Look at those feet! - Does that mean?
Yeah, it's gonna be a big one. - Wow.
What do you say? - Thank you.
You take a care of him. - Thank you, Sam.
Bring him back in couple of weeks for vaccinations, ok?
Hi, Lydia. - Hi.
Bye. - Bye bye, thanks.
Which one did she take? - The fluffier one.
How you doing? - Good, almost finished.
You want to see the Taj Mahal?
I go anyway with you, baby?
You picked my favorite one. If I might be so bold, I'd call him Betley.
Get out of there. - All right, all right.
How I'm supposed to know when my next appointment is?
It's in a half an hour.
It's Elmer, if he's on time, I'll do Cartwright.
I'd like to see that. - No, you wouldn't.
And I thought it'd be further along. - We got a lot of rain.
Hi Sam, Lydie! - Hi.
What's up? - Take a look.
What do you think? - Nice hole.
We have a lot of rain. - That's what I said.
Can't dig in the rain.
You guys in a hurry? You wanna fill this house up with some babies?
Yep!
Some day.
Yeah.
I think some good weather will be fine. - Sure.
I got to tearly shoot, and than check up on Joe's pregnant cow. - Ok.
Call me when you're headed home. - Bye.
Hi, Sam. - Hey.
How's your dog doing Brad?
He's looking good Doc, dermatitis practically all gone.
Yeah, but he's gona rash of his own, show him.
He want to use dog medicines.
I wouldn't do that. - I told him that!
Why, wonna worth?
Unless you wanna wake up one morning barking like dog.
Well, that would be an improvement.
See ya! - Bye.
Ok, kid, get over here and help me!
Hurry!
Tetracycline.
Campbell's hound lacerated its paw.
Did you find it? - No.
Where is it?
Tiny here leg fracture, right above the joint.
You don't need reading glasses, do you? - No.
I just wondering.
Hey. - Hey.
What's up?
I was just passing by, but I step in.
Busy? - Yeah.
Don't mean interrupt. - I saw her.
How come you didn't tell me? - I'm on an call.
I saw it too, down at the gas station.
Hi, Ross.
Need some help? - Elmer just showed up.
And I've got the Campbell's dog. - He's appointment was yesterday.
That's Elmer. - You take him, I'll do take a Campbell dog.
What brings you here?
He needs distemper shot.
She asked about you.
I'll catch up with her.
Trooper!
Look what I found. - What is it?
What do you mean ''What it is?''
Drum set, doofus.
Whose are that?
Bond to an old friend of mine.
What's his name? - Ben.
He ask me to keep 'em for him 'cause he didn't have a room.
Can I play?
Can I play really loud?
Yeah, just do me a favor and wait 'till I get downstairs.
Let her it!
So, what did you think?
About what? - The Movie.
Well, I liked it. - You did not.
Why you say that?
I can't believe that you watched.
Guess I did, didn't I?
Sam, where are you?
Right here.
That odda do it Walter. Just give it a week or so...
I can't pay you until next week, Sam.
Don't look at me.
We know where you live. - Ok.
Your 3:30 canceled.
I guess I'll run out to Joe's to check on that cow.
Weren't you just there yesterday? - Yes, it is very close.
You' re acting like an expectant father, you got a hand out cigars?
Hi.
Your mom around? - No.
She went to the store.
My name's Sam. I'm an old friend of your mother's.
I used to live next door. This was my house right here.
That was my room right there.
See you're quite the basketball player. - Hmm.
Aah! How 'bout that?
Well, I'll just... I'll come around another time.
Ok, Joe, I'll tell him. Ok. O... ok.
Where's Sam?
I do not know. He said he was gonna go check on Joe Leaver's cow.
Maybe she's already had her calf.
Well, she did, but Sam wasn't there. - Hmm.
Where'd you go?
Well, had to go check on Joe's cow.
Joe called. The cow had her calf. He said you weren't there.
Uh, I didn't make it. - How come?
Is Sam back... Oh, Sam, someone wants to see you. - Right.
I think we've solved the mystery.
That dog's cute.
Hi, Sam.
Kind of expected a bigger hello.
I'm surprised to see you.
Trooper, is this the guy who stopped by? - Mm-hmm.
Well, I heard that you're in town. I'm just... surprised.
So, you already met my son Trooper. - No, not officially.
I'm Sam. - Hi.
Dude, what do you do when someone offers you their hand?
What else?
Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.
I told Troop that you're a veterinarian,
and he wanted to come by right away 'cause he loves animals.
Is that right?
I might know a puppy who needs a home. I don't suppose you'd be interested?
Please, mom?
Mmm, wow. You have to take care of him. - I will. Come on.
All right.
All right, wait right here.
Do you even know how to take care of a dog? What are you gonna do?
[Whimpering] - Made a deal.
A gummy bear. You want another? - Ok.
I'm Rosemary. - Trooper.
What's his name? - It's up to you.
Thanks, Sam, I think.
Just be good to him, bring him back whenever he needs anything, it'll be on the house.
I'll take good care of him.
Oh, come on. Good girl.
Hi Alice! Go ahead and take her on back to number 2. I'll be there in a minute.
Alice?
It's me, Dee Dee.
Dee Dee Mashow?
Yeah, and this is my son Trooper.
Well, hello, Trooper. My Goodness, I haven't seen you since...
Yeah, about 13 years.
Are you just visiting? - No. I'm here to stay.
