Call the Midwife s05e07 Episode Script
Series 5, Episode 7
1 'For the women of Nonnatus House, 'life was composed of countless tender disciplines.
'For every word not spoken in the precious nightly silence, 'prayers had to be offered, and rituals performed.
'For every sweet hour stolen, 'there was penance paid.
'And even fleeting, golden moments 'called for sacrifice and courage.
'Nothing came entirely easily.
'And, yet, all hardship was embraced, 'because that was the way the wind blew.
'That was the way that things were done.
' Daisy! - For crying out loud, will you put a bit more into it?! - All right.
Lou! Lou! Your mother ain't well! Get up on that path and help her! I'm sure you deserved it.
And a round of applause for the Beverley Sisters! Better late than never.
We're not late.
It's eight on the dot.
If you spent less time lathering on the eye-black, Nurse Franklin, you'd have been down here five minutes ago and ready to start work at eight on the dot, like Sister Mary Cynthia.
I'd be careful, if I were you, Nurse Mount.
It may be October, but there's plenty of flies still looking for a home.
- Morning! - Good morning, Master Turner.
You're looking very spruce.
New blazer? Yes, although it's still purple, unfortunately.
So I see.
Insulin? My mum asked me to drop it off.
And she says can Sister Julienne call in at the practice after surgery hours? I'll tell her.
She's already asked to see me in her office.
Thank you.
Sister.
Your courage and your forbearance over the last few weeks has been admirable in every conceivable way.
- You have my absolute respect.
- Thank you.
But I haven't done anything out of the ordinary.
I just carried on.
And it is for that very reason that I have wanted to send you to the Mother House ever since you were attacked.
You deserve to spend time in prayer and reflection, but I haven't been able to spare you.
We have no idea when Sister Evangelina will re-join us.
Or even if.
But she said she was going to the silent order for six months.
And the six months is over, and we've scarcely heard a word from her.
But why would she choose an enclosed life? Why would she choose to give up midwifery? It may not be a choice.
She may've found a different calling.
A new superfluity of apples abandoned upon our step! I think these are russets and like to be as hard as swedes.
I'm quite sure that Mrs B can find something wonderful to do with them.
Again? Again.
Personally, I'm glad to be spared another marrow.
Midwife calling! Mrs Matlin? Oh, get down! You could hurt yourself! I can't stop myself, nurse.
Yesterday, it was cleaning.
And when there was nothing left to clean, I started painting.
Please let me finish -- I've only got one more stroke with the brush.
In which case, I shall do it.
But it's not your job.
My job is looking after you, and that involves stopping you falling, A, off this chair and, B, out of the window.
Anyone falling would make a right mess, from eight floors up! It'd be like Tom and Jerry, where they fall off the roof and leave a cat-shaped hole in the pavement.
- Or a mouse-shaped hole.
- Hello.
Hello, love.
What's happening? Your wife is in the grip of what's known as the nesting instinct, - Mr Matlin.
She needed a bit of a hand.
- Thanks.
I must say, this is one of the nicest flats I've been to.
We had a wedding list.
There was one in Woman's Own you could cut out.
We got the lot except for the sherry glasses.
Pretty much everything we wanted.
Didn't we, Leslie? So the contraceptive pill.
Licensed for distribution within weeks.
It's been talked about for so long, it's hardly a surprise.
No.
But it is a challenge.
Well, of course it's a challenge, Sister.
Antibiotics were a challenge once.
Antibiotics were also a miracle.
And you think the contraceptive pill isn't? It's a miracle with moral implications, Dr Turner.
With other forms of contraception, you refer the patient to a family planning clinic, which you can't do unless they're married.
Exactly.
But with the pill, the Minister for Health has issued no such guidelines.
- Yet.
- And that's the most exciting thing.
If I can prescribe it, single women will benefit, too.
Quite.
You know the statistics as well as I do.
10% of babies in Poplar are born illegitimate.
With all the heartache and stigma that implies.
I don't doubt that you've looked at this from every conceivable medical and social angle.
However, whilst there is nothing in Anglican teaching to forbid birth control, the church does take a view on matters of morality.
As Mrs Turner, at least, will be aware.
Well, of course.
Have a lemon puff.
Is there anything plainer? I have some arrowroot biscuits.
I'll pop and fetch them.
Tea is on the table, Sister.
I shan't join you today.
I feel I need to spend some quiet time in chapel.
- Perhaps you'd say grace instead? - Of course.
Everyone's out on their evening rounds.
Apart from me, because I'm on call.
Good.
Ooh Have you bought shares in Brylcreem? Funeral.
People expect a certain level of grooming.
Oh.
So, that's Peggy May, Rose Willow, Golden Maid, Sweet Alice, and Dora Deane.
Sounds like a line-up of chorus girls.
It's all rather quaint, really.
I don't know why Nurse Crane insisted we came down together.
Oh, um, little girl? Do you know of a barge called the Molly Belle? Yes.
It's where I live.
It's up there.
Is your mother's name Marguerite Blacker? Yeah, but they call her Daisy.
You can always trust Trixie to have the latest records in.
Hi, tiger Teach me, tiger, how to kiss you Wah wah wah wah wah Show me, tiger, how to kiss you Wah wah wah wah wah Take my lips, they belong to you But teach me first Teach me what to do Touch me, tiger when I'm close to you Wah wah wah wah wah Tiger Tiger Tiger It is good of you to come.
But I'm feeling much better now.
- Not that much better.
- Don't contradict your mother, Lou.
They were good to her at the hospital, but they said she was all right to leave.
I'm sorry.
We've interrupted you during your meal.
If you telephone this number at any time of the day or night, you can speak to a midwife about any aspect of your pregnancy.
There's no need to make an appointment.
Might not be 'ere that long.
We're in with a chance of a cargo going up to Manchester.
But thank you.
Lou, take that piece of paper off the lady.
Come on down, have a look at her.
No harm in putting minds at rest.
Dunno know why I took on so funny this morning.
I was only working the lock, and I do it all the time, like me ma and me grandma did before me.
Locks are women's work.
Always have been.
Like this.
If this is women's work, you're rather good at it.
Baby's heartbeat's wonderfully strong.
Felt like a failure, being taken to the hospital.
Having them do blood tests.
I should be able to get the results tomorrow.
And I can bring them here for you, or you could come by our clinic? There are things we can give you for your other children -- free orange juice, and so forth, or rosehip syrup if you prefer.
Rosehip? You can do a lot with rosehips.
I make tea with them sometimes.
You've been awfully good to me, but I really shouldn't keep you.
Tom.
People will be home soon.
True.
Oh, no.
- Oh, Tom! - What? - The wall's covered in Brylcreem! From your head! - No! Oh, it's not coming off.
Oh, I'm just making it more shiny.
Well, you'll have to say you tripped up with the butter dish.
Oh, Mr Hereward.
What a nice surprise, you must've come to join us for Compline.
Yes.
I have.
Indeed.
Poor Mrs Blacker.
It was like trying to get a bird to eat out of my hand.
One false move, and she'd fly away.
I wish it wasn't so hard to give help to the people that need it.
And, you know, none of those children go to school.
I checked while you were in the cabin.
The eldest, Lou, is already 11 and I'm not sure she can even read or write.
The whole family's completely itinerant.
Never in the same place for more than a week or so, they travel huge distances.
There must be ways around that.
Well, Mrs Blacker was quite surprised when I told her all the things she was entitled to.
Trouble is, I'm not sure whether she wants to accept them.
Barge people are a law unto themselves, they always were.
They don't call them water gypsies for no reason.
I Good grief! Where did that stain on the wallpaper come from? What stain? Oh, dear.
I do hope it isn't another patch of damp.
Sister Julienne's worried the building's getting wet rot.
Ooh, perhaps it's just an optical illusion.
This isn't moisture.
It's grease! I surmise a manifestation from another realm.
Spirits have been known to talk through the approbation of strange substances.
Whatever it is, it's strange enough.
It smells rather masculine to me.
Masculine? Though what it's doing six feet up the wall is anybody's guess! - Good morning, ladies.
- Good morning, Sister.
