Tue, Feb 17, 2004
It's the first day back at work for the shell-shocked staff of Ward 17 who are still trying to come to terms with the horrific shooting. With many of her colleagues unable to return to the scene of the carnage, Head Nurse Terri is seriously short staffed. The situation becomes dire when the hospital's new CEO, Julia Archer, warns Terri that the struggling ward is under observation as it faces permanent closure. Although undergoing counselling, Charlotte refuses to dwell on the rampage and insists on going about her daily routine. When she cares for a seriously ill patient, she realises she's been in denial about the tragedy. Charlotte agrees to work with her therapist to confront her feelings. Regina also puts on a brave face and returns to the ward, but is overcome with grief when she passes the scene of Morris' shooting, and collapses in tears.
Tue, Feb 17, 2004
Terri begins the fight to save Ward 17. Regina plays cupid, arranging a blind date for Terri with her cousin, and spends the whole day making sure Terri can't back out of her date. Charlotte's nose is out of joint when a new young resident beats her to a diagnosis. Sterling finds himself taking sides when he finds himself caring for a man caught up in a custody dispute. Terri's patience is tested by a patient suffering from demensia.
Tue, Feb 24, 2004
A Bucks' night prank goes horribly wrong for the groom and Sterlo - his best man. Paula agrees to Michael having informal access to their son, Max. But Michael begins to subtly use the situation to turn the screws on Luke and Paula's relationship, whilst endearing himself to Max. While everyone thinks new agency nurse Sophia is Charlotte's estranged lover, their real relationship is much closer. When a medical emergency throws everyone together, their personal and working relationships are put to the ultimate test.
Tue, Mar 2, 2004
Opinions are split over the medical treatment of a paedophile who is admitted to the ward after he is attacked by his neighbours. Terri is hesitant to let Sterling back onto the ward but relents given Nelson's assurances he is ready to return to work. Sophia and Charlotte find a family dispute reflects their own situation. Max goes to dangerous lengths to see his father.
Tue, Mar 9, 2004
Luke and Paula face their final decision as Michael makes a play for the family he wants. Sophia's lonely heart and her feelings for Vincent are revealed when she bonds with a patient who has an appointment to marry a man she met in an internet chatroom. Terri is stunned to learn that Julia Archer is now trying to divide and conquer by having Nelson transferred to the Emergency Department. Despite Julia's efforts to undermine her in front of the hospital board, Terri is reminded she still has allies.
Tue, Mar 16, 2004
Nelson finds himself in emotionally difficult territory when a child, on her bike, shoots out in front of his car and ends up in ICU. Jack deals with a patient who wants a reversal of a tubal ligation - without her husband's knowledge. Things reach boiling point for Nelson, when Terri turns up on his doorstep, urging him to open up to her - but he takes things too far and immediately regrets his actions.
Tue, Mar 30, 2004
Sophia nurses a menacing criminal who is admitted to the ward after cutting off his own hand in an effort to extent his bail period believing he has a fatal illness. Nelson helps a young man confront his overprotective mother while attempting to confront his own drinking problem. Charlotte and Von uncover a young woman's secret and help her reunite with her family. Terri confronts Nelson with her suspicion that he has been drinking again, but it's Von who makes him face his demons.
Tue, Apr 6, 2004
Terri is forced to face her mortality when she is diagnosed with a rare tumour in her heart. A man with an STD deceives his fiancée regarding his condition. Charlotte, prompted by Sophia, takes matters into her own hands, clashing once more with Dr. Alison Newell, this time with unexpected consequences. A terminally ill young man confronts his fear that his girlfriend only stays with him out of pity.
Tue, Apr 20, 2004
The remaining staff of ward 17 have a baptism by fire in the Emergency Department, which is run by the hard-nosed Frank Campion. When the ED staff are forbidden from responding to a man who has collapsed outside the hospital, Sophia leads the charge for changes only to find herself Frank's first victim when she goes over his head to voice her concerns directly to Dr. Newell. Vincent and Sterling struggle with a patient who has a cell phone lodged in his rectum. Terri shares a room with a troubled patient, and teaches Jack a lesson or two. After making a controversial decision that ultimately saves the life of a visiting physician, Luke is offered a job in New York.
Tue, Apr 27, 2004
With Luke having already handed in his resignation and about to leave for a new job in New York, Paula must decide whether or not she and Max will go with him. Terri prepares to come back to work and face both the professional challenges presented by her new boss and the personal ones by Jack Quade. Charlotte has an unusual decision to make when a 15-year-old Muslim patient wants to be treated without her parents' knowledge. While attending an MVA with multiple casualties, including an infant, Scott and Alex discover that luck can be a fickle thing.
