AMANDA APRIL BEARDED_MAN BECCA BILLY BYSTANDER CLERK CONSTRUCTION_WORKER COOP DETECTIVECLEMENTS DETECTIVE_CLEMENTS FEMALE_VETERAN GRAYDON MALE_VETERAN MAN_1 MAN_2 MAN_ON_BIKE MEN_AND_WOMEN PAIGE REPORTER RODRIGUEZ SADIE SAMANTHA SOLDIER STATE_SENATOR_COOPER WALT PAIGE There she is: the woman of the hour! Get over here! One more round, please! SAMANTHA Paige, you’re killing me. PAIGE I’m just making up for lost time. SAMANTHA Yeah, well, I am two shots away from a very drunk, very naked Justin Bieber impression. PAIGE Yeah, that’s what we’re counting on. PAIGE Ooh! SAMANTHA Thanks for this. PAIGE It’s not every day your best friend comes home from Iraq. Friggin’ Iraq, Sammy. You're the last girl I ever pictured in a pair of combat boots. SAMANTHA Yeah, the pedicure didn’t last long. PAIGE Your parents would’ve been really proud. SAMANTHA Thank you! COOP You’re out of uniform, soldier. SAMANTHA Coop! COOP Hi! SAMANTHA Hi! COOP Mmm! You look great. I barely recognized you. SAMANTHA Thanks! PAIGE Hi! I’m Sam’s friend, Paige. SAMANTHA Yeah, sorry! Uh, Paige, Coop. Jimmy. COOP Mm-hmm. PAIGE Hi! SAMANTHA Yeah, Coop was our lieutenant. PAIGE Oh! COOP Best friend, Paige! PAIGE Mm-hmm. COOP It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. PAIGE Likewise. And you don’t have a drink. SAMANTHA Yeah, apparently, no one’s allowed to leave here sober, right? COOP Ok, well, pardon me while I catch up. Excuse me. PAIGE Ok! SAMANTHA Don’t! PAIGE You didn’t tell me you were serving with guys straight out of GQ. SAMANTHA He is just a friend. PAIGE Ok, well, unless he’s gay or married PAIGE Hell, even if he is gay and married, there is no excuse! SAMANTHA Ok! Hi! Oh! I’m so glad you came. BILLY I wouldn’t miss it for the world. COOP Billy, my man! How are you doing? PAIGE Guys, here! COOP Listen, I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I am. BILLY At least I’m here, right? COOP Yeah. BILLY Thanks to this one. COOP Hear, hear! To Sam! BILLY To Sam! SAMANTHA What’s it been now, nine months? BILLY Yeah, something like that. SAMANTHA And how has it been? BILLY It’s—it’s good, you know? It just takes a little getting used to. SAMANTHA Well, that was convincing! See, this is why I always beat your ass at poker, Billy. BILLY The truth is if they let in one-armed bandits, I’d be back in a heartbeat. Sounds crazy, but I miss it. SAMANTHA Yeah. PAIGE Speech, speech! COOP Speech! SAMANTHA Uh, wow! Oh gosh! Thanks! Um, thank you to Paige for bringing everyone together. Thanks for the free booze, although I'm sure I won't be thanking you in the morning. SAMANTHA I don’t know what else to say. It’s good to be home. PAIGE Hear, hear! GRAYDON Samantha Harrison, one hell of a hero, all right. Is that what we call someone who killed American soldiers? Two men in my unit died because of your so-called hero. BILLY Back the hell off, man. GRAYDON National Guard, weekend warrior cowards, shoot at anything that moves. The army tried to shut me up, giving Silver Stars to my dead buddies. BILLY I suggest you shut up now. GRAYDON There is nothing heroic about killing other Americans. What you did was murder. COOP Hey, hey! GRAYDON You better take it easy, Lefty. This is just the beginning, because you will never get away with what you did. COOP Let’s go! Let’s go! Come on! PAIGE What was that about? BILLY The troop’s being investigated. Some friendly-fire incident. A couple of his guys got killed. He's just looking for someone to blame. PAIGE You never mentioned any of this. SAMANTHA Paige, it’s not true. It’s just gonna blow over, right? BILLY Right. SAMANTHA Is he gone? BILLY Yeah, looks like it. Come on. Nine months ago, I would’ve busted that jerk’s jaw open. Now look at me. SAMANTHA Yeah, well, I’m glad you didn’t. BILLY It’s ’cause of him this whole investigation started in the first place. You know, it would've all just gone away. SAMANTHA No, there’s plenty of people that think it’s my fault. BILLY Yeah, well, they’re wrong. SAMANTHA Are they? I don’t remember what