"You ain't leaving that baby here... not hollering like that, you ain't." "Yo, girl!" "Hey, baby!" "Come on over here and get warm." "Come on, now." "We gonna trade you some good shit!" "Come on, you can have a little bit of this." "Come on, now." "You know, we know what you need." "Come on, baby." "Okay, Isaiah." "There you go, okay?" "Shh." "I'll be right back, okay?" "That's right." "Okay, okay." "Okay, there you go." "Okay." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, yeah." "I'm telling you, man, the Bulls are going to repeat." "Yeah, yeah, you said the same thing after the '85 Bears." "Ain't gonna happen." "The Knicks have got Pat Riley, and he's going to make Patrick Ewing play some ball." "Hey, you got" "B.J. coming off the bench, shooting a three." "I'm thinking about coming out of retirement and playing myself." "Yeah, I heard that." "I know one thing..." "I can stop Ewing." "I just have to deal with Oakley's muscle underneath the board." "I-I used to play some great defense." "They used to call me "The Wall."" "Yeah... wall-eyed Wally." "Yeah, Oakley under the boards, my butt." "M.J. and Scottie'll take care of the Knicks." "Pippen's bad." "The Knicks are playing some mean D." "Hey, did you see what Jordan did to that defense last night?" "That's what I'm talking about!" " Swoosh!" " I wouldn't trade defense..." "Hey, hey, you got B.J. Coming off..." "Holy shit!" "Stop the blade!" "Stop the blade!" "Stop it!" "What's he been given?" "Two cc's epinephrine, I.M." " Let's get him to the warmer." " It's over there!" "Let's roll!" "Get out of the way..." "baby coming!" "All right." "Okay, let's get some new vitals on him." "What do we got here?" "I need a half-normal saline with glucose drip, and get me a respirator." " Hold it, hold it." " Wait." "Where's the IV?" " No IV established?" " No." " Why not?" " Not ready to get a line in." "Okay, 24-gauge ampule." "I'll do it myself." "Go ahead, hold that, yeah." "Let me have a blood gas." "He's a subdermal hematoma, Mrs. Lanelli." "He's five months old." "You didn't think he might roll off that top bunk?" "He never did it before." "Well, now you know it's possible." "He's not Peter Pan." "He can't fly." "We need you." "You're going to have to wait here until the x rays get back." "At least she didn't dump him in a pot of boiling water, huh?" "Yeah, she did that last month..." "said his bath was too hot." "What have we got?" "This one was found in a dumpster." "Jesus." " Social Services?" " Mm-hmm?" "He's not breathing on his own." "Can you sign off?" "Sign off?" "Yeah." "No extraordinary measures." "Why don't we just dump him back in the garbage?" "All right, lady... play God." "Anyone got the paperwork on Mr. Romano?" "It's tachycardia." "BP's down." "Respiratory's erratic." " BP up." " It looks like a brain bleed." "Keep the oxygen up." "This infant's having a seizure." "Uh, doctor!" "Phenobarbital, stat." "Let's get him up to NICU." "What'd I tell you?" "Hold the elevator!" "Damn it, hold that elevator!" "Oh, my God!" "Oh, my God, my baby!" "My baby!" " Shut up, ho!" " Where's my baby!" "Had enough racket around here!" "Police!" "Dead babies!" "Get out of here!" "I said get out my alley!" "Get!" "My baby..." "I know all the tubes and wires are frightening, but you can hold him." "Okay." "Ain't this a cute baby?" "Oh, there you go." " Excuse me, Margaret." " Shh." "What?" "That baby you asked about last round?" " Yeah?" " He's in NICU." " Oh." "Excuse me." " Thank you." "Just talk to him." "He'll be all right." "His prints were on the computer." "He was born at Cook County three days ago." "Mother and baby both crack-addicted." "He's over there:" "Isaiah Richards." "Huh." "Nurse Forgen to East Wing Two." "Isaiah." ""And he shall be called wonderful."" "Dr. Parks, 6214." "Dr. Parks, 6214." " Look at her." " Yeah." " Just asking for it." " Yeah." "Arrest her." "The little thief." "Where's the party?" "Hey..." "Come on." "Pay the nice man." "Get off me." "One, two, three." "Crazy." "Beautiful." "Maybe." "Come on..." "Oh, look what we got here." "Now, see what you made me do?" "You have to use every dish in the house, Charick Lewin-sky?" "Ja, I do, but I'll clean up." "I know you will." "Is she home?" "Yeah, she's in her room, on the phone, door closed, waiting for you to tell her she has a French quiz and a history paper due tomorrow." "You have a French quiz and a history paper due tomorrow." "Just a minute." "I'm on the phone." "That's easy to fix." "Get off it." "Will you please get out of my room so I can study?" "Oh, I think you might want to phrase that a little differently, honey." "Can I call you back?" "My mother's being a jerk." "Mom, sit down, make yourself comfortable." "Thank you." "This is gone if you don't do well on the exam tomorrow." "...and hairline fractures of the clavicle and cranium." "Burns and old scarring." "Maggie, what are you, a social worker or a war correspondent?" "War correspondent." "Recommend foster care to avoid further trauma to this child." "The old scar tissue indicates..." "Uh, would you say "multiple lacerations to the upper torso" one more time, please?" "No." "Patient continues to have trauma..." ""Hairline fracture."" " No." "No." " Hmm?" ""Burns and old scarring"?" "No." "We continue to explore..." "Charlie... would you scratch my back?" "No." "Next case, B-14-20." "Child shows signs of forced responsiveness to his environment..." "Yeah?" "Cranial contusion." "How did you get this number?" "I could meet you somewhere..." "anywhere." "Show you the x rays." "Uh, oh, d-don't you have a st-staff meeting tonight?" "It's canceled." "Uh, Margaret, I can't, um..." "I got a whole pile of screwed-up wirings got to be worked out by tomorrow." "Oh, well." "There's a surgeon here who's just dying to show me some new suture-tying techniques." "Let's go!" "Take all your belongings!" "Let's go!" "Come on, come on!" "Get off me!" "Move it, move it!" "Get out the way!" "Move!" "Get off me!" "Move it!" "Move it!" "Your names are on your beds." "You'll be