UNTRANSLATED
Wake up, idiot!
What's wrong?
The essay's due tomorrow, not next week.
Tomorrow? But you said next week.
I got the date wrong.
If I don't submit tomorrow, I fail.
I didn't sleep well.
I'll make some coffee.
I don't want any.
My head hurts. You'll be fine.
And I've got lots of other things to do today.
But I have a lecture this afternoon.
If you start now, you can still make your lecture.
UNTRANSLATED
Morning.
You OK?
Yeah, I've just been thinking,
and I feel too bad to leave Rob
here on his own, you know, with everything that's gone on.
Honestly, it's fine.
I'm going to be here for a while longer,
and Jack's just a phone call away.
You've got to do what's right for you.
Well, if you're sure, I'll sort my stuff out tonight.
Do you think I should tell him myself, though?
I think it's probably better coming from me.
I'll talk to him about it today.
Talk to me about what?
You get off. I'll explain.
See you. See you.
Me and Scarlett had a chat yesterday,
and we think it's best if she moves out.
She's going to go tonight.
All right? Yeah. Did you sleep OK?
Yeah.
The dishes have piled up a bit.
So's the laundry, to be honest.
I'll sort it. You go to work.
Cheers, Ol. I'll see you later.
KNOCK
Come in!
UNTRANSLATED
Are you OK?
I only saw you last week, but it sounded urgent when you called.
You always tell me to come back if I need more help.
Yeah, so do lots of other students.
Come on, then, take a seat.
I've brought a gift to say thank you.
Oh, Bao, that's very sweet,
but you don't need to bring something every time.
It's Eight Treasures Tea.
It has lots of health benefits.
We call it Ba Bao Cha.
Ba Bao Cha? That's like your name?
Yes, Bao means treasure.
So what's the problem?
Bao?
You need new computers in the library.
OK.
The buildings are very cold,
and the canteen food is disgusting.
You've made these complaints before,
and I told you, these are areas I have no control over.
Is there something else?
Professor Collins is always late for lectures.
It isn't professional.
And he isn't friendly, even though I get the highest marks in my class.
Well, I can speak to him about being late,
but I can't criticise his personality.
He might just be a formal kind of person.
Bao? Are you all right?
I have to go.
HE RETCHES
PHONE RINGS
Hello? Sorry, he's not available right now.
I'm his daughter, can I take a message?
I'm afraid that he won't be taking the cottage after all.
Because my mum died, OK?
No, I'm sorry.
I just...
Sorry.
Thank you, Janet.
Please forgive me.
It's OK.
You were looking a bit peaky before.
Peaky?
Ill, sickly.
Are you enjoying student life a bit too much? No.
I don't have time to go drinking.
I work too hard.
I've got a meeting in 15 minutes.
Is there anything else I can help with before I leave?
Apart from Professor Collins, are you happy with your course?
Is everything OK in your house-share?
Yes, everything is fine.
I just wanted someone to talk to.
I don't feel very well.
Bao, you do know there's a doctor's surgery on campus, don't you?
Yes. Then maybe you should go there and speak to someone.
I can't help with everything. I'm not a doctor. I'm sorry.
I'll go there right now.
No, I didn't mean it like that.
No, you're right, I should have gone to the surgery, not bothered you.
Please let me know how you get on.
You could pop back later?
I have a lecture soon.
But I'll try to come after that.
KNOCK
Emma, hi, come in. Hi!
I was doing a home visit round the corner, so I thought I'd pop in.
How are you doing?
Oh, sweetheart.
Oh, goodness me.
I've never reduced anyone to tears just by showing up before.
I'm sorry. It's all right.
Come on. Shall we have a cup of tea? Come on, then.
You OK?
No. That's why I want to see a doctor.
Right. Have you been here before?
No.
Are you a student at the uni?
Yes.
Fill that out.
It's a drop-in with Dr Haskey today.
It's very stiff.
I slept badly last night.
Is Dr Haskey good? Yeah.
I expect excellent service.