Nurse Crane will issue the morning's schedule after breakfast.
But this evening, I would like you all to attend a special seminar here at Nonnatus House.
I have an obligation this evening.
I have it every week.
Of course.
I'm sorry.
After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have asked Dr Turner to come and talk to us about the new contraceptive pill, which will be available within the next few weeks.
That's absolutely tremendous news! I've also invited Mr Hereward to join us, so he can give us a Christian perspective.
It's a shame Sister Evangelina isn't here.
She'd have had plenty to say about it all! Sister Evangelina has elected to be absent.
We must proceed without her view.
There were Worcesters today, and there were crab apples.
The latter still with the tang of Epping Forest upon them.
I'm sure no-one will object to us sharing our good fortune.
Before you apply the term "good fortune" to this glut, I suggest you hear the opinion of my bowels! I sense this is a personal letter, since you intend to dispatch it yourself? Yes.
It is.
It is to Sister Evangelina.
I did not think we should ever have to plead with her.
Nor did I.
But time has passed.
And who knows what has passed between our Sister and the Lord? And who knows what addlement her mind has suffered, closeted in ostentatious silence? Evangelina is a woman built for noise and motion, designed to hear His voice above the din of living.
- Sister, please - You fear what will become of us if she does not return.
I fear what will become of HER.
As do I.
And now, I am going to post my letter.
Excellent! Oh! Very good.
- There we are.
- Thank you.
You haven't gained anything in a month, Gina.
Top of the milk for you, and make sure you help yourself to an extra potato.
That being said, I'm not sure how much longer you've got left.
There's still nothing doing, Nurse.
I thought, if I came down here, it might stop me painting the bathroom.
Or me husband.
- Ah, is he getting restless, too? - Not so's you'd notice.
It's like he don't even know there's a baby on the way.
Thank you, Sister.
I'm sorry to have kept you.
Some blood results came back from the London.
- One or two will need attention.
- Thank you.
Could you pop over to the side room, Sister? This week's unmarried mothers are ready to catch the bus - to the station.
You just need to sign those final forms.
- Of course.
- Good afternoon.
May I help you? - I had another dizzy do.
The red-headed nurse said I could come here, but I only want to talk to her.
Of course.
Take a seat.
And I'll fetch Nurse Mount.
It was my husband made me come.
I had a hard time having Jonah, it took me ages to pick up afterwards.
These things do all get rather harder with age.
Where was Jonah born? In a barge, like the others.
I always liked the quiet, the being on me own On your own? But maybe not this time.
Well, we can look after you when you deliver.
And keep an eye on your blood pressure, which is rather low.
The London blood tests showed that you're also anaemic, so our rather lovely doctor can prescribe you iron pills.
Will they cost much? Just the prescription fee.
Only my Joe had to turn down a Birmingham cargo today, cos of me coming here.
Where's Lou? Doing crepe paper handicrafts with the other children.
And being quite the bossy-boots, from the look of things.
She's like a second mum to my three lads.
I call her my right hand.
- Knock, knock! - Come in, Doctor.
I was just telling Mrs Blacker what a sterling service we provide.
No stone left unturned in pursuit of a happy outcome! Which means that we need to give you a bit of extra care, Mrs Blacker.
- The nurse said about the iron pills.
- Yes.
And I'd also like to book you into our maternity home for bed rest.
I do appreciate that it will be a wrench for you to be away from your children, Mrs Blacker.
But you need to put your new baby -- and yourself -- first for a while.
We do everything together.
All of us.
We're never apart.
Your husband and children can visit every evening, between five and seven, longer at weekends.
That sounds all right.
And they'll have so much to tell you every day.
The school has room for all four of them -- Jonah and Barney will be in the same class and Lou can meet up with them every day at playtime.
Do you want to go to school, or do you want to stop with Dad? School.
All right.
Very wise.
So, if I could just get you to confirm that I've entered your name, address and birthdate correctly on the booking form, we're all shipshape and Bristol fashion.
I haven't brought me glasses.
Not to worry.
I'll fine-tune the paperwork.
Sister Monica Joan, I really don't think Dr Turner wants to be competing with the Black and White Minstrels.
The room required cleansing with glad acts, for it had been unsettled by the advent of strange medicine.
What's happened to trouble you, Sister? The mark of it remains quite plain .
.
upon the wall.
Put these back in the kitchen.
They're for after the talk.
- By the silvery moon - The moon, the moon - By the silvery moon - The moon, the moon By the silvery moon In the United States, the pill was initially only approved as a treatment for menstrual disorders.
But hundreds of thousands of American women are now taking it as a contraceptive and it has been declared to be 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.
One of the best things about this method of contraception is that it's completely within the control of the woman.
Some men aren't going to like that.
Listen, I've spent quite enough afternoons in family planning clinics rolling sheaths onto a wooden Excuse me, Sister, may I say penis? By all means.
.
.
wooden penis, trying to convince mothers of five or six children that barrier methods are the way ahead.
Time and again, you get the same response.
"My Eddie won't.
" "My Ted can't.
" "My Billy says, it's like going for a paddle with your socks on.
" There are so many things about sobriety that surprised me.
Everybody's journey here seems to begin with such a bang.
The torrents of tears, the phone calls in the dead of night.
The wanting to die.
My experience was no different.
But what nobody tells you -- or at least what nobody told me in almost a year of dragging myself here on the 49 bus -- is that life without a drink can be so appallingly boring.
The drag -- the utter drag -- of Horlicks every night.
The tedium of barley water with your Sunday lunch.
Oh, it used to be such fun to mix a drink, thinking, "What can I put in this Campari to make it a brighter colour, "give it more bite?" Oh, and I so loved the smell of maraschino cherries.
I loved the lipstick red of them .
.
and the way other people smiled as I speared the cherry on a cocktail stick.
It was such a wonderfully frivolous thing.
It meant that I was with friends.
That I wasn't alone.
I don't bother much with maraschino cherries any more, I don't even put them in my Horlicks, or my barley water -- they taste revolting.
I don't need them.
I know that fun doesn't come in bottles now.
I know the value of sobriety .
.
and I know what friendship really is, what it means.
I always did, I just couldn't see it.
I owe the 49 bus rather a lot, all things considered.
And I owe you -- all of you -- even more.
Thank you.
Like any method of contraception, you have to use it religiously, or it doesn't work.
And there are some groups of women who'll find taking daily medication difficult.
Which could be a catastrophe, if they are single.
I'm extremely concerned that we do nothing to promote recreational intercourse and I'm sure Mr Hereward feels the same.
Well, what are the government guidelines? Mr Hereward, shouldn't you be more concerned with church teachings than government guidelines? Well, I do think we have to be mindful of the Bible.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, "There is too much immorality among you.
"Let each man keep to his own wife and each woman to her own husband.
" Well, how on earth can that be relevant? Contraception wasn't invented then.
Times change, but the value of marriage remains constant.
So, say there's a young woman, she's 19 or 20 and she's in love with a boy -- who's in love with her -- and she knows and he knows that they can't keep fighting this desire that's drawing them together.
Would you have them risk everything -- their reputation, their peace of mind -- because they simply can't help themselves? I'd be obliged to counsel self-restraint.
And, with Mr Hereward's wise words, it's time we drew this to a close.
Nurse Gilbert, I believe you're first on call.
Tom, how could you sit there and lecture people on self-restraint in a room where your Brylcreem has made a mark on the wall as big as an elephant's face? I wasn't lecturing.
Sister Julienne put me on the spot.
- Well, you hadn't said a word till then! - Well, nobody asked me to.
And I could hardly chip in, you were talking about medicine and menstr Menstruation.
Both subjects about which I know nothing.
Well, maybe you should learn! If you're going to go around family planning meetings like some sort of moral advisor.
Barbara, are you saying you believe in sex before marriage? No, I'm saying I believe it happens -- and I know how it happens.
I'm sorry, it's Gina Matlin's first and she's gone into labour.
She'll be fretting until someone arrives.
Can I have a kiss? Just the one.
Tiger.
Oh, Gina you've had a long night, but this is normal -- especially with a first baby -- and you are doing so well.
