MATURE JENNIFER: Abandonment is the successful parent's lot.
We raise them up and let them go, waving bravely,
even as their wings unfurl.
They don't know how we scan the empty sky
waiting for the speck on the horizon
that signals their return.
The joy lies in their landing,
in their coming home at last,
in meeting them with love and saying, "Here you are!"
Morning, Miss Higgins. One assistant clerk,
ready and willing to serve
for the whole of his summer holidays.
Welcome back, Timothy.
Am I permitted to say that I heard your examination results
were slightly more than satisfactory?
I came second in my year.
Many congratulations.
Now, all of the leg ulcer patients
are to be offered an extra weekly appointment.
They need to be informed by post.
Headed notepaper,
envelopes, stamps. And the list of names
and addresses are on the clipboard.
And I will have my coffee whenever you've got a moment.
Timothy isn't going to have a moment.
I will see to that myself...
..in due course.
Reggie! My best man's back!
Have they put you to work already?
Yes. It's supposed to be a holiday.
I hope Fred looked after the comics properly while you were away.
They're in a terrible mess.
I've had one ear bent right back about those comics,
good and proper.
Listen, Reggie, I'm going to the social club
to play dominoes tonight. Would you like to come?
And we can take Fred with us, if he behaves himself.
I might be tired after working all day.
You cheeky monkey!
He'll be joining the union next.
What time you walking over? About ten to seven.
Great. We love a game of dominoes, don't we, Reg?
Can't wait.
GROANS
Ah, you're coming along like clockwork, Mrs Khatri.
I'll walk you round to the maternity home.
A gentle stroll will help to keep things moving.
I must tell my little ones what is happening.
Have you got someone to look after them? Their aunties.
Girls? Mira? Priyanka?
You must be very good girls.
I'm going to the clinic with the nurse to get our new baby.
What do you think you'll get? A brother or a sister?
A brother, maybe? When Daddy comes home,
be sure to tell him where I am.
I visited Mrs Chen yesterday
and was presented with these -
fortune cookies.
Break them open. They contain a message.
Thank you!
It appears to be in Chinese.
Allow me to translate.
To get the fruit, one must first climb the tree.
Or make a visit to the greengrocer.
Go on, tell me mine.
Er, new learning
will keep the mind young and nimble.
Oh!
Oh, that must refer to
the ventouse extractor training at St Cuthbert's tomorrow.
Forceps have been doing the same job for hundreds of years.
One wonders why we need
an even more complicated mechanical device!
The best device for the deliverance
of an exhausted mother
has always been the encouragement of her midwife.
But what happens when encouragement is not enough?
Forceps, in my view.
Forceps...
..and the doctor's skill.
I suppose forceps aren't without their faults.
Perhaps ventouse extraction will offer something new.
"Focus on the future" is my motto.
Found inside a biscuit, perhaps?
I've got Mrs Vinita Khatri for you, Timothy.
Baby number three is on its way.
I've got to go and put my shoulder to the wheel
back at the clinic. Is he the doctor?
No, he's standing in for the receptionist.
You just have to imagine him in a skirt, suit and hat.
Welcome to the maternity home, Mrs Khatri.
Please take a seat.
GROANS No time to take a seat.
Good girl.
Stay calm. Hold on to me. Nurse Franklin?
Every three minutes and getting stronger.
Marvellous.
I think we'll take you straight through to the delivery room.
Her surgery records.
And she should have her own Co-op card.
NANCY CHUCKLES
Let's get you settled.
Young Mr Turner can get a mop and see to the floor.
This way.
GROANS INTENSIFY
This is the pushing feeling.
I remember it.
Let's slip these undies off and get you into a gown.
Won't be long before all this is over.
I remember the pain, too.
I'd forgotten it, but I remember now.
Yes, but do you remember the gas and air?
NURSE CRANE: Your ankles are a little swollen.
Nothing untoward at this late stage.
You need to rest as much as possible
with your feet slightly elevated.
All the modern manuals say you should keep active.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of packing to move house.
I thought I'd have had it by now.
My first one came a month early.
Babies never show any respect for their mothers' diaries.
Anyway, if you're up to your eyes in tea chests,
the last thing you need is to be caring for a premature baby.
Did you leave your urine at the desk?
Yes. I was hoping I'd see the pretty blonde nurse again.
She's at the maternity home today.
