Channel Ten: 21/01/08, Five: 09/04/08
Marco tries to talk Carmella into having an epidural, but Oliver insists that isn’t what she wanted. Tim tells the Parkers that he wants number 26 for the land, so he can build three townhouses on it. Brad tells Riley and Elle that they have 48 hours to convince him not to sack the pair of them. Dr Olenski breaks the news to Carmella that her baby is showing signs of distress, so they’ll need to operate straight away…
In the operating theatre, Dr Veronica Olenski is about the deliver Carmella’s baby. A delighted Oliver tells Carmella that the baby is out, but there’s no crying and the little girl is quickly taken away to be revived. Carmella is distressed as she can’t hear any noise, and she calls out to Oliver.
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In the corridor, Frazer, Rosie and Marco are waiting for news, and Frazer is trying to lighten the mood by suggesting unusual baby names. Rosie and Marco aren’t listening, as they’re too worried, so Frazer tells them that everything is going to be fine and he’ll soon be off buying toys for his new niece. Rebecca, Paul and Elle arrive to see if there’s any news, and Elle explains that she’s being discharged, though Paul insists that she’ll still be taking it easy at home. Paul and Elle leave, while Rosie wonders when they’re going to hear some news.
Back in the operating theatre, the baby is still struggling to breathe, due to having amniotic fluid in her lungs. Oliver and Carmella are in a state of panic as Dr Olenski tells them that their daughter will have to be transferred to the neo-natal unit.
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In the corridor, Rebecca has joined Frazer, Rosie and Marco as they wait for news. They see an incubator being wheeled out of theatre and along the corridor and Oliver then comes out and explains that she’s having trouble breathing, but he needs to go with her.
In the operating theatre, Carmella is desperate to see her little girl, but Dr Olenski explains that her body needs time to recover from the operation. After the doctor leaves to check on the baby, Nurse Cotton tries to reassure Carmella that there’s nothing to worry about, as Rosie is brought in to comfort her sister.
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On Ramsay Street, Harold and Lou are preparing a protest about Tim Collins’ plans to build townhouses, though Harold thinks that the signs should say no to ‘inappropriate’ building, rather than a blanket ban on everything. They spot Elle being helped out of the car by Paul and ask if they can do anything, though she insists that she’s fine.
At the hospital, Frazer breaks the news to Marco that Lucia is planning to fly back from her trip. He jokes that her presence is probably the last thing that Carmella needs at the moment, and realises that Marco hasn’t met Lucia yet, so he has something to look forward to there. Frazer assures Marco that Carmella and the baby will be fine, and Marco asks Frazer if he wants to have kids of his own. Frazer admits that he’s keen but Rosie isn’t, and the current situation probably isn’t helping matters.
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At number 22, Paul takes Elle’s laptop away from her, telling her that she needs time to recover, and working isn’t helping. She then spots a story about the warehouse accident in the newspaper, commenting that it’s badly written and researched. She’s about to start writing a new article, when Paul angrily snaps at her that he almost lost her because of her damn job. Elle points out that she’s very close to losing that job, but she isn’t going to return to Lassiter’s, not now that she’s found something she truly loves doing. She also points out that it was the warehouse that was the problem, not her job.
Carmella is still lying in the operating theatre, with Rosie trying to keep her spirits up, though Carmella is now convinced that it was her drug problem that has caused the baby to have difficulty breathing. Rosie tells her to stop thinking like that, but Carmella can’t help fearing the worst and grows increasingly distressed that she can’t be with her daughter.
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Susan and Miranda are walking through the park, discussing how the kids are coping with the recent disaster, and Susan admits that she didn’t even know about the memorial service they held for Jessica. Susan asks if they can sit down in the shade, as the MS is causing heat sensitivity, but she doesn’t want Karl to know, as he’ll only fuss and delay starting his new job. Miranda says that Libby could look after her, but Susan explains that she’s heading back to Shepparton with Darren, leaving Miranda worried, as she knows about Darren and Janae’s kiss.
At number 22, Elle is busy working on her article, when Rebecca says that she’s going to head back to the hospital. She’s worried about leaving Elle on her own, since Paul had to go to work, but Elle insists that she’s fine. She asks how Oliver is coping, and Rebecca admits that he’s being strong, for Carmella’s sake. Once Rebecca has gone, Elle starts looking at some photos from the dance party and suffers another flashback as she sees the pictures of Riley on her laptop.
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In Carmella’s hospital room, she’s desperate to go and see her baby, but Rosie tells her that she’ll have to stay where she is until the epidural has worn off. Carmella asks Rosie is she saw her daughter, but Rosie says that it all happened so quickly – Carmella then calms down when Nurse Cotton brings her a photo of the baby. As Rosie watches her sister, she becomes upset and runs out of the room, straight into Frazer’s arms.
At the General Store, Lou is forcing a customer to sign the petition against development on Ramsay Street, before he’ll give her any change. Harold isn’t impressed, and is equally annoyed when Lou then forces Paul to sign before he can buy anything. Harold asks after Carmella, but Paul says he hasn’t been able to get in touch with Rebecca yet. Riley then comes in and asks after Elle. Paul tells Riley that it would be fine for him to go visit, though is annoyed to realise that Riley is working on an article of his own, so he probably won’t be able to take Elle’s mind off work.
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Back at the hospital, Frazer is on the phone to Lucia, updating her, when Oliver appears and explains that the baby has a type of pneumonia and her lungs are too small to manage on their own, since she was premature. Oliver then has to go and break this news to Carmella, and asks Marco to go with him.
At number 22, Elle is asleep on the sofa, and suffering nightmares about the roof collapse. She wakes up with a start, just as Paul gets back and tells her that Riley might be coming to pay her a visit. Elle acts like she’s not bothered, but as Paul starts talking about how Riley camped outside her hospital room, she gets annoyed and tells him to stop matchmaking – her job is far more important than her love life, and only an amateur would get involved with a work colleague.
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Nurse Cotton is checking Carmella, as she looks at the photo. Nurse Cotton tells Carmella that they’ll have to get approval from the nursery before she can go and visit. Marco and Oliver come in, and Oliver tries to act like things aren’t that bad, but Carmella can tell that something’s seriously wrong. Oliver explains that their daughter has Respiratory Distress Syndrome and needs to be on a machine to help with her breathing. Carmella demands to be taken to see her child, but they insist that she still can’t be moved – though as soon as it’s possible, they’ll take her.
At number 22, Paul is annoyed as Elle continues to work, on the phone to Brad discussing her newest article. Riley then turns up, so Paul leaves them alone. As he makes them a coffee, Elle takes a look in Riley’s folder, at the article he’s working on, and sees the headline ‘Under 600 tonnes of rubble’ before noticing the subheader ‘Trapped with the girl I love’. Elle is stunned and glances over at Riley before suffering another flashback to the roof collapse.
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At the hospital, Rosie, Frazer and Marco are gathered with Carmella, with Frazer suggesting naming the baby after the state of Victoria. Nobody’s very keen. Rebecca comes in and says that the good news is that the baby isn’t getting any worse. Carmella then finally snaps and demands that they get a wheelchair and take her to see her daughter, otherwise she’s going to crawl there.
At number 22, Riley sits with Elle and asks her what she thought of his article. He realises that she noticed the title and tells her that the accident has made him realise that life’s too short and he wants to be with her. Elle cannot reply and starts having another flashback, so she tells Riley to leave. She says that she wants to be a really good journalist, and she won’t let him or her dad stop that from happening. Devastated, Riley leaves.
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