"And one, and two, and three..." "The female body is a complex thing, at once fragile and formidable, vulnerable and brave." "It carries the seed of our hopes, the bloom of our youth, the weight of our fears." "It can nurture and tremble... inspire and terrify." "It oppresses and protects us, holding within it all that we are, projecting less than we wish to be." "It is our enemy, our friend, the very vessel of our being." "What the body takes, it gives." "And what it costs, we never question." "One of the newest and yet most diligent recruits to the Keep Fit movement has accomplished something rather wonderful." "Despite only starting classes last November, and having a full-time profession, she has qualified as an instructor in record time." "Beatrix, would you like to come forward and receive your certificate?" "Thank you." "Is there anything you'd like say to the class?" "Yes, there is." "I started coming to Keep Fit at an absolutely ghastly time in my life." "It meant that for an hour or two each week," "I didn't have to think about all the horrible and wretched things that made me so frightfully unhappy." "But after a while, Keep Fit didn't just distract me, it started to make me stronger." "And what's more, I've lost two inches from around my waist, and gone up a whole cup size in the bra department." "This really is the very best thing I've ever done." "Oh, good afternoon." " Are you on your way to Mars?" " Nah, the moon." "There's no air on Mars." "Of course there isn't." "Silly me." "Me mum wants milk of magnesia." "Her name's Mrs Mullucks." "Ah, yes." "Hello, Perry." "Your mum really needs to come in and see Doctor, so we can give her a free prescription." "But let's see what we can do." "Hello, love!" "Oi, Perry!" "Mum, got your medicine." "Oh, you're a smasher." "Bless you." "All right?" "Go on, son." "Smile!" "Smile!" "Yeah!" "Do hurry up." "You're late for the delivery!" "Oh, spoilsport!" "Let's hope it includes what it says it includes." "I'm not sanctioning this fandangle until every button, bow and apron string's correct." "Nurse Crane, the suppliers assured me that all is in order." "The new uniforms are going to be everything we hoped for." "Professional, practical and really rather pretty." "If I might make an observation, Sister Julienne, we're midwives." "Not glamour pusses." "Oh, go on, I'll race you." " Ooh!" "Oh, no new look for us, Sister." "Still, better 600 years out of date than six!" " Yes." " Hm." "Goodness." "These do seem to be rather more nipped-in than the last ones." "I've no complaints." "It's horribly dispiriting, slaving away to maintain a waist when no-one sees it." "Midwives in Scandinavia have started wearing slacks." "I read it in Nurse Crane's Journal Of Nursing." "Imagine what bliss that would be, cycling down the Dock Road at three in the morning." "I don't like slacks." "The tops of my thighs are a really funny shape." "Then you absolutely must come to Keep Fit." "Regular leg-overs would make all the difference." "Trixie, do stop trying to inveigle everyone to signing up for your wretched class." "You'll be standing on the Commercial Road soon, throwing shark nets over every girl who passes by." "I just think that both you and Barbara stand to benefit." "Besides, I'm terrified no-one will come." "Hello, Phyllis." " Ooh, do you want to join Trixie's new Keep Fit class?" " I do not." "I am content with performing my Canadian Air Force routine every other morning, as well you know." "And I cannot make head nor tail of these new fastenings." "Come on in." "Though you'll have to turn a blind eye to all of us in our scanties." "Oh, well." "We're all girls together, aren't we?" "Mum?" "Can I do me homework in the parlour?" "I've just cleaned in there, Belinda." "Sit to the table." "Perry, move your rocket." "The washing's going to drip on my maths and all the sums will run." " Homework in the holidays?" " I like homework." "Still... more homework now, less housework later." "You'll be able to get yourself a nice job in an office." "Or a bank." "Mum... sit down." "I've got too much to do." "Ah!" "You all look every bit as smart as I imagined." "What I want to know is, are those waspie belts practical?" "If there's one thing midwifery's always involved, it's a good deal of bending at the midriff." "One protracted birth on a low-slung mattress, you'll end up cut in half." "Bless us, O, Lord, and these thy gifts, which we receive by thy bounty." " Amen." "I was at Lisbon Buildings with Mrs Gallagher and young Jeffrey." "Is he the baby born with missing