Original subtitles

Subtitles by explosiveskull www.OpenSubtitles.org M_I_SForEver

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]

Wish me luck.

[KEYPAD TAPPING]

[MESSAGE TONE]

[MESSAGE TONE BEEPS]

What?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- Hello. - Good morning, Nick.

Good to finally meet you in person.

Oh, it's good to have another war hero among us...

We've got veterans from Afghanistan,

Iraq, Vietnam, Korea. They all work here.

Thank you, Troy. But I'm no hero.

I got paid to do a job, and I did it.

No thanks needed.

Okay. Understood.

Guess a better way to say it is

we got a lot of vets that work here

and I appreciate the sacrifice you made for this country.

Thank you, sir.

Troy, just Troy.

Let's talk and walk about the facility.

You've already met my baby here.

First one was built in the '60s.

They were effective for over 30 years

with not one fallen to an enemy.

How about that?

It's a beast.

Probably outrun any missile shot at it.

Come on, show you something else.

World War II.

- Like that one? - [CHUCKLES] Yeah.

That's our Vultee BT-13 Valiant.

It was used during the second phase of flight training.

It was faster, heavier

and had more complicated controls

than the ones for cadets.

When that flew, the cockpit would shake and rattle.

It's so crazy.

[SIGHS] Could you imagine actually flying in one of these?

[CHUCKLES] Not really.

I'm actually a bit scared of heights myself.

Come on, man, really?

Yeah, I know. Pretty scandalous, huh,

considering the profession I'm in?

I appreciate their beauty.

I'm just glad this place lets me do that on the ground.

Come on. You gotta see this.

That's a Waco, CG-4.

They were used in some of the most important battles, including Normandy.

They'd be towed behind one of those C47s,

released, glide behind enemy lines

carrying troops and supplies.

Silent when they flew.

Made them perfect for stealth missions.

However, since they didn't have engines,

they were vulnerable

to unfavorable gusts of wind, bad weather.

They didn't have any parachutes on board.

So if anything did go wrong,

there wasn't much anyone could do.

Maybe that's why they nicknamed it the Flying Coffin.

Unbelievable.

So what do you think? You can fly something like that?

[SCOFFS]

If it's all the same, I'd rather not.

I'm with you. I prefer my feet squarely on the ground.

No Air Force aspirations?

- No, no Air Force. - What branch?

[CLEARS THROAT] Army.

Good. You'll fit in just great.

Come on, let's go.

So what do you think of our small town air museum?

Well, Troy, if I'm being honest,

um, when I heard there was a job opening

at an air museum in Kalamazoo,

I mean, I'm no elitist, but I wasn't exactly expecting much.

But...

This place is as good as it gets.

Got some unbelievable aircraft down there, really.

- It's a hidden gem. - Thanks.

We think so too.

Like I said, we've got Christmas ahead of us.

And I'd like you to shadow a tour.

Hit the ground running.

Oh, you wanted me to go on a tour today?

Sure.

Theory can only get you so far.

I want to get you some hands-on training to

really understand how things work around here.

Plus, George. He gives some of the best tours around.

Best guy to learn from.

If only I could find your name tag.

Oh, here.

Your official blue vest. [LAUGHS]

Trust me, you're gonna have a fun time.

These kids, man, they get excited over everything.

I mean, I really can't blame them. My own kids,

every time I bring them to work,

they get a kick out of this place.

I mean, it's next to impossible

to get them out of that simulator.

NICK: That's great.

You married, Nick? Any kids?

No. No kids.

My wife and I are going through a bit of a hard spot right now.

Oh, sorry to hear that.

Couple years in Afghanistan does wonders for any marriage.

Great. I will go find, George, was it?

And hit the ground running. Thank you, Troy.

Nick.

Big day.

Oh!

I thought I'd be able to sneak by

without anyone seeing me like this.

I was making some slime for one of the classroom activities

we have with the kids. And well, it didn't really go as planned.

I see it appears the slime won.

Yeah. I'm gonna grab another top.

Okay.

Wait. You're new here, right?

Yes. Um, just started today.

Great. Not a good first impression. It's Kristen.

Oh.

Well, I'm Nick, it's very nice to meet you,

but if it's all right with you...

Right. Good call.

Well, I'll let you get your new top.

Yeah. I'd never hear the end of it

if someone saw I spilled slime again.

Oh, hey, Kristen.

Um, do you know where the tour groups generally start out?

- I'm supposed to shadow today. - Oh, yeah.

They usually start in the main lobby and go from there.

You know, through the blue sky and clouds.

Right. I think I've heard that one before.

No problem.

Hi. Uh, excuse me. The... The tour group?

Great. Thank you, ma'am.

Hi. Welcome to the Air Zoo.

Um, this is a great air museum,

and you're probably wondering

why you walked through the wall of clouds.

Well, that's to replicate the days before

we knew we would become lighter than air.

And there's Nick, he's gonna be coming with us.

He's a new docent with us.

