Call the Midwife s15e01 Episode Script

1
MATURE JENNIFER: Which flavour
lives on longest in the memory?
Is it the bitter or the sweet?
The sour surprise of a thing we
did not ask for,
or the warmth of expectations met?
The pattern of the years embraces
both the honeyed and the harsh.
I've passed!
In the dark days
before the spring begins,
we can't foretell will distinguish
the summer when it comes,
or who we will be when the snows return.
For now, we cling to ritual.
This is where we once were.
This is where we are now.
This is where, if the fates
are willing, we will be again.
I can't tell you what a joy it is
to have a pancake
with sugar and lemon again!
What do they eat them with in America?
Maple syrup.
And sometimes bacon.
That continent is a cauldron
of all perversities!
I think it sounds quite delicious.
We could experiment with spam
and treacle.
- We have both in the cupboard.
- Ugh.
If that is how you would like to
celebrate passing your exams,
you have only to say.
It's wonderful news, lass.
Welcome to our profession!
SHE GROANS
Wonderful work.
That's wonderful work, Maxine.
You forget how much it ruddy hurts!
Oh, Ste
Steve?
Stevenson!
SHE GROANS
Do you need me?
Oh, when you do the solicitor's office,
they don't like the pine
disinfectant in the toilet.
You have to use the lemon!
I'm supposed to be doing her
cleaning shift for her.
Do you have to leave now, Mr Drummond?
This baby's about to be born.
MAXINE GROANS
Oh, Reggie, love,
you've even sliced the lemons!
Aren't you good?
I thought it would speed things up.
Well, no-one ought to be kept
waiting on Pancake Day.
HE CHUCKLES
Oh, good on you.
You've been practising your new money.
It's easier than old money.
Now, that is what the government
told us when they said that
we were going decimal.
Although, two weeks in, I don't
think they've convinced
a single shopkeeper!
THEY CHUCKLE
MAXINE CRIES OU
SHE PANTS
BABY CRIES
You have a little girl, Maxine.
Another girl We got another girl!
I thought you wanted a boy.
What?
Never. Never, ever!
MAXINE LAUGHS
MAXINE SIGHS
BABY CRIES
Oh
Hello.
Can I kiss her?
Go on.
I'll kiss you first.
Rosalind!
Oh. I didn't knock.
I thought it was too late.
The pancake batter's been standing
all evening.
I was listening for the sound of
your bike wheels.
Cyril! I'm in my uniform!
And you're in your slippers!
BOTH LAUGH
Good delivery?
Actually, it was inspiring.
Oh, good girls!
Bang on time.
Oh, that's nice. Isn't it, Christopher?
Lovely kisses to start the day.
He's getting better from having his
kidney removed, isn't he?
Yes.
And we'll find out when he starts
his chemotherapy soon.
Girls, don't forget the rota
for wiping round the sink
in the downstairs bathroom.
We need to be extra careful of germs.
All Teddy ever does is feed the rabbits.
That's because chores need to be assigned
to people I can trust.
Patrick, are you up yet?
The coffee's on!
I'm on district duty for the rest of
the week.
We need a thorough review of all our
diabetic patients.
Sister Catherine, in honour of
your first day
as a fully qualified midwife,
I have assigned you the antenatal
round
..entirely solo, unsupervised
and independent!
I hope you've eaten a hearty
breakfast, honey.
You'll be riding that bike for miles.
I've just added Thelma Cutler,
8 Lowman Street, to your list.
That poor lady who was sick
on the floor in clinic?
Six months along,
and her nausea is intractable.
It's rare, but I think the poor lass
might be stuck with it
for the duration.
MUSIC ON TV
CHILDREN COUGH AND WHIMPER
PHYLLIS: District nurse!
Mr Kingsley, I found this little scamp
halfway down the stairs to the street.
Come here.
Oh, Terence!
HE CHUCKLES
If you keep doing this, I'm going to
get you a collar and lead, huh?
Mr Kingsley, it's February.
It's cold.
He needs more on than one sock
and a vest.
What is that child doing up at
the window?
Ah, she likes looking down,
seeing what's going on.
Edna!
I actually came from Dr Turner's
practice to make sure that
everything was up-to-date with
your diabetes medication.
We haven't seen you for a while.
Yeah, I'm under the hospital.
I'm a serious case.
Edna!
CHILD CRIES
- Hello, Nurse.
- Mrs Kingsley!
I didn't know you were expecting again.
Do you have any clothes for
these children?
Loads.
Just need to sort the washing out.
DOORBELL RINGS
Hello! Midwife calling.
It's on the latch!
SHE RETCHES
Poor love.
There's nothing to bring up.
It's just bile.
I'm not crying.
