A Mother's Fight for Justice (2001) - full transcript

Hello?

Andrew Stone?

He's not here.

-Who'd be calling now?
-He's away at college.

No.

Oh, no.

No!

-Oh, God! No.
-What?

Please! No!

-Hello?
-Are you the mother?

-What were you saying?
-God!



Okay, like I told your husband,

your son has been injured
in a car accident.

We've taken him into surgery.

-Oh, god. -Ma'am, are you still with me?

Ma'am?

You have permission to operate.

Is that what you're asking?

I don't need the doctor.

I just need to get
some information.

Yeah, I can hold.

Alex, be patient, okay?

Dad, I can't fly without gum.

Alex, please.

-Is Andrew going to die?
-No.



I told you, he's gonna be fine.

Yeah, who is this?

Yeah, I just want
to know his condition.

Andrew Stone.

Dad, I'm hungry.

Oh, come on, Alex.

Alex, there's food on the plane.
Give us a break, all right?

Are you sure?

Thank you! Thank you!

Well, what did he say?

Oh, it's not serious.
It's just a broken collar bone.

-Who said?
-Oh, the nurse. She just
looked at his chart.

A collar bone?

-That's nothing.
-How could they do that?

I broke my collar bone
falling off a tree
when I was 12 years old.

I was playing baseball
the next day. That's nothing.

Wait, what happened?
I don't understand.

-The hospital made a mistake.
-Are you sure?

Oh, come on, Allie!
That's good news! Accept it.

Come on, let's go.

Come on! Let's go surprise him.

Andrew did a Hacky Sack
465 times, once.

He said it was a record.

Too bad Hacky Sack's
not an Olympics sport.

I'm really hungry, mom.

Yeah, me too.

There's the kid we met
at Spring vacation.
What's his name?

Ah, Benjamin. I think
Andrew calls him "Benno".

Benno.

Benno, how're you doing?
You seen Andrew? How is he?

Uh, he's hurt real bad.

No, that...

That was a mistake.
They said it was just
a broken collar bone.

No. He...

hurt his head.
He's hurt real bad.

-What happened?
-We were taking
a break from finals.

We went to this party.

I was driving.

I see these headlights...

in my rear view mirror.

I turned to Andrew and I go,

"Look at this fool." But...

I don't get to say it.

'Cause...

he hits us.

I...

I don't even get a bruise.

I turned to Andrew.

He's just sitting there
like he's asleep.

He, he...

He hurt his head.

-Oh.
-They said he was all right.

-Why did they say he was okay?
-Shh!

I... I knew it was a mistake.

It's a big hospital.
Mistakes happen.

Are you the parents
of Andrew Stone?

-Yes, yes.

I'm Doctor Gellar.
I'm a specialist
in Neurosurgery.

Would you like to see him?

-Please.
-Oh, please. Yeah.

Oh, I'm sorry. No children.

Why? I wanna see Andrew.

-Ah, honey--
-Mom, I wanna see Andrew.

-I wanna see Andrew.
-Alex!

-I wanna see Andrew.
-Stop it!

It's okay, Terr. I'll stay.
We'll take turns.

-Thank you. How is he?
-Dad, I wanna see Andrew.

Maybe we should wait
until I can speak to you
and your husband together.

No, no. I want
to know now, please.

I want you to be prepared
for the worst.

Andrew has suffered
severe brain injuries.

He's in a coma.

It's impossible to say now,
when, or if he will come
out of it.

Andrew sustained
what we call a...

coup contrecoup injury.

The impact drove his head back
and then forward.

The CT Scan showed
large subdural bruises

in the front, rear portions
of his brain.

We found massive hemorrhaging
and edema.

In order to remove the swelling,
I removed a part of his skull.

That's the standard procedure
in cases of this type.

Those tubes allow us
to monitor pressure...

drink fluids, eat...

Hey.

-I'll go see him, okay?
-Okay.

Is he gonna be all right, Mom?

I don't know.

Why won't they allow no kids?

It's unfair.

Yeah, it is unfair.

Mr. Stone?

Mr. Stone?

If you have a headache,
I can get something or...

Thanks. No.

So Mr. Stone, Andrew says
that you do film?

Documentaries, yeah.

Wow.

He has always saying
how cool you guys are,

you know, not typical and stuff.

Yeah, he gave me one
of your wife's cook books.

Except Laura can't cook.

And every time it's her turn
to do dinner at the house,

we have to order out.

Making films. That's my dream.

You know, to be
the next Spike Lee, or whatever.

Just a boy and a dream.

Right, jerk.

You don't do
anything worth doing
unless you dream.

How're you doing, Benno?

Good.

Can I have your name, please?

Benno.

"Benno" what?

Benjamin Lucas.

Do you have
a valid driver's license?
Can I see it?

-Why? Who are you?
-I'm an attorney.

You were driving drunk
last night. You almost
killed two people.

-What are you saying?
-That's not true.

He caused a very serious
accident while driving
under the influence.

It's a miracle that
the other driver is still alive.

Tha... That's a lie!

Do you deny drinking?

Were you drinking, Benno?

Like one beer, maybe.
That was before, at the party.

You're lying.
You're drinking, driving.

And you will be hearing
from my office.

Uh, who's attorney are you?

Were you drinking, Benno?

-Were you driving--
Did you cause this accident?
-No.

The guy hit us from behind!

He was the one who was drunk.

I mean, the cops saw
the whole thing.
He was right there.

Please, Mrs. Stone.
You gotta believe me.
I was not drunk!

The kids say like he said.

The other guy was drunk.
It was totally his fault.

-There was a cop right there.
He saw the accident.

He admitted he was drinking.

A couple of beers.

Hours before. They gave him
a drunk test.

If he did this to Andrew,
I will never forgive him.

Benno swears he's telling
the truth, honey.

He's Andrew's best friend.
He wouldn't do anything
to hurt him.

You know, the kids are
gonna have to...

leave after visiting hours
are over. So we have to find
a place to stay.

I'm not leaving Andrew.

I'll do it.

-How're you doing?
-Okay.

What are you still doing here?

Huh? Why don't you go home, man?

You look worse than you did
when they brought you in
last night.

