October Baby Page #5

Oh, scrubs.

You got your wish.

Yeah.

[ Sighs ]

You talk to Hannah today?

I tried to call her

a couple of times.

Cell phone not working?

I don't think that girl

is ever gonna grow up.

I remember the first time

I held her in my arms.

I couldn't believe something so small

could have such a power over me.

And I did see him smile.

Wonder if she's ever

gonna be able to...

see things

from our perspective?

I think

we should tell her.

Tell her what?

Everything.

Oh.

No. She couldn't handle it.

[ Chuckling ]

I think she could.

No, she couldn't.

Trust me.

And I think we need

to trust our daughter.

- [ Man ] All right. Turn.

- [Shutter Clicking ]

- No light. We can't see you.

- [Cries]

[ Sighs ]

[Whistle Blows]

[ Door Closes ]

[ Sighs 1

[Typing 1

Breaking and entering.

Do you, uh-

[ Finger Tapping ] Do you

understand the consequences?

You do?

Yeah, no. Not really.

All right. Look.

Why were you there?

Alanna, don't freak out.

[ Sighs ]

Something happened, and-

Long story short,

me and Hannah are in jail.

Yeah. it's not like

we planned it.

You got yourself into this.

Get yourself out.

Alanna, pl-

[ Dial Tone]

We'd gone so far,

and the hospital was all I had.

It's the only place

that I had left.

It was a dead end.

[ Scoffs ]

You know, if you're gonna...

put me in jail,

please just get it over with.

'Cause- [ Sighs]

my dad's gonna kill me.

Owens Free Clinic.

My dad's gonna kill me.

He's gonna kill you too.

[ Chuckling ]

This, uh-

What are the odds?

I had some dealings

with this clinic.

Um, there were some bomb threats,

death threats and whatnot.

I dealt with a doctor

and two nurses,

and the reason I recall this

is because...

one of the nurses

was just, well-

She was very kind to me.

Um-

Here you go.

This is one of her statements.

The signatures are the same.

Mm-hmm.

Why would she sign

my birth certificate?

Um- No idea.

Her name is Mary.

Mary Rutledge.

[Typing 1

Um, phone is unlisted.

There's just an address, and-

It hasn't been verified

in quite a while.

[ Muttering ]

[ Paper Shuffling ]

Good luck.

Wait. What about

all the-

Don't worry

about it. Um-

Look, I'm- I'm very sorry for

this misunderstanding, all right?

I hope you won't think badly of our

city and you'll come back again.

So, we're free to go?

Yeah.

[ Chuckles ]

Jackie out there will, uh, get

your stuff and check you out.

Oh. You know what?

Wait a minute.

What will you say? I-I mean, if you

find your mother, what will you say?

I'm just-

I'm just curious.

I don't know.

Well-

My wife

has this thing she says.

To be human

is to be beautifully flawed."

And- Well, she's-

She's five months pregnant

with our fourth,

so I think I understand what you're

going through and how hard it must be.

So- You know, life

isn't always black and white.

So, hate the crime,

not the criminal.

All right. Good luck.

[ Hannah ] Thank you.

Do you want me

to go with you?

[ Knocking ]

Yes.

Can I help you?

Are you Mary?

Yes.

I don't know how else to-

Why did you sign this?

[ Exhales]

How did you find me?

A police officer

recognized your signature.

Oh.

Sergeant Dodd.

You do favor her.

She was

a pretty girl.

Barely 18.

I wasn't much older,

but...

I was older.

You know, the girls

that came there,

they really knew what

they wanted, you know.

They were sure of it.

But your mother,

she was conflicted.

I'm the one that took her in the back

and prepped her for the procedure.

The abortion?

Yes.

The abortion.

She tried to convince me that she

was making the right decision.

But, you know, she was really

trying to convince herself.

She told me she didn't

even know the fella.

Didn't know

his name.

Met him at a bar

and...

had a night together,

and then he was gone.

I listened.

Listened to her like I did

a hundred girls before her.

Nodded.

Told her I understood.

For some of those girls,

I was their only friend.

Halfway through-

Well, something

must have gone wrong.

I wish I knew what.

But...

when I went

to see your mother,

she was just awakening,

and the doctor was telling her

that it had been a failed attempt.

Is that... normal?

For him.

[ Sighs 1

There were things

that happened there.

Terrible things.

Things they had me do.

When you hear something

enough times,

somehow you start

to believe it.

It was tissue.

That's what they told us.

It was tissue

that couldn't survive.

Nonviable tissue.

Your mother...

came back

the next day.

She said she wanted

to finish the procedure,

that she had to go to school,

she had to have a career,

and she knew she couldn't

do that with the baby,

so this was the only way.

I took one look at her,

and I knew she was in labor...

and too young and naive

to know it.

I had two choices.

I chose to take her

to the hospital.

When we got there,

she was ready to deliver.

She begged me to stay.

I was really

the only one she had,

so I did.

Your brother came first.

I'll always-

Brother?

I'm sorry.

What are you talking about?

Hannah, your mother

was carrying twins.

And your brother

came first.

And I'll always

remember him.

He was so teeny.

He was less than a pound.

And he was...

damaged.

His arm was missing.

Completely gone.

Torn off during

the failed attempt.

And he was just-

I saw him

shakin' there.

I saw the pain.

And I didn't see

no tissue.

I just saw the face

of a child.

But you

were the big surprise.

Nobody knew about you.

Not even your mother.

And you came out-

Big eyes.

Just beautiful.

I never went back

to that clinic.

And I never

nursed again.

Was this mine?

Your mother's.

She gave it to me

when she left the hospital.

Then she just left.

They looked for her, but she

had changed her name...

and she was long gone.

My brother-

How long did-

How long before,

you know, he-

Hannah, your parents

adopted both of you.

I-I would come by

now and then...

and see you

in the N.l.C.U.

They were always there.

They sat right by

the incubators...

and would read

passages of the Bible.

They were praying people.

I remember.

And he fought hard.

He never did

leave the hospital.

He died four months

after y'all were born.

I know where

your birth mother is.

I saw her

not long ago.

And she did

get that education.

And she does

have that career.

H-Her name is, uh,

Cindy Hastings now.

She works at a law firm

in town.

Finally home,

after all that running.

I've needed

to have my say.

Thank you.

[Sniffling, Sobbing ]

[Sobbing Continues]

[ Paper Ripping 1

[Sobbing Continues]

Hi.

Hey. You gonna go see her?

Yeah. I have to.

You know, I'm s-

I'm starting to think...

that I shouldn't have found out about all of this.

Because... deep down,

there's always

just been this...

feeling-

Nothing that's happened

is your fault.

[ Sobbing ]

[ Knocking ]

Come in.

[ Door Opens ]

He)'-

Gonna be okay?

All right. Well, we gotta go sleep

in the ice machine or something.

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