Call the Midwife s12e04 Episode Script

1
Abandonment
is the successful parent's lot.
We raise them up and let
them go, waving bravely,
even as their wings unfurl.
They don't know how we
scan the empty sky
waiting for the speck on the horizon
that signals their return.
The joy lies in their landing,
in their coming home at last,
in meeting them with love
and saying, "Here you are!"
Morning, Miss Higgins.
One assistant clerk,
ready and willing to serve
for the whole of his summer holidays.
Welcome back, Timothy.
Am I permitted to say that
I heard your examination results
were slightly more than satisfactory?
I came second in my year.
Many congratulations.
Now, all of the leg ulcer patients
are to be offered
an extra weekly appointment.
They need to be informed by post.
Headed notepaper,
envelopes, stamps. And the list of names
and addresses are on the clipboard.
And I will have my coffee
whenever you've got a moment.
Timothy isn't going to have a moment.
I will see to that myself
in due course.
Reggie! My best man's back!
Have they put you to work already?
Yes. It's supposed to be a holiday.
I hope Fred looked after the comics
properly while you were away.
They're in a terrible mess.
I've had one ear bent right
back about those comics,
good and proper.
Listen, Reggie, I'm going
to the social club
to play dominoes tonight.
Would you like to come?
And we can take Fred with
us, if he behaves himself.
I might be tired after working all day.
You cheeky monkey!
He'll be joining the union next.
- What time you walking over?
- About ten to seven.
Great. We love a game
of dominoes, don't we, Reg?
Can't wait.
Ah, you're coming along
like clockwork, Mrs Khatri.
I'll walk you round
to the maternity home.
A gentle stroll will
help to keep things moving.
I must tell my little
ones what is happening.
- Have you got someone to look after them?
- Their aunties.
Girls? Mira? Priyanka?
You must be very good girls.
I'm going to the clinic with the
nurse to get our new baby.
What do you think you'll get?
A brother or a sister?
A brother, maybe? When Daddy comes home,
be sure to tell him where I am.
I visited Mrs Chen yesterday
and was presented with these
fortune cookies.
Break them open. They contain a message.
Thank you!
It appears to be in Chinese.
Allow me to translate.
To get the fruit,
one must first climb the tree.
Or make a visit to the greengrocer.
Go on, tell me mine.
Er, new learning
will keep the mind young and nimble.
Oh!
Oh, that must refer to
the ventouse extractor training
at St Cuthbert's tomorrow.
Forceps have been doing the
same job for hundreds of years.
One wonders why we need
an even more complicated
mechanical device!
The best device for the deliverance
of an exhausted mother
has always been the
encouragement of her midwife.
But what happens when
encouragement is not enough?
Forceps, in my view.
Forceps
and the doctor's skill.
I suppose forceps
aren't without their faults.
Perhaps ventouse extraction
will offer something new.
"Focus on the future" is my motto.
Found inside a biscuit, perhaps?
I've got Mrs Vinita Khatri
for you, Timothy.
Baby number three is on its way.
I've got to go and put
my shoulder to the wheel
- back at the clinic.
- Is he the doctor?
No, he's standing in
for the receptionist.
You just have to imagine him
in a skirt, suit and hat.
Welcome to the maternity
home, Mrs Khatri.
Please take a seat.
No time to take a seat.
Good girl.
- Stay calm. Hold on to me.
- Nurse Franklin?
Every three minutes
and getting stronger.
Marvellous.
I think we'll take you straight
through to the delivery room.
Her surgery records.
And she should have her own Co-op card.
Let's get you settled.
Young Mr Turner can get a
mop and see to the floor.
This way.
This is the pushing feeling.
I remember it.
Let's slip these undies off
and get you into a gown.
Won't be long before all this is over.
I remember the pain, too.
I'd forgotten it, but I remember now.
Yes, but do you remember
the gas and air?
Your ankles are a little swollen.
Nothing untoward at this late stage.
You need to rest as much as possible
with your feet slightly elevated.
All the modern manuals
say you should keep active.
Anyway, I'm in the middle
of packing to move house.
I thought I'd have had it by now.
My first one came a month early.
Babies never show any respect
for their mothers' diaries.
