Original subtitles

Ho, ho, ho!

Ho, ho, ho!

Merry Christmas!

Ho, ho, ho!

Honey, you've got to feed these people.

Mom, please.

You think people attend your rehearsal luncheon to revel in your happiness, but

they really all come to eat.

If he's not here in a few minutes, we're starting without him.

I hope lunch is better than the appetizers.

The canapes were great. What do you know?

I know enough not to marry until I'm sure it will last. Oh, we're sure now,

we?

Actually, no, I'm not.

How can I be sure? My mother's been married four times. Should I apologize

for causing you a lifetime of pain or just leave you all my jewelry?

How's my bride?

Impossible. She must take after me.

You know, you're not allowed to call me your bride until tomorrow.

Oh, I didn't know the rules.

How could my own father stand me up?

I'm sure he had good reason.

Like he still can't keep a commitment.

Then why did you insist I invite him?

So call me old -fashioned.

But now that we finally have his address, having your dad at the wedding

like the right thing to do. But hey, I'm no Emily Post. I just don't want there

to be any tension.

Every wedding has tension.

You ought to know.

So I've been married a few times. I'm not ashamed.

Unlike you, I'm not afraid to take a risk.

Or alimony.

We all do the best we can, sweetie.

But for some of us, it's just never good enough.

If I kill her, will you wait for me?

What makes you think you'd be paroled?

I'll play temporary insanity.

If my mother married four times and my father's gone 25 years, I think I'll get

a lot of sympathy.

I might even get off.

What's stopping you then?

I love her.

It does complicate things.

And I love you too, Mike.

Which makes what I'm about to say very hard.

I don't think I can go through with it.

Look, I'm nervous too, but our both being nervous doesn't mean we call it

It just means that we have something in common, that we're meant for each other.

I feel terrible doing this to you.

Then don't do it to me, Jenny.

Look, you're tired. You've had too much to drink. Maybe you should go upstairs

and lie down.

I didn't expect you to understand.

Jenny, please.

Without me in your life, you'll be much happier.

Thank your parents for a beautiful party.

Tell them everything was perfect, except the bride.

Jenny?

Well, I guess you really were head over heels for this guy.

Come on, Jenny.

We're almost there.

Daddy,

don't go!

This is what we call court. What am I doing here?

Nice suit.

Thank you. What is this fabric?

Oh, it's something new.

It's very nice.

Mr. Jones, Jenny Parnell, if I may interrupt.

Jenny, would you tell me something?

When you bolted out of your rehearsal luncheon, was it the wedding that you

couldn't go through with?

Or the charade that you had invited your dad.

How did you know that I hadn't invited him?

Well, I try to know as much as I can know about a person.

The good as well as the bad.

And there's not too much bad, otherwise we wouldn't be here, right, Judge

Othniel?

Look,

I don't know why my mother even wanted him at my wedding, much less in it.

And the idea of letting the jerk who abandoned us walk me down the aisle.

I couldn't do it. And I wouldn't do it. But pretending that he had accepted your

invitation and then stood you up.

I was trying to placate my mother.

And make your father seem heartless. He is heartless.

Well, how would you know that?

You haven't had any contact with her in 25 years.

Because he killed my sister.

Really? If we had been able to find him when Wendy needed a bone marrow donor,

then maybe she would still be alive today.

The operative word here is maybe.

Well, maybe I want him to suffer as much as we did.

Regardless of the truth.

I'm telling you the truth.

That's me.

Insisting you're not you.

I knew my father's writing and I wanted no contact with him.

And I think it's safe to say that he wanted limited contact with us. There

never a return address.

Which meant that the postal service had to dump whatever you refused.

Fitting, since he dumped us.

Is that what you think?

That's what I know.

Oh, Jenny, you don't know the truth. You don't even know yourself.

You even went into the fashion trade just as a way to dress up, becoming some

fictional persona.

No, the fact is, young woman, the closest you ever came to knowing the

about yourself is when you scribbled Address C Unknown on those letters with

your father.

Did you bring me here to insult me?