My uncle is a surgeon in Beijing.
Are you from China, then? Yes.
Must be a bit different to Letherbridge.
Yes, Beijing is wonderful.
There are many beautiful places.
My favourite is Houhai.
It's a lake. You can sit outside the cafe and watch people fish.
So what do you like about England, then? Nothing.
It's cold, unfriendly, and has the worst food in the whole world.
Glad I asked.
If things don't improve, then come back and see us. Will do.
Is this my next patient?
Yeah, he's a new student.
Bay-oh Ze-hong.
Bao Zhong. Sorry.
He's from China.
Ni hao, Bao. Ni hao.
UNTRANSLATED
I'll be honest with you, "ni hao" is all I've got.
Come on through.
It was very nice to talk to you. You too.
He was so angry last night, and I didn't know how to help him.
Where is he now? Upstairs.
He's just retreated into himself again.
It's early days,
he's probably not ready to talk.
I can't stand seeing him like this.
It was hard enough losing Mum,
but I feel like he's disappearing too.
It's one day at a time, for both of you.
Could you talk to him? What?
It might help, since you've both been through the same thing.
Well, you know, I could try, but
people grieve in different ways, so...
Please, Emma, Dad bottles things up at the best of times.
And I can't stay here forever,
but I definitely can't leave
until I feel like he's dealing with things a bit better.
All right, well, how about I come back this evening?
Blood pressure and pulse are fine, which would suggest to me
this is a migraine.
Can you make it stop?
I can write you a prescription, which should take
the edge off the pain and reduce the sickness.
Thank you, Dr Haskey.
But the best thing you can do right now is go right home
and rest in a dark room until you feel better.
But I have a lecture today.
And an important essay to finish.
What course are you on?
Business Studies.
I work very hard for my parents.
They've sacrificed a lot to send me to England.
Bao, I get that you want to make your parents proud,
but if you don't look after yourself right now,
you're just going to have more time off later on.
So doctor's orders are: rest.
OK, Dr Haskey, if you say so.
Thank you. Sure.
I'll type this up now.
UNTRANSLATED
What are you doing here? I tracked your phone.
We said that was only for emergencies!
This is an emergency.
Why aren't you working? You said you'd help me.
The doctor says I have a migraine.
I have to go home and rest.
I can't even go to my lecture.
Come on then, my car's round the corner.
I'll drop you off at home, and you can finish my essay while you rest.
OK, but I have to pick up my prescription first.
PHONE RINGS
Hi. Hi, Ol, I'm going to be back a bit late from work.
Have we got anything in for tea?
How should I know?
It's just a question! Can you have a look?
No, I can't just have a look!
Can you just act like my dad for once?
What you on about? You're supposed to be the grown-up!
Keep your shirt on, we'll just get a...
..takeaway.
Did you take your medication?
Yes, but it hasn't helped.
I'm sure it'll start working soon.
I have to go out again,
but I don't want you moving till that essay's finished.
Please, Jin, I feel really bad, even worse than before.
You don't want me to ring my dad, do you?
Because you know, if I do, that he'll speak to your father next?
No, please don't say anything, I'll do it.
Just so you're not distracted.
Sorry, we're actually closed.
Oh, I'm not here to see the doctor, well, I am...
but I'm not.
Ooh! Schrodinger's patient! How intriguing.
Hi, I'm Al Haskey, doctor of this parish.
It's about one of my students, but I don't suppose you're allowed
to tell me anything because of confidentiality.
And you are?
Janet Carey. I work in Student Support.
I sent one of my students to see you this morning - Bao Zhong.
He threw up in my bin.
Well, like you say, I have to retain confidentiality.
Yes, sorry.
Thing is, he promised he'd come back and let me know how he was,
but he didn't, and he's not returning my calls.
Then I saw his lecturer just as I was just leaving just now,
and he said Bao missed his lecture, and didn't tell him
he wouldn't be there, which really isn't like him.
He's very particular about things like that.
Well, I'm sure there's nothing for you to be concerned about.
I hope not.
