Colette has fallen asleep at Natalie's bedside. Josh comes in and offers to sit with Natalie while she gets some rest, but Colette insists on staying. Another woman enters, and Colette introduces her to Josh as Sue, Natalie's adoptive mother. Sue blames Colette for the state Natalie is in, saying she shouldn't have travelled all that way in her condition. Suddenly Natalie opens her eyes, and turns to Sue, saying, "Mum!" She asks about her baby and Colette tells her the baby's fine. Later Josh finds Colette sitting outside Natalie's room, crying. He asks her why she's crying, as Natalie will be all right now. Colette replies that it was Sue who Natalie wanted, not her. Suddenly Sue comes out, saying Natalie is asking for Colette. Colette goes in. Natalie thanks her for saving her life. She says she doesn't want her and Sue to argue. Colette says they won't, and Natalie says she really wants them to get on.
Jan comes into Charlie's office and closes all the blinds before producing some mistletoe. They kiss, but are interrupted by Duffy who tells Charlie that a patient, one of their regulars, is asking for him. Jan leaves, and Duffy tells Charlie he can see if his charms work as well on the patients.
Seven-year-old Scott Kenyon is brought into A&E by his mother Margaret. He has fallen off the stage during a rehearsal for the nativity play. Margaret knows Duffy as Scott is at school with her son Jake, so she asks for Duffy to treat Scott. Scott isn't pleased to see Duffy, however - he claims that it was Jake who pushed him off the stage. Margaret thinks Jake must be bullying Scott, and tells Duffy they can't share the school runs any more as she doesn't want Jake near Scott. Upset, Duffy wanders through reception; a man in a dog collar introduces himself to her as Kev the Rev and says if she wants to talk he'll listen - no Bible-bashing. Duffy appreciates the offer but is too busy to take him up on it. Later, Jake arrives with Duffy's mum. Duffy takes him into the staff room and asks him if he pushed Scott off the stage. Jake denies it. Duffy tells him to stop lying, and Jake, upset, hits out at her and says he wants his dad. Duffy manages to hug him, and he tells her that Scott told him his dad is in hell, because people who were murdered go to hell. Duffy hugs him, assuring him that Andrew was good, and that good people don't go to hell. Later Duffy, close to tears, watches him leave. Charlie asks what's wrong; she says she thought she was coping with Andrew's death, but hadn't realised the boys weren't. Charlie asks if there's anything he can do, but she says she can't keep offloading her problems on him. He gives her a hug instead. Jan comes along, and says they forgot the mistletoe. Breaking away from Charlie, Duffy says they're just good friends. She thanks him and walks away. Jan says tells Charlie he's had a pretty good score today, but asks him to save some for her. Charlie promises he will.
Josh comes down to A&E. He tells Charlie that he feels like he and Colette are jinxed, and wonders if they'll ever manage to get married. Charlie decides to do something about it. Enlisting everyone's help, he organises for them to be married in the hospital chapel, before going on their honeymoon as planned. When it's all organised, they tell Josh and Colette, but there's one problem: the chaplain who was going to conduct the service is stuck in traffic, and it seems unlikely that she'll make it. Duffy remembers Kev the Rev, and asks him if he'll do it; Kev agrees. He starts the service, and has just got to the "If anyone present knows of any just cause or impediment..." part when a woman bursts in. She tells everyone that she's Kev's wife, and he isn't actually a vicar; he just likes to pretend he is. Crestfallen, everyone leaves the chapel, and Josh is further convinced that he and Colette are cursed. At that moment, however, the chaplain turns up. They go back in, and Josh and Colette are finally married. Everyone goes for a glass of champagne in the boardroom. Max arrives, and asks Jan if he's allowed in. Jan says it's only A&E he's banned from, and wishes him Merry Christmas. Later, Josh and Colette set off on their honeymoon together.
Rachel is at Patrick's. She tells him her husband Greg will be home for Christmas. She says perhaps she should tell Greg about Patrick, as she wants to be with Patrick and not Greg. Patrick seems stunned. Rachel asks him if he meant it when he said he loved her, and Patrick doesn't reply. She says he obviously doesn't want to be with her, and storms out of his flat. Driving along, she sees a woman being mugged. She stops, and runs after the muggers as they flee. Down a deserted lane, they suddenly stop and turn on her. They beat her with a large piece of wood, and run off. Meanwhile Patrick tries to phone her from the hospital. He leaves her a voicemail message, saying sorry about earlier, and telling her he does love her.
