Louder Than Words (2013) Movie Script
[ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYS ]
GIRL: This is not a sad story.
Well, that's what you were
thinking, isn't it?
You hear this music,
and you see me pedaling down
some sun-dappled street,
and you think, "uh-oh."
Ow! Oh, my gosh, Maria.
It's a story about my family
and how much we all
love each other.
[ SQUEALS ] Julie!
Julie's the oldest of
the triplets,
and she never lets the
other two forget it.
[ LAUGHING, SQUEALING]
I can do this, honey.
Why don't you go...
NARRATOR: That's Steph.
When she does talk
to my parents,
she usually says the
wrong thing.
And Michael, snark central.
When do we get a break?
Are you in the union?
He's joking, but he means it.
Then there's dad.
Dad doesn't say the wrong thing.
He just doesn't say anything.
This reminds me of
our first date.
Not again.
[ KIDS GROAN ] I want to hear.
He invited me over to a house
he was remodeling
to help peel wallpaper.
Uh-huh. Wow.
You're such a romantic, dad.
I am. On the second date, we
pulled carpeting.
Mm-hmm.
She probably liked it.
Actually, I did, Steph.
We had fun.
Am I right? Yeah.
STEPH: Well, that's about all
the fun I can handle.
Nice way to get out of working.
So is that when you fell
in love with mom?
When did you fall in
love with me?
Oh, I-I'll let you know.
[ BOTH CHUCKLE ]
[ KISS ]
Hey, you should have called.
"I know mom's unhappy you're
not getting along
"even if she doesn't show it.
You should talk to her."
She thinks it's so easy.
MARIA: I guess you could say
my role in the family
is the glue.
I'm always trying to get
everyone to stick together.
I'm not in the mood.
I have a headache.
Want me to fix it?
You could breathe again
you would...
Feel better?
Mm-hmm.
So what will you do when you're
at college and I'm not there?
I'll come see you.
It's not that far.
It's just Boston.
Yeah, but what if you went to
nyu and commuted?
Or if you had a dorm?
I could take the
train on weekends,
and you could pick me up
at grand central.
...house is falling
your house is falling down
MARIA: Even I couldn't
fix everything.
One day at school,
my shoulder started
hurting really bad.
That night, I woke up with the
worst headache in my life.
[ TIRES SKID ]
Okay.
Here we go. Got her?
Dad.
It's okay, sweetie. I got you.
[ MARIA SOBS ]
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ] Yeah,
we got him here now.
I want to go home. I know.
I wouldn't worry. If you're
half the s.O.B. Your father is,
we'll have you out of
here by breakfast.
I always treated you like a
lady, didn't I?
Eddie and I did some
business last year.
Oh, he did the business.
I ate crow.
Sorry.
If I didn't have a
taste for crow,
would I be running a
place like this?
MARIA: The triplets were leaving
soon for college in Boston.
I was worried about
being left alone,
but I was more worried
about Michael.
What would he do without me?
On the beach, under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's...
Where you going?
Pick up some smokes.
I want to go.
Mom won't let you.
It's perfect for a ladybug
MICHAEL: I can't
believe she caved.
I told her my homework was
done, which it is.
It's just different from how we
grew up. That's all.
You think I'm spoiled?
Well, you are kind of queen of
the universe, right?
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
Animal rights activists have...
[ POP ] I'm gonna let you...
No. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You can listen to that corporate
crap with Steph and Julie.
Get a cd.
All my friends listen to
that crap, too.
When you go to Boston,
how am I gonna know what I
should be listening to?
Heh. You never give up, do you?
Yeah, otherwise.
Good choice.
Okay.
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYS ]
Seriously, if you go
away to colle...
[ VOLUME INCREASES ]
It's not all my fault.
What?
That I'm supposedly spoiled.
Yeah. Heh. I guess mom just
likes giving you
stuff she couldn't give us.
Before dad made all his money?
I don't mean money.
Like before they got married,
she was just way stressed trying to
handle the three of us by herself.
I don't think she was ever really
happy till you came along.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
It's kind of crazy dad married
someone with triplets.
Yeah. Well, he's kind of crazy.
We were very, very cute, though.
Can I have a drag?
Come on. I'm not a baby.
We'll have a smoke together
in a few years.
But by then, I'll have quit.
JULIE: I'm really worried.
I know. I know.
Now, the thing about
encephalitis
is that it tends to resolve
itself without any treatment,
so our job is basically seeing
that you stay as comfortable
as possible in the meantime.
How's that sound?
Mom, are you there?
Sorry. We have a g.S.W.
Coming in,
and all the cubicles are taken.
We're almost done. Okay.
Mom?
What's a g.S.W.?
I knew that the pediatrician
was wrong about the backpack,
because a pinched nerve does not
produce neurological symptoms.
Is a g.S.W. A gunshot wound?
You're too smart for me.
Oh, my God. This place...
[ DOORS BANG OPEN ] Excuse me!
DOCTOR: Tell me about it,
but you're safe here.
[ BABY CRIES ]
MAN: You gotta stay
with your family.
I'll get you some water and
settle your nerves.
JULIE: What do they
think happened?
Well, she probably got it
from the tick.
Keep you hydrated.
[ P.A. ] Nurse Carson,
you have a phone call, line one.
Nurse Carson, you have a
phone call, line one.
All right, Julie, listen.
She's gonna be fine.
Should we take the train
down tomorrow?
Julie, just... no. Stay...
stay put. Finish your
week's classes.
Okay, mom. Just let me know.
Okay.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Are we ever gonna find this
young lady a bed?
Sorry. As you've
undoubtedly noticed,
we've got serious
space issues here.
This is Mr. marchwinski.
He's our p.R. Guy.
That's why he's
advertising our problems.
No wonder we're going broke.
I got to go.
Can I just get over there?
Eddie's... Eddie's amazing.
We may be a lowly
county hospital,
but he gets us the best
doctors in the world.
We heard. That's why we
drove to Westchester
instead of our local hospital.
I'm glad you did. So, Maria,
is there anything I
can do for you?
Paint the walls something
that doesn't make me
hate my life.
Maria, this is a hospital.
No, she's right. I mean,
what does
a place that looks like
this communicate?
That's how my dad
talks to people,
by building things.
Well, that must make for
slow conversations.
[ CHUCKLES ]
MARIA: How do you know if
a boy likes you?
Judging from mom and dad, I
wouldn't have a clue.
Yeah, they work together,
but what about the
rest of the time?
Look, I want to float the walls
of the storage space,
or it'll look like a
fortress in here.
We're gonna move that load-bearing
wall two feet the other way.
That's going to be
repermitting there,
and that could hold us up
for a few weeks.
Just do it, and I'll talk
to the building
department later.
You're the boss.
What?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Put your helmet on, tough guy.
Listen, it's easier to ask
for forgiveness...
than permission. Okay, dad.
Hey, did you go to school with
a guy named kerrigan?
Kerrigan? Yeah.
I don't know. Maybe. Why?
His son's in my class.
Maybe you should invite the
kerrigans for dinner.
Ah, maybe I should invite
the other 800 guys
I went to school with, too.
Maybe you should.
Can we stop at Ben & Jerry's?
Who is this Ben and Jerry?
I don't know these boys.
Lame.
No, we gotta pick up your mom.
She's been doing
interiors all day.
Work, work, work.
MARIA: I don't think I'd want
to work with my husband,
unless his job was
making ice cream.
Then I guess I could handle it.
I don't think your dad likes me.
What are you talking about?
Like, he never talks to me.
Yeah, well, that's
just how he is.
He doesn't really
talk to anyone.
Your mom's easy to talk to.
Yeah, but she talks too much.
[ GIRLS LAUGH ]
I want that rock.
No, I want that one.
Well, that's really fair, guys.
You say that I'm
messing with your head
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
avril's corporate crap.
No, she's not.
Oh, know what?
What?
Max kerrigan
was behind me on the bus,
and he kind of pulled my hair,
and he was like, "you
have a lot of hair."
Well, you do. Yeah.
Then he was like, "you don't
know where I live,
"'cause I get off the bus first,
"but I know where you live,
'cause our dads went to
school together."
That's totally illogical.
Maybe he likes you.
[ LAUGHING ]
And now I figure
what the hell?
Oh, my God. Really? All I
want is to mess around
and I don't really care about
if you love me, if you hate me
you can save me, baby, baby
all my life I've been good,
but now
whoa, I'm thinking
what the hell
what the hell
LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA
whoa
MARIA: I'm gonna fall.
I need to lie down.
You are. You're in bed.
What kind of house is this?
It's a hospital.
Oh, right.
It sucks here, but you'll
get used to it.
I've been coming here since I
was, like, three.
My arm just jumped.
[ CHUCKLES ] That
was a good one.
Go, go, go, go.
I got something!
Fight it! Fight it! Oh, my God.
Just reel, reel, reel, reel!
[ LAUGHS ]
What do I do?
Give it some muscle.
Oh, my God. Here it comes. Oh,
I can see it.
I can see it. It's huge.
What? It's huge.
I don't want to look. I'm
reeling it in.
No slack. Here. Hey, here...
oh, yes, look at the size of it.
That is a record.
That is twice the size
of the garbage bag I
caught last week.
It's not funny! You know what?
Should we bring it home
for mom to clean,
and we'll eat it later?
You want to stuff it and
mount it on your wall?
It's a beauty.
MARIA: See? My dad's
not all bad.
He's not even part bad, really.
The thing that changes your
life forever can be big,
like falling in love.
Or small,
so small that it doesn't
even leave a mark.
[ SQUEAKS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
[ P.A. ] Dr. snow,
please call...
You know, when they let her
out in the morning,
she and I can take a cab.
You should go home and
get some sleep.
What about you? You... you go.
No. I'm not the one that has a
meeting with Turner at 9:30.
Yeah, yeah. Come here.
Hey, I really liked
yesterday's entry.
You didn't!
[ LAUGHS ]
If you ever...
Dad says it's easier
to ask for forgiveness
than permission.
I guess that's why he
does what he wants,
then asks questions later.
It's also why some people
don't like him.
WOMAN: Mr. fareri
proposes building
17 luxury residences
on the 140 acres of the
former gimbel estate.
Time and again, he's maneuvered
around zoning restrictions
and the will of this council,
contributing to the unchecked
growth of our community.
We used to live like neighbors,
talk to one another.
Now we hide out behind the
walls of luxury homes.
But who wants to talk to their
neighbors, anyway?
Thank you.
WOMAN: Come on. You
want to find...
