Will is getting ready for work. A picture of Kate hangs in the bathroom and he catches the reflection in the mirror. He goes and stands by the picture gazing at it before heading to work.
Alice is helping Shaun arrange some flowers for the pub. They are having their usual banter match when Alice appears to be suffering with pain in her knee.
Claire overhears Kerri enquiring about a job at a local practice. She tells Kerri to wait a while as Will is having second thoughts about splitting The Beeches. Kerri asks Tom what is going on, he tells her the plans are on hold and he’ll put her in the picture as soon as he knows something.
Claire tells Will she is surprised to see him here today. He tells her he had to get out of the house. She asks if Kate is still around, he says no. Claire says that Will is better off without Kate, he changes the subject and thanks her for last night.
Tom tells Will that Alex has gone away for a few days. He asks Will if he’s spoken to Kate yet about The Beeches split, Will says he hasn’t had a chance to talk to her and he and Alex will just have to be patient. Tom tells him that he and Alex need to know where they stand. Kerri comes in and asks Will to go to The Black Swan with her – it’s Alice.
Shaun tells Will and Kerri that Alice fell of the ladder, Kerri says he should never have let her up there in the first place! Kerri insists that Shaun takes Alice to the hospital and waits for her and brings her home afterwards. Will is concerned as Shaun tells him Alice screamed before she actually fell.
Will arrives home and finds Charlie on the phone to Kate. Charlie asks her when she is coming home. The doorbell rings and Charlie hands the phone to Will before answering the door. It’s Claire. She walks into the sitting room where she overhears Will tell Kate that he can’t talk to her over the phone. As he finishes the call Claire walks in and announces she has brought them dinner as she figured he’d need it what with Kate away. She gives Charlie some money to go to the chip shop for himself and his girlfriend but Will stops him, saying he has homework to do. Neither Will or Charlie are quite sure why Claire is here. Will and Claire have dinner. She looks at him and comments that Kate must be mad. She says it’s late and she’s had too much to drink to drive home. Will tells her he’ll order her a cab.
Kerri treats Alice at the surgery and is angry to find that Alice didn’t stay overnight in hospital. Alice says she was sick of the fuss. Kerri suggests maybe a walking stick could be of help and perhaps ease her pain a little. Alice refuses and says she doesn’t want assistance – she’s not incapable. Kerri also finds a small burn on Alice’s hand and is disappointed when Alice leaves without accepting any help.
Charlie arrives home from school to find Claire waiting outside the house. She tells him they need to talk. Charlie later storms around to The Beeches and accuses Will of lying to him about Kate. He says he knows she’s not coming home and he knows they’ve split up. Will asks him who has told him this. Charlie says Claire has told him that Will and Kate are getting a divorce and that Kate has a new man called James and that Will and Claire are moving in together. Will tells him they are lies. He tells Charlie he and Kate have had a disagreement and that she’s gone away for while. Charlie says if they are lies why has Claire moved all her stuff into their house.
Will goes home to find Claire’s stuff in the house and Claire helping herself to dinner. He asks her what she is doing barging into his house and telling Charlie lies. She says Charlie needed to know the truth and now that he knows there is nothing standing in their way. Will tells her he wants her gone from the house, The Beeches and Cardale. He says he can’t treat her anymore because she’s sick and needs specialist treatment. Claire calls Will a hypocrite and shoves the Prozac packet in his face, she says she knows that he’s been taking pills and then leaves.
Charlie goes to The Beeches and tells Will he will be having tea at Rachel’s tonight. Will tells him that Claire was lying and that she’s moved out. Charlie asks Will about he and Kate, Will doesn’t answer, Charlie walks out.
At The Black Swan, Tom and Kerri have a drink. He’s missing Alex and tells her he is having problems striking up a conversation with Joe’s new nanny, although his knowledge of S Club 7 has improved! Claire sits next to Will who is drinking alone and tells him she’s sorry she embarrassed him earlier. He tells her she upset Charlie. She says she didn’t mean to hurt him and asks if she can buy him a drink but he says no. She tells him she is leaving Cardale and doesn’t want to leave with bad feeling. He tells her he’ll have a small scotch – she buys him a large one. Tom watches as the two share a drink.
CLAIRE: I’m leaving Cardale. I need to clear my head and make a fresh start
WILL: Sounds like a good idea
Will wakes up in bed with Claire beside him. He asks her how she got in here. She tells him they had a few drinks at the pub, came back to the house and made love. She says he couldn’t get enough of her. He tells her she is lying. He hands her back her clothes and tells her to get out. She begs him to not pretend this didn’t happen. He tells her if she doesn’t leave he will call the police. Claire leaves and tells Will he did it and he can’t treat her like this. Their confrontation is witnessed by Charlie. Will goes back into the bedroom and rips the sheets off the bed, he hears the door slam – Charlie has gone.
