"Go get him, son." "Dan, come on." "How's it going, Alex?" "I gotta talk to you." "Saw your pup today." "Well, he really misses you." "He won't play." "He won't do anything." "Talked to the little girl that owns him, Jenny." "She's a real nice girl." "And she's worried." "I told her about you and Jake." "That's his name, by the way, Jake." "Anyway, she wondered if you might not come by and try to cheer him up a little bit." "What do you say?" "I don't wanna see him." "And he's not my dog." "Besides, I don't miss him." "Well, maybe not, but he misses you." "I just thought you might wanna come out and help a friend." "He is your friend." "He's her friend." "I told you, I don't wanna see him." "Okay." "Can't say I blame you." "He's not fun to be around." "He won't play, he won't go for a walk." "He just lies there and cries." "Probably wouldn't have done any good anyway." "I'll see you, Alex." "Mr. Smith!" "Yeah, Alex?" "I'll go one time." "But just once, that's all." "Well, thanks, Alex." "Pick you up at 3:00 tomorrow." "I'm gonna see you again." "There he is!" "There he is!" "Dog!" "Dog!" "Come on." "Oh, yeah." "Nice doggy." "Yeah." "Yeah, there you go." "Yeah." "Better go to the house, tell the Raineses we're here." " All right." " Good boy." "Yeah." " Oh, yeah." "Nice dog." "Yeah." " Yeah, nice dog." " Here, boy." "Come on." " Come on." " Mr. Smith." " Right." "Mr. Raines?" "This is a friend of mine, Mark Gordon." " How are you?" " Mr. Gordon." "My son, Paul, my daughter-in-law, Michelle." " Hello." " Pleased to meet you." "Where's that boy?" "Well, he saw the dog as we were driving up." "He couldn't wait." "Sure hope he's gonna be the cure." "No doubt about it, from what I saw." "Well, let's go take a look." "We appreciate this." "Jenny's really been down in the dumps." "I think it's a combination of things." "Her dog and a little jealousy." "She's about to have a new baby brother." "Oh, they can get worried, I know." " When's the baby due?" " In a little over four months." " You don't even look pregnant." " Well, actually, I'm not, Mr. Gordon." "It's a surrogate mother." " Yeah." " Well, there they are." "Bring it here." "Come on." "Bring it here." " Yeah." " Yeah, come on, boy." "All right." "Good boy." "You were right as rain, Mr. Gordon." " Good boy." " Jenny, how's Jake?" "Great." "Watch." "Come on, Jake." "Come on, Jake." "Come on, Jake." " Come on." "Come on." " Come on, get the ball." "Yeah." "Come on." "Come on." "All right, all right, all right." "Yeah, good boy." "Looks like they're gonna be playing for a while." "Why don't we go back up to the house and get something cold to drink?" " Well, sounds good to me." " Good boy." " Yeah." " Yeah." " Come on." " Come on, Jake." "You know, most people don't realise that coyotes love avocados." "Now, you ride into the grove around sunrise and every coyote you see heading back to his den will have an avocado in his mouth." "Well, I'll be darned." "Now, would you care for more iced tea, Mr. Raines?" " Anybody?" " No, not for me, thank you." "Oh, it's fine, Jason." "Thank you." "Very good, sir." "Can Alex come back tomorrow, please?" "Jenny, introduce us to your friend, please." "Oh, yeah." "This is Alex." "Can he come back tomorrow?" "Well, does Alex want to come back tomorrow?" "Sure, he does." "Don't you, Alex?" "Well, it's fine with us." "Mr. Smith?" "I'll check with Miss Holly at the group care home," " but I'm sure there'll be no problem." " Oh, good." "Grandpa, can Alex stay a little longer?" "Jenny, why do you always ask your grandfather?" "You know why." "He always says yes." "Thanks for putting me on the spot." "All right, just a little bit longer." "Looks to me like Jenny's got herself a new friend." "Well, I'll bet little Alex will really sleep tonight." "He was exhausted, that's for sure." "Boy, he sure is a beautiful little kid, isn't he?" "Oh, he sure is." "Hey, Jonathan." "How do you feel about this surrogate business?" "Well, I don't know." "I mean, I can understand people wanting children." "Oh, yeah, so can I." "But I don't know, it just doesn't seem right somehow." "You know, there's a reason for everything in nature." "Maybe there's a reason why some people can't have