Tue, May 11, 2004
A senseless act of violence sees a Chinese boy left a potential organ donor - but no-one is keen on the way they have to get permission. Charlotte's objectiveness is called into question as one of her patients, a young girl, is in desperate need of a transplant. Frank fights to do the non-politically correct thing when he believes a Down's Syndrome mother should abort her child at her grandfather's behest.
Tue, May 25, 2004
Terri's day starts off with Jack running his car into a wall in an attempt to get her attention and rapidly goes downhill from there. When a patient is brought in suffering flu-like symptoms, no one could foresee that the Emergency Department would soon become the centre of a radiation scare, requiring full isolation of staff. Nelson is forced to make the decision to shut down the department, when it is brought to his attention the patient's work involves exposure to radioactive substances. An aggressive patient doesn't help, nor does the ensuing assault on Vincent who is struggling to save a young woman's life. Consequently, Charlotte who'd really rather be on her planned weekend away with a new love, is forced into performing an operation under Vincent's guidance to save a woman's leg. Sterlo struggles through his day, drawing attention to himself through his shaky demeanour and inability to keep up with what's required while the new ambulance officer, Cate, struggles to work out why Scott is so determined to keep his distance from her. Upstairs, Frank is under the hammer, running a temporary Emergency Ward. Terri has cause to re-examine her opinion of Jack when she is witness to his caring attitude and genuine desire to be a good doctor. This leads her to an offer she never thought she'd hear herself making.
Tue, Jun 1, 2004
Frank informs Nelson that during the chaos of the previous day, prohibited drugs have been stolen from the Emergency Department. Insinuating it was one of his nursing staff, Frank puts Nelson in charge of conducting the investigation. As the investigation unfolds, lines of loyalty are drawn, with Frank protecting Jessica and Nelson loyally defending Sterlo. Meantime, both Terri and Charlotte are enjoying a little romance in their lives - Terri with Jack, Charlotte with Megan. However, where Charlotte and Megan are finding it all easy sailing, Terri is finding it all more complex and confronting, unable to completely let go and admit to herself what a breath of fresh air Jack is. Now that they've crossed the line and consummated their mutual attraction, Terri doesn't know where it will head, or if she wants it to go anywhere at all. Back at the hospital, Frank has yet another major headache to deal with when a man arrives in a coma. He was attended to the previous day by Charlotte, and the man's wife's version is that Charlotte sent her husband home. Facing the possibility of yet another legal suit, Frank is furious that Charlotte won't return his phone calls. When she finally arrives for work, she stoutly defends her actions and discovers the truth. Sterlo, meanwhile, feels the world closing in on him. When he comes across a large amount of illegal money concealed in the lining of a patient's jacket, he decides to seize his chance, takes the money, and runs. He repays his drug dealer, who backs off. But with the police now onto Sterlo - they realise he's stolen the patient's money - it's a case of out of the pan and into the fire. Nelson is devastated to realise that his loyalty to Sterlo has been so blind.
Tue, Jun 8, 2004
Charlotte treats Georgia Price, a little girl who needs a bone marrow transplant. Ray, Georgia's father, is ignorant of the fact that he is, in fact, not her biological father. Charlotte, Nelson and Von face a difficult situation of trying to find Georgia a donor while keeping the secret from Ray. Jack treats Josh, a ten-year-old with a mystery illness and absent parents. He and Terri still have the hots for each other and are almost sprung canoodling in the linen room. Sterlo collapses in the street with an infection from a dirty needle. Scott and Cate bring him to hospital. Sterlo survives and decides to kick the habit. In the process, he learns who his friends are. Sterlo's plight discomfits Nelson. It holds a mirror up to his psyche, reflecting what he left behind when he quit drinking - and what he might be going back to now that he's started again. Cate, Scott's new partner, has trouble getting Scott to open up to her.
