Episode 8

♪ ♪ ♪ [Alarm clock ringing] Mature Jennifer: Dreams are delicate things... born out of hope and desire and air.

They are vulnerable to daylight, as fragile as a moth's wing.

The brush of a hand can crush them.

Dreams also have the power to fuel our journey to the future.

They drive us forth like engines.

Dreams are the bricks with which we build a life we cannot touch.

They are signposts and signals.

[Doorbell ringing] Dreams are the promise we make to ourselves.

Morning.

Oh, good morning.

Thank you.

Ha!

How does it look now?

This?

Like it came free with a copy of the "Jackie."

As soon as the Aylward family tiara can be retrieved from the bank, we'll have the real thing, and I'll also have my something old because it's Edwardian and my something blue because of the sapphires.

Not to mention something borrowed, because you've got to give it back.

[Knocking on door] Have Morning Orders slipped your minds?

Oh!

Your brother telephoned.

Geoffrey?

I thought he was still in Malta.

He's just landed at Heathrow.

Highly excited about giving you away and craving details about the week's itinerary.

I'm sorry.

He can be rather chatty.

Now, Sister Veronica thinks it's time we started to rehearse your reading for the wedding.

Why can you not protect me from her schemes?

Because we both think that reading the Lesson will give you something to aim for.

People: ♪ La la la la la, ah ♪ ♪ La la la la la, ah ♪ ♪ La la la la, ah ♪ ♪ La la la la, ah ♪ ♪ La la la la la, ah, la la la la la, ah ♪ ♪ La la la la, ah!

♪ Is this a clinic or Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve?

Good afternoon, Miss Butler.

Have you brought your co-op card?

I think you might have to change my name to Yu now.

We've come straight from the Registry.

Oh.

Beat you to it, Nurse Franklin!

So I see.

Congratulations.

If you've brought a card for Nurse Franklin, please put it in the celebratory post box provided.

I was terrified we weren't gonna be in time.

Arnold's mum wanted us to wait till she got back from seeing family in Hong Kong, and the Chinese, they do what their parents say.

We foster a little girl from Hong Kong.

I've seen her round and about.

Oh, she's ever so pretty.

We love her more than I can say.

I can't wait to see what mine looks like.

I want it to look like Arnold.

Loads of black hair and eyes like pennies.

Lizzie, they'll be wondering where we are down the Hand and Shears.

We'll be done and dusted shortly, Mrs. Butler.

If you'd just wait outside.

Yeah, we're only meant to be in the pub for an hour.

Then we've got to get to Arnold's uncle's restaurant for the sit down.

Mum, do as the nurse says.

She made us promise there'd be chicken and chips.

Some people have got no sense of adventure.

[Giggles] [Doorbell ringing] Trixie: Is that my brother?

Geoffrey: It certainly is, bearing the most opulent, elegant, and I have to say the heaviest wedding dress of all time.

Matthew isn't supposed to see it, Geoffrey.

What, even in its box?

Oh.

There's also a bag with some spare buttons, thread, and a remnant of the fabric.

I said to the couturier, "What is she supposed to do with that?

Make a matching pajama case?"

Ha!

Oh!

Sister Julienne: I think it's absolutely wonderful that you've traveled all this way to walk your sister up the aisle.

Sister Julienne, I would have crossed the Mediterranean in a canoe.

I've been in training for this for 20 years.

Oh!

Heh heh heh!

Trixie: Thank you, Geoffrey.

When I wrote and told him I was engaged to be married, he sent me a telegram saying, "Perfect timing.

Stop."

Superb modes for the mature bride these days."

[Laughter] I'm Sorry I'm late.

I had to call the surgery about an appointment for Colette.

She keeps getting nosebleeds.

Oh.

How ghastly.

Ha!

I've never been able to bear the sight of blood.

It's why I became an osteopath instead of a heart surgeon.

[Laughter] Mmmmmmm.

Aaahhhh.

