Touched by an Angel (1994) s01e11 Episode Script
The Hero
1 Oh, Tess.
I'll never get tired of seeing the sunrise.
Neither do I, baby.
It's always good to get up with the sun.
It's a wonder more people don't get up to see the dawn.
It's not the sunrise he's up for.
Some people can't stand the silence of the night.
The night-time has its own special beauty.
Not for him.
James Mackey.
He just gets up with the sun to start running again.
MONICA: He looks like quite an athlete.
Well, he is a good runner.
But that's not the kind of running I'm talking about.
Did you ever hear the story about the man who was afraid of the lions? Well, he was so scared, he ran, and he ran, and he ran, and he kept looking behind him to see if a lion was catching up to him.
And he looked over his shoulder so much he didn't see where he was going, and one day, guess what he ran smack dab into? A lion.
â« When you walk down the road â« â« Heavy burden, heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« I'll walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't even shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Believe me, I'll walk with you.
â« JAMES: Oh, yes, sir.
He's a terrific kid.
A letter from you sure would shake the walls down.
Oh, yes, sir.
Your name is still real good around these parts.
WOMAN: I'll call you from the car later then.
Hello.
I'm here to see Sheriff Mackey.
Jim! The college boards are coming up so we have to know pretty soon, sir.
Right.
Well, thank you.
I appreciate that, sir.
Thank you.
All right.
All right! What did he say? I want you to call Matt's school and have them fax a copy of his grades over to Congressman Atwater right away.
He's going to do it? He likes what he sees, he's going to write the letter of recommendation to Annapolis.
I'm on it.
I'm so proud of that boy, I don't know what to do.
Oh, Jim, this is Hello.
I'm Monica.
Hello, Monica.
What brings you to Tapford? I'm doing a story for the Globe.
Reporter down from the capital, huh? We have them for breakfast, don't we, Vicky? Well, don't hold it against me.
I'm just a freelancer.
What can I do for you? I'm doing a profile on local heroes.
Oh? Well, you were given the Governor's Medal of Valor.
Well, that was three years ago.
Why do you want to do an article on that now? Well, this is just a follow-up story, a "where are they now" sort of thing.
I'll tell you where he is.
He's on cloud nine.
His kid's going to get into Annapolis.
That would make a great angle.
Father and son, yesterday's hero, tomorrow's hero? Yeah, but that just seems like old news to me.
Not the way I'm going to write it.
You go on, let Monica ride with you.
Please.
I won't be any trouble.
All right.
I can't fight off both of you.
I'll get my hat.
So when my wife died, something about big city life didn't work anymore.
I took Matthew, packed a few things and moved to Tapford.
It certainly is a wonderful place to bring up a boy.
WOMAN: Hi, Sheriff.
Sure is.
We got fishing down at the lake, meadows for track runs, great local schools.
Pretty much everything we need is right here on Main Street.
It's lovely.
Mm-hmm.
Is that the bank that earned you your medal? Yeah, that's it.
Tell me, Sheriff Mackey, what's it like to be a hero? My partner, Nick Hansen, died in that holdup.
I know.
This kid was cleaning the bank out.
He had everybody on the floor ready to execute half the town.
He had one woman by the throat with a pistol to her head.
Nick and I went in together.
The kid shot Nick.
And you shot the boy? He couldn't have been more than 19.
Next thing I know, they're pinning a medal on me.
Calling me a hero.
It's not your fault that your partner died.
You risked your life to save him and think of all the others that you saved.
Yeah Yeah.
What the? Be right back, Monica.
Come on, man.
Pass it back out.
Dad.
I'm driving down the street thinking my son's in the library, and what do I see? He's spending the last few hours of his study time out here in a damn basketball game.
Listen, dad, I was just I was taking a break.
No, there are no breaks, Matthew.
The boards are tomorrow.
You got that? Tomorrow.
You're fresh out of time.
There are no breaks.
Jim, Jim.
He has studied enough.
If anybody is ready for the boards, it's Matthew.
Mike, I know you're a good man and you mean well, but you stay out of my business.
Jim, I'm sorry, but I've got to say it, you are too hard on your son.
Are you telling me how to raise my boy? No You telling me what's best for my son? No, I just think you Don't think.
They don't pay you to do that.
They pay you to coach, so you stick to what you do best and leave my son to me, huh? Excuse me for interrupting, but I think there's been a wee bit of a misunderstanding.
You see, the sheriff here was given some very exciting news about his son today.
Hello, Matthew.
And in his eagerness to share it, I think he got a little worked up.
I was out of line, Mike.
I apologize.
It's all right, Jim.
Good.
So now are you going to tell Matthew the news? Congressman Atwater came through for us.
You got the recommendation, Matthew.
That's great, Dad.
What, no jumping up and down? No whooping and hollering? Matthew, we're talking Annapolis here, the Naval Academy.
That's top of the line, son.
Boy, I'm so proud of you I could bust.
Now, look, you gather up your stuff and get on back to the library.
I'm sorry for the trouble.
You boys get on back to your game.
Man, your dad's hard-core.
I guess if they tell you you're a hero, you can get away with anything.
Shut up, man.
He knows what he's doing.
You know, I try to keep a lid on my temper, but hell, when it comes to Matthew, there's nothing that makes my blood boil more than some joker trying to tell me what's right for my son.
