The Good Father Doctors

23, 24, 25,

26, 27,

28, 29, 30!

Oh. Wasn't expecting you yet.

I've been awake since five.

Only so many times I can pace up and down my kitchen!

Did you pass Tara on the way in?

The front door was open.

Oh, great (!)

She's probably just out the back.

I'll go after her with a big net.

OK, thanks.

How did he take it!? He was over the moon (!)

He was, actually, in a way.

As long as I've got someone else, then one less thing to worry about.

He was happy to accept that we'd had an affair,

anything that bolsters his death-wish.

Was he surprised...

that it was me?

Is that what's worrying you? The embarrassment of your situation?

No. I just wasn't expecting you to tell him, that's all.

Well, neither was I.

And if I'd known he was going to see it as a blessing,

then I'd have kept shtoom.

I don't know what you want from me right now.

Oh, poor you (!) Bereft of your customary resolve!

Sarcasm won't get you anywhere.

I've got things to do.

Where's Heston?

On a home visit. He needs to issue a...

A death certificate.

98, 99, 100!

Ready or not, here I come!

You can run, but you can't hide.

Why today, Tara? Any day, but today.

Her bike is still in the garage.

She can't have gone far.

I should've put her under house arrest.

We don't need to leave for an hour. She'll be back soon.

She promised to stay away from there after the last time.

-Hmm?

-The woods.

I bet she's gone to the woods.

Right.

I'll be taking an early lunch break today, remember?

Oh, yes, you've got your VIP chat with Gordon.

Hope you've been brushing up on your psalms?

I suspect it will be more practical than celestial.

The reverend would like to make some minor changes to parochial matters.

Ooh, you reckon?

See, cos the Gordon I know isn't one for minor changes.

More a major overhaul.

Well, not in our parish.

As the saying goes, "If it is not broken, do not fix it."

See, I don't think you're going to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Gordon, he's an agent for change.

He's like one of those business strategy people off the telly.

You know, really shake things up.

Mrs Hollins, we are talking about a place of worship,

not some struggling retail outlet.

-Same principle.

-PHONE RINGS

Mill Health Centre.

I can hear you!

I can smell you!

CLATTERING AND GASPS

Dad?

Dad?

Are you all right? What's happened?

OK, don't worry. I'll go and get help.

You're going to be fine, Dad. Just stay there.

CAR RADIO BLARES

What the hell do you think you're doing?

-It's my dad.

-What?

My dad. He's fallen. He can't move.

-Where is he?

-In the woods, not far.

Take me to him.

What were you doing out here?

Just playing.

Dad? I'm here, Dad!

-Is this where he fell?

-Yeah, I'm sure of it.

Well, it could just have been a sprain.

No, he couldn't move at all.

Well, he HAS moved.

This doesn't make any sense.

Somebody must have found him, helped him.

If he was able to move, then he would have waited for me.

He knew how worried I was.

There must be some kind of rational explanation.

You didn't see the state of him.

He couldn't just vanish!

Wherever he is, he needs our help.

We need to inform the police now. Have you got a phone?

No signal. Look, I'll give you a lift to the station, OK?

He's about five foot ten.

He was wearing blue jeans

and a thick, checked shirt, sort of lumberjack style.

Hey, Rob. Have you got a minute?

This young lady's very worried about her father.

They were in the woods earlier he seems to have gone missing.

-Tara. Tara Finley, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I'll deal with this.

-Thanks.

What seems to be the problem, Tara?

My dad, he's gone. He just vanished.

We were playing in the woods, playing hide and seek,

and he must've slipped.

I found him down a ditch. He couldn't move.

So I went to go get help.

By the time I got back, he was gone.

When was this?

When? Just now.

About half an hour ago.

Really?

You didn't see your dad today, Tara.

You didn't see him this morning.

Yes, I did. I know I did!

We've been through this before, haven't we?

You've made about five complaints in the last six months.

I CAN show you the paperwork, if you want.

Tara?

-Her father's dead.

-When?

A couple of years ago.

