±«Óãtv

Linda lies at the foot of the stairs, motionless. Buster encounters a raging Mick outside, who takes his anger out on Buster and squares up to him. Buster marches Mick to the café. In the Vic, Linda comes to and struggles to her feet, wincing in pain and her mouth bloody. She staggers outside calling for Mick and is met by Kat. Linda cries she needs to tell Mick she’s sorry then panics that she can’t feel the baby moving. Sonia arrives just as Linda’s waters break - 7 weeks early. Kat calls Mick but he’s left his phone at home. Sonia and Kat set out to drive Linda to hospital. Kat phones Alfie and orders him to find Mick; Dean arrives to overhear Kat telling Alfie Linda’s in labour. Dean phones a taxi but Shirley forbids him from going to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sonia’s car’s stuck at traffic lights as Linda cries for Mick; she’s wracked with contractions and still can’t feel the baby. Kat insists Mick wouldn’t let Linda down and breathes with her. In the cafe, Buster asks about the baby. Mick insists the baby’s his. Meanwhile, Dean pleads with Shirley that he needs to see the baby - if it dies this could be his only chance. Shirley comforts that hospitals can do loads for premature babies and insists Dean must stay away for now. Dean relents but is convinced the baby is his. Having reached the hospital, Linda’s told it’s too late for an epidural, to Kat’s horror. In the café, Mick dubs Dean a fantasist. Buster points out Dean’s good looking and successful but Mick’s adamant that Linda still said no which makes Dean a rapist - is Buster saying that’s alright? Buster says no.

Carol rushes in and reports Linda’s in hospital. Mick races off. On the phone to Carol, Sonia urges her to make Mick hurry as they can’t find the baby’s heartbeat. Shirley and Buster watch anxiously as Mick’s car speeds off. He races into the birthing suite just as the midwife finds a heartbeat. Linda sobs with relief. Mick soothes her and promises this is their new start. The Carters anxiously wait in the corridor as Linda gives birth to a baby boy. There’s a heart stopping moment of silence, and then the baby begins to cry. Tina phones Shirley and delivers the good news. As the baby’s wheeled off to special care, Dean appears at the ward doors and stares, transfixed and moved, at the tiny baby boy.

Sonia’s delighted when she sees Tina’s text message asking to talk and hotfoots it to the Albert, but is waylaid when Linda goes into labour. Tina continues to drink and wait. Whitney forbids Lee from leaving until Sonia arrives. Nancy can’t help making a dig about Whitney’s bossiness. Alfie rushes in with the news that Linda’s labour and drives them all to the hospital. Nancy’s thinks the baby’s a girl while Whitney’s convinced it’s a boy. As they wait anxiously while Linda’s in labour, Nancy’s distressed by her mum’s cries. She and Whitney grip hands tight. Tina’s touched that Sonia drove Linda to the hospital and admits she thought Sonia stood her up. Sonia apologises profusely and thinks Tina’s amazing. She’s delighted when Tina asks if she still wants her to move in.

Alfie makes a list to convince Kat of the merits of moving to Australia. Kat points out Australian spiders can kill you. As she heads to the garage for milk, she comes across Linda in labour on the Square. While coaching Linda, she and Sonia bicker about childbirth. Sonia insists the pain is a small price to pay for having her kids. Watching the joyful Carters celebrate after Linda gives birth, Kat tells Alfie that Australia is too far and Spencer isn’t half as nice as Zoe… Alfie gets her drift and agrees to move to Spain.

Vincent remembers Carl White was hassling Roxy, then Ronnie asked him for a gun and suddenly Carl vanished. Ronnie insists she didn’t shoot Carl. Vincent believes her - but thinks Phil did it for her. As he exits, Ronnie grabs her phone and summons Phil. Phil irked to realise she went against his advice and got Vincent to deal with the witness on Dot’s case, and fumes when Ronnie reveals Vincent thinks he killed Carl. Phil insists Vincent has no proof but seeing Ronnie’s not convinced, agrees to sort it.