Original subtitles

Yes, I'm calling from the church. I'd like to confirm.

I can get him to run around for two hours. Can you tell me exactly how much

money it was?

Was it over a thousand dollars?

You've never been to a fight in L .A.

I hear it's a mismatch. Goody ears can't take a punch.

All right, there'll be an early knockout, and we'll both be home in time

watch it again on TV.

Can do it, Charlie. Got plans.

Sue her?

Yeah, it's her birthday, and we're gonna do it up special.

Where do you get a cop on a birthday? An alligator hole?

I'm getting there something even better.

Wait a minute. Are you getting serious?

Oh, come on. Hey, why are you so damn secretive about your love life?

Discreet. I'm discreet.

Discreet? Oh, he's discreet.

Good morning, Charlie. How are you? Morning. Good morning.

Sixteen -year -old mother left her baby locked in a parked car with the windows

rolled up last night. The baby's in the hospital.

Driscoll doesn't say how it's doing.

He just refused to ease me into the day, don't you?

Sorry. What do you think, Lou?

You know about this? Driscoll told me not this morning. He said it was up my

alley. Poor Driscoll. Still thinking that any story with the word infant in

automatically goes to a woman.

You want me to give it back to him to flesh it out?

Hold it.

Hold it. If I'm willing to put up with Driscoll calling me dollface, you guys

ought to let me profit from it. I want that story.

Go on. I want to see how dollface handles it.

Oh, I know the condition of the baby and whether charges have been filed against

the mother. See if you can get anything on what she's like.

Okay. Where's Rossi?

Sunset Continental Hotel.

Under what name?

Strictly business.

Coffee? Sure.

He's interviewing a rock singer, Aaron Bly. Oh, the guy that's being sued by

ice skater. That's the one.

They live together. She gave up her career. He left her, and she's suing for

alimony. Hmm.

That kind of story get you a little edgy?

No way.

I'm lucky.

I work in a business where I don't have to worry about women loving me for my

money.

Hey.

Sit down. Make yourself at home. Did the manager give you the press book and the

album?

What I'm really interested in talking about is Cheryl Petrie.

Oh, that sad lady.

It's too bad.

Not angry?

No, I'm not the type.

Oh.

All right.

She hurt me good.

She really did a number on me.

Did a number? How do you mean?

Well, I mean that she told me that she loved me.

Hey, can you give me a break with the basket?

Hold it this way, Lou.

Great.

What was I saying?

She told you that she loved you. Right. She tells me that she loves me.

She says, Aaron, don't ever change. You know, no matter what happens, no matter

what we do, I'll stick.

Then the minute I move out, she sues me.

Oh, heads up.

What's got you today?

Cheryl stayed with you four years.

She claims to have supported you while the group was getting started.

Hey, you can help me out with the basket. This is not the NBA.

My father gave me money for 20 years. You don't see him suing me, do you?

Knock on wood.

Um, but Cheryl was never family.

Don't you think she deserves something for helping you out all those years?

Hey, what am I living in, a time warp or what?

Whatever happened to love?

I don't want to sound like Victor Moon, but that girl told me she did it because

she loved me.

When I split, I said, hey, Cheryl, take the car.

I let her stay in my place for six months.

Do you still love her?

You listen to that album, pal.

And you tell me whether I still love her.

The hospital told me you've been there twice already to check on the baby. You

always take such a deep risk in your case. I like kids, especially babies.

When I was in high school, I used to babysit all the time. Sure,

I got these big hands. I guess little babies aren't afraid I'm going to drop

them. Aren't they something, though?

Always watching you, like, uh, what are we going to do now?

Plus, I never met one that carried a concealed weapon.

Coffee, Miss Norman? Great.

What can you tell me about the baby you found last night? Cream and sugar?

Black. Well, I checked with the hospital.

Do you know about failure to thrive?

I never heard of it.

Okay. Let me try to make this real simple.

