02x02 - Snakes and Ladders

[bunniefuu]

I need someone in my life.

I need a ghetto to hold me tight.

Someone to make me feel, make me feel
alright.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Somebody help me now.

Won't somebody tell me what I've done
wrong.

Watch out, Doc.

I've been down there once, I don't want
another trip.

Have you been conscious?

He was, then he came round,
but he was still

feeling a bit woozy,
then he went out like a light.

Did you get his name?

Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Carpenter.

Shut you up, does he?

Never mind all that.

Go put kettle on, girl.

Er, don't think you've been sitting here
all day, sipping tea.

When Mr. Middleditch is away, I've got
more responsibility, not less.

Hey, I bet Middleditch has left them fig
rolls in there.

We're best eating them, you know,
before they go to stay here.

I suppose so.

Good morning.

Mr. Harper, what are you doing?

The DHA thought that in
Mr. Middleditch's absence,

someone should be here
in a supervisory capacity.

Me.

Well, Mr. Middleditch never said.

Well, I'm here, as you can see.

I'll inform everyone in due course.

Cup of tea, please.

And if you can salvage something from the
wreckage...

Biscuits.

Jeffrey, can you hear me?

I'm Dr. Cherison.

Can you hear me?

Jeffrey, I'm a doctor.

Can you hear what I'm saying?

Good.

You had a fall.

You've been unconscious.

We'll take you to hospital, but I need you
to tell me if you hurt anywhere.

Can you understand what I'm saying?

Where do you hurt?

Well, do you think?

All over, I just fell down a cliff.

I wouldn't mind if I hadn't paid him.

Paid him up front, too.

The man calls himself a builder.

This lake's only the start of it.

Just calm yourself, Mr. Griffin,
or you'll break something else.

Straight through the bathroom floor,
I went.

They were meant to be new floorboards.

Rotten, they were.

I've got pigs better at carpentry than
him.

You've told us, Mr. Griffin.

I don't know what he used for paint,
but the fumes of it.

The old place reeks, inside and out.

It's so strong, I can't even smell the
pigs.

Oh, well, not all bad news, then.

There's naught wrong with pigs.

That's a natural smell, that is.

This is fumes.

Builder and decorator.

I'll decorate him, all right.

He frightened the life out of me.

I just walked in and there he was.

Mr. Harper.

There can't be anyone else you need to
give the news to, Lizzie.

I'll just tell him Denise.

Denise?

Do we have a Denise?

No, Nathan, she doesn't work here.

She's at the butcher's, in Broadfold
Street, you know.

Nathan, good morning.

Good morning, Mr. Harper.

This is a surprise.

We weren't expecting a visit.

Not so much a visit as
an opportunity for me to

get to grips with the
way this hospital runs.

There are aspects of
hospital administration

here that the DHA
feel need clarification.

And how long will you be with us?

Let's say I think you can regard my visit
as permanent, Nathan.

I think he'll be all right.

I'd say so.

I won't know for the x-rays,
but there's

nothing to suggest
anything serious internally.

Well, let's hope the worst thing he
remembers is a bad dream.

I was down there with him on my own.

Came round for a few seconds.

Started screaming, something about
electricity.

It was like he was trying to bite someone
off.

Must be the bang on the head, eh?

Yeah.

I'll see you.

Can I help you, Mr. Harper?

Mr. Middleditch has an
estimate here for repainting the

hospital building's general
refurbishment from a Mr. Duggins.

That's right, Brian Duggins got the job.

Why, do you want him to start?

I would like to get things moving on the
redecorating front.

It's high time something was done.

I'll get on to Brian.

I don't think so.

Pardon.

Mr. Duggins's estimate
seems to have been written

on hospital-headed note paper by you,
Hopkirk.

Aye, well, I did help him out.

I mean, Brian's a mate.

There we have it.

A mate.

Not the way the DHA does business.

Mr. Middleditch really shouldn't have
accepted this estimate, so I'm starting again.

I'll get my own estimates in.

But Brian's been promised.

Not by me.

Oh, one other thing.

You might like to take this with you.

The new Porter's rosters, it obviates the
need for all overtime.

You can implement it immediately.

Hi.

Hello.

No news?

Well, I went across to Leah's last night.

No sign of her coming out of a coma,
so... it stays the same.

Right.

How are the children?

I say she's ill.

Too ill to see them.

That seems to make some sort of sense.