happened that night. I mean, I remember the mortar blast, and then the next thing I knew, medics were checking me over back at the base camp. It's possible I BILLY Don’t even go there. SAMANTHA Ballistics said they have proof that it was my gun. BILLY I saw you up front firing, and in the opposite direction of those two soldiers. There is no way you could've shot them from where you were. SAMANTHA So I’ve got nothing to feel nervous about, right? COOP It’s just a preliminary hearing. They won’t have enough for the case to go forward. We've got your back, Sam. PAIGE Guys, I’m ordering drinks. Who wants one? BILLY I better get going. SAMANTHA No! Stay for another drink. BILLY My wife’s got me on a pretty strict curfew. Besides, now that you’re back, I can kick your ass at poker anytime, right? SAMANTHA Nice fantasy, Billy. BILLY Hey! You were a good soldier to me. BILLY Don’t you forget it, Ok? PAIGE I think you should hook up with Coop. SAMANTHA I think you should stop talking. PAIGE But imagine all your beautiful little GQ soldier babies. SAMANTHA Go home, drink lots of water, and I’ll call you in the morning. PAIGE Hey, Sammy, it’s good to have you home. SAMANTHA t’s good to be home. Bye! PAIGE Bye-bye! REPORTER …pushed deeper into South Vietnam, and American troops faced increased resistance from Viet Cong, as well as from the North Vietnamese Army. As the heavy fighting moved further south, the Americans became less certain of the outcome, unsure whether it could ultimately depend… COOP Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Fall in! Fall in! Fall in! COOP Everybody OK? You good? WALT Ah! SAMANTHA Walt! Hey! Let me help you with that. WALT Ah, just in time! WALT Oh, someone’s been working out. SAMANTHA Yeah, Iraq was good for something. Where do you want it? WALT Right on top, please. SAMANTHA Beautiful roses! WALT Yes, thank you! You know, I almost lost them all last year due to aphids. It just takes one evil aphid. The first thing you know, they've multiplied and—and they've killed every bush. SAMANTHA Well, you’re doing better than me. I can barely keep a cactus alive. WALT Yeah, but you kept yourself alive. That’s all that’s important. Voila! There you are. SAMANTHA What’s this for? WALT Something to brighten up your place a little, make you feel more at home. Now, when that starts to wither, you just come back and clip yourself another one. SAMANTHA I think you missed me since I’ve been gone. SAMANTHA And I think you’ve gone soft. WALT I did, but I am still the same mean old bastard that I always was. WALT But I’m very happy that you’re home. SAMANTHA Yeah. It’s good to be home. Thanks! WALT Ok! PAIGE It’s all the rage since you’ve been gone. Declutter your life, declutter your mind. SAMANTHA Ok, Zen master. PAIGE If something brings you joy, you keep it, and if not, you thank it for the joy it once brought you, and you say goodbye. SAMANTHA You sound ridiculous. PAIGE These are ridiculous. SAMANTHA They’re retro. PAIGE They were ugly three decades ago, and they’re still ugly. And this… Wow! SAMANTHA I still wear that. PAIGE Only if you’re dressing like Freddy Krueger for Halloween. SAMANTHA My sister got it for me for Christmas. PAIGE Sorry. SAMANTHA No, don’t be. She’d be horrified to know I still have it. PAIGE No, she’d be nothing but proud of you right now. SAMANTHA You don’t know my sister. She hated everything war stood for. PAIGE Why? It’s not your fault they sent you to combat. SAMANTHA She’d say it was my fault for joining the Guard in the first place. PAIGE Sam, you gotta let it go. SAMANTHA Yeah, it’s ugly, isn’t it? PAIGE I’m not talking about the sweater. SAMANTHA I know. PAIGE I have a better idea. Come on! PAIGE See, this is what you need. OK, here we go. These are cute. Ooh! SAMANTHA $275 for a pair of jeans! PAIGE Marked down. Those used to be $350. You know, there was a time when retail therapy worked wonders on you. SAMANTHA I don’t remember it being this expensive. PAIGE So, what, you’re just gonna run around