Call the Midwife season 12 episode 5 spoilers follow.
Call the Midwife's Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) has been dealt a devastating blow in this week's episode and we're not talking about the stab wound he received, although that probably smarts too.
After a traumatic incident he learns that Lucille's (Leonie Elliott) return to Poplar may not be the inevitability he assumed it would be.
When Lucille left for Jamaica a few weeks ago, her departure was always meant to be temporary, a short-term fix for the depression she was suffering from.
Their struggles with conception after her miscarriage had her yearning for home even more acutely than she had been. Her feelings were then compounded by the immigration tensions in Poplar and the cocktail of sadness led to her having suicidal thoughts.
At Cyril's suggestion she returned to Jamaica hoping the sun and familial connection would help lift her spirits and leave her feeling stronger when she returned to Poplar. However it seems she may not be coming back, at least not any time soon.
This fact comes to light after Cyril is attacked and wounded when trying to minister to a young man struggling with what is later diagnosed as schizophrenia.
While in the thick of a confused episode, new father Spencer stabs Cyril with scissors after he rescues the baby, who Spencer believes is a demon.
Thankfully Cyril's injuries aren't serious but they do leave him feeling very low and vulnerable, which heightens his feelings of missing Lucile.
Violet (Annabelle Apsion) and Reggie (Daniel Laurie) decide to surprise Cyril by arranging a phone call to Jamaica so that he can speak to his wife, but what he discovers does very little to raise a smile.
Once connected he is understandably eager to speak to Lucille but is told she has gone to work. Not quite the actions of someone seeking a little rest and healing.
He is told that she initially took a job at the town hospital so she could pay her way at her parents' home, which already suggested that she had no immediate plans to return home soon.
Lucille was then offered and agreed to take on a Sister's position on the maternity ward, a role contracted for six months.
If Lucille does fulfil her six-month obligations in Jamaica that would likely write her out for the rest of season 12, but surely she wouldn't do that to Cyril, or the fans?
We miss you Lucille.
Thankfully we have a little good news. It seems Elliot was wrapping up her stage production role in Small Island around the time filming for Call the Midwife season 12 began shooting.
Lucille's absence may have been the creative team's way of temporarily writing out the character so that Elliot could complete her stage commitments.
If that is true we could expect her return much sooner than Cyril does at the very least.
The news of Lucille's secret life has sent the pastor spiralling. He begins to question their marriage and wonders if there may have been deeper issues beyond what Lucille had already revealed.
Violet is quick to set him straight, reminding him that love can be strengthened by absence. How much absence are we talking about here Violet? Please. We can't take much more.
Cyril counters Violet's point, saying: "And sometimes the opposite happens." True – but we're not ready to consider that just yet.
Call the Midwife season 12 airs every Sunday at 8pm on BBC One, and streams on BBC iPlayer.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
