Army Wives s05e10 Episode Script

Battle Buddies

Previously on Army Wives It's not cancer.
Claudia Joy.
I should go.
But I will completely understand if you're not comfortable with me working there anymore.
I know what you did.
Try it again and next time, you won't see me coming.
So you're saying we can't adopt? It would be a difficult process.
Really, Roxy? Finn's dad? He's been living here? He's your contractor? I'm risking my life while you're screwing around behind my back! - Hey, I did not! Nothing happened! - Just shut up! Shut up! Hey, look, buddy.
Hey! Trevor, don't! Trevor? - Going somewhere? - What do you care? Okay, look, stop packing.
Okay? Nothing happened between me and Whit.
He is just my contractor.
That's all.
Look, I'm telling you the truth.
He's gone.
He went back to Tuscaloosa.
- Yeah, too bad for you.
- Hey, where are you going? - Out.
- Wait a minute.
Hey! What am I supposed to tell the boys? Make something up.
You're good at that.
the area of Magnolia Park.
Reports of suspicious activity, possible vagrant.
Hey, buddy.
Sorry, but you can't sleep here.
Sorry, ma'am.
I'll go.
- You need help with that? - I'm squared away, thank you.
I didn't steal them.
They're mine.
- You served? - Eleven years.
You got a first name, Miller? Dana, ma'am.
Chief Warrant Officer Dana Miller.
You been to the VA, Dana? They've got lots of programs.
Army's done enough for me, thank you.
Can I drive you to a shelter, at least? Not necessary.
You get a hot meal, clean bed for the night.
It's a decent place.
Besides that, it's supposed to rain tonight.
Boys, breakfast! Waffles? Yes! Okay.
Be careful with the syrup.
Don't get it on your uniform.
Yes, ma'am.
I thought Dad was driving us to school today.
Your father had to leave early.
- Why? - Don't ask me.
Army stuff.
Don't worry, he'll be back later.
Eat your waffles before they get cold.
Wilson! Wilson! Not so loud, man.
We missed formation.
- What? I set the alarm.
- Yeah, well, it didn't go off.
We're so screwed.
Okay.
You wanted an update on the Cahill matter? Later.
Keller v.
the City of Riverdale.
I want you on it.
Sure.
How do you wanna divide it up? Actually, I asked Drake to be first chair.
You'll be working with him.
Oh.
Problem? No, no.
It's just I haven't worked with Elliot yet.
Well, you'll like him.
He's got far more patience than I do.
Besides, I think it's important for you to see how others deal with case law, so And I'm slammed right now, as you can see.
Right.
I look forward to it.
- Anything else? - No.
No.
Thank you.
I see that you've been to this office before.
Yes.
The woman we met with wasn't exactly sympathetic to military families.
We were told you were.
I suppose that's because I'm an old Army brat, myself.
But I won't sugarcoat it.
The chances of you adopting a newborn - We know.
- We're open to adopting an older child.
Well, that's wonderful.
There are so many deserving children waiting for the right family.
We think a boy would be the best fit for our family.
Yeah, we've done some background research, which said a boy would feel less competitive around our daughter.
That's been my experience in similar cases.
Any other specifics? Well, we prefer if he were African-American.
Ideally, older than Sara Elizabeth.
We were thinking between six and ten.
Yeah.
And we'd like a child who's legally free.
Understood.
Now, you must be aware that older children often come with special needs.
Emotional, educational, medical.
Are you open to that? Yes.
Good.
Doctor and Colonel Burton, we're about to start down an exciting road together.
I said move it! What's the matter, LeBlanc? You tired? - No, Sergeant! - Now drop and give me 15 mountain climbers for every minute you jokers were late! Let's go! One more time! Again! Hold it! 98, 99, 100.
Hold it.
Okay.
You're done.
Dismissed.
Sergeant LeBlanc.
Sergeant, I need to see you I'm sorry, sir.
My office.
Thirty minutes.
Showered, sober, standing tall.
Understood? Yes, sir.
Sucks to be you, man.
- Trevor.
- No time.
Wait, we need to talk.
It's important.
No, what's important is I got to report to Colonel Sherwood's office ASAP, thanks to you.
Me? What are you talking about? Trevor! Hey, Pamela.
Hey.
Sorry to bother you at work, Claudia Joy, but I have an assault case I think might interest you.
This homeless vet that I dropped off at the shelter last night, she got into some kind of fight.
Hey, Dana.
This is Claudia Joy, the lawyer I told you about.