Tue, Jun 15, 2004
When Scott and Cate are called out to a hoax hit and run, they realise that this has become a serial problem. The situation is made worse because they are held up in getting to Oliver Capstone, who has been injured in a school rugby match. Oliver's parents, Grant and Naomi, prove to be severely agitated and stressed parents. But it is not until they spot Charlotte that the reason for their over protectiveness becomes clear. They've already lost a son. Peter, Oliver's older brother, died seven years ago in All Saints and Charlotte was the attending doctor. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Charlotte has no recollection of treating Peter. Scott and Cate attend another hoax callout, and this time Cate becomes extremely concerned when Scott has a reaction to a dummy hanging from a tree. Unbeknown to Cate, Scott's father hanged himself when Scott was young. Scott's behaviour worsens as he becomes obsessed with the hoaxer. When Grant Capstone is brought back into hospital with chest pain, Jessica loses it, accusing him of faking a heart condition to regain access to the hospital. Scott allows his personal feelings to take over, is swept up in the allegation and tackles Grant over Jessica's accusation. Nelson is forced to intervene and remove Scott from the hospital. The police arrive, alerted to Grant's apparent misuse of the ambulance service, and Jessica is extremely upset when she believes everyone thinks it was her who called them. Nelson consoles her and learns that her reaction to Grant comes from her experience in the shoot-up of Ward 17.
Tue, Jun 22, 2004
It is obvious that Jack is becoming bored with the stream of trauma patients coming into Emergency. So when he has the chance to show his skills at diagnosis, he becomes involved with a suspected meningitis case. It is only after the girl lapses into a coma and further tests taken that Jack realises he had made too hasty an assumption and the girl really had sepsis as the result of a root canal abscess. Although there was nothing further Jack could have done, he is humbled by the fact that he mislead the girl's fiancé and that his mistake could have had more reaching consequences. Lucas, a PSA at the hospital, is discovered having a Grand Mal seizure. Lucas jokingly uses the hoax caller's catch cry when he thanks Cate for helping him. It is only after Cate's memory is jolted that she remembers Lucas was in her training group in the ambo service. Scott, already driven to find the hoaxer, believes that Lucas is the guilty party. Lucas had an accident whilst training and because of a head injury he became epileptic and had to leave the Service. When Scott finds Lucas alone on the roof, within full view of the hoax call outs, he accuses him of being the hoaxer and threatens to report him but has he found the right guy? Elsewhere, Vincent has a new intern to take care of. Grace seems to have much more doctoring experience than she should. Vincent realises that Grace, who is from an outback town, has been doing a lot more of her father's (the only doctor in town) work than she has lead him to believe.
Tue, Jun 29, 2004
After being struck by the ambulance, 11-year-old Callum Chifley is brought into the ED where he is found to be suffering from a brain tumour. Vincent is reminded of his place in the hospital pecking order when he tries to arrange an alternative opinion to the treatment Professor Walter-Thomas has recommended. All Saints is also hosting an international conference, and everyone is feeling the pressure that flows down from on high. For Frank to get what he wants (flexible hours allowing him to be with his sick daughter), he'll have to toe the line set by Dr Alison Newell, but this will have ramifications for the whole department. With everyone looking scared and watching their backs, it's the patients, the very people the conference is supposed to benefit, that are going to suffer. And the one man who falls into line without question, Dennis, could well suffer the most.
Tue, Jul 6, 2004
Charlotte arrives for work in tears, but it's not until much later in the day that we discover the reason for her distress. Before that, she treats a three-month-old baby who is the victim of shaken baby syndrome. The question is, who's responsible for the baby's condition? The mother, the father, or the 14-year-old stepson? In the meantime, we discover the reason behind Charlotte's tears. She has terminated her relationship with Addy, who doesn't understand why. When Addy presses for an explanation, Charlotte explains that she wants to have a baby. She's 35, and can no longer afford to waste anymore time - her biological clock is ticking. Elsewhere, Frank's bad mood continues to escalate, as does his poor treatment of the staff. He is particularly bloody-minded with Jack, who he believes needs to take his profession more seriously, and banishes the young resident to the Emergency waiting room for the day. Jack is furious. He's had enough of Frank's moods, and, despite warnings from both Terri and Von to keep a low profile, he becomes involved in a full-on argument with Frank in the middle of the Emergency ward, putting on a show for patients and staff alike. Terri tries to talk to Frank and find out what's bothering him, but Frank is having none of it and tells Terri to get lost. Meanwhile, Cate and Scott attend a construction site where a worker has fallen down an elevator shaft.
