♪ ♪ [Fussing] ♪ Mature Jennifer: Sometimes an experience begins in ruins.

Flesh is torn.

Blood is spilt.

Everything hurts, and nothing is as we planned it or we hoped for... ♪ and yet not everything is lost.

The pleasure is only postponed.

[Fussing] Mature Jenny: The joy will come.

First, we must mend, and then heal.

♪ [Door opens] Oh!

Welcome home, Reggie.

Give us a kiss.

Oh, your cheeks are cold.

We were having a chat about the Jane situation on the way home.

I'm sorry Jane's gone to live in Ireland, Reggie.

I know she was very special to you...

Yes, very special.

but how lovely is it that she's going to be with her parents?

Next week, I have to go to a wedding.

You love Nancy, and you love Roger, and nothing is going to stop you from celebrating with them.

When can I see that vase that you've been making for them in your art class?

Uh, that's another tale.

Wasn't back from the kiln this morning, so it's gonna have to be posted.

Well, it will get here in plenty of time for the wedding.

Ha ha!

Oh, now guess what I have made... [Clears throat] for your afters tonight.

Rice pudding.

Got it in one.

Ha ha ha!

And that, my dear Sister, is that.

Now, you are about to take your vows.

Do you feel ready?

Spiritually, I feel as ready as I can be, thanks to your guidance.

Personally, the fact that my sister is coming feels just right.

Otherwise, I just keep worrying about what I'm going to wear.

Oh.

Ha!

Sister Hilda assures me that once we get to the Mother House, there will be an extensive selection of bridal gowns for you and Sister Elizabeth to choose from.

I'm glad Mother Mildred has revived that custom.

It's certainly the only wedding dress I'll ever get to walk down an aisle in.

Ha!

I'm only sad Mother Mildred won't be there to see it.

Who knows what mysterious work is afoot in India?

But if the Lord called her there, there must be a reason.

♪ Man on radio: There has been a serious blaze at the mother and baby home in Essex.

Fire engines were called to Arbury House... Patrick.

♪ Patrick!

There's been a fire at Arbury House with mothers-to-be there, and babies.

♪ Phyllis: Numbers are confirmed.

There are 4 girls on their way to us-- two close to term, two recently delivered.

Thank goodness they all escaped.

Are their babies still with them?

One aged 6 days, one aged 3 weeks, adoptions pending.

They were all referred from our practice, so it falls to us to take them in and sort them out.

♪ Oh.

Come on.

Keep babies wrapped up.

There we go.

Come on.

♪ Joyce: Hello again, Paula.

Come on, honey.

Let's get you inside.

There we are.

It hurts when I walk.

Mm.

♪ [Car door closes] My hamsters are still in the car.

Oh.

Almost done.

Good boy.

Well, his temperature's normal, which, given that you were all turfed out of doors at dawn on a freezing morning, isn't bad at all.

[Fusses] Being bonny probably helped.

Have you been bottle-feeding him?

I would have tried the other way, but nobody else was doing it.

Matron said it's best not to bother if you're gonna give them away.

You've cared for him beautifully, Janine.

That's given him a really good start in life.

♪ [Hamsters squeaking] When were you 14, Paula?

In August.

And have you been able to keep up with your schoolwork while you've been at the home?

I get booklets in the post and fill them in and send them off.

Do you get good marks?

I don't get marks.

They just send more booklets.

Hmm.

Paula, I think this low-down tummy ache is caused by an infection in your bladder, and you may have what we call anemia, which means very low iron in your blood.

I think we need to take you to the maternity home for a few days.

Is that a hospital?

If it's a hospital, I won't be able to take the hamsters.

Oh, Sister Monica Joan will mind them.

She has a soft spot for rodents.

As long as it isn't for long.

St. Blaise Home is full, as well.

Mr. Robinson is also trying to help, but the best I've been able to find is two beds only at Temple Bank, and that's never been an establishment that's impressed me.

The mother and baby homes seem busier than ever.

There are more unmarried mothers willing to go it alone these days, but I think it's the rise in the so-called gymslip mums.

And the younger the girl, the more she's at the mercy of her family's views.

