'Strange Little Girl'

It is night time at the Campus surgery and Ruth is still adjusting a tray of instruments. Daniel calls from the sickbay; getting no answer he thinks Ruth has gone and tries to slip the lock with his credit card but it snaps. Suddenly he realises there is an eye watching him from the gap in the frosting on the window. It’s Ruth and she talks as if she is a busy nurse. Daniel tries to play along. The front door bell rings and Daniel hopes it’s one of the others who will help him. At the door is Geoff Glover (50s); he is relieved to see Ruth’s uniform as he is struggling to breathe. Ruth helps him inside.

Watching from the sickbay, Daniel is horrified that Ruth has a seriously sick patient and realises that there is no time for subtlety. He bangs on the door to try and get Geoff’s attention. Ruth dispels Geoff’s alarm by saying Daniel is one of their psychiatric patients. Ruth takes Geoff into the nurse’s room where his breathing gets worse and he collapses unconscious. Ruth sees the emergency as a chance to prove her worth. She tries to initiate CPR but in desperation forgets to breathe into his mouth. When Geoff fails to respond Ruth panics and assumes he is dead; freaking out she flees into the night.

Daniel goes to the window and tries to navigate the ten foot drop to escape. He lowers himself onto a nearby flat roof. In the final drop he hurts himself but limps round to the front entrance. Coming back through reception he calls for Ruth and only finds Geoff. He initiates CPR.

Michelle, Melody, and Lily are merrily leaving George and Ronnie’s party when Daniel calls Michelle asking for help. He tells her Ruth has had a breakdown or something and that she needs to find her. Melody and Michelle take a cab to Ruth’s house and Lily goes to the campus surgery to help Daniel. When Lily arrives Geoff is finally breathing. As they wait for the ambulance Daniel explains what happened.

Walking away from the campus Ruth is suffering an inner battle between herself - a scared receptionist - and ‘Michelle’ - a nurse who feels duty bound to return to her patient. Torn she rings Adam; he is waiting at her house and is worried. Ruth meets him at the house and shows him into her bedroom, putting on some sexy music. Her phone rings - seeing it is ‘Michelle’ calling she is bewildered, how can she be calling her self? She turns the phone off to stop the confusion and continues seducing Adam. The music prevents her hearing Michelle and Melody banging on the door.

They are about to leave when Michelle hears the music and remembering she has Ruth’s spare key she lets them in. Michelle bursts into the bedroom to find Ruth in her uniform sitting on top of Adam, only half dressed. Melody is mortified and wants to leave but Michelle is gobsmacked by the sight of Adam. They both demand an explanation. Michelle pulls Ruth away from Adam, and he tries to separate them. Michelle is incensed further when she sees Ruth is wearing her watch and uniform whilst with her half brother. Melody is shocked by this revelation. They fight over the watch; Michelle brandishes it and shows Ruth the inscription – ‘To Michelle’.

Ruth, completely convinced, says that she is Michelle Corrigan. Adam, Melody, and Michelle are horrified. Adam’s instinct is to protect Ruth but this becomes increasingly hard in the face of Michelle’s accusations – about Ruth copying her style and not letting her meet ‘Andrew’. Melody tries to get to the bottom of Ruth’s behaviour. Adam wonders if Michelle is right, asking Ruth if she got with him to get at Michelle. Melody realises that Michelle is not helping and tries to quiet her down. Exhausting the physical reasons for Ruth’s behaviour, such as drugs or a fall, Melody considers an alternative diagnosis.

The paramedics take Geoff away and he is going to be OK. Lily convinces Daniel to let her have a look at his bleeding leg.

Michelle’s phone rings but as she is still too angry she throws it to Melody who answers it. Out in the hallway, she talks on the phone to Daniel and agrees that Ruth has had some kind of breakdown but does not feel comfortable about taking her friend to hospital. Lily convinces her that it is what a real friend would do. Ruth is confused by a fresh onslaught from Michelle, who asks if Ruth is Michelle Corrigan then who is she?

Ruth does not know the answer. The internal conflict is too much for Ruth; as Melody returns to the room she runs for the window. Melody rushes to stop her and puts herself in Ruth’s way. Ruth does not respond to her own name. Melody tries to convince Ruth to go to the hospital with her and calls for a mental health professional.

In the hallway Michelle and Adam talk about his relationship with Ruth. He tells Michelle that he likes Ruth a lot and Michelle is upset by Adam’s obvious concern for her.

In the lounge Sean Lucas (30s), a mental health professional, is talking to Ruth. The only way to get her to respond is to address her as Michelle. Ruth resists Sean’s attempt to take her to the Beeches. She calls for Adam. He and Michelle rush into the room and Adam helps Sean restrain Ruth. Melody struggles with the responsibility of committing Ruth, and with a shaking voice she agrees with Sean and they detain her under Section Four of the Mental Health Act. Melody then calls an ambulance.

Paramedics put Ruth, strapped in a wheelchair, into the ambulance. Adam is desperate to know how long they will keep her for. Melody follows the ambulance to complete the process. Adam and Michelle are left shell shocked. While the paramedic is distracted Ruth breaks one arm free of the restraints and lunges at Michelle, snatching her precious watch. Sean and the paramedic restrain her. Michelle is desperate for the watch back and Melody promises she will get it.

They shut the ambulance doors and Ruth, screaming to be let go, is driven away, with a shocked and furious Michelle looking on.