He seems like a very special boy.
Yeah.
A shrine to the son, so little about the father.
Well, the son's a lot more interesting than the old man ever was.
Excellence in track, football, math, English.
You're right, he is quite a boy.
You know, people like Mike on the basketball court, they say I'm too hard on him.
But I know what hard is, and I know what discipline is.
The two of them are interchangeable.
If you want your son to be successful, you've got to give him discipline.
The only way to do that is to be hard.
So discipline is Sheriff Mackey's secret weapon for success, huh? Well, look at me.
I'm up every morning by 4:00, jogging on the road by 5:00, in at work by 6:00.
Efficient but exhausting.
When do you sleep? Sleep? I don't believe in sleep.
Sleep is eight wasted hours of hot-air ballooning.
Nothing gets done.
Where I come from, people don't always have to be busy.
Sometimes they just sit back and enjoy the peace.
We come from two different places, Monica.
All of the places I've been don't know the first thing about peace.
In fact, you show me someone who claims they live in peace, I'll show you a liar.
Yeah, I miss him every day.
( Door opening ) Matt? Is that you? Hey, Dad.
How you doing? Oh, you remember Monica.
Hello.
I heard wonderful things about you.
Well, I hope you didn't believe them.
JAMES: Monica here is a reporter.
They sent her down here to do a story on your old man.
Oh.
That's great.
Well, I got dinner burning.
Dad? Is it all right if I eat in my room tonight? Matt, we got company.
Oh, don't mind me.
I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow.
I was hoping maybe I could cram a few more hours.
Well, get cracking.
Good luck tomorrow.
I look at that boy and everything else I've done in my life hardly seems to matter.
Can I quote you? You're damn straight.
TESS: Any boy that studies that much is looking for answers that he cannot find in a book.
He's so quiet and well-behaved.
But there's something else too a sadness.
TESS: He's so caught up in what his father wants him to be, that he hasn't had time to find out who he really is.
MONICA: His father is so proud of him.
TESS: Honey, there is nothing more dangerous than a man taking pride in the wrong thing.
Hey, Mackey.
You got them, man? It's a done deal.
Mackey? One thing I don't get.
You could take this test in Chinese and still come out making A's.
Why buy the answers? This one's too important.
There's no room for mistakes.
( Bell rings ) ( cooing ) Matthew? Will you please put your pencil down and join me outside in the hall? ( Cooing ) Matthew, you are a good student.
I don't know why you felt you had to cheat.
I'm sorry.
It's too late for that.
I have to disqualify you.
The honors board meets Friday morning.
I want you to be there.
( Bell rings ) And bring your father.
May I have your attention? Would everyone please take their seats? This is a time when all of you face big decisions.
Now, you took the boards this morning.
And while you wait for your scores, trying to figure out what college to attend, what career path to follow, and what an uncertain future holds for you.
Now, you may be asking yourself "Do I have what it takes? Do I have what it takes to make it in the real world?" Well, today I've provided a very special speaker to talk to you about those hard choices.
He's a man who has understanding because he has been there.
He's made his choices and he has made them well.
Please help me welcome someone that we all know and respect, Sheriff James Mackey.
( Applause ) Thank you and good afternoon.
Principal Richards asked me here today to give you a motivational speech.
I can't do that.
I can't give any of you anything.
Motivation, direction, inspiration, those are all things that only you can give yourselves.
You've got to have a vision for yourself and then you've got to put in the hard time.
Because when you do, when you use self-discipline, you don't just achieve excellence, you get the rewards that come with it.
Now take as an example one of your own classmates, Matthew Mackey.
I grant you, he's my son, and I won't stand here for one minute and say I'm not proud of him.
But he put in the hard time.
And now it's paying off.
His grades have earned him a recommendation from a congressman, and now we're talking Annapolis.
The bottom line is, do the hard work and the doors will swing open.
( Whispers ): Want to bet? Now this isn't just happening because Matthew sat around for four years on his hands.
It's happening because he's a young man who knew what he wanted and he went for it.
He's the one who finally got the dream.
And I'm here to tell you, when you get the dream, the dream gives back to you.
Hey, Mackey.
Wait up.
Hey! Hey, what did you tell Randall? I didn't tell her anything.
How did you say you got the answers? I didn't say anything, man.
Yeah, well, as far as anybody's concerned, you stole those answers all by yourself.
Got it? Hey, just remember.
Whatever your father can do to you, I can do worse.
I read that you're speaking at the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you.
No, you can't come.
Oh, come on.
I'm telling you, it's gonna be pretty boring.
Thank you.
I'd love to.
I'll have the chairman put you at my table.
You can sit with Matthew.
You know, you certainly do make an awful lot of speeches.
Well, I'm the local hero.
I guess that dubious honor comes with a price, huh? It seems like an awfully high price.
And it puts you under an awful lot of pressure to always do the right thing and be the right thing.
Well, after Nick died, I wanted to find a way to give his death some meaning.
What about Matthew? What about him? It must be so hard for him to live in your shadow.
Nah, he's got a whole future of his own to live.
Yeah, but it seems to be putting him under a lot of pressure, too.
You know, I'm worried about him.
Look, he's waiting for the results on the college boards, he's thinking about Annapolis.
His whole life is changing right under his feet.
