Original subtitles

Jack,

Sarah Parker.

You got those fingerprints for me? The trial is Tuesday, Jack.

Yes, I'll hold.

Got a hot one for you. Tell me it's a hit and run. No, better. That armed

robbery last week that we linked to the three in Michigan?

They pulled a guy over this morning from Missing Tags.

Matches the description guns in the back seat.

He's mine.

You got him.

Good. Send him to downtown research.

Thanks, Chuck.

Elimination prints.

I thought I'd take one more look at him before the trial.

You never know.

Now, who's this guy?

Guy's a career small -timer, grand theft auto, in and out for burglary. Petty

stuff, you know?

Yeah, I know the type. I'll handle this.

What does this thing girls have for bad boys?

This is James Allen, also known as John Arnold, also known as Jerry Andreas,

also known as Jesse Archer, et cetera, et cetera.

Yeah.

You know this guy?

I can't do this.

Right now.

What's the problem? I need to study the file first, so let's do this later.

Well, I can't hold him too long.

Just do it.

We still on for lunch?

Yes.

God.

You sent me an angel one.

I need another one.

Now.

God, please.

I wondered what it would take to get her to this point.

It looked like it took Jesse.

That's the problem, baby.

And that's always been the problem.

Jesse.

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 dawn 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.

What is that waitress? I gotta get going.

Oh, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it.

Well, aren't you coming?

I'll meet you back at the office. I want to go over this file one more time

before we meet the guy. Okay, thanks. I'll treat you tomorrow.

Did you enjoy your lunch?

Yes, thanks.

Could I have a piece of cake to that?

Sure, what kind of cake would you like? Doesn't matter.

No.

Do you have chocolate?

Chocolate. Coming up.

Chocolate, huh?

Uh -huh.

Where's Chuck?

Ah, Chuck's on a break.

Well, give me another double.

It's two o 'clock in the afternoon.

Don't you have some place to be?

Doesn't matter now.

I haven't sold anything for so long, I might as well go on a break, too.

A really long one.

What you got in there?

Antiques.

Small mementos of days gone by.

A traveling antique salesman? Isn't that unusual?

They weren't antiques when I started.

One chocolate cake.

Great. Give it to me.

Would you like a candle?

Comes with the job.

I can always spot a birthday girl.

Why not?

Now I just have to find 17 candles.

No, I always thought I'd be prettier by now.

Oh, don't be silly. You're a beautiful girl, Sarah.

At least Jesse thinks so.

Everybody thinks so.

Mom, did you ever have somebody that makes you feel, I don't know, prettier

you know you really are?

Mm -hmm.

Jesse makes me feel that way.

Mom, I mean, when you were 17...

I just wondered, did you ever feel... Feel what, honey?

What are you doing?

Looking? At what?

Most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

Ow!

Come on, babe.

Jesse!

My mom's in there.

Well, as long as she's not out here.

You never listen to me. I hate you. No, you don't.

You love me.

Yeah?

I love you.

Hey, I love you too.

Happy birthday. Are you ready to party?

We've got a place for you at the dinner table, Jesse.

Chuck roast, mashed potatoes, biscuits, chocolate cake.

All Sarah's favorites.

Best chocolate cake in town.

Isn't that right, Sarah?

I got to tell you, Mrs. Parker, I really do envy you.

You've been able to spend 17 birthdays here with Sarah.

This time I was kind of hoping that I could do it for her.

I got the whole night planned.

I didn't know.

Just kind of surprised me, Mom.

Tell you what, though.

I will take you up on that chocolate cake.

I've heard great things about it.

Yes, ma 'am.

Come on, baby.

Mama told her, baby girl, take it real slow.

Girl told her mama, hey, I really gotta go.

He's waiting in the car.

Mama said, girl, you won't.

But fate's got cards and it don't want to show.

Jackie. I never could say no to you.

Pardon me?

Nothing. I was just thinking out loud.

You told me to keep the change, but I think you left a 50 instead of a 5.

Thanks.

Got a lot on your mind, huh?

Usually do.

Don't you wish you could just stick your brain through the dishwasher?

Interesting concept.

The next best thing is a good listener.

That's great.

Non -judgmental.

Disinterested, yet utterly sympathetic third party.

Who said there was a second party?

You did.

