Finding Carter (2014) s02e23 Episode Script

Previously on Finding Carter.
We hear you've been on ditching school.
I wanna drop out.
I got a job at that bar.
- Come to California with me.
- You're on your own path.
I think what you really need is to do this on your own.
- They wanna book the tour.
- I'll call you every night.
(Elizabeth) I'll answer every night.
(Carter) I have been hanging out at Jared's.
- He's way too old for you.
- You're 17? Did you know he's married? - Seriously? - You think I enjoy rifling through your underwear drawer looking for the money that you owe me? I'm gonna have some stuff for you to do soon.
I want you to leave.
You can't sell drugs at my party.
Carter, something's wrong with Seth! Come on, hey.
Hey! No, no, no.
He's dead.
We got into this together.
We'll get out of it together too.
Your friend says he knew drugs were being sold.
I don't believe you.
Carter's in trouble.
My dad's getting out.
Hey, son.
No! No! You should think about moving near me.
You're kinda the greatest son ever.
You know I would do the same thing for you.
- Bird? - I'm pregnant.
Okay, we're gonna figure this out.
Carter's in a lot of trouble and she's gonna need all the help she can get.
Hey! Lori! Give me one reason not to kill you.
She didn't know anything about the drugs.
- I admit it.
- That's it.
I'm sorry, I thought I had it all under control.
I will always be there for you.
Thank you.
- Carter.
- Hey.
What the hell are you doing here? My lawyer got me out on bail.
Can I talk to you for a minute? I don't think we have anything to talk about.
- Carter, please - What are you doing? There's a few things I just need to explain.
Yeah, I'll bet, like why you threw me under the bus with the cops.
I didn't I mean, yeah, I did, but I knew you'd get off, okay? You're underage.
Really? That's your explanation? Wow, thank you, that's very noble of you.
I have no excuse, okay? Except I have my little girl to support.
I can't go to jail.
And to hell with everyone else, right? No, no, it's not what I'm saying.
I was in way over my head, things got out of control.
- Oh, my God.
- Please, Carter, you gotta listen to me, okay? I'm not asking you to forgive me.
But after everything that went down between us, can't you just hear me out? Fine.
Explain.
I was in the hole before I met you, I was about to lose the bar.
- Yep, you told me that.
- What you don't know is that I borrowed money from some guys to help dig myself out.
They seemed okay, I thought I was on my way to paying them off because the money we were making from the parties.
But then they started charging me more, twisting my arm and forcing me to do stuff.
So, you started dealing for them, and you made Ben do it too.
Look, I know I should've stood up to them, but they threatened me.
They said they were gonna hurt my little girl.
I just want you to know that if I could go back, I would do it all differently.
I still love you, Carter.
I need you to know that.
And if there's any way you could just give me another chance.
I gotta go, Jared.
There you go There you stay Keeping low Never want to play You've been up and down, down You've been low, low, low Pretending to not feel alone Pretending to not feel alone I just don't understand how he could put up some money and walk away freely like that.
Well, charges may be pending, it's difficult to know exactly what went on.
I'm not part of the investigation anymore.
I could find out, if you want.
- Would you? - Listen.
I'm not sure hearing all the details is gonna make you feel any better.
Well, I don't know either, but I think I still wanna hear them.
All right then.
Thank you for not saying "I told you so.
" Well, my mother said it enough to me to last a lifetime, so I'm trying to break the cycle.
(chuckles) You know, Carter, there's not a person in the world who hasn't made a mistake.
You just got swept up, that's all.
It's human.
How 'bout we just focus on the future? You got your whole life ahead of you.
(rock music playing) (sneezes) This place looks amazing.
Your mom is gonna love it.
Thank you for helping me.
Of course, you know how much I hate a dust bunny.
Mmm.
I feel bad for leaving her behind after my dad got arrested.
She's kinda been spiraling.
She quit her job, and now she's way behind on bills.
Well, you're a really good son and friend.
Thank you for offering to help me with Bird.
Has Bird decided what she's gonna do yet? No, she's still processing.
That can't be easy.
What would we do if I got pregnant? My mom was 18 when she had me.
- I don't think she was ready.
- Yeah, I get that.
She never had time to figure out what she wanted.
Well, she's crazy about you.
