"What is this obsession you have with having a tree?" "I never had one." " Never had a Christmas tree?" " My mom was too cheap to buy one." "God." "Well, I'm sorry." "After those years in New York, I got burned out on the whole thing." "The drinking, shopping, socializing and no meaning to anything." "Another excuse to throw away money." "You do not want this tree." " Really?" " Really." "Well, I always felt Christmas was a holiday I had to hide from." "My mother would go and party and come home drunk." "Whenever she couldn't afford to buy presents she told me that Santa Claus didn't visit poor people." "I thought it was because I was bad." "What about a flocked tree?" "No." "So anyway, I got cynical about the holidays and thought it was stupid." "I'm tired of being cynical." "It takes too much energy." "I thought for sure I could count on you to pull off a good Scrooge." "We're gonna have a great Christmas if it kills us." "What do you think about that tree?" " Don't you think it's a little tall?" " No." "I think it's just right." "This belongs in Rockefeller Centre, not in your living room." "I'll trim it." "What's the big deal?" "I want to show you something." " What do you think?" " I'd prefer the real thing, honey." "It's for my son." "I'll send it overnight so it will be under his tree for Christmas." "Because he doesn't know me doesn't mean I can't send him a present." "It goes backwards and forwards, it's remote control." "This guy pops out of the seat if it runs into a wall." "That's great." " Who are you gonna say it's from?" " Santa Claus." "See, he really does exist." "Only for very lucky children." "We really do have to do something about this tree." "Yeah, it's pretty tall." "The whole procedure only takes about two hours." "It's weird having something so important decided for you so quickly." "The important thing is your health." "That no matter what, you are OK." "I guess." "I've never been forced to think about whether I wanted to have kids or not." "And now that I may never be able to have one," "I realize I really do want to be a mom someday." "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." " "We'll"?" " "You'll"." "Whatever." "I'm just trying to, I don't know, be there for you." "And you're doing a really great job." "Thanks, Billy." "This is a really hard thing to have to go through." "Especially at Christmas." " Hey, patient." " Hi." "I stopped by to see how you're doing." " Counting the seconds." " What time are you scheduled?" " 8.00 a.m." " That means between 9.00 and 9.30." " Michael, thanks for everything." " You bet." "Jane wanted me to send her love." "She left to spend Christmas with her parents." " What are you going to do?" " Rotations." " And I'll be here to look after you." " Thanks." "You take care now." "See you, Billy." "Bye, Michael." "Well, I guess I better get going too." " I'm scared." " You're gonna be OK." "I've heard stories where people go under anesthesia and never wake up." " That's not going to happen to you." " Promise?" "I promise." "Get up." "Now get up." "That's it." "Shake it up, shake it up." "Here we go." "And transition." "Left up, yes." "And other side, yes." "Here we go." "Dave, take over here for a few seconds." " You got it." " Keep stepping." "It's our last workout before we start filling our faces full of Christmas goodies." "Hey, what are you doing here?" "I thought you were gonna meet me at 8.00." "I was." "But we have a problem." "I have a meeting with a client before he takes off for Hawaii tomorrow." "So I can't make dinner tonight." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry too." "I guess I won't see you then until after the holidays." "I leave tomorrow to visit my family." "I know, I know." "That's why I'm here." "I thought maybe I could convince you to change your plans." "Well, what did you have in mind?" "Aspen." "We leave the day before Christmas and come back New Year's day." "Aspen?" " Terrence, are you serious?" " Completely." "This is too much." "I don't have any ski clothes." "I don't even know how to ski." "What will I tell my parents?" "That you're going away for the holidays with somebody who cares for you very much." "Well, I'm completely flattered, but..." "It's OK, you don't have to give me an answer yet." "But think about it." " You can tell me tomorrow." " OK." "I'll think about it." "Thank you." "Get out of here." "OK, I'm back, you guys." " Hello, Alison, how are you feeling?" " Scared." "Now you try and relax." "We've given you some medication that's gonna