thumbs?" "And his mother's no nearer getting over it than she was six weeks ago." "The trouble is, Mrs Gallagher's quite a nervy type." "She was demanding sleeping pills the moment she knew she was pregnant." "I'd demand sleeping pills if I lived at Lisbon Buildings." "Surely she's on the list to be rehoused?" "Everyone in Lisbon Buildings is on the list to be rehoused." "But the new flats aren't being built fast enough." "I'll talk to Dr Turner." "Perhaps he can help with a medical note." "Bad housing has a lot to answer for." "I think you'll find family planning has a lot to answer for." "These young wives get themselves a diaphragm, and once they can pick and choose their family size, the picking and the choosing never stops." "They want everything just so, and if it isn't, they don't know where to turn." "I hope they know they can turn to us, Nurse Crane." "Kind words won't give Jeffrey Gallagher his thumbs, but they may help his mother to cope." "Kind words are a universal panacea, Sister." "And like you, I can dispense them quite liberally when occasion demands." "And, like you, I temper them with common sense." "Would you like some bread and butter, Nurse Crane?" "Thank you." "I would also like the honey." "As I see there is still no cake." "One wonders why you comment on its absence, given that it is our common sacrifice for Lent." "Meanwhile, Islamists have festivals of fasting, in which the frail and elderly are not deprived." "I have no objection to our Asian neighbours." "But when it comes to Lent, we do things our way, thank you very much." " Honey, Sister?" " No!" "Bread and butter for me." "# I'll bring again" "* Tulips from Amsterdam... *" "You know I don't like tulips, I like daffs." "That's all right, I didn't bring you any anyway." "Well, don't sell flowers down the Hand And Shears, do they?" "No." "And don't come near me, unless you want de-fleaing." "What's gotten into you?" "Eh?" "You'll find out soon enough." "I'm in labour." "What, now?" "What do you think of the name Jonquil?" " For a boy?" " For a girl!" "It's a flower name." "Like daffodil, only French." "Well, names are your department." "Yeah." "And carrying bags is yours, Bernie..." "Come on." "It's time to go." "I can smell spring in the air." "My other two were winter babies." "I haven't had a spring one, not till this little afterthought." "Little accident, more like." " We'll manage. - Mm." " Always have." "It's like we used to say when we had to get married and live with your mum and dad." " "Let's look at what we've got. " BOTH:" " "Not what we've not got. "" "Give us a kiss, Rhoda." "And that's your lot!" "Should've said that to you nine months ago!" "The neck of your womb is what we call nicely effaced, Mrs Mullucks, so it is thinning out, ready for the main event." "However, you're only one finger dilated." "But the pains are terrible." "You heard me yelling just now." "Seems to me, Mrs Mullucks, that the best thing for you would be to settle down with a magazine and a nice hot drink." "Have a good night's rest, then breakfast in bed on a tray." "You know I'm putting it on a bit, don't you?" "Two children myself." "I know what it is to crave a bit of peace and quiet." "Now, Woman's Realm, or are you more of a Titbits lady?" "Woman's Realm." "They have Princess Margaret most weeks and I love her." "Especially in Norman Hartnell clothes." "We don't encourage it on the ward." "Now, I'll go and find the orderly and get you that hot drink." "Ah..." "Ah..." "Morning, Reverend!" "Morning, Fred." "You look busy." "The Jersey Royals are coming on a treat." "Half a crown deposit secures the first crop." "I'm a curate, Fred." "I'm so poor, church mice feel sorry for me." "Morning, Barbara." "What's all this?" "Oh, these are our new uniforms." "New hats, too?" "Yes." "New hats are the reason why I'm calling." "Well, Easter hats." "Or more precisely, bonnets, which don't necessarily have to be new, but they do actually have to exist." "Or we can't have an Easter bonnet parade." "And I need help." "I've left it all to the last minute, Barbara." "Please be a sport." "Sister Mary Cynthia and I will take the district list today." "Sorry, mad dash." "Mrs Akintola's waters just broke and she's contracting every three minutes." " Would you see to the board?" " Naturellement." "And you can take the post-natal checks this morning, Nurse Franklin." "And make sure you call in on Mrs Riley in Egerton Buildings." "I think an episiotomy suture's been left in situ, and she's very sore." "Nonnatus House, midwife speaking." "Ah!" "And