Original subtitles

FRANK: How do you know Von?

We, er... we met at a 'Star Trek' convention.

We go to the same yoga class.

I know you're lying to me.

Maybe we should just forget the whole thing!

Female, approximately 18 years old. Pedestrian versus motorbike.

You know the impact speed? About 55 k's an hour.

I can take over compression.

Cheers. How long you been working on her?

She was unconscious when we got there.

Crashed en route. A milligram of adrenaline's gone in.

Have you got a name? No. No ID.

Her right pupil's blown and nonreactive.

She's got multiple rib and bone fractures.

We had a lot of trouble maintaining her BP.

She's on her second litre of Hartmann's now.

One milligram of adrenaline. DAN: Got it.

NSA, please. Need an extra pair of hands?

Yep, highly likely.

Portable X-ray for full trauma series?

As soon as she's stable. Anyone know she's here?

She's a Jane Doe.

She's just a kid. Is someone tracking down her identity?

The cops are onto it.

That's the least of our problems right now.

I'm not sure her family would agree with you on that.

So how was your break?

Oh, it was good.

You were right. I needed it.

Yep? What did you get up to?

For the most part I sat around

thinking about what you guys would be doing,

which is pretty sad when you think about it.

And?

Um, I'm alright.

Honestly.

Had a lot to think about and I got it all sorted.

Good. Good.

Er, yeah, to the airport.

Thanks. You alright there?

You need a doctor? Oh, no. I'm fine.

You don't look fine. I'm not sick.

I was just meeting someone who works here.

Oh? Who's that? Um, Mike Vlasek.

He's a surgeon. I'm Frank Campion.

Director of Emergency Medicine. Oh. Juliet.

Ah! Why don't I help you track down Mike?

He's busy and I've actually just called a taxi.

Well, cancel it. Come on. You really don't look well.

At least let me check you out.

How's it going?

Subdural haematoma. Ruptured spleen.

Pulmonary contusions. Liver lacerations.

It's gonna be big. I'd be interested to know who's doing the anaesthesia.

You've got a visitor, Romeo.

Wh... (SIGHS)

I'm a little busy right now. She's having a lie-down in Subacute.

Why? What's wrong? Oh, nothing to worry about.

Blood sugar's a bit low. She's feeling a bit faint.

I'm looking after her. Now that does worry me.

(ALARM SOUNDS)

She's bradycardic again. Heart rate's 40. BP's dropping.

Christ! VF, no output. Commencing CPR.

Charging to 360. We need her next of kin.

Adrenaline, another one milligram. Got it.

They should be here.

Right now our job is to keep her alive.

Clear.

Going again. Charging 360.

Adrenaline in. Clear.

(WHEEZES)

Hi. We haven't met.

Claire Anderson. Oh. Jack Quade.

When did you start here?

Today, actually. Oh.

If you two are finished,

I wouldn't mind some attention here, if it's not too much trouble.

Dr Quade, this is Gemma Lee.

Breathlessness, chest pain, cough, recent history of flu.

OK. Well, let's take a listen to your chest, shall we?

(WHEEZES AND COUGHS)

How long's all this been going on for?

Read my notes. I answered all these questions in Triage.

Four or five days. A lot of brown mucous coming up with the cough.

Have you had anything like this before, Gemma?

Flu always goes to my chest. It's not usually this bad.

OK, well, your lungs sound pretty congested.

Are you a smoker? Used to be.

I cut back to 10 or 12 a day.

Gemma Lee's medical records.

Diagnosed with emphysema nine months ago.

Didn't think to mention that one? Oh, that's bullshit.

That's something that doctors say to scare us into quitting.

Emphysema is a very real and debilitating condition, Gemma.

Whatever. It's not what I'm here for. (COUGHS AND WHEEZES)

We'll get a peak flow done and bloods,

serum alpha-1-antitrypsin levels.

We'll need an ECG, chest X-ray

and we'll start her on antibiotics once we get back from Radiology.

I don't need all this.

