ALARM CLOCK RINGS
MATURE JENNIFER: Dreams are delicate things
born out of hope and desire,
and e'er they are vulnerable to daylight,
as fragile as a moth's wing.
The brush of a hand can crush them.
Dreams also have the power to fuel our journey
to the future.
They drive us forth like engines.
Dreams are the bricks with which we build
a life we cannot touch.
They're signposts and signals.
DOORBELL RINGS
Dreams are the promise we make to ourselves.
Morning! Oh, good morning.
Thank you.
How does it look now?
This? Like it came free with a copy of the Jackie.
As soon as the Aylward family tiara can be
retrieved from the bank, we'll have the real thing.
And I'll also have my something old because it's Edwardian,
and my something blue because of the sapphires.
Not to mention something borrowed,
because you've got to give it back.
KNOCK ON DOOR
Have morning orders slipped your minds?
Ohh...
Your brother telephoned.
Geoffrey? I thought he was still in Malta.
He's just landed at Heathrow.
Highly excited about giving you away
and craving details about the week's itinerary.
I'm sorry.
He can be rather chatty.
SISTER JULIENNE: You must try to eat just a little more.
You won't recover from your illness without nourishment.
My illness was...
..months ago. It was weeks ago.
Sometimes things become a little confused.
But that's to be expected.
Now, Sister Veronica thinks it's time
we started to rehearse your reading for the wedding.
Why can you not protect me from her schemes?
Because we both think that reading the lesson
will give you something to aim for.
# For she's a jolly good fellow For she's a jolly good fellow
# And so say all of us
And so say all of us
# For she's a jolly good fellow
# And so say all of us! #
CHEERING
Mm.
What a lovely bit of buttercream.
Mind you, I hope you're having proper fruit and marzipan
for your actual wedding cake. I don't think you can beat that.
Absolutely.
Four tiers, too.
Don't forget to keep the top one for when there's a christening.
Is that what you did? Mm.
For the eldest.
Number three's just going to have to make do
with a swiss roll from the corner shop.
SINGING
Whatever's that?
# La-la-la-la-la-la, hey! La-la-la-la-la-la, hey!
# La la la la, hey! La la la la, hey!
# La-la-la-la-la, hey! La-la-la-la-la, hey!
# La la la la, hey! #
Is this a clinic
or Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve? Good afternoon,
Miss Butler. Have you brought your Co-op card?
I think you might have to change my name to Yu now.
We've come straight from the registry.
GIGGLES
Oh! I beat you to it, Nurse Franklin.
So I see. Congratulations.
If you've brought a card for Nurse Franklin,
please put it in the celebratory postbox provided.
I was terrified we weren't going to be in time.
Arnold's mum wanted us to wait till she got back
from seeing family in Hong Kong,
and the Chinese, they do what their parents say.
We foster a little girl from Hong Kong.
I've seen her round and about.
Oh, she's ever so pretty.
We love her more than I can say.
I can't wait to see what mine looks like.
I want it to look like Arnold.
Loads of black hair and eyes like pennies.
Oh!
Lizzie, they'll be wondering where we are
down the Hand and Shears.
We'll be done and dusted shortly, Mrs Butler,
if you'd just wait outside.
We're only meant to be in the pub for an hour,
then we've got to get to Arnold's uncle's restaurant
for the sit-down. Mum, do as the nurse says.
She made us promise there'd be chicken and chips.
Some people have got no sense of adventure.
GIGGLES
I've just found a box of Apostle spoons in the clinical room.
"With love from Uncle Ted and Auntie Sybil"?
They can go on the table over there.
This is chaos.
I've lost all track of who or what needs to be where
by when, or even or even by what means of transport.
I did suggest the purchase of a Rolodex.
The advice was not taken.
DOORBELL RINGS
Is that my brother? It certainly is!
Bearing the most opulent, elegant and, I have to say,
the heaviest wedding dress of all time.
Matthew isn't supposed to see it, Geoffrey!
What, even in its box?
Oh! There's also a bag with some spare buttons,
thread and a remnant of the fabric.
I said to the couturier,
"What is she supposed to do with that?
"Make a matching pyjama case?"
