BABY GURGLES
Sometimes an experience begins in ruins.
Flesh is torn, blood is spilt.
Everything hurts, and nothing is as we planned it
or we hoped for.
And yet not everything is lost.
The pleasure is only postponed.
The joy will come.
First we must mend, and then heal.
DOOR OPENS
Oh!
Welcome home, Reggie.
Give us a kiss.
Oh, your cheeks are cold!
We were having a chat about the Jane situation
on the way home.
SHE SIGHS
I'm sorry Jane's gone to live in Ireland, Reggie.
I know she was very special to you.
- Yes. Very special. - But how lovely is it
that she's going to be with her parents?
Next week I have to go to a wedding.
You love Nancy, and you love Roger.
And nothing is going to stop you from celebrating with them.
When can I see that vase that you've been making for them
in your art class?
Er, that's another tale.
Wasn't back from the kiln this morning,
so it's going to have to be posted.
Well, it will get here in plenty of time for the wedding.
Oh, now, guess what I have made...
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
..for your afters tonight.
Rice pudding?
Got it in one!
THEY ALL LAUGH
And that, my dear sister, is that.
Now you are about to take your vows,
do you feel ready?
Spiritually, I feel as ready as I can be,
thanks to your guidance.
Personally, the fact that my sister is coming
feels just right.
Otherwise, I just keep worrying about what I'm going to wear.
Oh!
SHE LAUGHS
Sister Hilda assures me that once we get to the Mother House,
there will be an extensive selection of bridal gowns
for you and Sister Elizabeth to choose from.
I'm glad Mother Mildred has revived that custom.
It's certainly the only wedding dress
I'll ever get to walk down an aisle in.
I'm only sad Mother Mildred won't be there to see it.
Who knows what mysterious work is afoot in India?
But if the Lord called her there,
there must be a reason.
I'm sorry I missed tea.
Poor Mrs Shah tore so badly, we had to get Dr Turner in.
She ended up with more stitches than a Victorian sampler.
We've left you a Wensleydale sandwich
and a teacake on the side.
That is music to my ears.
Stop!
- Bag on the table? - Sorry!
- Sorry. - And no comestibles
in the clinical room!
Mm-hm!
Does anyone know what time
Nancy and Colette are arriving tomorrow?
She's cut everything very fine
in terms of preparing for her wedding.
I don't blame her if she has.
She watched me preparing for mine and received a masterclass
in the futility of forward planning.
Your wedding was very enjoyable - in the end.
It's such a shame you're missing Nancy's.
She was your bridesmaid!
I know, but I'm a bridesmaid at Matthew's partner's wedding.
There's 14 of us, all in sugared almond shades
with a pure lace trim, and it would cause
such offence to decline the honour.
That's what comes of living life on two sides of the ocean.
You can't be everywhere at once.
There has been a serious blaze
at a council-run mother and baby home in Essex.
Fire engines were called to Arbury House...
Patrick!
There's been a fire at Arbury House.
With mothers-to-be there, and babies!
Numbers are confirmed.
There are four girls on their way to us.
Two close to term, two recently delivered.
Thank goodness they all escaped.
Are their babies still with them?
One aged six days, one aged three weeks.
Adoptions pending.
They were all referred from our practice,
so it falls to us to take them in and sort them out.
Come on.
Keep babies wrapped up.
There we go.
Come on.
Hello again, Paula.
Come on, honey, let's get you inside.
There we are.
It hurts when I walk.
My hamsters are still in the car.
Almost done. Good boy.
Well, his temperature's normal,
which, given that you were all turfed out of doors
at dawn on a freezing morning, isn't bad at all.
Being bonny probably helped.
Have you been bottle-feeding him?
I would have tried the other way, but...
..nobody else was doing it.
Matron said it's best not to bother
if you're going to give them away.
You've cared for him beautifully, Janine.
That's given him a really good start in life.
HAMSTERS SQUEAK
When were you 14, Paula?
In August.
And have you been able to keep up with your schoolwork
while you've been at the home?
I get booklets in the post and fill 'em in and send 'em off.
Do you get good marks?
I don't get marks.
They just send more booklets.
Paula, I think this low-down tummy ache
is caused by an infection in your bladder.