[ BOY CHATTERS ]
I'm sorry. Can we, uh,
have a moment here?
Sure. Uh, hey,
come on. Come on.
Come on.
BOY: Why do we have to go?
Hope you're feeling better,
Austin.
Uh, we just wanted to ask if
there's any chance
that either of you were aware of
that Maria might have been
bitten by an animal
in the past few months?
Scratched?
Other than the tick?
I mean, not that I'm aware of,
but...
As you know, she's grown worse.
I think we actually have to
consider another possibility here.
What?
That, uh, Maria may have
contracted rabies.
[ GASPS ]
They tell me that the odds of
it being rabies are tiny,
like 160 million to one.
They're gonna run some tests,
but odds are,
it's encephalitis,
overwhelmingly.
What if it were rabies?
What will we do?
Noth... there's nothing.
Well, we've already gone ahead
and contacted the center
for disease control
and the pasteur institute
looking for any insights
they can provide us with
moving forward,
but main thing we
want to do now,
we want to try and slow
her system down
so that she has the energy
to fight the virus,
which would also help with
the encephalitis,
if that's what it
turns out to be.
Do it. Whatever it takes,
do it.
[ CRIES ]
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
Excuse me. Yes?
Are you Mrs. fareri? Yeah.
I wonder if you had a
moment for me.
I just had a couple
of questions.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
She does not have rabies,
and this is not a news story.
This is my daughter that
we're speaking about.
I understand, but if
there's a chance
there's rabies in the area,
people should...
miss, miss, the emergency
room is that way.
I'm not looking for the
emergency room.
You will be in about
two seconds.
You understand?
I don't know how they
got your name.
We've tried to keep this quiet.
Well, this woman had no
trouble finding me.
If I find out who leaked it...
clearly we need to run
a tighter ship
around here in more
ways than one.
Let... let me go see
if there's anything I can
do for you guys.
[ WHEEL THUMPING ]
Hyah.
[ INDISTINCT P.A.
ANNOUNCEMENT ]
[ MOP SLAPPING ]
Mom.
Mom.
Mom.
I'm here, Maria.
It's us.
You guys look awful.
Come here.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
Why did she tell us not to come?
[ CRYING ]
Why won't you at least try it?
Well, number one, it's too
sparkly for me,
and, number two, that's
not my color.
Don't you just die of boredom
putting on the same thing
day after day,
month after month,
year after year?
Nope.
[ CRYING ]
Mom, you're missing a diamond.
I know. I know. I'm looking for
it. Don't tell dad.
What, he hasn't noticed?
Heh. Your father?
Hey, will you leave
your mom alone?
She takes long enough without
you distracting her.
We gotta go.
I-I'm ready.
Shh. Don't tell.
Pinky swear.
Listen, you gotta get
over this thing.
I, uh...
I got us tickets to see an
otherwise concert.
And rob really wants to come
with me, but I...
I'd be pretty pissed if I have
to go with that clown.
I know you got a crush on him,
but I got that ticket for you,
so...
You do what you gotta do, okay?
Hey, what's up?
Nothing much.
Oh, wow.
What?
Nothing.
I think your mom's been
looking for that.
MARIA: Boys are so immature.
Oliver called Amy a
freakazoid today.
Real subtle, Oliver.
[ WINCES ]
I mean...
It's so obvious he likes her.
Why doesn't he just tell her?
Wouldn't it be easier if people just
said exactly what they were thinking?
But I guess then I'd have
to do it, too.
Maybe it's not that easy.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
You looking for something?
My long-lost innocence.
Ask your mother.
Maria?
Hi there. Did you finish
your homework?
Yeah.
Why doesn't daddy talk more?
Did you just try to talk to him?
Yeah.
It's just... it's
just who he is.
It doesn't mean that
he's angry at you.
Duh. Why would you
even say that?
Because when we were
first married,
he wouldn't talk to me
all that much,
and it kind of scared me.
Why?
I know...
Sometimes...
I'm...
MARIA: I'm gonna tell daddy to
talk to you more.
No. No, no, no, honey. No,
don't.
Thank you anyway, but don't...
don't mention it, okay?
Daddy has a lot on his mind.
Okay.
What's okay?
Nothing.
You're a good girl.
You're the best girl.
We got the diagnosis.
The DNA is consistent with a
strain of rabies
found in silver-haired bats.
The bite itself would
barely leave a mark.
It might well have occurred
while she was sleeping,
which would explain why
you wouldn't know.
But I don't understand,
because you said
the chances were 160
million to one.
That statistic is accurate.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
So?
You see, once there's
symptoms of rabies,
there's nothing more
anyone can do.
Now, her eyes are no longer
reacting to light.
We've given her two eegs,
which are the... the
brainwaves test,
standard protocol before
removing life support.
Removing life support?
Yeah.
Do you, um, have a room where
I can go and cry?
We don't really have
any private...
why don't I find you an office?
MICHAEL: We should go see her.
[ CRYING ]
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
MARIA: I knew you were there.
I knew you were all there.
DOCTOR: We're ready.
So who would like to
be in the room?
Last summer, mom smelled
smoke in the house.
Of course she blamed me.
She was giving me the
third degree,
so finally told her that
Maria had snuck one.
Maria must have killed you.
[ LAUGHS ] Yeah, she wanted to.
But I let her tweeze
my eyebrows.
It was like her dream come true.
I'm not gonna go back to school.
I can't handle it.
I'm going to stay here
for mom and dad.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
NURSE: I'm sorry. You
can't be on the bed.
What?
It's against regulations.
What are you talking about?
No, no, I-it's fine. Stay put.
I'll take responsibility.
[ ALARM SOUNDING ]
[ ALARM FADES ]
It's mommy, Maria.
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
...outside the home of John
and Brenda fareri,
whose daughter Maria has died
after contracting rabies,
her death caused by a
silver-haired bat.
She passed away after just 10
short days in the hospital.
Deaths from rabies are an
extremely rare occurrence.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
They'll lose
interest eventually.
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
Bye. Bye.
You guys don't have to wait.
No, it's fine.
Let's just get this over with.
Okay.
Love you.
Come here.
Take care, okay?
Yeah.
See you soon.
Okay.
I'm going to get a job.
I'm gonna look tomorrow.
I didn't say anything, honey.
[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]
[ P.A. ] Can I have your
attention, please.
All service to...
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYING
OVER HEADPHONES ]
Hey.
Did you go to any classes today?
[ SIGHS ]
[ CHILDREN YELLING, TALKING ]
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
[ TOOLS WHIRRING ]
[ NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE ]
BRENDA: Just tell the
bursar's office
to send us whatever it is
they're worried about, and
I'll... I'll fix it.
Okay, I will.
Your sister got a job
as a barista.
Cool.
And, um...
We ought to start thinking
about Christmas.
Yeah.
Maybe we could just be together,
but...
Like maybe if we went somewhere
that's not christmassy.
[ "JOY TO THE WORLD"
INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING ]
Merry Christmas.
Oh, you expect someone
else to join?
No.
Happy Christmas.
MICHAEL: I feel like there was
more food here earlier.
BRENDA: We ate it.
No, but there was, like,
plates and stuff.
There was more.
More... there was more here.
Yes, there was a piece of fish.
It's, like, all here.
Very rich. It's very rich.
I'm solid for as in
science and math.
It's history that worries me,
so I'm gonna ask for some
extra-credit work.
Maybe you should talk to your
guidance counselor.
It's not that bad, like an a-,
but I know I can get it to an a.
That's what I mean, sweetie.
You know, you hear about kids
committing suicide
in high school
because they get their first b.
Maybe it would be better to
get it over with
and just get one now.
Oh, my God. You are so mental.
Come on, dad. Come on, dad.
Uh, sorry. I push where?
Where?
That one right on the top,
right...
shit.
We need to decide on the
paneling today.
Here's the breakdown if we go
with the quarter oak.
And if we go with...
John.
JOHN: "This may sound mean,
but I have to admit I hope Amy
isn't as popular as..."
MARIA:...As she was
in sixth grade.
It's kind of hard to have one
of your best friends
incredibly popular
with everyone.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Oh, we had to write our top wish
in English class today,
and even though I have a
million wishes for me,
like being a star or a really
famous scientist,
I wished for the health
and well-being
of all the children
in the world.
It's weird.
JOHN: "It's like it just
wrote itself."
Are you ready, John?
Tamar wants us to
stop by the site
before we go to the office.
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
John.
John?
John?
Why aren't you at work?
Dad got pulled in to some
meetings, and...
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Are you sure? Can I
do anything?
No. Thank you.
I don't... I don't think anyone
can get this out.
It's gotten into the
metal or something.
Okay.
[ SIGHS ]
[ DOOR OPENS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
[ SIGHS ]
Your dinner's on the stove
if you're hungry.
Thanks.
Trouble's waiting
on the corner
he's been telling you
that I'll be there
I'm losing [ SIGHS ]
I'm losing you now
[ ARGUING ]
BRENDA: Were you just going to
run out of the house?
Were you gonna leave a note?
Yes. I did leave a note.
So I'm supposed to
approve of you
going off to Seattle
with some boy
that we haven't even met?
What is in Seattle?
What's here?
I have a job at a coffee shop
where I'm a sitting
duck for people
to continually come in and say,
"be strong for your parents."
Right, like I didn't
lose anything.
I can't believe you're using
Maria to rationalize this.
Don't you understand anything?
What is it that I
don't understand?
Dad is this zombie,
and you go around cleaning,
pretending that
everything's fine.
Maria was the only one
who could get away
with talking about anything
that mattered around here...
So I'm leaving.
MARIA: Picking my top wish
seemed hard at first.
I mean, I have a lot of 'em,
like I want to make a
difference in the world.
I know. It sounds cheesy,
but I want to help people.
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
Dad builds these huge buildings,
and mom makes them look great,
and that makes people happy.
And someday I want to figure out
my own way to make people happy.
[ LAUGHS ]
But that isn't the wish I
picked to write about.
Even though I have a
million wishes for me,
like being a star or a really
famous scientist...
[ LAUGHS ]
I wished for the health
and well-being
of all the children
in the world.
It's weird. It's like it
just wrote itself.
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
[ WHIRRING STOPS ]
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Yeah.
Hey, Eddie.
John. You okay?
I'm gonna build you a hospital,
a children's hospital.
How much will that cost?
Nothing would make me happier,
John,
but, uh, I'd better explain
a couple things.
Okay.
Why don't we go inside
out of the cold?
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ RADIO ]...Figure out
what to do next.