When you're a mama and you get to introduce a baby into the world, you get

show them how to connect with people.

A baby needs that as much as food and sleep.

That's why you gotta cuddle him real close. And you gotta have eye contact.

Keep those little love lights burning.

I guess my little gal last night didn't get much of that.

And you call that failure to thrive?

Oh, not just me. That's what it's called.

What happens to a baby?

There are stages.

They get listless.

They don't gain weight.

Then they start avoiding your look like they don't want you.

Then they turn sort of gray.

And then they die.

Is that going to happen to the baby you found?

Not if I can help it. The hospital's working on it.

Can you help me meet the mother?

You probably should.

I get the feeling you're picturing someone with horns and a tail.

Hi. Hi.

They were out of clam chowder, so I ordered you chicken rice. Great.

Oh, I'm sorry, I've got to go back to headquarters after dinner, but I could

give that punk extortionist the satisfaction of knowing he put a dent in

birthday.

I'm due back to question him in 45 minutes.

Well, I had this elaborate celebration planned, but now I'm grateful I don't

have to do it because I left the funny hats back at the office.

Happy birthday.

Oh, boy.

Not a record album.

The jeweler tried to sell me some dumb stick pin shaped like an S.

But I told him I wanted a locket for nothing.

He said I'm making a big mistake. Susan will want a stick pin. No, I want a

locket. I've got a locket.

You're going to have to give me a picture of yourself to put inside here,

know. Oh, no.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm letting you off easy. I could ask you for a lock of your

hair.

Hey.

Love, Lou.

Isn't McKenna's great? What a neat old place.

Great. A great, neat old place.

We're both here to enjoy it. They haven't torn it down yet, and it's our

It's your birthday.

And that creepy extortionist is going to get the most inspired questions thrown

at him tonight.

Can we celebrate some more when I'm finished with him?

Oh, you bet.

That'll give me time to go back and get the funny hats.

I have to get a lawyer.

I'm so scared.

And my girlfriend Lindsay wasn't home all day.

And no one tells me anything.

Please help me.

What do you want me to do?

Can you try and get a hold of Lindsay for me?

Trying to take Dawn away from me.

She's very sick.

But they can't take my baby. You left her. Just for a little while. I had to.

Gloria, you were at a party.

It was my birthday.

I see.

Well, I couldn't get a sitter. And I couldn't leave her at my place because

there could be a fire or something.

And I couldn't take her to the party because with all that noise, she

be able to sleep there. And then she'd cry and spoil things for everybody.

I locked the car. She was safe.

Gloria, they want to take Dawn away from you because they don't think you're

caring for her.

I never go anywhere.

I'm always stuck at home with Dawn.

She just lays there.

It scares me sometimes.

Like I think she doesn't love me.

Do you love her?

I love her.

I'm her mommy.

And they tell me they may take her away from me.

I don't know what I'll do.

If I lose Dawn, then I don't get my welfare.

And I can't pay for my place.

Then I'll have to move back with my grandma, and I hate it there.

I'll just die.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Lakers won.

So, Portland.

Oh, we are checked out for the season.

For me?

Yeah.

Geez, keep brittle.

I'm putting tomato juice on your list.

I'll get groceries after work.

Hey, remember we're going out to Pacoima tonight.

I didn't remember. Why are we going to Pacoima?

Talk to the Kiwanis.

That's an awfully long drive.

Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. I'll borrow a black and white and we can turn

the siren on.

Oh, I can't go.

I'll call you after lunch. Okay.

Freeze. What?

We only brought one car home. Mine's down at headquarters.

Oh, okay. I'll drive you. What are we going to do with these eggs?

Turn the heat off. Let them hard boil.

We can have them when we get back from Pacoima.

We thought last night was special.

Sorry about the rush, honey.

There's got to be a simpler way.

Yeah, we sure could save ourselves a lot of trouble if we just moved in

together.

What do you mean?

You kidding?

Yeah, I'm kidding.