I'm having this one at St Cuthbert's.
No offence, but...
..it's hardly all mod cons over at Dr Turner's, is it?
After my little one was transferred to the hospital,
I was so impressed.
I wish I'd had her there.
We offer all our mothers the very highest standard of care,
whether they choose to deliver at St Cuthbert's,
in the maternity home or in their own home.
I can't believe people still want to have babies at home.
If you tried it, you'd find much to commend it.
I believe in moving forward.
That's why we're going to Hatch End
to open our first shop, Lucas Electricals.
That sounds very exciting.
Now blood pressure
and a listen to baby's heart.
I can't do this.
You can. I promise you, you can.
You did half the work before you even got here.
Just one more push. One more, and I think
we're going to be celebrating.
GROANS
Come on, Vinita!
Come on! Come on, come on!
Yes!
BABY CRIES It's a girl.
And she's gorgeous.
Another girl?!
They say things go in threes.
VINITA SIGHS
Congratulations.
You were in a hurry, weren't you?
You couldn't wait to meet your sisters.
Thanks.
Timothy, could you call
Mrs Wrigley's children in from the corridor?
Yes, Mrs Turner.
I think it's a hoot, the way he calls you that.
I wish mine were as well behaved.
CHILDREN LAUGH
Now sit on the chairs provided.
Then you can take turns holding your new wee brother
if you have all washed your hands.
Michael, Jason, you heard the nurse.
BOTH: Yes. I'm ready to go home,
Nurse. I'm heading off to clinic
to rendezvous with Doctor. I'll see what we can arrange.
You took your time. I need to get back to the market.
The modern father supports his wife at all times, Larry.
If that means waiting for her at the clinic, so be it.
I thought something might be wrong.
No, everything's spot-on.
So much so, the nurse said
I could have it at home, if I wanted.
That wasn't what we discussed.
It's what was implied.
I'm sorry, but I think
having babies at home is really primitive.
Simone...sounds a bit snippy.
I think it's her hormones.
I'm going to take her for an ice cream.
Oh, right now I would kill for a 99.
SIGHS It hurts.
These are just the afterpains, Vinita.
GROANS
Right, sweetie. Change of plan.
BELL RINGS
KNOCK ON DOOR
The emergency bell rang?
Could you please telephone the Florrie
and ask Dr Turner to come with a second midwife?
Undiagnosed twins.
NURSE CRANE GASPS
Your travails have been excessive.
And the day is warm.
The children call this a tuppenny one.
SISTER MONICA JOAN LAUGHS
VINITA: This isn't right.
Breech birth is perfectly natural, Vinita.
Some babies just like to ring the changes.
Listen to me. Listen. With this next push,
baby's head is going to come into the world.
VINITA GROANS
SHELAGH: That's it!
Beautiful!
You have another daughter. You've got an absolutely
perfect matching set.
BABY CRIES
She is just as gorgeous as her sister.
My husband!
I need somebody to tell my husband.
TV ON Are you ready, Reginald?
Come on, Reggie. We don't want them starting the dominoes without us.
I'm too tired.
I've been tidying the comics all day.
VIOLET: Oh!
Well, would you rather have a quiet evening at home with me?
I've got some wool we can wind
and we can watch Points Of View with Robert Robinson!
Yeah, that sounds nice.
More shandy for me, then.
Hmm...
Well, as there are no questions, you may proceed
to try the equipment yourselves.
Doctors to take the lead, of course,
with midwives providing support.
I have been dying to get my hands on one of these
ever since I went to that conference last November...
..the subsequent events notwithstanding.
But when you asked how much they cost and he told us,
I was appalled. I'm not sure we could justify the expense.
My concern, if you don't mind me stating it,
is that this device is only effective
if the baby's in the correct position.
You certainly couldn't use it to turn a malpresenting head,
but the risk of perineal injury is lower
and the mother's recovery time is shorter.
Do you want to operate the pump for me?
In the first instance, I'm content to observe.
KNOCK ON DOOR
VIOLET: Wakey-wakey, Reggie!
You're normally first up.
Bacon's in the pan and tea is in the pot.
Can I have coffee?
You don't like coffee!
To give me energy.
If you were to ask me for the finest champagne,
I would give it to you, and well you know it.
Just a small glass, then.
And a coffee.
