There was good news for Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) on Emmerdale when he found out that Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) will probably be home for Christmas.
Dylan has been in hospital ever since Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) deliberately ran him over, a ruthless act which was designed as a warning to Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) that they were absolutely powerless.
The couple had been about to go to the police after learning about April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan)’s involvement in Ray and Celia Daniels’ (Jaye Griffiths) drugs enterprise, but having seen what happened to Dylan, they knew they couldn’t risk it.
Paddy is unaware of any of this. All he knows is that Dylan was the victim of a hit and run and that he had heroin in his system at the time, which was injected by Ray after the collision.
Paddy thinks of Dylan like a son, having given him a home with him and Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley). Dylan previously lived on the streets and in squats, but Paddy knew that he was a good person who just needed a chance.
When Dylan had his ‘accident,’ Paddy blamed himself for overwhelming the boy on his birthday with a party and the promise of a car.
So when he went to see him in hospital in Tuesday’s (December 23) episode, he promised that if he did get to come home for Christmas, it would be a much more low-key experience. A few board games, some films, a few zombie games for tradition. Even Mandy, who isn’t known for being subtle, had agreed to this plan.
Marlon and Rhona also came to see Dylan at Paddy’s suggestion. They’d previously pinned their hopes on his being able to identify Ray to the police as the person who ran him over, but when he was questioned, Dylan claimed he couldn’t remember anything.
This time they wanted to ask him again, because since he’s been in hospital, they’ve lost £20k trying to pay Ray off, and he’s now demanding £2k a week to keep April from having to ‘work’ for him. They can’t afford that kind of money, and their situation is desperate.
Rhona asked if he was going to tell the police the truth. Dylan said he promised April he wouldn’t. He said that he was keeping quiet to protect them because Ray would kill all of them.
Marlon and Rhona understood his situation, but they said if he changed his mind, they’d do what they could to have his back.
All poor Dylan could do was apologise for getting April involved in the whole thing. He said he wished she’d never met him. He said he’d let everyone down, and he let Ray take advantage of him because he’s stupid and pathetic.
It was incredibly sad, and Marlon and Rhona were quick to reassure him that he had nothing to be ashamed about. They said he’d be safe at Paddy and Mandy’s, and they would try to figure out a way to deal with the situation.
Until then, the whole family – and Paddy’s family as well – remain at risk as Celia and Ray have shown over and over again that they’ll do absolutely anything to protect themselves.