Just give me the antibiotics so I can go home to bed.

I need to be a lot more thorough than that.

I promise we'll have you out of here as soon as possible, OK?

That's something, I suppose. Mmm.

And have you ever experienced any chest pain before?

Never. That's why I was so concerned.

I've read it's something you should take seriously.

Yeah, it's always something you should get checked out.

And is the pain radiating down either arm?

Um, maybe down my left arm a bit.

OK. Breathlessness? Oh, yeah, maybe a bit of that too.

Are you under much stress at the moment?

Definitely. A lot of stress.

Oh? What's causing it?

Work? Family? All of it, I suppose.

OK.

I am gonna do an ECG and that will check out your heart

and then I'll get a doctor in to examine you.

OK, would you mind calling my husband and asking him to come in?

Yeah, sure. Is he at work?

No, he's at home.

He didn't bring you in?

I-I didn't wanna worry him so I just... I drove myself here.

But... would you just mind calling him, please?

Sure.

Hmm, your pulse is still up.

I'm afraid you're gonna have to lie here for a while longer.

Is this a ploy to keep me here, Frank?

I have to give you a clean bill of health before I can let you leave.

MIKE: Get the lift. Don't wanna lose any time.

OK, see you guys tomorrow. Mm-hm.

CHARLOTTE: Thanks for your help today.

Are you feeling better? I am, thanks. Yeah.

Mike? Um...

I've gotta go.

Oh, I wouldn't read anything into that. He's a busy man.

Say smoking will kill me, then zap me with X-rays. Way to go, Doc.

Well, they're safe in small, controlled doses.

They cause cancer.

They're a lot less likely to than cigarettes.

You know quitting's supposed to be as stressful as bereavement or divorce?

And stress is supposed to cause cancer?

Is that where you're going with this?

Yes, quitting puts you at risk of stress-related cancer.

Well, we're looking at emphysema. It's not cancer.

Splitting hairs. No!

Most cancers will progress until they kill you,

no matter what you do.

If you stop smoking there's every chance

this emphysema won't get any worse.

You've gotta go sometime and I'd rather die happy.

Does smoking really make you happy?

About the only bloody thing that does.

(COUGHS)

(SIGHS)

Why didn't you tell me?

I didn't wanna worry you if it turned out nothing was wrong.

Didn't want me to drive you. Is that what this is about?

No, Ken. Don't be silly.

ECG's all clear, which is good.

Good, good.

I will still need to show this to a doctor

and get them to examine Roz, though.

You'll wait with me? Yeah, of course I will.

Shouldn't be too long.

Why don't you try and relax?

How can I relax when you pull a scare like this on me?

Bloody hell, Roz! You should've said something.

Hey, are you free to examine a patient?

Look at this.

Obs are normal, right?

She came in complaining of some chest pain,

maybe some pain in her left arm, maybe some breathlessness.

That's a lot of maybes. Yeah.

She seemed to be going with every symptom I offered her,

truth be told.

ECG's normal. What do you think's going on?

I dunno.

Maybe domestic problems.

Husband seems more annoyed than concerned.

Might be worth getting Von to have a chat with her, then.

Yeah, I would, except it's Von's day off.

Up and at 'em. Breakfast. Whoa, what is it?!

Is everything alright?

Every heard of waking a man gently?

Ever heard of pyjamas?

I don't expect you to make me brekkie.

Oh, I don't intend making a habit of it

but it's my day off today

and I thought you and I could use the day constructively.

Some forward planning,

like where do we go from here?

Or do you intend to spend the rest of your life lolling around on my couch?

Give me a break, Von, alright?

I only finished my locum gig two days ago.

Yes, and since then all you've done is eat, sleep and watch DVDs.

See, that worries me. Well, don't let it, OK?

I'm gonna put in for some more locum work.

Yeah, well, that's alright, short-term,

but you gotta work out where you wanna be five years from now.

My grandfather died of a heart attack.

Oh, he was 93!

You're fit as a fiddle. You walk every day, run round after the kids.

