Coronation Street weekly update - trial troubles and hospital tubes

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Greetings and welcome to the Coronation Street Weekly Update. Find out more about the Coronation Street Weekly Updates and why they've been written for th'internet since 1995 at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly

Glenda was on holiday, this week's update written by our VIP Blogger Karen Jankel

Glenda's still away and Richard's update for last week left us all on tenterhooks with the fire blazing away merrily in the Rovers. It's now two days later and the fire engines still haven't arrived. Admittedly, it's only meant to be a matter of minutes in Weatherfield but even so, you'd have thought they'd be here by now.

Upstairs in the Rovers, Karl has found Stella. He tells her that he loves her but at least they'll die together. Meanwhile with most of the cast panicking down on the street outside, Paul has no choice but to go to the rescue. Jason grabs a ladder from the yard and Paul climbs up to the first floor window with Eileen screaming for him to wait for back up. He manages to get an unconscious Stella down with a fireman's lift but Karl is still inside so now it's Toni's turn to do her stuff with Paul yelling at her to wait for support. But she's a woman on a mission and only moments after rescuing Karl there's an almighty explosion and it's almost certain than Toni's brief role in Corrie is well and truly over.

The fire engines finally arrive and they manage to get Sunita out of the Rovers while Dev is standing in the street desperately trying to call her, not realising that she's the one being carried out on a stretcher.

The casualties are all dispatched to hospital: Gloria goes with Stella in one ambulance while Dev and Karl go with Sunita.

Meanwhile, with the Rovers out of action everyone else gathers in the Bistro. Quite apart from needing a drink to calm their nerves there's the accommodation to be sorted out in view of the Barlows' house being next doo to the inferno. It looks like Rob will have the pleasure of Tracy for the night while Carla has the joyous prospect of having her outlaws to stay. Not wanting to be left out of the game of musical houses, Gail manages to sort of patch things up with Kylie and tells her that she's intending to move back in with them although, as she makes it quite clear to Kylie, she'll be keeping a very close eye on her.

While all this is going on Paul comes in with the news that Toni has indeed lost her life in the fire and it's hit him bad: he feels guilty and is convinced he should have stopped her going in. And someone has to break the news to her husband. Rita is also in a state but Norris, showing a more sensitive side to his nature for a change, realises that it's bringing back memories of the tram crash and Rita is grateful for his concern.

Over at Weatherfield General things are not looking good for either Stella or Sunita who are both on life support machines. Gloria sits by her daughter's bedside telling her all the things she should have said before, such as how much she loves her, while Dev is doing much the same thing with Sunita except in his case it's accompanied by some strange noises. I mistakenly thought they were coming from the medical equipment until I realised it was the sound of Dev sniffing between his sobs.

Karl has suffered some smoke inhalation and burns on his hands but he's in a far better physical state; his only problem is a combination of guilt and fear. What if Sunita and/or Stella die? What if Sunita doesn't and then spills the beans? Still, as far as everyone else is concerned, Karl's the hero of the hour. Well, everyone except Jason of course who doesn't trust him as far as he can throw him.

Stella's family take it in turns to sit by her bedside and we learn that she's very critical and even if she pulls through she might have permanently damaged her vocal chords.

Back on the street, everyone's waiting for news from the hospital and starting to question how the fire started and why Sunita was in the Rovers when it was closed. To Eileen's dismay, Paul goes off to work, despite the fact that he's clearly traumatised by the loss of Toni.

Finally there's some good news: the doctors reduce Stella's sedation and, when she comes round, it appears there is no lasting damage after all. Although to Jason's dismay, the first person she asks for is Karl.

Things start to get even worse for Jason when the investigation reveals that the fire started in the electrical consumer unit in the basement where he'd just been working. Everyone keeps telling him they don't blame him but he knows it's not his fault. After all, he checked all the wiring several times and, as he confirms, he's a qualified electrician. This was news to me so I think I must have missed the episode where he went off to night school and passed all the exams. One person who does blame Jason for the fire is Paul who tells Eileen he can't even bear to be in the same room with him. Poor Eileen is piggy in the middle, wanting to support her son on the one hand but recognising that Paul feels the need to blame someone for what she sees as a tragic accident.

Karl, then stirs things up by accidentally on purpose letting slip to Dev about what caused the fire which sends him straight round to Eileen's house threatening to kill Jason if Sunita doesn't pull through. And worryingly, it looks increasingly like she won't. She's not responding to treatment and the doctors warn Dev to be prepared for the worst. He says he can do that but how can he break the news to the children who are now being looked after by Marcus and Maria?