Nurse Gilbert has joined us!" "How very kind of you to spare the time." "You can accompany Nurse Franklin." "Maternity home for me." "Mrs Mullucks' labour appears to be revving up." "Trixie!" "Please wait!" "Oh, really, Barbara!" "Oh, my cape keeps pulling at my neck, and I've already laddered one of my brand-new stockings." "An elegant woman wears her clothes, they don't wear her." "When you get off, you'll just have to walk with your knees closer together." "Perhaps I could colour in my leg with some ink, or a wet pencil." "Excuse me, miss?" "Yes?" "Do you mind if I take your picture?" "Oh, that's rather a bold request on a first acquaintance." "I... do have a business card." "All this says is that your name's Denny Wray and you're a freelance photographer." "I'm trying to compile a record of life in the old East End, before it vanishes." "Well, life in the NEW East End has a lot to recommend it." "Little things, like vaccinations and indoor bathrooms." "But you wouldn't know that, seeing as you live in..." "Holland Park." "Is she your boss?" "No." "Fortunately." "Miss, if I can't get behind closed doors," "I'm going to get nothing on film but kids kicking footballs and meths drinkers." "And that's what the rest of the world will see." "He's right, Trixie." "Do you have a bike?" "I have a scooter." "Very well." "As long as you don't inconvenience our patients," "I see no reason why you can't tag along." "Do you know any gangsters?" "That's for us to know and for you to find out!" "# Poetry in motion" "# Walking by my side" "# Her lovely locomotion" "* Keeps my eyes open wide... *" "Marvellous." " Swap them round." " # Poetry in motion" "* See her gentle sway... *" "They're sending men into space, you'd think they'd have found a way round this by now." "We'll have another try with the gas, with your next pain." "SHE PANTS" "I feel a right chump, with my bum stuck in the air." "Believe me, Rhoda, I've seen it all before." "I was hoping for a nun, not one of you young 'uns." "Bet you've all got lovely bleeding bums." "# Poetry in motion" "# Dancing close to me" "# A flower of devotion" "* For all the world to see... *" "There we go." "All right?" "Good girl, Rhoda." "Ooh..." "Rhoda..." "Baby's got himself into a bit of a pickle, so we're going to have to help him out." "How do you mean, a "pickle"?" "His head seems to be... a bit off centre, it's nothing we can't sort out between ourselves, but you are going to have to change position." "I can't!" "I'm too tired..." "Doctor's still on his rounds, but he called and asked me to check on Mrs Mullucks." "Perfect timing, Mrs Turner." "Rhoda and I need a hand with our gymnastics." "Keep it coming, keep it coming." "Glorious work!" "Glorious!" "We're crowning!" "There you are, Rhoda." "Well done!" "Oh, we have a head!" "And that, Rhoda Mullucks, is why women ought to run this country!" "Can I lie down now?" "In a minute or two." "Just catch your breath for now." "What is it?" "A boy or a girl?" "I don't mind, I've got one of each." "It's a daughter." "Ah, ah..." "Mrs Turner, can you give Baby a rub?" " Ah..." " We've a bit of a Speedy Gonzales of an afterbirth." "There you go." "I'll just look that over, and if it's all in order, then we're done." "Come on, little one." "Mummy's waiting to meet you!" "Bring her over, I want to look at her!" "Baby girl..." " Baby's a bit chilly, Rhoda." " Oh." "I'm going to pop to the nursery with her and just put her under the heat lamp for a minute or two." "Oh, Patrick." "Has Rhoda Mullucks delivered?" "A little girl." "She can't live." "She can't." "Malformation like this can't only be external." "What about the mother?" "Did she see the baby?" "No." "I should've just let her slip away..." "Shelagh..." "She's limbless, Patrick." "You said yourself she's probably just as damaged on the inside." "Who knows how much she'll suffer?" "Even if she only lives an hour." "Come in." "I made you some tea." "Sister Monica Joan wanted to bring it up, but there's a Gypsy Cream in the saucer and I was afraid it might not stay the course." "You heard about the Mullucks baby, then?" "Is it very bad?" "Was ghastly." "Trixie wondered if you were still going to Keep Fit?" " Oh, Lord." " Should I tell her you're not feeling up to it?" "No." "I think this is one of those occasions where one has to... buck up and knuckle down." "If we can retrieve even half a dozen potential bonnets from this lot, then we can throw ourselves at the mercy of the crepe paper for the rest." "Oh..." "Perfect." "You really are a wonderful person to have