What’s going on with our friends:
Big, bittersweet news for Cyril: his divorce is nearly finalized and will become official in six weeks. Rosalind is obviously pleased about what this might mean for their future, but asks Cyril how he’s feeling. He explains that while the divorce was initiated by Lucille, he’s made peace with it and feels like he’s entering a new chapter of his life. And speaking of a new chapter: during a dinner date, Cyril invites Rosalind to come with him to a social work conference in York. For a whole weekend. In a hotel. Rosalind is all about it, and even gets an appointment with a gynecologist for an exam and some birth control. Our girl is prepared, ok? Later, Cyril tells her he got everything booked, including two hotel rooms, because he’s being a gentleman and trying not to assume anything. Rosalind reminds him that they’ve been dating for over a year, and he’s almost divorced: she’s VERY keen to share a room (and all that that entails) and tells him in no uncertain terms that he should start “assuming” asap.
Meanwhile, in a much less fun update, things are not going well with Christopher’s cancer treatments. He’s just too weak to continue — physically, but also emotionally — and so his doctors want to take a break so he can recover. The Turners thought that bringing Christopher to England was the right choice, but now they’re second guessing that decision because he’s having such a hard time. They’d like to bring him back to Hong Kong for a visit, but aren’t sure what his mom’s situation is like, so a long distance call with Sister Hilda is arranged. The good news: Christopher’s mom is thriving (she’s got a job, and her other baby is doing great), and his father has been arrested for drug dealing and racketeering, so he may be removed as a threat soon.
Dr. Turner finds out that Christopher’s medicine can travel with him, and when they learn that his father will be sent to prison for at least 25 years, they decide that as hard as it is, the right thing for Christopher is to go back to Hong Kong to be with his mom. Permanently. The whole family struggles with this decision, but especially May, who asks Shelagh if they can go find her brother when they’re all older. Throughout everything, Sister Veronica goes out of her way to support Christopher, both because she knows she’s uniquely able to provide a connection to home for him, and because she’s been grappling with her own desire for a child. So when it becomes obvious that the Turner parents can’t make the trip to Hong Kong and support their own kiddos at the same time, they suggest that Sister Veronica be the one to escort Christopher to Hong Kong. She, of course, accepts, with Sister Julienne’s blessing.
Family Number 1: The Robbins Family
Molly Robbins is a beloved dinner lady (lunch lady, for the Americans) at the Poplar school. But lately, she’s been dealing with some serious back pain and incontinence, which she finds mortifying and worrisome: how can she keep doing her job if this continues? Her doting husband, Edwin, encourages her to see Dr. Turner, but she’s too embarrassed. That is, until she passes a sleepless night in serious pain. Dr. Turner feels a lump in her back during the exam, and refers Molly to St. Cuthberts for x-rays.
The team at St. Cuthberts (plus Joyce, who’s still seconded at the hospital) review Molly’s test results and decide she needs an exploratory surgery so they can figure out whether the lump is cancerous. During the surgery, the team is shocked to discover that the lump is something very rare indeed: a lithopedion. What’s that, you ask? Basically, when a fetus implants outside the uterus (which is not compatible with survival) it can sometimes grow too large to be absorbed back into the mother’s body. Instead, the fetus calcifies, essentially turning to stone. Once the lithopedion is removed, Molly will make a full recovery and her symptoms should go away.
That’s all good news, but as usual, the team at St. Cuthberts is more focused on training than on patient comfort and happiness. Molly and Edwin, who always hoped to have a child, are reeling from the discovery that they did conceive, and that Molly’s been carrying their child’s remains around for decades. They also overhear the medical team jokingly call the lithopedion a monster, which is obviously quite hurtful. Joyce intervenes in the moment to reassure the Robbins, and finally, they’re both able to visit the medical library where their child’s remains have been preserved with a little help from Sister Veronica.
Family Number 2: The Shields Family
Pam Shields has just checked in to the maternity home to deliver her second baby. She’ll be flying solo, having recently separated from her husband, and sends her older kiddo Lisa home with Pam’s mom until the new baby arrives. Pam and her mom briefly discuss how and when to inform Pam’s soon to be ex husband Kenny, who loves the kids but is not handling the separation well. In the middle of labor, Kenny shows up and tries to barge into the delivery room. Pam doesn’t want him there, so Phyllis gently reminds Kenny of her “no dudes allowed” policy, and sends him off to throw a tantrum in the alley outside. Soon after, Pam delivers a son, baby Colin, who’s in great shape except for some redness around the eyes, which Dr. Turner swabs for testing. Sister Catherine bundles Colin off to the nursery so Pam can rest.
The next morning, sometime during breakfast tea service, someone forces the lock on the back door and takes baby Colin. When the police arrive, they ask for patient files of women who have lost babies (the most likely suspects in these cases), and Dr. Turner explains that they need to find this kiddo quickly: Colin’s test came back positive for chicken pox, and if it’s not treated ASAP, he could lose his eyesight. Meanwhile, Pam’s mom has arrived to support her daughter… without Lisa. Why? Because Kenny picked Lisa up early in the morning, as planned! One problem: that wasn’t planned at all. It all falls into place: Kenny’s the one who’s taken both kids.
While Pam recovers at home from both childbirth AND chicken pox, and tries to cope with the fact that her husband has kidnapped her children, the police search Kenny’s apartment. He’s abandoned the flat, so the cops involve the press to try and get the word out, especially about Colin’s need for urgent medical care. Meanwhile, Kenny takes the kids to a secluded cabin and attempts to care for them both while remaining hidden, which isn’t going great. Kenny calls multiple times: each time, Sister Catherine, who feels like it’s her fault that baby Colin was taken, does her best to talk Kenny into returning Colin, and each time the call leaves her feeling worse when he refuses. Eventually realizing that he can only handle one kid at a time, Kenny leaves Lisa on a bench where he knows she’ll be found and reunited with Pam.
Finally, as Colin continues to get sicker, Kenny abandons his hiding place and brings Colin back to Poplar, where he calls again from a phone booth. But this time, Sister Catherine hears an ice cream truck in the background which then passes Pam’s house, and they’re able to track Kenny down. Reader, this scene is horrible to watch: Colin is very still and isn’t crying anymore, and it’s easy to fear the worst. But despite being very seriously ill, the baby makes a full recovery after some time spent in the hospital. Later, as Pam packs up her car to leave town, she has a brief chat with Kenny. Why did he do this? He explains that he’d hoped the new baby would magically fix their marriage, and when it didn’t, he wanted to take the kids, just for one night, so Pam would understand what he was feeling. Once the cops got involved, he panicked, and it all got out of hand. Despite all of this, she says she won’t stop him from seeing the kids, but does say it can only happen with her and a social worker present, which seems more than fair.
Will this show ever stop being so emotionally devastating? Will Rosalind and Cyril have a fun getaway? Will Sister Veronica finally talk to Sister Julienne? Only time will tell!
