Original subtitles

This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting

Loss, to a child, is often fleeting.

The grief and the missing are erased

as soon as the loved thing is returned.

The void is filled so simply and the joy is so complete

that only the reunion stays imprinted on the mind.

The picture is perfect once again,

as if the trouble never happened.

But a child's pain, when they feel it, is real and absolute,

and we must shelter them until their dark hours pass.

Careful!

That was quite a tumble!

Are you all right?

Don't worry, Sister Veronica. We can sort this out.

Can't we, Deborah? We've got the first-aid tin...

..and the sweetie tin.

And they both make you better, don't they?

- Mm-hm. - So...

..which one are we going to open first?

- That one! - I thought you might say that!

Well, I wish the dinner ladies at my school had had

medicine like that, Mrs Robbins.

I'll see you both when I'm next in school.

Right, off you go and play before the bell.

Can you hear it? That's a good, strong baby's heartbeat.

That's something to tell your friends about, isn't it?

And next time you come,

there should be a little brother or sister here to meet you.

They're getting closer together.

We'd better leave you to it, then. What about Kenny, love?

Shall I tell him you're here? He's probably got the right to know.

All right, yeah. Just, er, say you'll let him know

- when the baby's been born. - All right, darling.

Come on, you,

come with Granny. Let's leave Mummy to it.

Shall we get you something to eat?

Me and Kenny separated a few months ago.

I did notice there was no-one down to be in the delivery room with you.

Yeah, well, he's the last person I'd want, truth be told, Nurse.

He's taken the right hump

cos I'm moving out to Stevenage, where my sister is.

Better off by myself.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it was another bad night.

Poor little Christopher.

The night nurse was pacing with him for hours.

I hate to think of him being so distressed.

Chemotherapy must be making him feel terribly sick.

But this cycle is almost over,

and he'll be back home with you and the children.

We're certainly looking forward to it!

I have another case at the hospital this morning.

I'll pop in to see Christopher afterwards and let you know

- how he is. - Oh, thank you, Sister.

Not at all, Mrs Turner.

That's it. Good lass. You can tell you've done this before.

That's the bit you try to forget about.

I know, but the body doesn't forget.

Hello, Pam?

Oh, my God, that's Kenny!

Oh, I really don't want him in here. Ohh!

Hello, Pam?

Hello?!

Sorry, Mr Shields, fathers aren't allowed in the delivery room

without the mother's express permission.

- I was there for the last one. - That may be true, lad,

but there've been some changes since then, haven't there?

It's my baby, too. Everyone just takes her side!

It isn't about sides, Mr Shields! This is a maternity home.

We have to put the needs and wishes of the labouring mother first,

because that is what is best for baby.

It's from my solicitor. He's received my decree nisi.

Oh, my goodness!

So...

does this mean...?

It means in six weeks and a day from today,

I can apply for my decree absolute and I will officially be

a single man, free to do anything I choose,

even marry again if I want to!

- If you meet the right person. - If I meet the right person.

I suppose it must feel sad, too.

I know it's not what you would have wanted or expected.

You know, I thought it would be sad.

I had a lot of hopes and dreams when I married Lucille,

and she was the one who wanted to divorce.

But now it's actually happening...

it's more like...

..closing a book.

And I can think about the future.

That's it. Push now. A good, strong one.

Good, lass. Keep pushing. The head is coming.

Well done! I have your baby's head in my hand.

We're so very nearly there.

I want you to give me one more, just like the last one.

You have a beautiful little boy, Pam,

born at exactly 22 minutes past two.

Has he...? Has he got ten fingers and ten toes?

He certainly does.

Perfect.

Isn't he just!

Hello!

Looking good, Fred.

Hello, Edwin! Yeah,

I'll take that as a compliment, coming from a professional.

Not any more. I retired from the park last Thursday.

- Yeah, a man of leisure now, mate. - Good for you.

- You meeting Molly? - Yeah.

I thought I'd come down, surprise her,

take her for a Strawberry Mivvi, seeing as the weather's so nice.

You old romantic!

Got to keep the magic alive, Fred.

Young master Colin Shields is ready for you now, Doctor.

Well, hello, Colin! Aren't you the handsome lad!

I am just going to do a little bit of checking and measuring for you.

I did notice that his eyes were a little red.