Well, good for you.
Sam, I... I can see that you're busy. We'll catch up later?
Okay. - Trooper!
Thanks for the puppy. - You're welcome.
Bye, Rosemary. - Good-bye.
Give him a good home. - I will.
Why didn't you just tell me the truth at the office?
I didn't want Rosemary gossiping.
About what?
About Dee Dee. - What about Dee Dee?
Aw, just... nothing.
You're worried she'd gossip about nothing? - We were friends.
We grew up together. I've known the girl since I was 3 years old.
She, Ross and I hung out, and she was fun.
Fun? - We were just friends, ok?
People gossip about friends here?
It's a small town, Lydia. What do you know about small towns?
You grew up in Boston.
I don't know, Sam, why don't u tell me what it's like to grow up in a small town?
Tell me about your friends. - What do you mean?
I don't know. What's she like?
She was a free spirit, ok? Everybody in town knew her.
I was this shy little kid afraid of his own shadow.
Once there was this kid who was sort of the neighborhood bully.
He stole my baseball cards.
Now, I pretended that it didn't matter, but it mattered to Dee Dee.
She found him, she bit him up, and she got 'em all back for me.
That was nice of her.
She didn't even care about what people thought about her.
In the ninth grade, she gets caught smoking in the school bathroom.
The principal takes her into his office.
Before he can even get a word in, she offers him a cigarette.
Mm-hmm.
Anyway ...
On graduation day, she ran off with Bobby Langford.
You pass me the olive oil?
Is she the one you were gonna give your class ring to?
Who told you that? - Ross.
A long time ago.
Yeah, she was the one.
Pass me the pepper.
Not until you tell me. - Nothing to tell.
Try me.
I was planning on giving her my class ring the night before graduation.
We were standing out on her porch, and I had it out. I had it in my hand.
I'm about to give it to her, but before i can say anything,
she pops out with with the news that she's going.
Next day, gone.
You never heard from her?
A couple of postcards.
One from some small town in Kansas. Home of the world's biggest ball of twine.
"Ain't life a hood" that's what it said.
Nothing more.
How come you never mentioned her?
I didn't think it was that important.
It's just that she was your first crush.
If my first boyfriend came into town... - Look, I...
I got over it.
I married this woman that I am absolutely crazy about.
Really? What's she like?
Oh, you'd have to know her.
Is she pretty? - Pretty? No.
Movie star beautiful.
Smart as a whip.
Let's see. Terrific veterinarian. Did I mention that?
Loved by people and pets alike.
I think we should ask them to dinner.
Really?
Gotta know the competition.
Hi! - Hey, Dee Dee, Trooper, Lydia.
Nice to meet you. - Hi. Nice to meet you, too.
This is Trooper. - Hi, Trooper.
Hi.
Hi. It is really nice to meet you.
Well, come on inside.
This is for you. - Oh, thank you.
Should I open it now? - Sure. - Ok.
Oh, they're lovely.
I'm glad you like 'em. I made them.
They're beautiful. We can use them tonight at dinner.
I'm still working in the kitchen. - Oh, good, let me help you.
What are you makin'?
Uh, nothing fancy. Some roast chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots.
Uh, nut? - Ok.
Oh, I love candlelight dinners.
Hmm. Me, too. Maybe you'll be a customer.
A customer? - I'm gonna open up a candle shop.
Here? - Is that a bad idea?
No, it's not a bad idea.
But?
He's such a terrible liar.
He's learning.
Well, I just wonder if it's, uh... if the town is large enough for a candle store.
Yeah, I've thought of that, but I figure if I offer candle-making lessons, you know.
What do you think, Lydia?
Oh, I think you'll just have to try it and see.
Well, would you be interested? - Me?
I don't have that much free time.
So, how did you get interested in candle making?
Well, it started as a hobby, but then I had to make a living,
and, uh, I guess I just love what candles symbolize.
Which is what? - Home.
I guess hopes and dreams and wishes.
People light candles in church. They use them for prayer.
Dude, you just can't eat before everybody starts.
No, it's ok. It's ok. Dig in.
So, Trooper, how'd you get the nickname Trooper?
It's not a nickname. It's my real name.
Uh, we've traveled around so much, we're like a small theater troupe.
So, you spell it with a U?
T-R-O-U-P-E-R.
No, TROOPER.
I gave him the name, so I figured he could spell it however he wants.
Well, not really.
Yeah, that's right, because last year, you wanted to spell it with 3 Os.
Troop, weren't you gonna ask Sam something?
Uh, yeah.
Uh, do you have lots of animals downstairs?
We sure do. - Can I see 'em?
Sam, why don't you take Trooper down and show him our ZOO.
Good. All right, come on, Troop. Can I call you Troop?
If you want to.
Everybody calls me Sam.
He's a nice boy.
He reminds me of Sam... shy at first, but there's a lot going on underneath.
I understand you're living in your childhood home.
Yeah. Lots of memories there.
What brings you back after all this time?
My mom died, and the house was just sitting there,
but mostly for Trooper.
I keep boring him with all my stories of how great it was to grow up here.
How'd you and Sam meet?
Oh, at Cornell in vet school.
He always wanted to be a vet.
I guess you knew him pretty well.
Yeah, hard not to. He lived next door.
We spent every day together, specially in the summertime.
So, you moved back here after vet school?
I was a city girl pining for country life,
slower pace, nicer people.
