I believe you have my mother here.
Mrs Arthur. Mrs Joyce Arthur.
- Yes. Er... - Are you Mrs Arthur's daughter?
I wonder if I could have a word with you.
Just this way.
We didn't know whether you'd got our message.
I received it, yes, but I live some distance away.
- Well, Mrs... - Miss!
Sorry. Miss Arthur.
I'm afraid I've got some rather bad news for you.
She's dead, isn't she?
Yes.
Your mother died about two and a half hours ago.
I'm very sorry.
I want to see her.
- Any news on Ewart yet? - What was it they said?
- Much the same. - At least he's still breathing, eh?
More than can be said for my patient.
Isn't it?
- Hi. - Kuba.
Arrange for Mrs Arthur's body to be taken to the viewing room,
so that her daughter can pay her last respects.
Yes, of course.
(Door opens)
Is it your mother?
Was... Yes.
How did she die?
Well, she was brought into us after a fall at home
with hip and wrist injuries, and...
You don't die from those sort of things.
There were other complications.
What complications?
Well, we won't really know until...
- Until you cut her up? - There will be a post-mortem, yes.
I work in insurance, you know.
- Really? - Yes.
One develops a sense of when people tell the truth
- and when they do not. - That must be very useful.
And I know you are not telling me the truth.
I'm telling you all I know.
Here, you cover her up.
Erm... Why don't you sit down? I'll get you a cup of tea.
Is that what you offered my mother? Tea?
- She's gone, then. - Charlie, she looks like trouble.
No, don't worry. Have you filled in the incident form?
- You haven't finished it. - I do not know what to put!
Stick to the facts, Megan.
Try telling facts to somebody who has just lost their mother!
Megan! You are not to blame. You've got to be clear about this.
You'll get all the back-up you need from us
- but the administration is gonna... - I'm going home now.
- I just thought I'd... - How's he feeling?
He seems...more rested.
(Raised voices becoming clearer)
- Quite a night. - It's not over yet.
(Laughter)
Calm down.
Come on, come on. All right.
Very funny. You've had your little joke. All right, enough's enough.
Ah, no!
(Thud)
Mum...?
Mum?
I'm home.
Can I make a suggestion? I'll sort it.
Shall I sort it? I'll have to do it my way, though.
- Oh, God bless you. - Right, I'll be round about 3:00.
Lovely, I'll be in all after... Charlie!
Francine O'Dwyer! And they say accidents happen in the home.
- Sorry, Charlie. - Is there life after casualty?
Yeah, brilliant!
Except for the rubbish you work with.
19 in a few days. Behaves like a child.
Ner, ner, ner, ner, ner.
- Hi, Megan. - Hi.
- OK? I'll see you. - I'll see you.
Take care.
(Cat miaows)
(Clock chimes)
So death was due to... intercerebral haemorrhage
secondary to depressed skull fracture, yeah?
According to the pathologist, yeah.
Well, so what?
That means she probably died from the injuries received from the fall.
I was the last to deal with her.
So they just haul you in for investigation?
They're not hauling me in, Ted. It's a procedure. They have a right.
But not to call you in tomorrow morning. You'll be knackered.
- He's right. You could refuse. - I want to get this over with. Now.
Please.
For luck.
Makes a nice change from grapes.
- How are you, Mr Plimmer? - Fine.
- Fine, fine. - Excuse me.
We are all missing you. Like crazy.
Charlie was in earlier.
- I hoped to see Megan. - Big problem.
Megan...
She has to leave old lady.
She puts trolley bar up for safety.
Somehow the old lady...falls out.
Dies. And now there is... official investigations.
- Big problems. - What?
- Mr Plimmer, you be quiet. - I think that's just about all.
Yes, yes, yes.
All the best, Mr Plimmer, yes.
I want to see Mrs Straker immediately.
Mr Plimmer, you're not a consultant now. You're a patient.
And you'll see people when you're rested and able to deal with them.
I don't care if you're the person responsible or not, Mr Statham.
I was put through to you so I will talk to you and you can pass it on.
Simply this. I've now received a copy of my mother's death certificate.
The cause of death in no way tallies with the explanation at your hospital.