expected to keep your area clean at all times." "Now, there are those of you who elected this program to cut your time." "Well, if that's why you're here, you better turn around and get back on that bus, because you won't last a day." "This is work... hard work." "One mistake... one... and you're out on your base-head, pill-popping, alcoholic asses, back in the general population quicker than you can blink your eyes." "Understand?" "I don't know." "What do you want me to say, hmm?" "I mean, I've only been recommending permanent foster care for that child for four years now." "No, no, go ahead... send her back if that's what the courts want." "But listen, you tell that son-of-a-bitch judge... that if her father finally kills her, not to come weeping to me." "... nothing says I would wish it to be." "That's my grandma's song." "Yeah, she would've liked you." "You're a little fighter, aren't you, huh?" "Beans, beets, rice." "Hey, Ethel." " There you go." " Oh, let's see." "Give me just some rice and veggies." " Rice and veggies." " Thanks." "You've been a social worker for what, 15 years?" "Mm-hmm." "Let's say a nice, well-meaning white lady came into your office and told you she was thinking of taking a black crack baby home, thinking she could save it." "What would you say?" "Not to." "It's insane, Margaret." "A black crack baby..." "it's insane." "There's nothing wrong with him." "Well, he could have problems that won't show up for years." "So could we." "Look, Charlie, you haven't seen him." "I mean, there's something so great about him." "He has... he has this spirit." "You can see it in his eyes." "And he has nothing." "He's so all alone." "You're lying, you know you're lying." "Is you for real?" "Bullshit." "You-you really think your kids don't know that you turning tricks?" "What are they, retarded?" "Is anybody talking to you?" "Where your kids think you is right now... on a Carnival cruise or some shit?" "Shut up, okay?" "Like your kids don't know what you be doing late at night?" "Shut up, okay?" "Just shut up." "She just trying to help your lying butt... that's all." "Yeah, I'm just trying to help your lying ass." "Shh, shh." "Whoa, yo!" "It don't do no good to beat on each other about shit we did when we was bugging and drugging." "Huh?" "Now, come on, let's look at this thing from a positive place." "What kind of mother would you like to be?" "One your kids can depend on coming up?" "Sade?" "I don't have nothing to say." "See?" "Khaila, what about your kids?" "I ain't got no kids." "Here, look where you are." " I'll park the car." " Okay." "That always happens, though." "Look." "Oh, my God, Mom." "Here he is." "He's so small." "Mm-hmm." "C-Can I call you back?" "Bye." "Oh..." "How do you get clothes that small?" "Leprechauns." "This is your sister, little guy." "Shh, shh..." "Can I hold him?" "Yes." "Watch his head." "What do I do?" "Just rock him a little bit, but-but don't look right in his face, okay?" "Crack babies sometimes have trouble with that." "Hey there, small stuff." "That's what your daddy used to call you." "Oh... coochie coochie coo." "He doesn't like me." "It's not that, Hannah." "Of course he likes you." "It's not that." "Where are you going?" "I told Jenny I'd come over." "You're not upset, are you, Hannah?" "No." "Well, why don't you bring her back to see the baby?" "I don't think so." "Why not?" "Well, be home by 5:00." "Bye." "Oh, I forgot the formula." "Shh, shh, shh." "Shh..." "What'd we learn today, buddy?" "You keep your..." " Eye... eye on the ball!" " That's right, and then, when you swing the bat, you got to swing..." " Level!" " Level, level, right." " Level!" " And then what do you do when you hit the ball?" "What do you got to do?" "You got to..." " Run like crazy!" " Run like crazy!" "You run to first base, and then he goes to second base." " Second base!" " Then he goes to third base." " Then he goes to third base." " Then he slides all the way home!" "And then he goes all the way home!" "Right." "Ooh, you giving your daddy's hair a cream rinse?" " I hit a home run!" "Wham!" " Where are you going?" "To Carrie's." "No, no, no, no, wait a minute now." "Mom..." "No, listen, I got this letter, and I want to read it to you..." "listen." ""It is accordingly" ""therefore ordered that Isaiah Richards," " a minor..."" " That's me!" ""Shall be, to all" ""legal intents and purposes, the child of Charles and Margaret Lewin."" "Poor kid... you're stuck with them now." "Very funny." "No, wait, Hannah, don't go." "Don't go." "We want to celebrate." "Mom, I can't." " Yes, you..." " Not tonight." "Bye, kiddo." "Kiddo!" "Kiddo!" "Kiddo!" "Kiddo!" "Hannah..." "I'll call." "Kiddo, kiddo!" "Kiddo!" "You know, just because she's a teenager..." "Kiddo, kiddo, kiddo, kiddo..." "Ooh." "Do you want to go out?" "Oh, you know he can't sit still in a restaurant." "Take this." "Ugh!" "All right, let's call out for a pizza." "Pizza, pizza, pizza." "We'll get him to bed early, then, uh, you and I can..." " What shape is a pizza?" " A big bowl like this!" "What's that called?" " Mommy." " Excuse me." "Sorry." "Glad you made it." "You see who it is up there?" "It's Hannah." "Mommy, look!" "Isaiah, shh." "Hannah!" "Hannah!" "Boo!