Thanks.

Alright.

Hang in there, okay?

Doctor, um...

The boy you were
just talking to,
the one who came in last night,

was he drinking?
I mean, was he drunk?

My son was in the accident.
He was very badly hurt.

I just have to know
what happened.

I think he had a beer or two.
But he tested zero-zero.

A blood alcohol test zero-zero
means completely sober.

But it was the other guy
that was wasted.

The other...
The other driver?

Is he-- is he here?
Is he badly hurt?

No, no, not a scratch on him.
But we had to admit him
for observation.

What do you mean
"you had to"?

Well, to keep the police
from hauling him off the jail.

Why?

'Cause his daddy is
on the Board.

So some of the staff are
looking out for him.

We're not happy but hey...

we're one big happy family
around here.

Don't bother calling
a motel, honey.

The kids are taken care of.

They protected him.

Protected who?

The other driver.

You know his father is
a big deal here at the hospital?

And they just
looked after their own.

Laura says she'll watch the kids
for as long as we need.

They'll be fine, Terr.

She's been a big hit with Alex.

-We'll see you tomorrow, Allie.
-Bye

-I love you.
-Thank you, honey.
Thanks.

Laura, I can't
thank you enough.

-I want to do something
for Andrew. So... No problem.
-Thank you.

-Don't worry.
We'll take care of them.
-All right, bye.

There's a problem
with the insurance.
We gotta take care of it.

Do you need me?

Well, no. I can do it.

I would like to get back up
to see Andrew.

Thanks, sweetie.

Well, he said a policeman saw
the accident. So I want
to talk to him.

There were several officers
at the scene.

Yeah, but this one was
an eye witness. So that
was unusual.

Right. So, you probably know
who that was.

It's a big department, Ma'am.

Why can't I talk to him?

Is there some reason
you don't want me
to talk to him?

We'll check into it, okay?
Where can we reach you?

Andrew...

Andrew...

You were in an accident.

But you're gonna be fine.

You're gonna be
just like you were.

He can't hear you.

How do we know what he can hear?

Mom and Dad are here.

We're here.

We love you.

We love you so much.

Mrs. Stone?

My name is Garza.

Hospital told me you were
kinda living here.

Is there somewhere we could go
and get a cup of coffee?

It's about your boy's accident
and the cop who saw it.

Sorry, I didn't get
to you folks before.

I work full shift.

Coach pee wee soccer
on the off hours.

We're in the play-offs.

You actually saw the accident?

-Yeah.
-Man, how often does
that happen?

Yeah, we usually see them
afterwards. Never actually saw
one happen before.

We want to know
everything you saw.

No problem at all.
That's why I'm here.

So I'm on patrol.

Traffic's real light.

I see this guy coming
north bound.

He's all over the road.

Like a bat outta hell.

I went after him.
I am definitely gonna
nail that citizen.

He just tapped them.

But that's all it took.

He knocked them right off
into a light pole.

He was real lucky.

I mean... lucky because I was
right there. And...

the ambulance was there
in no time.

The hospital's only
two minutes away.

Okay, the, the other driver.
What happened to him?

Nothing. He was lucky too.

I should have nailed him
right there and then.

Why wasn't he?

Oh. It turns out there was
another witness.

A friend of his,
driving behind him.

Says that the VW caused
the accident.

Started screaming
about harassment.

We didn't get him
any medical care.

She demanded on taking him
to the hospital herself.

-And you let her?
-I had no choice.

It turns out she was a lawyer.

She started invoking
the guy's rights
and all that good stuff.

All right. I'm not really
supposed to do this.

That's my report. I thought
you would like to read it.

I got beliefs about this stuff.

What stuff?

Drunks using their cars
like weapons.

This guy ain't gonna
get away with it.

I better get back to work.

-Hope everything turns out okay
for your boy.
-Oh, it will. Thanks.

Thank you very much.

Garry Curtis Gordon.
That's the guy.

Andrew...

your Mom and Dad are here.

-Your Mom and Dad are here.
-We love you, honey.

-We love you.
-Alex and Allie are here.

They miss you.

Geoff.

Geoff.

-Oh, my God.
-Oh, darling.

You can see the hematoma,

the bruises here.

The swelling is being relieved

where the bone flap was
cut away.

This is a good sign.

If it continues, it means
that the coma may be
ending soon.

Thank God.

No, that's only
another beginning, I'm afraid.

When he leaves here,
Andrew is gonna have to be put

into an extended program
of physical

and psychological therapy
at a rehabilitation clinic.

He may have to learn to think
and speak all over again.

Will Andrew ever be
Andrew again?

He may come out
of this just fine in time.

What you have to realize is
that the accident was...

day one of a whole new calendar.

You're gonna have to get used
to living by it, day by day.

This is great.

His body's fighting it's way
back to consciousness.

Hey, wake up.

Andrew...

Andrew, we're here.

Mom and Dad are here, son.

We love you.

He spoke.

He said something.

Yeah. I think he said
"thank you".

Okay.

Here we go.

All right.

Tell me your name,
just for the record.

He doesn't even know
his name.

It's okay, folks.
He just needs time.

-He didn't even
leave him his name?
-Just time, Terry.

He's gonna be okay.

Good evening, ladies
and gentlemen, and welcome
to the Pajama Rodeo.

Tonight's main event...

getting Alex to bed.

In approximately four,
three, two...

one, and he's off,
ladies and gentlemen!

And first he goes the left shoe off the bed.

It's gotta clear the bed. The right shoe's off! Good, good, good.

And we've got the...

I've got to get going.
I'll miss my plane.

Waiting on you, Ma'am.
No sweat.

Captain Geoff will have
you there at warp speed.

What are you letting him
watch this for?

He wanted to, honey.

It's the only way he gets
to see his brother any more.

Hey, I'm taking your drawings
to Andrew.

I wish I could take you.

It's okay, Mom.
It's the rules.

-Love you.
-Here, Mom.

-Oh.
-Tell Andrew. I hope
he doesn't hate this.

Will he understand?
Oh, he understands everything.

I'll be gone only a couple
of days, okay? Will you be
alright,

-'til your dad gets back?
-Yeah, sure. I mean,

all he does is draw
and clean his room anyway.