Anyway, if you're up
to your eyes in tea chests,
the last thing you need is to be
caring for a premature baby.
Did you leave your urine at the desk?
Yes. I was hoping I'd see
the pretty blonde nurse again.
She's at the maternity home today.
I'm having this one at St Cuthbert's.
No offence, but
it's hardly all mod cons
over at Dr Turner's, is it?
After my little one was
transferred to the hospital,
I was so impressed.
I wish I'd had her there.
We offer all our mothers the
very highest standard of care,
whether they choose to
deliver at St Cuthbert's,
in the maternity home
or in their own home.
I can't believe people still
want to have babies at home.
If you tried it, you'd
find much to commend it.
I believe in moving forward.
That's why we're going to Hatch End
to open our first shop,
Lucas Electricals.
That sounds very exciting.
Now blood pressure
and a listen to baby's heart.
I can't do this.
You can. I promise you, you can.
You did half the work
before you even got here.
Just one more push.
One more, and I think
we're going to be celebrating.
Come on, Vinita!
Come on! Come on, come on!
Yes!
It's a girl.
And she's gorgeous.
Another girl?!
They say things go in threes.
Congratulations.
You were in a hurry, weren't you?
You couldn't wait to meet your sisters.
Thanks.
Timothy, could you call
Mrs Wrigley's children in
from the corridor?
Yes, Mrs Turner.
I think it's a hoot,
the way he calls you that.
I wish mine were as well behaved.
Now sit on the chairs provided.
Then you can take turns
holding your new wee brother
if you have all washed your hands.
Michael, Jason, you heard the nurse.
- Yes.
- Yes.
I'm ready to go home, Nurse.
I'm heading off to clinic
to rendezvous with Doctor.
I'll see what we can arrange.
You took your time. I need
to get back to the market.
The modern father supports
his wife at all times, Larry.
If that means waiting for
her at the clinic, so be it.
I thought something might be wrong.
No, everything's spot-on.
So much so, the nurse said I
could have it at home, if I wanted.
That wasn't what we discussed.
It's what was implied.
I'm sorry, but I think
having babies at home
is really primitive.
Simone sounds a bit snippy.
I think it's her hormones.
I'm going to take her for an ice cream.
Oh, right now I would kill for a 99.
It hurts.
These are just the afterpains, Vinita.
Right, sweetie. Change of plan.
The emergency bell rang?
Could you please telephone the Florrie
and ask Dr Turner to come
with a second midwife?
Undiagnosed twins.
Your travails have been excessive.
And the day is warm.
The children call this a tuppenny one.
This isn't right.
Breech birth is
perfectly natural, Vinita.
Some babies just like
to ring the changes.
Listen to me. Listen.
With this next push,
baby's head is going to
come into the world.
That's it!
Beautiful!
- You have another daughter.
- You've got an absolutely
perfect matching set.
She is just as gorgeous as her sister.
My husband!
I need somebody to tell my husband.
Are you ready, Reginald?
Come on, Reggie. We don't want them
starting the dominoes without us.
I'm too tired.
I've been tidying the comics all day.
Oh!
Well, would you rather have a
quiet evening at home with me?
I've got some wool we can wind
and we can watch Points Of
View with Robert Robinson!
Yeah, that sounds nice.
More shandy for me, then.
Hmm
Well, as there are no
questions, you may proceed
to try the equipment yourselves.
Doctors to take the lead, of course,
with midwives providing support.
I have been dying to get
my hands on one of these
ever since I went to that
conference last November
the subsequent events
notwithstanding.
But when you asked how much
they cost and he told us,
I was appalled. I'm not sure
we could justify the expense.
My concern, if you
don't mind me stating it,
is that this device is only effective
if the baby's in the correct position.
You certainly couldn't use it
to turn a malpresenting head,
but the risk of perineal injury is lower
and the mother's recovery
time is shorter.
Do you want to operate the pump for me?
In the first instance,
I'm content to observe.
Wakey-wakey, Reggie!
You're normally first up.
Bacon's in the pan
and tea is in the pot.
Can I have coffee?
You don't like coffee!
To give me energy.
If you were to ask me
for the finest champagne,
I would give it to you,
and well you know it.
Just a small glass, then.
And a coffee.