Tue, Aug 10, 2004
After a lengthy wait in the Emergency Department, a heavily pregnant woman, Lana, eventually leaves the hospital without having been seen by a doctor. Terri's worst fears are realised some hours later when the woman has a life-threatening eclampsic seizure in a shopping centre car park. Scott and Cate attend the scene, and there have their first meeting with sexy off-duty ambo Nigel, whose quick thinking and cool head help avert tragedy and a confrontation with irate husband Hugh, while at the same time drawing criticism from Scott for having service equipment for his own use, clearly forbidden by protocol. Back at the hospital, as people work frantically to stabilise Lana, Hugh blames Terri for his wife's condition. Although his accusations are false, Frank interrogates Terri and tensions mount. When Lana goes into cardiac arrest - and the team is forced to perform emergency surgery to save both mother and child, tensions boil over and Frank is later forced to concede that he owes Terri an apology. He arrives to eat humble pie and discovers Terri and Jack in a romantic embrace that re-ignites his anger and 'outs' the affair to Nelson. Meanwhile, the staff are harassed by a patient who is a white supremacist. Jessica, still traumatised by the shooting, tries to put up a brave front while dealing with the man but after being cornered, is ready to strike back. After her first fertility consultation, Charlotte decides to call off her and Addy's plans to conceive using an anonymous donor and her decision to ask Vince causes a rift in their relationship. Frank discovers Terry and Jack's relationship and is quick to lay down the law - one of them must go.
Tue, Aug 31, 2004
There's a buzz around the hospital when staff arrive to find they're going to be stars for a day in a documentary piece on the hospital's Emergency Department. But after a difficult night with Kathleen, the last thing Frank needs when he arrives at work is a television camera thrust into his face. He wants the crew out of there, but Alison Newell has a very persuasive offer to make him cooperate. Working in front of the cameras isn't all it's made out to be: the needs of patients seem to come second to those of the film crew as Jack soon discovers when he's faced with a motor vehicle accident victim who turns out to have overdosed. Dealing with the film crew in the department and his battling with his feelings for drives Nelson to boiling point and when Jack tries to find out what Nelson's problem is, he's rewarded with a left hook to the jaw. The camera crew catches this on tape and Frank uses it to give Terri an ultimatum. Meanwhile, a young woman diagnosed with cancer risks her health by wanting to put off surgery until she can get a doctor willing to do it on camera. Von has a visit from her niece, the daughter of a half sister she has never met, and has no intention of meeting. Cate and Scott share a moment of passion but Scott immediately regrets it and wants to got back to just being mates.
Tue, Aug 31, 2004
Terri and Jack are on the rocks following Nelson and Frank's discovery of their affair. Jack is angry with Terri for using her work to distance herself and angry with Nelson for being the catalyst for this disaster in their relationship. Scott is shocked when he finds that Cate has requested a new partner. When a prison van is involved in an accident, Jessica bonds with an injured nurse, bringing her into conflict with Dan who's concerned she's getting too emotionally involved with her patient, while Von nurses a murderer who must face his mortality, leading to tragic and shocking revelations for all involved. Meanwhile, the situation between Nelson and Jack heats up when Frank informs Nelson that his altercation with Jack in the car park has been reported to Human Resources and that Jack has been called in for an interview - Nelson's position is clearly under threat. When he resigns as NUM, Terri is offered the position.
Tue, Sep 7, 2004
Terri's relationship with Jack looks too broken to fix as she takes over from Nelson as Director of Nursing in the Emergency Department. When Jack intervenes on Jessica's behalf when she has a minor dispute with Terri, Terri resents his interference in the workplace and the end of the relationship looms large. Regina is finding it difficult to cope with the new pressures she faces in the Emergency Department. When a patient dies and she hasn't been able to provide an interpreter or medical files, Terri is forced to make a tough choice about Regina's future in the Emergency Department. Von is annoyed when her sister Anne is brought in by her daughter Kerry. Von believes it's all a trick to have the sisters finally meet but Anne is very sick, fighting an overwhelming infection on top of her losing battle with cancer. Elsewhere, Scott reports Mac for breaking protocol and earns the displeasure of his fellow ambos after Mac heroically saves a worker with severe burns.
Tue, Sep 28, 2004
Havoc breaks loose as victims of a rural cyanide spill descend on All Saints. Worried people come out of the woodwork and it's hard to tell who the real patients are and who is merely panicking. When the media picks up on the story, All Saints becomes a mad house and there's barely a free moment for anyone. Charlotte has good reason to feel anxious - she's pregnant. Jack is the father and it complicates her work relationships with both him and Terri. Her fears about motherhood are about to be compounded when a seemingly neurotic patient, Tracey Middleton, reveals her professional life was ruined when her children arrived. Charlotte starts to lose patience with Tracey, who has a needle-phobia, but Tracey insists something's wrong. Eventually, Charlotte sees beyond Tracey's needle-phobia and diagnoses her with long standing post-natal depression. Jessica and Dan's relationship hits another brick wall when Jessica suspects Dan may have told Vincent about her anxiety issues. Vincent is distracted as he tries to save the life of an elderly woman, but runs in to conflict with Frank. Mac is worried about his upcoming evening with his prospective in-laws. He has to buy a significant present or forever be seen as the 'cheap son-in-law'. Unfortunately a busy day's work prevents him from shopping. Thankfully Cate comes to the rescue with a present of two theatre tickets.
