Episode 7263

Extended Summary

Dean and Mackenzie pull up outside the surf club. Mackenzie shakes Dean awake, saying she’s not going to let him sleep off his two day bender (which she feels destroyed the point of the trip) in her car. She drags him towards Salt, saying she needs a coffee after her early start. Dean complains about her “granny driving”. They run into Colby who asks how Dean is but Mackenzie says she’s handling it. Dean comments on her coldness towards him. At the race track, Alana speeds round a lap and pulls in for Kurt’s team including Ziggy to do a quick change. Ben and Maggie appear and watch for a bit before calling out to Ziggy. Kurt tells her to concentrate.

Irene brings Alf a cup of coffee outside the bait shop. Justin arrives and says he’s spent all night driving around looking for Leah but not found her or her car, despite checking every road to the hospital. Irene notes she checked with the tow companies and they haven’t picked up Leah’s car. Justin has learned from Mason that Leah hasn’t been at theirs and Alf has done the same with Roo. Seeing Colby (in uniform), they tell him that Leah’s missing. Soon after, Irene and Justin are with Colby at the police station. Irene recalls the phone call, then Leah leaving saying she had stuff to do: Irene assumed she was going to the hospital but Justin says she wasn’t there. Irene doesn’t know the exact time but it was late afternoon. Colby asks if there was an argument or if Leah’s done something like this before. Irene says she has a business and is in love, so had no reason to disappear. Colby asks for a phone number and recent photo, noting she’s been missing two nights.

At the gym, Willow is leading Alex in a boxing exercise, although she is distracted so the thirty seconds changes into fifty-five. Alex wonders what’s on Willow’s mind and Willow says she’s worried about Alex’s contract at the hospital ending. Alex says it was always expected and she’ll find another locum job. Willow wonders if it will be close by but Alex says it depends and she probably won’t know until a few weeks before starting. She notes she didn’t expect to meet Willow there but says they’ll work it out. At the police station, Justin shows Colby a photo of Leah on his phone. Colby says she’ll be officially considered a missing person case and they’ll be assigned a liaison officer. He says most people turn up within a week. Irene asks if that helped him when Bella was missing.

Ziggy introduces Ben and Maggie to Kurt and Alana during a break. She tries to get back to work but Kurt says she has another ten minutes. Ziggy notes that she’s busy but enjoying it, and asks about what’s going on in the Bay, then about the board shop. Maggie says she can ask about Dean if she wants. Ziggy says Dean’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with her life. At the surf club, Mackenzie chases Dean down from Salt. She is refusing to serve him beer, so he wants to get it from somewhere else, even if it’s Colby’s fridge. Willow tries to get their attention and Mackenzie asks her to talk to Dean, saying otherwise he’ll end up drinking in his caravan on his own. Willow realises Dean stinks of booze. Mackenzie says she’ll get him one drink if he eats something first.

Willow sits with Dean in Salt. Mackenzie brings him a beer but refuses to let him touch it until he’s finished eating. Willow asks if he’s tried to call Ziggy and Dean retorts that she hasn’t called him. He reflects that he always knew it would end like this. Willow tries to convince him that it might work out but Dean says people like them don’t get happy endings. Back at the race track, Ben and Maggie watch as Ziggy makes a mistake and gets a telling off from Kurt. Ben thinks Ziggy throwing herself into her work is an okay way of handling it and certainly better than Dean’s. Maggie though thinks they need to take a hard line and get her to talk to him.

Colby comes into the gym and asks Willow if she’s heard about Leah, asking if he can put up a Missing poster there. He also asks her to talk to Mackenzie about putting up a poster in Salt. Willow refuses to be his go between. Colby says he’s already checked on Dean and is giving Mackenzie space. Willow asks if he would have taken the risk with Mackenzie if he’d known how it would end. Sensing something is up with her, Colby invites her to walk with him. Down on the wharf, Alf sits with Justin, noting he’s gone through the wringer lately. Justin says that with Tori he at least knew where she was and that she was being looked after but doesn’t know what’s going on with Leah. Alf says everyone loves her and won’t give up on her.

Dean has finished his meal and drink and goes to leave Salt but bumps into a couple, Con and Carla. Mackenzie hastily offers them free drinks. She tries to get Dean to do something with her that afternoon, such as going backs to hers and talking, but Dean isn’t interested in anything other than drinking. At the race track, Kurt announces the end of work and he and Alana tell Ziggy they’ll see her at a party later. Ziggy tells Ben and Maggie she’ll be at the party so they should go. Maggie tries to get her to call Dean, saying she doesn’t need to choose between her job and him. Ziggy says the last time she tried to talk to Dean, he only spoke to break up with her. When they try and push the point, she tells them to go home.

Willow trails Colby as he puts up the Missing posters for Leah on trees, explaining about how Alex will leave once Tori recovers. Colby suggests they could do long distance but Willow isn’t keen on the idea. She notes he never answered her question about Mac and Colby admits he wouldn’t. Willow goes to the hospital and asks Alex if they can talk: They go into the office. Willow says she never expected this and never thought about Alex going, recalling Alex saying it wasn’t just a fling and admitting she’s really falling for her. She says her head is telling her to pull out but she thinks it’s worth the risk. Alex is delighted and kisses her. Willow suggests they go away for a couple of days and Alex says she’ll arrange cover.

Ziggy is in her chalet near the race track, in the process of getting changed. She gets out her phone and finds Dean’s contact. At Salt, Con and Carla are still at the bar while Dean is trying to get Mackenzie to serve him and ends up going round the bar to get a drink himself, to her protest. Carla tells him his phone’s ringing and he tells her to answer it. She does so, telling Ziggy that Dean’s busy and offering to take a message. Ziggy rings off and looks at her outfit hanging up. Dean comes back round the bar and tells Carla she should have just asked for his number. Carla protests that he told her to answer and Con isn’t happy about Dean cracking onto his girlfriend. They square up; Dean punches Con and they struggle.

Ziggy arrives at the party in her outfit and gets a wolf whistle from Kurt. He helps her get a drink as Alana looks concerned. Back at Salt, Mackenzie and the other staff try to split up the fight. Colby arrives, having been summoned by Mackenzie, and when Dean refuses to quieten down, he shoves him outside. Mackenzie follows but Colby sends her away. Dean still refuses to settle so Colby formally arrests him. Ben and Maggie arrive in time to see Colby bundle Dean into his car.