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Just stop it." "Yeah!" "Why did you even bring him?" "It was my play." "You knew he would do something like this." "He always does." "Yes, and you know he cannot help it." "Hey!" "Hannah, he's..." "he ju..." "Oh..." "You know he adores you." "Just try not to be so angry." "I'm not angry!" "Yes, you are, and it's okay." "Oh, please." "He was so proud of you... jumping up and down, calling out your name." "Yeah, I know." "I heard him." "And so did everybody else." "I just wanted Mom to see it." "Hannah?" "What?" "Can I tell you something?" "Yeah, whatever, Mom." "When I heard you sing tonight..." "I thought, "There's Hannah, doing something I can't begin to do."" "Right." "It gave me such pleasure." "Good morning!" "Good morning." "What you doing?" "Jumping." "Boy, your mama ain't teach you to knock before you just come barging in somebody's room?" "This is my room." "Aunt Joe said." "We just lending it to you." "No, you just renting it." "You better get your little skinny self dressed if you're going to go to school today." "Daycare." "Well, you got to be dressed for daycare, too." "They ain't gonna take you in no pajamas." "Josette's in the bathroom." "Don't I know it." "Josie, let's go." "You better wake up Mama, Amir." "I ain't taking you to no daycare." "Come on, Amir." "I'll take you." "Amir!" "Where's my sugar?" "Thank you." "Go." " Khaila." " Hey." "Excuse me." "Got your living situation straightened out?" "Mm-hmm." "Job?" "I'd appreciate an answer." "I got a room." "You ever had a room to yourself before?" "Then stop complaining." "Let's get to work." "You been reading?" "Some." "Some ain't good enough." "Well, the book is dumb." "How you know if you ain't been reading it?" "'Cause I am reading it." "Good." "So, tell me... what's been happening with" "George... and Katherine?" "Kath-er-ine done gone and got herself knocked up." "She happy?" "Don't say." "Why you doing this, Khaila?" "Oh, we're gonna share now?" "You're wasting our time here." "Let's just forget about it, 'cause it's useless unless you want to do it." "I already know how to read." "Well, I don't want to read this bullshit." "Then why you busting my ass?" "Look, I have my lunch sitting at home waiting on me." ""Kath-er-ine visits the clinic." ""The doctor tells her" ""to be careful about what she eat." ""It can help..." ""her..." ""baby... grow strong." ""She must drink lots of milk and eat green" ""ve-ge-ta-bles if she want to be a good mother." "The doctor..."" "Khaila, what's the matter?" ""...tells her not to drink any" ""al-co-hol or take any me-di-cine." ""It could harm her..." ""baby." "She should get lots of sleep."" "Khaila?" "Look at me." "What's wrong?" "I threw him away." "My baby." "Threw him in the garbage can." "I killed him." "Killed him." "Oh, God." "Oh, my God." "You got a book about that?" "Hey, how you doing?" "Hi." "Oh." "Hello?" "!" "Amir?" "!" "Josie?" "!" "Oh, my..." "What happened?" "They gone in the ambulance." "She was bleeding all over the bed." "She wouldn't move." "I cooked supper, and I went to call her, but she wouldn't move." "Doctor say she lost a baby." "What baby?" "Hey, little man." "You okay?" "Y'all hungry?" " Yeah." " Yeah." "Whoo!" "Whoo, yeah." "Can I give you a hand there?" "No, I got it." "You sure?" "I got a little cousin about that age." "You know, they can do damage to your back." "I said I got it." "Okay." "Lord, boy, you heavy." "Mama..." "It's okay." "Go back to sleep." "I'm going to stay with you tonight." "Pizza." "You gonna have your pizza." "I'm sor..." "Eddie Hughes." "You know, I didn't meet you before." "I got to get back inside." "To your kids?" "They ain't my kids, and why you got to be lurking up here on my floor?" "I'm not lurking." "I'm just having a smoke." "Well, smoke somewhere else, goddamn it." "I'm a working man on vacation... up from Tampa." "You ever been to Tampa?" "Oh, this look like a vacation spot to you?" "Actually, my brother lives here." "Yeah, you know, he don't like to smoke, so..." "I'm just visiting him." "We're, uh... we're in the music business." "Mm-hmm." "I was just, uh... working on a song about, uh... concrete." "Check it out." "I got to work on the melody a little bit." "I hope you good at something else." " Hello, Mama." " Uh, Khaila." "Uh, there's some leftover pasta in the fridge..." "Bye, Khaila." "So long, sweetpea." "And, uh, laundry needs to go in the dryer." "I'm out the door, honey." "Okay." "Give me a kiss." "Mwa!" "Oh, I might be a few minutes late tonight, but you can stay, huh?" "Bye, girls." "The Fredericks residence." "Khaila?" "Yeah?" "It's Gussie." "Can we meet somewhere?" "He ain't dead?" "My baby ain't dead?" "Well, now, where is he?" "In the city, living with a family in DePaul." "Well..." "Well, I got to see him." "Slow down, Khaila." "There are a lot of issues involved here." "He's been legally adopted." "So?" "I got to see my baby, Gussie." "Where is he?" "Okay, we're going to work on that, but it's going to take some time." " No." "Come on, let's go." " I'm on your side." "I'm going to help you, but it's going" " No, no, no, no, no." " To take some time, and you're going to have to be patient, Khaila." "I can't be patient." " Listen." " I need to see my baby." "Listen to me, listen to me, Khaila." "Don't let everything you worked so hard for fall apart." "Hey, what are you doing in here?" "Nothing." "Looking for Gussie." "Oh, she's in the hall." "Thanks." " I'll call you tonight." " Yeah." "Pop the hood." "See you, buddy." " Bye." " I'll call you tonight." " Bye, Daddy, bye, Daddy." " Have a good trip." "Take your ticket." "Take me, please." "You wouldn't like it, sweetie." "It's in a big city with..." "it smells, in a big room with men with no hair." "Bye, Daddy." "Bye, Daddy." "Sorry." "Oh, don't be sad." "Daddy will be back in two days." "Look who's here." "Aw... two days." "You know what two is?" "One, two... that's not long." "Besides, Heidi's going to take you to the park now." "Then after the park, you're going to take a nap, and drink your apple juice." "Use your sipper cup." "And Mama's going to come home right after work like I always do, okay?" "Good night." "Uh-huh, and you're going to draw me a picture?" "Yes." " Of what?" "Of an airplane?" " Yes." "With two wings, flying up in the sky." " Up in the sky!" " Up in the sky, yeah." "How many wings does an airplane have?" "Two." "Two!" "How many hands does Isaiah have?" "Two." "And how many eyes does Isaiah have?" "Two." "And how many kisses is Mama going to get?" "Two." "Oh, you're my boy." "Okay, have fun at the park." "I want to race." "Okay." "Bye-bye, honey." "Bye, Mommy." "W-W-W-W-Whee!" "Okay, now, guess where we're going?" "Where?" "To the park." "What are you going to go on when you go in there first, huh?" "The slide?" "Ah, push." "Ready?" "One, two, three, up." "Good boy." "Okay." "Heidi, over here." "How you doing?" "Good." "So, can you come?" "I don't know." "I'm pretty tired." "So, can you get off?" "I don't know." "They're supposed to go out." "Hello, Isaiah." "I get so nervous." "Hi." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Miss Richards." "You're late." "I'm sorry." "Gussie said you was a real good lawyer." "Yeah." "Now, she's explained some of this to me, but there's still a lot of holes here." "She tells me you'd like to reinstate your parental rights." "You gave your child up for adoption." "Now you want him back." "No, I never gave my child up for no adoption." "You left him in an alley." "You abandoned him and made no effort to find him again." "Legally, that's the same thing." "Well, that's 'cause I thought he was dead." "No one ever sent you any letters informing you of his whereabouts?" "Nope." "Or of the Lewins' intent to adopt him?" "Mm-mmm." "Now, Miss Richards, you know you couldn't read very well before you went into the rehab program." "You sure you didn't throw away any official papers?" "No." "I ain't never got no papers." "Not even in jail?" "If I would've got some papers like that, don't you think I would've remembered?" "You don't like me all that much, do you?" "I don't like what put you in this situation, Miss Richards." "How do I know that when I help you get your boy back, you're not going to go back to smoking rock and leave him again?" "'Cause I'm telling you I'm through with all that." "Oh, well, that's what you all say." "You ain't got to talk down to me." "I can pay." "There's no fee involved here." "We take on cases that are socially relevant." "If we win them, they set legal precedent." "Your case fits that profile." "The fee's taken care of by donations." "It's going to be tough." "The family he's with is white, they treated him well." "They'll fight this." "But I'm his mother." "Well, I'm sure that white woman feels fairly strongly that she is, and there are a lot of people who'll agree with her." "Mommy, pussycat." "The owl and the pussycat..." "Went to sea." "In a beautiful pea-green..." "Boat." "They took some..." "Honey." "And plenty of..." "Money." "Wrapped up in a five-pound... note." "Night-night, sweet boy." "Charlie?" "Margaret, hello." "She wants him back." "What?" "Who?" "Who wants him back?" "I don't know." "We got a letter from some legal service." "She never signed away her rights." "She's going to challenge the adoption." "Where did she come from?" "What are we going to do?" "Listen, sweetheart, it-it's going to be all right." "No, it's not." "Mommy, I want Daddy." "Oh..." "Mommy, I want Daddy." "Daddy's not home." "I want Daddy." "So do I." "I want him to be here." "I want Daddy." "She's claiming she never received any notice to terminate parental rights." "That can't be." "You handled that yourself, right?" "Look, this is what I do for a living." "I followed every procedure..." "the newspaper notifications, computer checks of prisons, the welfare rolls..." "I mean, we even hired a-a private detective with our own money to look for relatives, but you can't find somebody on the street if they don't want to be found." "And what does it matter, anyway?" "The adoption is final..." "it can't be reversed." "Oh, I'm afraid it can." "The court can vacate a judgment if it was entered into by default, and it will vacate if there's a child involved." "She's going to have a right to be heard." "We're talking about a woman who is a junkie, who put her kid in a garbage can." "Someone who should be arrested, not given back her parental rights." "Well, that's what you'll have to prove." "Look, I know you came to me because you thought it would help to have a black attorney, but understand this is a difficult situation." "Is that a polite way of saying no?" "I said I'd think about it, and I will." "This isn't a simple issue." "You might raise a black child with the best intentions in the world, colorblind, but in the end, the world is still out there." "He needs to know who he is." "A child should be with his parents." "We agree there." "Whoo... pretty." "Again." "More bubbles." "More bubbles, Hannah." "More!" "More, more!" "Come on, Isaiah, we've been doing this all day." "More bubbles, Hannah!" "Bubbles!" "Isaiah." " Give me that." " Isaiah." "Isaiah, look at our hands." "What's different about them?" "My hand's smaller." "Bubbles, bubbles!" "Hannah, come set the table for dinner." "Stop switching channels." "I want to see some cartoons." "Give me that thing, boy." "Oh, hey." "Where's your mama?" "Out." "Girl, is you crazy?" "You don't just let some strange man come walking up in here." "He gave us all this TV stuff." "Hey, little man, help me put all these tools away and clean this mess up, and I'll show you how to work the video games, okay?" "Yeah." "Help him put all them tools away, so he can get on out of here." "Look, I didn't mean nothing by all this." "I just thought the kids would like it." "Mmm." "Hey, there's a Scooby" " Doo marathon on tonight." "Yeah...!" "Well, you can Scooby-Doo your butt on out of here." "Let's go." "Here." "No, no, you keep that, all right?" "Remember what I said:" "Honorary cable man." "See you later." "Don't wait up for me." "Why are you so mean to him?" "He act kind of stupid, but he's nice." "Yeah, real stupid..." "and a little too nice." "Hey, pretty lady, how you doing?" "Why don't you let me carry that for you?" "I'm doing just fine by myself." "Oh, come on, I got it." "Now, see, look, now, was that so hard?" "Come on." "There you go." "Let me ask you something." "What did I do that was so bad?" "You ain't had no business walking in on them kids like that." "You didn't like my singing much either, right?" "What's happening?" "So, what kind of music do you like?" "None of your business." "Bet you like rap, right?" "Dr. Dre, Salt  Pepa, right?" "See, that's why I can't get no gigs." "These youngsters today..." "they don't even know what a bass guitar sounds like." "You know what the key