This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting, and some strong language.
I think you should prepare yourselves for the possibility
that Marnie's life will not be a full one.
I think there might be something wrong.
She's deteriorating rapidly.
Marnie's had a cardiac arrest.
As a result of this she might have some brain damage.
Does Marnie get prescribed diazepam?
Hannah, don't be suggesting...
I'm just joking. Maybe.
Is she going to die, Dad?
She's been dying for a long time.
The hospital said that they want to stop treatment.
They don't get to decide what to do.
She's our child.
Promise me that you will fight for her.
I will fight with everything I've got.
I went to the supermarket,
and I bought
a potato,
a banana,
a remote-control car...
..a packet of crisps
and...
..a fishing rod.
A fishing rod! I like that.
OK, George. Hit us with it.
I went to the supermarket
and I bought a potato,
er, a banana...
..er, a remote-control car,
a packet of crisps,
oh, a fishing rod,
erm,
and a...
..packet of condoms.
LAUGHTER
OK, George. Keep it clean!
Condoms are clean.
Let's change that for a packet of balloons, please.
A packet of balloons.
He's a terror.
He's pretty funny, though.
Mm, he thinks he's funnier than he is!
I don't know.
A solid gag merchant, I'd say.
He, er...
He wants to ask her out.
What?
Your Marnie.
He wants to ask her out to the cinema. Oh, OK.
Well, she doesn't really talk about boys, I'm afraid.
Well, he doesn't stop talking about her.
"There's this girl in class. She's really fit..."
Ahh, that's nice.
So you wouldn't mind, then, if he did ask her?
I think they're a bit young, you know?
How long's yours got?
Just let them live while they can, that's always been my motto.
Well, I'd like her to just be 11...
Please.
I think he needs it.
And I think she'd like it too.
Good morning to you.
Morning.
Good morning, Marnie.
Well, good.
Everything is entirely as expected.
I will see you again.
We'll be here.
Charlie is a 14-year-old boy. Hello, Charlie.
This is day 18 of his admission.
His problems include raised intracranial pressure,
haemodynamic instability and electrolyte imbalance.
CTs?
His last CT was concerning,
and his MRI shows severe diffuse axonal injury.
Next steps?
He's unresponsive.
Dr Maseley and I are discussing next steps with his family.
Last, we have Elena.
She's six years old.
She came in two weeks ago with a chest infection
and needed to be intubated, but she has responded well to antibiotics.
Hello, Elena.
I'm going to put my cold hand on your belly,
and let's see if it makes you jump.
No jumping, very impressive!
Sit up for me gently. Thank you, my darling.
We're here to consider the benefit,
burden, welfare
and best interests of the patient.
Samantha, Marnie Lloyd is your patient.
Shall we start with quality of life? Thank you.
Marnie has a rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy
with an atypical profile.
She has been with us for eight weeks this time, following a lower
respiratory tract infection,
complicated by a pneumothorax and prolonged hypoxic arrest.
What about since this last admission?
She has hypoxic ischaemic brain damage
as a consequence of her cardiac arrest.
She has severe neurological impairment
and we can't wean her off the ventilator.
So is it possible to make an assessment of her quality of life?
Well, she can't communicate,
she has no awareness of her surroundings,
and, though potentially she might feel pain and discomfort,
she is largely unresponsive,
other than withdrawal from painful stimuli.
I'd agree with that.
And what about this possibility of a tracheostomy?
In my...opinion,
any treatment we give her,
she is not going to leave the hospital again.
But I think it's worth saying that the parents are desperate
for us to give it a try.
She is a kind girl,
always funny, always a joy to be around, but
if we could help her - really help her -
we would.
But we can't.
Can we? Mercy?
It's beyond my paygrade, I think.
What does that mean?
Er, how much time have we... Sorry.
..given Marnie and the family to make this decision?
Um, we had the first conversation eight weeks ago
when she was admitted.
Since then she had her cardiac arrest
and is showing no signs of neurological improvement.
And the parents are firmly opposed to any cessation of treatment?