I wondered if there might be some infection present.

- Yes, they are a bit. - Mm.

I'll take a swab.

Don't you worry, young man.

We will find out what it is and get it cleared up in no time.

You're awfully quiet, love.

Mm!

What's wrong?

Is your back bothering you again?

It's not just the back, Ed.

The other thing happened again.

The waterworks.

It was awful. And what if it happened when I was

serving the children or... or in the kitchen? I feel...

..so... dirty.

If it carries on like this, I'm going to have to give up me job.

Love, if you want to give up your job,

you give up your job. But it ain't going to fix the problem!

Only a doctor can do that,

- and you need to make an appointment. - No! It's too embarrassing.

Oh, Molly, love!

You're getting more and more of these pains. Summat ain't right.

Don't fuss, Ed.

It'll pass.

I'll have an 'ot bath.

I have to admit, I am concerned.

Christopher gets upset so easily, and he's refusing to eat.

And, as you know, he is so very...

fragile.

This chemotherapy is one of the toughest things you can put a two-year-old through.

He seemed to cope so well with the last cycle.

Do you think we need to speak to the consultant?

He's decided to conduct a treatment review.

And, obviously, as Christopher's guardians

in this country, he's asked for you both to attend.

May I?

I can bathe his eyes,

and then I'll take him to the nursery so you can get some sleep.

- You've had a busy day. - Thank you, Sister.

Yeah, I do feel shattered.

I mean, I don't remember it being so bad the last time.

I see he has a friend already.

Oh. Yeah, well, that teddy is Kenny all over.

All that fuss this morning, and he hasn't even been in

to see Colin now he's actually here.

Oh...

Well done, little one.

I'm sure he'll come tomorrow.

Maybe.

It's no way to live, though, is it,

never knowing what's what?

Would you like to come to a social work conference in York?

What an offer!

Well, not the conference itself, but it's on a Friday, and I thought

that maybe if you could get the weekend off, we could...

York is a city I've always wanted to see,

and I would like to see it with you.

Cyril...

..are you asking me to go away with you for the weekend?

Yes.

I am.

A whole weekend? In a hotel?

Yes.

Oh, my goodness!

- If you don't want to, I understand. - No! No, no.

I would love to.

Night-night.

It was under your bed!

Patrick, don't forget we're meeting with Christopher's consultant.

Hello.

Dr Turner speaking.

Yes, of course. What's the patient's address?

- Oh! - Morning, Miss Higgins.

Good morning, Sister Catherine.

Sounds like someone's ready for breakfast.

How long have you been getting these pains?

Oh, I don't know, Doctor. It comes and goes.

But last night... it's like being stabbed or something.

It's been at least since Christmas.

I suppose it has.

I thought it was just 30 years of lifting pots of spuds.

But it ain't, is it, Doctor?

No, Mrs Robbins, I don't think it is.

I could feel something inside that was

harder than I would expect it to be.

You mean a lump, don't you?

It could be any number of things, Mrs Robbins.

I know it's difficult, but please try not to jump to any conclusions.

Tell me, do you have any other symptoms?

For example, any urinary problems?

Have you ever experienced incontinence?

Yes.

Mrs Shields?

Is baby Colin with you?

No. Why?

He isn't in the nursery.

Mrs Shields!

Mrs Shields!

Where's my baby? Where's my baby?! Where is he?!

Where's my baby?! Oh, God! Where is he?!

Oh, no!

I am going to give you an injection of pethidine.

- It will help with the pain. - Thank you, Doctor.

And I'm sending you to St Cuthbert's for an abdominal X-ray.

It will help us to understand what we're dealing with.

And they should be able to see you quite quickly.

Oh! That's good, innit, love?

Do you think it's cancer, Dr Turner?

Just tell me if you do.

I honestly don't know, Mrs Robbins.

That's why it's important that we get you to the hospital.

Nonnatus House. Midwife speaking.

Oh, my goodness, Miss Higgins.

Of course. I'll be there right away.

A baby's gone missing from the maternity home.

Miss Higgins, what's happened? There are two police cars outside!

I checked on both babies at about ten to seven,

just before I took the morning tea to the wards.

You say the doors were locked.

The external doors? Yes.

Double-locked until Miss Higgins opens up for the day staff.

And even then, you can't get in that back door without a key.