children." " What do you mean?" " You heard what Miss Holly said." "There are thousands of children who don't have parents because people want to adopt babies." "When nature is saying to them," ""Hey, hey, there are kids here right now who need you." "You should be taking them."" "I mean, a sweet kid like Alex." "It doesn't seem right." "Well, good night." "Good night, my friend." "Lookit!" "Look at what Mr. Raines gave me!" "Myvery own glove, just like the big leaguers." " Hey, that's really something." " You thanked him, I hope." "About 50 times." "Can Alex come by on Friday?" "We're gonna make homemade ice cream." "Sure, no problem." " Hey, where's my invite?" " You're more than welcome." "Hey, he's gonna take you up on that, believe me." "Let's go, Alex." "Thanks." "Thanks, sweetie." "See you Friday." "See you Friday." " Mr. Raines, telephone, sir." " Thank you, Jason." "Hello." "Yes, speaking." "Yes, doctor." "Where?" "I see." "Is it serious?" "What is it?" "Is it Lorraine?" "Certainly." "No, no, no." "We'll come down there." "We'll meet you there." " What is it?" " No, no." "Just take it easy." "Lorraine's spotting." "He's checked her into the hospital." "Oh, my God." "Don't jump to conclusions." "I told him we'd come down." "I wanna tell Dad." "Jenny, you stay with your grandpa." "Yes." "All right." "Saturday would be fine." "Oh, I'd say about 2:00." "All right." "We'll see you then." "Bye-bye." "Look at what Mr. Raines gave me." "It's just like the big leaguers." "That is a terrific glove." "Yeah, I can catch good with it." "Alex, I've got some news." "You've been doing so very well lately." "Everyone feels you're really ready for a new foster home." "I talked to Mr. Bergen and he's placing you with a very nice couple, the Turners." "They already have a foster child, a boy, a year older than you." "You're gonna have somebody to play catch with." "How does that sound to you?" "What about Jenny's?" "Will I be able to go to Jenny's?" "We'll see what we can do." "I'm sure you'll be able to visit sometimes." "When do I have to leave?" "This Saturday." "Alex." "We'll see you Friday, buddy." "It's not easy for them at first." "Strangers." "Strange surroundings." "But I think he's going to be fine this time." "And we need the room here for the more troubled youngsters." "Yeah." "We'll see you Friday." " Goodbye." " Bye." "Any idea what the next assignment is?" "Well, we haven't finished with this one yet." "As far as I can see, by Friday, this one's done." "Lil's got all the volunteers she needs, enough donations for a new dog-mobile." "Alex is ready for a new foster home." "Come on, it's over." "Well, like you always say, Mark, it's not over till the fat lady sings." "She lost the baby." "Oh, no." "I'm sorry, son." "Talk to you in the morning, okay, Dad?" "Well, I guess I gotta go." "Do you think I could say goodbye to your folks?" "I mean, I don't know when I'll ever see them again." "I don't know." "Mom's been in bed all day." "We can try, though." "Come on." "Daddy." "Can Alex come in for a minute?" "Not now, Jenny." "But he's leaving and he might not come back." "He just wanted to say goodbye." " Jenny." " It's all right, Paul." " Okay, just for a minute." " Come on, it's okay." "Jenny told me what happened." "I'm real sorry." "Thank you, Alex." "What's this we hear about not seeing you again?" "I'm going to a new foster home, so I don't know when I'll ever see you again." "But I just wanted to thank you for everything." "We'll see each other." "Do you have our phone number?" "Yeah." "Well, you be sure and call us." "Tell us how you're doing." "I will." "Well, I guess I gotta go." "I'll never forget you." "And I'll keep praying that you'll have that little boy you've always wanted." "I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too." "You be good." "Alex." "Take Jake with you." "What?" "You're going to a strange place." "You're gonna need a friend." "Oh, no, wait a minute, Jenny." "I don't know if they'll let him keep a dog." "They'll let me, Mr. Gordon." "They have to let me." " Alex." " Please, Mr. Gordon." "Please." "All right." " I love you." " I love you too." "Come on, Jake." "Come on." "Come on, Jake." "Miss Holly." "Miss