VIOLET CHUCKLES FOOTSTEPS RECEDE
WHISPERS LOVINGLY
I think that's lovely.
Is it the same as being christened?
What names did you choose?
Hindu families don't reveal their baby names
straight away, Mrs Perreira.
They just have "Khatri Twin 1"
and "Khatri Twin 2" on their bracelets for now.
We will decide when they are ready to go home.
They won't go short of dancing partners while they're in here.
The three of us have all had lads and them's the only little girls!
I'll leave you in peace for a few minutes.
DOOR CLOSES
I had so many names for boys in my mind.
Some of them came to me in dreams.
I did not think of a girl's name once.
And now we must find two of them.
Why don't you just say it, Ramesh?
Say what?
That you wanted a boy.
I'm a father to many daughters.
Can I not want just one son?
Sometimes truth must be spoken.
Can we have a little more suction?
That's it! It's attached to the head now.
Yeah, try not to overdo the vigour, Nurse.
Think swift and smooth.
If mother was having a contraction,
I would pull baby now.
LECTURER: Bravo! Very simple.
And it causes much less damage than forceps.
Marvellous. Mr Walsh,
has this device been tested in a domiciliary setting yet?
It hasn't been thought necessary.
Home births aren't really at the cutting edge these days.
It can be hard to adjust if you're of the...old school.
With respect, Mr Walsh,
I've seen more innovations
in my 44 years of professional practice
than you've had fish suppers.
I've embraced them all... with interest
and also with caution and questions,
a policy which has served me well.
Clearly, since you're still working past retirement age.
Oh, come on, mate. They won't pick themselves!
I was looking at the flowers.
You've been sat there since the minute we got here.
I thought you liked raspberries.
BLOWS A RASPBERRY Eh? Raspberries!
Get it?
Can I take...some flowers to my mum's grave?
Course you can, yeah.
We haven't been to see her in a while, have we?
No.
Just because you don't remember all the time
doesn't mean you forgot.
Here.
Thank you.
And afterwards, how about we go to the shop
and pick a postcard for you to send to Jane?
That sounds nice.
BABY CRIES
Oh, darling. Oh, darling.
I could hear her from the ward. I know her cry already.
She feels a little cool. I'll take her temperature.
Oh, goodness.
She's got quite a tummy upset.
I'm sending for the doctor.
Nurse?
I need a bowl.
I feel ill.
Just one moment.
Oh... I'm sorry.
Don't worry. These things happen.
I'll look after you.
I'm not feeling too chipper myself, Nurse.
"Dear Jane..." exclamation mark.
"I am at home and it is fun..."
exclamation mark.
"When I see pansies, I think of you..."
..full stop.
"Love from Reggie..."
..three exclamation marks and quite a lot of kisses.
FRED CHUCKLES
Well, clearly not a lot wrong
with his love life or his punctuation!
I don't like to poke about in his thoughts. I mean,
when all's said and done, you know, he's a grown man.
Some things he's entitled to keep private,
but...he just doesn't seem quite right.
Was he all right at Ivy's grave?
He did ask what she died of.
Like he needed reminding.
Well, I just said what we always say -
she was very, very tired,
and sometimes people get so tired
they just stop and go to heaven.
Bless him.
I'll mix him up a bowl of Instant Whip.
That'll put a smile on his face.
Both twins are showing signs of infection.
Let's send these samples off to the lab,
but...this is gastroenteritis.
Mrs Perreira and Mrs Jameson have it already.
Their babies will probably be next.
We're going to have to close the maternity home
and probably the surgery.
That's such an extreme step!
But any newborns
who catch this could become severely dehydrated
in a matter of hours.
We're going to have to provide round-the-clock nursing care,
but with limited staff rotation
to reduce the risk of it spreading further.
Which means us. We'll have to stay for the duration.
WOMAN: Nurse?
Nurse!
What's wrong, Mrs Perreira? Are you feeling sick again?
It's not me.
It is my baby.
All five babies are now showing signs of infection.
The maternity home and the surgery are closing
with immediate effect. At my invitation,
Miss Higgins is going to set up a replacement surgery here
at Nonnatus House.
SISTER VERONICA: What is Dr Turner going to do?
Will he be replaced with the locum?
Yes. The care of the sick babies must come first,
and he will need to be on hand for that.
Not everything is entirely clear.
What is clear is that every pair of hands
not otherwise engaged will be required.
