"Base camp, base camp." "This is Red Four." "Over." "Base camp to Red 4, about 14 clicks out." "Over." "While I'm out here trying not to get my ass shot off... she's back in the States shacked up with my best friend." "No way." "So the bitch filed for custody." "So I go to First Sergeant... trying to get home on emergency leave so I can handle my shit." "You know what he told me?" ""Deal with it."" "Oh, man, you can't roll over on that one, you gotta fight back." "Meanwhile she was the one with the drinking problem, but I'm unstable because I'm overseas." "Well, you are a little unstable, we just won't tell them that." "Roger." "Are those tracer rounds?" "Red 4, this is Red 2!" "Come inside, contact." "Contact front!" "Contact, front!" "Command 6, Command 6 this is Red Four, we've got contact." "IED, IED!" "What the fuck are we doing?" "You didn't see that truck in front of us?" "Command 6, this is Red 4." "Four VICs intact." "Who's in the VIC in front of us?" "Medic!" "Medic!" "Ramp down, I'm going in!" "Doc!" "You need to wait for dismounts to kick out." "Don't have a minute!" "Medic on the ground!" "Red 4, we got a medic on the ground." "Over." "Medic!" "What the hell?" "You're gonna get shot!" "Get out of there!" "White, come in!" "Where are you hit?" "I can't feel my legs!" "I can't feel my legs." "You're gonna be all right." "Cook, you're gonna be all right." "10:00, Jersey!" "All right this is ready." "Angel to dust off." "I need a medevac 500 meters past TRP 1." "Doc, we need to get out of here!" "You!" "Over here!" "Right now!" "Help me out!" "Get him under the arm!" "Get him under the arm." "Go!" "Clear!" "Nice and easy." "All right, take off his ACH." "Give me some light." "You're gonna make it, you're gonna be all right." "What is it?" "Am I gonna die?" "Cook, breathe, you need to calm down, okay? Please?" "Open my bag." "Let me know what you want me to get from here." "Just open it." "All right, I need you to calm down, okay?" "You'll be all right." "What the hell is that?" "What is it?" "It's got fins." "Holy shit, is that live fucking ordinates?" "You can't touch that, Doc." "We need EOD." "Please, please, I promised my son I was coming home." "You're gonna cut him open here?" "Hold him down." "Please!" "Please, God, I don't want to die." "Don't move, okay? You okay, Swann?" "Yes, sir." "I heard about what you did out there." "If he pulls through, it's because of you." "Shit luck on your last day." "What's up, Swanny?" "Boy, you suck." "Welcome to the party." "Ah, it's good to be at the party." "Ducky, my man." "You know your kid is gonna go ape-shit when he sees you?" "He better." "All right, one last one." "No!" "No, no!" "You gotta be in it." "Say Hadji." "Come on." "Come on." "This is the happiest day of my life." "Hands down, bar none, the happiest fucking day of my life." "Mine, too." "Left face!" "On behalf of Fort Bliss, and a grateful nation... thank you for a job well done." "Welcome home and be safe." "Captain." "Company, attention." "Dismissed." "Maggie." "Hey." "Welcome back." "Thanks." "How was your flight?" "Long." "Where's Paul?" "Oh, Paul, he-- he just wasn't on my way." "I got caught up with a client." "I was showing him one of those developments over in Mesa... and the guy said, "Great, I'll take it."" "And the next thing you know, I gotta check credit and get a deposit." "Richard, I know what it takes to sign a lease." "I can still tell when you're lying." "Goddamn it, wait a minute." "Maggie!" "What?" "You know... he didn't want to come, all right?" "I tried to talk him into it, and he didn't want to come." "I think he's a little bit confused right now." "You know, it's been 15 months since you've been gone... so... that's a lifetime for a little kid." "Turn over?" "Seems to, battery is shot to hell, though." "Yeah, that's what sitting on its ass for a year and change will do." "Well, you don't look so bad." "So Alma hasn't walked out on you yet, how come?" "Well... actually, we're doing pretty well." "Got engaged." "About a month ago." "I was gonna tell you, but I figured you'd be home soon enough." "She's pregnant." "Sounds familiar." "We're not telling anybody yet." "Congratulations." "Thank you." "You can follow me, I'll try not to lose you." "More chicken." "Mm-hm." "What's the magic word?" "Please, please, please." "Here you go, sweetie." "Careful, it's hot." "Wow, a garage and everything." "You're really moving up." "He knows I'm coming, right?" "Yeah, of course, he knows." "Hey, there, kiddo." "Guess who I brought home? It is nice to meet you..." "finally." "Nice to meet you, too." "Hey, buddy." "It's me, it's Mommy." "I'm back." "Hey?" "We talked on the computer, remember?" "Alma." "Hey, go give your-- give your mom a hug." "Yeah, she travelled a really long way just to see you." "No." "Come on, come on." "Hey, what are you doing?" "Give her a hug, come on." "It's okay." "We got time." "Sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" "Alma cooked up a storm." "Is that all his stuff?" "Yeah, well, I figured you'd want us to keep on a couple things, because-- ...at least until you get to your, you know, your place." "I have my own place." "You know what I mean, something permanent." "He's not coming back to live with you, Richard." "Listen, I know what we agreed, I know what we said." "I'm saying that he's doing real well here." "And I'm saying he's coming home with me." "And then we'll see each other on the weekends, okay?" "You ready?" "No!" "Honey, you don't want to make your mom sad, do you?" "She's not my mommy." "Paul, don't say that." "Hey, buddy, listen, we talked about this." "Listen to me." "Listen to me." "Big boys don't cry." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Paul!" "She's not my mother." "Hey! Alma!" "No!" "It won't open!" "Alma!" "I want Alma! Hey, Paul..." "Paul, I'm sorry." "All right, he's clear." "All right, sir, you're clear, take your hands off." "Join your friend over there." "Get in the shade and hydrate, Sergeant." "I'm all right." "I said get in the fucking shade, Swann." "I got this." "We're being relieved in an hour." "That's an order." "Is that enough?" "Hey... you want to see your present?" "Come on." "Hold on." "Hm?" "You know what it says on the cover?" "Ducky's Adventures in Afghanistan." "Remember how you gave him to me before I left?" "You made me promise to take a picture with him every week." "You really don't remember?" "Well, you did." "In every page, in every picture, is me and Ducky." "There he is, on patrol." "There he is in the medic tent." "And there he is with my friends." "I don't play with that stuff anymore." "It's for little kids." "Forget it." "Hm?" "Eat it before it gets soggy." "Alma!" "Hey!" "How are you?" "Good." "How'd you sleep last night?" "Good." "Yeah?" "Okay, good." "How are you doing?" "Do you want to water some flowers?" "Tell you what, I think you're gonna love the marble bath." "I need to talk to you." "Okay." "Hey, Donna?" "I'm gonna call you back, all right?" "I'll call you back and we'll set it up." "All right." "Hey." "I'm kind of busy right now." "He wants nothing to do with me." "It's been a day." "Did you do anything to prepare him?" "Yeah, I told him his mother's coming home." "What do you want me to do?" "Well, he acts like that woman is his fucking mother." "Maggie, you've been gone for a third of his life." "What do you expect?" "Yeah, uh-huh, hard, isn't it?" "Hard when you left, too." "Because he wanted Mommy to brush his teeth." "He wanted Mommy to put him to bed." "And Mommy to give him all his food, so he didn't eat, and he didn't sleep." "And then he started sleepwalking, which scared the shit out of me." "What do you mean, he started sleepwalking?" "I mean, he started sleepwalking." "He started walking around here with his eyes open." "And the doctor said he was-- he was asleep." "Well, where did he go?" "Go everywhere, he'd go in here, he walked into the closet... and pissed on my shoes once." "Tried to go outside a couple times... probably looking for his mother." "Wasn't looking for me." "I didn't know how to handle him, either." "You know who did a good job, was Alma." "You should be grateful to her." "Turned him back into a happy kid again." "I know it's hard, and I know it's a lot to come back to." "And, uh, I don't know... maybe Paul should come back and stay with us for a while." "Why?" "'Cause I want what's best for Paul." "And you don't think I can take care of him?" "I think if you wanted to take care of him... you wouldn't have stayed in the Army." "Need anything?" "Hello?" "Hey, Dad." "Maggie!" "God, they've been jerking me around for about six weeks." "She'll be back on this day, on that day." "I'm very proud of you, sweetie." "Thanks, Dad." "And how's my little man?" "Paulie, I bet he was excited to see you." "Yeah, he was excited." "And Richard?" "No, he's still Richard." "Do you remember when you were little, I read you stories?" "The one about Rip Van Winkle?" "Yeah, I think it was a guy who fell asleep for like 100 years." "One day the guy wakes up, thinks everything's gonna be the same." "Can't get his head around the fact that everything's changed." "That's what I went through when I came back." "You just have to be patient, sweetheart." "Were you patient?" "No." "Hey." "Hey." "We're gonna start over, okay?" "And that means we're gonna pretend like we've never met each other before." "My name's Maggie." "What's your name?" "Paul." "Paul?" "Nice to meet you, Paul." "How would you like some space to run around in, Paul?" "Okay." "Hey." "Want to give me a hand?" "Right." "Don't judge, just eat." "Wow." "Mm-hm." "Wow." "That's a kick-ass burger." "You're right." "I swear it's worth deployment just to come home to eat and fuck." "Here I'm still trying to work on that second part." "See?" "I'm married, otherwise I'd happily oblige." "Shut your face." "God, you're so gross." "So what's up with the reassignment?" "Mm, Charlie Company, 2nd Platoon, the platoon sergeant was killed in a car crash, so..." "I heard about that." "I also heard that CO is a bag of dicks." "Mm-hm." "Good luck with that." "Thank you." "What's up?" "I don't know, fuck." "You know, I just couldn't wait to get out of that hell hole, and" "I don't know, now since I've been back..." "I don't even know what to do with myself half the time." "So..." "I know." "Me, too." "Hey." "This must be Paul." "You see that bed over there?" "That's yours if you want to keep sleeping." "You're gonna have