NURSE CRANE: Oh!
I think it's absolutely wonderful that you've travelled all this way
to walk your sister up the aisle.
Sister Julienne, I would have crossed the Mediterranean in a canoe.
I've been in training for this for 20 years.
Oh! LAUGHS Thank you, Geoffrey.
When I wrote and told him I was engaged to be married,
he sent me a telegram saying, "Perfect timing. Stop.
"Superb modes for the mature bride these days."
GENTLE LAUGHTER I'm sorry I'm late.
I had to call the surgery about an appointment for Colette.
She keeps getting nosebleeds.
Oh, how ghastly.
I've never been able to bear the sight of blood.
It's why I became an oesteopath instead of a heart surgeon.
LAUGHTER
VOCAL EXERCISES
# Lah! #
I thought I was going to read this, not sing it.
A few simple vocal exercises will open out your lungs.
It'll do you good generally after being in bed for so long.
Mm.
Ah...
Hmm.
Now... CLEARS HER THROAT
..a reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
I hope this is not going to be Chapter 13.
It is.
You were asked to choose it, but you became unwell.
Is it too late for me to make a new selection?
The orders of service have been printed, so, yes.
You come for Lizzie?
I have. Just a routine call.
She upstairs. Thank you.
Tea? You want tea?
I'd love some tea.
Arnold, tell your mother the nurse will want a proper cuppa
with milk in.
I'm not being funny. That jasmine stuff smells beautiful,
but it's like you're meant to splash it behind your ears,
not drink it.
Actually, jasmine tea would be quite a treat.
Thank you.
Does your little girl like Chinese food?
We have been to the Peking Fountain
once or twice as a family.
She really enjoys it,
as do we.
Arnold's Uncle Li's place is much better.
Mingmei, my mother-in-law, gets him to make me pork bone soup.
Is it any wonder she's got heartburn?
What you two really need to do is sort out names.
Baby second name Chinese.
Baby first name Chinese too.
You've got to think of it going to school, Mrs Yu.
It needs something English, like Gillian or Ian.
Even Arnold calls himself Arnold!
Arnold name Ka Lun.
Name mean build the kinship.
It's the first grandchild for both sides, Nurse
I think they're getting a bit wound up.
Lizzie, I actually called to say your urine
is showing an infection.
I've brought you a course of antibiotics.
Doctor wants you to start taking them at once.
I told her wearing tights every day of the week would do this.
However, he also wants to see you at the surgery.
I shall make you an appointment for a few days' time.
Mm-hm.
I think we're over the finish line
in terms of packing the things
the bride is taking to the hotel the night before.
SIGHS
She's moved on to the lingerie part of the trousseau now.
I was surplus to requirements.
Can we tempt you to a Bournvita before you leave?
Oh, yeah, go on.
I'm sure they'll have nothing so luxurious
at the Ormonde Hotel. LAUGHS
Dare I inquire...
..about the hen night plans?
She doesn't want to go out dancing up west.
She doesn't want to go to one of those new wine bars.
I can't even interest her in a meal out at the Napoli.
Trixie doesn't drink alcohol, Nancy. SIGHS
Nurse Corrigan,
would you come to my office for a moment, please?
Of course, Sister Julienne.
I believe Sir Matthew is having a dinner
for all his gentleman friends at his club.
Yes, I've been invited.
So has our other sibling, Ronald. SIGHS
Trixie must do something to celebrate,
even if it's just a trip to the pictures.
The last time I looked, it was a choice of Planet Of The Apes
or Brides Of Dracula.
We can do better than that.
In this afternoon's post, I received a request
for references from Netherditch Hospital in Surrey...
..because you applied for a position there.
That was months ago.
Well, weeks ago.
But I never heard anything from them, so I suppose
I sort of...forgot.
Are you unhappy here, Nurse Corrigan?
I'm as happy as I've ever been anywhere in my life.
But...this job...
..when I saw it advertised,
I saw it was full of all these things
that might make me even happier.
Netherditch used to be a cottage hospital,
so it's in the country,
and it comes with a house, two bedrooms,
so me and Colette could live together...
..rent free.
If you are offered the position...
..you must make the decision that you think is best.
