Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 8, Episode 21 - Suffer the Little Children - full transcript
It's criminal what they
do to kids up there.
He gets away with murder.
We provide very good care
for these unwanted children.
This isn't a group home,
Ward, it's a concentration camp.
There's more bacteria and filth
here than I've ever seen in a sample.
Five years before you put
this guy out of business?
This court's going to grant custody
of Jeff Rayano to his parents.
Get out of my way!
- What do you want?
- Another chance.
No!
You've hurt every life
you've ever touched.
But what do you care?
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
Harry.
- Boy, am I glad to
see you, Mr. Ward.
- This better be important.
It's the younger Rayano boy.
He's getting worse, a lot worse.
You called me away from the
Chamber dinner for a sick kid?
Yeah, well, I'm sorry, Mr. Ward,
but I thought you'd better be here.
Think we found the problem. Seems
to be pressure in the sewage lines.
Might be a big job.
You want us to start?
How much? Huh? What are
we talking in dollars and cents?
Well, I don't know,
I'll have to figure it out.
Harry, it's a hundred and four!
Temperature's over a hundred and four.
Poor kid is burning up.
We gotta do something.
Is it the same flu
the other kids had?
Kid's been sick nearly two
weeks now. Not like the others.
We called Doctor Curtis.
He's on his way out.
Oh, terrific. Why Curtis?
Because he's the only doctor they
could find to come out here, that's why.
What on God's green
earth is that stench?
The plumbing is being fixed.
Holy cow, he's on fire!
- How long's he been like this?
- It just came on recently.
This boy is severely dehydrated.
What's wrong with him?
We need to get this boy to the
hospital! Call the paramedics!
Did you hear what I said?
Get out of here and
call the paramedics!
What the hell's
going on around here?
Can't I leave you two for
a minute to run the home?
I'm sorry, Mr. Ward.
But the plumbing's been
broken for a couple of weeks.
Waste water's been
backing up into the sinks
and I don't know how many
of the kids have gotten into it.
Dad! Dad! Dad!
Lemme go, I want
to see my brother.
Take him back to the house.
I don't have time for this.
- Put that away.
- No.
I want to see my brother. I
want to know what you did to him.
What do you think your probation
officer is going to say about this, Rayano?
Put him in the box.
That'll cool him off.
Come on.
How is he, Doctor?
He's dead.
Hey, I said good-bye
this morning. Four times.
Good fishing, Quince.
No, no, honey, trout
don't bite, sharks bite.
I'll be careful. Good-bye.
♪ Fish are jumpin'... ♪
Well, happiness is a
fisherman's anticipation.
Yeah, about the ones that
aren't going to get away.
- How long are you
going to be away?
- Just four days.
That's great.
- Did you bring 'em?
- Yeah, but I'm worried.
But I'll take good
care of 'em, I promise.
Yeah, but this is my
favorite green tail feather fly.
I caught some
beauties with this.
And here's a night
crawler cup and silver fly.
One more thing, patience.
I will. I will.
I will. I mean it.
Well, isn't that impressive?
- All that to
catch one lousy fish?
- Fishing is very scientific.
You need all this
to get the job done.
Uh, Quincy, speaking
of getting the job done.
- I recognize that tone.
- What tone?
- All I said was...
- It's not what you said,
it's how you said it.
Doctor Asten, I've been
planning this trip for over a year.
Even Emily knew it before...
Quincy, I have absolutely no intentions of
interfering with your fishing expedition.
- Thank you.
- You've been waiting for it,
- you've earned it...
- Oh, no, it's that tone again.
What tone? What tone?
Sam, do you hear a tone?
Quincy, you can take
care of this on your way.
- Take care of what?
- An autopsy in Bower County.
Bower County? You call that on the
way? It's 150 miles across the state!
Okay, so it's a few
minutes out of your way.
Yeah, a few minutes
by rocket sled!
Quincy, you know I wouldn't
ask if it wasn't so important.
- What is it?
- A seven-year-old boy died
at a foster group home up there.
Doctor Vance Curtis, you may know him,
the county coroner in Bower?
Well, he's been trying to
close down that home for years.
Now's his chance. He believes
the owner of the home is liable
for the boy's death and needs expert,
corroborative testimony to win his case.
Seven-year-old boy?
Just corroborate his
autopsy results, sign the form
and back to the trout, right?
- Just in and out, right?
- Right.
In and out.
- You believe him?
- Of course I do.
Quince, I don't think Doctor Asten
understands fishermen or hunters.
The bumper sticker
he has on his car.
It says, "We support
the right to arm bears."
Extreme inflammation and reddening
of the entire small and large intestine
and the stomach and
esophagus show erosion.
All the way up to
the pharynegeal wall.
That's due to chronic vomiting.
My feeling is this
child was going through
sheer hell for several
days before he died.
You're right about that.
There's no question he was
suffering from severe enteritis.
Yeah. When I finally
got to him, there wasn't
a drop of fluid left
in his little body.
He probably had diarrhea and was
vomiting for days and days without let up.
Well, you were right listing the
cause of death as dehydration,
but I didn't see the cause of the
enteritis listed on the autopsy report.
I'm still waiting
for lab results.
Well, the severe
inflammation of the spleen
with that white and
gray flecking of the liver,
- I'll bet it's
a strain of salmonella.
- That was my first guess.
I sent serum and intestinal
samples up to San Francisco,
hope to have the results
sometime later today or tomorrow.
But if it is salmonella, why was only
this one boy affected and why so severely?
There had to be some
contamination someplace.
In the food, the water supply...
When they called me up
to the camp to see the boy,
the plumbers were there
fixing a backed-up toilet.
But from the looks of that toilet
and the ungodly stench in that cabin,
I'd swear that plumbing
was backing up for weeks.
- Because that's
the way Ward works.
- Who's Ward?
George Carlton Ward, one of
the world's all-time philanthropists.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
Ward is the owner and
operator of Green Springs,
a so-called group foster care home,
and I use the word "care" advisedly.
It's more like a careless home.
Doctor Quincy, I'm telling you, it's
criminal what they do to kids up there.
And he gets away with it.
He gets away with murder.
Doctor Quincy?
George Carlton Ward.
McNeil told me you were here.
This place is like Buchenwald!
What kind of a doctor are you?
Deputy Medical Examiner,
Los Angeles County.
You're a little out of your
jurisdiction here, aren't you?
Not when it comes to the death of a
small boy in a state licensed facility.
Especially a small boy who may have
died needlessly under your so-called care.
You're referring to
the Rayano tragedy.
It was a terrible incident.
- We're all very sorry here.
- But not sorry enough
to have provided him with adequate
medical attention when he was sick.
We provide very good care
for these unwanted children.
What kind of care?
Broken windows?
Faulty toilets? Paper thin blankets?
Rodent droppings on the floor?
This isn't a group home,
Ward, it's a concentration camp.
No! Stop! Let me go!
What do you think you're doing?
I suggest you mind your
own business, Doctor.
That boy's a runaway. He knows the
rules. Is this a part of your care program?
What do you do next,
beat him into submission?
Look, we bust our butts for these kids.
They're the throwaways of our system.
Nobody is sent here that
hasn't failed someplace else.
- Failed at what?
- Social adjustment.
This Rayano kid, for example...
Rayano? Is he Christopher
Rayano's brother?
Yeah, and shares the same
social maladjustment as his brother.
So what do you plan
to do? Kill him, too?
I think you'd better
leave, Doctor.
I'm not taking a step until
you take him out of that cage.
Take him up to the main house.
This child, as you call him,
pulled a knife on me two days ago.
He's more than
incorrigible, he's dangerous.
My job is to rehabilitate him.
I thought you said you
had the plumbing fixed.
- I did.
- Then where's this
water coming from?
That? That's always been there.
It's ground water, has
nothing to do with the plumbing.
I think you're dead wrong,
Ward. This water's putrid.