He's a funny chap, a bit high maintenance but very sweet.
Always complaining, but it's just the kind of person he is.
Poor guy really wasn't himself this morning,
and I put that down to him being ill.
When you say he wasn't himself, what do you mean exactly?
He kept, like, zoning out a couple of times. Right.
Anything else unusual?
I'm sure you're right and he'll be OK.
Thanks. Thanks for your time.
Sure, take care.
Was she talking about that Chinese guy that hates England?
Yes. Why?
You asked about anything unusual.
He did tell you that he was out of breath when he got here, didn't he?
No, no, he did not.
And he had a stiff neck.
He thought he'd slept on it funny.
Anyway, I'm going home.
Scarlett, hang on, pull up his details for me,
I should give him a call.
I thought it was just a migraine.
Here you go. Terrific.
What?
Hi, it's Dr Haskey from the Campus Surgery. Is that Bao? No.
Bao isn't available, he's very busy. Stop calling! Right.
And you are?
BEEP
Weird.
Dammit!
What? Is it serious, then?
No answer? Dr Haskey! I couldn't go home without checking on Bao.
Me neither. How long have you been trying?
About five minutes or so.
Do you think we should break the door down?
You got much experience of that? No. You?
No, and I don't fancy dislocating my shoulder on this door.
Could try giving it a kick, I suppose.
Hey! Stop! What are you doing to my door?
Are you Bao's housemate? What if I am? Is Bao inside?
He better had be. Just open the door now!
Are you crazy, lady? Get off my doorstep!
Listen, sunshine, Bao could be very seriously ill,
or he could even be dead.
So, come on, please, open up.
Bao?
It's Dr Haskey and Janet. Can you wake up for us, mate?
Bao? Bao, can you hear me?
I only took his phone so he could concentrate.
Call an ambulance.
Tell them urgent transfer to hospital for suspected
meningitis, OK. Oh, God.
It's OK, I'm here. Is that contagious?
Yeah, it can be. It's OK, mate.
Ambulance, please.
Yeah, we need an urgent transfer to hospital for a suspected
case of meningitis.
Crikey, right, he's seizing.
Please hurry, he's having a seizure.
Yeah, the address is 109 Ridgeway Drive, Letherbridge.
It's OK, Bao, we're here.
Ambulance is on its way. Well done.
That was delicious, thank you.
You're welcome. One of my specialities,
not that I've got many.
Scarlett, hi, I didn't know you were here.
There's plenty of food left?
No, it's all right, thanks, Kirsty said she'd make something
when I get there, so... She's moving in with her for a while.
Oh, right.
I'll help you get your bags down and call a cab. Thanks.
And I just wanted to say thanks for everything.
I don't know what I would have done if you and Karen hadn't...
Bye, then. See you.
So, how are you doing?
What's going on?
I'm going back to Mum's.
Come on, mate, don't make a big deal of it.
I was about to say we could get a takeaway before you hung up on me.
Talk to me, Ol.
Mum was right.
I mean, she did everything for you all these years,
and now you've got me doing the same. It's not fair.
I only asked if we had anything in for tea.
You need to start looking after yourself.
Well, we could do a rota or something?
You don't need to leave over this, Ol!
Look, I know I'm not as good as your mum, but...
It's not just about the housework.
You need to give up on trying to get back with her.
It's not going to happen. You don't know that. I do, Dad.
And nothing I can say's going to change her mind.
Right, so you're just going to leave me here on my tod?
You've got to get used to it some time.
Dad, I'm sorry.
There was a lasagne in the freezer.
I stuck it in the oven for you.
You know, when Howard died,
I thought that the shock of it,
and the pain, would kill me too.
That pain was...
..visceral.
I couldn't talk, couldn't function.
I was so angry.
I felt cheated.
You read about the stages of grief that people go through, almost
as if it's meant to be some kind of road map
as to how to get over it, but...
..when you're inside that loss...
..it's all-consuming.
Suffocating.
You don't get to choose how you feel or when.
You can't control it, and...
