"Kaaaate?" "You ready?" "Should I say, "This chapter is so boring, my begonia committed suicide when I read it out loud,"" "or, "Let's talk"?" "I like the first one." "Yeah, me too." "Oh, God, we're never gonna make it." "So we're just gonna get the 6 to Grand Central?" "Well, I thought that we would take the N here and then transfer." "Heh." "Right." "Ta-da!" "Wow!" "Yeah." "I mean, I know it's little and it's dark and the hallways smell like cabbage..." "And it's in Brooklyn." "But it's mine!" "There's-- there's no roommate, there's no cigarette butts in the coffee cups, no-- no toenails in the sink." "Ew!" "You're glowing." "I'm happy." "No, I mean it." "You got this weird glow." "So, whaddaya think?" "Oh!" "And, uh, they fixed up the kitchen." "What are you gonna do with a kitchen?" "I'm cooking." "Mm-hmm." "Friday, as a matter of fact, for Matt." "It's a special meal." "What's special?" "Oh, it's mine, it's mine!" "It's all mine!" "Thanks for coming!" "Matt?" "Whaddaya think?" "Forget the packing boxes and I'm gonna get some more furniture." "Well, I have a bed." "And just because I never cook doesn't mean I can't." "It just means it's a pain to cook for one person." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Matt?" "Well, I hope you like what I'm making." "It's a special meal because it's a very special night." "I said, it's a special meal because it's a special night." "I have a present for you." "I can't do it." "Of course the watering schedules could be inserted into the paragraph." "I'm not suggesting it's a physical impossibility." "Esthetically, it's a train wreck, but it can be done." "You could also decide to use italics if you want to complete the destruction." "What's wrong?" "It's something I said, isn't it?" "My wicked tongue." "No." "Alright, mea culpa." "I wanted a different editor;" "I admit it." "But let me come right out and say you've done an excellent job..." "for a young woman." "Thanks." ""Dear Kate, I honestly did think" ""it could work between us" ""and it is completely my fault that it couldn't." ""You did nothing wrong except ask me to lunch." ""If you've got the heart to read this," ""it will explain everything better than I could." ""Be warned, though." ""There are parts that will be hard to get through." ""'Sorry' is too weak a word." "Matt."" "Who?" "Eighteen months ago." ""Dear Nicholas..." ""as I write the first entry in this diary, you were not yet born, but I know you will be..."" "So, I've decided to keep a record of your childhood for you to look back on when you grow up." "It's important to know where you came from, Nicky." "Gives you roots." "So I'm gonna begin before the beginning, before I even met your father." "I was still a doctor in Boston." "Dr. Brunik, report to the neuro ICU." "Suzanne." "Michael." "See you at the house, okay?" "You got it." "Ugh." "Are you alright, miss?" "I'm a doctor." "I think I'm... gonna have a heart attack." "Oh, my God!" "I'm only 33." "Calm, Suzanne." "Yes, calm." "You had a double bypass, not botox." "But I'm only 33, Phil." "With a family history of heart disease." "Which doesn't seem to be here in your record." "Hmm." "I forgot." "Uh-huh." "Well, I can tell you that at auction a piece of depression glass in this condition" "You're late again." "Michael, I am so bored." "Will you please take me out to dinner?" "Please, please, please?" "I want something fat and I want something greasy and I want..." "Uh-oh." "Suzanne, how long have we been seeing each other?" "Six months?" "And did you consider our relationship a serious one?" "Don't use the professor voice, Michael, please." "It drives me insane." "Fine, regular voice." "Why the hell didn't you tell me you had a heart problem?" "God, I can't" "Just one last time." "There was no problem." "There was a history." "Well, there was history of measles too, Michael." "And you put that in your medical record." "I took a look at your workup, Suzanne; it isn't good." "There's damage to your heart." "It isn't life-threatening, but it is limiting." "And one of the limitations-- now I consulted with cardio on this, so don't shoot the messenger" "Just..." "Okay." "I'm afraid we've come to the conclusion that a pregnancy would pose a real risk to your health." "You know I want children, Suzanne." "You know it's one of the most important" "I know." "If you'd just told me." "Wait a minute." "Wait, let me-- let me get this straight." "Are you saying that because my family has a history of heart disease, that I don't have the right to-- to fall in love?" "Or-- or to have a relationship or to get married?" "I mean, is this what you're-- is this what you're saying, Michael?" "Huh?" "I'm sorry." "Bastard." "Did you read the last page?" "What?" "No." "But you're going to, right?" "Why should I?" "Maybe Michael dies at the end or