Yeah.
I think she gave up a lot to have me.
I would be there with you either way.
I know you would.
It should have been something Seth and I decided together.
Well, I wish he was still here too.
My life before was so easy.
What do I wear? What purse do I buy? Which wine to match with which cheese.
If I do it, I won't have anything left with him.
If I don't do it, I'll have a baby.
Me, Bird, with a child, probably living at my parents' house, if they don't kick me out first.
Oh, come on, your parents aren't gonna kick you out.
Okay, fine, they might.
Look, whatever you decide, we're gonna be 100% behind you, okay? Thanks.
You make the appointment at the clinic? (sighing) Yeah.
But I can always cancel it, I mean, I can always just not go.
Exactly.
It's completely your call.
God, I wish it wasn't though.
(Elizabeth) All right, thanks.
Jared's out on bail, and it looks like - his lawyer made a deal.
- What are the terms? The terms are he'll be off completely if he puts together a list of everyone involved in the dealing.
So, basically he's gonna rat his way out of it.
- (Elizabeth) Sounds that way.
- Hey, we don't know for sure he's gonna give you up.
We don't? I mean, what's stopping him? They only care about the big fish, right? They're not gonna waste their time on an underage kid.
Kids die, they want everyone.
They're sending a message.
But Ben was forced into it, he can't be held responsible.
Details don't matter, they're making an example out of everyone who was involved.
So, I'm screwed.
(door opens) Hello.
Somebody wanna tell me what's going on? Um hey! Hey.
Dad, welcome home.
Hey you.
I I wasn't expecting you home until the weekend.
Well, after your call, I thought I better cut the tour short.
Hey, Ben.
Good to see you.
Yeah, you too.
(chuckles) I bet this seems a little strange.
That would be an understatement.
- Dad! - Aw, there he is.
Hey.
(clears throat) - This is the new normal.
- Really? Yeah, I think we better get going.
Um, you'll keep us posted? About what? Liz? Anybody gonna fill me in? I'm loving your place, it's so tidy, funky.
You can take the bed.
That's very sweet of you, honey.
Thank you.
Okay, these are all of your bills in order of payment due.
Here's some cash I scrounged up for you.
(gasps) Thank you, honey! I love how you put them in order of date due.
You are so organized! Taylor helped me.
One of these days, I'm gonna get a little system of me own.
Until then, you have me.
All you need to do is go out and get money orders, and then you can send these off today.
Aw.
Mmm.
How 'bout I make you dinner as a thank you, hmm? Okay.
Really? All you have is mac and cheese and popcorn? We have olives and brownie mix.
No offense, but I'm not eating your brownies.
Carter, hey.
Please don't put Ben's name on that list, Jared.
Whoa what are you talking about? I know you made a deal with the DA and I know that would involve putting Ben on that list.
Stop.
I'm not giving up Ben.
Jared, I know you agreed to the deal.
Yeah, I did.
But Ben isn't part of it.
He's not? No.
I would do pretty much anything to get partial custody of my daughter, but I know how much Ben means to you.
Are you lying to me? No.
Carter, I would never do anything to hurt you.
I love you.
You know that, right? I thought I did, yeah.
(sighs) Look, I know everything's been crazy and there's been rumors flying around, but you have my word.
I want you to stop worrying about Ben, okay? He's gonna be fine.
I promise.
Thank you.
First, Carter's brought in for questioning, and now, Ben's involved? Carter was part of a preliminary investigation after this kid's death.
Now, Ben's involvement may be more serious.
I don't understand any of this.
Well, I'm trying to explain it to you, David.
How could you not tell me Carter was living with this guy? I told you that Carter moved out.
Now, you were on a book tour.
I felt like that was your priority.
I was trying to take care of this family.
And I was trying to take care of everything here on my own! Now, I don't appreciate you coming in here and second guessing my decision making.
Well, considering what's happened, I guess I can understand that.
This conversation is over.
Wait, so I have to get my parents' permission? Yep, you have to wait 24 hours and have an ultrasound.
We could go to D.
C.
It's only an hour away.
We wouldn't have to jump through hoops.
Maybe this is a sign.
Maybe Seth wouldn't want me to do this.
It's just a law.
I'm not sure it has anything to do with Seth.
You know, I've been thinking.