I think that's lovely.
Is it the same as being christened?
What names did you choose?
Hindu families don't reveal
their baby names
straight away, Mrs Perreira.
They just have "Khatri Twin 1"
and "Khatri Twin 2"
on their bracelets for now.
We will decide when
they are ready to go home.
They won't go short of dancing
partners while they're in here.
The three of us have all had lads
and them's the only little girls!
I'll leave you in peace
for a few minutes.
I had so many names for boys in my mind.
Some of them came to me in dreams.
I did not think of a girl's name once.
And now we must find two of them.
Why don't you just say it, Ramesh?
Say what?
That you wanted a boy.
I'm a father to many daughters.
Can I not want just one son?
Sometimes truth must be spoken.
Can we have a little more suction?
That's it!
It's attached to the head now.
Yeah, try not to overdo
the vigour, Nurse.
Think swift and smooth.
If mother was having a contraction,
I would pull baby now.
Bravo! Very simple.
And it causes much less
damage than forceps.
Marvellous.
Mr Walsh, has this device been tested
in a domiciliary setting yet?
It hasn't been thought necessary.
Home births aren't really at the
cutting edge these days.
It can be hard to adjust
if you're of the old school.
With respect, Mr Walsh,
I've seen more innovations
in my 44 years of professional practice
than you've had fish suppers.
I've embraced them all with interest
and also with caution and questions,
a policy which has served me well.
Clearly, since you're still
working past retirement age.
Oh, come on, mate.
They won't pick themselves!
I was looking at the flowers.
You've been sat there
since the minute we got here.
I thought you liked raspberries.
Eh? Raspberries!
Get it?
Can I take some flowers
to my mum's grave?
Course you can, yeah.
We haven't been to see her
in a while, have we?
No.
Just because you don't
remember all the time
doesn't mean you forgot.
Here.
Thank you.
And afterwards,
how about we go to the shop
and pick a postcard
for you to send to Jane?
That sounds nice.
Oh, darling. Oh, darling.
I could hear her from the
ward. I know her cry already.
She feels a little cool.
I'll take her temperature.
Oh, goodness.
She's got quite a tummy upset.
I'm sending for the doctor.
Nurse?
I need a bowl.
I feel ill.
Just one moment.
Oh I'm sorry.
Don't worry. These things happen.
I'll look after you.
I'm not feeling too chipper
myself, Nurse.
"Dear Jane" exclamation mark.
"I am at home and it is fun"
Exclamation mark.
"When I see pansies, I think of you"
full stop.
"Love from Reggie"
three exclamation marks
and quite a lot of kisses.
Well, clearly not a lot wrong
with his love life or his punctuation!
I don't like to poke about
in his thoughts. I mean,
when all's said and done,
you know, he's a grown man.
Some things he's entitled
to keep private,
but he just doesn't seem quite right.
Was he all right at ivy's grave?
He did ask what she died of.
Like he needed reminding.
Well, I just said what we always say
she was very, very tired,
and sometimes people get so tired
they just stop and go to heaven.
Bless him.
I'll mix him up a bowl of Instant Whip.
That'll put a smile on his face.
Both twins are showing
signs of infection.
Let's send these samples off to the lab,
but this is gastroenteritis.
Mrs Perreira and Mrs
Jameson have it already.
Their babies will probably be next.
We're going to have to close
the maternity home
and probably the surgery.
That's such an extreme step!
But any newborns
who catch this could become
severely dehydrated
in a matter of hours.
We're going to have to provide
round-the-clock nursing care,
but with limited staff rotation
to reduce the risk
of it spreading further.
Which means us. We'll have
to stay for the duration.
Nurse?
Nurse!
What's wrong, Mrs Perreira?
Are you feeling sick again?
It's not me.
It is my baby.
All five babies are now
showing signs of infection.
The maternity home
and the surgery are closing
with immediate effect. At my invitation,
Miss Higgins is going to set up a
replacement surgery here
at Nonnatus House.
What is Dr Turner going to do?
Will he be replaced with the locum?
Yes. The care of the
sick babies must come first,
and he will need to be on hand for that.
Not everything is entirely clear.
What is clear is
that every pair of hands
not otherwise engaged will be required.
