The Heart Guy

As Hugh"s daughter, Eliza, turns one and his cardiac clinic is about to be upgraded by a wealthy sponsor, Hugh is distracted by the arrival of Tara, a beautiful doctor with her own dubious past. Charlie suddenly returns to Whyhope, making things awkward between Matt and April.

Hugh"s misjudgment has left him without a cardiac clinic, without a payout, and without a job, and not even Sydney will take him back. Penny offers to mentor Tara as her new supervisor, and Meryl"s back-alley dealings hit a snag.

Harriet"s mother, Dinah, arrives in Whyhope and ingratiates herself with the Knights, but when she gets lost with Eliza on a walk in the outback, Hugh is forced to bring Penny"s fiancé, Jarrod, along to help. Meryl comes up with a daring plan to win reelection to the local council.

Tensions in the Knight family run high as the competition between Ajax and Meryl heats up, and Matt feels guilty about letting Charlie stay. Penny and Jarrod decide to speed up their engagement, but their wedding day is threatened by a possible infectious-disease outbreak at the hospital.

Hugh asks Dinah to stay in Whyhope despite Meryl"s wishes, while Ajax and Hayley plan to move out of the Knight homestead. Before Penny and Jarrod fly away for their honeymoon, Jarrod asks Hugh to help with preemployment drug-testing at the mine.

As Hugh contemplates Meryl"s ultimatum, Matt can"t contain his excitement about April"s positive pregnancy test. When Meryl"s arrangement with Jarrod goes awry, Hayley proposes a netball game between the hospital and the mining company.

Hugh agrees to help Tara with a random drug test, but an indiscretion puts their relationship out into the open. With April gone, Charlie offers to help out at the brewery, and Betty raises suspicions to Penny about Jarrod"s dodgy dealings.

It"s Hugh"s birthday, but when Tara doesn"t show up for work, Hugh finds her unconscious in her home. As the hospital team races to save her life, Tara"s parents arrive and raise awkward questions about their daughter"s party antics.

Hugh"s friends try to help him after his embarrassing outburst at his birthday party, while Meryl"s health suffers after losing all her allies. Hayley continues her pole-dancing classes, despite Ajax"s wishes, but tensions explode when she starts working at the new bar.

Penny narrowly survives the car crash but is forced to stay at the hospital to recuperate. When Jarrod gets a job offer out of town, Penny must decide whether or not to leave Whyhope—and Hugh—for good.