College is a wonderful goal, but he's still a boy, you know.
He needs to be able to play basketball and see a movie.
He needs to relax.
Monica, trust me on this, all right? That kid is at the top of his game Class valedictorian, captain of the football team and the basketball team.
I know, but he's exhausted.
You know, he spends so much time trying to please you, that he never takes the time to think what it means to please himself.
Don't tell me about my son, all right? I know him like the back of my hand.
If he's feeling any pressure at all right now, he can handle it.
Okay? Sure.
Let me grab my stuff for the dry cleaners and we'll head right back to the office, huh? Okay.
It's here.
Hot dog, it's here! ( Chuckles ) Yeah, this is it.
Congressman Atwater not only wrote the letter of recommendation, he wrote it with honors.
( Door opens ) That's Matt.
Come on.
( Door closes ) Hey, son.
How could you do that to me today, Dad? What? Come on, Dad, I haven't even been accepted into Annapolis and you're telling everybody that I'm in.
I mean, what am I supposed to do if I don't make it? Did you ever think of that? Matt, I apologize if I embarrassed you.
Son, it's just that I'm so proud of you that it's hard to keep it in.
Here, maybe this will cheer you up.
You're in, Matthew.
You made it.
I told you, you could do it, son, and you did.
You did it, Matthew.
I don't believe you.
You opened my mail.
But, Matt, I Dad, you don't give me any privacy.
You don't let me have anything that's mine.
Don't you use that tone with me, not after all I've done for you, boy.
You don't get it, do you? No, what I get, Matthew, is that this, this recommendation is going to change your life, give you opportunities that most kids would sell their souls for.
I can't talk to you.
What's gotten into that boy? ( Door closes ) Maybe you should go up and talk to him.
No, he's just tired.
Let him sleep it off.
( Fire crackling ) ( coos ) ( coos ) ( gunshot ) Okay, let's go.
Move it! Okay, watch out! Watch out! Watch out.
Okay, heads up, folks.
We need labs, stat.
Yes, sir.
James? Monica.
I was, uh I was trying to sleep and I heard this gunshot.
I went down in the basement and I found him Well, what happened? I don't know.
He had my gun.
What the hell was he doing down there in the middle of the night with my gun? Tom? Jim, I'll let you know as soon as I do.
What have we got? 17-year-old male, gunshot wound to the left temporal area, probably self-inflicted.
Unresponsive at scene, stable vitals on route.
Okay, send off a crit, electrolytes, ABG, type and cross for two.
Ready? One, two, three.
He's got one at a cubical line.
Okay, we need two 16-gauge lines.
Let's hook him up and hyperventilate him.
I'm on it.
Can I have someone help me with his head, please? Patrick, that's you.
Cut that.
Cut that.
Okay.
Let's hit him up with 75 of Mannitol.
I also need a new set of vitals and a SAT.
BP 100/60, heart rate 54, SAT 92.
I feel a skull fracture.
It looks non-penetrating.
Come on, here we go.
There are medals out there waiting for you, and bright skies and loving friends and a life so full, you can't even begin to imagine.
Oh, Matthew, God loves you so much.
Now fight.
Fight for yourself.
Pupils are reacting bilaterally.
Call radiology.
We need a stat head CT.
WOMAN ( over P.
A.
): Dr.
Parrish to CICU.
( Phone rings ) Tom.
How's my boy doing? He'll make it.
Oh, thank God.
Thank you, Tom, thank you.
Jim, he'll make it, but I'm not gonna lie to you, it's gonna be a hard road back.
All right.
Please.
The force of the bullet caused an injury to the brain.
There's a contusion.
It's like a small blood clot that's centered right at the speech area.
Matthew's speech is severely impaired.
Now, whether that impairment is permanent or temporary can only be determined over time, but we're gonna get him right into therapy and rehab, okay? We'll get him back.
He'll make it back He's-he's gonna be fine, Tom.
That's the attitude we need.
Yeah.
Tom, when can I bring him home? Well, Jim the boy's been shot in the head, and even if he's out of the woods with that, he's still gonna have to spend some time up in psychiatric.
What? It's hospital policy whenever there's a suicide attempt.
Suicide? Yeah.
I'm sorry, I thought you knew.
Oh, no, no, that's not possible.
Jim, I know it's hard to hear that.
No.
No son of mine would try to commit suicide.
But, Jim, the only thing that matters is Matthew needs help.
Now, we can give him the psychiatric attention he needs right now, but you, you are gonna have to follow up on your own.
Now, I'm gonna give you the name of a very good family therapist, and I want the both of you to go together.
Listen to me.
The more involved you are in Matthew's recovery, the better.
Where's the note? What note? Well, if you're gonna stand there and tell me my son tried to commit suicide, then you damn well better produce a suicide note.
Don't do this.
Come on, you're a cop.
You know there isn't always a note.
Look you either produce the suicide note or you stop slandering my son's name, you got that? ( Over P.
A.
): Dr.
Levy, please call extension 434.
Dr.
Levy, please call extension 434.
( Steady beeping ) Hello, Matthew.
Oh, no.
Matthew, you can't think that.
We couldn't let you die.
No, you don't.
You have so much to live for.
It's okay.
I'm an angel.
I can hear you.
Nothing I do is good enough.