I will repair to
the maternity home forthwith.
Sister Monica Joan,
that infection is highly contagious.
You don't want to be getting
ill at both ends at your age.
My age is more to my
advantage than my detriment.
I have seen countless babies die
from living in filth and
drinking contaminated water.
I also saw them live,
and I have skills
that I have not forgotten.
I may forget much
but not that.
Don't you dare come one step
closer, or I'll have to
sluice you down with disinfectant.
Trixie, how long are you going
to be locked in for?
At least four or five days.
Right. Tell me what you need,
and I'll get it for you.
I'd like my sponge bag
from Nonnatus House.
It's got my favourite cologne in.
If you mean the maternity home,
then we need disposable nappies,
er, camp beds, more electric fans
and more medical supplies
than you can shake a stick at.
Dr Turner's drawing up a list.
Sister Monica Joan,
you aren't allowed in.
We're in quarantine.
You are in extremis, and I can assist.
What do you mean,
we can't have any visitors?
Well, you and your babies
are going to get
the best possible care
in the best and the most
hygienic environment
that we can create for you.
But we have to keep
this infection contained.
Can't we have our babies
in here with us?
If they're ill, they need their mothers.
We aren't going to deprive you
of contact with them, I promise.
But their feeds, their temperatures
and their nappies are going to
be monitored constantly.
And to do that well, it's best
that they stay in the nursery.
Sister Monica Joan,
we have several very sick
newborns to take care of.
If they're not to end up
hospitalised or worse,
they need very specialised care.
They need devoted nursing,
and the methods are not complicated.
Your great need now
is for many pairs of hands.
- I know
- But you are ill yourself.
I see it in your pallor
and in the beads of sweat
upon your brow.
Better find you a gown. I think
we're going to need you.
Here you go, Miss Higgins.
It's got a bit of a wobbly leg
but nothing we can't sort out
with a scrunched tissue or something.
No, this is unstable,
and a scrunched-up tissue
will not suffice.
We're trying to prevent
the spread of infection,
not promote it.
Miss Higgins, I have the medical
locum office on the telephone.
Dr Wilbraham is not available.
They've offered us Dr Mukherjee.
Dr Mukherjee?! Hmph!
I seem to recall he was
very popular with the ladies.
I don't think he's very popular
with Miss Higgins.
This is the first batch
of essential records.
Dr Turner is on his way
with surgery equipment
in the back of his estate car.
Thank you so much for taking time
away from your own work.
I couldn't contemplate
doing anything else.
This is serious, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
I hope Reggie isn't
coming down with that illness.
He hardly touched his fritters today.
And it was the same
with that Instant Whip.
He just pushed it around his plate
and then he went and had a lie-down.
Maybe he's missing his friends.
Well, he's missing any exercise.
All he does is loll about.
I don't like to see him being lazy.
Well, maybe he's just
a bit out of sorts, you know?
I'm not lazy.
Where are you going, Reggie?
Home.
Back to the Glasshouse Village.
- No. No, no
- She said I was lazy.
I didn't mean it, Reggie.
It's just that you haven't
been yourself, and, erm
well, it upsets us.
I'm not lazy!
Go after him, Fred.
- Go after him!
- Vi!
Give it a minute.
There's something not right.
- Nurse Franklin?
- Hmm?
I just weighed
Khatri Twin 2's last nappy,
and I think she's losing more
fluid than she's taking in.
Put the exact measurements
on her feed chart.
We'll do the same
with every feed and change.
I feel like a bloomin' cow!
I thought it was good for babies' health
if you fed them yourself.
Martin will still get
the benefit of your milk,
but now he has an infection,
we need to be able
to measure his feeds accurately.
He shouldn't be ill in the first place.
It's not the nurses' fault.
Germs are tiny little things.
They get everywhere!
You've perked up since yesterday.
We're going to get over this,
and so will the babies.
You trust Nurse Franklin, don't you?
She delivered me of twins.
I'd trust her with my life.
I am sorry to trouble you with this,
with everything else that's going on.
This is important, too.
But it seems extremely harsh
to expect you to appear
in front of a panel purely
because you are working
past the state retirement age.
I suspect I took too firm
a tone with Mr Walsh
at the ventouse training.