Yes.
These are impossible decisions for parents to make.
It's a simple question, but one of the most important ones in medicine.
Is it in Marnie's best interests
to continue ventilation...or not?
MUSIC PLAYS
SWITCHES MUSIC OFF
Hi. Hey.
I haven't brushed my teeth.
And yet you smell of nectarines.
Come on.
Yeah.
Thanks.
Hey.
Coffee?
Ah, no, I'm fine.
Have a seat, please.
So, the hospital ethics committee have met.
Sounds suspiciously cultish.
Oh! Yes, it does sound like that, doesn't it?
Their guidance, to me, was that they support
my clinical judgment.
Right. Well, that's not a surprise.
Marnie's not responding in a way
that suggests any conscious experience.
In your opinion. That's medical science, I'm...
And is it medical science that brains can't recover?
There is always a possibility for improvement,
but in this case it's severely unlikely.
Marnie...has broken those odds
every year of her life.
She has shown clear movement...
I'm afraid that we haven't observed any for a while.
Well, I have seen movement.
When we played her music recently she showed...
Her heart rate slowed...
Relaxing Classics on Spotify.
We're not sure what might have prompted that,
but we have seen it in other patients in similar conditions.
As to what you observed, that was likely an involuntary reflex.
Certainly we have seen nothing like it since.
Nicci, Andrew,
I care for Marnie very much, but, well...
..are you still in disagreement with the decision? Yes.
So that means that the hospital
would like to suggest that this now goes to a mediation process.
An independent mediator will be appointed
and we can take it from there.
Will a mediator make you change your mind?
It's useful in challenging how everyone's thinking.
The mediator has no stakes in this case and is more likely to...
Will it lead to you deciding to keep our daughter alive?
I believe that I have made the right clinical decision,
but mediators have highlighted mistakes in process.
Process, so not end result.
So, no, it won't.
Your ethics committee are wrong.
You are wrong, and I have no interest in any of this.
I'll see what I can do.
Fuck!
Samantha, I've got an update for you...
Please don't say anything.
I always love the pre-emptive putsch in an argument.
You said nothing in the room.
Because you were breathing in all available oxygen.
She's always been a thorough and kind doctor.
Yeah.
And you've always fancied her.
Oh, come on!
Just don't make me the unreasonable one.
OK? You do that and I hate it, so don't do it.
MUSIC PLAYS
I'm putting on Radio 4.
FRONT DOOR OPENS
Hi! Hi.
Hey. Hey! I didn't know if you guys wanted dinner.
I cooked pasta.
You cooked pasta?!
Dad, I already don't like your tone of voice.
It's just pasta. Mwah!
Oooh. It has bacon in it!
I've cooked before. Don't make this weird.
I think we've some garlic bread in the freezer.
I'm going to have...
..bacon pasta
with melted cheese and garlic bread.
I'm going to go for a shower.
What do I wear to this thing tonight?
Oh, not your slinky black number again.
Poor headmaster didn't know where to look.
And the deputy head did know, and really shouldn't have.
Wear your green dress.
Yeah.
Yeah, OK. Thanks.
Mmmm!
Er... It's bad news from the hospital.
They've decided that, um...
..they've backed her.
They want it over.
I want to wear my orange top.
All right. This one? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK.
With the jeans with the pockets. Mm-hm.
And my Doc Martens.
The red ones!
Oh. Good idea.
OK.
And I, um...
..I'd like to wear some make-up.
Oh!
OK... What were you thinking?
Smoky eyes, like Elicia Shadow.
Who's Elicia Shadow?
Look.
Hi, guys! It's Elicia Shadow,
and welcome back to my channel.
So, in today's video,
I'm going to be showing you how to get... Oh!
Who are you watching these with? Katie.
Doesn't it look great?
Yeah. Yeah. Um...
Look. I tell you what. I'll make a deal with you.
I will put everything you want on your face.
But then, you know, at the end,
if one of us decides, you know, less is more,
I'm allowed to just wipe it all off.
OK.
And I get a veto. OK.