on your side when the chips are down." "And the very best thing of all is you've not once said," ""Why can't the children make their own Easter bonnets?"" "Well, they can't, can they?" "Or, at least, some could, but some would be left out, because money's tight, or things aren't right at home." "Oh, hello, you two!" "Trixie." "Patsy." "Have you come to do a bit of knees bent, arms stretch, ra-ra-ra?" " What?" " It's my inaugural Keep Fit class tonight." "Barbara, we've brought you a leotard and tights." "Oh, I was just going to wear my gym skirt." "Oh, Barbara, please don't start that nonsense about your thighs." "Denny's here to take photographs." "And we'll look much more stylish if we're wearing matching outfits." "So, say goodnight to Tom, and go and get changed." "You look as fresh as a daisy." "It's amazing what a sponge-down and a nice nap can do." "Can I have my little girl with me for visiting time?" "I want to show her to her dad." "Baby's to stay in the nursery for tonight." "She had a rather rough ride of it, just like you." "And we will begin the class with some gentle exercises, designed to loosen our muscles." "So, stand up straight, knees slightly flexed, and a hand's width apart." " Ooh, I'm doing smashing so far!" " LAUGHTER" "And now we're going to turn our head from left to right." "Like so." "If you feel inspired, you can do it in time to the music." "But it is a bossa nova beat, so don't panic if you can't keep up." "Ooh, I'm not so sure about this one!" "I spoke to a registrar at the Children's Hospital." "He says it sounds like a very, very rare condition called phocomelia." "It means "seal limbed"." "But what could cause it?" "Why would it happen?" "He said usually the best way to explain it to the parents is to say that Mother Nature made a mistake." "I once said that to a mum whose baby had a huge port wine mark on her face." "She said, "In which case Mother Nature must be a right old... "" "I'm not going to repeat the word, but it was uncomplimentary." "And possibly accurate." "The registrar said that if she survived the night, they could find a bed for her." "But that survival wasn't likely." "She's breathing steadily enough." "But I can't interest her in feeding." "The registrar said not to force her." "There might be pathologies of the gut." "He said to keep her comfortable, and watch for a gradual tapering off of vital signs." "She mustn't suffer." " She mustn't." " Shelagh... .. go home... to our own children." "Don't get involved with this." "Shh." "There's no mistaking what you want, is there, young lady?" ""Over the past decade," ""hyperparathyroidism has been recognised" ""as a fairly common disease," ""especially amongst patients with renal calculi. "" "Who's getting involved now, Patrick?" "She is." "She wants to live." "Oh, I hardly slept a wink last night." "I don't know how you manage, going to bed with a head full of ironmongery night after night." "One must suffer to be beautiful." "Do you have any special plans for your day off?" "No, I'm just meeting a friend." "My husband never came in last night." "I fell asleep." "When I woke up, gone 11." "Too late." "He does know Baby's been born." "Mrs Turner telephoned him at the warehouse." "Ah, that was nice of her." "Expect he's already down the Hand And Shears, wetting the baby's head." "Yes." "And you needed to rest, Rhoda." "Why are you calling me Rhoda?" " I thought it was formal terms on a ward, just like the clinic." " Sorry." " I didn't mean to sound disrespectful." " You don't." "You sound... kind." "Like there's something wrong." "They said I could hold her this morning." "Baby had a very good night... .. and I'm sure you'll see her soon." "Ta." "I spoke to the Children's." "They said to send her in for assessment." "The ambulance is booked for two o'clock." "Patrick, her mother has to see her first." "I know she does." "There." "You have a nice little sleep." "I'll be back soon." "Oh." "Mr Mullucks!" "Is there any chance of me seeing my missus and my kid?" "It's just, I got a bit tied up last night, so..." "Why don't you take a seat?" "I'll pop through and see if your wife's ready for visitors." "Thank you." "Would you like a cigarette, Rhoda?" "What, in here?" "I will if you will." "Excuse me." "As you know, Rhoda, your baby needed a bit of extra care when she first arrived." "But the little nun said she's doing all right now." "She is doing all right now." "It seems she had some problems when she was still in the womb." "She has the most beautiful, beautiful face." "Has she?" "It's just that