You wouldn't want to live with me.

I love living with you. You're a dreamboat.

You ready?

Freeze. What?

You really mean that?

Sure. Why not?

I'm still kind of knotted up from yesterday, you know?

I didn't know whether to throttle this girl or tell her not to worry.

Everything's going to be okay.

So what's next?

You know what I'd like to do?

Gloria, that's the girl with the baby. I got a line on her best friend. I'd like

to go talk to her.

Why?

Because last night I got a jolt. I'd like to find out what her friends think

her.

You think there's more to this than what you already got?

I don't know. Let me find out.

Drop it.

I can use you better on the story about Senator Emanuel's aide.

One trip to Hoover.

That's not asking too much. Let me give it a shot, Art.

I'll let her give it a shot, Art.

Thanks, Lou. Be back after lunch.

What do you think? Is she a good enough skater? She's good enough for me.

I mean good enough to be a pro.

How do I know? I'm not Krischenko. She's gorgeous and she doesn't fall down.

This is an important legal point. She claims to have given up a skating career

to devote herself to Aaron Bly.

It'd be nice to know. She's full of it.

Sorry. If I don't get through my whole program, it breaks the rhythm of my

training. Oh, no. This is very beautiful to watch.

Joe Rossi Tribune.

Dennis Price.

Fine. Cold hands.

A warm heart.

Do you think Aaron Bly would agree?

I think I'd better not say what I think.

My lawyer says I shouldn't prejudice my case.

You don't seem bitter.

I'm going to win.

Cheryl, how does someone come to sue the man she loves?

Ask any woman who's getting a divorce.

It's not really the same thing, is it?

Well, apart from a marriage license, how is it different?

Didn't I make sure he was fed?

Care his problems, his bed?

You don't have to get into that unless you want to.

In California, the law says that a housewife has earned half of what she

husband make during their marriage.

I think I deserve the same.

Yeah, but you didn't make that legal arrangement. That's why people get

isn't it? For that protection.

Well, I guess for all my smarts, I was just too naive.

But I have letters.

Aaron promised me everything.

And I believed him.

Stars.

I'm not sure that translates into 50 % of his net worth.

Well, that's up to the judge.

You estimate Bly's worth at $8 million.

This was a man who made a living parking cars three years ago.

Aaron sells the record every seven seconds, 24 hours a day.

Now, what if he spends it as fast as he makes it?

We'll all come out in the trial. You'll see.

Did you hear his new album?

Sure, it's beautiful.

He's a great musician. That's one of the things I love about him.

He said you were the inspiration for him.

Well, that's great.

He can give me 50 % of that, too.

We're learning about fossil fuel. Mm -hmm. They're running out. Right.

Maybe if they run out fast enough, we won't have to finish doing this cruddy

project.

When's it going to be in the paper?

Maybe. You really write for the Tribune?

Mm -hmm.

Do you make a lot of money?

Well, that depends.

Hey, what do you want to talk to me for?

Are you doing a story about fossil fuels?

Oh, no such luck. I'm writing about Gloria Bradley.

She told me that you're a friend of hers. Yeah, I'm her best friend. She's a

neat girl.

I think it's just awful to try and take Don away from her. Is that true?

They're trying to take her baby away?

What kind of mother is Gloria?

She's really a neat girl.

Did she leave school because of the baby?

I think. No, she could still go if she wanted to.

She's like being free.

I'm curious.

How much do they teach you girls about birth control?

A lot.

There's a pill and the IUD and the diaper. Gross.

It's totally gross. I'm on the pill.

I think the pill's too dangerous.

My cousin has this friend who got this humongous blood clot.

What do you use?

Well, I'm okay. I'm real careful.

Don't you worry about getting pregnant?

I think she'd worry a lot more if she could get a guy to take her out.

Is he a liar?

She's kidding.

Well, what about getting pregnant?

Does that happen very often around here?

More with the older girls.

Well, I think they'd be even more careful.