I'm going to test it,
just to make sure, but
I think it's seepage
from your septic tank.
And if I'm right,
you'll be out of business so fast,
you won't have time to pack your bags.
I've seen slums that weren't
half as bad as that place.
How is he allowed to go on
operating with those conditions?
He's got good balance, Quincy,
he walks that thin line and
stays just this side of the law.
But those kids aren't being cared
for, they're being warehoused.
They're under clothed, under
supervised, living in squalid conditions.
If that isn't criminal, what is?
Doctor Quincy, take a look.
I think we just hit the jackpot.
Holy cow, it's like
a sewage sample.
There's more bacteria and filth
here than I've ever seen in a sample.
No question about it.
Ward's so-called punishment cage
was built right over a seeping septic tank.
Contaminated water
spilled over into the cage,
infecting Christopher Rayano with
salmonella and who knows what else.
You think this'll be enough
to close Ward down?
I'll stake my pension on it.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Mmm-hmm.
- Well, what do you think, Mr. Myers?
- One moment, please.
Mmm-hmm.
Mmm-hmm.
And everything in these
files can be verified,
- substantiated
and corroborated?
- Absolutely.
- Uh-huh.
- What's uh-huh?
Does that mean you
can close them down?
Yes, I believe so.
Thank goodness, finally!
Mr. Myers, you have no
idea what I've been through
just trying to find someone
in this convoluted bureaucracy
who has the authority to
close down that death camp.
Mrs. Neame in Social Services,
to Broadhurst in Health Services,
to McGuire in Auditing,
to Dandridge in Probation,
to Samuels in Licensing
and Certification, to you.
Well, I'm certainly happy you did
manage to get this to my attention.
Me too. So, Mr. Myers, I can just assume
Green Springs is closed down for good?
- Uh-uh.
- Uh-uh?
Well, to be honest
with you, Doctor Quincy,
revoking a license is an
extremely complicated process.
First we have to give the owner
a chance to fix up the place.
If he fails to do that, we
draw up an accusation
and give him a
chance to respond.
If he denies the charges, a hearing
is scheduled and the case is heard.
With appeals, some cases
can drag on for five years.
Five years before you put
this guy out of business?
Right. To close him
down permanently.
But under the circumstances,
I think I could order a suspension
of his license until the hearing.
In other words, one way or the other,
we'll close him down immediately.
Understand?
Uh-huh.
Thank you.
Whoever said two can live as cheaply
as one could use your psychiatric services.
- Guava juice?
- Did I pick up guava?
I meant to get papaya.
Well, you didn't exactly come
home with the catch of the year.
Oh, yes, I did. I got the Green
Springs home closed down, didn't I?
Yes, you did. And I'm
so proud of you for it.
Do you know where they sent
the kids who were living there?
They sent him down here
to a place called Thayer Hall.
- Thayer Hall?
- Yeah, what's wrong?
Aw, Quince...
Sending Jeff Rayano to Thayer Hall
is like sending a kid to crime school.
You're telling me I probably
made it worse for Jeff
closing down Green
Springs Retreat?
Quincy, you're being
too hard on yourself.
You're not responsible
for the system.
What kind of place is that?
Thayer Hall is a
temporary way station
for kids waiting to come
up in Juvenile Court.
A lot of kids in Thayer are
practically hardened criminals.
I can't believe it.
Would you peel these potatoes?
What did Jeff do to be sent
to Thayer in the first place?
Is he unmanageable?
Incorrigible?
The owner of the camp told me Jeff
pulled a knife on him, cut his hand.
I bet that jackal
pressed charges.
That's a pretty serious charge.
But it had to be self-defense.
You should have seen the way
they were treating those kids,
putting them in cages
like wild animals.
How do we stop this vicious
cycle? What's the solution?
The solution is in the home.
That's where Jeff belongs, home.
That's where his
problems began. At home.
And that's where
they can be solved!
You can quarter this
when you get the chance.
Quince, in Sweden they have a national
policy to keep children in the home.
Parents are actually paid to work
with their kids and strengthen family ties.
- They're paid?
- Why do you say it like that?
We all pay now, don't we?
We are?
Do you know it costs $25,000
per child for foster care?
The state was
paying that thief Ward
$50,000 a year for
just Jeff and his brother.
It could save the state
millions and millions a year
and still get better
care for these children.
- And I thought I was
the hopeless idealist.
- You have to wash those.
Potatoes? You're
going to boil them.
Okay, so it sounds
radical. I know.
But there are other solutions
that are just as effective,
- like Homebuilders!
- What's Homebuilders?
It's a program where trained
therapists actually go into people's homes
they work intensively with the
families, practically live there,
solving problems as they occur,
and just sort of restructure
the family dynamics,
keeping them together so there
would be no need for foster home care.
- And it works?
- You bet.
The Homebuilders program
in Tacoma, Washington
has a 95% success rate.
It's a remarkable program.
In fact, I've been trying to get the
county to try a pilot program for years...
- Quince, do you suppose...
- You're reading my mind again.
What do we have to do?
Well, first we have to find out if
Jeff's parents are willing to try it.
Then we've got to convince the
judge to release Jeff to his parents
and get the Probation Department
and the Department of Social Services...
Oh, boy. I see us being swallowed up in
a tidal wave of bureaucrats and red tape.
- That never
stopped you before.
- Right.
It's not going to stop me now.
Good, I'll go make
some phone calls.
Honey, after dinner.
Oh.
You really can't get much of a funeral
for three hundred dollars these days.
Even...
Even with a tiny coffin
that was Chrissie's size.
Had to borrow from
everybody I could
just to bury my baby.
- I'm sorry...
- No, it's okay, Mrs. Rayano.
Yeah.
Well, at least I know
Jeff is safe now.
He is out of the camp,
but Thayer Hall isn't
exactly a walk in the park.
That's why it's so important to
get Jeff out of there and back home.
I told you on the
phone I really want to,
but Ed,
you know, my husband,
he's not even going to show up.
I don't know about that. When
I spoke to him this morning
he was all enthused, couldn't
wait to talk more about it with me.
Yeah, that sounds
like Ed, all right.
He paints all
these rosy pictures,
but the minute something
goes sour, he's off
drinking somewhere.
Excuse me.
Ed Rayano is here
for you, Doctor.
Thanks, Pete. Please, come in.
Nice to meet you.
- Have a seat. Coffee?
- No, thanks.
Ginny, how are you?
Do you really care?
If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.
I...
I think what Doctor Quincy told me
on the phone makes a lot of sense,
I've been thinking about it a
lot. And you know what I think?
It's time Jeff and I really got
together like a real father and son.
Me and him are going to clean out
the garage and put a gym in there.
We can work out together, I can teach
him how to box like he always wanted.
- I think it'll be terrific.
- Do you now?
Ginny, please, let's not start.
It's been rough on both of us.
Let's just wipe the
slate clean, huh?
That's why we're both here,
- right, Doctor?
- Right.
It's a chance for both of
you to pick up the pieces
and start all over
again with Jeff.
But it's going to take a lot of
hard work on both your parts
and a real willingness
to make it succeed.
Doctor, we already lost one boy.
We don't want to lose another.
Ginny, please.
I'll change. I promise.
I want to.
Lord knows, I want
to believe you...
But I've heard this same tune so
many times, how can I believe it now?
You say the same things
every time you sober up.
- But when you're drinking...
- Ginny.
I swear. No more.
No more drinking.
I got a good lead on a new job.
- Yeah.
- No, no. I mean it.
I really mean it.
You see, Doc,
it's not easy for me.
I guess I learned from
my own father. He...
He'd get drunk and just beat the
stuffin' out of me and my brothers.
I suppose he couldn't help it.
I was a foreman, you know?
Not just on the
line. I had a real job.
Dozen men under
me... I had responsibility.
And they liked my work.
And then they just up
and closed the plant.