Really?
I'd like you to know that I will make a formal complaint of negligence.
If you cannot punish the person responsible for my mother's death,
then I shall find the authorities who can!
- I can't believe you are willing to... - Don't be angry with me, Ewart.
You can't afford the energy.
- Megan is one of the best... - I know! But the woman died.
We have to enquire.
These things happen.
- Who's on it? - I'll be chairing.
The personnel officer and the clinical services manager.
- Andrew Statham. - That creep.
He's a creep who gets around.
She'll get a fair hearing, I promise.
That's all she needs.
Come on...
- All right? - Yeah, fine.
Well, at least that O'Dwyer woman has gone off duty.
- I thought you liked her. - She's an absolute tartar.
Well, what do you think?
Is it not a bit...bold?
Bold?
It's a tarts party we're going to tomorrow night not Sunday school!
If you think we're bad, wait till you see the others.
- (Wolf whistle) - Oh, shut up!
Whoo!
She's just a kid.
Puberty's just around the corner, you know!
- Did you ring him? - Yeah, gave him the address.
And?
They said they'd send their best man.
I can't wait to see her face.
Well, what do you think?
You'll knock 'em dead.
Sorry, Charlie.
- There we are. - Thank you.
For you! Someone called Jemima.
I'm not here.
I'm not here!
(Knocking)
* We wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year *
(* Sings in Polish)
There we are. Very nice. Very nice.
Thank you. It's second-hand.
Second-head, more like.
Oh, Cyril! I used to have a cat called Jemima.
- Used to follow me everywhere. - Ha-ha...
Christmas, it's a funny time.
Full of loneliness and strange occurrences.
Yeah. Half of Holby's out getting paralytic.
The other half's slashing their wrists with the points on the Christmas star.
- Very nice. - But above all...loneliness.
Well, she kept herself very much to herself, your mum.
- Yes. - Not like me.
I'd talk to the lamp-post if it stood still long enough.
Your mum always used to leave her spare key with me.
l...
- It was me who found her, you know. - Thank you.
- I always leave mine under the mat. - Isn't that dangerous?
Oh! Nothing worth stealing.
I thought...that poor girl, all by herself.
- I'll just pop in and cheer her up. - Very nice of you.
We used to meet every Thursday in the post office and...
And it was always, my daughter this and my daughter that.
- Really? - With a few complaints thrown in.
- Milk? - Oh, thank you.
Dreadful place to die.
Hospital.
I lost my husband there, lying in the bed.
It was that hot spell.
He just...shrivelled up.
Cancer.
Our anniversary tomorrow. Would've been 30 years.
I hope he's not lonely up there.
All I'm concerned about is the good name of this hospital.
- We all appreciate that, Andrew. - I was talking to Peter at the DHA.
He's concerned about the latest recruitment figures.
Really? He ought to come down here and muck in.
It's just in these sort of cases, justice must be seen to be done.
Justice will be done.
We mustn't let personal considerations influence us.
Come in, Mrs Roach.
(Bells chiming)
First of all, Mrs Roach, thank you for coming.
We realise it's the end of your shift and how very tired you must be,
so we'll try to keep this short.
I've called this meeting to clarify the events of the night of 16th December,
when you were on duty in casualty
and a patient, Mrs Arthur, apparently fell from a trolley.
Perhaps we should first of all go through your statement.
Er...I think we all have a copy.
Excuse me. Are you the Coroner?
- Yes. - My name is Lucinda Arthur.
Yes, you rang up and spoke to one of my officers.
I want to make a formal complaint against Holby Hospital.
I believe my mother's death was due to negligence.
There will be an inquest and you will be informed.
I shall have statements, call witnesses.
Rest assured if there is guilt of neglect with regard to your mother,
it will emerge. Excuse me.
There are a few things in your statement
not quite clear to me, Mrs Roach.
When you left Mrs Arthur...alone,
did you feel you had allocated her a suitably good observation area?
Um... Well, we were under a lot of pressure.
And...it was the only place to put her.
Under less pressure, would you put her somewhere else?
That's hypothetical. We are dealing with facts.
We are. You needn't answer.
It's the sort of question people will ask.