Mmmmmmmm.

♪ Lah ♪ I thought I was going to read this, not sing it.

A few simple vocal exercises will open out your lungs.

It'll do you good generally after being in bed for so long.

Mmm.

Ahhh.

Hmm.

Now...ahem.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Oh, I hope this is not going to be Chapter 13.

It is.

[Sigh] You were asked to choose it, but you became unwell.

Is it too late for me to make a new selection?

The Orders of Service have been printed, so, yes.

♪ You come for Lizzie?

Oh, I have.

Just a routine call.

She upstairs.

Thank you.

Tea?

You want tea?

Oh, I would love some tea.

Arnold, tell your mother the nurse will want a proper cuppa with milk in.

I'm not being funny.

That jasmine stuff smells beautiful, but it's like you're meant to splash it behind your ears, not drink it.

Actually, a jasmine tea would be quite a treat, thank you.

Does your little girl like Chinese food?

We have been to the Peking Fountain once or twice as a family.

She really enjoys it, as do we.

Arnold's Uncle Li's place is much better.

Mingmei, my mother-in-law, gets him to make me pork bone soup.

Is it any wonder she's got heartburn?

What you two really need to do is sort out names.

Baby second name Chinese.

Baby first name Chinese, too.

You've got to think of it going to school, Mrs. Yu.

It needs something English, like Gillian or Ian.

Even Arnold calls himself Arnold.

Mrs. Yu: Arnold name Ka Lun.

Name mean "build the kinship."

Lizzie: It's the first grandchild for both sides, Nurse.

I think they're getting a bit wound up.

Lizzie, I actually called to say your urine is showing an infection.

I've brought you a course of antibiotics.

Doctor wants you to start taking them at once.

I told her wearing tights every day of the week would do this.

However, he also wants to see you at the surgery.

I shall make you an appointment for a few days' time.

Mm-hmm.

I think we're over the finish line in terms of packing the things the bride is taking to the hotel the night before.

Uhh.

She's moved on to the lingerie part of the trousseau now.

I was surplus to requirements.

Can we tempt you to a Bournvita before you leave?

Oh, yeah, go on.

I'm sure they'll have nothing so luxurious at the Ormonde Hotel.

[Chuckles] Dare I inquire... about the hen night plans?

She doesn't want to go out dancing up West.

She doesn't want to go to one of those new wine bars.

I can't even interest her in a meal out at the Napoli.

Trixie doesn't drink alcohol, Nancy.

Nurse Corrigan, would you come to my office for a moment, please?

Of course, Sister Julienne.

Nurse Crane: I believe Sir Matthew is having a dinner for all his gentleman friends at his club.

Yes.

I've been invited.

So has our other sibling--Ronald.

In this afternoon's post, I received a request for references from Netherditch Hospital in Surrey because you applied for a position there.

That was months ago.

Well, weeks ago, but I never heard anything from them, so I suppose I sort of...forgot.

Are you unhappy here, Nurse Corrigan?

I'm as happy as I've ever been anywhere in my life.

But this job... oh, when I saw it advertised, I saw it was full of all these things that might make me even happier.

Netherditch used to be a cottage hospital, so it's in the country, and it comes with a house, two bedrooms, so me and Colette could live together.

Rent-free.

If you are offered the position, you must make the decision that you think is best.

Thank you.

Because really, you might not be here much longer anyway.

Nonnatus House is either gonna be knocked down or shut down.

And what would happen to me then?

What would happen to my daughter?

Ruddy leaking roof.

I thought I heard my hair dryer.

What do you think you're playing at?

I'm drying out these fireworks, or they'll just be fit for the bin otherwise, and then you'd accuse me of thinking we've got money to burn or not burn.

Ha.

Catherine wheels on the draining board?

I want all this cleared away.

And then when you've done your lollipop duties, you're to go to the gentlemen's outfitters and collect the morning suits.

Ascot grey, you're all wearing the same.