in army fatigues for the rest of your life. SAMANTHA Yeah, maybe. PAIGE Come on! You deserve to be happy. Just try it. PAIGE Admit it! You feel better. SAMANTHA Better, but broke. PAIGE I’m getting a security guard. SAMANTHA No, I can handle this. PAIGE No, no, no! Sam, wait! SAMANTHA Why are you following me? GRAYDON Living the good life, I see? GRAYDON I heard they’re going after you with negligent homicide. That’s ten years in the federal pen. SAMANTHA What? GRAYDON You might as well enjoy your freedom while you still have it, ’cause it won’t last long. PAIGE Whoa! SAMANTHA Get the hell away from me. GRAYDON Go ahead. Shoot me. Shoot me like you shot my brothers. SAMANTHA You’re insane. GRAYDON Just keep an eye on your friend here, because she’s killed before. It looks like she's ready to pull the trigger again. PAIGE It’s gonna be Ok. SAMANTHA He said ten years in prison. PAIGE Whatever! He’s out of his mind. SAMANTHA No, he’s out to get me. PAIGE Relax, Sam. We just gotta get you a good lawyer and a restraining order. SAMANTHA Restraining orders take time to get and do nothing. PAIGE So, what? You’re gonna take matters into your own hands? SAMANTHA No, of course not. It’s just a force of habit. PAIGE We’re at a shopping mall. PAIGE Look, I heard some of the guys at the party talking about how stressful it can be when you first get back. A lot of people go through Ptsd. SAMANTHA That’s what you think this is? PAIGE I don’t know what this is. I just know it isn’t like you. SAMANTHA I’m fine. PAIGE You just pulled a gun on someone in a parking lot. SAMANTHA It wasn’t just someone, was it? PAIGE Still! Maybe there’s a therapist you could talk to. SAMANTHA I’m not spending $250 an hour to discuss my feelings. I’d rather waste my money on a pair of jeans. I'm Ok. PAIGE Ok. Just promise me one thing: No more weapons. SAMANTHA The dress you made me buy, there’s no room to hide it, anyway. SAMANTHA Coop? COOP Did Sadie call you yet? SAMANTHA What? COOP Billy’s wife, Sadie, did she call you? SAMANTHA No, why? COOP It’s Billy. He’s dead. SAMANTHA What? COOP He shot himself out in his car last night when he got home. One of the neighbours just found him. SAMANTHA Oh my God! I can’t believe it! We were just with him last night. COOP I know. His kids still don’t know. I’ll call you back. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Ms. Harrison? SAMANTHA Yeah. DETECTIVECLEMENTS I’m Detective Clements. Billy Peterson’s wife gave me your contact information. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions. SAMANTHA About Billy? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Yeah, I won’t take much of your time. SAMANTHA Sure, yeah. Come in. Sorry, I just—I just found out, so… Whatever you wanna know. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS I heard you just got back. SAMANTHA Yeah, about a week ago. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS That’s not that long. SAMANTHA Sometimes, it feels like I’ve never been away. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS I see a lot of vets. It’s always the same story. There’s no place like home until you get back there. That's a great picture. SAMANTHA It was taken right before we got deployed. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Were you and Billy close? SAMANTHA Yeah. We were opposites, but, uh, he was like family. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Did he seem Ok to you last night? SAMANTHA I think so. I mean, Billy always seemed Ok. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS I hear Billy got into an argument with another soldier at the bar. Regular Army, Corporal Graydon? SAMANTHA Yeah. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Over a friendly-fire incident? SAMANTHA Yeah. Graydon said I shot and killed two of his men. Billy was telling him that I didn't. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS What do you think? SAMANTHA I think if Billy said I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS But you don’t remember? SAMANTHA I trust Billy. