Army Wives s04e12 Episode Script

Previously on Army Wives When Jeremy was born it was all just a blur, you know? At least it was for me.
Well, this time's gonna be different.
You're gonna need surgery.
- Recovery time? - Six months.
My leg is never gonna be the same again! - You just gonna give up without a fight? - No.
Roland.
- What happened? - I fell.
You're suffering from traumatic brain injury.
The treatment for TBI is rehabilitation.
With each successive injury, the damage gets worse.
- It could become permanent, Joan.
- You trying to scare me? No, sweetheart.
I'm trying to help you.
So, how was the weekend? - Great.
We went bowling.
- Cosmic bowling.
- Really? Cosmic bowling? You know, ultraviolet light, glow-in-the-dark balls.
It was so fun.
Dad taught me how to keep score.
Can we go again sometime, Mom? Sure, I don't see why not.
- Katie, your mom's waiting.
Coming.
They had a late lunch.
I don't think they're gonna need much dinner.
Okay.
I'm ready.
Whoa! - Look at you.
- Like it? Yeah, it's pretty.
Did you do this? No.
A neighbor in the building.
I was gonna say.
- She's gonna teach me how to knit, too.
Well, knitting.
Maybe you can show me then.
I never got the hang of that stuff.
Okay, come on.
Give your dad a hug.
We gotta go.
- Bye, Dad.
- Bye, princess.
Bye.
Can I get my own bowling ball someday? We'll see.
Thanks.
- Hi, Kristy.
- Hey, Katie.
- Hi, Lucas.
- Hey.
Mom, this is Kristy.
She's the one who did my hair.
Oh.
My mom loves it.
- Yeah, it's great.
- Kristy Tifford.
- Pamela Moran.
- You have terrific kids.
Thank you.
Dad said he loved the oatmeal cookies.
Good, we'll try chocolate chip next time.
Okay.
- Really nice meeting you.
- Same here.
- Bye, guys.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Hey, babe.
I need a favor.
I ran out of time at the SRPC, so I need you to get my will looked over for me, okay? What? Your will? Yeah, I made a few notes.
It's all there.
- Uh, Trevor, I do not have time.
- It needs to be done today, and I gotta get back for equipment inventory and inspection.
- I love you.
- Yeah, but I promise I'm gonna make it up to you.
Promise.
How? You're leaving.
Now, you're sure this isn't gonna give it away? Dr.
Lang promised.
'Cause I really don't wanna know the sex, D.
Well, we don't have to play it.
No, no.
I wanna see the baby.
I just don't wanna see too much of the baby, that's all.
- We agreed.
- Frank.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, good Lord, look at that.
It's pretty amazing, isn't it? That's our baby? That could be our little Hank.
Hank? Yeah.
What do you think? Hank, Frank? Okay.
What about Marilyn, if it's a girl? Think this could be a little Marilyn? - Uh, I suppose.
- But you're not crazy about it.
Well, I had a stuck-up cousin named Marilyn.
I still like Hank.
Well, we agreed.
We each have veto power.
Fine.
I think Walter's a nice name.
For an investment banker, maybe.
When I think of a Walter, I think of a three-piece suit and glasses, that's all.
Okay.
All right.
If it's a girl, what about Chloe? - I can't even spell Chloe.
- It's Greek.
- We're not Greek.
- Frank.
I think we need to keep on thinking.
Agreed.
Everything seems in order.
Thank you so much for helping me with this, Claudia Joy.
Of course.
There's always too much to do - before deployment.
- Yeah.
Okay, any changes since his last tour? I don't know.
He wrote it on that note.
Oh.
Okay, he wants his Silver Star decoration to go to T.
J.
And his good watch to go to Finn.
Fine.
Whatever.
I'll write it up.
I don't like any of this.
Wills, funeral arrangements.
What hymn do you want sung? It's always hard.
How are the boys handling it? Well, we're gonna tell them tonight.
I just wanted them to have as much time as possible without worrying.
I still can't believe he's going.
Thought I'd be used to it by now.
Well, we never get used to it.
We just get through it.
- You will, too.
- Right.
- You might need this, ma'am.
- Thanks, but I doubt it will help.