Love seldom proves more powerful than shame.

I've so often wished it could be otherwise.

Right, ladies.

We have a plan.

Paula is going straight to the maternity home so that her urine infection and anemia can be dealt with.

Until we work out who's going to Temple Bank, Maggie will have the guest room, and I'm taking Nurse Crane's spare bed so that Sandra and Janine can have the bed-sitter with their babies.

Rosalind: What about Nancy and Colette?

They're meant to be in the bed-sitter from today until the wedding.

Ohh, how about a tent on the allotment?

They're going to stay with Miss Higgins.

♪ Hello.

Veronica: Mrs. Cunningham?

I need to talk to you about Paula.

I'm on my way to the latest prayer circle at the chapel.

Mrs. Cunningham, there's been a fire at the place where your daughter was accommodated.

It's no longer possible for her to stay there.

Has she had the child yet?

No, but she is unwell and has had to be moved to the maternity home.

If you're looking for us to take her in, the answer's no.

We signed Paula over to council care until nature has taken its course.

After that, our door is open, and she can start again.

I'm sure that, as a woman of God, you understand our position.

Mr. Robinson, Paula's social worker, and I were hoping you might reconsider.

My husband and I are completely in agreement.

Ah... Ha ha!

Come in.

Come in.

Master suite for the bride-to-be, box room for the maid of honor, and the studio couch for yours truly.

And I'm going to be on a Lilo at my best man's house, no change of plan there at all.

Nancy: Thank you, Miss Higgins.

I've warned you before about the excessive use of formalities.

Thank you, Millicent.

♪ [Baby gurgling] It's years since I've seen a baby in a drawer.

He had a cot in the mother and baby place.

Mm.

I bet they didn't paint it all fresh and new for every new occupant like we did with ours.

Go on, then.

Let's see his face.

♪ Interesting.

♪ Bring him home, and we'll make the best of it.

♪ I'm meant to be having him adopted.

Where's he gonna fit in, with an 'ooter like that?

He's got the Hicks nose.

He can live in a Hicks house, and we'll get the cot out of the cubbyhole and tart it up a bit.

It was rose pink last time I looked.

You're not the first, and you won't be the last.

♪ I wish you luck, girls.

Can't be any worse than the last place... can it?

We'll manage.

We have to.

No one's gonna come and say we can go home.

♪ [Engine starts] ♪ Not a peep.

You are brave.

♪ I keep telling Mrs. Turner we ought to invest in some up-to-date modes in brushed nylon.

She is a firm believer in the healing powers of winceyette.

The arms are a bit long.

I suppose they'll keep my hands warm.

I'll get you a couple of safety pins.

We can't have you trailing your sleeves in your crumble and custard.

Ha ha ha!

I'm getting quite giddy with excitement.

The last time I saw this dress, it was a snippet of glorious fabric and a paper pattern.

Ha ha ha!

Just slip into that robe for me, Nancy, dear.

You can leave your slip and your girdle on.

I take it you will be wearing a girdle on the day.

Never go anywhere without one.

[Chuckles] I'm going to start by checking your measurements again.

You don't have to go to all this trouble, Violet.

♪ [Sighs] Nancy...most brides lose weight.

What on Earth has happened?

♪ Hello, sir.

Can I help you?

I'd like to see Paula Cunningham.

I'm her father.

Follow me.

[Sniffles] I'm sorry.

It's got mascara on it now.

Oh, it's no matter, but how many months pregnant are you?

7...

7?!

Oh... and a bit.

Like I said, I didn't suspect it.

I've never been that regular or that thin.

By the time I realized what was going on, I was far too embarrassed to go to the doctor.

[Doorbell rings] ♪ Nancy, you have consulted a doctor?

Yeah, last month, laughed his head off.

Heh.

I'm a district nurse.

Ah.

He said I'm fit as a flippin' flea, so-- Phyllis: Oh, lass, come here.

Oh, what are you crying for?

This is wonderful news.

♪ Dad, does Mum know you're here?

She doesn't need to know, same as she didn't know I came to see you in the home.

I liked it when you did that.

We'll have you home soon, back in time for Christmas, eh?