And you may have what we call anaemia,
which means very low iron in your blood.
I think we need to take you to the maternity home
- for a few days. - Is that a hospital?
If it's a hospital, I won't be able to take the hamsters.
Oh, Sister Monica Joan will mind them.
She has a soft spot for rodents.
As long as it isn't for long.
St Blaise home is full as well.
Mr Robinson is also trying to help,
but the best I've been able to find
is two beds only at Temple Bank.
And that's never been an establishment
that's impressed me.
The mother and baby homes seem busier than ever.
There are more unmarried mothers
willing to go it alone these days.
But I think it's the rise in the so-called gymslip mums.
And the younger the girl, the more she's at the mercy
of her family's views.
Love seldom proves more powerful than shame.
I've so often wished it could be otherwise.
BABY FUSSES
I can't eat this marmalade.
I'm sorry. Do you have any golden syrup?
Right, ladies, we have a plan.
Paula is going straight to the maternity home
so that her urine infection and anaemia can be dealt with.
Until we work out who's going to Temple Bank,
Maggie will have the guest room,
and I'm taking Nurse Crane's spare bed
so that Sandra and Janine can have
the bed-sitter with their babies.
What about Nancy and Colette? They're meant to be
in the bed-sitter from today until the wedding.
How about a tent on the allotment?
They're going to stay with Miss Higgins.
- Hello. - Mrs Cunningham?
I need to talk to you about Paula.
I'm on my way to the latest prayer circle at the chapel.
Mrs Cunningham, there's been a fire -
at the place where your daughter was accommodated.
It's no longer possible for her to stay there.
Has she had the child yet?
No, but she is unwell
and has had to be moved to the maternity home.
If you're looking for us to take her in, the answer's no.
We signed Paula over to council care
until nature has taken its course.
After that, our door is open,
and she can start again.
I'm sure that, as a woman of God,
you understand our position.
Mr Robinson, Paula's social worker, and I
were hoping that you might reconsider.
My husband and I are completely in agreement.
MILLICENT GASPS, LAUGHS
Come in, come in!
Master suite for the bride-to-be.
Boxroom for the maid of honour.
And the studio couch for yours truly.
And I'm going to be on a Lilo at my best man's house.
No change of plan there at all.
Thank you, Miss Higgins.
I've warned you before
about the excessive use of formalities.
Thank you, Millicent.
KNOCK AT DOOR
May we come in?
Hello!
And the countdown begins.
Are you all ready to go shopping for bridesmaid shoes?
Yeah!
BABIES GURGLE
It's years since I've seen a baby in a drawer.
He had a cot in the mother and baby place.
Hmm. I bet they didn't paint it all fresh and new
for every new occupant like we did with ours.
Go on, then.
Let's see his face.
Interesting.
Bring him home, and we'll make the best of it.
Um...I'm meant to be having him adopted.
Where's he going to fit in, with an 'ooter like that?
He's got the Hicks nose, he can live in the Hicks house,
and we'll get the cot out of the cubbyhole
and tart it up a bit.
It was rose pink last time I looked.
You're not the first, and you won't be the last.
These would be nice for the wedding.
Oh, I don't think so, Reggie.
Nancy will want lovely shop-bought flowers
that know how to stand up straight and behave themselves.
These have gone all spindly and are full of earwigs.
They'd look nice in a vase.
What kind of vase?
The sort of vase that I made for Nancy
as a wedding present.
It will come soon.
You've got to be patient.
I wish you luck, girls.
Can't be any worse than the last place.
- Can it? - We'll manage. We have to.
No-one's going to come and say we can go home.
ENGINE STARTS
Not a peep.
You are brave.
I keep telling Mrs Turner we ought to invest in some
up-to-date modes in brushed nylon.
She is a firm believer in the healing powers of Winceyette.
The arms are a bit long.
I suppose they'll keep my hands warm.
I'll get you a couple of safety pins.
We can't have you trailing your sleeves
in your crumble and custard.
THEY LAUGH
I'm getting quite giddy with excitement!
The last time I saw this dress,
it was a snippet of glorious fabric and a paper pattern.
Just slip into that robe for me, Nancy, dear.
You can leave your slip and your girdle on.
I take it you will be wearing a girdle on the day?
