A woman is brought in after taking an overdose at a Christmas party. She reveals she is pregnant but her boyfriend dumped her and gave her money for an abortion. She leaves the hospital against advice and goes back to the party only to see her ex having fun without her. Maxine asks Rob to give homeless teenage runaway Suzie (Rebecca Callard) a bed for Christmas but Charlie insists she is discharged. She runs away from the hospital just before her father turns up, and runs in front of an ambulance. Jane, who was driving, suffers whiplash and Suzie escapes with minor injuries. Rob and Maxine share a kiss. A violent pensioner, Arthur (TP McKenna), is angry when his son (Jeff Rawle) refuses to bring his family for Christmas and beats his wife (Dorothy Tutin), who stabs him. He dies from his injuries meaning his wife will be charged with murder.
Two brothers die in a car crash. Policeman John Milligan and his younger partner Tracey come in with them; they are having an affair and he intends to tell his wife. Several policemen come in with food poisoning but John dies from bowel problems and Tracey elects not to tell his wife of the affair. A girl (Syan Blake) reacts badly to family coming to stay and runs off. She is found being sick on the train track; she is bulimic. Charlie discovers her younger sister was killed by a train after she dared her to run across the track and the family have never come to terms with it; she was expected to share a room with her cousin, the first time since her sister died. A farmer's (Ken Hutchison) daughter is brought in after collapsing with abdominal pains while exercising; it turns out she is in labour and had not known she was pregnant. Her father goes after her boyfriend, one of the farmhands, with an axe, causing him to hit his head on some machinery, but all is soon forgiven and he gives
A drunk driver causes an accident after a Christmas party and the female driver of the other vehicle is killed. PC Tony Poulson, attending the scene, tells Kate his wife was killed in similar circumstances two years previous. A minibus containing a group of choirboys is blinded by a tarpaulin at the scene and crashes into the river. One of the boys is washed away but John and Liz later find him. The priest with the group suffers a crisis of faith but finds his purpose restored when he helps a boy with Tourette's, who ran away from an orphanage after the other boys picked on him. Matt has caught Brian red handed after trying to steal medical supplies in the department and warns Brian if he steals anything in the department, he will report him to the police. Tim comes to the hospital and tries to get Rachel to spend Christmas with him. Baz discovers she is pregnant; Rachel finds out and Baz tells her Peter isn't the father. Charlie and Baz attend the charity ball with Zoe and Peter respe