Well, I'm sorry if it seems that way, but it's time you realized that when you

refused to know your father, you made it impossible to ever know yourself.

Well, that's rubbish.

I am very self -aware.

Well, then perhaps you can tell me why you canceled your wedding.

Haven't got a clue, have you?

If I'm so flawed, why am I even here?

Because you're a good person, Jenny.

You're very kind.

But never to yourself and rarely to your family.

I love my family.

Oh?

Then why do you exclude your father from your life?

When he left us, he stopped being part of my family.

Whatever he is, he is still a part of you.

And until you know that,

You will never know yourself.

Jenny Parnell, I'm sending you back to life with the hope that you will find

who you are.

You will return with all your memories intact.

You will have three days and three days only.

No one will recognize you.

You are a free agent in the universe with the blessing of God Almighty and

his court.

What are these things masquerading as clothes?

That's your style? Style?

You call this style?

I'm in the garment business. What if someone sees me?

Hey, it's 1979. People think pastel pantsuits are attractive.

Here. What is this for?

For one thing, it'll hide the clothes.

No, no, this belongs to someone. I can't wear this.

Who's Dr. Kieran Lance?

For the next three days, you are.

I'm a doctor. Dr. Lance?

He seems to think so.

They're looking all over for you.

Your patient in room 215?

She's anemic.

Her red blood cells and platelets are way down.

And she's demanding to go home today.

It'd be Christmas time. What do you think?

What do I think?

Well, if we can't do anything for her, it makes no sense to keep her here. We

might as well let her die at home.

Die? Well, let's face it, Doctor.

With her rare blood type, finding a bone marrow donor at this point is nearly

impossible.

And I should believe in a miracle.

I don't mean to sound like I have no hope, but since her fraternal twin has

excluded as a possible donor, I have no hope.

Also, I have no time.

I'm off to play racquetball.

Why did he make me a doctor?

As a doctor, you'll have access to information that might make it easier to

your father.

I don't want to find my father.

Yes, you do.

Look, he was not in my life when I needed him. I sure don't need him now.

You may not, but your sister does.

My sister is dead.

She doesn't look that way to me.

What are you talking about?

The patient in room 215.

The patient that he was talking about.

That's my twin sister.

I told you, it's 1979.

I can't... Treat her?

No.

Watching a 12 -year -old die? I've done it once. I can't do it again.

Then don't let her die.

I can prevent it?

Who knows if anyone could prevent it, Jenny.

Look, you always felt responsible for Wendy's death.

But it's not your fault your blood types didn't match.

I wanted so much to help her.

Well, this time around you've been given the power to heal.

By finding your father and making amends, you can save yourself.

Maybe your sister. What if I can't find him?

Or what if I find him and he's not a potential donor?

Or what if I find him and after the way that I've treated him, he wants nothing

to do with me?

All are possible.

Well, it was easier being dead.

It always is.

So look, you can play it safe and twiddle your thumbs for the next three

which is like being dead.

Or you can do what your mother's so good at and what you find so very hard.

Which is what?

You can take a risk.

You

know,

you only have a finite amount of time.

It's 1979.

There's no internet.

I don't know where to start looking.

How about in room 215?

With my mother?

It's Wendy.

I used to beg my mother to tell me anything

about my dad.

I got nowhere.

Of course, but everything else, she couldn't stop talking.

Well, maybe she'll say things to Dr. Lance that she couldn't say to you.

At any rate, what can you lose?

My temper.

Well, don't.

Go on.

$300. There you go.

Wendy, look who's here. I told you she hadn't forgotten you.

Hi, Dr. Lance.

How are we feeling today?

Those of us without leukemia feel better than those of us with.

Dr. Lance, last week you said I could go home today.

I did.

It's almost Christmas.

Um, I just have to read your chart, and then we'll see what's what.

Can we talk in private?

I have no secrets from my girls.

Oh, give me a break.

My mom has so many secrets.

We used to think she was a spy.

It was my trench coat.

And you're avoiding every question we've asked on some subjects.