Did you consider Mrs Arthur
a suitable person to be left on her own?
- She followed normal procedure. - We were very busy, really.
- We were very busy. - Yes, of course.
And rushed as you were,
you are sure you put the trolley bar up before you left?
She's already answered that.
I'll answer that again. Erm...
Yes, I am sure.
Um...
Well, I'm...
I'm as sure as I can be.
I think we've finished our questions, Mrs Roach.
Would you like to wait outside for a moment?
Oh...
- How did it go? - Statham.
- Give her a hard time? - Not too bad.
She's very shaky, Charlie.
Well, my little Irish rose.
A certain Ewart Plimmer would like a word with you.
No, I can't face him now. I'm sorry, I just can't face him now.
- I'm sorry. - Can you come in for a minute?
- He'd like to talk to you. - I'll talk to you later, Charlie.
Well, Mrs Roach.
After studying all the facts at our disposal,
we have concluded that procedures were carried out correctly.
This unfortunate accident was not reasonably able to be foreseen.
So we've therefore decided not to proceed any further with this matter.
No case to answer.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Well, let's hope this decision is the correct one.
- It's the only one. - Possibly.
- If she cracks up at the inquiry... - She won't.
Well, your decision, really.
You know best.
I'm sure Ewart Plimmer will be pleased.
(Chatter)
Willy thinks we belong to the dirty-mac brigade.
If he only knew...
Well, here's to the birthday girl, Jane.
- Not till tomorrow. - We're on shift then. Drink up.
- Cheers. - Happy birthday.
- What's so funny? - Want to see Willy's glasses fall off?
Francine!
(All) Whoa!
30 candles for 30 years.
Almost.
- Aren't you going to blow them out? - Oh, no, I like the light.
It's kinder to the face.
- Lucozade? - I never touch the hard stuff.
That vodka's been there since the year dot.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
Eric used to say he fell in love, you know.
- Hmm? - One of the nurses looking after him.
Ever so kind, a Black girl.
Said he was going to get a divorce.
Pity she hadn't been with my mother.
- I'm sure they did their best. - No!
The man I spoke to couldn't have cared less.
- It was their fault she died. - You don't know that.
I know it. I feel it.
Lucinda, maybe what you feel... Well...
You never came to see your mother much, did you?
- We didn't get on. - Well...
Maybe you feel bad because you didn't see her before she died.
- Maybe that's what you feel. - I have a very responsible position.
- Oh, I'm sure! - I offered her to come to London.
She wouldn't hear of it.
My job takes up most of my time. She never understood that!
She was very lonely, I could tell. Very lonely.
I have quite a lot to do next door.
Thank you for the drink, Mrs King. Excuse me.
Lucinda!
Oh, dear!
(Tarzan wail)
(Whooping and applause)
(Cheering)
Me Tarzan.
You Jane!
(Sobs)
(All) * Happy birthday to you! *
(Cheering)
Whoa!
- Jane, take off raincoat. - No!
OK, me no mind.
From your friends, there comes a wish,
that you get a birthday kish!
(Roars)
(* The First Noel plays)
(Laughter)
Come on!
* We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas
* We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year *
- What's your name? - Jemima.
Kuba... Kuba... It's Jemima.
- Where? - Out here.
- I thought Jemima was a cat. - No.
I met her at a party. She keeps ringing me up, following me around.
- Now she's tracked me down here. - She's coming towards us.
You gotta help me, gotta put her off.
That's no way to treat a woman in love.
- Kuba... - OK! OK!
(Indistinct)
It never rains but it pours.
- Coroner's inquest. - Right.
- It'll work out all right. - Is that what you honestly think?
(* Brass band playing Jingle Bells)
Mrs King?
Mrs King...
Mrs King! Mrs King!
Mrs King! Oh, no!
Kuba, what happened?
I told her that you were on permanent emergencies.
- Couldn't see nobody. - Great, Kuba. I owe you one.
Er...she said she would see you at the football club Christmas party.
I gotta go to that. What will I do?
Cyril, be glad that someone wants you in their Christmas stocking.
Who have I got? Only my landlady.
- Which one, mate? - I think two's free.
Charlie, that's her!