fun." "You're gonna make some new friends, okay?" "I don't want to go, Maggie." "Hey, we're gonna do something special for dinner tonight, okay?" "Okay." "Iron soldier, sir." "Team Bliss." "Iron soldier, sir." "Team Bliss." "Sergeant Swann!" "Come on in!" "Reporting for duty, sir." "At ease." "I've heard a lot of great things about you, Sergeant." "I commend you on your Bronze Star." "Thank you, sir." "Glad to see you re-enlisted." "You are a glutton for punishment." "You want some tea?" "My wife's got me drinking tea." "No, thank you, sir." "So how does it feel?" "Be back second time around?" "It's always an adjustment, sir." "I always say, coming home is a lot harder than going to war." "So many damn expectations." "Yes, sir." "So, what's the deal?" "You married, you got kids?" "I have a son, he's 5." "Oh, man, that's a great age." "I have a couple of little ones myself." "How old are they, sir?" "Oh, the photos are a little out of date." "It's amazing how fast they grow, huh?" "It is." "So, I take it you know why you've been assigned here." "Yes, sir." "I'm sorry about Sergeant Stevens, I heard about the accident." "Man survives Anbar to kiss a guard rail on his way to the Wal-Mart." "Find the justice in that." "Now here's the deal." "We are in the pipeline to ship out in nine months... and I've got an ambulance platoon walking around like a chicken without a head." "I'm making you Platoon Sergeant, until I find a suitable replacement." "You up for it?" "Yes, sir." "You got your work cut out for you." "Moral is in the shitter." "I put in a request with brigade for a permanent fill, but until then, you are in charge." "Best guess, you'll be here three months, maybe six." "Don't suppose you're in a hurry to deploy anytime soon?" "No, sir." "I can't say that I am." "First Sergeant Killens will be back to show you around." "Welcome aboard." "Thank you, sir." "We got a lot of newbies." "Some of these kids don't have a clue." "Closest they've seen to combat is Kill Zone 2." "Roger, First Sarn't." "A word of advice." "Act like you're here to stay." "Go ahead and secure your gear." "I'll be in there in a minute." "Hurley." "Sarn't." "Where are your 02 tanks?" "I got them right there, Sarn't." "5 gallon water jugs?" "I got my camelback, Sarn't." "You got a heat casualty with a core temp of 112... and you wanna cool him down with your canteen?" "How you think that's gonna work out for you?" "Not good, Sarn't!" "You want me to grab the water jugs on it?" "Fucking fix it." "Roger, sir." "Everybody circle up!" "Meet your new Platoon Sergeant, Sergeant Swann." "Just got back from theater." "Second time over." "Sergeant, these are your squad leaders, Sergeant Morrison." "How are you doing, Sergeant?" "Nice to meet you." "Sergeant Williams." "Nice to meet you, Sarn't." "Sergeant Butcher." "Nice to meet you." "I trust you'll make her feel welcome." "Hoowah." "All right, dinner is almost ready." "It's looking good." "Alma usually makes the yellow rice." "Okay." "Eat." "It's too crunchy." "Alma doesn't make it crunchy." "You know, I really don't care how Alma makes it." "This is how I make it." "Okay?" "I don't like it." "Just take the skin off, huh?" "See?" "There." "Can you just eat properly, please?" "Don't even think about it." "Pick it up, now!" "Pick it up!" "Pick it up!" "You think this is funny?" "Ow!" "You're hurting me!" "Do you?" "Pick it up now!" "Don't you ever disrespect me, do you understand me?" "If I tell you to eat something, you eat it." "Pick it all up!" "I want Alma." "You can cry for Alma all you want, you little shit." "For Monday, mostly sunny and not as warm." "High temperature 60 to 65 degrees." "Close 'em." "Can I trust you?" "I think so." "Okay." "Sit down... you better keep them closed." "Hey!" "What the" "You're gonna ruin my surprise." "All right, open them again." "Make a wish." "Where'd you get that?" "Oh, no, where there's a will..." "I got a little leprechaun back on base." "Mm." "Oh, my god." "Hey, happy birthday, kid." "Oh, my god, I think I love you." "I'm just kidding." "Oh, my god, thank you! Oh, Christ." "You scared me." "What are you doing?" "Paul?" "Hey." "Hey." "I'm sorry I yelled at you, okay?" "Hey." "Hey, look at me." "Where are you trying to go, buddy?" "Okay, so you can pick out one thing for your room... but then we gotta get everything else on that list, all right? Oh, no." "Oh, god." "Shit!" "God." "It's all right, hold on." "Hold on." "Piece of shit." "You said a bathroom word." "Can I get some help?" "Sure." "What do you need?" "I had to get it jump started to get it here." "Let's see." "It'll be the alternator." "I doubt it." "Yeah, why is that?" "The battery probably drained out." "So what, I need a new cylinoid?" "And your battery cables are corroded, too." "So, how much?" "$400." "If you want to rob me, just put a gun to my head." "I'm not trying to rob you, I mean, we're talking about parts and labor." "No, we're talking about a $30 part, and you should be able to do it in 40 minutes." "I'll do a special price for you." "What about that?" "Maggie, I have to go to number two." "Do you want me to come with you?" "No?" "I can do it by myself." "Okay, good." "It's white door, over there." "He looks like you." "I thought he was your