After last weeks shocker of a Holby City episode, I didnt think the storyline could get any darker – but then it did.
We found Hanssen keeping vigil by Roxannas bedside. She hadnt moved or shown any signs of communicating, but Hanssen felt instinctively that its as though shes still in there. Professor Gaskell knew very well that Roxanna was still in there, and was worried she might try to get out, so he prescribed extra morphine and said hed really prefer to put Roxanna in an induced coma. Luckily for her there were other patients needing Gaskells expertise, and he went off to operate on patient o the week Kim (whose husband was so squeamish he could only enter the hospital if he wore a face mask to hide the smell).
While this was going on, Meena had popped by to see Roxanna, to tell her she was sorry for running her over. While she was there, Roxanna blinked. Very soon, Roxanna was blinking away in an apparently meaningful attempt to communicate. Essie brought an alphabet board into the room and soon had Roxanna blinking away spelling out letters. The first letter was P, and I was hoping she wasnt going to try to spell Professor Gaskell. Just refer to him as John, I was muttering to myself.
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Well never know what she was trying to say, because Gaskell had by then finished operating on Kim and returned to Roxannas room. He told Essie that tiring Roxanna out with the alphabet board was a terrible idea which could set back her recovery. Then, while Gaskell and Roxanna were alone, he told her hed always loved her. He took out a syringe, and added something to her drip.
The only way we have of making history is to keep going, he said, as Roxannas vision started to dim and a tear trickled from the corner of her eye. Youll be remembered, I promise, Gaskell said. Then the room filled with people, including a distraught Hanssen, as they desperately, unsuccessfully, tried to save Roxannas life. And we saw Professor Gaskell outside, deep in thought. Did he have a tear in his eye too? I actually think he did.
With all that horror we needed the sort of light relief that you can normally rely on from Mikey Fletcher. Alright, Jacula? he greeted the worlds scariest heart surgeon as he sauntered along the Darwin corridors. Sadly that was about it for Mikey lightheartedness, as it became clear that he was at Holby to escape from bullies whod been bothering him at school. When one of the bullies turned up at the hospital and got Mikey involved in a stupid and dangerous prank, granddad Steven intervened in the nick of time. He saved Mikey from serious injury and/or death, but ended up having to have surgery himself after a runaway gurney crashed into his chest.
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Fletch had been blaming Steven for breaking up the Fletcher household by having Evie to stay with him, but when he realised how much Steven loved his grandchildren, and that he wasnt such a bad sort really, he invited Steven to come and live with him and the kids. As long as he brings Evie too.
Sacha was back at work, and was very keen to get on with business as usual and not be treated any differently because of his depression. The only people who knew about it were Ric and Dominic (whod guessed because I was there when Connor died and Im not an idiot). What Sacha really wanted was someone who wouldnt try to be nice or sympathetic, and he found exactly the right person in Dr Frieda Petrenko. She doesnt do nice, but she does do boxing and Sacha turns out also to be quite the boxing aficionado. So the two of them bonded in Friedas basement fight club, and Sacha found an outlet for his emotions. This was especially necessary when he discovered that Ric had deliberately avoided telling him about Roxanna, worrying that he wouldnt be able to handle the news.
Hes going to need to put in quite a few hours with the punch-bag when he hears the latest tragic developments.
Sue Haasler is the author of the official Holby City book, which you can read about here. She also writes novels and theres information about all her books here
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