No, I'm not.
It hurts.
It hurts so much and that gas is useless! Oh, it's not useless.
It's run out.
Mr Matlin? - Mr Matlin! - I'm sorry, I fell asleep.
And I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I need you to make a phone call for me.
You lot behave yourselves, now.
- And you.
- Nurse Mount'll keep me in order, I reckon.
I may not be on horseback, but consider me the cavalry.
Gina, this baby's well on its way and we've brought more gas to get us through the home stretch.
Shall I take over, you look done in.
You yell your head off, if you fancy it, Gina.
That's the last you'll be having without some help.
- Am I the only one in here? - Yes, you're lucky.
- We're unusually quiet at the moment.
- Ceiling's so high.
Makes me feel dizzy, even though I'm not.
Your blood pressure's rather good today.
Morning, Mrs Blacker.
A doctor will be here to check you over shortly and I've come to ask if you want a soft or a hardboiled egg.
I have bread in the mornings, usually.
- Eggs are surprisingly rich in iron.
- What's this? Nightdress, dressing gown and slippers.
- I told you everything would be provided.
- No.
I mean -- what's this? It says "Property of Kenilworth Row Maternity Home.
" We write that on everything.
Baby's with us as far as his shoulders, Gina.
If you can give me one more massive, brave push -- you'll have him in your arms.
Oh, lass, you put the graft in and here's your reward! A little boy, Gina, and just wait till you see him.
You've got a little smasher there, you really have.
Your husband will be grinning from ear to ear.
I don't reckon Leslie wants any of this -- the baby, or a wife.
Gina, I'm sure that isn't true.
We'd only been courting three months and we had to get married.
It's not what either of us planned.
I came round to it -- I couldn't help it, once I felt him kicking .
.
but I don't think Leslie ever did.
He's so soft.
Leslie said we could call him Robert, if he was a boy, after his grandad.
But I just don't think he really wanted him or me.
Except for in the way he shouldn't have.
It's far too late to be crying about that now.
- Barley sugar? - Oh, yes, please! It's a rotten business, isn't it? Having to get married.
Well, there's plenty make a decent fist of it and plenty don't.
Though, it's still better than what my mother went through when she had me out of wedlock.
Oh, I don't mention it much.
Suffice to say, it made its mark.
During the war, all morals were tossed to the winds, but even so, when the opportunity of a weekend in Cleveleys with an Air Force sergeant presented itself, I nearly chickened out.
NEARLY chickened out? I did the appropriate research and purchased a hygienic douche through the small advertisements.
It was called the Omega Spray.
It involved a certain amount of fiddle-faddle, but we managed well enough.
I shall always have very fond memories of Cleveleys.
Phyllis, what happened to him? The Air Force sergeant? - Killed, over Germany, in 1941.
- Oh.
It made me very glad we'd seized the moment.
It's almost a full moon.
Sister Monica Joan is convinced full moons are our busiest nights.
I did a stint on psychiatric once -- used to say the same thing there.
I wish the Blacker children had got on better at school.
When they visited Daisy, I heard them telling her the other children had been horrible.
Lou doesn't want to go again.
- Do they smell? - Lots of children smell.
In any given vaccination queue, you can tell who's been rehoused somewhere with a bathroom and who hasn't.
The Blacker children are never going to have a bathroom and their clothes are a problem, too.
Pats, next time we both have the same night off .
.
I want to go to Gateways Club.
Why? Because there are women like us there! We've discussed this! I don't want to be with "women like us", I just want to be with you.
We can hold hands there.
Dance there.
Be in a crowd and be invisible.
I'm sorry.
- There you go, pass that down.
Well done.
- Ta.
We'll rinse the lotion off your hair and just trim the ends before you change into some nice smart clothes.
I don't want us to be late, they'll pick on us if we are.
Miss Dawkins said you could come in at ten and go straight to Music and Movement.
And no-one will pick on you, wearing those lovely fresh knickers and vests.
Here we are! There's something for everyone, including ribbons for Lou's plaits.
Perfect! The rest is clearly doing everything we hoped.
I feel like it might happen today.
According to your dates, you're not quite due.
Let's see what Mother Nature has in store.
- Mummy! - Look who I found coming up the stairs! - Come here! What's this, then? What's happened? Well, nurse got them spruced up a bit.
We thought you'd be pleased.
Pleased that they look nothing like 'emselves? Pleased that they smell of disinfectant? It's just delousing lotion.
Rather a lovely fresh smell, I always think.
My kids don't have lice! You get lice in schools and they never went there till yesterday! Sister Winifred insisted on it.
She always says, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
" And you dressed Lou up like a little girl.
Ribbons and ankle socks? They're not going to last five minutes on the barge! Daisy, Lou just wanted to fit in, to be like everybody else.
She's not like everybody else.
She's a bargee, whether you like it or not.
- We do things our way! - Well, Nurse just wanted what was best for 'em, just like I wanted what was best for you.
I'll tell you what's best for me -- my own bunk, my own food and not to have Property of Somebody Else written all over me in black bloody pen.
Mrs Blacker, you said yourself you didn't want to have another baby without help.
Yeah, there's help -- and there's interference.
- Fetch me my clothes, please.
- Daisy By which I mean my own clothes.
The ones I came in wearing and which are good enough for me.
I'm going home.
- Mrs Blacker - Fetch 'em! 'It's better when you've got a gun in your hand.
'What are you like without it?' Autumn high tide, I reckon, straight out of Whitaker's Almanack.
You ought to batten down the hatches.
I'm sure there's no need for us to be alarmed.
Oh! It's blowing up a right storm out there, Sister.
Oh! Nonnatus House, midwife speaking? Hello, can you send a midwife over to the maternity home? Mrs Mansoor's just arrived and we already have a lady who's had to go straight through to the delivery room.
On my way, sweetie.
There's just been a weather warning on the wireless -- gale-force nine across London.
That settles it.
I'm not going anywhere until I've put on at least three layers of hair lacquer.
Nonnatus House, midwife speaking? Dad! Stay down below, Lou, till this blows over.
It's Mum, she isn't well.
- Nurse! Nurse - Oh, my goodness! Are you in labour? Either that or I've weed on my bleeding slippers.
It's swaying.
The whole block of flats is actually swaying.
Is it? - You all right? - I dunno.
I've got an headache and a pain here -- under my ribs.
Shall I clear off out? Get the kids from under your feet? You can't go walking up and down the towpath in this wind! I should be taking you back to that little hospital -- - or even just fetch that nurse.
- No! We had words, that nurse and me -- bad words -- and I meant 'em.
- Daisy, tell me what to do! - You'll have to go and get a sheet and Lou can help me.
Oh, hello, Mrs Mansoor! This is Mrs Wheatley! Nurse Franklin, Dr Turner's in the delivery room, we have a deep transverse arrest.
Or maybe we should go straight to Della and Nahima.
One way or another, I think you two will end up on first name terms! Oh, Nahima! - I can see flashing lights.
- It's just the electrics.
It keeps flickering with the storm.
It's like spots or sparkles.
I can see 'em even when I close me eyes.
Let's see how things are lining up.
With a bit of luck, you'll be able to start pushing soon.
Hang on, Nahima! I'll be across in two ticks, I promise! Oh.
It's just the lights in the flat.
No.
I can't see properly.
I'm going to get help.
I need you to come and see my mum.
Come in! I've got one cable running into the delivery room -- there's a mother who still needs stitches -- and we need a working light in the ward! Doctor, Mrs Mansoor's baby's crowning! Some people have parents who do ordinary jobs.
Get cranking the handle.
Sooner them than me! Midwife calling! This way, Nurse, and mind your head! We've got the water on already.
Thank you.
We heard her kicking off yelling and well, we all know what that sort of racket means, don't we? She's calmed down a bit since she's had some company.
- Hello, nurse.
- Any objection to me popping by? - I can just leave you with your friends.
- Bless you.
And bless them, never met any of them before! Don't mean to say we ain't friends, though.
We know the life -- that means we know each other.
Yes.
Come on, then, let's clear out and make some room.