You whispered his name.

Jesse.

Jesse.

Have you ever been in love so hard that it made everything seem right, even

though you knew it was wrong?

I've never been in love at all.

That's not possible.

I've been very busy with my work.

Okay, I've used that one.

You know the old saying, it's better to have loved and lost than never to have

loved at all?

Not true.

You sound as if you've lost.

Yeah.

Problem is, I never quite lost it completely.

Dad went to bed. I made chamomile tea.

Thanks. Do you know how worried I've been?

Mom, he knew I was with Jesse.

Yes, that much I knew.

Why do you have it in for him so bad?

He treats me real good. He's always real respectful to you. He says all the

right things.

He says all the right things.

Why do you hate him so much? You don't even know him.

I know his type.

Oh, here it comes, the I was 17 once speech.

He'll love you and leave you just like your dad left me with a baby and no

future. If it wasn't for your stepfather to come along and... Just because you

heard it before doesn't mean it's not true.

And being 17, sweetheart, doesn't make you too old to learn from your mother's

mistakes.

I've learned.

I'm not going to waste my life on a dumpy farm in West Virginia.

I don't expect you will.

Your grandma gave this to me when I was 18.

To remind me that no matter how grown up I felt, I would always be her little

girl.

And it made me so angry because I wanted her to stop treating me like a kid and

see me as an adult.

But I'll tell you a secret.

There were plenty of nights when I was 18 and 20 and even 30.

When I held on to this doll and found comfort in knowing that no matter how

I got or how hard life seemed, I was always somebody's little girl.

I was going to give this to you when you turned 18.

I think now might be the right time.

You know how our heart says I love you?

Well, I added something.

Happy birthday.

It's funny about being 17.

No matter how much love your parents give you, you just can't give them the

satisfaction of accepting it.

I felt sorry for my mom and stepdad.

They just couldn't compete with Jesse.

We'll be able to sleep on the beach.

Underneath the stars.

It's going to be like paradise.

Sounds incredible.

So, what do you say, huh?

I got the car all packed up.

We can leave in the morning.

Leave where?

Jesse's got a friend in California. He says he can get him in the movie.

Really?

He wants me to go with him.

Absolutely not.

I'm 17.

Right now, you're behaving like you're seven. You've got school for one thing

and for another. I'm not going to let a daughter of mine take off across country

with some... Some what?

I will not discuss this until your father gets back from Norfolk tomorrow.

I'm leaving tomorrow.

Jesse, I think you could leave right now.

I hate you.

Sarah! Mrs.

Parker. Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any problems.

Jesse, you know exactly what you're doing.

And I know exactly what you're doing.

Don't you care about her at all?

I love her, ma 'am.

Then leave her alone and let her grow up.

She's done a lot of growing up already.

Let's go.

Sarah, no!

I'm going to California, Mom, whether you like it or not.

Sarah Joan Parker, you walk out of that door now. You don't ever come back.

California, here we come. I did it. I did it. Hey, let's get some robies

huh?

Dad, you have a gun.

Yeah, sure.

I mean, you go out and you open the road one day, you've got to have protection.

You've got to protect the woman that I love.

Tell me now, baby, is it good to you?

I'm gone.

I should have gotten out of the car right then.

But you didn't.

Something's wrong here.

Would you like to discuss it?

It doesn't taste like a martini.

What does it taste like?

Water. Olive water. I can't even taste the vodka.

Have another olive on the house.

You were saying?

I was saying... Oh, yeah.

It's a jungle out there, you know?

And I've been through it all.

Antique glass, antique lace, antique spoons, antique buttons.

Threw my back at during that antique horseshoe craze.

I don't know what I'm doing sitting here telling you my sad story.

Everybody's got one.

Perhaps, but yours is the only one I'm interested in hearing right now.

As soon as I saw the gun, something inside me knew what was coming.

I just didn't want to think about it.

I was with Jesse.

That was all that mattered.

Jesse wanted to make the trip more like a vacation.

So we took all the back roads and visited all the silly tourist

I wanted to drive straight through to California, but everything was going so

well. I just didn't want to spoil it.

I think those first few days were the best days of my life.

I'm coming.

Okay, I'm going to buy you steak and eggs for breakfast to make up for

you to that Eisenhower Memorial.

