Cwmderi Diary 2017: 27 December 2017

In the darkness, Elgan imagines himself back in a war zone

Elgan comes out of the Deri, and discovers Mark; in his head he can hear gunfire and explosions, and shouts, “Man down – civilian – unresponsive.”

"Come on, help me!"

Liam is also there and demands that the doctor help him; “We’re going to need backup,” says Elgan.

Now Elgan is at Llwyncelyn

The next thing we see is Elgan sitting at the table in Llwyncelyn;

"Elgan, are you listening?"

Gaynor is trying to get his attention, and wants some help in moving the furniture.

She comprehensively confuses him

“The Dog is coming along nicely, but I still can’t manage the Eagle.” He looks very confused, until she explains, “I’m determined to get a beach body in 2018.

"Yoga is one of the best exercises for the mind"

“And they say that yoga is one of the best exercises for the mind.” He agrees that they had better get started.

Mark lies, unresponsive . . .

In the hospital, Mark is still unconscious, with Ricky

. . . his mother at his bedside

and Kath by his side;

"I'm not leaving him"

Ricky is adamant that he will not leave his father. Then an alarm sounds,

"Come on, Dad, please!"

and Ricky panics, “Come on, Dad, please!” as a nurse checks on Mark; the alarm stops.

Siôn has found the old rocking horse

Sitting in Y Felin, Siôn has an old-fashioned rocking horse, which he said was upstairs in the Rhondda, and he had been keeping it for the right time.

He hopes Greta will enjoy it

“I hope Greta gets as much enjoyment from it as you three did.”

"Those days are long gone, Iol"

Macs comes in, and Iolo expects him to have a hangover, but receives the answer that those days are long gone. “It’s not just you and Tyler who can be good parents!”he says.
Apparently Tyler is out meeting some friends, and has not even had a cwtch with his niece yet, as Dani will not see anyone.

"Not surprised with all those shenanigans"

“I’m not surprised, with all those shenanigans,” comments Macs,

"I feel sorry for you!"

“Welcome to the Monks! I feel sorry for you.”

"I wish you would stop bickering"

Siôn insists that the best present he could have would be for them to stop bickering.

Siôn is presented with an envelope

Macs hands him an envelope from himself and Iolo – Iolo points out that it is from Tyler too.

"Pennsylvania?"

Looking inside, Siôn exclaims, “Pennsylvania?” Iolo says that it is about time he went to see Huw, with Macs adding that he would also get away from their bickering. Siôn is very grateful to them.

Kath is getting angry with someone . . .

In the hospital, Kath is on the phone; “Do you know what? I hope you rot in London! I can’t believe you’re doing this to us.”

. . . who we find is Stacey

By now, Ricky is standing behind her, and is told that it was Stacey on the phone. “Milady is too busy with the snobs in London to be concerned about your father. And I don’t know where your mother is!”

"OK, I'll go and look for Mam"

Ricky will go and look for her.

Yoga appears to be very tiring

Elgan is lying, exhausted, on the sofa, and Gaynor brings in a cup of tea for him.

"I know you were laughing at me"

He admits that perhaps he should do more yoga, and knows that she was laughing at him.

"We have something in common"

Liam comes to visit, and informs them, “Mark’s in hospital – the best place – but I hate hospitals, so I thought I’d come over and see how you are. I was thinking we had something in common – I’m in the army too.”

"I was a medic, in Kosovo"

“What makes you think I have any connection with the army?” demands Elgan. Liam replies that old habits kick in when there is a crisis. “I was a medic, in the 90s, Kosovo, working for NATO. Nothing compared with what you’ve seen, I’m sure.”

Liam would not wish a tour in Afghanistan on anyone,

"I wouldn't mind a decent coffee"

and says that he would appreciate a decent coffee, as hospital coffee is like the stuff that comes as rations.

Elgan is far away again

Elgan by this time is once again staring blankly ahead.

"I prefer Arwen at the age she is now"

Macs announces to Iolo, “I prefer Arwen at the age she is now – she can respond, but all babies do is cry and have dirty nappies.” Iolo replies sarcastically that of course Macs changed Arwen’s nappy a lot.

"Arwen should have this, as the family's first grand-daughter"

When Macs sees the rocking horse, he considers that Arwen should have it, and not Greta. “As the family’s first grand-daughter . . .”

Iolo demands what age he lives in,

Siôn calms the troubled waters

and Siôn brings in another present, red scooter for Arwen,

"I played with this for hours"

which Macs remembers playing with for hours.

He is informed that Arwen is not coming to dinner

Then he receives a text; he dejectedly tells them that Arwen is not feeling very special and is not coming.

The café is deserted . . .

In the deserted café,

. . . and Debbie sits, crying

Debbie sits at the bottom of the stairs, crying.

"He is still unconscious"

At Maes-y-Deri, Colin tells Non that Mark is still unconscious; “He looked great in his Santa suit.”

"No, I can't go, Colin"

She cannot face going to the hospital, and says that if she had listened to him and had the tests, this might not have happened. “There’s still a chance that you could help him,” Colin reminds her, “You’ll find out next week one way or another.”

"Find out what?"

He is unaware that standing behind him is Ricky, who demands, “Find out what?”

Colion concocts a fantasy . . .