Having trouble? Well, I never did like puzzles.
First week, right? My first week of rehab, I couldn't even get the borders.
You want some help? Is that against the rules? We're all on this leaky boat together, ma'am.
- Suit yourself.
- Staff Sergeant Tyrell Sollars.
- Have a seat, Staff Sergeant.
- Thank you, ma'am.
- How'd you know I'm an officer? - Oh, come on, now.
Been in the Army long enough to spot a field grade out of uniform.
Right.
- Well, look at that.
- Show-off.
- How long you been coming here? - Going on six weeks now.
- TBI? - Oh, yeah.
Everybody here has had their brain rattled, one way or the other.
Me, close encounter with an IED.
RPG.
Took some shrapnel.
Thought I had seen the worst of it.
I didn't know I had some other problems until recently.
Yeah, well, we all feel sort of out of place at first here, ma'am, but when you see a PFC, a staff sergeant, lieutenant colonel, all trying to relearn how to tie their shoes, you realize TBI is a great equalizer.
I guess that's right.
Is there some kind of trick to this? Yep.
Persistence.
Roger that.
She made Chase oatmeal cookies? Yeah, and she wants to teach Katie how to knit.
They're dating.
- Really? You think so? - Pamela.
Well, we've only been divorced for two months.
Yeah, but you've been separated for, like, six.
Seven, and it's still not that long.
- Men have shorter memories.
It's a fact.
- Oh, come on.
She's just his neighbor, and the kids like her, - and she just happens to be - Young.
Yeah, and hot, if you like that type.
And her name's Kristy.
- What's her last name? - Tifford.
Why? - Kristy.
- Isn't this a little high school? This is why God invented the Internet.
Bingo.
- Whoa! Is that her? - Yep, that's her.
She's on staff at Messina's Gym downtown.
Kristy Tifford, teaches spin classes, yoga and Pilates.
Well, that explains the 2% body fat.
She's 28, a Gemini, and loves long walks in the rain.
Wait, it does not say that.
Oh, my God.
Bimbo.
Wait.
She graduated with honors from Duke University.
So? And she runs marathons to raise money for leukemia research - and coaches for the Special Olympics.
- Ugh! She's a good person.
So what? We can still hate her anyway.
Well, I can't.
Not if she's good to my kids.
Okay, well, then I will hate her for you.
Thank you.
Hey, you know, they could just be friends.
Right.
Your quadricep strength has improved tremendously.
Clearly, you've been working hard at your PT.
- She has.
Every day, Doctor.
- But your knee What about the knee? Mobility's only at 80%.
- But that's what it was the last time.
- Right.
Could be you've hit a plateau in your recovery, or Or? I've been honest with you from the start, Emmalin.
There's a real possibility that the trauma to your knee was so great, this may be the most flexibility you'll recover.
No.
But the good news is, as far as walking is concerned, aerobic exercise, it's as if the break never happened.
But I wanna play hockey.
I know, and I know what this means to you.
So, sign my release.
Until I can see more improvement, I can't let you participate in contact sports.
If you don't sign that release, no college will even look at me.
And if you injure that knee again, you could end up walking with a limp the rest of your life.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
So am I.
She'll be okay.
Thank you, Doctor.
- Honey.
- So much for division one hockey.
- I know you're upset.
- Upset? Mom, I busted my butt for six months, and it didn't work.
- You just need more time.
- For what? I've been stuck at 80% for weeks.
I give up.
- Emmalin, you don't want to give up.
- What's the point? Can we just go home, please? You said three years.
- And I meant to be here that long.
But the Army needs your dad in Afghanistan right now.
- Why? - Because we're fighting over there.
- You lied! - We didn't lie to you, bud.
You said you got a new job.
You didn't say you were deploying.
We wanted to find the right time to tell you.
You never tell us anything! Excuse me.
Hold on there, mister.
You think I'm just a little kid! Your brother's just upset, that's all.
Dad'll miss my birthday.
T.
J? - Go away! - Bud? - I mean it! Listen, I know you're angry.
And you're right.
We should've told you sooner.
So, why didn't you? Because there's two boys in this house, T.
J.
, and we wanted to protect your little brother.
