She's got extreme
lower abdominal pain.
We'll take it from here, corpsman.
- How far along is she?
- Eight months, couple days.
The accident happened
on her way home
after dropping Lieutenant Steele
at his squadron.
The lieutenant is in the air,
but he has been notified
and ordered back to base.
The blood pressure is dropping,
doctor.
Pulse is very irregular.
We got foetal distress here.
Call the operating room and tell them
to stand by for emergency surgery.
I'm Lieutenant Steele. My wife--
Your wife has to go on for surgery.
- Oh, God, the baby.
- Step aside.
Please, step aside.
Commander Michaels?
Commander Michaels.
Lieutenant, did you say something?
Yes, the surgery. Can anyone tell me
what's going on with my wife?
Of course. Dr. Pierson will brief you
as soon as he gets back from O.R.
You can go down there
and wait if you want.
Great. Thanks, ma'am.
- Sergeant Major Hastings?
- Yeah.
I'm Mark Gordon,
Station Housing Director.
This is Mrs. Sergeant Major,
but she prefers to be called Annie.
- Hi.
- Hi, nice to meet you both.
I stopped by to see
if you found everything in order.
Oh, everything's fine, Mr. Gordon.
It's a great house.
We're looking forward to settling in.
You know, you'd think after years
in the Corps and all the moves,
we'd have this down to a real science,
but not us.
We never pack the same way twice.
Hey, come on, it's not my fault.
Talk to your son. He's the pack rat.
Hey, Dad.
Look at all these magazines on flying
I found in the garage.
I'm gonna put them in my room
until I get a chance to get at them.
I rest my case, counsellor.
David, this is Mr. Gordon.
Mr. Gordon, my son David.
Call me Mark. Save that mister stuff
for somebody else.
All right, sir-- Mark.
I'm afraid David's gonna have to get
used to saying sir for some time, Mark.
He's received an appointment
to the Naval Academy.
Says he wants to be a Marine pilot.
That's fantastic. Congratulations.
Thanks. Listen,
I gotta stick these in my room.
You know, when I was young, that's all
I could think about, being a pilot.
You know, racing across the sky.
Just didn't work out for me.
I'd better be going.
Nice meeting you both.
If you need anything,
just call me at the office.
- I appreciate your coming by, Mark.
- Hey, my pleasure.
I know how tough it is moving
from one place to another.
Yeah.
You ever in the service, Mark?
Oh, yeah. Marines for three years.
Of course,
that was quite a while ago.
Listen, once we're finally settled in,
I'd like it if you came for dinner.
It'd be my pleasure. Thank you.
- All right.Thanks again.
- All right.
- Lieutenant Steele?
- Yes, sir.
Well, we were a little concerned at first,
but the surgery went very well.
And my wife, sir, is she--?
Your wife and your new baby girl
are doing just fine, lieutenant.
Congratulations.
I can't believe it. A girl?
Kerry will be in Recovery
for some time,
but that baby ought to be
in the nursery by now.
Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
A little girl. My--
- Oh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?
- I'm fine.
A little girl.
That's one excited Marine.
You'll have to forgive the lieutenant.
He can't wait to see his new baby girl.
- You must be Commander Rogers.
- Yeah, that's right.
I'm Jonathan Smith.
I'm the new psychologist
taking Dr. Gleason's place
while she's on maternity leave.
Well, it's nice to meet you.
- This your first day?
- Yeah.
Well, I think you'll like it here.
We've got a real good staff.
How long have you been here,
commander?
It's Matt,
and I have been here ten months,
days, hours and minutes.
Well, excuse me, Matt,
but are you always that precise?
No, but I'm on my last tour of duty
and I find myself counting the days.
You see, the government paid
for my medical training
and in return,
I'm giving them years of service.
It's a real good deal for them
and a real good deal for me too.
Commander Michaels.
Oh, Commander Rogers,
I heard the operation went very well.
Yes, it did.
Mother and child are doing just fine.