Closed it with not such
much as a how-do-you-do.
A man loses his job, Doctor,
he loses everything.
So I guess I was a little
rough on Ginny and the boys.
But I didn't mean it.
- I really didn't mean it.
- I believe you, Mr. Rayano.
And if you're willing and we can
convince the judge of your willingness,
we may be able to get Jeff back.
And Doctor Hanover
will be right there with you,
helping you put it
all back together.
Mrs. Rayano?
But he's got to promise not
to hit Jeff or me anymore...
- And not to
drink like he's done.
- You got my word, Ginny...
I mean it.
This time you
really got my word.
Your Honor, this boy has a
long history of incorrigibility,
and that incident with the knife
up at Green Springs Retreat
doesn't show me he's a good candidate
for this... This kind of experiment.
So you're saying the Probation Department
would rather keep the Rayano boy at Thayer?
I'm just saying that putting him back in
an unstable home for whatever reason
- would only damage him more.
- Your Honor,
Doctor Hanover will
practically be living
in that household
for the first few weeks.
They will be under her
guidance and expertise.
Your Honor, the entire point
of the Homebuilders program
is to stabilize an
unstable home.
Maybe the Rayano home
is unstable at this point.
But with the right understanding,
maybe we can turn it around
and help this family
get on its feet again.
If we succeed we can take Jeff
out of the foster home system,
get a family off welfare and make them
a happy, productive, responsible unit.
Mrs. Neame? What
does Social Services say?
Well, we discussed Doctors Quincy
and Hanover's plan this morning,
and well, we're willing to go along
with this court's recommendations.
- Maybe that's part
of the problem, eh?
- Your Honor?
We're all so willing to go along
with a dinosaur of a system
that you'll all agree hasn't
had that brilliant a track record.
Here we are, five
ostensibly intelligent adults
trying to play Solomon with a young boy's
life and future in a ten minute meeting.
Well, I for one believe that if a system
or program isn't working properly,
you try to find one that does.
I'm not saying the Homebuilders
experiment is the answer or the solution,
but on paper it seems far better
than warehousing children
like we've been doing.
Doctors.
This court's going to grant
custody of Jeff Rayano to his parents
with the proviso that Doctor
Hanover personally conducts
her Homebuilders
intervention in their home.
And I'm placing him
there under the umbrella
supervision of the
Probation Department.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Don't thank me yet, Doctor. I'm
going to keep my eye on this project.
You slip and it's over,
do you understand?
All too well, Your Honor.
Now, as part of the program,
I want all of you to know
that I am available to you twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week.
Here's my office number
and my home number,
so please, don't
hesitate a moment to call.
- Jeff, do you understand?
- Yeah. Sure.
I, uh...
Somehow I thought you'd
be coming to the house?
Oh, absolutely. I'll
practically be living with you.
- I don't understand.
- You will.
I think each of you would agree
that one of the biggest problems you
had is being understood by each other.
My job in your home
is to help teach each of
you to listen to each other.
And try to really
understand each other.
We're going to work on changing some
of your patterns of thinking and feeling.
And then change the
way you verbally express
those thoughts and
feelings to each other
so that we don't
detonate every situation,
ending up with
someone crying or yelling
or walking out of
the room in a huff.
If we can learn to avoid
misunderstanding, we avoid conflict.
Yeah, except when your
kids don't do what you tell 'em.
- Don't start, Ed.
- I'm not starting.
I'm just saying what's on my mind.
Isn't that what she's saying to us?
It is.
But you have to know
why you're saying it,
and to allow your wife and
son to say what's on their minds.
Communication
is a two-way street.
- Not in my house, it's not.
- Then we'll try
to change that.
Listen, you expect certain
things from your parents and...
- No, I don't. I don't expect nothing.
- Let me finish.
All right, you would like to expect
certain behaviors from your parents.
You'd like them to understand
your feelings and your problems.
But at the same time, they
expect certain things from you.
Now, if each of you knows
what to expect from the other,
you'll take a lot of stress
and anxiety out of your lives.
And the easiest way
to learn is to make a list,
make a list of what's
expected from who.
Jeff, we'll start with you.
Let's make a list of
what's expected of you.
The chores you're expected to do
around the house, homework, everything.
Listen, I know this is not
going to be easy for any of you.
It's going to feel
very awkward at first.
But believe me, it can work.
Virginia, what kind of peas are
these? They're terrific in stew.
- Snow peas...
- Gives it a little
more delicate taste.
- You want to taste one, Jeff?
- Nah.
I'm going out to shoot some baskets
with the guys while it's still light.
But you didn't finish
emptying the trash.
Mom, it's gonna get dark soon.
Let's take a look at the board.
- Well, I know he did
a lot of his chores...
- Yeah, I did.
- How many?
- Let's see. You, uh...
Jeff, you did
- seven of the ten
chores you agreed to...
- See, I told you.
So what it comes down to is how you
told each other what you were feeling.
Jeff, let's try that role
playing thing again...
- I'll be you, okay?
- Sure.
Mom, I know I haven't
finished taking out all the trash,
but I did do most
of my other jobs
and I'd like to go out for a
little while while it's still light out.
I promise I'll finish the
trash as soon as I get back.
Now, if Jeff had
asked you like that,
how would you
respond to that, Virginia?
Well, I suppose if he
said it that way, I'd say,
"Okay, just be sure
you're home by seven."
- Jeff?
- Yeah, I see.
It's just kinda hard saying it that
way. Does that mean I can go?
Uh, yeah.
- Just be home by seven.
- I will. Thanks, Mom.
Ed, you want some more? Jeffie?
Man, I couldn't
eat another bite.
Jeff, your mother
asked you a question.
- I heard.
- Then answer her.
Wait, wait, let's nip
this right in the bud.
Ed, I honestly don't think
you meant to challenge Jeff.
- I wasn't challenging him.
- I'm sure that
wasn't your intention,
but from Jeff's response, I
think that's how he interpreted it.
- Is that right, Jeff?
- Yeah, maybe.
Does anybody want some dessert?
Huh? Jeff, I got that banana
cream pie you like so much.
I wasn't challenging you. Okay?
Ed, what were you
trying to say to Jeff?
- I was trying to tell him...
- Not to me. To him.
Okay, please?
I...
I guess I was trying to ask you
to treat your mother more politely.
Right, that's good.
Boy, I gotta tell you,
Emily, this isn't easy.
I know. It's going
to feel so awkward.
It's almost like speaking
a foreign language.
But this is the right
way to go, all right?
Jeff? What do you want
to say to your father?
I just thought you were
jumping on my case again.
Good. You see what
we've got to work for.
Really listening to each other.
Understanding what the
other guy is trying to say.
And for us all to express our
thoughts and feelings clearly.
I know it's going to be hard.
But this is the way we
should go. Let's hang in there.
Now, did somebody
say banana cream pie?
- Yeah.
- Where is it?
I've been thinking
about it, Quince.
Maybe you are right. Maybe I
should just stop worrying about it.
Sounds like good advice, Doctor.
To tell you the truth, I don't know why
you've been worrying about it so much.
You've been with the Rayanos over a
week and everything's going along well.
Too perfectly. And
that's what bothers me.
I don't have enough
time to spend with him.
I get a feeling that everyone's on
their best behavior to please me.
Nothing wrong with that. It's
a good learning environment.
Yeah, I know. And I expected a
little artificial behavior from all of them
until their new skills
became natural,
but there hasn't been a real
crisis to test what they're learning,
and that's what I'm afraid of.
And where is it written
that a crisis is inevitable?
Maybe you're just a
much better psychiatrist
than you give yourself
credit for, Doctor.
And you, Doctor,
are such a sweet liar.
You're great for my ego.
And I love you for it.
Where would you
like the table, Virginia?
Over there?
I can't...
I didn't realize it was so...
- Hi, honey, how did it go?
- Terrific.
