Blood Line Doctors

Dad? Lunch!

Here you go.

I've got college. Cheers, Leyton.

Where are the Paracetamol?

Try the drawer.

Um... Have you thought any more about the cricket?

Remind me.

I've told you loads of times. The tour with the club.

Oh... Yeah.

It's only a week, but it'll be awesome.

Jake and Finn are booked.

They're going to need their opening batsman.

I really wish I could, Leyton, but you know how things are.

It's just a deposit, the rest can be paid off later.

Look...

I've got these stocks I'm shorting this afternoon and if they do

the business, well... Great. Fingers crossed, then.

Ask me again later, yeah?

KNOCK ON DOOR

Come in.

Come on, lunch in the Icon. Sid's buying.

That's very sweet of you, Ayesha, but...

But nothing. Hurry up.

Look, I was just going to go down the high street.

Have a bit of quiet time.

I can do quiet.

Do you want us to bring you something back?

No, no, it's fine, I'll grab something when I'm out.

Come on.

All right. What are you doing tomorrow night?

I hadn't thought that far ahead, to be honest.

OK, then book me in. We'll do something.

You're being very lovely, but nothing really appeals,

to be honest.

Come on! OK.

I'll see you later, yeah?

Yeah.

Come on...drop.

Drop!

DOORBELL

KNOCK ON DOOR Not in!

LOUDER KNOCK

HE SIGHS

Yes?

I work from home, so cut to the chase.

Hello, Rick.

It's me.

Stella.

Oh, no. How are you?

It's been a long time.

I've rehearsed 100 different openings,

but now that I'm actually standing here...

I thought about writing or phoning first but in the end,

I just wanted to see you and talk to you both face-to-face. Both?

You and Leyton.

No. This isn't happening.

Please, can we talk inside?

Why? Nothing's changed.

Actually...

I have.

You're 18 years too late. I don't believe this.

I know this is a shock and I know you think it's too late

and I don't blame you, but I just want to make up for the past.

Just a little. Please.

Give me ten minutes, and then I'll leave.

You'll leave now.

I could come back later? Maybe when Leyton's back from college?

What?

No. Just go!

Look, I know things are tough for you and everything costs money,

but I can contribute now.

At least let me help with his cricket tour.

How do you know about that?

Rick, I didn't just turn up.

I've been following him for months. Well, years.

On Twitter, Facebook, that sort of thing. Stalking him?

He's my son.

Argh!

Keep away from him. Rick?

HE CRIES OUT What's the matter?

Just get out. Are you OK?

Yes!

Just leave us alone! SHE SCREAMS

Right, I'm off. Can I get you anything?

Ooh, are you going past a newsagent? Yeah, can do.

Can you get me a scratch card? Lucky Cash.

Scratch card?!

Statistically speaking, you're more likely to get run over by the Queen

than actually hit the jackpot.

To my knowledge, the Queen has never been involved in an RTA

and yet there are lottery winners every week.

And to my knowledge,

they're called RTCs and you can't seriously expect to win.

Well, last week, ?10, week before a free go, so...

Ooh, a "free go"? This is monumental stupidity, Hollins.

Well, I'll pass your views on to Rob. It's for him.

Can you make that two, please, Em?

Ooh, Emma?

Hey, Em!

Could you get us a card while you're out as well?

Yes, I heard you. Two of them. No, it's for Valerie.

The receptionist.

Yeah, I know who Valerie is. Sorry.

So...Lucky Cash?

No, a leaving card.

She's leaving.

Of course, yes. Sorry, I'm with you.

No problem.

Light goes through the cornea and the aqueous humour,

through the doughnut... I mean the pupil, to the lens,

through the vitreous humour.

And I'm particularly pleased with my cloves and peppercorns

which represent...?

Rods and cones.

Which are part of the retina. And their function is...?

To recognise light and colour and where the image received

from the lens is reversed. Mm-hm.

And we're missing something here?

The optic nerve.

Shak, tie.

The image continues along the optic nerve to the brain

where somehow, it's put the correct way round again.

Excellent.

Right, take a picture. Your mum should see this.

Tomorrow, we do the inner ear with gardening implements.

Oi! That's my eyeball!