We need to make sure we haven't missed anything, Mr Bracey.

Oh! Whoa! Whoa!

How...

There's nothing wrong.

Why are you doing this, Roz? Why the hell are we here?

I told you why. Have you forgotten? No, I haven't forgotten.

Just...

Just doesn't make sense, that's all.

Let's do bloods, FBC, coags, troponin levels.

I need a coffee. Ken, stay, please!

So, that's some of the stress you were talking about?

No, he's right. There's nothing wrong with me.

Hmm? Nothing?

I'm sorry. It was the only way I could get a doctor to see him.

This is about your husband.

He won't see a GP. He gets angry if I even suggest it.

Well, what makes you think he's sick?

He's a different man lately.

He's moody, forgetful, clumsy.

Walking into that trolley - he does things like that all the time.

And it's starting to scare me.

We can't do much unless he asks for help.

Well, he won't!

He's worried too. I know it.

But he won't get help.

There is something wrong with him. I know it.

You've got to help him.

Please.

What's happening? Is Roz alright?

She's not usually one to cry wolf. Yeah. She got the all clear.

Well, good.

Good.

Although she's not sick, she is clearly anxious.

Has she been talking about me?

She told us she's been concerned about your health for a while.

Oh, I knew it! I knew this was a scam. (GROANS)

Do I look sick to you?

You look tired.

I don't need a doctor to tell me that. I keep telling her.

It would put her mind at ease if you'd let me examine you.

I think we've wasted enough of your time.

Well, er, it doesn't bother me.

I just think it might make your wife feel happier.

She thinks I've lost the plot.

I haven't.

I'm just a bit stressed, have trouble sleeping, a bit edgy.

Apart from that, I'm good.

A simple test is all I'm suggesting. How simple?

It's called a Mini-Mental State Exam.

It's a set of questions that assesses your cognitive ability.

Well, how long would this take? 20 minutes tops.

Then you can be on your way.

(SIGHS) OK.

OK. I suppose it's worth it. For her.

Yeah.

I don't want to stay in. Why can't I have the antibiotics in pill form?

Because we need to hit this infection fast.

Look, Gemma, this is serious.

Pneumonia complicated by emphysema...

I hate hospitals.

OK. We also need to keep you attached to a heart monitor.

Why do you keep harping on about my heart?

My heart's fine.

Your emphysema is depriving your body of oxygen.

It's putting strain on your heart.

OK, I have to go out and make a call

before you hook me up to all this stuff.

The entire hospital grounds are non-smoking.

(SIGHS) Just line us all up and shoot us, why don't you?

OK, let's get a cannula in and a sputum sample.

Can we give Gemma a nicotine patch?

I don't want a patch. I want a cigarette.

Clearly! But it's not an option right now. Sorry.

(SIGHS)

Smug bastard.

Here we go.

Aboriginal health centre in Arnhem Land

advertising for doctors.

Two-year contract. House, car included.

I saw that.

I'm not ready to make any long-term commitments just yet.

You can't just do locum work.

Not after all of the hard work you've put in.

It'll do for now.

I've earned the right to coast for a while. I'm hardly over the hill.

No. But you get bored. We know what happens then, don't we?

It used to lead to trouble.

Will you get off my back, Von? I'm not that kid anymore.

BART: Funnel, tunnel, engine, library, bottle.

Er, funnel, tunnel...

..something, book...

..something, turtle, throttle.

OK.

If you could copy this diagram for me.

So, what exactly does this test tell us?

It indicates if these memory lapses should be of concern to us.

Pentagons - being polygons with five sides of five interior angles.

Easy.

Obs are all normal.

Excuse me, guys.

OK, you scored 21 out of 30, which isn't great.

What would a good score have been?

High 20s.

(SIGHS) It's a stupid bloody test.

I haven't slept well in weeks and you spring this on me.

How am I supposed to think clearly?

Are you aware of yourself being absentminded lately?

(SIGHS)

This morning you showered, dressed and then went back into the bathroom

and started undressing to have another shower.

