Episode 2670 (23rd March 2000)

==Plot==
Kathy is recovering in hospital and comes round to find she has two visitors - Zak and Roy. She is relieved to hear that Sarah, Victoria and Seth are going to be okay but upset to learn of Pete's death. Zak tells her how Chris waited through the night to see her pulled safely from the wreckage and that he has been phoning the hospital to check on her progress. Later, Jack visits and thanks her for comforting Victoria while they were waiting to be rescued. Meanwhile, at Home Farm, the Tates are in sombre mood. Chris admonishes Frankie for taking Joseph out of school, having already had words with Claudia about her letting Frankie take Joseph. After Chris has left, Frankie turns to Zoe for support but Zoe tells her that she agrees with Chris and thinks Frankie has behaved irresponsibly. Jack brings Victoria to see Sarah. Sarah is on morphine for the pain and is going to have to have her bone pinned together. Victoria has her arm in plaster but is being allowed to go home. Sarah is concerned about how Jack will cope with the kids while she's in hospital but he reassures her that he can manage and that there are plenty of people in the village who'll be willing to help. Sure enough, Alan tells him that Betty is looking after Andy and Robert and that she'd be happy to have Victoria too. Sarah is relieved when she hears that Betty is helping out and Jack tells her that he now realises how much she does around the house and that he won't take her for granted anymore. He also tells her that Richie seems very concerned about how she is and when she'll be out of hospital. Sarah tries to downplay this by saying that Richie is only being polite but Jack says Richie must have grown quite fond of her. Adam moves into the village. Alan tells him how grateful the villagers are for what he did after the crash. Alan has decided that he can no longer drive the supermarket bus after what's happened, despite Adam telling him that the accident wasn't his fault and that no one blames him. In the Woolpack, Adam introduces himself to Roy and Kelly. They warn him that it can take local farmers a long time to accept newcomers. Adam is determined to 'make something' of the practice but Kelly tells him that, as she's already rich, Zoe isn't really interested in making a lot of money out of the vets' and just treats it as a hobby. Chris and Joseph visit Kathy. Chris tells her that the crash brought back a lot of memories of the plane crash for him. He regrets how he treated her after all she did for him following the plane crash and says that he wants to make it up to her now. Kathy tells him there are other people who need help more than her and tries to convince him to turn his talents to helping out the village as a whole. Marc (with neck brace) and Donna are kissing on the settee when Ollie barges in to tell Donna that Viv wants her back at the post office. After she's gone, Ollie suggests that Marc's only seeing Donna because Tricia isn't available and Donna is, and says that she might have to have a word with Donna 'as a mate'. Emily, Zak, Nellie and Lisa are at Butch's bedside. He seems to be on the mend but is still undergoing tests. Nellie hisses to Zak that Lisa shouldn't be there but Zak says that Butch wants Lisa there so she's staying. Emily tells Butch that the accident was caused by one of the Tates’ trucks going out of control and Lisa looks worried. Over at Tate Haulage, Laura sends Kelly out for a long lunch while she, Chris, Zoe and Sean have a private board meeting. Chris says that the compensation claims should be covered by their insurance, but Laura tells him that the court cases will be bad publicity for the company and will have a detrimental effect on business. It's crisis time and how the four of them handle the situation will determine whether or not the company survives. Chris tells her that he's put too much into the business to let it go under and he'll do whatever it takes to ensure its survival. Laura reminds them that, as directors, they can all be held liable for any offence of the company and suggests that they don't make any statements about the crash without it first being agreed by the others. Even in casual conversation, they should be wary of what they say to other villagers in case it is brought up in court later on. Zoe and Sean think it's a bit over the top not to be able to discuss the crash with their friends in the village, but Chris agrees with Laura and says that there are people in the village