Episode 7297

Extended Summary

Dean comes downstairs from the flat. Ari grabs him and demands to know who he’s spoken to and how John found out. John stands nearby, watching them. Dean insists he hasn’t told anyone and wouldn’t talk to John. Ari lets him go and Dean invites him upstairs to talk. John, who was out of sight when Ari looked round, reappears. Inside the Diner, Gemma goes into the kitchen and John, apparently unaware she’s there, comes in and tells Marilyn he saw Ari attacking Dean. Marilyn observes that John doesn’t usually care what happens to Dean. John insists Ari is trouble but Marilyn says John’s just spreading malicious gossip.

At the Morgan house, Tori and Irene celebrate the fact that Grace was found to be in the 95th percentile. Irene calls her a giant. Tori prefers the word “thriving” and comments on leaving her to go back to work. Justin comes in, on the phone to McCarthy, saying he’s not going to push Leah. He tells Irene and Tori that Douglas has been charged over what he did to Colby. Leah comes in and asks what’s going on. Justin explains that because she told Missing Persons she was with Douglas voluntarily, he can’t be charged with kidnapping or detaining without a statement or a confession. He explains about Colby being stabbed, being in hospital but being okay, and that Douglas will be charged with that. Leah decides she wants to talk to the police.

Willow and Alex are on the balcony at Salt. Willow thinks they should order champagne but Alex wants to know what’s changed. Willow says nothing has: She loves Alex and wants to be with her. However, she’s a bit cagey when it comes to packing, wanting to delay their departure. Alex concludes Willow’s just saying what she wants to hear and thinks if Willow comes with her she’ll end up hating her. At the Diner flat, Dean asks Ari how he was involved in the robbery. Ari says he wasn’t, but once the papers got hold of the story they dug up dirt on him and word got around. Ari asks if John can cause trouble for him and Dean confirms he would. He refers to John as an idiot but also acknowledges he’s trying to protect his wife.

Tori is taking Grace out; Leah feels bad that she has to leave but Tori says she had to go see Marilyn anyway to check she’s okay with looking after Grace tomorrow. Tori quietly warns Justin the statement could be upsetting for him as well as Leah. Justin says he’s not going to hear anything worse than what he’s already imagined. A short time later, Justin and Leah are sitting with McCarthy who asks Leah how she knew Douglas. Leah says he was a stranger: He called her saying his wife was ill in hospital and wanted to see her. Leah knew the name from her website and thought she could see Tori afterwards so went to the hospital. However, Douglas was waiting in the car park, got in her car and told her to drive. She went along with it thinking she could get away but now wishes she’d fought back then. Justin asks if she wants to stop but she insists on continuing.

At the Diner, Marilyn confirms to Tori that she’s fine to take Grace. Jasmine, sat nearby, comments on Tori starting back at work. Tori tries to say that she’ll pick it up straightaway but Jasmine knows she’s freaking out. Back at the Morgan house, McCarthy asks if Douglas said why he was doing it. Leah says he hated her website and what it stood for, and kept ranting about women knowing their place. Whenever she upset him, he hit her, so she learned to stay quiet and not have an opinion. McCarthy asks if she was sexually assaulted. Leah says no, but he kept talking about them having a wedding night. McCarthy says Douglas hasn’t said much but they spoke to his ex-wife, who said he was physically and emotionally abusive towards her and Leah’s website gave her the courage to leave. With Leah’s statement, they can put him away for a long time. Justin thanks McCarthy for coming. After he’s gone, Leah tearfully says that when she realised what Douglas was going to do she had to get out.

Willow and Alex exit the surf club. Alex prepares to leave but Willow suggests it’s too late and asks Alex to stay one last night. They head back to the beach house where they kiss and go to the bedroom. Meanwhile, Tori has returned home with Grace and is greeted by Justin who says Leah crashed out after giving the statement. Tori explains she had a bite to eat with Jasmine. Justin hopes Leah starts to get over things but says he doesn’t want to tell her about Mason yet; she hasn’t even noticed he’s missing. Tori wishes he was there. She laments having to spend a day without Grace, saying she’s excited, nervous and sad at the same time. Justin says it’s like riding a bike then remembers she was bad at that. Tori notes she’ll miss out on a lot of moments.

At the Diner, Gemma thanks Marilyn for giving the family a chance. Marilyn says she can never thank Ari enough for the support he gave her during the siege. Gemma admits she doesn’t know what they’d do without him. At the surf club, Ari comes in and John quickly shuts the till. Ari says he’s not there to steal ice cream money but to talk. He asks John what he wants and John says he wants Ari out of town, adding that if he goes, then Gemma and Nikau are welcome to stay.

Gemma meets with Ari on the pier. She doesn’t like the idea of him leaving town. Ari says he’ll get a place in Yabbie Creek and come visit. Gemma says they’ll go with him. Ari points out she has a job and Nikau has friends but Gemma says she can commute. Marilyn appears and asks what’s going on. Ari says he has a job in Yabbie Creek so wants to move there. Marilyn asks what’s really going on. She heads to the surf club to confront John, saying if Ari leaves, Gemma and Nikau will go too. John is fine with that. As Dean and others look on, John says Marilyn if too kind-hearted while Marilyn calls him small-minded. John says he’s the same man she married. Marilyn says that may be true but she might not be the same woman.

Next morning, Willow wakes up alone and finds a note from Alex on the pillow. In it, Alex says Willow will probably hate her for this but would have hated her more if she’d come with her. She says she saw a future for them but isn’t sure they saw the same thing, and that she loves and misses her. Willow screws up the note. She goes to the Diner flat and tells Dean that Alex has gone. Dean comforts her.

Jasmine goes to see Tori with early morning coffee. Tori notes Grace woke up three times during the night and wonders if she knows something. She adds that she’s already shattered and isn’t sure if she’s doing the right thing. Jasmine says she just needs a push to take the first step. Near the beach, Marilyn, Ari and Gemma are walking. Gemma feels bad about the trouble they’ve caused but Marilyn says it’s down to John. She goes over to meet Tori, who hands her a schedule (which she admits is a bit detailed) and leaves Grace with her.

At the hospital, Tori retrieves her ID from a drawer. She looks nervous. Jasmine emerges from the lift in uniform, saying it’s her first day back too: She knows Tori doesn’t need her but doing it together was the push she needed. The two of them walk off together.