Why careful? I'm trying to get pregnant.

Times sure have changed.

Listen, I want to tell you something.

Sure.

I feel like I really didn't tell you the truth back there.

I know I'm safe because I've never done it.

I know all about it, but I've been sort of scared to do it with somebody I

didn't know real well.

I don't know.

Do you feel kind of rushed?

I feel like a little kid.

Why?

Are you going to write about it?

I think so.

Do you like to write?

Sure do.

I wrote a poem for eighth grade. They made me read it in front of the class.

I was going to get it published.

Oh, well, that's a tough field, poetry.

Yeah, I was going to write some mad things about it.

So what do you think about my plan?

Wanting to get pregnant?

Yes.

Well, I'd like to ask you about it. Could I buy you something to eat?

Sure. I forgot to eat lunch.

See, as soon as the doctor signs this thing saying that you're pregnant, you

get AFTC.

I don't know what that stands for, though.

Aid for Families with Dependent Children. I didn't realize it started

got pregnant.

I'll have a milk and just a milk.

I'll have a fries, a strawberry slush, and a cherry pie.

So, like, I can get $287 a month, you know? I can get my own place, and I can

quit school.

You know? And the best thing of all is I can have my baby.

I really want a baby.

Do you want to get married?

All the guys I know are too immature.

Me too.

Okay.

Hey.

Hey.

Does the boy know?

No.

Well, didn't he ask you if you were using birth control?

I just told him I was too young to get pregnant.

And he believed you?

Sure. He wants to believe me.

What do your friends at school think?

I haven't told anybody about it, really.

There's nobody to show them.

Wendy, does your mother know what you want to do?

Uh -huh.

What does she think about it?

She doesn't care.

Come on.

No, it's okay. It's okay.

She really doesn't care.

Fifteen. Trying to get pregnant?

Cute, huh?

What about band?

Why isn't she in band?

Drill team, playing volleyball.

I know, I feel the same way.

My daughter came to me once, scared to death that she was pregnant.

And she was married at the time.

I said it was okay.

This little welfare scam she's worked out. I'd say she was clever if I didn't

know what a mess Wendy was getting into.

I don't know.

We set up programs to help people with kids and end up financing a little

escape from home.

What kind of parents does she have?

I don't know about her father, but Wendy's got a mother. And according to

her mother doesn't care.

She's got to care.

Can you get Oliver?

I'll give it a try.

Heading for your car?

Yeah. Good idea. I want your opinion.

I've got something on my mind. I need a reaction.

What do you think of Susan moving in with me?

For security reasons.

What do you think?

Great. Congratulations.

You really think it's great? Be straight with me, Charlie. Listen, I think she's

a terrific girl. The two of you get along very well.

Goodbye. Well, maybe you're talking to the wrong guy. I'm an old married man.

Mary and I have been together for 30 years.

It's the only kind of lifestyle I know.

I understand.

You think I ought to marry Susan.

I think you ought to play the field for crying out loud. You're an inspiration

to us all.

You know, I'm a little surprised.

When Wendy talked about her mother, I pictured, well, you know, a mother.

You're so young.

I'm 33.

Wow. We could have gone to school together.

Yeah.

Listen, I'm doing a story about teenage girls who want to get pregnant.

And by accident, really, I met Wendy.

I won't use your real names if that's a problem.

I'll tell you why I'm talking to you, Billy.

I think you're going to help me.

Oh?

I think you think Wendy is a stupid kid and that her wanting to have a baby is

about the dumbest idea you've ever heard of.

She thinks you don't care.

She doesn't have the least idea what it means to have a baby who screams all the

time or a little kid that won't mind you unless you swat her.

She won't even clean her room.

Well, what if you talk to her about this?

Talk to her.

Scream till I'm blue in the face.

Tell her I've got to work for a living, and I'm not going to have another baby

in this house.

I'm through having babies.

You're not going to drop one of yours off in my lap when you get tired of

care of it.

