Norma is not herself. She goes to the doctor's surgery and tells the receptionist she has an appointment with Dr.Lomas at 4.30 but is informed by the receptionist that Dr.Lomas finished his surgery at lunchtime. She asks Norma to check she had the right time but Norma just says she's sorry and walks away. Norma's husband is worried about her.
Back at Holby hospital Mark Calder has been put under pressure by his boss Hilary Kingston to reduce staffing levels in A&E. Mark explains that the new CNS post (Ken) was very neccessary but Hilary told him that A&E was over budget. Later Mark explains to Mark and Charlie that he didn't feel that Ken was doing a particularly good job which angers Charlie in particular.
Meanwhile Ted and Carrie Springett (Christopher Hancock and Brenda Bruce) are handing out leaflets protesting about a firm allowing its workers to be exposed to abestos dust. Ted used to work for the firm and is in a wheelchair because he is suffering from asbestosis. Carrie tries to get the firm's bosses to listen to her but they ignore her. Then she turns round and sees that Ted has slumped in his wheelchair. An ambulance is called and though the staff at Holby Casualty do their best Ted dies. Carrie is still very angry and tells Dr. Karen Goodliffe about the cause of Ted's death. Carrie misinterprets something Karen says about the cause of death and later tells Mike Barratt that Karen said the cause of death was lung cancer caused by asbestosis. Then Mike speaks to Karen about it and informs her that Ted was also a heavy smoker and that she shouldn't go around telling greiving relatives the cause of death before a post mortem is carried out. Karen tells Mike that her comments were misinterpreted and explains this to Carrie. Carrie thinks that Karen is deserting her and siding against her.
A young pregnant woman, Jackie Walsh, is admitted to Casualty after being attacked. Luckily the attack was not serious and the baby was unharmed. Mike is surprised when Jackie tells him she won't be reporting the crime to the Police. Before long Jackie's parents Ron and Sheila Fisher arrive. Ron tells Jackie that he had spoken to her husband Gary and that he told him that he thought it would be best if Jackie moved in with them. Jackie is angry and tells Ron that she loves Gary but Ron is unmoved (he is very snobbish and does not like Gary because he works at a fairground). Later Ron tells Duffy that he and his wife had sacrificed everything for Jackie. He says that Jackie was special, always good at everything and had a bright future ahead of her until she took up with Gary. He explained that Jackie had always come first and their own lives ceased to matter. Duffy suggested that he had to hold on to something of himself but Ron explained that he and his wife never did. Then Jackie's brother Kevin arrives. He was at Gary's fairground and had fell and injured himself when he was loosening some bolts on one of the rides. He hears Jackie's voice and recognises it so he goes in to her cubicle. Jackie looks scared and tells Kevin to go away. Adele persuades Kevin to leave. Adele asks whether Kevin attacked her and Jackie admitted to her that he did. Jackie explained that Kevin was her brother and that their parents didn't care for him much. They always put her on a pedestal and treated Kevin like an idiot. Jackie felt a bit sorry for Kevin and didn't like the adulation from her parents but could do nothing about it. Meanwhile Kevin admits to his parents that he had attacked Jackie. He said that he thought it was what they wanted because she needed to be punished for marrying Gary. Kevin is clearly quite mentally disturbed.
Back at the fairground three teenagers Laura, Sally and Nick are on The Waltzers ride. Nick is showing off to the two girls and standing up on the ride when something comes loose and Laura and Sally both sustain injuries to their legs. Gary, who is supervising the ride, stops it immediately and an ambulance is called. When Gary arrives at the hospital he discovers Jackie is there and asks what happened to her. He explains to Jackie that he'd checked the ride that morning and it had been OK and is worried that he might lose his fairground licence. But then Kevin, who sees Laura and Sally coming into the hospital, becomes irate and starts pacing up and down the reception area. Duffy comes and comforts him and then he admits to her that he had loosened some bolts on the ride but that he didn't want people to be injured by his actions. Then Kevin has to answer to the Police. He blames his parents for their attitude towards him as he is taken away.
Episode first broadcast Saturday 2nd October 1993
Written by Christopher Watson
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