Mostly I just try and avoid answering
their questions.

I don't mean to lie, Jill, but...

how can I tell them the truth?

Well, listen,
I keep saying if you need any help

with the driving or the
children or anything...

I do mean it, Gordon.

I know.

I appreciate it.

Can't do it all yourself.

Or if you just need to have a talk.

We are friends, aren't we?

We're good friends, you know.

What a laugh!

Jill, just because I don't say much
doesn't mean I don't know that.

I don't know how you manage it,
Jeffrey, but you're still in one piece.

Well done, boys.

You're very welcome.

Thanks, Anna.

Milner afterwards.

Sister's expecting him.

Another day, another heroic rescue.

I heard the hero was Constable Bellamy.

He was the one that went down the cliff.

Well, I would have done that if I got
there earlier.

Well, don't expect a medal for being late.

A medal wasn't what I had in mind.

No!

Jeffrey, what's the matter?

Please don't make me go in there.

Please don't make me go in there.

He was very distressed at the thought of
going into food.

I know how he feels.

How is he?

Well, I need to keep him in overnight.

And I would like to talk to Dr Clarkson
about him.

Oh, I didn't realize he was one of
Clarkson's nut cases.

Well, yes, you'd better keep him informed.

He does love a bit of aberrant behavior.

He's still his capital man, for a trick
cyclist.

Now, gentlemen, come out.

Anyone know what he's doing here?

Couldn't care less.

The only thing I know about him, he's a
man in severe need of a good kick up the.

..

Ah, sister.

Dr Clarkson, Jeffrey Carpenter's parents
are here.

You said you wanted to see them.

Thank you, sister.

Sister.

Mr Rose, you're right about Harper.

That's exactly where he needs kicking.

We thought he was at school, doctor.

We had no idea.

Till the police came.

I'm sure he knows he's had a close call.

What were you doing?

Just climbing.

What do you mean, just climbing?

You could have been...

I was walking along the rocks and wanted to
see if I could get up the top one morning.

I nearly did.

They should have told us.

They knew he wasn't at school.

Perhaps we could talk.

I think Jeffrey could do with some rest.

Be a minute, love.

Will he be home tomorrow?

I'm sure.

This is just a precaution.

How long has he been seeing Dr Clarkson?

Nearly two years.

Dr Clarkson treats him over in Ashfordly.

He has a clinic here too, on Wednesdays.

I'll catch him then.

Is there something wrong?

Dr Clarkson's done such a lot for him.

He's so much better.

The shock treatment is...

No, there's nothing wrong.

But I'm sure he'd like to know what
Jeffrey gets up to.

I'll talk to you tomorrow.

All right?

Thank you, doctor.

He'll only be one of us on most of the
time if he makes us use this roster.

I mean, what happens if we have to do
something?

Listen, Alan.

When we make the
official complaint to our

friend Harper,
will you let me do the talking?

Yeah, but it's a fair point.

Yes, I know it's a fair point,
but we're gonna need something a bit more

convincing than what happens if we have to
do summits.

By the time he's finished, it's gonna be
costing me to work here.

Well, listen, hey, it's already costing
me.

I took a commission from Brian Duggins for
getting him to do the job here.

I'm gonna have to pay him it back now.

How much?

Never mind how much.

It's not gonna do Harper any good,
is it, hey?

He's not gonna get anyone cheaper.

No, not unless he finds an even bigger
cowboy than Duggins.

I've told you what happened.

What do you want to get in touch with him
for?

You've heard of a pigs here.

There's none of my pigs have got here as
the state he left my house in.

I just want to know his name, that's all.

You know, is he cheap?

If you've paid for rubbish, you've paid
too much.

I don't call that cheap.

Is there something we can help you with,
Ken?

No, no, nearly done, sister.

Just looking after Mr. Griffin.

Then do it, please.

What are you up to?

I need some work doing.

Well, someone else does.

What's it worth?

How much?

Five.

Quit.

Hiya, Doc.

Home?

You bet.

Well, you know how much I love hospitals.

How does anybody sleep in these places?

Good afternoon, Sister Bridget.

You look well.

Mr. Clarkson?

Jeffrey Carpenter.

No bones broken, Jeffrey.

I didn't try to break any.

Fit to go home.

Yeah, it's just got a few cuts and grazes.

I would like to... Good,
Mrs. Carpenter.