♪ I know it sounds daft, wanting to keep it a secret till after the event, but I had my first baby when I was 16.

I just wanted things to be different this time.

I knew I could never hope to have a white wedding, but I did want to have a respectable one.

I could have got away with it, except tape measures don't lie.

No.

They don't, but... a well-made dress can keep a lot of secrets.

As can good friends.

I, too, will remain entirely silent on the matter.

Oh, do you know what I've dreaded most of all?

The sisters finding out and being disappointed, you know, being like a rerun of last time, except these aren't Catholics.

Don't want "Nancy Corrigan-- crusher of nuns' hopes," written on my gravestone.

Provided you promise to report any untoward niggles or other developments directly to me, the news of your condition will travel no further than ourselves or this room.

Violet: I must say, Colette's been marvelous.

All these bridesmaids' fittings, and she hasn't said a peep.

That's probably because she doesn't know.

[Woman wailing] Mavis.

Mavis.

Mavis.

Oh...oh...

Very soon, you're going to feel the need to push.

Then we can start making these pains work for you.

I'll be dead by then.

No, no, you won't.

Do you want to have another try with the gas?

Oh... [Wailing] [Whimpering] Paula?

Paula, please don't be upset.

Some ladies make more noise than others when their babies are being born.

There was another one in the night.

That was the same.

[Wailing continues] I think it's too much for her, Doctor.

I asked if she'd like to come into the nursery and see a baby being bathed, but she refused.

The best place I can think of for her right now is the Mother House.

The Mother House?

It's a registered orphanage.

They have taken in one or two unmarried mothers in the past, but mostly they take in children.

Does anyone know what's become of the father of Paula's baby?

His parents left the area and took him with them.

By all accounts, he was scarcely out of puberty himself.

At that age, they're at the mercy of biology.

They don't understand what it is that is happening or the harm that can be done.

Too much gets learned the hard way.

Plus, the trouble with adolescent pregnancy is that every cell in the body is squabbling over nutrients.

The child wants to grow, but so does the baby.

The risk of anemia is higher.

The risk of pre-eclampsia is higher, and in the meantime, what's it doing to her mind?

♪ Oh...

Sister Hilda has extended the warmest invitation for you to attend Sister Catherine's vows.

It's too long since you have visited the Mother House.

There are those who would detain me there for nursing purposes, regardless of my will.

I will feel your presence with me, I am sure.

I have said it oft.

I am like Ariel.

I divide and burn in many places.

So what I've got written down so far, in no particular order, is flowers; getting ready, including some sort of hairdo; something like shoes to tie on the back of the going-away car; discotheque; buffet; balloons.

I love a few balloons.

Joyce: Excuse me.

"In no particular order"?

This is a wedding, child.

Do you want it all to go to hell in a handcart?

Oh, I forgot-- fireworks.

Joyce: Who said anything about fireworks?

Me.

I want sort of an autumn theme, and you get fireworks in autumn.

We just need a few rockets and some sparklers.

We may discuss rockets and sparklers when we have established the parameters of the buffet.

Now, the caterers are in need of information.

♪ Ahh... Oh, my dear Sister, greetings in our Lord Jesus Christ's name.

I greet you likewise, Sister Hilda.

And you must be Paula, dear.

Don't look so shy.

We'll look after you.

Oh, this is a first, I must say.

Do they eat a lot of cheese?

No?

Mm.

And here she is, the bride-to-be.

Oh.

Good to see you, Mr. Buckle.

Are you getting excited?

Because we are.

I am, and I'm looking forward to seeing Sister Elizabeth.

Yes.

Um...

I have news of Sister Elizabeth.

So she just left?

Well, postulants can.

They have signed nothing, and they have promised nothing.

Just as they are free to hear God's call, they are free to decide that they must have been mistaken.

I imagine that means Sister Catherine will make her profession to first vows alone.

Yes.

It does, which has never happened in the history of the order, as far as I'm aware, though it does mean you get first pick of the wedding dresses.

We've had some lovely donations recently, including the offer of a mink-trimmed mini.

♪ I--I declined that, with thanks, on the grounds that we need frocks for brides of Christ, not...Lulu.