[ BUZZER ]
...encouraged by
Friday's report.
Obviously it was better than
the market expected.
BRENDA: Hello.
Hi. Uh, Brenda?
Yes.
Hi. Bruce komiski.
Uh-huh.
Yeah. John invited
me to dinner.
Oh, uh...
Right. Right.
Uh, let me open the gate, okay?
Give me a second.
You've reached John fareri.
Damn it.
Leave a message.
John, w-where are you,
and who is Bruce?
BRENDA: Have a seat.
Oh, thank you.
Would you like a glass of wine?
Red or white? Sure.
Whatever's open.
Okay. All right. I'll just...
I'll be back in one second.
All right.
Ah.
Here we are.
Thank you. Great.
Cheers. Cheers.
So John's probably just having
one of those crazy days at work.
I'm sure he'll be right
along any minute.
Great.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks.
Unusually, uh, warm for
this time of year?
You know how it is.
It could snow tomorrow or
the next day or...
Right. Funny.
Heh.
That... this is good.
What is it?
Uh, I forget.
I'll go get the bottle.
You know, it's... it's
not important.
No? Okay.
You know what?
I think it actually did
snow last year
right around this time.
Huh.
The weather these days...
Oh.
John.
[ BOTTLE CAP POPS ]
Bruce? What are you doing here?
Dinner.
Remember?
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh. [ CHUCKLES ]
Yeah, sure.
Brenda and I, we got a chance
to get to know one another.
You two have already met, right?
No.
No? No, John.
JOHN: So how was your first
day on the job?
Well, I, uh, got to the
medical center,
and I introduced myself to
the head of planning,
and I... I told her that
I was in charge
of the new hospital project,
and, um... and she said,
if there was such a thing,
that would be her job.
Yeah, yeah. She thinks it is.
Yeah. So I then went to Eddie
stolzenberg's office,
and, um... and he said, "yeah,
yeah, no.
"You don't want to tell
anybody, you know,
what you're doing or... or
why you're here."
[ CHUCKLES ]
So, I mean, he is...
he does have
the authority
to... to build this?
Oh, yeah, he thinks he does,
yeah.
I mean, you know, I, um...
I left my job, and I
moved my stuff here.
If I don't really have a job...
no, you have a job.
I... I hired you.
Uh-huh.
I mean, usually, the
board hires me.
I don't have a board.
Should I get a board?
Bruce, would you like
some more wine?
Yes, please.
Well, he seems very nice.
Yeah.
But do you think you could try
to remember to tell me
the next time you invite
somebody over for dinner?
I mean, I'm... I'm glad you
had someone over
and that we had dinner together.
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ BELL TOLLING ]
Lydia.
John...
Sorry about your loss.
Well, thank you. Thank you.
Uh,
I was wondering if
you've heard about
this project that
I'm working on.
The hospital?
Yeah. Yeah.
Um, I was hoping
that I could have your
support on it.
Honestly, I don't think I can
be much help to you on that.
The folks I have influence with
are just too suspicious of you,
John.
Sorry.
You gotta be kidding.
Really, it was awful.
Apparently, dad talked this guy
into leaving a real job.
Is this some kind of
cut-rate deck?
Oh, listen to her.
Whoa, don't bet outside
your comfort zone.
I'll raise you. Okay.
This guy, by the end
of the evening,
he had this look on his face,
you know, like the
environmentalists get
when they realize that dad has
done a number on them?
Sounds like the old dad.
Yeah.
Is he getting anywhere
with this hospital?
Uh, whew.
I... you know, I don't
really know.
He doesn't talk to me about it.
It's weird. He's normally
such a chatterbox.
Well, it's good he
has a project.
Yes, yes. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Fantasy of some hospital
so he can wipe out the memories
of what happened to Maria
at the old one
and, uh, forget the
family he has left.
Michael. Okay, Michael.
What? It's like none of
us even exist.
Michael, everyone that loses
someone goes through this.
We just have to stick together.
Whose bet is it?
Mine.
[ SIREN BLARING ]
Steph.
You there?
Needless to say, we
love the idea.
We're... we're 100% behind it.
It's a beautiful thing,
what you're doing.
Especially with everything that
you've been through.
Okay. What do you
need me to do?
Well, the thing is...
I'm not a patient you're
giving bad news to.
It's all right. You can just...
what?
All right. Well, how do I...
how do I put this? Um,
despite everybody loving kids
and how they're our... our
future and everything,
uh, pediatrics is the bottom
of the food chain,
neurosurgeons, the
transplant guys
being the big guns around here
since they bring in the money.
Now, they are not happy
with your idea,
because they're like, "well,
we want a new toy.
"We want a gamma knife.
We don't want a
children's hospital."
So they've gone to bitch to all of their
friends at the county legislature,
who unfortunately
are our bosses,
and they're not happy with
your idea either,
because they don't
want to take on
any big capital projects during
an election cycle.
Their biggest donors, who don't
want to lose any business,
they don't want you stealing
any of their business...
[ OVERLAPPING ]...State
board of health
which has to approve any
construction of new hospitals.
They don't want you taking
their business.
And a lot of these s. O.B.S...
...construction on a
new hospital.
Did I leave anything out?
Money.
Yeah, nobody's mentioned where
would the money come from.
Okay. We finished?
That's not enough?
Bruce found a fund-raiser.
I'll speak to the state senator.
It's all good.
Courage, compassion, devotion,
destiny.
What do you think?
It's wonderful, Michael.
It's so big.
That must have hurt quite a lot.
Lot less than laying around,
trying to figure out
how long it would take to
flunk out. Heh.
I'm gonna go for a walk.
[ SIGHS ]
I'm trying to take care of him.
I know. I know you are.
At least I've got my classes
to get my mind off things,
but he's...
did you ever try to talk to
dad about things?
Dad?
I just have to be strong for
him until he comes out of it.
Yeah, but what if he doesn't?
He will.
I know he will.
It's just weird.
For the first time in my life,
I'm realizing he's
not our father.
He is, Julie. He
always has been.
I know.
I keep telling myself that,
but now it's like he
could just disappear
and it'll be like it was
before he came along,
like we were never a family.
Don't say that!
I've always been able
to count on you.
I'm sorry.
I'm trying.
I'm really trying.
[ MARIA LAUGHS ]
Well, I'm amazed that you have
the strength to pursue this
after what you've been through,
losing your only child.
She's not my only child.
I'm sorry. I meant your only...
I'm just saying it's a
beautiful thing,
what you're trying to do,
but it is a big lift.
It's not gonna be all Kumbaya.
I've been trying to
tell him that.
John, you're a developer, right?
You see a piece of property,
you go, "what's this cost?"
Then you pull a few strings.
You bend a few rules.
A year later, the job is done.
The government's not like that.
In politics, you have to hold a very
high standard of low expectations.
Let's say the
county's behind it,
but some jerks in the
legislature,
they're opposed to it,
because they... they got some
kind of pet project.
Yeah, or the
legislature's in favor,
but the division of
budget kills it.
I mean, I don't want to say
anything, but...
Say it.
We both know
you made one or two
enemies along the way.
Come on. It's not like I'm
trying to build a strip club.
I know.
Like I said, it's a
beautiful thing.
I'm just saying.
JOHN: No family should have to
endure what we did.
This is just a no-brainer.
You've got people around here
taking their kids
to a hospital that's...
it's a nightmare.
I mean, you gotta be able to
raise money to fix that, right?
WOMAN: I wish I had better
news to tell you,
but unfortunately the numbers
just don't add up.
We've looked at it from
several different angles.
And this is what it is.
So say you need 120
million to build this.
130 by the time you're done.
So to issue bonds for this,
you need donations of at
least 25 million.
Right, yeah.
Unfortunately, our study shows
that you'd be lucky to raise 10.
10? This is the richest
part of the country.
Trouble is you have
no donor base.
This is a county facility.
People feel like they've done
more than their share
by just paying their taxes.
What about, um, a
corporate sponsor?
Maybe, if you let them put
their name on it.
They might contribute something.
Exactly.
Maria's name is going on it.
What? Maria's name is
going on it.
Right.
Well, I wish you luck.
Thank you for your time.
All right, um...
Maybe... maybe you should
rethink this.
Rethink what?
Aren't you listening to
anything anyone has to say?
What's the point?
They're just saying no.
Why do you think that is?
[ SIGHS ]
You want to quit?
Thanks for dinner. It was good.
John.
Yeah?
I want to be involved.
With the hospital.
I want to help.
You don't... you don't need me?
You want to do it all...
all by yourself?
What are you talking about?
I have Bruce.
Jesus.
She was my daughter, too!
You are not the only one
who feels hurt!
You have three other children!
Do you even care what
they're going through?
Say something.
[ CRYING ]
I can't do this anymore.
I can't... I can't be strong
for you anymore.
I can't do it.
[ FRAGMENTS CRUNCHING ]
MARIA: Adults are so weird.
Mom told me it scares her when
dad doesn't talk to her,
because when she was little,
her mother would get mad
and wouldn't talk to her for
weeks, literally.
But she doesn't want
dad to know that,
because she thinks it
would freak him out
or piss him off or something.
But maybe dad doesn't
talk sometimes
because actions speak
louder than words.
John?
Yeah, it's me.
Where have I been?
I don't know.
I don't know either.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
How long have you been
building hospitals?
Well, gee, it's been
about 17 years now.
Yeah? More or less.
Ready?
Uh, I don't know.
I really don't know about this.
Want to cancel?
Maybe.
Yeah? Okay. No, no, no.
I don't know.
You know, I don't know either.
No.
I mean, I've never done
fund-raising in my life.
Oh, no? No.
No, but the consultant told me
that there's nothing more fun
than looking someone in the
eye, asking for money
and watching them squirm.
That sounds like a nightmare.
Heh.
Right.
So can anyone tell me
what this is?
Um, a basement room?
Anyone else?
Now, I... I gather
that none of you
have had the occasion to be in
a place like this,
and, hopefully, you won't,
because it's a
low-security prison cell.
Now here, here is a place
that we're all likely
to end up in at some point,
a hospital room.
Now, what's amazing to me is how
similar these two rooms are.
You take a person.
You take their clothes.
You assign them a number.
You put them in a room
with a stranger.
You give them
institutional food.
It's the most dehumanizing thing
you can possibly do to a person,
and we do it at the worst
moment of your life.
We do it when you're sick
or you're dying.
Do you want to... do you want
to just say a few...
now? Yeah.
Okay.
[ CLEARS THROAT ]
Um...
