Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 9, Episode 5 - A Feather on the Breath of God - full transcript

Oh, dear.

Monica, I'm so sorry I'm late.

I was catching up
on some research

when I realized I
had to meet you here,

and it's so easy for me to
lose track of time at the library.

Gloria, forget about
where you've been.

Look at where you are.

What's Tess doing?

She's walking a labyrinth.

Uh, is that some sort
of exercise program?

In a way.



It's a sort of
spiritual exercise

that's been around
for centuries.

It's a way of praying,

like taking a quiet
walk with God

and setting everything
aside for a little while.

Well, what are we waiting for?

Wait.

The purpose of
a labyrinth is to...

is to slow down.

Cherish every moment
that God gives us.

Lorena has been doing that

ever since she got
out of the hospital.

I got it, Mom. Watch.

Mom, look!



That's really nice, Grace.

Keep practicing.

I'm gonna be right over here.

Do you have a headache today?

No, honey, I'm fine today.

Lorena comes here
every day with her little girl.

Grace is her
reason for living now.

Why does someone need a reason?

For some people, life
becomes more precious

when the end is near.

Grace.

Oh, thanks.

His name is Sidney Alcott,

and as far as
Sidney's concerned,

people are just funerals
waiting to happen.

Oh, dear.

He's a broken man, Gloria.

He's... like that rose.

So, which one of them
is our assignment?

All of them.

They're all on the same journey.

They just don't know it yet.

There's something else.

There isn't much time.

♪ When you walk ♪

♪ Down the road ♪

♪ Heavy burden ♪

♪ Heavy load ♪

♪ I will rise ♪

♪ And I will walk with you ♪

♪ I'll walk with you ♪

♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪

♪ Walk with you ♪

♪ Every time, I tell you ♪

♪ I'll walk with you ♪

♪ Walk with you ♪

♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪

And allow me to thank you

for choosing Alcott
Funeral Home.

May I offer my sincere
condolences at your loss.

Oh, thank you, but I
haven't lost anyone.

Ah, you're here to make
pre-need arrangements,

so that when the time comes,

your loved ones
won't have to worry.

Wise choice.

Let me just grab some paperwork.

Actually, Mr. Alcott,

I'm here to apply
for the position

that you advertised for,
the pre-need counselor.

I have a lot of experience
with people in need.

Okay, well, uh... look,
I don't have much time.

I have a viewing
in half an hour.

That must be very difficult.

This is a business, Monica.

I sell peace of mind,
and I'm good at it,

because I've learned the
secret to life and death:

don't get involved.

But it's such an emotional time.

People need compassion
and understanding.

They need to know that...

they can trust
someone with their pain.

You're good.

You do "trustworthy" very well.

Impressive.

I think we can
work something out.

You take all the time you need.

Are you ready, honey?

I'm ready.

I want to see her now.

Of course.

This way.

We find comfort in knowing

your mother is only
slumbering with the angels.

And slumbering's always better
in a $6,000 mahogany coffin.

Excuse me.

Good afternoon, ma'am.

Thanks for choosing
the Alcott Funeral Home.

I'm Sidney Alcott.

Hello, Mr. Alcott. I...

It's nice to meet you.

Allow me to offer my sincere
condolences on your loss.

Oh, thanks, but no one's died.

Not yet, but I...
well, the thing is...

Take your time.

There's a lot to consider.

I know.

You know, the truth is, I
don't even think I can afford

one of your services,
but I was hoping maybe...

Don't give it another thought.

This is our pre-need
counselor, Monica.

You're hired.
Now, get rid of her.

She's lovely.

She's been dancing
since she was four.

- I make her costumes myself.
- Ah.

She's got another recital
coming up next week.

Well... What is it?

It's just that, uh...

it might be the last time
I see my baby dance.

See, the funeral's for me.

Oh.

I'm sorry.

It started with headaches.

I clean peoples' houses,

so I thought it was
the ammonia, but...

apparently the first
sign are headaches.