I tell him a woman can't have too much mystery.

Or money.

She is a thing for alimony.

I just divorced husband number two. You should excuse the expression.

Though it's a perfect name for him. Jenny.

Don't let her get to you. She's just giving you grief.

Something I don't need more of, thank you very much.

Can we talk outside?

Jenny, call the nurse if she needs anything, okay? Okay.

Nine.

I'm sure you know how serious Wendy's condition is.

Doctor, I'm many things, but I'm no fool.

Finding a match for a bone marrow transplant is vital to your daughter's

survival.

I pray every day for a donor.

With all due respect, prayer may not be enough.

I've tried to make contact with Wendy's father, but it's been impossible.

Wait, you've checked with family, friends, past employers?

Finding him is not the problem. It's getting him to cooperate.

What do you mean?

He wants nothing to do with us.

If it were my daughter who were near death, I would stop at nothing. Doctor,

I've begged, I've cajoled, I've threatened, and I was warned that if I

up, there'd be consequences.

What are you talking about?

Let me just say that his lawyer told me that I can't force Wendy's father to

submit to a blood test or even become a donor if he was a match.

And if I continue to contact him or harass him, as he calls it, I could end

in jail.

He threatened to have you locked up? Which, as a single parent, I hope you

understand, I simply can't risk.

Excuse me.

Did you hear that?

Did you hear what my father did? I told you, he's a creep.

Isn't that what you always thought?

So why do you seem surprised?

I guess maybe I sort of hoped I would be wrong about it.

We've made you a doctor.

That means you can't be wrong about anything.

So what do we do now?

We don't give up?

Well, how do we find him?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Maybe we should contact a private investigator.

How about first talking to your patient?

Are you worried that you won't know what to say?

No, it's not that.

Then what?

I don't know if I can go through the pain of losing her again.

Jenny, stop.

We keep forgetting you're a doctor now.

Does that mean I won't feel her death as deeply?

No, it means you think you can do anything, including preventing her

What if I can't prevent it?

You rationalize that it's better off that way.

Doctors. How do they live with themselves?

They make a lot of money.

You look tired.

I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years.

Sort of like Root Van Winkle, hmm?

That was a fun guy.

You know, you put on a good front for your family.

They feel bad enough without knowing how bad I feel.

Your mom's a lot stronger than she looks.

It's Jenny I worry about.

My death will hit her hardest.

What kind of talk is that?

I'm just trying to be realistic.

Well, I don't have time or patience for that kind of thing.

I need to get a hold of your father.

Do you have any idea where he lives?

Not exactly.

What do you mean, not exactly?

If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell my mom?

A few months ago, I heard her fighting on the phone with someone.

Because of what I heard, I thought it was my dad.

And when she wouldn't tell me who it was, I was sure it was my dad.

What'd you do?

I noted in my diary the time of the call.

And when the phone bill came, I figured out which phone number it was.

After she paid the bill, I took it from the trash.

So you have what you think is your father's phone number.

I know it sounds stupid, but I carry it around with me.

Do you have it here?

In my purse.

on October 9th.

The area code is 416.

Is that Canada?

Toronto.

Have you tried calling him?

Okay. Wendy, your mother was trying to reach him because we think that you have

a better chance of getting well if we can do something that's called a bone

marrow transplant.

Now, in order to do that, we have to have a suitable match.

You have a very rare blood type, and I think there's a chance your father might

be an appropriate donor.

And I would like to see him to explore that possibility.

But I don't know where he lives.

With reverse directory, I can get his address from this phone number.

Can I borrow this?

In that same purse, there's a picture.

That might help you.

He was taken a long time ago.

But you'll need help recognizing him.

Thanks. It's a good idea.

I don't have much from him.

You won't lose it, will you?

I'll hang on to it as if it were my own.

Okay. Thank you. I'll call you back. Okay.

I can get a seat on the red -eye, but how do I pay for the ticket?

Economy class.

Only.

Hello. May I speak to Nicholas Parnell, please? No one by that name lives here.