Two lousy openings for metal
workers and sixty guys show up for it.
Did you at least fill
out an application?
Ed?
Did you hear me? Did
you at least fill out...
I heard you the first time.
This guy MacAllister or something
like that, some guy in personnel,
said I was over qualified for
the job. Is that stupid or what?
Hey, don't we have any beer in here?
There's not one lousy beer in the house.
Doctor Hanover thought it would
be a good idea not to have any...
- Who asked her in
the first place?
- I just thought that...
Hey, lady, I'm not in the mood
for that stuff right now, okay?
Just leave it alone for a while.
A guy just wants a decent
job to provide for his family.
How can you be
over qualified for that?
Ed, you want to give us a
hand with the table for a second?
We're trying to move it
to the side there and...
What's wrong with
him? He crippled?
- Jeff's doing his homework.
- In front of the TV?
Hey, you, get your butt over
here and help your mother.
- She said she
didn't want any help.
- Well, I'm saying different!
Ed, really, it's okay, I already
told him to do his homework.
Ed, I think we can all appreciate
your frustration and your anger,
but if we can just
talk about it and...
Doctor, I thought I
told you to knock it off.
Ed, please, Emily's just trying to
help. If you'd only listen for a second...
- What,
are you taking her side now?
- There are no sides here.
Hey, didn't I tell
you to get over here?
- I'm busy.
- We'll see how busy you are!
- Ed, don't.
- Mr. Rayano, wait...
Get out of my way!
Oh, that's cold.
It's supposed to
be. It's called ice.
- Yeah.
- Hold it, will you?
- How's the heating
pad on your back?
- Nice. Feels good.
You know, if you told me
that job came with combat pay,
I never would have
encouraged you to take it.
Quince, I told you,
it was an accident.
Quince, it was more
my fault than his.
My job was to diffuse
the fight before it starts.
Instead, I stepped
into it blindly.
And now you just
stepped out, permanently.
No, Quince, I've got to go back.
But I'm afraid for you.
But I should have expected
that kind of eruption.
I really screwed up.
I never really got a chance
to work individually with Ed
on handling his feelings about anger.
Quince, there had to be set-backs.
But I still believe in this
Homebuilders program.
I believe I can help that
family. I have to go back.
- Wouldn't you do the same?
- Yeah.
But I thought you had
more sense than me.
Ah!
I guess when something's not
meant to be, it's not meant to be.
And who says it
wasn't meant to be?
Please, Doctor
Hanover, don't humor me.
My youngest boy is dead.
My older boy and my husband
have both run off to God knows where
and I'm sitting in a house
three months behind in rent
talking to a psychiatrist I
couldn't afford in a million years.
Virginia.
Hey, Rayano, heard
you were up at Thayer.
- When they spring you?
- Last week.
Had a buddy up there
same time you were.
Ricky Lee Murphy, know him?
He knows you.
- Says you're
a tough little sucker.
- What's it to you?
We were thinking maybe
we could help you out.
I don't need any help.
Kid doesn't need help.
Got a private Swiss
account stashed away.
Just figured you could
use a hundred or so.
- Guess not, huh?
- Independently wealthy.
- You say a hundred?
- Maybe a little more,
little less. Depends.
What do I have to do?
Just stand and be cool.
- Interested?
- Maybe.
Why don't we step into
my office and discuss it?
- Oh, man, is it real?
- Damn right it is.
But you said nobody's
gonna get hurt.
And nobody will, buddy-boy,
that's the whole point.
You and this piece are the insurance
it goes down nice and smooth.
I don't understand.
- Tell him.
- Yeah.
Look, kid, the store
closes at ten every night
and old lady Grossman
counts the money in the back.
You hold the piece while
we conduct business, got it?
That's all you gotta
do. Just hold it.
Why don't one of you hold it?
Murphy told me you were
smart. So far I don't see it.
You're a kid, you're under age.
Nobody shoots a kid.
And if something goes wrong, I go
up as a juvenile and you two walk.
Hey, those are the risks. If me or
Hurleigh get caught with the piece,
we're looking at some heavy
time in the gray bar hotel.
You? Couple easy
months at the most.
Well? You in or what?
Yeah. I'm in.
- What time?
- We'll meet you
here at nine thirty.
And don't go soft on us, kid.
Or it's your tail, understand?
Yeah. Sure.
I know it doesn't do any
good to tell you not to worry,
but don't worry,
we'll find them.
Okay, I'll try to be home
early. I love you, too.
Bye.
What's the look? You
both the same canary?
Could be.
You know that Rayano
guy you asked us to find?
- You found him already?
- More like he found us.
- What are you talking about?
- He's been in the drunk tank
since early this morning.
What happened to him?
He tried to lift some lady's
purse at a bar last night.
She resisted and her friends
administered a little barroom justice.
He's just lucky our boys
got there when they did,
otherwise he'd be in a
hospital rather than the tank.
Oh, listen, they're not pressing charges
so he can leave any time he wants.
Thanks, Monahan.
Yeah, that's right, Rayano.
You better turn away from me.
Why don't you see
if you can slither
through the cracks down
there and disappear?
So what do you figure?
Another couple of days and
you'll pull yourself together?
You'll shave and
shower, start all over again
with "I'm sorry" and "I didn't
mean it, give me another chance."
And I believed
you. I believed you.
You're a fraud, Rayano,
a fourteen karat fraud.
You've hurt every life
you've ever touched.
Your wife's, Chris', Jeff's, who, by
the way, didn't come home last night.
But what do you care?
All you're interested in is
feeling sorry for yourself
and wondering where your
next drink is coming from.
I just want you to know if
anything happens to him,
you can put another
notch in your belt.
Jeff, wait!
Jeff, wait, I want to talk to
you! Please, listen to me.
- What do you want?
- Another chance.
- You gotta be kidding.
- Jeff, please, listen to me.
I got drunk. They said
some guys beat me up.
- Then I went to jail.
- Who cares?
You better stay away from me.
Yeah, I'm batting a thousand.
Doctor Quincy's right.
I've ruined everybody's
life I ever touched.
But it isn't too late
for you, Jeff, honest.
Jeff, when I woke up
in that jail this morning
I got scared.
Not of jail, not of getting a
shellacking. I've gotten plenty of those.
I got scared of being alone, of
being by myself for the rest of my life,
nobody caring about what
happens to me. I don't want that, Jeff.
Not for me, not for you
and not for your mother.
Like Emily said, we
need each other, Jeff.
So we've got to try and change.
You should have thought of that
before you let them kill my brother!
You let them send us up
there, you let them beat us
and put Chris in that cage.
You don't know what they did
up there. You didn't give a damn!
Now leave me
alone before I shoot!
Jeff, please...
- I'm begging you.
- No!
Virginia, I know I can't
tell you not to worry,
but Jeff is a very
intelligent, self-sufficient boy.
He'll come home when
he's ready. I know he will.
I told Lieutenant Monahan the whole story.
The police will keep an eye open for him.
I just hope he's all right.
I just hope nothing's
happened to him.
He was okay when I saw
him, Ginny. He really was.
Jeff!
Jeff! You're home.
You came home!
- Oh, babe, I was so worried.
- Hi, Mom.
- Are you okay, huh?
- Yeah. Sure. I'm okay.
Welcome home, son.
Yeah.
- Where have you been?
- Walking.
I must have walked
a hundred miles.
And then some cops
saw me and chased me.
Anyway, I got away from 'em
and ended up in some alley.
My heart was pounding so
hard I thought it was going to bust.
I was scared.
Then I thought about
what you told me.
About you being scared
and not wanting to be alone,
and us being a family.
Did you mean all those things?
Every word. I swear.
Ed, what did you
want to do just then?
- What do you mean?
- It looked to me like
you wanted to hug him.
Did you?
- Yeah.
- And Jeff,
did you want him to?
I think so.
Well, what are you waiting for?
You have to begin somewhere.