Except, Sister Catherine, it appears you can.

I was so close by, DI Holbrook.

How could I have heard or seen nothing?

I must have missed it by a few moments.

And now baby Colin is gone.

I am so, so sorry that this has happened, Mrs Shields.

We will do everything we can to help find him.

Mrs Shields?

Let me help you.

Sweet tea is good for shock.

Oh!

Oh, Mrs Shields.

Dr Turner? DI John Holbrook. I'm in charge of the investigation.

- I expect you want to speak to me. - If you wouldn't mind.

Please.

It seems that the back door has been forced this morning,

probably after Miss Higgins arrived and opened the bottom lock.

I thought the building was secure.

DI Holbrook, a newborn baby is so incredibly vulnerable.

We'll find him. We've got officers searching the area already.

I'll need to access some files of all the female patients

who recently lost a baby or had to give one up.

You think a woman's responsible?

It's usually the way with baby-snatch cases.

I've received the test results for the swab that we took

- from baby Colin's eyes. - Anything significant?

I'm afraid so.

Colin's eye infection is caused by the chickenpox virus.

That in itself is a serious condition for newborns.

But when it infects the eyes like this,

it has to be treated very quickly.

That's easily done in a medical setting, but...

..without treatment, a baby can become blind.

This mother must have it. She just doesn't have any symptoms yet.

Well, we'll have to care for her at home to protect the other babies.

I cannot overstate how serious this can be for a newborn.

We'll put out an appeal across the board right away.

We might have a few journalists hanging around, I'm afraid.

Anything that helps is fine by me.

- Oh, Mum! - Love!

Where's Lisa? I thought you'd bring her.

- She's with Kenny, love. - What? No, no!

Everyone's trying to get a hold of Kenny. Where are they?

I don't know. He took her early doors, like you arranged.

I didn't arrange that. I haven't even seen Kenny.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, Mum, it's him!

It's him, it's Kenny. He's taken them both!

Mr Shields! It's the police!

Check the other room.

Yeah, he's bought nappies, bottle, formula milk.

He's cleared out.

But why did he do it? His own children!

Because he wants to punish his wife for leaving him.

We believe that both children may be...

- ..with their father... - It's begun!

..Mr Kenneth Shields.

The younger of the two children, a day-old baby by the name of Colin,

has a medical condition...

- ..that requires urgent attention. - Sister Catherine!

We appeal to Mr Shields

and to the publ...

How are you, lass?

Better, thank you.

I will be ready for our evening offices and work in the morning.

Cyril's asked me to go away with him for the weekend.

Ah! Good for the pastor. Where are you going to go?

A social work conference in York,

which I'm assured will be more romantic than it sounds!

- I think it's finally going to happen. - What?

It.

- You haven't? - No!

But you stay the night with him.

Cyril's very moral about still being married...

..which is a good thing, obviously. But...

we are only human,

and we are going away for the weekend.

And if I can get to the Brook Advisory clinic this week,

I could be on the pill by then. Look...

They give it to you without being married.

You don't even have to pretend to be engaged.

Well, then! Cheers to the social work conference in York!

How are you doing?

Try not to scratch them, love.

It's all right. It's just the post.

It's from Kenny.

Mrs Robbins?

Oh, hello, Nurse Highland.

I didn't expect to see you here.

You're usually at Nonnatus House.

It's only temporary.

I've been seconded to work under Mr Parry in gynaecology.

He has your X-rays now, so he's ready to see you.

Oh. Right.

Good luck, love.

You can come, too, Mr Robbins.

Oh!

Oh, Patrick, look at him.

Dr Turner... Mrs Turner...

Thank you for coming.

Erm, the team from Great Ormond Street have just seen Christopher.

- This shouldn't take too long. - What do you mean, Dr Grant?

I would have thought there was quite a lot to discuss.

No, no, don't worry, Mrs Turner. We're not giving up on Christopher,

but we are going to stop his treatment for a while.

Christopher is too weak to continue for now.

I want to say, "Physiologically or psychologically?", but...

- ..it's both, isn't it? - At least for the time being.

The treatment is wearing him out,

and at this age, it's going to affect him developmentally.

This little boy is a long way from home.

I told you to stay indoors!

It's all right, mate. I'm here.

It's all right.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Mummy!

Lisa, I said to stay in bed until I got back.