You know that worried you. Yeah. Your reaction to it did.

OK, squeeze my hands for me.

Bumping into things, dropping things.

He backed over the letterbox.

I'll find him in the middle of a room without a clue why he's there.

I get preoccupied sometimes. Maybe more than usual. I don't know.

I'd like to do a blood test and a brain scan.

(SIGHS) A simple bloody test, you said!

"20 minutes tops." What do you think's wrong?

It could be a number of possibilities -

an infection, a tumour of some kind.

Cancer?

A lot of tumours are benign.

But that's something we need to rule out.

Not every day the Head of Emergency does tea and sympathy, I'll bet.

Not every day Vlasek has a friend drop by.

Where did you meet?

A bar.

In Melbourne. That's where you're from, right?

I thought you said Mike never mentioned me.

Why don't I go and find out how much longer he'll be in theatre?

Oh, it doesn't matter.

Come on. You've come all this way. Give him a chance.

Mike's reaction to my presence was underwhelming.

Or didn't you notice?

Yes, he can be an awkward sod.

He doesn't like to admit he's wrong.

Who says he is?

You're not doing him any favours letting him off the hook that easily.

I know you mean well, but it probably was never gonna work out.

Oh, come off it. You've come all this way.

Surely you must have some hope.

Well, maybe. But I've also got some pride.

I don't need to put myself through this.

Yes, when it comes to pissing off people that are closest to him,

Vlasek is certainly without peer.

Are you trying to convince me or scare me off?

But you know what kind of a man he is.

He's stubborn, he's proud, he's a perennial adolescent.

But he does have SOME charm.

And whatever the difference between you,

you've been doing him a lot of good.

Well, my return flight isn't booked until tonight.

You can tell him I'll be around.

For a little while.

You can leave your bag in my office if you...

Thank you. I'd prefer to be able to make a clean getaway if need be.

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDE)

What are you doing? Trying to ID our Jane Doe.

It's a long-shot, I know.

But I thought somebody might have reported her missing.

Er... shouldn't the cops be doing this?

Yeah, well, the best that they've come up with

is that she doesn't live or work near the accident scene.

Hey, listen, mate, we haven't hung out for a while.

Do you want to grab some food, a few beers,

maybe get Bart around tonight?

Er... no, thanks.

I kind of just prefer my own company right about now.

You know you don't have to isolate yourself from us. We're your friends.

We do know what you're going through.

No, mate, you don't know what I'm going through.

OK?

Thanks anyway.

(INHALES DEEPLY)

(COUGHS VIOLENTLY)

Get rid of this for starters.

How did you get out here?

Through the bloody door. How about you? Broomstick?

(COUGHS)

Nicotine patch.

Full strength.

May make life more bearable.

Bearable's not being locked up in this godforsaken smoke-free zone.

The sooner you're treated and over the pneumonia,

the sooner you can go home and smoke to your heart's content.

(WHEEZES) I can't believe you just said that.

Yeah, I'm not sure I can either.

Come on.

(COUGHS)

(COUGHS) How did she get outside?

Walked out the door apparently.

(COUGHS)

Don't talk. Focus on slowing your breathing down.

You know, in general,

we try NOT to let the patients wander around the ED unattended.

Do you think you can manage from here on in?

Yes. Thanks for your help.

(COUGHS) Uh-oh. Busted.

(COUGHS) What's going on?

Er, Gemma was feeling a bit claustrophobic.

Needed some air.

I'll get her cannulated and take that sputum sample ASAP.

OK. This is not a game.

You need to start taking your condition seriously, Gemma.

(WHEEZES)

Alright. First things first.

(WHEEZES) Upper arm OK?

(BREATHES DEEPLY) Thanks for not dobbing.

Be warned - next time, I will.

The only problem is I've been working long hours.

Oh, you always have!

Especially when there's something big on.

What do you do? I'm a cabinet maker.

Just leave the pillow alone.

OK.

Ken's CT scans are back. Good. Can you take over here?

