Episode 6712

Extended Summary

Ash staggers out of the warehouse, badly beaten, and finds his tyre slashed. He rings Justin, who is on the beach and thinks Ash is throwing a sickie. Ash says he needs help and it was Zannis. At the rehab clinic, the counsellor, Kathryn, tells a group including Brody that they need to learn to manage stress in their life, since something caused them to start taking drugs in the first place. As the session ends, she approaches Brody and says she was hoping he’d say something. Brody says he’s been to every session but Kathryn tells him it’s about more than just turning up. Brody tells her to give him time.

Tori is chatting to Mason as the nurses detach the breathing apparatus. He is initially unresponsive but eventually mumbles her name, then adds that he can’t move his legs. Tori tells him she’ll go and get Simms. Elsewhere, Justin finds Ash, who says he’s called the police but isn’t looking forward to telling Kat what happened. He doesn’t think Zannis knows where Brody is and doesn’t think he cares; he said he was skipping town and just wanted payback. Justin gets a call from Tori and asks about Mason; his expression indicates the mixed news he’s getting and he says he’ll get Raffy.

Justin, Raffy and Ash arrive at the hospital where Tori is consulting with Simms. She is momentarily stunned by Ash’s condition before relating that they need to run more tests on Mason. Raffy asks if he’ll walk again; Tori admits she isn’t sure but says he’s breathing on his own which is a good sign. They go into Mason’s room where Justin tries to be upbeat although Raffy seems to be only just holding it together. Mason asks about Brody and then about the neck fracture. Tori tells him it’s incomplete and the spinal cord’s intact so it might just be a case of waiting for the spinal shock to heal.

Kat finds Robbo leaving a note on her caravan door. He tells her there’s no answers in Summer Bay so he’s heading to the city. Kat isn’t keen on the idea of him going off on his own with amnesia and tries to get him to stay at least until they get the information on the tattoos back but Robbo says he’s going to pack. At the hospital, Justin and Raffy try to perk Mason up by telling him Buddy’s missing him but Mason is scared of being a quadriplegic. Tori and Simms come in to conduct reflex and sensation tests. Simms tells Mason to close his eyes and let him know when he feels something. He touches his leg for some time without reaction, leaving Mason in tears as he realises he can’t feel anything. Simms tells Mason to let him know if it’s sharp or blunt and starts pricking his leg. At first there is still no response but when he pricks the front of Mason’s shin, a delighted Mason says he feels it and it’s sharp.

Kat gives Robbo details of hostels and also gives him money and her number. Robbo tries to refuse the money but Kat insists he take it when he turns down her offer of a lift. She then gets a call from Ash. At the hospital, Tori is checking Ash over and says nothing’s broken. Ash thinks it was all for nothing but Tori says that thanks to him they know they don’t need to worry about Zannis and is grateful. Kat comes in to find them holding hands and berates Ash for ignoring her and interfering. He explains he didn’t know Zannis was going to be there. Kat tells Tori she’s glad to hear about Mason but her tone is rather challenging. Tori, in a similar tone, says they now need to find the person who hurt him.

Justin and Raffy watch, pleased, as Mason wriggles his toe. Tori comes in and says his CT scan shows improvement; his feeling and movement should be better the next day but it could take weeks. Raffy suggests calling Brody but Mason abruptly says no. Realising they’re all looking at him, he adds that he’s tired and wants to be alone. Out in the corridor, Raffy still wants to tell Brody but Justin and Tori tell her he needs to concentrate on his own recovery. Annoyed, Raffy pushes past them. At the clinic, Kathryn tells Brody that his brother (presumably Justin) mentioned him hallucinating his mother, which he’s never mentioned to her. Brody thinks it’s not important even when Kathryn points out he had hallucinations before taking the drugs. She tries to get him to talk about his parents but he refuses, saying it’s a waste of time.

Alf and Roo find Robbo on the road out of town and he tells them he left the key behind. Nearby, Raffy is at the bus stop with a leaflet from the clinic. A young man in a ute, Mackenzie, pulls up and tells her they used to go to school together. Raffy thinks that he graduated the previous year and he corrects her, saying he dropped out. He offers her a lift to the clinic. Alf and Roo watch with concern, recognising Mackenzie as a River Boy. Raffy gets in the ute and Mackenzie fondles her leg, saying he needs to go to a mate’s place first. Raffy changes her mind and opens the door to get out but Mackenzie drives off before she can. Robbo chases after them and jumps on the back of the ute, yelling at Mackenzie to pull over. He brakes and Raffy and Robbo both jump out before Mackenzie drives off. Alf and Roo run up and Raffy runs to Roo. Alf and Robbo exchange companionable nods.

Roo takes Raffy to Justin and Tori at the hospital. She tells them the police have been informed and mentions they have Robbo to thank. Raffy admits what she did was dumb. Justin promises to go and tell Brody about Mason in the morning. Meanwhile, Alf finds Robbo in the caravan park: He says he’s staying around to make sure Raffy’s okay and in case the police need a statement. Alf compliments him on helping Raffy, which he says was just instinct, and suggests he stick around. Robbo notices Ash and Kat approaching arguing. Kat thinks Ash scared Zannis off. Ash says he was trying to find the person who was after Brody and hurt Mason but Kat thinks he did it for Tori, despite his promises. She tells him to sort himself out or leave her alone.

Mason is lying in his room upset and asks Tori not to come in (which she ignores). He says he knows he should be strong but he’s worried that he’s going to be stuck in the bed permanently. Tori insists she’ll make him better. Later that evening, Kat and Robbo meet up at the Diner. He says he’s going to take her advice and stay. Kat reports that Raffy is shaken up but was impressed by him and calls him a hero. They establish they’re both getting takeaway so decide to eat together instead with Robbo pointing out that the only money he has is from her.

Back at the clinic, Kathryn is telling the group they need to talk about their triggers and tells them to discuss it with the person next to them. The seat next to Brody is empty but then a new arrival enters: Lena. In hushed tones, Brody asks why she’s there. She assures him she hasn’t heard from Zannis and says her parents put her in there after she flunked a semester of uni. She explains she was the one who told his family where to find him at the ice den but also thinks she’ll be bored there: She’s hidden a spare set of car keys and is going to leave after head count in the morning. She invites Brody to come with her.