Oliver asks Elle not to force him to choose between her and his mum. Mickey lets the handbrake off in the van and it rolls into the path of the minibus. The police ask Ned if they can have a word with Mickey. Mickey sadly walks away from Ramsay Street.

At number 22, Ned is desperately worried as he realises that Mickey isn’t in the house and Sergeant Hill tells him to call when he turns up. Bridget tries to calm her uncle down, but Ned says that Mickey’s confused and alone. He tries calling the neighbours but nobody seems to be home, so Miranda says that they’ll have to go out and search on foot.

..

At the hospital, Oliver is telling Elle that Ringo’s condition is still critical and nobody but family is allowed in, and Frazer’s not coping too well. She says that she can stay there if Oliver wants to go and meet Rebecca for lunch, but Oliver would prefer that Elle was there too. As they leave, Susan and Rachel arrive and are unable to find out what’s going on with Ringo. Rachel is upset, admitting that she just wants to see Ringo and tell him that she still loves him.

Meanwhile, Paul and assorted members of the Parker family are asking locals if they’ve seen Mickey and handing out their phone number, while the young boy himself sneaks into the garage and leaves a note on the desk, while Janae’s head is under a car bonnet.

..

At number 28, Susan is on the phone, when Karl walks in, having left the conference in Sydney a day early. Susan explains that Zeke’s out helping with the search for Mickey and that Ringo’s still in hospital. Karl hugs Rachel and Susan, who then tells him that a retirement home in Eden Hills just called and they have a room for Tom, so he can go any time. Tom joins them from the bedroom, saying that Harold cheats at chess, and Susan tells him about the retirement home. Tom gets upset, saying that they can’t throw him out today as it’s Karl’s surprise birthday party. As Tom storms off, Rachel pulls some party decorations from a bag and half-heartedly says ‘surprise’. Susan tells Karl that they can try again later with Tom, but Karl insists that he won’t drag his father anywhere that he doesn’t want to go.

At number 22, Elle joins Oliver and Rebecca at the dining table, with a homemade quiche that she bought from a deli run by a lovely old couple. Rebecca asks Oliver what the hospital said about his injuries, but he explains that he just knocked his knee again, but it’s nothing serious. Rebecca admits that she doesn’t know what she’d have done if she’d lost Oliver, and wishes that she could have been there with him. Elle snaps at her, saying that’s not possible what with all of Rebecca’s rules and restrictions. Rebecca explains that emergencies are an exception and she knows this situation isn’t ideal, but she’s trying. Oliver agrees with his mum and glares across at Elle, who grudgingly apologises.

..

At the General Store, Miranda is asking customers to keep an eye out for Mickey. Steve and Ned then join them, and decide that they need to start searching bus and train stations. Paul asks if Mickey had any money and Ned doesn’t think so, which worries him more as the boy might end up going hungry or forced to hitchhike. Miranda thinks he’ll probably come home when his stomach’s empty but Ned worries that he’s too far away to know his way back now. Ned realises that Mickey hasn’t even got his mobile number and feels like he’s failed as a parent, snapping at Steve. Ned wishes that he’d realised how upset Mickey was before it was too late, then Janae calls.

At the garage, Ned and Steve arrive and Janae shows them the note. She apologises, explaining that she only just noticed it, and Ned has a look, but is upset, thinking that it doesn’t tell him anything. Janae asks him to hand it to her, telling Steve that she’s a world class run-away and says that Mickey called him ‘dad’ so he won’t be planning to stay away forever, and when he asks Ned not to bother looking, it’s just a test to see if he hates him. Ned insists that he doesn’t, and Janae says that Mickey wants him to prove it by finding him.

..

Mickey and Jake are hiding out in an old squat when they hear a noise and hide. A teenager – Declan Napier - comes in and says that he knows someone’s in there and they had better show themselves. He’s about to attack Mickey when he and Jake appear and Mickey warns him not to come any closer or the dog will attack. Declan just laughs at Mickey, who says he’s in trouble with the police. Declan says that he wants to hear all about it, and, if he isn’t bored, he’ll let Mickey stay.