He sits on that board. I looked him up.
Will they have records of my attendance,
my bad back and my holiday?
I haven't been asked to supply them.
And if I was, I could refuse.
You are employed by Nonnatus House
not by the council.
You don't think I should retire, do you?
No, I do not, any more than
I think I should retire.
You're the heart and soul of Nonnatus.
And you are our backbone.
I'm afraid we're obliged to
go along with this.
We can't afford to aggravate the board.
Please don't let it
undermine your confidence.
What if it already has?
Nurse Franklin?
Nurse Franklin!
Her breathing has stopped.
What is happening?
Is it one of my babies?
It's your second twin.
Timothy, prepare
the resuscitation equipment.
Is she dying?
Is my baby dying?!
Prepare the oxygen.
I'm going to use the mucus
extractor to clear her airways.
Divine love is everything.
Oxygen now.
Respiratory effort returning.
- Her colour's better already.
- Heart rate 128.
Telephone the ambulance
and then call Dr Turner
and ask him to come as soon as possible.
She will live?
She will have to go to
hospital. But, yes, she will.
Trixie's already back in the nursery
looking after the other babies.
She had no sleep last night.
How do you do it, Dad?
Me or Nurse Franklin?
All of you.
Even me, I suppose, when my time comes.
How do you
see death coming so close
chase it away
and then just carry on like
nothing exceptional's happened?
Because in this job, you get
used to exceptional things.
That's the terror of it
as well as the privilege.
Begging your pardon. I'm the
husband of Mrs Vinita Khatri.
I came to see if there is news of her.
She is well.
And the twins?
I'm afraid things have taken
a bit of a turn for the worse.
Mrs Lucas.
Don't you dare say,
"Are you still here?"
Because it's perfectly obvious
that, A, I haven't moved house yet,
and, B, I'm ten months pregnant.
I've brought you some iron pills.
What did my husband say?
He said, "Tell my wife
I give thanks for all of them.
"I cherish all of them."”
He wanted a son.
He wants his whole family, Mrs Khatri.
That is not what he said to me.
Dad?
I mean Doctor. Mum's on the phone.
Patrick, you are not,
repeat not, to come home
until all this is over.
Have you all got it?
I've never been so glad
to have wipe-clean flooring.
Like everything else,
apart from your iron levels,
it's absolutely spot-on.
The trouble with babies is,
they come when they're ready.
I've heard they induce
you at some hospitals.
It means everyone can plan,
you and the hospital.
I shall consider it a sorry day
when they start doing
that at St Cuthbert's.
I don't want you to take this
as a compliment, but
you sounded like my grandma.
And if you don't mind, I need
to get on with my packing.
The simplest solution is for
you to sleep here, Dr Turner.
The outside lavatory
can be for your sole use.
I'm going to be in the maternity home
most of the time, anyway.
The test results do confirm E. coli.
Do you know the source?
It looks like Joan Wrigley
or her family.
We enquired, and they've all
been laid up with the runs
since she went home with the newborn.
Thank God for antibiotics.
It clearly says maternity
home, not Nonnatus House.
The delivery man said, "Well,
it's all the same thing."
What are you playing at?
Big girl's blouse!
Well, I I just like the smell of her.
Er, it.
Sister Veronica, health visitor.
And why would the East London Gazette
be calling this number?
I know nothing whatsoever
about a gastroenteritis outbreak.
I'm sorry, there's some
interference on the line.
Oh!
Matthew Aylward.
No, this is not a wrong number.
I'm speaking on behalf of Nonnatus House
and the associated medical practice.
Now, I have absolutely nothing to say
about the emergency closure
of the maternity home.
If I did, I would be in breach
of medical confidentiality.
If you forced this issue
or went to press with it,
so would you.
You're welcome.
Welcome to our temporary surgery.
Are you here to see our locum, Dr Patel?
No.
My name is Threapwood.
I'm the new chairman
of the Board of Health.
I informed the board
as soon as the outbreak became apparent.
You also informed us of
the measures you'd be taking.
That is not for you to do
in a situation of this magnitude.
Dr Turner acted very swiftly,
and I, for one,
was extremely grateful to him.
And as is so often the case,
it is not the opinion of
Nonnatus House that matters.