And, uh, what we're gonna do is go to the WASP room,

and that is the Women's Air Service Pilots.

We dedicated that to our founder,

who was also a WASP,

and I'll explain all of that once we get in there.

So follow me this way

and I'll explain a few quick airplane facts here.

Snoopy flew this airplane

to fight against the German, the Red Baron.

[INAUDIBLE]

And here's our WASP room.

This is where the ladies... a tribute to their war effort

in World War II.

There were over 1100 pilots, women pilots

that actually paid to have their pilot's license

so they could do the war effort.

And there's a picture on the wall right there

that gives you an idea of just a few of the airplanes

that they would go to the factories to pick up

and fly them to the appropriate air bases,

sometimes even in... going into England.

Our founder of the Air Zoo who's actually

pictured right over here on the right,

Suzanne Upjohn Delano.

We're very proud of her and proud to have this exhibit

in our building.

Um, they were self-employed, basically,

because nobody gave them a paycheck.

They gave them a uniform

and they gave them a place to sleep,

and the rest was up to them to

encounter their own consequences. So...

How did they score?

GEORGE: Very high. Higher than the men did.

And so, they were nothing to sneeze at.

They could have very easily gone into battle.

But the government would not allow the women to fight.

So that was what their contribution is.

All right, let's go on to the next.

We're gonna go over here and,

you know what? We're gonna ride the Ferris wheel.

[CHILDREN CHEERING]

Hi, Nick. I'm Jim from Human Resources.

- Oh, yeah. Pleasure. - How did you enjoy the tour?

Uh... You know, it was actually good.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about all this tour guide stuff,

but I enjoyed it.

First job right out of the army?

Uh, yes, sir.

- What was your MOS in the Army? - 18 B.

So that was Special Forces weapons...

Sergeant, you really saw the action.

I can remember that it took me a whole year

to get a good night's sleep after I got back from Vietnam.

So...

Yeah, I know. That's... I haven't been able to sleep yet.

- Yeah. - The VA has given me some stuff

but nothing's really helping.

I think it takes a while to get back to normal.

Trust me, you will recover.

You'll be okay.

The future is... The future will get...

Will get back to normal and enjoy the good life.

That's right. Oh, well...

Well, I've got to get going. I've got projects to do,

and I'll see you later, perhaps. okay?

Thank you. Good.

[SIGHS]

[CHUCKLES]

[BREATHES HEAVILY]

The Women Air Service Pilots were started by

Jacqueline Cochran back in 1943.

She had initially written to Eleanor Roosevelt

suggesting that women are able to ferry aircraft

and participate in the war effort.

They went through the same training as the men,

and they were utilized to ferry the aircraft

back and forth from factories,

from repair to other locations

where the aircraft may be needed.

When the war ended, the Women's Air Service Pilots Organization

was disbanded and they were sent home

having to pay their own way back to their hometowns.

[KEYPAD TAPPING]

[MESSAGE TONE]

[MESSAGE TONE]

- Whoa! - Oh, hey, Nick. [CHUCKLES]

Kristen, you're gonna ruin another shirt. What're you doing?

I just didn't want to make two trips.

Okay, where you going with all that?

I'm taking them over to the guys who work on the restorations.

They hardly ever take breaks

and they rarely want to come over here for the good coffee.

Okay, okay, come here.

Let me help you. I'm off work. I have nothing going on.

Thank you.

- Where are we going? - That way. Let's go.

Okay.

You were gonna walk all this way with five cups of coffee?

Hey, I've done it before.

- [NICK CHUCKLES] - What?

You just remind me of my younger brother.

He is like the nicest guy you'll ever meet,

but he does not think things through.

I bet you're just jealous because he's cooler than you.

That's probably true.

Coffee break.

MAN: Whoo!

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Oh! Thank you.

- Thank you. - You're welcome

So who's your friend here, or are we supposed to guess?

- He's the new tour guide. - Nick Averie.

- Oh, is that so? - Yes, sir.

- Hey, Nick. Brandon. - Pleasure.

Of course, we got Taylor, and Sam.

Tony and Zach.

Wow.

You guys are rebuilding this torn up old thing?

Yeah. This torn up old thing.

This baby has been through a lot.

What is it?

You can't tell?

[BRANDON CHUCKLES]

Just kidding.

This happens to be an Eastern Aircraft FM-2 Wildcat.

One of the fighters from World War II.

Took off from aircraft carriers.

It's cool.

Lot of people don't know it, but they tested it

right in Lake Michigan.

Really? Aircraft carriers? Lake Michigan?

Yeah. There were two of them.

Wolverine and the Sable.

This plane was off the Sable.

They practiced takeoffs and landing on the carrier deck.

Wasn't easy.

From time to time, something would go wrong.

Well, another Wildcat would end up

on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Actually, hundreds of them down there.

That's where we fished this one out.

Wait, hundreds? What about the pilots?

Did they die?

BRANDON: Not always.

Most of them bailed out in time,

but some of them, like the unfortunate pilot of this,

didn't make it in time.