- Hello, Dana.
Please, sit down.
- Ma'am.
First, let me explain, I'm not an attorney.
I've taken the bar, but I'm waiting for results.
I'm here to determine if the firm I work with can help you.
Thank you, ma'am.
Okay.
Officer Moran told me you were involved in a fight at the shelter.
What happened? No excuse, ma'am.
I'm real sorry.
I hope that guy's okay.
Can you explain it to me, at least? He touched me.
Touched you how? He touched my shoulder.
I really don't remember what happened next.
They tell me I hit him a few times.
Mmm-hmm.
Officer Moran mentioned you were a Chief Warrant Officer.
What was your specialty? - Yeah.
- Rotary wing aviator.
You flew helicopters? Black Hawks, ma'am.
Pilot with the 57th Medevac Battalion.
Did three tours.
- When did you get out? - Two years ago.
Why did you leave? I had my reasons.
I can't go to jail, ma'am.
I don't think I could do the time.
Okay.
I have to get back to the office.
But I do believe my firm can help you.
I couldn't pay you.
It would be pro bono.
Thank you, ma'am.
Sergeant LeBlanc, reporting as ordered, sir.
You know, Sergeant, as a rule, I don't enjoy having to clean puke off of my boots.
No, sir.
You know, I was on that PT field this morning to see who was being disciplined.
Last soldier I expected to see was you, Sergeant LeBlanc.
- Yes, sir.
- Just back from redeployment and hungover at PT.
That's entirely unacceptable.
Yes, sir.
Now I understand that you were involved yesterday in an altercation with a civilian at your wife's bar.
Yes, sir.
You wanna tell me just what the hell's going on? Sir, my wife insisted on investing our money in a truck stop Hold it, hold it, hold it, right there.
Are you about to blame your piss-poor conduct on your wife? Did your wife tell you to go out drinking last night? Did your wife tell you to oversleep this morning? - No, sir.
- No.
That's an excuse I expect to hear from a Private, not an NCO.
Certainly not a Silver Star recipient.
Now it's my understanding that your battalion commander wants to see you tomorrow.
I hope to hell you've got a better story for him than you had for me.
I'm deeply disappointed, Sergeant.
You're dismissed.
You offered representation? Grant, she's a former Army pilot.
I thought You thought what? That you're in charge here? You don't have authorization to commit this firm to pro bono work.
I mean, come on.
It's outrageous.
I didn't commit to anything.
I said I believed we could help her.
Well, aren't you supposed to be on the Keller case? I am.
You know, I can't believe you'd do this when we're all working overtime as it is.
I thought this was the type of firm that extends itself in special circumstances.
Obviously, I was mistaken.
It won't happen again.
Does this woman have any priors? No.
And you think she has some kind of PTSD? Yes.
She needs treatment, not incarceration.
We'd have to argue mitigating factors if we wanted to win a pre-trial intervention.
That means a psych evaluation.
I know a doctor who would help.
Gratis.
Okay.
Go ahead.
Thank you.
But I expect work on the Keller case to proceed as planned.
Understood.
Roxy! - Hey, Denise.
- Hey.
Hey, beautiful.
Hey, is everything okay? Yeah, fine.
Yeah? I was gonna call you.
I was at an FRG meeting this morning and I heard something about Trevor.
He hit someone at the Hump Bar? Um It was a misunderstanding.
Trevor was just blowing off steam, that's all.
You know how it is.
Soldiers coming home.
There's nothing to talk about, really.
Okay.
- I should probably get this stuff home.
- Yeah, yeah, sure.
- I'll see you later.
- Okay.
LZ was marked with colored smoke, but when I tried to touch down to pick up the wounded, we started taking ground fire.
Windshield shattered.
I got hit with a sliver of Plexiglas.
Bled all over the instrument panel, but I held her steady till we got the guys on and then I got the hell out of there.
And that's how you earned the Bronze Star.
- Typical day at the office.
- Right.
Two months after that incident, you missed movement when your unit relocated from Mosul to Tikrit.
What happened? I screwed up.
Why? Up to that time, your record is spotless.
It's outstanding, actually.
Yet a few weeks later, you requested a discharge.
Help me understand.
Did you suffer some kind of loss? I had enough, that's all.
You didn't wanna fly anymore? I didn't say that.
Okay.
So what was it? Well, clearly, she's suffering from some form of PTSD, but it's unusual.
Unusual how? Because it doesn't appear to be combat-related.
I mean, you heard her talk about her combat experiences.
She's proud.
