Love Child

Joan’s (Jessica Marais) birth plans go awry when she goes into early labour and the new unorthodox head of obstetrics, Dr Andrew Patterson (Dan Hamill), is the only one who can help. Meanwhile, there’s three new girls at Stanton House. Mystery surrounds the recent arrival of Italian immigrant Elena (Danielle Catanzariti), while novice nun Rita (Darcie Irwin-Simpson) believes she’s had an immaculate conception, and trouble making little rich girl Debbie (Sophia Forrest) will ensure Matron’s (Mandy McElhinney) hands are full. Amidst the chaos of the hospital expansion, an accidental mix-up goes unnoticed while a shocking turn of events ends in the tragic death of one of our favourites.

Filled with grief after the death of her best friend Patty (Harriet Dyer), Martha (Miranda Tapsell) is determined to uncover the truth of Patty’s final hours, and drags Viv (Sophie Hensser-Bloom) along with her on a wild goose chase that ends in the last place Martha expected. Elena’s (Danielle Catanzariti) troubles are compounded with the arrival of her brother. When he discovers that being in Stanton House has nothing to do with having tuberculosis, Elena is consumed with shame and makes a life-threatening decision. Keen to impress his new boss, Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) joins Andrew (Dan Hamill) for a night out on the town. Matron (Mandy McElhinney) suppresses her niggling doubts about the baby switch while Joan (Jessica Marais) finds her feet as a single stay-at-home mother.

When Joan’s (Jessica Marais) baby is refused a baptism, it’s just the start of Joan’s worries. She competes for a permanent doctor’s position, butting up against both a determined Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) and a sexist rival with wandering hands, and discovers balancing work with motherhood is a tougher job than she’d anticipated. On a secret mission, Debbie (Sophia Forrest) steals Martha’s (Miranda Tapsell) car and takes the Stanton House girls to check out Elena’s (Danielle Catanzariti) betrothed, but their joyride ends with a medical emergency for Rita (Darcie Irwin-Simpson). Viv (Sophie Hensser-Bloom) decides to take a walk on the wild side when she visits a nudist beach and has an intriguing encounter, while Matron (Mandy McElhinney) scoffs at Andrew’s (Dan Hamill) proposal to allow fathers into the labour ward.

Matron’s (Mandy McElhinney) growing suspicions she mixed up Joan’s (Jessica Marais) baby with another leads to a confession with Father Ross (Matt Day). Matron struggles with her conscience as she weighs the hospital’s reputation against Joan’s right to know. As Viv (Sophie Hensser-Bloom) starts to feel the stirrings of wanderlust, Martha (Miranda Tapsell) is driven by guilt; Bowditch’s (Andrew Ryan) mind is firmly on starting a family, and she’s determined to keep the fact she’s on the pill a secret. Debbie (Sophia Forrest) manages to secretly rendezvous with her lover Alan (Ben Hall), and discovers their plans to move to Paris have hit a snag. In the excitement of the International Women’s Day march, Joan senses baby Laura is unwell. After a diagnosis of pneumonia, Andrew (Dan Hamill) does all he can to help cure the child, but as Laura’s condition worsens, Joan is forced to accept the harshest truth of all - her baby might die.

Elena (Danielle Catanzariti) is overwhelmed when Ed (Travis Jeffery), the father of her child, turns up at Stanton House and wants to marry her. After Debbie (Sophia Forrest) tells him Elena has been sold into an arranged marriage, Ed is determined to fight for their love and his baby. Meanwhile, Joan (Jessica Marais) returns to work in an attempt to bury her grief after the death of her daughter, raising the concerns of everyone except Andrew (Dan Hamill) who understands her need to throw herself into work. Martha (Miranda Tapsell) puts her heart and soul into creating the perfect dinner party to celebrate her husband’s recent promotion, but when the party degenerates into a cold war after the revelation of a secret, Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) storms out in anger resulting in a devastating accident. In the aftermath, Joan finally crumbles, giving into the intense grief she has been suppressing for weeks, turning to Andrew for help.