Colin improvises that it was about tests at school, which are troubling Non,

. . . which Ricky does not believe for a minute

but Ricky insists that he tell the truth; “What’s going on?”

"I'm sorry, I lied!"

“I’m sorry, I lied,” Non confesses, “I have two kidneys!”

"Why did you say you only had one?"

Ricky is dumbfounded, and demands why she said she only had one. “I didn’t know what else to say – I was afraid!” she tells him.

"Didn't you want to help Dad?"

“What? Didn’t you want to help Dad?” he shouts, and she replies that once she had lied she could not stop, and it got out of control. “After all that Dad has done for you!” he exclaims, “Made you a part of this family – even Gran has welcomed you, and this is how you thank us.”

"It's not that simple, Ricky"

Colin intervenes, saying it is not that simple, but Ricky continues, “Dad could die! You’re a coward! You should’ve done the test – I can’t believe I bought that pendant for you!

"Go back to Swansea!"

“Just go back to Swansea – I regret wasting my money. We don’t want you here!”

Non agrees that she does not deserve the gift,

Non has given up hope . . .

and takes off the pendant, but Colin insists that she should explain everything she has been through. She has given up hope, and intends to leave.

. . . and she is intent on leaving

Colin pleads with her to stay, but she will not.

Colin bellows upstairs for Ricky

Colin shouts upstairs for Ricky, to no effect.

Liam now has to go

Liam receives a text and says he has to go; he will keep them informed about Mark. By the front door, he asks Gaynor if Elgan is often like that,

"Elgan is very sensitive"

and she answers that he is rather sensitive.

"A chance to share some experiences"

Then he looks round the door and says, “Maybe I can buy you a pint before I go back to the barracks. A chance to share some experiences.”

Elgan suddenly has to go and feed the dog

Suddenly Elgan says he forgot he is supposed to be looking after next door’s dog while they are away; his memory is like a sieve.

"I'll only be an hour"

“He will only be an hour at the most.

Liam enquires if he sleeps well;

"He's going through a difficult time"

Gaynor replies, “He’s going through a very difficult time at the moment.” Liam tells her in confidence that when they were outside the Deri, it was as if he froze.

"Do you know anything about PTSD?"

He wonders if she knows anything about the symptoms of PTSD.

She explains that she is trying to study it,

"He refuses to talk about it"

but Elgan will not talk about it and changes the subject. She wonders if he will get through this,

"He will when he's ready to accept help"

and is told, “He will when he’s ready to accept help.”

"You need to listen to what I have to say!"

Colin is still waiting when Ricky comes downstairs; “You need to listen to what I have to say – sit down here!” he instructs.

Ricky has no intention of listening . . .

Ricky does not intend to take any notice, so Colin has to tell him, “Non has had the tests!”

. . . but then changes his mind

This stops Ricky in his tracks; “She may be a match – she had enough guts in the end! But she didn’t want to raise your hopes – there is no guarantee, you see.

"Do you understand why she didn't tell you?"

“Do you understand now why she didn’t tell you? That’s why we can’t tell anyone about Non – not yet, anyway.”

Ricky finds the pendant

Ricky picks up the pendant, asking, “Where is she? What if she doesn’t come back?” Colin says that he has faith in Non,

"She'll come back – I'm sure of that"

and she will come back – he is sure of that.

Debbie is up in the café flat

Up in the café flat,

The flat has had a complete revamp

Debbie looks around; then Kath storms up the stairs to give her the news that Mark has woken up.

"Come on – Mark is waiting for us!"

“Come on, then – let’s go. He’s waiting for us.”

Debbie says that she is not going – she cannot;

Debbie is afraid it could happen again

“You don’t understand – the same thing could happen again – the machine going off – the nurses – the panic –

"I'm afraid of losing him!"

“I’m afraid of losing him!” Kath reiterates that he is getting better, and then Ricky arrives, protesting that he has been looking for his mother.

Ricky welcomes the latest news . . .

Kath announces that the antibiotics have kicked in, and Mark wants to see him.

. . . and cannot wait to get to the hospital

“Come on, Mam!” he tells her.

"I'm afraid of losing him, too"

Kath whispers that she is afraid of losing him, too, but is confident that they will be all right.

The postponed roast goose is served

A belated Christmas dinner is being served at Y Felin;

"Macs, come down here!"

Siôn rebukes Iolo for shouting for his brother.

"He wants to show off Arwen like an accessory!"

“He’s upset because he can’t show off Arwen like an accessory!” complains Iolo,

"He's trying to change, Iolo"

but Siôn is still under the impression that Macs is trying to change.

"I mustn't spoil everyone's day"

Macs goes downstairs and says that it is not right for him to let it spoil everyone’s day. Iolo comments that he sounds old and responsible,

"Therapy? What therapy?"

and is very surprised when he hears of the therapy, which Macs is alleged to be taking, after he kidnapped Arwen.

“Ffion said I could only see her in the future if I agreed to have therapy to control my emotions.

"I'm determined to change, for Arwen's sake"

“I’ve got a long way to go yet, but I’m determined to change, for Arwen’s sake.”

Iolo is far from convinced

Iolo treats this with obvious scepticism; he gets the bottle of wine

Macs recalls their miscievous camping trip

and Macs remarks, “That time when we were camping in St David’s – you let the air out of Dad’s bed while his back was turned. How long were you looking for that ‘hole’?”