91Èȱ¬

Jane is rummaging through the post to find an appointment confirmation from a clinic. The name on the slip is Lucy Beale. As the bustle of a family breakfast begins, things go awry as Peter accidently grabs the ominous letter and thrusts it into his bag amongst his other strewn out school papers. When Jane finally notices that the letter is gone, it is too late.

A grieving Max is lost for words over his speech at Bradley’s funeral. Despite Carol’s attempts to be supportive, Max’s muse remains illusive. He misses Tanya. Sympathetic, Jane offers Max her shoulder. She utters some last words of encouragement and leaves Max with the first bit of inspiration that he has found all day.

Tensions in the Jackson family mount as Billie casually tells his mother that he has dropped out of college and, thinking that Whitney is to blame, Carol puts her foot down insisting that Billie find a job. As Carol rushes around getting the groceries and trying to look after Max, Billy Mitchell’s awkward advances get him nowhere. When she gets back to the house she is happy to see Jack and Max sharing a fraternal handshake, but somewhat less thrilled as Billie brings Whitney home for dinner. The cold front passes, though, when Carol learns that Whitney has already begun lining up a spot for Billie on a market stall.

When Zsa Zsa’s mother writes to tell her to join her in Spain, the young girl is desperate for Shirley to allow her to stay in Walford. Fuelled by Leon’s apathy to her crisis, and seeing that Heather is having difficulty coping with the stresses of motherhood, she decides to make an effort with George. Fortunately for Zsa Zsa, Shirley is mildly impressed and tears up the plane ticket. She can stay.

As Liz continues to harangue Lucas over the search for Owen, he once again sets about finding a distraction for the fraught mother. While Patrick is struggling to organise Liz’s forthcoming birthday celebrations, Lucas suggests that taking her on a trip might be a good idea. Listening in to the couple discussing Liz’s birthday, Lucas is thrilled to overhear her mention that Owen has never failed to send her a birthday bouquet.

Jean, concerned over Stacey’s absence finds a little comfort in Becca who is adamant that she will be there for the funeral. Seeing Max looking for beer in the Minute Mart, Becca takes the opportunity to offer him some support of her own, in the form a bottle of vodka.

The side effects of being ‘in the family way’ begin to take their toll on Lucy as she convulsively vomits all over poor Heather’s laundry. Staring at George, the young girl is unable to stop thinking about her own situation. Peter takes a break from school and makes use of his brotherly sixth sense, tracking Lucy down at the park. He questions her about the letter, which he has now read, and the two begin to talk somewhat sheepishly about the baby. Neither seems to know the best course of action but they enjoy sharing the moment together. Touched by some time spent with George, and knowing that Ian and Jane are planning to adopt, Lucy shocks her stepmother by asking if she would be prepared to wait nine months – what will Jane say?