Thank you.
Because, really, you might not be here much longer anyway.
Nonnatus House is either going to be knocked down or shut down.
And what would happen to me then?
What would happen to my daughter?
FRED: Ruddy leaking roof.
I thought I heard my hairdryer.
What do you think you're playing at?
I'm drying out these fireworks.
They'd just be fit for the bin otherwise.
And then you'd accuse me of thinking
we've got money to burn...
..or not burn. CHUCKLES
Catherine wheels on the draining board?
I want all this cleared away.
And then when you've done your lollipop duties,
you're to go to the gentlemen's outfitter's
and collect the morning suits.
Ascot Grey - you're all wearing the same.
And then go and fetch Reggie off the coach
so that I can concentrate on the bridesmaids' dresses.
My nerves are like Shredded Wheat.
I thought women liked weddings.
No, no. Women run weddings.
It's not the same at all.
CAR DOOR OPENS MATTHEW: Trixie.
I spent the entire evening with Nancy just a few days ago.
She did not breathe one word of this.
She assures me she had forgotten all about her application.
One can't really challenge her logic in wanting to move on.
In the face of all the changes in the health service,
minnows like Nonnatus House are going to suffer.
There's a strong tide out there and we can't swim fast enough.
Can't we?
But why didn't you tell the truth, Matthew?
Why did you say that the tiara was in the bank?
I told you what my mother told me, which is that the executor
needed to deal with the paperwork.
She thought she could get hold of it
because when she sold it, she sold it to a friend.
I just don't understand why she sold it but didn't say!
After my father was first ill,
she wanted to take him on a cruise, and the tiara
was just languishing there.
I mean, nobody really wears them any more.
But I was going to wear it!
It was going to be my something old, something borrowed
and something blue.
And it was my father's six weeks on the Queen Mary
trying to get his health back!
Couldn't he have had that anyway?
Perhaps things weren't as liquid as they might have been
in their personal accounts. What?
Why? Because contrary
to what you appear to believe, money doesn't grow on trees!
I don't know where you're planning to flounce off to,
but don't you dare follow me in here!
MATTHEW SIGHS
DOOR SLAMS
I have telephoned every health farm
in the Home Counties, but not one
has a vacancy on the bride's only day off.
I'm sorry, but we really can't change the roster.
It's hanging by a thread as it is.
Oh, whatever is the matter?
Matthew's mother's sold the family tiara.
No... WHY didn't she say so?
I had the option of a pillbox hat in matching ivory satin.
But now it's too late.
What am I supposed to secure the veil with?
Kirby grips? Oh, come here.
It's all right.
TRIXIE SOBS
If we can't get this girl to a health farm,
the health farm is going to have to come to her.
I'll be making some tea in a minute.
I just need to make a start on digging up these carrots.
I didn't know you were a gardener.
Oh, these are Fred's.
He said I could have them for making soup down at the hostel.
Are you taking a little time out from all your preparations?
SCOFFS
Yes.
And giving myself a bit of a talking-to.
Are your nerves kicking in?
No, no, not at all. It's...
On the day, it will be a beautiful thing.
Hmm.
And the thing I always say is,
never lose sight of the love.
Love got you this far
and it will carry you all the way...
..wherever you are going.
Shall I get a pencil?
Only I read that if you put a pencil in sideways
and bite down on it, it makes it stop.
I'm pinching the bridge of the nose.
That should make a clot form.
Colette isn't to come anywhere near this bridesmaid's dress
until that's stopped.
And neither are you.
DOORBELL RINGS
Good afternoon, Nurse Crane. We're closed.
Is this an emergency? Yes.
Ohh...
MATTHEW: I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm nervous, Trixie.
Nervous about getting married?
Nervous about the wedding...
..which is...
..of course, the point at which one does actually
get married legally,
so, punctiliously speaking, yes.
The aftermath,
the being together always,
I am entirely happy about.
Ecstatic about.
I'm very glad to hear it.
Matthew...
..the wedding only lasts one day.
One hour, punctiliously speaking.
And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't every bit as on edge
as you are.
But a marriage lasts for years.
Decades...
..if the fates are on your side.
Yeah.