What do you mean? Will you turn around and look at me, please, when I'm talking to you? - Thank you.
- What do you mean? What I mean is, Finn can't handle some things the way you can, like tough news.
- Because he's younger? - Right, and we didn't want to give him a lot of time to think about it before I left.
You really have to leave? It's my job.
But while I'm gone, I need you to do me a favor.
- What? - I need you to be the man of the house.
Step up.
Help out your mom.
Be the watcher and the leader for your little brother, you know what I mean? - Set a good example.
- Exactly.
Now, that's a big responsibility.
You think you can handle it? Yeah? All right.
Good man.
She went down without a fuss.
Must've worn herself out today at Piedmont.
Roland, I've been thinking.
As long as I'm home, it doesn't make sense for you to look after Sara Elizabeth all day long.
You're in therapy, Joan.
That's in the morning.
I'm talking about the afternoon.
I don't have anything to do.
Well, that's the point.
You need to rest, avoid stimulation till the doctor clears you.
Besides, how would she get home? You can't drive, and my days have been packed.
So, Patty can bring her.
I can't ask Patty to give up her lunch hour to play chauffeur.
What, Roland, you think I can't take care of my own child? You fell, Joan.
Sara Elizabeth could have been hurt.
Yeah, but I'm better now, and I know what to look out for.
You're still in the early stages of recovery.
I do not believe you.
You don't trust me? It's not a matter of trust, sweetheart.
I'm just thinking about what's best for our baby.
What is best for her is that she spend time with her mother.
- She spends time with you.
- Don't patronize me! - I'm not.
- Yes, you are! And I'm sick of it! And I don't need you looking over my shoulder every minute that I'm with her! Well, excuse me, Joan, but right now I think you do.
- Frank? - No, no.
Keep doing whatever that is.
What are you doing? A new video camera.
I'm making a documentary.
- A what? - Now, don't stop.
This is our baby's first PT experience on film.
- Frank, put down the camera.
- Aw.
Come on, Mama.
Why? Because I don't need my pregnancy covered from every possible angle.
Now, this is more than just your pregnancy.
Think of it as our child's beginning, in high-def.
Great, every roll of fat in perfect focus.
Come on.
You kidding? You look gorgeous.
Well, thanks, but we have enough pictures of me, all right? Once the baby's here, you can go crazy.
Okay.
Hey, hey.
Wait, wait.
Where you going? - Out back.
- What for? To get my yoga blocks.
They're in the shed.
No, no.
It's okay.
I'll get them.
- What - I'll get them.
- Frank? - Look, you can't go in the shed, D.
Why not? Because I've been working on a surprise, okay? - You know, something for the baby.
- In your spare time? Hey, you make time for the things that are important.
- Now, where are those blocks? - Top shelf, left side.
All right, I'll be right back.
And just so you know, you are not filming the birth.
Oh, we'll talk.
You wanted to see me? - Yeah, have a seat.
Heard you had a pretty rough visit today with Dr.
Hollander.
Not really.
He just basically said I'll never play hockey again.
I spoke to him myself, and that's not what he said.
He doesn't rule out the possibility of further recovery.
I don't care.
I've had it.
I also spoke to the head of orthopedic surgery at Walter Reed.
He's a friend.
You know what he says is the number one factor in coming back from injuries like yours? - Motivation.
- I've been motivated, Dad.
My knee just didn't get the message.
- Yet.
- Can we just drop it, please? Here's my proposal.
We work out together for the next month.
- Together? - Yeah, hardcore.
Morning PT.
I got a list of exercises the doc says should get you over the hump with your knee.
- Seriously? - That's what he said.
Been field-tested by the Army.
It's grueling stuff, Em.
It won't be easy, but it is the best shot you have to get back on the ice.
- We'd do it together? - Yeah.
Why? You don't think you're up to it? No.
I just think I'd leave you in the dust.
Do not forget that your old man played football at West Point.
Yeah, like, 100 years ago.
Okay, I'm gonna take that as a yes.
You really don't quit, do you? Holdens never do.
T.
J? T.
J? T.
J? T.
J? - What? - There's something outside.
Hmm? There's a noise.
- It's just a branch.
- I'm scared.
- We'll switch beds, all right? - Okay.