- That's her, Charlie! - Keep out of this.
- But... - I'm telling you, keep out of the way.
Jason, don't you get embarrassed picking up strange women?
- Not if they're pretty. - There you go.
Great. Well, here's to our own very first Tarzan-o-gram.
(All) Cheers.
What is it you do when you're not playing with the monkeys?
I'm a drama student. What about you?
We're nurses. She's in computers.
Nurses. Don't know how you do that job.
- Well, it's... - A piece of cake.
All right, love. Now, you've had some vodka.
What kind of pills did you take?
Paracetamol, it said on the bottle.
- Did you bring it? - Wasn't there.
- I threw it away. - Any other kind?
No.
- Surely if it said paracetamol... - You'd be surprised.
How many tablets did you swallow?
50...it said.
Do you mind?
- How many? - I don't know...
- How long ago was this? - About an hour ago.
Surely you can take my word for the time?
Right, love, I'm going to get the doctor to see you now.
We'll get those pills out of you.
How?
I'll explain it all before it happens.
Don't worry. Trust me.
Excuse me.
Come on, the taxi's here.
- I don't think I should come with you. - You'll be the hit of the night!
- Come on, you two! - All right, all right!
- (Car) - Look out!
(Screams and thud)
Bastard!
Miss Arthur, if you wouldn't mind taking a seat in the waiting area,
we'll keep you informed.
I'll be just outside.
Thank you.
Now, Mrs King, we are going to have to wash you out,
which involves passing a plastic tube down into your stomach.
I won't be able to breathe.
Oh, yes, you will. It's not a very nice feeling...
Excuse me, please.
When I push the tube, I want you
to swallow hard and it will be over in a few moments, I promise you.
(* Faint music through headphones)
That's it, you're doing fine, Mrs King.
That's it. Nice, slow, deep breaths.
Don't worry about that.
It's a sucker, like at the dentist, in case you get water in your mouth.
You ready?
(Siren)
I'll put this on to support your neck a bit.
- I'll be with you in a minute. - (Horn)
Oh!
- Oh... - Christmas drivers.
I'll cover your eyes up. You're doing fine, lovey.
(Doors clatter)
(Weeping)
- All right now. - Crash.
- How's Mrs King? - She's doing fine.
- Can I see her? - No, not yet.
Excuse me.
- She's in a lot of pain. - Cubicle three.
(Sobs)
Just open your eye for me. That's it.
Oi, you're a married man.
Open. Open for me. That's perfect.
Now, we're just going to get you up.
We'll get this coat off you now to get more comfortable.
- Let it all hang out, eh? - That's a grand outfit.
- I'll take this dressing off. - Are you a bit cold, darling?
- Megan...? - Francine! Yes, it is Megan.
What have they been doing to you? All right, lie back.
- I got run over. - Lie down. That's it. Good girl.
OK, you're going to be fine.
Duffy, carry on with the obs, please.
I want to take her up to X-ray then I'll bleep the Surgical Reg.
Hey, come on, it's all right now.
All right, now, love, can you open the eye for me?
- I'll just take a wee look. - No, I can't.
All right, now. I know it's not very pleasant.
- Well? - Can't open her eyes. A lot of pain.
- It's Francine O'Dwyer. - Yeah, I can see that.
I'm just going to have a little look at this.
- Dr Tomlinson? - Hello, Francine.
Can you open this eye for me? Open it up.
- Oh, God, I can't see! - It's all right, it's all right.
Yeah, and the other one. Open.
Open.
- I can't see. - Good girl.
There's quite a bit of rust in the eye.
Can you call the ophthalmic reg, Megan?
We're going to have to irrigate it, OK?
- I know the procedure. - Yeah.
Don't worry, we'll put amethocaine in.
Great.
OK, thanks very much. Bye.
Oh, no, no, you're not allowed in there.
Come on, sit down. I'll get a doctor to see you soon.
- Come on. - It's all right. I'll keep her company.
Thanks very much.
I find a cup of tea works wonders.
All right, there we are.
- There's the guilty party. - Hmm.
Mary, the surgical reg.
- He's delayed in theatre. - Oh, I might've known it.
