Episode 4703

Australian Air Date: 27th August 2008
UK Air Date: 15th October 2008

With a storm front on its way to Summer Bay, time is running out for the search party. Meanwhile, we learn what has happened to the missing Rachel.

Extended Summary

Grieving the loss of her baby, Martha asks Jack to call Alf and let him know what is going on. Alf gets the call during the organisation of the rescue. He tells Charlie the awful news but neither of them can bring themselves to break it to Roman now – he has enough to worry about with his only daughter missing on this stormy night

With a storm front on its way to Summer Bay and Geoff and Nicole missing after Elliot tried to kill them, everyone is worried sick about whether they will be found – dead or alive. The search begins by boat but just as they are starting to make progress the boat gets called to another emergency. Roman is losing his rag until he finds out Charlie has managed to pull some strings and get a chopper so they can cover more ground quicker. In the air, Roman spots the ‘help’ sign Geoff made and directs the pilot to the beach. To everyone’s relief, they have been saved – and it’s just in time for a sick Nicole who is taken off to hospital to recover from aspiration pneumonia. However, with one child safe in hospital, Roman is staggered when he finally finds out that Martha has lost the baby he fathered. In horror, he rushes to her bedside.

Meanwhile, we see what has happened to the missing Rachel. When she discovered that someone had taken medication from the boot of her car – and Jimmy tells her he saw some kid hanging around her car at the surf club – her mind goes to Aden. With his questions about his father’s condition, then buying the whisky, she figures Larry must be hiding out at Aden’s house – and that Aden took the medication for him. When Rachel goes to the house, Aden is clearly disturbed and muffled cries can be heard from the bedroom – it’s Larry and he’s in pain. Aden’s furious his father knew about the abuse all along and is totally distraught about all the lies Larry has told him. Unable to deal with this or properly process, Aden has held him captive without medical care so he’ll die… then everything will be over. Rachel turning up makes this difficult for Aden and, feeling he has no option but to take her captive too, he then ties Rachel and Larry up in the shed on mattresses.

Meanwhile, Aden has told Belle he has gone to stay with his aunty down the coast but when Belle calls him and hears a crash of thunder on the phone at the same time as it hit Summer Bay, she starts to suspect that he has been lying about his whereabouts. She heads over to Aden’s house and is shocked when she sees him standing outside Larry’s shed. Upon looking inside, she’s staggered to find a dishevelled, wild-looking Rachel and a deathly-looking Larry. What is going on? What sort of person has Aden become?