If Dr. Sheridan's happy, the sooner we get
him home, the better.

We should consider upping the ECT
treatment.

In fact, all things considered.

Let's have him on my list tomorrow.

Yes, Doctor.

Good.

Thank you, Dr. Sheridan.

See you there, Jeffrey.

Dr. Clarkson, I wanted to catch you.

I didn't get a chance to say about Jeffrey
Carpenter.

On his way to X-ray, how frightened he
was.

I've heard.

He thought he was going into an operating
theatre.

I understand he's been having electric
shock treatment at Ashford.

I have to encourage my students to use the
term electric convulsive therapy now.

It's meant to make us sound a bit less
like incompetent electricians.

It's true that you're treating him
tomorrow with ECT.

Your concern about my patient is laudable.

But since he didn't
hurt himself falling from

the cliff,
why are we having this conversation?

I thought you should know.

But I do know!

Do I have surmise that having discovered
that Jeffrey doesn't like ECT treatment,

you've decided you don't like it much
either?

With all due respect...
Let me tell you something.

Many years ago I had a patient.

Young boy, 19 years of age.

He was misdiagnosed as suffering from
schizophrenia.

His main problem was depression.

I treated him with ECT.

Yes, he hated it.

But it was working.

Against my judgement, I stopped treatment.

I didn't think suicide was imminent.

He hanged himself.

I'm not questioning your judgement,
Dr Clarkson.

But Jeffrey is my patient too.

For now.

I need to be sure there's no concussion
after his bang on the head.

Before any shock treatment.

I'm sure you feel the same.

Well, if you're that unsure about the
assessment of your patient, then we'd

better leave the ECT treatment till next
week.

And on your head, be it.

Yeah, you never know about a machine.

Mr Hathaway?

Bertie?

He was here.

I think he went.

Oh, right, that's a particularly...

I might have been able to put a bit of
business this way.

Quite a big job, in fact.

Bertie Hathaway.

I just got back.

All right, tell the motion I'll be there
in ten minutes.

Are you a doctor?

What's the matter?

I don't need an examination, young man.

I want a doctor urgently.

Yes, I am a doctor.

It's Charlie.

He's been bitten by a snake.

He won't die, will he?

Snake?

Oh, for goodness sakes, you know what a
snake is, don't you?

How old's Charlie?

He's six.

Is he your grandson?

It's a dog.

Of course he's a dog.

Well, he should get into a vet.

Are you going to carry him inside,
or do I have to get a trolley?

Well, according to the vet, these
corticosteroids should get the swelling down, so.

..

Looks big enough to handle it,
though, don't you think?

Certainly heavy enough.

She wouldn't take no for an answer.

You've met Mrs. Lyons before, have you?

I thought I'd better catch the thing so
you knew what it was.

Oh, Mrs. Lyons, it's an adder.

Unlike South Africa, we only have one
venomous snake to choose from, so...

I've given Charlie some corticosteroids,
so he should be fine.

Would there be any
point in asking why there's

a dog in reception
on a hospital trolley?

It's because of the snake.

Oh, how silly of me not to realise.

Ah, mentioned.

Mr. Harper, there you are.

Now, perhaps we should look at the
outpatient's rosters later.

Something Mr. Middleditch is very
concerned about is the building itself.

Since you're here, why don't I show you
some of the problems?

I'm glad you mentioned that.

I'm intending to move forward with the
decorating.

Oh, then I'm sure you'd appreciate a list
of everything that I feel needs to be done.

It's a long one.

How long?

You did say you were going to be here some
time.

There's a session tomorrow.

I'm going to go see for myself.

Dr. Clarkson will be chuffed.

Well, I really should know what I'm
talking about, shouldn't I?

Yeah, I'll be here first.

That'll be my trip.

She could be.

Hello, Dr. Cheriton.

Sorry to bother you.

It's about this.

Not with you.

Snake in the box.

Only it isn't.

Well, Mrs. Lyons brought it.

I suppose she took it away with her.

Ah, well, you see, you were our last hope.

You see, Dr. Wetherill said that you may
have released it or something.

Well, the problem now... Is basically a
poisonous snake roaming round the hospital.

In a nutshell.

Well, if I say you can, you'll be the
first to know.

It's not funny.

I can't make that word out.

No, I don't know what that means either.

There's no such word, is there?

But you typed it.

Oh, I?

Where exactly did you learn to type?

Well, I didn't.