You must have a lot of friends here?
Yeah, I guess I do, but you married my best one.
Well, this is where we operate.
Is there a lot of blood and stuff?
Sometimes.
How's that puppy doing, by the way?
Mmm, he's fine.
What do you call him? - Chewbacca.
Nice name. How'd you come up with that?
He tried to eat my shoelaces.
Are all these yours?
No, they all belong to other people,
except this little guy.
Actually, this is Chewbacca's brother.
You want to see him? - Sure.
Do you get to play with him?
It's kind of hard to find the time.
Thank you. Dinner was so good. - You're welcome.
Want me to walk you guys home?
Nah, we know the way. - Go ahead, Sam.
I'll be right back.
Got it? - Yep.
Enjoy.
Remember that bike I bought with berry-picking money?
The one you sold to Jimmy Farrington. Ohh.
I wish I had it back. I'd give it to Troop.
What's wrong with the one he has? - Nothing. Just pure nostalgia.
Nostalgia? Coming from the woman who could not wait to get out of here.
It's funny, isn't it?
Guess it's true you never appreciate what you have until it's gone.
Hey, Trooper, this is Cee Jay's, that place I told you about.
Same old place. Same old geezers,
'cept now I'm one of 'em.
Ha ha ha!
Where's his dad?
Troop never knew his dad.
He was less than a year old when Bobby left.
Bobby? - Yeah.
Where'd he go? - Alaska.
He never really wanted kids.
I can't say that I'm surprised.
Sam, is that a polite way of saying: "I told you so"?
How 'bout you and Lydia? Any plans for kids in the future?
Kids? Yeah, someday. I just want to be sure.
Sure about what?
We're financially secure, that we're ready, time to devote to the family.
You haven't changed a bit, Sam.
I guess not.
I wish I were more like you.
I never thought I'd hear you say that. - Oh, shut up.
I have learned something in the last 13 years.
Last few nights, I can't sleep. I wake up.
I go to my window and look out at your window.
It used to make me so comfortable just knowing you were there.
I'm so sorry, Sam. I'm sorry I fell off the map.
Bobby and I got married right away. Trooper came a year later.
I'm not making excuses, but...
I do really apologize. - No need.
It's kind of hard for Troop, you know, moving again to a new place.
He's gotta make new friends.
He seems like a great kid.
You know, in the meantime, I could use some help around the clinic,
someone to feed and look after the animals.
He would love that. Thank you, Sam.
I... I have to make trips back and forth to Boston and...
This is perfect.
What are you doing in Boston?
Oh, I have to pick up supplies. Um, Lydia seems great.
Yeah, she is great. I guess I got lucky.
I offered to let Trooper help at the clinic. I hope you don't mind.
No, it's fine. It'll be good for him.
And good practice for you.
You ok 'bout tonight?
Yeah, it wasn't as awkward as I'd imagined.
She seems nice enough.
Check the brand of the food with the amounts on the card,
and you feed 'em out of the right one. - Ok.
Which one is it?
This one.
When you're working with a puppy, sometimes they could be tentative.
You wanna try to coax them into a behavior with a reward, a treat, like this.
So you wanna have him come down the stairs,
but keep your hand here so they don't fall.
Come on, sweetness.
Can I play with them after I feed them?
Oh, I'd say that's a big part of the job. - Really?
Mm-hmm. - Gotta feed 'em first.
Wait. No. Ehh. No. Try they're not gonna come out.
There you go.
Yeah. Ok, there you go.
Do you wanna give him a treat?
Ok. Reward him. - Ok. Here you go.
Good job. - What's the dog's name?
Jessie. - Hi, Jessie.
Hey, girl. - Perfect, except he's a boy.
Oh. Sorry, Jessie.
Oh, good.
Oh, I think he... - He likes me. - He does. Ohh.
Now, don't be nervous, Naomi. - Hmm.
It's just the entire fate of the game.
Oh. - This isn't over.
Better luck next time, sweetheart. - Excuse me.
Go. It's your turn. - We'll get 'em next time.
Sorry about that.
How's the house coming? - It's just a hole at the moment.
Rick is as slow as molasses. It took him a year to do my uncle Ned's place.
He's careful, and Ned has a great house.
Oh, and Sam likes careful. - Boy, does he ever.
Yeah, well, you don't push him, it'll be your retirement home.
Push who? Sam or Rick. - Rick.
Come to think of it, Sam, too. You better push 'em both, Lydia.
What's the hurry?
Funny you should ask. Hey, Cee Jay,
you got anything to read while we're waiting?
Oh, you weren't sleeping through that, were you? - Sorry. I missed it.
You weren't sleeping, were you?
Mom? - What?
What are these? - What? - These.
Where'd you find 'em? - In the drawer, in the kitchen.
That's Sam.
That's Sam?
He's so serious.
He's kind of chubby.
Who's this?
Your dad.
Can I keep it?
Sure.
Here. Put these back.
So, this is 154 degrees in here. - What?
Yeah, but don't worry. You can stick your finger in here,
and it kind of feels good, but you won't get hurt.
Um, ok, the key to making candles is
you can't hurry. You have to have patience.
When I use that word with my son, he rolls his eyes,
but I guess that's payback for all the times I did that to my mom.
Ok, so each of us needs to take a wick.
Thank you.
Um, you wanna hold it in the middle and, uh, just keep it apart
so that it doesn't get stuck together.