I will repair to the maternity home forthwith.
Sister Monica Joan,
that infection is highly contagious.
You don't want to be getting ill at both ends at your age.
My age is more to my advantage than my detriment.
I have seen countless babies die
from living in filth and drinking contaminated water.
I also saw them live,
and I have skills that I have not forgotten.
I may forget much...
..but not that.
Don't you dare come one step closer, or I'll have to
sluice you down with disinfectant.
Trixie, how long are you going to be locked in for?
At least four or five days.
Right. Tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you.
I'd like my sponge bag from Nonnatus House.
It's got my favourite cologne in.
If you mean the maternity home,
then we need disposable nappies,
er, camp beds, more electric fans
and more medical supplies than you can shake a stick at.
Dr Turner's drawing up a list.
Sister Monica Joan,
you aren't allowed in. We're in quarantine.
You are in extremis, and I can assist.
What do you mean, we can't have any visitors?
Well, you and your babies are going to get
the best possible care
in the best and the most hygienic environment
that we can create for you.
But we have to keep this infection contained.
Can't we have our babies in here with us?
If they're ill, they need their mothers.
We aren't going to deprive you
of contact with them, I promise.
But their feeds, their temperatures
and their nappies are going to be monitored constantly.
And to do that well, it's best that they stay in the nursery.
Sister Monica Joan,
we have several very sick newborns to take care of.
If they're not to end up hospitalised or worse,
they need very specialised care.
They need devoted nursing,
and the methods are not complicated.
Your great need now is for many pairs of hands.
I know... But you are ill yourself.
I see it in your pallor
and in the beads of sweat upon your brow.
SHELAGH GAGS
Better find you a gown. I think we're going to need you.
Here you go, Miss Higgins.
It's got a bit of a wobbly leg but nothing we can't sort out
with a scrunched tissue or something. No, this is unstable,
and a scrunched-up tissue will not suffice.
We're trying to prevent the spread of infection,
not promote it.
Miss Higgins, I have the medical locum office
on the telephone. Dr Wilbraham is not available.
They've offered us Dr Mukherjee.
Dr Mukherjee?! Hmph!
I seem to recall he was very popular with the ladies.
I don't think he's very popular with Miss Higgins.
This is the first batch of essential records.
Dr Turner is on his way
with surgery equipment in the back of his estate car.
Thank you so much for taking time away from your own work.
I couldn't contemplate doing anything else.
This is serious, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
I hope Reggie isn't coming down with that illness.
He hardly touched his fritters today.
And it was the same with that Instant Whip.
He just pushed it around his plate
and then he went and had a lie-down.
Maybe he's missing his friends.
Well, he's missing any exercise.
All he does is loll about.
I don't like to see him being lazy.
Well, maybe he's just a bit out of sorts, you know?
I'm not lazy.
Where are you going, Reggie?
Home.
Back to the Glasshouse Village.
No. No, no... She said I was lazy.
I didn't mean it, Reggie.
It's just that you haven't been yourself, and, erm...
..well, it upsets us.
I'm not lazy!
Go after him, Fred.
Go after him! Vi!
Give it a minute.
There's something not right.
Nurse Franklin? Hmm?
I just weighed Khatri Twin 2's last nappy,
and I think she's losing more fluid than she's taking in.
Put the exact measurements on her feed chart.
We'll do the same with every feed and change.
ENGINE STARTS
ENGINE OFF
I feel like a bloomin' cow!
I thought it was good for babies' health
if you fed them yourself.
Martin will still get the benefit of your milk,
but now he has an infection, we need to be able
to measure his feeds accurately.
He shouldn't be ill in the first place.
It's not the nurses' fault.
Germs are tiny little things. They get everywhere!
You've perked up since yesterday.
We're going to get over this, and so will the babies.
You trust Nurse Franklin, don't you?
She delivered me of twins. I'd trust her with my life.
I am sorry to trouble you with this,
with everything else that's going on.
This is important, too.
But it seems extremely harsh to expect you to appear
in front of a panel purely because you are working
past the state retirement age.
I suspect I took too firm a tone with Mr Walsh
at the ventouse training.
He sits on that board. I looked him up.
Will they have records of my attendance,
my bad back and my holiday?
I haven't been asked to supply them.
And if I was, I could refuse.
You are employed by Nonnatus House...
..not by the council.