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS The bartender said that Graydon left at 7:00 p.m., and Billy left shortly after. Do you know what time Billy left? SAMANTHA I don’t—I don’t remember. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS How soon after that did you leave? SAMANTHA I don’t know. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Approximately. It doesn’t have to be exact. SAMANTHA A half hour or hour. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Did you go straight home? SAMANTHA Where else would I go? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS I’m sorry. I realize this must be difficult for you. SAMANTHA Yes, Detective, I went straight home. My friend Paige, she dropped me off. I came in. I turned on the TV. I contemplated buying $200 worth of Tupperware. The next day, I found out Billy committed suicide, just now. Is that enough of a timeline for you? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS I’m sorry. SAMANTHA Yeah, so am I. I just found out one of my best friends is dead, so if you’ll excuse me. SAMANTHA I felt like I was the one on trial. COOP Well, he’s just doing his job. COOP They’ve gotta assume that it was murder until they can prove otherwise. SAMANTHA Graydon says they’re coming after me for negligent homicide. COOP That’s crazy. They’ll never get it. SAMANTHA I don’t know anymore. No one really remembers what happened that night. COOP Exactly. It was fog of war. Even if they could prove it was you, you thought you were firing at the enemy trying to save our guys, which is what you did, and Billy was just gonna say as much. SAMANTHA None of this makes sense. Billy wasn’t the type of guy to kill himself. COOP I don’t think he was the same guy. You know, what happens over there, it changes you. It changes all of us. SAMANTHA Billy was stronger than that. COOP Well, sometimes, it’s the toughest soldiers that have the hardest time adjusting, you know? Look, I'm sure he came home to a parade of flag-waving Americans saying, “We support the troops,” but they have no idea the hell he went through. And you just end up inside your own head thinking about the time the mortar blew your hand off, and you have no one to talk to. SAMANTHA He had his wife. COOP I’m sure she tried her best, but it’s not the same. We’re all just so close over there. You can't help but come home and just feel alone. SAMANTHA He told me he wanted to go back. COOP Of course he did. That was the only place he felt alive. SAMANTHA You know when you called to tell me about Billy, I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. One of my best friends kills himself, and I can't cry. COOP It doesn’t mean you don’t care. SAMANTHA I don’t know how to feel anymore. COOP It takes time. But you will. The new normal won’t be so bad eventually. SAMANTHA Yeah! Anyway, I’m sure Billy’s having the last laugh, smoking a big fat stogie somewhere with Groucho Marx. COOP More like getting high with Jim Morrison, I think. COOP So I’ll see you at the memorial tomorrow? SAMANTHA Yeah. Thanks for being here. COOP Always. SAMANTHA Ok. SADIE Samantha… SAMANTHA Oh, Sadie, come here. I am so sorry. SADIE It still doesn’t seem real. SAMANTHA I know. SADIE I was glad he got to see you. I couldn’t get him out of the house since he’d been back. He had a good time? SAMANTHA Yeah. He kept talking about how he was gonna beat me at poker. SADIE He was always a little delusional, wasn’t he? SAMANTHA He really loved you, you know? He never stopped talking about you when we were over there. SADIE It’s Ok, Sam. You don’t have to. SAMANTHA No, listen to me. I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. SADIE Thank you. COOP Ladies and gentlemen, if I may. Thank you. Thank you all for coming. Uh, I would like to say a few words about Billy. Before joining the Guard, Billy was a contractor. He built cottages mostly. He said he felt it was important people had a place to