The Case for Christ Page #7

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So is your older brother.

Mm-hmm. It's also

the euphemism for a toilet

and the client of a prostitute.

LESLIE:

Lee!

Really?

- (Lee clears throat)

- Sorry I brought it up.

LEE:
Don't know why

you guys came anyway.

Nobody invited you.

I'm gonna get some air.

(Walter sighs)

Leslie, it was lovely

to see you.

- Thanks for coming.

- Thanks.

Lee, was that really necessary?

I learned from the best

of 'em, Mom.

Oh, I just wish

the two of you could learn

- to understand each other.

- Oh, you know what?

I wish a lot of things.

I... What do you want from me?

The guy never cared about me

my whole life.

Now, suddenly, I got kids,

and he wants

to be best friends? No.

It's too late.

Honey, I'm gonna go

do some work.

(sighs)

(car engine starts)

I'm sorry. I know

it's always hard with him.

That can never happen to us.

LEE:
Ray, I'm telling you,

I've checked it out.

I've interviewed a dozen

historians, philosophers,

archaeologists.

There's all these accounts

of actual eyewitnesses

which corroborate each other.

People with zero motivation

to lie.

In fact, they should've lied.

Some of them ended up dying

for their beliefs.

(sighs)

I'm losing my mind, Ray.

I wake up every morning,

and, um, I think to myself,

"Maybe today's the day.

Maybe... maybe today

she'll come to her senses."

And she doesn't.

You know, just gets worse.

Thing of it is, she's different.

She's actually different.

You know, that's what scares

the heck out of me.

Just miss my wife.

I wish that I could be

of more help to you, Lee.

But just remember...

Leslie knows full well that you

don't approve of all this,

but she is still your wife.

And you love her very much.

Just make sure

she knows that, too.

(footsteps approaching)

You're up early.

Mm-hmm.

Just"

enjoying the quiet.

Baby's still sleeping.

You Okay?

Yeah.

Just... feeling grateful.

For you.

For us.

Yeah. Me, too.

What would you say if we...

went out tonight?

Grabbed some dinner.

Maybe, uh...

maybe a little dancing.

But just you and me.

No kids.

That be crazy?

Uh...

- Little bit?

- Yeah.

(chuckling):

A little bit.

Let's do it.

- Yeah?

- Mm-hmm.

I want to take care of us.

You and only you.

Yeah.

JUDGE:

Mr. Hicks, do you understand

the felony charges

that have been

filed against you?

HICKS:

Yes, sir.

JUDGE:

How do you plead?

HICKS:

Guilty, sir.

(gallery gasping, murmuring)

JUDGE:

This is not the first time

I've seen you

in my courtroom, son.

I know you thought

you'd be walking away today

with a slap on the wrist,

but with recent information

that's come out in the press,

well, today you're gonna get

some hard time.

At my discretion,

I'm sentencing you

to a minimum of 15 years

- at the Joliet State Prison.

- (applause)

- Bailiff, take him away.

- (gavel slams)

LEE:

Mr. Hicks.

Guilty, huh?

We're all guilty

of something, reporter,

but I ain't guilty of this.

Okay, so then why not

maintain your innocence?

Why cop a plea?

Your story didn't give me

no choice, did it?

Did your story give me a choice?

Yes, the courtroom was filled

with police officers

all awaiting the verdict...

LEE:

Excuse me.

(phone rings)

- Dubois.

- LEE:
He pled out, chief.

15 years.

I guess your theory

panned out, huh?

- Yeah. -Yeah, I wouldn't want

to be Hicks, though.

The guy's now a cop shooter

and a gang informant.

That's gonna be

one tough stretch.

- Yep.

- Ten grafs for page one.

Yeah. Heading back to you.

All right.

(playing soft tune)

You know what I was

just thinking?

Hmm?

I miss you.

I'm right here.

Yeah?

I wish I could make it

more understandable,

what I'm going through.

I feel like I'm on this journey

to the most amazing place

I've ever been,

and I can't take you.

- I... I-I can't even...

- (Lee sighs)

I don't know how

to tell you about it.

I'm sorry.

(engine shuts off)

Look, Les, I...

I understand...

that all this

feels good right now.

I mean, I went to church.

I-l...

heard the music.

I get that you want this

to be true.

But what if it's not?

Wouldn't you want to know that

before you've dedicated

your entire life to it?

Of course.

But what if it is?

What if it is true?

Wouldn't you want to know that?

There's a verse that says...

(sighs)

faith is the evidence of things

we can't actually see.

You believe what you can see

and touch and feel,

and I feel this.

- I can see it. I-I know it.

- Les...

You-you can't.

But I...

I do.

It's the same way

I know I love you.

Yeah, but that's...

that's different, Les.

I'm real.

I'm-I'm... l-I'm a person.

We-we have a relationship.

Hon, I know we've been

fighting and...

it's been weird lately, but...

I...

I love you more now

than I ever have.

Based on what?

"Based on what?"

Honestly, it's since

I accepted Jesus.

My love for you

has only... it's only grown

and it's only deepened.

And if that's not proof

of something,

I don't know what is...

No, that's not proof

of anything, Les.

That's feelings.

It's not proof.

And my feelings are a valid

experience that-that...

- Les, I-I...

- They're real to me.

I-I don't like...

this version of us.

I don't... I don't like

what you're becoming.

And if I'm looking ahead

and we're still having

this conversation

five years from now...

we're having this conversation

two years from now...

I don't want to be there

for that.

Okay? I won't be.

I'm gonna check on the kids.

- ALFIE:
We can sit here for a minute.

- LESLIE:
Okay.

- Okay. Thank you. Okay.

- Okay.

Alfie, I'm-I'm losing hope.

I'm losing hope for Lee.

I'm losing hope for my marriage.

Oh, come on, now.

It's gonna be okay.

- It'll be all right.

- No,

- I don't know what to do.

- All right, okay.

I know that it's scary.

I do. Trust me.

I've been there.

But I can promise you this.

In His time and in His way,

God always keeps His promises.

And what did He promise Ezekiel?

"I will give you a new heart.

"I will put a new spirit in you.

"I will remove from you

your heart of stone

and give you a heart of flesh."

Now, that's a truth

you already know.

Yeah.

But it's the same truth for Lee.

You just gotta be patient.

Okay.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Oh, come here.

You're gonna be fine.

I promise.

I promise,

I'm praying for both of you.

ALFIE:

Mm-hmm.

(indistinct chatter)

Hey, just because

they said they saw Jesus

doesn't mean they actually did.

- I'm sorry. Was that for me?

- (Lee stammers)

Maybe the eyewitnesses

to the Resurrection...

Maybe they're delusional.

You know what I mean?

Maybe they only thought

they saw Jesus.

Maybe it was, like,

mind control or brainwashing.

Rod!

You need to see a psychologist.

Oh, you think I got

a screw loose?

Yeah, well,

that's another story.

But if you're talking about

first-century mass psychosis,

you need to talk

to a psychologist.

I'm already ahead of you.

Rod!

- Hey. I need you to find me...

- Sorry.

A good psychologist

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