who resent the Tates' power and will try to use this crash to bring them down. Laura says they should express regret at the deaths and injuries but avoid saying anything which could imply that Tate Haulage was at fault. To buy time, they should say that it would be inappropriate to comment until the official investigation into the crash has been concluded. Zoe isn't happy with the way the meeting is going and says they should be talking about what they can do to help the people affected by the crash. Sean agrees and says they should start with Pete, seeing as he died working for the company. Laura thinks they should wait for the results of the post-mortem and see whether there is any evidence of drugs or alcohol in his system while Chris comments that driver negligence or error would probably be an easier verdict to deal with than some of the alternatives. At this point Lisa walks in and says she has something to tell them about the accident and what might have caused it. She says she warned Pete that his truck wasn't ready and that she doesn't believe that Pete would just ignore that - a view Sean backs up. She is concerned that she might be partly responsible for the accident, but Chris tells her that that isn't for them to decide and that she should go back to the hospital to give Butch her support. Back at Home Farm, Chris and Zoe are still bickering over what happened at the meeting. Frankie is there, and Chris pointedly says that these matters should be discussed 'in private'. Frankie argues that it affects her too - Pete was a friend of hers - and accuses Zoe of only caring about the company's image, not about Pete's death. Zoe denies this but Frankie storms out. Zoe wants to go after her, but Chris says that, with Frankie being an (ex-)driver and Zoe a company director, they'll never see eye-to-eye. Zoe says that being a director doesn't stop her having feelings, but Chris tells her she has to get her priorities right. Chris suggests to Zoe that they should re-route the trucks to avoid going through the village. Zoe is appalled that Chris is being so ‘cold-blooded' about the accident but Chris says he's just being practical. Zoe says he doesn't seem to care about the people who died in the crash, but Chris tells her that, just because he doesn't show it, it doesn't mean he doesn't care and reminds her how he spent an anxious night at the scene of the crash, wondering if Kathy was dead or alive. Zoe apologises, and Chris tells her that the best way for them to help the villagers is to protect the company which provides them with jobs and money. Emily is still at Butch's bedside telling him that the crash has made her realise just how much he means to her. She is talking about getting married and their future together when she realises something is wrong. She calls over the doctor and Butch is taken for an emergency scan. Lisa, Emily, Nellie and Zak wait for news of Butch, with Nellie and Zak reassuring each other he'll be fine by reminiscing about the way he bounced back from childhood illness and injury. Just then, the doctor appears and informs them that Butch has a laceration to his liver and they need to operate on him straight away. Lisa asks what his chances are but the doctor just tells her that they wouldn't be operating if they didn't think there was some chance of success.
==Cast==
===Regular cast===
*Kathy Glover - Malandra Burrows
*Zak Dingle - Steve Halliwell
*Roy Glover - Nicky Evans
*Zoe Tate - Leah Bracknell
*Christopher Tate - Peter Amory
*Frankie Smith - Madeleine Bowyer
*Sarah Sugden - Alyson Spiro
*Jack Sugden - Clive Hornby (Credited as "Cliver Hornby")
*Victoria Sugden - Hannah Midgley
*Alan Turner - Richard Thorp
*Adam Forrester - Tim Vincent
*Joseph Tate - Oliver Young (uncredited)
*Donna Windsor - Verity Rushworth
*Marc Reynolds - Anthony Lewis
*Ollie Reynolds - Vicky Binns
*Butch Dingle - Paul Loughran
*Emily Wylie - Kate McGregor
*Lisa Dingle - Jane Cox
*Kelly Glover - Adele Silva
*Laura Johnstone - Louise Beattie
*Sean Reynolds - Stephen McGann
===Guest cast===
*Dr. Emma White - Barbara Dryhurst
*Mike Blake - Barry James Anderson
*Nellie Dingle - Maggie Tagney
==Locations==
*Hotten General Hospital - Wards, corridor and waiting area
*Home Farm - Living room and kitchen
*Main Street
*Holdgate Farm - Living room
*Tate Haulage - Office and haulage yard
*The Woolpack - Public bar
==Notes==
*Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 13,060,000 viewers (9th place).
Category:2000 episodes
Category:Emmerdale episodes