Rather worryingly, when Professor Gaskell looked into his microscope in this weeks Holby City what he saw was the face of Roxanna Macmillan. In fact, he was being haunted by Roxanna generally. Was he finally feeling guilty about what hes done? Or scared that he was about to be found out?
Hanssen seemed to be on to him. He told the Professor he has doubts about everything. He gathered together all the documents relating to the patients that Gaskell has treated at Holby, and also summoned Essie and Sacha to talk to him. Essie said that there was one occasion when shed had cause to think the Professor might be unethical. Viewers will have been quietly optimistic at this point.
Unfortunately, Essies memory of Gaskells unethical behaviour was only something that made Hanssen realise what a brilliant maverick his old friend was. By the end of the episode Hanssen was apologising to Gaskell for doubting him and telling him hed achieved miracles, and Gaskell was once again off the hook. At least the marvellous Sacha sees things clearly. My instincts are, and always have been, not to trust you as far as I could throw you, he told Gaskell, adding that the trial is less about what should be done and more about what could be done. In one neat sentence Sacha has captured the whole Gaskell phenomenon.
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When Steven Fletcher collapsed in pain after taking a patient with lung disease out for a cheeky ciggy (not sensible), Jac wanted to find out why. Steven said that he knew why – he had the same hereditary lung condition that had killed his father. Because Jac cares about Fletch, she naturally thought he should be told about something that could potentially have a massive impact on his life (and presumably the lives of the Fletchlings). She told Steven that if he broke Fletchs heart, shed rip his out, and when Jac says something like that you know shes right on the edge where literal meets metaphorical. He agreed to a CT scan, and it seems he doesnt have that nasty disease after all. Before Jac could give him the good news hed packed a bag and left. If Fletch finds out that Jac had anything to do with Steven leaving, hes not going to be best pleased.
Donna, meanwhile, was trying to mend a fractured relationship on AAU. Xavier has been visiting his granddad Reg every day, but has been avoiding his brother Alex. When Donna bumped into Alex she came up with a cunning plan to get the two brother talking again, by arranging to meet each of them in Albies for lunch and then not turning up.
It looked like reconciliation was on the cards when Zav apologised for leaving Alex to look after Reg alone. But then Alex suggested that they go to France together to visit their mum. Xavier said he was busy with work, and offered an envelope of money to Alex. This didnt go down well, and resulted in Alex punching his brother and giving him a bleedy lip. At least hed already finished his lunch by then.
Donna apologised to Zav for setting him and Alex up, and the two of them had one of those moments they keep having, where they get a bit flirty and look into each others eyes and then someone bobs by and says one of them needs to go off and sort out a catheter or something.
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The episode finished with Prof Gaskell getting into his car with a ticket to Lisbon on the passenger seat. But hell be back, according to Hanssen. He has to finish what he started. That may not sound ominous to him, but it certainly did to me.
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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