( light, graceful theme playing )
Hey, Ms. Perkins?
Mutiny on the Bounty still checked out?
Let's see.
No. It came back yesterday.
Check the third aisle, one, two, four shelves down and two over.
Okay. Thanks.
Aye, aye, sir.
MONICA: You know, Tess,
if I could be anything besides an angel,
I think I'd like to be a librarian.
Well, why would you want to be anything other than an angel?
Well, of course I wouldn't,
but if I were anything besides an angel,
wouldn't it be wonderful to be a human
teaching other wee humans to read?
It's like giving a child a key to her future.
And look at that lady, how she does it
with such style and creativity.
TESS: That's Charlotte.
MONICA: She should be a fun assignment.
Well, I wouldn't exactly say "fun."
And I wouldn't say she's your assignment,
because she's not.
She's the mother of your assignment.
Well, why am I meeting my assignment's mother?
Because you've got to know where you're coming from
in order to understand where you're going, angel girl.
Parents and children think about the past very differently.
There's a whole section about it over there in aisle seven.
( Door opens )
Never mind.
That's your assignment.
( Whispers ): Hi, Sara.
What are you doing?
I am posting an ad
for a new assistant in the studio.
Oh.
What did I do now?
Oh, come on, Mother. We have talked about this.
I'm trying to make plans for the future,
my own plans.
I...
I really appreciate everything that you have done for me.
But... Oh?
But I...
I don't want your help anymore.
This is my studio, my career,
and I would really like to do it myself.
That was the first sentence you ever said as a baby.
"Do it myself."
Yeah, well, maybe it's time you started listening.
Oh, Sara.
Mother.
Believe me, this is the right thing to do for the both of us.
I am not firing you. I am just...
You are firing me.
But, hey, it'll leave me more time here at the library.
GIRL: Hi, Ms. Perkins.
Hi, Julie!
You are the very first one for story time.
And you know what that means. You get to wear the hat.
Oh!
You know, our story this week
is all about the American Revolution.
Mother? It... Yeah?
I really need to go. I have six rolls I need to develop.
But I would like to discuss this later.
Sure, sweetheart.
We'll discuss it when you are swamped,
have nobody to turn to, nobody to trust,
and you realize you shouldn't have fired your mother.
This is my daughter.
She's just declared her independence.
( Clicks tongue ) ( laughs humorlessly )
Come on. Let's get a good seat. Say goodbye...
TESS: Do you remember what happened
when the colonists declared their independence
from the king?
There was a war.
Mm-hm.
( Della Reese & The Verity All-Stars' "Walk With You" playing )
REESE: ♫ When you walk ♫
♫ Down the road ♫
♫ Heavy burden ♫
♫ Hea-ea-eavy load ♫
♫ I will rise ♫
♫ And I will walk with you ♫
REESE: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫ CHORUS: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Till the sun Don't even shine ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫ ♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Every time ♫
♫ I tell ya I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Believe me I'll walk with you ♫
Yeah.
( Sara murmurs )
Come on, don't go limp on me now.
Give me perky, sexy, perky.
Maybe a little sassy.
Hi. Can I help you?
Hello. I'm Monica.
I'm answering the ad for the assistant's job.
Wow, that was quick.
Okay, well, um, I'm Sara.
( laughs )
What kind of experience have you had?
Uh, well, none, you know, with a camera,
but I'm a really good organizer:
Uh, phones, coffee,
filing, bookkeeping,
coffee...
I'm a very quick learner.
Well, I don't mind that
you haven't had any experience
with the camera.
See, my last assistant thought
that she knew everything, so...
Do you mind if I continue?
She started out as my silent partner,
but before I knew it, she was here all the time,
you know, negotiating with clients
and demanding payments
before they were even due.
Generally just driving me crazy.
So finally I just had to let her go.
But there are other things that she's better at.
Like being a librarian?
Oh, you met my mum, then.
Aye.
Aye, she, uh...
She saw me looking at the flier on the bulletin board
and gave me, uh, kind of a pre-interview.
Actually, she told me to tell you that she approved.
( laughs )
You wanna know something crazy?
She's probably right.
When can you start?
When do you need me?
Immediately.
You see, I am taking a break
from the unspeakable glamour of print advertising
and I'm... I'm going to Bosnia soon
to work for a journalist friend of mine.
He, uh...
