"(people conversing)" "(flute playing languidly)" "MONICA:" "What are you thinking about, Tess?" "You remember that man who lived around here about 200, 300 years ago, got lost in a blizzard?" "Yes... yes, I do." "I led him to a cave." "He spent that winter ice-fishing and concocting stories to tell to his tribe when he got back home." "I remember." "He told them later that it was the most wonderful season of his life." "He said that he had met himself that year." "People are too busy to meet themselves anymore." "Everybody's faxing and modeming and onlining and inputting, downloading and overnighting." "You don't like it?" "Change the channel." "Push the button, escape, delete." "You know, you can say anything to anybody anywhere in the world in seconds... but it still takes as much time as it ever took to know a soul or mend a broken heart or... give birth to a child." "Even in this world of change, some things just don't." "And children like her, they get lost in the in-between." "What's her name?" "Cassie... it's Cassie." "(grunting and panting)" "WOMAN (on P.A.):" "Paging Dr. Klein." "Telephone, please, Dr. Klein." "(grunting and panting continue)" "I have a bag..." "a flute... in my bag." "Shh... it's all here, Cassie." "(panting)" "Shh, it's all right." "Don't be afraid." "I'll be with you all the time, and before you know it, you'll be holding your beautiful, wee baby in your arms." "No, I won't." "♪ When you walk down the road ♪" "♪ Heavy burden, heavy load ♪" "♪ I will rise and I will walk with you ♪" "♪ I'll walk with you ♪" "♪ Till the sun don't even shine ♪" "♪ Walk with you every time ♪" "♪ I tell you, I'll walk with you ♪" "♪Walk with you♪" "♪ Believe me, I'll walk with you. ♪" "(groaning)" "Keep breathing, Cassie." "It's almost over." "I can't, it hurts." "I know, love, I know, but you're doing so well." "Oh, shh..." "Cassie, is there anyone outside you'd like to have in here with you?" "I don't want anyone to see me like this." "I just want to get it over with." "Another one's coming." "I can't do it." "I've just got to get out of here." "Take my hand." "Cassie, take my hand." "Is that your flute over there?" "Do you play in the orchestra in school?" "Cassie, I want you to imagine right now that you're playing a beautiful flute solo-- a strong, simple melody." "Can you hear it?" "(imagined music playing)" "And now the melody is joined by an oboe... and a clarinet and a horn." "Listen..." "listen." "And now the strings take it up, playing faster, driving the tune into a wild symphony." "(imagined music continuing)" "And the percussion arrives, and the whole orchestra crescendos into a powerful wave of sound that the flute is cresting way up on the top of, until... until... (panting)" "Until it's over." "How?" "I'm glad you're a classical musician." "I don't think we'd get the same effect with heavy metal." "Craig's band used to do metal." "Then they went punk." "Craig?" "Craig... he's my... the..." "Ah..." "Craig." "♪ I found me a million dollar baby ♪" "♪ Million dollar baby in the five-and-ten-cent store. ♪" "I'm telling you, it's happening right now." "Can you believe this?" "As soon as Craig gets in, you tell him to get it over here or I'll kill him." "Yeah... yeah, she's here." "Look, listen..." "listen, they're here, too." "Them...the parent people." "WOMAN:" "Joanne?" "Hi." "MAN:" "How long has she been in labor?" "She went into labor about six hours ago." "They say she's really close." "Is Cassie all right?" "I guess." "I haven't been in there." "She wants to be alone, I guess." "Strange, isn't it?" "The happiest day of our lives must be one of the hardest ones for you." "No... it's, um..." "I never had a grandchild before." "It's just a little tough to get one and lose one all in the same day." "But you and Cassie are always welcome in our home-- you know that." "Well, I'd better call my manager." "Looks like I'm not going to make my shift." "Shannon, call your mom and tell her you're here." "Um, she's getting acrylics done on her nails tonight." "Who's having the baby?" "Well, we're not calling it "having a baby,"" "we'll calling it "giving birth."" "(archly):" "Really?" "Yes, it's a temporary situation." "See, my friend, she's giving birth." "They're getting the baby." "Actually, I was very instrumental in the whole selection process, you know." "Oh, really?" "Mm-hmm." "Well..." "DOCTOR:" "Okay, Cassie, take a deep breath, hold it." "Push... push..." "Push..." "Okay, relax, relax now." "You're doing it, Cassie, you're almost there." "Let's try again, deep breath." "Hold