something." "I don't know." "Well, I know." "See, Matt's the rebound guy." "Suzanne found him and they're together right now living happily ever after." "And that's all I need to know." "What did you have?" "Half of yours." "Weak." "Weak." "He walked out with his art and his antiques..." "and my whole life." "I had nothing left." "No lover, no child, no plans." "I needed a change, Nicky." "Not just a small change;" "a sea change." "Until I began college, I had spent every summer on Martha's Vineyard." "And I remembered it was the last best place in the world." "So, with all of my savings, I bought the practice of a retiring GP who was headed back to Boston." "We were switching lives." "I told him I felt that I'd gotten the better deal." "And when I stood there in that house that was mine, everything snapped into place." "I knew that I had made the right decision." "By some extraordinary twist of luck," "I had found my perfect place." "You the doc?" "Uh, yeah." "Something wrong?" "No, I'm from across the road." "Oh." "Yeah." "I said to Carl, my husband Carl," "I said, somebody went and did it." "Couldn't be a local." "No, no, I'm from Boston" "Then he said it's a doc from the city." "And I said, well, that's a blessing, 'cause when we lost old Doc MacLaren," "I thought we were just outta luck down here." "And me with two little ones." "You know, I have a family practice" "And then Carl says, does he know what she's getting herself into?" "And I said, well, I don't expect old Doc give her the grand tour." "He could barely walk, ya know?" "He had this thing with his hip?" "You got a minute?" "Um..." "Take a whiff." "Think it's low tide, don't ya?" "Septic tank." "Oh, well, that's not good." "Don't worry; there's six more layers under that." "Watch." "But hey, I'm the glass-half-empty girl, ya know?" "It's a beautiful place." "Well, it could be." "Anyway, we're happy to have you here." "Welcome to the Vineyard." "I'm Melanie Boom." "Oh, Suzanne-- Bedford, yeah." "And don't worry about a thing." "I know this great handyman-painter type." "Better than Picasso." "I'll get him out here, no problem." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hell" "Uh..." "Picasso?" "You've been talkin' to Melanie." "Yeah." "You-- you started already?" "Yeah." "You owe me 140 bucks so far." "I'm just kiddin'." "I'm checkin', makin' some notes." "I'll be right down." "Did Melanie, uh, show you around?" "Yes, she-- she gave me the grand tour." "She tell you about the roof?" "No." "Uh, the shingles?" "No." "The, um..." "Don't worry." "Yeah, that's-- that's what Melanie said." "I'll have it done by the millennium." "But the millennium was two years ago." "The next millennium." "Oh." "Do you know your way around the island?" "I could, uh, show you around sometime." "Oh, um..." "No, I, uh..." "Or I could just fix your house and shut up." "No, it's-- it's" "It's not that I don't-- It" "It's just a bad time." "No problem." "Ah..." "The doctor in, Miss?" "Uh, yeah, I'm the doctor." "Ah..." "Uh..." "Do I need an appointment?" "I, uh, think I can squeeze you in." "Why don't you have a seat?" "So what seems to be the problem?" "What ain't?" "Okay." "I had a heart attack." "You did?" "When?" "Last week." "You had a heart attack last week?" "It sure felt like one." "Well, did you see a doctor?" "Seein' one now." "Ah, okay." "Do you have any other complaints, Mr., uh..." "Earl'll do." "Earl." "Well, since you're askin', I got the gout." "Pretty sore." "Swelled up foot." "How'd you get your shoe on?" "Oh, it wasn't easy." "Alright, is there anything else?" "I got a list." "Uh..." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "Hi." "Come on over." "I write." "Pardon?" "Oh, you got that look." "What look?" "Why is he a house painter?" "No, I don't." "Yes, you do." "Well, I'll tell ya if you wanna know." "Okay." "I'm an open book." "Okay." "Okay, if you're gonna beat it outta me..." "I went to work at my old man's company after I graduated from Brown." "My father was proud of me, which was important, I guess." "So I worked there through most of my 20's, and then my father passed away, and I realized that I had nobody left to prove myself to, and that..." "I hated it." "And I drank too much and I did too many drugs and hated the city and..." "I knew I had to make a sea change." "Thank you." "See, the thing is, at Brown I wrote." "And I had this one great professor who told me that I'd be a writer." "He had, uh-- he had faith in me." "So I went back to him and I asked," ""Is this stupid?"" "And he said, "It's never stupid to do what you want."" "Which I realize now is a crock." "But at the time, it's what I wanted to hear." "So, um, I moved back to the only place that I ever loved and I began." "That was about eight years ago and... so far, I've sold... almost one story." "The