Recent scans have convinced him that the tumour hasn’t grown back and that he’s merely feeling muscle discomfort while his body heals, but that doesn’t make the pain go away.
As the day of the surf competition approaches on this week’s Home and Away in Australia, Justin refuses to let his back pain keep him from competing. Will he overextend himself?
From May 26th, these scenes will air in the United Kingdom.
Justin’s (James Stewart) suffering is still affecting his life, as we saw last week. Months after undergoing a difficult operation to extract a carcinoma from his spine, his back continues to bother him.
He’s been worse than ever in recent weeks, even saying that he’d give anything for the respite he got when the tumour numbed his back nerves. He’s desperate to get back to his old self.
He’s been taking so many painkillers because it’s the only way to temporarily relieve the discomfort. However, as the weeks pass, he discovers that he needs an increasing number of pills to feel normal. He ran out last week and had to beg a repeat prescription from the local medical centre after his regular doctor informed him he wouldn’t be able to give him one for another week.
Leah hasn’t seen anything unusual. She’s been too preoccupied with trying to find Susie, and this week she’s similarly preoccupied with the surf competition.
Despite only having been back in the water a couple of times since his surgery, Justin has decided to participate. While his first surf was fantastic and made him feel like his life was getting back to normal, his second surf was almost disastrous. He grabbed someone else’s board and ran into the lake, ignoring Leah’s best attempts to stop him. Angry with Leah (Ada Nicodemou), who had just revealed she blamed him for their problems with Susie (Bridie Carter), he grabbed someone else’s board and ran into the water, ignoring Leah’s best efforts to stop him.
Minutes after hitting the ocean, he was hit by a giant rogue wave, which caused his back to seize up and rendered him unable to keep his head above the water’s surface. Thanks to his quick thinking, Dean Thompson (Patrick O’Connor) was rescued and safely towed to shore.
Despite his near-death experience, he insists on competing in the surf race. The preparations are well underway at the Surf Club, and the competitors are gearing up for their heats, but Justin is still in agony. Leah notices her boyfriend is in agony and wonders if he needs another painkiller.
“Ooh, nah, I don’t think I should have another one of those,” Justin wisely responds, knowing he’s had a few too many lately.
However, when he returns to the house alone, he has second thoughts. His heat is approaching, but he knows that if he’s in pain, he won’t be able to surf well. He tries his hardest not to take another blue packet as he examines it.
Back at the surf club, it’s time for Justin’s heat… but he’s nowhere to be found. Concerned, Leah returns home, only to discover Justin in the middle of a painkiller overdose!
“Justin is very happy to enter the surf comp and feeling fine after taking the pain medication,” James Stewart tells Australian magazine TV Week about the new twist in his rehabilitation. But his back flares up again just before he enters, forcing him to take more medication.”
He’s writhing in agony, unable to see or think clearly. “As he lays on the floor, Justin realises he’s gone too far,” James explained to TV Week.
He’s in deep trouble, but his only response to Leah’s demand that she take him to the hospital is to become enraged.
Will he say he has a problem if she persuades him to go to the hospital before it’s too late?
When the surf competition gets underway, it’s not just Leah and Justin who are having problems. Mackenzie (Emily Weir) is running low on staff on her busiest day of the year, and it’s entirely her fault.
She fired Chloe last week because she no longer wanted to work with someone who was so similar to Ari and Mia. It’s her business, and all she needs is to be able to go to work without being reminded of what she’s lost.
Despite this, she has enraged Ryder (Lukas Radovich). She initially requested that Ryder fire Chloe (Sam Barrett), but she later apologised after learning that the two had become boyfriend and girlfriend – but the damage had already been done. Ryder left his job at Salt on the spur of the moment, leaving Mac with just two employees.
Mac is rushed off her feet upstairs, attempting to keep up with orders, as the race is in full swing downstairs. She’s just gotten out of the hospital and should be resting, but there’s no one else to take her place. Dean advises, “You can’t keep pushing yourself.” Mac spits back, “Well, well, I don’t have a choice.”
Sophie Dillman’s Ziggy is concerned. “This place is going to get out of hand. How can she deal with the influx of people and the lack of staff?”
Is Mackenzie in danger of ending up in the hospital again?
As the rivalry brings Dean and Ziggy closer together, Amber (Maddy Jevic) has her own concerns.
Dean had always wanted to fly across the country with Ziggy, and the two would compete in surf contests on weekends. Now he has a race right in front of him, but he and Ziggy are no longer together, and his new girlfriend has no idea how to surf.
Amber’s mind is racing as Ziggy makes a casual remark to her. She knows Dean still has feelings for his ex, and after he declined to say “I love you” last week, she begins to wonder if she is the right person for him.
When Ziggy sees how happy Dean and Ziggy are after winning the surf competition together, her doubts rise.
She whispers to Tane (Ethan Browne), “Tell me again how solid you two are,” and the Parata brother is left questioning his new relationship as well.