You can have the baby, and we get married.
Wow, that's really generous, Gabe.
Yeah, that is very sweet.
(clears throat) A little help here, man? Tell her I'm the marrying type.
I'd make a great husband, I've got really great hair.
Something? You know, Bird, I've been thinking about Gabe.
He really is the marrying type.
He'd make a great husband, he has fantastic hair.
(laughs) You're a great friend, Gabe, but I couldn't do that.
I was so sure about what to do before, and now I have no idea.
You could make a pros and cons list.
Can be very helpful.
Regardless, whatever it is that you wanna do, - we're here for you.
- All the way.
Totally.
Thanks, guys.
(David) I don't understand any of this.
Well, I'm trying to Jared's not gonna give up Ben.
What? How do you know that exactly? Because I went to go and see him.
- Carter! - What were you thinking? I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, I had to at least try and help Ben.
What exactly did Jared say? He gave me his word he is not gonna put Ben on that list.
What makes you think his word is worth anything? He's lied to you before.
Look, okay, I know this is gonna be hard for you two to understand.
But I I actually think I believe him this time.
Carter (doorbell rings) I'll get it.
Surprise.
Hey.
I can't believe you're here.
Yeah, well, Max said things were kind of upside-down, so I figured you could use a friend.
Well, thank you, that's really sweet.
It's really good to see you.
But? Well, I hope you didn't feel like you had to come, like, rescue me or something.
I think you have me confused with a superhero.
(laughs) Also, I'm not sure I've ever met anyone that needed less rescuing.
Tell you the truth, that's not really how it feels lately.
Look, Carter, we're doing the friend thing, right? That's what we agreed on, and I'm still up for it.
Yeah.
Yeah, me too.
Good, I'm gonna go settle in my hotel room and polish up my friendship badge.
- (chuckles) - And we can, uh we can catch up later.
Yeah, okay, I'd like that.
I've, uh, got some stuff I have to sort out first.
Yeah, it seems like it.
Well, I'm here.
If you need anything, just call.
I will.
Thank you.
Seriously, it means everything to know that you have my back.
Always.
Thanks for meeting me.
Yeah, I never say no to caffeine.
I am sorry you had a hard time while I was away.
Mostly brought it on myself.
I know you're just trying to help your foster sister, but I just wish I'd been around.
Maybe I could've helped out.
Yeah, there's not much you could've done.
Well, I would have like to have tried.
I have a feeling you've had a lot of people disappoint you in your past, and, uh I don't wanna be one of 'em.
I was hoping that it's not too late for us to get to know each other.
Maybe we could make this a regular thing.
Sure, yeah.
As long as we can skip the heart-to-heart.
Got it.
- (phone buzzing) - Thank you.
(Lori) That's the third time in the last hour.
It's Jared.
He's been texting me all day.
I don't know what to do, I can't just erase everything he meant to me.
Of course you can't.
Well, apparently you were wrong about me.
How so? You said I was more grown up than most grown-ups.
In some ways, you are.
Yeah, I used to think so.
Now, I feel like I can't even trust my own instincts about people.
That's my fault, Carter, not yours.
What? Well, look at what you've been through in your life, and not just these last few months.
Your experiences have made you older in some ways and hurt you in others.
And I'm sorry for that.
I'm not trying to make you feel bad.
I know you're not.
And how could I feel badly about who you are? You're independent and unafraid.
And frankly, the way we lived, you hardly had time to listen to your instincts, let alone act on 'em.
And there's consequences for that.
But you have to take care of yourself, hon.
Figure out what you want, who you wanna trust.
It's not a crime.
(sighs) (cell phone ringing) Hey.
Hey.
How you doing? I'm good.
Yeah.
Jared, I can't do this anymore.
Us.
(sighs) Can I ask why? All this stuff that's happened lately, it all ties back to my relationship with you.
There are a lot of things I wish had played out differently.
Yeah, me too.
Look, I still care about you, Jared, I really do.
I just I need to take a step back right now.
There's a lot of stuff I need to figure out.
I'm sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear.
No, it's not.
But I can't make you feel something you don't.
All I ever wanted was to make you happy.
That's never gonna change.
Hey.
What is that? I signed you up for a weekly grocery service.
It's all organic.