And we're on each other's side.
And there's no need for nerves
because we will be doing this together.
CLOCK BELL CHIMES
DOOR OPENS
Rest has escaped you also?
Yes, it has.
My mind is thronged with fragments of Bible verse.
I think from the Letter to the Corinthians.
It is as tedious as it is irritating.
That will be your reading for Nurse Franklin's wedding.
SIGHS
I cannot keep all these weddings aligned and documented
in my mind.
The rate with which these women marry is absurd.
The rate at which women marry,
or indeed do not marry,
has kept us in business in Poplar for 100 years.
Perhaps we should thank God for that,
instead of railing at his works.
The antibiotics certainly seem to be doing the trick.
Just make sure you finish the course.
I need to nip to reception to make a phone call.
I'll leave you with Mrs Turner.
Lizzie, you can put me in my place if you see fit,
but you develop a fine nose
for warring mothers-in-law in this job.
They mean well.
And they didn't choose who their kids were going to marry.
They will adjust
or they won't adjust,
and, either way,
the most important thing is your peace of mind
as a new mother.
Nobody's ever said that.
Not even Arnold.
He's like piggy in the middle too, the same as I am.
My mum even wants to be there when it's born,
and if his mum finds out, she'll be tipping up an' all.
It's going to be like Sunday Night At The London Palladium
in the delivery room.
Oh, no, it's not, because I'm not going to allow it!
The minute you think you're in labour,
even just the first twinges,
I want you to come straight to the maternity home.
You can settle in,
have some quiet time,
away from all these family pressures.
The principal nursing officer will see you now, Sister.
Morning.
Midwife calling.
Well, you certainly seem to be nesting, Estelle.
Perhaps, baby isn't that far away.
Nesting? Is that what they call it?
I'm always big on cleaning -
comes with being married to a chimney sweep.
It's been the family business for a long time, hasn't it?
Oh, yeah. Tony's great-granddad started it
when Queen Victoria was on the throne.
Mind you, since the Clean Air Act,
we'll be telling our kids to train up as gas fitters.
That's where the money is these days.
Gas fires.
Money is tight, I don't mind telling ya.
Well, you will get a bit more family allowance.
Tony is going to start a sideline
turning up at weddings to bring luck to the bride and groom.
I'd forgotten about that. I do love a good superstition.
Oh, it's not long till your big day, is it?
I'm sure he'd offer you a reduced rate. He's got this lovely
old-fashioned coat and 'at.
That sounds glorious,
but I'm afraid I'm getting married in Chelsea.
It'd be too far for him to come.
I hope we're not barking up the wrong tree with all of this.
I was full of bright ideas when I was raking through
that charity cupboard.
Phyllis, now is not the time to lose confidence.
You've already set to with the scissors.
DOORBELL RINGS
Oh, I think dinner has arrived.
ALL LAUGH
SHELAGH: Ooh. Excuse me.
PATRICK: Evening!
LIZZIE: Evening, Doctor!
Oh!
My uncle sent the whole of menu B with a few extras -
some wonton and some xiaolongbao.
They're like dumplings. SHELAGH GASPS
Uncle Li doesn't put them on the menu, but he thought
your little girl might like to try 'em.
PATRICK: I think we'd all like to try those.
Well, off you go. Over to the table.
I brought chopsticks. Can you eat with chopsticks?
I'll show you, if you like. I wouldn't mind a go.
I'm always game for an adventure.
Lizzie, you really must let us pay you for this.
Uncle Li would have our guts for garters.
I wasn't sure how any of this would turn out.
What I was heading for.
Then I suddenly realised,
if you go where love is...
..that's where life is.
I realised that, too, once.
It was the beginning of everything.
Morning. Morning.
DOOR CLOSES
Cyril?
Or perhaps that should be Mr Robinson.
This is clearly a professional visitation.
I'm just looking at a couple of things.
For a council structural audit.
Is it all right if we go out to the back yard? By all means.
EXCITED GIGGLING
TRIXIE SHRIEKS
SHE SIGHS
GROANING
What's this?
A little something from all of us to you to mark your special day.
The thought of you pinning your veil on with kirby grips
was too much for us to bear.