handyman thing is how I support myself." "I write." "I write every single day." "Doesn't matter if anyone reads it or doesn't read it." "I write." "Only thing I'm serious about." "I didn't know doctors ate this kind of food." "A Sam's clamburger?" "Ah, well, bad days, small comfort." "Here you go, Matt." "Thank you." "Oh, no, no, no." "You don't have to" "No, I'm runnin' the bill up on this new lady in town." "So, if your last name is Picasso, what's your first name?" "Matthew." "Matthew "Picasso" Harrelson." "Welcome to the Vineyard." "Thank you." "Oh, God." "Oh, God, that's the" "She made it up!" "That's not Matt at all!" "That's not him." "Mr. Harrelson, hi." "I'm Kate Wilkes." "It's so good to finally meet you." "Well, please come in." "Sit down." "Um, here." "Can I first say that..." "I love your stories, especially the ones that you've written most recently." "They show a dramatic improvement." "Um, they're tougher, more honestly emotional." "They made me cry." "Um..." "Well, as you know, ten stories have been chosen for your book." "Might I suggest that we meet once a week for the next ten weeks and tackle one story at a time." "How does that sound?" "That's fine." "Fine." "Good." "So, uh, if this is a good time, then, why, let's say, uh, every Friday at noon." "Yes." "Okay." "Why don't we get to work, then?" "Alright, Doc." "What was your secret?" "What did you do for him?" "Hey." "Hey." "Ugh." "Long day?" "No, it was a good day." "Finally have some patients." "And that's not counting Earl." "Like who?" "Oh, I can't tell you that." "That's doctor-client confidentiality." "Well, I saw Doris Latham get rolled in." "She's dead." "Did you figure that out?" "Oh, no." "She's only 92." "Who else?" "I can't." "Oh, what could happen if you told me?" "Oh, jeez!" "Oh!" "Whoa." "Here." "I got it." "That's good." "I got it." "Alright." "Got it?" "Yeah." "Ho." "I" " I was just gonna fix some dinner." "You wanna stay?" "I'd love to." "Voila!" "This is it?" "Oh, come on, don't insult the Suzanne." "Oh, dear." "Okay." "Madam." "Thank you." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Watch your head." "Ready?" "Does it even run?" "On and off." "Ha ha!" "Oh." "Like to take the helm?" "Should I?" "Come on." "Okay." "Just steering, right?" "I don't have to do anything fancy?" "I just hold on to this thing." "Okay." "Yes." "Ready?" "Okay, yes." "Okay." "Hi." "Hey." "Matt." "Hey, hold on a minute." "Hey, Doc." "What?" "Dance?" "No..." "It's not really a dancing place," "I don't think." "Okay, okay, stop, stop, stop." "What?" "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Hi." "You look, uh" "So, um, you know what?" "I didn't have any breakfast this morning." "I'm starving." "Sorry?" "No, I mean that we could, uh-- we could go out to lunch now, on the company." "And, you know, it would, uh, we-- we would work there." "It'd be like a-- a working lunch, but, um" "Mmm." "Okay." "Okay." "Thank you." "It's where we take our most important clients." "Yeah, it's a little fancy, but, uh, good food." "The, um" " They have a fish special every day that's not on the menu." "You like fish?" "No." "No?" "I thought, um" "Isn't fishing, like, a big deal on Martha's Vineyard?" "Yes, it is." "Yeah!" "With the whaling and" "That's Nantucket." "Right, 'cause that's the main" "You know, they make guacamole right at the table." "Really?" "Yeah." "They, uh, bring over the avocados and then they mush 'em up, and, um, you know, they just put the rest of the stuff in, and, um..." "Well" "Then they light it." "Yeah." "It's their specialty here." "Flaming guacamole." "Personally, I like the fish better." "Well, it's a small town about 50 miles outside of Raleigh." "Tobaccy country." "It's got one main road, one school." "Did you smoke?" "Hmm?" "Tobaccy country." "Oh." "Yeah, well..." "everybody smoked." "Um, my first boyfriend rolled a homemade for me, which he could do with one hand by the time he was 11." "He dared me to inhale." "I passed out cold, right into a patch of poison sumac." "Oh, boy." "I came up with sores that were so bad," "I truly believed that I had a visitation from the Lord." "No, but I like it here." "Well, I do wish that my roommate would get a job in Alaska." "And I wish that the crazy guy would stop following me to work every day." "But we had a crazy guy in Bethel, too." "Delbert O'Dell." "He would always hang out in front of the Ben Franklin." "But it was different, because when I was younger," "I could say, "Hey, Del, it's time for you to go home now,"" "and I knew that he wasn't gonna rape me or" "Del O'Dell?" "Yeah." "Older brother of Mel." "But what about you?" "I mean, what, uh" "When did you have your first cigarette?" "And do you have a crazy guy in your town?" "Are those your nicest shoes?" "Uh, are you, um... married?" "No." "Okay." "Um..." "So, uh, on