CLAIRE: You screwed me in your wife’s bed
Tom sees Alice when Will tells Kerri he can’t deal with it at the moment. Tom talks to Alice about her hygiene, he says that’s what their neighbouring practice think brought on her cystitis. She insists she washes every day from head to toe. Tom tells her it’s understandable that a task such as a bath can make her feel exhausted with her arthritis.
The police arrive at The Beeches looking for Will. He assumes Charlie has been hurt and insists the police tell him what is going on in front of everyone in reception. The police officer arrests him on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. He is taken to the station and interviewed. He tells them Claire was there when he woke up and says he has no idea how she got into his bed. He explains that he’s been given Claire counselling as she is sick. They tell him Charlie is at school and he will be required as a witness. They also say they have taken forensics from Claire and will be doing the same with him. Claire tells the police that Will invited her to move in with him and that after sharing a house with Alex she didn’t think there was anything sinister about his proposal. The police ask why her arrangement with Alex came to an end. Claire asks what that has to do with anything and insists that she is the victim and that Will has raped her. Will and Claire are brought out of their separate interview rooms and Will sees that Claire has bruises and cuts on her face. He says he did not do that to her.
Will goes to The Beeches and talks to Tom. Tom says he knows they’ve hardly been best mates lately but he knows what Will is capable of, and it’s not rape or assault. Will says he didn’t attack Claire but shows Tom several scratch marks on his chest. Will tells Tom how the police examined him; taking his clothes away, examining his hair and taking a swab from his mouth. Tom asks Will if there is a chance his semen could be found on Claire, Will says he doesn’t know as he cant remember what happened. Claire enters and applauds Will on his performance. She tells him she is coming back to work tomorrow and says that if he is within 50 yards of The Beeches she will call the police. Tom tells her to leave it and Claire comments that nothing changes; all boys together – just like the army. She tells Will that Tom wanted her too and that he was all over her until Alex arrived home. Tom says that’s rubbish. Claire says she wants to talk to Alex and asks Toms where she is. Tom tells her Alex is arranging to have the body of Lieutenant McEwan exhumed. Claire says Alex wouldn’t do that and says Tom is lying; Lieutenant McEwan is dead and it’s been forgotten, Tom says it hasn’t been by Alex.
TOM: No sane man would touch you with a barge pole
Will tells Tom the alcohol he drunk last night may have reacted with the anti-depressants he’s been taking. He admits to him that he has been on Prozac for a few weeks. Tom says that would kill his libido but it wouldn’t wipe his memory. Will and Tom go to the lab where Tom is told that a urine sample could show if Will was drugged. The physician says from what Tom has told him it is likely that GHB was slipped into Will’s drink; it has no colour, no smell and is easy to get hold off. It increases the sex drive but with alcohol it could knock someone out cold. He also says that used in the wrong doses it could kill.
Alice runs herself a bath. When it is time to get out she can’t pull herself up and on reaching for the handrail it breaks and she sinks back into the bath. She lies there still and shaking. Kerri phones her and is concerned when she doesn’t get an answer. Kerri and Shaun go to Alice’s house and Shaun breaks the door down. He finds Alice in the bath and calls for Kerri. Kerri tells Alice she is going to be fine and tells Shaun to go off and get some towels for Alice.
Tom tells Will that Claire drugged him and assaulted him and had full intention of doing all of this. Will says that’s how it may appear in court but what about the minds of other people.
WILL: She raped me didn’t she………I don’t feel like a man anymore
Claire is at The Beeches. She has trashed the place and sits holding a picture of Alex, she smashes the picture before taking a mouthful of pills.
Shaun makes Alice some soup but she asks him to leave. She tells Kerri she’s embarrassed after he saw her in that state in the bath. Kerri tells Alice she doesn’t need to leave her home, she just needs to make some modifications. Kerri says she can be independent and let people help at the same time.
Will and Charlie go home. Will says they need to talk and gets out of the car. Charlie shuts all the windows of the car before climbing into the back seat. Will shouts at him that he will go and get Claire and get her to tell him the truth. Will says he’s not a rapist.
Will goes to The Beeches and finds Claire slumped against the wall. He sits and asks if she expects him to help her, He gives her an injection that brings her conscious. She is taken to casualty where Will and Tom watch as Claire’s stomach is pumped. Will says he can’t watch anymore and leaves. They arrive back at The Beeches where Charlie is waiting for Will. Tom tells Will he has told Charlie what didn’t happen – it’s up to him to tell him the rest.
Kerri walks in on Alice and Shaun making an agreement. They have decided that Alice will do flower arrangements for the pub in exchange for her lunch every day, and so that her strength is kept up and she is at her best for Shaun she has decided to get some alterations done in her house – for Shaun’s benefit! Kerri tells Shaun that he has a big heart and gives him a kiss. He says he only did it because he hopes Alice will get a stair lift that he can have a go on – Kerri jokes that it will have to be a tough one.
The police arrive at the hospital and say they want to ask Claire a few questions. When they pull back the curtain of her cubicle she is gone and all that is left is the sound of the heart monitor.
Claire starts up her car and drives out of Cardale…