And then go and fetch Reggie off the coach so that I can concentrate on the bridesmaids' dresses.

My nerves are like Shredded Wheat.

I thought women liked weddings.

No, no.

Women run weddings.

It's not the same at all.

I spent the entire evening with Nancy just a few days ago, and she did not breathe one word of this.

She assures me she had forgotten all about her application.

One can't really challenge her logic in wanting to move on.

In the face of all the changes in the Health Service, minnows, like Nonnatus House, are going to suffer.

There's a strong tide out there, and we can't swim fast enough.

Can't we?

But why didn't you tell the truth, Matthew?

Why did you say that the tiara was in the bank?

I've told you what my mother told me, which is that the executor needed to deal with the paperwork.

She thought she could get hold of it because when she sold it, she sold it to a friend.

I just don't understand why she sold it but didn't say!

After my father was first ill, she wanted to take him on a cruise, and the tiara was just languishing there.

I mean, nobody really wears them anymore.

But I was going to wear it!

It was going to be my something old, something borrowed, and something blue!

And it was my father's 6 weeks on the "Queen Mary," trying to get his health back.

Well, couldn't he have had that anyway?

Perhaps things weren't as liquid as they might have been in their personal accounts.

What?

Why?

Because contrary to what you appear to believe, money doesn't grow on trees.

I don't know where you're planning to flounce off to, but don't you dare follow me in here!

Ugh!

Geoffrey: I have telephoned every Health Farm in the Home Counties, but not one has a vacancy on the bride's only day off.

Oh, I'm sorry, but we really can't change the roster.

It's hanging by a thread as it is.

[Footsteps] Sister Veronica: Oh, whatever is the matter?

Matthew's mother's sold the family tiara.

Geoffrey: No!

Trixie: Why didn't she say so?

I had the option of a pillbox hat in matching ivory satin, but now it's too late!

What am I supposed to secure the veil with?

Kirbigrips?

Oh, come here.

It's all right.

If we can't get this girl to a Health Farm, the Health Farm is going to have to come to her.

[Birds chirping] I'll be making some tea in a minute.

I just need to make a start on digging up these carrots.

I didn't know you were a gardener.

Oh, these are Fred's.

He said I could have them for making soup down at the hostel.

Are you taking a little time out from all your preparations?

Yes.

And giving myself a bit of a talking to.

Are you nerves kicking in?

No, no.

Not at all.

It's... On the day, it will be a beautiful thing.

Hmm.

And the thing I always say is never lose sight of the love.

Love got you this far, and it will carry you all the way.

Wherever you are going.

Shall I get a pencil?

Only I read that if you put a pencil in sideways and--and bite down on it, it makes it stop.

I--I'm pinching the bridge of the nose.

That should make a clot form.

Well, Colette isn't to come anywhere near this bridesmaid's dress until that's stopped.

And neither are you.

[Doorbell ringing] Good afternoon, Nurse Crane.

We're closed.

Is this an emergency?

Yes.

Oh.

Matthew: I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm nervous, Trixie.

Nervous about getting married?

Nervous about the wedding.

Which is...of course, the point at which one does actually get married, legally, so... punctiliously speaking, yes.

The aftermath, the being together always, I am entirely happy about.

Ecstatic about.

[Giggles] I'm very glad to hear it.

Matthew...the wedding only lasts one day.

One hour, punctiliously speaking.

[Chuckles] And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't every bit as on edge as you are.

But a marriage lasts for years, decades.

If the fates are on your side.

Yeah.

And we're on each other's side.

And there's no need for nerves.

Because we will be doing this together.

[Bell tolling] [Door opens] Ahh.

Rest has escaped you also.

Yes, it has.

My mind is thronged with fragments of Bible verse.

[Sigh] I think from the letter to the Corinthians.

It is as tedious as it is irritating.

That will be your reading for Nurse Franklin's wedding.

Ohh.