Well, Jeff works for most of the major magazines,
and he's working on the International Rescue Committee
and wants me on this assignment with him.
He's been after me for years to get into the real world,
and it's what I've always wanted to do, so...
Why did you wait until now?
Uh... Do me a favour.
Don't tell anyone about this trip.
Anyone.
And remember.
I'm the one you work for.
Not my mother.
Come on. I got some film in the soup.
I had the inclination and the time to volunteer.
It's sort of like a calling.
Yes, exactly like one.
CHARLOTTE: Timmy!
Ugh!
Timmy!
Oh.
Now, how many times have I told you,
if you can't reach something, use the encyclopedias.
They're so much sturdier.
These little books are gonna fall right over.
Which was it, this one?
Okay.
Here. You check it out and be on your way.
Thank you.
You have quite a way with children, Charlotte.
Your daughter must have had a wonderful childhood.
That's exactly what I keep trying to tell her.
( laughs )
So your mother brought you up alone?
Oh. Yeah. Yeah.
Things changed pretty much after Dad left.
Mom just kind of flipped out.
I mean, she never even had a job in her life.
She did manage to get this dead-end job
answering phones for a portrait photographer.
I have these memories of doing my homework in the waiting room.
( laughs )
I can never smell developing fluid
without thinking of English papers or algebra.
But the good news is that
that's what got me interested in photography
in the first place.
Mother even bought me a little camera
just to keep out of her hair.
MONICA: I don't think she flipped out at all.
Huh.
How about this one?
Oh. Perky and sexy industrial tape.
Did your mother ever work when you were a kid, Monica?
I don't have a mother.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Ah, no. It's okay.
I do have someone who looks after me.
It's very nice.
Oh, nice, huh?
They must live in another state.
Ah, yes. A totally different state altogether.
Oh, well, you see, that's the key.
You keep the people that you love
as far away from you as possible.
This was Sara's first camera.
It's just like the one my father gave me.
I bought it for her
by saving up the change I would have used at the Laundromat.
I washed clothes by hand for a year.
Oh, my.
Yes, and then we taped up the windows of the bathroom
and built her a little darkroom.
Well, it seems to have paid off.
Oh, yes.
I helped her become a stable businesswoman,
even if she doesn't know it.
Let me show you my favourite thing
in the whole library.
Look.
Do you see this signature?
Robert Frost once checked this book out.
Mm-hm.
He held this very book in his hand,
turned the pages
with the same fingers that gave us his great poetry.
Why, this little piece of paper is a museum piece.
But history like this gets forgotten...
now that everything is computerized.
Nothing meaningful is ever really forgotten.
It's always there
for the people who are willing to look for it.
That's right. Yes.
Charlotte? Yeah?
I think you wanted to keep this.
( Gasps )
Oh, how stupid of me.
Thank you, Tess.
I...
I have been doing things like this a lot lately.
Yesterday, I put my mail in the refrigerator.
Can you imagine?
( Closes zip )
MAN: Excuse me?
I'm looking for the great hardware catalogue photographer.
I gotta get a bell for that door.
BOTH: Hey!
Monica. Hi. I'm Jeff.
Hello, Jeff. I'm Monica, Sara's new assistant.
You fired your mum?
My big, brave girl.
So how was Charlotte about Bosnia?
Oh, you haven't told her.
So much for my big, brave girl.
All right, quick, let's slink out of here
before Charlotte's radar locks on and shoots us down.
You're leaving for Bosnia now?
Uh, well, yeah,
but you can hold down the fort for a week, can't you?
I mean, it's really just the phone.
I... I suppose so.
Great. Well, I'd leave you a number, but we don't have one.
And whatever you do, do not tell my mother where I've gone.
If you uphold your end of the bargain,
I will bring you back a nice piece of shrapnel.
Promise?
Promise.
Ah, great!
You are an angel. Come on.
JEFF: All right.
Got the bags packed, the reservations are made...
SARA: I can't believe I'm really doing this!
TESS: My, you're a fast reader.
I think you're ready for the Young Adult section.
Aisle nine, honey.
Someone's not quite so happy.
TESS: Well, she's worried about her daughter.
Sara, call me, please.
This past week has really taken its toll.
That girl could tell her mother something
so the poor woman doesn't worry so.
It's just common courtesy.
Nobody likes to feel
they always have to report to somebody, Tess.
Oh, really?