Dipping candles are made a pair at a time.
And dip the wick into the heated wax.
How long do you leave it in? - Uh, just trust your gut.
It's kind of like cooking without a recipe.
A recipe? What's that?
So, you want to put it in for, like, I don't know, 3 seconds
and then keep it out for about 3 seconds,
and then we're gonna cool them off for about 3 minutes.
I know that they look k-kind of skinny.
Skinny? What's that? - Yeah.
So, he said go ahead and buy it, and buy the horses.
That's what he said.
Hi, Lydia. - How are you doing?
I was just passing by, I thought I'd... - Oh, come on in. I'm so glad that you came.
Oh, come on, Lydia. This is fun.
I'm just not so crafty.
So, when I sell my candles, I like to put a little message in each box.
Um, if you're gonna be using them as gifts, you might want to do the same.
Uh, like what?
I think candles help us explore the darkness, you know?
People used to sit around the campfires. Keep the predators away.
I think the firelight makes us feel safe.
With good friends. - You know? I do.
Can you imagine? There were, like, half a dozen of us, all women, gathered,
learning how to make these candles.
It was kind of magical.
Sitting there in that room, I really did feel a sense of something.
Fire hazard probably.
I'm serious. - All right.
What did you feel?
You know, for as long as I've been in this town,
I've never felt a sense of that so strongly as I did tonight.
What?
A sense of community.
You know, I really do like her, much more than I thought I would.
Good.
Tell you the truth, I was a little jealous of her.
No kidding?
You knew? - Oh, please.
I just can't seem to get him to take his pills.
You just hold him like this,
open his jaw, take the pill, and put it back like that.
Lydie, Frieden's Mare's having trouble foaling.
I'm gonna take Trooper along.
He up to it? - We'll find out.
Your call, but if he faints or heaves...
Sorry. We have a young helper.
Hello, doc. - Hi Joe.
It's my new helper, meet Trooper. - Hi. - Hey.
The foal hasn't dropped into the birth canal.
She could start to lose blood supply soon.
All right, hand me my kit. Put it right here.
Ok, Sophie, beautiful girl.
This is known as the jugular groove.
It's easy to find, just trace from the jaw angle down the neck.
I like to go in towards the north. I press here. See that?
It increases the blood pressure in the vein.
That'll take effect in a few minutes. Be less dangerous for her.
And for us.
Foal's in a good position.
Now, both forward legs are extended forward,
one a little less solid than the other, but the chin resting on the knees.
Now if the neck was flexed either side, the...
foal could have his head cought on the way out,
which should be trouble.
But this one looks fine so far.
Only worry is how long it's taking?
See the tiny little hoof there?
Bottoms down work towards the mother's feet.
We'd better move things along here, apply a little traction.
All right, in my kit, there's a set of OB chains.
They're shiny, narrow, stainless steel. Do me a favor and go get 'em. go.
Sit down. Cinch the loop just above the ankles,
it's not going to hurt when we pull.
When she pushes, we pull.
Ready?
Ok, stop.
Wait for the contraction, this is most difficult part.
And... pull.
Good. Pull really hard.
All right.
Hey, thanks, doc.
If he's not up and nursing in an hour, give me a call.
Yeah, I'll do that, I'll do that.
Hey, that's some little helper you got there.
Sure is.
Good job.
Thanks, oh. - Oh, thank you.
See ya, John. - Take care, doc.
Trooper, right? - Yeah, I'll see ya.
You did a good job.
I was a little scared.
Nothing wrong with being scared. You hung in there. Come on.
Sam? - Yeah.
Did you know my dad? - Your dad?
Yeah.
Oh, I didn't know him really well. He was only in town for a year.
What was he like?
Well, let's see...
He was a cool guy. I could say that.
My mom says he was a dreamer.
You could say that.
He left us to go to Alaska. Dreamers have to follow their hearts.
They sure do.
Come on.
Kid thinks he's some sort of romantic hero.
I couldn't even believe what I was hearing.
A dreamer? Come on, the guy was a lowlife who abandoned them.
Maybe you were just a little jealous of him, Sam.
Lydie, the guy spent half the year he was here working on his car,
the other half dealing pot. How do you romanticize that?
What if she's just protecting her son?
By lying to him?
If he were your son, what would you say?
I don't know.
All right. - Thanks.
Well, looky. - Hey, Cee Jay.
How you doing? - I heard you were back in town.
Yes, you want to check my ID for old time's sake?
Darlin', you never had an ID.
That's how come I to throw you out of here. Nice to have you back.
It's nice to be here, legally.
Hello.
We were wondering if you were going to show up.
I had to drive to Boston to pick up supplies for the candle business.
Uh, candle mania sweeps the town. - I know.
Even Rosemary joined the group.
Oh, no. Where will it end? - Maybe it won't.
Everything ends.
Hey, Cee Jay, can we get another glass?
We have 3/4 of the band here. - What band?
Sam's band.
Oh, it wasn't my band. It was Dee Dee's. - I didn't know you had a band.
I didn't. I wouldn't have even been in the band if Dee Dee hadn't've browbeaten
the others into taking me.
What did you play? - Guitar.
If you call that playing. - I don't.
Oh, come on, Sam, people liked you.
Because you did.
If Ben and Ross and I would've started the band on our own,
it would've lasted 5 minutes.
Hey, I was good. - Oh, we were awful.
Dee Dee, she was good. - When did Ben move?