Holly." " Alex, what's wrong?" " Oh, there's nothing wrong." "Lookit." "Jenny gave me her dog to keep for my very own." "Oh, Alex." "Well, we're going to have to find out if it's all right with the Turners." "Oh, it will be." "They're gonna love Jake." "He's smart and he's housebroken." "He's the best dog." "Oh, I'm sure he's all those things, but I'll still have to call." "Let's do it right now." "It'll be all right, you'll see." "All right." "Let's go inside." "Oh, it'll be all right." "I know it." "No answer." "Why don't I take Jake to the kennel until you get ahold of them?" "No, please." "Let him stay here." "I know it's going to be all right." "See, he wants to stay with me." "Please?" "He wants to sleep with me." "Please?" "All right." "But remember, Alex, we don't know for sure." "Come on, Jake." "We gotta tell the kids." " Do you think it's gonna be all right?" " God only knows." "If it's not, it's gonna break his heart." "Probably shouldn't have let him take the dog in the first place, but you saw his face." "I just couldn't." "I know." "All we can do now is pray." " I'll see you tomorrow." " Okay." "He's the smartest dog in the world." "He is not." "Lassie is." "Baloney." "Benji's smart too." " Is not." " Is too." "There was a lady on TV that had a dog that talks." " That's dumb." " She did." "I saw it." " You did not." " Did too." "Okay, everybody, Cosby's on." " Yeah." " I'll go." "Come on!" "Miss Holly, can I bring Jake down?" "In a minute." "I just talked to the Turners." "It's all right if I keep Jake, isn't it?" "Alex, they're really nice people and they said they'd love to have the dog, but they can't." "What do you mean?" "Well, they live in a building that doesn't allow pets." "They feel really bad, but there's nothing they can do." "I'm so sorry, Alex." "We'll have to take him back to Jenny's tomorrow on the way to the Turners." "Hey, you're gonna see Jake again." "I'm sure you're gonna be able to visit him." "It's not the same." "He wanted to be my dog." "I shouldn't have loved him." "Do you wanna bring Jake downstairs?" "No, we'll stay up here." "Okay." "There's a pool in the building where the Turners live." "That should be fun." "Alex, I know how you feel." "But you have to remember, it's not the Turners' fault." "I know." "I have to go to the bathroom." "I'll stop at the next station." "Thanks." "Come on, Jake." "Come on, Jake." "Come on." "Come on, Jake." "Hurry, come on." "Alex?" "Alex." "Alex." "Do you have a key to the men's room?" "There's a ladies' room back there, ma'am." "I know that." "A little boy's in there and I'm worried about him." " Did you knock?" " Yes." "Look, if you can't get up and open the door, just give me the key, please?" "All right." "Take it easy." "The kid's probably got diarrhoea or something." "Thank you." "Alex." "Oh, my God." "Where's your phone?" "There's a pay phone in the office." "Come on, Jake." "I know, boy." "I'm thirsty too." "But we gotta find some water and then we'll be okay." "We'll be okay." "Come on." "Here you go." "We better call Miss Holly before we go." "Yeah, I know." "Been putting it off as long as I can." "No news is good news, if you know what I mean." " Yeah." " Mark." "Telephone." "It's Miss Holly." "Keep your fingers crossed." "It's there on the desk." "Hello." "Yeah." "Oh, no." "Listen, we'll do everything we can." "Yeah, so do I." "We'll be in touch." "Alex ran off with the dog." "They wouldn't let him keep it." "Poor kid." "Miss Holly called the police." "Jonathan, where would he go?" "Who knows?" "Why is the boss letting this happen?" "What boss?" "What are you talking about?" "That's not important, Lil." "Mark, let's go." " You got something?" " I'm not sure." "Lil, if we get any calls, we'll be over at the Raineses' place." " Come on." " All right." "Poor little kid." "Come on, boy." "We can't stop now." "It's getting hotter." "We have to find water." "Come on, Jake." "You can't stay here." "You'll die." "Come on, boy." "I'll get you help, Jake." "I'll get you help." " That's everything, sir." " Thank you, Jason." " Have a good trip, sir." " Thank you, we will." "You know, this trip is gonna do Michelle a world of good." " I hope so." " It will." "No phones, no one