Well, all I'm saying is
that Charlotte should understand that Sara has a life of her own,
and she shouldn't have to hide it.
Tess...
are you the same when you're not with me?
I mean,
what do you do when we're not together?
First of all, I love you, angel girl,
but I am not your mother.
I'm your supervisor.
Secondly, how I act on my own time
is my own business.
Third, we have an assignment here about those two,
not us two.
Andrew. Is Sara...?
No! No, no, she's fine. She's fine.
She had a close call over there,
but she's on her way home, and she should be here tonight.
Good.
Andrew, what do you think that Tess does
when she's alone?
You know, when she's not supervising us.
Well, I don't know, Monica.
I guess she just sits in a corner
and waits to be needed by us.
Oh, seriously.
I asked her, and she told me in so many words to butt out.
What should I do?
I don't know.
How about, um...
butt out?
( Sighs )
( murmuring )
Oh, hey...
Hey... Oh!
CHARLOTTE: Well.
Welcome back.
Mother.
I'm glad you're here.
Oh? Really!
Oh, I know you're upset,
but, listen, just try to get past it for a minute
because I have some great stuff to show you.
It has changed my life.
I feel like everything that I've done up until now
has been nothing.
How could you leave for two weeks
and not tell me anything?
( Camera shutter clicks )
Well, because if I would have told you I was going,
you would have found a way to stop me.
I went to Bosnia.
Bosnia!
Bosnia. As in "the war in Bosnia."
Oh, dear God.
I wanted to do something real.
I didn't get into photography
to take pictures of things that don't look back.
I've found I love photojournalism.
Oh, stop that!
Passion does not pay the bills, Sara.
Now, what's really going on here?
My life. I think I found it.
In Bosnia?
Oh, Mother, just listen for a minute.
Do you remember Jeff from college?
You're not going with him again?
( laughs )
Well, he's got some major assignments,
and he wants me to be his photographer full-time.
No. No.
No! No!
No!
( Groans )
Oh!
( Moans )
Oh!
Oh.
( Whimpers )
Ah!
( Dials )
Hello, Tess.
This is Charlotte.
I'm coming to the library to see you, okay?
And, uh...
Maybe you should have Monica drop by the studio.
Yes.
Okay.
( Indistinctly radio chatter )
MAN: Right, let's go.
Sorry, ma'am. You can't come this way.
You need to go to the lobby.
Caucasian female, head injury.
She's got a possible hemorrhage in the left eye.
I'm here for Sara Perkins.
Did you know about this?
I don't know what this is.
I just dropped by to see you this afternoon,
and then I got the message to stay...
and wait.
ANDREW: I'm not sure who I'm waiting for.
I can do this. It's okay.
It's okay.
( Whimpers softly )
It's okay.
We need help here.
CHARLOTTE: Oh! TESS: It's all right, honey.
TESS: Can you hurry?
NURSE: Yes, ma'am, of course.
So you've been there, what, 20 minutes?
Did you know your daughter had been attacked?
My baby?
You had blood on your hands when you came in here.
Why did you wash that off?
The nurse did it.
How else were they supposed to know if she had been injured?
She did come in here to get examined, detective.
What happened to my baby?
Well, the doctor's still with her.
She'd been lying there a long time, Mrs. Perkins.
Is that your daughter's dried blood on your hand?
Do you know anything
about what happened to your daughter tonight?
She's a very successful photographer.
And you didn't see anything either?
I wasn't there. I just found her.
What happened to my baby? Where is she?
Where is Sara? Where did she go now?
The doctor... Where is she?
The doctor's taking very good care of Sara, honey.
Let me see what I can find out.
Mrs. Perkins, why are you getting so upset?
I think that's enough for now, don't you?
Yeah, well, I'm just doing my job.
And I'm doing mine.
She's awake, Detective Wilson.
I'll be right back.
Oh!
I... I love my baby.
Of course you do, honey.
She's conscious, and they're taking x-rays.
Oh, good.
Somebody better get her a lawyer.
Mrs. Perkins, you're under arrest
for the attempted murder of your daughter, Sara Perkins.
What? That can't be right.
I have a witness that saw her come out of the studio,
plus a positive ID by the victim herself.
No!
TESS: This lady doesn't need to be arrested. She...
( people exclaim )
MAN: Get her into Psych, stat!
NURSE 1: Clear the way!