Um, a couple of years ago. I think he moved to Dallas. - Yeah.
Do you still sing, Dee Dee? - Yeah. It drives Trooper crazy.
So, how 'bout a song? - Yeah.
Oh, you don't have Ben.
Unless you want to do Ben's part.
Are you kidding?
Sam, you never sang for me.
Profoundly good reason.
*people say I'm the life of the party 'cause
*I tell a joke or two
*although I might be laughing loud and hearty
*deep inside, I'm blue
*so take a *good look at my face
*you see my *smile looks out of place
*if you look *closer, it's easy to trace
*the tracks of my tears
Hey, kid, it's too late for drums! Go to bed!
Guess what I did today? - What's that?
I delivered a horse. - All by yourself?
No, not by myself, but I helped.
Yeah? - It was so cool.
Guess what else? Ok...
Sam, he said my dad was a really cool guy.
Yes, really cool, just like your Mr. horse doctor. Now, go to sleep!
I love you, mom.
I love you, too, baby.
Here's your friend. - Night.
Good night, angel. - See ya in the morning.
Hey, let's go to sleep, ok?
Guys, give me a hand with the wall. Let's get it up.
All right. - Would you like some coffee, sir?
1, 2, 3. Put it up.
Good. Slide it. - Good here.
Looks good, Rick.
When do you think the framing 'll be finished?
It's hard to say.
Can... can you give us a guess?
Well... - It's good. - Not really.
Well, by fall?
Early fall or late fall? Any fall?
Depends. - Really?
What if we get into the winter and the house isn't finished?
Yeah, that could happen.
Wouldn't that hurt the house? - Not really. Why?
I'd just prefer if it didn't fall down in a heap.
Picky, picky.
Hey, doc. How's that colt doing? - Oh, fit and fine, like last week.
Not used to seeing so much of you. - Thank my assistant for that.
What's his name? - I don't have one yet.
Got any ideas?
Solitaire.
Aw, pretty good. How come you picked that one?
He doesn't have anyone to play with.
Well, then...
that's what we'll call him. Solitaire.
Honey, we're here. Come on. quick, quick, quick.
It's all my fault. - No, it's not, sweetheart.
I should've been there. - Honey, it's ok. Come on.
They'll fix him right up.
Keep talking. Come on, Cody.
Cody got hit by a car. - Oh, my. Here.
Bring him on back. Sam!
What does it look like? - Crushed lumbar vertebra.
Spinal cord damage looks irreversible.
Abdomen's full of fluid. Probably a ruptured spleen.
Maybe I'll take Amber outside while you talk to Val.
Ok.
Sam would like to speak to you alone. - Okay.
Hi. - Hi.
You want to go over the X-rays?
No. That's ok.
Looks bad, though.
Is there anything we can do?
Well...
we could try to save him, but it'll be painful,
and I can't give you any guarantees.
What would you do if he were yours, Sam?
I think I'd let Cody go.
Okay.
Let me talk to Amber. - Sure.
I'll let her come and say good-bye.
You're just gonna let him die?
I'd do anything if I could save him,
but he's been hurt pretty badly, and he's in a lot of pain.
I don't think we should let him suffer like that.
Trooper, where are you going?
Trooper!
Hi. - Hey.
Troop home? - Yeah. He's upstairs.
Can I speak with him? I want to explain something to him.
I already talked to him. He's pretty upset.
Come on in.
It isn't just about the puppy, Sam.
What is it?
You know I've been...
making trips back and forth to Boston.
It's not pick up supplies.
I've been going to a hospital.
What for?
Cancer.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
I'm dying, Sam.
It's widespread.
It's in my lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver.
You must've had treatment. - Yeah.
It's just a matter of time. - How much time?
I was hoping to make it to Troop's 12th birthday,
but it's moving too fast.
Does he know? - More or less.
He's hoping. I haven't told him the latest.
It's really why I came home.
So you can die here?
No, I want Trooper to live here.
I need to find him a place, a family.
I had this crazy idea.
If I built this place up in my mind, you know?
It seems so magical to me.
And I thought all I had to do was come home.
Clearly I didn't learn a thing, cause...
When I was 18, I thought everything outside of this town
was magical, and I just had to leave.
How 'bout his dad?
Come on. You've never liked him.
You were right.
He got into drugs and dealing, and it only got worse as time went on.
Well, after Troop was born, he took off for Alaska,
said he had to get work, you know.
He, um, got busted and did 2 years.
And when he got out, he, uh, went right back to it.
He got himself killed.
And I never found out how.
I chose so badly, Sam.
Not just for myself, but for Troop.
Aw, Dee Dee.
I'm so sorry. - I know.
I know you are.
I need your help, Sam. I have no one else.
Anything.
I need you to help me find a place for Troop.
Please.
I just sat there with this stupid look on my face. I felt like such an idiot.
But I didn't know what to say.
What are you gonna do?
I don't know. Look for somebody, I guess.
But who?
Thought of John Frieden. - John Frieden?
He likes Trooper. He's got horses, you know.
He's over 60 years old. - 50, something,
and Trooper'd love being on a farm.
What does he know about raising boys these days?
They raised 2 kids.
That was over 10 years ago,
and his kids are married. They have families of their own.
Well, do you think he's forgotten how?
No.
But raising kids these days is a lot different than it was then.
Just a thought.
Sam? - Hmm?