You have a brain tumor?

And there's nothing they can do,

except guess how
many days I got left.

I want you to
know that I'm here,

and that I will do
anything I can to help.

I just want a simple service...

at that church on
Hanover Street.

Oh, the one with the labyrinth?

- I know it really well.
- Yeah.

I play the piano for
Sunday school there,

and I walk the
labyrinth every day.

It gives me great peace.

Have you told Grace

that you're not getting better?

I'm afraid of leaving her.

I don't want to leave her.

She's afraid to be alone,

and I need to
find a good family.

Well, do you have any relatives?

No.

Uh, Grace's father
left us years ago.

And I was adopted,

and both my parents
have passed on,

so it's just us.

Mr. Alcott... is he
a good person?

I-I don't really
know him very well.

I need for him to
arrange a funeral

that'll make it easy on Grace,

you know, when the time comes.

Cleaning houses doesn't
really pay a lot of money,

and, uh...

I have some hospital bills.

Maybe there's
something we can do.

Do you think Mr. Alcott
would help me out?

I mean, I can't pay
him a lot, but I will work.

I'll do whatever I can.

I'm a hard worker.

Come on.

Cantatas, oratorios, requiems.

Sidney, this is Lorena Watkins,

and I really think that you
should talk to her about...

Concertos, quartets, trios.

- Sidney.
- Mr. Alcott, I...

Here, hold this.

Wow. You like to dance.

I was a ballroom dance champion.

My little girl loves to dance.

Ah, swell.

Lorena has a
proposition to make.

You know, Mr. Alcott, I think
you need somebody here

to help keep this place clean.

What I really need

is someone to play
a lot of old hymns.

These crazy Delaneys,
they don't want a quartet,

they don't want a soloist.

No, what they want

is everybody singing old hymns.

Lorena plays
piano for her church.

You do?

Yeah.

Old hymns.

And I houseclean.

I do windows.

All right, then.

Oh...

Are you okay?

Hi. Oh, yeah, yeah.

It's just a little headache.

You're the guy that
drives the hearse, right?

Uh, that's one of my jobs, yeah.

I'm Andrew.

Oh, Lorena.

- Hi.
- It's my first day.

I guess we'll be seeing
more of each other.

Yeah, I'm sure we will.

I understand you have
a... a daughter, right?

Gracie.

Yeah, she's 12.

You like kids?

Oh, I-I love kids.

Oh, good, 'cause she's
gonna be coming after school.

Do you think, uh,
Mr. Alcott likes kids?

Um, I hope so.

Is he in his office, by the way?

I think so.

Well, um, welcome aboard.

Thanks. See you.

Mr. Alcott, I, uh, accepted a
delivery while you were gone.

All right.

Name of deceased?

Benjamin Holtzer.

His friends called him Beanie.

Fine.

Age?

Seven.

He's a... kid?

Yeah.

He was, uh, playing
in his front yard,

and the ball rolled
into the street.

He didn't see the car coming.

And his parents
will be here soon.

I'll be right down.

All right, let's
get this over with.

A kid.

How much cleanup
we talking here?

I'll call the makeup artist.

Sidney, drop the sheet.

- Sidney, drop the sheet!
- What?

Hey, honey, you're, uh...
you're Lorena's little girl, right?

You're-you're Grace?

Hey!

No big thing, kid. Stick around.

Maybe she'll learn something.

You walked out on an assignment.

I suppose you have some
explanation for your behavior.

I don't know about this, Tess.

Grace is a child.

She needs to be protected.

Grace is a child of God, and
He has a plan that includes

all three of those people.

Lorena and Grace and Sidney.

It's hard to imagine.

Nobody's asking
you to imagine it.

Just get out there and listen.

God has something
to tell you, too.

All right, Tess, now, look.

I know that you're a
fan of this thing, but...

This thing is a powerful
reminder of someone bigger

and wiser than us,
and you seem to need

to be reminded
of that, angel boy.