Sean Bayliss and Zoe Preston both work for a law firm. They are at the firm's Christmas party. Sean complains to Zoe about how the boss, Guy, is always picking on him. Zoe tells him Guy is just jealous because he's young and talented. A stripper arrives, and after she has done her act, Guy joins her on the stage, and announces the "Clown of the Year" - Sean. Sean is dragged up on stage and the stripper, aided, at Guy's request, by Zoe, pulls his trousers down, amid cheering and jeering from the rest of the firm. Afterwards Sean leaves the party. As he is walking away his phone rings - it's Zoe, telling him that Guy has brought her up to a hotel room and she thinks he's going to rape her. Sean turns and rushes back to the hotel, but on arriving in the room, the whole firm appear, shouting "Surprise!" Laughing, Guy tells him it was a practical joke. Sean isn't happy, and asks if he wants him to be like the others and suck up to him twenty-four hours a day. He tells Guy he doesn't need to sack him, as he resigns. He then walks out, taking a bottle of vodka with him. As he is walking away, drinking, Zoe comes running after him. She catches up with him on a bridge. She asks him to come back to the party. Sean asks why she did it, asking what he's ever done to her. Zoe apologises, saying it was stupid. She says Guy asked her to do it, thinking that it would give Sean something to go for. Sean suddenly tries to kiss her, saying he's going for something, and she obviously goes for the assertive type. She says he's frightening her. He lets go, and says he'll frighten her all right. He climbs up onto the wall of the bridge, saying he can fly away from her, from Guy and from everyone else. He leans back and falls off the edge, landing on a shed, and the corrugated iron roof splits and pierces his leg. Zoe calls for an ambulance, and a medical team, including Patrick, is sent out to treat him.
Eventually Rachel is found, and brought into resusc, while Patrick is out with the paramedics. Lara recognises her as she has been in with patients a few times, and Dillon murmurs to her that she's Patrick's girlfriend. They contact her husband Greg, and set to work treating her. Doing some test they discover she is pregnant. Patrick brings Sean into resusc and sets to work treating him. He doesn't realise Rachel is there until he hears Dillon on the phone, asking for her bloods. He leaves Sean and goes over, staring in horror. Philippa tells him she's in charge of the resusc, and to get back to his own patient. Patrick does so, dealing with Sean as quickly as possible, then goes back over to Rachel, asking to help. Annoyed at his interference, Philippa eventually snaps and tells him to take over the resusc.
Sean leaves resusc and goes to a cubicle. He tells Duffy he always wanted to work for Guy's firm, as he has the best reputation; meeting his hero and finding out what a jerk he was was a big let-down. Zoe arrives to see him. He tells her he's going to sue Guy for harassment. He says he's got better things to do than hang round with people like Guy - and Zoe. Guy turns up, offering to give Sean his job back. Sean asks if he's been talking to Zoe, saying Guy knows he's going to be taken to court, and wants to avoid it as it will upset his reputation. Guy says he's in over his head. Sean says he can't believe he threw himself off a bridge over Guy. Zoe arrives and says she'll stand by Sean if he's going to sue. Guy leaves, disgusted. Sean tells Zoe she doesn't have to do this; she says she likes a good fight, and this is sure to be a really good fight.
Greg arrives to see Rachel. He goes into resusc and Patrick tells him what's happening to her. She needs a laparotomy but the foetus will make it more difficult. Greg is as shocked as Patrick was to find that Rachel is pregnant. They are about to take Rachel to theatre when she suddenly goes off. They attempt to resuscitate her but after half an hour they are getting nowhere. Patrick wants to keep going, but eventually realises it is futile, and they stop resuscitation. Patrick decides to break the news to Greg himself. Lara asks if he's sure, and warns him that Greg will have enough to cope with with his own grief - he doesn't need Patrick's too. She follows him into the relatives' room where Greg is waiting. Patrick breaks the news and listens as Greg pours out his grief. Greg talks about the baby, saying that she must have been keeping it as a surprise for him. He asks how far gone she was; Lara says they don't know, as Rachel wasn't showing. Greg says that can't be right - he's been away for five months. He realises Rachel must have been seeing someone else. Upset, Greg says he wants to be alone. Patrick and Lara leave. Patrick goes into resusc. Clasping Rachel's hand, he tells her he loves her. Crying, he lifts her hand and kisses it, then turns to see Greg coming into the room, having seen everything.
Episode first broadcast Saturday 22nd December
Additional Cast
Natalie
Charis Thomas
Jake Bower
Scott Cowan
Greg James
Danny McCall
Sue
Sarah Hay
Sean Bayliss
Chris McQuarry
Zoe Preston
Kim Oliver
Guy
Ivan Kaye
Mrs Shadwick
Leelo Ross
Margaret Kenyon
Fionnuala Ellwood
Scott Kenyon
Lloyd Martin
Sarah
Jenny Howe
Kev the Rev
Sylvester McCoy
Louise
Belinda Carroll
Dr Khan
Kish Sharma
Stan
Tamer Hassan
SERIES 16
MAIL ME! INDEX