Good enough for your father? He's not happy unless I'm the best.
And I can't be all the time.
I mean, if I'm on the team, he won't just let me play, he wants me to be team captain.
And if I win an award, he wants it to be first place.
And the boards, if I get a 1,500, it's not good enough.
He wants a 1,600.
Is that why you cheated on your test? Does he know? Not yet.
But you should tell him yourself.
I can't.
He'll kill me.
Is that why you tried to get there first? Maybe.
Oh, Matthew, it's not as bad as it seems.
You and your father, you can work this through.
( Door opens ) Yes, I do know your father, and I know you, and I believe in you both.
What do you think? Well, his head is going to be all right It's his heart I'm worried about.
Well, the sins of the father have definitely been visited upon the son.
And the father has to heal before the son can.
And it had better be fast, because that boy will try again.
It seems so unfair.
How can he expect Matthew to live up to him? Oh, it's deeper than that.
He expects that boy to redeem him.
( Knocking ) ( sighs ) â« â« â« â« Monica.
He needs to see you.
What good would that do? When are you going to look past your own pain to see that your son is suffering so much it's killing him? Matthew had an accident; We all have accidents.
Matthew tried to kill himself.
No, he didn't! ( Sighs ) You claim to be a hero, and yet you can't find the courage to save your own son? I know my son.
My son would never try to kill himself.
I found this in the basement.
It's addressed to you.
James, Matthew is in that hospital bed because he was caught cheating on the college boards.
His teacher disqualified him.
He was about to lose everything.
He couldn't talk to you, and he thought there was no other way out.
But I don't understand this.
He-he doesn't have to cheat.
No, of course he doesn't.
But you made him feel that being good wasn't good enough, and he was afraid that he wouldn't live up to your expectations.
He wanted to die because he was too ashamed to come to you with the truth.
( Crying ): Oh, God.
Matthew needs you to forgive him, and he needs to know that you love him Not because he's the best, but because he's your son.
I can't.
I I can't.
I love my son more than I love my own life, but I'm the last person in the world that can help him.
( Gasps ) ( fire crackling ) Monica? So you don't get up at night out of discipline, do you? No.
Come with me.
What the? I know what's been haunting you, James.
If you hide the lie for long enough, you start to think that it's the truth.
Who are you? I'm an angel.
A what? An angel.
An angel.
Boy, that's great.
That, that's just great.
I don't know whether to fall on my knees or take you in and book you.
I'm not kidding and you know it.
You've been running and running, looking over your shoulder, waiting for this moment for a long time.
Secrets are such dangerous things.
The closer you hold on to them, the farther away you push everyone else to keep them safe.
But do you know what, James? There are no such things as secrets.
MAN: Back off! Get down! You, over there! Shut up! Back off! Stay down! Don't move! ( Door opens ) ( shouts ) ( cocks gun ) Most people will never know what really happened that night.
But no matter how hard you try to hide it, the truth is still the truth.
And God knows what the truth is.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
God knows that.
But now it's time to tell your son.
WOMAN ( over PA ): Resident on call to ER.
Resident on call to ER.
Matthew, when your mother died, I promised her I would give you the best.
I knew it was going to be hard raising you on my own, but I never doubted I could do it because I knew how much I loved you, son.
And I do.
I love you more than anything in my life.
Is that it, Matt? You You didn't think you were good enough? Son, the reason I push you so hard is because I don't want you to be anything, anything like me.
I know you you think you let me down.
I'm the one who let you down.
Matthew, uh Nick died in that holdup because of me, not in spite of me.
I froze.
Yes, son.
I-I was scared.
I let Nick take that bullet for me and I lied about what really happened.
People saw me holding Nick's gun and assumed that I shot that kid.
I didn't.
Nick shot him.
Nick's the hero.
Yeah, I know, Matt, I should have come forward and told the truth, but after all the commotion died down, they were already calling me a hero.
I couldn't bear to to tell them the truth How much of a coward I really was.
Son I should have died in that holdup.
And knowing that the only way I could live was to think about you.
I thought the reason God kept me alive was because you needed me.
Oh, Matt.
( Sighs ) It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes you have to be silent before you can communicate.
( Sniffling ) I am not crying.
Okay.
This is the name of a good family counselor.
Just tell him I sent you.
Tom? Thanks for everything.
Hey, I'm here if you need me.
Monica.
How's Matthew? I told him the truth.
I think he heard me.
And you? I still have another speech to give.
So many speeches.
This is the last one.
I know it will be a good one.
When Hank told me the Chamber of Commerce wanted me to speak at this, the annual luncheon, I was honored.
At events like this, I'm usually asked to speak about courage and heroism.
Today I need to speak about the truth.
Yesterday, I almost lost my son.
He was in trouble, and I was so busy taking care of myself, that I couldn't see how much he needed me.
But his pain is It made me see that it is time to come forward.
It's time for me to be courageous and to tell the truth.
I'd like to set the record straight.
I am not the hero you think I am.
The real hero died in a bank robbery three years ago.
He was a good cop.
A respected member of this community and the best friend I ever had.
He's a man who truly deserves this medal of valor.
My partner Nick Hansen.
Are you all right? ( Voice breaking ): I will be.
Now don't you go getting emotional on me.
You can't go around crying over every job.
Oh! You're a fine one to talk.
