They say you should never mix business with pleasure, and it looks like Rachel is about to find out why. Having arrived late for work following a passionate night with Lewis, the Bay’s newest arrival, she steps in to introduce herself to her three new interns only to discover that she knows one of them intimately well. Yes, you’ve guessed it; it’s Lewis. Although equally surprised to see her, he soon sees the funny side of the situation and can’t resist taking the opportunity to flirt with her whenever they’re alone – but their tryst doesn’t stay secret for long. After a revealing discussion with Marie, one of Lewis’s fellow interns, Sam tracks down Rachel and tells her the bad news: Marie knows Rachel slept with Lewis; worse still, he also slept with Marie…A step in the right directionAs soon as they discover that Annie has run away, Martha, Lucas and Geoff instinctively head to the farm, where they’re shocked by the fact of Bruce not only having turned his granddaughter away the night before but also failing to show any kind of concern for her current whereabouts – an outlook which fails to shift when, Annie having been found lying comatose in one of the paddocks, he refuses to visit her in hospital. As doctors remain stumped by her refusal to speak, it falls to Jonah to talk Bruce into providing the one thing Annie really needs: her grandfather’s support. It’s enough to prompt Bruce into confessing that, far from not caring about his grandchildren, he can’t bear the thought of them watching him suffer; he’s convinced he’s coming to the end of his days and doesn’t want them to have to leave him again. He eventually sees sense and visits Annie, who finds her voice once more. But as plans are made for her to move back to the farm, Irene insists that Jonah remains a problem.

Despite Martha’s attempts at diffusing the situation, Jonah can’t stand the thought of being responsible for keeping a family apart and, with Annie's best interests in mind, decides it’s time to move on. It’s clear that deep down Martha wants him to stay, but she can't bring herself to say it; instead, she lets him walk out of her life.

Tragedy strikes

Meanwhile, Alf has been copping grief from Mrs Cronin over the fact that his Ute is blocking her caravan – but, prohibited from driving because of his eye problem, he has no choice but to refuse her requests to move it and to ask Sally to help out when she returns home. But as the day draws on and Mrs Cronin’s requests become increasingly less civil, it’s not long before he finds himself back behind the wheel – with disastrous consequences.

As Alf starts reversing the car, he fails to notice that Pippa has made her way out of the house and is standing in his path. By the time Sally walks up the driveway it’s too late; Pippa, having been hit, is already lying motionless on the ground.


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