page 24..." "24?" "Yeah, small typo." "What did you give me?" "Sleepy Time?" "You give me Sleepy Time at 10:00 in the morning?" "Listen-- You know who's coming in today, Bernard Faber." "Laurie-- The Amphibians Make Good Pets guy." "Laurie..." "I'm gonna be asleep" "Shut up!" "I think..." "I think it's serious." "What, you mean with the" "Okay." "No, it's getting serious." "Is that better?" "No, I didn't mean" "Okay, okay." "It's moving in the direction of serious." "Ah..." "Ah..." "It's serious." "I think he's gonna ask me, ya know?" "Oh, I know." "You know?" "How would you know?" "Alright, now take a deep breath, okay?" "It's an island." "Again." "Okay." "Well, that's a good thing, right?" "Good thing?" "The best thing that ever happened to me." "There's just this one..." "Well." "Kid, I think you're gonna live." "So who came in today?" "Uh, Earl was in." "Earl." "What did he have this time?" "He had left-side weakness, a lumbago." "Lumbago?" "Mm-hmm." "I want a lumbago." "No." "I can't clean your septic system today, Mr. Schwartz." "My lumbago is acting up." "Listen, Matt, I..." "What?" "You know, you know that I was, uh" "I lived in Boston for six years, right?" "You goin' back?" "No, no." "No, not a chance in hell." "I just" " There were a lot of reasons that I had to leave there, and one of the reasons" "You-- you had a heart attack and then your boyfriend left you." "No, no." "Yeah, but-- And you wanted a change, I know." "Yeah, but, Matt, you don't know why he left me." "Alright?" "Michael left me because he wanted to have... because he wanted to have children." "And because of my heart disease, pregnancy for me is a risk." "And I" " I know I should've told you that, and I didn't tell you that because I was afraid to and-- and I'm sorry." "How much of a risk?" "Enough." "Okay." "Then that's just the way it is." "You don't care?" "You don't want kids?" "Come on, Mr. Open Book, you told me yourself that the only thing that you want in this life is to have a family." "I want you." "I want you more." "And don't know if I can give you-- I want you more." "I want you more." "So is that your only problem?" "Yeah, I guess just, uh-  one little thing." "Okay." "Okay." "What's that?" "It's a rock." "I don't think it's a rock." "No, it's a rock." "Look, it's a rock." "Look." "You're right;" "it is a rock." "Will you marry me?" "Yes." "Careful, I might have a heart attack!" "This is Vineyard Home Services." "Matt isn't here right now." "If you leave a message, he'll get back to you as soon as he can, thanks." "I just" "I just wanted to say..." "I'm reading it." "Okay, alright, that wasn't easy." "Ready?" "Put me down." "Oh, whoa!" "Uh." "What does that say?" ""Paramada junkie?"" "Oh, well, um..." "I thought that the" "Oh, "paragraph."" "Right." "Uh, it's just a bit-- Chunky." "Well, long." "Um, you can cut it... from here... all the way to here." "Ouch." "What if we just cut it to, uh, there?" "Yeah, uh, it could work." "I suppose." "I'll try." "Good." "Good." "That's-- that's-- that's good." "In here!" "Oh..." "It's beautiful." "Not bad." "My little corner." "I love it." "Yeah, so I could waste my time as usual, but, uh, at least I got a great view doing it." "You're not wasting your time." "Seven years of rejections." ""Thank you very much for your submission."" ""We're lying when we say we liked it." ""Actually, we didn't like it at all" ""and we think you should get a real job and stop wasting your time."" "No." "Yes." "I feel guilty about it." "I hadn't felt guilty about anything since I left my father's business." "Look at me." "I'm" " I'm living in your house." "We could have lived in yours." "Oh, yeah, my room above Sulucy's Hair and Nails?" "That would have been ideal." "I can't support you... in any kind of style." "Wait a minute." "What is it, 1954?" "I can support myself just fine, thanks." "No, I don't-- I don't mean" "I'm not contributing." "And that bothers me." "And if you want me to stop, if you want me to grow the hell up and do something with my life, just say the word." "Thanks." "Matt... if I wanted some corporate suit type," "I would've stayed in Boston and hung out at singles bars." "Really?" "No." "I don't want you to change." "You're my van Gogh;" "you're not-- you're not my Donald Trump." "And another thing, my sweet, sweet man," "I do not want you to grow the hell up." "I'll try not to." "Page 37, para 2," "I think this reveal happens too early." "I could be wrong." "No." "Where would you move it to?" "What?" "I said, uh, where would you move it to?" "I was thinkin' about the-- the end here." "Um, maybe, uh, page 40?" "Before Norman leaves?" "It's only a suggestion." "If you don't want to..." "I don't." "I don't want to." "Mmm." "Are you alright?" "Yeah, sure." "Good." "You just look..." "It doesn't make