Get a move on!

Tess, no. I'm-I'm sorry.

This just...

Gloria?

Tess has been helping
me do some research

on the labyrinths and...

Well, here, listen.

Wow.

"0 Jerusalem" was written
hundreds of years ago.

See, it was too dangerous

for the pilgrims to
visit the Holy Land,

so they would build these
labyrinths in their cathedrals

and take a sort of
symbolic pilgrimage.

And this path that
leads to the middle,

that's called the
Road to Jerusalem.

It's all very interesting.

Excuse me, Sidney.

I brought you some coffee.

I hope you don't
mind. It's strong.

I like it strong.

You were wonderful
with the boy's parents.

I'm a professional.

Would you like me
to mail that for you?

No.

Thanks for the coffee.

You must have been
a very good dancer.

I had a good partner.

Had?

My wife is dead.

She and my daughter
were killed in a car accident

a long time ago.

I'm sorry.

Life is a fatal
condition, Monica.

You live alone, you die alone.

End of story.

Is that the lesson you
were trying to teach Grace?

She's only 12 years old.

She's never seen
a dead body before.

Well, now she has.

She'll get over it.

That's not the point.

And she won't get over it.

And it wasn't very nice
of Mr. Alcott to do that.

He looked so lonely
and scared and...

Is that what it's
like when you die?

No.

No, I don't think so.

But, hey, we don't have to
worry about that now, okay?

Let's just think about
living the best that we can.

How long are we
gonna live, Mama?

Well...

I don't know how long
this old body's gonna last,

but I'll tell you this,

my spirit will never die.

Hey, I think I know what
will make you feel better.

Follow me.

One, two, three,
one, two, three,

one, two, three. Good.

Oh, honey, you look great.

You need to float more.

This is a waltz,
not a square dance.

Here, give me your hand.

Play it again, Lorena.

You ready?

Here we go.

And one, two, three,

one, two, three,
one, two, three, back.

And turn to your
partner and bow.

And...

Ba-ba-ba, ba-da-ba, ba-da-da...

Bom-bom-bom.

Ba-da-da.

Bom-bom-bom-bom.

Dee-deedee—dee, boom.

Thanks.

You're a lot nicer than
my mom said you...

I mean, thanks.

You're welcome.

Can I walk with you this time?

Sure. Hold my hand.

Are you okay?

Um, I'm okay. I'm okay.

Let's keep going.

♪♪

You have the strangest
look on your face.

What happened?

God just showed me the truth.

What truth?

Lorena came here to plan more

than her funeral
before she dies.

Like what?

Like a reunion with her father,

the one that she
never knew... until now.

You mean...?

No.

Sidney had two daughters.

Hi.

You ought to knock before
you walk into somebody's office.

I'm sorry.

I was wondering if you could
help me practice some more.

Uh, maybe later.

But I have a dance
recital tonight,

and it would really help.

I have a business
to run. Like I said...

And it'd be really cool if
you could come to the recital.

You don't have
to pay or anything.

See, I get two free tickets.

One for my mom, and
you can have the other one.

I can't talk about
this right now.

I have a funeral.

For that boy?

Yeah.

I bet his parents are
really gonna miss him.

I'm busy right now, Grace.

I'm very busy.

Do you miss anyone?

Ow!

Damn it.

See what you made me do?

I'm sorry.

Aw, don't do that.

Don't cry.

Crying doesn't do any good.

My mama is gonna die.

You know that.

Yeah. Monica told me.

I never really understood

what it meant
until I saw that boy.

I'm gonna be late.

I'm sorry I cried on you.

Here, wipe your nose.

So, you won't forget?

Forget?

My recital.

He doesn't care who he hurts.

He just...

You know, I don't think
I should've come here.

It was a stupid idea.

Don't say that.

I don't know what
good it's done.

How are the funeral
arrangements coming?

Everything is going
to be taken care of.

If it's okay, Monica, I
need the afternoon off.