Back at the hospital, Karl is enjoying the fact that Stella still believes she's his hero while Gloria is practically shining the virtual halo she's placed over his head while Jason hovers nearby, reluctant to leave Karl alone with Stella. Then the police arrive with some news: it seems that they have evidence that the fire was started deliberately and, in view of the fact there's been one death already, we're talking a murder investigation. Jason is relieved to be let off the hook but who could have done such a thing? Sunita had it in for Stella, suggests Gloria. So now the police turn their attention to Dev. He's horrified that they could think his wonderful, sweet, lovely Sunita could be the perpetrator. But of course she's in no fit state to defend herself.

Jason has his own theories as to who is responsible and, finding the chance for a quiet word, he tells the police about his relationship with Karl and how he torched his van. The police obviously take Jason seriously because the next thing we know they're in the Bistro questioning Karl who's enjoying a post-hospital drink with Gloria. When Gloria discovers Jason was the one who tipped off the police she straight off back to the hospital where Jason is visiting Stella. She tells him he's not fit to lick Karl's bootstraps and orders him to get out. Jason asks Stella if she wants him to go and, to his dismay, she says she does.

Back at the Bistro, Chesney is drowning his sorrows. Earlier in the week it looked as though relations with Katy were improving. She offered to let him have Joseph to stay and they seemed to be on quite civil terms. But then he caught sight of Ryan talking to Katy in the street and, as far as he was concerned, that was it. Beth gives him a bit of friendly advice - he needs to fight for her. Unfortunately she didn't mean literally and Kirk has to run off in hot pursuit when Chesney decides he's going to go and warn Ryan off.

And as if all this drama wasn't enough for one week, at the same time we have the build up to Tyrone's court case. As the days go by, Kirsty is getting more and more anxious and she seems to be reaching breaking point with Ruby who won't stop crying. She's already landed her on Julie for one night so she tries Eileen but Eileen has enough problems of her own and suggests she asks Julie to help. Eileen mentions this to Julie who is getting concerned so she calls round to see Kirsty who doesn't take kindly to Julie gossiping about her to the neighbours. She shouts at her and immediately apologises but Julie is worried. Still, it doesn't stop Julie agreeing to babysit the following day while Kirsty goes off to court.

The case opens and we're treated to the questioning of Eileen, Deirdre and Dr. Carter as witnesses for the prosecution while Fiz, with support from Hayley and Tina, watches from the gallery. Then it's Kirsty's turn to take the stand. She swears on the bible to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth but that's hardly what she's best at and it doesn't stop her lying under oath. She's distracted for a moment by the sight of her mother walking into the courtroom but even that isn't enough to get her to stop and, despite one outburst from Ty who is standing in the dock, she continues to lie through her back teeth. After the day's proceedings are over, Ty is led away while everyone else heads home.

Out in the street, Fiz and Tina beg Kirsty's mother to get her daughter to tell the truth. But Kirsty isn't about to change her story so her mother tries a different tactic. She takes her to Roy's Rolls and makes her on offer: she'll move in with her and help her to look after Ruby. But, on one condition - she wants Kirsty to go to the police and admit the truth. Kirsty flatly refuses and goes home in a real state, only to walk in through the front door to be confronted by Sally coming down the stairs. It seems that Julie had to go off on an urgent mission and Sally kindly stepped in to look after Ruby. But Kirsty is furious that the woman she believes had a hand in kidnapping her baby is looking after her and she tells Sally to get out.

A short while later Julie comes back and makes the mistake of asking Kirsty how her day in court went. Kirsty is angry. She is really, really angry. So angry that she hurls a cup in Julie's direction and it smashes on the wall. She immediately tries to apologise but Julie looks scared and beats a hasty retreat. She meets up for a drink with Brian and tells him of her concerns. She has a horrible feeling that they may have all jumped to the wrong conclusion about Kirsty after all. Not only has she clearly got a capacity for violence, she lied to Julie about the last time she saw her mother. Brian convinces Julie she must do something about it, tell the police or Tyrone's lawyers. But Julie thinks she has a much better idea: she'll go and confront Kirsty herself.

Meanwhile, poor Tyrone has no idea about this latest turn of events. He was pinning his hopes on Kirsty being unable to lie in court but she's done such a convincing job that he's sure he's going down. His barrister is far more optimistic and at their debriefing he tells Ty to get a good night's sleep because he has a big day ahead of him tomorrow.

So, will the truth win out? Will Ty go down or will Kirsty be the one standing trial? And will the police discover who really started the fire in the Rovers? I don't know about Ty but I'm not sure I'm going to sleep too well with all these unanswered questions. Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm

Writers for this week's episodes were Debbie Oates, Joe Turner, Carmel Morgan and Mark Wadlow. Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at
http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2008/11/exclusive-all-current-corrie-writers.html

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