Bill helps Mary decorate the pub ready for the Xmas festivities. Mary is clearly missing Sean and has a bag of presents ready in the bar just in case he turns up for his birthday. She sees a young mum with her daughter and is overcome with emotion. If only things could have been different. The moment she has always dreaded has arrived, Siobhan has taken Sean away.
Sean won’t be spending his birthday at the Golden Crown, or Xmas either. He’s busy showing Siobhan the ropes at the homeless shelter where they are serving up an early Xmas dinner and he intends staying in Leicester for the whole of Xmas. Siobhan is impressed by his compassion for the people who end up at the shelter. She wonders why he finds it so hard to put himself in her shoes, she wasn’t so different to them. Sean begins to mellow a bit and as Siobhan leaves he gives her some cake to take for her daughter. Touched Siobhan asks if they can do this again in the New Year. Sean still can’t entirely trust her though even as she promises to be back soon.
Mushtaq has had news from Pakistan and rushes home to tell Zenab that Mubarak called to say Imran has been rushed to hospital with appendicitis. Zenab pretends to be surprised but it’s obviously a story she cooked up with Mubarak to cover up Imran’s disappearance. Mushtaq is so worried about Imran he immediately starts looking for flights to Pakistan. It takes all Zenab’s wiles to talk him out of going. Later when Mushtaq is out of earshot Zenab phones Pakistan for an update. When she learns that Imran is still missing she threatens Mubarak. He either finds Imran – or he finds himself another job!
