Episode 6991

Extended Summary

Alf and Justin meet up near the beach, having both been looking for Ryder. Justin says Ryder running away might be partly his fault for stopping him from seeing Raffy but Alf says he can’t throw stones since he was the one who forgot his birthday. Alf sees Dean and asks him if he’s seen Ryder; Alf doesn’t give details but Dean offers to call him if he does. Meanwhile, Ryder is hitch-hiking. A car stops and he gets in.

At the Diner, John, Marilyn and Roo are all with Raffy, who complains that she doesn’t need a babysitter and that they should be worrying about Ryder instead of her. John thinks that he won’t get far and Marilyn thinks Raffy shouldn’t worry. Raffy points out Ryder got to Summer Bay from Queensland all on his own, which Roo is forced to concede. Raffy rebuffs John’s dismissive attitude, saying Ryder’s resourceful and isn’t a kid. Back at the farm house, Coco shows Ben and Maggie a uni application for a medical degree so Maggie can help with cancer. Maggie says she wasn’t being literal and Ben jokingly suggests Coco become a doctor instead. Maggie says she wants to find a way to help research. Coco sits between them with the laptop.

John, Marilyn and Raffy are at Salt. John admits he thought Ryder would be back by now and notes it’s getting dark. They do their best to reassure Raffy. Roo turns up but doesn’t have any news. Dean, at the bar, chimes in that he thinks Ryder will be all right and is smart enough to look after himself. Roo snaps at him then realises she’s being unfair but Dean apologises for butting in. Roo thinks the disappearance is her fault for not being there for Ryder. Dean gets out his phone and looks up Rick Booth. Later, John and Marilyn have taken Raffy back to the Morgan house. She wants to go looking for Ryder and refuses to go to bed but does take her medication. She quickly falls asleep on the sofa. Justin turns up and John and Marilyn hand over to him; he thanks them for what they’re doing.

Coco is looking at fundraising ideas on her laptop, suggesting morning tea or a girls’ night in. Maggie wants to do something bigger and spots an idea: Climbing a mountain. Ben and Coco explain it’s part of the State 8, climbing the highest mountain in each state or territory. Maggie likes the idea and Coco enthusiastically gives sponsorship ideas. Next morning, Justin calls out to Raffy about making her breakfast but gets no response. He goes to her room and finds it empty.

Alf is hosing down a boat outside the bait shop. Roo arrives and tells him she called Quinn, who hasn’t heard from Ryder either. Dean approaches and Alf asks if he’s told Ryder about any more River Boy hideouts but Dean can’t help. He gives Alf some rent in advance, explaining he’s taken a few days off work to do some stuff. Further down the beach, Ben leaves Maggie and Coco to do a power walk. Coco offers to go slow but Maggie insists on picking up the pace.

Alf, Roo, John and Marilyn are all in the Diner when Justin turns up and tells them Raffy’s missing and hasn’t got her medication. Marilyn tries to call her while John goes to look at the surf club. Meanwhile, Ryder emerges from the grass by the roadside, where he has apparently spent the night, and flags down a car which turns out to be Dean. Dean wants to take him back to Summer Bay but Ryder refuses, saying he’s going back to Quinn in Queensland. Dean offers to get him some breakfast and Ryder agrees but doesn’t want a guilt-trip.

Justin finds Raffy walking in a park area and gets her to sit down. Raffy is determined to find Ryder but Justin says she’s just going to give herself another seizure and gives her her medication. He tells her to set an alarm on her phone so she knows when to take it. Raffy is still worrying about Ryder: She feels she should have made sure he was all right and is worried she’ll never see him again. Justin says given the side effects of the medication she’ll probably fall asleep first, before assuring her it’s just until she gets used to it. He convinces her to come for breakfast. Raffy texts Ryder first.

Meanwhile, Ryder is eating while sitting on Dean’s car. He gets the text and tells Dean he’ll message back later, also refusing to call Alf. (He has missed calls from him and Roo.) He also ignores a call from Quinn. Dean sarcastically comments on Ryder having the whole town and his mother worrying about him and tells him to man up and stop worrying Raffy. Ryder excitedly asks Dean what he’s doing, thinking it’s secret River Boy business. After a bit of pushing, Dean snaps that he’s trying to find his father, then gets in the car.

Justin and Raffy are having breakfast outside the Diner. Raffy gets a text from Ryder saying he’s all right and was just out of coverage. She says she’ll let everyone else know. Justin wonders what she wants to do for the rest of the day, suggesting a horror film or a game of pool, and she starts to relax. Meanwhile, Dean and Ryder are driving , with Dean giving awkward silence and Ryder chattering. Ryder recalls that Dean said he didn’t know anything about his father. Dean says he’s only got a name and address, showing him the clipping about Rick. They draw up at a gate and find Rick’s home is a large mansion.

As Maggie and Coco walk, Coco sugggests Maggie start with Mount Meharry in WA, which is “only” 1,253 metres. She helpfully adds that Kosciuszko is 1,000 metres higher. Maggie looks sick and has to stop, dizzy and breathless. Coco goes to get Ben. Later, Ben and Coco help Maggie into the surf club. Maggie admits she’s unfit. Coco goes to get some water as Ben assures Maggie that it’s just going to take time to get back to normal and she’ll need to go slower. He tells her not to give up and suggests they ask Tori’s advice on a training plan.

Dean wonders if they’ve got the wrong address and is tempted to leave but Ryder repeats Dean’s advice to man up. Dean goes up the drive but hesitates at the door. Ryder sees a car pulling in and texts Dean an alert. A young woman, Kayla, gets out of the car and confirms to Dean that it is Rick Booth’s house and calls out to him. It turns out she is Rick’s daughter, which surprises Dean. Rick emerges and Dean says he’s not after a job or selling something. Apparently sensing what’s going on, Rick sends Kayla inside. He asks Dean if he knows him. Dean says he could have: He’s Karen Thompson’s son.