it." "Push... push..." "Here comes the head." "Keep pushing." "(groans weakly)" "It's a girl." "I know." "(baby crying)" "Oh, I've never seen it from this side before." "Oh, isn't it something?" "How long you been working on OB?" "Don't remember seeing you around here before." "But I've been working upstairs." "(baby continuing to cry)" "Can I please get out of here now?" "Don't you want to see your baby, Cassie?" "No." "(baby crying)" "Oh, my, you're just in time-- she's hungry." "She's an angel." "Oh, she's beautiful." "Something about a baby, I'll just drop anything, you know, the way they are." "SHANNON:" "Amber says don't worry about cheerleading practice, because they're pushing tryouts back for another month." "That's a whole four weeks to lose weight." "And Randolyn, she says hi, and you owe her 20 bucks-- but don't worry about that." "And Jane Gerberding, she's being the typical snob that she is, and says that you should..." "(knock on door)" "Hi." "Hi, Craig." "Nice of you to drop by." "So, where were you last night while this poor woman writhed in agony?" "Shut up, Shannon." "I left the gig as soon as I heard, but the van broke down about 50 miles outside of Fort Harris." "How was the show?" "It was great." "I mean, they were really into it, especially the new songs." "Cool." "This is Craig." "Hello, Craig." "I've heard a lot about you." "Yeah, well..." "Monica got me through last night." "She's really into music." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, I used to be in a choir, yeah." "I'll be outside if you need me." "Shannon... we need some privacy." "Oh... all right." "Just remember, privacy got you into this." "You okay?" "Mm." "Did it hurt?" "Yeah... but I'm okay now." "Um..." "The guy last night who owns the club reallyliked the band." "And he wants us to play for six weeks straight." "In Fort Harris?" "Yeah." "I mean, it's not L.A., but this guy owns clubs all over the place." "If he likes us, we could be on the road for a year." "Only problem is, I have to go back tonight." "Well, that's wonderful." "I'm really proud of you." "But you could come and visit or something, you know, on weekends..." "if you want." "I mean, it's a long haul, but, when you're ready... you know, after this." "I think I saw them." "The Feldmans." "They were holding her." "Can they do that yet?" "The nurse asked me, and I said it was okay." "It's going to be theirs anyway." "We're doing the right thing." "Yeah." "I mean, you know, maybe in a year," "I get a record deal, you graduate, then..." "What did it..." "What did she look like?" "She's, uh,..." "She's awesome." "JOANNE:" "Hi." "Ms. Peters." "I'm glad you're here, Craig-- we can take care of this all at once." "These are the final release papers." "The lawyers filled everything out, so all you have to do is sign, uh, twice." "Here." "And, um, here." "Good." "Um..." "I'll call you." "The doctor said you could come home tomorrow." "I think the sooner that you get back to school and move on, the better." "That's what everybody says." "How are you feeling?" "Mother, I feel awful." "I feel like a truck ran over me." "You know, when... when I had you, I..." "I cried for a week." "Thanks." "Oh, honey, that's not what I meant." "I..." "I just..." "I meant I understand." "(softly):" "See you tonight." "WOMAN (over intercom):" "Nurse Wagner to sixth-floor nurses' station." "Nurse Wagner to sixth-floor nurses' station." "(whispers):" "Hi." "What are you reading?" "Legal stuff." "Give-up-the-baby stuff." "That must have been a very difficult decision for you." "Not really." "I always said that if I got pregnant, this is what I'd do." "So when it happened, it was... kind of like, uh... fire drills at school, you know?" "I just knew what to do automatically." "Except that, um..." "a fire drill isn't the same as a fire, huh?" "I took a nap this afternoon..." "and when I woke up... my hands were like this." "I spent nine months pretending something wasn't there." "(voice cracking):" "Now that it's gone," "I think I miss it." "Oh, Cassie." "I know I'm not supposed to see the baby-- because then I won't want to give her up and the baby won't want to go either-- but all I can think of is that down that hall" "there's a part of me that I may never see again." "What's it going to be like in 20 years if I never saw her?" "What's it going to be like if I did?" "What should I do?" "Cassie... that's a decision that only you can make." "But I believe that if you truly make that decision out of nothing but love, it will be a decision that you can live