There's no trauma there.
And clearly, she loved flying.
Well, she's hiding something, Claudia Joy.
If you can get her to open up about it, then you've got a case.
Without that, it's just conjecture on my part.
- Not sure any judge would go for it.
- Right.
It could take weeks of therapy to earn her trust.
I don't have weeks.
She has to appear in court in a few days.
- I'll figure it out.
- All right.
I got to get going.
You call me if you need me? - Okay.
Thanks.
- Sure.
As I said on the phone, David meets all your criteria.
I don't wanna create unrealistic expectations, but I do feel he's a special child.
That's David there.
"He placed his final report on his boss' desk, "and then he went home.
" You said he was in a foster home? David's been in the system since he was two.
His mother was an addict.
His grandmother raised him for a while.
When she died, it was a series of other relatives, then two foster homes.
"And then he realized, it feels good to help others.
"You never know when you're gonna need help, "or who's gonna be there to help you.
" David, will you come here, please? David, I'd like you to meet Mr.
and Mrs.
Burton.
Hello.
Hello, David.
It's very nice to meet you.
- Yes, it is.
- Thank you.
- You read very well.
- Thank you.
Uh What else do you like to do? Well, I like to build things.
Castles, houses, stuff like that.
Wanna come build with me? - Love to.
- Come on, I'll show you.
- Dad! - Men.
- Where were you? - Now that is classified.
- Dad, come on.
- Are you hungry? You want me to make a plate? No, thanks.
I ate.
Why don't you go get ready for bed and I'll come read to you? Go.
- And I can show you my shark's tooth.
- Shark tooth? I found it with Whit at the truck stop.
Do you know Whit, Dad? He's really cool.
Yeah, buddy, I met him.
Okay, guys, bedtime.
Go.
- Trevor.
- Not now.
David? It's time for bed.
- Good night, David.
- Good night.
Thanks for showing us your building projects, man.
Welcome.
So? - He's amazing.
- He's smart, polite, imaginative.
I just wanted to hug him.
I'm glad you like him.
- Very much.
- Good.
Since that's how you feel, I have one more thing I need to share with you.
David is HIV-positive.
What? David's mother was an IV drug user.
She never received medication to prevent mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.
I'm sorry, and you're telling us this now? You said you were open to children with special needs.
I know we did, but HIV? If I had told you before, would you have met with him? - Hey, that's not fair.
- Why not? Does his condition change anything about the way you just responded? Does it make him any less worthy of a loving home? Supportive parents? I won't judge you if you decide to keep looking, but think about it and let me know.
Are you staying here tonight? Trevor, are you ever gonna talk to me? Sure.
How about we start with you building the truck stop without telling me, hiring Whit behind my back.
Every time I tried to bring it up, you wouldn't hear it.
Right.
It's my fault that Whit starts playing with my kids, finding shark teeth with Finn.
- Okay, that was an accident.
- An accident.
Yeah, Finn didn't have school that day, so I took him to the job site.
And left him with Whit.
No, I didn't leave him.
Look, I have told you that nothing happened.
I do not understand why you don't get that.
Really? You don't understand that every guy in my unit thinks my wife screwed around behind my back? - But you know that I didn't.
- Do I? You lied to me, you let Whit live at the bar.
There's no power at the truck stop, so it's much more convenient that way.
Yeah, I'm sure it was.
Trevor, stop it! I told you that Whit is an old friend and he was here helping me out.
And now he's gone and I don't have a contractor to finish the work.
Are you happy? Honestly, I haven't been happy for a long time.
What are you saying? I don't know who you are anymore.
Where are you going? To sleep on the couch.
He's so amazing, Roland.
I just wanted to hold him and tell him everything was gonna be all right.
I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like he's already ours, like he's meant to be a part of our family.
Yeah, I liked him, too, Joan, but are we really prepared to raise a child with HIV? I'm just saying, it's going to involve a lot more than giving David a pill every day.
We gotta expect complications.
We told the caseworker we were open to that.
I know what we said, but I know.
I think about her, too.
What could happen.
What if David's HIV progressed to full-blown AIDS? We could lose him.
How could we do that to her? How could we do that to ourselves? I keep going back and forth.
Yeah, me, too.
You know, the fact is life expectancy for HIV patients is getting longer every year.
By the time David's an adult, there could be a cure.
And if we do adopt him, he'd be covered by the Army's medical benefits.
Another family might not be able to provide that.
You finished? Hey.
You finished? - Thanks for seeing me, Sergeant.