-Okay. Bye.
-Bye.

We should find a rehab
closer to home.

Then we could afford to see him
together for a change.

Next time it's your turn.

Actually, this is my turn.

I'm only going
because of the court hearing.
You said you didn't wanna go.

It's just some
preliminary thing.

You gotta show up
for everything.

They can't think
this is just another case.

Mom!

Andrew.

Hi.

Since you can go outside
they suggested I get you
a protective head piece.

I didn't know where to find one.

Allie suggested I go
to a skating rink.

She was afraid
you were gonna hate this.

It's a hockey helmet.
It goes with everything.

You wear it
whenever you go outside.

Let's...

Let's go out.

I want to go back.

Oh, you tire easily?

No.

Back to... college.

Back to Brandeis.

What, what's that?

Peanut butter gumball.

That-- That doesn't...

That sounds...

unsuccessful.

Strawberry.

Unsuccessful is
the perfect way to describe

-peanut butter gum ball.
-No.

It's not... it's,
it's not the...

It's not the right word.

It's important...

to try to...

put the right word

with the right thing.

Cool helmet.

Thanks.

Andrew works very hard
in his word finding.

And sometimes he...
he gets a little frustrated.

But he's young,
he's got a great spirit,

a wonderful positive attitude.

We're very pleased
with how he's coming along.

He says he wants
to go back to Brandeis.

He had a math scholarship there.

He's always excelled
at everything that he's done.

You know, it's kind
of a family joke,

Andrew does everything right.

Do you think he has a chance?

It's common in brain injured
patients. The...

need to go back to the time
before the injury, to reclaim
their past identity.

Mrs. Stone,
we just don't know yet

how great his deficit might be.

His deficit?

Today we finally
see him, you know?

-Who?
-Garry Curtis Gordon.

Mr. Davids.

Hi, we met on the phone.
I'm Terry.

This is my son, Andrew.

We're here for the hearing.
Terry stone.

What are you doing here?
I told you.

This is just a motion
for preliminary hearing
continuance.

-Yeah.
- All rise.

This court is now in session.
The honorable
Judge Gipson presiding.

Call the first case.

Commonwealth
of Massachusetts
versus Garry Curtis Gordon.

Warren B. Shipley
for the defendant
who is not present today.

At this point, we would
like to request a delay.

-The people have no objection,
Your Honor.
-So ordered.

The clerk will set the new date
for a preliminary hearing.

Let's hear the next case.

I flew all the way
from Ann Arbor for this.

A delay, I told you.

No, you didn't.

I left a message on your phone,
maybe you didn't get it.

So, what's gonna happen?

It looks good. We got
a policeman as an eye witness.

Yeah, but what kind
of punishment?

Ninety days to a year
in jail, maybe.

No priors. A fine.

-Probation.
-Probation?

I'm sorry. I've got
another case.

Don't come
until we tell you, okay?

-These things can take time.
-Meanwhile, what about
Garry Curtis Gordon?

Does he just go have
his grand normal life?

I've really gotta go.
My office will be in touch.

Well, to them it's just another case.

You know it's just another thing
to get through. They're not
gonna do anything.

He's gonna get away scot-free.

Give it a chance, Terr.
It's just getting started.

He is gonna walk.

A probation.

A slap on the wrist.

If we want any justice,
we're gonna have
to do it ourselves.

We're gonna have to sue.

I don't want his money.

It's not about money.

God knows we're gonna need it.

We don't sue people, Terr.

The bills will get paid.

We have always managed somehow.

We've done pretty well
taking it as it comes.

He says he wants to go back
to Brandeis, you know.

He's afraid of falling behind.

Can we talk about this?

Alex wants to know
how Andrew likes his pictures.

What are you just
standing there for?

-Do something!
-Don't worry. It's a migraine.

A migraine? Look at him!

He's already medicated.

Look, he'll pass through this.
It's fine. Just get through it.
You'll be okay.

It's gonna happen
every now and then.

-It's not dangerous.
-Mom!

Why...

was I...

selected... for this?

No...

You weren't selected.

You weren't selected, baby.

He just goes on with his life.

He's living
in this beautiful house,

protected by his family.

It's as if nothing happened.

You shouldn't have gone
to his house, Terr.

What if he had seen you?

I don't think he sees anything.

He doesn't care.

He never came to visit Andrew
in the hospital.

He never called.

He's never showed...

a moment of concern.

You know, not even
a cheap get-well card.

He doesn't care.

Come on, you're the superstar.
You go in.

Monologue time.

Speech, speech!

Oh, wait, wait!
I wasn't ready!

I wasn't ready. Do it again.

-Anybody want to see it again?
-Here it goes.

Oh. They scorch
the screen, folks!

Let's do it again
with some tongue!

A little tongue.

-Are you okay?
-What, are you stupid?

You idiot, you don't
touch his head!

Benno, Benno...
Come on, come on.

-Just chill.
-Are you all right?

Yeah.

I dunno. I'm sorry, man.
I'm an idiot.

It's okay. It's just...

There's still a whole hunk of...

hunk of missing skull
under there. So...

Guys, guys,
thank you so much, for...

for coming to say goodbye.

-No problem.
-Of course we would.

No, it's so cool.

Well, I guess...

Guess I'll see you
next semester then.

They're taking you back?

That's, that's great, man.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, we'll save your room
for you.

-Totally, totally.
-Yeah.

You have a wonderful family,
I mean, just wonderful support.

And I know that you're gonna
meet every challenge
that comes your way.

Um.

-Would you write my--
-Recommendation?

Andrew, it's premature.

No, I told you. The deadline's

-next week.
-It's premature

for you to think
about going back to college.

Hey, why don't you give
your room a check?

Your parents and I have
some paperwork to finish, okay?

Please.

People have to accept him
as a new Andrew.

Not capable of the things
that the old Andrew was.

Now, there are many
fine schools which can
address his special needs.

Well, wait a minute.
What you saying?

He shouldn't even hope?

Well, sometimes, hope can just
be another word for denial.

Wait a second. I gotta
get this on tape.

One last farewell to rehab hell.

-Mom?
-Hmm?