You've got to be a big girl now and do what you're told.

Mummy...

But we're playing the game where we're hiding from Mummy, remember?

And when the game's finished, we'll all be together again, yeah?

Yeah...?

Hey... You're all right. We'll be all right.

I see the rash came out.

Just... a bit itchy.

The worst bit is thinking about what the chickenpox could be doing to Colin.

And Lisa ain't had it, either, you know?

What if they're both sick?

I don't suppose you got much sleep.

I feel like I didn't get any at all.

I-I must have gone off for a bit, because I was sure that I heard...

..that I heard a baby cry and Lisa running in through the front door.

I thought for this lovely minute that he'd brought them back,

you know, that he'd proved his point. But... no.

I have something that might help, Mrs Shields.

Dr Turner has prescribed you a sedative.

Oh.

I wish I could do more.

I wish I'd been able to stop him yesterday.

But... a few hours of sleep and some calamine lotion for the rash,

I can give you that.

Here you are, Mrs Robbins. We'll get you all set up

- before your surgery in the morning. - Thank you, Nurse.

The size of that tumour, Ed!

Oh... Mr Parry didn't say tumour, Moll. He said mass.

That's true, Mrs Robbins.

We won't know what it is until it's been removed.

Why don't you make a list of things your husband can bring from home?

Oh! That's a good idea, love. Er...

All right, well, you'll want a toothbrush...

..slippers...

It's been a long time since we had a night apart, girl.

I want Mummy.

She's sleeping now.

Oh, that's good. Thank you, Sister.

Hello?

- Hello? - Er, hello?

Kenny, listen to me.

You've got to bring them back!

The baby's not well. He needs a doctor.

I've got the nurse here, if you don't believe me.

It's one of the sisters. Now, she isn't going to lie, is she?

Mr Shields, this is Sister Catherine speaking, from Nonnatus House.

Baby Colin has chickenpox and an infection in his eyes.

It could...

Was that Kenny?

I was so sure we'd done the right thing by bringing him here.

- But did we? - If you hadn't...

..Christopher wouldn't have survived.

I thought if we just gave him enough love and care...

Your care has been exemplary, Mrs Turner.

And perhaps, in time, Christopher could settle. But...

- He doesn't have time. - The thing is...

..even if we could get Christopher to Hong Kong for this break in treatment,

we have no idea what Esther's life is like at the moment.

Would she even be in a position to look after him

and keep him safe from his father?

Let me speak with Sister Julienne and arrange a long-distance call

with Sister Hilda, and then we can find out what she knows.

Erm, Rosalind Clifford. I'm here for an appointment.

We always do an internal examination at a first appointment,

just to make sure that everything's healthy before prescribing.

Yes. Of course, Doctor. That does make sense.

Are you sexually active already, Miss Clifford?

Er, no, er, not as such.

Not yet. But I want to be prepared.

Gosh, it sounds like I'm in the Girl Guides.

I think it's very sensible.

You might find a little bleeding later, but that's completely normal.

Everything seems absolutely in order.

Hello, sweetheart! What's your name?

They're going to take you through now, Mrs Robbins.

- Doctor! How's the baby? - Let the doctor through,

- please. Let the doctor through. - A bit of good news at last.

Yeah, it's a start, Doctor, but we have to get them both.

Retractor.

Now, there seems to be some calcification here.

I'll just have to...

Kelly's.

Oh, my goodness! I certainly wasn't expecting to see this.

Erm, diathermy.

Oh, dear. Chickenpox.

Just came out this morning.

She's got a bit of a temperature and...

..well, she's absolutely exhausted.

But apart from that,

there don't seem to be any physical ill effects, thank goodness.

I'll pop back later.

If you have any problems in the meantime, please call.

Thank you, Doctor.

I don't think I'll ever be able to let her out of my sight again.

- Has she said anything about...? - No, just that... Colin was crying

and Daddy had a blue car. God knows where he got that from.

Oh, my God! He left his own child alone in a strange place.

I mean, anything could have happened!

How can a man like that keep a sick baby safe?

Sister! Sister! Sister!

Local radio. Please, just a few words.

- Sister! - Excuse me.

Sister, are you the midwife?

Er, yes. Sister Catherine, Nonnatus House.

What would you say to Kenny Shields, Sister?