Never go anywhere without one.
I'm going to start by checking your measurements again.
Ah, you don't have to go to all this trouble, Violet.
Nancy!
Most brides lose weight.
What on earth has happened?
Hello, sir. Can I help you?
I'd like to see Paula Cunningham.
I'm her father.
Follow me.
NANCY SNIFFS
Sorry.
It's got mascara on it now.
Oh, it's no matter.
But...how many months pregnant are you?
- Seven. - Seven?!
- Oh! - And a bit.
Like I said, I didn't suspect it.
I've never been that regular.
Or that thin.
By the time I realised what was going on,
I was far too embarrassed to go to the doctor.
DOORBELL RINGS
Nancy, you have consulted a doctor?
Yeah, last month.
Laughed his head off.
DOOR OPENS
I'm a district nurse!
DOOR CLOSES
He said I'm fit as a flippin' flea.
Oh, lass! Come here!
Oh! What are you crying for?
This is wonderful news!
Dad, does Mum know you're here?
She doesn't need to know.
Same as she didn't know I came to see you in the home.
I liked it when you did that.
We'll have you home soon.
Back in time for Christmas, eh?
I know it sounds daft,
wanting to keep it a secret till after the event.
But I had my first baby when I was 16.
I just wanted things to be different this time.
SHE LAUGHS
I knew I could never hope
to have a white wedding,
but I did want to have a respectable one.
I could have got away with it, except tape measures don't lie.
No, they don't.
But a well-made dress can keep a lot of secrets.
As can good friends.
I, too, will remain entirely silent on the matter.
Oh, do you know what I've dreaded most of all?
The sisters finding out and being disappointed,
it being like a rerun of last time,
except these aren't Catholics.
I don't want "Nancy Corrigan, crusher of nuns' hopes,"
written on my gravestone.
Provided you promise to report any untoward niggles
or other developments directly to me,
the news of your condition
will travel no further than ourselves or this room.
I must say, Colette's been marvellous.
All these bridesmaids' fittings and she hasn't said a peep.
That's probably because she doesn't know.
WOMAN SCREAMS
Mavis. Mavis!
Mavis.
MAVIS PANTS
Very soon you're going to feel the need to push.
Then we can start making these pains work for you.
I'll be dead by then.
No, no, you won't.
Do you want to have another try with the gas?
Oh! Oh!
MAVIS YELLS
Paula?
Paula, please don't be upset.
Some ladies make more noise
than others when their babies are being born.
There was another one in the night. That was the same.
I think it's too much for her, Doctor.
I asked if she'd like to come into the nursery and see
a baby being bathed, but she refused.
The best place I can think of for her
right now is the Mother House.
The Mother House?
It's a registered orphanage.
They have taken in one or two unmarried mothers in the past,
but mostly they take in children.
Does anyone know what's become of the father of Paula's baby?
His parents left the area and took him with them.
By all accounts, he was scarcely out of puberty himself.
At that age, they're at the mercy of biology.
They don't understand what it is that is happening
or the harm that can be done.
Too much gets learned the hard way.
Plus, the trouble with adolescent pregnancy
is that every cell in the body is squabbling over nutrients.
The child wants to grow, but so does the baby.
The risk of anaemia is higher.
The risk of pre-eclampsia is higher.
And in the meantime, what's it doing to her mind?
Sister Hilda has extended the warmest invitation
for you to attend Sister Catherine's vows.
It's too long since you have visited the Mother House.
There are those who would detain me there
for nursing purposes, regardless of my will.
I will feel your presence with me, I am sure.
I have said it oft.
I am like Ariel.
I divide and burn in many places.
I feel like I should be escorting Paula down
as her social worker,
but I have to attend juvenile court today.
HAMSTERS SQUEAK
I can't come in. I've got the hamsters.
We'll see you in a day or two when Paula settles in.
You look after her, and look after yourself.
HE MOUTHS
Thank you for the notes.
Mr Robinson.
So, what I've got written down so far,
in no particular order,
is...flowers, getting ready,
including some sort of hairdo.
Something like shoes
to tie on the back of the going-away car?
Discotheque, buffet, balloons.
- I love a few balloons. - Excuse me.
In no particular order?