But it'll be a while
before Lieutenant Steele
comes down out of the clouds.
Oh, Jonathan, forgive me.
I want you to meet the best nurse
in the entire Navy,
Commander Kimberly Michaels.
Jonathan Smith.
Pleasure to meet you.
- Same here.
- Jonathan will be acting
as staff psychologist
until Dr. Gleason returns.
Mr. Smith, you might talk
to our chief surgeon here
about his obvious delirium.
I am really not the best nurse
in the Navy.
Okay, okay, the world, then.
Oh, I've gotta go. See you later.
- Take care.
- You too.
I get the impression you and
the commander there are good friends.
Well, yeah.
Yeah, I guess you could say that,
you know.
She is an extraordinary woman.
Served two tours
as a combat nurse in Vietnam,
so I wasn't kidding when I said
she was the best, at least in my book.
- Two tours, that's a lot of combat.
- Yeah.
She had any problems with it?
Well, she's never said anything
about it,
but I really couldn't say
one way or the other.
I guess she has her good days
and bad days, but hey, don't we all?
Yeah, we certainly do.
Well, if you'll excuse me, Jonathan,
I'd better go change.
The hospital C.O. does like to see
his chief of Surgery in uniform
once in a while.
- I'll see you around.
- Bye-bye.
Oh, yeah, Jonathan,
you're gonna like the Hastings.
They're real down to earth.
Get it? Down to earth.
That's really funny, Mark.
I just thought I'd inject a little angel
humour into this conversation.
Very little.
Well, anyway, their son, David,
is going to the Naval Academy.
Isn't that great?
That's quite an honour.
They must be very proud.
You kidding me? Travis was practically
busting his buttons when he told me.
Said David wants
to be a Marine aviator.
Boy, I tell you, when I was a kid,
that's all I dreamt about, being a pilot.
Really? Well, what happened?
You just change your mind?
No.
Well, actually, yes, you know,
once I found out it was bad for me.
Bad for you?
How can flying be bad for you?
I'm afraid of flying, okay?
Well, just say you're afraid of flying.
Don't say it's bad for you.
That's easy for you to say.
You're an angel.
You're used to flying all over the place.
Well, not me.
Which one of the Hastings
is our assignment?
All of them.
- What's wrong with them?
- I don't know.
Then again, I don't know anything
about Commander Michaels, either.
So, what do we do?
We just hang around and wait,
see what happens.
I hope we find out something soon.
That Colonel Mahon
is not the easiest person to work for.
You're saying that because you don't
like to take orders from a woman.
I am not.
She just happens to be
a very tough lady
who doesn't care very much
for civilians.
Well, you just gonna have
to convince her otherwise.
Rather kiss a rattlesnake.
That's not funny, Jonathan.
Hey, been one of those days, huh?
Rough morning, yeah.
That combined with very little sleep.
Well, I'm sure you get the picture.
I know exactly what you mean.
- May I?
- Yeah.
Thank you.
So are you getting acquainted
with everything, Mr. Smith?
It's Jonathan, and yeah,
I've been feeling my way around
pretty well.
Well, that's good.
I've been meaning to ask you
why a nurse of your rank
is still working in the emergency room.
I'm afraid
I don't understand your question.
Well, it's just a little unusual
to see a commander
working in a hands-on capacity
rather than a supervising, that's all.
Well, for your information,
Jonathan,
I'm in the ER because we happen
to be understaffed,
but also because I have quite an
extensive background in trauma care.
Most of which you learned
in your two tours in Vietnam?
Yes, that's right.
Look, I know you saw a lot of death
and tragedy when you were in Nam.
I was wondering
if you had any problems-
Whoa, whoa. Wait a second.
I happen to know an awful lot
about the veterans
suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder, okay?
So I don't need you
or anyone else telling me
that "this is the reason
you're feeling bad"
or "this is why
you can't do your work."
I'm sorry if my question upset you,
commander.
Just a habit I have.
It comes with the job, I guess.
Yeah, right.
Well, enjoy your coffee, Mr. Smith.