Everything that Bruce just said.
Uh, we want to build a place
where there's enough room for
children to get well
and where parents aren't sleeping
in chairs in the hallways.
...has cut its earnings,
recorded a
fourth-quarter charge,
dismissed its auditors
and suffered an
embarrassing 3%...
And here we are. Okay.
Well, your prison
thing was great.
RARBG.COM Oh, thank you.
I was awful.
No, come on. You were great.
No. Yeah.
I didn't... I didn't
know what to say.
I haven't... I haven't really
talked to anyone since...
I'm sorry. Hmm.
John's idea of
bringing me on board
was to dump me on you.
Oh, no.
I know babysitting a...
Grief-stricken basket case
doesn't exactly fit your
job description.
Actually it does pretty much.
Oh.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
You're sweet.
Good night.
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ CELLPHONE BUZZING ]
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ LINE RINGING ]
You have not reached us,
so I'll call you back. [ BEEP ]
[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]
[ INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ]
Hey, sweetie, I don't know if
you have plans tonight,
but if you're free, dad and I are
going over to meet some donors,
and it would be so great if
you guys could come.
It's something we can
all do together.
What do you think?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I've got a paper due Monday,
but if I get that under control,
we were gonna go see some
friends tonight.
Well, we don't want to mess
up your weekend.
It's just so nice to
see you two.
Try to get Steph to come home,
but you know how she is.
Yeah.
Well, this is the design.
Came in last week.
Dad's hired some really
great architects
who've done a lot of hospitals.
JULIE: Great. That's
really great.
I mean, that's just a
preliminary idea, right?
Yeah, it's fine.
Just wonder where you
guys will be at
if you ever finish this
memorial to Maria.
It's not a memorial.
Maria is dead, dad.
She's dead. Mike...
I... look, I don't need you
telling me what I can say.
I'm not telling you... you are.
Stop it!
Oh, and God forbid we upset
mom, because she can't take it.
Hey, don't talk about your
mother like that.
Oh, now you're the
perfect husband?
Where have you been?
You don't know what goes
on between us.
Right. You're right.
Don't worry about mom.
Don't worry about Steph,
wherever she is out there.
Just keep building
your glass box.
That'll make
everything all right.
[ INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ]
Bye, sweetie.
Bye, honey.
Bye.
What?
Heh.
Steph call?
No,
and I'm really starting to
freak out about that.
We've been calling her for days.
Sometimes we're able to
leave messages.
Sometimes it just rings.
The last time you talked to
her, she was where?
San Francisco.
And that was a friendly
conversation?
[ CELLPHONE CHIMES ]
Oh! Oh, thank God!
Is that her?
All right.
I'm so sorry. She
just hates us.
She's just... she's
always been very...
That's great. I mean,
that she's okay.
I'm so sorry. All right,
no worries.
My pleasure. Thank you.
Can... can we get you
some coffee?
No. It's okay.
A sandwich?
No, really. I-I'm fine, thanks.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Maria, she really cared
about people,
and she wanted to make
a difference.
I know how that sounds. I
don't want you
thinking we're these
deluded parents.
I mean, she definitely had
her faults, right?
Yeah, definitely.
And she was, you
know... she could be
very determined when she
wanted something.
I mean, she was her father's
daughter, right?
Her Christmas wish list, I'm...
yeah.
MARIA: Cute tank tops,
a red-hooded sweatshirt,
flannel p.J.S,
a purple I.L.Bean jacket,
an iPod, iTunes gift cards,
oh, and a puppy named Gus.
BRENDA: You can pick three,
okay?
How? This is so depressing.
I mean, what about
toys or games?
Well, honey, these are
things that they need.
I know, mom, but how merry is
a pair of gloves?
Can we please get them some fun
stuff along with the gloves?
Well, you know,
Christmas isn't about
how much money you can spend.
There's a... a budget.
So...
What if I cut some things
off my wish list?
Like, well, I don't
absolutely need a iPod.
And if I cut that,
I guess I won't be needing
iTunes gift cards, will I?
Well, maybe a couple.
I can always play them on
lila's iPod. Yeah.
Eww, don't get all weird.
Oh, my gosh, you guys are so
freaking embarrassing.
Ooh.
What can I tell you?
She'd recently
discovered the power
of the f-word.
[ CHUCKLES ]
It's really wonderful to hear
you talk about her.
Yeah.
Did they... did they
say a million?
They were talking about
dollars, right?
Shh. Oh, my God.
All right.
Yes!
Shh. I'm sorry.
[ LAUGHS ] Shh, shh, shh, shh.
How's it going?
It's all right.
I found something.
Maria wanted me to use it
in the kitchen at the
gimbel estate.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Yeah. That's what I thought.
MARIA: "Rose carmethene."
That's so cool.
Mm, not for a kitchen.
That's too loud.
What's wrong with a
loud kitchen?
Kitchens should be, you know...
Quiet?
Right.
Who says?
You did.
Beige isn't everything.
[ LAUGHS ]
Bye-bye, rose carmethene.
[ KISS ]
Heh heh.
I just thought it was
interesting.
John.
[ CRAYON SCRATCHING ]
You okay?
Yeah. I just couldn't sleep.
Wow.
You know I can't draw.
I'm gonna... I'm
gonna mess it up.
It's a mess already.
Have at it.
I didn't know you
were big on puce.
This is not puce. This, is,
um...
this is jazzberry jam,
I'll have you know.
One of your favorites?
No, no. My favorite...
Is beaver.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
John, this is a
children's hospital.
Okay, give me my beaver back.
It's not a Valentine.
Come on. You said I
couldn't mess it up.
It's a window.
But it's too expensive.
It would not come up to code.
Screw code.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Oh, oh. I spilled some wine
on the hospital.
Oh, Jesus.
Crayons for everyone.
Right. Jazzberry jam.
What is with the rooster?
It's a Turkey!
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
It's not a rooster.
[ LAUGHS ]
Yeah, no.
So you can't see what they're...
Looks like a ship.
Cover that yet? We'll
just have to...
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
I've tried.
The muskwa river stretches out
over an impressive 112 Miles.
Eat, Mike.
You should eat.
Muskwa offers something
for everyone,
such as salmon...
I'm fine, okay?
Okay.
...sturgeon and stripers...
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ] And every
style of fishing.
With blue skies, gorgeous
green mountainsides
and crystal-clear...
MAN: Sign here.
JULIE: Thanks.
It's from mom and dad.
If it's another monet poster
to cheer us up,
I swear I'll have an aneurysm.
Mom's not coming this weekend.
She says she and dad
are too busy
and we should go down for
the long weekend.
Hmm. Guess she doesn't need us
to babysit her anymore.
That's good, right?
Yeah.
Whoa.
You should see this.
Heh. What happened?
Folie deux.
What?
Basically, they've gone crazy.
So, should we?
What?
Go down for the long weekend?
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
God, can you handle this?
Can you?
And for a $100 contribution,
we teach people to make these.
And what is so lovely,
your father said to me,
"Mrs. winereib, we could
use these dolls
to decorate the hospital."
He did?
It's great.
It's just we're used to dad
being kind of a control
freak about design.
Oh, I see.
I hope you don't mind my asking,
but my club was wondering about
Maria's favorite doll.
Um...
she hated dolls.
We've raised nearly 30 million.
And didn't they say we
couldn't do 10?
Now if the miserable bastards
on the New York state hospital
review panel say yes
and your pal Nick in the
legislature lines up the votes,
we got a shot.
No, it's more than just a shot,
though.
It's... I've built
hospitals before,
but this is... I mean, we
are gonna have...
if they let us do it,
we're gonna have
arts-and-crafts rooms
on every floor,
foldout beds in every room
so parents, they can sleep
with their kids.
You know, and I got the mta to
give us a locomotive
so the kids have a
place to play.
And... but no. No, wait. It's...
it's not about a building.
This is about... this is about...
it's about... it's
about a feeling.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's about
building a feeling.
You know, Bruce used to be one
hell of a businessman
before he met Brenda and John.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Mrs. fareri.
Amy?
Oh, look who's here, John.
Hi. How are you?
Yeah, I'm fine,
but I'm really stressed
about my final exams next week.
Of course. Oh, it's
great to see you.
You, too.
Let me introduce you to
some of our friends.
This is Bruce. Hi.
This is a good
friend of Maria's.
Oh. Lydia.
John.
I'm glad you came.
I always support things
that are good for our community.
I just didn't expect it would
come from your direction.
Oh. Ow.
Well, you know, my daughter would
have felt the same way as you.
She was as tough on
me as you are.
Wish I'd known her.
Yeah, but the two of
you together,
no, that would have...
that would have finished me off.
JOHN: Here we go.
This is good. Just right there.
If anyone finds a cellphone, it
belongs to Mrs. Bennett.
You can just toss those.
But that's such a total waste.
Well, thank you for pointing
that out, Steph.
I have a whole fridgeful that
wasn't even put out.
Okay.
What?
Come here.
[ CRYING ]
JOHN: Honey.
Come on. Let's go.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
Yeah?
EDDIE: I'm so sorry.
It didn't pass.
I know you did everything...
Jesus! What?
It was Eddie.
The deal fell apart
in legislature.
Wait. I thought... I thought
he had the votes.
Hey, where are you going?
What the hell, Nick? John.
No, I don't want excuses.
What kind of an idiot
votes against this?
I want to talk to them. You
don't need to do that.
Just tell me their names!
You don't need to do that.
I want names!
John, listen to me. We
didn't give up.
We pushed it through.
It's done, okay?
I was just about to call you.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Sorry.
Congratulations.
You did it.
RARBG.COM I honestly didn't
think you could,
but you did it.
No. Maria did it.
I just want to change before
we go to the office.
Or we could take the day off,
go back to bed.
MARIA: Sometimes it seems
like all is lost,
and then along comes
a sunny day.
Yeah, my name is on a building,
but I left something else behind
that means even more to me,
a family that talks
to each other,
that loves each other.
They may have lost their glue,
but they didn't come apart.
Told you it wasn't a sad story.
[ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING ]
[ BALLAD PLAYS ]
Shadow boxers in
the old arcade
summer breezes blow
right through them
drop a coin in the slot
it slides in
anticipation
eyes wide open
ah ah
on the beach under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
on the beach under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
on the streets,
we'll pedal far
at the mercy of the cars
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
[ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYS ]
GIRL: This is not a sad story.
Well, that's what you were
thinking, isn't it?
You hear this music,
and you see me pedaling down
some sun-dappled street,
and you think, "uh-oh."