Oh... Phyllis, Shelagh, it's perfect.
We made it from the remnant of your wedding dress,
and it was stitched with love.
What's this?
A lady is never without a handkerchief,
even on her wedding day, and you will have to give it back to me.
My something borrowed. Is this my something blue?
There's a bit of one of your old uniforms in there
and a piece from one of the Sister's habits.
You can sew it inside the hem of your wedding gown
or underneath the train.
Nobody will see it,
but you'll know you've got a piece of Nonnatus House with you.
And so will we.
Am I allowed to use the hanky now? I think I'm going to cry.
Oh, good gracious, Mr Aylward. You're up with the lark.
I was hoping to see you alone.
And then Nurse Franklin. In that order.
Matthew!
The tiara?!
I thought better late than never.
And it didn't take that much sleuthing,
just a bit of application
and I suppose the knowledge that it would...
..make you happy.
Does it make you happy?
It is certainly very...
..uh...
..opulent.
It reminds me of my granny Maude,
and of course, my mother, or at least my mother
around about the time that the Queen was crowned,
which was actually the last time I saw her wear it.
It might look better on a blonde.
I actually think it's bloody hideous.
I hate it.
You would have worn it, wouldn't you?
Just because I went to the trouble of tracking it down.
Mmm, probably.
But then I would have felt guilty that my friends
went to so much trouble making me a replacement.
A replacement tiara? No.
Something simpler and better.
Something that doesn't distract me from the fact that I'm marrying you
for you.
Not a title,
or a name,
or any of the things that go with it.
Am I allowed to say that I never doubted that?
OVER PHONE: Mother House, Order of St Raymond Nonnatus.
This is Sister Julienne, calling from Poplar.
Please may I speak to Mother Mildred?
Yes, of course.
Cards first.
When you've dealt with that, Mrs Estelle Hopkiss needs a visit.
Signs of early labour.
Netherditch Hospital?
"Dear Nurse Corrigan, we're delighted to inform you
"that your job app...lication has been successful."
Sorry. This is for you. Obviously.
They must be desperate.
They didn't even ask me for an interview.
I'll think about it and decide after the wedding.
I feel as though I'm letting myself down, Sister Julienne, but...
..I've been hoping against hope
that they wouldn't offer her that position.
If Nurse Corrigan chooses to leave us, she can be replaced.
But...
..she's become one of us.
We've brought her on and brought out the best in her.
Fretted over her.
And now she's heading off, like they all head off.
And it hurts...
..like it always hurts.
Do you suppose this is how people feel about their children?
I don't know. But I feel it too.
Forgive me, Sister.
Perhaps it's just a wedding bringing everything to a head.
Seeing Nurse Franklin's bags packed.
Nurse Franklin will still be working with us.
I know, but...
..she'll be a married woman.
Young people look outward and upward.
When you've youngsters around you all the time,
you do the same.
Nurse Crane, what are you most afraid of?
Being left behind.
Becoming an irrelevance.
Having no work to do.
Nurse Crane, listen to me.
That is not going to happen.
Nonnatus House is not going to close.
I think things may be tuning up, Estelle,
but I'm not sure baby is absolutely imminent.
No chance of it coming while the kids are at school, then?
Not as far as I can see.
Keep pottering about and try to eat a proper lunch.
You'll know when it's time to call us. Yes.
And, Nurse, the offer of the lucky sweep still stands.
I have an inkling you and your husband
may have other things to worry about tomorrow.
There are two types of defence mode for animals in the wild.
They can curl up in a ball
and make themselves as small as possible,
or they can spread their wings,
expand their chests,
and make themselves seem far bigger than they are.
I'm not sure I'm catching your drift.
I am in negotiation with St Cuthbert's.
We are reinstating the midwife training programme.
New students will start with us before the new year.
I have signed a two-year agreement with the hospital.
But what about the rent?
The council charge us so much
we could scarcely meet our bills
even when we had the students last time.
Mr Aylward...
..Sir Matthew has just bought his building from them...
..outright.
How much did he pay?
The place is falling down
and it's meant to be under threat of demolition!
The clearance programme has been delayed
and there is life in this house yet,
as Mr Robinson confirmed when he inspected it.
