Case 39

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I can see you.

...pull into this gas station,

the guy was like,

"Yo, man, you got problems."

Like, "What the hell do you think

I pulled in here for?"

So your car broke down

on the way to your blood check.

Yeah, smoke, everything.

I'm willing to give you the benefit

of the doubt, Javier, but a judge won't.

I missed a couple of meetings?

What's the problem?

I mean,

I don't even know what I'm doing here.

You're here because your son has

gotten into fights every day at school,

and the last one sent one of his

classmates to the hospital.

Juanita came here for help voluntarily

before the court stepped in

and made it mandatory,

that's what you're doing here.

He's on a dangerous road.

Your history, all the violence,

all the anger,

that's his future

unless you break the cycle.

- I heard you, Mrs Lynch.

- You're trying to steal my boy!

No one is trying to steal your child.

- Then what are you trying...

- They found bruises

- and cigarette burns...

- I told you,

he was playing with some sparklers.

Mrs Lynch, I read the medical report.

I wanna talk to my own doctor.

I want a lawyer.

If you feel

that you need legal representation

- that's perfectly within your rights...

- I don't need your help, in no case.

- You've already interfered enough.

- You... Hello?

- How many active cases you got?

- Thirty-eight.

- Okay.

- Wayne, come on!

- Look, I'm buried here.

- I'm sorry, Em, we all are.

- You have three new voice messages.

- Hi.

Hey, it's Suze, missed you at yoga

the other day, give me a call.

Hey, Em, it's Jackie. Just checking in,

hope you're good.

Exhausted,

her career path questionable,

her faith in mankind shaken,

she resisted her tendency

toward introspection

and decides to go have a drink

with her charming friend Doug.

- I am so in your head.

- Be honest.

The whole psychology thing,

it's just about scoring chicks, isn't it?

Regrettably, yes. Two.

Well, what are we gonna

drink to tonight?

The never-ending fun

of a career in public service?

Yeah.

You know,

I sit there talking to these families,

the authority on everything.

And I have these moments

where I think I might be totally full of it.

Everybody's full of it.

In the end you're a number to call

for people who don't have anyone else.

There's no way that's bad.

Anyway, I've done some soul searching

and I just want to say

that if a full-on relationship

feels like too much right now,

I'd be willing to consider

a purely physical one.

- What?

- Nothing.

- What, you might actually enjoy yourself.

- Yeah, yeah, I probably would.

- It's just...

- I know, I know, the job,

you get home, no time for anybody else.

Whatever.

Listen, I'm giving you a month. Okay?

One month.

- And then?

- I don't know.

Probably give you another month,

but that is it.

Except for two more, then, it's over.

If it were anyone...

What are they doing to you?

- What?

- Emily Jenkins. Child Services?

We spoke on the phone?

- You said the 17th.

- It's the 17th.

- Is not.

- I'm sorry, but it is.

Monday the 17th.

The day of our appointment.

Hi.

Come down, I'd like to meet you.

My name's Emily. What's yours?

- Lily.

- That's a pretty name.

Is there somewhere we can talk?

So, when are you

expecting your husband back?

Because we've found that it's better

when the whole family participates.

Well, he's not here, so...

Do you have some way

of contacting him?

Not if I don't know where he is.

Is that...

Would you mind asking him

to join us, please?

- He doesn't have anything to say.

- Will you ask him, please?

Edward.

That lady is here from the state.

She wants to talk to you.

I don't have anything to say, tell her that!

I told her already, she wants to anyway.

It'll be okay.

Hi, I'm Emily.

Okay.

I'm here because we received a call

that Lilith

is showing serious signs of neglect.

Now at this point we can only assume

it's the result of family problems.

Eddie says

we don't have family problems.

Well, many families won't realise

that they're having problems

until it's too late.

And that's where we come in.

We help families communicate

and learn healthier ways

of resolving conflict.

Eddie says we don't need your help.

Mr Sullivan, is there a reason

why you won't speak to me directly?

Is there a reason why your husband

won't speak to me directly?

Eddie doesn't like speaking out of anger.

There's no laws

against being weird, Em.

I didn't say weird, I said scary.

That man sat there

staring at me the whole time,

and the mother is his emotional slave.

Wait, you didn't just fly to New York

and meet with my parents, did you?

Wayne?

All right. All right.

Are there any cuts, any bruises,

any signs she's being abused?

No, not physically.

But this girl's in trouble, I can feel it.

You wanna know what I can feel?

The lawsuit we're gonna get hit with

if we violate her parents' rights

without any evidence

they've done something wrong.

All right, Wayne.

You put these files on my desk

and you ask me to tell you

what's going on.

I've told you, I've done my job,

what you do with it is yours.

We're not perfect parents,

we know that,

but we figure if they know

how much you love them

a lot of the other stuff

takes care of itself.

She knows how we feel about her.

So, tell me, Mr Sullivan,

since you've suddenly acquired

the ability to speak,

doesn't it concern you a little

that Lily's grades have dropped

from A's to D's in three months?

Of course it does, she's our daughter.

So you have no idea why your daughter

falls asleep in class every day?

Why she can't sleep at home? No idea?

Bad dreams maybe?

Don't tell me you're buying

this whole "daddy's little girl" routine?

Look, they're not my favourite people

either, okay?

But we can't guarantee every kid

a happy childhood. I wish we could.

Let me talk to her.

She wants to talk. Alone.

- Em, we do not have a case.

- Just five minutes, okay?

Talk to them

about how much they love kids.

Hey, girls, slow down!

I used to wish I had a sister

when I was growing up.

To play with and to talk to

about all those things that you

just can't tell anybody else, you know?

Did you ever wish that?

That you had a sister?

Well, that was a silly thing to do,

wasn't it?

What's happening with you?

You know I can help. Let me help you.

What is it, sweetheart?

They hate me.

I'm sure they don't hate you.

They do. I hear them.

They go into the cellar and talk.

What do they talk about?

Sending me to hell.

You heard them say that?

You can tell him. He's on your side.

It's okay.

Lily, did you hear your parents say

they were gonna hurt you?

I was just thinking about you,

got a nice letter from Sandy Hutchinson.

Well, well, well.

It's sitting right in front of me,

which means our good friend Wayne

has decided it fails to meet the criteria

for child endangerment

and has told you in no uncertain terms

to leave it alone.

- Surprise, surprise.

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