- T.
J? - What? What if something happens to Dad? It won't.
What if it does? Dad's strong.
He won't get hurt.
Now, go to sleep.
I can't.
- I'll stay here, okay? - Okay.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Didn't wanna use the bell.
- Afraid I'd wake the kids.
- Oh, thanks.
Come in.
What's up? Uh Found these under the sofa.
Oh! That would've been a disaster.
She's got her dress rehearsal - tomorrow.
- I know.
- Thank you.
- No sweat.
Hey.
Um So, I met that neighbor of yours.
- Kristy? - Oh, yeah? Yeah.
She a new friend? Yeah.
Why? - Just wondering.
- Wondering what? You know, um, is she a good friend? Uh We're not dating, if that's what you're getting at.
Not that it's any of your business.
Well, she seems to be spending a lot of time with our kids, so I think it is my business.
She's a good neighbor.
We hang out together.
- Is that a problem? - No.
Good night, Pamela.
How many? I was thinking 10, up and down.
Huh Ten.
Okay.
Let's hit it.
I'll take that, thank you very much.
You gotta pay better attention, ma'am.
You're supposed to be sharpening up your mental skills.
And I thought we were just having fun.
Sorry.
Can't seem to keep my mind off of home.
I get it.
I told you, my wife and I went through some tough times, too.
He said, flat out, that he doesn't trust me with our daughter.
Ma'am, I'm sure your husband is just trying to do best by you and your daughter.
This is no walk in the park for him, either, you know.
I know.
When I first got home, I was a mess.
I was blowing up over nothing, making stupid mistakes around the house, breaking things.
Drove my wife nuts.
So, what happened? We both had to adjust.
I mean, she had to realize that I wasn't doing it on purpose, and I had to realize that it wasn't all about me.
That was the tough part.
I commanded a battalion, and now I can't even drive a car.
I have to wait for Roland to take me everywhere, and it's driving me crazy.
You gotta let that go.
Well, maybe you're a better person than me, Sergeant.
I am sure that is not the case.
I've just been living with TBI a little bit longer.
Look, I have been cleared to drive again, so if you ever need a fallback, you're welcome to give me a call.
Just give me your phone, and I'll put my number in.
Thanks, I'd appreciate that.
And I appreciate that.
Gin.
Oh, sir.
I got the final evals from last month's exercises.
Good.
You all right, sir? Heavy PT this morning with Emmalin.
- We did stadiums.
- Really? How many? - Ten.
- Well, that's ambitious.
A word of advice, start stretching now before the baby gets here.
Roger that.
Frank bought a new camera? Yeah, he is determined to capture every moment of the baby's life from this day on.
Aw That's sweet.
Yeah, well, you know, he wasn't around when Jeremy was born, and I think he's just looking forward to going through it together this time.
Right.
Yeah, well, Michael started working out with Emmalin this morning, - get her knee back in shape.
- And? And the doctor's not sure if Emmalin can ever play hockey again.
Michael's convinced she can.
I don't know.
- I'm just a little worried, that's all.
- About Emmalin or Michael? About both.
Mom! Mom! Hey.
Sorry.
I got here as fast as I could.
- How you doing, buddy? - Okay.
- He got six stitches.
- You want to see them? No, leave the bandage on, T.
J.
You got this from sawing a tree branch? Yeah, it was scaring Finn.
You gotta be a little bit more careful with the knife, bud.
Only when an adult's around, remember? I know.
Sorry.
Yeah, we talked about that, didn't we? Okay, who wants to go for ice cream? - Me! - Me! - All right.
Let's do this.
- Hold on a minute.
Boys, go to the car.
I want to talk to your dad for a minute.
What's going on? You're gonna reward him for using a knife when he wasn't supposed to? He got stitches, Rox.
I know.
I took him to the hospital.
I had to deal with the blood and the crying.
Okay, what's wrong with you? Do you know why he was using that knife? Yeah, he said he was looking out for his little brother.
No, he did it because you said that he's man of the house.
Did you say that? I said something like that.
Why? What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is that he's only 10 years old.
He was trying to do a good thing.
Yeah, and he almost sliced his finger off.
I think we should take the knife away for a month.
- Look - He's still a boy.