Save one for me.
( Dove coos )
I'll never get tired of seeing the sunrise.
Neither do I, baby.
It's always good to get up with the sun.
It's a wonder more people don't get up to see the dawn.
It's not the sunrise he's up for.
Some people can't stand the silence of the night.
The night-time has its own special beauty.
Not for him.
James Mackey.
He just gets up with the sun to start running again.
MONICA: He looks like quite an athlete.
Well, he is a good runner.
But that's not the kind of running I'm talking about.
Did you ever hear the story about the man who was afraid of the lions? Well, he was so scared, he ran, and he ran, and he ran, and he kept looking behind him to see if a lion was catching up to him.
And he looked over his shoulder so much he didn't see where he was going, and one day, guess what he ran smack dab into? A lion.
â« When you walk down the road â« â« Heavy burden, heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« I'll walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't even shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Believe me, I'll walk with you.
â« JAMES: Oh, yes, sir.
He's a terrific kid.
A letter from you sure would shake the walls down.
Oh, yes, sir.
Your name is still real good around these parts.
WOMAN: I'll call you from the car later then.
Hello.
I'm here to see Sheriff Mackey.
Jim! The college boards are coming up so we have to know pretty soon, sir.
Right.
Well, thank you.
I appreciate that, sir.
Thank you.
All right.
All right! What did he say? I want you to call Matt's school and have them fax a copy of his grades over to Congressman Atwater right away.
He's going to do it? He likes what he sees, he's going to write the letter of recommendation to Annapolis.
I'm on it.
I'm so proud of that boy, I don't know what to do.
Oh, Jim, this is Hello.
I'm Monica.
Hello, Monica.
What brings you to Tapford? I'm doing a story for the Globe.
Reporter down from the capital, huh? We have them for breakfast, don't we, Vicky? Well, don't hold it against me.
I'm just a freelancer.
What can I do for you? I'm doing a profile on local heroes.
Oh? Well, you were given the Governor's Medal of Valor.
Well, that was three years ago.
Why do you want to do an article on that now? Well, this is just a follow-up story, a "where are they now" sort of thing.
I'll tell you where he is.
He's on cloud nine.
His kid's going to get into Annapolis.
That would make a great angle.
Father and son, yesterday's hero, tomorrow's hero? Yeah, but that just seems like old news to me.
Not the way I'm going to write it.
You go on, let Monica ride with you.
Please.
I won't be any trouble.
All right.
I can't fight off both of you.
I'll get my hat.
So when my wife died, something about big city life didn't work anymore.
I took Matthew, packed a few things and moved to Tapford.
It certainly is a wonderful place to bring up a boy.
WOMAN: Hi, Sheriff.
Sure is.
We got fishing down at the lake, meadows for track runs, great local schools.
Pretty much everything we need is right here on Main Street.
It's lovely.
Mm-hmm.
Is that the bank that earned you your medal? Yeah, that's it.
Tell me, Sheriff Mackey, what's it like to be a hero? My partner, Nick Hansen, died in that holdup.
I know.
This kid was cleaning the bank out.
He had everybody on the floor ready to execute half the town.
He had one woman by the throat with a pistol to her head.
Nick and I went in together.
The kid shot Nick.
And you shot the boy? He couldn't have been more than 19.
Next thing I know, they're pinning a medal on me.
Calling me a hero.
It's not your fault that your partner died.
You risked your life to save him and think of all the others that you saved.
Yeah Yeah.
What the? Be right back, Monica.
Come on, man.
Pass it back out.
Dad.
I'm driving down the street thinking my son's in the library, and what do I see? He's spending the last few hours of his study time out here in a damn basketball game.
Listen, dad, I was just I was taking a break.
No, there are no breaks, Matthew.
The boards are tomorrow.
You got that? Tomorrow.
You're fresh out of time.
There are no breaks.
Jim, Jim.
He has studied enough.
If anybody is ready for the boards, it's Matthew.
Mike, I know you're a good man and you mean well, but you stay out of my business.
Jim, I'm sorry, but I've got to say it, you are too hard on your son.
Are you telling me how to raise my boy? No You telling me what's best for my son? No, I just think you Don't think.
They don't pay you to do that.
They pay you to coach, so you stick to what you do best and leave my son to me, huh? Excuse me for interrupting, but I think there's been a wee bit of a misunderstanding.
You see, the sheriff here was given some very exciting news about his son today.
Hello, Matthew.
And in his eagerness to share it, I think he got a little worked up.
I was out of line, Mike.
I apologize.
It's all right, Jim.
Good.
So now are you going to tell Matthew the news? Congressman Atwater came through for us.
You got the recommendation, Matthew.
That's great, Dad.
What, no jumping up and down? No whooping and hollering? Matthew, we're talking Annapolis here, the Naval Academy.
That's top of the line, son.
Boy, I'm so proud of you I could bust.
Now, look, you gather up your stuff and get on back to the library.
I'm sorry for the trouble.
You boys get on back to your game.
Man, your dad's hard-core.
I guess if they tell you you're a hero, you can get away with anything.
Shut up, man.
He knows what he's doing.
You know, I try to keep a lid on my temper, but hell, when it comes to Matthew, there's nothing that makes my blood boil more than some joker trying to tell me what's right for my son.
He seems like a very special boy.