We'll take the kids down the Golden Maid with their father.
And what about this one? She looks old enough to come in handy.
Take her with the other kids.
Me and Nurse Mount can manage, can't we? Absolutely.
And I'll take my lead from you.
Calm down, take a deep breath and tell me what you mean.
She, she says she can see flashing lights! Go back to Gina and wait with her.
I'm telephoning for an ambulance and then I'll come straight to you.
- I require an ambulance, please.
Nelson Tower - 'Yes.
' Anchorage Estate Flat number Oh.
Hello? Hell's teeth! Good grief! Come on! And that's me excused physical jerks for the rest of the week.
It's a good job you live on the 8th floor, young lady, not the 18th.
Let's have a look at you, love.
Leslie tells me you've had a headache and some visual disturbance.
- Any nausea or vomiting? - I feel a bit sick.
Right.
I called an ambulance before I left and I'm of the view we should make use of it.
All things considered, - I think you'll be better off in the hospital.
- What about Robert? Robert can come, too.
Leslie, while you've been with Gina, has she suffered from any twitching or shaking -- anything that you might describe as a fit? No I don't know.
How ill is she, Nurse? There's a condition called pre-eclampsia, which can affect pregnant women.
Once in a blue moon, it kicks in after Baby's been born.
Will she die? There's plenty we can do to help her.
But the ambulance won't have the complete address, I need you to go downstairs, wait outside and flag it down.
No! I'm not going to leave her! - Leslie, we can't waste any time.
- I'm not going to leave my wife.
I don't want him to go! I don't want him to go.
Don't leave me, Leslie.
Right, Gina, you need a warm coat and something on your feet.
That's the ticket, kids.
One foot in front of the other.
There you go.
Almost there, sweetheart.
Still in one piece, kids? She's being sick! That's it.
That's wonderful, Daisy.
Come on, you lovebirds.
Save your courting Till we've got you safely in that ambulance.
Baby's turning, Daisy, it knows just what to do.
Like you do.
That's perfect! Can I hold it? Can I? Just hold on one moment.
Sorry, little one.
There we go.
Go on.
You can pick her up now.
- Her? - It's a little girl.
Oh, don't cut it yet! In a minute, then.
There's worse things than being completely part of someone, being part of something bigger.
Even just for a little while.
But we know where we belong, don't we? - Are you coming with us? - Yes.
I shall be following behind, just to be on the safe side.
But you don't need me -- you've got him.
You really have -- and he knows how to take care of his family.
Yes, I do.
And I'm not going to leave her side.
That's what we like to hear, isn't it? Good lad.
Have you seen the state of the street outside? Is it still impassable? Suffice to say, if it hadn't have been for two extremely helpful firemen, I wouldn't be here at all.
What's the situation with the maternity home? No telephone and no electricity.
Of the three mothers who delivered overnight, Mrs Jones had forceps and was transferred to St Cuthbert's this morning.
Mrs Wheatley and Mrs Mansoor and their babies were discharged, because their homes still have power.
We'll add them to the morning's list.
Meanwhile, we must visit all our due and overdue mothers -- if there are any left -- and make them aware that we're deprived of telephony until further notice.
I saw your note about Gina Matlin.
Post-natal pre-eclampsia is so very rare.
When I left for London, she was poorly but stable and her husband was camped outside her room.
So, all in all, there's every reason for optimism.
- Mind your noggin on that! - Thank you, officer.
What's happened, Fred? The railway signal blew down and took half the old wall with it.
- It's come down like a stack of dominoes.
- Was anyone hurt? We don't think there's anyone underneath it.
Er, look, let's see if we can get you past and to your patients.
- Bob - All right, all right! It's a pile of rubble, not the pyramids of Egypt.
Get a shovel and start clearing it.
- Anyone would think there'd never been a war.
- Sister! Morning, Sister Julienne.
Sister Mary Cynthia.
Meanwhile, I see Fred's been pillaging the dressing up box.
Where's a real ARP warden, when you need one? Now, mind your step there! No, thank you, I can see where I'm going.
Sister Evangelina, this really is a most extraordinary surprise.
Well, it wouldn't have been, if anyone had answered the telephone this morning! The line was blown down in the gale.
And what are you doing about it? I was just on my way to call in at the Post Office.
What ever happened to "Never Surrender?" Excuse me! Excuse me! Do you suppose she's back for good, or just for a visit? We can only hope she intends to enlighten us.
Thank you.
That's that little problem ironed out.
Their line is still up and running -- the connection was protected by the railway bridge.
So, I've requisitioned their phone for the duration.
Fred, when you've finished saving the world, - I shall be requiring my bicycle.
- Yes, Sister! I shall be easing myself back in.
No midwifery duties for a while.
I'll warm myself up on district work before you let me loose on precious cargo.
It's so very, very good to have you back with us, Sister.
Well, what with one thing and another, it was about time.
There's only so much peace and quiet a soul can take.
In the end, it's like giving a plant too much water.
An autoclave can only sterilise things if they're properly cleaned beforehand.
It is a machine, not a magician.
Nevertheless, we still have power, which is a blessing from above, if there ever was one! "And, behold, I am with thee "and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest "and will bring thee again into this land" ".
.
for I will not leave.
" The Book of Genesis instead of Keats, indeed.
That gale must have blown some sense into you.
(Go and see if there's any cake in the tin.
) 'For some, the high winds altered very little.
'The Blackers, with their healthy newborn, 'left London and headed North along straight waterways 'that hadn't changed in decades.
' - Bye.
- Aw, bye! Have a safe trip.
- 'Sister Winifred arranged 'for the children's lessons to be sent to them and marked by post.
'It was something.
'Meanwhile, Leslie Matlin grew in strength, 'courage and love for his wife and child.
'For not every happiness is chosen.
Some, like the harvest, 'simply have to be accepted.
' Sister, I was looking for you.
Another donation -- five pounds of wormy apples -- and I am sorry to say -- a marrow.
- I was hoping to ask you something.
- Mm-hm.
If it's about this contraceptive pill, all I've got to say is, it's typical of Dr Turner.
One sniff of a novelty medication, he's off like a moggy with catmint.
I spent a great deal of time in prayer about it.
But, just now, the thing that worries me is you.
Why? I've never felt better! I wish I could believe that.
But it's not true, is it? - I take it you mean this? - Yes.
I had a stroke.
Two months after I left for the retreat.
Why didn't you let us know? - We could've prayed for you, at the very least.
- I know.
But at the time, this was between me and Him.
I was much worse than this, I couldn't move my arm at all.
And you wouldn't have wanted to see me slurping my tea.
- Was your mouth affected, too? - Yeah, mouth, speech -- the full works.
I got all that back within six weeks, even though, most of the time, I had nobody to practise with.
But I knew what He meant by it.
I'd gone to the silent order to learn to keep my peace and He showed me.
Prayers aren't always answered the way one would hope, but They are generally answered.
And the answer He gave me was this -- when things change, we have to find a different way.
Now, whenever I do up a button, or a shoelace, I'm reminded of the need to keep learning.
A reminder we all need, from time to time.
Nothing stays the same.
WE don't stay the same, ourselves.
And all the time, the world keeps on spinning faster.
I love how your eyes close - Whenever you kiss me - Ooh-ooh And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me - I love the way you always treat me tenderly - 'Sometimes, there's a brightness 'and a richness in the moment.
'A ripeness that simply says, "Taste this" 'and calls us to partake without fear or any thought of punishment.
'It is the fruit of our experience 'and, in its heart, it bares the seed of all our hopes.
' .
.
without being told to I love the way your touch is always heavenly - But, darling, most of all I love how you love me - 'Take the joy, take all it gives.
'Life is sweet '.
.
and it is ours.
'As is our right to love and relish every moment.
' .
.
and when I'm away from you They let her off the boat first because she's in the family way.
- We want to organise a wedding.
- I'd never had any dreams - of a wedding day.
- I had -- once upon a time.
There must've been more than just one or two cases! I don't know how to put it right! I just think she's lonely or heartbroken.
When I see Tom and Barbara together now, I don't see what I might've had, I see what they have.
