3 January 2018

Kath hurries to Mark

Kath hurries up the corridor in the hospital, where she finds Non waiting;   

"He didn't want to bother you"

she explains that Mark was not himself yesterday.   He was weak and would not eat, neither would he allow her to phone his mother.   “He didn’t want to bother you.”   

"I wish I hadn't gone away"

Kath wishes that she had not gone away, and is very upset to hear that the peritoneal dialysis is not working, 

"They're trying haemodialysis"

so they are trying something called haemodialysis.

"He was doing so well after last week"

“He was doing so well after that attack last week – one step forward, two back,” Kath concludes, but Non replies that it is more hopeful than she thinks.

"The opewration went well"

“I’ve got news – the operation went well, that was needed for the new dialysis,” Non tells her.   A nurse informs them that Mark is ready now, but points out that he only wants to see Non;  

"But I'm his mother!"

Kath is devastated.

"I haven't heard any more about Mark"

In the café kitchen, Debbie has heard no more news about Mark, and Vicky asks when she is going to see him.   Debbie’s phone rings – it is Kelly, advising that she is not well, and will not be coming in.   

Mathew is still looking at his phone

Mathew arrives, wanting to go for lunch in the Deri with Vicky.   She hands him a pile of plates to go into the sink, 

"Put this lot in the sink"

but he is holding his phone (and it is pretty obvious what he is looking at) 

The phone sinks beneath the scalding water

and the phone slips from his grasp into the hot soapy water.   

"It's hopeless!"

He desperately tries to retrieve it.

The house looks unscathed from the outside

Outside, in the street, Gwyneth looks up at her fire-damaged house;  inside the café, Jason and Sara sit disconsolately, but then Gwyneth finds them.   

"How could you be so careless?"

“So this is where you’re hiding – how could you be so careless?   You should have checked the alarm worked!”   

"Ifan could have died – and Jason!"

Sara protests that Ifan could have died in that fire – and Jason, 

"But they didn't, did they?"

but Gwyneth points out that they are in fact fine.

“Look we had to move in with Mam and Dai, which is not ideal,” begins Jason, 

"APD can do the work for you"

“But APD can do the work for you.”   Gwyneth is insistent that the work should be free of charge, as it was their responsibility and their fault.

"I'm not losing my 'no claims'!"

“I’m not losing my ‘no claims’ because you couldn’t look after the place!” she insists, “Now I’m going to assess the damage.”

Mark is awake again

Mark opens his eyes and Non tells him he looks better than yesterday;  he asks whether she has told anyone else that she can be a donor.   

"I was just about to tell Kath"

“I was going to tell Kath just now – she has come home,” replies Non, but he forbids her to tell anyone.   “Everyone will have to know . . .” she says, but he is adamant that he does not want her to do it.

"You're scared – and I don't blame you"

“You’re scared – and I don’t blame you,” he tells her, 

"I don't want you to suffer any more"

but she does not want to see him suffer any more.   He is quite clear that he is not going to let her do this.   On the other side of the glass we can see Kath approaching.

"What is going on?"

“What’s going on here?   The operation hasn’t worked, has it?” Kath demands, 

"I shall feel better after some different dialysis"

but Mark maintains that he will feel better after some different dialysis.

"I've lost all my photos!"

Mathew is frantic;  “It’s not even switching on – I have lost all my photos, and there are no backups of the recent ones.   

"Try putting it in this rice"

Vicky has opened a packet of rice, and covers the phone with it, in the hope that it will dry out, but Mathew is convinced that it is destroyed.

Debbie has been trying to contact Gwen, without success;  “Last week I was afraid of going to the hospital – and now I can’t!” she laments.   

"We'll look after the place for you"

Vicky says that she and Mathew will look after the place in her absence.

"Is anyone serving in here?"

Gwyneth comes in and angrily demands if anyone is serving there.   Vicky asks if the house is badly damaged;  

"It was awful to hear Ifan screaming!"

“It was awful to see all those flames, and hear Ifan screaming!   I don’t know what I’d do if Nicky was in danger like that.”

"But nothing happened!"

“There’s no point wondering what could have happened – it didn’t!” snarls Gwyneth, and Vicky offers to pay back the loan, if she needs the money.   Vicky does not need it now that she has the flat upstairs.   