[Chuckles] ♪ How long will you stay?

I'll stay until the wind changes, like Mary Poppins, or at least until we sort out which hospital you're going to, lucky me, on the camp bed.

♪ You were the one who said, "Let's leave it till after the wedding, give her a lovely surprise," and I was the one who went along with it, so we're equally to blame.

Colette isn't gonna be a little girl much longer, Roger.

She isn't gonna be an only child much longer.

Her world is gonna change in so many ways.

You could argue it already has, and she's been fine with all of it.

I think we should tell her now, give her the respect of helping us to keep the secret for a little while.

"Give her the respect."

You see?

That's why I fell in love with you, Roger Noble.

You're an original thinker.

Where I grew up, no one ever gave children any respect at all.

Same, pretty much.

We can do better, Nance.

Shall I tell you my idea?

[Chuckles] [Bell ringing] ♪ Mm... ♪ O Lord, our heavenly Father... [Others praying] almighty and everlasting God, who safely brought us to the beginning of this day... [Bell ringing] defend us... [Bell ringing] [Praying continues] ♪ ...that all our doings may be ordered by Thy governance to do always that is righteous in thy sight.

...through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The postman didn't come.

Ohh, Miss Maxsted promised me she posted your vase.

I'll ring the post office, see if it's ended up there.

♪ Phase one of the operation is complete.

Mother and daughter are turning into the allotment gate and heading for the bench.

Ah...choo!

Oh, I think it's time I had these curtains laundered.

Does Nancy still have the hat on?

I'm not to go out and join them until she's taken it off.

That's the sign that she's told her about the baby.

The hat remains in evidence, and they are assuming a seated position.

Sometimes I hardly notice nature where we live now.

There's always such a lot of it.

Flowers always seem more important in Poplar.

We've seen a few seasons change on this bench, haven't we?

Mummy, are you sure about that hat?

I don't think it matches your coat.

Since when were you a fashion designer?

Our needlework teacher says I have an eye for color and texture.

Oh, does she now?

Ha!

♪ I can remember when you were born, wondering what you were gonna want to be when you grew up and whether or not it was just gonna be you and me on our own forever.

Well, we've got Uncle Roger now, haven't we?

Did you know he doesn't like you wearing hats?

Uncle Roger isn't a fashion designer, either.

Ha ha ha!

Oh... ...choo!

Bless you.

♪ The hat has been removed.

So we have liftoff?

Wish me luck.

It's got ice lolly all over it now, Colette.

Collette: There's a label in it saying, "Dry clean only."

You'll have to take it to Mrs. Wallace.

Hello, girls.

What do you think of the news, then?

What news?

Um...

Sometimes after people get married, they decide that they're happier than they've ever been before.

And sometimes they are happier than ever before before they get married.

And so it seems that the sensible thing to do is to seal that happiness by having a child.

You don't need to do that, though, because you've got me.

Yeah.

Yes.

We do have you, and you've got us.

You've got us forever.

Yes.

You do, but do you want to know something lovely, Colette?

Something lovelier than this?

Yeah.

♪ Collette: Oh, my goodness, Mummy!

♪ [Indistinct conversation] [Laughter] ♪ [Laughter] ♪ Aww.

Ha ha ha!

Uh!

Ha ha ha!

♪ Ha ha ha!

♪ [Crash] [Laughter] Geoffrey: Oi!

What do you think you're playing at?

♪ Oh...

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Oh, you've done nothing wrong, old chap.

Hey... Geoffrey?

I've been pressed into service to help cater for a certain hen night, oven gloves always at the ready.

There you go.

Lord, but there are some nasty people out there.

You want to stay inside with us, helping us with the flowers and decorations for the wedding?

I can't think of a nicer way to spend an evening, personally.

What's the color palette?

Autumnal tones with touches of carmine and burgundy.

Delicious.

Mm-hmm.

Have you ever tried buying burgundy balloons?

Trixie: And we need balloons because flowers are so expensive.

You are taking entirely the wrong approach.

The Japanese--and I cannot tell you how much I've come to appreciate Japanese art recently-- have a form of floristry called ikebana-- a single perfect flower placed in a single otherwise empty vessel and often positioned against a blank wall.

