Gervaise Gascoigne, the pompous, rude and very wealthy father of James, arrives as a patient at the hospital and manages to irritate everybody, including his son, whom he refers to as Florence Nightingale. Dick tries to fleece him in a gambling scam but Gervaise is too canny to be had and turns the tables on him. Even Sir Geoffrey is not immune from old Gascoigne's withering comments as Alicia, Gervaise's wife, once had a fling with him.

Sir Geoffrey is in a constant foul mood, worse than anybody has ever seen him in before, barking at staff and patients alike. Knowing that he has always had a soft spot for Duncan, his colleagues put Waring forward as the natural peace-maker. He discovers that his boss's black mood is down to his having had a row with his wife, as a result of which they are not speaking to each other. Helped by Kate, Duncan resolves to patch things up between the couple.