After being whacked over the head by Jeni Sinclaire and left paralysed from the neck down, Holby City’s mental health nurse Lucky Simpson is adamant she wants to die.
Having been left distraught by the sight of herself in a wheelchair last week, tetraplegic Lucky is struggling to be positive about her future and is more determined than ever to fulfill her wish to end her own life in next week’s Holby.
As the episode begins with a flashback, we see an able-bodied Lucky counselling patient Alex from nearby St Earl’s hospital. Turns out Alex is paraplegic — paralysed from the waist down — and he makes it clear to Lucky he wants to die.
Back in the present, a paralysed, bed-bound Lucky is desperate to forge ahead with her mission to end her own life, and cunningly gets Kylie to help.
Viewers see Lucky being given pain medication but she surreptitiously sends the nurse away before they have a chance to update her notes. When Kylie turns up, Lucky lies that she hasn’t been given her medication, so Kylie unwittingly gives her more… and Lucky goes into cardiac arrest!
Fortunately, thanks to a swift response from Lucky’s friend and colleague Max, a crisis is averted and, later, Kylie tries to lift Lucky’s spirits by arranging a visit from her old friend, Alex.
“Hearing Alex’s story and talking to him, seeing his humour and seeing how he’s still got this spark is uplifting for Lucky,” says Vineeta Rishi, who plays her.
Hearing Alex so optimistic about the future, will his visit make Lucky realise life is still worth living?
"These aren’t stories that are really told very often; you don’t really see people in these situations be positive about themselves," says Vineeta. "But what we’re exploring here is that, yes, these horrible situations can happen but people find ways to deal with them and make the most of them. It’s important we show there is life after trauma."
Holby City continues Tuesdays at 7.50pm on BBC1.