son." "He is." "Okay, I just need some initials and signature and that's it." "I think I can have it for Thursday." "If I get it done sooner, I'll call you, okay?" "Is there a car rental agency around here?" "No, nothing like that." "You need a ride?" "Is there something I can rent from you?" "Not really, no." "What about the bike?" "My bike?" "You got a license?" "Ah, since I was 16." "What about the kid?" "How old is he?" "Old enough for the state of Texas." "Ready?" "Yeah." "Okay." "Hi." "Hi." "Um, Paul forgot his sandals, I thought you might need them." "Uh, he's actually sleeping." "We get up early." "Okay." "Come on in." "Thanks." "Um, I'm just in the middle of doing some laundry, so" "Um, I just wanted to see how he was doing." "Do you guys need anything?" "No, we're fine." "Okay." "Thanks." "I don't know if Richard mentioned the sleepwalking?" "Uh, yeah, I know." "It was really stressful in the beginning." "But, it's not dangerous, so long as he doesn't get out of the house." "You should hang some bells along the doors, it seems to help with him." "I don't really sleep anyway, so" "I guess I just, um..." "It's just I really miss the little guy, you know?" "He misses you, too." "Alma usually makes them in the pan." "Does she?" "Well, she can make them her way tomorrow." "Do you like trucks?" "Me, too." "You said you like trucks." "Wow." "Go on, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course." "What do you think?" "I like." "Huh?" "That steering wheel is bigger than you." "All right, are you ready to drive this green machine?" "Uh-huh." "Do you know what you're driving?" "Do you know how to drive it?" "Uh..." "Do you know what these are?" "These..." "These are your terrain switches." "Highway?" "Highway, that's it." "Right here, here you go." "This is Little Truck, Big Truck, are you there? Pull it, pull it." "Good?" "Here we got lots of all these colors." "Thank you, specialist." "It's called a rifle, it's what we actually use over there to fight the bad guys." "Alma doesn't have a gun." "I bet she doesn't." "Let's try opening your eyes next time, dude." "Yeah, like you did any better." "So what, man?" "I'm a fucking ambulance driver." "You think the insurgents give a shit that we're medics?" "Negative, Sarn't." "Get over here." "Roger, Sergeant." "If you do not hit your target, you'll bring back your buddy in a body bag, you want that?" "Negative, Sarn't." "Hit the ground." "Roger, sir." "You will go until you puke and then you will give me another 200." "Roger, sir." "A word, Sergeant." "Take it easy on Hurley, he just found out his Mom's got stage-four cancer." "We all have problems, Sergeant." "The Army isn't about holding hands, passing out tissues." "What are you saying?" "They don't gotta like you, but if you do not lay down the law, they will walk all over you." "Are you telling me how to do my job?" "No, Sergeant." "If you see that our guys need more training, you make sure they get it." "And maybe I didn't make myself clear earlier." "When I say lay off Private Hurley, I wasn't asking for your opinion." "Roger." "I wasn't sure you were coming." "Car's been ready a week." "Everything okay with the bike?" "Mm-hm." "No call back?" "You kind of hurt my feelings." "I can tell." "I didn't know you were, uh, what's that?" "It's" " S" "Staff Sergeant." "Staff Sergeant, yeah." "You like telling people what to do, huh?" "I like getting things done." "How much do I owe you for the bike?" "I tell you what, I'll let you buy me dinner." "What do you think?" "No, not tonight." "I have plans." "When?" "When I say so." "All right." "Clear!" "Move!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Medic!" "Come on, Diaz!" "We got a man dying, soldier, move!" "Come on, Diaz!" "Take your time, Diaz." "It's only his hand, he's got another." "You're moving so slow, he's gonna heal naturally." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Where's the blood sweep?" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Keep him talking." "If he's talking, he's breathing." "How are you feeling?" "It fucking hurts, moron." "Come on, find out where all that blood is coming from." "You're gonna be okay, buddy." "Just take it easy." "Are you trying to save him or jerk him?" "There's shrapnel in his leg, femoral artery." "No, stop!" "He would have bled out already." "You killed him, man." "That's not funny." "I'm going as fast as I can, Sarg." "Try telling that to his family." "You should be able to do it in half the time." "With all due respect, Sergeant, I don't think so." "Time me." "Oh, shit." "Damn." "Again! Clear!" "Medic!" "What happened?" "It blew off my hand." "We were patrolling and out of nowhere we heard this explosion." "Am I gonna be okay?" "Yeah, you're gonna be fine." "Please." "Where are you from, soldier?" "Time." "Whoo!" "I don't know." "How about the blue one?" "This?" "You don't think it's trying too hard?" "No." "You're late, Staff Sergeant." "You're lucky we showed up." "How are you doing, little man?" "Good." "Remember me?" "I'm Luis." "We need a chair for you." "Ah, here you are." "What do you guys want to drink?" "Orange soda." "Orange soda, perfect." "Watching TV?" "You like baseball?" "Mm-hm." "The Rangers are my favorite