This is a wedding, child!
Do you want it all to go to hell in a handcart?
Oh, I forgot! Fireworks.
Who said anything about fireworks?
Me.
I want sort of an autumn theme,
and you get fireworks in autumn.
We just need a few rockets and some sparklers.
We may discuss rockets and sparklers
when we have established the parameters of the buffet.
Now, the caterers are in need of information.
JOYCE CLEARS THROAT
Stuffed eggs or chicken legs?
Beetroot or coleslaw?
Lemon meringue or sherry trifle?
I was thinking crab sticks.
And then that new thing, cheesecake.
Not on the list.
Oh, my dear sister!
Greetings, in our Lord Jesus Christ's name.
I greet you likewise, Sister Hilda.
And you must be Paula, dear.
Don't look so shy. We'll look after you.
Hmm, this is a first, I must say.
Do they eat a lot of cheese?
No? Hmm.
And here she is, the bride-to-be.
Oh! Good to see you, Mr Buckle.
Are you getting excited?
Because we are.
I am, and I'm looking forward to seeing Sister Elizabeth.
Yes. Er...
I have news of Sister Elizabeth.
So, she just left?
Well, postulants can.
They have signed nothing,
and they have promised nothing.
Just as they are free to hear God's call,
they are free to decide that they must have been mistaken.
I imagine that means Sister Catherine
will make her profession to first vows alone.
Yes, it does.
Which has never happened in the history of the order,
as far as I'm aware.
Though, it does mean you get first pick of the wedding dresses.
We've had some lovely donations recently,
including the offer of a mink-trimmed mini.
I declined that, with thanks,
on the grounds that we need frocks for brides of Christ,
not...Lulu.
MUSIC PLAYS ON TV
CHILDREN CHATTER
ALL SING ALONG
Children, what do we say?
Thank you, Uncle Fred!
How long will you stay?
I'll stay until the wind changes,
like Mary Poppins.
Or at least until we sort out which hospital you're going to.
Lucky me, on the camp bed.
You were the one who said, "Let's leave it
"till after the wedding and give her a lovely surprise."
And I was the one who went along with it,
so we're equally to blame.
Colette isn't going to be a little girl much longer, Roger.
She isn't going to be an only child much longer.
Her world is going to change in so many ways.
You could argue it already has,
and she's been fine with all of it.
I think we should tell her now.
Give her the respect of helping us to keep the secret
- for a little while. - Give her the respect.
You see, that's why I fell in love with you, Roger Noble.
You're an original thinker.
Where I grew up, no-one ever gave children any respect at all.
Same, pretty much.
We can do better, Nance.
Shall I tell you my idea?
BELL JANGLES
O Lord, our heavenly Father...
OTHERS PRAY IN BACKGROUND
..almighty and everlasting God,
who safely brought us to the beginning of this day.
BELL JANGLES
Defend us...
PRAYING CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY
..that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance
to do always that is righteous in thy sight.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
It's a funny time of year for ice lollies, Mummy.
Nobody ever said they were just for hot weather.
Come on, let's go...eat them on the allotment.
The postman didn't come.
Miss Maxsted promised me she posted your vase.
I'll ring the post office, see if it's ended up there.
Phase one of the operation is complete.
Mother and daughter are
turning into the allotment gate and heading for the bench.
SHE SNEEZES
Oh, I think it's time I had these curtains laundered.
Does Nancy still have the hat on?
I'm not to go out and join them until she's taken it off.
That's the sign that she's told her about the baby.
The hat remains in evidence,
and they are assuming a seated position.
Sometimes I hardly notice nature where we live now.
There's always such a lot of it.
Flowers always seem more important in Poplar.
We've seen a few seasons change on this bench, haven't we?
Mummy, are you sure about that hat?
I don't think it matches your coat.
Since when were you a fashion designer?
Our needlework teacher says I have an eye for colour and texture.
Oh, does she now?
I can remember when you were born,
wondering what you were going to want to be when you grew up...
..and whether or not it was just going to be
you and me on our own for ever.
Well, we've got Uncle Roger now, haven't we?
Did you know he doesn't like you wearing hats?
Uncle Roger isn't a fashion designer either.
Oh!
Bless you.