POP MUSIC PLAYS
# Can't stop it Move your head
# To the beat
# Come along, tap your feet
# We delight, come alive
# Want it, got it, no, can't stop it
# Move your head to the beat
# Come along, tap your feet
# Tap tap
# Beat, tap
# Beat beat, tap
# Beat beat, come along and tap
# Beat beat
# Tap beat beat tap
# Beat beat, come along and tap
# Tap, beat beat
# Beat beat
# Beat beat, come along and tap tap. #
OK. Do you want to have a look?
OK.
Hey...
Hey, don't. Please don't cry.
Don't cry.
You'll ruin your make-up.
Please don't use your veto.
I won't.
SHOWER RUNS
Nicci?
Just a minute.
Let's try and put on a show. For Katie.
If we can.
Yeah.
Agreed.
You've still got your socks on.
Why are you being weird?
It's going to be shit.
Do you not think I know that?
So, did you bring them?
Yeah.
I thought the idea was we'd, um...
..like, do it together?
Yeah, and we will.
Play well, OK?
Oh, my God.
That smell takes you back, doesn't it? What is it?
Odour de School.
Cabbage, corned beef and confused hand jobs.
Deputy head's spotted you.
You should just wear a brown paper bag.
It's the only way to contain the man!
Hey! Hi! You came!
Yeah, well, Hannah sort of insisted that we, er...
Oh, yeah. Nice. Not humiliating at all.
I think she misses the place, you know.
Ex-queen bee round here.
Well, I mean, it's a big do.
The thing to look out for is if Mr Glenny comes onstage
eating Maltesers before he conducts.
Ah, so if he does... He's drunk.
Yeah. Oh, that's clever, really,
because Polo mints you'd sort of guess, wouldn't you?
But Maltesers is much more subtle.
I like it. I do.
ORCHESTRA TUNES UP
It's on silent, yeah? Yeah.
APPLAUSE
ORCHESTRA PLAYS
PHONE BUZZES
Give me the car keys. Give me the car keys!
Or you come.
BEEPING
Marnie, you're OK.
Turn the oxygen up.
We're here, Marnie.
Can we have some diazepam? Thank you.
OK. Five milligrams in.
OK.
It's OK.
Saturation is 100.
Ready for the big date? Looking good!
The make-up? YouTube.
OK.
A few things we need to discuss.
First things first, boys smell.
Thank you, Dad.
Secondly, they're mean...
No, they're not!
And third thing, I wash regularly...
He doesn't. I'm not mean, and I will need reassurance at all times
that I am the most important boy in your life.
OK, Dad.
OK. Now, is that a yes? Yes!
OK, then I can start the car.
See? Simple as that. You ready ready?
They can't sit together, I'm afraid.
But that's ridiculous!
It's company policy.
Then you need to change something.
How hard is it to remove one of these seats?
I don't have the authorisation.
Yeah, well, we can do it.
Looks like a screwdriver job. Have you got a screwdriver?
She's actually pretty good at DIY. Dad.
We...we don't mind.
We don't mind.
Dad.
Please.
Yes! Get in!
Sorry, can I...? Who's in charge now?
All hail my son Emperor Nero!
Nero! Nero! Nero!
You know, I took a girl on a date once to see The Remains Of The Day.
She kept trying to kiss me.
But the film was too good.
What? You just cut her dead?
No, I asked her on a date again.
This time I took her to Schindler's List.
I never really thought through the whole cinema date game.
This is nice.
PHONE RINGS
It's Mercy.
She's stable.
What was it?
A seizure. A bad one.
So now her brain...? Jesus. What? How did... How...
It's likely because of the hypoxia and the extent of the brain damage.
So will this happen more often now?
We're just cleaning her up.
You'll be able to see her soon.
Hi. Hello.
We're here, Marnie.
Hey.
You gave us a real fright there.
Can you squeeze my hand, honey?
Marnie, will you give my hand a squeeze?
Do you want to read some Adrian Mole?
I think I can feel her smiling.
You know, just in her eyes a bit.
OK.
All right.
