All language subtitles for A.Christma ero.2020.720p.WEBRip.AAC2.0

Wish me luck.

What?

- 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?
- 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.

Could you imagine
actually flying in one of these?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

- Whoa!
- Oh, hey, Nick.

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.

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.

Whoo!

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?

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?

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.

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?

Hello, Pete.

Bad news or... the bad news?

What do you say, guys?
Should we vote?

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.

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.

Yeah. Merry Christmas.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hello?

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!

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?

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?

- No.
- Crazy, right?

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

What do you say we go
to the Ferris wheel?

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.

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

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.

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...

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?

Yeah.

You get to go
in the flight simulators,

- 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.

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

Who are you again?

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

Michelle.

Yeah. I've always liked
the name Michelle.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

Ah, shocking.

I think I might need
to get my eyes checked.

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

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.

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...

Sorry, hon.

Benji's family.
Got to protect him.

You gotta admit,
that is a really weird tradition.

Yeah, it is. But...

Some traditions can be good.

Uh-oh.

You were happy.

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.

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...

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.

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.

I love...

They think that rocket
attacks will force this nation

to surrender, they're wrong.

- Are they, Dave?
- Yeah, we do.

As Afghanistan's president

wished Muslims
a happy Eid celebration,

explosions went off
in the background.

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

Yeah.

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!

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.

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.

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.

You've seen
the ghost of your past.

Let's go see your future.

Nothing makes any sense
any more.

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.

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.

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.

You have time.

- Hello?
- 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.

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."

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.

Okay.

Hello.

Anybody here? Hello?

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.

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...

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.

Hi.

What are you doing here?

I kind of left
my phone here yesterday.

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.

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...

...co-worker Christmas?

Why not?

All right.
Come on, let's go.

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.
- 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.

Yeah, that was basically it.

I guess you are
the awkward one, Nick.

Okay.

Here you go, dear.

Michelle.

What are you doing here?

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.

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.

Thanks.