Episode 6983

Extended Summary

Colby runs into Willow on the beach and says he heard Dean’s back in town, asking if he’s heard from Karen. Willow tries to avoid the question, asking Colby about Chelsea. Colby says things are different from when they were in the city, then asks again. Willow claims he doesn’t know. At that moment, Karen and Dean are both unconscious in the caravan, with the gas still on.

Ben finds Maggie up and wanting Coco to get up as well so she can get to school; it’s her first day back and she says she’s been waiting for it for a long time, hence she got up at the crack of dawn and made her lunch. Coco walks in on her parents kissing and Maggie says she can stop them by getting dressed: Maggie’s made a breakfast for Coco to have on the way. Maggie and Coco are greeted at school by Roo, who shows them a Welcome Back banner, while Maggie also gets a round of applause from the students. Roo takes Maggie and Coco to the office where there’s a list of new directors and a pile of paperwork. Maggie is keen to get down to it: She finds her computer password has expired and calls IT.

Willow has an awkward encounter with Chelsea at the caravan park. Chelsea says Willow doesn’t need to look as if she’s worried she’s about to haul her in for questioning and she wants to get to know Colby’s friends. Willow quips that it’ll help when she gets pulled over for speeding and things get awkward again when Chelsea says she hopes she’s joking. Willow goes to Dean’s van and is soon gagging on gas. Seeing him unconscious, she calls to Chelsea, who joins her and finds Karen. Near the Diner, Irene brings Ben a coffee and notices him checking his phone in case there’s an emergency call. She says they need to get used to a different kind of normal. Colby comes past and gets a call from Chelsea.

Colby pulls up at the caravan park in a police car. Dean is being looked after by ambulance staff with Chelsea and Willow nearby; Karen is being loaded into the ambulance. Dean is awake and alert and seems more concerned about Karen, prompting Willow to point out she nearly killed him. Chelsea explains to Colby that the gas was left on and they’d both be dead if a window hadn’t been cracked. At the hospital, Dean continues to worry more about Karen but is convinced to get treatment, with Willow going with him. Chelsea thinks they should keep him and Karen apart. Colby thinks they can trust Dean but Chelsea points out he and Willow both hid Karen from them. She wonders why Colby never mentioned Dean in the city, since it’s clear they’re best friends.

Coco asks Maggie what’s going to happen to Raffy, since she can’t sit the exams and won’t be able to move on to Year 12 without them. Maggie tells her not to worry about it now and sends her in to her biology exam. Roo asks Maggie about the paperwork; she admits she hasn’t made a dent but says it beats chemo. Later, Maggie is on the phone to someone in the office explaining that Raffy’s assignment marks don’t reflect her ability. Ben turns up with a coffee and asks if she has time for lunch but she’s still snowed under. She gets a call from the department and asks Ben to wait outside.

Dean and Willow go to see Karen. She doesn’t seem to remember what happened or how Dean got his head injury. They tell her she hit him and she thinks he must have done something to deserve it. They add that she left the stove on and nearly got them both killed. Karen says Dean shouldn’t have left her in the kitchen on her own and recalls him lying on the floor “not helping”. She snaps at Willow and tries to talk Dean around but he pulls away. Later, Colby and Willow talk to Dean about getting Karen scheduled, saying it’s not a punishment. Dean isn’t looking forward to telling her. Colby says they can do that and Willow worries she will emotionally blackmail him but Dean is committed and signs the forms. Colby looks at Chelsea. Dean and Willow go to Karen’s room and find her gone.

Dean approaches Karen on the beach, noting that somehow he’s always surprised when she does a runner. Karen says she didn’t mean to hurt him but Dean says she did anyway. She says she’s always been a train wreck and doctors don’t know her. She tries to get Dean to drive to Queensland with her or go on motorbikes. Dean says maybe one day and Karen sees Colby, Chelsea and Willow waiting nearby. Dean holds Karen to stop her running off; she first begs him to let her go, then says the day he was born was the worst of her life. Colby and Chelsea lead her away and Willow hugs Dean. Later, at Salt, Chelsea leaves the others to do the paperwork. Colby and Willow tell Dean he did the right thing; he agrees but doesn’t feel like celebrating and leaves them. Willow asks Colby about Chelsea and he admits they were engaged and he still has the ring. However, he hasn’t told her everything still. Willow realises he means Dean going to jail and suggests he doesn’t have to but Colby says he can’t keep on lying to her.

Roo and Coco chat outside the exam room, wondering if Ryder is studying. Coco finds Ben still waiting outside the office and jokes that he’s on detention. Ben is a bit put out that visiting his wife seems to be wrong. Maggie emerges and chats to Coco about the exam, as well as apologising to Ben for the half hour phone call. However, she quickly has to leave to answer the phone. Ben offers Coco a lift to the hospital to see Raffy. Later, Maggie is still making her way through the pile while Ben arrives home and calls out that he has cake before realising no-one’s home. He calls Maggie who says she lost track of time and to eat without her. He looks despondent.

Chelsea turns up at Colby’s flat and asks how Dean is, before discussing Karen getting help. Colby says he needs to talk to her about something. They walk by the beach where Colby admits she’s not going to like it. He says he and Dean grew up together but he let him down and didn’t know how badly until he came back to the Bay: Dean went to jail for something he did with him.