team." "Mine, too." "And Josh Hamilton is my favorite player." "Maybe we can watch a game together sometime?" "Okay." "Go Rangers." "Yeah, go Rangers." "We're gonna watch some baseball." "Give me five." "Yeah." "Ah, gracias." "Thank you." "Uh, this is my friend Maggie." "Maggie, this is my cousin Elena." "Hola." "Hi." "Wow, I have a feeling we're gonna be great friends." "Cheers." "Cheers." "I love this song." "You want to dance?" "No." "Naw, come on." "No." "Ah, let's dance." "No, no, no, no." "Just one song." "No, no, no, I'm actually really good with this, thank you." "Help me here... uh..." "I buy you a ticket for the Rangers if you tell your mom to dance with me." "Help me?" "Dance with him." "Come on, come on, let's dance." "How do you even dance to this?" "You follow me." "Can you do that?" "Come on." "Yeah, yeah." "Come on." "That's great." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Eh, eh, eh, eh." "What are you talking about?" "Come on, come on." "You're beautiful." "Just fuck me, okay?" "Oh, fuck." "Get off!" "Get off me!" "Get off me!" "Get off!" "What?" "Get out." "Look, I don't know what just happened back there, but" "It's not your fault." "I'm sorry if I did something that" "No, I'm" " I'm sorry." "I should probably go." "You can stay if you want." "Stay." "What does that say?" "El Porvenir." "It's the name of my hometown." "It means the future." "That's nice." "It's not, believe me." "It's a good thing you left, then." "I still got my father and my little brother back home." "I'm just starting to bring them over here, you know?" "Until then, it's like my heart is in two places." "What about you?" "What were you doing in Afghanistan?" "I was a medic." "Like a doctor or something?" "More like an EMT." "I rode around in convoys and assisted them when they got hit." "Sounds hard." "What?" "I don't know too many Mexicans with blue eyes." "I don't know too many girls in the Army." "Come on in." "Hi, I was on my way out, sir." "You wanted to see me?" "Have a seat, Sergeant, close the door, please." "I just got word from battalion." "They moved up deployment." "We ship out in 60 days." "Sir?" "I need you to keep a lid on it till COB tomorrow when we make the formal announcement." "This was supposed to be a temporary assignment." "I have a son, and you assured me" "I'm sympathetic to your situation." "But orders are orders." "There's nothing I can do." "What about my replacement?" "Last I heard they were trying to pull someone from distro... but they're running on empty same as everyone else." "If you don't mind my asking, sir, how old are those photos?" "A couple of years, why?" "Do you ever worry you won't be able to catch up anymore?" "I know what I am..." "and I know what I'm good at." "The world's best dad ain't it." "I've come to peace with that." "That'll be all, Sergeant." "Sir." "Sir, I told you I couldn't guarentee the repair cost... of the roof for your car." "And now you're telling me it'll cost 500 bucks?" "You guys are all the same, aren't you?" "Why don't you take your business somewhere else?" "Yeah, why don't you go back to your own country, huh?" "How do you feel about that?" "You want to see my green card, pendeho?" "You want to see my green card, asshole?" "Get the fuck away from me!" "Get the fuck out of here!" "Get the fuck out of here!" "I'm gonna report your ass to the Better Business Bureau." "Yeah, fuck you, coolero!" "I don't give a fuck what you do!" "I'm sorry you had to see that." "Terrell was picking you up?" "You sure?" "Okay." "It's pretty good." "Mommy?" "Yeah." "Why aren't you talking?" "I've got nothing to say, buddy." "Okay." "We got a monkey over here." "Yeah." "Tell me about it." "You're still cream and sugar, right?" "Ah, no sugar." "I'll take it." "Really?" "Shit." "It's been a long time since we've been at a playground together, huh?" "Thanks for the call." "Hey, Dad." "Hey, buddy, looking good." "I got my orders." "What are you talking about?" "My unit was in the pipeline for deployment later this year and they moved it up." "You just got back." "I know, but my replacement hasn't come in yet, so" "No, so you tell them no fucking way!" "Besides, you get out in like six months, right?" "I re-enlisted." "What?" "When I was in theater, I re-enlisted." "Why would you do that?" "Because I'm good at my job." "Look at me!" "I can see you, buddy!" "Jesus Christ, Maggie, I don't believe you." "That's the thing, if a guy has to go away to work, nobody questions it." "But if a woman leaves her family to go to work, she's a bad mother." "No, we're not talking about a three-day business trip here." "You know what?" "Who's gonna get us health insurance?" "Health insurance?" "We would buy health insurance." "With what?" "Your commissions from those bullshit condos that nobody wants?" "We should have talked about this." "Oh, really?" "Yeah." "Oh, so you're the only one who gets to do whatever the fuck you want." "No, this isn't about me, this has consequences for Paul." "Oh, really, consequences?" "So you fucking some big-titted bimbo you met in a bar didn't have consequences?" "Hey!" "Don't talk about Alma like that!" "You didn't even try to get out of it, did you?" "Oh, you know that's not how it works." "So what?" "So Afghanistan?" "For