Okay, what happened with your bills? It's gonna be fine.
Mom, the money that I gave you was for your bills.
I know, honey, but you needed this.
You don't have any food in this house.
And if you need anything, you can order it online.
That is very sweet, but that's not the point right now.
Hey, I was trying to do something nice for you for a change.
I will get the money for my bills, don't worry.
- You just quit your job! - Don't worry! Max, this is really not your problem.
I know, but I'm trying to help.
I give you money for your bills, and you go out and you blow it on baguettes.
You know what? I get it.
I made a mistake.
Sue me.
You know what, I need I need to get some air.
- Mom? - It's fine.
I'm fine, okay? I'll see you later.
(knocking) Benjamin Wallace here? Why? - Yeah, that's me.
- Benjamin Wallace, - you're under arrest.
- No.
You have the right to remain silent.
What are the charges? What did he do? Intent to sell a controlled substance, ma'am.
He'll be in central booking downtown.
If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.
Ben, don't say anything.
You understand these rights as I have read them to you? I will come down there as soon as I can.
Jared promised me.
I'm sorry, honey, but it definitely came from him.
(sighs) What's gonna happen to Ben? Well, they're processing him right now, and then he will be sent to a juvenile facility.
Such a liar.
When can I see Ben? Probably not till later.
I'm gonna go back there and I'll find out.
- I'm coming with you.
- No, David, please.
There's nothing for you to do.
I'm just gonna talk to the DA.
He's my son and I'd like to be there.
I understand that, I do.
But please, let me do my job.
Um Mom, you'll you'll call us as soon as you hear anything? Of course.
Don't worry.
They seem nice here, right? Yeah, really nice.
Oh, I'm cold.
Have you ever noticed it's super cold in exam rooms? I'm sure they have a blanket or something somewhere.
Maybe not.
Here.
Thank you.
Beatrix Castro.
Yeah, that's me.
How are you doing today? - I'm nervous.
- Okay.
We're gonna talk about each step before I do anything.
So, you don't need to be nervous.
Is it okay if my friend stays with me? If she wants to.
Of course I want to.
Thank you.
You at war with the silverware? (sighs) Sorry, I'm upset about Ben.
I'm trying to understand how all this happened.
Your your mom and I talked about keeping an eye on him.
Dad, she's had a lot on her plate in the last couple of months.
I know that.
I just shouldn't have I should have been here.
Dad, you couldn't have stopped it, even if you had been here.
She's been amazing.
She put all of her feelings about Lori aside so she could help Ben and I when everything went down.
Wouldn't it have been more unfair if she told you while you were away and couldn't do anything about it? Is this your not-so-subtle way of telling me to back off? More like my not-so-subtle reminder of just how much she's done to keep everything together around here.
So, I'd be a narc? Rick Barnes could be responsible for all the people who died from those tainted drugs.
You'd be doing the world a favor.
And I'd get out of here? Well, first, they'd send you to a juvenile facility, and then you'd be able to go back to Lori's eventually.
(scoffs) Eventually? Well, they want you to go to a group home so you can lay low, so Barnes and his people won't be able to find you.
I I don't think we need to go that far.
Jared never made it sound like the guy was dangerous.
He's not like a killer or something.
Well, maybe not, but if his back is against the wall, you don't know what he'll do.
It's pretty bad karma to be a snitch.
It's bad karma to let a drug dealer get away with murder.
Yeah.
It's the only way the DA is gonna drop charges against you.
Why are you doing this? I said I was gonna help you.
I promised you.
Yeah you did, and you kept your word.
All right, I'll testify.
I'm glad you called.
You doing okay? Yeah, I'm all good.
Carter, it's okay to talk to me.
I don't know, it's weird talking to you about Jared.
Why? We're friends, remember? Yeah, apparently you have a badge.
Yeah, I do, and I'm not afraid to use it.
(chuckles) It's still weird talking to your ex-boyfriend about your other ex-boyfriend.
Okay, I didn't wanna say anything earlier because I knew you had a lot going on.
But if it makes you feel any better I'm seeing someone.
Oh.
Um really? Yeah.
(chuckles) So, talk to me.
Um I don't know.
He once said to me, "When people show you who they really are, you should believe them.
" And I just didn't.
That's on him, Carter, not you.