Dad...

I want to...

I want to ask you...

I wanna ask you guys something,
and I want you to say "yes".

-Yes, what?
-Okay.

I want to take the train home.

Hey, I love trains too.
But we have a car.

What do we do?
Just leave it here?

By myself.

I wanna... I wanna take
the train home by myself.

Andrew. I don't...

-It's a long trip.
-Dad,

I've always, used to take
the train home.

I think it's too soon, honey.

Don't you remember when...

when Allie used to take
the train to school when...

when she was only 12?

Yeah.

Don't you think
the new Andrew is as...

is capable as a 12 year old?

The new Andrew?

Oh, God. You heard that guy.

Oh, I could kill that bastard!

Andrew, that guy was a jerk.

You don't have to prove anything
to him or anyone.

Yes, I do.

We Americans have a...

a dual attitude.

Uh, conflicting attitude

towards food,
torn between our desire...

to diet and to dine well.

You know, one of us should
have gone with him.

He wanted to do it alone, Terry.

He's not gonna
let this thing beat him.

We gotta support that.

Keep going.
It's a good beginning.

I don't really feel
like writing a cook book.

Advantages of having
a head injury.

Made Laura kiss me.

Never had so many people
notice me.

Why did you just hit me?

I didn't hit you.

Why did you just hit my helmet?

I felt like it.

I'm starting to feel
like doing it again.

Why, why do you think
that I'm wearing this?

I don't know.

'Cause you want to look like
some dork retard.

I'm wearing it because...

because right here,

right where you hit me
is the...

cerebrum and that is the center
of thinking in the brain.

The skull above that has been
surgically missing.

Removed.

-Wanna go to sleep?
-No, I can't.

Want me to drive?

This guy is an idiot.

-He wants you to change lane
in a fast lane.
-He's driving like a maniac.

-Maybe he is a maniac.
Let him pass.
-No!

-Whoa, whoa, whoa!
-Let him pass...

Just, just... Let him pass.

-Go, go go.
-What you doing?

Get his license.

Take it easy!

Hey pull over, Terry!
Let me drive.

Pull over, damn it!

Terry, do me a favor.
Chill a little.

You're way over reacting.

At least I'm reacting.

Wait a sec.
What do you mean by that?

That guy almost hit us!
Doesn't that bother you
a little bit?

What am I supposed to do?
Go on a road rage?

It's no big deal.
These things happen
all time.

Oh, well. Let's just let them.

Look, you gotta keep
a little balance here.

A horrible thing happened to us.
We can't let it take over
every part of our lives.

We're just gonna
get through it.

No, we just take it.

Is that what you think I do?

Look...

We don't deal
with things the same way.

No, I think you deal with things
by letting me deal with them.

Like the hospital,
and the lawyers and the bills.

You're good at the practical
stuff and I'm not.

-I admit it, I'm sorry.
-Oh, don't.

-You always do that.
-What? Admit the truth.

No, you admit it
and then you think you faced it.

I didn't mean to say that.
I'm sorry.

We better get on the road.

Have I given you a headache?

No.

I bet if we step on it,
it'll stop.

We can beat the train.

Imagine Andrew's face
when we meet him at the station.

Could I get
one of these muffins?

Sure, that's no problem.
That'll be a dollar.

Thank you.

-You know what?
-Yeah.

Yeah.

Could you...

give one to that guy?

-Back there, in the red shirt.
-No problem, I'll do that.

Thank you.

Excuse me. The young man
over there wanted
to give this to you.

Right there, in the helmet.

How are we doing
over here? Can I get
something for you?

Andrew!

-Honey!
-Easy, easy.

Hey!

Al!

How's your umm...

-basket... basketball?
-Oh, good. It's good.

Are you, are you gonna...

Hey, I can't believe
Dad's not filming this.

Like every second of our life
not on video tape.

Andrew.

Good job!

I found her
in an alley way.

Just driving on the street.
There she was. She blew me away.

Little Jo's got this dream,

that somebody's gonna
come along, and make her
a big star.

Well, did...

Did she ever make it?

Well, I'm still working
on the ending.

By the way,
I could use a good assistant.

It pays.

Or it would
if dad ever gets funded.

Not very funny.

Come and get it.

Just in time for some paella.

I'm working
on a seafood chapter, Andrew.

Oh.

I hope you like it, 'cause
you're gonna be having a lot
of it if I get it right.

It's so great to have
everybody at one place.

Feel like I've been bouncing
back and forth
like a ping pong ball.

Like a bungee jumper.

A bungee jumper.
That's better than ping pong.

Bungee jumper.
That's a good one.

Nice going, Andrew.

We haven't had shrimp
in a while.

Alex, come on.

Move. I gotta,

put you to bed.

When did you...

start keeping
your room so neat?

You used to keep yours neat.

Yeah, well. Not when I was...

Twelve?

You know, not when I was 12.

Alex, come on buddy.
You gotta, you gotta move.

You know that I always
kick your, your...

butt, anyway.

Checkmate!

Alex rules!

A new era begins.
Now whose butt is kicked?

I mean...

You're still the best
and stuff.

I shouldn't have won.

No, no. Alex, Alex.
Come here, buddy.

Come here.

I have to brush my teeth.

-Keep working, you'll get it.
-I know.

Mom, come on, gosh!
Can you, can you just...

stop trying to help me?

The whole family is
just treating me

like I'm somebody to help.

Okay.

I'm so glad to have you home.

We can all stay put
for a while now.

Until the trial starts.

What are they gonna do to...

To Gordon? Um...

Probably nothing.

At worst, a slap on the wrist,
I guess. That's...

That's probably
why we'll have to sue.

I don't want to sue anybody.

I know, neither does your Dad.

We gotta face reality,
you know?

If the courts don't make
him pay, then we're gonna
have to...

It was just an...

accident.

Uh, no. No, it wasn't.

No. He was drunk, and stupid,
and he got in his car.

It's like he deliberately
set out to destroy you.

Am I...

destroyed, Mom?

I didn't mean that.

Whatever they do to him,
it just...

it's not gonna...

change anything. It's, it's...

It doesn't matter.

You never hurt anybody.