how long?" "Nine months... maybe a year." "Could be 15 months." "It could be." "So why aren't you more upset about this?" "I am upset about this!" "No, no, you just don't feel anything anymore?" "The Army takes that away from you?" "Oh, you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about." "You know what?" "I look at you and I look at the woman that I met six years ago." "I don't even see the goddamn resemblance." "You don't give a shit about anybody but yourself, do you?" "That is not true!" "Huh?" "Well, why don't you give me something then, huh?" "Why don't you give me a little taste of how you feel coming back after 15 months... and then you get to leave Paul again." "It sucks!" "Because I'll tell you how I feel about it." "I want to put my head through a fucking wall!" "You think I don't know what it's like?" "Let me tell you something." "You don't know what it's like." "You don't know what it's like when there's a voice on the phone and I don't recognize her." "Somebody rings a doorbell, and I think, hm..." "I wonder if it's dress uniforms." "Wonder how I'm gonna tell Paul." "I'm sorry." "No, you're not, you're just trying to break that little boy's heart." "Because you'll fight for your country, but you won't fight for your son, will you?" "I don't have a choice." "Bullshit." "You had a choice, and you made it." "And I'll tell you something, if he comes to live with us, he's gonna stay with us." "You wouldn't do that." "Well, you made your choice, so I'll make mine." "Can you play with me?" "Do you see I'm in the middle of something?" "It's bleeding." "Yeah, I'm fine." "Can I put a Band-Aid on it?" "How come you don't cry?" "Alice cut her finger at Day Care and she cried for like three hours." "I used to cry when I was little." "I guess the older you get, you just do it less and less." "I guess it's just a part of being a grown-up." "All right, man, looks good." "Congratulations." "See you at the movie all right?" "Hey, save me a seat this time." "All right, I'm gonna head out." "This good?" "Yeah, it's great, it's all done." "Hang on." "Stick around." "Talk to me." "How you doing?" "Can't complain." "Can't or won't." "You miss your kid?" "Oh, god, every day." "Are you trying to make me cry?" "No." "It won't work." "Can't deal with tears." "You can talk to me, though." "You know that, right?" "Yeah, I know that." "Because we're all we got out here." "That's right." "You make me feel good, Maggie." "You always have." "The truth is... you excite me." "Relax." "Nobody's coming in." "Mark, we're friends, okay?" "You're married." "We're more than friends, and you know it." "Listen, I've been on the other side, it's not" "Ssh..." "No, that's enough." "No." "No, we cannot." "I want you so bad." "No." "Look, hey!" "I think about you all the time." "That's enough." "Stop, stop." "Please stop." "Mark, I mean it, up!" "Come on, get off!" "You know you want this, Maggie." "Stop it!" "Get off me!" "Get off!" "Don't do this!" "I'm gonna make you come so hard you'll be begging me for more..." "Don't do this." "Let go!" "How the fuck?" "Ow!" "Fuck!" "Jesus Christ, Maggie!" "What are you doing?" "I will fucking shoot you." "Come on, Swann, we were just messing around, right?" "No, not me." "All right, I fucked up, okay?" "I lost my head for a second." "I'm sorry." "Come on, Maggie, let's not leave it like this, huh?" "What are you doing?" "What does it look like?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm okay." "You'll feel better if you talk about it, you know?" "No, no, I don't know that." "Is it about going back there?" "Did something happen?" "A lot of things happened." "Why is it so hard for you to let your guard down for a second?" "Why?" "You think" "Look, I really appreciate you trying, but do me a favor." "I don't ask you about your shit." "Perfect." "Perfect." "Sergeant." "Yes." "A few of us are heading out to celebrate my promotion, care to join us?" "I wish I could, but I've got some load planning to do." "To tell you the truth, I wish we could just fast forward the next four weeks." "I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas." "Don't tell your wife that." "Well, you know what they say, first wife is for practice anyway." "Hey, um, congratulations." "Thanks." "Maybe I could get you a reassignment." "We just got a two-year tour to Korea." "Super kush." "I could put in a word with the CO?" "Oh, god, are you crazy?" "Like I'm gonna leave my kid for two years." "You tell him yet?" "I feel like an asshole." "Orders are orders." "I know... fuck." "I feel like I should be pissed, and I am, I'm really fucking pissed." "But you know, part of me actually..." "It's really fucked up." "All I know is you're one hell of a medic." "Now the trick is to get it right in the vein, just like that... because that's where the medicine needs to go." "and then we put a piece of tape over it, so it doesn't move." "Nice and easy, hold on... okay." "Good job." "Okay?" "Now we're gonna let the patient rest, because we're gonna talk about something." "Does that mean no bedtime story?" "No, no, we can have a bedtime story, but just pop up here for a sec, okay?" "Come on." "Okay." "Remember how I had to go away?" "For a while because of work?" "To Afghanistan?" "Mm-hm." "It looks like I have to go back." "Why?" "Because I have a very important job and those people depend on me." "So will you be gone one day?" "It's gonna be the same as last time." "Okay?" "And hopefully a little bit shorter." "Well, that's too long." "It is too long." "But the most important thing is, is that I love you a ton." "Okay, and Daddy's gonna take really good care of you while I'm gone." "With Alma?" "With Alma." "Now can I have a story?" "Yeah, you can have a story, come here." "Paul?" "Paul?" "Paul?" "Paul?" "Paul." "Paul." "Paul!