"Friday, February 12th.
"I'm not sure how I will vote.
"Sometimes I think Mrs Thatcher is a nice, kind sort of woman..."
It's not too old for her, no? No.
"Then the next day I see her on television
"and she frightens me rigid.
"She's got eyes like a psychotic killer,
"but a voice like a gentle person. It is a bit confusing."
No, your embouchure's all wrong.
My embouchure? God, get you!
Um, put your lips together.
What, like a fish? No.
Make an "emmmm" noise.
Emmmm.
You're being a dick.
OK, no. Emm.
And then you sort of stuff your lips inside the inner rim.
Hmm. Now where have I heard that before?
You're allowed to be pissed off with them, for missing your show.
Yeah.
I'm fine.
Let's go up to my room.
Well, I do prefer your room.
MUSIC PLAYS FROM UPSTAIRS
HE SIGHS
MOVEMENT UPSTAIRS
Oh... Oh, hi. I wasn't expecting...
Er, yeah. I thought I should stay.
You know, she's a bit worried, you know?
It's kind.
It's kind of you.
Is she...
Marnie, I mean?
Er...
A seizure.
Can I give you a lift home, or are you staying, or...?
I'm sorry, I feel like I should be giving you a hug or something,
but that would probably be a bit weird.
I'm OK, Hannah.
You know, or weed? I've got some weed.
And don't pretend you don't smoke, because, you know, I have nostrils.
And it's probably better than that shit you get.
Yeah, well. I doubt that very much.
Um, is Katie OK?
Because she doesn't want to come to the hospital.
No, she's fine.
Strong.
Look, it's a nice night.
You know, I can walk home.
OK.
DOOR CLOSES
KNOCK ON DOOR
Ah, sorry.
I just didn't want you waking and not knowing.
She's OK.
Good.
Gutted to miss your gig.
It was one of our best. Oh.
Rub it in, why don't you?
He got through three packets of Maltesers.
Jesus. That good! Yeah.
Hannah got you home OK? She just left.
Oh.
Yeah.
Nice girl.
I think.
Bit strange.
Not that strange.
She just doesn't have anyone her own age to hang around with.
You were always kind to waifs and strays.
And half-eaten birds.
Didn't you bring home a worm once? Yeah, it was dying.
I'm pretty sure worms are invincible.
There are some nights
I just want to curl up in here
and sleep on your rug.
You could sleep on the rug, if you like.
No...
No, my back wouldn't take it.
Hmmm.
Goodnight, sleep tight.
And I'll see you in the morning.
I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you too.
Thanks for arranging to see me. She'll be home in a minute.
She sleeps at the hospital sometimes.
Ah, yes.
Happens a lot in PICU.
Lines of parents, staring off into the middle distance
beside them little beds... Hi!
Ah!
I hadn't forgotten.
Hi. Sorry. She had a bit of a...
She had a bit of a turn last night. Did Andrew tell you?
Shall we fix this for another time?
No, it's fine. I've slept.
I haven't washed, but...
As long as you can handle a bit of body odour, I'd rather get it done.
Orange juice? Coffee? Tea? Ah, yes, all of it.
Toast. Gotcha.
Do you mind if I faff around a bit while you're, um...?
No, not at all.
Now, there are a lot of misapprehensions about mediation.
I think of it as a chance to get an understanding
of everyone's position because in clinical environments...
Yeah, I had arbitration at my old job, when Marnie was born.
I had to take a bunch of time off
and so they called me in to resolve the matter.
This isn't arbitration...
So I sat opposite while they lied about, you know,
what I'd done, how often I'd come in.
I tried to do my best by them, but they just couldn't see it.
All they could see was how I affected them.
So we left. We just lost the money.
Um, you know, I wasn't going to sit there and defend myself.
They were arseholes.
But, you know, Harriet isn't one, and nor is Samantha.
Do doctors ever change their minds?
We will be examining every aspect of the process, to work out...
Yeah, but do you look at... do you look at the decision?
Do you look at the decision that that ethics committee made?