You don't think I should retire, do you?
No, I do not, any more than I think I should retire.
You're the heart and soul of Nonnatus.
And you are our backbone.
I'm afraid we're obliged to go along with this.
We can't afford to aggravate the board.
Please don't let it undermine your confidence.
What if it already has?
DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES
Nurse Franklin?
Nurse Franklin!
Her breathing has stopped.
What is happening? Is it one of my babies?
It's your second twin.
Timothy, prepare the resuscitation equipment.
Is she dying?
Is my baby dying?!
Prepare the oxygen.
I'm going to use the mucus extractor to clear her airways.
Divine love is everything.
Oxygen now.
Respiratory effort returning.
Her colour's better already. Heart rate 128.
Telephone the ambulance
and then call Dr Turner
and ask him to come as soon as possible.
She will live?
She will have to go to hospital. But, yes, she will.
Trixie's already back in the nursery
looking after the other babies.
She had no sleep last night.
How do you do it, Dad?
Me or Nurse Franklin?
All of you.
Even me, I suppose, when my time comes.
How do you...
..see death coming so close...
..chase it away...
..and then just carry on like nothing exceptional's happened?
Because in this job, you get used to exceptional things.
That's the terror of it...
..as well as the privilege.
Begging your pardon. I'm the husband of Mrs Vinita Khatri.
I came to see if there is news of her.
She is well.
And the twins?
I'm afraid things have taken a bit of a turn for the worse.
AMBULANCE BELL RINGS
CLEARS HER THROAT
Mrs Lucas.
Don't you dare say, "Are you still here?"
because it's perfectly obvious
that, A, I haven't moved house yet,
and, B, I'm ten months pregnant.
I've brought you some iron pills.
What did my husband say?
He said, "Tell my wife I give thanks for all of them.
"I cherish all of them."
He wanted a son.
He wants his whole family, Mrs Khatri.
That is not what he said to me.
Dad?
I mean Doctor. Mum's on the phone.
Patrick, you are not, repeat not, to come home
until all this is over.
Have you all got it?
I've never been so glad to have wipe-clean flooring.
Like everything else, apart from your iron levels,
it's absolutely spot-on.
The trouble with babies is, they come when they're ready.
I've heard they induce you at some hospitals.
It means everyone can plan, you and the hospital.
I shall consider it a sorry day
when they start doing that at St Cuthbert's.
I don't want you to take this as a compliment, but...
..you sounded like my grandma.
And if you don't mind, I need to get on with my packing.
The simplest solution is for you to sleep here, Dr Turner.
The outside lavatory can be for your sole use.
I'm going to be in the maternity home
most of the time, anyway.
The test results do confirm E. coli.
Do you know the source?
It looks like Joan Wrigley or her family.
We enquired, and they've all been laid up with the runs
since she went home with the newborn.
Thank God for antibiotics.
It clearly says maternity home, not Nonnatus House.
The delivery man said, "Well, it's all the same thing."
What are you playing at? Big girl's blouse!
Well, I... I just like the smell of her.
Er, it.
PHONE RINGS
Sister Veronica, health visitor.
And why would the East London Gazette
be calling this number?
I know nothing whatsoever
about a gastroenteritis outbreak.
I'm sorry, there's some interference on the line.
SIGHS
PHONE RINGS Oh!
Matthew Aylward.
No, this is not a wrong number.
I'm speaking on behalf of Nonnatus House
and the associated medical practice.
Now, I have absolutely nothing to say
about the emergency closure of the maternity home.
If I did, I would be in breach of medical confidentiality.
If you forced this issue or went to press with it,
so would you.
You're welcome.
DOOR OPENS
Welcome to our temporary surgery.
Are you here to see our locum, Dr Patel?
No.
My name is Threapwood.
I'm the new chairman of the Board of Health.
I informed the board
as soon as the outbreak became apparent.
You also informed us of the measures you'd be taking.
That is not for you to do
in a situation of this magnitude.
Dr Turner acted very swiftly,
and I, for one, was extremely grateful to him.
And as is so often the case,
it is not the opinion of Nonnatus House that matters.
There's nothing wrong with your policies, Turner.
It's the assumption of autonomy the board doesn't care for.
Maybe midwifery isn't the job for old bones.
The trouble with age is it comes on so slowly
you hardly notice it.