Engine failure, on top of a bad eject system.

Not much you can do at that point.

KRISTEN: That's awful.

- It really is. - That's why we're here.

That's why all of us are doing it.

It's our way of giving back.

Honor the brave men and women that served. Some gave all.

It would be a shame to see something like this...

forgotten, lost to history on the bottom of the lake.

Not when we can bring it back to life.

That's what we're all about.

Honoring the men and women.

We all survived our service days.

That's why we're here.

Yeah, it's really great what you guys are doing. Really.

Thank you.

It's always nice when people appreciate what we do.

- Oh, no. - What?

BRANDON: Hello, Pete.

Bad news or... the bad news?

BRANDON: What do you say, guys? Should we vote?

ZACH: Bad news first.

The proposal I submitted

to complete the Wildcat was denied.

The foundation said they needed to reprioritize their funding.

But the really bad news...

is we've spent every dollar we raised on this project.

As of right now,

we have to shut it down.

BRANDON: Come on, Pete.

We're all volunteers here.

Can't you find any money somewhere,

just to keep the part supply flowing?

We need $40,000

in sheet metal and other supplies

just to get this plane done,

and we don't have it.

It's all about grants and donations.

You guys know that.

You mean we're all kicked out, to the curb?

No work for us?

We just go home and sit around the house

and do nothing?

I'm gonna try to find you something to do.

Maybe over the next couple of months. I don't know.

But I'm sorry.

If I could write a check right now for $40,000, I would.

You guys know that.

Merry Christmas.

BRANDON: Yeah. Merry Christmas.

[KNOCKS]

Hey, how was your first day?

Yeah, it was fine. Uh, George, he's great.

He's a great guy.

He really has a way with those kids.

It helps that he gets just as excited as the kids do.

He still takes turns in that simulator from time to time.

[CHUCKLES]

That's funny to watch.

It's nice to be that excited about your job.

Think you'll be ready to...

lead a tour group tomorrow?

Got a couple of people off for Christmas Eve.

If you're not ready, we can figure something out.

No, that's fine. That's why I'm here, right?

Excellent.

That's exactly the kind of attitude we need here.

Any plans for Christmas

other than covering tourist groups?

No, no, not really.

This year, my family's all spread out over the country,

and I don't really feel like traveling over the holidays.

How about you?

Dinner with the family, opening presents.

We'll have a bigger gathering next week when my wife's family comes in town.

[CHUCKLES] That sounds great.

Okay.

Thank you very much. See you tomorrow.

Wait, Nick, um...

If you like,

you're more than welcome to spend Christmas day with my family.

- More the merrier. - [CHUCKLES]

I mean, sir, that... that's very kind,

but I-I wouldn't wanna intrude.

There's no intrusion. Also no pressure.

Okay? You just think about it. Let me know.

All right, I will. Thank you.

Go on, get out of here.

You've done plenty for a first day.

[PHONE BEEPS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER FROM LAPTOP]

[PHONE RINGING]

Hello?

MAN ON PHONE: Hi. Is this Nick Averie?

Yes. Who's this?

This is Dave Monroe, I'm Ben's father.

There's no good way to say this, but...

Ben was shot in a firefight two days ago in Kabul.

Ben didn't make it.

I asked Ben's CO for your contact info

since I knew you guys were best friends, Nick.

Ben had told me you guys bonded in Afghanistan.

He said you helped him adjust over there.

You know, when he first got on the ground over there,

he said if it wasn't for you,

he's not sure he'd made it through his first year.

I appreciate that.

They said he didn't suffer.

No.

No! [SCREAMING]

[CONTINUES SCREAMING]

[SOBBING]

[ALARM BUZZING]

[ALARM STOPS]

[CLEARS THROAT]

BRANDON: Good morning, Nick.

The Air Zoo's Ford Tri-Motor was built by

Henry Ford in 1929.

This plane would hold 11 passengers plus the pilot and copilot.

The C47 was built in 1944 for World War II.

It went to the Philippines to support the war there.

The AH-1J SeaCobra was first used by the US Marine Corps

at the end of the Vietnam War.

They also played active roles in Operation Desert Shield

and Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991.

The B25 was originally manufactured in 1941.

It was used during World War II.

It was one of the planes used

in General Doolittle's famous Tokyo raid of 1942.

Hello, everyone. My name is Nick Averie.

Welcome to the Air Zoo.

You guys ready to see some aircraft?

KIDS: Yeah!

Okay, sounds good. So, uh, great,

if you'll just follow me through the clouds here,

we'll get started.

Thank you all for coming.

Has anyone ever been here before?

Oh, excellent. Uh, what was your favorite plane?

- Um, mine? - Mm-hmm?

The big one with the pink one and the Tiger and the Blackbird.

Oh, yeah, yeah. That's a good choice.

Pretty cool. yeah. What about you?

Uh, mine is that. The Blackbird.

Yeah, that's great. That's a great choice too.

Hey, so did you guys know why we call this place

an air zoo rather than air museum?