When he was here the other day?
For now, we are safer than we have ever been in years.
And we will have young people underneath our roof.
KNOCK ON DOOR
What's all this moping?
Everyone's downstairs celebrating
some sort of stay of execution,
and I'm about to sweep you away to a plush hotel in Chelsea.
Last night as a bachelor girl.
Some of us stay true to that particular calling all our lives.
You're going to have so much fun, sis.
The Queen Elizabeth, the Waldorf Astoria.
Then a whole life with him, and little him.
I wish I'd known.
Known what?
That so much happiness was waiting for me...
..when we were children,
and Father was alive.
And ill.
And we always had to light up all the rooms with fun and laughter.
Did you find it hard too?
Having a flair for something doesn't make it easy.
Lucky old Ronald wasn't cursed with charm at all.
He was all just bicycles...
..then golf.
SHE SIGHS
Real happiness really is quite something,
isn't it, when you find it or it finds you.
And suddenly...
..you don't have to pretend to be laughing any more.
I'll take your word for it.
And you, most adored of all my sisters,
are to grab that happiness with both hands.
GEOFFREY: Come on!
Bye!
TRIXIE EXCLAIMS
PHONE RINGS
SHE GROANS
Nonnatus House, midwife speaking.
This is the best thing that's ever happened to Colette.
Belonging to a family.
Knowing there's somewhere she can go
where people are always pleased to see her.
It's the best thing that's ever happened to me too.
It's not something to be surrendered lightly, Nancy.
That's why I won't leave my job
and why I don't want to move from the East End.
The church is perfect for the wedding,
and this hotel will be just right for the reception.
But...
You'd rather have a hoolie in Poplar.
Well, it'd be nice to have a little bit of that.
But no-one can have everything, not all at the same time.
And choosing one thing over another can be very, very hard.
Isn't that the truth!
SHE YELLS
Is that it? Promise me that's it.
That most certainly is it.
Baby's head is resting in my hand.
Oh, thank God for that!
Are you sure that's a baby?
Looks more like a turnip covered in jam.
The little one's turning now, Estelle.
So rest. Rest.
When the next pain comes,
just one big brave push for the shoulders.
BABY CRIES ESTELLE GROANS
Here's your reward.
A beautiful bonny...
..daughter!
A girl? We wanted a girl, didn't we, 'Stelle?
Look at her.
She's massive.
Yeah, you don't need to tell me that!
BABY CRIES
SHE GROANS
You go to bed.
I bring tea.
I'm fine, honestly.
I'd only be tossing and turning.
SHE GASPS Oh...
Baby is coming?
I think it might be.
Mum!
Mum.
Reggie, we don't have to leave for ages.
My trousers don't fit.
Needless to say, there is no reply from the gentleman's outfitter's.
I don't know how they expect to survive in retail.
Violet...
..this wouldn't do up on a leprechaun.
And I'm telling you now -
I have not eaten one pie out of place
since I got measured up for this.
No, Violet. It's too short and it's too tight.
I've told you before.
Colette is only going to the wedding
because she's a bridesmaid.
I'll bring you some after-dinner mints back.
TIMOTHY: I'll let you know. Eat up.
It's already five past.
We have a very strict timetable this morning.
CHILDREN: Aww... That was Mrs Buckle.
Everybody's got the wrong morning suits. PHONE RINGS
I'll answer it.
The locum cover doesn't start till ten.
Turner.
A couple of stitches won't take me more than half an hour.
Go straight to Violet Buckle's.
Wait for me by the shop-front door.
Oh, how will I know which suit is yours?
It'll be the one that won't fit anyone else.
Room service! Virgin bellinis all round.
Colette's got a nosebleed.
Oh, no, no, no. Doesn't she need an ambulance or nurse or something?
She's got two nurses, and she's still bleeding like a stuck pig.
It's like something out of Sweeney Todd.
I had stitches with both my others.
You ought to fit me with a zip.
I'm glad Nurse Crane sent for me so quickly.
These things are never as straightforward
once the swelling kicks in.
Oh, can't you give her something to pep her up?
She's been up all night. She's got a wedding to go to.