I was thinking last night.
Yeah? So was I.
About what? - Going over the names of everyone I know.
We could take him.
No, we couldn't.
Why not?
It wouldn't work, Lydie. Where are we gonna put him?
We're building a house.
She doesn't think she's gonna make it that long.
We have a spare room. We can fix it up.
It's not a practical idea. - Why not?
Because we're not set up for it. We both work.
Who's gonna look after him?
You have to make plans for things like this It takes time.
I don't think this decision is about being practical.
You've thought about this for one night, ok? It's a huge responsibility.
We've thought about having kids for a long time.
What about Val? I think Val's a good idea.
Her husband out of work. I don't think she can.
Well... -Then there's a group... there's lots of people.
Why don't we just see how she does? Maybe she's wrong.
She could live for another year. She could live for 2 years.
In the meantime, I've gotta go inoculate the Holden pigs, ok?
We'll find somebody.
Hi, Trooper.
Hey. Is Sam here?
He'll be back soon.
I'm sorry I ran off like that.
It wasn't very professional of me.
Well, you know, I could use some professional help with this fellow.
You wanna hold him? Hold him by the collar.
Ok. - Give him some comfort.
Sonny's having his operation, huh?
Yep.
Is he gonna be ok? - He'll be great.
That's good. I was worried.
You ever think about having more kids?
Beyond the 2 little hellions we're raising now, you mean? - Yeah?
Why do you ask?
Just wondering.
You've been talking to Naomi?
No. About what? - Lydia been talking to Naomi?
Not that I know of. Why?
Naomi's pregnant.
Congratulations. - Ha-ha. Thanks.
I don't how we're gonna do it.
We're barely making it now on 2 teacher's salaries.
Yeah, it's not easy.
You and Lydia thinking of, uh... - No, not yet.
You still remember how?
It'll come back to me.
Sam, come on. What'd you ask me for?
For Dee Dee.
Sorry I'm late.
Oh, you're never too late. - How're you doing?
We were just gonna start to read our messages we put in gift boxes, right?
Rosemary, do you want to go first? - Oh, sure. it's always me.
Oh, this is for my brother-in-law, Jack, who is a real... pill.
Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candlestick,
but don't burn your rear, or you will see, exactly the pain you are to me.
Not exactly what I had in mind, but it works.
You don't know Jack.
Don't get excited. Remember last week when the cat,
like, went through an alarm and went all over the place?
It happens all the time constantly. Besides, it's raining outside.
Doc, it's your new house.
Come on. Dennis'll give you a ride.
Oh, no.
On that side!
I'm so sorry, Lydia.
It's just the framing. It's not even a house yet.
It's a dream.
We... we can dream it again.
I kept the generator going to run the pump. I was afraid it was going to flood.
There must've been an electrical short.
I'm sorry. - It's not your fault, Rick.
It was an accident.
When can we start rebuilding?
To clean this mess up?
Maybe it's coming soon. I say we wait until spring.
Once the bad weather starts, we're just going to have to stop.
What'd you think, Sam?
Sam, talk to me.
I had Rick do the house because he was so meticulous.
Every nail, every joint, every angle, just so.
I had him prepare the house for a hurricane. Did I tell you that?
When was the last time there was a hurricane around here?
I don't know, a hundred years.
He was going to truss the gables, reinforce the garage door,
put the special adhesive on the schingles
You can't protect against everything.
Not everything, but everything you can think of.
But you can't think of everything either.
It was a freak accident.
My mother was so afraid of hurricanes.
I don't blame her.
Oh, she was afraid of pretty much everything.
Every time my dad would leave on a sales trip,
he'd make sure we had everything we needed.
Check the tires, check the house,
the rain gutters, the shutters, did we have enough firewood,
and on and on and on, and still this woman, she was afraid.
Of what? - You name it.
I used to hear her walking around the house late at night,
making sure all the windows were locked,
and every time I'd leave the house,
my mother would ask me if I have enough money.
Where are you going?
Are your socks warm enough?
I used to think I could actually hear her worrying.
Got to a point where I didn't even want to leave the house.
It was easier just to stay at home.
I mean, if it hadn't been for Dee Dee, I probably would've never left the yard.
She sounds like she was a good friend to have.
She was more than that.
She was my friend, my sister, my...
Do you think I'd be a good father?
Oh, Sam, yes.
Yes, I do.
Then let's take him.
Are you sure?
Hi.
Can we come in? - Sure. - Ok.
What's up?
Where's Troop?
He's upstairs playing with Chewbacca.
We want to take him.
Are you sure? - Yes. When the time comes.
We're still hoping it won't.
I don't know what to say.
You don't have to say anything.
I couldn't have even hoped for this.
Oh, Sam,
I'm so proud of you. - Oh, we're both crazy about him.
That's great, but that's not why I'm proud of you.
Ok, why are you proud of me? - Because you married well.
Oh, I wanna have a party, a big one.
A party?
Hmm, might be my last chance.
Hey, Trooper, can I come in? - Sure.
Did you have fun with Rosemary today? - It was great.
Want to snuggle?
Remember how we always said we'd hope for the best when I got sick?
Yeah.
Well, sometimes the best doesn't happen,
and then we have to make other plans.
We have to make the best of things as they are.
So, it looks like the best isn't gonna happen.
If I'm not gonna be around...
If I'm not gonna be around,
we're gonna have to find a place for you, Troop.
I don't want to.