I cannot keep all these weddings aligned and documented in my mind.

The rate with which these women marry is absurd.

The rate at which women marry, or indeed do not marry, has kept us in business in Poplar for 100 years.

Perhaps we should thank God for that instead of railing at his works.

Lizzie, you can put me in my place if you see fit.

But you develop a fine nose for warring mothers-in-law in this job.

They mean well, and they didn't choose who their kids were going to marry.

Well, they will adjust, or they won't adjust, and either way, the most important thing is your peace of mind as a new mother.

Nobody's ever said that.

Not even Arnold.

He's like piggy in the middle, too, the same as I am.

My mum even wants to be there when it's born, and if his mum finds out, she'll be tipping up and all.

It's gonna be like Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the delivery room.

Oh, no, it's not, because I'm not going to allow it.

The minute you think you're in labor, even just the first twinges, I want you to come straight to the maternity home.

You can settle in and have some quiet time, away from all these family pressures.

♪ [Footsteps] The Principal Nursing Officer will see you now, Sister.

Morning.

[Knocking on door] Midwife calling.

Well, you certainly seem to be nesting, Estelle.

Perhaps baby isn't that far away.

Nesting.

Is that what they call it?

I've always big on cleaning.

Comes of being married to a chimney sweep.

It's been the family business for a long time, hasn't it?

Oh, yeah, Tony's great-granddad started it when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Mind you, since the Clean Air Act, we'll be telling our kids to train up as gas fitters.

That's where the money is these days--gas fires.

Money is tight, I don't mind telling you.

Oh, you will get a bit more Family Allowance.

Tony's gonna start a side line, turning up at weddings to bring luck to the bride and groom.

I'd forgotten about that.

I do love a good superstition.

Oh, it's not long till your big day, is it?

I'm sure he'd offer you a reduced rate.

He's got this lovely old-fashioned coat and hat.

That sounds glorious.

But I'm afraid I'm getting married in Chelsea.

It would be too far for him to come.

Cyril?

Or perhaps that should be Mr. Robinson.

This is clearly a professional visitation.

I'm just looking at a couple of things for a Council structural audit.

Is it all right if we go out to the backyard?

Yeah, by all means.

[Laughter] ♪ Aah!

♪ ♪ [Sigh] ♪ What's this?

A little something from all of us to you to mark your special day.

Nurse Crane: The thought of you putting your veil on with Kirbigrips was too much for us to bear.

Oh, Phyllis, Shelagh, it's perfect.

We made it from the remnant of your wedding dress.

And it was stitched with love.

[Women giggling] What's this?

Miss Higgins: A lady is never without a handkerchief, even on her wedding day.

And you will have to give it back to me.

My something borrowed!

Is this my something blue?

There's a bit of one of your old uniforms in there and a piece from one of the Sister's habits.

You can sew it inside the hem of your wedding gown or underneath the train.

Nobody will see it, but you'll know you've got a piece of Nonnatus House with you.

And so will we.

Am I allowed to use the hankie now?

I think I'm going to cry.

[Laughter] ♪ Oh.

Good gracious.

Mr. Aylward, you're up with the lark.

I was hoping to see you.

Alone.

And then Nurse Franklin, in that order.

Matthew!

The tiara!

I thought better late than never.

And it didn't take that much sleuthing, just a bit of application and, I suppose, the knowledge that it would... it would make you happy.

Does it make you happy?

It is certainly very, er...opulent.

It reminds me of my Granny Maude.

And, of course, my mother.

Or at least my mother around about the time that the queen was crowned, which was actually the last time I saw her wear it.

It might look better on a blonde.

I actually think it's bloody hideous.

I hate it.

[Chuckles] [Sigh] You would have worn it, wouldn't you?

Just because I went to the trouble of tracking it down.

Hmm.

Probably.

But then I would have felt guilty that my friends went to so much trouble making me a replacement.

A replacement tiara?

No.

Something simpler and better.