escape the 9:00-5:00 madness and play on the weekends, and as we all know, Billy loved to play, so… COOP After 9/11, Billy shifted his focus a little, said he felt called to make a difference, and that's why he joined the National Guard. And as his wife Sadie will attest, it was one of the best decisions of his life. None of us joined the Guard expecting to go to war, but when they needed us, we were there. We were no longer second-class servicemen anymore. We were soldiers in a line of fire fighting for freedom, and we couldn't have made it through without each other, and we certainly couldn't have done it without Billy. Billy was the type of guy who was always there for you, whether it be shielding you from enemy fire or making sure your glass was never empty. So to that end, here's to Billy, the wild and crazy guy that we all know and love and to the way he lived his life, always with a full glass. To Billy! MEN AND WOMEN To Billy! BILLY I got the worst damn cotton mouth. COOP We’ve got bigger problems than that, man. BILLY It’s about to get real, boys and girls. Let’s do this. COOP All right, we’re gonna move to that car. Everybody ready? Ok, move out! Let’s move, move! Get low! Get low! RODRIGUEZ Samantha? Samantha? Hey! SAMANTHA Hey! RODRIGUEZ Look at you in a dress! Sorry I missed the big welcome-home party. SAMANTHA Oh, you missed a big hangover. RODRIGUEZ Hmm! Good- looking son of a bitch, huh? I had no idea all the crap he was going through. SAMANTHA None of us did. RODRIGUEZ He called me a couple times. He said he had something important he wanted to talk to me about, but I didn't get back to him, and now he's dead. SAMANTHA Do you know what it was he wanted to talk to you about? RODRIGUEZ He probably just wanted to talk about how good the Sabres were gonna be this year. SAMANTHA Yeah! RODRIGUEZ Always the optimist, you know? COOP You guys know my father, right? Senator Cooper, this is Private Samantha Harrison and Private Robert Rodriguez. STATE SENATOR COOPER It’s an honour to meet you. SAMANTHA You too, sir. RODRIGUEZ We met before. STATE SENATOR COOPER I’m sorry for your loss. I met Billy when he first came back. Such a brave soldier. If there's anything myself or any of my people can do to support you RODRIGUEZ Besides posing for photos with crippled vets? STATE SENATOR COOPER I understand what you must be going through. RODRIGUEZ You can’t even begin to understand. Excuse me. I need another drink. COOP Um, him and Billy were really close. STATE SENATOR COOPER As his commanding officer, maybe you should arrange for some grief- counselling sessions. COOP Yes, sir. STATE SENATOR COOPER If you’ll excuse me… COOP Sorry about that. He can—he can be a bit much sometimes. SAMANTHA No, Rodriguez was out of line. COOP Yeah, well… SAMANTHA It was a beautiful eulogy. COOP Thanks! My dad thought it was a bit too long. Nothing’s ever quite good enough. SAMANTHA Yeah, I grew up with a dad like that. His dying words were: “Why weren’t you a boy?” COOP Oh! Well, if you were a boy, you wouldn’t look quite as good in that dress, so… SAMANTHA There is that. COOP Yeah. COOP It’s gonna be Ok, Sam. SAMANTHA Yeah, is it? Who else besides you is gonna testify? COOP There’s lots of guys. I mean, what about Rodriguez? I mean, I’m sure he’ll take the stand. SAMANTHA I don’t even know if he remembers what he saw that night, never mind whether or not he'll testify. COOP The important thing is that he’s on your side, Ok? SADIE Sam, do you know who that guy is at the bar? I overheard him talking about the hearing. SAMANTHA Yeah, I do. COOP Sam, I’ll get security. SAMANTHA No, it’s me he wants. It’s Ok. STATE SENATOR COOPER What’s going on? COOP I’m—I’m handling it. SAMANTHA How can you even show your face around here? GRAYDON How can you show your face anywhere? COOP Hey, this is a private event, pal. GRAYDON I just came to honour another soldier that didn’t deserve to die, unlike some bitches. COOP Hey! GRAYDON It’s just like you said in your speech. You and your