We weren't even in the room for any of that. Nicci, that's not fair.
They've talked to us. They haven't!
They haven't. They told us!
I wonder if it would be helpful...
It seems to me that this whole process
is about...about making me OK...
Us. ..with your decision, and that's just...
Do you understand? That's... I'm not going to be tricked like that again.
Well, I think she liked us.
I think she wants to move in, to be honest.
I'm off to Tom's for lunch.
If you fancy it? It's his birthday, you know. He'd love to see you.
He would resent every second I was there.
He only wants to see you.
OK, shall I stay, then?
I mean, we've got a lot to talk about.
Will we just...?
Will we just talk when you're back?
I need to think.
So you are thinking, then?
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
I think I should stay.
We'll talk when you're back.
It's only me!
Oh!
Letters on the mat again.
I open the important ones, don't worry.
Happy birthday!
One from Katie.
One from me.
Ah. OK...
Ah, well...
THEY CHUCKLE
OK.
HE MUTTERS
Time for lunch.
You're looking healthier.
Weetabix.
Is that it?
I shit every morning at 8am now.
Were you not regular before?
Definitely not.
Oh. That's great news.
Fish and chips?
Only if you promise to keep talking about your bowel movements.
Thank you.
You remember when your mum died,
how...Dad fussed about?
Five minutes after she'd gone
he was starting to prepare her funeral,
who'd say what.
He wanted you to read that Kipling poem.
Yeah, well, you know...
She wasn't my mum.
But she really liked you. And Kipling's a racist.
Anyway,
my point is...
..then Dad died...
..and neither of us did anything,
organised anything.
And the funeral was shit, I remember.
Your fault.
Never been good at...
..doing something I don't want to do.
You're not dying, are you? No.
No. If you died I'd probably kill myself.
No, you wouldn't.
I said probably.
Marnie is very sick.
Why are these chips so good?
Lard.
They tried to ban me from here.
I threatened a man. But I said sorry because of the chips.
Well, they are that good.
Hey.
I think Samantha's still here.
We could hunt her down together?
I just wanted some time alone with Marnie.
Sure.
I put a playlist together for your birth.
Did you know that?
I bought some...
..mini battery-powered speakers.
Plugged them in.
The tune as you were born,
um...
..Your Star Will Shine by the Stone Roses.
It was beautiful.
# Your star will shine again
# One day
# Through deep blue velvet skies
# Shine for all the world to see
# The universe in your eyes
# When the storm outside is raging
# And the dogs, they howl your name
# Lay down, sleep, I'll kiss you
# Your star will...
# ..shine again. #
HE SOBS
Hi, it's me.
I've been trying to call you.
Tom said you left ages ago.
You went and had a drink?
Well, I didn't know you were expecting me back.
We've got a visitor.
Hello. Hello.
My name is Brenda Haskins.
I am here on behalf of Every Christian Life.
Oh.
Who? We're here to help.
We've been lied to.
It, um, it costs anywhere between £250,000 to £500,000 a year
to keep a child in paediatric intensive care.
You think this is financial?
Well, they've denied a tracheostomy.
And the NHS, and it's not entirely their fault,
they've had to ration, and in this cruel world of ours,
the seriously ill are disposed of.
Your daughter's life is sacred.
Medical science has no right to decide whether she live or die.
This is eugenics and it can't happen.
We can raise the resources to fight this case
and we can raise the resources to help her.
Help her?
Financial and legal help to win the case.
It's a case now.
And, once we've won,
get access to the drugs and treatments that she's been denied.
There's so much that's possible now.
Vamorolone, risdiplam is having good results with kids with SMA -
it could... It's...
I mean, you see what this could mean for us?
Out of interest, how did you find us?
That's your question? They contacted me,
and I was interested in saving our daughter's life.
Look, I've taken everything in that you've said,
Brenda, and I'm really grateful for your help,
but I think Andrew and I need to...
Yeah, absolutely. Of course.
Um, listen, let me give you my card.
Um, there's people from all professions
that are ready to talk when you're ready.
What's your profession?