Something that doesn't distract me from the fact that I'm marrying you for you.

Not a title or a name or any of the things that go with it.

Am I allowed to say that I never doubted that?

♪ Woman: Mother House, Order of St. Raymond Nonnatus.

This is Sister Julienne calling from Poplar.

Please may I speak to Mother Mildred?

Yes, of course.

[Pop music playing on radio] Ahh!

Cards first.

When you've dealt with that, Mrs. Estelle Hopkiss needs a visit.

Signs of early labor.

Netherditch Hospital?

"Dear Nurse Corrigan, we're delighted to inform you that your job application... has been successful."

Sorry.

This is for you.

Obviously.

They must be desperate.

They didn't even ask me for an interview.

I'll think about it and decide after the wedding.

[Bell tolling] I feel as though I'm letting myself down, Sister Julienne.

But...I've been hoping against hope that they wouldn't offer her that position.

If Nurse Corrigan chooses to leave us, she can be replaced.

But...she's become one of us.

We've brought her on, brought out the best in her, fretted over her.

And now she's heading off, like they all head off.

And it hurts like it always hurts.

[Crying] Do you suppose this is how people feel about their children?

I don't know, but I feel it, too.

Forgive me, Sister.

Perhaps it's just the wedding bringing everything to a head.

Seeing Nurse Franklin's bags packed.

Nurse Franklin will still be working with us.

I know, but she'll be a married woman.

Young people look outward and upward.

When you've youngsters around you all the time, you do the same.

Nurse Crane, what are you most afraid of?

Being left behind.

Becoming an irrelevance.

Having no work to do.

Nurse Crane, listen to me.

That is not going to happen.

Nonnatus House is not going to close.

I think things may be tuning up, Estelle.

But I'm not sure baby's absolutely imminent.

No chance of it coming while the kids are at school then?

Not as far as I can see.

Keep pottering about and try to eat a proper lunch.

You'll know when it's time to call us.

Yes.

And, Nurse, the offer of the lucky sweep still stands.

I have an inkling you and your husband may have other things to worry about tomorrow.

There are two types of defense mode for animals in the wild.

They can curl up in a ball and make themselves as small as possible, or they can spread their wings, expand their chests, and make themselves seem far bigger than they are.

I'm not sure I'm catching your drift.

I am in negotiation with St. Cuthbert's.

We are reinstating the Midwife Training Program.

New students will start with us before the new year.

I have signed a two-year agreement with the hospital.

But what about the rent?

The Council charge us so much, we could scarcely meet our bills even when we had the students last time.

Mr. Aylward, Sir Matthew, has just bought this building from them outright.

How much did he pay?

The place is falling down.

And it's meant to be under threat of demolition.

The clearance program has been delayed.

And there is life in this house yet, as Mr. Robinson confirmed when he inspected it.

When he was here the other day?

For now, we are safer than we have ever been in years.

And we will have young people underneath our roof.

♪ [Knocking on door] What's all this moping?

Everyone's downstairs celebrating some sort of stay of execution and I'm about to sweep you away to a plush hotel in Chelsea.

Last night as a bachelor girl.

Some of us stay true to that particular calling all our lives.

[Door closes] You're going to have so much fun, Sis.

The Queen Elizabeth, the Waldorf Astoria.

And a whole life with him and little him.

I wish I'd known.

Known what?

That so much happiness was waiting for me when we were children and Father was alive.

And ill. And we always had to light up all the rooms with fun and laughter.

Did you find it hard, too?

Having a flair for something doesn't make it easy.

Lucky old Ronald wasn't cursed with charm at all.

He was all just bicycles, then golf.

Ugh.

Real happiness really is quite something, isn't it, when you find it or it finds you.

And suddenly, you don't have to pretend to be laughing anymore.

I'll take your word for it.

[Sigh] And you, most adored of all my sisters, are to grab that happiness with both hands.

♪ Come on.

Ha ha!