..you can't escape it.
It can be frightening.
Rob, I'm not telling you to talk to me or to anyone else.
Or to do anything that you're not ready to do.
But somehow...
..you find a way to live with it.
And eventually...
..well...
..make peace with it.
Sorry.
So they think it definitely is meningitis,
and they're going to treat it as such
until the blood and cultures from the lumbar puncture come back.
And they're going to treat Jin as well, you know, just in case.
Poor Bao. This could have been a lot worse.
Janet.
Dr Haskey.
You're still here.
We couldn't leave you on your own
after everything you've been through, could we?
You are really ill, mate, but you are going to get better.
How can I repay you both?
There's no need.
Why didn't you tell me what Jin was making you do?
My dad works for Jin's father.
We're doing the same course but he started last year.
His family let me share his house, they've been so kind.
If I complained about him,
my father would lose face.
I wanted to tell you today,
but then I got worried that I'd be sent home for doing Jin's work.
I'm sure Janet will see that that doesn't happen.
Absolutely not, Bao.
It's coercion.
He forced you to help him cheat,
and the university will make sure that both families know
that you did nothing wrong.
He'll be the one going home, not you. I hope not.
I don't want that.
And if Jin leaves, I'll have nowhere to live.
That's not going to happen.
Janet will sort something out, won't you? I promise.
Thank you.
Right, I'm going to pop in tomorrow and see how you're doing, yeah?
Thank you.
You are a very good doctor.
Who am I to argue with that, eh?
Don't you worry.
I'll get you a room in one of the uni's new accommodation blocks.
A nice warm one.
You're my only friend.
Thank you, Janet.
Hiya.
Hello, love.
What's happened?
I didn't want to leave Dad on his own,
but he's just been driving me mad.
You were right, you know, he's been getting me to do all the housework
and he won't stop going on about getting him to get back with you.
It's not on. I'm sorry, Ollie.
He should know better than to be treating you like this.
He's your dad, not your mate. You OK?
I don't know.
I suppose it's best for him, though.
I know it is.
Still, it can't have been easy.
I'm really proud of you.
Is it OK if I move back in, then?
Come here, you numpty.
KNOCK
You've got a nerve.
Bao, I'm so sorry for everything.
And I wanted to give you this.
Thank you.
I forgive you, Jin.
I don't deserve that.
No, you don't.
I'll explain everything to my dad.
You don't need to worry about speaking with your father.
Hi, Mama...
UNTRANSLATED
I am angry.
I'm really angry.
At everything.
But most of all with myself.
I should have looked after her better
when she came out of hospital.
Rob, come on, I mean, you were brilliant.
You couldn't have done any more. Maybe not.
But at least I should have been here.
I should have been here, when she was lying over there dying.
How could you have known?
What if she was scared? In pain?
What if I could have saved her that night,
if I'd come home when I said I was going to?
And I know that you're going to tell me that there was
nothing I could have done to change anything,
but at least I would have been here with her.
She shouldn't have died on her own.
No, she shouldn't.
But she did.
And, yes, I am going to say that there is
nothing you can do to change that.
But you can't keep beating yourself up.
Grief is hard enough without doing that.
You need to be kind to yourself.
I don't know how to even start to do that.
I'm scared.
She's everywhere in this house, but she's not.
Sometimes I think I can see her out the corner of my eye.
I can hear her clattering around upstairs.
But she's never going to come through that door again, is she?
Ever.
I don't know how I'm supposed to carry on without her.
I don't think I can.
Get out!
What the...? Mum?
You ever heard of knocking?
Who are you?
Mum, what's going on?
Sorry, guys, should have warned you! Ollie, this is Scarlett.
Scarlett, meet Ollie.
Hiya.
It's Auntie Binita, it's not dinner with King Charles.
Well, she certainly behaves like she's royalty.
I can write the speech for you if it's that much of...
Justin, the speech isn't the problem.
It's the hundred people breathing germs everywhere,
putting me at risk.
With love from the past, still trapped in time.