Cwmderi Diary 2016: 7 November 2016

Courtney is taken to hospital

An ambulance has already conveyed Courtney to hospital, and there are two more in the street.

Jason watches . . .

Jason, Dai and Diane watch Sara, who has been immobilised by the paramedics,

. . . as Sara is put into the ambulance

being loaded into one of them.

"We have to hope for the best now"

Colin comments that they now have to hope for the best.

A police car arrives, and a cordon is being set up around the damaged car.

"This was supposed to be a happy day!"

“Why was the car there? The road was supposed to be closed!” protests Iolo, “This was supposed to be a happy day!”

"It was all my idea!"

Dani tells Kelly, “It was all my idea to have the party out here!” Kelly stresses that she could never have predicted this,

"If I hadn't made all that fuss . . ."

but Dani goes on, “If I hadn’t made all that fuss about the wedding, this would never have happened!”

"We've got to get him to hospital now"

In the other ambulance, Jim lies unconscious, Eileen pleads that he will get through this;

"Jim and Courtney are tough!"

“Listen – Jim and Courtney are tough – they’ll get through it!” asserts Sioned.

"Could have been a mechanical fault"

There is silence in the Deri until Kelly suggests that it might have been a mechanical fault,

"It's easy to make a mistake"

but Colin comments, “It’s easy to make a mistake when you’re learning to drive.” Iolo reprimands him, but he continues, “Jim might have had a heart attack, due to the shock – you never know – someone his age.”

"None of us know what happened"

Ed emphasises that none of them know what happened, it was simply an accident; “We should be thinking of Courtney, Jim and Sara, not blaming someone else.”

Desperately waiting for news

At the hospital, Dai, Diane, Jason, Eileen, Sioned and Eifion await any news.

"How long had she been learning to drive?"

Jason enquires how long Courtney had been learning to drive,

"What are you suggesting?"

and Eileen snaps, “What are you suggesting? Let’s hope it is good news about Sara and the baby.”

"Mrs Probert, will you come with me?"

Dr Ellis comes in to fetch Mrs Probert, and Sioned accompanies Eileen.

Then Jason is called

Then someone else calls Jason Francis.

"Courtney died about ten minutes ago"

Dr Ellis explains, “We tried everything, but we couldn’t save her, because of the trauma to her head – Courtney died about ten minutes ago, I’m so sorry.”

Eifion is told what happened . . .

Eileen screams, and Sioned hugs her; Eifion, who had been nearby, comes in and is told that Courtney is dead.

. . . and is distraught

He too breaks down and sinks to the floor in the doorway.

Now Dai and Diane also know

Dai and Diane have heard the noise and realise what has happened.

Iolo considers opening presents to be inappropriate

Back at number 7, Tyler is opening wedding presents, much to Iolo’s disgust. He orders,

"Stop celebrating – it's not right!"

“Stop acting as if nothing has happened! Stop, OK? Stop opening presents – stop celebrating – it’s not right!” Tyler describes the pair of them as pathetic, but Iolo objects to this; “No – pathetic would be to carry on as if nothing had happened!”

"She's having a scan"

Jason returns to Dai and Diane, informing them, “She’s having a scan to see if there’s any damage to the brain, and they’re checking the baby’s heartbeat.

Diane is very concerned

“They will come and talk to me when they know something. Now I’m going out to get some fresh air.”

A nurse leads Eileen and Eifion

A nurse leads Eileen and Eifion to a curtained-off bed;

"Why do you want to do this?"

Eifion wonders why Eileen wants to do this,

"It helped when I lost John"

but she assures him, “It helped when I lost John, seeing him. I know what I’m doing.”

"You should remember her as she was"

Eifion maintains that she should remember Courtney as she was – not like this.

The sight of Courtney is too much to bear

The nurse opens the curtains and Eileen is horrified at what she sees; both she and Eifion cry bitterly.

"I will never forgive myself!"

At the Deri, Dani promises that she will never forgive herself, then Sioned marches in, demanding a large brandy.

Sioned delivers the bad news . . .