saying how sorry they are." "By the time we get back, she'll be ready to try again." "Yeah, I suppose." "What does that mean?" "I don't know." "Just beginning to wonder if it was ever meant to be." " You all set?" " Yeah." "All right." "Grand Canyon, here we come." "Jenny!" "Jenny!" "Jenny." "Jenny!" "Jenny!" "Jenny!" "How about some music?" "Sounds good." "Mr. Raines, you haven't seen Alex, have you?" "Alex?" "No, why?" "What's going on?" "They wouldn't let him keep the dog." "He ran off with him." "Jenny." "Alex." "Alex." "Hey, you got any water in the car?" "I got some sodas." "We have to get Jake." "He's gonna die." "He was too heavy." "I couldn't carry him." " All right, just take it easy." " I can't." "We have to get him." "Please don't let him die." " Here you go." " Thanks." "Here." "Now, drink it slow." "Not too much at first." "Take it easy." "We have to get him." "He's on the hill." "I'll show you." "I know where he is." "He's gonna be all right." "I'll get him." "Take him up the house, call the doc, have him take a look at him." " I got him." " All right, let's go." "Better call Lil." "Tell her to get over here." "We don't know how bad off this dog is." " Come on." " Oh, it's all my fault if he dies." " It's all my fault." " It's all right." "I notified the police he's safe." " How is he?" " Well, he's dead-tired and still dehydrated." "Just let him keep sipping fluids, but he'll be okay." "He can go home in the morning." "I better call Miss Holly." "You can use the phone in my bedroom." "He keeps asking about the dog." "How's he doing?" "Well, he's downstairs with Lil." "I'll check on him." "Can we see him?" "Sure." "Just make sure he gets some rest." "Alex?" "Jake." "How's Jake?" "Lil's with him." "It's all my fault if he dies." "It's always my fault." " No, it isn't." " Yes, it is." "Every time I love someone, something bad happens." "It's me." "I'm bad." "No, Alex, you're not." "You are a wonderful boy." "No, I'm not." "That's why my mother left me." "It was all my fault." "Alex, a friend here wants to see you." "Jake." "You're all right, boy." "You're all right." "Yeah." "Good boy." "Oh, yeah." "You're back." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Why don't we let him rest?" "I think he'll be all right now." "Think I'll stay with him for a while." " Can I stay too?" " Sure." " Poor kid." " Why does he blame himself?" "Kids blame themselves for so much." "Divorce, death." "In Alex's case, it's even worse." "His own mother deserted him and his father blamed him." "A sweet kid like that." "I mean, I can't believe that he can't find a home or a family." "People want babies, Mr. Raines." "I'll tell Lil the pup's staying the night." "He's doing a lot better." "He ate all the soup." "Where's Jonathan and Mark?" "With Alex." " What's wrong?" " Nothing." "Nothing." "There is." "What is it?" "Oh, I don't know." "The boy, I suppose." "You just never really think about what it's like for them out there." "All those children." "Do you want some coffee?" "Yeah." "It's not done yet." "I always do that." "Did you ever wonder if it was meant to be?" "What?" "The baby." "Losing the baby." "I mean, did you ever think that maybe it just wasn't supposed to be?" "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about Alex." "I mean, what a boy." "He's got so much love." "What the hell's so special about my genes anyway?" "I'm gonna miss him." "So am I." "Then why do we have to?" "Do you mean it?" "What about you?" " We were just leaving." " Better stick around for a bit." "Grandpa, you wanna come down to the boy's room?" "Alex, we wanna talk to you." "You like it here, don't you?" "Sure." "And you're gonna miss us?" "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you." "Well, we're going to miss you, too, and we don't want to" "How would you like to stay with us and be our son?" "You mean it?" "You bet we do." "What do you say, son?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Well, kemosabe, it all worked out all right." "Yeah." "Yeah, at least for Alex." "Thanks to Jake." "Now I know why they call them man's best friend." "Yeah, it seems kind of strange, doesn't it?" "What?" "You'd think man's best friend would be man."