Episode 7386

Extended Summary

Willow and Amber are walking back along the beach after another night out and comment on having a hangover without sleeping. Amber strips down to her underwear and goes to have a swim to clear her head. Dean and Ziggy approach and comment on Willow having another night out. Willow gives in to Amber’s calls, taking her skirt off and joining her in the water. At the Diner flat, Bella has brought Colby breakfast as a thank you for accepting Nikau. She notes Nikau is spending the day with his uncles up the coast and Colby comments that he’s not ready to accept them yet. Dean and Ziggy return and Ziggy finds her divorce certificate in the mail. She decides to celebrate and quips to Colby that she won’t get drunk and kiss Jasmine. Colby and Bella make themselves scarce as Dean and Ziggy kiss and go to the bedroom. Dean wonders if Ziggy has mixed feelings about part of her life being over but Ziggy says she’s looking forward to starting her new life with him.

Alf greets Marilyn when she gets up, assuring her she can stay as long as she likes. He tells her to get herself some breakfast and that everything’s in the same place…although she immediately has difficulty finding the mugs, which Martha moved. On learning he’s going to the surf club, Marilyn observes John has a rehab session that morning. Alf says it’s not up to Marilyn to look out for John anymore but agrees to look in on him. Meanwhile, John and Amber are walking to the surf club, with John using a stick and teasing Amber about her hangover. Alf appears and he and John chat about Marilyn. Alf says she’s staying with him now; John is pleased, saying she needs friends around her.

At the Diner, Marilyn is telling Irene that she doesn’t feel comfortable staying with Alf, noting that it’s his family’s home now. Irene tries to encourage her, saying Alf wouldn’t have invited her there if she wasn’t welcome and suggesting she’ll get a sign as to what she’s going to do. Meanwhile, Alf, John and Amber arrive outside the surf club and John sits down for a breather before his session. Alf goes inside. Colby and Bella come along and Amber decides to leave. Colby says he will, Bella says he doesn’t have to and Amber says someone does: She intends to avoid Colby even if it is a small town.

Dean and Ziggy are in bed. Ziggy takes a moment to reflect on how happy she is before saying she’s been thinking about how Ben and Maggie are finally doing what they want and thinks she and Dean should revisit the surf comp idea: Justin will give her time off with notice, while Dean can take the board shop and maybe even claim tax on it. Dean kisses her, saying he’s not going to discuss tax in bed. At the surf club, John tells Colby to sort things out with Amber, since he doesn’t want to lose her as a carer. Willow takes John to the gym. Bella wonders why Amber is acting like this. Colby says it’s because he could have saved Jai.

A short time later, Colby and Bella are talking near the beach. Colby admits he didn’t even think to check on Dean and Jai before leaving them. Bella recalls Ross dragging her and her mum into the car, insisting that Colby was going to hurt them. She feels bad that she believed him but Colby says it’s not her fault and he can’t do anything to change what happened to Jai. Back at the surf club, Willow congratulates John on his progress. Alf appears and gives John a stock list for the juice bar to sign. However, John is critical of a delivery being left unattended and says it’s obvious they need him back. Ziggy and Dean arrive and Ziggy invites Willow to join them for dinner to celebrate her divorce. Willow agrees but asks them to invite Colby and Bella too so she isn’t a third wheel.

Bella approaches Amber on the beach and tells her Colby did what he did for the right reason. Amber isn’t convinced but Bella says he chose to go after her and asks whether Amber would have chosen her friends over her brother. Amber walks away. Bella meets up with Colby on the headland and dodges his questions of what she’s been doing. He tells her about the divorce party. Bella asks if she can invite Nikau. Colby is fine with it and Bella gives him a hug.

At the Diner, Alf gives Irene and Marilyn an update on John. Marilyn asks to take her break. At the surf club, John and Amber are discussing her run-in with Bella when Marilyn arrives and Amber says she’ll wait outside. Marilyn asks if she can go round and get her things; John says she doesn’t need permission but Marilyn says she wants to do it properly. John wonders if there’s anything they could have done to prevent this. Marilyn thinks it was set in stone when the gunmen stormed the hospital: She hasn’t been able to find her way back to her old life since that.

That evening, Colby calls out to Bella who has just finished getting ready and says Nikau will meet them there. As they’re about to leave, Amber arrives and Bella goes to wait downstairs. Amber says that even though she still thinks he should have checked on Jai and Dean, she understands why he made the choice he did and knows hating him won’t bring Jai back. She goes to leave and Colby asks what she’s doing  now. Willow, Dean and Ziggy are surprised when Amber arrives at Salt with Colby and Bella. She says she’s going to put up with Colby. Colby offers her a drink; she asks for a cement mixer and Dean adds beers for himself and Colby, Bella asks for a lemonade, Ziggy for tequila and Willow for water. Colby gets a call from the station and says he and Bella have to go in: It’s something to do with Ross.

Colby and Bella arrive at the station and Colby introduces Bella to Sergeant Cooper. He takes them into the office and tells them Ross’ body was found by bushwalkers in a remote spot, with a single gunshot wound. Colby has flashbacks to shooting Ross and him and Dean burying the body. Cooper says homicide will want to talk to them both and they’re going to get who did it.