TESS: Shh! Shh! CHARLOTTE: No!
DOCTOR: We don't wanna hurt you.
Don't worry, Charlotte.
No one's going to hurt you.
No! No! No!
( Screams )
NURSE 1: Take it easy.
No, no!
NURSE 2: Let's go.
Clear, please. Coming through.
Charlotte and Sara have been a time bomb
waiting to explode for years,
and it finally did.
What do we do now?
Not we, angel girl. I gotta stay right here.
But there is something you can do.
TESS: I want you to go back to the library for me
and find something.
An old camera.
MONICA: Sara's camera?
I saw it. The old Brownie.
TESS: But there's another camera there too:
A special camera, hidden away.
Her mother's.
MONICA: Charlotte was a photographer?
TESS: Charlotte was many things that Sara doesn't remember.
JEFF: Charlotte was always pretty tightly wound, but...
Wow!
Yeah.
She's done some pretty lousy things,
but I never thought she'd try to hurt me.
And my eye. Of all the things to do to me.
Oh, Sara, your eye might be just fine.
She's a lunatic.
Sometimes when the people who love us try to hurt us,
the only way to find out why is to ask questions.
You know, maybe you just need to look a little deeper.
I don't need to dig a little deeper.
I need a restraining order.
Charlotte's clearly insane.
You saw her.
SARA: My mother saw
how happy I was
doing something that she had absolutely nothing to do with,
and she went crazy.
End of story.
Why was Charlotte so upset about Sara pursuing her dream?
I don't think Charlotte ever wanted Sara
to have her own success.
Charlotte didn't seem to have any of her own,
and she's afraid of being left behind.
That's so strange,
because Tess said that all Charlotte ever talks about
is how proud she is of Sara
and how all she ever wanted was for Sara
to be in control of her life.
Maybe, but all Charlotte ever wanted
was to be in control of Sara.
That's a shame, Monica, because Sara is so talented.
I can't wait to see the stuff she shot in Bosnia.
She's got a real eye.
My God. I hope she can still...
Oh. One thing at a time.
I think I'm gonna go back in there.
Okay.
All that film she brought back,
it's safe, isn't it?
Perfectly.
I know what you're thinking.
Well, it wouldn't hurt, would it?
I mean, seeing all the pictures Sara took
might make her feel better.
Or worse?
Maybe Charlotte needs to see what comes out of Sara's camera.
And maybe Sara needs to see what comes out of Charlotte's.
This is the part where you tell me everything, isn't it?
Mm-hm.
( EKG machine beeping )
WOMAN ( over PA ): Mr. Hersh to Medical Records...
( knocking at door, door opens )
( phone ringing )
Hi, Jeff. Hello, doctor.
Sara.
Sara. Mmm?
I'm sorry to wake you,
but there's a couple of things we need to talk about.
Yeah.
All right, first, the good news
is that once the swelling goes down around the eye,
you should be fine.
Your last operation
created some scar tissue under the skin around the eye,
which actually helped to protect you in this instance.
My operation?
Mm-hm. Someone did a remarkable job.
Oh, I... I don't know what...
( dreamy theme playing )
Wait for me here, honey, and don't worry.
Everything's gonna be just fine.
( Pager beeping ) DOCTOR: Excuse me.
I'm sorry.
( Sighs ) ( pager beeps)
Has anybody been in here
to explain your mother's diagnosis?
There is nothing you could tell me about my mother
right now
that is of the slightest importance to me.
Uh, maybe you should hear him out.
I don't think this can wait.
DOCTOR: She's right.
Now, the diagnosis was confirmed just a little while ago.
Sara, your mother has a massive brain tumour.
W-what does that mean?
That it's life-threatening,
and it needs to be removed right away.
Now, the operation is tricky, and the outcome is uncertain.
There's also a better-than-average chance
that your mother wouldn't survive the surgery.
And what if she does survive?
There would likely be a significant impact
on her mental and/or motor skills.
She'll probably need some form of long-term care.
Now, I understand this is overwhelming,
so I'll give you some time to digest this.
But, Sara, a decision has to be made quickly.
I'm so sorry.
This is unbelievable.
It'll be okay, Sara.
No, Jeff, I-I don't think it will be.
My mother may die
or she may...
She may live and be a stranger.
And if she dies, I lose her.
And if she lives, I lose her.