"Everyone needs £1,000!"

Gwyneth is of the opinion that everyone always needs £1,000, and explains, “I won’t be paying – why don’t you treat yourself to something nice for the flat?”

"I shall have to get a cheap phone . . ."

Mathew realises it is hopeless, and he will have to get a cheap phone to replace it, 

". . . but I'll never get my photos back!"

but he will never get his photos back.   He sadly goes upstairs, and Vicky says it was her fault; 

"You don't have to skimp on something cheap, do you?"

“You don’t have to skimp on something cheap, do you?” Gwyneth reminds her.

"Remember when we had all the lights in the garden?"

Mark tries to make small talk, and recalls when they put up all the lights in the garden years ago;  “It was like Blackpool Illuminations – we had a heck of an electricity bill!”

"Right – that's enough of this nonsense!"

Kath gets up and exclaims, “Right – that’s enough of this nonsense!   You’ve had bad news, haven’t you?   You’re keeping secrets from me!”   

"No, Non!"

Against Mark’s wishes, 

"I can give Mark a kidney"

Non reveals, “I can give Mark a kidney – I lied about only having one – I can’t keep it secret any more!   I should have been honest from the start – I’m so sorry.”

"We've been worried for months!"

Kath is outraged;  “We’ve been worried for months – concerned there wasn’t a match!”   Non admits that she is ashamed, 

"I didn't want to get your hopes up"

but there was no point in getting their hopes up.   “No point in offering us a glimmer of hope?” rants Kath, “How could you be so cruel?” and she walks out of the room.

Vicky does not seem to be listening

As Debbie is leaving the café, she issues instructions to Vicky, who assures her that everything will be all right.   

"Can you do some deliveries in Carmarthen?"

Jason comes in for a coffee, and Sara wants him to do some deliveries in Carmarthen, although he says he is on his lunch break.

“I’m desperate – DJ has a bug, Kath is at the hospital and Anita is going to Canada tomorrow.”   

"You can have it free if you give me a lift"

He reluctantly agrees, and Vicky says he can have the coffee free if he will give her a lift to town.   

"There are plenty of buses, Vicky"

Sara abruptly points out that there are plenty of buses.

Gwen has arrived, to keep the café operating

Gwen rushes in, apologising for being late;  

"I'm going out – it's a surprise"

Vicky thrusts her apron into Mathew’s hand, saying that she is going out, and it is a surprise.

"But if that is what Non wants . . ."

Kath is arguing with Mark, “But if that is what Non wants – it worked with Stacey’s.   You’ve had years of good health, thanks to her.”   

"I'm not going to risk my other sister's life"

He reminds her that Stacey also became ill and almost died;  he is not going to risk his other sister’s life.   “But the risks are lower these days, aren’t they?” his mother replies.

"What are you talking about, Mark?"

Debbie arrives, and Mark insists, “You’re not going to force me – it’s not happening, and that’s that!”   Debbie is puzzled.

"It's lush, isn't it?"

Vicky returns with her present for Mathew;  “It’s lush, isn’t it?”   

"We can't afford that!"

He notices that it is the latest model and says they cannot afford it.   “We can – I’ve borrowed money from Gwyneth –it was meant to be a deposit for a flat.”   

"How much?"

He is aghast when he learns that the loan is £1,000.

"It won't be cheap!"

Gwyneth accosts Sara in the street;  “I’m getting some builders in to give me quotes – it won’t be cheap!”   Sara asks why she does not make a claim on insurance, at least told that she does not want the hassle.

"We need every penny for Ifan"

“Please, Gwyneth, we need every penny for Ifan – we could have lost him in the fire,” Sara pleads, but Gwyneth points out that she could take them to court for what they have done to her house.   “Imagine how you would feel if you and Gwern had been in danger.”

"You were responsible for killing Brandon in that fire!"

Then as Sara walks away, she turns and adds, “Then again, you were responsible for killing Brandon in that fire – you obviously don’t have a heart!”

"After all we've done for her!"

Debbie moans to Kath, “After everything we’ve done for her, she lies to us!”   Kath replies that she did not want them to get their hopes up.   