That sounds awful.

Ha ha ha!

I can't even put one single flower in my vase.

♪ [Children squealing] ♪ Nurse Ros?

Mm?

Do you like church?

Yes.

I do.

Do you like it?

Not as much as my mum and dad, but even when you don't want to hear things, if you're in the room when they're being said, you remember it, and ever since I got here, I've been praying.

And what have you been praying for?

That they'll put me to sleep when the baby's born, like when I had my tonsils out.

♪ Stand in profile for me, darling, and chin up a little.

You have a very nice neck.

I'm leaning towards the dupion silk or the organdy.

Not the chiffon?

I don't think a sheer sleeve will ever be appropriate in November.

What size do you take?

5 1/2.

I have a 5 1/2 here, but there's a sort of sandal effect.

Oh, do let's try these.

I've never been able to resist a peep-toe.

Hee!

Oh... What a difference a year makes.

12 months ago, I was a spinster who wouldn't touch curry with a bargepole, and now I'm having a curry-themed hen night.

Collette: Uncle Roger's having curry, as well, with the whole of his rugby team.

Colette, dear, put the lids on your felt tips.

It's time to go.

♪ It always felt like a turning point in the year when we'd eat the last fresh pears from the orchard and open the first tins.

I'm afraid we must savor these while we may.

There will be more tins in the future, and not just in the winter months.

There's always change afoot at Nonnatus House, but we always weather it, mainly by virtue of resisting it with all our might.

Oh.

Well, this is bigger than anyone's might, even Mother Mildred's.

In short, the order is contemplating its future.

Vocations are dwindling, aren't they?

Yes, and so is money.

We used to have branch houses dotted all over Great Britain, and since 1947, the sisters have worked hand in glove with the National Health, but at every turn, councils are withdrawing from those contracts.

It's not just Poplar, then?

No.

Mother Mildred has sold the orchard and the kitchen garden to property developers to cover our shortfall, and she is looking for opportunities abroad.

So we'll be missionary sisters.

Mm.

At least the sun will warm our ageing bones.

But what will become of Sister Catherine's bones as she ages?

Will the order even live as long as she?

♪ Nobody knows.

Hmm.

They've tasted so sweet this autumn.

Nancy, breakfast awaits.

I'm about to leave for the surgery.

Oh, my dear.

I've had an upset stomach all night and couldn't get comfy.

Must have been the curry.

I knew I shouldn't have let my guard down.

I'm summoning Nurse Crane.

♪ Helen: Sandra.

Sandra!

Helen!

Oh!

It was such a long journey on the train, I decided to come early.

I thought the more miles, the more changes, the more could go wrong, but nothing did go wrong.

I got here with a whole day to spare.

Oh... ♪ Is this allowed?

Like, I keep thinking of all these things that mustn't be allowed.

You're my sister.

If anyone forbids this, I will fight them.

Ha ha!

♪ Nancy, are you absolutely sure you're just 7 months?

I only met the man last Christmas.

Well, be that as it may, this baby's got its head well down.

It's just wind.

It just kind of twinges and fizzles out.

I have oil of peppermint in the bathroom cabinet.

We'll sort you out a dose of that, and I shall come back later.

I never knew a family that laughs like ours.

Took me years to realize that the reason we did everything Dad wanted was because he was unhappy.

Mm, because he was scared of things he couldn't control.

Yeah, like his wife and kids.

His laughter was so fragile.

Do you mind that he never let us go to church?

Maybe I didn't want to then, and by the time it mattered, I was training as a nurse, and I was free to choose.

He didn't like it, but I didn't have to care.

He doesn't have to like the way that I live my life.

I wish he did.

I wish all kinds of things.

Doesn't being a nun stop all of that?

No.

I wish he hadn't suffered so much as a child.

I wish he hadn't grown up in his bare feet.

I wish he hadn't been starved and beaten.

By Roman Catholic nuns.

♪ I wish him the best.

He gave me the train fare.

Really?

He said he wanted someone to be with you, even if it wasn't him.

♪ I've come to see my daughter-- Paula Cunningham.

I'm afraid Miss Cunningham is no longer with us.