you happy?" "What?" "What?" "Sex." "Oh, that." "Do you have an ethical problem?" "You know, me being your editor, that kind of thing?" "No." "Because it won't affect our work." "I know." "I mean, they're two separate things." "I know." "I'm a professional." "Kate..." "I like the sex." "I like you." "Everything's fine, okay?" "Oh, I'm so sorry." "I don't nag." "Usually." "I just, um..." "You don't talk about your life." "At all." "And so, I think..." "I think something happened to you and maybe if you told me about it" "You know, I mean, I can" " I can shut up." "But I can listen, really." "Um, I'm a very good... listener." "Hey!" "Suzanne?" "You okay?" "Yeah, honey, it's-- it's nothing." "Nothing?" "There's all those sick people you touch every day and I don't like it." "Suzanne?" "Well, that's what doctors do, sweetie, they treat sick people." "Yeah, well, it's an outrage." "You stay in bed today." "You let Earl torture someone else." "No, sweetie." "Look, I finally have a full waiting room." "Just let me go to work, alright?" "Well, then, you should eat something." "Oh, yeah, right." "I could fry you some eggs... in butter." "I can fry 'em up in bacon fat for ya." "That-- that'll be" "Yeah, hysterical." "Sorry, I got home too late to cook." "You don't cook." "Okay, so, everybody, dig in." "Uh, pan fried noodles, they're my favorite." "I'm on low-carbs." "Oh." "I'll take the noodles." "Mmm." "So, uh, it's great that we could all do this." "Um, Laurie has read your stories too." "I love the one about the country doctor." "Thank you." "Is it from life?" "Someone I knew." "Where?" "Martha's Vineyard." "You know he's from Martha's Vineyard, Laurie." "Oh, I love the Vineyard." "What do you do there?" "He's a writer, Stephen." "No, I mean for a livin'." "I should put some music on." "Are you a native of the Vineyard?" "No." "It's wall-to-wall celebrities there." "Tea?" "Everybody want tea?" "I saw Carly Simon there once." "Do you know her?" "No." "She has a big mouth." "Like, a huge mouth." "Where are you from then?" "Laurie!" "Uh, can you help me, please?" "Do you know any celebrities?" "Put water in a kettle and turn it on high." "Matt, do you know any celebrities?" "I installed a toilet for Walter Cronkite once." "No kidding." "You know Walter Cronkite." "Huh." "What?" "You told me that you couldn't get pregnant." "No, I told you that there might be some risks" "You never said "might be." You said "would be."" "Oh, Matt." "You said there would be." "Look, no one really knows." "I mean, I could have the easiest pregnancy in the world or I could have some complications." "That makes me feel a lot better." "Honey... we're gonna have a baby!" "I mean, aren't you happy?" "I'd be happy if you go see those doctors in Boston." "Why?" "'Cause all the doctors on this island are hicks." "Except this one lady doctor with great boobs." "Oh." "Didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition." "Alright, um..." "The stress test doesn't look that good to us." "There's weakness in two of your valves." "And we, uh, discussed it and we think it would be... prudent for you to terminate the pregnancy." "No." "Suzanne..." "No." "Look, I didn't just fall off the truck, Phil." "I'm a doctor too." "I know what the risks are." "I also know that if the three of you help me," "I can have this baby." "Am I wrong?" "Am I wrong?" "I don't know." "Is that your medical opinion?" "Alright, tough guy, we can, um, give it some time, see what happens." "Thank you." "Yeah." "Oh, be careful." "Look, if they don't think you should have the baby, Suzanne" "No, I want the baby, Matt." "We can adopt." "No, I wanna have our baby." "Honey, I know that this is gonna work out." "Okay?" "So three hot-shot doctors are wrong and you're right." "Look, they agreed to help, so" "And you gave 'em a choice?" "Well, it's my body." "Oh, so that makes suicide, alright." "Suicide?" "If you kill yourself for this baby," "I call it suicide." "Oh, God, you-- What?" "You don't-- You have no idea what you're talking about." "What, the house painter can't have an opinion?" "No, not about medicine." "No!" "It's not about medicine." "It's about you risking your life!" "And I can have an opinion about that!" "I can have an opinion about the-- the one woman in this world that I love!" "That I will not live without!" "Okay, okay, okay." "It's okay to worry, honey." "It's okay to worry." "You got-- you gotta trust me on this, Matt." "Alright?" "I'm not gonna put myself in danger." "I promise you that." "I love you too much." "I'm not gonna leave you." "Just, please, don't give up on this baby, okay?" "I can stay." "All weekend?" "I think Walter Cronkite'll muddle through." "You know, I" " I know that it's hard for you." "I mean, I could" "I could come up to the Vineyard one weekend." "I can take the ferry