Your only mistake was taking his crap and twisting it around on yourself.
It takes two to crash.
Sometimes, yeah, but sometimes people are just messed up.
Look, Carter, I know you.
And I know what you did for me.
You turned your own life around, Crash.
Yeah, but not until I met you.
Everybody else thought I was a lost cause.
Most of all, me.
But you saw something in me I didn't even see in myself, and you made me want to live up to it.
Well, I guess I wasn't wrong about everything.
I guess not.
(David) Can we talk? Sure.
I just wanna thank you for working out the deal for Ben.
Of course.
And also I'm an ass.
Who told you? It was on the Internet.
Well, it's a very reliable source, so I'm sorry, Liz, I I know you did everything you could to keep the kids out of trouble, and it couldn't have been easy doing it all on your own.
Well, I have to admit, they did give me a run for my money.
Which would have been the same whether I was here or not.
You were big enough to let me go out, do my thing.
I had no right to make you doubt yourself.
Well, for the record, I never doubted myself.
I had a bunch of people do that for me.
That's not true.
Carter took a lot of responsibility.
She admitted she knew all along you were looking out for her and for Ben.
She said that? Those words? Thank you for telling me.
Maybe you're not as much of an ass as we thought? Mmm.
You're like, um half-ass, like, um, quarter-ass, like (phone buzzing) Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Mmm, mmm.
Oh, I gotta get this.
Yeah, Wilson.
Wait, I don't understand.
How did that happen? Why can't Ben live with Lori? Social services called and they're not sending him back to Lori's, because he was arrested on her watch.
She's losing custody.
Well well, where's he gonna go? Back into the system.
We lose him too.
Well, can't he just come and live here? Maybe not now.
It's not that easy, it's a long process.
Applications and interviews, and you need a judge to sign off.
But you're his dad.
But I'm not his legal guardian.
How long would he be in the system for? Two years, I don't know, till he ages out.
(Carter) We're gonna find a way to get you out of the system.
Good luck with that.
I shouldn't have gotten involved in any of this.
I'm sorry.
It's not your fault, I just got sucked in thinking things could be different for me.
They can be different, Ben, they're gonna be different.
My mistake was buying in.
I should've known everything would crash and burn.
Ben, we're gonna get you out.
My parents are doing everything they can.
I know, and I appreciate it.
But what's done is done.
I can't go the next year knowing you could be going from one group home to another and Jared could just be walking around, a free man.
Forget Jared.
People like him get what's coming to him.
It may not be right away, but trust me, it will happen.
What is that supposed to mean? It means don't stress.
What goes around comes around.
Honey, I'm sorry.
Things have been so cold between us since we fought, I just I'm just not good at confrontation.
Mom, there are worse things.
I'm still figuring things out, Max.
I wish I had it all together, but I just don't.
Not sure I ever will.
But I need to stand on my own two feet.
(sighs) The thing is, I've turned you into this person who feels like it's his job to save everybody.
No, I don't feel that way.
Really? Not consciously.
Since you were a kid, you've been looking out for me.
And I should have been looking out for you.
I didn't I didn't mind.
I know you didn't.
But it's time for you to stop worrying about everybody else.
I'm gonna go home.
And I found love Where it wasn't supposed to be Right in front of me I'm a mess, man.
I shouldn't have come here.
Carter didn't wanna see you? No, she did.
But I told her I could be her friend.
But it was really hard for her to talk to me, so I was trying to make her feel better, pretending I could handle it, and I told her I was seeing someone else.
But you're not.
No, I'm not.
Imaginary girlfriend.
Yeah, well, that made her open up.
Then I had to sit there and listen to her talk about him.
That's gotta be hard.
I think she's just trying to figure things out.
Yeah, that's fine.
But I love her, Max, I don't know if I can be her friend.
Then you gotta do both.
I don't know how.
You do everything that friends do.
You be there for her and you listen to her.
And you don't have to like everything that you hear, but leaving her when she needs you isn't really an option.
Yeah.
So, you feeling okay? Sorry I wasn't there.
Taylor was there, she rocked it.
She, uh, updated their insurance system while I was still in recovery.
Well, your sense of humor's intact.
That's a good sign.
How's Ben doing? Not good.
I'm sorry he has to go away.