Uh, yes?

Um, I forgot.

Oh, that's okay. That's okay.

So... Uh, yeah. Do you have that?

Because the planes are named after animals.

Yep. Well, most of the planes are named after animals,

like the F-14 Tomcat or the F-18 Hornet...

Yes.

Did you know hornets have five eyes?

I did not know that. That's very interesting.

Thank you for that information.

I will incorporate it the next time.

Hey, what do you guys say we go to the, uh,

the space exploration part?

- Yes! - You guys like space?

- Yes. - All right, let's do it.

Let's go this way.

This right here is the Mercury capsule.

Alan Shepard flew something exactly like this May 5th 1961.

He was the very first American in outer space.

Cool, huh?

Uh. Mercury took its last flight in 1963

- flown by... - Gordon Cooper.

Um, Gordon Cooper.

If you look inside, can you imagine actually flying in outer space

in something like this?

- KID: No. - Crazy, right?

All right, well, you guys have been so awesome.

What do you say we go to the Ferris wheel?

KIDS: Ferris Wheel!

Okay.

I'm not even sure what you were thinking when you said that.

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing.

[CARNIVAL MUSIC PLAYING]

All right, guys, see, it's just right over there.

[KIDS CLAMORING]

You are a good man, Nick Averie.

All right.

How are you guys holding up?

Good?

All right, well, we're gonna watch a movie now.

It's called Salute to Heroes.

This is about the men and women in World War II,

and the sacrifices they made so that you and I can have freedom today.

Uh, it's about 15 minutes,

and if you guys are really good,

sit here quietly and watch,

got a little surprise for you afterwards.

But you gotta be good.

All right. Let's do it.

NARRATOR: So, for an introduction, and this analysis,

we take you now to Washington,

and then we bring you the available report,

all of them from German forces,

on what the Berlin radio called "The Invasion."

There is still no Allied confirmation of any sort.

Correspondents who wrote to the War Department in Washington

soon after the first round of broadcasting...

[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

All right, guys.

Hope you enjoyed the movie.

So, thank you guys so much.

Uh, you were a really great tour group.

I hope you enjoyed the tour,

and maybe even learned a little something.

So you wanna know what your surprise is?

KID: Yeah.

You get to go in the flight simulators,

- KIDS: Yay! - Just right outside to the left.

Thank you all very much.

Really appreciate it.

All right. Right this way. Follow me.

Come on. Go mess with that.

Didn't want to see how it ends?

I've seen it before. Felt like stretching my legs.

Tag along with these things a lot?

No, yesterday was the first time I've been here.

What, you liked it so much, you came back for a second look?

Something like that.

Plus this way, I got to see your first tour.

How do you know it's my first tour?

Lucky guess.

You were shadowing a tour yesterday.

I assume that meant this was your first solo mission.

I'll tell you, I'm glad you were here.

Bailed me out a bunch out there.

If this is your second time here,

how do you know about all this stuff?

I've always been fascinated by human beings' interest in flight.

I found their first times to be successful

to be incredibly inspiring.

Space still boggles my mind.

And how much they've advanced in such a short amount of time.

I mean, 100 years, to go from that, to this.

Yeah, it's...

It's actually pretty incredible if you think about it.

These pioneers, these men and women,

who built all this.

These kids, you know, they're just... just so pure.

Untouched by the darkness, the pain in this world.

Got it all in front of them.

[KIDS LAUGHING]

You have so much in front of you too, Nick.

Who are you again?

[CHUCKLES]

Oh, really? I don't get to know your name?

Michelle.

Yeah. I've always liked the name Michelle.

[CHUCKLES]

Uh...

That's good. It'd be a bummer

if you didn't like your own name.

Yeah, I suppose it would be.

Well, shoot, Michelle, I'm glad I actually got to talk to you today.

I mean, you bolted out of here so quickly yesterday.

Yeah, sorry about that.

Had a lot of planning to do yesterday.

I couldn't hang around and chat as much as I wanted to.

Planning, like for what? Like your job?

I suppose you could call it that.

Okay, well, what do you do?

I help people get their lives back on track.

Like a therapist or something?

Hmm.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Well, I'll tell you, if you ever want to change professions,

you should, uh, consider being a ninja.

I mean, you just disappear and show up somewhere else.

It's amazing, actually.

Yeah, I'm pretty good at going unnoticed.

This.

This is beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah, sure.

I mean, it all looks so heroic and inspiring.

Doesn't really show the darker side of war, does it?

People don't want to see that.

I mean, they think they do, but they don't.

[CLEARS THROAT]

They watch the little movies about it,

but they don't wanna know, not really.

Can't exactly blame them. I mean, I'd be a lot better off

if I could forget some of the darker sides of war.

Would you choose to forget...

if you were given the option?

No.

I don't want to ever forget.

Remembering helps me appreciate

just how incredible those men and women that I served with really were.

That's very well put.

But, you know, this reminds me of my first rescue.

She was one of the women that George mentioned on the tour yesterday.