Yeah. Sure.

So, is it brain cancer or not?

There's no sign of any abnormalities at all.

That's good news.

A-OK. As I've been telling you for God knows how long.

Now, can we go? Er...

Got to wait and see what the bloods say.

They'll say what all your other tests say. There's nothing wrong with me.

For Godsakes, Ken, why keep denying what we can all see?

Ever think it's you that's lost it? You've changed!

There is no need for this. I couldn't agree more.

So, if we could just get the bloody brain scan done,

I can get out of here!

This is exactly the kind of thing I've been talking about.

This is your CT scan, Ken.

You've just come back from having it done.

(SIGHS)

The blood test! I meant the blood test.

You meant brain scan. This happens all the time.

Stop nagging me! Just stop it! I'm sick of it!

(SIGHS)

OK. Just put some pressure on that for me, mate.

Sorry.

I don't usually yell like that.

Just lately...

She's right.

What's happening to me?

It's OK.

We're gonna find out.

She's around 18, medium build, blonde hair.

OK, anyone looking for someone that matches that description,

could you just give us a call?

Thanks.

Still no luck? No.

I think I've called every hospital within 100 k's.

Nobody's called in looking for her.

Oh, well, you've done all you can.

She might be from out of town.

I'm gonna try the regionals.

Gemma Lee is cannulated, obs are stable

and the nicotine patch is kicking in.

How can you tell?

She hasn't called me a bitch for at least 10 minutes.

I think she's one very scared lady.

She is also rude and noncompliant.

There's no making excuses for bad manners.

She's OK.

And there's also no need to rush in quite so fast with a patch either.

If she was a heroin addict, you'd give her methadone, wouldn't you?

Well, heroin addiction is a sickness in itself.

But nicotine addiction is just pig-headed noncompliance? Got it.

She's not in for a sprained wrist. She's got emphysema.

Tolerance is one thing

but letting a patient get away with suicide, it's just plain stupid.

What was that about bad manners?

That is not personal.

He's just... He's going through a bad time.

What are your observations?

He's emotionally labile, suffering from short-term memory deficits.

Claims to be an insomniac but his wife disputes that.

Mm-hm.

For someone with insomnia, he seems to go to sleep quite readily.

He's a bit young for early-onset dementia.

Well, considering he's articulate, intelligent, a skilled craftsman,

he scored really poorly on that Mini-Mental State Exam.

Well, the test has merits but I wouldn't base my diagnosis on it.

What else you got?

Er... afebrile, no UTI,

no obvious signs of infection, no white cell elevation.

Homer, that's what you HAVEN'T got.

I take it you've considered Parkinson's.

Yeah, but from what I've seen, his balance and coordination are fine.

There's no tremors, no muscle stiffness,

no brachykinesia.

Do you think I send him for the MRI anyway?

When you say he's a craftsman, what does he do?

A cabinet maker.

What would you say he's doing right now?

He's hammering in nails. Mmm.

Routine daily task for him.

Now, that's interesting.

Oh. Sorry to wake you.

I wasn't sleeping.

Where's his wife? I want to have a talk to her.

Hmm.

Hi, Lil. Roz.

I might need you to pick the kids up. Text me. 'Bye.

Get someone to call Von. We might need her later on.

Mrs Bracey, I'm Frank Campion, Head of Emergency Medicine.

Er, what's happened?

Everything's fine, fine. Your husband's resting.

But I've got a couple of questions I'd like to ask you, if that's OK.

Of course. What do you need to know?

Has there ever been anyone in his family

had an unusual or unexplained illness?

Those I know seem healthy.

What about extended family -

cousins, second cousins, that sort of thing?

I don't know. Ken's grandmother went to the States as a war bride.

Most of them live over there. Oh.

You could ask Ken's dad.

He's big on the genealogy thing.

Sure. That could be helpful. Yep.

How worried should I be?

Please, just tell me what you're thinking.

I think your husband's trouble is physical rather than psychological.

But as yet, I can't put a name to it.