Perhaps he was visiting.

Do you recognize this man?

No.

Is there someone else at home that I could speak to?

No.

Can you tell me who lives here?

Not Mr. Parnell.

Could you ask your employer to call me, please?

I will communicate your request.

Good day.

Trouble? Do you know how to use a jack?

Oh, you know how to use a phone?

You wouldn't happen to have Auto Club membership, would you?

Uh -uh.

Puts us on a limited budget.

Hey, hey, hey.

Tell me that we're going to find him.

I need to hear something encouraging.

In several years, there will be cell phones.

Want some help changing that tire?

No thanks for calling a tow service.

That's not what I asked you.

Yes.

Yes. Help would be wonderful. Thank you.

It's really nice of you to stop.

Tis the season and all that.

I'm Karen Lance.

Nick. Nick Parnell.

This guy.

This guy is my dad.

Yes, I know.

I mean you know.

You think miracles like this just happen?

He thought you needed an early Christmas gift.

There.

That should do it.

I'm impressed.

It takes me longer to floss my teeth.

That tire can be plugged, so don't let them bully you into buying a new one.

Actually, it's a rental car.

Are you up here for the holiday?

No, no, business.

Personal.

Listen, I would really like to buy you lunch.

Thank you for helping me out.

It's really nice of you, but it's unnecessary.

Not to me.

Come on, you did me a favor, and I'd like to do one for you.

You're persistent, you know that?

That's just what my dad used to say.

Follow me.

Of course, when he used to say that, I had no idea what persistent meant.

Why didn't you ask him?

Oh, he would have told me to look it up.

I used to do that with my girls.

Parents mean well. Fun hug is lost in translation.

How old are your daughters?

Eleven. No, twelve, I guess.

Twins. I haven't seen them for a while.

Divorced.

What brought you to Toronto?

I'm just here for the holiday season. Pick up a load of Christmas trees.

You don't live up here?

No, actually, I've never been here before. What made you think I did?

I don't know, I guess.

Oh, I was confused.

I'm sorry.

My father was in Vietnam, too.

Oh, really?

How old was he? Was he a general or something?

No.

No, he was a lifer.

He did three tours.

I didn't run to her. That was enough.

Though I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if I hadn't.

How's that?

That war, it cost me everything.

What happened?

I was declared missing in action, presumed dead, and my wife took comfort

arms of another man.

When the army found me alive and well, they sent me home apologizing for the

unnecessary pain that they'd caused my family.

But there was a lot more pain when I found out what my wife had done.

How did you find out?

Several years later, a doctor raised questions about Wendy's rare blood type.

I guess she felt forced to tell me.

By then, the girls were seven.

So, in one brief moment, I found out that my wife wasn't who I thought she

and the kids... Weren't yours.

I know she thought I was dead.

And that's funny things to people, but I... Just... I felt so betrayed.

Who wouldn't?

I was tickled that Jenny had my mom's personality and

Wendy my dad's smile.

I felt like a moron, so I packed my bags and left.

Without any explanation to your kids?

Yeah, I know it was really terrible.

I never got to tell them that it wasn't their fault, but I didn't feel like I

belonged.

Of course you did.

I mean, you were their father.

You were their family.

I didn't see it that way.

I felt if they weren't mine, they couldn't be mine.

I know now how badly I handled it.

I probably really hurt them.

Not probably.

You did.

A lot.

How can you say that? You don't even know them.

Yes, I do.

I'm... Hi.

I'm Wendy Parnell's doctor.

I came up here in search of you.

Wendy has leukemia.

Oh, no. And I, of course, thought that you were her biological father. I don't

know why Pauline didn't tell me the truth.

The twins' father is a very powerful man.

He probably threatened her into thinking that if she created waves in his life,

he'd make a typhoon in hers.

So you know him?

No.

Guy was my best friend.

I need to find him.

His name is Dan Russell. He's an investment banker.

Might even live up here.

Father -in -law whom he worked for is Canadian.

If you need any help tracking him down. No, no, I think I already have. You

didn't even know who he was?