to playing bass is?" "Nope... and I really don't care." "Thank you." "Big hands." "See that?" "That's pitiful." "I like you." "You don't know nothing about me." "Well, do me a favor..." "tell me something." "I don't like fast-talking brothers who get up in my face." "Well, there you go." "I like pretty ladies that don't like fast-talking brothers who get up in their face." "Later." "All right." "Sorry." "Had to bring her." "Miss Fredericks is going to kill me if she find out." "I don't think the child will tell her." "How much does this place cost?" "It's $300 a month." "You crazy?" "I can't afford no $300 a month." "Well, how much can you afford?" "I don't know." "Maybe $150." "That way." "If I stop saving." "Well, we'll get the rest taken care of by Aid to Dependent Children." "I ain't got no dependent children." "Oh, you will." "All right, get it cleaned up, find some furniture, and fix the window." "For what?" "It's just gonna get broke again." "Somebody gonna look in here and see what I got and take it." "Fix it so the sun can shine in, so you can look out, watch your boy play in the courtyard." "And get rid of your boyfriend." "I ain't got no boyfriend." "Eddie Hughes?" "Oh, so, you spying on me now?" "It's part of my job." "They're going to try and make you look like the Devil in court." "There can't be anything you do to help them." "He's married." "He ain't married." "You asked him?" "You jealous?" "Don't flatter yourself." "This goes way beyond you." "Black babies belong with black mothers." "I'm not going to let you do anything to mess that up." "Now, you break it off with this guy, or I drop the case." "This is your first place, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Welcome home." "I'm leaving." "Not without paying for the rest of the time you owe, you ain't." "Why Khaila gotta go, Mom?" "Shut up, boy." "My head hurts." "I don't want her to go." "Don't nobody care what you want!" "Now go on out of here!" "Tell Josette to comb the naps out your head!" "Do something." "Go!" "What you looking at?" "It ain't right for you to talk to him like that." "Well, when you get your own kid, you talk to him the way you want to talk to him." "This kid here is mine... mine!" "Just take your funky ass outta here if you going!" "Bye." "Go on." "Leave!" "Hello, sweetheart." "How'd you find me?" "Ah." "Shorty Big-head." "Gave him a pack of Now  Laters... he gave you up like that." "Hi, Khaila." "Hi." "Come on, guys." "Ooh, your place is nice." "Yeah." "All this furniture." "Why didn't you tell me you were moving?" "You know, I would've helped or something." "This your boy's?" "Mm-hmm." "Where he at?" "I told you that a hundred times already." "Put that stuff down." "That ain't yours." "Check it out." "I got four tickets to the James Brown concert tonight." "I know you think my music is older than dirt, but I'm going to show you that it can still be funky." "Hey!" "Dirt... that's something you should know a lot about." "Kids, sit tight." "Would you..." "outside, please?" "Humor me." "Give me that." "You want to tell me something?" "Uh-uh." "Maybe you ought to tell me something." "Okay." "What do you want to know?" "Huh?" "Maybe about... your wife?" "Okay." "We're separated... all right?" "We don't even talk." "Oh, you on vacation from that, too?" "Khaila... you know, it's a whole big mess, and..." "I didn't want to get into..." "But you still married." "It don't mean nothing." "Oh, it don't?" "Don't mean nothing?" "Don't mean nothing at all, huh?" "I'm not trying to run a game on you, Khaila." "Somebody is always trying to run a game on me." "You ain't no different." "Walking around here carrying groceries, singing little silly songs and shit." "You ain't nothing." "You just like every other sorry ass man I ever knew... bullshit!" "Stay the hell away from me, and stay away from them kids!" "Shit." "You're letting me wear these pearls?" "Your pearls." "Just stay calm." "He's going to try his best to get a rise out of you any way he can." "That will only work to his advantage." "Who's that?" "Khaila." "So... don't worry about it." "Just... stay with it, okay?" "All right?" "And how long have you been clean, Miss Richards?" "Two years and one month." "And what made you stop?" "Isaiah." "Could you please speak up, Miss Richards?" "Isaiah." "What about Isaiah?" "How I left him." "Left him where, Miss Richards?" "I just needed to get me a hit..." "so bad." "He was crying." "He was screaming." "Like he was calling my name." "And that's what made you stop?" "Yes." "I wanted to hear my baby." "I didn't want no drugs taking me out of my head." "I wanted to fe..." "feel that pain." "I didn't want nothing to ease that for me." "Do you have a higher power, Miss Richards?" "Objection!" "Relevance?" "I'll allow it." "Please answer the question." "Yes, ma'am, I do." "It's because of Him that I'm here today." "Could you explain what you mean, please?" "Because..." "it's because of Him... that I have this second chance to make it up to Isaiah." " Oh, shit!" " Mama, I'm thirsty!" " Watch it." " Wait-wait-wait, oh, okay." "There's broken glass everywhere." "I want apple juice." "I don't have apple, I just have orange." " I told him that this morning." " Can I have apple juice?" " I can get you some lemonade." " I want apple juice." "Sit down, Isaiah, you're going to fall." " I want apple juice!" " I don't have apple." "I want apple juice!" " Sit down!" " I want apple..." "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "Sit down!" "I'm going for apple juice." "Hannah, don't go near this." "I'll be right back." "Sweetie, it's okay." "She's a crack addict who left her newborn baby in a garbage heap in the dead of winter, and that damn lawyer makes her look like Mother Teresa." "Shh." "Higher powers!" "Tell me he was calling her name." "He was screaming from all the crack she pumped into him!" "Charlie, how can they think about giving him back to her?" "They're not going to." "I mean, she's not a mother." "She doesn't even know how to take care of him." "I