Babies are a two-handed job.
I do not handle newborns any more.
I love how you love me
'For every word not spoken in the precious nightly silence, 'prayers had to be offered, and rituals performed.
'For every sweet hour stolen, 'there was penance paid.
'And even fleeting, golden moments 'called for sacrifice and courage.
'Nothing came entirely easily.
'And, yet, all hardship was embraced, 'because that was the way the wind blew.
'That was the way that things were done.
' Daisy! - For crying out loud, will you put a bit more into it?! - All right.
Lou! Lou! Your mother ain't well! Get up on that path and help her! I'm sure you deserved it.
And a round of applause for the Beverley Sisters! Better late than never.
We're not late.
It's eight on the dot.
If you spent less time lathering on the eye-black, Nurse Franklin, you'd have been down here five minutes ago and ready to start work at eight on the dot, like Sister Mary Cynthia.
I'd be careful, if I were you, Nurse Mount.
It may be October, but there's plenty of flies still looking for a home.
- Morning! - Good morning, Master Turner.
You're looking very spruce.
New blazer? Yes, although it's still purple, unfortunately.
So I see.
Insulin? My mum asked me to drop it off.
And she says can Sister Julienne call in at the practice after surgery hours? I'll tell her.
She's already asked to see me in her office.
Thank you.
Sister.
Your courage and your forbearance over the last few weeks has been admirable in every conceivable way.
- You have my absolute respect.
- Thank you.
But I haven't done anything out of the ordinary.
I just carried on.
And it is for that very reason that I have wanted to send you to the Mother House ever since you were attacked.
You deserve to spend time in prayer and reflection, but I haven't been able to spare you.
We have no idea when Sister Evangelina will re-join us.
Or even if.
But she said she was going to the silent order for six months.
And the six months is over, and we've scarcely heard a word from her.
But why would she choose an enclosed life? Why would she choose to give up midwifery? It may not be a choice.
She may've found a different calling.
A new superfluity of apples abandoned upon our step! I think these are russets and like to be as hard as swedes.
I'm quite sure that Mrs B can find something wonderful to do with them.
Again? Again.
Personally, I'm glad to be spared another marrow.
Midwife calling! Mrs Matlin? Oh, get down! You could hurt yourself! I can't stop myself, nurse.
Yesterday, it was cleaning.
And when there was nothing left to clean, I started painting.
Please let me finish -- I've only got one more stroke with the brush.
In which case, I shall do it.
But it's not your job.
My job is looking after you, and that involves stopping you falling, A, off this chair and, B, out of the window.
Anyone falling would make a right mess, from eight floors up! It'd be like Tom and Jerry, where they fall off the roof and leave a cat-shaped hole in the pavement.
- Or a mouse-shaped hole.
- Hello.
Hello, love.
What's happening? Your wife is in the grip of what's known as the nesting instinct, - Mr Matlin.
She needed a bit of a hand.
- Thanks.
I must say, this is one of the nicest flats I've been to.
We had a wedding list.
There was one in Woman's Own you could cut out.
We got the lot except for the sherry glasses.
Pretty much everything we wanted.
Didn't we, Leslie? So the contraceptive pill.
Licensed for distribution within weeks.
It's been talked about for so long, it's hardly a surprise.
No.
But it is a challenge.
Well, of course it's a challenge, Sister.
Antibiotics were a challenge once.
Antibiotics were also a miracle.
And you think the contraceptive pill isn't? It's a miracle with moral implications, Dr Turner.
With other forms of contraception, you refer the patient to a family planning clinic, which you can't do unless they're married.
Exactly.
But with the pill, the Minister for Health has issued no such guidelines.
- Yet.
- And that's the most exciting thing.
If I can prescribe it, single women will benefit, too.
Quite.
You know the statistics as well as I do.
10% of babies in Poplar are born illegitimate.
With all the heartache and stigma that implies.
I don't doubt that you've looked at this from every conceivable medical and social angle.
However, whilst there is nothing in Anglican teaching to forbid birth control, the church does take a view on matters of morality.
As Mrs Turner, at least, will be aware.
Well, of course.
Have a lemon puff.
Is there anything plainer? I have some arrowroot biscuits.
I'll pop and fetch them.
Tea is on the table, Sister.
I shan't join you today.
I feel I need to spend some quiet time in chapel.
- Perhaps you'd say grace instead? - Of course.
Everyone's out on their evening rounds.
Apart from me, because I'm on call.
Good.
Ooh Have you bought shares in Brylcreem? Funeral.
People expect a certain level of grooming.
Oh.
So, that's Peggy May, Rose Willow, Golden Maid, Sweet Alice, and Dora Deane.
Sounds like a line-up of chorus girls.
It's all rather quaint, really.
I don't know why Nurse Crane insisted we came down together.
Oh, um, little girl? Do you know of a barge called the Molly Belle? Yes.
It's where I live.
It's up there.
Is your mother's name Marguerite Blacker? Yeah, but they call her Daisy.
You can always trust Trixie to have the latest records in.
Hi, tiger Teach me, tiger, how to kiss you Wah wah wah wah wah Show me, tiger, how to kiss you Wah wah wah wah wah Take my lips, they belong to you But teach me first Teach me what to do Touch me, tiger when I'm close to you Wah wah wah wah wah Tiger Tiger Tiger It is good of you to come.
But I'm feeling much better now.
- Not that much better.
- Don't contradict your mother, Lou.
They were good to her at the hospital, but they said she was all right to leave.
I'm sorry.
We've interrupted you during your meal.
If you telephone this number at any time of the day or night, you can speak to a midwife about any aspect of your pregnancy.
There's no need to make an appointment.
Might not be 'ere that long.
We're in with a chance of a cargo going up to Manchester.
But thank you.
Lou, take that piece of paper off the lady.
Come on down, have a look at her.
No harm in putting minds at rest.
Dunno know why I took on so funny this morning.
I was only working the lock, and I do it all the time, like me ma and me grandma did before me.
Locks are women's work.
Always have been.
Like this.
If this is women's work, you're rather good at it.
Baby's heartbeat's wonderfully strong.
Felt like a failure, being taken to the hospital.
Having them do blood tests.
I should be able to get the results tomorrow.
And I can bring them here for you, or you could come by our clinic? There are things we can give you for your other children -- free orange juice, and so forth, or rosehip syrup if you prefer.
Rosehip? You can do a lot with rosehips.
I make tea with them sometimes.
You've been awfully good to me, but I really shouldn't keep you.
Tom.
People will be home soon.
True.
Oh, no.
- Oh, Tom! - What? - The wall's covered in Brylcreem! From your head! - No! Oh, it's not coming off.
Oh, I'm just making it more shiny.
Well, you'll have to say you tripped up with the butter dish.
Oh, Mr Hereward.
What a nice surprise, you must've come to join us for Compline.
Yes.
I have.
Indeed.
Poor Mrs Blacker.
It was like trying to get a bird to eat out of my hand.
One false move, and she'd fly away.
I wish it wasn't so hard to give help to the people that need it.
And, you know, none of those children go to school.
I checked while you were in the cabin.
The eldest, Lou, is already 11 and I'm not sure she can even read or write.
The whole family's completely itinerant.
Never in the same place for more than a week or so, they travel huge distances.
There must be ways around that.
Well, Mrs Blacker was quite surprised when I told her all the things she was entitled to.
Trouble is, I'm not sure whether she wants to accept them.
Barge people are a law unto themselves, they always were.
They don't call them water gypsies for no reason.
I Good grief! Where did that stain on the wallpaper come from? What stain? Oh, dear.
I do hope it isn't another patch of damp.
Sister Julienne's worried the building's getting wet rot.
Ooh, perhaps it's just an optical illusion.
This isn't moisture.
It's grease! I surmise a manifestation from another realm.
Spirits have been known to talk through the approbation of strange substances.
Whatever it is, it's strange enough.
It smells rather masculine to me.
Masculine? Though what it's doing six feet up the wall is anybody's guess! - Good morning, ladies.
- Good morning, Sister.
Nurse Crane will issue the morning's schedule after breakfast.