Ow! Oh, my gosh, Maria.
It's a story about my family
and how much we all
love each other.
[ SQUEALS ] Julie!
Julie's the oldest of
the triplets,
and she never lets the
other two forget it.
[ LAUGHING, SQUEALING]
I can do this, honey.
Why don't you go...
NARRATOR: That's Steph.
When she does talk
to my parents,
she usually says the
wrong thing.
And Michael, snark central.
When do we get a break?
Are you in the union?
He's joking, but he means it.
Then there's dad.
Dad doesn't say the wrong thing.
He just doesn't say anything.
This reminds me of
our first date.
Not again.
[ KIDS GROAN ] I want to hear.
He invited me over to a house
he was remodeling
to help peel wallpaper.
Uh-huh. Wow.
You're such a romantic, dad.
I am. On the second date, we
pulled carpeting.
Mm-hmm.
She probably liked it.
Actually, I did, Steph.
We had fun.
Am I right? Yeah.
STEPH: Well, that's about all
the fun I can handle.
Nice way to get out of working.
So is that when you fell
in love with mom?
When did you fall in
love with me?
Oh, I-I'll let you know.
[ BOTH CHUCKLE ]
[ KISS ]
Hey, you should have called.
"I know mom's unhappy you're
not getting along
"even if she doesn't show it.
You should talk to her."
She thinks it's so easy.
MARIA: I guess you could say
my role in the family
is the glue.
I'm always trying to get
everyone to stick together.
I'm not in the mood.
I have a headache.
Want me to fix it?
You could breathe again
you would...
Feel better?
Mm-hmm.
So what will you do when you're
at college and I'm not there?
I'll come see you.
It's not that far.
It's just Boston.
Yeah, but what if you went to
nyu and commuted?
Or if you had a dorm?
I could take the
train on weekends,
and you could pick me up
at grand central.
...house is falling
your house is falling down
MARIA: Even I couldn't
fix everything.
One day at school,
my shoulder started
hurting really bad.
That night, I woke up with the
worst headache in my life.
[ TIRES SKID ]
Okay.
Here we go. Got her?
Dad.
It's okay, sweetie. I got you.
[ MARIA SOBS ]
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ] Yeah,
we got him here now.
I want to go home. I know.
I wouldn't worry. If you're
half the s.O.B. Your father is,
we'll have you out of
here by breakfast.
I always treated you like a
lady, didn't I?
Eddie and I did some
business last year.
Oh, he did the business.
I ate crow.
Sorry.
If I didn't have a
taste for crow,
would I be running a
place like this?
MARIA: The triplets were leaving
soon for college in Boston.
I was worried about
being left alone,
but I was more worried
about Michael.
What would he do without me?
On the beach, under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's...
Where you going?
Pick up some smokes.
I want to go.
Mom won't let you.
It's perfect for a ladybug
MICHAEL: I can't
believe she caved.
I told her my homework was
done, which it is.
It's just different from how we
grew up. That's all.
You think I'm spoiled?
Well, you are kind of queen of
the universe, right?
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
Animal rights activists have...
[ POP ] I'm gonna let you...
No. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You can listen to that corporate
crap with Steph and Julie.
Get a cd.
All my friends listen to
that crap, too.
When you go to Boston,
how am I gonna know what I
should be listening to?
Heh. You never give up, do you?
Yeah, otherwise.
Good choice.
Okay.
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYS ]
Seriously, if you go
away to colle...
[ VOLUME INCREASES ]
It's not all my fault.
What?
That I'm supposedly spoiled.
Yeah. Heh. I guess mom just
likes giving you
stuff she couldn't give us.
Before dad made all his money?
I don't mean money.
Like before they got married,
she was just way stressed trying to
handle the three of us by herself.
I don't think she was ever really
happy till you came along.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
It's kind of crazy dad married
someone with triplets.
Yeah. Well, he's kind of crazy.
We were very, very cute, though.
Can I have a drag?
Come on. I'm not a baby.
We'll have a smoke together
in a few years.
But by then, I'll have quit.
JULIE: I'm really worried.
I know. I know.
Now, the thing about
encephalitis
is that it tends to resolve
itself without any treatment,
so our job is basically seeing
that you stay as comfortable
as possible in the meantime.
How's that sound?
Mom, are you there?
Sorry. We have a g.S.W.
Coming in,
and all the cubicles are taken.
We're almost done. Okay.
Mom?
What's a g.S.W.?
I knew that the pediatrician
was wrong about the backpack,
because a pinched nerve does not
produce neurological symptoms.
Is a g.S.W. A gunshot wound?
You're too smart for me.
Oh, my God. This place...
[ DOORS BANG OPEN ] Excuse me!
DOCTOR: Tell me about it,
but you're safe here.
[ BABY CRIES ]
MAN: You gotta stay
with your family.
I'll get you some water and
settle your nerves.
JULIE: What do they
think happened?
Well, she probably got it
from the tick.
Keep you hydrated.
[ P.A. ] Nurse Carson,
you have a phone call, line one.
Nurse Carson, you have a
phone call, line one.
All right, Julie, listen.
She's gonna be fine.
Should we take the train
down tomorrow?
Julie, just... no. Stay...
stay put. Finish your
week's classes.
Okay, mom. Just let me know.
Okay.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Are we ever gonna find this
young lady a bed?
Sorry. As you've
undoubtedly noticed,
we've got serious
space issues here.
This is Mr. marchwinski.
He's our p.R. Guy.
That's why he's
advertising our problems.
No wonder we're going broke.
I got to go.
Can I just get over there?
Eddie's... Eddie's amazing.
We may be a lowly
county hospital,
but he gets us the best
doctors in the world.
We heard. That's why we
drove to Westchester
instead of our local hospital.
I'm glad you did. So, Maria,
is there anything I
can do for you?
Paint the walls something
that doesn't make me
hate my life.
Maria, this is a hospital.
No, she's right. I mean,
what does
a place that looks like
this communicate?
That's how my dad
talks to people,
by building things.
Well, that must make for
slow conversations.
[ CHUCKLES ]
MARIA: How do you know if
a boy likes you?
Judging from mom and dad, I
wouldn't have a clue.
Yeah, they work together,
but what about the
rest of the time?
Look, I want to float the walls
of the storage space,
or it'll look like a
fortress in here.
We're gonna move that load-bearing
wall two feet the other way.
That's going to be
repermitting there,
and that could hold us up
for a few weeks.
Just do it, and I'll talk
to the building
department later.
You're the boss.
What?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Put your helmet on, tough guy.
Listen, it's easier to ask
for forgiveness...
than permission. Okay, dad.
Hey, did you go to school with
a guy named kerrigan?
Kerrigan? Yeah.
I don't know. Maybe. Why?
His son's in my class.
Maybe you should invite the
kerrigans for dinner.
Ah, maybe I should invite
the other 800 guys
I went to school with, too.
Maybe you should.
Can we stop at Ben & Jerry's?
Who is this Ben and Jerry?
I don't know these boys.
Lame.
No, we gotta pick up your mom.
She's been doing
interiors all day.
Work, work, work.
MARIA: I don't think I'd want
to work with my husband,
unless his job was
making ice cream.
Then I guess I could handle it.
I don't think your dad likes me.
What are you talking about?
Like, he never talks to me.
Yeah, well, that's
just how he is.
He doesn't really
talk to anyone.
Your mom's easy to talk to.
Yeah, but she talks too much.
[ GIRLS LAUGH ]
I want that rock.
No, I want that one.
Well, that's really fair, guys.
You say that I'm
messing with your head
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
avril's corporate crap.
No, she's not.
Oh, know what?
What?
Max kerrigan
was behind me on the bus,
and he kind of pulled my hair,
and he was like, "you
have a lot of hair."
Well, you do. Yeah.
Then he was like, "you don't
know where I live,
"'cause I get off the bus first,
"but I know where you live,
'cause our dads went to
school together."
That's totally illogical.
Maybe he likes you.
[ LAUGHING ]
And now I figure
what the hell?
Oh, my God. Really? All I
want is to mess around
and I don't really care about
if you love me, if you hate me
you can save me, baby, baby
all my life I've been good,
but now
whoa, I'm thinking
what the hell
what the hell
LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA
whoa
MARIA: I'm gonna fall.
I need to lie down.
You are. You're in bed.
What kind of house is this?
It's a hospital.
Oh, right.
It sucks here, but you'll
get used to it.
I've been coming here since I
was, like, three.
My arm just jumped.
[ CHUCKLES ] That
was a good one.
Go, go, go, go.
I got something!
Fight it! Fight it! Oh, my God.
Just reel, reel, reel, reel!
[ LAUGHS ]
What do I do?
Give it some muscle.
Oh, my God. Here it comes. Oh,
I can see it.
I can see it. It's huge.
What? It's huge.
I don't want to look. I'm
reeling it in.
No slack. Here. Hey, here...
oh, yes, look at the size of it.
That is a record.
That is twice the size
of the garbage bag I
caught last week.
It's not funny! You know what?
Should we bring it home
for mom to clean,
and we'll eat it later?
You want to stuff it and
mount it on your wall?
It's a beauty.
MARIA: See? My dad's
not all bad.
He's not even part bad, really.
The thing that changes your
life forever can be big,
like falling in love.
Or small,
so small that it doesn't
even leave a mark.
[ SQUEAKS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
[ P.A. ] Dr. snow,
please call...
You know, when they let her
out in the morning,
she and I can take a cab.
You should go home and
get some sleep.
What about you? You... you go.
No. I'm not the one that has a
meeting with Turner at 9:30.
Yeah, yeah. Come here.
Hey, I really liked
yesterday's entry.
You didn't!
[ LAUGHS ]
If you ever...
Dad says it's easier
to ask for forgiveness
than permission.
I guess that's why he
does what he wants,
then asks questions later.
It's also why some people
don't like him.
WOMAN: Mr. fareri
proposes building
17 luxury residences
on the 140 acres of the
former gimbel estate.
Time and again, he's maneuvered
around zoning restrictions
and the will of this council,
contributing to the unchecked
growth of our community.
We used to live like neighbors,
talk to one another.
Now we hide out behind the
walls of luxury homes.
But who wants to talk to their
neighbors, anyway?
Thank you.
WOMAN: Come on. You
want to find...
[ BOY CHATTERS ]
I'm sorry. Can we, uh,
have a moment here?
Sure. Uh, hey,
come on. Come on.
Come on.
BOY: Why do we have to go?
Hope you're feeling better,
Austin.