I know, baby, but we gotta make the best of things, don't we?
Maybe...
maybe my dad will come back.
Oh, Troop. - He... he could.
It's been a very long time.
But he still could, mom.
But in the meantime, we have to find a place for you where you'll be safe
and happy, where people'll love you
and who'll take care of you.
You know Sam and Lydia? They love you very much.
Do you know that?
I know it.
Do you know how I know it?
'Cause they said that if... if anything happened to me,
if I didn't get better,
that they would love to have you live with them.
How would you feel about that?
I don't want to, mom.
I know, baby,
but as long as we're talking about making the best of things,
can you think of a place you'd rather be?
Do you like them, Troop?
I like them very much.
In fact, I can't think of anyone I'd rather you be with.
Can you?
Can we still hope?
Hope what?
That you'll get better?
Come here.
Yeah, we can still hope.
I'm still gonna hope, then.
Me, too.
Hi! How are you?
Where is it? - I'll show you.
Excellent. Now that's quick.
Selma, have you been taken care of? Stop running! Hey, you. Not so fast.
How 'bout.. did you get something?
Oh, you did? You got something. Excellent.
Who else needs a drink?
You need a drink?
Hi. - Dee Dee, you look great.
This is wonderful.
Come on. This is my specialty.
Macaroni and three different kinds of cheese.
Thank you.
Sit down. - Yeah. Go sit down.
I'll...I'll fix the table. - All right.
Go on. - Okay.
You're doing so much.
Hey.
Ladies and gentlemen...
for one night only, we present the return of Dee Dee
and the Deadbeats.
Dee Dee, would you do us the great honor of leading us through our theme song?
Oh, Sam. I'm sorry. I can't.
Oh, come on!
But I wanna watch you guys. Go.
Ohh. What's the name of the song?
"You've Got a Friend"
Oh, I know that, I... Well, get up here.
All right.
I'm doing this for you.
I love you. - Go get 'em.
Yay for me.
And we do have a special guest on the drums tonight, mr. Trooper Mashow.
All right, Trooper!
What key do you guys play in?
What key do you sing it in? - Oh, it doesn't matter.
That sounds fine.
*When you're down and troubled
*and you need a helpin' hand
*and nothin', nothin', nothin' is goin' right
Come on, girls.
*Close your eyes and think of me
*and soon I will be there
*to brighten up even the darkest nights
*you just call out my name
*and you know wherever I am
*I'll come runnin'
*to see you again
*see you again
*winter, spring, summer, or fall
*all you got to do is call
*and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah
*you've got a friend
Oh, back, back.
*Winter, spring, summer, or fall
*all you got to do is call
*and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah
Troop, you were so great.
Hey, look at this.
What's that?
A little welcome-home present.
It's huge.
Open it! Open it, Dee Dee! Come on!
Ok, ok.
Get that sucker open.
Check that out.
My bike.
Hey.
Whoa!
Where'd you find it?
Well, I thought Jimmy Farrington had it, but
he'd sold it to Marty and Neil halfen and Neil thought Marty had it,
and Marty thought Neil had it.
Both forgot they gave it to their little sister,
and it was in her basement collecting cobwebs.
But it looks brand-new.
That's just the new seat, some fresh paint.
Oh, Troop, this is the bike I rode when I was your age.
It's... cool. Well, sort of.
Excuse me. It's the coolest bike ever.
I'm taking it for a ride. - Oh, let me help you.
Ok, ok, I got it. I got it.
All right, now, don't go crazy
all at once, you know. - Shut up, you guys.
We'll find a place over here. - I put it in first gear, so, you know, go easy.
Yeah, ok, Ross, I've ridden a bike before.
Ok, well, this is just like that. - All right.
Sam, maybe she shouldn't.
You should know her by now.
Whoo!
Hey ya, Rick. - Hey.
How's the cleanup comin'? - Ah, it's comin'.
I want to start the new construction.
You mean now? - Right away.
Soon as you're finished with the cleanup.
Don't think sense, Sam, we'll be caught right in the middle of winter.
Aw, let's take a chance.
We might have decent weather.
What if we don't?
We'll shut it down till spring.
But then we'll be left with all this material just hanging around all winter.
It's not gonna hurt it, is it?
Well, I suppose not.
What's the hurry?
I'm gonna fill that house up with kids.
Thanks, Rick.
Is Lydie pregnant? - No, not yet.
It takes 9 months, you know.
Not always.
Amber's gonna take Chewbacca's brother.
Oh, great, Amber. I'm glad. - Are you gonna take him today?
Aha. - Trooper, go bring him in.
He'll need a shot. - Ok.
Are you gonna do it now? - Yep, right now.
I'll come back. - Oh, it'll take a minute.
I hate shots. I'll... come back tomorrow.
Trooper, put him up here on the table.
Where's Amber? - Oh, she didn't want to watch.
Yeah, she's not used to this stuff.
It's just a pinch, ok, puppy?
Ouch. - There we go.
You ok? You ok? - He's fine.
Here he is. - There. What do you think?
Ha-ha-ha. - Big. You wanna feed him?
Sure. - Grab a hold of that bucket there.
Here we go. Come on around here.
Here we go. Here we go.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to... have somebody come out and
ride him this spring so he don't get too frisky.
Don't suppose you know anyone who'd be willing to do that.
I'd ride him, if I knew how.
You would? - Yeah, if I knew how.