You've, you've never done
anything wrong.
You've always been kind

and caring.

And now, in a dot of time,

someone who's none
of these things,

just takes everything away!

Now we can't let someone come in
and hurt us like that

and go on
as if it doesn't matter!

'Cause it matters.

There's gotta be a reckoning.

It matters.

- Check him out.
-What are they looking at?

We're twins.

Mom makes me wear this.

I feel like a dork.

Tell me about it.

Uh, do you wanna...

You wanna catch a movie?

I don't go to movies any more.

TV, junk like that...

it's all a waste of time.

Oh, right.

'Cause of your brain cells,
right?

Come here.

Alex...

I got a brain injury.

Let's...

Let's face it.

Buddy...

If...

You can talk to me.

You can... you can
ask me questions.

Did...

Did they really like...

saw off half your skull?

Yeah.

But...

But mom says
they're putting it back.

So where is it?

That's a...

It's a...

It's in a...

a deep freeze.

Like a frozen...

pizza.

Oh, Andrew!

Allie, Allie, Allie Allie!
Not so rough.

Mom, Andrew doesn't want me
taking it easy.

He doesn't want people giving
him breaks, like...

-Allie, it's just...
-No.

-Okay.

Time out for a second.

-Can I?
-Yeah, yeah. Um...

This came this morning.

From Brandeis.

Oh, thanks.

Andrew, hang on. I got it.

Um...

Brandeis wants me to...

to schedule an interview
for re-admission.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Oh, they, um...

They want to see my records.

-You would have your records.
-No, they...

want to see my medical...

records.

For them to determine
the degree of... disability.

Oh.

What are you gonna do?

It says to...

to call for an appointment.

Oh, shouldn't you wait a little?
I mean...

Shouldn't you think about it?

Wait?

I'm already a year behind.
I can't, I can't...

miss another semester.

I know. But you may only have
one chance. I mean...

Are you sure
you're ready, honey?

-I was born ready.

All right. Well, let's see...

We're gonna be
back there for the trial
in three weeks anyways.

Why don't you schedule it then,
we'll kill two birds
with one stone.

Yes, one Andrew Stone.

One Andrew Stone.

Come here. You don't have
to be so careful with me.

You're not so fragile.
You're not so fragile.

I'm talking to all you big
music moguls out there.

Check me out, moguls!

Give me my shot.
I'll make us all rich.

-She...

really believes it,
doesn't she?

Yeah, well...

She has to.
That's all she's got.

Let me have it for a sec.

...not gonna be a star
because it's written
in the stars.

You know...

I think it's great
you're doing the interview now.

Just go in guns blazing.

They'll have to take you back.

Here, check this out.

-Andrew, Andrew!

What's happening?

God, my...

my head.

Okay, I'll call a doctor.
I'll call a doctor, okay?

No, no. Just, just, just...

Just... stay...

-Stay with me, please.
-Okay.

Don't tell Mom.
She worries so much.

Isn't there anything I can do?

God!

Dad, just...
You can, you can, you can...

take my pain.

Would you... do that, Dad?

-Yes.

Yes, Andrew.

If I can, I'll take it.

I'll take all your pain.

All the pain, sweet boy.

Yeah, every time I call,
it's a new prosecutor.

He'll get the job done.

It's out of our hands, Terry.

All right. Um, sorry.

I just...

just need a second...

to, uh...

Yes, just to get up to date.

-This time, the game is a woman.
Maybe now we'll--
-Okay...

Garry Curtis Gordon, DUI,
causing bodily injury.

How are you feeling,
Andrew? Better?

Yeah.

It says here...

you were a Brandeis student
at the time of the accident.

He's still a Brandeis student.
He's got his re-admission
interview this afternoon.

Well... good luck.

Does he always wear the helmet?

Well, he can take it off.

I think he should
always wear it to trial.

He is the victim.
I don't want the jury
to forget that.

How about we grab some lunch
before the interview?

Um...

I think I'm just gonna...

head over to the campus now.

It's a little early.
Interview's not
for a couple of hours.

No problem. We'll drive you
to the campus.

We'll have lunch
at one of your old hangouts.

I'm just gonna go by myself.

-Oh.
-Yeah, take some time to...

clear my mind.

Don't worry. I'll be fine.

Andrew!

-Hi!
-Hey.

Benno...

told me that you'd
probably be here.

Yeah, he said you were in town.

So have you had
your interview yet?

No.

Oh, you're not sweating it,
are you?

They have to let you back.

Why do they have to?

Well...

they'll... you know, understand.

Hey, it's really good
to see you.

I really missed you.

Yeah.

Oh!

I...

I get to lose... this soon.

They're gonna
put my skull back.

-So...
-Wow!

Yeah, hopefully,
I'll be able to, umm...

remember things better.

I can't even remember
my own phone number.

Don't worry.

I bet I could
if you'd give it to me.

Yeah.

-Do you have a pen?
-Yes.

Of course.

Pen.

Okay.

Benno said that you moved
out of the house.

Yeah.

He and I...

-We're gonna get together later.
-I can't.

Okay.

It's just that I've got
this thing tonight
that I can't get out of.

-It's just...
-Yeah.

Uh...

Well...

I'll see you at school.

Good luck with the interview.

Your scholarship was in Math?

Calculus, Advanced.

My hats off to you Math Majors.

I couldn't hack it. So I spent
a life teaching Drama.

Would you expect to continue
as a Math major?

Considering my brain injury
I was...

I was actually thinking of...

switching my major to Drama.

I can't believe you're even...

thinking of dropping out.

And I'm trying so hard
to get back in.

No. You know what?

The accident made me realize
what's important.

You know, life's just too short.

-You weren't even hurt.
-That's the point.

Could have been me,
but it wasn't. It was you.

I didn't have to suffer.
You did.

Right.

Right. So you're, what?
The victim of not suffering?

You have to leave that outside.
It's a weapon.

Hey, dude. He has
to wear it, okay?

-Yeah, right. It stays outside.
-It's for protection.

Would you listen
to what I'm saying?

He's got a head injury.

-Back off.
-What do you want him to do?
Take it off and show you scars?

You back off, man.
What are you telling
me to do?