Uh, we just wanted to ask if
there's any chance
that either of you were aware of
that Maria might have been
bitten by an animal
in the past few months?
Scratched?
Other than the tick?
I mean, not that I'm aware of,
but...
As you know, she's grown worse.
I think we actually have to
consider another possibility here.
What?
That, uh, Maria may have
contracted rabies.
[ GASPS ]
They tell me that the odds of
it being rabies are tiny,
like 160 million to one.
They're gonna run some tests,
but odds are,
it's encephalitis,
overwhelmingly.
What if it were rabies?
What will we do?
Noth... there's nothing.
Well, we've already gone ahead
and contacted the center
for disease control
and the pasteur institute
looking for any insights
they can provide us with
moving forward,
but main thing we
want to do now,
we want to try and slow
her system down
so that she has the energy
to fight the virus,
which would also help with
the encephalitis,
if that's what it
turns out to be.
Do it. Whatever it takes,
do it.
[ CRIES ]
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
Excuse me. Yes?
Are you Mrs. fareri? Yeah.
I wonder if you had a
moment for me.
I just had a couple
of questions.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
She does not have rabies,
and this is not a news story.
This is my daughter that
we're speaking about.
I understand, but if
there's a chance
there's rabies in the area,
people should...
miss, miss, the emergency
room is that way.
I'm not looking for the
emergency room.
You will be in about
two seconds.
You understand?
I don't know how they
got your name.
We've tried to keep this quiet.
Well, this woman had no
trouble finding me.
If I find out who leaked it...
clearly we need to run
a tighter ship
around here in more
ways than one.
Let... let me go see
if there's anything I can
do for you guys.
[ WHEEL THUMPING ]
Hyah.
[ INDISTINCT P.A.
ANNOUNCEMENT ]
[ MOP SLAPPING ]
Mom.
Mom.
Mom.
I'm here, Maria.
It's us.
You guys look awful.
Come here.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
Why did she tell us not to come?
[ CRYING ]
Why won't you at least try it?
Well, number one, it's too
sparkly for me,
and, number two, that's
not my color.
Don't you just die of boredom
putting on the same thing
day after day,
month after month,
year after year?
Nope.
[ CRYING ]
Mom, you're missing a diamond.
I know. I know. I'm looking for
it. Don't tell dad.
What, he hasn't noticed?
Heh. Your father?
Hey, will you leave
your mom alone?
She takes long enough without
you distracting her.
We gotta go.
I-I'm ready.
Shh. Don't tell.
Pinky swear.
Listen, you gotta get
over this thing.
I, uh...
I got us tickets to see an
otherwise concert.
And rob really wants to come
with me, but I...
I'd be pretty pissed if I have
to go with that clown.
I know you got a crush on him,
but I got that ticket for you,
so...
You do what you gotta do, okay?
Hey, what's up?
Nothing much.
Oh, wow.
What?
Nothing.
I think your mom's been
looking for that.
MARIA: Boys are so immature.
Oliver called Amy a
freakazoid today.
Real subtle, Oliver.
[ WINCES ]
I mean...
It's so obvious he likes her.
Why doesn't he just tell her?
Wouldn't it be easier if people just
said exactly what they were thinking?
But I guess then I'd have
to do it, too.
Maybe it's not that easy.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
You looking for something?
My long-lost innocence.
Ask your mother.
Maria?
Hi there. Did you finish
your homework?
Yeah.
Why doesn't daddy talk more?
Did you just try to talk to him?
Yeah.
It's just... it's
just who he is.
It doesn't mean that
he's angry at you.
Duh. Why would you
even say that?
Because when we were
first married,
he wouldn't talk to me
all that much,
and it kind of scared me.
Why?
I know...
Sometimes...
I'm...
MARIA: I'm gonna tell daddy to
talk to you more.
No. No, no, no, honey. No,
don't.
Thank you anyway, but don't...
don't mention it, okay?
Daddy has a lot on his mind.
Okay.
What's okay?
Nothing.
You're a good girl.
You're the best girl.
We got the diagnosis.
The DNA is consistent with a
strain of rabies
found in silver-haired bats.
The bite itself would
barely leave a mark.
It might well have occurred
while she was sleeping,
which would explain why
you wouldn't know.
But I don't understand,
because you said
the chances were 160
million to one.
That statistic is accurate.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
So?
You see, once there's
symptoms of rabies,
there's nothing more
anyone can do.
Now, her eyes are no longer
reacting to light.
We've given her two eegs,
which are the... the
brainwaves test,
standard protocol before
removing life support.
Removing life support?
Yeah.
Do you, um, have a room where
I can go and cry?
We don't really have
any private...
why don't I find you an office?
MICHAEL: We should go see her.
[ CRYING ]
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
MARIA: I knew you were there.
I knew you were all there.
DOCTOR: We're ready.
So who would like to
be in the room?
Last summer, mom smelled
smoke in the house.
Of course she blamed me.
She was giving me the
third degree,
so finally told her that
Maria had snuck one.
Maria must have killed you.
[ LAUGHS ] Yeah, she wanted to.
But I let her tweeze
my eyebrows.
It was like her dream come true.
I'm not gonna go back to school.
I can't handle it.
I'm going to stay here
for mom and dad.
[ RESPIRATOR PUMPING ]
NURSE: I'm sorry. You
can't be on the bed.
What?
It's against regulations.
What are you talking about?
No, no, I-it's fine. Stay put.
I'll take responsibility.
[ ALARM SOUNDING ]
[ ALARM FADES ]
It's mommy, Maria.
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
...outside the home of John
and Brenda fareri,
whose daughter Maria has died
after contracting rabies,
her death caused by a
silver-haired bat.
She passed away after just 10
short days in the hospital.
Deaths from rabies are an
extremely rare occurrence.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
They'll lose
interest eventually.
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
Bye. Bye.
You guys don't have to wait.
No, it's fine.
Let's just get this over with.
Okay.
Love you.
Come here.
Take care, okay?
Yeah.
See you soon.
Okay.
I'm going to get a job.
I'm gonna look tomorrow.
I didn't say anything, honey.
[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]
[ P.A. ] Can I have your
attention, please.
All service to...
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYING
OVER HEADPHONES ]
Hey.
Did you go to any classes today?
[ SIGHS ]
[ CHILDREN YELLING, TALKING ]
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
[ TOOLS WHIRRING ]
[ NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE ]
BRENDA: Just tell the
bursar's office
to send us whatever it is
they're worried about, and
I'll... I'll fix it.
Okay, I will.
Your sister got a job
as a barista.
Cool.
And, um...
We ought to start thinking
about Christmas.
Yeah.
Maybe we could just be together,
but...
Like maybe if we went somewhere
that's not christmassy.
[ "JOY TO THE WORLD"
INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING ]
Merry Christmas.
Oh, you expect someone
else to join?
No.
Happy Christmas.
MICHAEL: I feel like there was
more food here earlier.
BRENDA: We ate it.
No, but there was, like,
plates and stuff.
There was more.
More... there was more here.
Yes, there was a piece of fish.
It's, like, all here.
Very rich. It's very rich.
I'm solid for as in
science and math.
It's history that worries me,
so I'm gonna ask for some
extra-credit work.
Maybe you should talk to your
guidance counselor.
It's not that bad, like an a-,
but I know I can get it to an a.
That's what I mean, sweetie.
You know, you hear about kids
committing suicide
in high school
because they get their first b.
Maybe it would be better to
get it over with
and just get one now.
Oh, my God. You are so mental.
Come on, dad. Come on, dad.
Uh, sorry. I push where?
Where?
That one right on the top,
right...
shit.
We need to decide on the
paneling today.
Here's the breakdown if we go
with the quarter oak.
And if we go with...
John.
JOHN: "This may sound mean,
but I have to admit I hope Amy
isn't as popular as..."
MARIA:...As she was
in sixth grade.
It's kind of hard to have one
of your best friends
incredibly popular
with everyone.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Oh, we had to write our top wish
in English class today,
and even though I have a
million wishes for me,
like being a star or a really
famous scientist,
I wished for the health
and well-being
of all the children
in the world.
It's weird.
JOHN: "It's like it just
wrote itself."
Are you ready, John?
Tamar wants us to
stop by the site
before we go to the office.
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
John.
John?
John?
Why aren't you at work?
Dad got pulled in to some
meetings, and...
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Are you sure? Can I
do anything?
No. Thank you.
I don't... I don't think anyone
can get this out.
It's gotten into the
metal or something.
Okay.
[ SIGHS ]
[ DOOR OPENS ]
[ DOOR CLOSES ]
[ SIGHS ]
Your dinner's on the stove
if you're hungry.
Thanks.
Trouble's waiting
on the corner
he's been telling you
that I'll be there
I'm losing [ SIGHS ]
I'm losing you now
[ ARGUING ]
BRENDA: Were you just going to
run out of the house?
Were you gonna leave a note?
Yes. I did leave a note.
So I'm supposed to
approve of you
going off to Seattle
with some boy
that we haven't even met?
What is in Seattle?
What's here?
I have a job at a coffee shop
where I'm a sitting
duck for people
to continually come in and say,
"be strong for your parents."
Right, like I didn't
lose anything.
I can't believe you're using
Maria to rationalize this.
Don't you understand anything?
What is it that I
don't understand?
Dad is this zombie,
and you go around cleaning,
pretending that
everything's fine.
Maria was the only one
who could get away
with talking about anything
that mattered around here...
So I'm leaving.
MARIA: Picking my top wish
seemed hard at first.
I mean, I have a lot of 'em,
like I want to make a
difference in the world.
I know. It sounds cheesy,
but I want to help people.
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
Dad builds these huge buildings,
and mom makes them look great,
and that makes people happy.
And someday I want to figure out
my own way to make people happy.
[ LAUGHS ]
But that isn't the wish I
picked to write about.
Even though I have a
million wishes for me,
like being a star or a really
famous scientist...
[ LAUGHS ]
I wished for the health
and well-being
of all the children
in the world.
It's weird. It's like it
just wrote itself.
[ VACUUM WHIRRING ]
[ WHIRRING STOPS ]
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Yeah.
Hey, Eddie.
John. You okay?
I'm gonna build you a hospital,
a children's hospital.
How much will that cost?
Nothing would make me happier,
John,
but, uh, I'd better explain
a couple things.
Okay.
Why don't we go inside
out of the cold?
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ RADIO ]...Figure out
what to do next.
[ BUZZER ]
...encouraged by
Friday's report.