over and you could pick me up and drive me around." "Or no, we, uh-- we could rent bikes and then ride around, you know, if it's nice out." "And then you could show me all the local spots." "And then you could show me your house." "Then you could show me your bed." "No." "What?" "No." "No what?" "Nothing." "Let's just go back to the table." "You don't want me in your bed?" "Is that it?" "Don't, please." "Don't what?" "Don't say anything that might disturb you?" "Well, I'm sorry, but I just don't know what will disturb you because you won't tell me." "I have to go." "Oh, no you don't." "Cabby!" "Wait one damn minute!" "Cabby!" "I don't wanna talk about it, Kate." "Well, too bad!" "Kate!" "I have had it, buddy!" "I'm so sick of tip-toeing around here!" "You have problems?" "Well, boo hoo!" "I have problems too!" "Yeah, so I've heard." "Yeah!" "Because when two people sleep together, they're supposed to share more than just sex." "I am what I am." "Take it or leave it." "That is not how it works!" "Then it doesn't work!" "Stop!" "Cabby!" "You will deal with this!" "Cabby!" "You coward!" "You coward!" "You're just a coward!" "Coward!" "Coward!" "Coward!" "No!" "Ready?" "I'm not goin' anywhere." "Oh..." "That's beautiful." "Now watch." "Oh..." "For little Herman." "His name is Nicholas." "Kate?" "I'm sorry." "Okay..." "Once, there was an ordinary man who lived on a special island full of celebrities." "One night, he went to Sam's Clams and his life changed for the good." "Then it changed again for the bad." "Then it changed again." "He sold a book of short stories." "After many years of trying and failing, it should have brought him more pleasure than it did, but what brought him pleasure was the... smart and beautiful editor they assigned him." "So they agreed to a lunch date, even though the restaurant wasn't as good as Sam's Clams." "And she talked... and listened." "And before the crème brûlée came... he knew that she'd change his life again." "That's it;" "that's the best I can do." "That's good enough." "Hey, sweetheart!" "There's nothin' to eat." "Could you come down and fix me something?" "Well, if you're hungry, then I'll just haul my ten-ton butt outta bed and make you a bologna sandwich, because you're a man, and you couldn't possibly put two pieces of bread together" "Happy birthday!" "I love you, honey." "Hi." "Did you get it?" "What did you get me?" "See ya." "Oh, God!" "She got me a black thong." "Honey, she got me a thong." "I'll never be able to wear that again." "Okay." "What?" "Is-- is this my gift?" "Oh..." "Oh, you have a bow." "You've got a bow, huh, huh?" "Wanna dance with a house?" "You sure?" "One slow dance." "Did you see me holding Julia's baby?" "You're a natural." "Yes, I am." "I mean, I know that I'm a great doctor, but I'm going to be a fabulous mother." "Hmm." "You are." "And I'm going to be a great father." "Okay, you know what?" "Enough dancing." "Let's go inside." "Alright." "Whoops." "Suzanne?" "Matt..." "Suzanne, I'm right here." "Suzanne..." "Connie?" "I'm sorry." "The Kind and I at the playhouse." "I was Anna." "The baby, the baby..." "Yes, we have a heartbeat." "But we're more concerned about you right now." "The baby..." "Suzanne, Suzanne..." "The baby okay?" "Hey, baby." "Suzanne..." "Suzanne?" "Suzanne?" "Suzanne?" "Better?" "Oh, I'm really dry." "Here." "Oh, that's cold." "Okay." "We've got your BP under control." "Your bloods are improving, but I want to keep you here just for tonight." "I gotta go call Melanie." "Everyone's waitin' to hear." "They're still awake?" "I'll be right back." "Okay." "Matt, Matt, her stats just dropped off the cliff." "She's shutting down." "We have to take the baby right now." "Please, do not get in my way." "It's 183." "Give it gas." "Here, put this on." "Suzanne, I'm right here, alright?" "It's okay, baby." "It's gonna be okay." "Give me a 10 blade and separators on the field." "Got it." "I'm right here, Suzanne." "Infuse three grams of magnesium sulfate." "I've got my O2 at 100%." "O2 stat's at 93." "I'm right here, baby." "It's okay." "It's gonna be alright." "We're gonna need separators" "It'll be okay." "Baby not responsive." "He's not moving." "Respiratory's down" "Get me suction." "I need a bag." "He's not moving." "Right here, I gotta give it suction." "Turn it up to a hundred." "Great, I think I got something." "Pressure's holding, 130 over 69." "Monitor is steady." "Here we go." "Let's move that up." "Uh-huh." "We're gonna need a monitor and an EPG." "It's okay." "He won't break." "There you go." "I will never forget that moment, Nicky." "I got to hold you in my arms before they took you away." "I got to whisper for the first time ever," ""I love you, Nicholas the warrior."" "Matt?" "Whaddaya think?" "I mean, forget the packing boxes." "And I'm" " I'm gonna get some