But this evening, I would like you all to attend a special seminar here at Nonnatus House.
I have an obligation this evening.
I have it every week.
Of course.
I'm sorry.
After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have asked Dr Turner to come and talk to us about the new contraceptive pill, which will be available within the next few weeks.
That's absolutely tremendous news! I've also invited Mr Hereward to join us, so he can give us a Christian perspective.
It's a shame Sister Evangelina isn't here.
She'd have had plenty to say about it all! Sister Evangelina has elected to be absent.
We must proceed without her view.
There were Worcesters today, and there were crab apples.
The latter still with the tang of Epping Forest upon them.
I'm sure no-one will object to us sharing our good fortune.
Before you apply the term "good fortune" to this glut, I suggest you hear the opinion of my bowels! I sense this is a personal letter, since you intend to dispatch it yourself? Yes.
It is.
It is to Sister Evangelina.
I did not think we should ever have to plead with her.
Nor did I.
But time has passed.
And who knows what has passed between our Sister and the Lord? And who knows what addlement her mind has suffered, closeted in ostentatious silence? Evangelina is a woman built for noise and motion, designed to hear His voice above the din of living.
- Sister, please - You fear what will become of us if she does not return.
I fear what will become of HER.
As do I.
And now, I am going to post my letter.
Excellent! Oh! Very good.
- There we are.
- Thank you.
You haven't gained anything in a month, Gina.
Top of the milk for you, and make sure you help yourself to an extra potato.
That being said, I'm not sure how much longer you've got left.
There's still nothing doing, Nurse.
I thought, if I came down here, it might stop me painting the bathroom.
Or me husband.
- Ah, is he getting restless, too? - Not so's you'd notice.
It's like he don't even know there's a baby on the way.
Thank you, Sister.
I'm sorry to have kept you.
Some blood results came back from the London.
- One or two will need attention.
- Thank you.
Could you pop over to the side room, Sister? This week's unmarried mothers are ready to catch the bus - to the station.
You just need to sign those final forms.
- Of course.
- Good afternoon.
May I help you? - I had another dizzy do.
The red-headed nurse said I could come here, but I only want to talk to her.
Of course.
Take a seat.
And I'll fetch Nurse Mount.
It was my husband made me come.
I had a hard time having Jonah, it took me ages to pick up afterwards.
These things do all get rather harder with age.
Where was Jonah born? In a barge, like the others.
I always liked the quiet, the being on me own On your own? But maybe not this time.
Well, we can look after you when you deliver.
And keep an eye on your blood pressure, which is rather low.
The London blood tests showed that you're also anaemic, so our rather lovely doctor can prescribe you iron pills.
Will they cost much? Just the prescription fee.
Only my Joe had to turn down a Birmingham cargo today, cos of me coming here.
Where's Lou? Doing crepe paper handicrafts with the other children.
And being quite the bossy-boots, from the look of things.
She's like a second mum to my three lads.
I call her my right hand.
- Knock, knock! - Come in, Doctor.
I was just telling Mrs Blacker what a sterling service we provide.
No stone left unturned in pursuit of a happy outcome! Which means that we need to give you a bit of extra care, Mrs Blacker.
- The nurse said about the iron pills.
- Yes.
And I'd also like to book you into our maternity home for bed rest.
I do appreciate that it will be a wrench for you to be away from your children, Mrs Blacker.
But you need to put your new baby -- and yourself -- first for a while.
We do everything together.
All of us.
We're never apart.
Your husband and children can visit every evening, between five and seven, longer at weekends.
That sounds all right.
And they'll have so much to tell you every day.
The school has room for all four of them -- Jonah and Barney will be in the same class and Lou can meet up with them every day at playtime.
Do you want to go to school, or do you want to stop with Dad? School.
All right.
Very wise.
So, if I could just get you to confirm that I've entered your name, address and birthdate correctly on the booking form, we're all shipshape and Bristol fashion.
I haven't brought me glasses.
Not to worry.
I'll fine-tune the paperwork.
Sister Monica Joan, I really don't think Dr Turner wants to be competing with the Black and White Minstrels.
The room required cleansing with glad acts, for it had been unsettled by the advent of strange medicine.
What's happened to trouble you, Sister? The mark of it remains quite plain .
.
upon the wall.
Put these back in the kitchen.
They're for after the talk.
- By the silvery moon - The moon, the moon - By the silvery moon - The moon, the moon By the silvery moon In the United States, the pill was initially only approved as a treatment for menstrual disorders.
But hundreds of thousands of American women are now taking it as a contraceptive and it has been declared to be 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.
One of the best things about this method of contraception is that it's completely within the control of the woman.
Some men aren't going to like that.
Listen, I've spent quite enough afternoons in family planning clinics rolling sheaths onto a wooden Excuse me, Sister, may I say penis? By all means.
.
.
wooden penis, trying to convince mothers of five or six children that barrier methods are the way ahead.
Time and again, you get the same response.
"My Eddie won't.
" "My Ted can't.
" "My Billy says, it's like going for a paddle with your socks on.
" There are so many things about sobriety that surprised me.
Everybody's journey here seems to begin with such a bang.
The torrents of tears, the phone calls in the dead of night.
The wanting to die.
My experience was no different.
But what nobody tells you -- or at least what nobody told me in almost a year of dragging myself here on the 49 bus -- is that life without a drink can be so appallingly boring.
The drag -- the utter drag -- of Horlicks every night.
The tedium of barley water with your Sunday lunch.
Oh, it used to be such fun to mix a drink, thinking, "What can I put in this Campari to make it a brighter colour, "give it more bite?" Oh, and I so loved the smell of maraschino cherries.
I loved the lipstick red of them .
.
and the way other people smiled as I speared the cherry on a cocktail stick.
It was such a wonderfully frivolous thing.
It meant that I was with friends.
That I wasn't alone.
I don't bother much with maraschino cherries any more, I don't even put them in my Horlicks, or my barley water -- they taste revolting.
I don't need them.
I know that fun doesn't come in bottles now.
I know the value of sobriety .
.
and I know what friendship really is, what it means.
I always did, I just couldn't see it.
I owe the 49 bus rather a lot, all things considered.
And I owe you -- all of you -- even more.
Thank you.
Like any method of contraception, you have to use it religiously, or it doesn't work.
And there are some groups of women who'll find taking daily medication difficult.
Which could be a catastrophe, if they are single.
I'm extremely concerned that we do nothing to promote recreational intercourse and I'm sure Mr Hereward feels the same.
Well, what are the government guidelines? Mr Hereward, shouldn't you be more concerned with church teachings than government guidelines? Well, I do think we have to be mindful of the Bible.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, "There is too much immorality among you.
"Let each man keep to his own wife and each woman to her own husband.
" Well, how on earth can that be relevant? Contraception wasn't invented then.
Times change, but the value of marriage remains constant.
So, say there's a young woman, she's 19 or 20 and she's in love with a boy -- who's in love with her -- and she knows and he knows that they can't keep fighting this desire that's drawing them together.
Would you have them risk everything -- their reputation, their peace of mind -- because they simply can't help themselves? I'd be obliged to counsel self-restraint.
And, with Mr Hereward's wise words, it's time we drew this to a close.
Nurse Gilbert, I believe you're first on call.
Tom, how could you sit there and lecture people on self-restraint in a room where your Brylcreem has made a mark on the wall as big as an elephant's face? I wasn't lecturing.
Sister Julienne put me on the spot.
- Well, you hadn't said a word till then! - Well, nobody asked me to.
And I could hardly chip in, you were talking about medicine and menstr Menstruation.
Both subjects about which I know nothing.
Well, maybe you should learn! If you're going to go around family planning meetings like some sort of moral advisor.
Barbara, are you saying you believe in sex before marriage? No, I'm saying I believe it happens -- and I know how it happens.
I'm sorry, it's Gina Matlin's first and she's gone into labour.
She'll be fretting until someone arrives.
Can I have a kiss? Just the one.
Tiger.
Oh, Gina you've had a long night, but this is normal -- especially with a first baby -- and you are doing so well.
No, I'm not.
It hurts.
