Has Pete KILLED Rhona?
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY OCCURS IN THE FARMYARD…
Terrified Pete ends up with blood on his hands this week – when he loses control of his tractor and seriously injures girlfriend Rhona.
The hungover farmer doesn’t realise that Rhona has swapped shifts with Vanessa, and is visiting Butlers Farm to check on some cows. He gets behind the wheel of the vehicle, unaware that it’s faulty and unsuitable to drive. Then, when he gets a call from Rhona, neither realising the other is nearby – Pete tries to answer and the tractor careers into a barn, toppling hay bales and leaving her impaled on a fence inside! “Pete should not be operating heavy machinery – he’s in a bad state after getting bladdered the night before,” explains Anthony Quinlan, who plays him. “He doesn’t know the brakes on the tractor aren’t working, as Matty doesn’t pass on a message from Cain. Rhona rings Pete, and he looks at his phone, puts it down again and sees Matty standing in front of the tractor. Pete swerves to miss him, crashes into the barn – and Rhona is inside!”
LEFT FOR DEAD!
Pete has no idea his other half is at Butlers at all – the last he knew, Rhona was having a duvet day, and was gutted Pete couldn’t stay in with her. But after a swap in shifts, Rhona covers Vanessa and unwittingly puts herself in harm’s way. While the lads thank their lucky stars that no one is hurt, Rhona is laying in the barn, crushed by hay bales, and with fence posts cutting through her…
“Pete crashes into the barn – and Rhona is inside!”
“It’s quite graphic!” admits Anthony. “The hay bales weigh an absolute ton anyway, but then there’s the fact that she falls on the fence and gets impaled through her side. It’s quite near Rhona’s liver and stomach, and there are lots of vital organs that are at risk of rupturing!”
It isn’t until Pete finally listens to the message left by Rhona that he realises what’s happened. Aghast, he and Matty race to the barn to find her and they are confronted by a terrifying sight. It looks as if the accident could cost Pete everything while Rhona clings to life.
“Rhona’s not in a good way,” shares Anthony. “She’s been there for some time now, so panic sets in and Pete fears for her life. Matty rings an ambulance, and soon help is on its way.”
BLAME GAME
There’s a race against time to get Rhona to the hospital and treat her injuries, and all guiltridden Pete can do is wait for news. In the meantime, he is furiously blaming Cain and anyone else he can for what’s happened to her.
“He’s pointing the finger at everyone else – but in reality he knows that he shouldn’t have been driving, because there was a chance that he was still intoxicated from the night before,” signs Anthony. “Also, he was using his phone when he shouldn’t have been, so he’s been a very silly boy. He knows this is his fault, and we’ll have to wait and see how he deals with that.”
Rhona is fighting for her life and is likely to be left with terrible trauma after this experience. If and when she finds out that Pete is responsible, could it end up changing their relationship forever? Anthony’s not sure…
“If Rhona makes it through, there’s sure to be some consequences,” he muses. “I wouldn’t be so forgiving if somebody did that to me, but Rhona is a more rational person. Pete will be beating himself up, and there’ll be a huge pang of guilt. It will be a big thing for him to get over, as there’s the possibility that Rhona could lose her life because of Pete’s stupidity!”