make you sleepy." " OK." " Do you know Jingle Bells?" " Yeah." " You wanna sing Jingle Bells for me?" " Do I have to?" " Yeah, please." "Jingle bells Jingle bells" "Jingle all the way" "Oh, what fun" "It is to..." " Hey, guys, any news?" " We're waiting to hear from Michael." "Or anyone else at this place to give us a glimmer of information." "She's supposed to be out." "They won't tell us anything, we're not family." "Michael will be out." "I'm sure she's all right." "These things always take longer." "I know, Matt." "I just hate hospital waiting rooms." "Yeah, me too." "Let's talk about something then." " Let's talk about Christmas." " Great idea." "Anybody got any plans?" "I'm gonna go see what the deal is." "I'm trying to get information about Alison Parker." " She's been out of surgery an hour." " I'm sorry, sir." " Immediate family only." " I'm her brother, OK?" "I'm her brother." " Twenty minutes ago you were a friend." " I live with her." "I sleep in the next room." "We share a bathroom." "I'm sorry." "You'll have to wait for her doctor." "Billy, I was looking for you." " What?" " She's fine." "They were able to..." "Will she?" "Be a mom?" "Whenever she chooses." " She's still groggy..." " I want to see her." "Well, it's supposed to be family only, but I think I can sneak one person in." "Come on." "Alison, are you awake?" "Billy?" "I think they said I'm gonna be OK." " Or was I dreaming?" " No, you're not dreaming." " Everything's fine." "You did great." " I can have children?" "Yeah, as many as you want." "Come on, don't." "I'm sorry." "I'm just so happy it's over." " I must look awful." " Don't be ridiculous." " You look great." "Everybody's here." " Really?" "They wanted to see you, but security measures here are tighter than the White House." " How's my new favorite patient doing?" " OK." "But I feel like my entire body was used by the Kings as a hockey puck." "That's a pretty apt description." "I'm Dr Liston." "Billy Campbell." "I was the one that Alison was dictating her will to." "How can I forget?" "Alison, I could possibly send you home tomorrow if you promise to stay in one place and have someone take care of you." " I'd love to leave, but I'm not sure..." " Send her home." " Billy, that's sweet, but I can't..." " I will take care of you." " It'll be fine." " OK." "Thanks, Billy." "Sounds like you're in very good hands." "I'll be back to see you later." " It was nice meeting you, Billy." " Thanks." " Are you sure about this?" " Don't worry." "It's in the lease." "You just get some sleep." "I'll see you in the morning." " OK." " I'll see you later." "Bye." " Oh, Billy, you got a Christmas tree." " I knew you'd want one." "Oh, my God, what is all this?" "Christmas lights." "My dad dropped them off, along with some old ornaments." " They're not going to need them." " Why not?" "Because they're going out of town for the holidays." "They think we're at the age where Christmas doesn't matter." "It's all right, I'm not really into Christmas this year myself." "Oh, you will be." "I want you to make yourself useful, OK?" "Go through these lights and make sure they're good." "One bad bulb will short circuit the string." " My God, there must be thousands." " I know." "My dad prided himself on having one of those houses that people would drive for miles to gawk at." "I knew there had to be a catch," " why you've been so incredibly sweet." " Yeah, you guessed it." " Will you be OK so I can get groceries?" " Oh, yeah." " Grab some money out of my purse." " No, it's on me." " Billy..." " Hey, hi." " I came by to see if you were home." " Thanks Jo." "How are you feeling?" "Better now that I'm out of the hospital." "Come in, but don't wear her out." "She needs rest." "Yes, Dr Bill." " I got you some reading stuff." " Thanks." "Are you feeling better?" "You look..." " Terrible, admit it." " No." "Considering what you've been through, you're looking pretty damn good." " Thanks." " He sure is taking good care of you." "Never would have pegged him for a nursemaid." "I know." "Ever since I got sick he's been acting so nice." "Too nice." "As grateful as I am for his support, I'm starting to feel kind of weird." " So tell him to back off a bit." " Easy for you to say." "When Billy gets fixated on something he doesn't back off." "Right now, he's fixated on me." " Rhonda, come on, how much longer?" " Just a minute." "Hold on." "OK, OK." "You can come in now." " What do you think?" " Where did you get this stuff?" "Terrence, he took me shopping this morning." "I called