Leanne is helping out at The Beeches covering for Carol. Claire arrives at the surgery and Matt asks her if she’d like to get a pizza and video with him tonight. She says no. What happened between them the other night happened because she was curious. She tells him not to expect a repeat performance.
Alex is impressed with how Matt handles the case of young boy Luke who is having difficulty breathing. Luke and his father Steve are in Cardale on holiday and Luke is adamant he doesn’t want to go to hospital as he has had a bad experience there before. Matt gets to listen to his chest by offering Luke a bag of jelly beans.
Alex and Claire prepare for a weekend camping trip. Claire is surprised that Matt is being left at The Beeches alone doing the emergency cover. Alex says he’ll be fine and Will is always on the other end of the phone if he needs someone to talk to.
Matt sees Luke again and diagnoses Croup. He tells Steve the best treatment is good old fashioned steam. Luke’s father doesn’t seem to impressed. Matt tells Kerri he is concerned about Luke. She tells him to call Will, he says no. He’s already got ground to make up after his mistake with Alice. Matt tells Kerri he promised Luke he wouldn’t have to go to hospital – Kerri knows that was a mistake.
Claire tells Alex about Matt. Alex comments that Claire’s a cradle snatcher. As they continue to drive they are stopped by an army patrol in the middle of an army exercise. Claire is visibly stirred by the site of the helicopter flying above them. She tells Alex she wants nothing to do with the army again.
Claire storms up the peaks whilst Alex is left behind struggling. Claire digs at Alex and Alex asks her why she is giving her such a hard time. Claire says she’s just trying to help Alex forget her problems with Tom. Alex says there aren’t any problems; she and Tom are fine. Claire tells Alex she’s disappointed in her and thinks that Alex had lost her bottle.
Claire apologises to Alex about jumping to conclusions about she and Tom. She says she’s glad they are ok. Claire says she remembers how Alex used to keep her feelings hidden in the army and that she used to think Alex was a cold hearted cow until she figured her out. Claire refers to a time when she saved Alex’s skin; something that Alex doesn’t seem clear about.
Alex asks Claire what she meant when she said she had ‘saved her skin’. Claire says that if it hadn’t have been for her, Alex would never have walked out on her husband Paul. Alex asks Claire why she left the army, she can’t understand as she loved it so much. Claire tells her there was a big incident in Kosovo and she went to the scene with the medi-vac team. Her patient had been shot in the chest and she got him to safety. However she realised that they had only made it by the skin of their teeth. Afterwards she couldn’t work and she was put away in a mental hospital. She didn’t want anything to do with sex or men but the married major who she had been seeing raped her. She didn’t keep it quiet and because of that the army invented charges against her and kicked her out. Alex comforts Claire and as they break away from their embrace Claire kisses her, the moment is interrupted as the army helicopter comes closer to them and appears to be in trouble. Claire freezes and Alex has to pull her to the ground as the helicopter swings over them and crashes in a nearby field.
Alex and Claire rush to the scene and Alex goes straight into action whilst Claire is still to the spot. One man has been thrown out to the ground whilst another lies trapped in the helicopter. Alex and Claire reach him and get him out. Claire hurts her knee in the process. Realising they have no medical supplies; Alex goes back into the helicopter despite Claire’s pleas not to, and gets the medical kit. She escapes the wreckage just as it explodes.
Matt calls Kerri around to Luke’s house. She says he should call Will but Matt refuses. Kerri is shocked when she finds out Matt has told the father that he has called an ambulance for Luke when he actually hasn’t. Matt goes to the chemist and gets them to open so he can get the treatment he has been after for Luke. The treatment works on Luke but Kerri has already called Will. Steve realises Matt hasn’t called an ambulance but doesn’t take things any further. Kerri says Matt is very lucky, all he has to do now is explain things to Will.
Claire tells Alex more about her time in Kosovo. She explains more about her patient who was shot. She says the second bullet blew out half of his skull and he was left paralysed and brain damaged. Claire says she wishes she had finished him off. She tells Alex she should’ve been there for her. Alex says it would’ve made no difference and that now they have to do their job and keep these patients alive.
Claire wants Alex to give one of the men morphine, but Alex says no as they don’t know the extent of his head injuries. Claire says it doesn’t matter he is dying of pain anyway; Alex gives him the morphine. Alex tells Claire she is going to get help. Claire doesn’t want Alex to leave her but Alex says she’ll be fine – she’s a good nurse and the injured couldn’t be in better hands. She says if they come round then to administer the morphine again.
Claire goes to administer morphine but instead she takes the canister and treads on it; using the last of their supplies. She takes a piece of tarpaulin and places it over the injured mans face. She holds it down until he stops breathing.
Alex runs for help and spots another helicopter flying towards her, she tells them where the injured are and leads them to the scene. As Alex and the rescue team reach Claire and the injured Alex is shocked to find one of the men covered in the tarpaulin sheet. She rushes to him and is alarmed to find him dead. She asks Claire what has happened. Claire tells her he came round and the morphine she gave him knocked him out. Alex continues to help the other injured man whilst Claire walks off.