Well, now, here you go.
Who would thought that he would've done that? Would you, Sam?
Never even crossed my mind.
But he's awful busy though, what with being an assistant veterinarian and all.
Oh, yeah, he probably doesn't even have time. - Not much.
Well, I'd have time...
It's just... I don't really know how.
Oh, yeah. Oh, I forgot about that.
Too bad.
Well, of course, there's always Sophie.
Yeah, lots of folks learned to ride on Sophie. - Sophie's very gentle.
Oh, is very gentle, sort of like sitting in an easy chair.
Well... I'll keep looking.
Hey, say, you know,
I just got an idea, now if you wanted to come and learn on Sophie.
Yeah, I would.
Well, how about that I think we got a deal?
Well, son of a gun, I wish I'd thought of that before.
Well, you come on back anytime, and we'll get started.
Ok. - Ain't that somethin'?
Yeah, boy.
Never even thought about ol' Trooper.
*The one thing I am certain of
*is time will change each one of us
*for this, you're not on your own
*so open your voice and be strong
*you are not alone
*you are what you believe
*you are not alone
*you're a part of everything
*when life gets you down
*set your soul at ease
*you are not alone
*you're a part of everything *part of everything
*ah bap bup bup
*the cheapest secret is the truth
*until you finally set it loose
*such an unbelievable game
*well, if you got somethin' to say *then let it out
*give us somethin' to talk about
*so that you're not on your own
*so open your voice and be strong
*when life gets you down
*set your soul at ease *you are not alone
*ye a part of everything
*you are not alone
*you are what you believe
*you are not alone
*you're a part of everything
*when life gets you down
*set your soul at ease *you are not alone
*you're a part of
*you're a part of everything
*you're a part of
*you're a part of everything
Here. - Got it, Troop. Ok, ready?
All right. 1, 2.
Are you ok? - Yeah. - All in?
Uh-huh. - All right.
Ready?
Where are we going?
You'll see.
I bet it's the labor day picnic.
Maybe. Maybe not.
What's the big surprise, Sam?
It wouldn't be a suprise if I told you.
Now would it?
What do you think?
Sam, I didn't think that we could... - I took a chance.
We've been working overtime.
I talked the guys into coming in over the holidays.
Thanks, Rick. - Ok.
All right, you, walk the plank.
Rick!
Thank you so much.
The guys wanted to help. They're good guys.
Here we have living room.
Kitchen, bedroom,
family room.
I wanted you to see it.
Thank you, Sam.
In case it burns down again.
Will this be my room? - It'll be all yours.
Do you want to put a bunk bed in here?
Nah.
A single? - Whatever you want.
I bet you'll be able to have a really nice view of some stars.
Yeah,
it's a pretty nice view.
Hey.
Where at? - Over there.
Why don't I see about fixing us some supper? - That'd be great.
Aren't we gonna go to the town picnic?
I don't feel up to it, Troop. I'm sorry.
Maybe you and I can stop by later.
That's a good idea.
Go into the kitchen and help Lydia. There's some cold spaghetti in the fridge.
Ok. Ok, go help her.
How much of this are you taking?
It's never enough.
You in a lot of pain?
I can manage.
Thank you for today, Sam.
I owe you so much.
Oh, I don't know about that. I'd say we're pretty even,
and I don't just mean when we were kids. I mean now as well.
You keep showing me how to live my life.
You're doing just fine without me.
It's different without you.
You know I...
I never told you this.
But that night before you left,
we were sitting out on your porch. - I know.
What?
You were gonna give me your class ring.
How did you know that?
I just knew.
I didn't want to hurt you.
You mean so much to me.
I love you, Sam,
you and Lydia both.
Now, listen,
on that bookshelf up underneath the basket,
there's a letter. Would you get it for me?
Come here.
I want you to give this to Trooper when you think he's ready.
I wrote him a letter about his dad.
I always thought he should have a dad he could believe in.
He has one now.
Oh, my gosh. - What's that?
Dee Dee, Sam, you've got to come check this out.
There she is! - Hey!
We, uh... We figured you couldn't make the picnic, Dee Dee, so
we decided to bring the picnic to you.
*You just call out my name
*and you know wherever I am
*I'll come running
*to see you again
*winter, spring, summer, or fall
*all you gotta do is call
*and I'll be there
*you've got a friend
*winter, spring, summer, or fall
*all you gotta do is call
*and I'll be there
*you've got a friend
And so we turn to the scripture passages just read,
and we look to the memory of Dee Dee Mashow's life
for conciliation in our sorrow
and for inspiration in our lives.
And now, Dee Dee's son Trooper has requested a moment.
When...
When my mom said we were gonna move here,
I didn't really want to.
'Cause...
'cause I didn't really know anybody then.
She said...
she said that this town was special.
I just hear a lot of stories about it.
But she said every place we lived was special,
so I didn't really believe her.
But I liked the stories anyways.
Now...
Now I see what she meant.
Wherever I go,
it reminds me of her.
It's like...
It's like she's still here.
I'm glad we came. I'm glad.
*Amazing grace
*how sweet the sound
*that saved a wretch like me
*I once was lost
*but now am found
*'twas blind, but now I see
*'twas grace that taught
*my heart to fear
*and grace my fears relieved
*how precious did
*that grace appear
*the hour I first believed
*through many dangers, toils, and snares
*I have already come
*'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far
*and grace will lead me home