she... .. seems not to have grown quite as she should." "Hello!" "Are you saying she's a dwarf?" "No." "Hello!" " Mr Mullucks..." " How could you even let that live?" "I need to see her." "I need to see her!" "And you will, Rhoda." "I'm going to fetch her myself and bring her to you and put her in your arms." "Everything else, we can talk about later." "There ain't nothing to talk about!" "Do you hear me?" "Nothing!" "Cos I've seen it, and there ain't no way that thing is coming back to our house." "It's all right, Rhoda." "We're with you every step of the way." "Come on in, Rhoda." "Sit down and I'll hand Baby to you." "I'll pop and get you a cushion, if that chair's too hard." "She smells like my others." "Can I just be by myself with her?" "We'll be right outside the door." "Oh, love." "What a mess." "What a mess, eh?" "We'll sort something out." "I promise." "Cos you're mine." "Mine." "And I'm not bailing out on you." "Pats!" "Were you looking at your watch?" " No." " Fibber." "I was given a spotless bill of health and went straight to see Matron." "I walked into that hospital a patient and walked back out an employee." "Mr Mullucks." "Mr Mullucks!" "Your daughter is going to be admitted to hospital." "Mr Mullucks?" "Rhoda." "Mrs Turner's just gone to see to some paperwork." "She wondered if you'd like to give Baby a name." "She can fill out the forms without one." "It doesn't matter." "It does matter." "I gave my other kids fancy names." "Belinda-Louise, Perry-Keith." "I had a fancy name, made me stand out." "It was great." "I'm going to call her Susan." "She'll never have to spell it, or explain it." "There'll be nothing said by anyone." "She might be glad of that." "The only fly in the ointment is having to wait until June." "But unless Staff Nurse Winters gets knocked up and brings her wedding forward, we'll just have to bide our time." "It still seems too good to be true." "There you are!" "That was a right wild goose chase you sent me on to that foundation garment shop." "They don't stock Miss Mary of Switzerland girdles at all." "Hello, Mam." "You remember Patsy, don't you?" "Of course I do." "Nice to see you again, dear." "There's scum on that tea." "You wouldn't see that in Pembrokeshire." "I was just telling Patsy my news, Mam." "It's wonderful, isn't it?" "Well, I'm glad she's recovered from her accident." " But I don't want her coming back to London, or to work." " Mam?" "Don't you Mam me, I'm your mother!" "Every time I walk through those hospital doors, I feel ill." "I go right back to you lying there with your head cracked open and your mind half-gone." "But that was six months ago." "Delia's made a complete recovery." "I haven't, neither has her dad." "We don't want her leaving home again, ever." "Besides, they've even knocked the nurses' home down at the London, she'd have nowhere to live." " Lots of nurses live in rented digs." " Digs?" "Digs?" "She can't be fending for herself like that." "She gets tired." "I'm sorry, cariad." "I'm putting my foot down." "You're not taking her!" "Not to hospital, not to anywhere out of my sight." "What are they going to do with her?" "Dump her in a corner, shut her in some side room like you have?" "Rhoda, Baby's received the very best of care here." "Her name is Susan!" "And if that's true, why can't she stay?" "Why can't she stay?" " They may be able to do tests on her in hospital." " What sort of tests?" "Tests to make her arms grow?" "Tests to magic her legs out of nowhere?" "No." "Come on." "Doctor prescribed this for you." "Oh!" "What is it?" "It's just something to help you settle down." "Will there be a test that can tell us why?" "I'm afraid that's not likely, Rhoda." "Then she ain't going." "And I ain't signing any forms." "When Nurse Crane gets back tonight," "I'm asking her to look at the roster for Easter weekend." "We need extra time for our devotions and there are several babies due." "I'm afraid the younger generation will need to step up to the plate." "That's all right, Sister." "I'll arrange for an extra special lunch for Easter Monday, before the Bonnet Parade." "Shall I invite Mr Hereward?" "Why not?" " Morning, Sister!" " Oh!" " Smashing article in the paper." " Mmm?" "What's that, then?" " Right, Nurse Franklin!" " Present and correct." "There is nothing whatever correct about this, Nurse Franklin." "Oh." " What is it?" " I would rather you didn't look, Sister Julienne, but I'm happy to spell out the headlines for you." ""Keeping Fit," exclamation mark." ""Poplar Midwives Take Care Of All Aspects Of Health. "" "Two