You can't afford steak. Oh, come on. We're loaded.

We're not going to be for long if we keep eating steak.

Stop worrying about it, okay? We have plenty of money. And if we need to, we

stop off along the way and take our jobs to make more money, okay?

Baby, this is freedom.

Living. What we need to do, Jess, is go to a grocery store, get some bread and

some peanut butter, and stop wasting so much money. It's irresponsible.

No, it's not. It's fun.

Come on.

Have a steak and egg. Get in here.

So, what do you say?

We head up to Chicago next, because I've never been up there.

Not on vacation, Jeff.

Besides, Chicago's in the opposite direction of California.

We can't do it all.

How much exactly do we have?

Exactly enough.

How much, Jeff?

Sarah.

You know, you are really starting to scare me.

You're sounding like your mom.

Well, I'm sorry, but my mom is really good with money.

She really taught me how to stretch a buck. I mean, we don't waste anything at

home.

Stuff.

Nice stuff.

What?

Maybe what?

Okay, look, if it upsets you this much to eat in places like this, then we just

won't, all right?

You're homesick, huh?

Sarah, I'm your family now.

Don't you know that?

And we're going to get married.

I promise you.

And we are going to have a great life together.

Plus, 100 years from now.

Can I tell you something?

Just know I'm sorry.

Four months?

I wasn't sure at first.

He's pretty sure now he's... Now it's too late.

For what?

Is it bad?

What is it?

A hose. Just get back in the car.

Can you fix it?

Yeah.

For now.

What do you mean, for now?

I mean, for now. I have some tape in here somewhere I can hold the tube

until we get to the next town, okay?

Do you have to question everything?

Then what?

Then we find a magic hose tree. What do you think?

Hey, I was just asking.

Just get in the car.

Come on, Jess. I can help. I'm only... Just nag, nag, nag.

Don't spend any money, Jesse.

When do we get to California, Jesse?

You knocked me up, Jesse.

I never said that.

I know what you said.

I'm just using the loop.

Then get in the car before I really get mad.

We made it to the next town and spent our last time getting the car repaired.

We were flat broke and over a thousand miles out of California.

Jesse was losing patience.

I was losing Jesse.

Oh, my.

I love this.

This is beautiful.

I've always loved these.

I can give it to you at cost.

No, because I don't have a place to put it.

What, don't you have a favorite nook?

No. No nooks.

No crannies.

So, you were broke?

Yes.

Pregnant? Broke.

Scared.

Believe it or not, still in love.

Keep the car running. I'll be back in a second.

Jeff. Shut up.

Stay in the car.

You're not going to go in there, are you?

Do you know why I shouldn't?

Sarah?

How do you know my name?

Sarah, I'm here to help you.

You have got to get away.

Now, away from Jesse, before it's too late.

My mom sent you, didn't she?

Are you planning on following us all the way to California, or did you just have

this one creepy visit in mind?

Look what's happening.

Is this the life that you imagined for yourself?

Yes, because it's mine.

And you can tell my mom that she was wrong, that she was wrong about

Get in the car.

Oh, my

God. What did

you do?

Oh, now, come on. Don't act so surprised.

You knew what I was going there to do.

Jesse, I didn't think you'd really go through with it.

Maybe. We got no choice.

Look, nobody got hurt, okay?

And I promise you, when we get to California, I'll send the man his money

all right?

I swear.

Just like that, the dream was back on track.

Only it wasn't a dream anymore.

It was a nightmare.

Chamomile tea.

It's very soothing.

You know what this reminds me of?

Peter Rabbit.

It was my favorite bedtime story when I was a kid.

Peter Rabbit runs away from home and gets into trouble.

Comes back with a tummy ache.

His mom tucks him into bed with a cup of chamomile.

Yes.

She forgives him.

It's a fairy tale, Monica.

Life doesn't work that way.

When Abby was born, we wanted to go to a hospital, but we were afraid that

they'd spot the cause.

So we checked into a motel.

We didn't know anything about having a baby.

There was a moment.

A moment when I thought Abby and I were going to die.

Why didn't you just go home?

Well, at first it was pride.

Pure teenage rebellion, you know?

I was never a rebellious teenager, I'm afraid.

Why did I know that?

Anyway, for me, it was pride.

And then shame.

