Connie accompanies Gina to Switzerland for her assisted suicide, but cannot bear the thought of Elliot not being there and calls the doctor, who immediately flies over. Bradley finalises his move to St Luke's, but angers Donna by referring to her as an 'ally', and a drug-abusing patient reminds Joseph of his own problems.
Tricia becomes emotional when her attempts to reunite a dying man with his drug-abusing son are too close to home, and Mark organises a rushed wedding with the ailing nurse. Matt struggles to understand why his patient won't respond to medication, questioning whether Donna administered it correctly, while Chrissie and Kyla argue over the running of the ward.
Abra tries to help a patient waiting for a transplant by offering to operate with an animal organ, despite the procedure being illegal, and asks Mickie to help him in theatre. Elliot monitors Margaret's condition as she returns from her stem cell treatment in Singapore, believing her case mirrors that of his wife, Gina.
Abra returns to the hospital, but Ric is not happy to be working with him - especially when he learns the surgeon has been making promises to patients that he will struggle to keep. Meanwhile, Mickie develops a crush on a patient, but is worried asking her out may harm her chances of getting into medical school.
The hospital staff have their work cut out after a car pile-up, giving Kyla the chance to earn some extra money to put toward her legal fight to keep Max. After their night of passion, Connie and Sam flirt with each other despite professional disagreements as they treat an injured couple, and Mark prepares to pop the question to Tricia.
Matt and Donna row over Bridie's death, with both keen to blame the other, but the arrival of the nurse's grandmother visiting her boyfriend in the hospital gives the doctor a chance to offer an olive branch. Connie offers Sam a position as trainee rep as the pair grow closer, much to Chrissie's annoyance, and a patient's dad asks Lola out on a date.
Matt arrives for his first day in the hospital as a doctor, but soon realises how hard the role will be when he begins to suspect an elderly woman is being bullied by a foster child, while Elliot meets Gina when she arrives for an appointment. Reg becomes flustered when he sees Donna walking out of the staff shower, and grows increasingly jealous of her relationship with Bradley.
Bradley outlines his cost-cutting plans for the hospital, dividing opinions among the staff, especially when he suggests they could perform more operations to earn a £3million bonus. Joseph returns to the wards, but it is clear his OCD is not under control when he insists on scrubbing his hands repeatedly and fumbles a simple procedure.
Chrissie panics when Don Bosman returns to the hospital to get Helena's body and finds out her heart was donated without his consent. Dillon's condition worsens after being readmitted, leading Sam to discover he has failed to conquer his drinking habit. Meanwhile, jealousy gets the better of Kyla, who berates Justin for behaving unprofessionally after catching him flirting with Donna.
Abra supervises Diane as he covers for Ric for a fortnight, and reveals he would be keen to work at the hospital permanently - but his determination to perform an operation tempts him to bend the rules, and ruins his chances. Tricia tells Chrissie about her relationship with Mark, and decides to have her surgery moved forward.
Diane is told to work under Ric's supervision when she is blamed for Helen's death, but she is determined to clear her name and attempts to secretly record Nick confessing to his error. A new assistant general manager starts work at the hospital, and soon invites Donna to the May ball, while Matt gets a second job in the admin department to pay off his debts.
Helena develops complications following Nick's rushed surgery, putting Diane in a difficult position when she realises the problem should have been noticed during the first operation. Sam breaks the rules to help a recovering alcoholic who needs a heart transplant after learning the patient has a young son, and Justin tries to flirt with Kyla again.
Elliot fears for his wife, who has motor neurone disease and whose health appears to be getting worse. He also regrets their decision to keep her condition a secret from Martha - not realising she knows something is up and has persuaded Joseph to help her learn the truth. Sam uncovers a family secret when he treats a boy with two mothers who is undergoing a heart transplant.
Connie is devastated when her patient collapses and there's not enough time to arrange a heart transplant. Nick tries to get Diane on his side by letting her perform a difficult procedure for the first time, while Ric talks her into taking the research position full time. Kyla brings Max to work as he is a diabetic and she is worried about his blood sugar levels.
Nick performs an unnecessary operation in his campaign for a transfer. However, when the patient's condition worsens, Jac is forced to take matters into her own hands. Matt and Dean undergo a student assessment with Lord Byrne, but may not be up to the challenge. Mark is plagued by his secrets as he treats a woman with problems similar to his own.
Matt's parents want him discharged from hospital to be treated at home, while Mark blames himself for the stabbing. Donna flirts with a handsome physiotherapist, though Kyla warns her to stay away from him. The treatment of a heart patient causes conflict, as Connie wants to try the manufactured pump she helped develop, but Elliot is adamant a transplant is required.
A woman comes in for a heart transplant, and Connie persuades her to accept an experimental procedure that has never been tried before. Ric leaves Nick in charge while he is at the university, but Jac does not approve of his handling of a cancer patient's treatment and a past conflict between them resurfaces.
Sam performs a risky operation that he has never done before - to Connie's outrage. Elliot gets a new PA, but finds she cramps his style, while Chrissie receives a variety of Valentine's gifts from a secret admirer. Paul Nicholas guest stars as a patient whose vasectomy reversal goes horribly wrong.
Connie's old school boyfriend Peter Holland arrives in the emergency department with a case of rheumatic fever and reveals childhood secrets about Connie. Mark and Lola become very involved in the treatment of two young brothers who have been beaten up. Elsewhere, Mickie loses her drunk patient Liz.
Frank's life insurance company asks for his medical records, and Tricia is afraid Mark will find out her secret. Despite her best efforts to cover things up, she is ultimately forced to confess that Chrissie is not his daughter. Jac returns to the hospital and Ric advises Diane that she should take some time off to deal with her personal problems - though she's adamant that it isn't necessary.
Ric has plenty of problems on his hands as the new ward opens - the thermostat breaks down and he is forced to take charge of an operation personally. Diane and Chrissie get into a heated argument over Owen in front of a patient, while Donna applies for a new job. However, she is surprised to learn Mickie has already been appointed, and wonders why she didn't say anything.
Two medics apply for the registrar's position, and Connie sees an opportunity to advance her own career when she learns one of the candidates has a very influential father (guest star Ronald Pickup). Mickie is offered a job as a nurse, but her mother urges her not to take it. Mark and Tricia reminisce about old times while treating a patient - but when it emerges that the woman was raped, bad memories come flooding back.
Owen brings Katie to work to see the counsellor, as he is worried she is becoming too withdrawn. He also makes plans to spend Christmas with Chrissie, but when he overhears his daughter talking to Diane, he realises he must be clear about where his priorities lie. Amy is brought in for treatment following her miscarriage, and Nigel announces his intention to take legal action. However, Roz is beginning to suspect the truth about her husband.
Abra returns to Holby with his nephew, who needs an urgent transplant. Ric is unable to operate because of the injury to his hand - but he relents when the patient's mother reveals a secret. Owen fears that he might get sacked for hitting Amy's stepfather, and that this could jeopardise his access to Katie. Diane tries to keep Laura from turning on her ex, but when she learns about his clandestine relationship with Chrissie, tragedy strikes.
Lola finds Amy drinking heavily in an attempt to cause a miscarriage. Donna decides to contact social services, but the troubled teenager's stepfather has other ideas and secretly arranges for her to go to another hospital. Chrissie tells Owen she is leaving Holby, forcing him to finally make a choice between her and Diane.