mean, what, what if he got sick?" "What if he got hurt or something?" "She wouldn't know what to do." "I'm just so afraid we're going to lose him." " What if we lose him?" " We're not going to lose him." " I couldn't bear to lose him." " We're not going to lose him." "No, but what if we do?" "Margaret, we're not, we're not going to lose him." "Charlie, did you see how beautiful she was?" "She was so beautiful." "I was never no prostitute." "You never took money for sex?" "That was for drugs." "Well, that makes it okay, then." "Objection." "Sustained." "Who's Isaiah's father?" "I don't know." "So I assume that he won't be helping you with child care." "Who will you turn to, Khaila?" "Is there any kind of support system that you can depend on to help you with Isaiah?" "My counselor, Gussie Chestnut, my sponsor, my friends." "These people you've just mentioned, aren't they all reformed drug addicts themselves?" "They all been clean for at least five years." "Just answer the question, please, yes or no?" "Yes." "Couldn't they relapse at any time?" "I mean, there's no real assurance that you yourself won't relapse, is there?" "That's not going to happen." ""That's not going to happen."" "The pledge of a drug-addicted prostitute." "Seizures, inter-cranial bleeds, malformed kidneys." "And all these can be the result of drug use while the child is in utero?" "Yes, and they're almost always low-birth-weight babies, frequently premature, higher incidence of crib death." "And later?" "They're usually highly irritable." "Some have severe learning disabilities, moodiness, poor coordination." "Stress usually aggravates these symptoms." "Can anything be done to alleviate these problems?" "We don't know for sure, but calm, steady, dependable parenting is certainly in the child's best interest." "The kind he's receiving from the Lewins." "I would say so." "Amir?" "You going to let me in?" "Hey." "Why are you here?" "Came to see you." "That ain't no reason." "Yes, it is." "And I brought you something." "That's his." "Yeah... but I brought it for you." "Hey, boy, who you talking to?" "Well, well, well, if it ain't" "Miss High-and-Mighty." "The rent gone way up, all right?" "Now, wait, wait, hold on, wait up." "What, what, what, what you think I should charge her?" "What you think I should charge her, huh?" "Something high, right?" "$200?" " $250!" " Mm-hmm." " $250." " Make it $300." "You staying?" "No, baby, I can't stay, but I know you want me to, but I can't." "Hey, hey!" "You holding up the program, now, boy." "Come on, now, and show your Uncle Tyrone that dance you done for me last week." "Come on, now." "Amir..." "I know things right now seem like it don't make sense to you, and you don't understand, but I've been just where you are and it ain't gonna be easy, but it don't mean you can't make it." "Come on, boy, I'm waiting now." "Come on, boy, do it." "That's my boy." "Who combs his hair?" "What?" "Who combs his hair?" "Margaret." "Uh... we all do." "Who taught you how?" "Or did you read that in a book?" "Our black pediatrician." "So you know an African-American." "One with a professional degree." "Have you ever had your black pediatrician over to dinner, Mr. Lewin?" "Do you have your pediatrician over to dinner?" "Answer my question, yes or no?" "No." "When's the last time you and your wife had dinner with anyone of color, Mr. Lewin?" "Please answer the question, Mr. Lewin." "I'm sorry, I can't remember the last time." "You love your wife, Mr. Lewin?" "Oh, yes, very much." "How long you been married?" "14 years." "And you love your daughter?" " Of course." " So this is a nice, stable environment to bring Isaiah into, wouldn't you say?" "Yes, I would say." "Yes." "Who's Suzanna Polaski, Mr. Lewin?" "Uh, she's an architect who works in my office." "You having an affair with Suzanna Polaski?" "No." "No?" "Be careful, Mr. Lewin, you're under oath." "I'm not having an affair." "Have you ever had an affair with Suzanna Polaski?" "Yes or no?" "Yes." "I spent one evening with her." "I'm sorry." "What exactly are you sorry for?" "That you threw your baby in the trash?" "That you dragged my family through hell?" "No, I just want my son back." "Your son?" "What makes him your son?" "That you fucked some junkie in an alley three years ago to get high?" "Well, if you were all of that, your husband wouldn't have fucked somebody else, and maybe you'd have a baby of your own, and you wouldn't be trying to take mine." "Look in the mirror." "Look at my face." "I'm his mother." "God says so." "Take yours?" "I didn't have to take him." "You threw him away, remember?" "Any animal can give birth." "That doesn't make it a mother." "Oh, so you calling me an animal?" "If you think you just gonna walk up in this court and take my baby like you take some puppy from a pound, you got another thing coming, lady, 'cause you ain't gonna take my baby from me." "He's not a baby." "You don't even know him." "You don't know anything about him." "Wait!" "Don't do this." "Don't do this to Isaiah." "Don't do what?" "Tell him the truth... that his real mama is as black as he is?" "Black?" "All you people think about is color." "You people?" "You people?" "Well, me and Isaiah..." "we the same kind of people... or didn't you notice?" "Margaret?" "I'm not going to talk about this right now." "Hi, honey." "Hi, Mom." "Mom?" "Hmm?" "Are they going to take Isaiah?" "Are you going to be okay?" "Oh, honey." "I love you, Mommy." "Oh, Hannah, Hannah," "Hannah, Hannah." "There's never been anybody like you." "Is this policy unique to your agency?" "No." "Most if not all agencies prefer to place a child with a family of the same racial background." "Hmm." "Given the facts in this case as you understand them, what would be your recommendation?" "That the child should be returned to his birth mother." "Thank you." "No further questions." "Dr. Goldfein, you've stated that your organization is opposed to interracial adoptions." "Does that mean you never place black infants with white couples?" "Oh, no." "We