No mother could love me now.

Not after what I've done.

It can't be that bad.

Oh, yeah.

It was bad.

I never would have gotten through it if it weren't for Sam.

Sam? Sam was the closest thing to an angel I'd ever met.

Help me with the door.

Jesse.

Jesse. What?

Look. Look how she's grinsed up her little eyes when she's asleep.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't know much about sleep anymore.

Shh.

Don't wake her. It's hard enough for us. It is right around the car day and

night.

I don't have any money. I told you.

That's because you spent it all on baby stuff.

Look, Jess, we don't have to stay here, okay? We can sleep in the car until we

get... Look, we're staying here.

How are we going to pay for it?

If you don't really want to know the answer, don't ask.

Don't start crying, all right?

I am warning you.

Howdy, folks.

Welcome to the Vista Grande.

Everybody here just calls me Sam.

Show us your cheapest room.

Okay, so if you need anything like extra pillows or blankets, just let me know.

Thank them.

Where's the phone?

Oh, the payphone's down by the registration desk.

What kind of a dump doesn't have phones in the room?

The kind that don't require payment up front.

I had to get out of here for a while.

Jesse, I thought tonight we could... Is there

anything that I can do?

It's been kind of hard, you know, with the new baby and all.

We're trying to make it to California.

That looks like you've got your hands full.

She's the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me.

Except Jesse. I mean, we're a family, you know. That's the important thing.

Oh, yeah, family is very important.

Now, if you need to make a phone call, you just let me know.

She doesn't need to use the phone.

Do you, Sarah?

I mean, who would you call?

I'm glad you came back.

I was just about to invite the three of you over for dinner. Now, I'm not fixing

anything fancy or nothing. Just chuck roast, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.

You're all welcome.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I thought you were going out.

What'd you do with it?

What?

You know what.

It was in the glove compartment.

Now what'd you do with it? Jesse, you don't need to... Shut up!

Shut up!

Oh,

Abby.

How did you... Jesse, what did you do?

I didn't.

May I have this dance?

What's going on? Well, I know I've been acting like a cretin lately.

Cretin? Did you just say cretin? Yeah, that's what my mom always used to call

dad.

Well, whatever works.

Oh, my baby.

Oh, my.

What?

I'm glad to see you in such a good mood.

But when you left, you didn't have any money.

When I came back, we hit the motherhood.

We're on our way again, Sarah.

Our lives are about to change big time.

You know that pool hall we passed on the way in?

I met a guy there tonight.

He's kind of like a broker.

Like a thought broker?

No, no, more like a baby broker.

I've never heard of a baby broker.

Well, um, he buys and sells babies from people who can't afford to keep them and

then sells them to families who can.

Oh, my God, Jesse, what did you do?

Ten grand, Sarah.

Ten thousand dollars.

This is your daughter.

I know.

But, I mean, look around, Sarah.

You know, we cannot afford to keep her.

She deserves better than this.

We deserve better than this.

Jesse, we could stop running. We could get jobs. We could be a family. Yeah, we

will, we will, we will. Someday, okay?

But we're not ready to raise a kid. Not like this.

We can't be selfish. We gotta do what's best for Abby.

Don't you have any feeling for her at all?

I can't afford to.

But I love her and I won't do it. Well, done.

We're meeting tomorrow morning at 9 o 'clock.

It's going to be okay.

Everything's going to be the way it used to be.

We'll be kids with a future instead of worrying about somebody else.

It's the right thing to do.

Boy, I do love the time of the morning.

The beginning of a new day, everything so fresh and clean.

Me too.

Completely unfettered by the problems of the world.

It's a wonderful reminder of the restorative power of our creator.

You know, his mercy is brand new every morning, Sarah.

It's good to wake up and remember things like that, you know?

Every morning, a new start.

I wish I believed that.

All you have to do is believe and the sun will come up.

Now come and watch the sunrise with me, please, Sarah.

I can't.

Bye.

Do you know where a church is around here?

There's one right down the street.

Thanks.

You know, his mercy is brand new every morning, Sarah.

All you have to do is believe and the sun will come up.

Oh, God, no.

I only turned my back.

I walked a few steps.

Nobody knew anything. Nobody saw anything. I searched every inch of that

And so Abby disappeared?