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Have you seen a little boy?" "Five years old, have you seen a little boy?" "Paul!" "Paul, where are you?" "Paul! Paul!" "Paul." "Oh, my god." "I want to go home." "Oh, my god, I thought I lost you." "Go to sleep." "Hey." "Maggie... you all right?" "Yeah, I'm good, I need to talk to you." "Now?" "Who is it, Brian?" "Look, I need you to get me on that assignment in Korea." "I looked into it, and it's an accompanied tour, which means I can take Paul with me." "Who is this?" "Uh, Maggie Swann, we served together." "Just-- give me two" "She's just my friend, Ami." "Got any other friends stopping by I should know about?" "Uh-oh." "It's a two-year assignment." "I realize that, but they won't let me out of deploying, because it'll set a bad precedent." "This way I'm volunteering for a longer mission, everybody's happy." "And you?" "We're talking some base clinic in bumfuck Pyeongtaek." "Where you'll be looking at sprained ankles and refilling malaria prescriptions." "Just do this for me?" "What's it look like I'm doing?" "Downloading porn?" "You never know with you." "Sir?" "Korea?" "You think that's the answer to your problems?" "Sir, I can explain." "How dare you go behind my back?" "I apologize, sir, I was going to tell you." "I'm trying to fight a war here." "You think you're the only one with a family?" "No, sir." "You know what you are?" "A baby." "Besides it's too late, they're never gonna grant it." "Country first, you ever heard of that?" "Yes, sir." "Try living it." "Lift!" "Looking good." "Move it!" "Keep it going." "Thanks." "Thanks for dinner." "Just eat." "What about you?" "Not hungry." "You're not hungry?" "Mm-mm." "You said you wanted to talk?" "I was riding with an infantry unit and we were working a TCB." "Basically a checkpoint for cars." "It was an especially hot day." "We were a few guys short, so I volunteered to run some of the searches." "And the guy running the squad, Staff Sergeant Donovan... we were like equal in rank, but it was his mission." "I must have looked like I was gonna pass out... because he comes over and he asks me to take a break." "I'm all right." "I said get in the fucking shade, Swann." "I got this." "And he takes my place." "And then a car drives up." "Stop." "Turn off the car." "Get out of the car." "Get going, open it up." "Hurry up!" "Open the hood up." "Let's go." "Keep walking." "Keep walking." "Far side looking good." "Keep walking." "Over here, start walking." "Here." "Hurry it up." "What the fuck you got up there?" "Let's go, then." "Hurry up!" "Let's go." "Fuck!" "Go!" "Shut up." "You see anything in there, Kolozel? Let's go!" "He's gonna go over there and fucking search you." "Let's go!" "Keep walking." "Sir!" "Hurry up!" "Sir!" "Excuse me!" "Excuse me." "I need you to step over here, we're gonna search your body." "Sir!" "Sir!" "Please be quiet." "All right, listen to me!" "Shut the fuck up!" "Sir!" "I need you to step over here, we're gonna search your body." "Popcorn!" "Popcorn!" "Allah akbar! There were no bodies." "Three guys standing there one second... and then nothing." "That's not your fault." "You didn't ask him to take over, just" " I mean, he was doing his job." "No, he took my spot because of something stupid he'd done." "But that's not the point, I don't expect you to understand." "Why not?" "Because I wasn't there?" "Because I don't know what it's like?" "You don't." "You don't have to be in a war to see people get killed for no reason." "Try coming back to a life that doesn't want you in it." "You know, sometimes I think that" "Sometimes I think Paul would have been better off if I hadn't come back." "No, he wouldn't be better off." "How do you know?" "I know what it's like to grow up without a mom." "And believe me, you don't want that for him." "Hey." "You can have the re-assignment." "Now you gotta talk to your CO." "Ball's in his court." "Wow." "I really owe you." "I won't forget." "Thanks, man." "Three weeks from deployment." "You gotta be shitting me?" "Sir, I would not be doing this if I didn't think there was a suitable replacement." "And who might that be?" "Sergeant Butcher." "No kidding." "He's tough, he's demanding." "He served two tours in Iraq and he's got his E6." "He's more than capable of leading this platoon." "You willing to stake your reputation on that?" "Yes, sir." "You don't back down easy, do you?" "No, sir." "And why is that?" "I love my son and I love my country... and I don't think I should have to choose between them." "Your son will be here when you get back, just like all the other kids." "With all due respect, no, he won't." "If I deploy with our company, my