One of the first ever to fly in a military aircraft.

She was such a remarkable woman.

You know, there's so much pressure to do everything perfectly

without showing any signs of weakness.

Just took a tiny nudge from me to get her back on track

when she was letting the stress get to her.

I've had plenty of rescues of people not in the military,

but it's because of her,

I have this affinity for veterans.

I'm sorry. I'm afraid you've lost me.

I don't... Who are you talking about?

I'm sorry, Nick. I'm getting all nostalgic

and letting it distract me. In the grand scheme of things,

I'm still rather new at this.

You're rather new at what?

I'm your guardian angel.

- You're my guardian... - Angel.

Yeah.

[SCOFFS]

Nicholas Montgomery Averie.

The Montgomery comes from his great grandfather on the mother's side.

You were born December 20th, 1987.

You have three siblings.

You saved your sister Anne's life

when she was 12 and got too close to a bee's nest.

She was stung dozens of times.

She was allergic.

You were only 14, but you put her

in your mother's car and drove her to the hospital.

Saved her life that day. But you know that.

How do you know all this stuff?

- Were you stalking me? - No.

Well, I guess, depending on the way you look at it.

But I wouldn't really be doing my job if I didn't know about you.

I don't like being messed with.

I know what happened in Afghanistan.

Stop.

When your Humvee got hit.

Stop!

- Rolled into the river. - Who are you?

I'm here to help you, Nick.

Don't worry. They can't see me.

Only you can see me, because I am here for you.

You stay away from me. Stay away from me. Stay away!

I just want to warn you about tonight.

They're coming for you, Nick.

Nick! How did your first tour go?

Yeah, I was fine, sir. Listen, um, I have a killer headache.

I'd like to duck out a little early, if it's all the same,

Um, I can come in early on the 26th, finish up my paperwork.

Is that all right?

Yeah, that'll be fine.

Thank you, sir.

Hold on.

Nick, just a second.

I just wanted to see how you're adjusting.

I'm fine.

I just wanna let you know I'm here if you need any kind of help.

I know I didn't serve in the military,

and I know, in your eyes, I will never understand.

But I've worked with hundreds of vets over the years here,

and I know I can get you help,

even though I don't know what you're really going through.

I have a friend down at the VA.

I don't want any help.

I don't want any help.

It's just that I know it can be a difficult transition back into civilian life.

No, you don't.

You don't have any idea what I'm going through.

You think cause you work with some vets,

you get to talk to me like this, you get to understand?

My wife left me because she didn't understand

what was going on with me.

I shot at faces I never saw.

God knows how many people I killed.

I watched two of my friends die, another one get crippled for life.

I had bullets fly so close to my head I could feel them.

And I just found out the one person

who kept me sane through all of it is dead now, too.

Nick...

I'm sorry, Nick.

Sir, if you'd like me to stay the last 45 minutes of my shift, that's your call.

You do not get a say in my life past that.

No, it's no problem at all.

Merry Christmas, Nick.

Go home.

Please take care.

NEWS REPORTER: And we begin with breaking news in Afghanistan

where US forces say two Americans were killed during a military operation.

The service members are the latest casualties

- of the longest war in American history. - Shut up.

This brings the total number of US service members killed...

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[CLOCK TICKING]

[CLOCK TICKING]

Merry Christmas.

Thanks!

Careful, Nick.

Your phone's pretty tough, but there are limits.

What are you doing in my house?

I told you. Guardian angel.

Look, I know this is all rather sudden,

but in my experience,

people respond better if you just rip the band aid off.

I've tried more subtle approaches in the past.

It just ends up delaying the recovery.

You need to get out of here.

I can't do that.

This would be a lot easier if you could trust me a little bit.

You really need to get started.

How could I have known all those things about you?

I don't know, lady. I'm probably hallucinating.

Do I look like something you would hallucinate about? Really?

Take my hand.

No.

Okay.

The first Christmas that you spent with your wife

before you were even married,

you both didn't have a lot of money.

So you decided not to buy each other gifts.

You both broke that agreement.

She got you a pair of Christmas socks,

and you wrapped the box of her favorite candy canes.

And every year since, you always get her candy canes

and she gets you a pair of Christmas socks, right?

I know that you have lost a lot.

Things you might not be able to get back.

But I promise, I can help you.

Has to be your choice.

Michelle?

Hello?

Grandpa Pete.

Nick?

It's really you? It's good to see you.

What are you doing here?

Wait, Grandpa, where are you going?

Yeah, but I don't understand. I know you fought in the war.

You're a better man than me.

You came back from the war, you left it behind you,

took care of your family.

I know people can...

just get through what I've been through.

But...

I'm just not strong like you.

Everyone deals with their hardships in different ways.

I didn't do it alone.

- Found it. - Yeah? Where was it?

Wouldn't you know, it was in the craziest place.

A box marked Christmas.

Right where I found the other ones.

NICK: Ah, shocking.

I think I might need to get my eyes checked.