It's just my eyes are watering.
I'm not crying!
You don't have to be brave all
the time, Thelma.
Sometimes it's all right to say,
"This is hard."
It is hard.
I remember flushing my contraceptive
pills down the toilet
when we decided to start trying
for a baby.
I feel like I've done nothing
but stare down that toilet ever since.
Bed and a washing-up bowl are
probably better.
THELMA CRIES OU
SHE VOMITS
Oh!
LABOURED: Oh, I've got
another three months of this
THELMA COUGHS
Lass, you need to attend clinic,
and you need to get your home ready
for the new arrival.
Got it ready for the last arrival.
Still got the cot and bottles
and everything.
There.
Hair brushed, lippy on.
That better?
Sometimes getting dressed and ready
to face the day is half the battle.
Felt like a battle since we lost our
eldest.
You've had a lot to come back from, Edna.
What I would advise is
I don't need advice from someone
out the ark.
The father's not doing his daily
urine tests.
And that flat reeks to high heaven.
An army of lice on all four kiddies.
And the eldest should have been
in school.
Faye Marie? Born November 1965.
And there was that little boy who died
when they were at a different practice.
I'm afraid we've missed St Cuthbert's
diabetic clinic for this week, Doctor.
Would you like to assess
Mr Kingsley yourself?
Yes, as soon as possible.
I haven't seen Faye or Nicky
for two years.
And there are gaps in their record
before that.
- We'd better tell social services.
- Mm.
Go on through. They're all in there.
- Oh!
- Come on in, Nurse.
We're just having a Women's Lib meeting.
You don't mind me getting on with
things while I'm feeding, do you?
Oh, no, not at all.
But once baby's finished on the breast,
I will need to examine you.
Fair enough. Take a pew.
Go on. You can join us.
It doesn't matter if we're supported
or derided
on the women's march through London.
The most important thing is that we
are seen and we are heard.
Does derided mean made fun of?
Yes, but it can also mean dismissed
or belittled.
Women have been put down since
time immemorial,
and we aren't going to put up
with it any more!
Ooh, we ought to get that on a placard!
You might have to make it a bit shorter.
LAUGHTER
And the point me and all the other
women on the Cleaners' Association
want to make, placards or no placards,
is that we want equal rights,
equal status and equal pay.
Which is why we are all going to be
marching
shoulder to shoulder through London.
THEY ALL MURMUR
Thelma seems to be living on bits of
toast and boiled sweets, Doctor,
and she can scarcely keep those down.
If she ends up clinically dehydrated,
we'll send her to St Cuthbert's.
I've not seen many cases
of true hyperemesis,
but every time it's the lowest I've
ever seen a pregnant woman brought,
mentally as well as physically.
There's not really any medication
for it, is there?
Not after thalidomide.
There will never be any medication
for it after thalidomide.
A political meeting at the bedside
of a newly delivered mother?
I'm amazed she had the energy.
It was as though all the women were
getting energy from each other.
I've never seen anything like it.
They even gave her some homework.
Show them your book, child.
The Female Eunuch, by Germaine Greer.
What a a very striking cover.
What I want to know is:
Where do they come from,
all these educated ladies,
campaigning side by side
with cleaners from the East End?
I think mostly Hampstead,
although there's no doubt the
movement's spreading.
Women of all classes have always
been involved
in women's advancement.
My granny used to finish
a factory shift in Paisley
and go out campaigning.
Will you come on the march with
Joyce and I, Phyllis?
Perhaps I should come to the meeting.
I've no objection to finding out more.
I think that's extremely public-spirited.
The sisters and I look forward to
hearing all about it.
CAR HORN TOOTS
- You forgot the nit lotion.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
I must have got distracted putting
a new diabetes kit together
for Mr Kingsley.
I'd deal with him myself, but I've
two new cases of venous ulcer.
And I think the family, as a whole,
might respond better to a younger person.
Thank you.
BICYCLE BELL DINGS
So, the projected budget details
are in the blue folder,
but we're still missing the signed
returns from the Board of Health.
I'm afraid you've drawn a dreadfully
short straw.
I have assigned myself nursery
duties in the maternity home.
Four delicious little newborns,
including twins.
I'll be down at feeding time.
And we agreed that secular staff
make better inroads
with the council.
Go. Leave me to get on.
SHE KNOCKS ON DOOR
TV: asking you to
fill in the 1971 census,
an army of men and women with
light-blue satchels
Honey, I'm the nurse.
Are your mum and dad at home?
TV: There is nothing
to fear from completing it
What are you doing with those pills?
These are saccharine tablets!
They're for putting in your tea.
What are you doing with them, child?
GIRL WHIMPERS
Is that all you have to eat?