No, what?
He's such a...

Hey...

It's cool, man. He's inside.

On the house.

You not mentally challenged,
dude. Five bucks.

Good night.

Can you believe that?
That Laura is like...

living
with that Ivy league jerk.

You know, they're gonna get
married or something. Listen...

what I'm saying is that...

there's all kinds of suffering
in the world, man.

You weren't the only one hurt
when that guy smashed into us.

Okay?

Yeah.

I figured that out, Benno.

It's just one interview.

If he doesn't make it this time,
maybe they'll give him
another shot.

Well... what if they don't?

You know, he wants it so bad.

Well, maybe we'll all have
to want different things now.

You know, we have to talk
about the lawsuit.

The criminal trial hasn't
even started yet.

Let's see what happens.

Well, what do you think is
gonna happen?

You saw the prosecutor.
She barely knew who you were.

Gordon's got
this expensive lawyer.

His family's got money
and influence.

If we bring suit,
that means putting Andrew
through a whole new trial.

Geoff, we have to face
some reality here.

We've got some big bills.
And they're just gonna
keep on getting bigger.

And neither one of us is
making any money.

This has ruined us.

And this guy caused it.
Don't you think it's fair

that he should pay
for what he did to Andrew?

Nothing could pay for that.

Do what you want.

If you want to sue, we'll sue.

It's not what I want.

We have no choice.

I called Doctor Gellar.

Come on, it was just a twitch.

I gotta change
Andrew's appointment.

-It's okay honey.
I'll be right there.
-I'll save you a seat.

-Hello, Gordons.
-Warren, good afternoon.

-I just got this camera.
-Yeah, you did.

-I want to take a picture.
-Everybody smile.

Guess that's him.

I guess it is.

Officer Garza.

Could you tell the court
what you saw
when you began pursuit?

Yes, I saw vehicle one.

He had a glancing blow off
vehicle two, the convertible,
sending it to a light pole.

Did you then see the driver
of vehicle one, the BMW?

-I did.
-Can you describe
his appearance?

The driver appeared
to be uninjured.

There was a smell of alcohol.

His eyes were unfocused
and his speech was slurred.

Did he say anything to you at that point?

Yes, Ma'am. He said,
and these were his words,

"My life is over."

Officer...

Did you observe the driver
of vehicle two, Benjamin Lucas?

Yes.

What was his appearance?

Dazed, shaken up,
perhaps in shock.

You could tell
because you saw that...

his eyes were unfocused and...

-his speech was slurred and--
-Mr. Shipley...

Stop telling the witness
what he saw
and let him tell you.

You should be objecting,
Miss Prosecutor.

She doesn't know
what she's doing.

Geoff?

Honey!

-Oh, God.
-What's the matter?

I can't move my arm.

It's paralyzed.

-Oh, it's not paralyzed, baby--
-Don't, don't...

It's my arm, Terry.

I can't move my arm.

Mrs. Stone?

Your insurance seems
to have been canceled.

Do you have any other means
of payment?

No.

You may be eligible
for assistance.

I'll get the forms.

Is he finished?

He's writing me a prescription,
some kind of painkiller.

What did he say?

He couldn't find anything wrong.

We have to be in court
in a couple of hours.
It's almost dawn.

It's scary.

What could've caused this?

Most probably stress, you know.
Why don't you just stay in bed

and you'll be all right.

You don't sound very worried.

Of course I'm worried.
It's just, you said
nothing was wrong.

The pain is real, Terr.

I can't move my arm.

Benno,

the night of the accident,

How much did you have to drink?

Objection. Irrelevant.

If that's not relevant,
I don't know what is.

You're objecting
on the wrong grounds.

He's making an assumption.

I'll rephrase that,
Your Honor.

Benno, did you take
a blood alcohol test
for sobriety that night?

Yup, I volunteered.

Scored zero-zero.

-That means you passed?
-Yes, sir.

Were you alone in the hospital?

Uh, no. I...

called a few friends of mine
and they came down to...

lend me their support.

In the middle
of the night, man!

You're a lucky guy
to have such great friends.

Benno, did one of those friends
take that test for you? I mean,

-is that how you got the 0-0?
-Objection!

To what? You let him
get into this area.

You gotta stay awake, Counsel.

We're gonna take
a little recess.

Ten minutes.

All rise.

Why is the Judge...

being so hard on her?

Because she's incompetent.
She's gonna lose
this case for us.

Mom.

Are you gonna call Dad now?
I'm really worried about him.

Well, I think he'd
rather hear from you.

-Can you believe that, man?
-What's this guy trying
to pull on benno?

Hanging in?

I want the truth.

Did one of you guys take
that test for him?

-No, man. You kidding?
-Come on!

I mean, if he asked us to,
we would have, okay?

This lawyer is just
blowing smoke, man.

Look, Andrew, this guy is going
for reasonable doubt.

If even you have doubts,
what's the jury gonna think?

Who are you?
Are you really a lawyer?

I never said I was a lawyer.

Yes, you did.

I went to law school.

I didn't get to finish.

But I know the law.

You pretended you were a lawyer
that night of the accident.

You protected him. Why?

Why? He almost killed my son.

-Garry could have been
killed too.
-He was driving drunk!

Oh, come on.

They were all drinking.
Including your son, probably.

And that kid Benno caused
the accident. I saw it.

He was drunk, and he got
his little friend to take
the test for him.

And I will swear
to that under oath.

Why would you do this?
Why all the lies?

Can't you see that we're
on the same side here?

Your son and Gary are
both victims.

Oh, please!

Andrew did nothing!

Nobody does nothing.

This trial's over anyway.

I'm a defense witness.

You approached me to talk
about my testimony.
That's grounds for a mistrial.

It's so obvious

that the judge sees that
there's no case against Gary.

And when I report this...

it'll be all she needs
to throw it out.

And we can all start
living our lives again.

Mom, I just talked to Dad.
He said that, um...

-that he's in really bad pain.
-Oh...

Honey, I think
I wrecked everything.

-What happened?

The trial. I just made
the stupidest mistake.

Mom, I don't care
about this trial.

I'm gonna go see about Dad.

-Excuse me.
-Oh.