Sara, because of the nature of your mother's condition,
we need this consent form signed by the next of kin.
( Sighs )
How long has she had this?
DOCTOR: Probably six months to a year.
Maybe that would explain her unusual behaviour last night.
There is a precedent for tumors like this.
Glioblastomas can create violent behaviour
in otherwise passive people.
If there's one thing my mother has never been,
it's a passive person.
Nevertheless, she would never hurt you like that on purpose.
Then Charlotte wasn't responsible for her actions?
Probably not.
The neurosurgeon is studying
your mother's charts.
Page me if you want to proceed.
MONICA: Sara.
Your mother needs your help.
God, why is this happening?
I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do!
JEFF: Sara.
I don't know what to do!
Sara.
If Charlotte makes it through surgery,
she's gonna need more care
than you can give her on your income.
You won't have any choice but to come to work for me.
And if she doesn't,
well, then, there's no one to stop you from...
Stop me from doing what it is I've always wanted to do.
Is that...? Is that what you're...?
That's what you're saying to me, Jeff?
"I'm sorry about your mother, but at least it's convenient"?
No, Sara, of course not. It's just that...
It's just that if my mother dies,
that would make my life easier, right?
Right?
Oh, God!
I have actually thought that.
Oh, God, forgive me,
but it's actually crossed my mind,
and now it's really happening.
SARA: All my life,
my mother has managed some minor illness,
some coincidental accident:
Colds to keep me home,
headaches to make me guilty.
Just enough drama in my life
to keep me from having my own life.
As a matter of fact, one of my earliest memories
is of me sitting in the hospital waiting room.
( dreamy theme playing )
Seems like I was always living
through one of my mother's dramas.
I wonder if this is going to be the last time.
( Sentimental theme playing )
CHARLOTTE: Oh!
My baby did these?
That's what she was doing in Bosnia:
Taking pictures you can't pose.
Oh.
She has the talent I always knew she did.
Then why wouldn't you let her explore her talent?
This is art.
I wanted her to have something more stable.
You wanted her to be with you.
You wanted her to live the life that you never had.
But she couldn't do that at your side.
She had to go off on her own to find it.
But I had to protect her.
Well, she feels like you smothered her.
I did what I had to do to take care of my little girl.
What do you mean? What did you have to do?
TESS: I'm not here to judge you. I just wanna help you.
I got married right out of high school.
I didn't have any skills.
I couldn't even type.
When her daddy left, I...
I didn't want to just survive.
I wanted to do things for her.
I wanted to spend time with her,
not make her feel abandoned and forgotten.
But I needed money for that, and free time.
So I...
I took a job as a photographer's assistant.
( Bitterly ): Yeah.
That's what the ad said.
But that's not what it was.
I did things I shouldn't have, Tess.
Things I was ashamed of.
You did these things to help your baby.
I was determined that she would have
all the things I never did:
Training and equipment and...
So she could be behind the camera,
so she could decide what the picture would look like.
So she could have the control I never did.
Does Sara know the sacrifices you've made for her?
She knew I worked hard, overtime.
But she never knew exactly what I did.
I tried hard to keep that from her.
But when I see these,
I know I can live with what I've done.
Oh, she is a good photographer.
Whatever happens to me, I know she'll be all right.
She's got her talent,
and she's got her eye.
And she's got her mama.
Thank you.
When I was little, I used to have to sit
in the lobby of the photo studio where she worked.
You know, just sit there.
For no reason.
Just sit there, just like in the hospital,
waiting for Mother.
Have you seen this before?
Hey, that's...
That's hers.
That's my mother's camera.
This is the only camera my mother would never let me use.
Why not?
I don't know.
I don't know,
but it suddenly became the only camera I absolutely had to use.
She was very generous with her things, then?
Yeah. I guess she was.
What else do you remember?
Well...
I remember that I hated waiting for my mother
while she was working.
Ugh. But I just had to wait there.
Yeah, you don't seem like the kind of person
who could sit and wait very well.
No, I'm not.
As a matter of fact, one day I got so bored,
I decided I was going to sneak a peek at my mother.
( suspenseful theme playing )
You know what? Um...
I don't wanna think about back then.
Why not?
( Camera shutter clicks )
Mommy?
Sara!
You know, my mother has made some really stupid decisions.
You may have thought she made poor decisions,
and she probably would agree with you,
but she was always there for you.