The hat has been removed!
So we have liftoff?
Wish me luck.
It's got ice lolly all over it now, Colette.
There's a label in it saying dry-clean only.
You'll have to take it to Mrs Wallace.
Hello, girls. What do you think of the news, then?
What news?
Um...
Sometimes after people get married,
they decide that they're happier than they've ever been before.
And sometimes they are happier than ever before...
..before they get married.
And so it seems that the sensible thing to do
is to seal that happiness by having a child.
You don't need to do that, though, because you've got me.
Yeah.
Yes, we do have you.
And you've got us.
You've got us for ever.
Yes, you do.
But do you want to know something lovely, Colette?
Something lovelier than this?
Yeah.
Oh, my goodness, Mummy!
LAUGHTER
THEY LAUGH
CRASH
Oi!
What do you think you're playing at?
Oh...
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
Oh, you've done nothing wrong, old chap.
Hey.
Geoffrey?
I've been pressed into service to help cater
for a certain hen night.
Oven gloves always at the ready.
There you go.
Lord, but there are some nasty people out there.
You want to stay inside with us, helping us with the flowers
and decorations for the wedding?
I can't think of a nicer way to spend an evening, personally.
What's the colour palette?
Autumnal tones with touches of carmine and burgundy.
Delicious.
Mm. Have you ever tried buying burgundy balloons?
And we need balloons because flowers are so expensive.
You are taking entirely the wrong approach.
The Japanese, and I cannot tell you how much I've come to appreciate
Japanese art recently,
have a form of floristry called ikebana.
A single perfect flower
placed in a single otherwise empty vessel
and often positioned against a blank wall.
That sounds awful.
LAUGHTER
I can't even put one single flower in my vase.
CHILDREN SQUEAL
- Nurse Ros? - Mm?
- Do you like church? - Yes, I do.
Do you like it?
Not as much as my mum and dad.
But even when you don't want to hear things,
if you're in the room when they're being said,
you remember it.
And ever since I got here, I've been praying.
And what have you been praying for?
That they'll put me to sleep when the baby's born,
like when I had my tonsils out.
Stand in profile for me, darling.
And chin up a little.
You have a very nice neck.
I'm leaning towards the dupion silk
or the organdie.
Not the chiffon?
I don't think a sheer sleeve
will ever be appropriate in November.
What size do you take?
Five and a half.
I have a five and a half here,
but there's a sort of sandal effect.
Oh, do let's try these.
I've never been able to resist a peep-toe.
What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago,
I was a spinster who wouldn't touch curry with a bargepole,
and now I'm having a curry-themed hen night.
Uncle Roger's having curry as well,
with the whole of his rugby team.
Colette, dear, put the lids on your felt tips.
It's time to go.
I've made a chart of our favourite names.
Antoinette, Natalie, Melinda, Melissa,
Tania, Toby, Alexander and Adam.
No, no! Not in your pocket.
What if it fell out?
Oh, promise me you can't tell, Millicent.
The pattern on the coloured hose distract the eye remarkably.
That said, I would advise avoidance
of the Hula Hoop contest.
Nobody told me anything about a Hula Hoop contest.
It was Auntie Shelagh's idea.
She's had all the Hula Hoops sprayed gold
to look like wedding rings.
It always felt like a turning point in the year
when we'd eat the last fresh pears from the orchard
and open the first tins.
I'm afraid we must savour these while we may.
There will be more tins in the future,
and not just in the winter months.
There's always change afoot at Nonnatus House,
but we always weather it,
mainly by virtue of resisting it with all our might.
Hmm!
Well, this is bigger than anyone's might,
even Mother Mildred's!
In short, the order is contemplating its future.
- Vocations are dwindling, aren't they? - Yes.
And so is money.
We used to have branch houses dotted all over Great Britain,
and since 1947, the sisters have worked hand in glove
with the National Health. But at every turn,
councils are withdrawing from those contracts.
- It's not just Poplar, then? - No.
Mother Mildred has sold the orchard
and the kitchen garden
to property developers to cover our shortfall.
And she is looking for opportunities abroad.
So we'll be missionary sisters.
Hmm! At least the sun will warm our ageing bones.
But what will become of Sister Catherine's bones as she ages?