But when you do,

you'll be able to treat it and I can have my husband back?

That'd be the best outcome for any diagnosis, yep.

Listen, Claire, thanks.

I know I'm a pain in the arse.

Being sick brings out the worst in most of us.

(CHUCKLES)

I've never been renowned for my sunny disposition

but this lung thing scares the crap out of me.

It makes me worse.

Then why do you think you keep smoking?

Fear's one of those things that smoking fulfils.

It settles the panic.

So you smoke to ease the fear,

even though you know it's actually making things worse?

Sorry. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Well, I'll spell it out for ya.

I'd quit if I could, but I can't.

Because as you observed so astutely,

it's something I need.

(COUGHS)

Hey, actually, that's not quite what I said.

(COUGHS VIOLENTLY)

When it comes to quitting, there's plenty of help out there.

You just need to ask for it.

Claire, have you got a second? I'm busy right at the moment.

Oh, go! Bugger off and leave me in peace.

Now, please.

Claire, where do you get off telling...?

OK, here's the thing.

New girl or not, you had no right to come and pull me away from a patient.

You mean the one you were harassing with your sanctimonious bullshit?

Counselling on health care is a part of good nursing.

But bullying isn't.

Half an hour ago, you accused me of being soft!

Now I'm bullying? Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?

Ask her.

And while you're at it, have a word about

arguing treatment options with a doctor.

I am not the one with the problem here.

Yeah, I know. (DOOR SLAMS)

Listen, I'll speak to him.

You have my full support.

Will that do for now?

She just comes marching in here thinking she knows everything.

Her attitude sucks.

Will you just let her settle in

before you start making your judgements?

I don't need to. My instincts are good.

Not right now they're not. Which is understandable.

Have you had any news about Ricky?

This is not about her.

Have you heard anything?

No.

As hard as this must be for you, you've chosen to keep on working.

And I'm grateful for that.

But you cannot blame Claire for the fact she's not Ricky.

It's got nothing to do with it. It's irrelevant.

What you are dealing with

is affecting everything that you think and feel.

And that's natural. Listen, I'm on your side...

I just want to be able to do my job.

OK.

You have to let Claire do hers, though.

(SCOFFS) Whatever.

I've heard of it. I just didn't think we had any cases in Australia.

Ken's paternal grandmother married an American.

So, there are some families over there affected by it.

Yes. Ancient history.

But it's interesting.

We're looking after him.

Thanks for your help, Mr Bracey.

The pattern's emerging.

He had a cousin die in his early 40s,

aunt died in her mid-50s,

paternal grandfather died at 62

and HIS brother died in HIS mid-50s.

The lab rushed these through for you.

Confirming the presence of PrP gene mutation.

Is Von on her way in? Yeah.

Just how bad is this thing?

As bad as it gets.

So, it's not good news, is it?

No. I'm afraid it's not.

You've developed a form of insomnia

where you never actually fall beyond the early or pre-sleep plateau.

Yeah, so I'm not really asleep.

No wonder I'm so tired.

It's a genetic disorder.

And unfortunately, there's no treatment or cure.

You're saying that Ken will never sleep again?

That's ridiculous.

The condition you have is known as FFI.

Fatal familial insomnia.

Fatal?

What? This thing is gonna kill me?

Yeah.

Probably within the year.

FFI progresses in four stages -

increasing insomnia, panic attacks, general confusion...

That's the stage you're in now.

..hallucinations and escalation of panic attacks

and that's followed by complete inability to sleep.

Drastic weight loss in the third stage.

And stage four?

Eventually, all your bodily systems will begin to shut down.

You'll fall into a coma.

And death will come sometime after that.

How can you be sure he has this?

All his symptoms match.

And we spoke to your father. Your family history matches.

And we've run a genetic blood test.

There's no room for error, I'm afraid.

There's got to be something you can do.

Well, every day there are advances in gene therapy.

In fact, a few scientists think they'll find a cure.

But not for 10 or 15 years.

Are we missing the obvious?