I hereby prescribe a triple espresso from the Napoli.
We are to go to the church with Nurse Crane in her car.
If the service is all you can manage,
we can come home by taxi immediately afterwards.
I am utterly depleted.
It's best if you go without me.
The reading is not one that I would have chosen anyway.
Hmm.
I'll take those. What on earth has happened?
The flowers have been delivered to the wrong address.
Oh, heavens to Murgatroyd.
It is the most abject failure of organisation I have ever seen.
Now, I am dispatching the florists to the church
with the pedestal arrangements and the buttonholes,
and meanwhile, I shall take the bouquets
to the bride's hotel myself.
Oh, I'd take your rollers out first.
SHE SCREAMS
ARNOLD AND MRS YU SHOUT
Is it starting? I could hear her halfway down the street.
Pain after pain after pain.
I brought you a shepherd's pie and a book of baby names.
English book? English names?
I ring ambulance.
Arnold's got the car. He can drive us to the maternity home.
Let me just put this on the side.
The only person who is going with Lizzie is me.
You two are staying at home.
Oh, Miss Higgins! Put them over there.
Madame appears to have entirely forgotten her manners.
Thank you. You are most welcome.
At least it's stopped streaming like a tap,
the way it was before.
It's just a sort of postscript.
I can't breathe...
It's on her bodice, Nancy!
We shall send for milk, which will remove the worst of it.
The bouquet will cover the rest.
And I regret to inform you it has begun to rain.
You'll have to unscrew your head or take your hat off.
This roof's not retractable.
CYRIL CHUCKLES
The Turners aren't coming in the convoy.
They're running late.
Where's Sister Monica Joan?
She's unwell and must rest.
Sister Veronica will stay with her.
What a shame!
I'm really not a lover of parties.
THEY LAUGH
Shush! They'll hear you. Both of them.
You could have won an Oscar in there.
I am having twinges.
You know what Mrs Turner said -
first twinges, you come straight to the maternity home
for some peace and quiet.
SHE GASPS
Do you need me to put my foot down and do 60? No...
But on the other hand...the mums might be watching from the window.
We're back on track
with our timetable, thanks to your speedy turnaround
after that house call.
His bag's still in the boot of the car.
And remember, Timothy, if there's a great deal
of cutlery at the wedding breakfast,
simply work your way from the outside in.
Oh, Patrick, I'm really not happy about you driving all the way
to Chelsea sitting on the tails of that coat.
I smoothed them before I sat down.
Well, they won't be smooth when we get there.
You'll have to get out and take it off.
HORN BEEPS
TYRES SCREECH CRASH
SHOUTING
I'm ringing 999.
I'm a doctor. How many are inside?
I think there's two.
My wife... My wife's in the family way. Shelagh!
I brought your bag. Do you know how to call the flying squad? Yes. Yes.
Go now. Tell them there is a pregnant woman
at term involved in a car crash - unconscious and seriously injured.
Phone's that way. Shelagh, it's Lizzie and Arnold Yu.
Careful! Careful.
Shelagh, I need the stethoscope.
Lizzie! Lizzie!
I've got you out.
ARNOLD GROANS
No.
No, Patrick! SHE SOBS
She must have died instantly.
A head injury, possibly a heart attack. Get away!
Get off! Arnold...
HE WAILS Arnold, Arnold!
Arnold. It's all right. It's all right.
We're looking after Lizzie. We'll take care of her.
No, no... Arnold, it's all right.
You just bit your tongue when the car crashed.
That's it, clear your throat.
Flying squad's on their way.
Arrival's six minutes minimum.
Look after this man until the other ambulance arrives.
He's in shock. Possible rib damage.
And he has an oral laceration.
See if someone can fetch you some ice from the pub.
Patrick, the baby still has a heartbeat.
It's alive.
Come on, Lizzie.
Come on.
She's dead.
She's been dead for minutes.
You know what I've got to do, don't you?
We need a screen! Patrick...
A screen now!
POLICE SHOUTS INSTRUCTION
Is there anyone I can send for?
Anyone that you'd like to have come?
It's our first baby.
There's grandmas everywhere.
Somewhere.