Yeah.
A shrine to the son, so little about the father.
Well, the son's a lot more interesting than the old man ever was.
Excellence in track, football, math, English.
You're right, he is quite a boy.
You know, people like Mike on the basketball court, they say I'm too hard on him.
But I know what hard is, and I know what discipline is.
The two of them are interchangeable.
If you want your son to be successful, you've got to give him discipline.
The only way to do that is to be hard.
So discipline is Sheriff Mackey's secret weapon for success, huh? Well, look at me.
I'm up every morning by 4:00, jogging on the road by 5:00, in at work by 6:00.
Efficient but exhausting.
When do you sleep? Sleep? I don't believe in sleep.
Sleep is eight wasted hours of hot-air ballooning.
Nothing gets done.
Where I come from, people don't always have to be busy.
Sometimes they just sit back and enjoy the peace.
We come from two different places, Monica.
All of the places I've been don't know the first thing about peace.
In fact, you show me someone who claims they live in peace, I'll show you a liar.
Yeah, I miss him every day.
( Door opening ) Matt? Is that you? Hey, Dad.
How you doing? Oh, you remember Monica.
Hello.
I heard wonderful things about you.
Well, I hope you didn't believe them.
JAMES: Monica here is a reporter.
They sent her down here to do a story on your old man.
Oh.
That's great.
Well, I got dinner burning.
Dad? Is it all right if I eat in my room tonight? Matt, we got company.
Oh, don't mind me.
I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow.
I was hoping maybe I could cram a few more hours.
Well, get cracking.
Good luck tomorrow.
I look at that boy and everything else I've done in my life hardly seems to matter.
Can I quote you? You're damn straight.
TESS: Any boy that studies that much is looking for answers that he cannot find in a book.
He's so quiet and well-behaved.
But there's something else too a sadness.
TESS: He's so caught up in what his father wants him to be, that he hasn't had time to find out who he really is.
MONICA: His father is so proud of him.
TESS: Honey, there is nothing more dangerous than a man taking pride in the wrong thing.
Hey, Mackey.
You got them, man? It's a done deal.
Mackey? One thing I don't get.
You could take this test in Chinese and still come out making A's.
Why buy the answers? This one's too important.
There's no room for mistakes.
( Bell rings ) ( cooing ) Matthew? Will you please put your pencil down and join me outside in the hall? ( Cooing ) Matthew, you are a good student.
I don't know why you felt you had to cheat.
I'm sorry.
It's too late for that.
I have to disqualify you.
The honors board meets Friday morning.
I want you to be there.
( Bell rings ) And bring your father.
May I have your attention? Would everyone please take their seats? This is a time when all of you face big decisions.
Now, you took the boards this morning.
And while you wait for your scores, trying to figure out what college to attend, what career path to follow, and what an uncertain future holds for you.
Now, you may be asking yourself "Do I have what it takes? Do I have what it takes to make it in the real world?" Well, today I've provided a very special speaker to talk to you about those hard choices.
He's a man who has understanding because he has been there.
He's made his choices and he has made them well.
Please help me welcome someone that we all know and respect, Sheriff James Mackey.
( Applause ) Thank you and good afternoon.
Principal Richards asked me here today to give you a motivational speech.
I can't do that.
I can't give any of you anything.
Motivation, direction, inspiration, those are all things that only you can give yourselves.
You've got to have a vision for yourself and then you've got to put in the hard time.
Because when you do, when you use self-discipline, you don't just achieve excellence, you get the rewards that come with it.
Now take as an example one of your own classmates, Matthew Mackey.
I grant you, he's my son, and I won't stand here for one minute and say I'm not proud of him.
But he put in the hard time.
And now it's paying off.
His grades have earned him a recommendation from a congressman, and now we're talking Annapolis.
The bottom line is, do the hard work and the doors will swing open.
( Whispers ): Want to bet? Now this isn't just happening because Matthew sat around for four years on his hands.
It's happening because he's a young man who knew what he wanted and he went for it.
He's the one who finally got the dream.
And I'm here to tell you, when you get the dream, the dream gives back to you.
Hey, Mackey.
Wait up.
Hey! Hey, what did you tell Randall? I didn't tell her anything.
How did you say you got the answers? I didn't say anything, man.
Yeah, well, as far as anybody's concerned, you stole those answers all by yourself.
Got it? Hey, just remember.
Whatever your father can do to you, I can do worse.
I read that you're speaking at the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you.
No, you can't come.
Oh, come on.
I'm telling you, it's gonna be pretty boring.
Thank you.
I'd love to.
I'll have the chairman put you at my table.
You can sit with Matthew.
You know, you certainly do make an awful lot of speeches.
Well, I'm the local hero.
I guess that dubious honor comes with a price, huh? It seems like an awfully high price.
And it puts you under an awful lot of pressure to always do the right thing and be the right thing.
Well, after Nick died, I wanted to find a way to give his death some meaning.
What about Matthew? What about him? It must be so hard for him to live in your shadow.
Nah, he's got a whole future of his own to live.
Yeah, but it seems to be putting him under a lot of pressure, too.
You know, I'm worried about him.
Look, he's waiting for the results on the college boards, he's thinking about Annapolis.
His whole life is changing right under his feet.
College is a wonderful goal, but he's still a boy, you know.
