getting nowhere. Josh looks on in horror as they stop resuscitation.
Episode first broadcast Saturday 15th September 2001
Additional Cast
Nikki Marshall
Kelly Harrison
Dillon Cahill
Dan Rymer
Comfort Jones
Martina Laird
Jeff McGuire
Bob Mason
Amanda Lewis
Janet Dibley
Rachel James
Amy Robbins
Leanne
Rachel Bavidge
Karen
Shelley Miranda Barrett
Danny Oldfield
Noel Clarke
Kenny
Oliver Trestain
Dave
David Prosho
Brendan
Hugh Lee
Delight O'Toole
Harold Finley
Kevin
Simon Balfour
Jake
Scott Cowan
Peter
Ben Alsford
Written by Rachel Jeffer
Additional writing by Sarah Williams and Alison Hill
SERIES 16
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