with." "MAN (on TV):" "...and morning, low clouds." "We'll have fog near the coast." "Highs both days in the upper 60s to upper 70s." "Lows tonight in the upper 40s." "(shuts TV off)" "What can I do for you?" "I'd like to see my baby." "Sure." ""Peters."" "I'll be right back." "(baby cooing)" "You're real." "So unbelievable." "MAN (over P.A. system):" "Attention, passengers." "Southbound train now boarding, platform two." "Southbound train now boarding, platform two." "Yes?" "I'd like a ticket to Fort Harris." "That'll be $38.50." "For one person?" "Yep." "How far could I get for, um, 20?" "MAN (over loudspeaker):" "9:15, from San Francisco, now arriving, platform three." "Trentfield." "Great." "Thanks." "Okay, baby." "Let's go see your daddy." "(baby coos)" "Good morning, Cassie." "Isn't it a lovely day?" "WOMAN (over loudspeaker):" "Dr. Seidleman, line one, please, Dr. Seidleman." "JOANNE:" "She must have said something to you." "You're the one she talks to." "SHANNON:" "She didn't tell me." "I mean, I don't know where she went-- unbelievable as that is." "Shannon, this is not the time to be covering for her." "This is serious." "I swear I don't know." "Excuse me." "Excuseme." "I just need to find..." "What's wrong?" "Is the baby all right?" "The baby's not here." "Cassie took her." "How did this happen?" "I-I have no idea." "MR. FELDMAN:" "Does this mean that we've lost our baby?" "I don't know." "I don't even know if I've lost mine." "WOMAN (over P.A.):" "Mr. Walker, please call extension 2-4-4." "Monica..." "is the baby...?" "No." "Is Cassie...?" "Both gone." "And just where were you when this was going on anyway, Miss Wings?" "(sighs)" "You see, Tess, there's this wee girl up on the third floor and she's having an operation today, and she was really terrified about it, so I... you know, I thought I'd sit with her for..." "Maybe I should just resign." "What?" "No, no..." "I'll transfer." "Back to Revelations and Annunciations." "At least there what I said was taken seriously." "That little girl's operation was under control, and we thought Cassie and the baby were under control, too." "Well, you'll just have to go get them." "Well, I know, and I better hurry." "As much as I hate to say this, take the car." "You would trust me with the car?" "No, but what choice do I have?" "But just let me say this:" "If I see one nick in my paint job..." "Don't worry about it, Tess." "Just give it a little gas before you start it." "Not a lot, or you'll flood it." "And the left turn signal sticks." "It'll be just fine, I promise." "I'll take care of it." "Now, I'd better get going." "I know it's just a car." "But it'smycar." "(man announcing over PA system)" "Monica, what are you doing here?" "You left so suddenly this morning, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye." "Did you follow me?" "In a way." "I borrowed my friend's car." "But I took the train hours ago." "It's got a lot of get-up-and-go." "(baby crying)" "How's the wee one?" "(fussing, crying continuing)" "(chuckling)" "Oh, there now, darling, there now." "Oh, she's lovely." "What kind of nurse are you?" "And aren't you a little far from the hospital?" "I'm, uh..." "I'm a floater." "I go where I'm needed." "Where are you going?" "I'm going to see Craig." "He's playing in Fort Harris." "Fort Harris?" "Such an exotic sounding name." "I think I'd like to go there." "Do you want a lift?" "If this is some way of trying to get me to go back... (chuckling):" "No." "It's a way of getting you where you want to be." "Oh, she's lovely." "I forgot." "Where did that come from?" "Oh, my friend, she likes to be prepared." "(playing rock music)" "♪ I see you counting outs, it bothers me ♪" "♪ I'll leave it alone. ♪" "♪ There's so much awfulness I want to see ♪" "♪ What do you want... ♪" "CRAIG:" "Hold on, guys, I need a minute." "MAN:" "Okay, guys, take five." "Cass?" "What happened?" "I think..." "I changed my mind." "You were right." "She is awesome." "I-I, um..." "I think I'll check out the band." "Hello." "Hello." "It sounds lovely." "In an alternative sort of way." "What are you doing here?" "(baby cooing)" "I held her, Craig." "I-I just couldn't let go." "Aren't you glad to see me?" "Oh..." "Uh, sure." "It's just that, um... you know, we got to practice." "Hey, kid, want a drink?" "Cool it, man." "Come on, Craig, I mean... can't we just go and talk?" "Cass, I can't go anywhere." "I got to practice." "Craig, you've got responsibilities now." "Grow up." "Act like you're supposed to." "You're a father now." "Oh, come on, Cass." "No, Craig, you come