I would just say...

..please get Colin to a doctor.

Every day without treatment puts him more at risk.

Please eat.

Everyone has their own key with their name on for the new lock.

There are also now two large internal bolts

on the back door, which must always be...

- Oh, Dr Turner, this is yours. - Thank you, Miss Higgins.

Did you manage to type up my report on the missing baby

- for the board of health? - It's ready for you to sign.

Thank you.

I wanted to tell you right away -

my call with Sister Hilda really was quite positive.

- What did she say? - Esther Tang is well

and has secured employment as a domestic with the British Army.

- Baby Beryl seems to be thriving. - Oh, that is good news!

It is. But there is news that may be even more significant.

Christopher's father, the Cormorant, has been arrested.

He's on trial for drug dealing...

- ..and racketeering. - Oh, my goodness!

A conviction would mean a substantial time in prison.

If he is convicted.

If he isn't...

..he'll feel like he's invincible.

He could be more cruel and ruthless than ever.

How could we send Christopher back to that?

Ah! Nurse Highland. Come and see what I've removed from Mrs Robbins.

I don't expect you'll ever come across another.

- Was it a tumour? - No.

This came from Mrs Robbins?

Yes.

It's called a lithopaedion,

from the Greek "lithos", meaning "stone"...

And "paedion", "child". It means a stone baby.

Yes. Look, you can see the limbs quite clearly.

And there are even contours of facial features.

- An umbilical cord? - Yes. It's incredibly rare.

A foetus develops outside the uterus.

Never viable, as you know. Usually, they die quite quickly

and are absorbed back into the body.

- Yes. - But here, the foetus

has survived until it was too big to be reabsorbed,

so the mother's body has calcified it to prevent sepsis,

effectively turning the foetus into stone.

I'd say it was about four months' gestation, wouldn't you?

Yes.

Mrs Robbins must have carried it for more than 30 years.

Nonnatus House. Midwife speaking.

Hello. His eyes... he's got spots...

I'm sorry, Sister Catherine isn't on duty.

Would you hold on one moment, please?

I'm not sure, but he mentioned the radio.

I think it might be Kenny Shields.

Hello? This is Sister Catherine speaking.

- Is that you, Mr Shields? - I'll call the police.

How can I help?

Is Colin with you?

Tell me about his eyes.

They're all crusted up and sore.

- He's got spots and he's hot. - He needs a doctor, Mr Shields.

- Are you near a hospital? - I can't go to hospital.

They'll take him off me, and I won't see him again.

I've already given up my little girl.

I'm not a bad person, Sister.

I love my kids.

I only done it cos she was going to take 'em away from me.

She was cutting me out!

- I love this little fella. - I'm sure you do, Mr Shields.

So you have to put him first.

Colin could become very sick indeed.

He could even lose his sight.

You can bring him here, to Nonnatus House,

or, if you tell me where you are, I can send an ambulance.

I'm not giving him up. Come on, Sister,

my money's going to run out. What else can I do?

You can bathe the eyes with saline. You can keep him hydrated.

You can make sure everything is really, really clean.

But it won't cure it. He has to...

Mr Shields! Kenny, please!

You'll need a bit of rest and recuperation after all this, Mrs Robbins,

but the symptoms will be gone.

The pain and the incontinence were just the lithopaedion

- pressing on the organs. - So strange,

to think I was pregnant. I didn't even know.

I mean, I was never pregnant,

and I wanted to be so much!

Never even had a miscarriage.

And all the time... there was a baby there.

I can't help thinking about...

..what it would have been like...

..if it hadn't died.

I think it's probably best not to dwell on that, Mrs Robbins.

I'll see you again tomorrow.

Oh, there you are, Parry. The lithopaedion man.

I have some students here. Is the monster available to view?

- Oh, yes, yes, of course. - "Monster"?!

No. No, no, no. It doesn't mean what you think. It's a medical term.

It's outdated, and they shouldn't be using it.

Oh!

Did you see it?

- Did you see my...? - Yes.

What did it look like?

Like a baby.

That looks interesting, Sister.

It's just a simple congee rice porridge.

I thought it might tempt Christopher to eat...

- something familiar and easy to digest. - Mm.

I'll take it to him this evening.

- With your permission, of course. - You have it.

You have been a great friend and support to Christopher in his illness.