Your daughter should be at school!
And all of your children are hungry.
They need to be deloused
but first they need to be fed.
Who gave you leave to come in here
and start shouting odds, eh?!
My wife has been diagnosed
with depression.
I'm going to go to the corner shop
and buy a loaf,
some margarine and some jam.
And when I get back, we're going to
discuss a plan of action.
WOMAN: Hello. And how may I help you?
I'm calling on behalf of
Nonnatus House, Hendy Street,
with regard to our projected budget
from June of this year.
Please hold for a moment.
Of course.
MAN: Would that be
my friend, Lady Aylward?
Yes.
I wasn't expecting to be put through
to you, Dr Threapwood.
I asked to be connected
directly should you call.
I feel I should forewarn you
of certain developments.
Now?
It would be expedient to meet within
the week.
- Come on.
- Nurse Highland!
Mr Kingsley refused to co-operate
with the diabetes protocols.
And I'm taking the children
to the cleansing station.
There's no way of heating water
in that flat.
And I think the youngest has
scabies, as well as lice.
I'd better take a look at them.
- CHILD CRIES
- Come on.
Yeah
I know.
THELMA GROANS
This bellyache's worse than the
sickness, Sister.
If I could just go go properly.
You know what I mean?
If you're dehydrated, that might
well lead to constipation.
But I'll have a feel of your tummy
just to make sure
things are as they should be.
I'll be back.
THELMA GULPS
THELMA VOMITS
I am putting in a complaint as soon
as I get back to the surgery.
That cleansing station needs to be
open at all times,
not on request or by appointment!
I've never seen a family in a worse
state than this.
I've thought that so many times.
SHE RETCHES
- KNOCK AT DOOR
- May I come in?
LABOURED: Yeah
Have your bowels moved at all, Thelma?
I'm going to get you back to bed
with a hot water bottle.
Then I'm calling Dr Turner.
There's nothing he can give me.
Don't waste his time.
The surgery's three minutes' walk away,
and we won't be wasting his time
if we ask him to pop round and
rule out early labour.
THELMA GROANS
We need to take care of you, Thelma
- ..and your baby.
- Ah!
I wish there was no baby sometimes.
SHE VOMITS
CHILDREN BABBLE
We're going to have to get them
taken into care.
It may take a few days to implement,
but
..this is a clear case of neglect.
I think it's worse than neglect.
There's bruises on the backs of
the children.
And I need you to look between
Nicky's toes.
I think there's a cigarette burn there.
THELMA CRIES OU
SHE PANTS
Something's fallen into the toilet.
- Can I see?
- Mm.
- Oh
- Was it the baby?
Yes, sweetheart. It was.
THELMA GROANS
Don't look.
Sweetheart, we need to get you up.
It's all right, Thelma. I'm with you.
I'm going to leave you,
but only for a moment.
I need to fetch my bag.
DOOR OPENS
BABY CRIES WEAKLY
SHE GASPS
I'm afraid I always fear the worst
when Dr Threapwood
starts taking an interest
in our fortunes.
All I could do was arrange to meet
him at his office next week.
Baby! 28 weeks' gestation.
Delivered into the toilet!
Still breathing!
Dr Turner! Dr Turner!
He was breathing.
- DR TURNER: What's happened?
- Premature baby.
Six months' gestation.
Get the flying squad.
Sweetie, whose baby is it?
Thelma Cutler, 8 Lowman Street.
MILLICENT: Kenilworth Row.
Yes, the infant is still showing
signs of life.
Placenta is still attached.
The skin
The skin is like tissue paper.
We've lost respiration.
Come on!
Come on, little warrior.
It's all right, Thelma.
Everything's going to be all right.
Where did Sister Catherine go?
She took your baby to the maternity
home, Thelma.
Because it was dead?
No.
Because it's alive.
Is it a boy or a girl?
I don't know.
We're taking it to Imperial Hospital.
It's the only place in London
with any expertise
when they're this early, and this small.
We haven't weighed him.
The weight was the least of our concerns.
Fingers crossed it survives
the journey across town.
Blue lights all the way.
Er, it
..is a little boy.
TV: three, four. Ready to knock?
Turn the lock.
Play School!
I wouldn't generally advise taking
the bull by the horns
in such a way, Nurse Highland.
But in this case, it's as well you did.
It's the indifference that angers me.
Mm.
The indifference and the laziness,
as well as the cruelty.
Life is more of a struggle for some
people than it is for others.
We're fortunate.
Our struggle is only with our feelings.
DOORBELL RINGS
- Good afternoon, Mr Kingsley.
- Have you got my kids?
Your children are all here.
They have been receiving hygiene
treatment.
We're taking them home.