more furniture." "Well, I have a bed." "And just because I never cook doesn't mean I can't." "It just means it's a pain to cook for one person." "I hope you like what I'm making." "It's a special meal because it's a very special night." "I said, it's a special meal because it's a very special night." "I have a present for you." "I can't do it." "I thought I could." "I wanted to." "And it doesn't help you any." "I wish" "I just" "I can't." "Oh, wait." "I have a present for you." "See?" "It's a rattle." "See?" "I'm pregnant, you son of a bitch!" "Ah, Ms. Wilkes." "How are you today?" "Knocked up." "Congratulations." "You are most definitely pregnant." "Great." "I, uh, I have a friend who's been trying to get pregnant for the past year." "I miss one pill, and bang." "As it were." "How did you miss your pill?" "Oh, you know..." "I" " I thought it was gonna work out with this guy..." "I understand." "Well, the, uh, pregnancy's at a very early stage." "At this point we can terminate it with a simple DNC." "Good." "Good." "Um, let me just check my week, um... crying Oh, my God." "No." "Suzanne, that's enough!" "Honey, I'm supposed to exercise." "Ask my 15 doctors." "Suzanne?" "What?" "He misses you." "He told me." "Ugh, Suzanne!" "Okay." "Come on." "Hey!" "I wanna get there." "Before it gets too cold!" "Hey!" "Come on!" "Whoohoo!" "So?" "There you go." "Yeah?" "Not all pale and sick?" "The patients don't wanna see a sick doctor." "I don't blame 'em." "Okay." "Okay." "Come in." "Aw..." "Show him off." "Aw, isn't he a cutie?" "That it?" "That's him." "He the runt of the litter?" "Shut up, Earl." "Okay, let me say "good-bye" to my little boy." "Okay, alright." "Bye, Mel." "Thank you so much." "Okay, who's first?" "As if I didn't know." "Well, that's pretty typical." "I thought your numbness was on the left side, Earl." "Shifted." "That was more than half a day." "What was I supposed to do, sweetie?" "Tell Mrs. Garner to take her walker and get outta there?" "You said half a day, Connie said half a day." "How's the baby?" "Scared you weren't comin' back." "I'm not kiddin', Suzanne." "Yeah, I know;" "that's the scary thing." "Alright, up to bed." "I'm gonna get you something" "Matt." "to eat." "Matt." "Protein." "Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt." "You've gotta stop." "Okay?" "You have to stop hovering and worrying, and worrying and hovering." "I know." "You're really starting to become a gigantic pain in the ass." "I know." "I'm fine." "Alright?" "The doctor said I'm fine." "And not just the hick doctors." "I know." "I promise to be a smaller pain in the ass." "Sweetie, I take care of these people, you know?" "I owe them." "Now I'm gonna go kiss my beautiful child and go for a run on the beach." "A walk on the beach." "So, what, you gonna take it to work with you every day?" "I wouldn't be the first." "Yeah?" "You gonna nurse it in front of your authors?" "Or, you could keep it home, get a nanny who makes more money than you." "Shh!" "Or, Kate, I know." "Just quit, move back home with Ma and Pa, get a job at the Piggly Wiggly." "I am not calling him." "He's a decent guy." "He'll take responsibility, Kate." "No, you're right." "If I call him, he'll come and he would try to make it right." "And tell his wife." "He would, yeah." "And then she would divorce him and he would marry you, and move to the city and take care of the kid." "And he would hate me..." "for the rest of his life." "You'd get alimony." "That's very funny." "That's great." "I am not calling him." "Ready?" "No." "He's almost four months old." "Oh, and he hasn't been to college yet?" "He loves it." "[baby crying" "Shh, shh, shh." "Shh, shh." "Shh, it's okay." "It's okay, sweetheart" "It's okay." "Mama's here." "Oh, oh..." "Oh, no, no, no." "Shh, shh, shh." "It's alright." "It's alright." "It's okay, honey." "Don't be scared." "Don't be scared." "Mama's here." "Mama's here." "I'll always be here." "My little boy." "I'm gonna start full time." "Tomorrow." "What?" "The New Yorker." ""Dear Mr. Harrelson, we very much enjoyed" ""your short story, Nicholas the Warrior." ""And we are happy to accept it for publication in our December issue."" "Matt..." "Oh, Matt." "It only took me seven years." "They want me to come to their office." "They wanna bathe in the author's light." "It's important." "It is?" "The first story that you write about our family is the first story you sell?" "It's important." "Good things to happen for us." "So should I wear my blue suit?" "Look what I found." ""Gordon Grey, the best photographer" ""on Martha's Vineyard:" "weddings, special occasions, babies."" "Hmm." "Gordo's a hack." "If you say so, my love." "You're not gonna take Nicholas there the minute I walk away, right?" "Bye." "Are you ready for your close-up, baby doll?" "Yeah?" "Are you?" "You're