♪ Do you want to come up to the house, Helen?

Everyone would make you so welcome.

I know, but, no.

I'll come tomorrow.

It will be wonderful.

♪ Wonderful and not like this.

Cliff Richard: ♪ Baby ♪ ♪ Twist and shout... ♪ Helen, listen.

Richard: ♪ Come on, come on, come on, come on, baby... ♪ It's a twist.

Richard: ♪ Work it on out... ♪ [Both laughing] Richard: ♪ Yeah, work it on out, yeah... ♪ I'm back in the bedroom now.

I haven't even left home yet.

I haven't even left school.

[Both laughing] I don't even really like Cliff Richard.

I still dream about being married to Cliff Richard.

Richard: ♪ Yeah, shake it up, baby ♪ Whoo!

Whoo!

Whoo!

Oh!

Oh!

Stop!

No!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

♪ Catherine: Ha ha!

Stop!

♪ She's my daughter.

She's 14 years old.

You can't just cart her off without telling me.

But you and your wife agreed that Paula should come into council care for the duration of her pregnancy.

We made the decision deemed best for her welfare.

♪ Oh...uh... ♪ Uh... Ohh... Oh...ooh... What I can never work out is whether you are Beatrix Aylward, working nurse and wife to a businessman, or Princess Margaret going on a tour of grateful Commonwealth territories.

Princess Margaret doesn't have to have anything like the range of accessories I need.

She does everything in the same old pair of cream slingbacks.

Go.

Go and enjoy the other wedding.

I've always loved you in sugared almond shades.

[Engine starts] [Beep beep] ♪ Ohh...

Right, lass.

Uh-uh.

Uh-uh.

♪ I think we both know what we're dealing with, and it's going to involve an ambulance.

Ohh!

[Panting] [Bell rings] Hello, old chap.

Are you all on your lonesome?

Fred's trying to mend the vase.

He said two swear words.

It's a miracle it's only two.

It's like it's just turned into shrapnel.

Would you like me to take it off your hands?

If you can unstick it from my fingers, then you can just chuck it in a bin somewhere.

It's a wedding present.

You can help us with the decorations for the hall.

That will be present enough, and Nancy will be grateful.

[Moaning] It's too soon, Roger.

It'll be grand, girl.

It'll be grand.

No harm's gonna come.

I'm gonna be driving right behind you.

Move.

If this were a cab, the meter would be running.

♪ I'm not discussing this.

We agreed not to discuss this.

We didn't agree on anything at all.

I know I'm an unworthy mother.

I failed our child.

I failed to pass on Christian teaching.

I failed to teach her right from wrong.

I failed to save her from the world.

♪ It hasn't done our family much good, has it, all the praying and the churchgoing, all the putting our faith in God.

I have more faith in Him now than I've ever had.

The elders at the chapel haven't shunned us, and Paula can come home when she's a child again.

♪ She's a child now.

What's more, she's our child now, and if God sees it any differently, there's no need for His name to pass my lips again.

There's no need to take things to extremes, Philip.

♪ I keep forgetting it's my second.

Colette was 11 years ago.

The only thing I really remember is how long it took to get her out.

Lass, the only thing you need to remember is, your body knows the way.

I've heard you saying that to other mothers, usually the flippin' clueless ones.

[Panting] This is a model of a pelvis, Paula.

It's a sort of cradle of bones that rests at the top of your legs, and it's where your baby's been developing for the past 9 months.

This is going to be like church.

You're not gonna like what you're hearing, but somehow it's still going in, and you will remember it.

Nancy: Ooh...oh!

Oh... [Tap tap] Phyllis: Pull over.

Nancy, lass, no pushing.

Do you hear me?

No pushing until I've examined you and told you it's safe.

Blow.

Blow.

Blow.

[Blows] How--how can it be safe?

I'm only 7 months, maybe 8.

I've still got my knickers on.

[Panting] Heels to bottom, knees nice and wide apart.

That's the ticket.

♪ Do you want the news in the old-fashioned way or centimeters?

I don't care.

Well, you're fully dilated, and baby's head's in a beautiful position.

Oh, God, there's no stopping it now, is there?