I suggest you come inside and
speak to Sister Veronica.
As a health visitor, she is the best
person to advise.
As their father, I'm best placed to
advise the lot of you!
JOYCE: You do not have
the right to enter private premises
in this manner!
And you do not have the right to
abduct my children!
- Edna!
- Edna
Nurse Highland brought your children
here because they were
in desperate need of bathing.
And now we have found bruises that
will have to be explained.
You'll have to prove they weren't
inflicted here.
Huh? I know the way your sort operate!
And we know our rights!
Edna!
Come on!
BABY CRIES
Get.
Come on.
CHILD WHIMPERS
And thank you, Eleanor, for reminding us
that women are not just discriminated
against in the professional field.
They are also discriminated against
at home!
MURMURS OF AGREEMEN
The time has come for us to declare
our self-respect
and to claim a full identity,
and to get equal pay for equal work.
- Yes!
- Equal work!
Before we move on to discussing
the logistics of the march,
Maxine will highlight the things
we're going to do to publicise it.
Namely, the one-day strike on Saturday
and the exhibition of bra burning.
First, I'd like to open the meeting
to the floor
in case anyone has anything to say.
I would like to say two things.
Thank you very much to the Women's
Liberation Movement,
and it's high time!
I would like to say thank you, too,
to the women who welcomed me
round this table tonight,
to the women who showed me that
this fight is necessary,
and to the women who I will stand with
when we shout this from the rooftops.
CHEERING
KNOCK AT DOOR
Enter.
You need not concern yourself with
your attire.
The Lord gave you those tresses.
And if they are His delight,
they do not offend me.
I have prepared you a beverage
..out of concern for the day
you have endured.
But I find I have left it in the kitchen.
I'm happy just to have your company.
TEARFULLY: It was a terrible day.
I have seen its like many times.
An infant lost, or maimed
or not shaped well.
I keep turning it over and over
again in my mind.
Did I do all I should have done?
Did I do anything to make things worse?
Oh, I recall that unabating voice.
The doubt that pursues you home
and seeks to be your bedfellow.
But say this to yourself
..tonight a child breathes.
Tonight a mother lives.
Tomorrow you will resume your tasks.
But what is my task now?
The child is born.
It has arrived.
But the mother is still on the journey
..and you must bring her home.
I've never once doubted the
importance of female solidarity.
But for women of my age,
it went unspoken.
If we'd had a motto, it would
have been "deeds, not words".
We had a war to be getting on with.
But even in the war, too many women
were forced into limiting roles
because of damaging stereotypes.
That's why burning bras is so important.
It's about the rejection of frivolity.
A good bra is a very practical item
and not frivolous at all.
Trixie, tell me you're not going to
be joining in
with all that carry-on.
Well, perhaps not with my current bras.
I bought them at a New York lingerie
department.
But definitely something from
my back catalogue.
You were quite quiet in the meeting,
Joyce.
Didn't you enjoy it?
I go quiet when I think
and I was doing a lot of thinking.
So was I.
I kept thinking,
"My husband had the power
"to run our finances into the ground
without telling me."
My husband beat me so badly,
I left him without telling him.
But what I learned tonight is that,
it's not what men have done to us
that matters.
It's what we do as women going forward.
- That I can't argue with.
- Mm.
And that's it.
We're ready for your outing.
Shoes on. Coats at the ready.
And I've got your washing-up bowl.
I don't need it, Kev. I haven't been
sick since yesterday.
I keep trying to picture the baby.
I never even saw his face.
The sooner we get you to the hospital,
the sooner you can have a proper look.
You'll feel better then, I promise you.
I can't believe the ideas
Women's Lib are coming up with.
A one-day strike?
It will draw attention to the march
at a local level
and give women who can't attend the
chance to demonstrate their views.
They tried it last year in America.
Women withdrew their labour right
across the country.
No cooking, no ironing, no childcare.
And there were no reports of any deaths.
THEY LAUGH
Prescriptions, signed by Dr Turner,
all present and correct.
Oh, thank you.
We're very low on pethidine.
And Mrs Kumar's penicillin was
becoming urgent.
It's good of you when you're so busy.
Well, I might be a lady of leisure
tomorrow
if I join in with this strike.
Will you be participating?
No, Mrs Turner. I've decided to
forego the pleasure.
Why is that?
Because I come from a generation of
women that got on with it.
No histrionics, no sloganeering.
And our foundation garments
stayed intact.
Baby weighed in at exactly two
pounds and half an ounce.
We've had a couple of two-pounders
do very well in the past year.
The doctors here are very skilled,
and learning all the time.
MONITORS BEEP
What's all the bleeping?
I think those are the transistorised
monitors.