Must've walked past it like, half a dozen times.

[CHUCKLES]

Your parents aren't expecting us to bring anything fancy for tomorrow.

Are they?

So they should know by now

that you didn't marry me for my cooking skills.

I was actually thinking we could maybe go to...

- Really? - What?

- Come on. - Oh, come on, he's a family tradition.

Family tradition?

That thing is so creepy.

Hey, hey, hey.

[SHUSHING]

You can't talk about Benji von Elfstein that way.

Know how upset my parents would be

if they came over and he wasn't out?

Look at that thing in the eyes for, like, ten seconds.

Tell me it doesn't send a chill running through you.

Of course he does. That's part of his charm.

Listen, when we were kids, we knew we had to be good

because Benji was always watching us.

Look, I swear, Christmas was the one time of the year

the Averie siblings were actually behaving because Benji was watching.

Don't you want that?

I wouldn't want to scare my kids into behaving

because of that creepy thing.

Kids?

You, uh...

You thinking about kids?

Maybe in the far future.

How far?

Maybe not that far.

Yeah.

But, you know, let me...

What if we just put him away for now?

And we'll pull him out right before they get here.

Come on. That's not fair...

[CHUCKLES]

Sorry, hon.

Benji's family. Got to protect him.

LYNN: You gotta admit, that is a really weird tradition.

Yeah, it is. But...

Some traditions can be good.

Uh-oh.

[TOY SQUEAKING]

You were happy.

[SCOFFS]

She loved me so much.

Then why are you so miserable?

Because I know what comes next.

Look, I didn't mean anything by it.

It's just... I just want to know if you're okay.

It sounded like you had a rough day,

That's all.

NICK: You make it really hard to talk to you

when I always feel like you're analyzing my tone.

I told you I'm fine.

Okay. Okay.

Look, it's Christmas Eve. I just...

I don't wanna fight.

You know, I... I didn't do nearly as well

with the Christmas decorating this year.

I could've really used your help.

But...

NICK: Seriously, Lynn?

What? What did I say?

You think it's easy for me? Think I wanna be over here?

You really think I prefer being over here in the dirt

than at home on Christmas?

No, I...

This has been every phone call for the last month.

It's not fair for you to make me feel guilty for a decision we made together.

[LYNN SIGHING]

You told me you felt like you needed to re-enlist.

I wasn't gonna say no. But that doesn't mean this isn't hard for me.

Really? So you're gonna put it all on me?

I'm trying to provide for us.

I'm trying to honor my commitment.

That's not what I meant.

I should go.

Wait, I... Nick, I didn't...

- I don't have time. Bye. - [DISCONNECTS]

I love...

[SOBBING]

[LYNN SNIFFLING]

MAN ON TV: They think that rocket attacks will force this nation

to surrender, they're wrong.

- MAN 2: Are they, Dave? - MAN: Yeah, we do.

FEMALE REPORTER: As Afghanistan's president

wished Muslims a happy Eid celebration,

explosions went off in the background.

- Two rockets... - Can we talk for a second?

[NEWS REPORT CONTINUES]

Yeah.

NEWS REPORTER: Afghan forces responded swiftly...

I mean, without the laptop.

...bombing the house where the rockets originated.

Go ahead.

I'm taking the day off work tomorrow

so I can go with you to your VA appointment.

We just decided this, did we?

No, Nick. They called me,

and they told me that you, um,

have been missing most of your appointments.

And then they told me that when you do actually show up,

you're not receptive to any of the treatment options.

Say something.

- Anyth... - What do you want me to say, Lynn?

I want you to talk to me.

Look, I can see how hard this is for you.

But you don't want to get help.

- You're trying to solve it all on... - How can I talk to you?

You see what you wanna see, you hear what you wanna hear,

and you think you're some kind of expert?

- No, I don't. - You don't know anything.

You don't know anything.

You know, okay, it doesn't have to be me.

You just got to talk to someone.

We can... We can find some expert outside of the VA.

Okay, okay. Yeah, that's great. That's great.

So some shrink, who's gonna look in the book

and put me in a box and figure me all out?

That's what we wanna do? That sounds like a great freaking plan, Lynn.

You're trying to do this all on your own.

And you're just getting worse every day.

Why don't you go see one of your brothers?

Or go see some friends.

- Just talk to someone. - I don't want that.

We all just want to help, and we're worried about you.

That's great. That's great. So you often talk about me behind my back.

Stop! Stop!

What do you want me to do, Lynn?

What do you want me to do?

Who do you want me to talk to, Lynn?

You want to go to the VA?

They just want to shove some pills down my throat and be done with me.

They don't care about me.

My family doesn't understand. You don't understand.

You want me to sit in a circle,

little kumbaya with a bunch of other vets

who don't know how to deal with their problems!

I don't wanna talk to anybody!

I want to deal with this on my own!

And I can't do that when you keep yapping in my freaking ear!

I can't do it!

LYNN: Nick, how is this fair to me?

It's been two months.