- What did you do with the gun?
- I roofed it.
do to kids up there.
He gets away with murder.
We provide very good care
for these unwanted children.
This isn't a group home,
Ward, it's a concentration camp.
There's more bacteria and filth
here than I've ever seen in a sample.
Five years before you put
this guy out of business?
This court's going to grant custody
of Jeff Rayano to his parents.
Get out of my way!
- What do you want?
- Another chance.
No!
You've hurt every life
you've ever touched.
But what do you care?
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
Harry.
- Boy, am I glad to
see you, Mr. Ward.
- This better be important.
It's the younger Rayano boy.
He's getting worse, a lot worse.
You called me away from the
Chamber dinner for a sick kid?
Yeah, well, I'm sorry, Mr. Ward,
but I thought you'd better be here.
Think we found the problem. Seems
to be pressure in the sewage lines.
Might be a big job.
You want us to start?
How much? Huh? What are
we talking in dollars and cents?
Well, I don't know,
I'll have to figure it out.
Harry, it's a hundred and four!
Temperature's over a hundred and four.
Poor kid is burning up.
We gotta do something.
Is it the same flu
the other kids had?
Kid's been sick nearly two
weeks now. Not like the others.
We called Doctor Curtis.
He's on his way out.
Oh, terrific. Why Curtis?
Because he's the only doctor they
could find to come out here, that's why.
What on God's green
earth is that stench?
The plumbing is being fixed.
Holy cow, he's on fire!
- How long's he been like this?
- It just came on recently.
This boy is severely dehydrated.
What's wrong with him?
We need to get this boy to the
hospital! Call the paramedics!
Did you hear what I said?
Get out of here and
call the paramedics!
What the hell's
going on around here?
Can't I leave you two for
a minute to run the home?
I'm sorry, Mr. Ward.
But the plumbing's been
broken for a couple of weeks.
Waste water's been
backing up into the sinks
and I don't know how many
of the kids have gotten into it.
Dad! Dad! Dad!
Lemme go, I want
to see my brother.
Take him back to the house.
I don't have time for this.
- Put that away.
- No.
I want to see my brother. I
want to know what you did to him.
What do you think your probation
officer is going to say about this, Rayano?
Put him in the box.
That'll cool him off.
Come on.
How is he, Doctor?
He's dead.
Hey, I said good-bye
this morning. Four times.
Good fishing, Quince.
No, no, honey, trout
don't bite, sharks bite.
I'll be careful. Good-bye.
♪ Fish are jumpin'... ♪
Well, happiness is a
fisherman's anticipation.
Yeah, about the ones that
aren't going to get away.
- How long are you
going to be away?
- Just four days.
That's great.
- Did you bring 'em?
- Yeah, but I'm worried.
But I'll take good
care of 'em, I promise.
Yeah, but this is my
favorite green tail feather fly.
I caught some
beauties with this.
And here's a night
crawler cup and silver fly.
One more thing, patience.
I will. I will.
I will. I mean it.
Well, isn't that impressive?
- All that to
catch one lousy fish?
- Fishing is very scientific.
You need all this
to get the job done.
Uh, Quincy, speaking
of getting the job done.
- I recognize that tone.
- What tone?
- All I said was...
- It's not what you said,
it's how you said it.
Doctor Asten, I've been
planning this trip for over a year.
Even Emily knew it before...
Quincy, I have absolutely no intentions of
interfering with your fishing expedition.
- Thank you.
- You've been waiting for it,
- you've earned it...
- Oh, no, it's that tone again.
What tone? What tone?
Sam, do you hear a tone?
Quincy, you can take
care of this on your way.
- Take care of what?
- An autopsy in Bower County.
Bower County? You call that on the
way? It's 150 miles across the state!
Okay, so it's a few
minutes out of your way.
Yeah, a few minutes
by rocket sled!
Quincy, you know I wouldn't
ask if it wasn't so important.
- What is it?
- A seven-year-old boy died
at a foster group home up there.
Doctor Vance Curtis, you may know him,
the county coroner in Bower?
Well, he's been trying to
close down that home for years.
Now's his chance. He believes
the owner of the home is liable
for the boy's death and needs expert,
corroborative testimony to win his case.
Seven-year-old boy?
Just corroborate his
autopsy results, sign the form
and back to the trout, right?
- Just in and out, right?
- Right.
In and out.
- You believe him?
- Of course I do.
Quince, I don't think Doctor Asten
understands fishermen or hunters.
The bumper sticker
he has on his car.
It says, "We support
the right to arm bears."
Extreme inflammation and reddening
of the entire small and large intestine
and the stomach and
esophagus show erosion.
All the way up to
the pharynegeal wall.
That's due to chronic vomiting.
My feeling is this
child was going through
sheer hell for several
days before he died.
You're right about that.
There's no question he was
suffering from severe enteritis.
Yeah. When I finally
got to him, there wasn't
a drop of fluid left
in his little body.
He probably had diarrhea and was
vomiting for days and days without let up.
Well, you were right listing the
cause of death as dehydration,
but I didn't see the cause of the
enteritis listed on the autopsy report.
I'm still waiting
for lab results.
Well, the severe
inflammation of the spleen
with that white and
gray flecking of the liver,
- I'll bet it's
a strain of salmonella.
- That was my first guess.
I sent serum and intestinal
samples up to San Francisco,
hope to have the results
sometime later today or tomorrow.
But if it is salmonella, why was only
this one boy affected and why so severely?
There had to be some
contamination someplace.
In the food, the water supply...
When they called me up
to the camp to see the boy,
the plumbers were there
fixing a backed-up toilet.
But from the looks of that toilet
and the ungodly stench in that cabin,
I'd swear that plumbing
was backing up for weeks.
- Because that's
the way Ward works.
- Who's Ward?
George Carlton Ward, one of
the world's all-time philanthropists.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
Ward is the owner and
operator of Green Springs,
a so-called group foster care home,
and I use the word "care" advisedly.
It's more like a careless home.
Doctor Quincy, I'm telling you, it's
criminal what they do to kids up there.
And he gets away with it.
He gets away with murder.
Doctor Quincy?
George Carlton Ward.
McNeil told me you were here.
This place is like Buchenwald!
What kind of a doctor are you?
Deputy Medical Examiner,
Los Angeles County.
You're a little out of your
jurisdiction here, aren't you?
Not when it comes to the death of a
small boy in a state licensed facility.
Especially a small boy who may have
died needlessly under your so-called care.
You're referring to
the Rayano tragedy.
It was a terrible incident.
- We're all very sorry here.
- But not sorry enough
to have provided him with adequate
medical attention when he was sick.
We provide very good care
for these unwanted children.
What kind of care?
Broken windows?
Faulty toilets? Paper thin blankets?
Rodent droppings on the floor?
This isn't a group home,
Ward, it's a concentration camp.
No! Stop! Let me go!
What do you think you're doing?
I suggest you mind your
own business, Doctor.
That boy's a runaway. He knows the
rules. Is this a part of your care program?
What do you do next,
beat him into submission?
Look, we bust our butts for these kids.
They're the throwaways of our system.
Nobody is sent here that
hasn't failed someplace else.
- Failed at what?
- Social adjustment.
This Rayano kid, for example...
Rayano? Is he Christopher
Rayano's brother?
Yeah, and shares the same
social maladjustment as his brother.
So what do you plan
to do? Kill him, too?
I think you'd better
leave, Doctor.
I'm not taking a step until
you take him out of that cage.
Take him up to the main house.
This child, as you call him,
pulled a knife on me two days ago.
He's more than
incorrigible, he's dangerous.
My job is to rehabilitate him.
I thought you said you
had the plumbing fixed.
- I did.
- Then where's this
water coming from?
That? That's always been there.
It's ground water, has
nothing to do with the plumbing.
I think you're dead wrong,
Ward. This water's putrid.