Don't worry about the Judge,
Mrs. Stone, okay?

She always likes to chew up
the new prosecutors.

Yeah, I have
to tell you something.

I've done something
really stupid here.

I've talked
to a defense witness.

-Oh.
-I didn't know.

I didn't know.

Well, who did you talk to?
What did you say?

Well, I don't even
know her name.

Um, she was at the hospital.

She had seen the accident.
She was talking to Benno.

-She claimed she's a lawyer.
-Oh!

Michelle Barker.

You know her?

Everybody on this case is well
acquainted with Michelle Barker.
It's okay, don't worry.

She's not a Defense witness?

Shipley would never let her
near the stand.
She's completely unstable.

She's obsessed with trying
to protect Gordon.

Why?

Same reason you're protecting
your son. She loves him.

Love makes us do weird things.
It is the nation's number one
killer, you know?

Please, it's not the same thing.

Well, it is for her.

Mom thinks it's just mental.

Maybe it is.

What difference
does it make what...

what the cause is?

You're in pain.

Thank you.

Is there anything I can do?

You're doing it.

That night...

when the phone rang,

I couldn't help picturing
what happened.

I kept thinking.

I could just
roll back the tape.

Just stop it.

Do something.

Anything.

Put myself in that car
in your place.

Dad, there's...

There's nothing
you could have done.

I couldn't move.

Terry had to keep us going.

Like she always does.

Got the tickets.

Got the kids ready.

She's always had
to be the grown up.

I felt so helpless.

I couldn't move.

Mrs. Stone, this is Andrew's friend, Laura.

I really need to talk to him.

I don't know why I couldn't
just tell you.

I mean,
I know why.

It's what I am trying to do now.

I...

You met someone.

Why shouldn't you?

We're sort of engaged.

Sort of?

Listen, I wasn't being
honest with you,

because I wasn't dealing
with you as Andrew.

But as someone less
than you are,

and I'm so sorry.

Anyway, I'll...

see you at school, okay?

Hey, Laura.

Do you...

Tell me the truth.

Do you think they're...

really gonna take me back as...

as a real student?

Yeah.

Okay.

The Edema has finally gone away.

The brain is back
to it's normal size.

There's no reason
we can't replace

the bone flap
whenever you're ready.

That's gonna mean
another round of surgery

and more time
in a hospital bed.

But when it's over...

you'll finally be able
to get rid
of your pretty plastic hat.

And... then what?

Then it's up to nature.

We'll have done what we can do.

Well, the prosecutor says
that it should go to...

the jury tomorrow. I don't know
what they're gonna do.

Here, I'll get that.

-Why don't you get some sleep?
-It's okay.

Why don't...

you believe
that Dad's arm is...

-is really paralyzed?
-Oh, I do.

Honey, we're under such stress,

it's a wonder we aren't
all paralyzed.

Look, your Dad gets
mysterious aches and pains.

You know, they come and they go.

If this trial doesn't
finish us off,
this hotel diet will.

Mom,

I was with Dad.

And, I asked him...

if he would take
my pain from me.

He said, "Yes, yes.
Of course, yes Andrew." And...

I mean, he really...

took it seriously.

Do you think something
like that is possible?

He loves you so much.

I know.

I know that you and Dad would do
anything for me.

But... Mom, that...

that scares me.

To think that you would
hurt yourselves for me.

Honey...

it's okay.

Garry Curtis Gordon.

The charge of felony
drunk driving...

-Guilty.

The charge of intent
to cause bodily injury,

-Guilty.

The charge
of reckless endangerment,

while operating
a motor vehicle,

-Guilty.

There will be a separate hearing
to determine sentencing.

We'll let you all know
that date.

Is it not over?

No, not yet.

The court will be taking
into consideration
several factors.

Mom is gonna kill you.

Be prepared, everybody.
I think it's octopus.

Hey! Give me a break.

Experimenting with calamari.

Mom, it's gross.

Hey, just be happy
it's not chateau broccoli.

Actually, that looks
pretty good.

The guy works
for a record company.

He was literally driving past

and caught Little Jo's act.

It's like the classic
American dream story.

Is he gonna like,
make her a star?

He's gonna record her.
Who knows?

The point is, it was
a million to one shot.

Just shows it can happen.

They're gonna have to fund
the film then, right?

Yeah, well...

I got my fingers crossed.

Hey, Mom. Look at this.
Little Jo's gonna be a star,
maybe.

Something came from Brandeis.

Is it, umm... is it thin or fat?

Thin is a rejection
and fat has got all the...

admission's forms in it.

Is this fat?

That is fat.
That is so fat!

Oh, my--

I finally got Alex to bed.

-Hmm.
-Few rounds of...

drama rodeo.

Hmm.

Is that the octopus chapter?

Calamari.

Hello?

It's Michelle Barker.
Don't hang up, please.

I have to talk to you.

Gary's sentencing is next week.

I know. Why are you calling?

I...

I loved him and I did everything

I could to help him,

and it didn't mean
a damn thing to him.

-Who is it?
-Now I'm gonna...

-It's Gordon's girlfriend.
-I'm gonna help him

the way his mummy and daddy should've done a long time ago.

Gary's been arrested again...

for drinking and driving.

Another accident.

It was last week. It was out of state.

No one was hurt this time.

His parents are, of course, keeping it quiet,

protecting their baby.

They know that
if the Judge hears about this,

she'll throw the book at him.

-Why you telling me this?
-Because...

now, I...

I think that we both want
the same thing.

Are you going to report it?

I can't!

I can't.

So...

So that's why I'm telling you.

Oh, my God!

Wait, wait. What are you...

-What you doing?
-I'm going to call
the prosecutor.

Wait. Isn't this?

Don't you want to talk
about this first?

He got drunk, and he crashed
into somebody.

Maybe now, he'll go to prison
where he belongs.

Mom! I don't, I don't...

want someone to go to prison.
Maybe, he needs help.

He's never gonna get the help
he needs if everyone keeps
protecting him.

Whatever they do to him, it's...

it's, it's not gonna change...

-what happened.
-Would you help here?

Maybe we should listen
to Andrew.

It's your call.

He just wants it
to be over, honey.