..and scalpel.

We're closed. Open again at four.

Oh! Hang on!

It's Stella, isn't it? Yeah!

Do you remember me? Karen?

Yes, of course. How are you?

I'm good! How are you? OK.

I took a bit of a tumble, that's all.

Oh, no. Are you hurt?

OK, so milk and something for supper.

It's nothing serious, I'm sure.

I just thought I'd get it checked out by a doctor.

We've got a drop-in at four.

Thank you. Why don't you come in and wait? We can catch up.

Are you going to be around long?

Unlikely.

Gosh, I haven't seen you in ages.

It was...ages ago.

Yeah, it was.

I still see Rick occasionally. And Leyton.

He's got to be... You know what?

I think I'll come back later.

Oh, are you sure?

It's funny.

Some people would rather endure horrible pain

than the company of Karen Hollins.

I'm going to ignore that.

Do you know, I nearly didn't recognise her.

You would not believe what she used to get up to.

It's always the quiet ones.

Ooh, she wasn't back then.

Where are the biscuits?

There.

He's all right, isn't he?

Who?

Heston.

He's OK.

I'm busy.

It's funny he hasn't got any kids of his own.

Hilarious.

Still, he seems to quite like us.

Yeah, for now.

Unlike our own dad.

What do you mean?

I don't know.

Exactly. You don't know the first thing about him.

And you do?

SCRATCHING

So...you've already looked him up?

I never thought you were interested.

I mean, I've tried to talk to you a few times about it but...

I know, but I didn't think you'd try and find him without me.

It's always made me feel sick. It still does.

Do you remember anything?

Not really.

Maybe you should talk to Mum about him? Why me?

Cos you're better at talking.

It won't matter. He's one thing she won't discuss.

She won't talk about any of them. We could be a dynasty.

This is our family and we know nothing about them.

There might be good reason.

They could be bad people and Mum's protecting us?

Do you think he's in prison?

Who's gone to prison?

OK, none of my business.

I'm going to the stationer's. Do you need anything for school?

No. No, thank you. OK.

OK, now, grip my fingers.

OK... Now rotate your hand at the wrist.

OK... Now, let me move your hand without your help,

and let me know when it hurts, OK?

When was the last time you saw Rick and Leyton?

Years ago.

I ran out on them when Leyton was a baby.

That's tender. OK.

So it was a bit of a surprise visit?

You could say that.

Good to go?

There's some bruising, but I don't think there's any serious damage.

Try to avoid using the arm. Don't lift anything heavy.

You said that Rick lashed out?

I might have overstated it. He wanted me gone.

I don't blame him.

But still, he never comes across as aggressive.

Never, although I gave him enough provocation.

Rick didn't seem well. Is everything all right?

I couldn't say.

So you were hoping to re-establish contact?

I've got to a stage in life where I'm looking back and trying

to make sense of the mess I made.

It sounds cliched, but I want to give something back.

And the person I owe most to is Leyton.

And Rick.

Have you told them that?

I didn't get that far.

Things have gone well. I got lucky in business.

I wasn't here for him emotionally

but I was hoping to help in other ways.

Looks like I've blown my chances.

Or fallen at the first hurdle?

Allow me.

But if you're serious about making amends,

then perhaps even try a different approach?

Such as?

Is there anybody here that could speak to Rick on your behalf?

Not in a nice way.

But...

..how well do you know Rick?

I'll consult the third umpire.

All right, Dad?

What? Oh, yeah. Fine. Fine.

Any luck with the short trade?

No! No, no, stop!

Stop, stop!

You idiot!

And there you have it.

It's only been recognised over the past 20 years or so,

so most GPs are unaware of it.

Cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy

with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.

Bravo. With suspected mutations on gene three of chromosome 19.

Again, bravo. The brain is kind of my specialist subject.

Who else in the family is affected?

So the father and the aunt died in their sixties.

They thought it was MS or Alzheimer's.

But now they think CADASIL. Coffee?

Yes, please.

And it's causing changes in his behaviour.

Early onset? Yeah, Rick thinks so.

He's angry, he's isolated and that's causing problems

in the relationship with Leyton.

Has he been tested?