ex-husband wants sole custody." "That's exactly what my ex-wife did to me." "Except she didn't have the decency to warn me first." "Final decision isn't up to me." "But you make the recommendation." "So now you want me to help you." "Yes, sir." "You are a royal pain in my ass, you know that, Swann?" "Yes, sir." "Hey, Sergeant?" "Yeah." "You mind if I ask you a question?" "Shoot." "Word is you're skipping out on us." "Who told you that?" "Is it true?" "It's not final, but I do have my son to think about." "You'll be in good hands." "With who, Butcher?" "I'm not at liberty to say." "The guy is a nut job." "Okay, he doesn't know the half you do." "And what about you always having our backs?" "Talk is cheap, Sergeant." "Is this about you getting even with me?" "Huh?" "Hey, he's sleeping." "Huh?" "You're gonna take Paul halfway across the world... where he doesn't speak the goddamn language, he doesn't have anybody but you?" "And you're gonna be off at work all day like you always are." "And that's in his best interest?" "Huh?" "No, I know it's not a perfect solution." "And when do he and I get to see each other?" "Once a year?" "If that, if we get lucky?" "If I go to Korea?" "Why are you doing this?" "You didn't give me a choice." "And you always said a child should be with his mother." "Always!" "Yeah, well, you're not what I had in mind." "Well, you got your new family to think about now, don't you?" "I do, and Paul's in it." "I'm gonna get him back, and it's gonna be for good." "Is that what's best for Paul?" "You'll be hearing from my lawyer." "Is it? Show me your tourniquets." "Tourniquets." "Headlamps." "Lamps." "Turn them on." "Uh... mine was working yesterday, sir." "Fuck yesterday." "You got extra batteries, Diaz?" "Shit... uh." "Want me to go get some extra batteries at the supply room, Sergeant?" "I'll get some right now." "Sergeant? Swann." "Hello? This is Derek Butcher, I can't come to the phone." "You know what to do, so do it." "I gotta go." "Butcher, it's me." "Open the door." "Come on, I see the light." "Open the door, that's an order." "What do you want?" "You gonna let me in?" "Cut the shit and open the door." "I wasn't expecting company." "Where's the furniture?" "Bonnie took it." "Left the coffee maker, though, so, that's a plus." "Sorry." "Did you get in a fight?" "Yeah, some college shitheads..." "acting all friendly." "Like they knew me, why I joined." "They don't know shit." "I told them not to touch me." "I fucking warned them." "You ever feel like killing somebody?" "All the time, just waiting until I get paid for it, that's all." "Mm-hm." "Is that why you decided to become a medic?" "Every time I light up those Hadji motherfuckers, I'm gonna be thinking about my wife." "It's her face I'm gonna see, underneath those fucking turbans." "Get that shit out of my face." "Give it to me." "Relax, Sergeant." "Give me the fucking gun!" "What's in it for me?" "Me not calling the cops." "I knew you were no fun." "Why'd you call me tonight?" "Wrong number." "God!" "Goddamn it!" "Fuck! Hello?" "Who's this?" "Sergeant Swann, sir." "I'm sorry to call you so late." "What is it, Swann?" "It's about Sergeant Butcher, sir." "Okay, good." "Good." "All right, here we go." "I guess this is it, right?" "Right here, right now." "If you're looking for tears and a bed of roses, you better go looking for another gal." "Maybe I will." "I bet." "Do me a favor." "Take down your hair for me." "This is how I remember you, like this." "Just so you know, I plan on coming back." "I plan to stay here." "No promises." "No promises." "Okay, pick any two." "Any two I want?" "Mm-hm." "This one and this one." "Good choice." "Okay, so we're gonna set one to Texas time." "How do you set them?" "You gotta pull it out." "And then this one, we're gonna set to what time it is in Afghanistan, okay?" "And that way, we know what time it is where the other one is." "Hm." "Sound good?" "Now, would you like one on each wrist?" "Next to each other." "Next to each other?" "Wow." "You're late." "We're supposed to go over the custody papers." "I didn't bring 'em." "Jesus." "There's nothing to sign." "I didn't bring them." "I just want what's best for Paul... and I don't think that right now is a good time to be getting into all of this... so, just go, and we will talk about it when you get back." "Thank you." "Okay, where is he?" "I'll get him." "Can I do that?" "Promise you won't die." "I promise." "Me, neither." "You got it?" "Are you gonna hit a lot of home runs while I'm gone?" "Are you excited about your new bedtime?" "8:00, right?" "No, 8:30." "Oh, it's 8:30." "Hey, Daddy, we got a new bedtime of 8:30, are you cool with that?" "Sure." "Hey, kiddo." "Hey, buddy, look what we got here." "Check that out." "You like the color?" "Yeah." "Can I ride it?" "Yeah, I hope so, it's yours." "What are those for?" "It's a coaster break, you stomp on it real hard, and you pedal backwards." "Mommy?" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy! Mommy." "I love you, Mommy." "I am so proud of you." "Give me a kiss." "Okay?" "I love you so much." "Take one of these every four hours and you'll feel better in a few days, okay?" "Swann, change of plans, you ride with me." "Roger that." "Bedtime, buddy."