After you.

♪ Bye!

♪ Ohh!

♪ Nancy: This is the best thing that's ever happened to Colette.

Belonging to a family.

Knowing there's somewhere she can go and where people are always pleased to see her.

It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, too.

It's not something to be surrendered lightly, Nancy.

It's why I won't leave my job and why I don't want to move from the East End.

The church is perfect for the wedding, and this hotel will be just right for the reception, but... You'd rather have a hooley in Poplar?

Oh, it would be nice to have a little bit of that.

But no one can have everything, not all at the same time.

And choosing one thing over another can be very, very hard.

Isn't that the truth?

♪ [Screaming] Is that it?

Promise me that's it.

That most certainly is it.

Baby's head is resting in my hand.

Oh, thank God for that.

Are you sure that's a baby?

It looks more like a turnip covered in jam.

Estelle: Oh, God.

Nurse Crane: The little one's turning now, Estelle.

So rest, rest, and when the next pain comes, just one big, brave push for the shoulders.

[Baby crying] [Breathing heavily] And here's your reward-- a beautiful, bonny...daughter.

A girl?

We wanted a girl.

Didn't we, 'Stell?

Look at her.

She's massive!

Yeah, you don't need to tell me that.

[Baby crying] [Sighs] You go to bed.

I bring tea.

I'm fine, honestly.

I'd only be tossing and turning.

Aah!

Oh.

Baby is coming?

I think it might be.

Oh!

Mum!

Mum!

Reggie, we don't have to leave for ages.

My trousers don't fit.

Needless to say, there is no reply from the gentleman's outfitters.

I don't know how they expect to survive in retail.

Violet...this wouldn't do up on a leprechaun.

And I'm telling you now, I have not eaten one pie out of place since I got measured up for this.

[Phone ringing] I'll answer it.

The locum cover doesn't start till 10:00.

Turner.

♪ A couple of stitches won't take me more than half an hour.

Go straight to Violet Buckle's.

Wait for me by the shop front door.

Oh, how will I know which suit is yours?

It'll be the one that won't fit anyone else.

Room service.

Virgin Bellinis all round.

Colette's got a nosebleed.

Oh, no, no, no.

Doesn't she need an ambulance or a nurse or something?

She's got two nurses, and she's still bleeding like a stuck pig.

Oh, it's like something out of "Sweeney Todd."

[Inhales and exhales] I had stitches with both my others.

You ought to fit me with a zip.

[Dr. Turner and Nurse Crane chuckle] I'm glad Nurse Crane sent for me so quickly.

These things are never as straightforward once the swelling kicks in.

Oh, can't you give her something to pep her up?

She's been up all night.

She got a wedding to go to.

I hereby prescribe a triple espresso from the Napoli.

Ha ha.

We are to go to the church with Nurse Crane in her car.

If the service is all you can manage, we can come home by taxi immediately afterwards.

I am utterly depleted.

It's best if you go without me.

The reading is not one that I would have chosen anyway.

Hmm.

I--I'll take those.

What on earth has happened?

The flowers have been delivered to the wrong address.

Oh, heavens to Murgatroyd!

It is the most abject failure of organization I have ever seen.

Now, I am dispatching the florists to the church with the pedestal arrangements and the buttonholes.

And meanwhile, I shall take the bouquets to the bride's hotel myself.

Hmm.

I'd take your rollers out first.

[Screaming] [Arnold and Mrs. Yu speaking Cantonese] Is it starting?

I could hear her halfway down the street.

Pain after pain after pain!

I've brought you a shepherd's pie and a book of baby names.

English book.

English names.

I ring ambulance.

Lizzie: Arnold's got the car.

He can drive us to the maternity home.

Let me just put this on the side.

The only person who is going with Lizzie is me.

You two are staying at home.

Oh, Miss Higgins!

Put them over there.

Madame appears to have entirely forgotten her manners.

Thank you.

You are most welcome.

