After being left paralysed in the train crash, Sonny (Ryan Bown) has begun the long road to recovery at a rehab facility.
Struggling to come to terms with the extent of his injuries, with uncertainty as to whether it could be permanent, he has pushed girlfriend Dana (Ally Harris) away—abruptly ending their relationship, and making it clear he doesn’t want her involved.
When Dana calls to say she understands why he’s pushing her away and that she’ll give him some space, Sonny shuts her down—insisting he’s not simply pushing her away, he’s ended things for good.
Left stretching down towards it, he grows increasingly frustrated as it remains just out of reach, Dana’s voice still calling out to him on the line.
When Dana arrives at the clinic to check on him—worried after the call suddenly cut out—Sonny is blunt and dismissive, cutting her off and ordering her to leave.
Back inside, fellow resident Louis (Adam Bowes) calls him out for ending things with Dana, warning he’ll regret it.
Sonny resists, not wanting to make a fuss, but Warren points out that without any feeling in his legs, there’s no way of knowing whether he’s been injured.
Remi has been keeping his distance, not wanting to add to Sonny’s troubles by revealing his own brain tumour diagnosis.
Remi meets Warren, questioning how Sonny was able to fall, but Warren insists the hospital visit is precautionary and that they’re doing everything they can to support his recovery.
Yet his façade slips as he reflects on the fall, pointing out he didn’t even know if he’d been hurt. For the first time, he openly questions if this is what his life looks like now.
When challenged on ending things with Dana, Sonny explains she didn’t sign up for this, and he’s freeing her from it.
As they talk, the symptoms of Remi’s brain tumour begin to intrude, his hand seizing and his vision blurring as he steps outside.
The scale of that commitment is confronting, particularly given Remi’s own situation, but Remi promises to be there for him as Sonny finally resolves to knuckle down.
When his name is finally called, Eden is forced to stay behind as Remi heads into the treatment room alone.
Elsewhere in Summer Bay, after committing to marriage counselling following their recent troubles, Justin (James Stewart) and Leah (Ada Nicodemou) are determined to put the work in—starting with a homework task that sees them writing letters about their relationship.
Leah can’t even make it past “Dear Justin,” whilst Justin quickly grows frustrated with the idea that homework will help rekindle their romance.
Their growing closeness soon spills over into some very public displays of affection.
But even that proves short-lived when John (Shane Withington) invites himself to join them for dinner, leaving Justin and Leah frustrated that they can’t get a moment alone in public to focus on rebuilding their relationship.
No, inside a garment bag is a dress, along with a Bay Motel business card that has a room number written on the back.
It has the desired effect, with the pair embracing the chance to ‘reconnect’ properly.
Though she means nothing by it, Justin is clearly stung.
Leah initially tries to smooth things over, but it’s only when she brings up the cost again—suggesting it was fine as a one-off but not something they should repeat—that Justin’s mood shifts.