You must be asking yourself what kind of woman would abandon her baby.

For every thousand mothers, there's a thousand reasons.

Not an excuse.

All I can do when I go to bed at night is tell myself at least I didn't allow

her to be stolen.

What did Jesse do?

Jesse did exactly what my mother said he would.

Sam gave me a job at the motel and a place to live, even though he never had

customers.

He took a lot of business trips for a guy who owned a cheap little motel in

middle of nowhere.

I never would have become a lawyer if it hadn't been for him.

I don't think I would have survived at all.

I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I think... I think Sam was an

angel.

A stranger who comes out of nowhere right when you need him the most.

Angels do that.

Harry, you know what you're missing.

You're just trying to get me to buy your antique beer steins, aren't you?

No, I just want you to look at them. If you think they're worth anything, you

can have them. But you have to see them in the back in their original dust.

Come on.

So it's your birthday.

And you're feeling a little blue.

Well, let's see.

I'm 27 years old and I live alone.

I haven't spoken to my mom in a decade.

I don't know if she's alive.

I have a daughter out there somewhere that I've never known.

And back at my office sitting in a jail cell is Jesse.

Back in my life.

Soon to be a convicted felon.

And the man... I just can't seem to get over.

But you haven't seen him for ten years?

Not when I'm awake.

I know it doesn't make any sense.

It's not love.

It's not sentimental.

He just has this bond over me that I can't break.

But you want to.

And that's why you prayed for an angel.

How could you know that?

Because I'm the answer to that prayer.

Don't leave, Sarah.

Listen to me.

I'm the angel that you asked God to send you.

I don't believe you.

I've prayed for angels before, and God has never sent any.

Yes, he did.

The stranger at the market.

And Sam.

And others, too.

There have been angels all along the way.

And today, there is me.

Why would God answer my prayers?

Because he loves you.

No.

Not after what I've done.

Do you remember the story of the prodigal son?

The story?

It's truth.

God is waiting for you.

Your mother is waiting for you. Why don't you come home?

I do see.

But as long as you hold on to that shame, you'll always be closer to Jesse

you will be to the father.

And you can never be the daughter you were meant to be.

The mother you were meant to be.

The woman you were meant to be.

With every case that you prosecute, with every law that you enforce, you're just

making up for your guilt.

And you'll never truly break the bond to it until you take your soul back from

Jesse and hand it over to the one who really loves you.

Give it to the father, Sarah.

Will you do that?

Yes.

But I don't know how.

You just have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I feel different already. Is that possible?

Yes.

God doesn't waste any time.

Well, what do you think?

Well, they're beautiful, but I don't have any room for them in the bag.

Well, make room. There must be something in that bag somebody needs.

Wouldn't that be the answer to a prayer?

In a junk shop in Indiana.

You never know when one person's junk is going to be another person's treasure,

do you, Harry?

You know what? I saw you with that little birthday cake a while ago.

Why don't we just make that a birthday present?

Thank you.

But this could be the case to get you that promotion.

Not this time.

You're not walking away from this.

Boy am I over you.

Yes I am.

The cold hard truth revealed what I had known.

That boy was a walking wager. Born to be a believer. Tell you from the

word, you're destined to be a believer. He's a rock down in paradise.

But it's just another lesson in life. That boy was a walking wager.

Welcome home, baby.

Mom,

I wanted to come home so many times.

I prayed every night that God would bring my little girl back home.

And I always believed that he would.

Although I never thought I would say this again.

Oh, my gosh, it's almost three. Abby's going to be here any minute.

Abby? Oh, I was just going to tell you about her.

About a year after you left, a man came to the door. He said his name was

Andrew, and he told us about a little baby that was found in a church that

needed a home.

I wasn't interested at first because we were missing you so much.

But the minute I laid eyes on her, she reminded me so much of you.

A church?

Yeah. Her mother just left her with a note and a blanket.

I said her name is Abby.

And I loved her.

Yes.

How did you...

What

is it, Sarah?

I'll explain it to you later. We got all the time.

Hi, Abby.

I'm Sarah.

It's for you.

Go inside.

I've been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Well, some miracles just take a little longer.

I don't think this one's finished.

Oh, no, baby. This one's going to take a lifetime.

Angel Girl, get some of that travel music.

We out of here.