I'm going to test it,
just to make sure, but
I think it's seepage
from your septic tank.
And if I'm right,
you'll be out of business so fast,
you won't have time to pack your bags.
I've seen slums that weren't
half as bad as that place.
How is he allowed to go on
operating with those conditions?
He's got good balance, Quincy,
he walks that thin line and
stays just this side of the law.
But those kids aren't being cared
for, they're being warehoused.
They're under clothed, under
supervised, living in squalid conditions.
If that isn't criminal, what is?
Doctor Quincy, take a look.
I think we just hit the jackpot.
Holy cow, it's like
a sewage sample.
There's more bacteria and filth
here than I've ever seen in a sample.
No question about it.
Ward's so-called punishment cage
was built right over a seeping septic tank.
Contaminated water
spilled over into the cage,
infecting Christopher Rayano with
salmonella and who knows what else.
You think this'll be enough
to close Ward down?
I'll stake my pension on it.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Mmm-hmm.
- Well, what do you think, Mr. Myers?
- One moment, please.
Mmm-hmm.
Mmm-hmm.
And everything in these
files can be verified,
- substantiated
and corroborated?
- Absolutely.
- Uh-huh.
- What's uh-huh?
Does that mean you
can close them down?
Yes, I believe so.
Thank goodness, finally!
Mr. Myers, you have no
idea what I've been through
just trying to find someone
in this convoluted bureaucracy
who has the authority to
close down that death camp.
Mrs. Neame in Social Services,
to Broadhurst in Health Services,
to McGuire in Auditing,
to Dandridge in Probation,
to Samuels in Licensing
and Certification, to you.
Well, I'm certainly happy you did
manage to get this to my attention.
Me too. So, Mr. Myers, I can just assume
Green Springs is closed down for good?
- Uh-uh.
- Uh-uh?
Well, to be honest
with you, Doctor Quincy,
revoking a license is an
extremely complicated process.
First we have to give the owner
a chance to fix up the place.
If he fails to do that, we
draw up an accusation
and give him a
chance to respond.
If he denies the charges, a hearing
is scheduled and the case is heard.
With appeals, some cases
can drag on for five years.
Five years before you put
this guy out of business?
Right. To close him
down permanently.
But under the circumstances,
I think I could order a suspension
of his license until the hearing.
In other words, one way or the other,
we'll close him down immediately.
Understand?
Uh-huh.
Thank you.
Whoever said two can live as cheaply
as one could use your psychiatric services.
- Guava juice?
- Did I pick up guava?
I meant to get papaya.
Well, you didn't exactly come
home with the catch of the year.
Oh, yes, I did. I got the Green
Springs home closed down, didn't I?
Yes, you did. And I'm
so proud of you for it.
Do you know where they sent
the kids who were living there?
They sent him down here
to a place called Thayer Hall.
- Thayer Hall?
- Yeah, what's wrong?
Aw, Quince...
Sending Jeff Rayano to Thayer Hall
is like sending a kid to crime school.
You're telling me I probably
made it worse for Jeff
closing down Green
Springs Retreat?
Quincy, you're being
too hard on yourself.
You're not responsible
for the system.
What kind of place is that?
Thayer Hall is a
temporary way station
for kids waiting to come
up in Juvenile Court.
A lot of kids in Thayer are
practically hardened criminals.
I can't believe it.
Would you peel these potatoes?
What did Jeff do to be sent
to Thayer in the first place?
Is he unmanageable?
Incorrigible?
The owner of the camp told me Jeff
pulled a knife on him, cut his hand.
I bet that jackal
pressed charges.
That's a pretty serious charge.
But it had to be self-defense.
You should have seen the way
they were treating those kids,
putting them in cages
like wild animals.
How do we stop this vicious
cycle? What's the solution?
The solution is in the home.
That's where Jeff belongs, home.
That's where his
problems began. At home.
And that's where
they can be solved!
You can quarter this
when you get the chance.
Quince, in Sweden they have a national
policy to keep children in the home.
Parents are actually paid to work
with their kids and strengthen family ties.
- They're paid?
- Why do you say it like that?
We all pay now, don't we?
We are?
Do you know it costs $25,000
per child for foster care?
The state was
paying that thief Ward
$50,000 a year for
just Jeff and his brother.
It could save the state
millions and millions a year
and still get better
care for these children.
- And I thought I was
the hopeless idealist.
- You have to wash those.
Potatoes? You're
going to boil them.
Okay, so it sounds
radical. I know.
But there are other solutions
that are just as effective,
- like Homebuilders!
- What's Homebuilders?
It's a program where trained
therapists actually go into people's homes
they work intensively with the
families, practically live there,
solving problems as they occur,
and just sort of restructure
the family dynamics,
keeping them together so there
would be no need for foster home care.
- And it works?
- You bet.
The Homebuilders program
in Tacoma, Washington
has a 95% success rate.
It's a remarkable program.
In fact, I've been trying to get the
county to try a pilot program for years...
- Quince, do you suppose...
- You're reading my mind again.
What do we have to do?
Well, first we have to find out if
Jeff's parents are willing to try it.
Then we've got to convince the
judge to release Jeff to his parents
and get the Probation Department
and the Department of Social Services...
Oh, boy. I see us being swallowed up in
a tidal wave of bureaucrats and red tape.
- That never
stopped you before.
- Right.
It's not going to stop me now.
Good, I'll go make
some phone calls.
Honey, after dinner.
Oh.
You really can't get much of a funeral
for three hundred dollars these days.
Even...
Even with a tiny coffin
that was Chrissie's size.
Had to borrow from
everybody I could
just to bury my baby.
- I'm sorry...
- No, it's okay, Mrs. Rayano.
Yeah.
Well, at least I know
Jeff is safe now.
He is out of the camp,
but Thayer Hall isn't
exactly a walk in the park.
That's why it's so important to
get Jeff out of there and back home.
I told you on the
phone I really want to,
but Ed,
you know, my husband,
he's not even going to show up.
I don't know about that. When
I spoke to him this morning
he was all enthused, couldn't
wait to talk more about it with me.
Yeah, that sounds
like Ed, all right.
He paints all
these rosy pictures,
but the minute something
goes sour, he's off
drinking somewhere.
Excuse me.
Ed Rayano is here
for you, Doctor.
Thanks, Pete. Please, come in.
Nice to meet you.
- Have a seat. Coffee?
- No, thanks.
Ginny, how are you?
Do you really care?
If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.
I...
I think what Doctor Quincy told me
on the phone makes a lot of sense,
I've been thinking about it a
lot. And you know what I think?
It's time Jeff and I really got
together like a real father and son.
Me and him are going to clean out
the garage and put a gym in there.
We can work out together, I can teach
him how to box like he always wanted.
- I think it'll be terrific.
- Do you now?
Ginny, please, let's not start.
It's been rough on both of us.
Let's just wipe the
slate clean, huh?
That's why we're both here,
- right, Doctor?
- Right.
It's a chance for both of
you to pick up the pieces
and start all over
again with Jeff.
But it's going to take a lot of
hard work on both your parts
and a real willingness
to make it succeed.
Doctor, we already lost one boy.
We don't want to lose another.
Ginny, please.
I'll change. I promise.
I want to.
Lord knows, I want
to believe you...
But I've heard this same tune so
many times, how can I believe it now?
You say the same things
every time you sober up.
- But when you're drinking...
- Ginny.
I swear. No more.
No more drinking.
I got a good lead on a new job.
- Yeah.
- No, no. I mean it.
I really mean it.
You see, Doc,
it's not easy for me.
I guess I learned from
my own father. He...
He'd get drunk and just beat the
stuffin' out of me and my brothers.
I suppose he couldn't help it.
I was a foreman, you know?
Not just on the
line. I had a real job.
Dozen men under
me... I had responsibility.
And they liked my work.
And then they just up
and closed the plant.
Closed it with not such
much as a how-do-you-do.