Will the order even live as long as she?
Nobody knows.
Hmm.
They've tasted so sweet this autumn.
LIVELY MUSIC PLAYS
Oh! Thank goodness
for Mr Franklin!
He's becoming the Galloping Gourmet of Poplar!
I made vol-au-vents in case nobody fancied his biriyani,
but they've not been touched!
Ooh!
Oh!
You're not going to venture a wee bit of twirling?
I've had too many chapatis.
I shall fetch you a glass of Liebfraumilch.
It's such a wonderful digestive.
ALL EXCLAIM AND LAUGH
Nancy!
Breakfast awaits.
I'm about to leave for the surgery.
Oh, my dear!
I've had an upset stomach all night
and couldn't get comfy. It must have been the curry.
I knew I shouldn't have let my guard down.
I'm summoning Nurse Crane.
Sandra!
Sandra!!
Helen! Ohhh!
It was such a long journey on the train.
I decided to come early! I thought the more miles,
the more changes, the more could go wrong.
But nothing did go wrong.
I got here with a whole day to spare.
Is this allowed? Like, I keep thinking
of all these things that mustn't be allowed.
You're my sister! If anyone forbids this,
I will fight them!
Nancy, are you absolutely sure you're just seven months?
I only met the man last Christmas.
Well, be that as it may, this baby's got its head well down.
It's just wind.
It just kind of twinges and fizzles out.
I have oil of peppermint in the bathroom cabinet.
We'll sort you out a dose of that,
and I shall come back later.
I never knew a family that laughed like ours.
It took me years to realise
that the reason we did everything Dad wanted
was because he was unhappy.
Because he was scared of things he couldn't control.
Yeah.
Like his wife and kids.
His laughter was so...fragile.
Do you mind that he never let us go to church?
Maybe I didn't want to then.
And by the time it mattered,
I was training as a nurse and I was free to choose.
He didn't like it, but...
..I didn't have to care.
He doesn't have to like the way that I live my life.
But I wish he did.
I wish all kinds of things.
Doesn't being a nun stop all of that?
No.
I wish he hadn't suffered so much as a child.
I wish he hadn't grown up in his bare feet.
I wish he hadn't been starved and beaten.
By Roman Catholic nuns.
I wish him the best.
He gave me the train fare.
Really?
He said he wanted someone to be with you...
..even if it wasn't him.
I've come to see my daughter, Paula Cunningham.
I'm afraid Miss Cunningham is no longer with us.
Do you want to come up to the house, Helen?
Everyone would make you so welcome.
I know, but, no.
I'll come tomorrow.
It will be wonderful.
Wonderful. And not like this.
POP MUSIC PLAYING QUIETLY ON RADIO
Helen, listen.
It's the twist!
BOTH LAUGH DELIGHTEDLY
VOLUME UP
I'm back in the bedroom now. I haven't even left home yet!
I haven't even left school!
LAUGHTER
I don't even really like Cliff Richard.
I still dream about being married to Cliff Richard!
THEY SHRIEK
She's my daughter. She's 14 years old.
You can't just cart her off without telling me.
But you and your wife agreed that Paula should
come into council care for the duration of her pregnancy.
We made the decision deemed best for her welfare.
EXHALES HEAVILY
What I can never work out is whether you are
Beatrix Aylward, working nurse and wife to a businessman,
or Princess Margaret
going on a tour of grateful Commonwealth territories.
Princess Margaret doesn't have to have
anything like the range of accessories I need.
She does everything in the same old pair of cream slingbacks.
Go. Go and enjoy the other wedding.
I've always loved you in sugared almond shades.
Oh! Oh...!
HORN TOOTS
SHE GROANS
Right, lass...
..I think we both know what we're dealing with,
and it's going to involve an ambulance.
NANCY GROANS
Hello, old chap. Are you all on your lonesome?
Fred's trying to mend the vase.
He said two swearwords.
It's a miracle it's only two!
It's like it's just... turned into shrapnel.
Would you like me to take it off your hands?
If you can unstick it from my fingers,
then you can just chuck it in a bin somewhere.
It's a wedding present!
You can help us with the decorations for the hall.
That will be present enough, and Nancy will be grateful.
It's too soon, Roger.