He needs to be able to play basketball and see a movie.
He needs to relax.
Monica, trust me on this, all right? That kid is at the top of his game Class valedictorian, captain of the football team and the basketball team.
I know, but he's exhausted.
You know, he spends so much time trying to please you, that he never takes the time to think what it means to please himself.
Don't tell me about my son, all right? I know him like the back of my hand.
If he's feeling any pressure at all right now, he can handle it.
Okay? Sure.
Let me grab my stuff for the dry cleaners and we'll head right back to the office, huh? Okay.
It's here.
Hot dog, it's here! ( Chuckles ) Yeah, this is it.
Congressman Atwater not only wrote the letter of recommendation, he wrote it with honors.
( Door opens ) That's Matt.
Come on.
( Door closes ) Hey, son.
How could you do that to me today, Dad? What? Come on, Dad, I haven't even been accepted into Annapolis and you're telling everybody that I'm in.
I mean, what am I supposed to do if I don't make it? Did you ever think of that? Matt, I apologize if I embarrassed you.
Son, it's just that I'm so proud of you that it's hard to keep it in.
Here, maybe this will cheer you up.
You're in, Matthew.
You made it.
I told you, you could do it, son, and you did.
You did it, Matthew.
I don't believe you.
You opened my mail.
But, Matt, I Dad, you don't give me any privacy.
You don't let me have anything that's mine.
Don't you use that tone with me, not after all I've done for you, boy.
You don't get it, do you? No, what I get, Matthew, is that this, this recommendation is going to change your life, give you opportunities that most kids would sell their souls for.
I can't talk to you.
What's gotten into that boy? ( Door closes ) Maybe you should go up and talk to him.
No, he's just tired.
Let him sleep it off.
( Fire crackling ) ( coos ) ( coos ) ( gunshot ) Okay, let's go.
Move it! Okay, watch out! Watch out! Watch out.
Okay, heads up, folks.
We need labs, stat.
Yes, sir.
James? Monica.
I was, uh I was trying to sleep and I heard this gunshot.
I went down in the basement and I found him Well, what happened? I don't know.
He had my gun.
What the hell was he doing down there in the middle of the night with my gun? Tom? Jim, I'll let you know as soon as I do.
What have we got? 17-year-old male, gunshot wound to the left temporal area, probably self-inflicted.
Unresponsive at scene, stable vitals on route.
Okay, send off a crit, electrolytes, ABG, type and cross for two.
Ready? One, two, three.
He's got one at a cubical line.
Okay, we need two 16-gauge lines.
Let's hook him up and hyperventilate him.
I'm on it.
Can I have someone help me with his head, please? Patrick, that's you.
Cut that.
Cut that.
Okay.
Let's hit him up with 75 of Mannitol.
I also need a new set of vitals and a SAT.
BP 100/60, heart rate 54, SAT 92.
I feel a skull fracture.
It looks non-penetrating.
Come on, here we go.
There are medals out there waiting for you, and bright skies and loving friends and a life so full, you can't even begin to imagine.
Oh, Matthew, God loves you so much.
Now fight.
Fight for yourself.
Pupils are reacting bilaterally.
Call radiology.
We need a stat head CT.
WOMAN ( over P.
A.
): Dr.
Parrish to CICU.
( Phone rings ) Tom.
How's my boy doing? He'll make it.
Oh, thank God.
Thank you, Tom, thank you.
Jim, he'll make it, but I'm not gonna lie to you, it's gonna be a hard road back.
All right.
Please.
The force of the bullet caused an injury to the brain.
There's a contusion.
It's like a small blood clot that's centered right at the speech area.
Matthew's speech is severely impaired.
Now, whether that impairment is permanent or temporary can only be determined over time, but we're gonna get him right into therapy and rehab, okay? We'll get him back.
He'll make it back He's-he's gonna be fine, Tom.
That's the attitude we need.
Yeah.
Tom, when can I bring him home? Well, Jim the boy's been shot in the head, and even if he's out of the woods with that, he's still gonna have to spend some time up in psychiatric.
What? It's hospital policy whenever there's a suicide attempt.
Suicide? Yeah.
I'm sorry, I thought you knew.
Oh, no, no, that's not possible.
Jim, I know it's hard to hear that.
No.
No son of mine would try to commit suicide.
But, Jim, the only thing that matters is Matthew needs help.
Now, we can give him the psychiatric attention he needs right now, but you, you are gonna have to follow up on your own.
Now, I'm gonna give you the name of a very good family therapist, and I want the both of you to go together.
Listen to me.
The more involved you are in Matthew's recovery, the better.
Where's the note? What note? Well, if you're gonna stand there and tell me my son tried to commit suicide, then you damn well better produce a suicide note.
Don't do this.
Come on, you're a cop.
You know there isn't always a note.
Look you either produce the suicide note or you stop slandering my son's name, you got that? ( Over P.
A.
): Dr.
Levy, please call extension 434.
Dr.
Levy, please call extension 434.
( Steady beeping ) Hello, Matthew.
Oh, no.
Matthew, you can't think that.
We couldn't let you die.
No, you don't.
You have so much to live for.
It's okay.
I'm an angel.
I can hear you.
Nothing I do is good enough.
Good enough for your father? He's not happy unless I'm the best.
And I can't be all the time.