Yeah, that'll be okay.
Don't worry about it.
Commander Michaels?
Yes.
I just wanted to ask you
one more thing.
Don't you ever stop
analysing people?
Well, it all depends on whether or not
I think they have a problem.
Oh, and you think
I may have a problem?
Well, you said you worked
in the emergency room here
because they were short-staffed.
And yet every assignment
you've had since Vietnam
has been exclusively
in emergency care.
Now, some people might think
that in itself
was a symptom
of post-traumatic stress disorder.
You know, Mr. Smith,
that same someone might just take
another look at what I've been doing
and consider it just plain old
dedication to duty.
Attention to detail, corporal.
A pilot can't be calling the Auto Club
at , feet.
So don't just check the problem once
and move on.
You make sure it's been double-
and triple-checked, okay?
- No problem, sergeant major.
- Very well. Carry on.
Hey, Mark.
Hello, Travis.
Boy, this is some kind of airplane,
isn't it?
It's America's best.
Boy, to see it up close like this
is awesome.
Just think what it'd be like to fly one.
Can't even imagine.
Hey, it won't be long
until David will be able to tell us both.
Yeah, that's for sure.
So, what brings you out here, Mark?
Oh, the movers forgot to give you
your household effects inventory.
- I've been looking everywhere for this.
- Yeah, I bet you have.
- Well, thanks for bringing it by.
- No problem.
I like to get out of that office
as much as possible.
I know what you mean. Pushing
papers can be a pain in the neck.
Yeah, among other things.
Listen, Annie's been after me
about having you over for dinner.
That's no problem.
Tell me what day, I'll be there.
How about tonight, around ?
- See you tonight, around .
- Okay.
Hey, Mark,
I've been meaning to ask you.
Does the name Hopalong Hastings
mean anything to you?
Hopalong Hastings?
I haven't heard that name
in, like, years.
Then you must be Flash Gordon.
How'd you know that?
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
- Hastings. Are you related--?
- I'm Ted's younger brother.
- You gotta be kidding.
- Not hardly.
I've heard about
Bubba's Bar and Grill.
I almost stopped in La Porte
on our way here.
- I'll be. How's old Hopalong doing?
- Oh, he's doing great.
Sergeant Major Hastings,
report to Maintenance Control.
I gotta run.
We'll catch up on everything at dinner.
And tonight, Mark,
I'd like to hear what really happened.
Hey, tonight,
Flash Gordon will tell it all.
- Good afternoon.
- Hi.
I heard you were having a bad day,
so I thought maybe a nice dinner
would be just the thing
to cheer you up.
What is this?
Have you been talking
to Mr. Smith too?
No, it's just that Dr. Pierson told me
up in the lounge
that you seem
to be on everybody's case today.
Yeah, well, I guess I'm pretty rough
to be around today.
So, what's this with Jonathan?
Did you have a little run-in
with him too?
Kind of, but it was no big deal.
All right, how about dinner?
Antonio's sound okay to you?
I'm afraid I wouldn't be
much company tonight, Matt.
Let me be the judge of that.
Listen, commander, if you're smart,
you will follow the doctor's order.
Oh, my gosh, a smile.
I do believe my patient
is on the road to recovery.
All right, but dinner at my place.
I like that better.
Excuse me.
Commander Michaels?
Yes, lieutenant.
My wife wanted me
to give this to you.
Just a little thank-you
for being so nice to us.
This is really thoughtful of you.
Thank you, lieutenant.
Oh, it's my pleasure.
I hope you don't mind,
but we named the baby after you,
Kimberly Erin Steele.
No, I don't mind at all.
Well, I better be going.
Looks to me like my patient
is getting better by the moment.
Yeah.
And here's to...cereal.
- May it never get soggy-
- Matt.
We have toasted everything
from dog food to astrology.
Our food is getting cold.
Okay, okay.
I promise, this'll be the last one.
Well, here's to us.
May all our children
have wealthy parents.
Kim, I don't understand it.