photographs of Nurse Gilbert and Nurse Mount in their new uniforms and then two photographs of all of them cavorting in their combinations!" "Those aren't combinations, Sister." "They're called leotards." "Oh, Trixie!" "We aren't in the paper in our leotards..." "I'm afraid you are, Nurse Gilbert." "Showing every outline that God gave you!" "If God gave us those outlines, Sister, then I'm sure he won't object to them being on display." "But, Nurse Franklin, I'm very much afraid we do." "I think the problem is, the nappies are just too big." "On a normal baby, the towelling comes halfway down the thighs." "But Susan's feet keep getting caught." "Can we try, er, cutting one up and hemming it?" "See if that works." "I'd like to put her in little nighties, too." "Not just vests all the time." "Could someone bring in some baby clothes from home for you?" "We could experiment and see what works." "My husband won't come in and, erm, the rest of the family's in Canvey Island and God knows what he's told them." "Suppose we're out of sight, out of mind." "Rhoda, in a few days, when you go home..." "We can't go home!" "He won't have her in the house, and I'm not putting her in a home." "She's mine." "I won't bow down to them." "I won't!" "I'd mind less if we weren't spending all weekend on duty so that they could pray!" "Hurry up, Babs." "We're breaking rank and getting our own tea tonight." "I suppose we ought to stoke up, if we're going to go out "cavorting in our combinations"." "Do you want to join us, Sister Monica Joan?" "I am engaged in watching television." "I await the news, so I might decide which cataclysm to pray for." " Eclairs!" " Four." "It was two for half a crown." "Gosh." "You break your Lenten fast, yet it is only Maundy Thursday and too soon to cease the deprivations of the flesh!" "Jesus didn't deprive his flesh on Maundy Thursday." "He sat with his disciples and broke bread at the Last Supper." "And, I believe, in Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lent actually ends today." "When I was a child, my nurse would never let me eat every morsel put before me." "Something must always remain, for Mr Manners." "I know now that Mr Manners is a myth, and it is madness to appease him with delights of any kind." "And now we take our right arm and raise it upright." "Moving it backwards, we perform a circle, repeating the move four times." "And then we switch to the left side and do the same again." "Gives the Windmill Girls a whole new meaning!" "It's certainly very stimulating to the humours." "And remember - feet 12 inches apart." "Now we reverse the action, moving the right arm forwards." "Good job I swilled under me arms this morning!" "But if Rhoda's husband won't let her take Susan home and she won't put her in an institution, where will they go?" "There has been talk of finding her a room in a hostel where she could take the baby, but she has two other children to consider." "It's not going to be easy." "No." "Things might resolve." "The situation doesn't have to be impossible." "Seems fairly impossible to me." "I had a little brother born with water on the brain." "Oh, I had no idea." "We aren't encouraged to talk about personal things." "My mother wouldn't put him in a home, and when we took him out she'd say, "If people stare, stare back. "" "And I never could because after they'd stared, they'd turn away and shake their heads." "And when they did that, I could see him through their eyes." "But we knew we loved him." "He died a long time ago." "And that was when we realised how much he'd really mattered." "God bless you, Sister." "And him." "Thank you." "I just wonder if it's not something in the atmosphere." "The father of the baby with the missing thumbs is a chemical mixer at the Matchworks." "There are atom bombs going off in the Sahara and a polluted river running right past our front door." "I'm not sure any good can come of asking why, Sister." "We have to accept things are as they are and reach out with all the love we can find." "I suppose that's what we're doing now, with Susan's clothes." "The trouble is, these aren't Susan's clothes." "They're what we could find in the charity box, things people threw away, and that just isn't good enough." "I do know it must be hard for you to manage without Rhoda, Mr Mullucks." "She's such a wonderful wife and mother." "She's not bringing that monster home." "I know Susan's deformities are shocking at first glance..." "At first glance?" "Are you saying I didn't see what I saw?" "No." "But first glances are for