No-one could have done more.

I feel I could have, Sister.

I'm the one with the language, with the knowledge of his culture.

I feel there's so much more I could have done

if I'd have spent more time with him.

But you have had other duties, Sister Veronica.

Yes.

Come on. Come on, mate.

I know! Come on!

Come on!

Oi!

Oi, get away!

Sorry. He's friendly.

Come on, Rufus.

Come on, Rufus. Come on.

Yes, I will. Thank you. Yes. Goodbye.

I've been speaking to Great Ormond Street.

Christopher's chemotherapy medication is in powder form

and is portable.

It could be administered at the British Army hospital in Hong Kong.

Great Ormond Street would liaise with Major Burr.

So if Christopher goes, he wouldn't come back.

It's the best solution, Shelagh...

..for Christopher.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Pam? Pam!

Shhh, Mum! Lisa's sleeping.

There's been a sighting in Epping Forest.

Poor Mrs Robbins was very distressed.

I'm not surprised. It was disgraceful language to use.

This whole thing seems such a cruel twist of fate

- when she wanted a baby so much. - Her body clung to this one child

for all these years to keep it safe,

because she could not bear to lose it.

I'll freshen the pot.

♪ Child isn't born with a prejudiced mind ♪

♪ He only learns what he sees ♪ ♪ Or what is taught to him ♪

♪ Think about your children, mother ♪ ♪ Help all mankind ♪

♪ Don't let the weight of hate ♪ ♪ Weigh the world down ♪

♪ Here we are in this world together ♪

♪ We were meant to live with each other ♪

♪ Tell the child the truth, ♪ ♪ it's your own son ♪

- ♪ Let everybody know about freedom ♪ - ♪ Think about children ♪

♪ Think, think ♪

♪ Help them love one another ♪

♪ Got a long way to go ♪ ♪ Really gotta get there fast ♪

♪ It's a shame it ever had to be ♪ ♪ But we can't change the past ♪

♪ Think about your children, mother ♪ ♪ Save all mankind ♪

♪ Don't let the weight of hate ♪ ♪ Weigh the world down... ♪

- I have something to tell you. - And I've got something to tell you.

All right! Erm, you go first.

I've booked the hotel for York. I hope you like it.

I know I will...

..I'll be with you.

It's very central, near the Minster.

It has a lovely restaurant that does a dinner dance on Saturday night.

- Well, that sounds perfect. - I'm glad you think so.

And I got the last two rooms with views of the river.

Two rooms?

What?

Two rooms? Cyril!

Sorry? I don't understand.

It's been more than a year, and you're almost divorced.

And when you ask a woman not a girl, Cyril...

an independent, modern woman who loves you...

to go away for the weekend and then you book two rooms,

how do you think that's going to make her feel?

- I didn't want to assume... - Assume, Cyril! Assume!

If you don't start assuming soon, I think I'm going to blow up!

I'm a bit at sixes and sevens, I'm afraid, Sister Veronica.

I'm not surprised, Mrs Robbins. You've had a very difficult time.

It's churned up a few old feelings for us. Ain't it, love?

They called it a monster.

I don't care what they meant. That's what they said.

But that was our baby. The only one we'll ever have.

- Yes, Mrs Robbins, it was. - And they took it away

to look at it and talk about it and pass it round and Lord knows what.

And it's like it belongs to everyone else except us.

We don't even know where it is!

Mrs Robbins, I don't like the sound of that at all.

I think I'm going to have to make some telephone calls.

Midwife calling.

Another cup of tea, gents?

I'll get you one, too, Sister.

They're still searching in Epping Forest.

They could be there for days.

Kenny?

Why did you have to go off and leave me?

Why did you go and do that?

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

Kenny, where is Colin?

We were so happy when Lisa was born, remember?

Yes, Kenny. We were... We were really happy.

Yeah, we were.

We had a lot of really good times.

I thought we were a happy little family.

Kenny? Is Colin with you?

My little mate.

He's been with me longer than he ever was with you, hasn't he?

Is he all right?

No, Pam.

I don't think he is.

What do you mean, Kenny? What's wrong with him?

Mr Shields, this is Sister Catherine.

Can you describe Colin's condition please? Is he breathing?

Yeah. He doesn't cry any more.

Mr Shields, where are you?

