Last week, Casualty fans breathed a sigh of relief when Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) turned down the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) secondment in favour of staying by Faith Cadogan’s (Kirsty Mitchell) side. But in Holby ED, peace is never permanent.

This week, we see the couple adjusting to their “new normal”—but a lingering tension hovers like a storm cloud. As Faith tries to move forward, Iain struggles to silence the question that keeps him awake at night:

“What if I’d said yes?”

🌅 The Calm After the Storm… Or Is It?

We open on a rare, tender scene. Iain and Faith, still in their wedding glow, sit together on their flat’s small balcony, sipping tea and joking about Jan’s gruff reaction to their marriage photos.

But beneath the laughter is something quieter—a subtle distance.

Faith (softly): “It’s nice. Just… normal.”
Iain (half-smiling): “Yeah. That’s the dream, right?”

For Faith, it is. For Iain? He’s not so sure.

🚨 When Routine Hurts

Back in the ED, Faith thrives in the predictable chaos—shifts, patients, paperwork. She’s confident, commanding, steady. But Iain, used to climbing cranes and charging into danger, begins to feel boxed in.

Jacob (noticing): “You’ve been pacing like a caged wolf. You alright?”

Iain shrugs it off. But when a basic shout for a minor traffic injury turns routine, his restlessness becomes obvious—he volunteers for every job, takes the long way, hovers over others’ trauma calls.

Faith sees it. She just doesn’t know what to say.

🩹 Trouble Beneath the Surface

The cracks start to show after a failed resuscitation case involving a teenager—a situation where HART skills might have helped. Iain stays late to rewatch the footage, question every call he made, and spiral into quiet self-blame.

Faith finds him alone in the break room.

Faith: “You did everything you could.”
Iain: “That’s the problem. Maybe someone else would’ve done more.”

She offers comfort, but her words land like a whisper in a storm. He’s chasing something she can’t give: absolution.

🧠 The Ghost of HART

Later in the week, Iain runs into Tim Matthews, the HART lead who originally offered the secondment. Their exchange is brief, but weighty.

Tim: “We’ve not filled the slot yet. Just saying.”

Iain smiles politely and walks away—but his hands tremble.

He tells no one.

🗣 A Heart-to-Heart Turns Into a Crossroad

The emotional crescendo comes when Faith stumbles upon Iain re-reading the HART email he asked Jan to delete. It’s still in his drafts. Still unsent. Still… not gone.

Faith (hurt): “I thought you chose us.”
Iain (honest): “I did. But I don’t know if I chose me.”

They sit in silence. It’s not a fight. It’s worse—a mutual understanding that love isn’t always enough.

Faith asks the question viewers have been dreading:

“Do you regret it?”

Iain doesn’t answer.

💡 Parallel Journeys

Meanwhile, Indie Jankowski (Naomi Wakszlak) begins to explore the idea of applying to HART herself, inspired by Iain’s passion. When she mentions it, Iain is supportive—perhaps too supportive.

Faith notices.

Faith (later, to Jodie): “He wants her to live the life he couldn’t choose.”

It’s clear: Iain’s need for purpose hasn’t vanished. It’s just been… redirected.

❤️ A Love Worth Fighting For?

Despite everything, the episode ends on a note of bittersweet intimacy. Faith and Iain lie in bed, back-to-back at first, until she reaches for his hand.

Faith: “I’d rather have a version of you here than a perfect you out there. But I miss the man who knew what he wanted.”

Iain: “So do I.”

Will they find a way back to each other? Or will Iain’s internal battle pull him away all over again?