No.

[Pound pound pound pound] Oh... [Panting] ♪ Is she all right?

Phyllis: If you're safely parked, get in.

♪ Move.

Ooh...ugh...

Your baby is in your womb, which is a bag of muscle that nestles in here.

The womb is full of a kind of water which we call amniotic fluid.

This cushions the baby, but often the first sign that a baby is on its way out is that some of that water starts to leak out.

Does it hurt?

No, and sometimes it's even quite slow, just a little bit of wet in your knickers.

♪ Shouldn't the sirens be on or something?

Don't we need to be driving faster?

No.

There's nothing to be gained by histrionics or panicking by anyone.

Now push if you want to, but not too hard or too fast.

[Groaning] Steady, steady.

[Panting] Champion.

Is that it?

Is it out?

No.

There's an art to this.

♪ Because baby might be small, he could come all in one go, but I've got the towel ready, and I'm going to put him onto your chest before I clamp the cord.

Your job then is to hold him close and keep him warm.

No.

I'm scared.

No.

You're brave.

Brave, brave, brave.

Come on.

[Wailing] [Crying] Oh, heh.

[Crying] You've another little girl.

[Laughs] ♪ [Baby crying] Nancy: Ha ha!

Huh.

Oh... [Crying continues] Ha!

♪ [Crying continues] Ha ha!

She's crying.

She's crying, Roger.

She's not the only one.

Ha ha ha!

She had a baby girl!

Oh!

Wha-- Joyce: I don't believe it.

Where was she hiding the little thing?

Oh, I've known many an 8-month-old child be remarkably inconspicuous.

She was on the dot of 5 pounds, apparently.

Millicent: Certainly a rather more respectable weight than I was expecting.

Geoffrey: Wait a minute.

You knew?

I worked it out last week.

I wasn't going to say anything.

[Distant babies crying] She's no more than a few weeks early, by the look of her.

They're tube-feeding her some milk to give her a bit of a boost.

She's gonna be all right, isn't she?

She is, lass.

You said you wanted the birth to be different this time, and you certainly got your wish.

I did, and not just because I delivered in the ambulance.

This time, I was with people I love.

♪ I can't wait till she's out of the incubator.

What does her hair feel like when you touch it?

Like fur on a kitten or... maybe feathers on a little bird.

She's going to call you Daddy, isn't she?

Someday, when she's old enough.

I'm going to call you Daddy now, if that's all right.

♪ It's perfect.

♪ [Bell rings] ♪ My knickers are wet.

Thank you.

Good-bye.

Her cervix is effaced, if only just dilated, but her waters are leaking, and both Sister Julienne and Nurse Clifford think that labor has begun.

Oh, that poor child.

Will her body be able to bear it?

Will she be able to bear admission to a massive general hospital where she knows no one?

I'm going down there.

[Wailing] It's all right, Paula.

This is the squeezing of the muscles I told you about.

It's just the first really big one you've had.

[Whimpering] It's gonna happen again, isn't it?

You said it would.

I had intended on making my way to the service by public transport, but, really, I'd have barely arrived at the Mother House on time.

Oh, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

Isn't that right, Sister Monica Joan?

Hmm.

I can't help thinking it ought to be Sister Julienne helping you with all this.

She's the one who got you as far as the altar.

She's delivering a baby.

In its way, it seems entirely appropriate.

Ha!

[Door opens] Sister Monica Joan.

You haven't been here for years.

Oh, I see no shark net or manacles to keep me on the premises... ♪ only a sister on the brink of a life that I chose so long ago that its inception seems to date from the dawn of time.

♪ I wish you the peace that I have known and more.

♪ [Crying and wailing] Julienne: All is well, Paula.

All is well.

[Wails] She's 9 centimeters.

Patrick: I'll give her another half a dose of pethidine to get her through this final stretch, and we'll keep up the gas.

[Panting] Choir: ♪ My soul doth magnify my Lord ♪ ♪ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior ♪ ♪ For He hath regarded ♪ ♪ The lowliness of his handmaiden ♪ [Wailing] Choir: ♪ For behold from henceforth... ♪ Julienne: It's almost over, Paula.