do this all the time, but these are temporary." "These children stay temporarily in the white home until a suitable black family comes along?" "That's right." "How long does that take?" "It can take years." "And the child is then wrenched from the only family they've ever known... and turned over to strangers because of the color of their skin?" "It's the long-term interest of the child we are trying to protect." "Well, wouldn't you say you were putting political policy above the emotional health of these children?" "No." "All things being equal, the black child is better off with black parents." "All things being equal." "Well, what if all things are not equal?" "Miss Jones, I am sick and tired of the attitude that says that taking poor black children out of their environment and placing them in an affluent household is better for the child." "What kind of values does that suggest?" " How much time do you got?" " Not much." "How about lunch?" "No." "Look, no strings or nothing." "Would you leave me alone?" "I can't give them nothing to use against me in there, or I'll lose my boy." "I don't want to do nothing to hurt your chances." "Why didn't you answer my letters?" "'Cause I didn't open them." "I cannot talk to you." "I want you to know something." "I filed for a divorce... and I'm coming back when I get it." "Okay, I just wanted to say that." "You said it." "Mrs. Lewin, does Isaiah play with dolls?" "Sometimes." "Any of them black?" "Yes." "And some of them are green, and some of them are purple, and some of them are orange." "It doesn't seem to matter to him." "He plays with all of them." "As you know, Mrs. Lewin, people don't have green or purple or orange faces." "When you and Isaiah read together, do any of the books you read have African-American characters or pertain to African-American history or culture?" "We read Isaiah all sorts of books in our home." "Oh, I'm sure you do, but is there a black face in any of them?" "For instance, have you read The Planet of Junior Brown, or The People Could Fly, or Many Thousand Gone by Virginia Hamilton?" "Not yet." "Well, how about The Red Dancing Shoes by Denise Patrick or Faith Ringgold's Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky?" "Not yet." "Or maybe your husband has read him Fathers and Sons, or Uncle Jed's Barbershop by Margeree King Mitchell." "No, I don't think so." "Well, who do you think he identifies with, Mrs. Lewin?" "The orange-faced muppet?" "Does he share its muppet history?" "You ever stop to think how Isaiah must feel living in a world where he never sees anyone like himself?" "Might be kind of troubling, don't you think?" "Well, what's your point, Mr. Lewis?" "That our skin isn't the right color?" "That we're incapable of teaching this child what he needs to learn?" "That I can't raise Isaiah up to be an honorable man because my skin is white?" "What about love?" "You haven't even spoken that word here." "Or doesn't that fit into your equation of black and white?" "And what about Isaiah?" "How does he fit into all of this?" "Or is it more important that we be politically correct?" "What we should be thinking about here... is what is going to happen... to the spirit of this little boy... if he's... taken away from us." "So, what you're saying is, you're his only hope." "What I'm saying is, we are all he knows, and if you take him away from us, it'll kill him." "Oh." "So only you can save him." "You're the great white hope." "No." "But I am his mother." "Are you?" "Shit." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Higher, higher up." "Faster." "Vroom, vroom!" " Vroom!" " I'm going to tickle you." "I'm going to tickle you!" "BI-bl-bl-bleah!" "Make it go really high." "Mom, is that you?" "Hi, honey." "Mommy, Mommy!" "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Oh... there's my boy!" "There's my boy." "Oh, little boy-o." "Mmm..." "Mommy!" "See you later, Mom." "Gonna tickle you!" "Gotcha." "Hello?" "Khaila, the judge has asked us to be at the court at 11:00." "Okay." "Bye." "All rise." "This branch of the Circuit Court of Cook County is now in session, the Honorable Renata Silbowitz presiding." "Be seated." "This was not an easy decision." "I have decided to return the child, Isaiah, to his biological mother." "When the mother is capable... and I believe Miss Richards is functioning well enough to parent this child... it is usually in the child's best interest to be with his natural mother, especially when there is a racial issue involved." "This may cause some initial trauma, but Isaiah is young..." "We're just going to take him away." "...and should be able to deal with this..." "Out of the state, out of the country." "...if the adults conduct themselves thoughtfully." " No." " Oh, why not?" "Our jobs can move." "We'll go to California." "You always wanted to go there." "No, Charles." "Well, we're going to appeal." "No!" "It's over!" "What you doing?" "I said, "Nothing."" "You a dinosaur?" "I'm coming." "What you doing?" "Nothing." "Isaiah?" "Come on, honey, it's time to go." "Let's get your jacket on, okay?" "You're going to see Khaila now... remember?" "I told you about her." "You're going to live with her, Isaiah." "And then I'm coming back." "No, honey, you're not coming back." "I coming back." "No, Isaiah, wait, wait!" "Wait a minute." "Here." "Look." "This is Mama's." "I want you to keep it, okay?" "No matter what happens." "I want you to know that we're always together... that I'm always with you... inside you, in here... just like you're always with me... in here, all right?" "And nobody... can ever change that." "You promise you won't forget?" "Hey, kiddo." "Hannah?" "Kiddo?" "Isaiah." "Isaiah, this is the lady that's going to take you to Khaila's house, okay?" "Hi, Isaiah, you want to come with me?" "It's going to be all right, Isaiah." "Let me just take him, all right?" "I swear it'll be all right." " It's going to be all right." " No." "Why don't you just let me take him?" "It'll be better, and you'll get used to it." "Why don't you