It'll be grand, girl. It'll be grand.
No harm's going to come.
I'm going to be driving right behind you.
Move! If this were a cab, the meter would be running.
I'm not discussing this. We agreed not to discuss this.
We didn't agree on anything at all.
I know I'm an unworthy mother.
I failed our child.
I failed to pass on Christian teaching.
I failed to teach her right from wrong.
I failed to save her from the world!
It hasn't done our family much good, has it...
..all the praying and the churchgoing...
..all the putting our faith in God?
I have more faith in him now than I've ever had.
The elders at the chapel haven't shunned us,
and Paula can come home...
..when she's a child again.
She's a child now!
What's more, she's our child now!
And if God sees it any differently,
there's no need for his name to pass my lips again.
There's no need to take things to extremes, Philip!
I keep forgetting it's my second.
Colette was 11 years ago.
The only thing I really remember
is how long it took to get her out.
Lass, the only thing you need to remember is
your body knows the way.
I've heard you saying that to other mothers.
Usually the flippin' clueless ones.
This is a model of a pelvis, Paula.
It's a sort of cradle of bones that rests
at the top of your legs, and it's where
your baby's been developing for the past nine months.
This is going to be like church.
You're not going to like what you're hearing,
but somehow it's still going in and you will remember it.
GROANS LOUDLY
Pull over.
Nancy, lass, no pushing.
Do you hear me? No pushing
until I've examined you and told you it's safe.
Blow. Blow.
Blow.
How can it be safe? I'm only seven months, maybe eight.
I've still got my knickers on!
Heels to bottom.
Knees nice and wide apart.
That's the ticket.
Do you want the news in the old-fashioned way
or centimetres?
I don't care!
Well, you're fully dilated,
and baby's head's in a beautiful position.
Oh, God. There's no stopping it now, is there?
No.
BANGING
- Is she all right? - If you're safely parked, get in.
Move!
SHE GROANS LOUDLY
Your baby is in your womb, which is a bag of muscle
that nestles in here.
The womb is full of a kind of water which we call amniotic fluid.
This cushions the baby,
but often the first sign that a baby is on its way out
is that some of that water starts to leak out.
Does it hurt?
No. And sometimes
it's even quite slow.
Just a little bit of wet in your knickers.
Shouldn't the sirens be on or something?
Don't we need to be driving faster?
No. There's nothing to be gained
by histrionics or panicking by anyone.
Now, push if you want to, but not too hard
or too fast.
GROANS
Steady, steady.
Champion!
Is that it? Is it out?
No. There's an art to this.
Because baby might be small, he could come all in one go.
But I've got the towel ready, and I'm going to put him
onto your chest before I clamp the cord.
Your job then is to hold him close and keep him warm.
No, I'm scared.
No. You're brave. Brave, brave, brave.
Come on.
SHE CRIES OUT
Oh!
BABY CRIES
You've another little girl.
BABY CRIES
NANCY CHUCKLES
She's crying!
She's crying, Roger!
She's not the only one.
She had a baby girl!
ALL EXCLAIM
Wha...?!
I don't believe it!
Where was she hiding the little thing?!
Oh, I've known many an eight-month-old child
be remarkably inconspicuous!
She was on the dot of five pounds, apparently.
Certainly a rather more respectable weight
- than I was expecting. - Wait a minute!
- You knew? - I worked it out last week.
I wasn't going to say anything.
She's no more than a few weeks early, by the look of her.
They're tube-feeding her some milk to give her
a bit of a boost.
- She's going to be all right, isn't she? - She is, lass.
You said you wanted the birth to be different this time,
- and you certainly got your wish! - I did!
And not just because I delivered in the ambulance.
This time, I was with people I love.
I can't wait till she's out of the incubator.
What does her hair feel like when you touch it?
Like fur on a kitten. Or...
..maybe feathers on a little bird.
She's going to call you Daddy, isn't she?
Some day.
When she's old enough.
I'm going to call you Daddy now.
Is that all right?
It's perfect.
BELL JANGLES
My knickers are wet.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Her cervix is effaced, if only just dilated.
But her waters are leaking,
and both Sister Julienne and Nurse Clifford think
that labour has begun.
Oh, that poor child.