Tue, Oct 5, 2004
While Jack tries to mend his broken relationship with Terri, Charlotte still hasn't told him she's pregnant with his baby after their one-night-stand. Her career is also in turmoil when Frank makes it clear she hasn't shown enough interest in the Emergency Department and wants her to move on. She resigns and finds consolation in her ex-husband Dr Vincent Hughes. Later that day Frank finds Charlotte's resignation and hears about a patient she saved. Having second thoughts he goes to her house and asks her to reconsider her position in the Emergency Department. Although shocked about the baby, Vincent is a pillar of support and convinces her to apply for the Emergency Fellowship Training position despite all her doubts. He then surprises her with a touching toast to her new life. Meanwhile, Dan becomes over-involved when a young self-mutilator is admitted to Emergency. When he takes things too far, the psychiatrist insists Dan has no further contact with the patient's family. Dan reveals to Jessica his brother was target of an obsessive and ended up paralysed after being shot by a crossbow, hence his passion for ensuring people with mental disorders receive early treatment. Seeing him in a new light, Jessica suddenly finds Dan far more interesting. Also, Terri reinstates Regina as Ward Clerk after her unfair dismissal claim causes Terri to realise she took the wrong course of action in dismissing her.
Tue, Oct 12, 2004
On the road, Cate and Mac are called to attend a young sex worker what has been severely bashed at a brothel. Cate is profoundly disturbed when she sees a young girl in a room with a man. She reports it to the police who are unable to do anything without evidence, so Cate drags Mac long to investigate the young girl herself. When the passengers and crew of a cruise liner fall ill with suspected food poisoning, Frank volunteers Jack and Terri to go down to the ship and help assess the medical condition of those affected. Terri's impressed with the way Jack takes control of the situation, but things soon sour. When Jack realizes one of his patients has a child illegally stowed away on the ship he asks Terri to smuggle the child away from the dock and back to the hospital. Terri reluctantly does so, but if she gets caught her job will be in jeopardy. Amongst the chaos of the Emergency Department a new face returns. Andrea Stuart, All Saints Public Relations staffer, is greeted warmly by Terri after a three-year absence. In an effort to help bring him back into the team, Terri appoints Nelson as Staff Educator. Embracing his role a little too zealously, Nelson soon alienates Dan and Jessica and finds himself on the warpath with Frank.
Tue, Oct 19, 2004
Charlotte, nervously awaiting her interview for the Emergency Training Fellowship, finds herself caught up with a complicated hypothermia patient. Determined to do whatever she can to give the man the best chance of survival, she misses her interview with the hospital board. Feeling sure she has missed her opportunity, she's stunned to discover Frank has gone to bat for her, organising a second scheduled interview. Charlotte is further shocked when Frank engineers the way for her to do well in the interview. Meanwhile, Vincent continues to be oblivious to the romantic attention of nurse Jessica. However, the situation becomes complicated when Jessica collapses with acute appendicitis. Despite being off-duty, Vincent decides to do the surgery himself therefore unwittingly reinforcing Jess's romantic inclinations. On learning that Jess has feelings towards him, Vincent slams the shutters shut much to the bewilderment of Jessica. Nelson and Terri are concerned about Dan's glib attitude to his job, but Dan steps up to the job and proves his worth. Nelson, as Nurse Educator, puts the pressure on Dan to perform well in Triage, and Dan responds by proving his clinical skills are outstanding when a triage patient is diagnosed with a rare condition.
Tue, Oct 26, 2004
Cate and Mac bring April, a frightened young girl who's been shot by her boyfriend Phil, into Emergency. Vincent wins April's trust and encourages to report Phil to the police. Back out on the road and responding to another call-out, Cate and Mac find themselves in a suburban drug lab where Phil's partner, Jason, has been shot by him in a jealous drug-fuelled rage. As the police close in, Phil takes Cate and Mac hostage, using their ambulance as a getaway vehicle. Phil becomes increasingly unbalanced and dangerous, first finishing off the critically-wounded Jason and then running over Mac. When he realises his cash has been stolen by April, he turns his woman-hating rage to Cate and puts a gun to her head. At the hospital, Von returns to work after several weeks away nursing her terminally ill sister. The experience has left Von questioning her own life and resenting her chosen career. Shutting Terri out and unsettling Frank, Von begins to draw strict boundaries which come across as an uncharacteristic work-to-rule attitude. Vincent is also beginning to question personal issues in his life and is left feeling that the opposite sex is simply too complicated. At a bar, drinking alone, he is approached by a seductive and liberated woman who offers him a no-strings attached, one night stand.