That should ease it a bit. I've just flushed half a BMW out of there.
Can you open your eyes and tell me
why you're dressed like something out of a blue movie?
I can't see, Charlie.
I can't see.
- Mrs King, is she...? - She's fine.
I wouldn't disturb her right now. She's resting.
- It took a lot out of her. - I'll bet it did.
Yeah...
You have to stop bringing your boyfriends in.
You're one to talk.
(* Sings Playschool theme)
Susie, listen. I was wondering.
Would you like to come to a Christmas party with me next week?
- With you? - Yeah.
- Why? - Cos I'm asking.
- Besides, I need some camouflage. - What?
I need to give Jemima a bodyswerve.
Cyril, thank you for the charming invitation.
The answer is no and you can find your own bit of camouflage.
Right... I'll just pop in some drops of Fluorescein.
- I know what it's called. - Yes.
I was forgetting you're part of the firm.
Right, can you come round to the slip-lamp?
No matter, no matter. I've got UV on this.
Hmm. Right.
Very nasty corneal abrasion there.
- We all right? - A bit shaky.
You'll soon get over that.
- Sorry to be such trouble. - No, no, no. Not at all.
Just don't do it again.
Oh, I won't, I won't.
I just felt so lonely.
The first Christmas without my husband. It's silly.
Don't go giving yourself a bad time.
We all do silly things. The trick is not to repeat them.
No.
No more.
That's it. You rest. Another doctor will be down in a couple of hours.
Do one more blood test.
But we'll move you into a nice, comfy bed before then. All right?
Chin up.
Thank you.
- How is she? - Better.
We're taking her up to X-ray. He still hasn't shown.
- The surgical reg? - Yes, still.
- How are they? - They're gonna be...
They're doing fine. You just swung in for the evening, have you?
Was it absolutely necessary
to put an old woman through that kind of ordeal?
Yes, it was.
It isn't as if they were sleeping pills or dangerous drugs.
Are you at all aware of the effects
of a paracetamol overdose if we don't catch it?
- Not really. - No, well, it goes like this.
First there's liver failure, then the kidneys go.
You turn yellow and start itching uncontrollably all over.
You start bleeding from every orifice.
Eventually, you fall into a coma and die.
Er... What did you think it was?
A couple of hours in the twilight zone then come back with a smile?
Excuse me.
(Clock chimes)
I should like to point out that this is an aid, not a crutch.
(Laughter)
I have reopened this inquest
to investigate the circumstances of the death of Mrs Joyce Arthur,
who died in the Holby Hospital on December 16th.
First we'll hear the pathologist's report.
Then I think the order of things should be,
I shall question the witnesses on their statements,
then any relative of the deceased
not legally represented may ask questions,
then any interested party,
and finally, any legal representative for the witness.
Let's hope we don't have too many questions.
I forgot to say Ewart sends his love. He says keep your chin up.
I didn't go and see him, Charlie.
- I just couldn't go in. - Yeah, I know.
Relax, it's all right.
First of all, Miss Arthur,
I believe you wish to make a formal complaint.
Yes, I... (Clears throat)
I believe my mother's death was due to negligence and I...
I want the person responsible to be prosecuted.
Prosecution is for another court.
The question of negligence will certainly be investigated.
That's why we're all here. Thank you.
First I'd like to call Dr Summers, consultant pathologist at Holby City.
- Francine? - Janey?
Is that you? They let you out?
Yeah. Bit of a headache but the X-ray was all clear.
- Oh, God, thank heavens. - How are you?
I feel like I've gone ten rounds with Marvin Hagler.
And I bet that Theresa slipped off with our jungle boy.
How's the eyes?
Which one?
Everybody says they're going to be all right.
That's good.
I don't know. I've got a sick feeling in my stomach.
- When they take the dressings off... - But if they say...
God, I'm so scared.
You don't realise what it's like, Jane.
You deal with patients day in, day out.
And you don't realise what it's like
to be on the other side.
From there, she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.
Thank you.
This...accident happened when my mother was left alone?
Yes.
Were you responsible?
Pardon?
Were you in charge of her?
Were you the one who left her?
No, I was the nurse in charge!
I was the one who left her.