Obviously it was better than
the market expected.
BRENDA: Hello.
Hi. Uh, Brenda?
Yes.
Hi. Bruce komiski.
Uh-huh.
Yeah. John invited
me to dinner.
Oh, uh...
Right. Right.
Uh, let me open the gate, okay?
Give me a second.
You've reached John fareri.
Damn it.
Leave a message.
John, w-where are you,
and who is Bruce?
BRENDA: Have a seat.
Oh, thank you.
Would you like a glass of wine?
Red or white? Sure.
Whatever's open.
Okay. All right. I'll just...
I'll be back in one second.
All right.
Ah.
Here we are.
Thank you. Great.
Cheers. Cheers.
So John's probably just having
one of those crazy days at work.
I'm sure he'll be right
along any minute.
Great.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks.
Unusually, uh, warm for
this time of year?
You know how it is.
It could snow tomorrow or
the next day or...
Right. Funny.
Heh.
That... this is good.
What is it?
Uh, I forget.
I'll go get the bottle.
You know, it's... it's
not important.
No? Okay.
You know what?
I think it actually did
snow last year
right around this time.
Huh.
The weather these days...
Oh.
John.
[ BOTTLE CAP POPS ]
Bruce? What are you doing here?
Dinner.
Remember?
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh. [ CHUCKLES ]
Yeah, sure.
Brenda and I, we got a chance
to get to know one another.
You two have already met, right?
No.
No? No, John.
JOHN: So how was your first
day on the job?
Well, I, uh, got to the
medical center,
and I introduced myself to
the head of planning,
and I... I told her that
I was in charge
of the new hospital project,
and, um... and she said,
if there was such a thing,
that would be her job.
Yeah, yeah. She thinks it is.
Yeah. So I then went to Eddie
stolzenberg's office,
and, um... and he said, "yeah,
yeah, no.
"You don't want to tell
anybody, you know,
what you're doing or... or
why you're here."
[ CHUCKLES ]
So, I mean, he is...
he does have
the authority
to... to build this?
Oh, yeah, he thinks he does,
yeah.
I mean, you know, I, um...
I left my job, and I
moved my stuff here.
If I don't really have a job...
no, you have a job.
I... I hired you.
Uh-huh.
I mean, usually, the
board hires me.
I don't have a board.
Should I get a board?
Bruce, would you like
some more wine?
Yes, please.
Well, he seems very nice.
Yeah.
But do you think you could try
to remember to tell me
the next time you invite
somebody over for dinner?
I mean, I'm... I'm glad you
had someone over
and that we had dinner together.
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ BELL TOLLING ]
Lydia.
John...
Sorry about your loss.
Well, thank you. Thank you.
Uh,
I was wondering if
you've heard about
this project that
I'm working on.
The hospital?
Yeah. Yeah.
Um, I was hoping
that I could have your
support on it.
Honestly, I don't think I can
be much help to you on that.
The folks I have influence with
are just too suspicious of you,
John.
Sorry.
You gotta be kidding.
Really, it was awful.
Apparently, dad talked this guy
into leaving a real job.
Is this some kind of
cut-rate deck?
Oh, listen to her.
Whoa, don't bet outside
your comfort zone.
I'll raise you. Okay.
This guy, by the end
of the evening,
he had this look on his face,
you know, like the
environmentalists get
when they realize that dad has
done a number on them?
Sounds like the old dad.
Yeah.
Is he getting anywhere
with this hospital?
Uh, whew.
I... you know, I don't
really know.
He doesn't talk to me about it.
It's weird. He's normally
such a chatterbox.
Well, it's good he
has a project.
Yes, yes. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Fantasy of some hospital
so he can wipe out the memories
of what happened to Maria
at the old one
and, uh, forget the
family he has left.
Michael. Okay, Michael.
What? It's like none of
us even exist.
Michael, everyone that loses
someone goes through this.
We just have to stick together.
Whose bet is it?
Mine.
[ SIREN BLARING ]
Steph.
You there?
Needless to say, we
love the idea.
We're... we're 100% behind it.
It's a beautiful thing,
what you're doing.
Especially with everything that
you've been through.
Okay. What do you
need me to do?
Well, the thing is...
I'm not a patient you're
giving bad news to.
It's all right. You can just...
what?
All right. Well, how do I...
how do I put this? Um,
despite everybody loving kids
and how they're our... our
future and everything,
uh, pediatrics is the bottom
of the food chain,
neurosurgeons, the
transplant guys
being the big guns around here
since they bring in the money.
Now, they are not happy
with your idea,
because they're like, "well,
we want a new toy.
"We want a gamma knife.
We don't want a
children's hospital."
So they've gone to bitch to all of their
friends at the county legislature,
who unfortunately
are our bosses,
and they're not happy with
your idea either,
because they don't
want to take on
any big capital projects during
an election cycle.
Their biggest donors, who don't
want to lose any business,
they don't want you stealing
any of their business...
[ OVERLAPPING ]...State
board of health
which has to approve any
construction of new hospitals.
They don't want you taking
their business.
And a lot of these s. O.B.S...
...construction on a
new hospital.
Did I leave anything out?
Money.
Yeah, nobody's mentioned where
would the money come from.
Okay. We finished?
That's not enough?
Bruce found a fund-raiser.
I'll speak to the state senator.
It's all good.
Courage, compassion, devotion,
destiny.
What do you think?
It's wonderful, Michael.
It's so big.
That must have hurt quite a lot.
Lot less than laying around,
trying to figure out
how long it would take to
flunk out. Heh.
I'm gonna go for a walk.
[ SIGHS ]
I'm trying to take care of him.
I know. I know you are.
At least I've got my classes
to get my mind off things,
but he's...
did you ever try to talk to
dad about things?
Dad?
I just have to be strong for
him until he comes out of it.
Yeah, but what if he doesn't?
He will.
I know he will.
It's just weird.
For the first time in my life,
I'm realizing he's
not our father.
He is, Julie. He
always has been.
I know.
I keep telling myself that,
but now it's like he
could just disappear
and it'll be like it was
before he came along,
like we were never a family.
Don't say that!
I've always been able
to count on you.
I'm sorry.
I'm trying.
I'm really trying.
[ MARIA LAUGHS ]
Well, I'm amazed that you have
the strength to pursue this
after what you've been through,
losing your only child.
She's not my only child.
I'm sorry. I meant your only...
I'm just saying it's a
beautiful thing,
what you're trying to do,
but it is a big lift.
It's not gonna be all Kumbaya.
I've been trying to
tell him that.
John, you're a developer, right?
You see a piece of property,
you go, "what's this cost?"
Then you pull a few strings.
You bend a few rules.
A year later, the job is done.
The government's not like that.
In politics, you have to hold a very
high standard of low expectations.
Let's say the
county's behind it,
but some jerks in the
legislature,
they're opposed to it,
because they... they got some
kind of pet project.
Yeah, or the
legislature's in favor,
but the division of
budget kills it.
I mean, I don't want to say
anything, but...
Say it.
We both know
you made one or two
enemies along the way.
Come on. It's not like I'm
trying to build a strip club.
I know.
Like I said, it's a
beautiful thing.
I'm just saying.
JOHN: No family should have to
endure what we did.
This is just a no-brainer.
You've got people around here
taking their kids
to a hospital that's...
it's a nightmare.
I mean, you gotta be able to
raise money to fix that, right?
WOMAN: I wish I had better
news to tell you,
but unfortunately the numbers
just don't add up.
We've looked at it from
several different angles.
And this is what it is.
So say you need 120
million to build this.
130 by the time you're done.
So to issue bonds for this,
you need donations of at
least 25 million.
Right, yeah.
Unfortunately, our study shows
that you'd be lucky to raise 10.
10? This is the richest
part of the country.
Trouble is you have
no donor base.
This is a county facility.
People feel like they've done
more than their share
by just paying their taxes.
What about, um, a
corporate sponsor?
Maybe, if you let them put
their name on it.
They might contribute something.
Exactly.
Maria's name is going on it.
What? Maria's name is
going on it.
Right.
Well, I wish you luck.
Thank you for your time.
All right, um...
Maybe... maybe you should
rethink this.
Rethink what?
Aren't you listening to
anything anyone has to say?
What's the point?
They're just saying no.
Why do you think that is?
[ SIGHS ]
You want to quit?
Thanks for dinner. It was good.
John.
Yeah?
I want to be involved.
With the hospital.
I want to help.
You don't... you don't need me?
You want to do it all...
all by yourself?
What are you talking about?
I have Bruce.
Jesus.
She was my daughter, too!
You are not the only one
who feels hurt!
You have three other children!
Do you even care what
they're going through?
Say something.
[ CRYING ]
I can't do this anymore.
I can't... I can't be strong
for you anymore.
I can't do it.
[ FRAGMENTS CRUNCHING ]
MARIA: Adults are so weird.
Mom told me it scares her when
dad doesn't talk to her,
because when she was little,
her mother would get mad
and wouldn't talk to her for
weeks, literally.
But she doesn't want
dad to know that,
because she thinks it
would freak him out
or piss him off or something.
But maybe dad doesn't
talk sometimes
because actions speak
louder than words.
John?
Yeah, it's me.
Where have I been?
I don't know.
I don't know either.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
How long have you been
building hospitals?
Well, gee, it's been
about 17 years now.
Yeah? More or less.
Ready?
Uh, I don't know.
I really don't know about this.
Want to cancel?
Maybe.
Yeah? Okay. No, no, no.
I don't know.
You know, I don't know either.
No.
I mean, I've never done
fund-raising in my life.
Oh, no? No.
No, but the consultant told me
that there's nothing more fun
than looking someone in the
eye, asking for money
and watching them squirm.
That sounds like a nightmare.
Heh.
Right.
So can anyone tell me
what this is?
Um, a basement room?
Anyone else?
Now, I... I gather
that none of you
have had the occasion to be in
a place like this,
and, hopefully, you won't,
because it's a
low-security prison cell.
Now here, here is a place
that we're all likely
to end up in at some point,
a hospital room.
Now, what's amazing to me is how
similar these two rooms are.
You take a person.
You take their clothes.
You assign them a number.
You put them in a room
with a stranger.
You give them
institutional food.
It's the most dehumanizing thing
you can possibly do to a person,
and we do it at the worst
moment of your life.
We do it when you're sick
or you're dying.
Do you want to... do you want
to just say a few...
now? Yeah.
Okay.
[ CLEARS THROAT ]
Um...
Everything that Bruce just said.
