The Chase

Chevin Chase veterinary practice is buzzing with excitement. The finishing touches are being made to the marquee in the garden with flowers arriving and tables being laid. Eight months pregnant Anna is directing the activity but begins to panic. Time is ticking away and her father George, the groom, is still operating on a puppy. Meanwhile in London, Sarah walks out on her cheating boyfriend David and drives up north. The church is packed to the rafters. Practice Manager Deborah is making disparaging remarks about everyone to her husband Rick, the practice Senior Partner. During a brief lull in her tirade, he slips outside for a sneaky cigarette with nurse Matt. Meanwhile fellow nurses Clare and Margaret enjoy a gossip about the guests and Sarah's imminent arrival. Sarah hasn't been home since her mum died two years ago and everyone wonders why... not least her sister Anna. Little does she know that Sarah hides a painful secret - she caught Anna's husband Tom in bed with one of the nurses, Fiona. And she hasn't been able to face any of them since. Just as Sarah enters the church, Fiona takes her seat. There's no time for trouble as the young bride Claudie, 30 years George's junior, makes her breath-taking entrance. At the wedding reception, chemistry ignites between Rick and Clare who share a brief kiss. Meanwhile, George makes a shocking announcement - he's retiring and moving to Malta with wife Claudie, leaving pregnant Anna and Sarah with a struggling business, one vet down, one vet defecting to the local opposition and a list of operations as long as their arm. George's revelation is enough to send Anna into labour. Anna and Tom race to the hospital, leaving Sarah in charge of the practice and their unruly kids. Anna gives birth to a girl who she names after her mother, Imogen. But George drops another shocking bombshell - they've re-mortgaged the house by £200,000. This leaves Sarah with no option but to muck in at the Chase. After a heated discussion, Fiona and Sarah make amends. Fiona reveals she has a son Theo from a previous failed relationship but little does Sarah know that the child is Tom's. Sarah's astonished when David turns up, begging her to come home, but she reveals she is home. Elsewhere, Tom's late on Theo's monthly payment. Fiona threatens to reveal all if he doesn't cough up soon...

It's Sarah's first day in the practice and just the thought of it is giving her nightmares. During the morning household scrum she puts on her battle armour to face the big day - hair, make-up, suit - looking every inch the professional. But it's a costume hiding her big secret. Practice Manager Deborah isn't very welcoming and her encounter with Sarah leaves feathers severely ruffled. Sarah's first client of the day is a border collie which needs a mammary strip - a straightforward operation but tricky without an ultrasound. Fiona has the dog prepped, but when Sarah realises that the practice doesn't even have an ultrasound she freaks and walks out, heading back to David and London. Unknown to Sarah, her sly ex appears to be entertaining another woman. Anna is furious and bombards Sarah with some hard home truths and accuses her of constantly running away. Anna drops the shocking bombshell that their mother used to run away and cheated on their father, George. Furious and cornered, Sarah finally makes her big confession, "I'm not a vet any more. I gave it up two and a half years ago. I lost my confidence. I lost a dog... the blood kept on coming." Anna is shocked into silence. At the front desk, Deborah's dealing with the angry collie owner. It's Sarah's old flame, local farmer, Adrian Huby. He's delighted to see her again, but Sarah's intent on getting back to London. On the way home, she's haunted by her memories and decides to face her inner demons. Determined to confront the past head on, she returns to the practice to operate on Adrian's collie. It's touch and go for a while but after a tense two-hour operation, the dog pulls through. Eager to make the practice a success, Sarah sells her car to pay for the ultrasound equipment. She also calls David to tell him it's over once and for all. George and Claudie's return stuns Sarah and Anna. It transpires they've been stuck in Liverpool for two days as George's passport was out of date. George confides to Sarah that he's not ready to leave Oxley. Elsewhere, a feline client forces Rick and Clare to take a step closer. Meanwhile, Tom's secret is spiralling out of control as he struggles to meet Fiona's demands. In her stalker style, Fiona confides she wants Tom to be a proper father to Theo, and that their night of passion wasn't a mistake - she chose him.