I mean,
you seem to enjoy my company
and God knows, we've had some
pretty good times together.
But the minute I start talking about us
and the future, you shut me out.
Oh, Matt, I'm sorry.
If I could explain
why I do the things I do,
it would probably be a miracle.
I really do enjoy
the time we spend together.
And I do consider you
a very close friend.
But I don't want the pressure
of having to make
a deeper commitment right now.
At least not right now.
Well, commander, one of the things
I always admired about you
is your candour.
I'm sorry, Matt.
I don't know how else to say it.
Kim, I really care for you
and I'm willing to accept
whatever you feel comfortable giving.
Okay?
Okay.
Here's to understanding.
As difficult as it may be sometimes.
Thank you.
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
David, that sounds great, yeah.
Look, David,
can I get back to you on this?
Oh, yeah, can't wait.
I don't believe it.
- David wants to take you flying, huh?
- How'd you know?
That's why I'm here,
to make sure you go.
What, are you nuts?
Jonathan,
you gotta get me out of this.
I can't get you out of this.
It's part of the assignment.
- Jonathan--
- Look, Mark.
It's very important
that you get close to David.
Can't we be close on the ground?
Why don't you take advantage
of this?
It'll help you get over
your fear of flying.
Thanks, but no, thanks.
Gordon, please, file these.
Oh, yes, ma'am--Sir-- Ma'am.
Oh, Colonel Mahon,
this is my friend, Jonathan Smith.
It's nice to meet you, colonel.
You're the new psychologist.
Well, it's nice to meet you too.
Yeah, I've been working
with Mark here,
trying get him past this phobia
he has about flying.
- Oh, is that so?
- Yeah.
As a matter of fact, I was hoping
to take him flying this afternoon,
if it's all right with you, colonel.
Listen, colonel, we have this
big inspection coming up.
I probably should stick around,
catch up the filing-
You listen up, Gordon.
In my book,
a person's health comes first.
- Go on, take the afternoon off.
- But, colonel--
There are no buts, Gordon.
You go ahead and b*at this thing.
And after you conquer that,
then you and I are gonna work on this.
He's all yours, Mr. Smith.
Thank you, colonel.
Welcome to the friendly skies.
I think you're really gonna like
my friend's plane,
because it's a really safe plane
to fly and--
Well, you'll see it.
Really sounds like fun.
How long you been flying, David?
I got my pilot's licence when I was
and I've been up there ever since.
Flying through the clouds,
exploring the skies.
I feel like
I'm seeing a little bit of heaven.
Well, my friend Jonathan
would certainly agree with you.
Oh, yeah? Does he fly?
Oh, yeah. All the time.
Oh, boy. This is a big airplane.
I like that. I like big in an airplane.
This is a big airplane. I like big.
Oh, I'm sorry, Mark. This isn't ours.
No, my friend's plane
is right there on the other side.
This isn't our plane?
But this is a nice big plane. I like--
There it is.
Isn't she a beaut?
No--
We gotta talk about this.
Come on, Mark. Grab your parachute
and let's fly. Yeah!
I can't believe this has happened.
All the Naval Academy needs
is a birth certificate,
but what do they receive? Two.
Two different certificates
with two different names.
If I find the fool who did this,
I'll personally break his neck.
- You can't be mad at anyone.
- Why not?
Annie,
somebody screwed things up.
Now the Academy
wants to see David's adoption papers.
Well, we'll just send them
the papers, okay?
We're to blame for this, Travis.
You and me.
No one else.
Annie, I knew it was wrong
to keep this a secret.
Now it's out.
What the hell are we gonna do?
We're going to have to tell him.
Yeah, I wish you'd told me
you'd had all that chilli for lunch.
I'm really sorry you got so sick.
It's all right. Forget it.
I should have waited for another time.
I'll tell you what. Next week,
I'll teach you how to do a barrel roll.
Barrel roll.
I'll call you, okay?
Okay. I'll see you later.