There's one attached to every incubator.
If a baby stops breathing,
or there's a problem with
the heartbeat, an alarm goes off.
That's correct.
Here he is, Baby Cutler.
We can update the labels once you've
picked a Christian name.
Oh, we like James, didn't we?
James Kevin or James Paul.
Look at him, Thelma. He's beautiful.
He's gorgeous.
MONITOR BEEPS RAPIDLY
NURSE: Baby Smith has collapsed.
She needs a chair.
I can't look at him. I'm sorry!
It's all right, Thelma.
You only gave birth yesterday.
But did I give birth?
There was nothing that felt like
a contraction.
I didn't even realise that I pushed.
My body just
..let go of him.
I failed.
You didn't fail.
You were valiant throughout your
whole pregnancy.
It wasn't even a whole pregnancy.
He doesn't even look like a baby.
It's my fault.
It's my fault, because I said
I wished that there wasn't one.
But Baby James is doing well.
DOOR CLOSES
Oh, Lady Aylward!
What an unexpected pleasure!
Are you looking for anything
in particular?
Yes. Support for the Women's
Liberation march on March 9.
Oh! Women's Lib!
Would you want me as Violet Buckle,
haberdasher,
or me in my mayoral robes?
Either, or both.
Violet Buckle, haberdasher,
is a highly successful businesswoman,
and the Mayor of Tower Hamlets
is a trailblazing female politician.
But I've never thought of myself
as liberated.
Probably because you've been too busy.
It's not necessarily men holding
women back, Violet.
But if we don't stand shoulder
to shoulder with each other,
we're never going to realise just
how strong we are.
I'll come but only as myself.
The aldermen might object if I wear
the mayoral chain.
BICYCLE RATTLING
What happened to your moped?
It fell foul of budgetary cuts.
Do you need to brief me on anything
before we head in?
The gap in their records is
because they were out
of the area when their son died.
I'll telephone Greenwich, but we
still don't know what happened.
It's nice to see the children eating
a cooked meal at lunchtime, Edna.
Well, Faye gets a hot dinner at school,
and I want you to see I'm not
incompetent.
Social services are not your enemy.
We're here to help, especially
with the children.
You were meant to help when Martin died.
- Hmm?
- Fat lot of use you were then.
Ian, do you want to tell us
what happened to Martin?
He had a fit.
That's all. Babies have fits
all the time.
Martin wasn't a baby.
He was four and a half.
- You're just setting a trap.
- Nobody's setting a trap.
But we do need to understand why
there are injuries on your children.
Then look at how we can help you get
back on your feet as a family.
We've heard that before
..when they took the kids away from
us after Martin died.
Took us six months to get 'em back!
You are not having them this time!
Blessed are the midnight riders ♪
For in the shadow of God they sleep ♪
Blessed are the huddled hikers ♪
Staring out at falling rain ♪
Wondering at the retribution ♪
In their personal acquaintance
with pain ♪
Blessed are the blood relations ♪
Of the young ones who have died ♪
Who had not the time or patience ♪
To carry on this earthly ride ♪
Rain will come and winds will blow ♪
Wild deer die in the mountain snow ♪
Birds will beat at heaven's ♪
Ticking away like a little clock.
Just the way I like to hear it.
You have obviously been doing
everything right.
Not many people say that sort of
thing to me.
Edna, Doctor and I were wondering if
you'd like to come and have a look
at the ward and delivery room
while you're here.
We thought you'd like to mull over
having the baby with us,
instead of at St Cuthbert's.
I've decided against St Cuthbert's now.
I'm having a home birth.
This is your sixth pregnancy, Edna.
And you just told me I've been
doing everything right.
I'm not spending one night away
from my kids.
This will be a home birth, so you'd
best get that in your heads!
I used to work as a paediatric
nurse, Sister,
and I know the quest to heal can
cause terrible suffering.
Baby James was born at 28 weeks.
He is considered viable.
But what does viable mean?
Does it mean he'll go home as
a happy, healthy baby?
Or could he be brain damaged and blind?
We're working to regulate the amount
of oxygen these babies receive.
Now, we know too much can affect
their eyesight.
Sister Wilmott, do you share that
information with the parents?
We tell the parents what they need
to know
when they have to make decisions.
James's mother is in no fit state
to make any decision.
She struggles to even believe he is
her child.
And without that bond,
how can she choose what's right?
Sometimes the parents don't choose.
Sometimes the problems overwhelm
the babies,
and they simply declare themselves.
We can't help them all.
But you CAN help the mothers.
Or at least, you could help me to
help this one.
I'm sorry, Mr Robinson.
Sister Veronica has left for
her district visits.
CYRIL: The Kingsley family's
case notes have come through.