If this is a lack of sleep doing this,

why can't you just give him sleeping pills?

Because if we induce sleep through medication,

you'll fall into an irreversible coma.

(EXHALES)

What about the kids?

I mean, if it's in the family...

Yeah. There's a 50/50 chance they'll have the defective gene.

But that doesn't mean they'll develop FFI.

Most people don't.

You're one of the unlucky ones.

I'm sorry.

You give me the number. I'll call them.

No, I'll wait. Just make it quick, OK?

Have you lost something, Vlasek? You send Juliet away?

Isn't that what you wanted?

I didn't want you to do anything.

Yeah, she said she was going to catch the first plane

that would take her away from you.

Right.

Unless, of course, I persuaded her to hold off until you got in touch.

Why would you do that? Oh, I don't know.

Maybe to give you the chance

to address some of the wrongs you've already inflicted on her.

You don't know anything and you've already decided I'm to blame.

What? So I'm wrong? Do me a favour - stay out of this.

Here I am. Oh, thank God you're here.

What's up with him?

Oh, nothing, nothing.

Well, Bart didn't say much over the phone.

But being my day off, it must be serious.

It is. Come with me. I'll fill you in.

OK. OK. I'll see you soon. 'Bye.

Hey. Got it.

Meredith Good.

Caught a bus from her home on the South Coast to Sydney 3.5 weeks ago.

Her family hasn't seen her since.

Spoken to them? Yeah.

Well, they could hardly speak. I did most of the talking.

But, um, they're on their way in.

Would it be OK if I went and sat with her until they arrive?

Sure. Ta.

Hey, good work.

Why has he got it in for me? What have I done?

Come with me.

Ordinarily, Dan Goldman is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

OK.

He was married recently to one of the nurses in this department.

And three weeks ago, she went missing.

His wife is the missing nurse?

Well, I had no idea.

She's just vanished.

No trace.

And we are all hoping that, um...

Right. I get it.

Er... I've taken her position on staff.

I promise to do everything within my power

to not let what happened today ever happen again

if you promise me you won't leave.

Who said anything about leaving? Oh, thank you!

(MACHINE BEEPS STEADILY)

DAN: Why did you do it?

There must have been a reason

why you couldn't just pick up a phone and call your family.

Your mum and dad were so scared that they'd never see you again.

They asked me to say that they love you.

How's she doing?

Um...

..she's stable.

The next 24 hours will tell.

Made it this far. She's a fighter. Mmm.

I'm sorry about your wife, Dan.

Yeah, well, you know...

..she's a fighter too.

(SIGHS)

How long before...

..I can't recognise Roz and the kids?

Well, everyone's different. I'm sorry. I can't be specific.

They get upset when I forget things now.

How are they gonna cope when I'm...

..pissing my pants and drooling?

You know, I'm constantly amazed

at just how well a loving family can cope.

They shouldn't have to.

No.

And if I take sleeping pills...

..that's it, lights out?

Yeah. You'd fall into a coma.

Then write the prescription.

Let's get this over with.

I can't prescribe anything I know would kill somebody.

It wouldn't be too hard to convince some GP

I needed some sleeping pills.

Yes, although, if it was me that had so little time with my family,

I think I'd want to make the most of every minute.

If I wanted to skip the last two stages...

..would I know when it was time?

Mmm.

You really have to talk to Roz

about how this is gonna work for you and your family.

Are you... alright to drive?

Yeah. I need to pick up the kids. Can't somebody else collect them?

No. I need to see them. I need to see my babies.

You know, I thought at worst, depression.

A friend of mine had it.

Same, she said - insomnia, moody.

They gave her some pills and she was fine.

Give me the keys. I'm driving you.

It's too big.

I can't get my head around it.

You'll get help.

You will get all the support you need.

That is what I do. That's why I was brought in to talk to you.

So use me.

The thought of what he's going through...

Knowing it could happen to Marley and Dion...

God! Everything! Everyone that I hold most precious.

How do I tell them?

When?

Look, this is damn hard for you.

