S12 E13 (29 Nov 97) : Power of Persuasion by Tony Lindsay
Episode Summary
Stewart Teasdale is a runner and his brother Darren is his coach. They train for a competition that will be soon, but in the middle of it Stewart has to go to the toilets. When he doesn’t return Darren goes to check where he is and finds Stewart lying unconscious on the floor by the showers. Darren gets an ambulance and Stewart is brought to resus, where they realise that his blood sugar is abnormally low. Someone checks his bag and finds it is full of drugs and that he has been taking insuline to get better results. Stewart explains that he feels he has to be really good to make up for the fact that his brother never made it. When he is feeling better they take him to a cubicle, but soon they realise he has run away. A while later Sunny finds him lying unconscious in one of the corridors after taking yet another overdose.
A young soldier has fallen from a rope ladder and has got some cuts in his face and a couple of small fractures. Eve Montgomery brings him in and when Mark takes over he asks Eve if anyone has ever told her that she would be a good nurse, not knowing that Eve actually is a nurse and will be working there.
Mary Pritchard is a widow in her mid-seventies and Richard checks what is wrong since she is coughing. Mary is just about to leave when Richard opens her coat and a little bird flies out from inside the coat. Mary explains that it is called Arthur after her late husband and Mark and Sunny have a hard time trying to catch it, especially since Eve thinks they should focus on other things. Mary reveals that she has many birds at home and Richard realises she is suffering from psittacosis and it takes a lot of convincing to get Mary to realise that someone needs to treat her birds as well.
Sheila Cassidy is about to leave to take her young daughter Jess to school, when she starts to feel unwell. Her husband Keith takes them to hospital and they find out that Sheila is suffering from a miscarriage. This is the fifth time this has happened and both Sheila and Keith are upset about it. Keith wants to have a child, especially since Jess is not his, but Sheila later admits that she does not want to try to have a baby anymore and Keith finally admits that Jess is enough for them and that they should not try any longer.
The A&E has turned into something of a children’s playground. Neither Sam nor Mark can stand Eve and she runs out of sympathy for both of them as well, especially when it comes to Sam, who is late for work and constantly on the phone trying to get hold of his boyfriend Paul. George and Richard are also annoyed of each other and George blames Richard for being as bad as Jack Hathaway. In the end of the shift they settle their differences and agree to go out for a drink after the shift. George asks Mark to join them, but he says he has something else to do.
Patients
– Stewart Teasdale, a runner, collapses in shower, as been injecting insuline. Takes an overdose in hospital
– Mary Pritchard, a woman in her seventies, psittacosis, has one of her birds with her
– Sheila Cassidy, has a miscarriage for the fifth time
– a young soldier who has fallen off a rope ladder, some cuts and broken bones
First Scene/words
[Stewart is a runner, who is training with his coach, his brother Darren. Darren is taking the time as Stewart is running 100 metres and is glad when he gets the time 11:28 on his stopwatch. After running Stewart walks towards Darren, who is smiling, contently.]
Last Scene/words
[George and Richard are having a drink after work. George is telling Richard about one of her ex-boyfriends.]
George: Tom was the one good thing that came out of the relationship. And that’s why I made the conscious decision, no more emotional involvements. No more ties. It’s quite simple really. Don’t get involved and you won’t get hurt.
Richard: It doesn’t always have to be like that.
George: Doesn’t it?
[George and Richard sit there for a while, looking at each other.]
George: I’ll get us another drink.
Notable Facts
– This is Eve’s first episode
Review by Karin