him and told him I wanted to go." " This guy is too much." " I know." "I keep thinking there's a catch." " I just haven't figured out what it is." " What'd your parents say?" "They were disappointed and worried about who this strange guy was that was swooping me away." "But I promised them that I'd spend a weekend with them when I get back" " and they were cool." " I think it's great." "Yeah, well enough about me." " What are you gonna do for Christmas?" " I don't know." "Spend time with the kids at the halfway house." "Make dinner for all the orphans in the building." " Aren't you going to see your parents?" " No, no." "Not after their lack of support when I was fired for being gay." "Did you tell them you won?" "That you got your job back?" "Yeah, sure and they were happy." "But now I'm sure they want to sweep it under the rug like it never happened." "The bottom line is, they just don't accept me, Rhonda." "And I'm not going to accept them until they do." "Come on Matt, you can't punish your parents or yourself." "It's Christmas." "You know they love you." "On their terms." "Listen, you're gonna have a great time." "I think you're on to something with this guy." "You think so?" "We'll see." " Merry Christmas, Rhonda." " Merry Christmas, Matt." "Dr Levin to ER two, stat." "Dr Levin to ER two, stat." "He was on the playground swings." "There was gunfire across the street." "He's been shot." "He's been shot." " I wanna go in." "I need to be there." " I'm sorry, you can't." "We'll be waiting." "I'll come talk to you as soon as we know anything." "Please don't let God take my baby away from me, please." " What do you think?" " I like it." " The minimalist approach." " I like the smell." "It smells like Christmas." "You know, I got you something." "Just a little something to kind of top it all off." "But don't feel obligated if it messes up the look." "That's really cool." "Thank you." "Why don't you put it up?" " Go ahead." " OK." " I'm not good with heights." " I got you." "I think I'll just..." "I'll just put it here." "That's good." "OK." "Good, that's good there." " Don't." "Don't do that." " Why not?" "Because holidays make people do things they don't ordinarily do." "Then we'll just regret it." "You were saved by the bell." "Hi, Jake." "Big tree." " I'm gonna cut it, OK?" " Hi, Jo." "Hi, Bill." "Nice to see you." "Jake, I want your advice on something." "You too, Jo." "I want to get something for Alison for Christmas." "Considering what she's been through." "So... here it is." "I think that's really nice." "This is beautiful." "Is something going on between you two I don't know about?" "What do you mean?" "Well, this is a really nice gift to give a woman." " It implies something?" " I think you're asking for something." "Yeah, you would." "Look, I want Jake's opinion." "So do you think this crosses the line of friendship and romance?" " I think it's a tough call." " Is it 18 carat or 24?" " It's 24." " Definitely crossing the line." "I don't know." "Look, it's weird, you know?" "The minute that she got helpless, I wanted to start caring for her." "Buy her things, nice things." "Things I can't afford." "Nothing wrong with that." "Yeah, but what if I buy her this and she gets me I don't know, a cheap tie or a pair of socks." "You see?" "Do you see?" "This is why I hate Christmas, because it boils down to a barter." "Look, Billy, you know what I think?" "I think that you should sort out how you really feel about Alison." "I don't have feelings for Alison." "I just got her a nice gift." "So what?" "She deserved it." "You don't have to convince me." "You asked me my opinion and I gave it." "Right." "Merry Christmas." " Stay there." " Me?" "What?" " Just stay there." "No, no." " What?" " Just stay over there." " Right here?" "Keep your hands to yourself." " You're really making progress." " Yeah, I'm halfway there." " Hey, what is it?" " I don't know." "Post-op depression, I guess." "The doctor did warn me." "I can't stop crying." " I never even hung up my stocking." " It's gonna be OK." "We're going to have a great Christmas." "You'll see." "It's all right." "You don't have to keep trying to cheer me up." "What do you mean?" "You've gone out of your way to try and be there for me this week." "It's not necessary." " Really, I'm OK." " It's nothing." " You would have done the same for me." " I feel terrible." " I don't even have any money for gifts." " Gifts?" "Who said anything about gifts?" "We don't have to exchange presents." "Good." "Let's make a pact not