I have an appointment
with social services.

Oh, Lorena.

Oh, what choice do I have?

I've got to find
somebody to adopt Grace,

and I want to know who they are

so I can know that
she's gonna be okay.

What about Sidney?

Why would I let
that man have her?

Because he's your father.

How did you know that?

It's true, isn't it?

You should tell him.

You haven't said
anything, have you?

No, I haven't, but it will
make all the difference

to Sidney if you tell him.

He believes his
daughter is dead.

She is.

My older sister's dead.

My mother was
taking us shopping,

and we were in a car accident,
and I was the only survivor.

Afterwards, I guess my
dad couldn't take care of me.

You know, I got
to tell you the truth.

I never really thought
much about my father

until I got sick.

And then I got a copy
of the accident report,

and by next of kin,

it said "Sidney
Alcott" as my father.

That's how I found him.

And you didn't
try to contact him?

Not until now.

I wanted him to
be a good person.

I wanted him to have a
good reason for giving me up.

But after spending
some time with him,

I don't see much good in him.

The truth can change everything.

It may even change Sidney.

But you'll never know
unless you tell him.

♪ And He walks with me ♪

♪ And He talks with me ♪

♪ And He tells me I am His own ♪

♪ And the joy we share as... ♪

What are you doing?

Well, you left it unlocked.

I figured you finally
got sick of all the dust

and wanted me to clean.

I ought to fire you right now.

You know, Mr. Alcott, I'm
not just the cleaning lady.

I'm actually a person
who cares about you.

And I want to see you
find some peace in your life.

Don't start telling me I
need God or something,

'cause I'm not buying it.

I'm not trying to talk you
into anything, believe me.

I just want to explain.

I... see, every day,
I walk the labyrinth

at the church on Hanover Street.

Forget it.

I got my own way of
finding peace of mind.

Yeah, I found
the liquor bottles.

- I have something I need to tell you.
- Just get out.

I'll put everything back myself.

It is important. Please.

Go.

Okay.

But before I do...
I promised Grace

that I would give you this.

What?

It's a ticket to
her recital tonight.

Please, don't let her down.

She's been through so much.

Welcome to the club.

I don't see him.

He's not here yet.

Okay, turn around.

Well?

You're the prettiest
flower of the bunch.

Now, go out there, have fun,
do the best job that you can.

I'm already proud of you.

Okay, everyone, places, please.

- It's time.
- Hey.

I love you.

Love you, too.

You know, don't forget to
save a seat for Mr. Alcott.

Rose?

Rose?

Rose.

Rose.

Yeah?

Oh, Sidney.

Oh, Sidney what?

Weren't you supposed
to be somewhere tonight?

Was I?

Oh! Oh, yeah.

The little recital.

Too bad.

Believe me, Monica...

I've missed a lot
more than that.

When did you last
see your little girl?

She just turned two.

How do you...?

What do you know about Rose?

I know that she's
your little girl.

And I know that
you have seen her.

What?

You named her Rose,

but the people who adopted her,

they gave her a new name.

Sidney?

Huh?

I accepted a delivery.

Uh, put it in the prep room.

I did.

Then get out.

What are you talking
about, Monica?

What... what did they name Rose?

Lorena.

Lorena?

The cleaning woman?

Well... well, where is she?

In the prep room.

It's time to go, sweetheart.

I don't want to.

I know how sad you
are right now, Grace.

But try to think of
this as a celebration

of your mommy's life.

She loved you so much.

And she planned this day for you

because she knew this
is what you would need.

I need my mom.

What's going to
happen to me now?

We're going to make sure
that you are taken care of.

I'm not going to
forget about my mom.

Course you won't,

and you must never forget
how much she loved you.

Are you going to
my mom's funeral?

I think my mom
was right about him.

He's just very
sad right now, too.

I always wondered what
you'd look like all grown-up.

There wasn't a day that went by

that I didn't think
about you, Rose.

I never stopped loving you.

