The Good Die Young…

Becky Wright (Nic Grundy)

That’s what they say, and last week seemed to bear this out, as Nic was taken ill on Thursday evening. Will had had to give up his day off because Brian was schmoozing some friends of Latif, hoping to poach them into joining the Home Farm shoot and wanted Will there to answer technical questions.

Will arrived home and Nic looked (and sounded) awful. Will was going to call an ambulance, but realised that it could be months before one was despatched to Ambridge, so he drove her to A&E himself. She was in a bad way; dizzy and panting and the doctor confirms this, telling Will that Nic is “very unwell”. In fact, it’s worse than that, as she has Sepsis and it’s attacking her immune system. Her blood pressure is ‘dangerously low’ and her organs aren’t getting enough blood. We are talking life-threatening here. “She is gonna be OK though?” Will asks.

The doctor slams Will against the wall and slaps him round the face (ok, she doesn’t, but she must have felt like it) and says that Nic is distressed because she hasn’t seen her children that day (they are spending the night at Grange Farm) and she would like to see them. Will says he will get Clarrie to bring them to the hospital tomorrow morning. No, says the doctor, best not to take the chance and better to bring them there tonight. Will finally seems to understand the urgency and rings dad Eddie (who is spending a night in the lambing shed with Toby) and fills him in on what’s happening. Eddie tells Toby he’ll explain everything tomorrow, but he’s off and Toby should get David or Rooooth to help with the lambing.

It is a tense night at the hospital and the nurse suggests that Nic’s children could give her a kiss before she goes to Intensive Care (they do so and there is a touching farewell scene). Later on, Joe comes into the room and tells Will that Mia is crying for her dad and setting Poppy off. Will reluctantly agrees to go and Joe says he will stay with Nic. Now, I can’t say that I followed the next few minutes that closely, but it seemed to me (and I stand to be corrected by Neil or our readers) that he told her that she was ‘moving on to a better place’, which I interpreted as ‘you’re gonna die’. Whatever, Nic suffered a Cardiac Arrest and, after an agonising wait, the doctor came into the waiting room and told the Grundys that Nic hadn’t made it and she was so sorry…

And so to this week’s title - we have always said that Nic was very good; much too good for Will, in fact. I just hope that the fact that Nic and Emma had fallen out without being reconciled will not mean that Will and Ed are at loggerheads again - Will will need help in future, so be generous. I also hope that grief doesn’t mean that Will reverts to the whining, misanthropic, all-round-not-very-nice-guy that we all used to hate before Nic’s influence mellowed him somewhat. I must admit that, with her gone, I fear the worst. So long Nic – you were one of the nicest people in Ambridge and will be sorely missed. She was only 37.

The story about the contaminated land at Home Farm continues to run and it doesn’t get any better for the Aldridges. Pat has been given some vouchers for a pamper day at Grey Gables and she thinks that this is exactly what Jennifer needs to cheer her up. The two women have a relaxing afternoon and Pat suggests having a drink before they leave, as the company that gave her the vouchers is holding a product launch. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m glad you asked that, as the following day Adam rings his mother, suggesting that she looks at the Echo’s website. It features a picture of Jennifer knocking back a glass of champagne as if she hasn’t got a care in the world and the picture is accompanied by some copy about the contamination. The article is carefully worded and doesn’t actually say that the Aldridges don’t give a toss, but the inference is clear and Jennifer wonders what Brian will say.

She doesn’t have long to wait, as the following day Brian returns home after a meeting with Justin and Martyn Gibson, who has suggested stopping work on the Berrow Farm pig unit project until the controversy about the contamination dies down. Gibson is just out to make trouble, as the pig unit is nothing to do with Home Farm and it is agreed that work will continue. Unfortunately, it becomes obvious that the two men have seen the article and photograph and Brian tells Jennifer later that he felt humiliated.

