Rob turns up at the ambulance station as Comfort’s shift is about to start. He is still angry, saying that everything always has to be on her terms. Comfort says not always – she wanted children. Rob says he’s not giving up on her, and that he’ll meet her at the end of the shift. Comfort goes inside and finds Fin changing his day off with Nikki’s so he can spend the day with her. Comfort tells him to change it back, saying she’s not going to be rushed. He asks if he can pick her up after work, and she tells him Rob’s coming to meet her. Fin asks to meet her on her break. Comfort agrees and he says he’ll call her. Nikki turns up, and they go to their first shout, where Kevin has collapsed in the bathroom with a heart attack. He is seriously ill, and when Comfort tells his wife Pam this, she says they’ve got to keep him alive until a priest can come to perform last rites, as it’s the only way they’ll be able to be together eternally. Pam has phoned the priest but there is no answer. Comfort says they’ll take him to Holby A&E and radio through so there’s a priest waiting for them. Nikki, knowing that Kevin is dying, tries to object but Comfort insists. They carry him downstairs, and as they are doing so, Nikki tries to tell Comfort that he’s already dead, and is overheard by Pam’s neighbour Brian. They carry him into the ambulance, and as they do so, Kevin’s GP Kate arrives. Comfort takes her into the ambulance and explains the situation, trying to persuade her to let them take Kevin to A&E and have last rites performed, but Kate refuses. She says it’s her call, and certifies Kevin, then tells Comfort and Nikki to carry him back into the house and leave him to the coroner and the undertaker. Brian tells Pam what he overheard, and she returns to the house to find Comfort saying a blessing over Kevin. Pam is angry that Comfort lied to her, and says that God may forgive her, but she never will. As they return to the ambulance, Nikki asks what all that was about, and Comfort explains the situation between Rob, Fin and herself, saying that Rob threw her out and she’s been sleeping on Colette and Josh’s sofa. She is waiting for a phone call from Fin, but he hasn’t been in touch. When Nikki asks whether it’s Rob or Fin she wants, Comfort replies that judging by the lack of messages on her phone, the decision is out of her hands.
Their next shout is to a house where Ray’s son Sam is vomiting. Ray says he has just been playing in the garden. They put Sam in the ambulance, and Comfort suggests that maybe he has eaten something in the garden. Ray confesses that he thinks Sam has drunk something. He takes out a drinks bottle full of pesticide, saying he it was the only bottle he had to put the pesticide in. He says it’s Sam’s first weekend with him since he and Sam’s mum were divorced. Comfort phones through to Lara for help, and Lara advises her on how to treat Sam, who is by now seriously ill. They eventually arrive at Holby A&E, and Sam is taken into paed resusc. Comfort tries to persuade Ray to call Sam’s mum, saying it’s serious. Ray does so, but does not tell her how it happened. When she arrives she asks Comfort and Nikki if they know what caused this. Comfort is about to tell her, but Nikki interrupts, saying it could have been anything. Back in the ambulance, Comfort asks why Nikki’s lie was all right when hers got her into trouble. She says she told the biggest lie to herself – that this mess would sort itself out.
They have one last shout, to where Sally has fainted at work. Her friend Beth tells them that Sally is getting married in three weeks. Sally is soon feeling better, and tells Comfort she’s been slimming to try to fit into her wedding dress. Comfort tells her she doesn’t need to lose weight – she’s beautiful as she is. She says that her fainting was probably a warning not to overdo it. She senses that Sally isn’t too sure about getting married, and tells her that marriage is about more than fitting into a dress and making everyone happy. They leave her, and back in the ambulance Nikki says, ‘You’re going back to Rob, aren’t you.’ She asks if Comfort’s sure it’s what she wants, and Comfort, checking her phone again and finding no messages, doesn’t reply.
