If I get stuck in a corner with somebody boring my ears off,
I want you to promise to rescue me.
No, I'm just gonna let you suffer.
Thanks.
Don't worry, Dan and Maggie are gonna be there.
Oh great!
Mount Rushmore. The silent twins.
Are we gonna be like that when we're married?
No, definitely not.
We're gonna bicker like most married couples.
That's a relief, I was getting worried there for a minute.
- These or these? - Those.
You're driving, I'm drinking.
I hate parties.
Oh, Jonathan, cheer up. I know you'll enjoy it once you get there.
I can enjoy it even more when I'm here.
- We'll be late. - Fashionably late.
- No, too late. - Not late enough.
- Jesus, Luce. - What? What is it?
Oh, great.
You've been tidying up again.
Spick and span, span and spick, how... fantastic.
How marvellous.
We Christians do live in hope.
Hope is the very bedrock of our lives...
.. the sure and certain hope of eternal life
as promised by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins.
If you don't have that hope, what do you have?
You have nothing, no ethical or moral compass to guide you through the troubled waters...
Congratulations. When's the wedding?
Er... it's supposed to be next month but there's no way it can go ahead with things, er...
Jonathan, please. Let's not.
- It's like you've already decided that... - Sorry.
Er, I think you should see what we're talking about before we go any further.
Darling.
They're on my arms too.
Have you seen a doctor?
I am a doctor.
- When did you first notice it? - Four weeks ago.
- Lucy? - It's agony.
I can hardly sleep at night. It's impossible to get comfortable.
I pulled all the strings I could to fast-track Lucy through every test, every specialist.
Nothing.
It's the same pattern, that's the thing.
It's exactly the same pattern as before.
Before?
Jonathan was married before.
She died.
Claire died four years ago.
Er, her immune system broke down, she died of primary septicaemia.
Her organs stopped working,
her skin became... diseased, er, rotten.
It was, um...
We thought we were being totally irrational at first, but...
it began literally when we started planning the wedding.
Can't be a coincidence, can it?
We just need you to stop it.
Stop Claire.
Robert, I found this information on the net
about a new treatment for brain tumours using lasers.
- They're doing it in America. - Barbara, you heard Dr Stanley.
I need to think about the here and now.
It's not Dr Stanley's life, it's yours.
Correct. And I don't want to waste my time.
Well, I don't think you should put the blinkers up completely.
- I'm not convinced that ruling out chemo... - I don't want chemo. I don't want anything.
There is no miracle cure, there is no...
MIT boffin or Filipino spirit surgeon
or faith healer or touchy feely health group.
It's a shitty thing but I can't put it right!
- I'm just... - I know you're just but...
It's... it's God's sick little joke, isn't it?
Robert, you don't have to face this on your own.
- There's me, there's Jude... - Jude.
Have you told her?
I have enough to deal with without dealing with her pain as well or her dealing with mine.
- Don't you think that's her decision? - No.
There are people who care about you, don't shut them out.
- Robert? - Yeah.
Yes.
Maybe.
I've got a lot to do.
Thanks.
Look, I think it's important what you said to me about your mother.
Important to what? Your book?
May be a big issue for you, Robert, but it's not a big issue for me.
I'm not talking about my book. I mean in terms of something you need to explore yourself.
Have you seen your mother's spirit before?
- Why? - Why do you think she's here now?
Why do you keep bringing this up?
I have no idea. Look, I can't deal with this at the moment.
I've got someone else's problem to think about.
Fine, but these things you take on, it's obviously easier than dealing with your own issues.
I've just met someone who thinks their fiancée is possessed by their dead wife's spirit,
so, you know, it's not easy.
For you right now, it is. I'm sorry.
Your mother's presence is disrupting you, haunting you.
All your life you've dealt with other people's ghosts, now you have to deal with your own.
- You look like shit, by the way. - I'm fine. Don't deflect the question.
What question?
