Hanging By a Thread

In every relationship, there is a beginning. Whether it's a first time meeting at school, work, church...in the fresh produce section of a grocery store...we all meet new people and, if the fit is right, new relationships can be developed, cultivated and nurtured...appreciated for a lifetime. This is the story of a new relationship that begins just when it's needed the very most...when it's a matter of life...or death.

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The entire week leading up to the new series of Ant and Decs Saturday Night Takeaway had been fraught with one difficulty after another, meaning, if it could possibly go wrong, it did and always in a spectacular way. A long awaited guest performer the boys had had to jump through multiple hoops to meet his hectic schedule demands had to bow out just days before the weekend due to a fever and laryngitis, so everyone was sent scrambling to find a replacement.

Malfunctioning equipment...that alone had sent everyone into a frenzy when the smell of smoke set off fire alarms and brought a small fire brigade to the set, creating even more problems when another fully functioning, rather important piece of equipment was damaged among the chaos. This alone would prove to be rather dangerous for one of the boys within 24 hours.

Added to all that, the arguing amongst those in the control room and petty behavior from some other members of the staff was making things miserable for everyone on and off set. And, for the very first time in the 3 years they had been filming the series, Ant, Dec, and producers were actually considering canceling the episode, but the legalities of doing so quickly changed their minds on the matter.

For now, everyone was being told to act professionally or find somewhere else to work and that was a threat not to be taken lightly since it came directly from the Geordie duo themselves.

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At the same time, due to some unfortunate issues with flooding, after pipes burst in their own building on the massive ITV Studio property, the This Morning show was taking up temporary residence in the same building where Take Away filmed. They were actually filming on the same set that Ant and Dec had filmed SMT Live, in what they termed, another lifetime ago and hosts Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were hoping for a tour down memory lane, with the boys, if time permitted.

Fortunately, for all involved, since it would provide an escape for the boys from the building tensions, Philip and Holly were treated to a tour of the set, with Ant and Dec relating hilarious anecdotes throughout but, the This Morning hosts could tell that something was off with their good friends. Something just wasnt quite right, but before the pair could discuss things and ask questions of their friends, Ant and Dec were called back to their set to troubleshoot their own issues.

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Dr. Katy Shannon, a clinical psychologist, sat back in a chair, quietly chatting with the hair stylist and make up artists as they arranged her hair and polished up her make-up for her segment on This Morning. Not too far away was her husband, Dr. Kerry Shannon, taking in the glow that was emanating from his wife. For the last few weeks, she had excitedly been preparing for a small segment to be filmed on the show during a week set aside for mental health awareness. She had been on the show before and it was her enthusiasm and passion for the subject material that made her such a welcome guest to return to the show.

The floor manager came into the room and gave Katy some instructions and answered some questions before once again breezing back out the door, sidestepping Kerry as he texted a colleague about a patient that had been admitted into the emergency room before he went off duty at Charing Cross Hospital. It had been a very busy night shift...so busy that he hadn't even had the opportunity to change from his scrubs into street clothes before joining Katy at the studio.