Thank you.
Any further questions?
You may stand down.
And I'd just like to remind everyone that this is an inquest,
and not an American courtroom drama.
You will have your opportunity to speak, madam, very shortly.
(* Piped carols: The Holly And The Ivy)
And just to return to this point,
you're certain you put the trolley bar up for safety.
- (Softly) Yes. - Pardon?
Yes, I am certain.
I've thought about it and I'm certain.
- Right. - I would just like to say something.
Um...
I just want to say that...
I'm really sorry. I feel terrible about what's happened.
Your feeling, no doubt, does you credit.
But we're merely interested here in the facts.
Facts! All you talk about in this place is facts!
It's just as well.
You may step down.
Right.
Now, I've studied all the...facts of this case.
I'm now prepared to announce my verdict.
(* Piano music on Walkman)
Ewart... Ewart...
Ah! Hello.
Charlie just phoned through.
The verdict was accidental injury.
Megan is completely in the clear.
Good.
What's the matter?
I know you can't jump around for joy but...
I should have been there.
- Congratulations, Megan. - Thanks for all your help.
- Thank you. - Well done, well done.
I'm...I'm sorry.
I had no idea.
Oh, you're entitled. You lost your mother.
I lost her a long time ago.
Glad it all worked out, Megan.
Bit of an ordeal but...
Yeah, well, thanks for all your help, Statham, it was greatly appreciated.
- Mr Fairhead, are you implying...? - Why do you keep talking at me?
And over me, and through me, about this?
The only thing that matters is one fact. That woman is dead.
Do you understand, Charlie? She's dead!
Charlie! Charlie!
Sorry, I got held up. How did it go?
Yeah, all right. It was...accidental.
Great. So we can celebrate.
No, not quite.
- I'll go to her. - Leave her alone.
I think she's had enough. I mean, really had enough.
Look, I've got to go now. Tell her I'll be waiting for her later.
At home.
- What are we gonna do? - I don't know.
I mean, what have we got to offer except more of the same?
(Rattling)
Penny for the guy, mister.
It's the wrong season, isn't it?
I mean, carols. Carol singing. We're collecting.
- What for? - Er...
The hospital fund.
Oh, cheeky little thing!
You know what this is, son? All right, don't run away. I'll do a deal.
I won't turn you in if you and your friends will do a little job for me.
Hmm?
- Thank you. - Good.
Hello.
Have you anything planned for Christmas?
No. Why?
I was wondering if...
you'd like to come to London and share a turkey with me.
But I warn you, I'm a rotten cook.
(She weeps)
* Away in a manger
* No crib for a bed
* The little Lord Jesus...
I give up!
OK, I give up.
And I surrender.
All right, all right, don't disappear, you two.
- I got another little job for you. - You're a hard man, mister.
You're breaking my heart.
Of course I work hard.
But I don't work myself into a heart attack.
- I'll come back a bit. - No, you won't.
Ros said she never felt married to you.
She said you were always married to casualty.
Perhaps it's time you thought about...
- (Kids) * ..royal David's city - ..a second divorce.
* Stood a lowly cattle shed
* Where a mother laid her baby
* In a manger for its bed
* Mary was that mother mild
Ewart! You'll catch your...
Here, put this round.
Get the words wrong!
Stop, stop! Come on, boys! Stop it!
Come on! Do you know Silent Night?
Follow me, please.
* Silent night
* Holy night
- * All is calm - Cyril?
- You know that party? - Yeah.
I've been thinking about it.
And?
* Round yon virgin, mother and child
I've made a decision.
What?
I'm going in for surgery.
Why, what's wrong with you?
* Sleep in heavenly peace
Oi! Come on, cough up!
- What for? - Hospital Benevolent Fund.
Merry Christmas.
And a happy New Year.
* Silent night
* Holy night
* Shepherds quake at the sight
* Glories stream from heaven afar
* Heavenly hosts
* Sing alleluia
* Jesus Christ is here
* Silent night
* Holy night
* Wondrous star, lend thy light
* With the angels, let us sing
* Alleluias to our king
* Jesus Christ is here
* Jesus Christ is here *
(Duffy) Happy Christmas!