4318: Jack struggles

Brad, Sally and Morag return from the Station – frustrated by the disappearance of the evidence, meaning Johnny will slip through again. Morag thinks it’s a bit suss considering the Police didn’t find anything in their search – then Brad gives them evidence and it gets misplaced. She thinks Ash has something to do with it. Meanwhile, Brad is still fuming and tells Sally he’s going to confront Johnny himself – Sally is immediately against the idea and berates him for even considering it. Brad promises he won’t go near him, but still isn’t satisfied. The next morning, Brad takes a walk near the beach and sees Johnny ahead – he calms himself and turns around to head home, but then Johnny provokes him about the missing evidence, thought you were pretty smart, didn’t you teach? Johnny winds him up saying that he’s going to have some fun with him and his girlfriend – hearing this, Brad can’t hold back and punches Johnny square in the jaw! What has Brad just done?! Johnny goes straight to the Police Station and shows Ash what Brad did to his face as Brad returns home to Sally. He doesn’t tell her what happened, then Ash arrives and asks him if he’s seen Johnny today. Brad side steps answering, then Ash asks to see his knuckles. Sally can’t believe it as Brad explains Johnny provoked him. Ash tells him to stay away from him – or else. Sally is gutted – Brad’s lied to her again – she lets him know that she isn’t sure she can trust him again. The next morning, Sally sees Brad on her way to work. He feels terrible about the way he’s behaved and apologises – he didn’t want to hurt her and didn’t think of it as lying – he doesn’t want Johnny to get in the way of what they have together. Can she find it in her heart to forgive him? Sally can – she is scared and wants Brad to stay away from him, or things could get worse. She puts a comforting arm around Brad as they both look out to sea.

Morag returns to the Station and confronts Ash – she thinks there are too many coincidences that he’s involved with, but he doesn’t back down – he’s done nothing but his job. Martha walks in and clocks the tension and Ash fills her in on Morag’s accusations, leaving Martha fuming. How dare she insult Ash like that? Determined, she heads out after Morag and lets her have it. Morag is frank and tells Martha her suspicions, asking her how well she really knows Ash? She has a strong feeling that Ash is hiding something from her – could Morag be right? Next morning, Martha is having breakfast at the Diner when she sees Tony and asks him about Ash – she wants to know why he was so down on him when he came to town. Tony tells her about Rianna, his high school girlfriend that he kept cheating on, then engaged, got cold feet, then discovered she fell pregnant. He came to Tony for money, then bailed, leaving Tony to break the news to Rianna. Martha can’t believe it – maybe she isn’t so sure of her man after all. She finds Ash at the Station – we need to talk. Ash admits to everything Martha was told – accept he adds that Rianna got rid of the baby and that they no longer speak. He asks Martha if she hates him now? She’s disappointed, but convinces her that he’s changed and what he did as a stupid kid has nothing to do with Johnny’s evidence going missing. Martha believes this – but is still torn. He gives a heartfelt plea, which assures her. Is he really being honest? Martha returns home to find Morag and lets her know that Ash has opened up to her about his past and that it’s time Morag let go of her paranoid theories of Ash being a criminal. Morag thinks Ash is just telling Martha part of the truth to placate her – Martha has heard enough and storms out, leaving a concerned Morag in her wake. She tracks Ash down and lets him know that she may be able to fool Martha – but not her. She lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that she loves her niece and will be keeping an eye on him – so he better watch himself. She moves off, leaving a nervous and rattled Ash.

Jack is trying his hardest to learn how to get around and do things for himself in the wheelchair – and it’s not proving to be easy. Everyone is trying their hardest to help him out, not realising it’s making Jack feel even more helpless and pathetic. He snaps and lets everyone know that they have to let him do things for himself – he’s over people feeling sorry for him. That night, Jack is in bed and needs to go to the toilet. He attempts to get to his wheelchair from the bed, but over-balances and the chair falls, causing Jack to fall to the floor and his full bladder to release automatically. Horrified and embarrassed, he lies there – as Tony, Lucas, Matilda and Beth rush in to see what the crashing sound was. On the verge of humiliated tears, he explains what’s happened – they all feel terrible for him. Next morning, Jack is snappy and at his lowest ebb. He asks to be left alone for the day – he’s not an invalid and would appreciate the space. All move out at his request, leaving Jack to have some time to himself. He lays out the array of pills he has to take, then realises some are missing – he clumsily manoeuvres himself to find them and to his dismay, realises they are on the top shelf. He tries to reach to get to them, but ends up putting them further out of reach. In frustration he uses his upper body strength to pull himself up to the shelf, loses his balance and topples to the floor and the wheelchair rattles away from him. Exhausted, frustrated and defeated, Jack can no longer hold back the anger as he lays there – a heap.