Boss, if I ever make angel,
we're just gonna pass
on the wings, okay?
Hi. I have a feeling Flash Gordon
isn't gonna make it to flight school.
I mean, I have never seen anyone
get as sick as he did today.
We weren't in the air for two minutes
and he started barfing-
Mom, Dad, is something wrong?
Sit down, David. Your mother and I
have something to tell you.
David, we got a letter
from the Naval Academy today
and there's a problem
with some of the paperwork.
- Oh, no. Am I being turned down?
- No, no, no, it's not that.
It's just- It's a question
about your birth certificate and...
Damn it.
It's all my fault, David.
I should have told you all about this
a long time ago.
Birth certificate. Dad,
I don't know what you're talking about.
The Academy wants
to see the final decree of my adoption?
Is that what you both wanted
to tell me?
That you adopted me?
For years, we wanted to tell you,
but it was just easier to put it off.
Then as you got older,
it was even harder to face.
David, we were just plain scared.
That's the only excuse
I can give you.
I'm adopted?
We're sorry, David,
we didn't tell you sooner.
We're sorry.
Yeah, I...
I have to be alone for a while, okay?
There's a problem
with some of the paperwork.
It's a question
about your birth certificate.
You adopted me?
We're sorry, David,
we didn't tell you sooner.
We were just plain scared.
I'm adopted? I'm adopted?
I'm adopted? I'm adopted?
Get a reading on his vitals.
We could use a hand here,
commander.
Commander?
Commander!
What's the matter with you?
You better carry on without me.
I'm not feeling very well.
Excuse me.
I'm Sergeant Major Hastings.
My son, David, was in an accident.
Sergeant Major Hastings?
I'm Lieutenant Commander Pierson.
I'm the doctor
who will be handling David's treatment.
How bad is he hurt?
Well, he's got a dislocated shoulder
and some severe abrasions,
but there are no internal injuries
to speak of.
He was complaining
of some dizziness,
but that all turned out to be negative.
All in all, I'd say that your son
was pretty lucky.
Thank God.
Mr. and Mrs. Hastings,
when David was brought in,
he was fairly incoherent,
but he kept repeating the word
"adopted" over and over again.
It seemed to upset him
every time he said it.
Travis. Just heard about David.
Is he all right?
He's gonna be okay, Mark.
Mr. Smith, an hour ago,
we told David that he was adopted.
Needless to say,
it was quite a shock to him.
Doctor, can we see him now,
please?
Of course. Follow me.
We're so sorry, David.
So very, very sorry.
We love you so much.
I know.
And I understand.
I understand.
Dear God, please, help me.
Please, help me.
Hello, Kim.
What brings you in here, Mr. Smith?
Prayer or analysis?
Neither.
I just came in to offer you
a friendly ear, that's all.
Well, I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you.
Don't you think you've tried
to go it alone long enough?
Jonathan?
Yeah.
Jonathan, I need to talk. Please?
- What do you say, David?
- Oh, hi. Hi, Mark.
I brought you these.
Figured if you're grounded for a while,
at least you could read about flying.
- Oh, thanks, I appreciate them.
- No problem.
So, what's with the sweat suit?
You got the day off or something?
Don't I wish. I'm under orders from
the colonel to meet her at the gym.
We are gonna work on this.
I'm not looking forward to it,
I tell you.
Feeling all right?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
I've just been giving
a lot of thought to my situation,
you know,
about being adopted and all.
I realised that there's two people
out there somewhere
who helped create me.
I don't even know who they are
or what they're even like.
I could have a brother or sister
out there somewhere.
It's really strange, Mark, but
I wanna find and meet these people.
You think I'm wrong?
It's your decision to make, David.
What about Travis and Annie?
How do they feel about it?
I haven't told them yet.
I mean, I love them, Mark.
They're my parents.
But I have to know
who my real mother and father are.
So I'll know who I am.
Sometimes, I just start crying
and I don't know why.
But I can't stop it myself, either.
Then there's the periods
of depression.