not gonna tell anybody about this, right?" "Especially not Daddy." "It'll be our little secret." "Our little $147 secret." "Oh, yeah." "Looks good, though." "I could use some help." "Yeah, honey, I know, but I have to go into town really quickly." "They're gonna be here in an hour." "I know." "I just wanna grab" "We have everything we need." "I just better make sure" "Except the baby pictures." "Which I'm sure are classics." "Oh, honey." "He was so cute." "I'll be back in plenty of time, okay?" "The food's all ready." "Hello, my sweet Nicholas." "It's Daddy." "I have to write this." "I can't think of anything now except that I have to talk to you." "But this is so hard, little boy." "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do." "Bye!" "Love you." "I let her leave." "I didn't stop her." "I didn't even go to her." "I never even got to kiss her goodbye, Nicky." "Because you see, my sweet boy," "Mommy had a heart attack on the way into town." "Her car went through the guard rail at the cove." "The doctor said she died before the crash." "He said she didn't feel any pain at all." "I want to believe him." "I wind up your music box and it begins to play." "I reach into your crib and I touch your sweet cheek." "I place an index finger in each of your little hands and let you squeeze." "You're very strong." "But you're not in your crib, are you." "Because you went with Mommy that day." "She strapped you into your car seat and drove you to town." "She wanted you to be the first to see your photographs." "Oh, my God." "This is Vineyard Home Services." "Matt isn't here right now, if you leave a message, he'll get back to you as soon as he can." "Thanks." "Matt." "I understand now." "And I can't begin to tell you on this damn machine how sorry I am." "God, I want to talk to you." "I just" "Wanna tell you how I'm feeling, that's all." "So, um, can you call me back?" "Please." "So, then Steven's mother makes a face." "Mmm." "She doesn't say anything, she just takes one bite, makes "the face", and puts her fork down." "But the face says it all." "My daughter-in-law to be is one step above a hooker." "What I had in mind was a vine, curling around both sides of the title, as if springing from the base of the book itself." "In a kind of..." "paean to medieval illuminati." "I also think..." "Um, excuse me" "The tour bus is down Pleasant Street." "Oh, no." "Actually I'm looking for someone." "He comes in here quite often." "I thought you might know where he lives." "Got a name?" "Um..." "Matt Harrelson." "You take Water Street to the Prospect Road straight on out." "Can't miss it." "Big yellow thing." "Thanks, Earl." "Matt!" "Hello." "Matt." "Matt." "Kate." "Yes." "Oh, I'm" "Melanie." "Across the road." "Yeah." "The door wasn't locked, so I..." "Oh, it's an island." "Yeah." "He, he told me about you." "He did?" "Yeah." "Do you know when he's gonna be back?" "He's gone." "Gone?" "Gone." "Off the island." "Gone." "Matt." "I got your messages." "I just wanted to thank you in person for your sympathy." "And for driving out to the Vineyard, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it." "That I'm sorry I wasn't there." "I..." "I drove up to Maine, took the blue roads." "Didn't pay much attention to anything." "Stopped when it got dark." "I thought about the first time we met." "I didn't want to meet you." "I didn't want to see you." "I didn't want to start anything with anyone." "I did my house painting and I wrote in my little corner." "And I went to sleep." "And when I couldn't sleep, which is most of the time..." "I talked to Suzanne." "In the dark it seemed as though she was there." "And it worked." "I found a kind of peace in that house." "And then I met you." "And my life changed." "Like I told you." "But it-- it wasn't-- it was more than that." "I..." "I started to feel myself... let go of Suzanne." "but I kept her close to me for over a year." "I checked Nicholas' crib and every single day." "I was faithful." "I couldn't stand letting them go." "I blamed fate for bringing me to you." "I blamed ambition." "But most of all I blamed you." "And I knew that was wrong." "Suzanne and Nicholas died, and I couldn't know they were gonna die." "And I couldn't have saved them." "They're gone." "Both of them." "For whatever reason I'm not..." "I'm still here." "Because I'm still here..." "I am required to carry on." "That's what I figured out driving north." "That I'm required to carry on." "That's just the way it is." "Matt." "Um..." "But wouldn't you like another chance?" "At what?" "Everything." "Love and... marriage." "Children." "Yes." "I lived four months with Nicholas." "Four months was not enough time." "I'm sorry." "I didn't come here to make you cry." "Matt." "What?" "It'll keep." "Closed-Captioned By J.R. Media Services, Inc." "Burbank, CA"