to." "You're on." "Shot and killed for no reason." "It doesn't make any sense." " What if he'd gotten here sooner?" " Doubtful." "Trauma to the heart and severe internal bleeding." "How are you gonna tell the parents?" "To lose their child on Christmas Eve..." " I'm not gonna tell them." "You are." " What?" "It's part of the job, Dr Mancini." "A very important part." "You better learn to master it sooner or later." " I'll go with you, Michael." " No." "This is something Dr Mancini needs to do on his own." "Great." "Great!" "Dr Neil to cardiology." "Dr Neil to cardiology." "Mr and Mrs Prado," "I have some news about your son." "It's not very good." "The injuries were very..." "extremely traumatic." "We did our best." "We couldn't save him." "I'm sorry." "I am terribly sorry." " How did it go?" " As well as could be expected, when someone loses their eight-year-old son on Christmas Eve." "If I were you, I'd brace myself for tomorrow." " Christmas here has its own traditions." " What do you mean?" "While everyone in the real world is opening presents, we'll deal with a day of the greatest number of murders, suicides and accidents." "Merry Christmas, doctor." "Merry Christmas, doctor." " Merry Christmas." " Yeah, same to you." " What are you doing?" " Christmas lights." " Trying to make the place look festive." " Christmas lights?" "If they're so festive and special, why don't people keep them up all year?" "If you kept 'em up all year it wouldn't be special, would it?" "I always thought it was weird to legislate one specific day to hang twinkley lights and spread peace and good will towards all." " Anyway, they should've been up by now." " Well, merry Christmas to you too." "Come in." "Merry Christmas." "How are you feeling?" " Better, thanks." " I got you some Christmas tapes." "A Miracle On 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life." "You can pay me back after I return them." " Don't you want to watch them?" " I've got to work." " Take the cab out." " It's Christmas." "Everything's closed." " Airport runs." " Well, merry Christmas." "Yeah, merry Christmas." " Hey, Michael." " Hey, Kim." "There is this wild Christmas shindig in the lobby if you can spare a minute." " No, I'm not really feeling up to it." " Mancini, you are so damn predictable." "Can't you let the weight of the world off your shoulders for one minute," " and have a cup of eggnog with me?" " Why?" "I mean, it's just so damn senseless." "We are making a big deal of it, and she'll be in mourning every Christmas." "I can't help feeling the same way." "It's not your fault." "You did everything you could." "I used to love Christmas as a kid." "And I believed, so strongly, that nothing bad could happen on Christmas." "But that was just an illusion, just some child's illusion of perfection and safety." " Oh, Michael." " I used to think" "I had a special relationship with God." "That's why I became a doctor." "Because I thought there was something divine about healing people." "But there's no God involved, Kimberly." "It's just medicine." "Michael, I don't have all the answers." "But I do know you can't dwell on the patients you lose." "You have to think about the ones you save." "Back to the wars." "It says right here that it takes a ten pound turkey" " about five hours to roast at 325." " Five hours?" "But I'm starving." "Then we'll cook it at 450." "We just don't have that much time." "Here Alison, stuff it." "No, I'm not putting my hand in that thing." "You stuff it." "Yes, you are, don't be such a baby." "We'll both do it." "You know, if you're serious about that pumpkin souffle," " you really have to time it precisely." " I know." " How are the rolls coming?" " I'm waiting for the yeast to rise." " First time or second time?" " First time." "I don't think we'll have time to make the cranberry sauce." " Can we use the canned stuff?" " My mother never would have used that." " It makes a difference." " All right." "I think that we're gonna have to forego making the pie crust." "God, how does my mom do it?" "She makes it look so easy." "I know, my mother too." "Listen, I'm gonna go to my apartment and start the souffle." "You stuff the bird, I'll come back, load it in the oven." "Yes, sir." " What's this?" " Something to stick under that tree." " I'll give you yours." " I'll pick it up later." " What for?" " I don't know." "I just feel like spending Christmas alone." "Come on, Jo, don't run away from me." "Jake, I did not travel 3,000 miles to leave one controlling man, just to fall into the arms