just let me take him, Mrs. Lewin, okay?" "I promise you it'll be all right." " Let me just take him." " No!" "Mr. Lewin, this isn't helping." "And you are?" "!" "Let me have him." " Just a minute." " Mommy!" "Just a minute!" "Just a minute!" "Just a minute!" "Well, what about his things?" "They're not his things now." "Tell her he has to have a light on to sleep." "Hi, Isaiah." "You scared?" "Don't be scared." "I'm your mama..." "and I ain't gonna hurt you." "I know what it's like to be scared." "That's why I'm gonna give you all the time you need." "All the time in the world." "This is where you gonna live, you and me." "I fixed this whole place up just for you." "And your toys that you brought with you are right over there in a box." "That your boy?" "Yeah." "What's his name?" "Isaiah." "Hey, Isaiah." "He's deaf." "Nah, he ain't deaf." "Just a little tired right now." "Come back tomorrow." "He'll play with you then." "Something's wrong with him." "Hi." "Who's this?" "Isaiah." "Oh, hi." "You know where class 3B is?" "I think..." "Do you know where 3B is?" "Up the stairs and to your left." "So, you're new here, huh?" "Yep." "First day." "Welcome." "Come on, sweetie, don't be slow." "Come on." "Everyone pick up a piece of paper when you come in." "Okay, I got to go to work, so I'm gonna leave you here, okay?" "Now, all these kids here, you can play with them... and have fun, okay?" "I'll be back to get you later." "Go on and play." "Bye-bye." "Leave it there." "Okay." "Yeah, let's just leave everything exactly the way it is, shall we?" "You can just sit right there, and I'll, uh..." "I'll sit... right here." "And Hannah can lock herself in her room, and we don't ever have to talk to her again, do we?" "Remember her?" "Hannah?" "Your daughter!" "?" "Let go of me." "I'm not going to, Margaret." "I can't." " Get out of my way!" " Margaret, what happened here is as bad as it gets, but you got to get over it." ""Get over it"?" "Oh, oh, I'm sorry." "Oh, I forgot, we're supposed to feel sorry for poor Margaret because she lives in an unjust world, and she's just going to have to live there." "Hmm?" "What's the matter?" "Can't you fix this one, Maggie?" "You son of a bitch!" "No!" "No!" "No, no!" "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" "Margaret," "Margaret, maybe he's better off where he is." "Maybe, just maybe, that lawyer was right." "I know he isn't ours." "I just... didn't know I'd miss him this much." "Neither did I." "I didn't know." "Thought you might like to read to him." "He don't even talk to me." "It's only been two weeks." "It's a tough thing for a child to understand all at once." "He'll come around." "And if he don't?" "It happened to me." "I remember I used to sit under a chair when they used to come try to get me... take me from one foster place to another." "I know what it's like... to want to get inside yourself... and just disappear." "But you didn't." "Okay, got you a hamburger and some French fries." "Look, they gave you a car." "Look." "Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom." "Okay." "Want a French fry?" "Here, try a French fry." "Go ahead." "Okay, wait a minute." "Here, here, try another one." "Come on, it's good." "Come on, Isaiah, please?" "Come on, look, now you going to have to eat something, 'cause if you don't eat, you're going to get sick." "Now, look-look at Mama, I'm gonna eat." "Mmm, good." "Good." "Come on, try your hamburger." " Isaiah." " No." "No." "Take a bite of your hamburger." " No." "No!" " Come on, please?" " Isaiah." " No, go away!" "Isaiah!" "Please, come on, turn around." " No, no, no, no." " Eat the hamburger." "Come on, please?" "Isaiah, eat the..." "Ouch!" "I want my mommy!" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah, no!" "I want my mommy!" "Isaiah, not the chair." "No, Isaiah!" "Please, Isaiah, come here." "Isaiah, no!" "Oh, don't do this." "Don't do this." "No." "Don't do this." "Isaiah." "Isaiah?" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Stop playing games!" "Isaiah!" "Shit." "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Shit." "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah, are you in here?" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Isaiah!" "Okay." "Hannah." "Why do I always have to get the phone?" "'Cause it's always for you." "Hello." "Mom." "Thank you for coming." "Is he all right?" "No." "I guess I just wanted him so bad that I wasn't thinking." "Maybe I was just hoping." "I wanted him to know who he was and where he came from, and that I never would've given him up if I'd have been clean and hadn't been all messed up, and that I was going to always be there for him." "And I want him to stay in school, right here, with these kids just like him." "Khaila, what are you talking about?" "I want you to go in there, and hold him till he ain't scared no more." "I'm not saying I'm giving him back to you." "I'm just saying he's going to come live with you for a little while till he can understand all this." "Now, some people are going to think that I'm crazy, but I don't care." "All that matters to me is Isaiah." "And you may not like me, but you're going to have to deal with me." "I'm doing this because I love him." "I really, really love him." "I love him, too." "Isaiah?" " Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" " Oh, Isaiah!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Mommy!" "Oh, my boy!" "Oh, Isaiah!" "Oh..." "Oh, I've missed you, I've missed you." "Mommy." "Thank you." "Isaiah, this is a nice school you have here, hmm?" "Can you show me and Khaila what you like to do?" "Huh?" "He likes to play with blocks." "Do you want to play with some blocks?" "Do you want to build something?" "Oh, look." "Khaila's got the blocks." "Show me, Isaiah." "Put that... oop..." "put that big one there." "A house?" "Is that a house?" "Which house is Khaila's house?" "This one and this is yours." "Isaiah's tower." "You can have that room at the very top, huh?" "All right." "Eng subs ripped by ..:" "McLane:.."