I used to work in PR for the charity but I now run the outreach arm.
I'm not hiding anything from you, Andrew.
No pressure.
But the help is there if you'll take it.
And call any time as well.
I'm famous for never turning my phone off.
OK. Um, I'll show you out.
Yeah, thank you.
That's great. Thanks.
Where did you park? Are you out in the street?
Yeah, just outside. OK, all right.
Thank you so much.
I think for Marnie's sake we should at least consider it.
Pro-lifers. Oh, great.
So you've just jumped to... I'm going to google them. Yeah, google them!
I'm sure that'll confirm your every prejudice.
Prejudice? What, we're anti-abortion now?
No! Pro-Marnie.
We're pro anything that is going to help her.
Is Katie upstairs? Yeah, I think so.
OK. Let's talk outside, shall we? What? In the garden.
Outs...
Well, no, let's go for a walk. OK.
You know the hospital's only going to go along with mediation.
We don't have to agree with Every Christian Life on everything.
I came home today ready to say...
I came home...
I think we should consider it.
Consider ending it, the treatment.
For her sake.
We knew right from the start, there was going to come a point...
Yeah. ..when we'd have to decide...
Yeah. We did. But that isn't...
This is not that point.
The doctors are advising...
Two months ago, she was smiling.
She was looking out her bedroom window at the birds.
We were there, OK?
The robin was back and she was delighted.
And that was two months ago, you know?
She's brain damaged.
She's having bloody seizures.
It's not always going to be like that.
You know they can stabilise her.
The seizures, they can help.
The brain, you know, can repair itself.
She'll be back looking at birds again!
We were told... We were told as soon as she was diagnosed...
What do you mean, diagnosed?
We don't even know exactly what's wrong with her!
We were told her condition is progressive without cure.
And she's beaten the odds every time.
OK? When she was seven and the doctor told us
that she was going to, you know... that she'd be better off dead...
..we said no!
She's done remarkably well. You've done remarkably well.
Yeah, when she was nine years old and that fucker said
she wouldn't smile or laugh again, we said no, and she did smile.
And she did laugh.
You asked me once to make sure that you weren't one of those mothers.
One of those who asks to keep their child alive...
No. Don't... One of those that was blind to the pain of her child.
No! You don't do that.
..and just wants to cling to... They say she's in pain!
They say she's in a lot of pain. She is still your child!
Yes! Yes, she is!
Yes, she is.
I knew you were feeling like this.
You know that? I could feel it.
Oh, so why did you make it so difficult, then?
What? You think this should be easy?
This isn't about us deciding if a doctor is right or not.
This is about deciding if our child should die.
Fuck off!
You know what the trouble is?
The trouble is, you've always...
You've always wanted her dead.
You know? If you're honest.
You never wanted her, and then she came out damaged.
Please don't say that. No.
I've been fighting for her all my life.
Just me.
Not you.
Me! That's just not true.
Well, prove it, then, you fucker.
Prove it and just stand with me.
Dad?
Dad, what are you doing?
I'm going to stay at Tom's for a bit.
Why?
Er...
I can't explain. Not right now.
No, Dad. Don't go. Don't leave me here.
Please don't. Come with me, then!
What? No. Then she'll be on her own.
She can't have me in the house, and I can't be in the house.
But that doesn't mean I don't love her, or you,
or Marnie, OK?
Dad!
Dad, don't be a coward. Dad!
This isn't fucking cowardice.
I'm sorry, but it's not.
I love you. I'll be back soon.
DOOR SLAMS
Hi.
Sorry to, er...
..barge in.
Um...
So, there's something we need to tell you.
It's a bit difficult.
Um...
You know George has been sick.
Is he OK?
It was very sudden, honey.
They decided to...
Yeah, he passed away.
I'm so sorry, love.
Does that mean he's dead?
Yeah.
But we were just talking.
I know.
Was he in pain?
No, the doctors were looking after him.
Am I going to die?
Um...
Well, everyone's going to die.
You remember when Grandpa passed away.
Am I going to die soon?