They have more details on the death
of Martin.
Good. I don't like having a child
merely marked
as "deceased" in our records.
It seems to speak of want of care.
Martin died of oxygen deprivation,
from a seizure that was only
witnessed by his parents.
The postmortem noted old bruises
on his upper arms and back,
and a cigarette burn was found
between his toes.
Were the parents ever charged?
No, they were not.
There was thought to be insufficient
evidence of child battery
or neglect, and the police fell back
on a compassionate approach.
Will surveillance of the family
increase now?
It's 5:10 on a Friday.
But, yes, it will.
Hands through the portholes like that.
Excellent.
And then just clean his little face
with the damp cotton wool.
What if it's sore with that
big plaster on it?
I swear he's smiling.
It's like his lips just turned up
a little bit at the corners.
MONITOR BEEPS RAPIDLY
Stand back.
He's stopped breathing!
CHRISTOPHER LAUGHS
That's the three of us off and
ready for our big adventure.
Sister Veronica will collect Christopher.
She's going to read to him from some
Cantonese storybooks.
Oh, that's great.
Teddy and me are going to do
an Airfix model.
But we're on strike, Patrick.
In preparation for the women's
march next Saturday.
And I'm all for it.
Some of the newspaper coverage has
been really thought-provoking.
But, Daddy, you need to do
the ironing and washing.
I was in the Army!
Ironing holds no fears.
Have you left us a casserole
or something?
That's not how a women's strike works.
HAIRSPRAY WHOOSHES
What's this, Vi?
It's a list.
It's a list of everything that I
usually do on a Saturday and Sunday
in order to keep this household
on the straight and narrow.
But it starts with,
"Run a haberdasher's shop."
And then it says, "Batch bake."
And then it says, "Clean all the shoes."
And then it says, "And my handbags."
I mean, how do you fit all this
in an afternoon?
You've got more handbags than
the Queen Mum.
I do your shoes, then I do my shoes
and my bags
while the batch bake's in the oven.
Why do you think I close the shop
at 4:00 at weekends?
A home and a family do not run
themselves, Fred Buckle.
But I can't run the haberdashery.
I don't know the names of all
the different types of elastic.
And people come in and ask for, erm
..female things.
I'll stick with the paper shop.
Cyril's running the paper shop.
He's strongly in support of
feminist ideals.
I'm sorry we're having to do this here.
I do need to ask you a few questions
about bleeding and what goes on
in the bathroom.
But we can do that before Kevin
gets back with the tea.
Kevin keeps pushing me to agree
to give James a tracheotomy.
Have the consultants said it's
for the best?
They've said it's best for
his chance of survival.
How do we know it's the best thing
for him?
A tracheotomy will prevent James
from suffering so many collapses, Thelma.
They'll cut into his throat
from the outside
and stick a plastic nozzle in.
He'll have to breathe through his neck.
How's that better?
Why is it better to just keep him
surviving
..even if he may never see?
Even if his brain is going to be damaged?
We don't know any of those things
are going to happen, Thelma.
And we don't know that they won't.
You know more than me, Sister Catherine,
but when it comes to a baby like James
..nobody knows anything.
TEDDY SIGHS
Hey, keep it up.
There's probably a Cub badge
for potato peeling.
It's taken you an hour to do two shirts!
INDISTINCT CHATTER
- Yoohoo!
- Ah, Trixie!
- You made it.
- Yes.
Jonty's nanny said she'd go on
strike next week instead.
- We worked it out between us.
- Compromise is power.
Are you sure that's right?
When I have arguments,
I like to win them!
Oh, Mrs Turner, you are quite
the dark horse!
Whoever invented new pence wants hanging.
I've had to charge people in decimal
for things
that I'm measuring in yards!
And that's before you start talking
about two-ply wool and press studs.
Oh, flaming Nora!
Oh!
THEY COUGH
Flaming scones!
Being a man is terrible.
AMBULANCE BELL RINGS
What happened?
She fell out the window!
- Where are her parents?
- I don't know.
Do you know the child, sir?
Yes. I'm her social worker.
Excuse me, love.
You haven't got such a thing as
a compact mirror, have you?
I'm sorry. It's not a thing
I generally carry around.
I suppose not.
I've got five minutes before
a photographer arrives.
Me and my Nina are going to be in
the papers.
We're taking her home.
14 months we've been in here.
14 months?
She must have been in the wars.
Not half. Born at 28 weeks.
Bowel surgery, tracheotomy.
They thought she had a brain bleed.
Now all we're waiting for is a set
of ankle splints,
and we're off!
Is my lippy all right?
For the photograph.
It's a bit smudged. Here.
Oh, ta. I owe you a favour.