It hurts so much and that gas is useless! Oh, it's not useless.
It's run out.
Mr Matlin? - Mr Matlin! - I'm sorry, I fell asleep.
And I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I need you to make a phone call for me.
You lot behave yourselves, now.
- And you.
- Nurse Mount'll keep me in order, I reckon.
I may not be on horseback, but consider me the cavalry.
Gina, this baby's well on its way and we've brought more gas to get us through the home stretch.
Shall I take over, you look done in.
You yell your head off, if you fancy it, Gina.
That's the last you'll be having without some help.
- Am I the only one in here? - Yes, you're lucky.
- We're unusually quiet at the moment.
- Ceiling's so high.
Makes me feel dizzy, even though I'm not.
Your blood pressure's rather good today.
Morning, Mrs Blacker.
A doctor will be here to check you over shortly and I've come to ask if you want a soft or a hardboiled egg.
I have bread in the mornings, usually.
- Eggs are surprisingly rich in iron.
- What's this? Nightdress, dressing gown and slippers.
- I told you everything would be provided.
- No.
I mean -- what's this? It says "Property of Kenilworth Row Maternity Home.
" We write that on everything.
Baby's with us as far as his shoulders, Gina.
If you can give me one more massive, brave push -- you'll have him in your arms.
Oh, lass, you put the graft in and here's your reward! A little boy, Gina, and just wait till you see him.
You've got a little smasher there, you really have.
Your husband will be grinning from ear to ear.
I don't reckon Leslie wants any of this -- the baby, or a wife.
Gina, I'm sure that isn't true.
We'd only been courting three months and we had to get married.
It's not what either of us planned.
I came round to it -- I couldn't help it, once I felt him kicking .
.
but I don't think Leslie ever did.
He's so soft.
Leslie said we could call him Robert, if he was a boy, after his grandad.
But I just don't think he really wanted him or me.
Except for in the way he shouldn't have.
It's far too late to be crying about that now.
- Barley sugar? - Oh, yes, please! It's a rotten business, isn't it? Having to get married.
Well, there's plenty make a decent fist of it and plenty don't.
Though, it's still better than what my mother went through when she had me out of wedlock.
Oh, I don't mention it much.
Suffice to say, it made its mark.
During the war, all morals were tossed to the winds, but even so, when the opportunity of a weekend in Cleveleys with an Air Force sergeant presented itself, I nearly chickened out.
NEARLY chickened out? I did the appropriate research and purchased a hygienic douche through the small advertisements.
It was called the Omega Spray.
It involved a certain amount of fiddle-faddle, but we managed well enough.
I shall always have very fond memories of Cleveleys.
Phyllis, what happened to him? The Air Force sergeant? - Killed, over Germany, in 1941.
- Oh.
It made me very glad we'd seized the moment.
It's almost a full moon.
Sister Monica Joan is convinced full moons are our busiest nights.
I did a stint on psychiatric once -- used to say the same thing there.
I wish the Blacker children had got on better at school.
When they visited Daisy, I heard them telling her the other children had been horrible.
Lou doesn't want to go again.
- Do they smell? - Lots of children smell.
In any given vaccination queue, you can tell who's been rehoused somewhere with a bathroom and who hasn't.
The Blacker children are never going to have a bathroom and their clothes are a problem, too.
Pats, next time we both have the same night off .
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I want to go to Gateways Club.
Why? Because there are women like us there! We've discussed this! I don't want to be with "women like us", I just want to be with you.
We can hold hands there.
Dance there.
Be in a crowd and be invisible.
I'm sorry.
- There you go, pass that down.
Well done.
- Ta.
We'll rinse the lotion off your hair and just trim the ends before you change into some nice smart clothes.
I don't want us to be late, they'll pick on us if we are.
Miss Dawkins said you could come in at ten and go straight to Music and Movement.
And no-one will pick on you, wearing those lovely fresh knickers and vests.
Here we are! There's something for everyone, including ribbons for Lou's plaits.
Perfect! The rest is clearly doing everything we hoped.
I feel like it might happen today.
According to your dates, you're not quite due.
Let's see what Mother Nature has in store.
- Mummy! - Look who I found coming up the stairs! - Come here! What's this, then? What's happened? Well, nurse got them spruced up a bit.
We thought you'd be pleased.
Pleased that they look nothing like 'emselves? Pleased that they smell of disinfectant? It's just delousing lotion.
Rather a lovely fresh smell, I always think.
My kids don't have lice! You get lice in schools and they never went there till yesterday! Sister Winifred insisted on it.
She always says, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
" And you dressed Lou up like a little girl.
Ribbons and ankle socks? They're not going to last five minutes on the barge! Daisy, Lou just wanted to fit in, to be like everybody else.
She's not like everybody else.
She's a bargee, whether you like it or not.
- We do things our way! - Well, Nurse just wanted what was best for 'em, just like I wanted what was best for you.
I'll tell you what's best for me -- my own bunk, my own food and not to have Property of Somebody Else written all over me in black bloody pen.
Mrs Blacker, you said yourself you didn't want to have another baby without help.
Yeah, there's help -- and there's interference.
- Fetch me my clothes, please.
- Daisy By which I mean my own clothes.
The ones I came in wearing and which are good enough for me.
I'm going home.
- Mrs Blacker - Fetch 'em! 'It's better when you've got a gun in your hand.
'What are you like without it?' Autumn high tide, I reckon, straight out of Whitaker's Almanack.
You ought to batten down the hatches.
I'm sure there's no need for us to be alarmed.
Oh! It's blowing up a right storm out there, Sister.
Oh! Nonnatus House, midwife speaking? Hello, can you send a midwife over to the maternity home? Mrs Mansoor's just arrived and we already have a lady who's had to go straight through to the delivery room.
On my way, sweetie.
There's just been a weather warning on the wireless -- gale-force nine across London.
That settles it.
I'm not going anywhere until I've put on at least three layers of hair lacquer.
Nonnatus House, midwife speaking? Dad! Stay down below, Lou, till this blows over.
It's Mum, she isn't well.
- Nurse! Nurse - Oh, my goodness! Are you in labour? Either that or I've weed on my bleeding slippers.
It's swaying.
The whole block of flats is actually swaying.
Is it? - You all right? - I dunno.
I've got an headache and a pain here -- under my ribs.
Shall I clear off out? Get the kids from under your feet? You can't go walking up and down the towpath in this wind! I should be taking you back to that little hospital -- - or even just fetch that nurse.
- No! We had words, that nurse and me -- bad words -- and I meant 'em.
- Daisy, tell me what to do! - You'll have to go and get a sheet and Lou can help me.
Oh, hello, Mrs Mansoor! This is Mrs Wheatley! Nurse Franklin, Dr Turner's in the delivery room, we have a deep transverse arrest.
Or maybe we should go straight to Della and Nahima.
One way or another, I think you two will end up on first name terms! Oh, Nahima! - I can see flashing lights.
- It's just the electrics.
It keeps flickering with the storm.
It's like spots or sparkles.
I can see 'em even when I close me eyes.
Let's see how things are lining up.
With a bit of luck, you'll be able to start pushing soon.
Hang on, Nahima! I'll be across in two ticks, I promise! Oh.
It's just the lights in the flat.
No.
I can't see properly.
I'm going to get help.
I need you to come and see my mum.
Come in! I've got one cable running into the delivery room -- there's a mother who still needs stitches -- and we need a working light in the ward! Doctor, Mrs Mansoor's baby's crowning! Some people have parents who do ordinary jobs.
Get cranking the handle.
Sooner them than me! Midwife calling! This way, Nurse, and mind your head! We've got the water on already.
Thank you.
We heard her kicking off yelling and well, we all know what that sort of racket means, don't we? She's calmed down a bit since she's had some company.
- Hello, nurse.
- Any objection to me popping by? - I can just leave you with your friends.
- Bless you.
And bless them, never met any of them before! Don't mean to say we ain't friends, though.
We know the life -- that means we know each other.
Yes.
Come on, then, let's clear out and make some room.
We'll take the kids down the Golden Maid with their father.
And what about this one? She looks old enough to come in handy.