I wanted to tell you that...

That I loved you...
And that I was sorry.

You were right there in
front of me all this time,

but I was too damn
drunk to see it.

On the day I let them
take you away, I...

I wrote you this letter.

I always thought that...

someday I'd track you
down and send it to you,

and you'd read it

and understand why
I had to let you go.

I'd lost your mother,
I'd lost your sister.

I shouldn't have let
myself lose you, too,

but I just...

I never had much
faith in anything...

but I always believed
I'd see you again, Rosie.

But not...

not like this.

What happened, Sidney?

What are you doing here?

Don't you have work to do?

Yes.

And it's here, with you.

What are you talking about?

I'm an angel.

You're an angel?

Sure. Why not?

I'm the Angel of Death.

My God.

I always thought that was
just a joke people made.

No.

God... sends me
at the time of death

to escort people home.

You took Rose?

Yes.

When she died, I took her home,

but there have always
been angels around her.

Because I wasn't there.

Because I let her go.

Sidney, you lost your
wife and your child,

and often times, people
make bad decisions

when they're grieving.

I didn't think I could
raise her alone.

You've never been alone.

God will never
forsake His children.

Then why didn't He
tell me how to find her?

I would've... He
showed your daughter

how to find you, and after that,

it was up to the two of you.

And I blew it.

And now it's too
late to know her.

There's still a way.

Come with me to the funeral.

I can't.

That music was written

by a very courageous
woman 1,000 ago.

Her name was Hildegard,

and she walked with
God every day of her life.

She described herself as a
feather on the breath of God.

I've never heard a
better way of describing

what it means to be
on a journey with Him.

Lorena made that
journey every day.

I-I didn't know her, but
I walked with her once

on that labyrinth out there,

that path that symbolizes
our journey toward God.

She came into this world
with the name of Rose,

and like her
namesake, she bloomed

and left this world
a richer place.

She touched each of our lives.

To some, she was Rose.

To others, she was Lorena.

To God, she was
His beautiful child,

and she still is
His beautiful child.

And even now,
she walks with Him,

and she talks to Him,

just as she did so many times

on that labyrinth
in the courtyard.

♪ I come:

♪ To the garden ♪

♪ Alone ♪

♪ While the dew ♪

♪ Is still on ♪

♪ The roses ♪

♪ And the voice I hear ♪

♪ Falling on my ears ♪

♪ The Son of God ♪

♪ Discloses ♪

♪ And He walks with me ♪

♪ And He talks with me ♪

♪ And He tells me I am His own ♪

♪ And the joy we share ♪

♪ As we tarry there ♪

♪ None other has ever known ♪

♪ And the joy we share ♪

♪ As we tarry there ♪

♪ None other has ever known. ♪

♪♪

Hello, Sidney.

Where did you come from?

The same place that
Andrew came from.

Okay.

Then you can explain this.

What do you want to know?

She used to walk this thing.

She knew God.

I just walked it.

I don't know anything.

I don't know how to feel.

Why would God want
to meet me anywhere?

Because He loves you, Sidney.

Because He knows that your
life is full of pain and regret.

But His great
gift to you is this:

When people lose their way,

God is always waiting to
show them the way back.

What's the point?

I've lost more than my way.

I've lost the chance to
ever know my daughter.

No, you haven't.

Your daughter knew God.

She trusted God.

She walked with Him here.

This is Where her journey began,

and it can become
your journey, too.

Walk with Him, Sidney.

Not just here,

but wherever you go
for the rest of your life,

and you will know the peace
that your daughter knew.

When you learn to
love what she loved,

you will know her.

You will.

Grace.

Grace?

Yes, Mr. Alcott?

Hey, um...

Monica said you might
be needing a family now.

Yeah.

Well, I have some
ideas about that.

I thought we
might talk about it.

Okay.

You know... whoever
you decide to live with

probably should be somebody
who can dance, don't you think?

Yeah.

That's a good idea.

Hey... I dance.