There's nothing wrong
with your policies, Turner.
It's the assumption of autonomy
the board doesn't care for.
Maybe midwifery
isn't the job for old bones.
The trouble with age
is it comes on so slowly
you hardly notice it.
I tried to take the tack
with unwelcome male attention
in my youth
refuse to acknowledge it
and it will go away.
But it doesn't go away, does it?
Eyesight fades
and flexibility dwindles.
Grey hairs and wrinkles multiply!
I always think you've done rather well
in the greying stakes.
It might be to your advantage
when you go before the panel.
I feel as if I'm being put on trial
for daring to keep on working.
You have broken no laws, Phyllis.
You have no need to explain yourself.
But I do, though, Millicent.
I've been summoned.
What if they tell me
I've got to give up working?
And who would I be without this uniform?
Hello?
Hello, stranger.
I'm so glad you answered quickly.
I was afraid of waking Jonty.
I took him to the swings
after tea this evening.
I don't think a bulldozer
could rouse him.
Anyway, if he was awake,
he'd be just as pleased
to hear your voice as me.
How are you bearing up?
I don't know.
I took my shoes off,
and my feet still hurt.
I'm so tired, it's as
though I'm floating.
I feel so far away, I could
be at sea in a shipwreck.
Or in a lifeboat.
And I don't know
if I'm the captain or just
a survivor waiting to be rescued.
I'd rescue you, if I could.
I'd swim with you on my back
until we were safe in harbour.
I feel safe in harbour now,
just being reminded
that you're out there.
Shall I tell you about
a different kind of voyage?
Mm, please.
The one we're going on in November,
on the Queen Elizabeth
for our honeymoon.
I'm going to dine and dance you
all the way from
Southampton to New York.
You'll wear shoes that don't hurt
and little cocktail frocks
that are so delicious
you can scarcely imagine them.
But I can.
I wake up every morning
smelling of your cologne
which has actually been the case
ever since you've been
holed up in there.
I can smell it now
if only faintly.
I need you to come quickly.
I think my Simone's in labour.
But she's booked in for
a hospital delivery, Mr Lucas.
I couldn't even persuade her
to get in the car.
She's crying her eyes out!
I don't know what's happened.
It's like she's completely
gone to pieces.
Why have you left her?
We've already had our phone disconnected
- because of the move.
- Go straight back home
and I shall follow.
Here. You drink this,
and you can take as long as you like
to tell me what's bothering you.
Cyril,
do you know about heaven?
Nobody really knows
about heaven, Reggie.
We, the people down here,
we just know it's there.
I'm scared of it.
Why?
Going to heaven will be
a wonderful experience.
But it's not going to be an experience
you're going to have
for a long, long time.
I'm going to die soon.
No, that's not the case.
I'm tired.
I'm very, very tired.
When people get too tired
they just stop.
That's not true.
My mum did.
She died.
Reggie, your mother was very old.
I'm old.
My hair is coming out.
Do you hurt anywhere, Reggie?
My hands.
And my head.
I think maybe you need to go
see a doctor.
Have you told Fred or Violet?
No. It'd make them sad.
Do you want me
to take you to the surgery
so you don't have to worry them?
Please.
I don't want to die.
Listen to me, Reggie.
Listen to me as your friend.
That is not going to happen.
I think you're further ahead
than you thought, Mrs Lucas.
We need to leave now
if you're going to have
this baby at the hospital.
No, I'm not going.
I'm not. I'm stopping here.
Simone, that means having a home birth,
which you said you didn't want.
I don't. I don't want it.
And I don't want to go to
hospital, either.
I don't want any of this at all.
Right, lass, let's take things
step by step.
Mr Lucas, why don't you
carry on packing all that
crockery and glassware?
What can I do to help you, Mrs Khatri?
I need to speak to my husband.
You must be missing him very much.
I need to know he's been to
see our daughter at the hospital.
We're still in quarantine,
but I can arrange for a telephone call.
We have no telephone.
I'm going to get you a pencil and paper,
and we'll start from there.
That's it, Simone.
Keep on bearing down.
Why is it taking so long?
Why don't you carry on
with the packing, Mr Lucas?
You need two sheets of newspaper
round glassware.
