Dawn goes through some of her mothers things, she looks sad as she scans the numerous birthday cards. Her children Trent and Lu-Lu are giving her a hard time as they want to see their father. She says they can’t – he left them.
Dawn goes to The Beeches. She tells Joanne she doesn’t want to see David she wants to see a female doctor. She sees Erica and tells her she and the children need a new shower to help their eczema condition! Erica refuses and tells Dawn that so far she has conned the practice into providing a diet for a wheat allergy, a new gas fire and other such needs. Dawn leaves.
The following day Dawn returns to The Beeches and tells Erica the real reason why she wanted to see her; she has found a lump in her breast. Erica examines her and says there is nothing to worry about, however she does want Dawn to go to a breast assessment clinic. She asks Dawn if there is a family history of breast cancer to which Dawn says there isn’t.
David guesses that Andrew and Erica are seeing each other. He tells Andrew he’s happy for them. Andrew and Erica go to a club and bump into Dawn who is on a date with local married man Henry. Erica is not happy about seeing them together and Andrew says she can’t judge Dawn as he was married to Kirsty when they first got together. Erica is offended and takes a cab home.
The following day Andrew tells Erica he hopes she was drunk last night as she chucked him. She says she was drunk but still wants to finish with him.
ANDREW: Women eh?
DAVID: Fantastic aren’t they?
ANDREW: God’s finest creation
Dawn goes to have her breasts assessed at the hospital. They take a biopsy but Dawn leaves before they can give her the results. She goes home and takes the kids out for the day.
Erica goes to the train station and meets a man; Jackie. He is Erica’s natural father. He tells her he wasn’t going to come as his daughters are not aware Erica exists. Jackie explains things to Erica. Her Mother died in a car crash when she was 26. He tells her he never knew where her mum was going when she took Erica and walked out on him when Erica was just a baby.
Erica visits Dawn at home. She tells Dawn the tests have shown she has cancer. Erica tells her about the operation she can have but Dawn says she doesn’t want it. Dawn arrives in a drunken state at the pub and tells Chloe and James she wants a bar job but Chloe says no. Dawn throws herself at Andrew who is drowning his sorrows over Erica. He goes up to Erica’s room but she slams the door in his face.
Dawn arrives home drunk and Trent tells her he’s ashamed off her. She hits him and he runs away. The police don’t seem all that concerned. The nurse arrives to see Dawn and tells her she doesn’t need to have a mastectomy, but Dawns mind is on Trent.
Andrew hears Joanne slagging off Erica. He tells her if he hears her speak ill of Erica again she’ll be out of a job.
Dawn tells Erica she wants both of her breasts removed. She tells Erica her mum died of breast cancer when she was just 34. Henry arrives and tells Dawn he’s left his wife for her, she tells him she doesn’t want him now, she just wants to concentrate on her children. He hits her and a struggle follows just as Trent calls to say he’s in Scotland with his dad. Erica comes back around to fix Dawn’s cut and Dawn tells her she has had the lump for 7 months. Erica tells Dawn she must have the operation.
DAWN: I don’t want my kids to watch me die
Chloe agrees to look after Lu-Lu and Shane whilst Dawn has the operation. But when Chloe tells Dawn she knows what she is going through Dawn gets scared and runs out taking the children with her. She meets Trent and his dad Keith at the coach station. She tells Trent what is wrong with her and he convinces her to have the operation.
Erica and Jackie talk about her mother. He tells her he did really love her. She tells him she hasn’t told her adoptive parents that she has been meeting him. Andrew shows Erica around his new home and she tells him about her dad, she thanks him for giving her space and being there for her.
ERICA: I miss my mother. I never even knew her but I miss her
Erica visits Dawn after her operation. She tells her the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes. Erica tells her about the treatment available and says she will be there for her. Dawn is worried that Lu-Lu will inherit the cancer that she now has and that killed her mother, Erica tells her there is a gene test which will show whether or not Lu-Lu may also get cancer.
Dawn plays fancy dress with Lu-Lu. She asks Dawn how old she will be on her next birthday. Dawn says 34.
