Episode 7695

Extended Summary

Leah and Justin are getting dressed. Justin wants to send Marilyn away and get her to come back in twenty minutes but Leah wants to let her stay. They head into the living room where Marilyn offers to make a pot of tea. Leah invites her to stay for dinner. Later, as they finish the meal, Marilyn asks what about the food and Justin says he’ll clear up. Marilyn starts to go, but when she mentions her run-in with Mackenzie, Leah asks her what happened. Marilyn starts relating the story. Justin calls Leah over and quietly asks what she’s doing, since Marilyn was about to leave. Leah thinks she needs to talk, telling him to go to bed and she’ll meet him in there. Justin says Leah and Marilyn are doing the dishes,

Bella is now calmer but admits to Dean and Ziggy that she knows she sucked. Dean suggests not every job is for everyone but Bella says no job is for her. Dean tells her she fits with them. Bella gets a text from Nikau saying he’s finished his first aid course and will pick her up. Ziggy says they can talk until then. At the surf club, Nikau shows John his certificate, which John says makes him one step closer to qualifying. He offers him a beer and a feed to celebrate but Nikau has to go pick up Bella. He thanks John.

Bella comments that Nikau’s moved on from modelling and is into life-saving but she doesn’t have anything like that since giving up photography. Nikau arrives and tells her he passed. He offers to let them hang out but Bella decides to go. Ziggy tells Dean he sucks at firing people. Dean thinks Bella will get over it like Ziggy did but Ziggy points out she wasn’t left questioning her place in the universe: Bella lost both her dream job and one she hated. At the Parata house, Nikau pins his certificate on the fridge. Bella tells him about being fired and admits she sucked. Nikau wonders if she’s upset or glad. Bella admits she doesn’t know who she is anymore. In a quasi motivational speaking manner, Nikau tells her she’s Bella and she’s amazing.

Next morning, Justin wakes up and finds the bed empty next to him. He goes through to the living area where Marilyn is telling Leah she spent her marriage to John biting her tongue. Leah notices Justin and asks if they woke him. Justin says the sun did that, pointing out that it’s tomorrow. Leah invites Marilyn to stay for breakfast and Justin decides to go for a surf. Down on the beach, Justin and Ziggy chat to Dean about getting back to surfing. John and Nikau pull up in the buggy. Dean asks Nikau how Bella is. Nikau says not good since he fired her.

Dean meets up with Bella at the surf club. She comments on having more free time and apologises for losing it. Dean says he’s the one who needs to apologise: He didn’t mean to upset her. He offers to buy her breakfast. Later, he tells her she does have a place: Not just with him but with photography. He says not being able to surf is killing him but Bella can still take photos. Ziggy arrives with her camera and she and Dean tell Bella she can throw it away or find her place. Meanwhile, Justin arrives home and is bewildered to find Leah and Marilyn still talking. Leah takes him aside for a chat, saying he needed her help once and would do the same for his friends. She says she’ll walk Marilyn home.

At the surf club, Nikau joins the class after cleaning the Polaris. John says the next class is on rosters. Nikau awkwardly suggests they do some beach work instead and save the theory for a raindy day. To his surprise, John agrees and says he’ll teach them spinal immobilisation. Later, John instructs them on strapping the dummy to a stretcher. They attempt to carry the stretcher but manage to drop it. John ends the class anyway and tells Nikau it was a good idea of his to do outside work. Nikau suggests they do the celebratory meal now. As they drive off in the buggy, Bella photographs them.

At the surf club, Dean worries to Ziggy that the plan with Bella won’t work. Ziggy says she has to get to the garage, especially since Justin has just arrived. Justin suggests he and Dean get a bite to eat, helping him unpack a delivery first. Meanwhile, Leah and Marilyn are walking by the beach. Marilyn admits she’s still not sleeping and it’s not fair on Ryder. Leah worries that she’ll be alone and suggests Marilyn come and stay with them.

At Salt, Justin talks to Dean about how much he wants to get out surfing, saying rushing it isn’t a good idea. Dean wonders how to know if he’s ready without going in the water. Justin reminds him that first lessons are always on the sand. He then gets a call from Leah and learns that VJ’s hurt and she’s on her way to the airport. Justin heads home and is bewildered when Marilyn emerges from one of the rooms. She knows VJ will be in hospital for weeks, having been there when Leah got the call. Justin wonders why she’s there and she explains that she’s staying there: They can keep each other company.

Dean has balanced a board on a cushion. He looks across at one of Jai’s drawings of him surfing, then lies on his front, pretending to paddle. He tries to jump to his feet but his back gives out and he ends up on the floor in pain.