'Innocence'

Ruth can’t sleep; something is clearly bothering her. She’s in the day room writing on a piece of paper. Smithy comes in and sees she is writing a letter to Michelle. He can’t understand why Ruth wants to contact her, but Ruth says she just wants to say sorry to her. Smithy tries to talk Ruth out of posting the letter; he just wants to have fun with Ruth. Ruth decides to call Michelle. She gets Karen who puts her onto Lily and Lily realises it is Ruth.

Ruth tells her about Smithy, and Lily is worried enough to go and see Ruth right away. She meets Smithy who pretends to be a doctor. Smithy becomes increasingly agitated by Lily’s visit and the real depth of his delusions becomes clear to Ruth and Lily.

It also becomes evident he is hearing voices which makes Ruth very upset. Lily tries to make her see that unlike her, Smithy has no insight into what is happening to him. Lily makes Ruth promise to leave Smithy alone and concentrate on her treatment. Smith comes to Ruth’s room later that day but she pretends to be asleep.

Melody and Archie are setting up the Campus surgery. Archie reveals that he’s found it hard to settle since his return from overseas and the constant rows with Michelle haven’t helped. Michelle arrives at the Campus and neither is pleased to see the other. Michelle gives Archie a hard time over how he handles a patient. He confides in Melody that it’s all because Michelle thinks he is siding with Ruth. He doesn’t know how much more he can take and he looks fed up.

Meanwhile, Carmel Coates (18), a frumpy looking student, is dancing drunkenly and seductively with another student, Gareth Jones (19), while Leanne Talbot (18) watches laughing. Cut to Carmel lying on a bed; she looks dead and there is blood on the quilt.

Carmel bursts into the Campus surgery looking dishevelled with blood on her arm and bruises on her wrist. Archie goes to help her.

We find Gareth lying in bed, a pool of blood on the floor. He gets up and wraps a tea towel around a bleeding cut on his hand. He sees Carmel’s dress on the floor covered in blood and vomit. We flashback to the previous night. Carmel walks into the kitchen as Leanne is drinking vodka with some other students. She teases Carmel about fancying Gareth. She tries to get Carmel to drink but she doesn’t want to. Gareth watches as Leanne fills Carmel’s glass of orange juice with vodka.

Carmel is hysterical and can’t stop crying. She tells Archie and Melody that she was raped but she can’t remember anything.

Carmel refuses to let Melody examine her. Carmel thinks her drink must have been spiked with a date rape drug. Archie reveals he saw Carmel a few days a go and she is struggling with the whole college thing. Melody thinks it’s a good idea if Archie talks to her. Much to Michelle’s disapproval Archie lets Carmel lie down in the sick bay.

Carmel decides to leave just as Gareth walks in. Carmel starts to scream when she sees him. Flashback to Carmel lying on the floor in the kitchen and Gareth looming over her, blood on her arms and her hands.

Archie chases Gareth as he runs from the surgery. He catches up with him and notices his arm is bleeding badly.

Archie convinces Gareth to let him look at the cut, and they remain outside the surgery. Gareth realises Carmel has accused him of rape. Michelle comes out and has a go at Archie for treating a patient outside.

Melody is with Carmel who says she remembers Gareth pinning her down. Melody convinces Carmel to let her take some swabs.

Gareth explains what happened. Carmel got drunk and ended up stripping off and dancing on the table. Leanne kept topping up her drink with vodka and egged her on. Gareth wanted to stop her but then she fell off the table and landed on him. She pushed him off and he ended up leaning over her and cutting his arm on the broken glass on the floor.

Gareth and Leanne then put Carmel to bed. He swears he never touched Carmel. Archie tells him to call Leanne and get her to come to the surgery.

Melody reveals Carmel wasn’t raped. Carmel can’t understand why she can’t remember anything as she’s adamant she didn’t drink anything. Archie comes in with Leanne, and Leanne admits she had been adding vodka to Carmels orange juice.

Carmel apologises to Gareth but he doesn’t want to hear it. Carmel starts to cry and Archie goes after Gareth and tries to explain that he isn’t such an innocent victim; Gareth could have stopped it but didn’t and just left her. Gareth shrugs and walks off. However, back at the halls, Gareth goes to Carmel’s room with a cup of tea as peace offering. She lets him in.