At least it's stopped streaming like a tap the way it was before.

It's just a sort of postscript.

I can't breathe.

It's on her bodice, Nancy!

We shall send for milk, which will remove the worst of it.

The bouquet will cover the rest.

And I regret to inform you it has begun to rain.

♪ You'll have to unscrew your head or take your hat off.

This roof's not retractable.

[Chuckles] The Turners aren't coming in the convoy.

They're running late.

Where's Sister Monica Joan?

She's unwell and must rest.

Sister Veronica will stay with her.

What a shame.

I'm really not a lover of parties.

[Engine starts] ♪ [Both laugh] Shush.

They'll hear you.

Both of them.

You could've won an Oscar in there.

I am having twinges.

You know what Mrs. Turner said: first twinges, you come straight to the maternity home for some peace and quiet.

Uhh!

Do you need me to put my foot down and do 60?

No.

But on the other hand, the mums might be watching from the window.

[Both laugh] [Engine starts] ♪ Shelagh: We're back on track with our timetable thanks to your speedy turnaround after that house call.

His bag's still in the boot of the car.

And remember, Timothy, if there's a great deal of cutlery at the wedding breakfast, simply work your way from the outside in.

Oh, Patrick, I'm really not happy about you driving all the way to Chelsea sitting on the tails of that coat.

I smoothed them before I sat down.

Well, they won't be smooth when we get there.

You'll have to get out and take it off.

♪ [Horn honks] [Lizzie laughs] [Tires screech, crash] [People shouting] Man: I'm ringing 999!

I'm a doctor.

How many are inside?

I think there's two.

My wife.

My wife's in the family way.

Dr. Turner: Shelagh!

[Arnold groaning] I brought your bag.

Do you know how to call the Flying Squad?

Yeah, yeah.

Go now.

Tell them there is a pregnant woman at term involved in a car crash, unconscious and seriously injured.

Phone's that way.

Shelagh, it's Lizzie and Arnold Yu.

Careful, careful.

Shelagh, I need the stethoscope.

Lizzie!

Lizzie!

[Moaning] ♪ No.

No, Patrick.

She must have died instantly.

A head injury, possibly a heart attack.

Arnold: Get away!

Get off!

Dr. Turner: Arnold.

Arnold, Arnold, Arnold.

It--it's all right.

It's all right.

We're looking after Lizzie.

We'll take care of her.

No, no, Arnold, it's all right.

You--you just bit your tongue when the car crashed.

That's it.

Clear your throat.

That's better.

Timothy: Flying Squad's on their way.

Arrival 6 minutes minimum.

Look after this man until the other ambulance arrives.

He's in shock, possible rib damage, and he has an oral laceration.

See if someone can fetch you some ice from the pub.

Patrick, I think the baby still has a heartbeat.

Ah.

It's alive.

Come on, Lizzie.

Come on.

She's dead.

She's been dead for minutes.

You know what I've got to do, don't you?

Mm.

We need a screen!

Patrick.

A screen.

Now.

[Officer shouts] Is there anyone I can send for?

Anyone you'd like to have come?

It's our first baby.

There's--there's grandmas everywhere.

Somewhere.

It's Lizzie I want, and I can't see her.

Timothy: No.

[Arnold crying] This won't hurt you, Lizzie, sweetheart.

Dr. Turner is just doing what's best for your baby.

There's no choice, Shelagh.

[Softly] I know.

There's no choice.

♪ ♪ [Baby crying] ♪ You have a daughter, Lizzie.

And she looks like Arnold.

She has loads of hair and eyes like pennies, just like you always dreamed of.

[Baby crying] ♪ ♪ There are such a lot of stories that start with "Once upon a time."

But ours did, too.

And once upon a time...

I thought the world had ended... because we were alone in it.

Not anymore.

We're all gonna live happily ever after.

Yeah?

Yeah.

[Siren] What do we do now?

Carry on.

