Mel?
Mel, can you hear me?
I think we've lost her.
'Anyway, shall we just press on?'
Please, God.
'As I was saying, this call is just about us in HR
'reaching out to the rest of you to say, "How you doing?" '
'I'm sorry, I'm just struggling with this, OK?
'I'm...' MEL SCOFFS
'I'm just struggling with all of this.'
You've both got families.
I'm... I'm here on my own.
I don't even know if I'm gonna have a job in a couple of months.
Just sitting here, all alone, getting fatter by the day.
Wow! Welcome to my world. 'Listen, listen.'
We're all struggling, Yasmine.
Sorry. YASMINE SOBS
Do you know what I've been finding a life-saver?
Alcohol. The kids. God.
Music.
Ah, of course. Music.
'Picked up the old guitar.'
KWAME COUGHS No, don't sing!
She's suffered enough. Look at her.
# You may think That you're in hell... #
MEL CHUCKLES
# But four walls Ain't no prison cell
# The thing that people Are gonna find
# The only cage is in the mind. #
Please, don't be posting these online.
I'm thinking about posting it online.
'You know?
'Well, given Mel's absence and Yasmine's difficulty...'
Oh, shit.
'..shall we, erm, reconvene tomorrow?'
Shit.
Kwame... MEL CLEARS THROAT
Hi, Kwame. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened there.
I will make sure I get that fixed for next time.
I promise.
It's fine. It's fine, Mel.
I actually wanted to talk to you alone, actually.
Erm, so, you know that I've had it, right?
Quite early on.
Two days in the hospital.
The same hospital.
As what?
As where you'll be having the baby.
So... you see where I'm going with this?
Not exactly.
'I'm immune. You're on your own.'
I'm offering to be your birthing partner.
'Now, I've cleared it with my wife,
'and... I'll stay away from the business end of things.
'Not just out of respect for her, but out of respect for you, too.'
Because we've got a... a professional relationship,
and I wouldn't want anything to jeopardise that.
'Do you wanna go away and have a little think about it?'
SOFTLY: Yeah. Great.
All right, well, erm... take care. Bye-bye.
END OF CALL BEEP, SHE SIGHS SOFTLY
SHE LAUGHS
I swear, I laughed so hard that I actually threw up.
SHE LAUGHS
It was the first time in this whole pregnancy
I've actually brought up my lunch.
You know, as a father, I find it very touching that someone,
a colleague, would care about you so much.
Dad, it's weird!
He's not even a friend. Hold on.
ALISON: 'Whiskey?' Not in the trifle!
Shelley's kids, they're cooking.
So... So, how many of you are there?
Er, me and Alison. Shelley, Martin, Daniel, obviously.
Daniel's Dale.
'Shelley's Rob. Three little ones.'
'Melanie!'
Oh, look at you. How're you doing?
Yeah, good, thanks, Alison.
'Looking after yourself?' Yep.
Are you?
WHISPERING: She's not drinking, I can tell.
'I want to see the bump. Let's see the bump.'
Oh, erm... Please.
MEL CHUCKLES 'Oh!'
Oh!
A girl. Definitely a girl.
ALISON CHUCKLES
'Do you know what you're going to call her?'
No. I haven't decided yet.
'You know, darling, you've got to think
'just such beautiful thoughts with that baby inside you.'
Nothing bitter. Nothing vengeful.
Cos the unborn, you know,
they're like spiritual sponges, sucking it all up.
OK, yeah. Thanks, Alison.
We're all here for you, darling.
'Just remember that.'
'She's worried about you.'
I am, too, if I'm honest.
Are you?
'I know you've done well for yourself.
'Great job. Beautiful flat.'
But the way you were talking earlier about your colleague,
it's a lot of negativity, Mel.
'That can't be good for the baby.
'And you need to start thinking about her now. Not just yourself.'
KID: It's ready! Oh, I've got to go.
'Trifle's ready.'
END OF CALL BEEP
Bye, then.
Hi, Kwame. Erm... So, I've been thinking about your offer,
and...
Oh...
'Hi. You don't know me. I'm Mel.'
Well, apparently, I've got to get rid
of some of the darkness that is in my heart
and start putting other people first, so...
er, this is just a message to tell you...
..that I think your dad was right, choosing you and your mum...
..over me and the baby, because,
you see, I've... I've been you
in that other situation and, er...
it's not good.