Will her body be able to bear it?
Will she be able to bear admission to a massive general hospital
where she knows no-one?
I'm going down there.
SHE WAILS
It's all right, Paula.
This is the squeezing of the muscles I told you about.
It's just the first really big one you've had.
It's going to happen again, isn't it?
You said it would.
I had intended on making my way to the service
by public transport,
but, really, I'd have barely arrived at the Mother House on time.
Oh, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Isn't that right, Sister Monica Joan?
Hmm...
I can't help thinking
it ought to be Sister Julienne helping you with all this.
She's the one who got you as far as the altar.
She's delivering a baby.
In its way, it seems entirely appropriate.
DOOR OPENS
Sister Monica Joan!
You haven't been here for years!
I see no shark net or manacles to keep me on the premises!
Only a sister on the brink of a life
that I chose so long ago,
that its inception seems to date from the dawn of time.
I wish you the peace that I have known.
And more.
CRIES AND WAILS
All is well, Paula. All is well.
She's nine centimetres.
I'll give her another half a dose
of pethidine to get her through this final stretch.
And we'll keep up the gas.
CHORISTER SINGS
SHE SCREAMS
It's almost over, Paula. It's almost over.
Can you push down into your bottom for me, Paula?
Dr Turner's going to help you.
Contraction.
SHE WAILS
BABY CRIES
I can hear a baby crying.
He must want his mum.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you,
that with your saints I may praise you.
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Mr Cunningham, it's Dr Turner.
Paula has just given birth to a little boy.
HE GASPS
Uh, can I talk to her?
She's here.
Are you all right, love?
PAULA SOBS
That is the sound you hear when you choose silence.
PAULA WAILS
Blimey! Is that Reggie's vase?
The very same.
- What?! - Well, it's novel, I'll give you that.
I wish I could claim it as my handiwork,
but my only genius is to know somebody who could help.
This is an ancient Japanese technique called kintsugi.
The damaged pottery is fused back together,
using molten metal - silver, or sometimes platinum.
This has been done with gold.
It's more beautiful than it was before.
Well, that's what happens
when things are broken and then made whole again.
I've just seen Paula's father arriving in a taxi.
Sister Julienne is going to bring him in
to discuss the adoption papers.
I can remember crying on your shoulder about this case.
So much time has passed for us.
So much has happened.
Our work is other people's lives.
And sometimes the only way
to survive the pain is to remember the lives
that we call our own.
The joy of them, the hope of them.
The simple possession of hours, days and years
that are nobody else's.
Soon, one day that is not today...
..we will laugh.
On a day that is not today,
we will dance together.
And in a moment that is not this moment,
I will kiss you.
Oh, I'll kiss you!
KNOCK AT DOOR
Hello, Mr Cunningham
and Mrs Cunningham.
DOOR CLOSES
Is he going to go to good people?
A very nice family.
He'll be a blessing to them.
He's beautiful.
Over the course of a day or two,
with this, and with the Epsom salts,
the milk will dry up.
Mummy!
Can I come home now?
That's a question no-one should ever have to ask.
If I behaved in a way that forced you to ask it,
I'm sorry.
I left the other one with the baby.
One day you might want this.
Doesn't matter if you don't want it now.
CHEERING
# Love me with all of your heart
# That's all I want, love
# Love me with all of your heart
# Or not at all
# Just promise me this
# That you'll give me all your kisses
# Every winter, every summer
# Every fall
# When we are far apart
# Or when you're near me
# Love me with all of your heart
# As I love you
# Don't give me your love
# For a moment
# Or an hour
# Love me always
# As you've loved me from the start
# With every beat of your heart
# Just promise me this
# That you'll give me all your kisses
# Every winter
# Every summer... #
CHEERING
Sometimes we are made whole
simply because another heart has started beating.
Our blood runs richer and our soul sings,
suddenly perfect and complete.
And sometimes we heal,
because we realise we did not break alone.
The darkness was never absolute.
The rain was never all there was.
The tears, like mother's milk, were only temporary.
Where we were torn, we are mended.
And if there are scars,
they will be beautiful.
We are each other's light,
each other's gold,
each other's hope.
Forever fragile,
and forever valiant,
bound by love,
we will outlive the stars.