- Not a problem, ma'am.
So, you knew Dana Miller in Iraq? I was her crew chief in a Medevac unit out of Fort Campbell.
How well did you know her? Well, women become close over there.
You have to, you know? - Did you stay in touch after she got out? - For a while.
Then her e-mails stopped.
I assumed she moved on.
- She's really homeless? - Yes.
So, tell me about her.
What was she like back then? Excellent pilot.
Fearless.
Good sense of humor.
Kept everyone's spirits up.
She's not that way anymore.
What happened over there, Sergeant? What changed her? She didn't tell you? No.
I figured she'd have some issues adjusting, but I don't think it's my place to say.
Dana's not the same woman you knew in Iraq.
She needs counseling, not jail time.
But she's not gonna get that if you don't help me understand what went wrong.
- Hey, Roxy.
- Hey, Denise.
- We don't open for another half hour.
- I know.
I came by to see you.
I'm fine.
Really.
You don't seem fine.
Why don't we sit down? Come on.
What's going on? Um Trevor and I just had our worst fight ever.
I I think he wants a divorce.
Did he say that? Not exactly, but he's sleeping on the couch.
And he said that he hasn't been happy in a long time.
I'm sorry.
That fight at the bar was not a misunderstanding.
The guy that Trevor punched out was Whit.
Whit? Your contractor? He's an old friend.
Actually, he's more than that.
He's Finn's father.
Okay.
Wow.
And Trevor knows that? I needed to hire someone that I could trust and that I could afford, so I called Whit.
And I tried to tell Trevor, but he was already so mad about the truck stop to begin with that it never got out.
And now he's accusing me of lying and And worse.
I just don't know what to do.
We all make mistakes, Roxy.
Believe me.
Look, what I've learned is, you have to see things from your soldier's point of view.
And I'm not saying that what you did is the same as what I did to Frank, but you hurt your husband and you hurt your marriage, and you have to admit that if you wanna make things better.
You have to be honest with yourself, and then you can be honest with him.
And hope he understands.
Quite a list of infractions, Sergeant.
Now that we've heard from your chain of command, what do you have to say for yourself? No excuse, sir.
I don't think I have to tell you that an Article 15 can derail a soldier's career.
No, sir.
I understand Colonel Sherwood was personally involved in the chain of events.
He's asked to weigh in.
Colonel.
Thank you, Colonel.
Sergeant LeBlanc's recent behavior has been a disgrace to the uniform.
However, that is not the soldier that I have come to know and respect.
He is one of the finest young leaders in the 23rd.
I have firsthand knowledge of his conduct on the battlefield.
His quick actions under adverse conditions resulted in a hard-fought victory.
Not without cost.
His squad suffered their first KIA, and I witnessed his compassion as he comforted his soldiers and restored morale.
Speaking as a former enlisted man myself, I think Sergeant LeBlanc would make an outstanding officer.
And to lose him would be a personal tragedy and a great loss for the Army.
Thank you, Colonel.
Well, Sergeant, based on what I've just heard, I'm gonna consider this your official counseling on the matter.
It will go no further.
But step out of line again, and the hammer will fall.
- Yes, sir.
- Dismissed.
Sergeant LeBlanc.
At ease.
- Sir, thank you for - Let me offer you a piece of hard-earned advice.
Whatever problems you're having at home, you need to get them squared away, one way or another.
Yes, sir.
You've got a decision to make, Sergeant.
Are you gonna be the soldier I saw yesterday, or you gonna be the leader I know you can be tomorrow? You think on it, son.
She told you? Sergeant Temple wants to help.
So do I.
It's not good for you, Dana, keeping this bottled up.
How do you know what's good for me? I know you're not gonna get better until you talk about it.
I can take care of myself.
- You flew helicopters, you saved lives.
- Leave me alone! Now look at you.
Collecting bottles, sleeping on park benches.
Is that the life you want? Is that who you are? Okay.
Sorry I couldn't help.
No.
That's not who I am.
We'd just finished a hop.
IED took out a Humvee.
Three guys in bad shape.
We were able to save two of them, but the other one bled out before we could get him back.
I did my post-flight inspection, was heading back to quarters.
I walked past the maintenance shed.
I couldn't breathe.
Felt my feet lift off the sand.
Did you know who it was? Who? He worked in Communications.
What was his name? Sergeant Lee Buckley.
Did you report it? To my CO.
And? He told me to forget about it.
He said no one would believe me.
I don't think he believed me.