strangers and shock is just for passers-by, for people who don't know Susan, or love her." "But if you bring her home and bring her up with your other children, she'll become as familiar and as beautiful to you as they are." "And what makes you such an expert?" "I'm not." "This sort of situation, nobody ever is." "But Rhoda loves Susan and I believe " "I know - that you love Rhoda." " These are the things that Mum got ready." " Well done, Belinda." "I left some things upstairs because they are blue." "Mum got all colours ready." "She said, you never know what you're going to get." "Ain't that the truth?" "I wish we could see her." "It'll be a challenge, Mr Mullucks, whatever you choose to do." "But it'll all be so much harder if the family's pulled apart." "Now we've finished our tea and biscuits, we're going to move on to a more challenging exercise where we work our arms and legs together, trimming our flanks and tightening our upper bust." "It's a case of "good luck with that", as far as I'm concerned!" "Sister Monica Joan, you can do these moves in a seated position." " She's such a slave driver." " No talking, please!" "We need to save our breath for our exercises." "Just follow me!" "Hands to the cleavage then out horizontally." "Then we add a marching step." "Knees high!" "Oh!" "Carry on, ladies." "Olive?" "Is everything all right?" "If you've injured yourself, I'll need to put it in my report book." "No, don't." "Please... please don't." "I've had an accident." "Oh, it's not the end of the world." "It was that exercise." "Me clothes are soaked." "Would you, erm, fetch me mac for me, so's I can go out through the hall?" "Of course." "Has this happened to you before?" "Well, it does, doesn't it, to women?" "Not necessarily." "Not unless there's something wrong." "I reckon there is something wrong." "It's like there's something slipping away, down below." "Oh, Olive, you must see the doctor!" "He'll just say I've had seven kids, it's par for the course." "Besides, I manage." "There's things you can do." "And they obviously aren't working, are they?" "Good evening, ladies." "And Sister Monica Joan, you're just in time for compline." "You were all greatly missed at high tea." "We had to eat early so that we could make it on time for my Keep Fit class." " All of you?" " Yes, Sister, all of us." "I can assure you, I have not in any way contravened our Lenten vow." "I have consumed only potato chips and they are savoury, not sweet." "Nurse Franklin, will you please come to my office at 9:00 tomorrow morning?" "I shall be otherwise engaged at 9:00." "I shall come at 9:30." "I wanted to make something special for Belinda Mullucks." "I thought she needed to know that someone was looking out for her." "What about young fella me lad, the son?" "Perry?" "Tom's making him an aerial for his space helmet." "He's actually quite good at metalwork." "I'll get it." "Do not remove them." "The entire creation is hanging in the balance." "'I'm sorry, Pats. '" "I'm so sorry." "Delia, you're 24!" "When I said that to my mother, she said," ""And it's only by the grace of God you'll see 25."" "If I come back to live in London it will break her." "I owe her so much and she's fighting so hard." "Well, can I see you before you go?" "We're getting the bus back home on Monday night." "Can I meet you for lunch?" "You could come here, I know everyone would be so pleased to see you." "All right." "But I can't leave Mam." "Morning, Rhoda." "We had quite a sewing bee last night." "I've brought some nappies and dresses to try on Susan." "Oh..." "Well, look at all this, Susan Mullucks, eh?" "Norman Hartnell better watch his back!" "She's going to be a right little head-turner." "Yes." "It's just as well he's not a young man." "Wouldn't know where to put me face." "Doctor's not embarrassed, Olive, and nor should you be." "I'm glad you came in, Mrs Nattrass." "You have what we call a prolapse of the womb." "It's advanced enough to mean that your womb is periodically slipping down through your vagina." " Is that the medical word for it?" " Vagina?" "I never heard that said before." "Even when I was having me nippers, we just used to call everything our "down-belows"." "The nuns never used to call it anything at all." "Have you ever tried to remedy this yourself?" "Well, I tried..." "I tried shoving things up there." "Er, me mum, she used to say she'd tie a knot in a bit of old flannel." "I've had a go at that." "I have heard of people using a bit of rolled-up cardboard." "Even apples, some of them." "Or a spud." "So have I." " But