DOOR CLOSES
I told the consultant you'll need
a statement.
But he confirmed that Faye has
a fractured femur
and collarbone and concussion.
The police will need a copy, too.
They also found she had
catastrophically low blood sugar.
She seems to have swallowed
prescription drugs,
or been fed them.
Why would anyone feed a child
prescription drugs?
Because low blood sugar makes
a child dozy and compliant.
I don't know is the honest answer.
Just as I don't know how anyone
blessed
blessed with such beautiful children
could treat them with such
hideous contempt!
Millicent,
do you think
I'm barking up the wrong tree
resisting all this Women's Lib talk?
Well, not everyone is in support.
I've heard quite a number of ladies
saying, "I'm not a feminist, but"
I just don't like the gimmicky way
it's all been put together.
I would always counsel against
objecting to a book because of its cover.
PHYLLIS GASPS
Millicent!
You're reading The Female Eunuch?
The authoress makes a series
of very sensible points,
notably, regarding female sexuality.
It's a thing I spent much of my life
being ashamed of.
I never did, oddly enough,
PHYLLIS CHUCKLES
It's like being a vegetarian,
as though I was wired to run counter
to the general view.
But why am I being like this?
Why am I picking holes in something
that young people are full of
fervour for?
Do we perhaps fear losing our place
in the scheme of things?
Two weeks ago, I was standing
outside the draper's
on Inkerman Street,
and there was a blouse in the window
with a psychedelic pattern.
Jewel tones. But
..it was such a beguiling design.
And I was looking at it, and I thought
"I will never wear that blouse."
Why?
There's no harm in breaking out
a bit, fashion-wise.
Phyllis, there is no harm in
breaking out.
And if we don't, we'll be left behind.
You're not wrong.
Psychedelic pattern or no
psychedelic pattern.
HAMMERING ON DOOR
OUTWITH: Police!
Don't answer it.
KNOCKING PERSISTS
Mr Kingsley? Mrs Kingsley?
Because of concerns about
the welfare of your children,
a Place of Safety Order has been issued.
We have come to remove them.
Don't let them take them, Ian.
They're our kids.
- They're not going anywhere.
- They're terrified.
Mr Kingsley, we'll force entry
if you do not cooperate!
As well as the police,
I have Sister Veronica with me.
The children will be well taken care of.
KNOCKING ON DOOR
Mr Kingsley?
Mrs Kingsley?
This is uncalled for!
Ian Kingsley and Mary Kingsley,
I'm arresting you on suspicion of
child neglect and cruelty.
This is what they wanted all along!
We've already lost one of our children!
Doesn't that mean anything to you?
It means a very great deal, Mrs Kingsley.
And I wish
..that we didn't have to do this.
EDNA SOBS
CHILD CRIES
Honestly, love, you wouldn't have
given a tuppence ha'penny
for her chances in the first few weeks,
in old money or new money.
She's as bonnie as anything now.
- Look at her chubby little cheeks, Thel.
- Mm.
How is she with normal food?
After all those months with the tube
up her nose?
Oh, she's great with chocolate pudding.
Not so good with her greens, though.
But as long as it's all mushed up,
she's just like any other baby, really.
Do you ever feel like any other mum,
Bernice?
I feel like HER mum.
It's not so different from having
any other child.
You can't turn your back on them.
Can't work out what they're thinking.
Can't picture the future.
The doctors never gave us any guarantees.
No baby gets a guarantee, really.
Guarantees are for things you buy
in shops.
And we're lucky.
We get to call our babies miracles.
- BANGING
- Oi!
Yes?
My waters have broken.
And I'm not going to hospital!
Edna Kingsley is in labour.
Screaming blue murder and refusing
to get into the ambulance.
Police said she wants one of us
to attend,
and I'm first on the call board.
Whatever's gone on in the past
or is yet to come
..she is still a mother.
Let me know if it's a boy or a girl,
and I shall add it to my notes.
I'll get my bag.
SHE SNIFFLES
HE WOLF WHISTLES
MEN CHUCKLE
I'm afraid this isn't good news,
Lady Aylward.
And it can't be countermanded,
even with all the womanly wiles
at your disposal.
A simple statement of facts will
suffice, Dr Threapwood.
Very well.
By 1974, all medical service
provision across the country
will be taken out of council hands
and given direct to the National Health.
But the Order have worked hand in glove
with the National Health
since its inception!
And this council has been the go-between.
Without our future involvement,
there can be no more cajolery,
no more persuasion.
It is over.
A great deal could happen
between now and 1974.
The new rules will be phased in
from this year.
And there is one I know the sisters
won't accept.
EDNA WAILS
Less noise, Edna, lass.
Save your strength.