You may not want to talk about this now but we will talk about this sooner or later.
Fine. Shall we talk about it later?
It's like she's trying to destroy me from the inside,
like she doesn't want me here.
- You mustn't talk like that. - It's true.
It's how I feel.
I can't eat this.
It's vile.
Leave it, I'll get you something else.
It tastes bloody.
It's totally raw, like... like flesh.
It tastes of animal.
I'll take it away.
Claire didn't eat meat, did she?
She was a vegetarian, wasn't she?
Well... answer me, wasn't she?
The important thing is, Alison listened to us.
Alison took us seriously and...
I know she can help us.
We just have to trust her...
Lucy!
Lucy?
My God. Lucy? Lucy?
What happened?
- What happened? - I don't know.
What happened?
Are you sure you wanna see these people? Are you interested any more?
Of course I'm interested. I'm interested in you.
This is Robert Bridge, he's writing a book about me.
If you don't want him to be here, I'll happily get rid of him.
Um... I'm not sure whether she remembers last night
and, er, and I don't want to scare her even more, so...
- I'd appreciate it if... - I understand.
She's just through here.
Please do something.
Please.
Tell her to stop. Please.
Do you know, I'd really like a cup of coffee, black no sugar.
Would that be possible?
Yes. Yes, of course.
I'll give you a hand.
Your fiancée looks like she's really suffering.
She is. Just like Claire, identical.
Sorry, did she say no milk or no sugar?
Black, no sugar.
You know, everyone says that the build-up to a wedding
is one of the most stressful things you can go through.
It's not stress. I'm a GP, I know stress when I see it.
This isn't a little flare-up of eczema at exam time, didn't you see her?
You've done all the standard blood tests?
- Yes. - Inconclusive?
Yes. I could give you a list of what we've tried.
You wouldn't believe what we've tried - CT scan, lumbar puncture, you name it.
I'm sorry, Jonathan, but I have to be honest.
I look at Lucy and what I see is some kind of skin disorder.
Don't you think I'd give anything to believe that?
Don't you think I know this looks crazy from the outside?
Well, I'm not on the outside, I'm here, I'm living with it.
I'm seeing it in front of my eyes every day.
You have a beautiful home.
It's Claire's home. Claire's money, family money.
Don't be scared.
Is there a really, really good reason why I shouldn't be?
I'll try and think of one.
Will you answer me something? Honestly, truthfully.
Can people who've died manipulate you and have a hold over you?
Sometimes.
Did you know Claire before?
Yeah, we were best mates for years.
- We went to uni together. - Were you all quite close?
She met Jonathan thanks to me.
So you both felt you'd lost her?
Yeah. After Claire died, Jonathan and I got closer.
He was so devastated and... and I just wanted to help.
And that's when we started to feel differently about each other.
When you're in love,
all you want to do is give care and support.
When you're a doctor, you just want to alleviate suffering and pain.
I can't do either.
How do you feel about all the photographs of Claire about the place?
He's got other stuff of hers, clothes and things.
Does that bother you?
No, it's good.
I- I want him to remember her.
Oh...
How do you think Claire would feel about the two of you getting married?
Lucy?
Claire?
Do you want to talk to me?
Do you want to tell me why you're hurting Lucy like this?
Alison, that's enough!
What happened?
What?
Thanks very much for that, Robert, that was really sensible.
What did you expect me to do, stand by...
I didn't expect you to do anything, didn't want you to do anything.
Look, it doesn't take a genius to work out Lucy's condition is psychogenic.
- It's real. - Maybe, the two aren't mutually exclusive.
Physical things don't manifest because of spirit intervention, this isn't medieval, it's medical.
- So much for being on my side. - There is no side to reality, Alison.
Oh, great. One minute you say you wanna be more open-minded
and the next minute you're saying everything I believe in is bogus, what's going on?
Nothing's going on. I'm just stating fact, and that's uncomfortable for you.