I tried to take the tack with unwelcome male attention
in my youth -
refuse to acknowledge it and it will go away.
But it doesn't go away, does it?
Eyesight fades
and flexibility dwindles.
Grey hairs and wrinkles multiply!
I always think you've done rather well
in the greying stakes.
It might be to your advantage when you...go before the panel.
I feel as if I'm being put on trial
for daring to keep on working.
You have broken no laws, Phyllis.
You have no need to explain yourself.
But I do, though, Millicent.
I've been summoned.
What if they tell me I've got to give up working?
And who would I be without this uniform?
SIGHS
RINGING TONE
Hello?
MATTHEW: Hello, stranger.
I'm so glad you answered quickly.
I was afraid of waking Jonty.
I took him to the swings after tea this evening.
I don't think a bulldozer could rouse him.
Anyway, if he was awake, he'd be just as pleased
to hear your voice as me.
CHUCKLES
How are you bearing up?
I don't know.
SIGHS I took my shoes off,
and my feet still hurt.
I'm so tired, it's as though I'm floating.
I feel so far away, I could be at sea...in a shipwreck.
Or in a lifeboat.
And I don't know if I'm the captain or just...
..a survivor waiting to be rescued.
I'd rescue you, if I could.
I'd swim with you on my back until we were safe in harbour.
I feel safe in harbour now,
just being reminded that you're out there.
Shall I tell you about a different kind of voyage?
Mm, please.
The one we're going on in November,
on the Queen Elizabeth for our honeymoon.
I'm going to dine and dance you
all the way from Southampton to New York.
You'll wear shoes that don't hurt
and little cocktail frocks
that are so delicious you can scarcely imagine them.
But I can. LAUGHS
I wake up every morning smelling of your cologne...
..which has actually been the case
ever since you've been holed up in there.
I can smell it now...
..if only faintly.
I need you to come quickly. I think my Simone's in labour.
But she's booked in for a hospital delivery, Mr Lucas.
I couldn't even persuade her to get in the car.
She's crying her eyes out! I don't know what's happened.
It's like she's completely gone to pieces.
Why have you left her?
We've already had our phone disconnected
because of the move. Go straight back home
and I shall follow.
Here. You drink this,
and you can take as long as you like
to tell me what's bothering you.
Cyril,
do you know about heaven?
Nobody really knows about heaven, Reggie.
We, the people down here, we just know it's there.
I'm scared of it.
Why?
Going to heaven will be a wonderful experience.
But it's not going to be an experience
you're going to have for a long, long time.
I'm going to die soon.
No, that's not the case.
I'm tired.
I'm very, very tired.
When people get too tired....
..they just stop.
That's not true.
My mum did.
She died.
Reggie, your mother was very old.
I'm old.
My hair is coming out.
Do you hurt anywhere, Reggie?
My hands.
And my head.
I think maybe you need to go see a doctor.
Have you told Fred or Violet?
No. It'd make them sad.
Do you want me to take you to the surgery
so you don't have to worry them?
Please.
I don't want to die.
Listen to me, Reggie.
Listen to me as your friend.
That is not going to happen.
I think you're further ahead than you thought, Mrs Lucas.
We need to leave now
if you're going to have this baby at the hospital.
No, I'm not going.
I'm not. I'm stopping here.
Simone, that means having a home birth,
which you said you didn't want.
I don't. I don't want it.
And I don't want to go to hospital, either.
I don't want any of this at all.
Right, lass, let's take things step by step.
Mr Lucas, why don't you
carry on packing all that crockery and glassware?
What can I do to help you, Mrs Khatri?
I need to speak to my husband.
You must be missing him very much.
I need to know he's been to see our daughter at the hospital.
We're still in quarantine,
but I can arrange for a telephone call.
We have no telephone.
I'm going to get you a pencil and paper,
and we'll start from there.
GROANS
That's it, Simone.
Keep on bearing down.
Why is it taking so long?
Why don't you carry on with the packing, Mr Lucas?
You need two sheets of newspaper round glassware.
He's got a point, though. Why isn't it out yet?
Baby's moving forward with every push.
Before you push again, shuffle down towards me
so nothing's holding it back.
STRAINS
I know that contraction's gone, but give me another push now.
Good lass!
We've almost got the head, all but the chin.
Oh!
Oh, I've got a bit of a bonny one here.
It's a bit of a tight fit. Is it too big?