I heard the ice-cream van.

- Mr Shields? - It's King Street.

Mrs Shields, stay here, please. Please.

I'm sorry, mate.

Shh, shh, shh, shh...

The lithopaedion, the stone baby,

has been preserved in the archives of King's College medical school.

- Have they labelled it a monster? - Absolutely not.

Can we see it?

Well, that isn't usually advised

when the foetus has died, Mrs Robbins.

It might be terribly upsetting.

It's terribly upsetting anyway, Sister Veronica.

Yes. Yes, it is.

We'd like to go.

Then I'm sure that can be arranged.

District for you, Nurse Clifford.

The hospital reports that baby Colin is out of danger.

He has responded well to antibiotics,

his hydration has returned to normal,

and in the past few days he's even managed

- to put on a little weight. - Oh, that is good news!

And his eyesight? Will it be normal?

I'm afraid it's too early to say.

But his response to treatment has to be a good sign.

And your role in his recovery, Sister,

is something to be commended.

I'm just relieved we're not looking at a charge of manslaughter.

It felt touch and go for a bit there, if I'm honest with you.

If we meet again, I hope it's in happier circumstances.

It certainly won't be because another baby's gone missing

from this place, I can promise you that.

Shall we?

You wanted to see me, Sister?

Yes. I have had news from Sister Hilda.

The Cormorant has been convicted of drug dealing and racketeering

and has been sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.

- So Christopher will be safe? - Yes.

Patrick and I will make the arrangements for his travel

- back to Hong Kong. - I see.

Sister, we can't go with him.

We have three children at home

who are going to miss Christopher very much.

Would you take him? I know you have a special bond.

Do I have your permission, Sister Julienne?

Not only do you have my permission, Sister Veronica,

you have my blessing.

Oh!

It's just here.

Quite a place.

Whenever you're ready.

Oh!

That don't look like a monster to me.

No, love. Me neither.

We always knew that Christopher was only staying here for a little while,

and if he can be in hospital near his mummy,

we think he'll get better more quickly.

That's the most important thing, isn't it? Mm-hm?

May?

When I'm older, can we go to Hong Kong to find him?

Yes.

Another ounce. Well done, Colin!

And well done, Mum.

Pam?

Shall I call the police?

No, it's all right.

- You're not supposed to be here. - I know.

I heard they bailed you.

Why did you do it?

I never tried to stop you seeing them.

I mean, I'm only going to bloody Stevenage. It's not the moon!

I don't know.

I thought that when Colin was born, it would make it all right again.

I was only going to take them overnight, to show you what it felt like.

But then the police...

..and the papers...

I was scared, I suppose.

It just got out of hand.

For God's sake, Kenny.

You really going, then?

Yes, Kenny, I'm really going.

I'm not going to stop you from seeing your children, Kenny...

..but for now, it's got to be with me. All right?

And with a social worker.

I've put your suitcase in the car, Sister.

Thank you, Dr Turner.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, dear Christopher.

And get well.

We made you a book of pictures so you remember us, Christopher.

And this is one of Teddy's toy cars.

Oh, yes. And Tim sent you this from Edinburgh.

Oh, I rather like that!

Bye-bye, Christopher.

I'll see you when I'm big.

Often, after loss, there is no full return of joy.

Reunions can be bittersweet,

haunted by the thought of what there was

or might have been.

And yet there will be light. We will find other places

for our love to go and settle, like a bird alighting on a branch.

We are not entrusted with everything for ever.

Sometimes all the love we have is not enough.

Its surrender can be another way of giving -

not merely loss, but a letting go and setting something free.

The separation hurts us even as it heals them.

But what can we do?

We can do this:

we can open our hands, watch them fly from our protection,

spread their wings and become a tiny speck against the sky.

We cannot cry, nor do we need to,

because we bear their fragile footprints on our hearts.

Even children learn this in the end.

- Good afternoon, Miss Higgins. - Master Timothy Turner!

Or... should that be Doctor?

Did you hear? We're moving back to Poplar. Old Street.

May I suggest we turn our attention to the matter

of St Raymond's feast day?

I'm not sure she's any nearer to deciding.

Whether to accept the new rules or close Nonnatus House.

You do have to wonder what it all bodes.

Sub extracted from file & improved by Se7enOfNin9 for addic7ed.com