on." "I signed the papers." "I gave her up." "I thought that's what you wanted me to do." "Well, it's obviously what you wanted to do." "Cass..." "I love you." "It's just that..." "What?" "It's just that there's things I want to do, you know?" "Before I become a father." "You already are one, Craig." "Damn it, Cass, what are you doing here?" "I mean, what do you want from me" "I can't do anything." "The baby belongs somewhere else now, and so do you." "And so do I." "We made a mistake... not a family." "We made a mistake and a baby." "So don't make her pay for it." "Forget it, I'll do this myself." "What?" "Keep the baby." "And I don't care if you... you help or not." "So just go get drunk or something." "Cass..." "Craig, just... drop dead." "Monica?" "Can I keep riding with you?" "I'll be here as long as you need me." "(baby crying)" "Maybe she's hungry." "Maybe she knows her daddy doesn't want her." "(baby continues crying)" "(baby silent)" "What's today?" "Sunday." "Do you have any kids, Monica?" "No." "But to be honest, I've often wondered what it would be like." "It changes everything." "A few months ago, a few weeks ago, even," "I would have spent Sunday with Shannon at a mall or a movie." "And practiced my flute for a while." "I don't think I'm ever going to have another Sunday like that." "But the funny thing is... when I look at her... it's okay." "Where are you going?" "Well, thanks for the room, but I can take it from here." "Oh, Cassie, this is something you don't have to do alone." "Well, if Craig's not going to be a part of it, there's no other way for me to do it." "Well, why don't you call your mother?" "My mother doesn't care." "She thinks I'm a screw-up." "Maybe I am." "Look, I'll get a job, then I can stay here for a while." "This place is pretty cheap by the week." "I'll be fine." "Promise." "MAN:" "What is this?" "A flute?" "Looks kind of beat up," "I'll give you $50 for it." "Fifty dollars?" "It's worth $1,000." "My mother made payments on it for two years." "Yeah, well, what would your mother say if she saw you pawning it, then?" "I think she'd understand." "There's not much demand for flutes in this neighborhood." "Hundred bucks, take it or leave it." "(cash register rings)" "Little sister going to miss hearing you play that flute?" "She never heard me." "(baby fussing)" "Well, it's not the Ritz, but it's a great view of the sign." "Oh, I wish they were somewhere else, Tess, but it's all she could afford-- and only for two nights." "After that..." "After that, she's going to have to start making some decisions." "Tess, what am I supposed to be doing with Cassie?" "Am I supposed to get her to go back to the Feldmans?" "Or am I supposed to help her to keep her baby?" "You're supposed to help her become a good mother." "Now, that's all I can tell you." "I'm not sure I know what a good mother is." "Oh, you'll know one when you see one." "ADAM:" "Well... if it isn't the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper." "Adam?" "What are you doing here?" "Just... hanging around." "I'm beginning to worry about you, son." "You're not starting to burn out, are you?" "Nah." "I was made for this kind of work." "Well, taking people home to their reward can wear a soul down... especially if you feel misunderstood." "Hang in there." "Thanks, Tess." "Listen, I have some... information about the Peters baby." "But you don't handle babies." "Just thought I'd pass the information along." "The baby's very sick." "Sick?" "How sick?" "The doctors won't get these test results until tomorrow morning, but... by then..." "(wind whistling)" "Cassie, wake up." "Cassie?" "The little one is very ill." "You must take her to a hospital." "Cassie?" "Wake up." "Monica?" "(gasps)" "Oh..." "Oh, God." "Oh, God, no." "Come on, baby, wake up." "What's wrong with you?" "(baby crying)" "WOMAN (over intercom):" "Dr. Katrell, Dr. Janet Katrell." "JOANNE (over phone):" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Cassie, honey?" "Do I understand that you don't have any insurance?" "Insurance?" "No, I don't think so." "Okay, well, then I need to get your address and your phone number." "I don't live here." "I-I've been staying in a motel." "Okay, well, um, I need the phone number of the hotel." "I don't know, I, uh..." "It's the Great Little Lodge." "(baby continuing to wail)" "Uh, how about place of employment?" "I've been looking." "Hon, do you know your blood type?" "No." "Sit down." "Roll up your sleeve." "I'll need to draw some blood." "Okay, are you an emancipated minor?" "I don't know." "Well, where