She seems so little.

Not to me, she doesn't.

What am I supposed to do?

Lock her in a closet till she's 21?

That kid can make a baby.

She's trying like hell to make a baby.

There's nothing I can do about it.

Wendy? What?

You didn't do the dishes.

Get in here and do them.

Now. Make me.

Little mother.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Grant.

How's your research on teenage pregnancy going?

Oh, fine.

54 ,000 teenagers got pregnant in California last year.

94 % of teenage girls who get pregnant end up trying to raise the babies

themselves.

Babies of young teens are two to three times more likely to die in their first

year. And... 100 % of editors in this city room are getting very depressed.

I went to see Wendy's mother.

She's frantic.

I don't know who needs affection more, the mother or the kid.

Are you ready to write it up? I'm close.

Lou.

You should see this girl.

She thinks I have this very glamorous job, and she keeps dropping hints about

how she'd like to be a writer.

Wow.

She's written one poem. I just don't think I should encourage her.

Afraid of hearing footsteps, huh?

There are a lot of things this girl can do. It's highly unlikely that writing is

one of them.

She has this knack of going after things just because she thinks they're going

to be glamorous.

Lou, when this is over, I don't want to be the one to break her heart.

Oh, for an easy touch, you sure talk tough.

That's because I'm resisting the urge to become her guardian.

Cheryl Petrie lives with a guy. He supports her. And she's got the nerve to

to freeload off of him for the rest of her life.

Hold it. She took care of him. That's work.

Yeah, she gave him all kinds of moral support.

Well, the guy's an artist. If she helped keep his creative juices flowing, it

ought to be worth something.

Aren't you just making excuses for somebody wanting payment for sex?

Now, what if sex had nothing to do with it? What if some guy was my friend at

the start of my career, really stood by me, then the minute I hit it big as a

movie star... Any day now. I treat him like he's a total stranger. I'm a bum,

right? No, you appreciate what he did, but it doesn't mean you give him a

percentage of your earnings.

You know what I don't get?

I mean, let's assume sex was a major factor here.

They estimate Bly's estate at what?

Eight million bucks. He wants half.

Has anybody ever had four million dollars worth of sex?

Three, maybe.

I think it's insulting to women to think that just because Cheryl Peacher was

his mistress, Bly doesn't know her anything.

I think it's insulting to women to think that they should be paid for sex.

Move for management?

Sure. Sit down.

He's talking about the Bly case.

Oh, yeah?

You want to hear this, don't you?

What do you mean?

Well, Lou and Susan... Nothing.

That's okay, Lou. We all know.

No, we don't. What are you talking about?

Lou and Susan Sherman.

Oh, that.

Oh, that.

Everybody knows.

We'd be lousy newspaper men if we didn't.

What do you think, Lou?

If Susan moves in, wouldn't the contractors get in the way?

Am I going to have to eat in the wire room?

Yeah, come on.

Lou doesn't want to discuss it. Let's change the subject.

Okay. No more talk about women or sex or money.

What do you guys think?

Are the Chinese going to develop a taste for Coca -Cola or are there just too

many fundamental cultural differences?

Hi.

Wendy, hi.

I found you. I don't believe it.

You sure did.

How are you? I'm okay. I'm okay. Still not pregnant.

But I read your article.

What did you think?

I guess which one was Gloria, because you talked about her maybe losing the

and everything.

Was that other girl me?

Didn't you recognize yourself?

It was me, huh? Oh, that's weird. Why is that weird?

Well, you said that I was delicate, which is good. It's okay. I mean, you

have said I was a total loser, so that's good. But then you got into all this

junk about how my mom's all freaked out, and I don't think you got that part

right. Oh?

Well, you made it sound like my mom was... Like I wasn't going to raise my

any better than my mom raised me. And I don't think you can know that.

Well, that's just something that happens lots of times with girls like you and

their babies.

Oh, well, it's going to be different.

So this is where you work, huh?