Rick hasn't said a word.

He's tried to hide the illness but, of course,

that's getting difficult now.

So Leyton sees his dad changing and he doesn't know why?

I can understand Rick's point.

There's a 50/50 chance, and with no cure

that's going to affect life insurance, mortgage possibilities.

Sure.

I mean, it's big guilt on Rick, but ultimately it's up to Leyton,

isn't it? Then at least he'd know what was going on.

Yeah. And the longer Rick holds out saying anything,

the more trouble it causes at home.

No-one likes being left out. Especially teenagers.

No. No, they don't.

Thanks, Al. Cheers, mate.

Ooh, sugar!

I'll see you next week.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Come in.

It was an accident.

I never meant to hurt her.

Is she all right?

Yeah, a bit shaken.

I just wanted her gone.

I've always dreaded her coming back and making some sort of claim

on Leyton.

Have you got kids?

Yeah, two.

You just want to give them a happy childhood,

a good education, prospects.

You have. He's a credit to you.

Yeah.

But I'm leaving a different sort of legacy.

You don't know that. He might be free of it.

I would do anything, absolutely anything, for that to be true.

only one way to find out.

If he tests positive, he'll hate me for it.

Leyton has a right to know what's happening to you,

and ultimately, what could be happening to him.

As his doctor, I should be making him aware of that.

I know I've got to tell him.

It's just that the words won't seem to come out.

It's time to think long-term, Rick.

We know that in the future, your condition is going to deteriorate,

don't we?

You're going to need more support, as is Leyton.

Bearing that in mind,

don't you think it might be time for him to meet his mother?

What, so she can lure him away with her money and expat lifestyle?

She wants to help. At least, that's the impression I got.

Leyton is the one good thing in my life,

and now, after 18 years, she wants him back.

Who wants me back?

Your mother.

What?!

She was here this morning. I threw her out.

What did she want?

To meet you.

Do you want that?

I don't know.

Yeah, I suppose.

Let me talk to her first, all right?

Have you still got that number?

I hope you'll stick around.

If that's what you want?

See what a can of worms you've opened.

What are you doing, Shak? Oh!

SHE LAUGHS Shut up and keep watch.

Found anything? I'll tell you in a minute.

Oh!

They're not...? Shut up and help. Are you all right up there?

One under there.

So that explains what happened earlier, when you pushed me.

Headaches are epic.

They can go on for days, plus you feel sick.

And I've had a couple of strokes now.

What are they called?

See, brain's going.

You've had two relatively minor lacunar strokes.

So far. But they build up.

To what?

Everything from changes in cognitive function,

which covers a multitude of sins, to persistent disability

which is terrifyingly vague.

That could be years away, if at all.

Most people with CADASIL live to their sixties and seventies.

And some don't.

Short-term memory's shot. I'm a liability at work now.

That's why Dr Granger thought it sensible for Leyton to meet you

before I kicked the bucket or went completely gaga.

I had no idea. Well, you wouldn't.

Not a squeak out of you since the day you ran off.

No.

And you've always had it?

Bubbling away. It's genetic.

Leyton...

Exactly.

My fault, my family.

And now I'm passing it on.

And as people always say, we're like two peas in a pod.

In some ways.

It's probably not what you had in mind.

Leyton's future isn't quite so rosy.

They are finding things out about CADASIL all the time.

There are no cures right now,

but it's important that you stay positive,

for yourself and for Leyton.

Yeah.

Well, thank you for telling me about this, Rick.

I appreciate it.

I've been keeping a nasty little secret of my own.

Why does that not surprise me?

Come on, then. Enlighten me.

Leyton's not your son.

So what did you find?

Mum and Dad's wedding certificate. We've got a name.

What is it? Check it out.

Aamir?

Mean anything? Nope.

Not in there, you idiot!

Pass it here. I'll dump it.

Say it again?

You're not Leyton's father.

He's not your son.

Rick, I'm sorry. I really am.

All these years of bringing him up alone.

Now suddenly you come back and the whole world's changed.

And I'm not the person I thought I was, and nor is Leyton.

You are a scheming, cheating, violent drunk and a terrible person.

But thank you!

From the bottom of my heart.