I didn't have the right name, but I think I had the right house.

I

think

you should know that Dan's not a nice guy.

He's selfish, he's hot -tempered, very arrogant.

So if you need any help with them.

You guys are still friends?

Nah, we hate each other's guts.

But if there's anything that I can do to help, I'm in town until Christmas.

And after that?

Varies. I work seasonal.

Pumpkins in October, Christmas trees in December.

Never in one place for very long.

That must be kind of hard on your family.

I really don't have a family anymore.

Does that bother you?

In some ways.

In other ways, it's sort of nice.

I mean, the only person I could disappoint is myself.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

you're from, Dr. Lant.

Around here, folks don't just drop by uninvited.

I'm sorry. I didn't have time to make an appointment with you.

But I have a patient. A little girl whose life is at stake.

I know why you're here.

What do you want?

To know your blood type.

Look, what happened, happened.

Who the real father is no longer concerns me.

Well, it concerns me.

One of your daughters is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

And if you're a suitable match, I would like you to be the donor.

Absolutely not.

Can we at least talk about this?

No, we can't.

Why not?

I don't have to explain myself to you.

Yes, you do.

If you want this to remain quiet, yes, you do.

Are you threatening me, Dr. Lance?

Do you think you're the only one who can threaten people, Mr. Russell?

My wife... I never found out about this.

And I intend to keep it that way. There are ways of doing this quietly. I'll see

you later, dear.

Oh, excuse me. I didn't know that you had company.

This is my wife, Florence.

Florence, this is... Karen Lent. A business associate.

Nice to meet you.

Pleasure.

Florence and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.

Congratulations.

It is a bit of an accomplishment, don't you think?

Or testimony to my lunacy.

We'll eat dinner tonight at the Christmas party at the club. Is that all

with you? Whatever you want, dear.

Why does he never say that when we're at a shoe store?

What happened 13 years ago was a terrible mistake.

One weak moment, a marriage was destroyed, a family. A friendship.

Not a day goes by when I don't think about the lives I've ruined, and I don't

intend to ruin any more.

Then don't.

You can help your daughter.

This, too, is my daughter, and those are my sons.

I have a lot at stake here.

Wendy's life is at stake.

I'm sorry.

I'm going to have to have time to think about this. She doesn't have any time.

This procedure has to be done immediately.

Dad, you said you'd take me Christmas shopping for Mom.

Yes. In a minute, dear. Go get your coat on. Our guest was just leaving.

I know Pauline has been calling you and begging you.

I know you've threatened her with legal action.

Look, you don't know Florence, or worse, my father -in -law. No one would have

to know. He's got big plans for me.

Wants me to run for office.

Which makes this out of the question.

I know that doing the right thing could cost you. Look, you don't know anything.

What will it cost you if you don't do the right thing?

I've had enough of this.

I want you to leave me alone and my family.

All I'm asking is that you reconsider.

I want you out of my house.

Please, just think about it. I said, get out.

Get out.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your planning shorty. Please pass the seatbelts and

extinguish all cigarettes.

Why didn't you tell me who their real father was?

It's complicated.

What, you put your daughter's life in my hands and then play games with me? You

don't understand.

Why did you waste my time looking for the wrong man?

I told you, I'm afraid of him.

Well, he's just as afraid of you as you are of him.

How could you get involved with someone like Dan Russell?

I was young and foolish.

I just lost the love of my life, and Dan was his best friend and seemed as upset

as I was by Nick's death.

We cried together, laughed together, slept together.

It wasn't planned.

We had too much to drink.

Believe me, when I woke the next morning and saw his clothes on the floor, you

can't imagine how I felt.

Wasn't he married?

Doctor, I feel bad enough about it.

And yes, he was married.

And is married, and she's very rich and from a very powerful family, and they

have three children together.

And he's frightened of losing all that. But Wendy is his child also. He won't

help. Well, there has to be someone who can get through to him.

I'd like to try.

Oh, Jenny.

Why didn't you tell me, Mom?

All these years I hated Daddy.

