Saving lives is the most rewarding part of being a paramedic. But this week, Xanderโs job puts his own life on the line.
In Home and Away, Xander (Luke Van Os) and his colleague Jamie (Hugo Liu) are called out to an accident in remote bushland.
Thereโs seemingly no-one around and the home appears abandoned.
However, the young paramedics are soon greeted by a man who claims to have phoned for helpโฆ then things take an ominous turn when three men approach them from behind.
โXander asks the man to lead them to the patient, but is ambushed by three men wielding bats,โ Luke tells TV WEEK.
โThey donโt stand a chance.โ
The men then raid the ambulance for drugs before taking off.
Severely beaten and injured, Xander calls his sister Rose (Kirsty Marillier) for help.
At the hospital, Xander writhes in pain as Dr Bree Cameron (Juliet Godwin) assesses his injuries.
When Xander asks about Jamie, her face falls.
Rose then delivers the news that his partner died at the scene. Xander is gutted.
โโIt hurts deeply as Xander asks himself why he survived and not Jamie?โ Luke says.
โThis eats away at Xander as he struggles with survivor guilt.โ
Rose promises to seek justice for his death โ sheโll do whatever it takes to put the men behind bars.
But Xander isnโt listening as he wallows in grief. Itโs been a tough few months for him as heโs struggled to handle the stress of the job.
โXander loves helping people and, as a paramedic, you get to be everyoneโs hero, but that obviously comes with its pitfalls,โ Luke says.
โHe definitely loves what he does, but itโs growing more challenging for him.โ
Will this news put him over the edge?