The episode begins with a repeat performance of the attempted hit-and-run of Anthea, showing Tim rescuing her just in time. As she struggles to rise from the pavement, Tim asks if she's all right. She says she is, just shaken. The driver seemed to come from nowhere and at great speed. Realising she could have been killed, but for Tim, she thanks him profusely for saving her life. Tim helps her to her feet. She hails him as a hero and says that Emily is lucky to have him. Tim is only concerned for her safety and offers to walk her home. She asks if he got the registration of the car, but Tim, in his hurry, did not, saying that the driver was probably bevvied up. As he helps Anthea home, she continues to wonder about the incident, but Tim tells her to put it from her mind.
In the aftermath of Nikki's outburst, she sits sobbing against Emily. The entire bar is in silence. Jessie is the first person to approach a shame-faced Jerome, asking brusquely if what Nikki said was true, if he had been cheating on her. Vonnie, in a gentler tone, reiterates the question. Jerome, not meeting the looks of either of the women with his eyes, admits that he has been sleeping with Nisha. Lamely, he approaches Nikki and tries to speak to her, telling her that he can explain everything, but he has to contend with the full force of Emily.
She literally leaps over Nikki (one can tell that Jennifer Ellison trained as a ballet dancer) and savagely attacks Nisha, pouncing on her and pulling her hair ferociously. Nisha is knocked to the floor in the assault, before Bev appears and in a loud voice calls a halt to the proceedings, saying she'll have no trouble in the bar. Emily, however, can't shut up, and is pulled off Nisha by Mick, kicking and screaming, calling Nisha a scrubber et al. Jerome helps Nisha to her feet, whilst Emily continues to hurl verbal abuse at them both, telling Nisha, among other things, that she'll kill her (a future storyline, perhaps?) until Bev demands that Mick remove Emily and take her home.
Jerome continues to beg Nikki to hear him out, but she's told by Jessie to pay him no mind. Nikki, however, immensely dignified in this whole affair, agrees to hear Jerome's side of the story and asks Bev if they can use her office to talk privately. Bev agrees, but only on the condition that they don't start to trash it. Katie, meantime, isn't clued up on what's been happening between Nisha and Jerome and badgers a distraught Nisha to tell her. As Nikki and Jerome move toward the office, Nisha stops Nikki. She wants to apologise for her part in all of this, saying that she never meant for her fling with Jerome to go that far. She hopes that Nikki and Jerome can sort their differences out, because she realises now that they are good as a couple. Without a word, Nikki slaps Nisha across the face.
Inside Bev's office, Jerome suddenly realises that Nikki has known about his involvement with Nisha. Of course she's known, says Nikki, she's known for months. Jerome asks her why she never said anything. Nikki says that she was afraid of losing him. She says that Nisha was so much Ms Cool that Nikki was afraid if she kicked off Shadwick-style, Jerome would go off her and continue with Nisha. She hoped that the relationship between the two was just for sex and that Jerome would get bored with Nisha and come back to Nikki. She would be prepared to wait, but then Bev opened her big mouth and told Nisha about Nikki's rape.
That made Nisha drop Jerome, and in turn, it made Jerome pant after Nisha even harder, because she was something that he couldn't have. That's why she asked him to marry her; she thought if he agreed to commit himself to her, it would prove that he did love her all along. She even told Jerome about the time she followed him to Nisha's flat, saw him go inside. She knew they were in bed together. She stood outside the flat and called him on his mobile. She actually heard him turn it off. It made her feel sick.
Jerome admits to all that, but says it's all changed now. He loves Nikki. He never realised it until he heard what she said tonight. He knew then that she was the one for him. Nikki asked Jerome to tell her the truth about when his relationship with Nisha started. Jerome is forced to admit that it started the night they all went out together at Christmas. Nikki isn't surprised it had lasted that long. She remarks that her rape was a topic of conversation that hadn't come up (good pun) in Jerome's and Nisha's pillow talk.
Jerome says her rape has nothing to do with the relationship he had with Nisha. Nikki says it has everything to do with it. She tells him she overheard his conversation with Nisha at the top of the stairs that evening, when he told Nisha he'd rather be with her than with Nikki. It cut into Nikki's heart like a dagger. Nikki said she felt used and abused, like she'd been raped all over again. In fact, Jerome was worse ever than Luke Musgrove. Luke Musgrove had to drug her to have sex with her - Jerome played upon her trust and betrayed it.
Jerome begs for a second chance, but Nikki says she's finished with him.
While this is going on, various remarks are made in the bar. Jessie sternly remarks to Vonnie that she hopes Vonnie's son isn't making Nikki cry after breaking her heart. Vonnie remarks with dignity that Jerome is basically a good boy and always admits when he's done wrong (like the time he neglected to admit he pranged Ryan Musgrove's car and resprayed his Golf to hide the damage).
Nisha has told Katie the gist of what happened between her and Jerome and promising to tell her everything at home, the two make ready to leave. Lance, meantime, has entered the pub to hear all about the fracas from Bev, remarking that he always missed the best part of the action. Bev remarks that the best part is yet to come, because she's received a letter and she thinks it's from Immigration. The two are talking when Nisha and Katie, departing, approach Bev.
Nisha remarks, not without sarcasm, that she supposes it will be best if she maintains a low profile for the next few days as she's sure to be the topic of gossip. Bev cattily remarks that now she knows the price of riling a Shadwick, as they liked to kick off. Nisha suddenly realises that Bev knew about her and Jerome all along and Bev concurs, saying that she caught them having a snog in their favourite place, outside the loos. Howver, Bev asks Nisha if she's all right.