Glad to help.

This is probably the happiest day of my life.

What a doctor! Oh... Oh!

I've been praying for some way out but I never imagined this.

How to cure someone's incurable disease in 30 seconds.

Admittedly not what I was expecting either.

There'll need to be tests to make certain.

Oh, I'm certain. Rick's right, I was terrible back then.

You slept around, but I'll always be grateful for that.

I explained Leyton's pregnancy on a dodgy condom.

Are you really OK with this?

Ecstatic.

He's my son, because nothing will ever change that.

But he's not my blood.

He's clear of what killed my dad, my aunt, my uncle.

So, yeah! I'm really OK with this.

If you ever wondered where his sporting ability comes from,

it's not from either of us.

The real father was into baseball.

Ah. The Air Force base.

He now coaches Little League in Vermont.

Google him. You'll see the spitting image of Leyton.

Or how he'll be in 20 years.

Healthy and happy? Absolutely.

So are you going to tell Leyton?

About not being his blood father?

No, about the CADASIL.

That's no longer your concern, Dr Granger.

He needs to know. The sooner you tell him...

Just let me enjoy the moment, will you?

He's got to meet his mum first.

Yeah.

One seismic shock at a time.

Ruhma!

What's wrong?

I don't really understand the person I was back then either.

And I've no excuses. Just regrets. At not being there for you.

But I've changed, and I want to try and put it right.

And how are you going to do that?

Well, first I'd like to stay a few more days

so you can get to know me a bit more.

And then... What I'd really like

is for you to come over and visit me some time.

I'd love to show you Cape Town.

My stepson's a cricketer too. You'll get on great.

We always go to the Test at Newlands. Wow!

But we can't afford a club tour of Somerset,

let alone a trip to Africa.

Let me worry about that.

What do you think, Dad?

It's your choice, Leyton. Your whole life's ahead of you.

There's no rush.

I'm not running out again.

KNOCK ON DOOR Come in.

Did you get it? Hm? Valerie's card.

Oh, yes.

Here you go.

And Rob's scratch cards?

Oh, no. Sorry, I forgot. Sieve brain.

Ah, no worries. You got this, that's the main thing.

I'll pop in on my way home. OK.

You all right? Hm? Yes.

Just...you know, busy.

Bye. Bye.

Right...

Well done, me.

So, how are you feeling?

To be honest, things couldn't have gone much better.

I've made contact with my son, and with your help

delivered Rick the best news of his life.

It was a gamble, but... Quite a day.

He's a great lad and Rick's a brilliant father.

It's good I wasn't there to mess him up.

So. Back to South Africa?

In a few days.

What then?

I'll send Rick money for the cricket tour and set up a trust fund

for anything else Leyton needs.

Then I'll respect his wishes and keep out of his life,

if that's what he wants.

I don't imagine he'll feel like that for ever.

It was a lesson in loyalty. Fair play to him.

He's been through a lot today.

But with Rick on board, just give it time.

I know. And I will.

Because you and I both know

he's going to need me sooner than he thinks.

What do you want?

Look, I might have got a bit carried away.

Cos I sort of know how you probably feel...

I mean, if mates ever ask me about Dad, I shut them up.

So I get that you find this a bit weird.

It's not that I'm not interested. I am.

It's all the other stuff that comes with it.

I feel like I've got to do this, although the timing sucks.

Maybe it's moving in with Heston, but not knowing who my own dad is?

It's a big gap.

So what do you reckon, then?

OK.

Cool. Just let me know what's happening, all right?

Shak, Alia? Can you come down here please?

It's not going to ruin things for us, is it?

We'll be fine.

I bet you won't get anything new about Aamir from Mum.

I'm not going to Mum. I've got other plans.

Shak, Alia. Can you come down here?

What's her problem?

Condoms! Really?

School fees are, like, massive.

You wouldn't have to work such long hours.

I've told you, that's not a problem.

I really enjoy my work.

Bowling? Ah. Sounds wonderful. Shall I book? No, I'm on it.

I want to make up for the other day.

How did you feel about Karen talking over you?

I'm used to that, she never listens to my point of view.

Hello, gorgeous. Do you know what you're after today?

Everything.