I just thought I picked it up.

You know, like you do.

I think I'll leave it till tomorrow.

I'll just get on.

Good night.

Good night, Mr. Harper.

Any news, Ken?

No.

Process of elimination.

Whose?

Well, it's no remain building.

We've searched everywhere.

He thinks he's made his way outside.

Come on, keep going.

Mr. Harper.

You said I should find out something about
the treatment.

I hope you wouldn't mind.

Dr. Sheraton, not at all.

I'm sure we'll all be relieved
when you discover that

Dr. Frankenstein isn't alive and
well and working in the hospital.

Ready, Gordon?

It's all right.

She's awake.

Listen.

I'm delivering a shot to the motor cortex
of the brain to reduce the fit.

Ready?

Like epilepsy.

Exactly like epilepsy.

Except it's the fit, not the electricity.

It helps the depression.

Do we know why?

Yes.

How to make friends and influence people,
eh?

Sounds barbaric when you read about it.

It doesn't get better in the flesh.

Well, it seems to work.

So did cutting off legs with a dirty saw
and now anesthetic.

That's if it didn't k*ll you, of course.

Oh, come on.

You didn't see Geoffrey Carpenter.

Have a read of this.

One article and you're an expert,
eh?

Oh, forget it.

Uh, David?

You should speak to Lucy Cline.

You haven't met her, have you?

She's a psychiatrist from York.

She runs an outpatient's clinic here.

Might help.

What are you trying to do, Jo?

Start a w*r?

Maybe somebody should.

Oh, not you too.

Look, if a brain's dying, we try to keep
it alive, don't we?

So what are we doing with a treatment that
might damage it?

I know what happens when a brain's dying.

So it's not something I need an academic
chat about just now.

Oh, God.

Good boy.

Good boy.

Everything all right?

Thanks to you, Doctor.

I brought him back in for check-up.

I looked for you first, but Dr Weatherill
saw me in the end.

Bye, Mrs Lyons.

I'm sure by tomorrow, Charlie will be
fine.

Oh, he's better already.

You'd think he'd be a bit more polite
under the circumstances.

It's how you smell.

Vex and Doctor smell the same to Charlie.

Antiseptic.

It started when he was a puppy way back in
Cape Town.

The answer is a gin and tonic.

Him or me?

Once you've had a gin and tea,
he'll be all over you.

He loves the smell of gin.

Started when he was a puppy, did it?

I can see we're going to get on famously.

I'll expect you round for that gin,
Doctor.

All right.

Bye, then.

Bye.

Doctor Sheeran!

I need to talk to you, Doctor.

Go tell Doctor Klassen I was here a movie.

I saw him pass.

Please don't tell him.

I'm not a psychiatrist, Jeffrey.

I can help you with some breaks and bruises,
but... Doctor Klassen is the expert.

He knows what he's doing.

Look, I know there's something wrong.

I know I need help.

But what goes on in here doesn't make me
some kind of a moron.

No one's saying that.

Then why doesn't anyone listen to me?

What they're doing, the electric shocks.

They're giving me anesthetic, but I can
still feel it afterwards.

I can feel it now.

I stop and it's there, like a hammer.

Doctor Klassen says it's not.

It's a very unpleasant treatment.

I'm not denying that.

But the people who work with your condition,
with depression, they say that it helps.

Well, let them get their brains fried and
see how they like it.

You don't know what it's like.

My mum and dad want me to stay on at
school and all that rubbish, but...


day shift, right?

Well, I'm a bit more positive about the
education system.

I can't remember stuff.

What's the point of A-levels?

Sometimes I go into school, I can't
remember where the classrooms are.

Go on.

Tell me about the short-term memory loss.

Is that the line, Doc?

Well, that is a side effect.

I'm sure Doctor Klassen's told you.

A million times.

Geoffrey, no one's hiding anything.

It's not short-term.

I can feel things going out of my head.

They don't all come back.

It's not just things,
it's... It's who I am.

It's not just about the wires and
electricity.

That frames me.

It does.

But not as much as what's happening to me.

It's like... Sometimes
I'm just losing myself.

I'm sliding away.

Have luck to your estimate, Mr Hathaway.

Naturally enough,
I don't take the first figure

to cross it in front
of me and agree to it.

I'm sure you drive a hard bargain,
Mr Harper.

I respect that.

Dad, I had to make some of that estimate
up.

I can't read half of what he'd put on them
beer maps.

Are you sure he's the sort of man Mr
Middleditch would want to use?

Well, is he?

It's not Mr Middleditch who's going to be
employing him, is it?

It's in the right area,
I won't beat about the bush,

but I wonder if there
still aren't a few... trims.

I could go down 15, Mr Harper, I'm not
compromising on materials, and I never do.

Quality is my watchword.

It just happens I've got some paint left
over after another big job.

Sounds better.

Normally I wouldn't be
able to fit a job like this in, not

at short notice,
but I've got a week between two contracts.

Men sitting around doing nothing.

So it couldn't have come a better time for
both of us.

So you could start... Tomorrow.

Excellent.

Apart from the scaffolding.

My own scaffolding's out at the moment,
so I'd need to hire some in.

Well, that's included in the price of
course.

Well, then it's not for me to
tell a man of your business

experience about managing
overheads efficiently, is it?

An advance on the contract should solve
the problem.

If we said...


start tomorrow.

The job will be done and dusted in a week.

A deal, Mr Hathaway.

Come in.

We haven't met.

I'm Lucy Cline.

Jill Weatherill said you wanted to speak
to me.

Since it seems to be
about the patient of one of

my colleagues,
I have to say it's quite unethical.

And I couldn't possibly have a
conversation of that kind.

Well, you don't take much fooling.

It's a good job you didn't go in for
psychiatry.

Shall we go for a walk?

Certainly.

I'd already got the message from Dr Clark,
so he's not amused.

I wasn't trying to entertain him.

Don't take it out on me.

Consultants don't like to be questioned.

You must have found that out by now.

I thought he should listen.

He's an excellent psychiatrist.

He's taught me a lot.

Is that it?

What did you expect?

You're not using electric shock treatment,
are you?

No, I'm not.

Why?

I think there are better ways.

There are new drugs, antidepressants.

I think they're more effective.

With the right approach to the patient's
problem as a whole, looking at everything,

what's going on inside is only a part of
it.

Is that really it?

You think it's just an outdated treatment?

Yes.

Is that what you wanted?

I think it was.

No, that snake must have got out by now.

Not well left to Luke.

Hey, it's me that's done out looking.

It's me that's taken out risks.

I've been busy, Alan.

Yeah, that's his maybe.

We should have got proper pest control
people in.

Why?

And everyone find out?

Including Matron, eh?

Yeah.

I want all the doctors' rosters.

We've got here don't bear any resemblance
to what's actually going on.

I don't know where they know what time of
day it is, let alone where they are.

Well, obviously they know where they are.

I mean, they're here.

I've told them myself.

Hock,
you'll be pleased to know that I've got a

very satisfactory estimate
in from a decorator.

It might interest you.

Very reasonable.

Fair price, I'd say.

Your mate, Mr. Duggins, wasn't doing
anybody any favours.

I'd say Mr. Middleditch has been taken for
a ride.

However, the DHA don't employ me for my
gullibility.

Mr. Hathaway can start tomorrow.

Hope to have all the work done by the time
Mr. Middleditch returns.

He won't recognise the place.

No, no, it's likely to surprise a lot of
people, Mr. Harper.

What did Lucy say?

Enough.

I do think Geoffrey should talk to her.

Anyway, that's what I'm going to tell his
parents.

Oh, what, Dr. Clarkson?

Mrs. Lyons phoned.

What now?

Her asthma's bad again.

She asked for you, Dr. Sheraton.

So I get the impression she's well-known
as a time waster?

Well, actually, David, time's quite
important for all sorts of reasons.

Mrs. Lyons is very isolated here.

When she first came back from South Africa
after her husband had died, all the people

that she thought would still be here had
gone.

So, yes, sometimes her asthma is quite
bad.

Sometimes she just needs to know that
somebody cares.

Wrap on the knuckles?

Yes, it was.

And in return, I shall go and see Mrs.
Lyons, but next time...

Come in, Doctor.

Thank you.

He hasn't got his appetite back.

I bought him his favourite braising steak.

He hardly touched it.

Well, he'll still be feeling a bit
strange.

He'll be fine, I'm sure.

Gin and tonic, dear.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

We appreciate the time you've taken,
Doctor.

We know how Geoffrey feels about the shock
treatment.

We haven't got a choice.

If you feel you can't talk
to Doctor Clarkson, there is

another psychiatrist who
visits the hospital, Doctor Klein.

I'm sure Doctor Clarkson
understands there's

nothing wrong with
asking for a second opinion.

ECT doesn't suit everyone.

It makes him feel better.

You haven't seen him when he's bad,
Doctor.

We wouldn't know what to do with him.

We couldn't control him.

I told you I don't like it, Doctor
Sheraton.

It's all we've got.

The only thing that's helped.

If the shock treatment was stopped and
something happened...

No, we can't take that risk.

We have to listen to the expert.

That's Doctor Clarkson.

You must understand.

Geoffrey's never tried
to harm himself before,

but there's always that
chance with depression.

We've no other way.

Without risking Geoffrey's life.

I always open the windows for him, whatever
the weather's like, if he's feeling low.

It reminds him of Cape Town.

My husband and I had a flat at Seapoint.

He knows you're feeling low, too.

Oh, it's just work.

The usual.

Is it?

Well, you know how it is.

Life is very short and very fragile.

It's easy to let it go by and suddenly
find all the things you meant to do.

Just never got done.

When you're young, you think you've got
forever.

But you're dead for a very long time.

That's all.

Is that advice?

One of the privileges of old age is you
can talk nonsense and get away with it.

You'll know if it's advice.

Or just nonsense.

Nurse, would you be so kind as to nip
out and ask somebody who won the 4.



It were two years ago we really started to
notice something were on.

Until then, Geoffrey was just a normal
sort of kid.

Seemed happy enough.

When he passed his all levels,
he was so chuffed.

Suddenly it all changed.

We've put it down to a bit of moodiness.

You expect that, don't you?

But then we knew something wasn't right.

Inside.

I don't know what we'd have done without
Dr Clarkson.

We didn't think anyone could help us.

He's never actually tried to hurt himself
before, is that right?

He's done stupid things.

Wild things sometimes, but never
deliberately...

But recently?

You've both been more worried about the
possibility of a suicide attempt,

haven't you?

Right, well, that's it for now.

You know it was deliberate.

Yes, Sir Galen.

Not my sphere of expertise, Gordon.

I just patch him up.

Like you.

Morning.

Morning.

Mr App, where is he?

Where's who?

At the way of the builder.

He starts this morning.

Oh, him?

He's not here yet.

There'll be a lot of preparatory work,
of course.

Oh, of course there will, yes,
yes.

Get me Mr Hathaway on the phone,
Lizzie.

Listen,

love, try not to worry.

It's going to be all right.

It's getting the best possible care.

You'll be just fine.

Second on the left.

OK, thanks very much.

Hello, I'm Lucy Cline.

I know Dr Cheriton's spoken to you.

Perhaps we can go somewhere more private?

No luck with Mr Hathaway.

Obviously, he's on his way.

I suppose he's got supplies to pick up
that sort of thing.

Let me know as soon as he arrives.

Probably any time now.

I doubt that.

You know what builders are like for the
breaks.

If they ain't got here for
their eleventies, I don't

reckon you'll see them
till it's time for the lunches.

What about Dr Clarkson?

If you want me to take Geoffrey on as a
patient, I'll speak to him myself.

But you have to tell him you want Geoffrey
referred to me.

We think... Well,
we think the time is right now.

For a change, I mean.

But Dr Clarkson's done such a lot for
Geoffrey.

I know he has.

I have the greatest respect for Dr Clarkson,
but depression isn't like the measles.

There's no simple cure.

Aye, we know that.

It's why we have to do what's best.

We have to try different things.

And you have to find a way to help each
patient individually.

You really think there is another way?

I believe that there are
now drugs that your son will

respond to, where the ECT
may be compounding the problem.

Will the drugs work, though?

They're a start.

But it's not just about drugs.

It's also about finding a way to open a
door and let the light back in.

Why don't we try?

Yes, Dr Klein.

We want to try.

For Geoffrey, we have to try.

Oh, I did hear from Mr Hathaway.

Well, there was a message.

A message?

It's just at the desk.

It must have been dropped off this morning
before I came in.

Thought it were a scrap of paper.

He says he's gone on holiday.

On holiday?

You must have got the wrong week,
Mr Harper.

He's gone to Majorca.

Did you send the cheque?

The advance?

Mr Hathaway came in and picked it up
himself.

He wanted it made out to cash.

Was that all right?

There's nothing.

She's just lying there with the machine
keeping her breathing.

The other day when I was talking about
depression, I wasn't thinking.

Then I wasn't listening.

I'm going to turn into a
hell of a doctor if I can't

discuss the patient without
making it all about Caroline.

No, I know, but I...

I could have put it better, couldn't I?

You know, sometimes I've sat and watched
people with someone they love in a coma.

I remember people who just...

just wouldn't leave and felt that if they
just stayed, if they just kept talking,

if they... I don't know.

The contact wasn't broken.

Everything would be all right.

It's not over, Gordon.

It's not what you think, is it?

I just don't know what I think.

All I know is that I'm struggling to talk
to her.

I've just got nothing to say.

I've had nothing to say for a long time.

And I don't know which is worse, when
I'm with her or when I'm away from her.

Well, either way,
it sounds like you're mostly

feeling sorry for yourself,
so that's a great help.

I ask for that.

Listen to me.

You can't change what's happened to
Caroline.

You can only look after the children and
hope that they find a way through this.

And you can't know if she'll come back.

Not now, but...

There's something else that you can't
change.

That's what's happened between us two.

I know.

Do you wish that you could change it?

Sometimes.

And other times?

All I know is that seeing you is the only
thing that's holding me together.

I know that we need each other.

Now.

Not any further than that.

Just now.

And there's no strings and there's no
commitment and there's nothing that

needn't change when you want it to change,
when you need it to change.

Oh, dear, I'm not saying this right.

I need you, Gordon.

If you want to come back.

Is this just a name?

It's the kids.

I promised I'd be home.

It's called love, Gordon.

Not desperation, I do understand.

It's the low side of this, Mr. Hathaway.

Are you sure you got the right day?

I think there was...

There was a mix-up.

I should be rescheduling.

I don't think Mr. Hathaway told him he was
going to Majorca today.

You what?

If he'd known about his holiday,
I don't think

Mr. Harper would have
given him a cheque for £50.

For £50?

Something!

Under my desk!

How do you mean?

I mean, something that's longer.

It's moving its tail.

Oh, that's just a snake.

We've been looking everywhere for that.

I'll sort it out for you, Mr. Harper.

Listen, look at that shovel.

It's only a snake, Mr. Harper.

Come on.

Hello, Doctor.

I've got your snake for you.

Good.

Can you find a box for it?

I'll have a look.

Mr. Harper got a bit of a shock.

Thought it were going to give him a nip.

Oh, no, they tend to avoid humans,
if at all possible.

He says they're not intelligent.

And their defensive bite
tends to be far less effective

than their hunting bites,
so... It's still agony, though.

Actually, Ken, could you just
take it somewhere, get rid of

it, and leave it where it's
unlikely to find its way back?

I'll take the one.

Nurses rosters, Mr. Harper.

Matron, show me the plans.

I can't accept them.

They're completely unworkable.

You may save money,
but we'll end up with twice as many

nurses when we don't need them,
and none when we do.

Well, can we discuss it?

Is it the only snake?

I'm not with you, Mr. Harper.

The snake under my desk.

Should you sit down, perhaps?

I think we'll leave the nurses rostered
for the moment, sister.

I have a number of... things... to do.

Have you let her get under your skin?

Careful, we're crafty.

I'm being careful, aren't I?

Well, where is it?

Well, the little man must have slipped out
of it.

Well, the little lad will make you itch.

You're gonna need an ocean...

...of calamari.

Oh, don't be such a floss.

You'll be scratching like a hound...

...the minute you start to mess around.

Any news?

The carpenters have been in to see me.

I've spoken to Geoffrey.

What do you think?

I'll take him on.

I think I can help.

It's just a beginning.

Thanks.

We'll see.

Lucy, consulting Dr Sheridan again.

Excellent.

What does a doctor recommend for my
patients today?

Yoga, meditation, a little marijuana,
perhaps?

Dr Clarkson, I hope you don't think...

Dr Sheridan, I can assure you I've got
better things to do than think about you.

I won't say I'm not disappointed that you
dragged one of my colleagues...

...into the mire of sentimental posturing.

I wouldn't have thought she was quite so
easily led.

I only hope the consequences of your good
intentions...

...don't further jeopardise Geoffrey
Carpenter's future.

Well, if that's it, doesn't seem too bad.

Be careful.

You've made an enemy.

Swings a roundabout.

What?

Well, I hope I made a friend.

Thanks for watching.