“I thought you’d know by now,” she says, “Courtney has died!”

. . . which leaves Kelly stunned

Dani and Kelly are devastated as Sioned goes on, “She had suffered too much head trauma – they did everything they could. Jim is still unconscious,

"How do I tell Angela her daughter is dead?"

“and I don’t know how I’m going to tell Angela that her daughter is dead!”

"Dani feels guilty"

Kelly explains that Dani feels guilty for having the buffet out on the street, but Sioned insists that no-one blames her. After downing the brandy, she prepares to phone her sister.

Sioned speaks to Angela

“Hiya, Angela – I’ve got some bad news for you – there’s been a car accident with Jim and Courtney. Jim’s fighting for his life – please, just listen – I’m sorry to have to tell you this, especially over the phone.”

"Courtney is dead, Ange!"

Meanwhile, Ricky has walked in, and just as he reaches the bar, he hears Sioned’s next words, “Courtney is dead, Ange!”

"We've only just heard"

Dani tells Ricky they have just heard; “Dead?” he says, incredulously,

"That doesn't make any sense"

“That doesn’t make any sense – we were just . . .” He rushes out of the pub.

Eifion and Eileen keep vigil by Jim's bed

Eifion and Eileen are on either side of Jim’s bed as Dr Ellis brings good news;

"There's nothing major wrong"

“Our assessments show that there is nothing major wrong with Mr Probert, just bad concussion. He could wake up any minute.”

"I can't tell him"

Eileen says he will be heartbroken when he hears about Courtney; “I can’t tell him – but he will have to be told!

"It's too much!"

“I can’t tell him now, or next week – it’s too much – I can’t tell him!”

Eifion send her off for a cup of tea, as she needs a break; if Jim comes round, he will be here,

Eifion does not know the answer

but Eileen wonders, “What if he asks about Courtney?”

Kelly's long legs

As Dani kneels on the pavement, and Kelly demonstrates what extremely long legs she possesses, she has placed a white rose with a message,

A heartfelt message

“To a special girl – we’ll never forget you, Courtney.”

"Someone has died!"

Iolo sees this and realises that someone has died;

A poignant symbol

Dani hands him the card to inform him who it is.

"I'd been arguing with Sara"

In the waitingroom, Diane admits that she had been arguing with Sara; “I always argue with her, bickering and pointing the finger at her – and she does the same with me! We’re too similar, I suppose.”

"They're going to be all right!"

Then Jason returns, this time with better news, “They’re going to be all right – Sara and the baby!”

Dai breathes a sigh of relief

His mother gives him a big hug.

"Hey, you've turned it off"

In the shop flat, Ed has turned on the radio, but this is overruled by Sioned;

"I don't want to hear about the accident!"

“The news will be on in a minute, and I don’t want to hear about the accident!”

Rather ominous . . . in the hands of Sioned!

As she chops vegetables with a large, vicious-looking knife, he asks why she is so angry with him;

"She was my daughter as well, for a while"

“I know you’ve lost your niece, but she was my daughter as well, for a while.”

"You couldn't keep your eyes off that car!"

Sioned turns on him and stresses, “That’s what makes it worse! I saw you, Ed, you couldn’t keep your eyes off Courtney’s car! Why?” He argues that he was in shock, as the accident had just happened.

"Shock – or guilt?

“Shock – or guilt?” she demands, “Don’t act the innocent – it doesn’t take much to go from an accidental killing to murder!”

"Do you think I'd hurt Courtney?"

“Do you think I’d hurt Courtney?” he shouts, “Answer me! It was an accident!”

A kiss from Jason . . .

Jason kisses the motionless Sara,

. . . and Sara is roused to consciousness

and she opens her eyes, much to the relief of Dai and Diane watching through the glass.

Eileen cannot summon the courage to face Jim

Eileen is told that Jim has woken, and gets up, but after some thought cannot face him, and sits down again.

"Is Eileen all right?"

Meanwhile, Jim is asking Eifion, “Is Eileen all right?” and is assured that she is, just having a cup of tea. Eifion advises him that he should go back to sleep.