Rita Barratt (S1 ep6) arrives back in Cardale to take over the pub. She makes a firm friend in Sam who is now a permanent lodger at the pub.
Whilst out running Joanna runs into the middle of an army exercise. When one of the soldiers jumps from a tree and frightens her she falls over and hurts her ankle. One of the soldiers; Mark insists on checking that she is ok. She tells him she is fine and that she’s a doctor. He bandages her ankle and the troop leave her to continue with their exercise. Despite her bad limp Joanna continues with the rest of her run.
Alice is on the lookout for old books for her stall at the local book drive.
Mark catches up with Joanna – he tells her that his sergeant is in need of medical help. Joanna follows him and is taken to Dave who has collapsed. When she examines him she finds a nasty wound on the side of his abdomen. She dresses it but then finds it is a puncture wound and not just a graze as she had first thought. Throughout her treatment of Dave, Mark aid her in any assistance she needs, but they are both met by ignorance in the two other soldiers in the troop who just want to finish their exercise. Joanna tells them the puncture wound could put Dave’s heart and lungs at risk and asks them to radio for help. Seconds later they return and tell Joanna and Mark they have called for help but the air ambulance may be a while due to the hilly surroundings.
Joanna and Mark decide that it would make more sense if they could get to a piece of land that is in better condition in order to make it easier for the helicopter to land. As they walk towards the destination of where the helicopter is meeting them Dave collapses. Joanna suspects he is bleeding around his heart. Realising the situation is serious, the two younger soldiers admit they never radioed for help because they didn’t want to fail the exercise. Joanna orders them to call for help now!
Andrew is called out by the mountain rescue team. They inform him of a mayday that has been put out from the hills, he joins them as they take the air ambulance out to meet the casualty. As he is driving to the scene he is told that the casualty has a doctor with him from The Beeches – Andrew realises it’s Joanna. His thoughts are confirmed when she radios a message to him saying ‘so much for the day off’!
Beeches patient Donna goes into premature labour at the surgery. With Andrew and Joanna both out it is left to Sam to deliver the baby with Dawn as his assistant! They make one of the consulting rooms into a makeshift delivery suite and deliver a healthy baby boy just before the midwife arrives!
Joanna doesn’t understand why David’s system is still working so hard whilst he’s barely conscious. One of the soldiers says that Dave has taken a wrap of speed. Soon after Dave arrests and Joanna realises she will have to perform emergency surgery on his heart if he is to survive.
The helicopter flies above the area where Joanna is but can’t land. Andrew throws the medical equipment down to the soldiers before jumping off the helicopter to make his way to Joanna.
JOANNA: You took your time
ANDREW: I took the scenic route
Andrew and Joanna talk through the procedure together as neither of them have ever used the equipment before. Joanna opens Dave’s chest and massages his heart manually. She finds a hole in Dave’s left ventricle and immediately plugs it with a piece of gauze. After a few tense minutes Dave starts breathing again!
Dawn and Sam crack open the champagne to toast to the new baby and the fact the builders have finally finished the work on The Beeches. Alice joins them too and toasts to the new premises.
Dave is flown to safety whilst Mark tells Joanna how thankful he is for her help. Andrew congratulates her and says she did well, Joanna tells him it’s all about teamwork.