As Jan is on her way into work from the car park, she is accosted by journalist James Prince, who is asking whether the hospital is safe and if she is going to resign. Jan replies that she’s made her statement to the press and has nothing to add. James Prince is still blocking her way, so she pushes him aside and he falls to the ground, laughing as his photographer snaps the scene. Jan goes down to A&E and asks Charlie to write a report on standards and efficiency in the department over the last couple of months. Charlie refuses, reminding her that he’s resigned the Clinical Nurse Specialist post and is now back to hands-on nursing. Jan asks why she should have expected his support. She tells him she’s not going to lose her job over this, and that she’ll do it herself. She goes up to her office, asking her secretary to get out Max Gallagher’s file for her. After looking through it, she phones James Prince, telling him she’ll give him a better story than him sitting on his backside. Later, he comes, asking why she’s changed her mind. Jan replies that Max, the consultant who decided not to treat Danny Walker, has her full support. She says she could not possibly be seen to give out information except by the official channels, and will have to deny that James has even been here. Fingering Max’s file, she says that everything in the office is confidential, then says she’s going for a coffee, and hopes James will see himself out. She departs, leaving James to pick up Max’s file and start reading through it.
Jack asks Nikki if she wants to go for a drink after the shift, just as mates. Nikki agrees, and later Jack asks if they can go somewhere quiet to talk. At the end of the shift, he tells her he doesn’t feel like going to the pub, and laughing, he grabs her, saying he’s taking her to Max’s office.
After leaving Comfort at the ambulance station, Fin goes for a run in the country. He runs past an inconspicuous ‘Footpath closed’ sign without seeing it, and finds himself on a construction site. He decides to just run round, but as he is doing so, the ground collapses beneath him, and he finds himself at the bottom of a deep pit. He tries to climb out but it is impossible, and though he shouts for help, his voice goes unheard amongst the noise of the construction vehicles. He keeps shouting, however, and eventually a passer-by, Paul, who has also missed the sign, hears him. He goes to the edge of the pit, and Fin asks him to call for help. Paul, however, insists on trying to get Fin out himself. He goes and finds a plank, and, lying down on the edge of the pit, lowers it to Fin. Fin says he’ll never pull him out, but Paul says he’ll manage it. Fin takes hold of the plank, but as Paul pulls, he starts slipping, and ends up falling into the pit himself. Fin is angry that he didn’t just go and fetch help himself. Paul says he’s never been adventurous, always played safe, but today he wanted to do something different. Fin is not impressed, and they spend all their time bickering. Wondering how long they’ll have to stay there, Paul asks if Fin has a wife or anyone else who will miss him. Fin says he thought there was someone, but now he’s not sure if she’s interested – she keeps changing her mind. He tells Paul it’s Comfort that he wants, but doesn’t sound too convinced that she knows it. Paul says perhaps he should put more effort into fighting for her. As the work goes on above, soil being tipped onto a pile starts to fall into the hole. Fin has an idea, and starts stamping on it, piling it up. He gets Paul to stand on his shoulders, waving the plank, to attract attention. The plank is not quite long enough to reach out of the whole, so Fin tells Paul to stand on his hands. Paul does so, and Fin raises him high enough to attract the attention of one of the construction workers before he falls. After that they are soon out of the hole, but Fin has been there hours and Comfort’s shift will have nearly finished. He tells Paul he’d offer him a lift home, but he only has twenty minutes to go before Comfort meets Rob. Paul says he only lives ten minutes away, and gets in the car. Fin takes him home, and as he gets out he says he hopes Fin sorts things out with Comfort. Fin is impatiently waiting for him to close the door, and once he has done so he races to the ambulance station, arriving just as Comfort is about to get into Rob’s car. Seeing Fin arrive, Comfort stops, and goes over to him. Rob gets out of the car and tells Comfort to get in. Fin also gets out, and tells Comfort he loves her and wants them to be together. Rob grabs him, and they start fighting, but Comfort stops them. Rob says she has to choose between them. After a pause, Comfort turns to Rob, and tells him she’s getting in the car with Fin. As she gets into Fin’s car, Rob tells her he loves her. Fin drives away, leaving Rob yelling ‘Comfort, please!’
Episode first broadcast Saturday 4th May 2002
Additional Cast
Paul Fuller
Griff Rhys Jones Rob Jones
Chad Shepherd Pam
Gabrielle Lloyd Kevin
Terry Courtney Brian
William Key GP Kate
Sameena Zehra Ray
Mark Lockyer Sam
Tim Wright Kathy
Nicola Blackwell Sally
Vicky Hall Beth
Natalia Campbell James Prince
Crispin Letts
SERIES 16
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