You do not ask a boy to do a man's job.
Joan, we're home.
Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi, baby girl.
- What are you doing? - Getting some exercise.
Joan, you know the doctor's instructions.
Exercise can interfere with your healing.
It's a walk, Roland.
Well, it's still not the best thing for you right now.
I've been stuck in this house all afternoon.
I'm going out.
Fine.
How about we all go together? No, I don't need you to watch me.
Some things I can still do myself.
Hey, Joan, it's getting dark.
I'd feel a whole lot better if you Thanks for coming.
Not a problem, ma'am.
Hop in.
Sorry to bother you.
You're the only person I know who understands.
Don't worry about it, ma'am.
I got lost a mile from my own house.
Excuse me, ma'am, but you're pushing yourself too hard.
You're not gonna heal if you don't slow down.
I expect more from myself, Sergeant.
I understand, but this is just like any other injury.
You wouldn't run on a sprained ankle, would you? - No.
- Okay, well, this is the same thing.
Your gray matter took a pounding.
If you don't rest, it'll never get better.
I shouldn't have been exercising.
No, ma'am.
Not till the doctor says so.
- Thanks for the ride, Sergeant.
- Anytime.
Hey.
You had me worried.
I was about to get in the car and start looking for you.
Sorry.
Well, the baby's asleep.
I made dinner.
Thank you.
I'll go upstairs and wash up.
Hey, Roland.
You were right.
I need to take it easy.
- You coming to bed? - In a little while.
You wanna turn that down so we can talk, please? Look.
I am sorry about T.
J.
's hand, and I'll talk to him again about the knife, but he is gonna have to help out more when I'm gone.
Why? I can run this household just fine by myself, and I really don't need all this macho man-of-the-house It's not good for me, and it's not good for the boys.
I was just trying to get T.
J.
ready for my deployment.
- Well, that's not the way to do it.
- Then what is? Like or not, babe, T.
J.
is growing up.
He can't be your little boy forever.
He's 10.
He really doesn't need to be pushed.
Didn't you say you were practically raising yourself at that age? That was totally different, and I never said that I liked it.
I'd really like for them to just stay kids as long as they can.
Okay, but Army kids grow up faster than most.
That's just the way it is, and if T.
J.
wants to rise to the occasion, we need to guide him.
Can I open them yet? No, not yet.
Okay, now you can open them.
This is what you've been working on in the shed? Yep.
- Frank, it's beautiful.
- And it's practical, too.
See, it's got that soft-close hinge so that no little fingers get pinched.
We can paint in the name when we know what it is.
Engelbert.
Or Anastasia.
Zebediah.
- Right, right.
Yeah.
- Right, right.
I love it.
- One more.
- That was 10.
Yesterday was 10.
Today's 11.
- Dad.
- Does your knee hurt? No, I'm just tired.
Come on.
- How'd it go? - Great.
- What happened to your leg? - I tripped, okay? - It's a scrape.
- Michael.
- Let me clean it.
- I can do it myself.
- Emmalin.
- You know what, Dad? I need to get ready for school.
All right, listen.
Tomorrow, we'll lay off the stadiums.
- We'll just do wind sprints.
- No! Why am I killing myself? It's not gonna get any better.
I'm done.
Emmalin, come back here.
Let her go.
She's not gonna improve if she doesn't push herself.
- Michael, she's not one of your soldiers.
- No, she's my daughter.
She's my daughter, too.
Enough.
Can I have an apple instead of a pear? That pear yesterday was gross.
Fine, but you gotta go get ready, and you gotta wash your hair tonight.
- Okay? - Why? Because you need to wash your hair sometime.
But I love it this way.
All right, well, maybe for your birthday we'll figure out how to do it.
We'll get one of those irons, okay? - Really? - Yeah.
Now, go brush your teeth.
- Mom.
- Go.
- Chase.
- Hey.
Hey.
Things are a little crazy here.
What's up? I was wondering if we could trade weekends with the kids.
I'd love to have them again this Saturday.
- Why? - I got a chance - to take them out on a boat ride.
- Oh, yeah? Whose boat? Kristy's brother.
He's got a 21-foot inboard.