I did what was easy, not what was right.

Which was very selfish of me.

I'm so sorry.

We can't let him turn his back on Wendy.

Unfortunately, it's not our decision.

Maybe if I called him.

I don't think he'll talk to you.

Then I'll go and see him in person.

And I won't leave until he does.

Dr. Lentz.

Tell Mr. Russell I'm here to see him.

Look, I don't want to be pressured about this. I told you I would think about

it, and I will.

I thought you might need some help making the right decision.

Mr. Russell, this is Jenny Parnell.

One of your twin daughters.

How dare you?

Jenny, this is Dan Russell, your biological father.

You've got a lot of nerve.

And I wish you had just a little bit.

Get out. You, get out!

You're scared.

Why are you scared?

No.

I want to look at him.

Because I'm going to remember this all my life.

This big man in this big house, scared.

Wendy is never scared.

These doctors come in with needles, and she never even blinks.

She's so sick she can't eat.

But she never, ever complains.

I'm scared.

Every night.

Because I know the monster is under the bed.

When Wendy was there, she would laugh and sing a song to the monster.

It put him to sleep.

Who's going to sing to the monster when Wendy's gone?

I don't sleep very well anymore.

Because the monster's still there.

But at least I know what he looks like now.

Thank you.

How did it go?

It's a perfect match.

They're doing the procedure tomorrow.

They're guardedly optimistic.

How can I ever thank you?

Just invite me to their wedding.

Excuse me.

Wendy would like to speak with her father.

Wendy, this is Dan Russell, our father.

I know who he is.

I'd say your bone marrow will probably save my life.

Well, that's what we're all praying.

My mom said it wasn't easy doing what you did.

I wanted to thank you.

Well, it's...

Really, your doctor and your sister deserve your thanks.

They knew what I had to do a long time before I did.

But they wouldn't let me do anything else.

Yeah, my sister can be a real pain in the butt.

Well, you know, she says you just like her.

Good luck to you.

Mr. Russell.

Thank you.

Hey, phone head.

So you still answer to that?

Apparently.

Some nicknames are fitting, I guess.

I didn't expect to see you here. I could say the same.

What I want.

Just glad you came through.

She's a persuasive girl, that Jenny.

Persistent is what I always called her.

Yeah, that too.

Hey, Nick, I never meant for... Yeah, I know. We were both young

and... I was a jerk.

Me leaving them made me a bigger jerk.

Okay, let's get competitive about this.

Look, we were both jerks, all right.

I guess that's what made us friends.

Take care of yourself, Dad.

Yeah. You too, Nick.

Excuse me.

When do you need your dad for something?

Oh, uh, he just left.

She means you.

Room 215.

Yes, Jenny, you need to watch your step.

Mom? Come on, sweetheart, everyone's waiting.

You have to go get dressed. You don't want to be late for your own wedding, do

you? Go on.

Mr. Jones!

Shouldn't you be in there getting married?

I was hoping that you were going to stay for the ceremony, at the very least.

Well, I will if you want me to.

Just know that very soon you won't remember me.

Or anything about your time as Dr. Lance.

Who? I rest my case.

I am so happy to have my whole family with me on the most important day of my

life.

Well, you make a beautiful bride, Jenny.

And you make a wonderful wife.

If you allow yourself to accept the love you so easily give.

You deserve it, you know.

Thank you.

Thank you for everything.

I've been searching all over for you.

Wendy?

You look gorgeous.

So do you.

Okay, everybody's waiting.

There you go.

Do you want me to throw you the bouquet? No, no, absolutely not.

It would make Mom too happy.

I am so happy you're getting married.

I am so happy you're here.

I love you.

Ditto. Mom?

Come on.

I guess they're getting restless.

Is my baby ready?

I hope so.

Where are you going?

Sit with my wife.

I may be giving you away, but I'll never be far away.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together today to witness the union of Michael

and Jennifer.

Marriage is a sacred joining of souls and should not be entered into lightly.

Michael? do you take jennifer to be your lawful wednesday and promise the love