I'll talk to him.
It'll be okay.

Why are you guys treating me
like I'm the bad guy

when it's so obviously
the right thing to do?

The refusal to accept
any responsibility,

the complete lack
of any remorse

to Andrew Stone
and his family,

and the fact that you repeated
your crime,

leave me no choice.

I'm giving you the most severe
sentence the law allows.

Two years, to be served
in a maximum security prison,
beginning immediately.

Mom,

are they taking him
to jail right now?

Yeah.

There you are.

Your mom called. She's in town.
You've to call her right away.

You got another
court thing about the lawsuit,

about how much you can sue.

Yeah, I know what it is.
I'm not going.

-Have you seen my notebook?
-What do you mean
you're not going?

Andrew, the guy who hit us
is gonna be there.
Aren't you even curious?

You believe he's out
of jail already?

What did he do,
like nine months?

It's ridiculous.

I've got finals. I gotta study.

-I'll help you study later.
-Benno, you know
my rule about this.

-I mean, I'll pass by myself...
-Or not at all. Okay, Andrew.

-I'm just offering my services.
-Thank you, I appreciate it.

Listen man, your Mom really
wants you to be there, alright?

Benno, gosh! I'm not going.
How many times do they have
to look at the great victim?

I'm sorry to...
keep you waiting.
Please, come in.

-Good to see you, Scott
-You too, Warren.

Mrs. Stone wanted to be present
for the deposition.

I'm sure sure she does.

Why is she here?

She has a right
to be here, Gary.

And I don't have
any rights. Okay.

All right. What we have here
this morning is a deposition...

-explaining Gary's assets.
-Andrew's fine.

Headaches are almost gone,
and he's back in college.

Not quite the Honors student
he used to be.

Student loan doesn't quite go
as far as the scholarship

that he had
before the accident, but...

thank you for asking.

I...

have prepared a statement
of his holdings.

As you know,
he had minimum liabilities,

and he has no assets of his own.

I saw where he lives.
He has assets.

Gary still lives
with his parents.

And since he's over 21,
they are not responsible.

Oh, that is obvious.

Scott,

Gary has not even been
on parole for a month yet.

Having served less
than half of his sentence.

And he's already drawn back
into this endless lawsuit.

That you delayed
by every means possible.

It was very difficult
for Gary in prison.

You can talk to me.

I would rather speak
to your attorney. Thank you.

Sending Gary
to a maximum security prison
was not appropriate.

And I feel that he may
be scarred for life.

Oh, is he the victim now?

I mean, do you want to talk
about scarred for life?

Excuse me.

how much does he have to suffer
to satisfy you?

Tell me.

When will it ever be enough?

Never.

It will never be enough.

It's Mom's book.

See, it's looks like this.

That's great, man.
That's gonna sell
a lot of books.

-That's very nice.
-We got a bestseller here.

It's gonna change
the eating habits of America.

Um, could you guys go
set the table?

Come on, kid.
Mom and dad need to discuss.

- Are they gonna fight?
- Well, they don't fight.

They just discuss.

You know, there's
another hearing coming up.

I think we should
both be there.

What's the point?

He says he doesn't have
any money.

Well, his parents will
bail him out. They've been
doing it all his life.

Would that be enough?

To get us out of debt?
We'll have to make sure it is.

No, that's not what I meant.

Would it be enough for you

to end this once and for all?

What do you want, Terry?

What do I want?

Well, it's not the money.
Or the punishment.

It's not even revenge. I...
I can't think of anything
the law could do

to really end this.

I want my life back.

And this is the only way
I know how to get it.

Oh, Terry.

We're running late here.

Andrew, did you talk this over
with your Mom and Dad?

So you understand. We've agreed
to an arbitration hearing.

It's a showdown. Both sides put
their cards on the table.

Judge decides whether you settle
or you take it to trial.

Okay? Whatever he decides,
it's binding. We're down here.

Wait, um...

Can I talk to you guys alone
for a minute?

Okay, make it quick.
You don't keep a judge waiting.

I'll meet you downstairs.
Room B.

So I wanna ask you something.
And I want you to say "yes".

-Yes, what?
-What?

I wanna go
to this hearing alone.

I... I don't understand.

I am 21 now. I... can make
a decision on my own.

-You don't think
that I can handle this?
-Andrew...

No. We can't let you do it.

Your Mom's fought long and hard
to get us to this point.

She knows what we have to get.

So do I.

Mom, don't you remember
what the cop heard him say
that night?

"My life is over"?

My life's not over.

Look at me.

He went to prison.

I'm here with you guys,
right where I want to be.

Please, I'm asking
for your permission here.

Let me end this now.

Okay folks, please.
We gotta go.

Uh, Andrew is coming.

Uh, we're gonna wait here.

Honey.

I am proud of you.

But I can't be like you.

I can't forgive him
for hurting you.

And for hurting me.

I hate him...

for not caring.

I know.

But I don't hate him.

And I don't want you
to hate him for me.

So...

you're really sure
you wanna do this?

Yes, absolutely.

Okay. Give me a minute.
I'm gonna go do
the lawyer stuff.

And then I'll come and get you.

You let me know
if you change your mind.

Uh, I'm closing.

No, no, no.

My...

My parents were supposed
to be waiting here. Did you--

You want anything?

Clearance sale. Two muffins.
For the price of one.

You guys can come in now.

Okay, it's looking good.

Gordon's old man stepped in,
and he's upped the offer.

Is it fair?

Well, it covers
all the medical expenses plus.

But I think we can get more
if we go to trial.

But is it fair?

Yeah.

Then it ends now.

We're not--
Andrew, we can't do that.

We need your mother in here
before we do that.

It ends now.

We got a judgment.

-So soon?
-Yeah.

The agreements have
been duly executed

and are now in force.

Congratulations!

This case is over.

Let's clear the room.
We have another proceeding.

We got what we need.
Come on, let's get out of here.

Andrew.

I am...

so sorry...

I hurt you.

I wanted to tell you that
for so long.

They said I couldn't talk
to you.

I live it...

over... and over.

I just wish to God...

that it had been me...

and not your son.

Gary...

Thank you.

Let's go home.