We're supposed to be a team,

and I can't even talk to you without you blowing up at me.

NICK: Here comes the guilt trip.

My favorite part of the whole thing!

God, you know,

it's really lucky

you just pretend to be a therapist with me,

and you're not one in real life,

because your patients would end up killing themselves

to get away from the noise!

- Nick. - Going for a drive.

Where are you going? It's after midnight.

[SNIFFLING]

[CAR STARTING]

Why would you show me that?

You know what a monster I was?

It's never too late to change.

Where's my grandpa?

He had to go home.

Is he okay?

Yeah.

Oh, God. I must be disappointing him.

Did he seem disappointed in you?

I don't...

I don't know.

I don't know anything. I'm lost.

You struggle, Nick,

because you do everything alone

without ever asking for help.

You don't have to.

You have so many people in your life that care about you.

Yeah.

I've hurt every last one.

And still, it is not too late.

As long as you are alive, you have a chance

to mend these relationships and build new ones.

But you gotta let yourself.

I don't know if I have anything left to give.

MICHELLE: You've seen the ghost of your past.

Let's go see your future.

[SCOFFS]

Nothing makes any sense any more.

MAN: I'll say.

Ben?

Ben?

You didn't deserve to die, Ben.

"Deserve" has nothing to do with it.

You shouldn't have to be here. That's the point.

I should be able to cope on my own.

I don't know what good you could do me, Ben.

I'm sorry you had to come.

I came to bury you, Nick.

You're basically dead too.

He's right.

BEN: You've given up.

You're not the Nick I knew.

I don't wanna be here any more, Ben!

I don't wanna do this.

Is that what you want?

Please, just let me go.

No. Come on.

You don't want this future.

Nick.

You can't leave yet.

It's not your time.

Nick,

I need you to listen carefully to what I'm saying.

Your PTSD is not going to get better on its own.

Now, we don't know exactly what happened to you in Afghanistan,

so you need to work with us.

You're in serious trouble.

Lynn found you when she went back to your house

to get the rest of her things.

She called the paramedics in time

to save your life, but...

it was really too late.

Even with the support of your family.

Doesn't matter who shows up.

Lynn. Your parents, brothers, sister and your friends...

After that first attempt on your life,

you don't want to get better.

What happens next?

- Doctor, call it. - Time of death, 1200.

It takes a while, but eventually, you succeed.

Now you've seen your future.

One version of your future that is.

Does this have to be it?

This have to be my future?

No.

But your path back won't be easy.

I mean, is it even gonna do anyone any good if I keep living?

That's up to you, Nick.

So far, it's made a huge difference that you lived.

You saved your sister Anne's life.

And she went on to save countless lives being a nurse.

It made a huge difference

when your Humvee flipped into the Kunar River.

And you pulled three of your men out alive.

[CRYING]

I couldn't save the fourth guy.

I couldn't save him.

I just... I couldn't...

- He drowned right in front of me. - Nick.

He knows that you did everything you could.

And those three men you saved

went on to save dozens of others.

You did matter.

You did make a difference by being alive.

But know this.

You are never going through any of this alone.

I don't know how to start.

I don't know how to do this.

Fight for yourself.

Like you would have fought for so many others.

Okay.

I'm ready.

Ready to go back.

- [GASPS] - [ALARM BLARING]

[ALARM STOPS]

[SIGHS]

You have time.

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS]

[PHONE RINGING]

- Hello? - DAVE: Hey, Nick.

It's Dave Monroe again.

Oh, Dave. Yeah.

How you holding up, sir?

I'm hanging in there.

Thank you.

That's good to hear.

What about you?

You seemed pretty upset last time we talked.

Yeah, I think I'm starting to, uh...

process things.

Good. Good.

So listen, the reason I'm calling again

is we just went through Ben's will,

and uh...

He's left you $50,000

from his Servicemen's Group Life Insurance policy.

[CLEARS THROAT] Um...

I'm... I'm sorry. Me? I...

Sir, I, um...

I'm honored, but I couldn't...

I couldn't possibly accept that money.

Well, Ben definitely knows you.

He included that you wouldn't want to accept any money in his will.

His exact words...

were "To my best friend, Nick Averie,

"I leave $50,000.

"He won't want to take it,

"but make him anyways.

"He'll use it to do something great."

[SIGHS]

I don't know.

Look, Nick, Ben wasn't married.

He's leaving everything to his family here and...

He considered you family.

Well, that means more than you know, sir.

I'm glad.

I don't want to take up your whole day.

I'll be in touch with how I'll forward you the money.

Okay. That's... Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

It is Christmas, isn't it?

I've lost track of time.

Of course. That's completely understandable.

Sir?

Yeah.

Ben's in a better place.

He'd want you to know that.

Thanks, Nick.

I think I needed to hear that.

Merry Christmas.

[CHUCKLES]

[EXHALES] Okay.

[CHURCH BELLS RINGING]

Hello.

Anybody here? Hello?

MAN: Hello?

Oh, hey, Nick.

Kind of scared me.