He's got a point, though.
Why isn't it out yet?
Baby's moving forward with every push.
Before you push again,
shuffle down towards me
so nothing's holding it back.
I know that contraction's gone,
but give me another push now.
Good lass!
We've almost got the head,
all but the chin.
Oh!
Oh, I've got a bit of a bonny one here.
- It's a bit of a tight fit.
- Is it too big?
Is it?
Simone, don't push again
until I tell you to.
Larry?
Go to the phone box, dial 999
and ask for the flying squad.
Do you understand?
Baby's shoulder is caught
on your pelvic bone.
I'm going to just slip my hand
round baby's back.
I know, lass. I know.
I've got to push. I've got to push!
No, Simone, don't push.
Just breathe.
Breathe.
- Breathe.
- I have to, I'm sorry!
I'm sorry.
Come on.
Oh, well done, lass!
You've a little boy. Well,
rather a big one, actually!
Is he all right?
Can I come a bit nearer? Can I?
Can I have a look at him?
Of course you can. He's yours, too.
He's a proper little better.
When we're all done and dusted,
I'll talk you through what
happened with his shoulder.
It's called a shoulder dystocia.
I'm going to give you
an injection to help
speed up the delivery of the placenta.
Larry, go downstairs
and wait for the flying squad.
Tell them where to find us.
Larry!
Do as Nurse Crane says.
You've described these symptoms
really clearly, Reggie.
When you say your hands
hurt, what kind of pain is it?
It's not a pain.
It's like a horrible itching.
Tingling, maybe.
Hmm. I can see why you've been worried.
Sometimes our bodies
let us know things are wrong
in very strange ways.
I said to Reggie
that the most important thing
was that he come to see you
so that he didn't keep building
things up in his mind.
Carrying a worry around
all on your own is never good.
Er, would you like Cyril to stay
while I take a look at you?
We could go behind the screen.
You go with the doctor.
I'll sit here and mind my own business.
Is all that blood mine?
Yes.
And now the afterbirth is out,
I can deal with it.
I'll give you another injection
of Syntometrine.
All you'll need to do
is stay nice and calm.
Everything will soon be
as it ought to be. Trust me.
I do.
And I'm so, so grateful.
We'll leave that to do its work.
Will the ambulance come soon?
Oh, yes, they're very nippy workers.
What we do need to get to the bottom of
is why on earth you were
so upset when I arrived.
I suddenly knew everything
was going to change.
The move.
Another baby.
And the minute I left the flat,
all that was going to start happening.
You realise all that was
going to happen anyway?
Because change does.
The ambulance is here.
They're just bringing
a stretcher up the stairs.
I just needed one familiar thing
one solid thing
I could touch and lean on.
And it was you.
Is it still going?
I am going to put
"sense of humour - excellent"
in your notes.
Roll up your trouser leg for me.
Is it serious?
No, I don't think it is.
But we do need to do a blood test.
I think you've had one of those before.
Violet came with me.
You can have anyone you like with you.
Cyril could stay today.
Then I'll jot a note down
for him to take to Violet,
if you give me your permission for that.
All right.
But you must put "Reggie is not lazy".
Did you see our daughter?
When I read your note, I went
directly to the hospital.
And she saw me.
She opened her eyes, Vinita.
Her sister's eyes have been open, too,
as though she wanted to say,
"Where is my twin?”"
This one she looked at me
as though she wants to say,
"Where is my mother?"
I told her, "She will see you soon."
And I told her I loved her.
Sometimes truth must be spoken.
Look who's been discharged
from hospital!
- My daughter!
- Khatri Twin Number 2.
This little bracelet
round her arm has been
on quite a journey with her.
They cannot be Twin 1
and Twin 2 any longer.
We must say the names
that they'll go through life with.
Have you decided what
you're going to call them?
Twin I will be called Chakra
and Twin 2 will be called Asha.
"Gratitude"
and "hope"
because those were
the gifts they brought.
Ohhh!
- Oh!
- Oh, love,
- we missed you.
- Oh, I missed you both, too,
which feels rather lovely
now the missing's over.
No offence, Doc, but the
only person I ever knew
with a thyroid problem was
the landlord of the Mary Bishop.
