Connor is horrified to learn that his rugby hero has been admitted to Ward 17 with stab wounds from his girlfriend. Connor is excited after arranging to look after his idol, but his opinion of the man changes drastically after spending time with him and learning what prompted the attack. Peter keeps vigil at his wife's bedside in ICU in hopeful anticipation of her recovery. Two women with contrasting reasons for being in hospital find themselves sharing a room. Jared reconciles with his ex-fiancée Amanda.

An unwanted pregnancy results in an abandoned child as Terri and Peter are forced to put a young girl's emotional health at risk in order to save the life of her newborn baby. Angie continues to be a presence in Jared's life and surprises him by landing a job at All Saints as a cleaner on Ward 17 — much to Von's disgust. Stephanie confronts Ben, accusing him of having an affair.

A patient's flirtation with Jared becomes serious when she accuses him of rape. A patient's refusal to have an operation finally brings the axe down on Professor Craig. Having convinced Connor and Jared to let her move in with them, Bron then stuns Ward 17 by revealing her resignation. A patient's honesty and optimism gives Steph the strength to tell Ben she may never want children.

Jaz is still trying to come to terms with her date rape and has a tense moment with Jared after she makes a mistake on the ward. It falls to Terri to tell the staff what happened and Ward 17 reels from the consequences when they learn about Jaz's ordeal. Peter helps Jaz begin to cope with the trauma she has been through while Bron shows her a direct way of dealing with the situation and Connor decides to get revenge on Jaz's behalf. Von is ashamed to realise her prejudices towards an overweight patient while Ben and Bron discover their elderly patient isn't at all what she appears to be.

Tension and panic runs high when Ben and Bron are called to save a little girl who has fallen down a storm water drain. With a rush of water about to engulf the drain, Ben feels the pressure of his job take hold. Terri reveals another side to her nature when a demanding patient pushes her too far. Jared and Samantha's attraction grows. Connor is shocked when a humorous bet with Jared turns sour.

A busy day on the ward turns to chaos when the Health Minister is brought in as a patient. Experiencing first-hand the demands on the public health system, the Minister is sympathetic to the needs of the nursing staff but can offer nothing more than an expression of support. A lack of beds on the ward means a patient is left to recover from her operation on a trolley in the corridor. Despite protests from Steph, Luke is authorised to send the patient home early — a decision that has disastrous consequences. Terri struggles to help a Peter cope with his disabilities. Discouraged by his prognosis for recovery, Peter has difficulty adjusting to life in the hospital as a patient. Connor's visit to Lily, the beautiful acupuncturist, has embarrassing repercussions.

Terri takes on Claudia McKenzie, the hospital's new CEO, as the ward's closure becomes a reality and Terri finds herself being used by the hospital administation in PR exercise against the striking nurses.

Connor becomes Acting NUM when Steph is uncharacteristically late for the morning shift. Anxiety mounts as the morning wears on.

Ben and Bron meanwhile, arrive on the scene of a terrible car smash to discover with horror that Steph is the critically injured driver of one of the cars. Bron is forced to take command of on-site medical assistance as Ben becomes paralysed by fear and anguish. His anger erupts in violence against the bewildered drunken driver of the other car and he has to be pulled off by the arresting police. Relieved by the Police Rescue Squad and a second team of paramedics, Ben sits with his wife, coaxing her to remain conscious, urging her to hang on

Jared's beloved grandmother accuses him of nursing a war criminal. The situation brings Jared to gain a personal understanding of the holocaust and his heritage as a Jew. Rose becomes suspicious of something going on between Mitch and Terri. Jodi Horner starts on the ward as the new clerk and Connor does his best to try and impress her. But it is Connor who's impressed by a patient who is rehearsing a swallowing act for a freak circus show.

Bron's desperation to pay back her gambling debt to Luke intensifies when she is stuck nursing one of his patients, a woman in dire straits with chronic back pain and a resentful teenage daughter. Mitch and Jared nurse a young man who will do anything to make himself more masculine — even if it kills him. Ben and his partner must try and calm down a lottery winner with suicidal tendencies and Von finds herself in an awkward situation while caring for a fellow nurse.