A man loses his job, Doctor,
he loses everything.
So I guess I was a little
rough on Ginny and the boys.
But I didn't mean it.
- I really didn't mean it.
- I believe you, Mr. Rayano.
And if you're willing and we can
convince the judge of your willingness,
we may be able to get Jeff back.
And Doctor Hanover
will be right there with you,
helping you put it
all back together.
Mrs. Rayano?
But he's got to promise not
to hit Jeff or me anymore...
- And not to
drink like he's done.
- You got my word, Ginny...
I mean it.
This time you
really got my word.
Your Honor, this boy has a
long history of incorrigibility,
and that incident with the knife
up at Green Springs Retreat
doesn't show me he's a good candidate
for this... This kind of experiment.
So you're saying the Probation Department
would rather keep the Rayano boy at Thayer?
I'm just saying that putting him back in
an unstable home for whatever reason
- would only damage him more.
- Your Honor,
Doctor Hanover will
practically be living
in that household
for the first few weeks.
They will be under her
guidance and expertise.
Your Honor, the entire point
of the Homebuilders program
is to stabilize an
unstable home.
Maybe the Rayano home
is unstable at this point.
But with the right understanding,
maybe we can turn it around
and help this family
get on its feet again.
If we succeed we can take Jeff
out of the foster home system,
get a family off welfare and make them
a happy, productive, responsible unit.
Mrs. Neame? What
does Social Services say?
Well, we discussed Doctors Quincy
and Hanover's plan this morning,
and well, we're willing to go along
with this court's recommendations.
- Maybe that's part
of the problem, eh?
- Your Honor?
We're all so willing to go along
with a dinosaur of a system
that you'll all agree hasn't
had that brilliant a track record.
Here we are, five
ostensibly intelligent adults
trying to play Solomon with a young boy's
life and future in a ten minute meeting.
Well, I for one believe that if a system
or program isn't working properly,
you try to find one that does.
I'm not saying the Homebuilders
experiment is the answer or the solution,
but on paper it seems far better
than warehousing children
like we've been doing.
Doctors.
This court's going to grant
custody of Jeff Rayano to his parents
with the proviso that Doctor
Hanover personally conducts
her Homebuilders
intervention in their home.
And I'm placing him
there under the umbrella
supervision of the
Probation Department.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Don't thank me yet, Doctor. I'm
going to keep my eye on this project.
You slip and it's over,
do you understand?
All too well, Your Honor.
Now, as part of the program,
I want all of you to know
that I am available to you twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week.
Here's my office number
and my home number,
so please, don't
hesitate a moment to call.
- Jeff, do you understand?
- Yeah. Sure.
I, uh...
Somehow I thought you'd
be coming to the house?
Oh, absolutely. I'll
practically be living with you.
- I don't understand.
- You will.
I think each of you would agree
that one of the biggest problems you
had is being understood by each other.
My job in your home
is to help teach each of
you to listen to each other.
And try to really
understand each other.
We're going to work on changing some
of your patterns of thinking and feeling.
And then change the
way you verbally express
those thoughts and
feelings to each other
so that we don't
detonate every situation,
ending up with
someone crying or yelling
or walking out of
the room in a huff.
If we can learn to avoid
misunderstanding, we avoid conflict.
Yeah, except when your
kids don't do what you tell 'em.
- Don't start, Ed.
- I'm not starting.
I'm just saying what's on my mind.
Isn't that what she's saying to us?
It is.
But you have to know
why you're saying it,
and to allow your wife and
son to say what's on their minds.
Communication
is a two-way street.
- Not in my house, it's not.
- Then we'll try
to change that.
Listen, you expect certain
things from your parents and...
- No, I don't. I don't expect nothing.
- Let me finish.
All right, you would like to expect
certain behaviors from your parents.
You'd like them to understand
your feelings and your problems.
But at the same time, they
expect certain things from you.
Now, if each of you knows
what to expect from the other,
you'll take a lot of stress
and anxiety out of your lives.
And the easiest way
to learn is to make a list,
make a list of what's
expected from who.
Jeff, we'll start with you.
Let's make a list of
what's expected of you.
The chores you're expected to do
around the house, homework, everything.
Listen, I know this is not
going to be easy for any of you.
It's going to feel
very awkward at first.
But believe me, it can work.
Virginia, what kind of peas are
these? They're terrific in stew.
- Snow peas...
- Gives it a little
more delicate taste.
- You want to taste one, Jeff?
- Nah.
I'm going out to shoot some baskets
with the guys while it's still light.
But you didn't finish
emptying the trash.
Mom, it's gonna get dark soon.
Let's take a look at the board.
- Well, I know he did
a lot of his chores...
- Yeah, I did.
- How many?
- Let's see. You, uh...
Jeff, you did
- seven of the ten
chores you agreed to...
- See, I told you.
So what it comes down to is how you
told each other what you were feeling.
Jeff, let's try that role
playing thing again...
- I'll be you, okay?
- Sure.
Mom, I know I haven't
finished taking out all the trash,
but I did do most
of my other jobs
and I'd like to go out for a
little while while it's still light out.
I promise I'll finish the
trash as soon as I get back.
Now, if Jeff had
asked you like that,
how would you
respond to that, Virginia?
Well, I suppose if he
said it that way, I'd say,
"Okay, just be sure
you're home by seven."
- Jeff?
- Yeah, I see.
It's just kinda hard saying it that
way. Does that mean I can go?
Uh, yeah.
- Just be home by seven.
- I will. Thanks, Mom.
Ed, you want some more? Jeffie?
Man, I couldn't
eat another bite.
Jeff, your mother
asked you a question.
- I heard.
- Then answer her.
Wait, wait, let's nip
this right in the bud.
Ed, I honestly don't think
you meant to challenge Jeff.
- I wasn't challenging him.
- I'm sure that
wasn't your intention,
but from Jeff's response, I
think that's how he interpreted it.
- Is that right, Jeff?
- Yeah, maybe.
Does anybody want some dessert?
Huh? Jeff, I got that banana
cream pie you like so much.
I wasn't challenging you. Okay?
Ed, what were you
trying to say to Jeff?
- I was trying to tell him...
- Not to me. To him.
Okay, please?
I...
I guess I was trying to ask you
to treat your mother more politely.
Right, that's good.
Boy, I gotta tell you,
Emily, this isn't easy.
I know. It's going
to feel so awkward.
It's almost like speaking
a foreign language.
But this is the right
way to go, all right?
Jeff? What do you want
to say to your father?
I just thought you were
jumping on my case again.
Good. You see what
we've got to work for.
Really listening to each other.
Understanding what the
other guy is trying to say.
And for us all to express our
thoughts and feelings clearly.
I know it's going to be hard.
But this is the way we
should go. Let's hang in there.
Now, did somebody
say banana cream pie?
- Yeah.
- Where is it?
I've been thinking
about it, Quince.
Maybe you are right. Maybe I
should just stop worrying about it.
Sounds like good advice, Doctor.
To tell you the truth, I don't know why
you've been worrying about it so much.
You've been with the Rayanos over a
week and everything's going along well.
Too perfectly. And
that's what bothers me.
I don't have enough
time to spend with him.
I get a feeling that everyone's on
their best behavior to please me.
Nothing wrong with that. It's
a good learning environment.
Yeah, I know. And I expected a
little artificial behavior from all of them
until their new skills
became natural,
but there hasn't been a real
crisis to test what they're learning,
and that's what I'm afraid of.
And where is it written
that a crisis is inevitable?
Maybe you're just a
much better psychiatrist
than you give yourself
credit for, Doctor.
And you, Doctor,
are such a sweet liar.
You're great for my ego.
And I love you for it.
Where would you
like the table, Virginia?
Over there?
I can't...
I didn't realize it was so...
- Hi, honey, how did it go?
- Terrific.
Two lousy openings for metal
workers and sixty guys show up for it.