Oh. Oh, yeah.
She was... She was there for me, all right.
My mother was there in the back room, naked.
My mother was a cheap, trashy calendar pinup girl.
TESS: Excuse me?
Are you suggesting
that your mother was a cheap, trashy woman?
Uh, well, I'm ashamed to say it,
but, uh, yeah, maybe I am.
Shame has no place here, Miss Sara Perkins.
Is that why you've been looking at your mother
through the wrong end of your camera
all your life?
I know what I saw.
Honey, you don't know nothing.
Well, I-I know that I would never do
what my mother did.
TESS: She made a mistake.
I'll give you that.
But she doesn't deserve your judgment,
because everything she did, she did out of love for you.
Everything.
MONICA: The memory that you have
of that night in the hospital...
You weren't waiting for your mother to come out.
You were waiting to be checked in for surgery.
Remember?
TESS: You were awfully little.
But you were born with something
that made it hard for you to see,
and you needed surgery to correct your eye.
And your mother made sure that you got it,
so that you could have a life behind the camera
or any place else you wanted to.
She sacrificed her self-esteem and her future
to make sure that you got that operation.
I... I don't know what you're talking about.
Monica, what is happening here?
We are angels, Sara,
and God has sent us here
to help you find peace with your mother.
Angels?
For my... For my mother and myself.
I'm sorry. I don't understand.
God loves you, Sara,
and he knows that you're afraid.
Afraid that your mother will live
and you don't know what that will be like.
Afraid that your mother will die,
and you'll never really know who she was.
What's this?
Oh, my God.
Oh, these are incredible.
Where did... Where did you get these?
Those are your mother's.
I developed them from an old film I found in her camera.
Vietnam demonstrations...
Oh, she... She had an eye. She really did. She really did.
But I... I don't get it. She just quit?
Well, she gave that life up
because she didn't think she had any options.
But she always hoped in her heart for a better life for you.
And she did everything within her power
to assure you that life.
Many children never get to see
the depth of their parents' love.
God has blessed you.
TESS: Sara.
Your mother was not a nobody.
She had talent,
and she had dreams of her own,
the same dreams you have now.
Why didn't she tell me? Why wasn't she honest with me?
All parents make mistakes.
The only one who hasn't is God.
He gave the right daughter to the right mother,
and the best way to thank him is to honor her.
I have been so blind.
TESS: Ah, but now you see.
Amazing grace, isn't it?
Sara, your mother's had a seizure. She's in a coma.
Oh, no.
We're gonna have to operate right away,
so I need your permission.
Will you give it?
Y-yes.
Excellent.
Okay, let's get going.
Oh, no.
Oh, no, it's too late.
She'll never know.
It's too late.
Thank you.
We'll be taking her into surgery in a few minutes.
Um, doctor?
Yeah?
How soon are we gonna know about her memory?
Let's just get through the surgery first, okay?
WOMAN ( over PA ): Mr. Merritt to Volunteer Services.
So, uh...
So, what was that all about in there,
that little light show you put on?
I don't understand.
She wants to know if we're really angels.
And, yes, we are.
And you know we are, Sara. Your spirit knows that.
Yeah? Well, then, what was that all for?
What was that?
Some sort of sick trick that God plays on people?
"God loves you. Here's the truth about your mother.
"But, oh, surprise! It's just too late.
Well, that's too bad, isn't it?"
God does not play tricks on people, Sara.
And he doesn't give 'em brain tumors, either.
And he definitely never thinks it's too late.
There is no time in God.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow are his right now.
And he's willing to give 'em to you this instant,
if you'll accept him.
What do you mean?
Your mother's mind is in a coma, Sara, but her spirit is not.
It's there waiting for you in that room,
and so is forgiveness, for you and for her.
Whatever else happens
in this hospital today,
that'll be the most healing work of all.
By the way,
God says you can take that bandage off now.
How many angels do you see?
Two.
( Both laughing )
( shaver buzzing )
Excuse me. Could I just have a minute?
( Turns off shaver )
Mother?
Mom?
( Sighs )
You know, I... I don't know if you can hear me or not,
but, well, you're gonna laugh.
There's a couple of angels out in the hallway
who say that you can,
so I figured it can't hurt, right?
( Sighs )
Mom, I'm sorry.
You just made me crazy, you know? I...
I know you loved me so much, and I was all that you had,
and it scared me.