of another one." " Moi?" " No matter how cute he is." "Come on, I make a killer eggnog." "I've got a copy of Elvis Sings Christmas I haven't played in ten years." "OK, I hate eggnog." "But I'm a sucker for Elvis." "Thank you, thank you very much." "Dr Sullivan to labor and delivery stat." "Dr Sullivan to labor and delivery." "We were at a restaurant when her water broke." "And our OB is in Hawaii." "The back-up never got a hold of us." "He swore this wouldn't happen." " So much for promises." " The chief resident is in surgery." " We'll have to wait." " I can't wait." " Who's going to deliver my baby?" " I guess I'm the lucky guy." " Dr. Mancini." " Doug and Julie Flynn." " How you doing?" " Sure you know how to do this?" "Absolutely." "You're in good hands." "Let's get you prepped for delivery." " Have you ever delivered a baby before?" " No." "Have you?" "No." "I've assisted and I've observed, but I've never actually flown solo." "Don't worry, we'll figure it out." "Why do we only have Christmas carols?" "Why don't we have Thanksgiving carols?" "Or Easter carols or Fourth of July carols?" "Easter?" "Elvis Sings Easter?" "I don't think so." "All I know is, this CD is great, I have to have it." "It's awful." "I love it." "Where were you running off to when I blocked your getaway?" " Just away." " From what?" "I don't know from what." "From any kind of attachment." "I just felt like this day had no more meaning in it for me." "Christmas with my husband and his dreadful family." "They'd start drinking, and before you knew it, this beautiful dinner would turn into accusations and recriminations." "People bolting from the table in tears and these wounds getting dredged up." "So find a new meaning." "I am." "You make it sound so easy." "Why can't it be easy?" "Why does everything have to be so complicated?" "Come here, come here." " What are we doing?" " We're dancing." " To Christmas carols?" " Is there a law against it?" "No, it's interesting, I just never thought..." "What were you saying?" "Something irrelevant." "Wait, wait, wait." " You said Elvis and eggnog." " Yeah?" "Come on, you didn't think I was that easy?" "That never crossed my mind." "Remember what I said." "Holidays make us do things out of loneliness and fear." "Well, I'm not lonely." "I'm certainly not afraid." "But I just know how I feel about you." "And I want to be with you right now." "Any way that makes you comfortable." "The truth?" "Just this." " For tonight." " It's kinda nice." "Reminds me of being in the back of an old Mustang." "You play your cards right, you might get lucky before New Year's." "Or maybe Valentine's Day." "I think this is kinda lucky right now." "Yeah, hi." "Billy Campbell, please." "No, I know he's working, he's been driving all day." "Would you please just tell him to phone home immediately?" "Thank you." " Is he coming back for dinner?" " I hope so." "After what I said to him the other day, I just know he's trying to avoid me." "I feel terrible, like I've ruined his Christmas." " Alison, where's your whisk?" " Oh, I'm sorry." " We just have the basics here." " All right." "I'll be right back." "And listen, don't worry about Billy." " Dad?" " Matt, I was afraid you weren't here." "Yeah... no." "I was making dinner with some friends." " Did you wanna come in?" " Yeah." " Well, it's a nice place you got here." " Thanks, Dad." "I gotta say, I'm sorta surprised to see you here." "Listen, Matt, I just want to..." "I'd like to apologize for my lack of understanding about that work business." "I was pleased that everything worked out all right." " Not without a fight." " Matt..." "Look, I know that I deserted you and that was really wrong of me." "You're my son." "And I just want you to know now that I will always be on your side." "Yeah, that's the way I'd always hoped it would be." "The last thing I ever want to do is alienate a son who I'm so proud of." "A son who..." "I love so very much." "I'm glad, because I love you too, Dad." "Do you think there's any way that we can put this behind us?" "Absolutely." "That's great, because, Matt, Christmas is just not the same without you." "Your mother has dinner waiting." "Come with me..." "Can I come later?" "I was making dinner with some friends." "Sure, fine, whenever you can." "OK." "Dad, thank you." " It means a lot that you came down." " You bet." " Well, Merry Christmas, son." " Merry Christmas." "I love you, son." "I love you too, Dad." "I'll see you later." " Congratulations." " Thank you." "She's so beautiful." " That was