Uh -huh. All the reporters for Metro are in this room.

You don't get an office?

I get a desk and a file cabinet in one drawer.

Do they like...

Pay for the clothes that you wear to work and stuff?

No.

They barely pay for the typewriter ribbons.

Think I could do this?

Well, the less school you have, the tougher it'll be.

Right, right. When I quit school, I'm going to regret it the rest of my life,

right?

This is a very competitive business.

I don't know. I mean, you seem smart, but you're not like a genius or

anything.

Look, Wendy.

Uh, after your story ran, somebody called me about a class where kids take

of little babies just to see what it's really like. Why do they need to do

Why don't you come with me?

I'd be interested in your reaction to this place.

It's okay.

You see, these kids get credit.

Class credit in child care.

And some local mothers get a break from their babies a few hours a week.

Sounds like a simple enough arrangement.

Looks like these kids have got their hands full.

Very true.

See, after a semester of this, the last thing they want is a baby of their own.

Is there any tape here, Mr. Henry?

Uh, yeah, it's on my desk. But wait a minute, uh, what do you need it for?

Amy, all she wants is a pacifier, but when I put her down with it, she keeps

dropping it.

So I'm going to, like, tape it to her mouth so it won't fall out. That might

work, Sarah, but what if Amy needs to breathe through her mouth?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Well, what did I do? She's really cranky. Well, cuddle her with the

pacifier. Well, I did. A long time. Not long enough for Amy. You try some more,

right? Okay.

Oh, come on.

Got her?

Uh, Mr. Hammerly. Yeah.

Why if you hadn't been there?

Well, I always am.

The question really is, what if Sarah were alone with a baby to care for all

time? Mr. Hammerly? Yeah.

It's not fair.

Brian's out for the rest of two days now.

Who do you have today?

Oh, Cory.

And he's still all fussy like he was yesterday.

Did you feed him?

Yeah. And he spits up half of it all over me.

Grabbed my hair and he pulls.

Can't I have Vanessa?

Look, I'll be right over, all right?

Okay. You see, Vanessa, she's the little girl over there. She's cute.

She's smart. She's always smiling.

Everybody wants dibs on her. And Cory?

Well, you know how some babies seem to be wet all the time? Aw.

I mean, I try not thinking about what it would be like when Vanessa and Cory are

in school.

I'd better, uh... Yeah, thanks.

How's it going?

Okay. These people sure aren't very good at this stuff.

Do you think it's because the babies aren't their own? What do you think?

I don't know.

Let's go, okay?

Funny smell in here. Get used to it, kiddo.

You shouldn't have answered it.

How was I to know it would be your daughter? And besides, I didn't know you

hadn't told your family about me yet.

I'm sorry I answered your phone. I was here. You weren't home. Come on, Lou.

pick up the phone at my place all the time. We've been over this, Susan. We

agreed that we'd each tell our families when the right time came. Well, the

right time came for you before it came for me.

Lou, it's been eight months.

Don't you think your girls got some kind of a clue when the sweaters you bought

them for Christmas didn't have to be returned?

That's baloney. I don't need your help to pick up presents for my kids.

For crying out loud, I had to talk you out of buying them in the teen shop.

I'll remember that.

There it is again. You're doing it again.

What? Your famous selective memory. I should have everything you say in

or on tape.

Sure. Let's get our lawyers together and work up a contract.

Well, at least then I'd know if it's okay for me to answer your phone.

Listen, when the time comes that we need lawyers to work out our arguments,

that's when I'm hanging them up.

Well, at least a lawyer would stay rational.

A lawyer wouldn't turn a simple answered phone into a knock -down, drag -out

fight. I mean...

How are we going to negotiate these things if we're going to live together?

I don't want to talk about that now.

Well, I have to.

My lease is up next week, and my landlord had promised not to raise the

I sign on for another two years, so I would kind of like to know if we're

to get it together or not on this house thing.

Now?

You need some time?

