Christian eventually tells Rachel that he isn’t romantically interested in her on next week’s episode of Home and Away in the UK. Is this the beginning of him mend his connection with Tori, or is it already too late?
Christian (Ditch Davey) has done everything he can to aid Rachel (Marny Kennedy) since she arrived in Summer Bay with a bang, and the two have grown closer. Despite Tori’s (Penny McNamee) concerns, he has always been only concerned with his patient’s rehabilitation – the sentiments have always ended there.
He felt a sense of personal accountability for her. He was present on the day she died in a strange skydiving accident, and he believes it was fate that brought them together. He really felt he had been brought back to help her after his near-death experience at the hands of Lewis.
While his emotions for Rachel have always been platonic, he’s given her a few hints that there could be something more. He postponed his and Tori’s wedding to care for her in Summer Bay, and he stayed by her side even after Tori called the wedding off for good.
He’s spent evenings in her hospital room with her, watching TV and eating snacks, and he’s taken her on several walks around Summer Bay since he determined she’d made enough progress in her recuperation to venture outside.
When Rachel warmly placed her hand on his while they sat on the beach, it was apparent that she had begun to develop feelings for her doctor. Christian’s expression was concerned as he considered if he had crossed a boundary, but it didn’t affect the way he treated her.
As she began seeking him out at the hospital, she informed him, “These walks are rapidly becoming the highlight of my day.”
Tori could only watch as he proceeded to take her on outings around the bay, including lunch dates at the Diner, saddened that her former fiancé had apparently moved on with another lady
Even Jasmine attempted to warn Christian that he was overstepping his bounds, but he refused to listen. “You know what, I’m not engaged anymore, so what I do is none of your business!”
Everything starts to change next week. After weeks in the halo brace, Rachel’s spine and skull have finally fused back together, and her stay at Northern Districts Hospital is drawing to a close.
When Christian tells her the good news, she reacts in a way that Christian didn’t anticipate — she’s nearly disappointed.
She admits she is a little nervous about stepping back out into the world after everything that has occurred. Of course, she doesn’t want to say goodbye to Christian, which is one of the reasons.
“Getting you home is what we’ve been working towards. The doctor tells her, “It’s a positive thing.”
She asks, “Is it?” before revealing something significant. “Because I’m quite sure it’d mean I wouldn’t see you as much.”
She takes his hand in hers once again as she expresses her thoughts. The doctor leaps back as he realizes that his weeks of lavishing her with care had resulted in her falling for him. “Oh, no, no, no, no, All along, Jasmine and Tori were correct.
Rachel is taken aback by his reaction, telling him that she thought he wanted this. The doctor realises he needs to explain himself, and he has no choice except to gently let her down.
He informs her that he doesn’t know what she was thinking, but that they don’t have anything going on. While he’s gotten close to her, his emotions for her have always been purely platonic. “I’m head over heels in love with Tori.”
“I’m sorry, I thought everything was over…”
“It has and it hasn’t.”
She can’t believe what she’s hearing. Christian stated that she was the purpose for his visit. She was the reason for his existence!
As he reiterates that she is the reason he survived his near-death experience, he can see where the mistake arose. He lived, though, so that he could save her, not so that they might have a love relationship.
She informs him, little offended, “I’m not going to lie.” “It had a romantic feel to it.”
“I didn’t intend for it to happen. Yes, we have a connection, but it is simply a friendship for me.”
“Well, who doesn’t need another buddy, I suppose?” she replies, half-smiling but with clenched teeth. In only two minutes, her weeks of flirting with Christian and their building attraction were ended. She must now return to the world, but alone.
Where does this leave Tori and Christian now that Rachel is almost totally healed and any romantic connections are out of the question? Their engagement is over, and they haven’t talked in weeks, but is the road to a reconciliation now clear?
Northern Districts is overwhelmed by the inflow of patients later in the week, when an explosion rattles the harbour. Christian tries to reconnect with his ex-fiancée, but business takes first as they hurry to operate on Chloe and then Jasmine.
He attempts to get her to take a break after a long day as she runs from patient to patient. He wants her to worry about herself, as well as others, apparently. Despite this, their strained relationship appears to be the last thing on her mind as she focuses on her work.
Is it too late to persuade her to give him a chance and work through their issues, or is it already too late?