unbelievably beautiful." " Fantastic." "Just pulling the baby out, having it in my hands, it was a perfect moment." " The miracle of life." " And death." "All the same cycle." "Thank you, doctor." "That point was made abundantly clear." "You feeling any better?" "Would you think it out of character if I said yes?" "Boy, the force of life was in that room." "Call it God or whatever you will, Kimberly, but it was there." "I felt it." "Of course, I can't control it." "But that doesn't mean I'm ever gonna stop trying, of course." " So I'm outta here." "How about you?" " Outta here." "What would you say to an invitation of Christmas dinner at my place?" "That's really nice." " But, I don't know, it's Christmas." " It's an orphan dinner." "For all us rootless children without families out here." " I guess I'd fit in." " You certainly would." "OK, OK, OK." " I'll meet you in the parking lot." " Great." "Get out of here." "Sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, pecan pies, cranberry sauce..." " How do our mothers do it every year?" " I know it." "Billy!" " Hey, look who's here." " Smells great." " How are you feeling?" " Much better, thanks." " Can I talk to you for a minute?" " Sure." "I wanted to talk to you too." "Can we do it alone?" "Sure." "Thanks." "So, what did you want to say?" " You first." " You first." "OK." "I'm sorry, Billy." "I know I've been a bit of a bitch since I came home." " No more than usual." " Come on." "I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me." "All of your support." "I felt myself getting so close to you, it made me nervous." "Because I needed you to be there for me." "And needing you scared me." "You were supposed to be somebody to split the rent with." "And now you're my best friend." "Look, the way I felt about you when you were in the hospital surprised me too." "You know I care about you." "It's as simple as that." "And maybe that scares me." "I feel bad we're not exchanging gifts." "You deserve a great present." "You know, my whole life, I always thought of Christmas as a time where I'd get something from my parents or my sisters." "Since I was the baby of the family nobody expected me to buy anything." "I used to spend weeks making these long lists of things that I wanted." "I used to think the greatest thing was running downstairs Christmas morning, to see all those presents under the tree." "But nothing felt as great as getting you this." "Billy, you shouldn't have." "Go ahead, look inside." "Oh, Billy." "It's beautiful." " I don't know what to say." " Say merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "I'm sorry." "Come on." "Matt and I made a really amazing dinner." " Merry Christmas." " I hope we're not too early." "The smell was driving us nuts." "You're on time." "The turkey's done." "It might be dry." "I had to nuke it in order to get it done." "Eggnog." "I hate eggnog." " You're gonna love my eggnog." " How are you feeling, Alison?" "Much better, thanks." "Look what Billy gave me for Christmas." " Isn't it great?" " A token of friendship." "Of course." "That's exactly what you'll get in return." " Merry Christmas!" " Merry Christmas." "I'd like you to meet my colleague, Kimberly." " These are all my friends." " Hi, Kimberly." " Kimberly and I made a baby together." " Excuse me?" "I mean, delivered a baby together." "It was our first one and it was amazing." " Thanks, Jake." " Everyone, outside." "I have a big surprise before dinner." "Everybody outside." "Come on, come on, everybody outside." " Stand over there by the doorway." " I'll give you eggnog, pal." "Over there, over there." " All right, we're here." " Look up in the sky." "All right, ready?" "One, two, three." "This is supposedly my job." "I ought to pay you something." "I'd like to make a toast." " Can I make a little toast?" " OK." "I thought that real friends were the people you met in high school or college." "I never thought you'd meet them in an apartment building." "It's nice when life surprises you like that." "I was beginning to wonder if there were any good ones left." "I never thought I'd be the one to discover the meaning of Christmas." "But I realized, I'm living the Christmas spirit." " It's all about rebirth." " Hear, hear." "Here's to my new friends, my new life." " Merry Christmas." " Merry Christmas." "I hope that wasn't too corny." "Merry Christmas, everybody." " Now, now." " What?" "Can we please go eat?" "Jo's right." "I think we should leave it up all year." "Merry Christmas, Billy." "Merry Christmas, Alison."