At number 22, Oliver is washing up, as Elle tries to make an effort with Rebecca. She apologises, explaining that she’s just looking out for her boyfriend so that he doesn’t rush into anything. Rebecca explains that she has other people to consider, Declan in particular. Rebecca spots a photo of Paul and Elle on the table and seems shocked. She asks who the man is, and Elle explains that it’s her father. Rebecca admits that he seems familiar – twenty-five years ago familiar. Elle heads into the kitchen to make tea, saying that Paul probably gave Rebecca a drink and a blanket, as he used to be an air steward. As Elle continues talking from the kitchen, Rebecca picks up her bag and leaves. When Elle turns around to ask Rebecca if she’d like milk, she and Oliver realise that their guest has gone. Oliver suspects that Elle upset her, but Elle insists that she did nothing and it’s becoming clear that Rebecca is a freak.

..

At number 28, Rachel and Susan are decorating for the party and can’t get in touch with Zeke as he’s not answering his phone. Tom appears from the bedroom and Rachel whispers to Susan that Zeke’s not going to be happy about him moving into the home. Susan then spots Karl arriving home and they all go to hide, but Tom walks to the door and opens it, telling a shocked Karl that they don’t want what he’s selling. He slams the door and everyone looks worried, until Tom opens it again and says happy birthday. A relieved Karl laughs along with his dad.

Back at the squat, Mickey has explained everything to Declan, and starts to wonder if Ned might have supported him. Declan doesn’t think that he would and suggests that they can look out for each other from now on. Mickey wonders how, and Declan points out that he has no money for food, so he can help him to get some.

..

At number 22, Sergeant Hill is back to talk about Mickey’s disappearance, as Steve explains that they’ve searched everywhere. Sergeant Hill tells them that a photo would be helpful but Ned is frustrated as he doesn’t have one, and admits that it took him ages to even tell Mickey he was his dad. Janae then takes a photo of Ned and Mickey from her wallet and hands it over. Ned is grateful that she always seems to be there to save the day and Sergeant Hill leaves, saying that this will help a lot with the search. As Ned goes upstairs, Miranda goes over to Janae and says that she used to keep a photo of a man in her wallet – and she ended up marrying him.

At number 28, the family are having dinner together and Karl asks his dad whether he’s thought about moving into the home any more. Tom doesn’t want to discuss it, so Rachel changes the subject, joking that this must be the first time Karl’s had a non-surprise birthday party. Tom says that Karl has a history of being a bit slow on the uptake – his mother once had him blowing up balloons for his own party and he didn’t know it. As Tom talks, Karl goes to his bag and gets a tape recorder but Tom notices and gets upset, asking if Karl has to resort to this as he’s losing his marbles so quickly. Tom insists that Karl is always on his mind, even if it doesn’t always seem like it and that he loves him. Karl is on the verge of tears, as Tom sends Rachel off to get the video camera, so he can record some more stories.

..

At the store, Oliver and Elle come in, and she’s explaining that one minute Rebecca was asking about Paul, the next she was gone. She again denies saying anything to upset the woman and admits that she thought they were making progress. She starts to wonder if Rebecca is threatened by her, what with all the weird behaviour and elaborate rules, but Oliver says it’s bound to be difficult for her at first. Oliver admits that he’s worried that, if he doesn’t stick to those rules, Rebecca will cut him off. He insists that Elle won’t have to compete with her, before telling her that he loves her.

At the squat, Mickey is wondering how they get money, before realising that Declan wants him to steal. He asks if there’s another way, but Declan tells him that they have to do what they can to survive, or he could just go home and face the police. Mickey doesn’t seem convinced, but Declan insists that he’ll look after him.

..

At Rebecca’s house, Oliver arrives, and angrily tells her that he’s had enough of all of her rules. He says that he loves Elle and has known her a lot longer so he won’t see her treated like this. Rebecca is confused and Oliver wonders if there’s something else going on here, and why Rebecca seems determined to see him break up with Elle. When Rebecca admits that this might be a good idea, Oliver is stunned and Rebecca explains that she can’t talk about it now, as she has to check something first. Oliver says that it’s going to kill him not to get to know his mum, but he loves Elle more, and he storms out.

..

Paul opens the front door to Rebecca. She knows who he is, but he doesn’t recognize his visitor and apologises, explaining about his memory problems, before inviting her in. She’s surprised that he doesn’t remember her and explains that she was a passenger on one of his flights and they got talking before sharing a weekend stopover together. Paul suddenly starts to realise who she is and wonders why she’s there, and how she found him. She explains that she’s Oliver’s mother – and Paul is his father. Paul is stunned and, as Rebecca points out that this makes him Elle’s brother, Paul is speechless.

Regular Cast Credits