Well, as much as I'd like to jump in the air and say yes, I don't want the

overwhelming joy I feel toward you right now to influence my judgment.

Can you let me know by the end of the week?

Yeah, okay.

Good.

Thanks.

Well, I think I'll just go now.

Give you a chance to remember the good times.

Oh, hi, Wendy. What's up?

I'm so excited I had to call you. I did it, Billy.

You're pregnant?

Yeah, it worked.

At first I was, you know, a little scared about it, but now I know for sure

really did it.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Guess what?

What?

Aaron's lawyers have sent my lawyers an offer.

Oh, what is it? Well, it's about 20 pages of legalese that says he loves me

he wants to settle out of court.

You gonna accept?

Well, I'm going to negotiate.

What do you suppose made him change his mind?

Well, I figure it was one of two things.

Either Aaron loves me, one possibility, or he's scared out of his wits.

that a trial will show he's worth a lot more than he says he is.

Which do you think it is?

Well, I'm a hopeless romantic.

Oh, me too.

I'm sure it's love.

And I figure if he loves me, he'll be delighted to agree to marry me.

Think I have a chance?

I think you can set the date.

I already have.

Three weeks from Saturday.

Well? What do you think?

It was okay.

Did the counselors give you any good advice?

I guess.

Well, what'd they tell you?

One told me about an abortion, but why would I want an abortion? I want to have

my baby.

What about adoption?

A baby's not just like a puppy or something where you give it away.

Wendy, what if someone else was able to take care of your baby better than you

can? Money's not everything.

I mean, maybe they could give it more attention.

Maybe they would be older, would know more what a baby needs.

Nobody can love a baby more than its mother.

That's not necessarily true.

You think that a baby is going to make everything better, but when it doesn't

and you're disappointed, you're liable to take it out on the baby.

You don't want me to have my baby, do you?

You think I won't be a good mother, don't you? Wendy, Wendy, it's going to

tough for you. I'm not...

I'm asking for hardly anything.

I know I'm never going to be smart or popular.

I know I'm always going to let my mom down and I'll never be anything.

I just want a baby. I want something all new that will love me.

And I know I can do it right. Oh, Wendy, Wendy, will you please listen to me?

You're selling yourself short.

Wendy, you're a good kid. Don't you see that? There are lots of things you can

do.

Well, you don't think I can be a writer. I know you don't.

Wendy, there are lots of things in life to be besides a mother and a writer.

There are several things in between the two.

But you don't see that yet.

And on the other hand, you think the toughest job of all, being responsible

someone else's life, is going to be easy just because you want it so much.

Please.

Please. There's time. Would you think about adoption?

Please.

No. Forget it. You don't understand.

Hi. Morning, Billy.

Where's Lou?

Oh, he took the day off.

Personal business.

Oh.

Something I can do?

Well, usually when I feel lousy like this, Lou lets me spill it out on him.

He's one lucky guy.

Go on, then.

What do you do when you're on a story and you see someone making a big mistake

and you think you should do something?

You think again.

That's not your job, Billy.

Well, that's true in most cases, but what if the mistake is really big?

Exactly what freight train are you thinking of throwing yourself in front

already did it.

On my story on teenage mothers.

There's this girl, she's 15, and what she's doing to her life.

I finally tried explaining things to her. It was a mess.

Now you know. No, I don't know.

If I had it to do again, I'd still try.

Since when do you know everything?

What? Who's to say that this girl is ruining her life?

Who's to say she won't be a good mother, that her kid won't grow up to be

healthy and happy?

History, the odds.

Look, Billy, I know why you did it.

But listen to me.

If you want to give advice, you get out of the news business, get yourself a

column.

Because most of the time over on this side, what you've got to write about are

people's mistakes.

And sometimes they're mistakes that ruin lives.

Yeah. The only good thing about it is that if you write clearly enough, you

keep someone else from doing the same thing.

Maybe.

I don't know.