Tue, Nov 2, 2004
It's been a week since the chemistry between Cate and Mac and still neither of them is willing to admit to their feelings for each other. A call out to a serious car accident serves as a welcome distraction, but Cate is shocked when they arrive at the scene - a pole has plunged through the windscreen of a car, impaling its male passenger through the chest and continuing into the back seat spearing a petrol container. The female driver beside him is in shock with broken legs. Amazingly, both are conscious and alert. Vincent becomes the centre of attention when he arrives at the chaotic scene wearing the same clothes as the day before. He rapidly realises the only way to free the impaled man is to cut him off the pole. Cate is aghast at this unorthodox approach and points out to Vincent not only the risks to the passenger's life but also to Vincent's career if he dies. Meanwhile, Terri and Jack must deal with an aggressive and confused patient brought into the ED by the police, kicking and screaming. Terri watches Jack face the difficult task of breaking to the man's wife that he has Frontotemporal Dementia and is overcome by Jack's compassion and sensitivity. When Terri compliments Jack he reminds her that the last time she complimented him they wound up in a taxi back to her place and he's not interested in a repeat performance. Is this the response she was really hoping for? Charlotte is kicked in the stomach by a patient of Jack's, causing her to fear she may lose the baby. With Vincent unavailable she confides in Nelson who covers for her while she waits nervously news about the unborn baby.
Tue, Nov 9, 2004
Although neither will confess to the other, Terri and Jack are struggling with second thoughts about having ended their relationship. When after-work drinks leads to a romantic dinner, it seems they may reignite the flame. The sexual secrets of the Emergency Department are highlighted when Jack treats a patient who, embarrassed by his condition, conceals his true identity. The consequences are catastrophic and the patient nearly dies as a result. When Charlotte sees Jack's frustration at the extent to which his patient hid the truth, she realizes it's time she told Jack the truth about the father of her baby. Vincent, living a secret personal life of his own, is touched by the agony of his patient who, after catching her boyfriend with another woman, badly injures herself in a car crash. When neither an Orthopod nor a theatre is available to him, Vincent flies in the face of surgical convention and elects to treat her in the ED. The procedure goes horribly wrong and Vincent is left questioning his decisions. Finally Jessica corners Vincent about his continual cool treatment of her since he operated on her appendix and hears some things she didn't want to. Charlotte and Von treat a baffling case when a distressed mother brings in her teenage son who is continually fighting at school. At first Von is hostile towards him but as the truth finally comes out, it's something neither Von nor Charlotte could have anticipated. The sad situation triggers Von to finally release the grief she's been suppressing over her sister's death.
Tue, Nov 16, 2004
Jack is ecstatic about the rekindling of his relationship with Terri but its future looks doomed when Charlotte finally delivers the news he's the father of her baby. Overwhelmed at first, Jack refuses to accept any responsibility for Charlotte's situation but soon realizes he can't turn his back on his unborn child. His problem is how to break the news to Terri. Sex is getting Dan into trouble, too. His casual relationship with specialist Dr Loretta Georgio comes back to bite him when he prevents Jessica from making a serious medical mistake. When Dan learns it's not the first time Loretta has been negligent he's torn between his ethical responsibility and the relationship. Mac stuns Cate with the revelation he cannot stop thinking about her. Unable to deal with the enormous implications of his admission, Cate reacts badly and escapes without addressing the situation. Christmas infiltrates All Saints Emergency Department with an unfortunate tragedy - a serious accident involving a group of kids with cancer on their way to a Christmas party. Frank is particularly challenged when one of the children, a boy suffering severe head injuries, can't be stabilised. The boy is losing his battle with cancer but his mother will not allow them to cease resuscitation attempts. Acutely aware of the Christmas season, Frank finds himself in the unenviable position of convincing the woman into letting her son go. Feeling the lack of Christmas spirit in the ED, Regina calls in the big guns in the form of a man in a red suit and a bag of presents. Santa seems strangely familiar to the staff and they're shocked to find it is their glorious leader who is behind the "ho, ho, hos".