Tuesday, 21st September 1999

Lindsey, battered, bruised and with a broken(?) arm is lying in hospital.

"I knew I'd get you into bed eventually"

She looks towards the door and is dismayed to see Callum standing there grinning. (Lindsey was dismayed, I wasn't!). This is actually his second contact with her since Annette's little 'lesson' - Callum has already sent on some flowers (red and brown ones to match her eyes!) and an accompanying card which read:

"Where does it hurt? I'll kiss it better."

Callum stays for a while and thoroughly enjoys himself: joking, making fun of her hospital notes, warning her against running to Rose and Alisdair and eating the flowers (yes, *eating* the flowers!). He tells R'Linds that the world is more fun with her alive and that he considers her to be 'sport'!

After a while, another visitor appears - one that Lindsey is happier to see - Shelley the interior designer (or 'decorator' as Jimmy called her later in the episode - LOL!).

"I didn't know that you two were friends", he says as he leaves, his mouth full of flowers. "Or should that be bosom buddies?" LOL.

Back on the Close, everyone believes that Lindsey, whilst collecting some papers from Susannah's house, had disturbed some burglars. This story has probably come from Jimmy, who has also (and he *really* should know better, by now), told Jackie that he's contacted the police. Of course, he hasn't and Jackie doesn't take long to wheedle this fact out of him.

Enraged, she waits for him to be out of the way and phones 999 herself. Hang on! 999? Is this an *emergency* or what? I can't believe that even Jackie Corkhill would dial 999 for this. In fact, this reminds me of an article in the papers a few days ago which listed the reasons some people, IRL, had given for calling 999 - such as 'can you recommend a decent stain remover - I've spilt something on my jeans.' What? But I digress.

At the hospital, Jimmy and Jackie have arrived to visit Lindsey, but find her talking to the police. For a moment this puzzles Jimmy, until the penny drops. He takes a closer look at the cops (why, I don't know!), turns to Jackie and says:

"Couldn't keep out of it, could you?"

And very sternly, Jackie replies with:

"What's goin' on?

Two great lines, expertly delivered; each being so typical of the characters in question, both obviously gagging for a slanging match, but managing (for once) to contain themselves (for now, at least!).

Lindsey confides to Jimmy that Callum's been to visit and that she's scared.

Mick's told Sinbad that he's thinking about selling the chippy. Sinbad is particularly annoyed, both at losing his job and due to the fact that Mick had failed to mention that the shop had been trashed. He'd only found out about the damage by walking along the parade.

In the bungalow, Margi finds Greg's mobile phone bill. Every other number is Susannah's. However, she's come to the conclusion that it's a result of Jason continually calling Katrina. So that's all right, then! For now...

The effects of the deaths still reverberate - Emily is concerned that Margi will still want to take the fancy job in Brussels and tries to talk her out of it and Nikki is finding it harder and harder to live with the knowledge of Greg's affair. Worried that Nikki will blurt the news out in front of Margi, Jessie gives R'Nikki a stiff talking to. Nikki, however, prefers a stiff drink and continues to find solace with her new friend Gordon (well, she's polished off the scotch and vodka, so it's onto the gin).

It's not long, though, before Margi smells the alcohol on Nikki's breath. They have an almighty ding-dong during which Nikki almost tells her about Greg and Susannah, but just stops short of actually doing so:

"Oh, like me Dad was such a big saint. Whiter than white?" she says.

Margi's not in the mood to hear her daughter talk to her like that and lets slip a few home truths of her own:

"You wouldn't be in the mess you're in now if it wasn't for your drinking. I'm surprised that any fella had to waste his time drugging you to get you into bed cos you were probably too off yer face to realise what was going on."

Hey, Margi. Don't hold back - tell us what you really think!

We know what Nikki thought of that outburst - she slapped her mother's face (and didn't even need to call in Annette to do it for her!).

However, Emily had witnessed the whole thing...