Poor kid needs a counsellor, not a copper.

Tara!

Tara!

Need a lift somewhere?

I've got nowhere to go.

Half-term?

I'm finished with school. I'm 16.

-Really?

-Yeah. Really.

OK, bye, then.

Where do you live?

Still not picking up.

Hi, are you Tara's mother?

Yes. You are?

Dr Granger. I work at The Mill Health Centre.

She's very worried about her father.

My daughter has a vivid imagination.

Her father's dead.

She can certainly choose her moments.

I'm sorry for your trouble.

We've been pulling our hair out!

You only care about your own feelings.

Not mine, and not Dad's.

-He's very upset.

-Tara, please!

I'd rather die than go to your wedding!

Let me talk to her once she's calmed down.

You'll only make things worse.

Give me a chance, hey? You take the taxi.

I'll join you at the register office...WITH Tara.

I can't believe that you would be party to this!

-Sorry?

-Sanctioning Sam's suicide.

If you recall, I was reluctant to take on Sam as a patient,

but was persuaded to do it by you and Chris,

against my better judgement.

-I couldn't have imagined this.

-And neither could I.

For what it's worth, I did try and talk him out of it.

But I am obligated to record that he's not clinically depressed.

I don't agree with his decision, I certainly didn't sanction it,

but I can't deny him the right to make it.

Thanks for the advice, but Tara's no stranger to therapy.

If anything, it's a bit too close to home.

This is you?

I was Tara's counsellor.

She's no longer in therapy?

Once she turned 16, she wanted to stop.

I thought it was a bit too soon, but we couldn't force her to continue.

Not long afterwards, Marie and I got together.

We planned to delicately break the news to Tara,

but she found out sooner than we'd expected.

And not in the best way.

We thought it might be difficult for her to accept.

We didn't anticipate HOW difficult.

It's sent her back to where she was two years ago, only worse.

If we'd known the effect it would have on her, then...

So she won't accept your relationship?

It's not only that.

She thinks it's some sort of extra-marital conspiracy.

Her father didn't kill himself, he was driven away.

She really believes that?

She tries to. And now it seems the fantasies are winning.

PHONE RINGS

Excuse me.

Hello.

Yeah, five minutes.

OK. Bye.

Sorry, I've got to go.

I'm not saying he isn't despondent.

He's clearly very low about his condition.

But that doesn't mean he's mentally unstable.

We have to make that distinction.

Do we?

Well, your precious distinctions are going to kill my husband!

Who are you to judge him mentally anyway?

You should try living with him.

PHONE RINGS

Hi.

Hi, it's me, just a quick one.

Are you able to get over here for lunch?

-Why, what's wrong?

-Nothing's wrong.

Timothy Grunwald, the guy from The Clemence Clinic.

He's coming over here at midday.

Good chance if you want to ask any questions, air any concerns.

Any concerns?!

Well, there's one BIG concern.

You don't have to be here.

'No, no.'

I should be there.

12 isn't good for me, but I'll make it work.

Great. See you then.

Bye.

Well, now you've given him the green light,

there's no stopping him.

He's invited the Swiss executioner for lunch.

You can cover for me.

I understand why you're upset, Tara.

And I know that no-one can replace your dad.

I'm not trying to do that.

I can never do that.

'Leave me alone!'

Please, just try to understand that I love your mother very much.

And for you to be there, at our wedding today,

it would mean the world to us both.

'Go to hell!'

Please ladies, take a pew. Though, not literally!

I've arranged some more conducive seating.

It's very good of you to join me today,

and I must apologise for last week's theatrics.

We should recommend you to The Letherbridge Players!

Yes, your performance was most convincing.

If nothing else, Mrs Tembe,

it cast a worthy light on your charitable nature.

I only did what any decent, practising Christian would do.

Indeed.

Are you going to tell them, or shall I?

Come on, Marie. We don't need Tara's permission.

Not her permission. Her blessing.

OK. I understand.

Too many of England's once thriving churches

are in thrall to outmoded traditions.