Apart from sporting a bruis on her cheek and having a handful of hair pulled out by that crazy Emily Shadwick, Nisha replies, she's OK. Bev remarks that Emily Shadwick's attitude toward infidelity is well-known, citing the misery she put Susannah through.
Katie cattily remarks that Bev would know all about infidelity with her record, edging Nisha and telling her that Bev broke up families. Bev sternly reminds Katie that she and Ron were history.
Tim, in the meantime, has brought a shaken Anthea back to the Dixons'. He sits with Ron and Mike, while Anthea relates what happened, to her, praising Tim all the while. During the time she is retelling the tale, Tim, Ron and Mike eye each other nervously. Ron suggests Anthea have an early night and rest and sees Tim out. At the front door, Ron thanks Tim for sticking his neck out for the Dixons for a second time. Ron tells him that, even though his solicitor is badgering him to name the name of the person who supplied him with the gun, Ron isn't forgetting what Tim's done for his family and tells Tim he won't be revealing that he gave him the weapon, no matter what it might mean for Ron. Tim smiles in gratitude and leaves, saying he has to get back to the Bar or Emily will be annoyed.
Nikki finishes with Jerome and leaves Bev's office, wrapped in Jessie's arms. She tells her Nan that she wants to go home, but as she leaves the bar, Bev approaches her, laden with Nikki's engagement gifts. Bev asks what Nikki wants to do with them. Nikki sadly suggests that perhaps Jerome and Nisha could use them and then noticing Nisha's absence, she asks Bev where the Naughty Nurse is. Bev tells her that Nisha's 'scarpered'.
Yvonne, however, finds Jerome in Bev's office in a tearful state. Jerome admits to his mother that he was wrong to cheat on Nikki and tells her that he now realises that Nikki was the right girl for him all along, but it's too late and he's lost her. Jerome and Yvonne end the scene with a quiet bit of mother-son bonding.
Tim arrives at the Bar to be told by Lance of everything that happened in his absence, including the fact that Emily had to be forcibly removed and taken home by Mick. Tim remarks obliquely that this had to happen to spoil his one piece of good news. Lance is puzzled, but Tim leaves the bar quickly. When he arrives at Mick's, he finds Emily packing an overnight bag, saying that she can't bring herself to spend a night under the same roof as Jerome. Therefore, she's going to stay at her Nan's for the night, because Nikki needs her. When Mick briefly leaves the room, Tim tells Emily that Ron told him he wouldn't grass on him to the police for providing him with the gun. Emily is pleased and leaves for her Nan's. After she's gone, Mick and Tim share a beer and a bit of male bonding. Tim is amazed that Jerome was carrying on with Nisha, not that he wouldn't have himself, under the circumstances and with Nisha virtually serving it up on a plate. Mick displays a rare combination of Theophilus and Stepinfetchit, but leering and agreeing that Nisha is a good-looking girl and following his observation with the ubiquitous 'hee-hee-hee'.
Over at the Hilton's, Emily stands with her arms wrapped tightly around Nikki's neck in her idea of offering support to her sister. Jessie is hovering with a fierce look on her face, wanting to know if Nikki is all right. Nikki informs the pair of them that she plans to leave immediately for Brussels in order to spend sometime with Margi, saying that Margi would know what to do in these circumstances. (Yes, go to Nisha's house, shout and scream through the letterbox, toss Jerome's belongings through etc etc).
Now that the Bar is relatively quiet, Bev and Lance adjourn to the office in order to stare at the A4 official envelope for awhile. Lance is antsy and urges Bev to open it. Bev is afraid that it's bad news, but - taking a deep breath - she opens it to find that the Immigration authorities want to interview her and Fred next week.
At the Dixons'. Anthea has fallen asleep on the couch. Ron is as shaken as she was, telling Mike that, were it not for Tim, she would have been killed. Anthea, says Ron, means the world to him; and he would lose everything if he lost her. Mike tells Ron that he MUST tell Anthea about the threatening phone calls; she has a right to know. Ron refuses, but Mike insists that it's not just Anthea's safety that he's worried about. He's concerned for Rachel and Beth. It's impossible to keep everyone under lock and key and constant surveillance, but Mike feels now that they must know the score. Just at that moment, Anthea wakes up.
Realising she's dozed off, she remarks that she probably won't sleep tonight for this. Ron tells her she needs to take it easy all the next day. But Anthea informs him that she had planned to go downtown for a few items. Mike excuses himself and leaves Ron to do some explaining to Anthea.
Jerome arrives back at the Johnsons' with Yvonne. As he enters the lounge, he asks tentatively if Nikki or Emily are there. Mick assures him that both girls are at Jessie's for the night. Jerome sadly muses about losing Nikki and realising too late that she was the girl he loved.
At the Hiltons', Nikki lies on the sofa with her head in Jessie's lap and asks her why everything in her life turns out to be a disaster. Jessie doesn't have an answer for that, but promises Nikki that all this disaster will make her a stronger person.
Finally, over at the Dixons' as Anthea reiterates her desire to go downtown the next day, Ron decides to come clean with her. He sits her down and tells her about the threatening phone calls, intimating that the near-miss she endured tonight, might NOT have been an accident at all. In fact, he's certain that Robbie Moffatt is behind the whole thing, and that someone on his behalf, had sworn revenge on Ron's family. Anthea is horrified.
Summary © 2001 Marion Watts
Brookside and all related materials are © Mersey Television 1982-2001