Yeah, me too.
Bird, do you need anything? No, I'm good.
I'm just really tired.
- You sure? - Yeah.
I made the right decision.
Okay.
I love you.
Me too.
You okay? Want any more tea? Another blanket? (chuckles) If I have any more tea, I'll turn into a teapot.
A cute teapot.
(chuckles) I'd be a cuter champagne flute.
God, I could really use a drink.
I read the pamphlet no drinking, no drugging, no rock and roll.
You'd be a good nurse, Gabe.
Here.
(sniffling) I'm sorry.
No, no, no, don't be sorry.
You can cry.
I just wonder what would have happened if he was still alive, you know? Would he have wanted me to do this? Would I have made the same decision? I'm sure that Seth would have supported you no matter what.
We never left anything inside.
He told me that he loved me and I told him that I loved him.
And we love you.
And you love us.
Well, then we're good.
I really do love you guys.
You're my family.
Shine a light on me Shine a little light shine a little light on me On my own I am powerless Lost in the shadows of discontent Shine a little light shine a little light on me So, there's no way I can ever get him back? At least he's not in jail, that's He's gonna be safe, no drug charges.
- That's a good thing.
- It is.
Once again, my child is paying the price for my mistakes.
Lori, you know it's not your fault, right? He was my responsibility.
Well, we both know that kids have their own minds.
I'm sorry.
(phone buzzing) Hey.
Hey, just thought I'd check in, see how you're doing.
I just saw Ben.
Everything is so screwed up, Crash.
Where is he? That's the thing.
He's being put back into the system.
This is all my fault.
That's not true, Carter.
Yes it is, Crash.
- I screwed everything up.
- No, you didn't.
Let me come pick you up, or come to my hotel and we'll talk.
Yeah, okay.
I just have one thing I need to do first.
I'll, uh, get there as soon as I can, okay? Okay.
I'm here.
Bye.
How could you do it? How could you stand there and promise me to my face that you weren't gonna give Ben up, and then do this? He screwed things up for himself.
No, you did, Jared, out of spite, because you didn't get your way.
Not everything's about you, Carter.
The sooner you learn that, the better.
You know, I kept making excuses for you, Jared.
Saying it was just a bad choice here, a slip-up there.
No, I don't have to explain myself to you anymore.
We're done, remember? I thought you said this wasn't personal.
It's not, but when they asked me about Ben, I saw no reason to lie.
Because you're such a stand-up law abiding guy.
Hey, you were the one who walked in here with a fake ID pretending to be someone you weren't.
(sighs) Hey, you okay? I worry I missed my chance to be a father to him.
Losing a kid I didn't even get to know.
And and now, it's too late.
But the idea of him just out there in the system, I hate it.
Me too.
He is a good kid.
Mmm.
He doesn't deserve this.
(phone buzzing) Hey, man.
Hey, have you heard from Carter? No, why? She was supposed to meet me here, and she hasn't shown up.
Maybe she hit traffic.
I don't know.
When I talked to her, she was pretty upset.
She saw Ben and she was blaming herself because he's going back in the system.
How'd that happen? She said Jared gave him up.
Okay, stay put, I'm I'm sure she'll show up.
Yeah, um just let me know if you hear from her.
I will.
Your brother was the one trying to steal - from my customers.
- Oh, yeah, Ben's the real villain here.
You'd made it pretty clear that you want nothing to do with me.
Why should I protect him? Because the drugs aren't on him, Jared! Because you wouldn't take responsibility for any of your actions though.
When are you gonna stop trying to blame me for everything? You are just as culpable as I am.
I didn't turn in innocent people, Jared.
I didn't force a 16-year-old boy to sell drugs for me.
You know, I may have made some stupid moves, like ever falling for you, but nothing that even compares to what you've done.
Whatever, Carter, I'm just sick of hearing your voice.
You are not gonna get away with this, Jared.
Go do whatever you gotta do, huh? Okay? I'm gonna be busy putting my life back together! While everyone else pays for your mistakes.
Grow up, Carter.
This is the way that the world works.
You don't deserve to be a dad.
And you know what? As soon as the truth comes out, the only place your little girl is gonna see you is in prison.
- Hey.
- Get off! I'm in over my head And I can't catch my breath I'm lost in the deep end