Soon, the Church of England

may be little more than a network of museums,

administered by The National Trust.

That's a bit strong, isn't it?

We are not in the heritage business...

..and there can be little value in preaching to the converted.

Wouldn't you agree?

Well, yes, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?

You would think so.

But some ministers seem to regard a full congregation

as an inconvenience, rather than a necessity.

I am not amongst them.

I gather you managed to double your congregation

in your previous church, Reverend.

You've done your research, Mrs Tembe!

And yes, false modesty aside,

I'm happy to acknowledge that success.

And I hope to encourage a similar effect here.

To that end, I have one or two suggestions.

I understand that you still use the original King James Bible?

Yes. That's not so unusual, is it?

A modern version would be more accessible,

especially for newcomers.

Or do you disagree?

I, for one, am devoted to King James in its original form.

I see.

Nevertheless, we should not cloud our judgement.

And perhaps a modern version might be suitable for some services.

# Found myself today

# Singing out loud your name

# You said I'm crazy

# If I am, I'm crazy for you

# Sometimes sitting in the dark

# Wishing you were here

# Turns me crazy

# But it's you who makes me lose my head

# And every time I'm meant to be acting sensible

# You drift into my head

# And turn me into a crumbling fool. #

Marie!

You HAVE told them?

-I told them there's been a delay.

-What?

Dr Granger phoned me. He's gone round to the house.

Maybe he can talk some sense into Tara.

These short-sighted ideas won't bolster his flock,

just drive away the existing parishioners.

First that fancy dress caper, and now this.

The man's a lunatic!

Are we all refreshed and ready to resume?

Splendid!

Mrs Tembe said something to me during the break

which I found most interesting.

She said the church could be much more child-friendly.

"A truly welcoming environment for the next generation."

I hope I haven't misquoted you?

No, not at all. Those were my exact words.

I thought so. And I couldn't agree more.

Children should be able to take communion before confirmation,

of course they should.

And we can enable a more flexible and relaxed seating arrangement

by simply removing the pews.

This will create the kind of child-friendly atmosphere

Mrs Tembe suggests.

Excuse me!

Can I make my position very clear?

But, of course.

Allowing children to take communion is a denial of the sacrament.

And as for removing these beautiful pews...

..why, that is an act of wanton vandalism.

It isn't the pews which make a church, Mrs Tembe, but its people.

I support the drive to attract younger parishioners,

of course I do.

But that is not to say that we should transform our church

into an open-plan youth club.

Nor should we abandon the cornerstones of our faith

in a quest to broaden its appeal.

Hear, hear! Very well put!

Tara?

As I say, even the most simplest task is now almost beyond me.

I don't know which is worse,

the lack of control or the loss of dignity.

Timothy, this is Emma. My wife.

Please, call me Tim.

You haven't come all the way from Geneva, have you?

Oh, no. I'm mainly based in the UK.

But my work takes me all over Europe.

Your work?

We're a purely philanthropic organisation,

with no commercial interests.

The kettle's just boiled.

Why don't we make Tim a cup of tea?

-How do you take it?

-Oh, just a little milk, thanks.

So, um, how did you get involved?

-Excuse me?

-With the clinic.

Oh, it's a long story.

My father suffered from motor neurone disease, and, uh...

And how many deaths are you personally responsible for?

Em!

I'm just curious.

I mean, how does somebody get involved in this line of work?

Was it a boyhood dream to become the Grim Reaper's right-hand man?!

My mother died when I was very young.

My father developed motor neurone disease when I was 15,

and I was his main carer.

He was desperate to end his life, but there was nothing we could do,

until eventually, Clemence helped to end his suffering.

It was a long and painful process,

but it doesn't have to be like that for everyone.

I'm sorry.

It's just that I'm finding it rather difficult

to get my head around all this.

Here you are, conspiring to murder my husband,

and I'm supposed to cheerfully ask

whether you would like one lump or two!

It's so...British.

I understand how upsetting this must be for you.

No, no, no.

Please don't tell me you know how I feel.