It's almost over.

Choir: ♪ All generations shall call me blessed... ♪ Can you push down into your bottom for me, Paula?

Dr Turner's going to help you.

♪ Contraction.

[Wailing] ♪ [Wailing and crying] ♪ [Panting] ♪ [Panting continues] Choir: ♪ He hath shewed strength with His arm ♪ ♪ ♪ He hath scatter'd the proud... ♪ [Baby crying] I can hear a baby crying.

He must want his mum.

[Crying continues] Choir: ♪ He hath put down the mighty from their seat ♪ Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you, that with your saints, I may praise you forever and ever.

Amen.

Patrick, on phone: Mr. Cunningham, it's Dr. Turner.

Paula has just given birth to a little boy.

[Exhales] Could I talk to her?

Patrick: She's here.

♪ Philip: Are you all right, love?

[Crying] [Crying continues] ♪ [Crying continues] That is the sound you hear when you choose silence.

[Crying continues] Fred: Blimey.

Is that Reggie's vase?

The very same.

What?

Violet: Well, it's novel.

I'll give you that.

I wish I could claim it as my handiwork, but my only genius is to know somebody who could help.

This is an ancient Japanese technique called kintsugi.

The damaged pottery is fused back together using molten metal-- silver or sometimes platinum.

This has been done with gold.

It's more beautiful than it was before.

Well, that's what happens when things are broken and then made whole again.

♪ I've just seen Paula's father arriving in a taxi.

Sister Julienne is going to bring him in to discuss the adoption papers.

I can remember crying on your shoulder about this case.

So much time has passed for us.

So much has happened.

Our work is other people's lives, and sometimes the only way to survive the pain is to remember the lives that we call our own-- the joy of them, the hope of them, the simple possession of hours, days, and years that are nobody else's.

Soon, one day that is not today, we will laugh.

On a day that is not today, we will dance together, and in a moment that is not this moment, I will kiss you.

Oh, I'll kiss you.

Ha ha ha!

[Knocks on door] ♪ Cyril: Hello, Mr. Cunningham and Mrs. Cunningham.

♪ [Door closes] ♪ Is he gonna go to good people?

A very nice family.

Be a blessing to them.

♪ He's beautiful.

♪ Julienne: Over the course of a day or two, with this and with the Epsom salts, the milk will dry up.

♪ Paula: Mummy!

♪ Can I come home now?

That's a question no one should ever have to ask.

If I behaved in a way that forced you to ask it, I'm sorry.

♪ I left the other one with the baby.

♪ One day, you might want this.

Doesn't matter if you don't want it now.

♪ [Cheering] Engelbert Humperdinck: ♪ Love me with all of your heart ♪ ♪ That's all I want, love ♪ ♪ ♪ Love me with all of your heart ♪ ♪ Or not at all ♪ ♪ ♪ Just promise me this ♪ ♪ That you'll give me ♪ ♪ All your kisses ♪ ♪ Every winter ♪ ♪ Every summer ♪ ♪ Every fall ♪ ♪ When we are far apart ♪ ♪ Or when you're near me ♪ ♪ ♪ Love me with all of your heart ♪ ♪ As I love you ♪ ♪ ♪ Don't give me your love ♪ ♪ For a moment ♪ ♪ Or an hour ♪ ♪ Love me always ♪ ♪ As you've loved me ♪ ♪ From the start ♪ ♪ With every beat of your heart ♪ ♪ ♪ Just promise me this... ♪ [Cheering] ♪ That you'll give me ♪ ♪ All your kisses ♪ ♪ Every winter ♪ ♪ Every summer ♪ ♪ Every fall... ♪ [Cheering] Mature Jennifer: Sometimes we are made whole simply because another heart has started beating.

Our blood runs richer, and our soul sings, suddenly perfect and complete, and sometimes we heal because we realize we did not break alone.

The darkness was never absolute.

The rain was never all there was.

The tears, like mother's milk, were only temporary.

Where we were torn, we are mended, and if there are scars, they will be beautiful.

We are each other's light, each other's gold, each other's hope, forever fragile, and forever valiant.

Bound by love, we will outlive the stars.

♪ ♪