1968

"Smile and wave for the camera, Ange!"

Tim pointed the Super 8 toward his little sister, her face just visible through the kitchen hatch. She grinned, revealing one missing tooth, and then stuck her tongue out.

"Very ladylike," her father said drily. "Tim, put the camera down a moment and come help your sister set the table."

Tim put the camera on a side table and came around to collect the plates and knives. He gave a cursory glance to the casserole dish on the counter and nodded approvingly. "Not bad, Dad."

"Mum made it earlier, he just had to put it in the oven."

"You weren't supposed to tell, young lady," Dad teased. He poked at the edge of the casserole with a serving spoon and frowned. "As long as the mince is done I think we'll survive."

Tim heard the front door open, grabbed his camera again and went to meet his mother in the hall.

"Smile, Mum!"

"Timothy!" she gasped, then blushed with prim embarrassment. "Put that camera down and come here."

Tim grinned and embraced his stepmother. He towered over her, but she still hugged him as tightly as she had the day he'd come home from the hospital, polio-free.

"We heard you weren't coming in until tomorrow."

"I finished up my exams this morning, so I just decided to catch an earlier train with Charlie."

"Well, I won't pretend I'm not glad." She stepped back and tutted. "But you looked exhausted. You didn't have to rush back to Poplar straight after exams. You could have gotten some rest first."

"And miss Dad's home cooking?"

"I heard that," Dad called from the kitchen.

Mum chuckled. "Come on. If I'm hungry, you must be starving."

Tim helped her out of her coat and followed her into the kitchen.

"Hello, love," Dad said, kissing her briefly. "Everything go all right with the Edwards baby?"

She pushed up the sleeves of her cardigan to wash her hands. "Yes. A very long second stage, and breech, but Nurse Sutherland handled it wonderfully. She's gotten much more confident these past few months." She paused, lost in thought, then smiled. "She reminds me a bit of Nurse Noakes actually when she first started out."

"Akela?" Tim asked. "Is she still running the Mother and Baby home?"

"No, she and Sergeant Noakes moved farther south earlier this year. The air's better for Freddie's lungs," Mum turned to dry her hands on a cloth and frowned. "Angela, what are you doing with that chair?"

"I can't reach the glasses. " She shoved the chair closed to the counter and started to climb on the seat until Dad reached out and stopped her.

"Hold on. Here." He set four glasses on the counter. "Next time, ask for help." He carried the chair back to the table.

Tim easily reached over her head, nearly touching the top of the cupboard with his fingertips. "See? I can reach them."

Angela crossed her arms and glared at her brother. "One day I'm going to be taller than you."

"Maybe. Or you could take after Mum and have to use a step stool to reach the high shelves at the maternity home."

Dad raised his eyebrows. "Is that your way of volunteering to organise medical supplies while you're home?"

"Um -"

"That's what I thought. Go on, time to wash up for dinner."

"They're not that far from Chichester actually," Mum said, once they'd all sat down and started to eat.

"Who, Shelagh?"

"The Noakes. They're not that far from the Mother House. They see the sisters quite regularly." Her smile turned melancholy and she pushed her food around her plate.

Dad laid a hand on her arm. "We'll see visit the sisters and the Noakes at Easter, Shelagh. I promise."

"I know, Patrick. I just miss them a little this time of year." Her smile brightened as she turned to Tim. "I'm glad you were able to come home for Christmas, Timothy. Edinburgh is so far away from Poplar."

"I know, Mum. But I really like it there."

"Your classes going well?" Dad asked.

Tim nodded. "I don't much fancy English or history, but I really like my science courses."

"Do you get dissect all sorts of gross things?" Angela asked, wrinkling her nose.

Tim laughed. "A few. Mostly it's a lot of memorising and reading. I can't wait until I'm actually allowed to practice medicine and help people like Dad does."

"You've got a few years yet," his dad said.

"I know." Tim sighed. "But my anatomy professor said he might be able to help me get a job working at the hospital during half-term."

He watched his mum and dad exchange a worried look. "You wouldn't want to come back to Poplar for the holiday?" Mum said.

"You know there's always a place here, for you, Tim, working at the maternity home," Dad said.

"I know," he said carefully. "But this is a really good opportunity too." He saw the flash of pain in Mum's eyes - he didn't want to hurt her. "I'll think about it," he added.

"Can I play with your camera after dinner, Timmy?" Angela asked.

"It's not a plaything, Angela," Mum said. "It looks quite expensive, actually."

"It wasn't really," Tim said. "My friend, Charlie - his dad works as a news producer at the BBC - he helped me pick it out. Lots of families have them now."

"What for?" Dad asked.

"Home movies."

Mum raised her eyebrows. "Home movies?"

"Like the pictures?" Angela asked.

Tim nodded. "Sort of. There's no sound, so it's more like watching TV with the volume turned down."

"I want to be on TV one day," Angela said with a dreamy sigh.

"Your Mum was on TV once," Dad said, winking at Mum. Tim bit back a laugh. Some things never changed.

Angela's mouth dropped open. "No, she wasn't. Were you, Mum?"

Mum's face turned red. "It was only one broadcast."

"I remember that," Tim said. "You were only little, Ange, so you don't remember. But this man from the BBC came to film the children's concert that year. The reverend arranged it - and then made Mum do all the work!"

Mum sighed but didn't contradict him. "It was quite an undertaking - especially after the children got the measles."

"So your mum and the other nurses and nuns sang instead," Dad finished. "Brilliantly, I might add."

"Mum had a solo and everything," Tim added, grinning as his mum's face flushed an even deeper shade of pink. "We came to church and saw her. You just don't remember because you were too little."

Angela looked at her mother with new eyes, wide with awe. "And they filmed it and put it on the telly? Really?"

"Didn't Nonnatus get a sample of the film afterwards, as a keepsake?" Dad asked.

Mum's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Yes, I think so, But so many things were given away or tossed out when they shut down and moved to the Mother House. I don't even know where it would be now," she said, a little sadly. So much had changed in so short a time. The nuns were gone and many of the nurses she knew had moved on to other jobs in other places. She glanced above the fireplace, where many of their Christmas cards hung, reminders of days gone by.

Angela let out a long sigh. "I wish I could see it. Then I would remember."