Is it...?
Simone, don't push again until I tell you to.
Larry?
Go to the phone box, dial 999
and ask for the flying squad. Do you understand?
Baby's shoulder is caught on your pelvic bone.
I'm going to just slip my hand round baby's back.
I know, lass. I know.
I've got to push. I've got to push!
No, Simone, don't push.
Just breathe.
Breathe.
I have to, I'm sorry!
I'm sorry.
Come on. BABY CRIES
Oh, well done, lass!
You've a little boy. Well, rather a big one, actually!
Is he all right?
DOOR CLOSES
Can I come a bit nearer? Can I...?
Can I have a look at him?
Of course you can. He's yours, too.
He's a proper little belter.
When we're all done and dusted,
I'll talk you through what happened with his shoulder.
It's called a shoulder dystocia.
I'm going to give you an injection to help
speed up the delivery of the placenta.
Larry, go downstairs and wait for the flying squad.
Tell them where to find us.
Larry!
Do as Nurse Crane says.
You've described these symptoms really clearly, Reggie.
When you say your hands hurt, what kind of pain is it?
It's not a pain.
It's like a...horrible itching.
Tingling, maybe.
Hmm. I can see why you've been worried.
Sometimes our bodies let us know things are wrong
in very strange ways.
I said to Reggie that the most important thing
was that he come to see you
so that he didn't keep building things up in his mind.
Carrying a worry around all on your own is never good.
Er, would you like Cyril to stay while I take a look at you?
We could go behind the screen.
You go with the doctor.
I'll sit here and mind my own business.
Is all that blood mine?
Yes.
And now the afterbirth is out, I can deal with it.
I'll give you another injection of Syntometrine.
All you'll need to do is stay nice and calm.
Everything will soon be as it ought to be. Trust me.
I do.
And I'm so, so grateful.
We'll leave that to do its work.
Will the ambulance come soon?
Oh, yes, they're very nippy workers.
What we do need to get to the bottom of
is why on earth you were so upset when I arrived.
I suddenly knew everything was going to change.
The move.
Another baby.
And the minute I left the flat,
all that was going to start happening.
You realise all that was going to happen anyway?
DOOR OPENS Because change does.
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
The ambulance is here.
They're just bringing a stretcher up the stairs.
I just needed one familiar thing...
..one solid thing I could touch and lean on.
And it was you.
Is it still going?
DR TURNER LAUGHS
I am going to put "sense of humour - excellent"
in your notes.
Roll up your trouser leg for me.
Is it serious? No,
I don't think it is. But we do need to do a blood test.
I think you've had one of those before.
Violet came with me.
You can have anyone you like with you.
Cyril could stay today.
Then I'll jot a note down for him to take to Violet,
if you give me your permission for that.
All right.
But you must put "Reggie is not lazy".
Did you see our daughter?
When I read your note, I went directly to the hospital.
And she saw me.
She opened her eyes, Vinita.
Her sister's eyes have been open, too,
as though she wanted to say, "Where is my twin?"
This one, she looked at me
as though she wants to say, "Where is my mother?"
I told her, "She will see you soon."
And I told her...I loved her.
Sometimes...truth must be spoken.
# Good morning, new day
# So happy to wake up with you
# Good morning, new day
# So happy to take up with you
# There's so much we're gonna move apart
# And so much we're gonna move apart
# Sun up there, everywhere
# Asking us to play
# Good morning, new day
# You're smiling and I know just why
# Good morning, new day
# You're smiling when you feel so high
# Outside the door, a shining light
# Inside my mind, the feeling's right
# What a scene, you know what I mean
# Everything's OK
# Oh, I've waited for this
# I've been awakened by your kiss... #
DOOR OPENS
Look who's been discharged from hospital!
My daughter! Khatri Twin Number 2.
This little bracelet round her arm has been
on quite a journey with her.
They cannot be Twin 1 and Twin 2 any longer.
We must say the names
that they'll go through life with.
Have you decided what you're going to call them?
Twin 1 will be called Chakra
and Twin 2 will be called Asha.
RAMESH: "Gratitude"
and "hope"...
..because those were the gifts they brought.
CHEERING
Ohhh!
Oh! Oh, love,
we missed you. Oh, I missed you both, too,
which feels rather lovely
now the missing's over.