Because you don't.

You can't.

Tara? Can you hear me?

Dad?

-Dad!

-Where are you?

I knew you'd come!

Go away!

Tara, you need help.

You don't belong here.

I'm building a den. It's not for you.

OK, who's it for?

For me and Dad.

And this drawing?

OK. Would it be all right if I take copies of these?

Sure, no problem.

I'll need to check your suitability with the Geneva office.

Strictly speaking, you are not terminally ill,

-and that might be an issue.

-Of course it's an issue.

-Why?

-You're not suitable.

Your condition isn't terminal.

My CONDITIONS. I have several, none of which are very promising.

My situation IS terminal.

No question.

In the event that we can help you, Clemence would require

legally admissible proof of your wish to die.

Normally, this is a signed affidavit

and it needs to be countersigned by two independent witnesses.

We would also need to arrange

at least one more face-to-face meeting

-with either myself or another member of our team.

-Fine.

Thank you again for your time and input.

It's been a most illuminating discussion

and I'm looking forward to the challenge...

..to the PROSPECT of working with you over the coming months.

Thank you.

That's very kind, Mrs Tembe, but please leave all this to me.

Very well.

You are a skilful politician, reverend.

Excuse me?

You are a clever man,

with your cunning disguises and your devious flattery.

But let me tell you this.

Anyone who thinks they can put words into my mouth

will soon regret it!

Good afternoon.

He's here somewhere.

Hiding out.

Things got a bit messy at home,

so he's just decided to lie low for a while.

This isn't you, is it?

It isn't anything.

It's him, your dad.

What do you want? Just get lost!

You know what he did, don't you? You've drawn it here.

These fantasies won't bring him back, Tara.

Is this your way of honouring him?

By pretending he's still alive?

How could he do it?

How could he kill himself when he knew how much I loved him?

And needed him?

Your father had a terrible illness.

He always seemed like a happy person.

He probably was happy, for much of his life.

I don't recognise that man.

The man who did this.

But you DO know that he did it?

Yes.

I know what he did.

It doesn't alter the fact that he loved you and your mum.

Do you know what? He'd have wanted you to move on from what happened.

Mum's already moved on.

She doesn't care about Dad or me.

Do you really believe that?

Do you have any other questions?

Um, yes, I do, actually.

It's more of a personal matter.

Well, not that this isn't all personal...

Both Emma and myself are very worried about when, how,

we should explain the situation to our son, Chris.

Hold on.

I'm not worried about that.

Because this isn't going to happen.

This meeting was about if, not when.

And we've already established that you're not a suitable candidate.

We'll let the clinic decided that, won't we?

The issue of how and when to tell loved ones is always difficult.

I would recommend a free and frank discussion,

sooner rather than later.

I can't believe you're going to tell Chris.

It'll destroy him.

He's not a child.

He deals with death every day.

As a practice nurse?

Hardly!

It'll be tough, but he'll cope.

I think you'll find he takes the news

a lot better than you expect.

I agreed to indulge this because I thought that the cold reality

would knock some sense into you.

On the contrary, it's made me see things a lot clearer.

I have hope now.

I agree. I think you're right.

I think we should tell him sooner rather than later.

I'll...

let him know by the end of the week.

-Where is everyone?

-They've gone home.

Have I missed it?

No. How could I get married, without you?

I'm really sorry.

It doesn't matter. You're here now.

Let's go home, shall we?

Yeah. Let's go home.

It may take a few days for head office to get back to me,

but I'll keep you posted.

Great, well thanks for your time, Tim. It's very much appreciated.

-Goodbye.

-Bye.

Goodbye, Mrs Reid. Nice to meet you.

It's Dr Reid.

Of course, my mistake.

Goodbye.

I'm going to do this, Emma.

Yes, I'm aware I'm a partner, Howard, but I'm a doctor too.

I didn't exactly train in personnel.

Same old, same old.

What were you expecting? Leprosy and rabies?

Wouldn't that be amazing?!

I have thought that he might be having an affair.

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