I want it to be all right, Nurse!
You're on the home straight, I promise.
There's no reason to suppose
anything will be amiss.
I don't mean with the baby.
I mean with everything!
Come on.
Suck on that barley sugar
and concentrate on what's happening
here and now.
They can't take a newborn off you,
can they?
Edna
EDNA SOBS AND WAILS
Save your energy for this last big push.
EDNA GROANS
Come on, now.
Steady push.
Steady
Steady push.
BABY CRIES
You have a beautiful little
daughter, Edna.
BABY CRIES
There we go.
BABY SETTLES
Martin looked just like that
when he was born.
You forget
..when we haven't got a photo of him.
We never had a camera.
I'm going to give you the best life.
Do you hear that?
The best life.
Hello, you.
Oh!
Oh, Mr Franklin.
So good of you to go out of your way.
Oh, what sort of friend would
I be if I didn't tip up
with a cup of Rosie when the chips
are down?
Dr Threapwood is right.
We will not accept that diktat.
But it is a diktat, Sister Julienne.
You aren't going to be allowed to
wear the habit any more!
My sisters and I have dressed like
this since the inception of the Order.
It is the outward expression of
the reason why we do this.
The powers-that-be don't give
two hoots why you do this.
They just want it done.
If Nonnatus House is to survive at all,
we are all going to be
National Health employees.
And the new rules state that we will
have to dress as such or
..leave the system.
We have never been a part of the system.
We have rejoiced in that.
Dr Threapwood said he'd like your
response by the end of this month.
I think it ties in with the end
of the financial year.
Who is this man
..to lay down the law in this way?
This decision will be driven by prayer,
not by the fiscal calendar,
therefore, I will choose the
appropriate date.
We will tell him what we are going
to do on August 31,
which happens to be the feast day
of St Raymond Nonnatus.
People think I talk too much.
- I don't.
- I know.
And I know you listen.
I've never seen, "Here she goes again,"
writ large on your face.
But
The thing I think
people don't understand
about the life I chose
..is so much of it is
..silence.
I understand.
It isn't about when we can't speak.
It's about
..what we can never say.
What we can never name, because
..that might expose us
..lay us bare.
HE EXHALES
Yes.
And we can't afford that, can we?
No.
Because, really
..who wants the whole wide world
to hear them howling?
I don't think I can silence
the howling any more.
What is it you want, Veronica?
If we're going to drop
the "Sister" bit
..I think you'd better call me
Beryl, my real name.
You can call me Geoffrey, if it's
not too much of a stretch.
What is it you want?
I want a child.
I want a child of my own
..to hold in my arms
and keep safe
..and cherish always.
I want a child before it becomes
impossible.
I feel like he ought to have
a special little nightie on
if he's to have an operation.
I feel like his dad should have had
the day off work.
James's first year is going to be
a long haul, Thelma.
Keeping up a normal routine is going
to be good for everyone.
I'm good at routines.
Before I fell pregnant
I used to dream I'd have all
the nappies on the line every Monday.
Dreams are a lovely thing to have.
Sometimes we just have to dream
for longer than we thought.
He'll be a baby for longer, too.
I think I might like that.
Thank you.
DOOR OPENS
Have you come to take James
for his tracheotomy?
I'm his mother.
What's this?
Something to wear on Saturday, perhaps.
MILLICENT GASPS
On your marks. Get set!
You want a sausage roll?
I'll have one.
I'll tell you what, pal
..I love our lady folk, all of them,
but this liberation lark
it's hard work.
THEY GIGGLE
I went for cotton.
I thought it would burn longer.
I brought this one from discounted stock.
Nobody's buying long line these days.
I relented.
Bergdorf Goodman's finest.
Girls! Where did you get that from?
The charity cupboard.
Provenance uncertain.
Sisterhood takes many forms.
I think we should celebrate them all.
MATURE JENNIFER: There will always
be things that we cannot change,
even when there is the will and
the belief that we should try.
Change chooses its own seeds,
sows them in its own selected soil.
CHEERING
Our task is to water them
and not trample green shoots underfoot.
In the spring of 1971,
there was so much that was altered.
There were endings
and there were beginnings.
There was uncertainty and there was
confidence.
There was rage and there was love.
And so, we marched together
into all the things we did not know,
hoping and also fearing things
would never be the same.
You may begin!
I started out in Bombay,
and then I worked my
way right up to Ladakh.
Find a way to make a living!
I can't see any gas.
It'll be in the delivery room, won't it?
So many mothers looking after him.
I'm telling you, Nurse,
the one thing this baby isn't
is a Protestant.
- More tea, Mrs Clifford?
- Oh, yes, please.
I didn't expect Earl Grey.
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