Episode
5/12 Sacred trust

Review
The future of the hospital is decided and Charlie finally moves out of the nurses home, but where to?

Cast list
Robert Daws, Amy Robbins, Wendy Craig

The lawyer John Steinberg sat behind what had been Mr Middleditch's desk. The mood in the room was beyond tense, as if to exacerbate the situation several minutes passed in silence with John Steinberg shuffling papers. Eventually Steinberg cleared his throat.

"We're here today to hear the last will and testament of Mr (name) Middleditch. There is only one beneficiary, but there are certain terms and conditions that go with it." Steinberg paused then for effect, he'd missed his calling, should have been an actor.

"Get on with it man, haven't got all day, I want to be back in London tonight." Simon snapped

"Yes quite, Mr Middleditch's entire estate has been left to St Aiden's Royal Free Hospital." Matron and Gordon breathed a sigh of relief, "All of his estate except for this building is to be liquidated and the money held in trust. The trustees are a Dr Gordon Omerod, a Dr Jill Weatherall and Matron, if any of the trustees can not fulfil their duties at any given time they are to appoint someone to take their place, if they are unable to appoint someone the other trustees must appoint someone. That's it apart from two letters, one he wished to be given to his son Simon, the other to the trustees." Steinberg produced two letters, he handed one to Gordon and the other to Simon, being given a letter woke Simon from his shocked state.

"This is insane, I'm his son. Do I get nothing!" Simon shouted in protest

"Read the letter then you might understand." Steinberg told him

Dear Simon

You've just been read my will, I can understand that you think I have disowned you by cutting you out of the will, that's not it at all. You are a successful businessman, you don't need my money but the hospital does. I can do a lot of good even when I'm six foot under. You are welcome to take anything from the house that has sentimental value. Your loving father.

Simon read the letter in silence, he had known how much the hospital had meant to his dad so he didn't really know why he was surprised.

"Dad loved this place, he did the right thing. If you ever need investment advice, I hope you'll call. Been nice seeing you again." Simon said his good-byes and left, he had more of his dad in him than he realized, he would be back one day. Steinberg cleared his throat.

"One thing I forgot to mention, once we've liquidated his estate we have to wait for the money to clear probate. It might take a while." Gordon nodded then opened his letter.

Dear Gordon, Jill and Matron

You will have to appoint a new administrator, but I want you to run the hospital, I have great faith in your judgment. I have no words of advice because it's not my hospital it's your hospital, look after it well. T.J Middleditch.


That evening around six o'clock Gordon and Jill got two surprise visitors. That morning before the funeral a social worker had turned up and taken Charlie away, Gordon hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye. Now on their doorstep stood Charlie with the social worker, Jill invited them in, she didn't know what they were here for, she'd let Gordon handle it.

"You applied to foster Charlotte Wilson." Gordon nodded "It's my great pleasure to tell you that your application has been successful." Gordon smiled, that was good news, he'd expected the process to be longer than that, well they were badly understaffed. He hadn't had a chance yet to tell Katy and Tom yet, he didn't anticipate a problem though. The social worker then started rummaging in her bag. "There are some more forms to fill out,I'm terribly sorry about this, I seem to have left them in the car, I'll be right back." There was instantly an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"So, you want to foster me, that's nice of you. I reckoned that I'd get stuck in some home or other until I was old enough to take care of myself." Charlie broke the silence. "Why do you want me anyway? I thought you had two kids of your own."

"We do but you need a home and we have one. There's something different about you, something special. We also had this connection, I was the only person you would talk to." Gordon replied, Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah well you understand kinda, you know what it's like."

"You need to meet Tom and Katy. Tom, Katy, come down here a minute." Gordon called, "This is Charlie, she's going to come live with us."

"Live with us! Hasn't she got a home of her own to got to?" Katy objected

"No I haven't," Charlie replied "I'm what you would call an orphan, I never knew my dad and my mum died about three weeks ago."

"Your mum died too, was she in an accident?" Katy asked, she'd never met anyone else who'd lost their mum.

"Not exactly no," Charlie's face clouded over, it was clear even to Katy that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Will she share my room?" Katy asked objections forgotten. It was then that the social worker reappeared.

"Sorry about that I couldn't find them. Nice to see you've all got aquatinted. Just sign here and here." Jill then realized why the forms had really gone missing, it was to give them time alone. "Can you take her tonight, we've still no other place for her, it can be on a trial basis, I'll be back in two weeks." Gordon looked at Jill, she nodded. Charlie finally had a home.