But you and Ken, there will be time for you to get these answers.

Months.

Not years.

I thought we had a lifetime.

Come on. (SOBS)

The neurologist I've referred you to is a mate of mine.

Call his rooms. He'll fit you in tomorrow.

I wish I could say it's been a pleasure.

Come here. Oh!

How's the breathing?

It's a bit easier, thanks.

You know the drill.

Deep breath in, then all the way out.

(INHALES SHARPLY)

(EXHALES)

(COUGHS)

Hey, you know, before...

..you were just calling a spade a spade,

which is what I do all the time, so...

You know, you said smoking was the only thing that makes you happy.

Is that true?

Blame it on a screwed-up childhood.

I had dreams, you know?

Study, travel...

..live life...

..find someone to love.

(SCOFFS) There's a joke.

Gemma, why not treat this as a wake-up call?

Nah. Too late for that.

Oh, rubbish!

You're only here because of a bad habit.

Change the plan. Try something new.

It's your life.

It's in your hands.

Thanks for coming back.

I was halfway to the airport when I got your call.

I thought I'd better make sure

that Frank didn't blacken my name too thoroughly.

I'd be back home by now if it wasn't for him.

So, um...

..why did you come?

You haven't been returning my calls.

I wanted to talk to you.

What about?

I mean, I thought you wanted this over.

I've missed you, Mike.

I tried not to but I failed.

So I'm here to see if there's any way for us to continue.

You mean... just pick up where we left off?

I mean go forward.

Whether you can handle it or not, you should know the truth.

Yeah, I should.

The man who hit me was a client.

He was very drunk and obviously I won't be seeing him again.

Any reason why you're not having him charged with assault?

I prefer to keep the police out of what I do.

I'm an escort, Mike.

I have been for years.

Well, you said you wanted honesty.

(SCOFFS)

For God's sake...

I'm not ashamed of what I do.

Then, er...

..why weren't you upfront with me?

Because there's more to me than my job.

If you can live with it, let me know.

(DOOR CLOSES) Is that you, Von?

Axe murderer.

Not much of a day off.

Yeah, well, you get that.

Something smells good.

Chicken Madras.

Extra hot.

My way of saying I'm sorry.

No need.

You're not a kid anymore.

I shouldn't treat you like one.

You only do it 'cause you want what's best for me.

You have saved my life.

More than once.

Pointed you in the right direction.

Yeah. Like this...

Yeah. Mmm.

But seriously, I'm finding things have a way of unfolding

without too much forward planning, you know?

And it's interesting. I like it.

It's kind of Zen.

Zen?

Look, if you've got a problem with that

or you think I'm wasting my life,

I can understand but I should probably move on.

You can have my couch for as long as you want.

But in future,

put on some bloody pyjamas, please.

(SIGHS)

Your FFI patient been discharged?

Yes.

I never want to diagnose anything like that ever again.

Got a sec? Come in!

Here's a copy of a letter I just handed in to Admin.

What is it? My resignation.

What?!

Resigning won't solve anything. What's to solve?

You forced me to take time off, think about what I wanted...

I forced you to take time off to get your act together,

not to throw your career away!

I'm not throwing it away. I'm putting it into perspective.

Am I missing something here? Things change.

I'm carrying on as normal and it doesn't really feel right.

I need to break the routine and... see what else is out there.

Great! So you're going to resign on the basis of an existential crisis.

I'm gonna go travelling.

Take time to consider my options.

Where are you going to go?

Um, I don't know. I'll just see which way the wind blows, I guess.

It all sounds just a little woolly.

Hmm.

Are you sure this is what you really want?

Yes. This is what I really want.

So, I'll stay as long as it takes to find a replacement.

But after that, you're on your own.

What the bloody hell have you said to him?

That was his decision. And maybe it's not a bad one.

He's young, he's ambitious

and he thinks there's a world out there to explore.

Yes, yes, yes. I do remember that vaguely.

Well, maybe you should be wishing him well.

Find a replacement.