They return to Mark's bedside

They return to Mark’s bedside, where he is still feeling sick, and Non again says how sorry she is for lying.

"This is not going to change my mind!"

Mark says that none of this will change his mind, and he must give this new dialysis a chance to work first.   His mother asks, “What if it doesn’t work?”   

"But Non can make you better!"

Debbie insists that Non can make him better, but he does not want her to suffer, and she cannot be certain that it will work.

“Someone else might be suitable,” 

"Probably when it's too late!"

but Kath demands when that will be – probably when it’s too late, and she walks out.

"Sounded like a good deal to me"

“It sounded like a good deal to me – 10% interest for a year,” Vicky says, 

He points out what the contract actually says . . .

but Mathew points out that the contract actually specifies 10% a month.

. . . and performs some mental arithmetic

“So 10% of £1,000, times 12 – over a year, you have to repay £1,200 of interest,” he explains, but she is adamant she is not paying that much, and rushes off to tell Gwyneth where she can stick her loan.

"He won't change his mind!"

Debbie reports to Kath that Mark will not change his mind, but his mother hopes that he will come round.   

"I'm glad Dyff had an affair"

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m glad that Dyff had an affair – Non wouldn’t be here otherwise to help Mark.”   

"No-one can force Mark"

Debbie reminds her that no-one can force Mark to do this, but Kath says that it is Mark’s final hope.

"Shouting at me is not going to help"

“Shouting at me is not going to help,” protests Debbie, “It’s not my fault he won’t accept help from Non.”

"Do you believe in angels?"

Looking at the Christmas decorations featuring angels, Non asks if Mark believes in angels.   

"I see a lot of strange things with these drugs"

“I see a lot of strange things with all these drugs on taking, but no angels,” he answers.

"Maybe the reason I found you was to help you"

“I do,” Non goes on, “Not ones with wings and halos, but I do.   Maybe the reason I found you was to help you.”   

"You talk a lot of nonsense"

He comments that she talks a lot of nonsense sometimes, and she adds, “I don’t want to have come this far just to lose you now.   I want us to spend more time together – years, hopefully.   

"I want to make you better"

“I got so worried when you were taken ill yesterday, and last week – I wanted to make you better – and I’m able to do it.   Please, I beg you.   

"Imagine how you would feel if you were sitting here"

“Imagine how you would feel if you were sitting here, and your mother was lying in this bed – or Debbie – or Ricky.   You’d do anything to try and help them, wouldn’t you?”

"Of course I would"

With tears in his eyes, Mark replies that of course he would.   “Don’t you want to see Ricky growing up – maybe go to university – settle down and have children?”   

He wonders why it had to be Non;  

"Perhaps I'm an angel"

she replies, “Perhaps I’m an angel,” and he grasps her hand.

Jason has carried out his delivery task, and must get back to APD;  Gwyneth comes into Awyr Iach, but Sara does not want her there.   

"I've decided to go through the insurance"

“Just so you know, I’ve decided to go through the insurance, but there are conditions.”   

The increase in rent does not please Sara . . .

Jason says they are only too pleased to pay the excess, and Gwyneth advises that the rent is going up by £50 per month, as the house will be refurbished, and it has not gone up since they moved in.

. . . but they have little choice but to agree

Jason says that they are willing to accept the terms, and they will have to see if the insurance company will approve APD to do the work.

"You've got a nerve!"

Then an angry Vicky comes in;  “You’ve got a nerve!” she rages, “If you think I’m going to repay over double that loan, think again!   You said 10% interest was a bargain – I thought it was for the year, not 10% a month!”

"Can't you read?"

Gwyneth’s response is, “It’s in the agreement – can’t you read?   I’m sorry if you misunderstood – I thought I was helping you.   I have to make a living too.   

Vicky realises she has no escape

“You don’t have any choice!”

They finally hear that Mark has agreed

Non goes out to where Debbie and Kath are waiting, and tells them, “He’s agreed!” which is a great relief to them.   “The operation can take place before long.”   They are both indebted to her, 

"It's going to be all right, Mark"

and they hurry back into the hospital room.   

Non has come to the rescue

“Everything’s all right now,” Kath assures Mark, he replies that he hopes it is.