I thought it'd be fun for Katie and Lucas to get out on the water.
- Yeah, well, I don't.
- Why not? Because I don't know the boat.
I don't know the people.
Pamela.
I'm serious, Chase.
I'm thinking about safety.
No, you're not.
You're thinking about Kristy, and I already told you, I'm not Chase, it has nothing to do with her.
How would you like me taking the kids out on the ocean with a perfect stranger? Hey, it's not like I'm not gonna be there.
Yeah, and distracted by your friend in her little hand-knit bikini.
That's great, Pamela.
That's really great.
Chase, I don't think it's a good idea, okay? And where the kids are concerned, I have the right to say no, so I'm saying no.
- You're overreacting.
- I don't have time for this, okay? The kids've gotta get to school.
I gotta get to work, so I gotta go.
Fine.
Fine.
Okay, come on, you guys! Hurry up.
Yeah.
I'll see you guys tomorrow.
- Sorry for the surprise, kiddo.
- What are you doing here? You've been on my mind all day, and I didn't want it to wait.
- How's the leg? - It's fine.
Em, I didn't come here to talk you out of your decision, but I do want to explain why I've been pushing you.
- It's okay.
- No, no.
Listen.
When I was 25, I went to Ranger school, a nine-week combat leadership course.
Intense physical challenges.
Not enough food, not enough sleep, with 60 pounds on your back.
- Sounds fun.
- Yeah.
Got to a point where my feet throbbed so badly, all I wanted to do was sit down and take off my boots, but I knew if I did that, I'd never get them back on again.
So, I pushed through, because more than anything, I wanted to be a Ranger.
That's what I wanted.
And my question is, what do you want? I thought it was to play division one hockey.
If that's not true anymore, that's fine.
I won't be disappointed.
I won't love you any less.
But if it is true, if you still cherish that dream, I don't want you wondering five years from now if you could've gone all the way if you had only pushed yourself a little harder.
You have got all sorts of strength inside of you.
I'll see you at home.
- Hey, Mom.
Hey.
- Can I have one? - Not yet.
What were you doing at the Espinozas? What's that? I helped Mrs.
Espinoza clean her garage, and she'll pay me five bucks to mow her lawn - once my stitches are out, every week.
- Wow.
- It's for you, Mom.
- Why are you giving it to me? Because I wanted to help out while Dad's gone.
Okay, come here for a sec.
First of all, I am really proud of you.
I love that you're willing to work hard, but every dollar that you make is yours to keep.
So, you don't want me to help? Well, of course I do, but there are lots of ways that you can help other than earning money.
I know what your father told you, but he's still the man of the house, even when he's gone.
So, what did he mean? Well, he meant that you can help me out by taking care of your little brother, looking after Lucky, making your bed, all the chores that need to get done, clear? Okay, and one other thing, when your dad and I have a problem, we talk about it.
We decide things together.
So, next time, you talk to me before you try chopping down a tree with a scout knife.
I wasn't chopping it down.
I know, but you get my point, right? Even though you're growing up real fast, and we all get that, you are still the kid, and I am still the mom.
Got it? Yes, ma'am.
May I have a cupcake now? Yes, one.
Pamela.
- Hey.
- Come in.
So Look, maybe I was a little unreasonable.
Maybe? Look, Chase, this all takes some getting used to.
So, are you saying the kids can go boating this weekend? No, what I'm saying is that if you check out the boat and it's safe, and Kristy's brother isn't some kind of jerk, then maybe next time you have the kids, you can all go.
Fair enough.
You know I would say this if we were still together, right? Yeah, you would.
And I'd expect you to do the same.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Hey.
Thanks.
Frank, come on in.
Pentagon's been reevaluating troop levels.
They've issued new orders for the division.
Yeah, I heard there was a new game plan in the works.
Well, it's true.
Denise? - In the nursery.
So, what do you think? I picked up this bedding at the PX.
Isn't it adorable? What's wrong? Something's come up.
What? The Pentagon wants division headquarters to be included in the Afghanistan deployment.
You're deploying? Me, Frank, everyone.
Michael.
When? Next week.
For how long? Probably a year.
Oh, Frank, you'll miss the baby.
- Oh, you'll miss everything.
- I know.