you have to draw the line somewhere, don't you?" " Yes, you do." "And I am drawing a line under this right now and referring you for surgical repair." "Will that be on the National Health?" "Everything's on the National Health now." "Has been for quite a long time." "All you had to do was ask, Olive." "Never had the words, did I?" "No." "Daffs, tulips, iris." "Fresh for Easter!" "You should get some flowers, Dad." "She likes daffodils." "We have a particular way of doing things at Nonnatus House, Nurse Franklin, and we've found over the years that everything's much more harmonious if those who live with us respect that." "But, Sister Julienne, there's a difference between respect and living by your rules." "We're nurses, not nuns." "We're nurses too, so in that respect our vocations overlap." "But if you make social arrangements that take half our team off the roster at the same time every week, then our patients may suffer." "And we have yet to address the business of those disappointing photographs." "I'm not giving up Keep Fit." "You already take one evening off each week to attend your other class." "Sister, Alcoholics Anonymous - and I'm not afraid to say the name - isn't my "other class," it's the thing that saved me." "And Keep Fit is the thing that makes me whole." "I do see how well you look, and how happy." "And I'm not just doing Keep Fit for myself." "There are women in my group who can't even name parts of their own anatomy!" "They expect to be in discomfort, even pain, because they haven't been taught that owning a female body ought to be a joy!" "But it so often isn't, Nurse Franklin." " That's what our work's about." " And it shouldn't have to be!" "This morning I spent time with a patient who - with all due respect - is nearer your generation than mine." "And her experience isn't one that we need to see repeated." "I'm sorry, Sister." "No, Nurse Franklin." "I am." "She looks a bit like you, Perry." "Same little nose." "Not so much like Belinda." "She always had a clever-looking face." "Did Dad tell you she didn't come out quite right, yeah?" "But it's not the end of the world." "When she's wrapped up, she looks just like a normal baby." "And later on, people call her names, you'll just have to fight them, won't you, Perry?" "Yeah." "Cos she's ours." "She's so soft." "She's going to have skin like a Camay advert." "The first thing the nurse said to me was," ""She's got a beautiful, beautiful face," and she has." "And you see, sometimes in life, you've got to be grateful for what you HAVE got." "Not what you've not got." "Can I hold her?" " Yeah." " No." "He'll be too rough." "He might hurt her." "Give her here." "We'll manage." "We always have." "Bring her home." "What a beautiful table you keep, Sister Julienne." "Family meals are very important at Nonnatus House, Mrs Busby." "It was never like this at that nurses' home, was it, cariad?" "I still wish they hadn't demolished it." " Where are you going to stay when you take up your job again?" " I'm not." " I'm going home to Wales." " Really?" "There's nowhere suitable for her to live, Sister." "She's been so poorly." "Your daughter is welcome to lodge here with us." "I think that's a most suitable suggestion." "So do I." "I don't know..." "I do." "We cherish our young women, Mrs Busby, and they keep us on our toes." "I fear, without them, we would flounder." "'And so the Easter festivities ended and several new chapters began." "'In the spring of 1961, 'the sun shone, the moon was suddenly within the reach of man." "'Science was all-powerful, all medicine was good. '" "In first place, Belinda!" "'The day would come too soon when Susan could no longer be wrapped up 'or protected from the gaze of strangers." "'Her parents' questions would be matched by those of other people." "'And in time, their bewildered "whys"" "'would meet with a one-word answer." "'No-one foresaw this, 'or that a scandal would be sparked that would rock the world for years." "'And there was love, because love grows when nothing else is certain, 'changing its shape, to fill the space required. '" "The docks are brutal and I need men that's fit for them." "Men give you their lives, at least respect them." "We need an ambulance." "These are wonderful days, girls." "Go out there and take hold of them." "You're quite the warrior, aren't you?" "Baby has the best and it's free - the breast." "Can't I try him on a bottle of formula?" "I thought you had more sense than that." "Connie, what are you talking about?" "If I can't give him nothing, what good am I?"