I mean, if I'm on the team, he won't just let me play, he wants me to be team captain.
And if I win an award, he wants it to be first place.
And the boards, if I get a 1,500, it's not good enough.
He wants a 1,600.
Is that why you cheated on your test? Does he know? Not yet.
But you should tell him yourself.
I can't.
He'll kill me.
Is that why you tried to get there first? Maybe.
Oh, Matthew, it's not as bad as it seems.
You and your father, you can work this through.
( Door opens ) Yes, I do know your father, and I know you, and I believe in you both.
What do you think? Well, his head is going to be all right It's his heart I'm worried about.
Well, the sins of the father have definitely been visited upon the son.
And the father has to heal before the son can.
And it had better be fast, because that boy will try again.
It seems so unfair.
How can he expect Matthew to live up to him? Oh, it's deeper than that.
He expects that boy to redeem him.
( Knocking ) ( sighs ) â« â« â« â« Monica.
He needs to see you.
What good would that do? When are you going to look past your own pain to see that your son is suffering so much it's killing him? Matthew had an accident; We all have accidents.
Matthew tried to kill himself.
No, he didn't! ( Sighs ) You claim to be a hero, and yet you can't find the courage to save your own son? I know my son.
My son would never try to kill himself.
I found this in the basement.
It's addressed to you.
James, Matthew is in that hospital bed because he was caught cheating on the college boards.
His teacher disqualified him.
He was about to lose everything.
He couldn't talk to you, and he thought there was no other way out.
But I don't understand this.
He-he doesn't have to cheat.
No, of course he doesn't.
But you made him feel that being good wasn't good enough, and he was afraid that he wouldn't live up to your expectations.
He wanted to die because he was too ashamed to come to you with the truth.
( Crying ): Oh, God.
Matthew needs you to forgive him, and he needs to know that you love him Not because he's the best, but because he's your son.
I can't.
I I can't.
I love my son more than I love my own life, but I'm the last person in the world that can help him.
( Gasps ) ( fire crackling ) Monica? So you don't get up at night out of discipline, do you? No.
Come with me.
What the? I know what's been haunting you, James.
If you hide the lie for long enough, you start to think that it's the truth.
Who are you? I'm an angel.
A what? An angel.
An angel.
Boy, that's great.
That, that's just great.
I don't know whether to fall on my knees or take you in and book you.
I'm not kidding and you know it.
You've been running and running, looking over your shoulder, waiting for this moment for a long time.
Secrets are such dangerous things.
The closer you hold on to them, the farther away you push everyone else to keep them safe.
But do you know what, James? There are no such things as secrets.
MAN: Back off! Get down! You, over there! Shut up! Back off! Stay down! Don't move! ( Door opens ) ( shouts ) ( cocks gun ) Most people will never know what really happened that night.
But no matter how hard you try to hide it, the truth is still the truth.
And God knows what the truth is.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
God knows that.
But now it's time to tell your son.
WOMAN ( over PA ): Resident on call to ER.
Resident on call to ER.
Matthew, when your mother died, I promised her I would give you the best.
I knew it was going to be hard raising you on my own, but I never doubted I could do it because I knew how much I loved you, son.
And I do.
I love you more than anything in my life.
Is that it, Matt? You You didn't think you were good enough? Son, the reason I push you so hard is because I don't want you to be anything, anything like me.
I know you you think you let me down.
I'm the one who let you down.
Matthew, uh Nick died in that holdup because of me, not in spite of me.
I froze.
Yes, son.
I-I was scared.
I let Nick take that bullet for me and I lied about what really happened.
People saw me holding Nick's gun and assumed that I shot that kid.
I didn't.
Nick shot him.
Nick's the hero.
Yeah, I know, Matt, I should have come forward and told the truth, but after all the commotion died down, they were already calling me a hero.
I couldn't bear to to tell them the truth How much of a coward I really was.
Son I should have died in that holdup.
And knowing that the only way I could live was to think about you.
I thought the reason God kept me alive was because you needed me.
Oh, Matt.
( Sighs ) It's funny, isn't it, how sometimes you have to be silent before you can communicate.
( Sniffling ) I am not crying.
Okay.
This is the name of a good family counselor.
Just tell him I sent you.
Tom? Thanks for everything.
Hey, I'm here if you need me.
Monica.
How's Matthew? I told him the truth.
I think he heard me.
And you? I still have another speech to give.
So many speeches.
This is the last one.
I know it will be a good one.
When Hank told me the Chamber of Commerce wanted me to speak at this, the annual luncheon, I was honored.
At events like this, I'm usually asked to speak about courage and heroism.
Today I need to speak about the truth.
Yesterday, I almost lost my son.
He was in trouble, and I was so busy taking care of myself, that I couldn't see how much he needed me.
But his pain is It made me see that it is time to come forward.
It's time for me to be courageous and to tell the truth.
I'd like to set the record straight.
I am not the hero you think I am.
The real hero died in a bank robbery three years ago.
He was a good cop.
A respected member of this community and the best friend I ever had.
He's a man who truly deserves this medal of valor.
My partner Nick Hansen.
Are you all right? ( Voice breaking ): I will be.
Now don't you go getting emotional on me.
You can't go around crying over every job.
Oh! You're a fine one to talk.
Save one for me.
( Dove coos )