The 15-year-old schoolboy decided to leave and make a go of life alone after watching his mum and dad's twisted battle take another turn as Simon tried to kill himself
DOCTOR Foster ended its second series with a dramatic twist that saw Tom run away from both his warring parents.
The 15-year-old schoolboy - who is played by actor Tom Taylor in the BBC drama - decided to leave and make a go of life alone after watching his mum and dad's twisted battle take another turn as Simon tried to kill himself.
After last week's dramatic cliffhanger, it emerged Gemma opted not to murder her cheating ex and instead fled to Tom to drive him back to their home.
Earlier in the episode Simon offered Gemma the opportunity to get back together and forgive everything but she refused after all his behaviour and threats to kill her.
"We could decide to be as family together again," he said.
However when she knocked him back, he told her that he wanted to choke her to death outside of the restaurant before Tom walked outside and told him to leave.
Later, Tom told his mum that she was luckier than him because her parents had died when she was 16 and that he would never be free of his dad.
After hearing a car leaving and finding Tom gone, Gemma realised Simon had taken him and grabbed her doctor's bag from her wardrobe and left to find him.
Calling him, Simon answered the phone and Gemma heard Tom asking repeatedly where they were going before a sound led her to the hotel she had previously stayed in.
Hunting for Tom, Gemma found their room empty and followed a trail of open gates through a woodland at the side of a motorway where she found Tom terrified as Simon threatened to kill himself.
"Simon please, come away from the traffic, we can talk," Gemma told him as he threatened to walk into the oncoming traffic.
"If a car hits you what he sees will scar him forever," she said before he tried to pull her in and she broke free.
But as Simon tried to walk back into the traffic, Gemma dragged him back and saved his life in front of Tom, before telling Simon privately that this isn't how he should end his life and offered him another way out.
The warring couple then went to a restaurant for a disturbing family meal where Simon broke down sobbing.
"Why did you want this? We're all just sitting here feeling s***?" asked Tom.
"I hate myself, I hate what I've done, I hate the entire world," Simon said before finally revealing what he had told Gemma to make Tom leave with him.
When Tom was born Gemma suffered from post-natal depression and in the midst of her illness had said she wanted Tom dead.
The heartbroken kid told her that he felt she worked a lot to avoid spending time with him, after Simon twisted the truth.
Leaving Tom and Simon at the table, Gemma went to her car to get her bag before setting up a series of syringes so Simon could kill himself without pain.
Saying goodbye to his son, Simon tried to make things right and told him: "I'm never going to see you again, live a good life, I'm really sorry for everything.
"Your mum's right, all that stuff I said, I was angry, she didn't work too much. She loves you so much, she's never let you down. I'm the problem in our family."
"Once I'm gone you'll feel a bit sad but not for long," he added.
"Bye dad," said Tom as he walked off back to the car and they drove off with Tom sobbing.
As Simon went back into the hotel room and prepared to end his life, Gemma walked back into the room and stopped him.
"Tom doesn't realise it at the moment but he needs you," she said.
"I won't ever forgive you but we will both probably start to forget and that's enough," she told him before handing him a picture of herself and Tom.
Simon asked her to take the drugs away and accepted her offer of a few days to help him get back on his feet.
In the closing moments, Gemma's name was revealed as Angelis as the hotel receptionist called to her.
After paying for Simon's room for a week, Gemma checked her phone and received two pieces of good news - Tom could go back to school and she was returning to work with drinks planned with Sian.
However the third voicemail brought something worse - silence from Tom.
Running back to the motorway, Gemma screamed for her son as she thought he had killed himself but the truth was worse - he had left both his warring parents for a life alone.
"Mum, I'm going, I was going to move about anyway but I've had enough of dad and you and not knowing and I've got no school, no friends left, I hate myself, and I want to start again. You went off at 17 and did alright.
"You won't see me again, it will be better, I think. Love you."
Gemma then collapsed on the side of the motorway, sobbing alone in the woodland as it was revealed she returned to her house.
The episode ended with Gemma breaking the fourth wall and speaking into the camera to say: "Tom I'm your mum, I'm sorry and I'm here.
"I'll always be here waiting for when you want to come back - whenever you want to come back."
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