Ryan gets a Father's Day to remember when he helps Stacey give birth in EastEnders

Jun 20 2010 by Roz Laws, Sunday Mercury

HAPPY Father’s Day, Ryan! At least it might be, if only he knew he was a dad.

Stacey gives birth to a little girl called Lily, and her father is on hand to welcome her into the world.

Except Ryan is still in the dark about his role in her conception. It’s a shame, as he might be delighted – he’s certainly shown signs of going mushy over babies, building her cot and sending Stacey a teddy bear (albeit one he’s stolen).

But just as she’s about to tell him that the baby is his, Janine reveals that Ryan only kissed her for a bet.

Upset, she slopes off to the swings where, wouldn’t you know it, her contractions start.

Of course, this being soapland, Lily’s birth isn’t exactly straightforward. Ryan finds her and dials 999, then stays for the delivery.

It’s not an easy one. At a crucial point, with Stacey losing blood, the baby’s heartbeat drops and the doctor has to intervene to get her out, quickly. At which point Stacey passes out.

Ryan’s left holding his baby until she comes round, which is surely a perfect time to break the news. And Stacey does try, sort of – but then shuts up when he cuts her off.

She could do with the support, though, as she panics that she’s doing everything wrong. She worries that her bipolar medication will get into her breast milk and so, reluctantly, decides to bottle feed Lily, sadly telling her daughter that she’ll never be a good enough mother.

Along with one new arrival to the Square comes the return of a familiar old face in Jo Joyner, aka Tanya Branning.

Max is still desperate to get his ex-wife back, even though the divorce is now final.

So he tracks her down this week to declare his undying love. His fling with Vanessa didn’t last long, then. But he’s wasting his time, as the last place Tanya wants to be is with him in Walford. For a start, much to Max’s dismay, she’s got a new bloke called Greg – and shows off a diamond ring on her engagement finger.

We rather liked Adam when he first arrived in the Square, but he shows himself to be a slimeball this week – and for once we’re siding with stroppy Lucy. Realising she’s going to fail her exams, she offers Adam cash to see one in advance – but it’s not money he wants. She agrees to meet him in an alleyway and kisses him, but, when she’s got her hands on the exam, refuses to see the rest of the deal through and says she would never touch him.

Lucas is wound up tighter than a spring. He’s on edge because Liz plans to hire a private detective to look for Owen, and Jordan and Libby decide to plant new flowers below Trina’s tree. Could they dig up more than they bargained for? Lucas takes out his rage on Denise, who’s desperate for him to pay her attention.