That maybe has always been enough for me.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

The answer's no, right?

Right.

Yeah, I kind of figured you wouldn't take the day off and come all the way

here if the answer was yes.

The ocean would be romantic.

It'd be easier to say why.

There, now you see how different we are.

To me, ocean is romantic when you're walking barefoot in the sand and you got

Irish setter with you to pick up pieces of driftwood.

I don't know. Maybe it's the bait.

All right.

Susan, I care an awful lot for you. Yeah, I guess so.

Two and a half bucks worth of bait.

Oh, come on, come on.

Let me tell you why I don't want to live with you.

Oh, boy.

When I married Edie, I thought it was for life.

It didn't turn out that way.

It's just been in the past couple of years that I've gotten the hang of being

alone without being lonely.

I'm good at it.

Finally.

Yeah, you are.

You see,

I think one reason why people live together instead of getting married is

keep their options open.

When you say to me, let's live together, I always hear, and if it doesn't work

out, we'll feel free to leave.

I split up a household once.

It killed me.

Boxes marked Edie.

Boxes marked Lou.

Packing up the kids' toys.

I don't want to do it again.

You want to talk marriage, I'll talk marriage.

No, not yet.

Marriage is breakup too, Lou.

I know.

It just makes it more difficult to do.

See, I don't want to be easy when something goes wrong for the two of us

for the exit.

I understand.

You do?

Yeah, makes sense.

It was a lot similar than I thought.

Why? What did you think was going to happen? Well, I figured we'd sort of bet

this back and forth, argue some.

Maybe one of us would cry.

Oh.

And finally, as the sun was going down, we'd head back into town,

exhausted, but feeling like we've accomplished something.

How late is it?

10 .30.

What do you want to do then?

I don't know. Go home, I guess.

See my landlord and my leaf.

Okay.

I think I'll head down to the paper. See how things are.

Dinner tonight?

for a follow -up on that teenage pregnancy thing on that kid. What's her

Oh, Wendy.

Yeah, that's the kid.

She made a decision she's gonna keep the baby. As far as I'm concerned, that's

the end of the story.

Well, it feels incomplete to me.

Why don't you go see her?

See how she's getting along.

When does that story end, Lou?

It's been six weeks and you're sending me back there. You're gonna send me back

in another six weeks when the baby's born, when it cuts its first tooth, it

starts to walk.

Not bad. Looks like you got your whole year planned out.

I'm going.

It's just temporary, so I haven't fixed it up or anything. But I think it's real

cute, don't you?

Nice. I don't have a TV yet, but I could rent one for $10 a month.

That's the black and white.

Fifteen for color.

I think I might like color, though.

I never had one at my house.

I hope you can do something other than watch TV.

Oh, sure.

I can do whatever I want. I can read. I can go shopping.

Oh.

You got to see this.

You put everything in it from the first picture they take in the hospital until

she graduates from high school. Isn't that cool?

I'm going to give it to her when she goes out.

What if it's a boy?

Oh, that's okay. Maybe it'll be a boy.

Oh, and... What are these?

Aren't they the cutest things you ever saw?

Look at the little fingers on the gloves.

Isn't it amazing?

Do babies wear these?

Oh, sure.

All the time.

When I take her out for walks or him, we can get all dressed up, you know?

I'm going to take him out on trips and show him stuff, you know?

So how are you feeling?

Taking your vitamins?

When I remember.

It's great, though. I'm feeling these little pulls inside, you know?

Hey, cleared up.

Good.

My mom's still mad at me, but I think she finally realizes I'm grown up.

Because she doesn't yell at me anymore, you know?

Oh.

And I quit school.

So, I guess that's about it.

Yeah.

So listen, if you ever want to stop by, see how I'm doing, I'll just drop in any

time. I'll be around.

Okay.

Thanks.

Good luck.

Are you kidding? I got it made here.

Now, officers have their plates full when they investigate the murders of

waitresses on Police Story, next on AMA.