Uh, we want to build a place
where there's enough room for
children to get well
and where parents aren't sleeping
in chairs in the hallways.
...has cut its earnings,
recorded a
fourth-quarter charge,
dismissed its auditors
and suffered an
embarrassing 3%...
And here we are. Okay.
Well, your prison
thing was great.
RARBG.COM Oh, thank you.
I was awful.
No, come on. You were great.
No. Yeah.
I didn't... I didn't
know what to say.
I haven't... I haven't really
talked to anyone since...
I'm sorry. Hmm.
John's idea of
bringing me on board
was to dump me on you.
Oh, no.
I know babysitting a...
Grief-stricken basket case
doesn't exactly fit your
job description.
Actually it does pretty much.
Oh.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
You're sweet.
Good night.
[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]
[ CELLPHONE BUZZING ]
[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]
[ LINE RINGING ]
You have not reached us,
so I'll call you back. [ BEEP ]
[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]
[ INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ]
Hey, sweetie, I don't know if
you have plans tonight,
but if you're free, dad and I are
going over to meet some donors,
and it would be so great if
you guys could come.
It's something we can
all do together.
What do you think?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I've got a paper due Monday,
but if I get that under control,
we were gonna go see some
friends tonight.
Well, we don't want to mess
up your weekend.
It's just so nice to
see you two.
Try to get Steph to come home,
but you know how she is.
Yeah.
Well, this is the design.
Came in last week.
Dad's hired some really
great architects
who've done a lot of hospitals.
JULIE: Great. That's
really great.
I mean, that's just a
preliminary idea, right?
Yeah, it's fine.
Just wonder where you
guys will be at
if you ever finish this
memorial to Maria.
It's not a memorial.
Maria is dead, dad.
She's dead. Mike...
I... look, I don't need you
telling me what I can say.
I'm not telling you... you are.
Stop it!
Oh, and God forbid we upset
mom, because she can't take it.
Hey, don't talk about your
mother like that.
Oh, now you're the
perfect husband?
Where have you been?
You don't know what goes
on between us.
Right. You're right.
Don't worry about mom.
Don't worry about Steph,
wherever she is out there.
Just keep building
your glass box.
That'll make
everything all right.
[ INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ]
Bye, sweetie.
Bye, honey.
Bye.
What?
Heh.
Steph call?
No,
and I'm really starting to
freak out about that.
We've been calling her for days.
Sometimes we're able to
leave messages.
Sometimes it just rings.
The last time you talked to
her, she was where?
San Francisco.
And that was a friendly
conversation?
[ CELLPHONE CHIMES ]
Oh! Oh, thank God!
Is that her?
All right.
I'm so sorry. She
just hates us.
She's just... she's
always been very...
That's great. I mean,
that she's okay.
I'm so sorry. All right,
no worries.
My pleasure. Thank you.
Can... can we get you
some coffee?
No. It's okay.
A sandwich?
No, really. I-I'm fine, thanks.
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
Maria, she really cared
about people,
and she wanted to make
a difference.
I know how that sounds. I
don't want you
thinking we're these
deluded parents.
I mean, she definitely had
her faults, right?
Yeah, definitely.
And she was, you
know... she could be
very determined when she
wanted something.
I mean, she was her father's
daughter, right?
Her Christmas wish list, I'm...
yeah.
MARIA: Cute tank tops,
a red-hooded sweatshirt,
flannel p.J.S,
a purple I.L.Bean jacket,
an iPod, iTunes gift cards,
oh, and a puppy named Gus.
BRENDA: You can pick three,
okay?
How? This is so depressing.
I mean, what about
toys or games?
Well, honey, these are
things that they need.
I know, mom, but how merry is
a pair of gloves?
Can we please get them some fun
stuff along with the gloves?
Well, you know,
Christmas isn't about
how much money you can spend.
There's a... a budget.
So...
What if I cut some things
off my wish list?
Like, well, I don't
absolutely need a iPod.
And if I cut that,
I guess I won't be needing
iTunes gift cards, will I?
Well, maybe a couple.
I can always play them on
lila's iPod. Yeah.
Eww, don't get all weird.
Oh, my gosh, you guys are so
freaking embarrassing.
Ooh.
What can I tell you?
She'd recently
discovered the power
of the f-word.
[ CHUCKLES ]
It's really wonderful to hear
you talk about her.
Yeah.
Did they... did they
say a million?
They were talking about
dollars, right?
Shh. Oh, my God.
All right.
Yes!
Shh. I'm sorry.
[ LAUGHS ] Shh, shh, shh, shh.
How's it going?
It's all right.
I found something.
Maria wanted me to use it
in the kitchen at the
gimbel estate.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Yeah. That's what I thought.
MARIA: "Rose carmethene."
That's so cool.
Mm, not for a kitchen.
That's too loud.
What's wrong with a
loud kitchen?
Kitchens should be, you know...
Quiet?
Right.
Who says?
You did.
Beige isn't everything.
[ LAUGHS ]
Bye-bye, rose carmethene.
[ KISS ]
Heh heh.
I just thought it was
interesting.
John.
[ CRAYON SCRATCHING ]
You okay?
Yeah. I just couldn't sleep.
Wow.
You know I can't draw.
I'm gonna... I'm
gonna mess it up.
It's a mess already.
Have at it.
I didn't know you
were big on puce.
This is not puce. This, is,
um...
this is jazzberry jam,
I'll have you know.
One of your favorites?
No, no. My favorite...
Is beaver.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
John, this is a
children's hospital.
Okay, give me my beaver back.
It's not a Valentine.
Come on. You said I
couldn't mess it up.
It's a window.
But it's too expensive.
It would not come up to code.
Screw code.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Oh, oh. I spilled some wine
on the hospital.
Oh, Jesus.
Crayons for everyone.
Right. Jazzberry jam.
What is with the rooster?
It's a Turkey!
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
It's not a rooster.
[ LAUGHS ]
Yeah, no.
So you can't see what they're...
Looks like a ship.
Cover that yet? We'll
just have to...
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
I've tried.
The muskwa river stretches out
over an impressive 112 Miles.
Eat, Mike.
You should eat.
Muskwa offers something
for everyone,
such as salmon...
I'm fine, okay?
Okay.
...sturgeon and stripers...
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ] And every
style of fishing.
With blue skies, gorgeous
green mountainsides
and crystal-clear...
MAN: Sign here.
JULIE: Thanks.
It's from mom and dad.
If it's another monet poster
to cheer us up,
I swear I'll have an aneurysm.
Mom's not coming this weekend.
She says she and dad
are too busy
and we should go down for
the long weekend.
Hmm. Guess she doesn't need us
to babysit her anymore.
That's good, right?
Yeah.
Whoa.
You should see this.
Heh. What happened?
Folie deux.
What?
Basically, they've gone crazy.
So, should we?
What?
Go down for the long weekend?
[ OVERLAPPING CHATTER ]
God, can you handle this?
Can you?
And for a $100 contribution,
we teach people to make these.
And what is so lovely,
your father said to me,
"Mrs. winereib, we could
use these dolls
to decorate the hospital."
He did?
It's great.
It's just we're used to dad
being kind of a control
freak about design.
Oh, I see.
I hope you don't mind my asking,
but my club was wondering about
Maria's favorite doll.
Um...
she hated dolls.
We've raised nearly 30 million.
And didn't they say we
couldn't do 10?
Now if the miserable bastards
on the New York state hospital
review panel say yes
and your pal Nick in the
legislature lines up the votes,
we got a shot.
No, it's more than just a shot,
though.
It's... I've built
hospitals before,
but this is... I mean, we
are gonna have...
if they let us do it,
we're gonna have
arts-and-crafts rooms
on every floor,
foldout beds in every room
so parents, they can sleep
with their kids.
You know, and I got the mta to
give us a locomotive
so the kids have a
place to play.
And... but no. No, wait. It's...
it's not about a building.
This is about... this is about...
it's about... it's
about a feeling.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's about
building a feeling.
You know, Bruce used to be one
hell of a businessman
before he met Brenda and John.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Mrs. fareri.
Amy?
Oh, look who's here, John.
Hi. How are you?
Yeah, I'm fine,
but I'm really stressed
about my final exams next week.
Of course. Oh, it's
great to see you.
You, too.
Let me introduce you to
some of our friends.
This is Bruce. Hi.
This is a good
friend of Maria's.
Oh. Lydia.
John.
I'm glad you came.
I always support things
that are good for our community.
I just didn't expect it would
come from your direction.
Oh. Ow.
Well, you know, my daughter would
have felt the same way as you.
She was as tough on
me as you are.
Wish I'd known her.
Yeah, but the two of
you together,
no, that would have...
that would have finished me off.
JOHN: Here we go.
This is good. Just right there.
If anyone finds a cellphone, it
belongs to Mrs. Bennett.
You can just toss those.
But that's such a total waste.
Well, thank you for pointing
that out, Steph.
I have a whole fridgeful that
wasn't even put out.
Okay.
What?
Come here.
[ CRYING ]
JOHN: Honey.
Come on. Let's go.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
[ RING ]
[ RING ]
Yeah?
EDDIE: I'm so sorry.
It didn't pass.
I know you did everything...
Jesus! What?
It was Eddie.
The deal fell apart
in legislature.
Wait. I thought... I thought
he had the votes.
Hey, where are you going?
What the hell, Nick? John.
No, I don't want excuses.
What kind of an idiot
votes against this?
I want to talk to them. You
don't need to do that.
Just tell me their names!
You don't need to do that.
I want names!
John, listen to me. We
didn't give up.
We pushed it through.
It's done, okay?
I was just about to call you.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Sorry.
Congratulations.
You did it.
RARBG.COM I honestly didn't
think you could,
but you did it.
No. Maria did it.
I just want to change before
we go to the office.
Or we could take the day off,
go back to bed.
MARIA: Sometimes it seems
like all is lost,
and then along comes
a sunny day.
Yeah, my name is on a building,
but I left something else behind
that means even more to me,
a family that talks
to each other,
that loves each other.
They may have lost their glue,
but they didn't come apart.
Told you it wasn't a sad story.
[ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING ]
[ BALLAD PLAYS ]
Shadow boxers in
the old arcade
summer breezes blow
right through them
drop a coin in the slot
it slides in
anticipation
eyes wide open
ah ah
on the beach under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
on the beach under the pier
where the cool
kids are so near
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
on the streets,
we'll pedal far
at the mercy of the cars
it's perfect for a
ladybug's companion
[ VOCALIZES ]
It's perfect for a ladybug
[ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYS ]