Marchlands

Nisha, what are you doing?

We've got the scan. Not till eleven.

There's still a lot to do. Oh, come on.

Another half hour, please. Mark...

We don't have to go back to sleep. Ooh!

Eddie. Mm?

Stop poking me. I can't help it.

You've got work to go to.

That can wait five minutes.

Five minutes?

Well, you're always saying I should be more ambitious.

Mummy, Scott's annoying me! I'm not doing anything.

Amy, you have to knock. Urgh, that's gross.

Come on, don't encourage them.

Oh, never mind, lover boy.

Hold that thought till tonight.

You're listening to 105 FM, Radio York...

Thank you. Eh, get your own!

Yeah, well get a job. I'm 15.

So? Sweep some chimneys or something.

I've got Esther Rantzen's number, you know.

Good, give her a call, see if she wants to adopt you.

Tired, Amy? Did you sleep all right?

Alice kept me up. Yeah, Alice, good one!

I talk to her when I'm in bed. Scott, leave her alone.

Amy, you need your sleep. No talking in bed.

Helen, this imaginary friend, how long is it going to last?

Until she grows out of it.

What, so we...? Don't challenge her.

Don't encourage her. Just ignore it and do nothing.

Yeah.

I can do that.

On digital and on-line... This is BBC Radio Five Live.

Good morning, it's seven o'clock.

Nicky Campbell on Five Live Breakfast coming to you this morning

after George Osborne's announcement about cutting back on public spending

to deal the the budget deficit.

Back in Whitehall, civil servants in London have agreed to...

The news headlines. Prime Minister Harold Wilson has announced...

Good morning, Ruth, love. Robert.

There's an egg left, if you want it.

No, thanks, Evelyn, I'm fine.

You could pour the tea, then.

Do you think the Accrington job will be finished this week?

Barring any more breakdowns. I have to talk to him at the golf club.

I don't want him any more miserable than normal.

I thought I'd sort out the garden today.

You could give me a hand.

Oh.

Unless you've got something more important to - No.

Right.

Yeah, fine.

Are you all right? Yes!

Sorry, I'm just...just getting used to how quiet it is.

There's no traffic noise. I thought that was what you wanted.

Part of your master plan. I'm just noticing the difference, that's all.

And, hey, it's OUR master plan.

So you're not pining for the bright lights yet?

Still get my fix, I'm at work every day.

I should have known! You can take the lawyer out of the city... Mm.

Never lived in an old house before.

Not properly old, I mean.

Not like this. It's what estate agents call character property.

Pushes the price up.

It does make you think.

All the people who've lived here before. Yeah.

Lived here, loved here.

Left their mark on the place.

Paul! Dad's waiting in the car.

I dreamt about her again. Ruth, please, I -

It was an accident.

You've got to let her go.

Thirsty? Hm!

A full bladder pushes the uterus into a better position for the scan.

Thank God for the internet, eh?

Come on, people, we're gonna be late. Whose fault's that, Casanova?

Who's Casanova? Plays left-back for Leeds United.

I was there first. But I always have to go in the back!

Sit next to your imaginary friend. Scott!

Dad, tell him! Come round here, Amy.

What was that? I think we just ran over Alice.

What happened, Dad, just didn't see her? It's not funny.

It is, Amy. It's funny cos you're funny. Funny in the head.

Stop it! Scott...

Alice is real. So how come we can't see her?

Maybe she doesn't want you to.

So, she's real, you can see her but we can't?

Leave her alone. No, come on, Amy,

how does that work? How come Alice defies all the laws of physics?

Because she's dead.

OK, so you can see the baby's head just here.

Baby's face just in the front there.

Baby's spine at the back, little heart beating away there.

Baby's bottom, and baby's legs.

It's amazing. It's like a scene from Alien.

Ow! Amazing, too, obviously.

I can print you out a picture if you like. Oh.

That's our baby. I know.

Weird, in't it?

Not the baby, this.

You know.

Hm! You'd better get used to it.

Over here, Mummy, I'm over here.

Over here, Mummy, over here!

Ruth! No!

Look what you've done!

Listen to me. It's been six months now.

There's nothing else to be done, you've just got to get on.

I'm trying.

It's hard.

Everything reminds me.

Even in the village.

I catch the look in people's eyes.

Pity.

Or worse.

They blame me, I know they do. They must think I was a bad mother.

You've still got responsibilities.

Your marriage.

It's your job to make sure it survives this,

no-one else can do that

What about Paul?

It's the woman. It's always the woman who keeps things going.

He barely speaks to me.

Sometimes it's not about them. What they do.

What they want. Sometimes the only thing that matters is what you do.

Give in? Crumble?

Throw it all away?

Or hang onto it. Defy them.

Paint on a brave face and look the world in the eye.

I don't know if I can do that.

We never do.

Not until you try.

Both arms straight up, bend on the down.

Up!

Arms in front.

Now pull them back.

Up again.

Huh!

Bloody Alice.

Good riddance.

Can't have been much to do here as a teenager.

It was all right but we knew how to make our own entertainment

back in those days. God, I dread to think.

Good morning, dear. Morning.

Isn't that Ruth Bowen, the one that lost her daughter?

Such a shame!

Come along, Molly.

It's Sean in Sheffield. Thanks for pulling over for us.

What would you like to say? Is it worth the money, the Olympics...

Oh! Shit!

Oh!

Amy, bath's ready.

Get in there before it gets cold.

OK.

Amy!

Amy, open this door now!

Amy! Amy!

Look what you've done. It wasn't me.

Who else could it be?

It was Alice!

There's nothing there that won't wait till tomorrow.

I'd rather get it finished tonight.

What should I tell Ruth?

Tell her not to wait up.

Hey, Neesh, only me. Going for a shower.

All right. Stick the kettle on when you're done. Will do.

So you just ran at it? I thought she was in here.

With your shoulder? Yeah.

And just burst right through? Eddie, forget about the bloody door.

What about Amy? She could have left the water running,

and gone to her room and forgot all about it.

She door could have closed in a draught

and expanded and jammed cos of the moisture. What is this, Columbo?

That doesn't explain the lock. Eddie, I don't care about the lock.

What are we going to do about this Alice business? I thought we decided.

You said don't confront, don't encourage.

We can't act like nothing's happened, can we?

No, but we don't want to overreact either, do we?

Does she talk to you about her?

What, about Alice? Yeah. Has she said anything?

No. No.

(ENGINE STOPS, HANDBRAKE RATCHETS ON)

I'm sorry, love, they messed up the paperwork on a big order

and I had to ask Paul to stay on and sort it out.