He said I'd be labeled a troublemaker if I pursued it.
Did you tell anyone else other than Sergeant Temple? And then what? Then, nothing.
I had to keep working with him.
That's when the nightmares started.
Couldn't sleep, couldn't focus.
I couldn't fly anymore.
So the man at the homeless shelter It felt like it was happening again.
Thank you, Mr.
Chandler.
I just made the oral presentation.
Mrs.
Holden did all the work.
- I'll see you back at the office? - Okay.
- Thank you.
- You heard the judge.
We should be thanking you for your service.
And I'm gonna take you to the VA Treatment Center.
They're expecting you.
It's a good facility, Dana.
And they have programs for female vets only.
And I'll come see you, make sure everything's okay.
Sounds good.
- You ready? - Thank you, ma'am.
So, you're willing to move forward with David.
To take the next step, anyway.
You were right.
He is very special.
We'd like our daughter to meet him, see how they get along.
I understand.
But just as you're concerned about Sara Elizabeth, I have to protect David's feelings.
- Of course.
- I'll be happy to arrange a meeting, but only if you can assure me that this is purely about compatibility.
His HIV will not factor into your decision.
Yes.
I'll make the arrangements.
Yes.
Yes, that's right.
Lee Buckley.
B-U-C-K-L-E-Y.
Great.
You have my e-mail.
Thanks.
What was that? Just following up on Dana's assailant.
- What for? - I wanna go after him.
My office.
Close the door.
So you wanna prosecute this guy? - I know it's a long shot - Long shot? It's impossible, Claudia Joy.
There's no witnesses, no physical evidence.
I mean, at best, it's a case of he said, she said.
There's no statute of limitations.
But even if there was a case, you don't have jurisdiction.
It's an Army matter and it's dead.
I'm not letting it drop.
Yeah, well, you're not pursuing it on my time.
I need you in this office, not out on some ridiculous crusade.
Is that what you think? I thought you believed in crusades.
What I mean is, you have certain obligations to this firm, which I have been too lax in enforcing of late.
- Really? - I can't continue to give you special treatment.
It's not fair to the other lawyers in the firm.
There's been some talk.
Innocent.
You know, "teacher's pet," that sort of thing.
We have a problem, Grant.
We do.
I think I should give notice.
You know I've been fooling myself to think that you and I could work together.
I thought you hired me for what I could bring to the firm.
And I did.
But there's more to it than that.
I have feelings for you, Claudia Joy.
In another life But not in this one.
I appreciate your honesty.
You should know I have enormous respect for you, and I'll always be grateful for what you've taught me.
I'll clean out my desk.
What's this? I quit.
- What? - I left the firm.
Did Chandler pull something again? No, no.
Nothing like that, Michael.
This was my decision.
Well, I can't say I'm disappointed.
Thank you for letting me come to this on my own.
Of course.
How did the case go? We won.
Dana's at the VA treatment center now.
You don't seem very excited about it.
No, I am.
Dana's gonna get her life back together.
I'm thrilled for her.
But? But I wanted to pursue the rape case.
I wanted to focus attention on sexual assaults in the military.
- It's a tough area.
- Important, Michael.
I can't believe women in today's Army need a battle buddy for protection against fellow soldiers.
I agree.
Well, it doesn't matter now, anyway.
Why not? I went looking for information on the soldier who raped her.
He's dead.
He was killed in a motorcycle accident at Fort Bragg.
I haven't told Dana yet.
Well, at least he won't hurt anyone else again.
No.
But that's not the same as justice.
Hey.
Hey.
Where are the boys? At Pamela's for a sleepover.
- Look, babe, I - Trevor, I - You go first.
- No, you.
I am so sorry.
You have every right to be mad.
I went behind your back, I didn't tell you the truth, I spent our money without your okay.
The truck stop and Whit and everything.
I only did it because I was scared.
Scared? After Jeremy died, I thought about you not coming back, and I just couldn't handle that.
So, I really had to make sure that I could take care of the boys by myself.
Like I used to.
Before you.
Okay.
I shouldn't have hired Whit as my contractor.
I I knew he would do it for a good price, but it was wrong.
And he was a friend.
And it felt really nice to have a friend around here.
But I am promising you that nothing happened with Whit, and it never, ever could have.
You really You gotta believe me on that.
I do.
Please forgive me.
I was afraid I was losing you.
I thought you were trying to replace me.
What? I thought you didn't need me anymore.
That would never happen.
Ever.
I love you.
I love you so much, sometimes I can't even breathe.

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