Episode 7269

Extended Summary

Colby runs into Dean on the beach and gets a sarcastic reply to his query about whether he’s going for a surf. Colby notes that at least Dean’s off the booze. Willow appears and tells Colby that Bella’s sick. Colby says Bella’s faking it and Mackenzie was right. Willow says it was Mackenzie that called her: She couldn’t get through to Colby and has taken Bella to the hospital. At the hospital, the gunmen herd their hostages into the waiting area and tell them to sit. Mason protests that some people are seriously ill. The lead gunman, Phil, turns on him angrily and Alex and Jasmine have to intercede. Phil sends one gunman to guard the stairwell. He just misses Bella and Mackenzie coming out of the bathroom; they see what’s going on and duck into hiding. Phil tells everyone to hand over their phones; Marilyn struggles to find hers and one gunman, Reg, ends up taking her bag, removing the phone and handing it back. The man next to her, Ari, reassures her, Mackenzie’s phone rings; Reg goes to check it out but misses Mackenzie and Bella hide round the corner and then duck into the examination room. Colby rings again, now on silent. Mackenzie tells him they’re at the hospital and in trouble.

Colby joins other officers at the police station where McCarthy is briefing them: The rest of the hospital is being quietly evacuated, the lifts have been shut down and ambulances have been diverted. Their first task is to isolate the ED. McCarthy checks Colby is all right with his sister among the hostages, saying he can’t do anything hot-headed. Shortly after, the police arrive outside the hospital. McCarthy gives another quick report about isolating and evacuating. Colby wants to go straight in but McCarthy says they’re waiting for SRG since they don’t know the situation inside. He agrees to try and call the ED to find out what they want.

Ben stops Dean when he comes into the surf club, asking for a favour: He wants to take Maggie somewhere special to celebrate her test results and needs someone to mind the board shop. Dean agrees and Ben says he’s glad to have him back. Dean muses parents are meant to hate their children’s exes. Ben tells him not to give up hope. At the farm house, Maggie calls out that she’s nearly ready but it’s Ziggy who’s just arrived, saying she needs to come home for good. Ben arrives as well, as Ziggy says she made a big mistake and needs to talk to Dean.

Outside the surf club, John sees Dean putting the board shop sign out and comments on it being his second, third or fourth chance. Dean tells him not to take up comedy. John goes back inside as Ziggy arrives. She tells him she quit the job. She also admits she took a guy back to a motel room and kissed him but says she stopped it. Dean walks away. Willow sees this. Shortly after, back at the farm house, Ziggy fills in Ben and Maggie. They both agree it sounds like a toxic situation. Ziggy says she didn’t love the job enough and also missed Dean but thinks he now hates her.

Back at the hospital, Jasmine suggests to Jay that it can’t be a coincidence this has happened at the same time as the case but Jay points out they haven’t singled her out. Ari distracts a fretting Marilyn by saying he told his boss he didn’t need to come in there (he is wearing work clothes and seems to have an injured arm) but was told it was health and safety. Marilyn says she only came there for a book. Ari assures her that he knows men like this: If they wanted to hurt them, they’d have done it by now. Mason and Alex ponder if they’re there for drugs and wonder where Mackenzie and Bella went. Mackenzie checks through the window and Bella says she’s thirsty. Mackenzie gets her some water. Bella wonders why she’s being nice to her and Mackenzie quips that she wouldn’t be there if she hadn’t.

The hostages pass a water bottle about between them. The phone rings; Phil says it will be the police but Alex says it could be hospital business. Phil tells Jasmine to answer it. It’s Colby, who tells Jasmine to just answer yes or no: She manages to tell him that no-one’s hurt, Bella and Mackenzie aren’t there and there’s four gunmen. Reg takes the phone and says they want immunity, twenty million dollars and a helicopter, then hangs up. Colby and McCarthy wonder why they aren’t taking it seriously. Colby suspects it’s to do with Robbo. At the Fed HQ, Scott tries to get Robbo to sit out of the interviews but he wants to see Lance’s killers. Scott suggests Robbo and Jasmine lie low until after the trial but Robbo is convinced the crooks have inside info. A van pulls up with Des, who says he heard Lance is dead and wonders whose hand he has to shake.

At the surf club, Willow approaches Dean and says she’s there if he wants to talk about Ziggy. Irene comes in and asks John where Marilyn is. John thought she was doing her shift and recalls she was going to the hospital. Irene says she’ll check her place. Willow realises Bella and Mackenzie went to the hospital and they haven’t heard from them or Colby since. Outside the hospital, Colby and McCarthy conclude that the response team are an hour away and every exit is being watched. They see a film crew turn up. McCarthy says he’ll tell them as little as possible and predicts worried relatives arriving.

Robbo is questioning an unforthcoming Des so Scott takes Colby’s call. Colby tells him what’s going on but Scott doesn’t want to interrupt Robbo now. Robbo tries asking Des who they got to kill Lance and Dylan, wondering if he and Jasmine are next. Des agrees that would be logical if they were eliminating witnesses. Robbo says they won’t drop the charges against Victor although Des thinks it would be hard to get a guilty verdict with no witnesses. Robbo tries to get him to say how they knew Lance’s routine. At the hospital, Ari tells Marilyn his name is Ariki, called Ari. She asks if he has family and he says everyone has someone. She tells him about John and Jett. Mason and Ari start to talk about getting people out but Alex stops them, saying they’ll get someone killed. Phil asks what they’re talking about. Alex suggests letting people who need medical help go but he refuses. Jasmines asks why they’re doing it and he shushes her.

Outside, Dean and Willow arrive but are stopped by an officer at the cordon. Colby goes over and tells them about talking to Bella and Mackenzie, confirming Alex is probably in there. He says they’re waiting for the response team. Inside, Bella is feeling ill and admits to Mackenzie about stealing the pills. She doesn’t know what they were: She took a few and nothing happened so she took the rest. Mackenzie says she could be overdosing and she needs to get help. She says Bella could die if she doesn’t go outside. Bella says Mackenzie could die if she does and begs her not to leave her.