| abstract | - An ashen Linda watches Mick sleep; he wakes as she touches his hand. Linda tries to tell Mick about the previous night, but the words won’t come. Mick mistakes her mood for a hangover. Linda hurriedly retrieves her bridesmaid dress and underwear from the night before from the bathroom, stuffing them deep inside her wardrobe. Mick wants to check how Phil is. Linda begs him to stay with her and fervently tries to dissuade him from calling on Dean. Mick’s unimpressed, insisting Linda should consider Dean’s feelings with Shirley on the run. As Linda and the kids clean up the Vic, Linda fixates on one spot, lost in thought. Nancy clocks her odd behaviour. Lee puts it down to her hangover. Meanwhile, Mick drags Dean off for a coffee, although an awkward Dean declares he doesn’t need to talk. In the park, Mick tries to get Dean to open up about Shirley, assuring him that he can rely on him and Linda. Dean maintains he’s fine, lying he even met a girl last night at The Albert. He probes if Linda mentioned their chat the night before. Mick remarks Linda’s barely said a word, joking it’s Dean fault for plying her with wine. Dean covers his alarm with a smile. In the Vic, Lee, Nancy and Johnny cry off the clearing up, leaving Linda alone. She gets a text from Dean - ‘Thanks for last night. I won’t tell’. Panicking, she drops her phone as someone bangs on the door – but it’s just Aunt Babe with a lasagne. Linda attempts to conceal her anxiety but Babe’s concerned and sends her back to bed. Linda tosses and turns, unable to sleep. She recoils in horror when Johnny brings in the vase of flowers from the kitchen table to cheer her up. She bins them downstairs in the Vic kitchen, retching at their aroma, lying to Babe she’s got hay fever. Linda struggles to join the family at the kitchen table for lunch. Outside, Dean sits on Arthur’s bench staring up at the Vic, stewing, then heads inside to join the Carters for lunch. Dean casually takes a seat next to Linda. Unable to bear it, Linda bolts from the Vic and rushes outside; she gasps for air, succumbing to a full blown panic attack. Phil wakes in hospital with Sharon at his bedside, still wearing her blood-stained wedding dress. Ben proudly tells Phil he and Jay threw the gun in the canal. Phil’s alarmed that Ronnie involved Ben. Ronnie protests they had no choice - she’ll go back to prison if the police trace the gun to her. Sharon’s annoyed that Ronnie destroyed evidence. Phil’s relieved to learn Shirley’s not been involved. Sharon seethes that Phil’s protecting Shirley and thinks she deserves to go down for shooting him. Phil orders Ronnie to sort things – if Sharon grasses up Shirley, the whole family’s incriminated. Back home, Ronnie beseeches Sharon to reconsider before calling the police, pointing out Sharon’s no innocent as she took the gun and suggests the best to way to punish Shirley is to have a happy life with Phil. Sharon remains unconvinced. Sharon learns from Mick that Shirley’s done a runner and tells him Phil’s awake. Dennis is anxious about Phil. There’s a thawing between Sharon and Ronnie when Ronnie experiences pain in her stomach and Sharon calls the doctor. Later, Sharon continues to rant about Shirley. Exasperated, Ronnie gives up. Ben phones – the police want to question Phil. Meanwhile, Mick’s at the hospital, pleading with Phil not to incriminate Shirley. Phil promises, but explains Sharon’s the one who needs convincing. DC Phipps questions Phil while Mick anxiously hovers outside. Sharon barges in – she’ll tell the police what really happened… Tina’s cold with an apologetic Tosh and frets to Dean that that they’ll never see Shirley again. Tosh brings Tina an egg and bacon bap and regrets what she said – she knows Tina loves her. Tosh admits she and Dean made a mistake but if she is pregnant, she doesn’t regret it. Tina’s too worried about Shirley to deal with their problems. Tosh comforts Tina, who manages a weak smile, but won’t forgive Tosh. Ronnie avoids Charlie. Anxious to talk, he pursues her to the Square gardens where she suddenly clutches her stomach, wincing in pain. Ronnie panics she’s losing the baby while Charlie does his best to calm her. Ronnie’s relieved when the doctor advises it’s just round ligament pain but Charlie insists on checking on her later. Nancy wants to organise a musical bingo night and asks Tamwar to be compere.
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