Blood and Water

Overview

It's Sunday on the ward. The atmosphere is more relaxed than it is on a weekday — less staff, fewer interruptions, radios are playing, no one is in a hurry to do anything. Steph is running the ward, glad of the opportunity to be in charge without Terri looking over her shoulder. There is an air of everyone pitching in, covering for each other as there are no administrative minders; nurses do their own housekeeping, take phone calls, write bed tags and collect x-rays. Eddie Furlong is brought in suffering from hypothermia, having been fished out of the river following a late night boating accident. Eddie obsessed by the whereabouts of his two crewmates, especially his young brother Marty, whom he learns has been declared brain dead following a serious head injury. Seemingly depressed by his brother's death, Eddie attempts suicide via a paracetamol overdose. But the true reasons behind his suicide attempt — guilt and remorse — are revealed when the other member of the party, Rob, who has just been discharged from St Angela's arrives on the ward to accuse Eddie of cowardice and murder. He claims Eddie was so obsessed with saving his own skin, he left his companions for dead. Despite prompt action from the Ward 17 staff, Eddie's overdose looks set to cause major liver damage and probably death. His only chance of leading a healthy life, or indeed surviving the overdose, is to have a liver transplant. And his brother's liver is the obvious candidate. But Eddie has misgivings about accepting an organ from the brother he neglected to save. Ben and Mick's day begins innocuously when they revive a wealthy yuppie who has taken a narcotics overdose. The ungrateful patient gives a false name and refuses to accompany them to hospital, leaving a bad taste in Ben and Mick's mouths. Later, Ben and Mick spot the man's sports car in the doctors' car park at All Saints. Ben and Steph are certain the person who has OD'd is in fact Tom Snowdon — an up and coming anaesthetics registrar and mate of Luke's. Luke initially dismisses the allegations against his colleague, but a mixture of self-interest and ethics finally force him to confront Tom about the overdose. In doing so, Luke realises there is more to being a successful doctor than having a huge trust account and a privileged background — Tom's background. Terri is excited to be hosting brunch for her parents' 35th wedding anniversary. But things quickly sour when her intoxicated father slaps Eileen for some alleged past indiscretion. When Ryan attempts to do so again, Terri steps in to save her mother and causes her father to fall and break his hip. Caught between feelings of guilt over her actions and disgust over her father's, Terri arranges for her father to be admitted to Ward 17. Luke advises he will need a pin and plate inserted in his femur. Meanwhile, acting on a hunch, Mitch has secretively arranged a CT scan which reveals Ryan has life threatening cancer. Terri's abused mother rushes immediately to her husband's side, and Terri realises there is now no chance of her mother freeing herself from Ryan's controlling influence. Meanwhile, Jared has a challenging day dealing with an erratic drunk suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome. And Mitch psyches up for his big dinner date with Rose's parents.