'I mean, obviously, if I'd known about you and your mum,
'there wouldn't even be a baby.
'Mel, what you doing? You can't send that.'
SHE TUTS AND SIGHS 'Kwame.'
Kwame.
I know I haven't been here long enough to make any friends,
but that doesn't mean that I wanna give birth in front of...
SHE GROANS
SHE SIGHS I mean, seriously, Dad,
you've got 11 people staying at that house,
and you didn't even ask me if I wanted to...
Kelly. Hi, it's me. It's Mel.
I found your number in an old address book that I had.
I didn't even know I still had it.
Erm... so, yeah.
I've been thinking about you a lot lately.
Er, about when we were kids.
And, erm...
Yeah, the thing is, do you remember in Year Eight when, erm...
I called your dad weird and you put a curse on me?
You said that I'd end up my own and that my kids would hate me.
Well, it came true.
Yeah, I know. It's amazing, really.
I mean... it's only the one kid.
And she doesn't hate me yet, but she will.
She'll know I didn't want her.
I'm only going through with it because the father, her father,
was on and on at me to have an abortion,
and in the end, I just thought, "Fuck off," you know?
No, you don't get to knock me up and then tell me what to do.
Yeah, so, anyway, I am... I'm now, er, living on my own
in the city I've just moved to, er, in 24-hour lockdown,
and with a baby due in three weeks.
So I just... I thought you'd want to know that... it worked!
SHE CHUCKLES
Yay!
This message is for you.
You!
Because your wife was entitled to more, and so was I.
You... You fucking arse!
SHOUTS: Arse!
SHE BREATHES DEEPLY
PHONE BUZZES
Hello?
WOMAN: 'Hi. Hello. Is that Mel?'
Who is this?
'Oh, you don't... Erm, you don't know me.
'You left me a message by mistake.
'I think you were after someone called Kelly.'
MEL EXHALES
Oh, God. Sorry. Erm...
'Oh, no, it's fine. It's fine.
'No, erm, I was only calling cos I was a bit worried about you.
'Are you all right?'
Er...
VOICE BREAKS: No.
SNIFFS I'm not.
'I'm not surprised.'
MEL SOBS
'Oh, sweetheart. It's OK.
'You go ahead and cry. Let it all out, yeah?
'It's all right.'
Oh... I just...
I just... I want to want her.
You know, my baby.
I just want to want her.
'Oh, yeah, I know you do.'
MEL SOBS
She deserves better than this. Better than me.
MEL SNIFFLES
'Oh, you sound lovely to me.
'Sound like you'd be a lovely mum.'
Do I?
'Yeah.'
Have you... Have you got any kids?
'Yeah.
'Will you have anyone there with you at the hospital?'
Er, no. Apart from the midwives.
But, you know, that's all right. I don't want anyone, really.
'OK.
'And are you doing OK for things
'like food, toilet roll, that all right?'
Yeah. I've got neighbours.
They're leaving shopping at the door.
'Oh.'
They're big on pizza. CLATTERING
'Oh. Listen, I'm gonna have to go, sweetheart. Sorry.
'But if you... if you change your mind about wanting someone with you,
'just imagine me there, yeah, OK?
'Imagine I'm with you, going, "Come on, Mel. Come on. You can do it." '
WOMAN CHUCKLES MAN: 'Is that a phone?
'Who the fuck are you talking to? Give it here.'
'Oh...'
'What the fuck have I told you?'
Hello? DISCONNECTION TONE BEEPS
No! No...
SHE SNIFFS
Hello?
Erm, this is for you.
For when you're older.
Cos this... is an extraordinary time.
And we're living it.
And I'm gonna sing you, erm, a little song every day,
because I thought that might be nice.
And, erm... Well, it gives me some practice for when you arrive.
I think you're gonna like it here, you know?
Despite everything...
there are some really good people around.
Kind people.
Anyway... this is one that my nan used to sing to me.
And now, it's for you. SHE CHUCKLES
# Beautiful dreamer
# Awaken to me
# Starlight and dew drops
# Are waiting for thee
# Sounds of the rude world
# Heard in the day
# Led by the moonlight
# Have all passed away
# Beautiful dreamer
# Queen of my song
# List while I woo thee
# With soft melody
# Gone are the cares
# Of life's busy throng
# Beautiful dreamer
# Awaken to me
# Beautiful dreamer
# Awaken to me. #
SHE CHUCKLES
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