are your parents?" "DOCTOR:" "I'm glad you got her in when you did, Miss Peters." "She's a very sick little girl." "Squeeze." "Miss Peters, we think your baby has hemolytic anemia." "What that means is you and your baby probably have different blood types and your body has made antibodies against the baby's red blood cells." "Until we give her new blood cells, by transfusion, she could die." ""Die"?" "You're very lucky you got in here when you did." "After the baby's transfusion, she's going to have to stay in the hospital for a few days until all of your antibodies have been cleared from her bloodstream." "The nurse is going to give you some consent forms to sign." "(wailing continuing)" "We'll give you an update on your baby in about an hour." "Monica?" "Monica?" "MONICA:" "Cassie." "Cassie?" "Oh, Monica..." "The baby... the baby..." "The baby's going to be just fine." "She could have died because of me... because of my blood." "I almost killed her." "No, it's not your fault." "You did nothing wrong, Cassie." "And now you've saved the baby." "How am I going to take care of her?" "I never knew being a mother would feel like this." "It's so... every moment." "I'm just a kid." "I'm not a good mother." "Oh, Cassie, Cassie, you are a good mother because you know what it is to love your baby more than yourself." "But... how do I know the Feldmans are the right parents for her?" "Well, no one knows the future, Cassie." "All right." "I can tell you this:" "You daughter's going to have a wonderful life." "And she's going to have freckles just like you." "And she'll have skinned knees and maybe a broken arm, but she'll win the fourth-grade spelling bee and she'll become president of her sophomore class." "And she'll fall in love... a few times." "Oh, and Cassie, she'll play the violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra." "How do you know that?" "Because I'm an angel." "You mean..." "like, a psychic, or something?" "(chuckles)" "No, this is not a prediction, Cassie." "It's a message." "Do you remember when you were a child and you used to pray at night:" ""Please, God, let me make beautiful music"?" "Well, that prayer will be answered for generations to come because the beautiful music... it started with you." "She's just going to yell at me." "Why don't you give her a chance?" "Come with me?" "Uh-uh." "You've found a mother for your baby, now it's time to find your own." "CASSIE:" "Mom?" "Thank God." "The baby?" "Oh, she's okay." "She's outside with a friend." "I've been, um... been making dinner every night, you know, just in case..." "(crying)" "I know..." "I screwed up, Mom." "Oh..." "I don't know..." "Maybe you did what... what any other mother would do, given the circumstances." "You... you'd made your decision... the Feldmans were there... everything was planned, except for how you'd feel." "That's the only thing that no one thought of." "I'm sorry." "When I walked into that... empty hospital room, I was so afraid that I would never see you again." "And I knew how you must be feeling." "But we both know that we can't keep her, Cassie." "But I will never, never blame you for wanting to." "Oh, Mama," "I'm going to miss her so much." "I know, baby, I know." "(man praying in Hebrew)" "Ben and I have learned a lot about faith as we waited for our baby to join our lives." "For that reason, the name "Faith"" "seems perfect for this little baby girl." "It means so much to have you here with us today, Cassie." "Thank you." "I'm sorry for the worry I caused you." "I just needed some time." "But we've had that time together, Faith and I." "She's ready to be your little girl now." "But if it's okay, can I spend one last moment alone with her?" "Sure." "(Faith crying softly)" "I'll never forget you." "Well, I hope not." "(baby cooing)" "You won't remember this, baby, but I will." "(playing tranquil melody on flute)" "Hi." "What is this?" "What's what?" "This big gouge in my car." "(chuckling):" "I don't see anything." "It's right here." "You mean that wee, tiny scratch?" "That's always been there, Tess." "Not to my recollection." "I took really good care of the car." "Always took two parking places, just like you said." "Did you hear Cassie playing the flute?" "Ask me how I got it back, go on, ask me." "Don't go changing the subject on me." "I wasn't created yesterday, you know." "I made the pawnbroker an offer he couldn't refuse." "Oh, Lord, here it comes." "I took care of his sciatica." "Is that wrong, Tess?" "Father, why will you not help me with this child?" "(Monica chuckling)"