Coming up next week on Neighbours, David and Aaron continue to clash over Abigail, leading to David seeking solace in a friend.
These episodes air in the UK from Monday 28th February, and in Australia from Monday 14th March.
David (Takaya Honda) and Aaron (Matt Wilson) have always dreamed of having their own family. The pair first considered fostering and intended to welcome a child under the age of five into their household.
They were taken aback when their first foster placement turned out to be Emmett Donaldson (Ezra Justin), a teenager whose previous placement had terminated after he was suspended from school and got into a fight with another foster child.
Emmett intentionally smashed a window and fled, but he soon learned to love the pair as if they were his own parents.
Emmett was later joined by his half-brother Brent Colefax (Texas Watterston), and, while Brent brought plenty of trouble to Ramsay Street, he too eventually developed a close bond with the two guys.
The dynamic on Ramsay Street had completely shifted by the time Brent and Emmett finally left – the former going to the army to avoid facing charges after stealing the Year 13 initiative’s tools and equipment, and the latter going to live with his mother in New Zealand. Nicolette (Charlotte Chimes) had moved in with the boys in No. 32, and she was also expecting David’s child.
Fostering has its challenges, but it convinced David and Aaron that they wanted to be parents. So they started seeking for a surrogate mother, and because doing so legally in Australia is difficult, they decided to look in Canada.
When Nicolette presented the guys with a fresh concept – she would deliver their kid using David’s sperm, and the trio would have a ‘co-parenting agreement,’ with David and Aaron functioning as primary care providers — David’s tickets were booked and his luggage were prepared.
The decision was taken after a few bottles of wine. It’s a decision, however, that has nearly torn David and Aaron apart on several times.
David was upset when Nicolette fled town for Canberra, leaving the lads unsure if they’d ever get to meet their unborn baby daughter. When he was found looking on Nicolette’s medical information on a hospital computer, he screamed, attacked Leo (Tim Kano), and almost lost his job.
Thankfully, the guys were reunited with Nicolette and baby Isla, but their problems were far from over. Since Britney’s (Montanna Cox) death, single parent Leo has decided that he can no longer handle Abigail on his alone and has requested the lads to take her.
Aaron is adamant about it, but David isn’t persuaded it’s the best idea.
He knows Leo would ultimately change his mind, and this week, Chloe (April Rose Pengilly) encourages Leo to spend time with Kyle (Chris Milligan) and Roxy (Zima Anderson), who are thinking about creating a family of their own. Leo reconsiders his decision after witnessing their own yearning for children, and he begins to realize the advantages of fatherhood.
So, when he tells David and Aaron that he’s changed his mind – he’s keeping Abigail after all – it leaves Aaron heartbroken. He’s faced with the prospect of saying goodbye to Abigail all over again, and handing her back to Leo is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.
The heartbreak isn’t going to get any easier in the coming weeks. Aaron lashes out at Chloe after realizing that she was the one who persuaded Leo to change his mind about Abigail, and he pushes David away as well.
Chloe uses their housewarming party to try to pull everyone back together now that Mackenzie (Georgie Stone) has moved in. Aaron agrees to set aside their disagreements and attends his sister’s party, where she attempts to persuade him to make amends with David as well.
However, there’s a stumbling block that nobody expected, and it’s about to drive David and Aaron even further apart.
Enter Dean.
Dean is David’s colleague from the hospital, and the two have grown closer in recent weeks, as David has explained his predicament and looked to a friend for support.
Before Aaron has a chance to make up with David, he discovers that his husband has been telling Dean all about their issues, and he’s furious. Suddenly the divide between them is wider than ever.
David is walking on eggshells around his hubby as the week progresses. They’re barely conversing, he’s embarrassed to have to confide in his colleague, and he’s stumped as to what to do next.
He proposes a romantic retreat, an opportunity for them to spend some quality time together, but Aaron is uninterested. He’s still angry, and a romantic getaway is the last thing from his mind.
It appears that the couple’s reconciliation is still a long way off.
With the two at odds, David’s burgeoning friendship with Dean is just another source of contention for them. Aaron becomes increasingly jealous of David, despite David’s years of devotion to his husband. He confronts David and tells him that he must no longer visit Dean.
David finally decides to set limits with his new friend, saying he won’t talk about their relationship any longer.
He is, however, in a very bad position following their most recent fight. He believes Aaron is in the wrong, and he sees no reason why he shouldn’t be able to seek assistance from a buddy — after all, it’s only friendship.
Unfortunately, Aaron sees red when he and Chloe come into Dean comforting David with his arm resting on David’s back.
He launches at Dean, pinning him up against his car as David uses all of his might to pull him back.
In the aftermath of the fight, the pair are both angry at each other for their respective reactions. David is fuming that Aaron used violence as a solution, while Aaron upset that David is seeking comfort in another man.
Where can the pair go from here?
