S16 E9 (10 Nov 01) : Distant Elephants Leslie Stewart
Episode Summary
Josh is still working out his notice, and is doing some DIY. Outside a hardware store he helps fix a young woman, Joanna’s, car. He then goes to hand in his uniform at the paramedic station.
21 year old, Alex, is brought in with a knife wound after being in a fight. His teenage girlfriend, Jackie, is with him. Nikki is not impressed with her attitude. Comfort talks to Jackie in the toilets, where she reveals to be having problems with her parents. Comfort then notices, blood on her trousers – she has a stab wound to her thigh. Patrick gives her a blood test and warns she may have hepatitis as she failed to be immunised, after being too busy, and is off the road until her tests come back.
Nikki is then partnered with her boss, Jeff McGuire, who decides to return to the front line. But he makes a fool of himself in two shouts; first to that of a black cyclist with minor head injuries when he is unable to open the trolley, and then misdiagnoses the collapse of an old lady, Rebecca, as having a heart attack when she infact has severe indigestion.
Before the next call, Jeff persuades a reluctant Josh to return to work as they are short staffed, by saying ‘someone may die’. Nikki is glad when he agrees, and they go to their next shout – a car which has crashed in a wood. Josh is shocked to find it is the woman, Joanna, that he helped earlier. Patrick and Colette arrive in a fast response car and Patrick says she is severely injured and that she will not survive much longer. Josh says he will stay and talk to her until the end, she thanks him for making her safe and passes away. Colette asks him if he will come back to work, Josh says he is a paramedic and that’s all he wants to be. Nikki tells Patrick how much he admires Josh, and jokes that atleast Jeff wasn’t the last person Joanna was with.
Comfort’s test results come back negative. She shouts at Jeff, who threatens her with disciplinary action for not getting immunised. Her husband, Rob, comes to collect her. She breaks down in the car, and he cuddles her.
Patients
* Alex Stevens – 21 year old with stab wound after being in a fight.
* Joanna – car crashes in a wood and is trapped in a lake. She has severe injuries and is unable to be saved.
* Cyclist – minor head injuries
* Rebecca Markham – old lady collapses outside church, turns out to be only severe indigestion.
First Scene/ words
Alex is wheeled into A&E by paramedics;
Alex : I’m going to die, I’m going to die!
Comfort : You’re not going to die! This is Alex, 21 years old, involved in a knife fight, wounds to face, arms, hands, obs are normal throughout
Last Scene/ words
Colette : So you coming back then?
Josh : I’m a paramedic me, nothing else makes any sense.. course I’m coming back! (the sun shines from within the rain clouds)
Notable Facts
* Louisa Millwood-Haigh plays Joanna.
UK Viewing Figures
9.10m