Take her with the other kids.
Me and Nurse Mount can manage, can't we? Absolutely.
And I'll take my lead from you.
Calm down, take a deep breath and tell me what you mean.
She, she says she can see flashing lights! Go back to Gina and wait with her.
I'm telephoning for an ambulance and then I'll come straight to you.
- I require an ambulance, please.
Nelson Tower - 'Yes.
' Anchorage Estate Flat number Oh.
Hello? Hell's teeth! Good grief! Come on! And that's me excused physical jerks for the rest of the week.
It's a good job you live on the 8th floor, young lady, not the 18th.
Let's have a look at you, love.
Leslie tells me you've had a headache and some visual disturbance.
- Any nausea or vomiting? - I feel a bit sick.
Right.
I called an ambulance before I left and I'm of the view we should make use of it.
All things considered, - I think you'll be better off in the hospital.
- What about Robert? Robert can come, too.
Leslie, while you've been with Gina, has she suffered from any twitching or shaking -- anything that you might describe as a fit? No I don't know.
How ill is she, Nurse? There's a condition called pre-eclampsia, which can affect pregnant women.
Once in a blue moon, it kicks in after Baby's been born.
Will she die? There's plenty we can do to help her.
But the ambulance won't have the complete address, I need you to go downstairs, wait outside and flag it down.
No! I'm not going to leave her! - Leslie, we can't waste any time.
- I'm not going to leave my wife.
I don't want him to go! I don't want him to go.
Don't leave me, Leslie.
Right, Gina, you need a warm coat and something on your feet.
That's the ticket, kids.
One foot in front of the other.
There you go.
Almost there, sweetheart.
Still in one piece, kids? She's being sick! That's it.
That's wonderful, Daisy.
Come on, you lovebirds.
Save your courting Till we've got you safely in that ambulance.
Baby's turning, Daisy, it knows just what to do.
Like you do.
That's perfect! Can I hold it? Can I? Just hold on one moment.
Sorry, little one.
There we go.
Go on.
You can pick her up now.
- Her? - It's a little girl.
Oh, don't cut it yet! In a minute, then.
There's worse things than being completely part of someone, being part of something bigger.
Even just for a little while.
But we know where we belong, don't we? - Are you coming with us? - Yes.
I shall be following behind, just to be on the safe side.
But you don't need me -- you've got him.
You really have -- and he knows how to take care of his family.
Yes, I do.
And I'm not going to leave her side.
That's what we like to hear, isn't it? Good lad.
Have you seen the state of the street outside? Is it still impassable? Suffice to say, if it hadn't have been for two extremely helpful firemen, I wouldn't be here at all.
What's the situation with the maternity home? No telephone and no electricity.
Of the three mothers who delivered overnight, Mrs Jones had forceps and was transferred to St Cuthbert's this morning.
Mrs Wheatley and Mrs Mansoor and their babies were discharged, because their homes still have power.
We'll add them to the morning's list.
Meanwhile, we must visit all our due and overdue mothers -- if there are any left -- and make them aware that we're deprived of telephony until further notice.
I saw your note about Gina Matlin.
Post-natal pre-eclampsia is so very rare.
When I left for London, she was poorly but stable and her husband was camped outside her room.
So, all in all, there's every reason for optimism.
- Mind your noggin on that! - Thank you, officer.
What's happened, Fred? The railway signal blew down and took half the old wall with it.
- It's come down like a stack of dominoes.
- Was anyone hurt? We don't think there's anyone underneath it.
Er, look, let's see if we can get you past and to your patients.
- Bob - All right, all right! It's a pile of rubble, not the pyramids of Egypt.
Get a shovel and start clearing it.
- Anyone would think there'd never been a war.
- Sister! Morning, Sister Julienne.
Sister Mary Cynthia.
Meanwhile, I see Fred's been pillaging the dressing up box.
Where's a real ARP warden, when you need one? Now, mind your step there! No, thank you, I can see where I'm going.
Sister Evangelina, this really is a most extraordinary surprise.
Well, it wouldn't have been, if anyone had answered the telephone this morning! The line was blown down in the gale.
And what are you doing about it? I was just on my way to call in at the Post Office.
What ever happened to "Never Surrender?" Excuse me! Excuse me! Do you suppose she's back for good, or just for a visit? We can only hope she intends to enlighten us.
Thank you.
That's that little problem ironed out.
Their line is still up and running -- the connection was protected by the railway bridge.
So, I've requisitioned their phone for the duration.
Fred, when you've finished saving the world, - I shall be requiring my bicycle.
- Yes, Sister! I shall be easing myself back in.
No midwifery duties for a while.
I'll warm myself up on district work before you let me loose on precious cargo.
It's so very, very good to have you back with us, Sister.
Well, what with one thing and another, it was about time.
There's only so much peace and quiet a soul can take.
In the end, it's like giving a plant too much water.
An autoclave can only sterilise things if they're properly cleaned beforehand.
It is a machine, not a magician.
Nevertheless, we still have power, which is a blessing from above, if there ever was one! "And, behold, I am with thee "and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest "and will bring thee again into this land" ".
.
for I will not leave.
" The Book of Genesis instead of Keats, indeed.
That gale must have blown some sense into you.
(Go and see if there's any cake in the tin.
) 'For some, the high winds altered very little.
'The Blackers, with their healthy newborn, 'left London and headed North along straight waterways 'that hadn't changed in decades.
' - Bye.
- Aw, bye! Have a safe trip.
- 'Sister Winifred arranged 'for the children's lessons to be sent to them and marked by post.
'It was something.
'Meanwhile, Leslie Matlin grew in strength, 'courage and love for his wife and child.
'For not every happiness is chosen.
Some, like the harvest, 'simply have to be accepted.
' Sister, I was looking for you.
Another donation -- five pounds of wormy apples -- and I am sorry to say -- a marrow.
- I was hoping to ask you something.
- Mm-hm.
If it's about this contraceptive pill, all I've got to say is, it's typical of Dr Turner.
One sniff of a novelty medication, he's off like a moggy with catmint.
I spent a great deal of time in prayer about it.
But, just now, the thing that worries me is you.
Why? I've never felt better! I wish I could believe that.
But it's not true, is it? - I take it you mean this? - Yes.
I had a stroke.
Two months after I left for the retreat.
Why didn't you let us know? - We could've prayed for you, at the very least.
- I know.
But at the time, this was between me and Him.
I was much worse than this, I couldn't move my arm at all.
And you wouldn't have wanted to see me slurping my tea.
- Was your mouth affected, too? - Yeah, mouth, speech -- the full works.
I got all that back within six weeks, even though, most of the time, I had nobody to practise with.
But I knew what He meant by it.
I'd gone to the silent order to learn to keep my peace and He showed me.
Prayers aren't always answered the way one would hope, but They are generally answered.
And the answer He gave me was this -- when things change, we have to find a different way.
Now, whenever I do up a button, or a shoelace, I'm reminded of the need to keep learning.
A reminder we all need, from time to time.
Nothing stays the same.
WE don't stay the same, ourselves.
And all the time, the world keeps on spinning faster.
I love how your eyes close - Whenever you kiss me - Ooh-ooh And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me - I love the way you always treat me tenderly - 'Sometimes, there's a brightness 'and a richness in the moment.
'A ripeness that simply says, "Taste this" 'and calls us to partake without fear or any thought of punishment.
'It is the fruit of our experience 'and, in its heart, it bares the seed of all our hopes.
' .
.
without being told to I love the way your touch is always heavenly - But, darling, most of all I love how you love me - 'Take the joy, take all it gives.
'Life is sweet '.
.
and it is ours.
'As is our right to love and relish every moment.
' .
.
and when I'm away from you They let her off the boat first because she's in the family way.
- We want to organise a wedding.
- I'd never had any dreams - of a wedding day.
- I had -- once upon a time.
There must've been more than just one or two cases! I don't know how to put it right! I just think she's lonely or heartbroken.
When I see Tom and Barbara together now, I don't see what I might've had, I see what they have.
Babies are a two-handed job.
I do not handle newborns any more.
I love how you love me