Despite sailing through the taught course of his MSc Peter gets badly injured in a site accident during field work. He is airlifted to the Royal London and the family rallies round. At the hospital Carol's dad Bill appears unwell and is shortly diagnosed with cancer. Peter rallies after successful surgery and physiotherapy but Bill's health declines rapidly. Bill passes away in September.

Finally Carol's due date arrives and she presents at the Whittington Hospital, accompanied by a Rachmaninov CD, Jeremy Hardy on Radio 4 and a husband who missed all the NCT ante-natal classes. 16 hours of pushing later she is delivered of Charles William, 6lb 6oz. He is hungry and very cross.