Did you at least fill
out an application?
Ed?
Did you hear me? Did
you at least fill out...
I heard you the first time.
This guy MacAllister or something
like that, some guy in personnel,
said I was over qualified for
the job. Is that stupid or what?
Hey, don't we have any beer in here?
There's not one lousy beer in the house.
Doctor Hanover thought it would
be a good idea not to have any...
- Who asked her in
the first place?
- I just thought that...
Hey, lady, I'm not in the mood
for that stuff right now, okay?
Just leave it alone for a while.
A guy just wants a decent
job to provide for his family.
How can you be
over qualified for that?
Ed, you want to give us a
hand with the table for a second?
We're trying to move it
to the side there and...
What's wrong with
him? He crippled?
- Jeff's doing his homework.
- In front of the TV?
Hey, you, get your butt over
here and help your mother.
- She said she
didn't want any help.
- Well, I'm saying different!
Ed, really, it's okay, I already
told him to do his homework.
Ed, I think we can all appreciate
your frustration and your anger,
but if we can just
talk about it and...
Doctor, I thought I
told you to knock it off.
Ed, please, Emily's just trying to
help. If you'd only listen for a second...
- What,
are you taking her side now?
- There are no sides here.
Hey, didn't I tell
you to get over here?
- I'm busy.
- We'll see how busy you are!
- Ed, don't.
- Mr. Rayano, wait...
Get out of my way!
Oh, that's cold.
It's supposed to
be. It's called ice.
- Yeah.
- Hold it, will you?
- How's the heating
pad on your back?
- Nice. Feels good.
You know, if you told me
that job came with combat pay,
I never would have
encouraged you to take it.
Quince, I told you,
it was an accident.
Quince, it was more
my fault than his.
My job was to diffuse
the fight before it starts.
Instead, I stepped
into it blindly.
And now you just
stepped out, permanently.
No, Quince, I've got to go back.
But I'm afraid for you.
But I should have expected
that kind of eruption.
I really screwed up.
I never really got a chance
to work individually with Ed
on handling his feelings about anger.
Quince, there had to be set-backs.
But I still believe in this
Homebuilders program.
I believe I can help that
family. I have to go back.
- Wouldn't you do the same?
- Yeah.
But I thought you had
more sense than me.
Ah!
I guess when something's not
meant to be, it's not meant to be.
And who says it
wasn't meant to be?
Please, Doctor
Hanover, don't humor me.
My youngest boy is dead.
My older boy and my husband
have both run off to God knows where
and I'm sitting in a house
three months behind in rent
talking to a psychiatrist I
couldn't afford in a million years.
Virginia.
Hey, Rayano, heard
you were up at Thayer.
- When they spring you?
- Last week.
Had a buddy up there
same time you were.
Ricky Lee Murphy, know him?
He knows you.
- Says you're
a tough little sucker.
- What's it to you?
We were thinking maybe
we could help you out.
I don't need any help.
Kid doesn't need help.
Got a private Swiss
account stashed away.
Just figured you could
use a hundred or so.
- Guess not, huh?
- Independently wealthy.
- You say a hundred?
- Maybe a little more,
little less. Depends.
What do I have to do?
Just stand and be cool.
- Interested?
- Maybe.
Why don't we step into
my office and discuss it?
- Oh, man, is it real?
- Damn right it is.
But you said nobody's
gonna get hurt.
And nobody will, buddy-boy,
that's the whole point.
You and this piece are the insurance
it goes down nice and smooth.
I don't understand.
- Tell him.
- Yeah.
Look, kid, the store
closes at ten every night
and old lady Grossman
counts the money in the back.
You hold the piece while
we conduct business, got it?
That's all you gotta
do. Just hold it.
Why don't one of you hold it?
Murphy told me you were
smart. So far I don't see it.
You're a kid, you're under age.
Nobody shoots a kid.
And if something goes wrong, I go
up as a juvenile and you two walk.
Hey, those are the risks. If me or
Hurleigh get caught with the piece,
we're looking at some heavy
time in the gray bar hotel.
You? Couple easy
months at the most.
Well? You in or what?
Yeah. I'm in.
- What time?
- We'll meet you
here at nine thirty.
And don't go soft on us, kid.
Or it's your tail, understand?
Yeah. Sure.
I know it doesn't do any
good to tell you not to worry,
but don't worry,
we'll find them.
Okay, I'll try to be home
early. I love you, too.
Bye.
What's the look? You
both the same canary?
Could be.
You know that Rayano
guy you asked us to find?
- You found him already?
- More like he found us.
- What are you talking about?
- He's been in the drunk tank
since early this morning.
What happened to him?
He tried to lift some lady's
purse at a bar last night.
She resisted and her friends
administered a little barroom justice.
He's just lucky our boys
got there when they did,
otherwise he'd be in a
hospital rather than the tank.
Oh, listen, they're not pressing charges
so he can leave any time he wants.
Thanks, Monahan.
Yeah, that's right, Rayano.
You better turn away from me.
Why don't you see
if you can slither
through the cracks down
there and disappear?
So what do you figure?
Another couple of days and
you'll pull yourself together?
You'll shave and
shower, start all over again
with "I'm sorry" and "I didn't
mean it, give me another chance."
And I believed
you. I believed you.
You're a fraud, Rayano,
a fourteen karat fraud.
You've hurt every life
you've ever touched.
Your wife's, Chris', Jeff's, who, by
the way, didn't come home last night.
But what do you care?
All you're interested in is
feeling sorry for yourself
and wondering where your
next drink is coming from.
I just want you to know if
anything happens to him,
you can put another
notch in your belt.
Jeff, wait!
Jeff, wait, I want to talk to
you! Please, listen to me.
- What do you want?
- Another chance.
- You gotta be kidding.
- Jeff, please, listen to me.
I got drunk. They said
some guys beat me up.
- Then I went to jail.
- Who cares?
You better stay away from me.
Yeah, I'm batting a thousand.
Doctor Quincy's right.
I've ruined everybody's
life I ever touched.
But it isn't too late
for you, Jeff, honest.
Jeff, when I woke up
in that jail this morning
I got scared.
Not of jail, not of getting a
shellacking. I've gotten plenty of those.
I got scared of being alone, of
being by myself for the rest of my life,
nobody caring about what
happens to me. I don't want that, Jeff.
Not for me, not for you
and not for your mother.
Like Emily said, we
need each other, Jeff.
So we've got to try and change.
You should have thought of that
before you let them kill my brother!
You let them send us up
there, you let them beat us
and put Chris in that cage.
You don't know what they did
up there. You didn't give a damn!
Now leave me
alone before I shoot!
Jeff, please...
- I'm begging you.
- No!
Virginia, I know I can't
tell you not to worry,
but Jeff is a very
intelligent, self-sufficient boy.
He'll come home when
he's ready. I know he will.
I told Lieutenant Monahan the whole story.
The police will keep an eye open for him.
I just hope he's all right.
I just hope nothing's
happened to him.
He was okay when I saw
him, Ginny. He really was.
Jeff!
Jeff! You're home.
You came home!
- Oh, babe, I was so worried.
- Hi, Mom.
- Are you okay, huh?
- Yeah. Sure. I'm okay.
Welcome home, son.
Yeah.
- Where have you been?
- Walking.
I must have walked
a hundred miles.
And then some cops
saw me and chased me.
Anyway, I got away from 'em
and ended up in some alley.
My heart was pounding so
hard I thought it was going to bust.
I was scared.
Then I thought about
what you told me.
About you being scared
and not wanting to be alone,
and us being a family.
Did you mean all those things?
Every word. I swear.
Ed, what did you
want to do just then?
- What do you mean?
- It looked to me like
you wanted to hug him.
Did you?
- Yeah.
- And Jeff,
did you want him to?
I think so.
Well, what are you waiting for?
You have to begin somewhere.
- What did you do with the gun?
- I roofed it.