That’s not all Brian says and accuses his wife of not trying hard enough to get the photo taken off the website. She protests that she did try, but the Echo said it was in the public interest and, by the way, it would appear in tomorrow’s printed edition of the paper. In vain does Jen protest that she wasn’t aware that she was being photographed and suggests that Brian tries to get it taken off the website. It is here that Brian goes a step too far and accuses Jennifer of not thinking “or did you deliberately set out to stab me in the back?” Jennifer is hurt and angry and says “How dare you accuse me of doing anything other than supporting you?” and she tells him how she went to see Justin to get him to support Brian’s bid to remain as BL Chairman. Belatedly, Brian realises that he has overstepped the mark and tries to apologise, but Jennifer’s dander is up. “Don’t you touch me” she spits, adding “Just leave me alone.”

Well Brian, all in all, that certainly could have gone better.

Jennifer is not the only one to give Brian earache, as the following day he is at Peggy’s, trying to sort out her finances on her computer. He is making a complete hash of it and Peggy realises that he is, if not actually drunk, then he has at least had a good sniff of the barmaid’s apron. He denies it, but Peggy reminds him that she used to run the pub, plus her first husband, Jack, was a complete lush, so she can recognise the signs. She tells him to go home and make it up with Jennifer.

Brian does return home – how he got there we aren’t told, but Peggy nagged him for driving over to hers while under the influence – and he grovels unashamedly to Jennifer, describing the way he behaved as “abominable”. Jen agrees that the remarks were hurtful but tells him not to be too hard on himself, as he is a good man in bad circumstances and, when the EA gets to the truth and he is vindicated… Brian interrupts his wife and says “but what if I’m not?” He then goes further, saying that he has been keeping a secret from her, as he knew all along that there was “something nasty” buried at Low Mead and he knows because, 40 years ago, he agreed to it being buried there. Just when you think things can’t get any worse, they do.

It wasn’t all unremitting bad news for everybody last week. Indeed, for the Carters, it must have seemed like Christmas had come early. First of all, Helen and Tom offered Susan the job of managing the Kefir, with a slight increase in salary. This goes straight to her head and, as Clarrie tells Will, Susan insisted on holding a brainstorming session with Tom. I bet he’s regretting the decision to promote Susan already. However, it could be worse, as Clarrie informs her son “we don’t actually have to curtsey to Susan yet.”

Another bit of good news for the Carters came when Justin invited Neil over to talk through how things should be carried out when the Berrow Farm pig unit is up and running. Neil offers practical advice and agrees with Justin that the roles of administering the unit and the marketing of the pork should be kept separate. Justin confides that he has somebody earmarked for the latter role, but what should he look for in a potential unit manager? Neil’s answer is “pig sense” and “understanding pig psychology and being able to spot problems before they start.” It should be a hands-on role, leading by example and not being tied to a desk, but out there, getting his hands dirty.

Justin agrees and says that he has an idea of who he wants and adds that he thinks he is looking at the ideal person right now. Neil eventually realises that Justin is talking about him and, in a flabbergasted voice, asks “are you offering me the post of pig unit manager?” Good job Neil didn’t say that the manager needed to be quick on the uptake. Justin says that he is offering exactly that and it was then my turn to be flabbergasted when he adds that the salary is £55,000 a year.

Neil asks for time to consider – bloody hell man, if you don’t want the job, I’ll have it and, when it comes to understanding pig psychology, I’ll even supply my own couch for the pig under analysis. As he tells Susan, he is undecided, but we all know how she will react - £55 k p.a. and a manager to boot; she won’t be able to get her head through the door. One by one, she demolishes his arguments; he says he’ll miss being his own boss, but she reminds him how Tom currently has him running around, rounding up escaped pigs. Plus, he’ll be working inside with no need to break the ice on the feeding troughs.

Neil wonders if he could cope with the responsibility of managing a team but Susan reminds him that he runs the Parish Council and he mustn’t keep putting himself down – this job would mean that he got the respect that he’s always deserved. And oh yes, if he gave up his pig business, they could get rid of the pig arks and maybe get Keira a pony.

This argument was only ever going to end one way and Neil accepts Justin’s offer. The Carters go to tell Tom and Helen that they won’t be able to supply them with weaners any longer and Helen thinks that this is because Neil wants to retire. “Oh no,” Susan says “we’re moving onward and upwards”, adding “but we won’t forget your kindness to us when we were lower down the employment ladder.” Can you imagine just how unbearable Susan will be now? I’d watch out, Clarrie – before long I reckon you’ll not only have to curtsey, but prostrate yourself every time your paths accidentally cross.