No, what's uncomfortable for me is you going back to being the closed down, blinkered person
- that you used to be. - No, I'm not.
Yes, you are! Don't argue with me, you've changed.
No, I haven't, I haven't changed at all.
I'm open to evidence, I always was open to evidence.
- This isn't evidence. - What the hell's wrong with you?
Stop the car.
Stop the car!
Emergency stop, Robert!
Hello, Robert, it's Jude.
Look, we're not kids.
I never liked this game of who was going to call who, so let's just be straight with each other.
What I mean is be straight with me.
OK, if it was a one-off, it was a one-off and I'll get over it.
Just please, don't mess me around.
Tell me about Claire.
How did Lucy feel about getting married before all this?
Well, we both just felt so lucky.
What about Claire?
How do you think she'd feel about it?
She'd be happy.
- Happy for both of you? - Yes, absolutely.
That's what I don't understand.
Why is she punishing Lucy, her friend, of all people?
Why is she being so vindictive?
It's not like her, it doesn't make sense at all.
No more photographs.
In a way, Claire was stronger than me through it all.
Even though she was the one suffering.
It must have been very painful for you.
Disease is a merciless thing.
She turned into someone I didn't recognise,
didn't want to recognise.
Is Claire angry?
Why is she angry when I loved her so much?
I think...
she's desperate.
Desperate for what?
Is she trying to kill Lucy? Can she kill her? Is that what she wants?
I don't know.
Lucy?
Oh, my God.
Lucy?
Lucy!
Lucy! Lucy!
Claire.
It's like we're strangers.
- Everything OK? - Yeah. Thanks.
It's totally out of character. Sorry, am I going on about this?
No, not at all.
It's just he always used to be so clear. He'd spell it out, what he felt.
Too much though, usually.
Probably the psychologist in him.
I just don't know why he's being like this.
Have you noticed any difference in him lately?
I mean he's not the mercurial, unpredictable type.
What do I know?
You know, he talks to you. I just don't know where his head's at at the moment.
Neither do I.
Is Alison here?
What happened?
- So let me get this straight. Lucy... - It's not Lucy, it's Claire.
- Wait a minute... - Alison says Lucy is losing the battle.
Alison says?
Jonathan, I know you're a medic but with respect this is my area.
I strongly believe that Lucy is creating her illness
because she craves the attention you gave your dying wife.
No, it's Claire.
And Lucy is dying the same way Claire died.
Claire, I know you can hear me.
I know you're struggling, I know it's hard.
I know you want to tell me something.
Can you tell me? You don't have to use words.
Someone moved passed me.
- What happened here? - Nothing.
Something happened here.
Something bad?
What?
There's... There's something that she's trying to show me,
she's trying to tell me but she can't.
The bottom line is Lucy's health, surely.
What do you know? You haven't seen her.
She needs to be somewhere she can receive psychiatric care.
They'll just lock her up. And Claire will get locked up with her. Is that what you want?
What exactly are you doing to help? Is Lucy getting any better?
Claire has got a purpose, they always have a purpose.
How can you help, Alison? How can you help anyone in your condition?
Get out!
Get out and leave me alone, both of you.
Don't move, don't speak, OK?
Yesterday, I found myself in the absolute worst place I've been in my life.
- What? - I had to lie, Robert, to one of my friends.
To your ex-wife, to be precise.
Let me tell you, all this not hurting her stuff.
I've got news for you - you're hurting her now with your cowardice.
She's hurting now.
How the hell do you think she's going to feel when you're dead?
I'm... I'm OK.
I'm OK. Sort it out, Robert.
It's not fair on her and it's not fair on me.
Oh, hello?
This is my house! You can't tell me how to behave in my house!
Do you wanna tidy up?! All right, then.
Tidy this, go on. Or... or... or these.
You could tidy these if you like. You wanna tidy these?
There, tidy those. What about this? Yeah?
Lots in here, darling, tidy this up.
