Dom’s big risk!
Can a patient help him regain his confidence?
Doctor Dominic Copeland hasn’t been feeling right since being diagnosed with highly contagious hepatitis C, after treating an infected patient. And, this week, when his boyfriend, nurse Ben ‘Lofty’ Chiltern, plans a cosy night in, Dom’s not keen.
‘Dom’s not in the right frame of mind,’ says David Ames, who plays the medic. ‘His hep C diagnosis has had a massive impact on his work, because he can’t deal surgically with patients with open wounds, and on his love life, because he just doesn’t feel sexy. He’s dealing with a lot of emotional vulnerability.’
Lofty tells Dom to go home and relax – but it’s anything but a restful night when Dom bumps into Shannon, who’s impaled her leg on railings trying to break into a car pound. Dom knows he needs to call an ambulance – but he’s got no phone and Shannon’s is the other side of the railings!
Emergency
As Dom scales the fence to retrieve it, however, he cuts his hands on barbed wire. As they wait for help to arrive, Shannon continues to bleed out, so she begs Dom to stop the bleeding with his bare hands… ‘Dom knows he’s taking a huge medical risk, but he’s able to save Shannon’s life,’ says David.
‘In turn, she’s given him a feeling of worth.’
Later, Dom realises how lucky he is to have Lofty…
‘He wonders why he’s pushing Lofty away,’ says David. ‘After a string of awful relationships, at last Dom’s being given the chance to be with someone who’s nothing like the others he’s dated.’