I didn't expect to see anybody here today.

What you doing here on Christmas Day?

Had a feeling I'd run into one of you guys here.

Oh, really?

Just getting ready to take my tools and things home.

Project's dead in the water, you know.

How much money would it take to finish?

I don't know.

Pete said $40,000 for parts.

The funding's gone. The well's dry.

Might as well be a million at this point.

It's $40,000?

That'll do it?

Yeah, I guess so.

What are you getting at?

Sir, I recently came into some money,

and I'd like to donate it to finish the restoration.

Oh, no, I can't ask you to do that.

You didn't.

Sir, I've been at this air zoo for two days,

I see what this place does.

It makes a difference.

Makes people happy.

You guys preserve these pieces of history that...

would otherwise be lost.

And I would like to be a part of that.

I need to be part of that.

For real?

Yes, sir.

You got it.

And you just gave five old war vets

the best Christmas present ever.

Thank you, Nick.

This is amazing.

God, there is a Santa Claus after all.

Thank you, Nick.

- You're welcome, sir. - Thank you.

God bless you, Nick.

God bless you.

[DIALING]

[LINE RINGING]

TROY: Hello.

Troy. It's Nick Averie.

Nick. Good to hear from you.

Is everything okay?

Yeah.

Yeah. It's actually perfect.

Troy, I need to apologize to you for my behavior the other day.

It was... It's not acceptable.

Hey, that's all right.

I might have overstepped a bit.

I shouldn't have assumed anything about your experience with the military

or how you're dealing with.

No, it's okay. You were right.

I'm not getting the help I need.

It's pretty clear now.

And... [CLEARS THROAT]

If it's all right with you...

I would love to get that number from your friend at the VA.

Of course.

Okay. Thank you very much.

Did you ever make a decision about coming over for Christmas?

Uh...

Well...

I mean, I'm...

I wasn't sure if I was still invited after yesterday.

Come on, it's Christmas.

Season of forgiveness.

I'd love for you to celebrate with us.

Well, then I would love to be there.

- Great. - Thank you, Troy.

I'll text you the address,

and I'll get you that phone number of my friend at the VA.

Come over any time.

Bye.

Kristen.

[GASPS] Hi. [CHUCKLES]

What are you doing here?

I kind of left my phone here yesterday.

[CHUCKLES] That is not a fun way to start Christmas.

I know.

It's kind of a weird Christmas.

I've never been away from my family before.

And all my friends at school are gone. So...

I mean, you don't have anybody to spend Christmas with?

No. [CHUCKLES]

Well, nobody should be alone on Christmas.

All right, look, um...

I just accepted an invitation to Troy's house.

Really?

And I was feeling a little um... awkward,

as you can imagine, about showing up by myself.

But if you came with me...

I would be the awkward one?

It was not what I was gonna say.

I don't know. What do you say?

You wanna go have a weird...

[CHUCKLES] ...co-worker Christmas?

Why not?

[CHUCKLES] All right. Come on, let's go.

[INAUDIBLE]

Okay, everyone, little prayer before our food.

Heavenly Father, we give thanks for this food,

and the time that we can all spend together.

Especially having Kristen, Nick with us today.

In this season of joy and love,

let these memories warm our hearts.

And in our minds, always remember

that it's not the years in life you live,

but the life you live in these years.

- Amen. - ALL: Amen.

So, Nick, I heard you had a crazy group of Boy Scouts

who wore you down yesterday.

How'd you get out of that one?

Probably just put them in the flight simulators

till they were worn out.

- [LAUGHTER] - Yeah, that was basically it.

I guess you are the awkward one, Nick.

Okay.

[LAUGHTER]

TROY: Here you go, dear.

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]

[MESSAGE TONE]

[INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT OVER PA]

[INAUDIBLE]

Michelle.

What are you doing here?

[CHUCKLES] Looks like Eva to me.

I think you may have me confused with someone else.

So you don't recognize me?

No. Sorry. Have we met before?

Uh... no.

I'm... I'm very sorry. You look...

exactly like a friend of mine I was not expecting to see.

Huh, well, sorry to disappoint.

No, no, you're not. Believe me.

My friend, she's a little different.

Um... bit odd.

And if she were here, then I know something very...

very strange would be happening.

So I look like your different, odd friend.

That's a heck of a opening line. [CHUCKLES]

Just like her.

Well, you know, she sounds interesting,

- so I'll take it. - Oh, she is. She's...

probably the most interesting and incredible person I've ever met.

Odd, interesting and incredible?

I'm intrigued.

Maybe you could tell me about her.

Well, I wouldn't know where to start, but...

Yeah, I'd like to try.

How about this? I'll get you...

Oh. Just coffee.

Just a coffee.

And I will take a break. Thank you.

And you can tell me more about

this spectacular friend I look so much like.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

I'll fill my cup.

- Okay. I'll find us a table. - Sounds good.

[CLEARS THROAT]

[CHUCKLES] Thanks.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[INAUDIBLE]

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