Or this? Yeah, and this. Want to tidy these?
Tidy those then!
Tidy those then! Or tidy those!
Alison?
- Or those. I'd love to... - Alison!
You can tidy these if you like. Tidy those!
Alison!
What the hell's going on?
Alison.
Alison, wait.
All right, you wanna know what she was like? This is what she was like.
"Sit at the table, fork, knife, fork, put them there, no, no, not there, there.
"Clean it, no, not clean enough, clean it again.
"Clean it again, clean it again. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
"Upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs,
"upstairs, downstairs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
"Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your face.
"Wash your hands, wash your face wash your hands, wash your face, wash your... "
Nobody touches me.
No! Nobody touches me!
Nobody touches me.
Once, I had some friends over, you know, after school
and, erm, my mum, at the front door
um, my mum made everyone take their shoes off.
Um... and we had Swiss rolls and Jammie Dodgers,
loved Jammie Dodgers.
And then it was time, erm, you know, it... it was time for them to go
and my mum had put all the shoes,
everyone's shoes in a bowl of disinfectant.
So, um...
they all had to walk home in wet shoes.
And no one came again.
So, um... you know,
you learn how to live without other people.
She, um... She got put in an... in an... in an institution
and, um, she never came out.
She died when she was 35, I was ten.
What age were you when you first saw spirits?
Ten.
Yeah I know, Robert
I know, I know, I know.
Have you seen her now?
- No. But I know she's there. - She's not there, Alison.
What's happening is, your illness is causing you to behave as your mother did.
And this will only get worse.
You'll become more damaged and more distressed.
- No, Robert. - Yes, Alison.
Medicine is unforgiving. Medical conditions are terrifying,
ghastly, unrelenting, but at least they're the truth.
The belief in spirits, in some life hereafter,
naturally, we long for that
but all of it, all it does is to make us cling to hope
and the truth is, the absolute truth is, there is no hope.
There's just biology.
No!
Lucy?
I tried to destroy Claire's things...
and she went crazy, she, er, attacked me.
I can't deal with her any more.
First she wants to kill Lucy and now she wants to kill me.
I'm afraid.
Claire?
Alison?
It's all right, it's OK.
Alison.
Hiya. Only me.
It's you!
I can hear you.
Oh, what a day.
I am so glad to be home. Jonathan?
What did you see?
Love.
Jonathan.
- Claire? - Jonathan.
You weren't there when she died.
She showed me.
I couldn't.
She was beautiful.
She was my Claire.
It destroyed her.
It wasn't the way she looked.
It was thought of her being like that, in fear and pain...
decaying.
The last days, I...
I couldn't bear to face her.
She didn't understand, she thought you'd stopped loving her.
No, never. It was because I loved her too much.
All she wanted was for you to be there at the end.
I couldn't.
You couldn't then, but you can now.
All she wants to know is that you loved her.
And to say goodbye.
Claire...
I'm here, Claire.
I love you.
Claire?
Claire's gone.
Lucy?
Yes?
I'll be with her, I'll look after her.
I know you will.
She'll recover now and Claire's at peace.
No one wants to die alone.
Do you still have a weakness for the occasional custard doughnut?
You don't know me that well, Robert.
Listen, Jude, I'll cut to the chase. I don't wanna waste any more time.
People waste too much of their lives, I think we should move back in together.
Hang on, what are you talking about?
You and me, why mess around?
We're not strangers. We were always good together.
Robert, a million things have happened since then.
Don't you think this is my decision too?
- Yeah, of course, of course. - We can't just plunge into this blindly
and expect it to work out. There's...
There's not just us to consider, we've got to give it time...
How much time?
I don't know. Weeks, months?
I don't know how long. However long it takes.
OK, OK, OK.
Robert.
I'm not saying I don't like the idea.
I just need time, that's all.
OK, OK, OK.
I'm Alison, I'm myself.
I'm not you.
I won't be you.
I won't, I won't.