No offence, Doc, but the only person I ever knew
with a thyroid problem was the landlord of the Mary Bishop.
He was as thin as a rake and his eyes were
bulging out of his head. Nothing like Reggie at all!
That sounds like an overactive thyroid.
Reggie's is underactive.
Hypothyroidism, which is the opposite.
The blood test confirmed it.
I have to ask this, Dr Turner.
Is it because of, you know, the way he is?
It has been noticed in people with Reggie's condition.
Your thyroid is just here,
in your neck, and it's the part
of your body that helps keep things like your heart
and your bloodstream ticking over
at the proper speed.
Like a clock?
Yeah, a bit like a clock or... or maybe an engine.
If it goes wrong, you can feel quite poorly -
tingly hands, depressed,
putting on weight.
Even a bit of hair loss.
But above all else, you'll feel really, really tired,
like you did.
All you have to do is take one pill a day.
Just one?
For a long time, it has to be said.
In fact, for ever.
But you are going to notice such a difference.
I just want to be the same as I was.
I want to be Reggie.
INHALES DEEPLY
I will not permit you
to attend this appointment unsupported.
I won't deny you.
But when we get there, I'm going in on my own.
Nurse Crane, it has been brought to our attention
that you're still working despite being some years
past the retirement age for a midwife.
That is correct.
But retirement
is not compulsory, as far as I'm aware.
Competence to practise is compulsory.
Has it been suggested that I am not?
After our meeting at the ventouse extraction class,
I was curious to see
whether you'd availed yourself of any of the other
excellent courses offered by the council,
particularly refresher courses,
which are very strongly advised.
To the point of being, in effect, compulsory.
But according to your records, you have attended...
..none.
Taking refresher courses takes time,
and time is something we find
hard to spare at Nonnatus House.
DOOR OPENS
Apologies for my intrusion.
Er, there is a meeting in progress.
And it requires my participation.
Sister...
You presume me to be in my dotage.
I beg to inform you...
..I am not merely ancient... but wise.
WHISPERS: I don't think this is going to help!
I practised as a nurse and midwife...
..until I reached my three score years and ten.
But because I wore the habit,
my services were not questioned.
Is my colleague's array held in inferior esteem?
With respect,
Sister... I hear no respect
in your tone,
only its obverse.
I took vows that will shape my life until its end.
Nurse Crane did similarly when she qualified.
She has skills, compassion and dedication...
..precisely because she has lived and worked...
..a full life.
I would also like
to refer...the learned board
to the fact that she is the junior...
..of all of you.
I will gladly commit to taking
as many refresher courses as is necessary.
I am a good midwife.
But that doesn't mean I can't be a better one.
And I know we do things differently at Nonnatus House,
because... Yes, you do.
And it's gone on far too long.
Nurse Crane...
..you may continue to practise in your current capacity,
subject to attending the necessary refresher courses.
Nonnatus House and its...eccentricities
we will return to in due course.
I will be speaking to Sister Julienne.
Liqueur chocolates!
The finest champagne chocolates.
He has had me walking all over Poplar to find those,
and, er, I picked up these, as well.
I'm sorry we had a bit of a falling-out, love.
I'm sorry, too.
You weren't well.
And we...we couldn't see it
because we just want you to be happy all the time.
Nobody's happy all the time.
No.
And you are going to feel so much better
now that you've got these pills.
Champagne will help, too.
Aha! Yeah!
I have to be completely candid with you.
I've been worried about the council's attitude
to Nonnatus House for some time.
But things have taken a marked turn for the worse.
Perhaps you should beard Dr Threapwood in his den,
demand to be told the board's intentions.
I fear he's going to tell us soon enough.
MATURE JENNIFER: Mothers learn from midwives.
Both do their utmost and pass the baby on with trust,
with hope, with all the wisdom and the care
that's theirs to give.
The family is where we are forged
and where we come to heal.
It is where we can fly back to.
It is our magnetic north.
The family is the sum of all important things -
the sweet, the bitter, the fragile
and the strong... BLOWS A RASPBERRY
..measured by time together,
not defined by days apart.
If your father wants to visit, we'll make him welcome.
Ah, it's not what it was.
The most unwelcome event in a home
is an unplanned pregnancy.
They said I should never get pregnant again!
CALLS OUT GASPS
Spencer needs to see a psychiatrist.
I'm going to sell the whole bally hovel from under them.