I just feel so bad
that even the littlest thing,
or even nothing,
it just sweeps over me.
That's when I drink.
It numbs the feeling,
makes it a little easier to live with.
Are the nightmares
always the same?
Yeah.
I met a Navy pilot
on my first tour in Vietnam.
Lieutenant William Campbell.
We were on a three-day
R and R in Saigon
and we spent every minute together.
There we were, in the middle of a w*r,
thousands of miles away from home.
We were kids, Jonathan.
Scared kids
who fell in love with each other.
Well, I was the happiest girl on earth
when he said we'd get married.
But that never took place.
Bill's jet was sh*t down
over North Vietnam.
And he's still listed as
missing in action.
That's how my nightmare always ends,
with Bill's jet exploding.
How long have you been having
these dreams?
Ever since I came home
from Vietnam.
Jonathan, I told you that I knew
about post-traumatic stress disorder.
And I got mad when you suspected
that I might have it.
Well, I've always known
that what happened to me
and what I saw over in Vietnam
would stay with me forever.
That's why you always work
in emergency care.
So you could hide inside the same
work you were doing in Vietnam
and still pretend
that a problem doesn't exist.
Yeah, but you don't understand.
I'm a nurse.
I am trained to heal people.
But you're also a human being, Kim.
A human being
with a lot of pain inside.
It's just that I feel so...alone.
But you're not alone, Kim.
There are a lot of women suffering
from the same problem you are.
Will you help me, Jonathan?
You bet I will.
Are you thinking about taking
this little puppy for a spin, are you?
Mark. I guess my mind
was at , feet.
Haven't had a chance to get by
and see David. How's he doing?
Oh, he's fine.
Getting stronger every day.
And what about you, amigo?
How are you doing?
Well, after everything that's happened,
I guess I'm doing all right.
No, that's not true.
The fact is David told us
he wants to find and meet his--
His birth parents.
Jesus, I can't believe
how one stupid clerk somewhere
has been able to cause
all of this unnecessary grief.
David was doing just fine. Just fine.
My God, Mark,
he wants to meet his real parents.
And that scares you?
Hell, yes, I'm scared.
Wouldn't you be?
What's there to be afraid of?
You're missing the point, Mark.
I mean, suppose these people turn
out to be, I don't know, super rich
or just more interesting
than me and Annie?
I mean, they're his real parents.
Travis, listen to me.
You and Annie have loved David
for over years.
He knows he's your son.
There isn't anyone or anything
that's gonna change that.
I just wish I could be sure.
Well, I am sure that you're not the first
adoptive parents to feel this way.
But you can't let your fear
of the unknown stand in David's way.
- You just can't.
- I know, I know.
Something else here
you might wanna think about.
Yeah? What is that?
If David is able to locate
his birth parents,
that'll give you and Annie
a chance to say thank you.
Because if it wasn't for them, buddy,
you never would have had
this great boy for your son.
That really is the bottom line, isn't it?
Yeah.
Come on,
I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
There. Now, that didn't hurt too bad,
now, did it?
No, sir.
This pretty much covers
what you need to know.
The main thing is to keep the wound
as clean as possible, okay?
And since you didn't cry,
I hereby make you an official member
of my heroes club.
Congratulations.
Look, Mommy. I'm a hero.
You sure are, honey.
And you get a lollipop too.
Now you be a careful hero now,
okay?
I will.
Thanks for being so kind,
commander.
You're welcome. Goodbye.
Daddy will be proud of me,
because I got this hero button, huh?
Oh, you bet he will be.
Well,
looks like you made her day, huh?
To be honest with you,
it's more the other way around.
You're having a good day, then?
Well, let's just say
they're getting better.
So, what brings you down here?
They're forming
a Veterans' Outreach Group
over in Seabrook.
They're all women suffering
from PTSD.
I think it'd be good for you.
Sounds a little scary.
I'd be lying to you
if I said it wasn't scary.
But I think it's what you need, Kim.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Look, I'll let you know
when I hear back from the director.