He was as thin as a rake
and his eyes were
bulging out of his head.
Nothing like Reggie at all!
That sounds like an over active thyroid.
Reggie's is underactive.
Hypothyroidism, which is the opposite.
The blood test confirmed it.
I have to ask this, Dr Turner.
Is it because of, you know,
the way he is?
It has been noticed in people
with Reggie's condition.
Your thyroid is just here,
in your neck, and it's the part
of your body that helps
keep things like your heart
and your bloodstream ticking over
at the proper speed.
Like a clock?
Yeah, a bit like a clock or
or maybe an engine.
If it goes wrong,
you can feel quite poorly
tingly hands, depressed,
putting on weight.
Even a bit of hair loss.
But above all else, you'll feel
really, really tired,
like you did.
All you have to do
is take one pill a day.
Just one?
For a long time, it has to be said.
In fact, for ever.
But you are going to notice
such a difference.
I just want to be the same as I was.
I want to be Reggie.
I will not permit you
to attend this appointment unsupported.
I won't deny you.
But when we get there,
I'm going in on my own.
Nurse Crane, it has been
brought to our attention
that you're still working
despite being some years
past the retirement age for a midwife.
That is correct.
But retirement
is not compulsory, as far as I'm aware.
Competence to practise is compulsory.
Has it been suggested that I am not?
After our meeting at
the ventouse extraction class,
I was curious to see
whether you'd availed
yourself of any of the other
excellent courses
offered by the council,
particularly refresher courses,
which are very strongly advised.
To the point of being,
in effect, compulsory.
But according to your records,
you have attended
none.
Taking refresher courses takes time,
and time is something we find
hard to spare at Nonnatus House.
Apologies for my intrusion.
Er, there is a meeting in progress.
And it requires my participation.
Sister
You presume me to be in my dotage.
I beg to inform you
I am not merely ancient but wise.
I don't think this is going to help!
I practised as a nurse and midwife
until I reached
my three score years and ten.
But because I wore the habit,
my services were not questioned.
Is my colleague's array held
in inferior esteem?
With respect,
- Sister
- I hear no respect
in your tone,
only its obverse.
I took vows that will
shape my life until its end.
Nurse Crane did similarly
when she qualified.
She has skills, compassion
and dedication
precisely because
she has lived and worked
a full life.
I would also like
to refer the learned board
to the fact that she is the junior
of all of you.
I will gladly commit to taking
as many refresher courses
as is necessary.
I am a good midwife.
But that doesn't mean
I can't be a better one.
And I know we do things differently
at Nonnatus House,
- because
- Yes, you do.
And it's gone on far too long.
Nurse Crane
you may continue to practise in
your current capacity,
subject to attending the
necessary refresher courses.
Nonnatus House and its eccentricities
we will return to in due course.
I will be speaking to Sister Julienne.
Liqueur chocolates!
The finest champagne chocolates.
He has had me walking
all over Poplar to find those,
and, er, I picked up these, as well.
I'm sorry we had
a bit of a falling-out, love.
I'm sorry, too.
You weren't well.
And we we couldn't see it
because we just want you
to be happy all the time.
Nobody's happy all the time.
No.
And you are going to feel so much better
now that you've got these pills.
Champagne will help, too.
- Aha!
- Yeah!
I have to be completely candid with you.
I've been worried about
the council's attitude
to Nonnatus House for some time.
But things have taken
a marked turn for the worse.
Perhaps you should beard
Dr Threapwood in his den,
demand to be told
the board's intentions.
I fear he's going to tell us
soon enough.
Mothers learn from midwives.
Both do their utmost and
pass the baby on with trust,
with hope, with all the
wisdom and the care
that's theirs to give.
The family is where we are forged
and where we come to heal.
It is where we can fly back to.
It is our magnetic north.
The family is the sum
of all important things -
the sweet, the bitter, the fragile
and the strong
measured by time together,
not defined by days apart.
If your father wants to visit,
we'll make him welcome.
Ah, it's not what it was.
The most unwelcome event in a home
is an unplanned pregnancy.
They said I should never
get pregnant again!
Spencer needs to see a psychiatrist.
I'm going to sell the whole
batty hovel from under them.
Sub extracted & improved by