It's Lizzie I want.
And I can't see her.
No...
This won't hurt you, Lizzie, sweetheart.
Dr Turner is just doing what's best for your baby.
There's no choice, you know, Shelagh.
I know there's no choice.
BABY CRIES
You have a daughter, Lizzie.
And she looks like Arnold.
She has loads of hair
and eyes like pennies,
just like you always dreamed of.
There are such a lot of stories that start with
"once upon a time".
But ours did too.
Once upon a time...
..I thought the world had ended...
..because we were alone in it.
Not any more.
We're all going to live happily ever after.
Yeah? Yeah.
SIREN WAILS
What do we do now?
Carry on.
You once told me that is the terror and privilege of what we do.
PATRICK SIGHS
We will change our clothes and we'll go to the wedding.
Just like Lizzie herself once said...
..go where love is because that is where life is.
RUNNING FOOTSTEPS
She's ready, but she wants to wait until the rain stops.
Brides are always fashionably late.
If we do not leave on time, you will be unfashionably late.
ALARM RINGS Jesus! Is that a fire alarm?
It's a drill. It's a drill.
But I can smell smoke. Trixie, if you don't come out now,
I'm going to drag you by the veil.
First the flowers and now the wedding cake delivered here
to the wrong address...
Oh...
WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
Is that Sister Veronica?
She must be late too.
CAR RADIO: A number of fire engines have been called
to the Ormonde Hotel in London's Chelsea.
The building has been safely evacuated,
but it is substantially ablaze.
Ormonde Hotel? That's where the reception is.
Ohh!
Sister Monica Joan.
I had a hunch she might have made her own way here.
She was supposed to be ill!
On occasion, with God's will, I rally.
The man requires remuneration.
She certainly gave me a fright.
But all is now as it should be.
I'm afraid it isn't as it should be, Sister.
We're going to have to break bad news to the bride.
Therefore, if any man can show any just cause
why they may not lawfully be joined together,
let him now speak,
or else hereafter, forever hold his peace.
I have not come here to discuss just causes.
Neither shall I hold my peace,
for I have an obligation to fulfil.
# I will not cease from mental fight
# Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
# Till we have built Jerusalem
# In England's green and pleasant land. #
The order of service leads you to anticipate a passage
from Paul's Letter to the Corinthians.
That is not what you're about to hear.
I shall now read a wedding prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson
with an addendum by myself.
Lord, behold our family here assembled
We thank you for the place in which we dwell
For the love that unites us
For the peace accorded us this day
For the hope with which we expect the morrow
For the health, the work, the food
And the bright skies that make our lives delightful
And for our friends in all parts of the earth
And for those we love
And may look upon no longer
For those whose path will not be ours
For those we teach
And from whom we learn
And for those who hold us in their hearts
And call us home.
Amen. CONGREGATION: Amen.
SOFTLY: Amen.
CHEERING
When are you going to apprise them of the fire at the hotel?
I thought at first we ought to get some pictures of the bride
where she's not hysterical. But...
..we have a plan, and it's going to be marvellous.
SHE WHISPERS
Er, ladies and gentlemen,
would the bride, the groom and the wedding party
please make their way outside?
MATURE JENNIFER: There are hopes, there are plans,
there are dreams, there is reality.
And above all the other things we cherish, there is truth.
Trixie's wedding was not the stuff of dreams.
It was more beautiful than that.
The people of Poplar loved her, and they repaid her for her service
by saving her big day.
They brought fish and chips and furniture
and carts of fruit and seafood.
They brought music and their children
and their open hearts.
It was makeshift and warm and chaotic.
It was perfect!
CHEERING
BABY CRIES
We cannot predict what the fates will bring.
We can only find strength and hope and survival
in each other.
There will be new dreams one day,
there will be reasons to go on.
Let in the truth, embrace the real,
open your arms to the things you did not look for,
for you will find what you did not seek,
be given what you did not know you lacked
and be lavished with a joy that takes your breath away.
Here are life's riches next to you...
..here, in the faces of your friends,
in the laughter of their children,
in the tenderness of those you love and work and lived with.
This is community,
our end and our beginning.
This is the best of everything we are.