We don't think so.
Dad.
There's a chance.
Andrew.
There's a chance that you might die sooner than some.
I'm really sorry about that.
I don't want to die.
Oh, sweetheart.
Hi.
It's been a while.
It's been one year,
three months, two weeks and a day.
I just wanted to, er...
I needed to... Now you need me.
You'd better come in.
I've started volunteering down at Happy Smiles.
Haven't seen your Marnie there.
Yeah, she's had a tough few months.
Poor thing.
The doctors want to turn off the machines.
Ah.
Biscuits?
How did you do it?
Do what? Agree to it?
Yeah, I mean, how did you... how did you know?
What's happened to her?
Some respiratory issues.
Some things - heart, bit of brain...
..mainly respiratory.
They won't fit her with a trachy, so...
George made me promise I wouldn't let him have a trachy.
What?
He saw some kid with one.
Said he looked like a supervillain.
So you talked to him about... Death?
Yeah. Always.
He started it.
Was obsessed by the idea.
And I can't do lying, so...
I always avoided it with Marnie.
I just never could...
She tried to bring it up a few times, but I could never...
That's OK.
When Georgie had what was his last seizure...
..they told me it was unlikely he'd be able to communicate again.
But...
I put on some telly he liked -
The Worst Witch...
..and he squeezed my hand.
He did.
But they convinced me,
convinced me...
..that he was just in too much pain.
It's all right.
So...
Can you still see her?
That's the question.
People hate disabled people.
Sometimes I think they'd kill them all.
But we know.
We know what life looks like.
And if we don't?
Oh, you do, love.
You do.
Morning, Nicci! Oh, thanks, love.
Morning, my love.
Did you have any dreams?
There you are.
There we go.
Have I understood right, that you've refused to attend mediation?
Yeah.
They're not going to change their mind, so there's nothing to say.
OK.
That means this is going to go to court.
The hospital don't have your support in their decision.
They've tried and failed to mediate,
so they'll need legal backing for their decision, otherwise...
..it can get messy for them down the line.
Right.
Well, let's do it. Um...
I've got all of Marnie's...
I've got everything.
Here's her red book... Whoa, whoa.
You need to understand what we're facing here.
Have you ever been to court before, Nicci?
Er, yeah.
Yeah, my dad. When he was mugged.
He's a taxi driver.
A best interests case will be different
from what your dad encountered there.
There'll be at least three lawyers in front of the judge.
One, who'll be representing you,
two, the hospital's barrister,
and three, a barrister specifically appointed
to represent Marnie's best interests.
Someone's representing Marnie?
It's the way it's done.
You need to understand,
it'll be very convoluted and...
..the odds are against us.
Yeah, well...
..just tell me we might win.
That's all I need to know.
Charlotte Wyatt.
The judge actually, um, actually decided for the doctors,
but in the time it took for the case to be heard,
she'd improved so markedly,
the hospital had to ask him to revoke his judgment.
And Ashya King.
Not technically best interests. His parents removed him
against doctors' orders to get some experimental proton beam therapy.
They were jailed, but the judge subsequently ruled
that the parents should be allowed to take him to Europe.
He got the proton beam therapy.
He lives.
And then there's Tafida Raqueeb.
The doctors thought she'd be on a ventilator for the rest of her life.
She went to Italy, and last year she came off life support.
That's three.
Out of how many?
It's possible.
That's all you need to know.
It's possible to fight the notion that you have to surrender
parental responsibility
as soon as your child crosses the threshold
of a hospital for treatment.
And we're going to have to use everything at our disposal,
but this is going to be a fight, Nicci.
We need funds to help Fred - that takes public support.
We need pressure in and out of the courtroom -
that takes public support.
That means you, Nicci.
You're going to be at the front and centre.
The mother that doesn't want her child killed.
Press and social media are going to be our best weapon.
Are you ready for that?
I'm, er...
I'm pro a woman's right to choose.
I mean abortion.
I think you should know that.
All we want is to save Marnie's life.
OK?
Then, yeah.
I'm ready.