You once told me that is the terror and privilege of what we do.

We will change our clothes, and we'll go to the wedding.

Just like Lizzie herself once said, "Go where love is because that is where life is."

♪ [Running footsteps] She's ready.

But she wants to wait until the rain's stopped.

Trixie: Brides are always fashionably late.

Miss Higgins: If we do not leave on time, you will be unfashionably late.

[Bell ringing] Jesus, is that a fire alarm?

It's a drill.

It's a drill.

Miss Higgins: But I can smell smoke.

Trixie, if you don't come out now, I'm going to drag you by the veil.

Sister Veronica: First the flowers and now the wedding cake, delivered here to the wrong address.

Oh!

[Organ playing in church] [Choir singing indistinctly on soundtrack] ♪ ♪ Is that Sister Veronica?

She must be late, too.

Man on radio: A number of fire engines have been called to the Ormonde Hotel in London's Chelsea.

The building has been safely evacuated, but it is substantially ablaze.

The Ormonde Hotel?

That's where the reception is.

Oh!

Sister Monica Joan!

I had a hunch she might've made her own way here.

She was supposed to be ill. On occasion, with God's will, I rally.

The man requires remuneration.

She certainly gave me a fright, but all is now as it should be.

I'm afraid it isn't as it should be, Sister.

We're going to have to break bad news to the bride.

Oh, God.

Reverend: Therefore, if any man can show any just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak or else hereafter forever hold his peace.

I have not come here to discuss just causes.

Reverend: Shh.

Sister Monica Joan: Neither shall I hold my peace, for I have an obligation to fulfill.

[Organ playing] Congregation: ♪ I will not cease from Mental Fight ♪ ♪ Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand ♪ ♪ Till we have built Jerusalem ♪ ♪ In England's green and pleasant land ♪ ♪ The Order of Service leads you to anticipate a passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

That is not what you're about to hear.

I shall now read "A Wedding Prayer" by Robert Louis Stevenson with an addendum by myself.

"Lord, behold our family here assembled.

"We thank you for the place in which we dwell, "for the love that unites us, "for the peace accorded us this day, "for the hope with which we expect the morrow.

"For the health, the work, the food, "and the bright skies that make our lives delightful.

And for our friends in all parts of the Earth."

♪ "And for those we love, and may look upon no longer, "for those whose path will not be ours, "for those we teach "and from whom we learn, "and for those who hold us in their hearts and call us Home."

Amen.

Congregation: Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

♪ ♪ [Crowd cheering] ♪ ♪ When are you going to apprise them of the fire at the hotel?

I thought that first we ought to get some pictures of the bride where she's not hysterical.

But we have a plan, and it's going to be marvelous.

[Indistinct chatter] ♪ ♪ I think so.

Ah!

♪ [Speaking softly] ♪ Excuse me.

Uh, ladies and gentlemen!

Would the bride, the groom, and the wedding party please make their way outside?

Mature Jennifer: There are hopes, there are plans, there are dreams, there is reality, and above all the other things we cherish, there is truth.

Trixie's wedding was not the stuff of dreams.

It was more beautiful than that.

The people of Poplar loved her, and they repaid her for her service by saving her big day.

They brought fish and chips and furniture and carts of fruit and seafood.

They brought music and their children and their open hearts.

It was makeshift and warm and chaotic.

It was perfect.

[Cheering and applause] ♪ [Crying] Mature Jennifer: We cannot predict what the fates will bring.

We can only find strength and hope and survival in each other.

There will be new dreams one day.

There will be reasons to go on.

[Indistinct chatter] Let in the truth.

Embrace the real.

Open your arms to the things you did not look for, for you will find what you did not seek, be given what you did not know you lacked, and be lavished with a joy that takes your breath away.

Here are life's riches next to you.

Here, in the faces of your friends... in the laughter of their children... in the tenderness of those you love and work and lived with.

This is community, our end and our beginning.

This is the best of everything we are.