Rita (Darcie Irwin-Simpson) needs to have her baby induced, but is refusing any intervention. Concerned by the situation, Joan (Jessica Marais) and Matron (Mandy McElhinney) arrange for Rita’s mother Liza (Annie Maynard) to visit, in the hope of shedding some light on Rita’s growing disconnection with reality. When the truth of Rita’s pregnancy is revealed, Andrew (Dan Hamill) and Joan are caught up in the explosive confrontation between mother and daughter. Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) confesses his secret of the 'hit and run’ to Martha (Miranda Tapsell) but his attempt to come clean is impeded when Ed (Travis Jeffery) goes into a coma. Viv (Sophie Hensser-Bloom) is thrown when Joan questions the nature of her and Kate’s (Harriet Gordon-Anderson) friendship. Viv attempts to distance herself from Kate, but finds herself having to confront her feelings.

Joan’s (Jessica Marais) life is upended by the return of Dr Lawrence Faber (Ronan Keating), her ex-fiancé whom she hasn’t seen since she left London. He’s come to Sydney on the pretence of business, but Joan knows his intention is to rekindle their romance. After his hit and run, Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) is relieved Ed (Travis Jeffery) is recovering, but he and Martha (Miranda Tapsell) are floored when they receive a blackmail letter demanding a large payment. Who can they turn to for help? Viv’s (Sophie Hensser-Bloom) fledgling relationship with Kate (Harriet Gordon-Anderson) comes to an end when Kate receives some surprising news. Rita (Darcie Irwin-Simpson) is due to return to the convent but is having second thoughts as Debbie (Sophia Forrest) does her best to keep Elena (Danielle Catanzariti) and Ed together.

Debbie’s (Sophia Forrest) dreams of a happy ending with her married lover Alan (Ben Hall) are irrevocably shattered when he and his wife make a secret deal with Matron (Mandy McElhinney). Lawrence (Ronan Keating) butts heads with (Dan Hamill), putting Joan (Jessica Marais) in an untenable position. Caught up in the prospect of a future with Lawrence, she is forced to not only ask herself if she wants to be with him, but whether she has a future returning to London. Caught up in the prospect of a future with Lawrence, she is forced to not only ask herself if she wants her lover as her boss, but whether she has a future returning to London. With Viv’s (Sophie Hensser- Bloom) wanderlust and longing to see more of the world, she stands up to Matron, telling her exactly what she thinks about Matron’s motives and the continued subjugation of young women at Stanton House.

Feeling abandoned and in a world of hurt, Debbie (Sophia Forrest) tries to destroy Elena’s (Danielle Catanzariti) dreams of love and happiness. Elena is further devastated when its revealed she can’t keep her baby, even if she does marry the baby’s father, Ed (Travis Jeffery). When her child’s autopsy report throws up some surprising inconsistencies, Joan (Jessica Marais) comes to the shocking realisation her baby was swapped, but will Andrew (Dan Hamill) support her? With his and Martha’s (Miranda Tapsell) help, Joan gets the evidence she needs to demand a hospital inquiry. Feeling increasingly cornered, Matron (Mandy McElhinney) digs in her heels about keeping her secret.

Set against Election Day 1972, Joan (Jessica Marais) finally learns the truth about the baby swap, but is faced with the awful prospect she may never be reunited with her daughter when the other mother, Greta (Lianne Mackessy), doesn’t believe it. Despite being warned by Andrew (Dan Hamill) to keep a cool head, a desperate Joan visits Greta at her home. Instead of convincing her to relinquish her baby, Greta’s husband Peter calls the police. Meanwhile, Andrew with help from Martha (Miranda Tapsell) and Rita (Darcie Irwin-Simpson) find the evidence they need to prove the baby swap. Matron (Mandy McElhinney) is finally faced with her mistake, and despite their close relationship, Father Ross (Matt Day) proves less reliable than Matron had hoped. As this unfolds, Debbie (Sophia Forrest) and Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) frantically search for Ed (Travis Jeffery), bundled away by Elena’s (Danielle Catanzariti) brother Marco (Jerome Velinsky), so they can get him back to the hospital in time to marry Elena before she gives birth.