I wanted you to have something else in your life.
I didn't wanna be everything to you, and...
But you were my mother, and I loved you,
and I didn't wanna hurt you.
Oh, God. Is this making any sense?
( Cooing )
CHARLOTTE: I think they're wonderful.
Mama?
The doctor says that I might not have any memory
when the surgery is over,
if I make it through the surgery.
Although, frankly,
there are a lot of things I'd just as soon forget.
I wish I'd known you.
You do know me, Sara.
You know me better than anyone else on this earth.
I know that I've hurt you many times.
The awful thing, sweetheart, is...
the thought of forgetting you.
And if you're not gonna be there when I wake up,
what's waking up for?
Oh, no, no. I'm gonna be there, Mama.
No.
I want you to go.
I know what I've done to you.
I tried my best
to make you independent from the rest of the world,
but I couldn't let go of you myself,
so you had to sneak off to be who you really are.
I'm so sorry.
But now you have the chance to go out there and live your life
and not worry about those apron strings
that would pull you back.
It's what you've wanted, and it's what you've needed.
Oh, no.
No, Mama. That's not what I want.
I know what you've done for me.
I used to think of it as what you'd done to me, but...
But I couldn't see then.
I can now.
I... I was a kid.
I didn't know how hard it was for you
or how lonely you must have been.
But thank you.
It was a privilege.
Oh, I love you, Mommy. But I'm scared.
I always pushed you out of my life
because I knew that you would still be there.
But...
I'm so afraid.
I'm so afraid that now...
Now you're not gonna be there
when I need you the most.
Oh, I'll be there.
I may not live, sweetheart,
or I may come back into this room without any memories.
But you'll have them, and that's where I'll be.
Right here. You'll remember for me.
Remember all the wonderful things that happened...
and forget all the rest for me.
Oh, Sara...
Sara...
If there was only one thing
that you would want me to remember,
what would it be?
Uh...
Oh, it would be the day that...
The day that you bought me my first camera
and how happy we were back then.
I remember that day.
The little Brownie camera with the handle?
Yeah.
I'll try to hold on to that one.
I'll really try.
DOCTOR: All right, Sara.
It's time to take her.
( Tender, sentimental theme playing )
Here.
( Whispers ): Thank you.
She's talking.
Really?
Oh!
( Whispers ): Goodbye.
Well, hi.
Hi.
You know, I...
I remember the day I gave you this little camera.
We went to Laurel Park and...
And took pictures
of all those ducks.
You almost fell into the pond because you had to make sure
to get close enough to get a good shot.
Yeah. I felt so grown-up.
I thought I could do anything. I knew the world was mine.
And it was.
You gave it to me.
I'll never forget that day.
But, dear, I...
I don't remember who you are.
( Poignant theme playing )
I'm... I'm Sara.
Sara.
That's a beautiful name.
Thank you. My mother gave it to me.
But...
What happened to your face?
Oh, that was an accident.
Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.
I don't know why, but I like you.
I think we're going to be good friends.
Well, I think we already are.
We just didn't know it.
Oh.
MONICA: They're amazing, aren't they?
Humans? Oh, yeah.
That's the beauty of free will.
You just never know what's coming.
They adapt. They learn. They forgive.
They have secrets.
You are not asking me about Tess again, are you?
Oh, no. Well, since you brought her up...
I didn't bring her up.
Is she different when she's alone, Andrew?
I think...
I think everyone's different when it's just them and God.
But that's not exactly true in her case.
What do you mean?
Well, come on. What does Tess do when she's not workin'?
Andrew, tell me.
If I tell you, will you leave me alone?
TESS: You are impossible! Honestly!
Speak!
I am an angel of God, and I'm telling you to speak!
Lord, give me strength.
This dog is disobedient, and I'm about to lose my patience!
MONICA: Tess.
You have a wee dog.
Well, I don't have a dog. We have a mutual understanding.
I'm his trainer, and he's my pupil.
It's a very simple arrangement.
I instruct him, and he disobeys me!
This is what you do for fun?
Well, that's what I thought,
but it's not turning out that way.
Oodles of angels hang on my every word,
and I can't get this dog to give me the time of day.
( Whimpers )
I'm through with you!
What's his name?
He doesn't get one
till he learns how to obey me.
( Barking )
Now you speak!
( Barking )
( barks )
( heartfelt theme playing )