ladies, you never signed up for war, but don't you dare pretend to be in the same league as my men who died because you couldn't handle it. SAMANTHA No. Coop! Coop, wait! SAMANTHA Coop! Leave him. He’s not worth it. COOP The guy’s a sociopath. Have you gotten a restraining order against him yet? SAMANTHA No, but I will. COOP Sam, this is serious. You can’t trust guys like that. SAMANTHA I know it’s serious, and I will. I promise. COOP Good. SAMANTHA Listen, it’s been a really rough day. I’m gonna get out of here, Ok? COOP Wait, where are you going? I’ll give you a ride. SAMANTHA No, it’s fine. You should get back in there and check on Sadie. COOP Are you sure you’re Ok? SAMANTHA I’m fine. I promise. COOP I’ll call you later. SAMANTHA You don’t have to. COOP No, I want to. SAMANTHA Ok. COOP Ok. SAMANTHA Bye! COOP Bye! SAMANTHA I knew I’d find you here. RODRIGUEZ Another, and a bourbon for her. SAMANTHA You remembered. RODRIGUEZ The only good memory I have is your shots of bourbon at base camp. SAMANTHA Thanks! RODRIGUEZ Thanks! SAMANTHA So you left pretty quick. RODRIGUEZ Billy would’ve hated people making all that fuss. It’s the last place we hung out together before we were deployed. Wherever Billy is now, I hope they're serving it straight up. SAMANTHA To Billy! RODRIGUEZ To Billy! SAMANTHA Graydon showed up after you left. RODRIGUEZ What was he doing there? SAMANTHA I don’t know. Trying to dig for dirt on me, talking to people about the incident. What do you remember about that night? RODRIGUEZ They say one of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. SAMANTHA Oh, come on, Rodriguez. What are you not telling me? Billy said it wasn’t my fault. RODRIGUEZ He’s right. It wasn’t. No way we would’ve made it without you. You're a hero. BILLY Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! SAMANTHA Just breathe! Breathe, Billy! BILLY I don’t wanna die tonight! SAMANTHA Listen to me! Deep breaths, soldier, deep breaths! Rodriguez? SAMANTHA Help! Help! RODRIGUEZ The whole reason I was alive, for them to give me this instead of them giving it to my wife at my funeral is 'cause of you. You should have it. You earned it. SAMANTHA It’s nice, but it’s not gonna stop them from trying to take me down. I need you to tell the judge what happened. RODRIGUEZ I’m sorry, Sammy, I would if I could. SAMANTHA Come on! You and Coop and Billy were the only people who were there that night. I need you! RODRIGUEZ Look, after Graydon started pushing for a second formal AR 15-6, a couple officers from the Guard Depot in Utica showed up at my place to ask me what I remembered about the incident. Let's just say they were encouraging me to remember things a certain way. When I said, “That's not the way it happened,” they said: “Your presence is no longer required at the preliminary hearing.” SAMANTHA Well, I’m sure Billy got paid the same visit, but he was still gonna testify. RODRIGUEZ And look what happened to Billy. SAMANTHA Rodriguez, come on! RODRIGUEZ Think about it. If Billy came forward with anything but the official story, they wouldn't have much of a case, so they dealt with him. SAMANTHA Who dealt with him? RODRIGUEZ There are a lot of guys in the army that want our troop to pay for what happened over there. SAMANTHA So you think anyone that doesn’t play along, they’re just gonna kill them? Come on, that's crazy. RODRIGUEZ Maybe I am crazy, but I’m not gonna risk being the next target. What you need is a lawyer. SAMANTHA No, what I need is a friend. You need to stand up for me! RODRIGUEZ I can’t. SAMANTHA No, of course, you can’t, ‘cause the guy who’s always running for cover never can, can he? RODRIGUEZ That’s what you think? SAMANTHA That’s what I think. RODRIGUEZ Ok… SAMANTHA Where are you going? RODRIGUEZ I think it’s time to go. SAMANTHA No! Ok, listen. Wait, wait! I’m sorry! They’re trying to get me for negligent homicide, and I'm scared. I am really scared. I need your help! Please! RODRIGUEZ When I left for Iraq, my wife told me: “Better a live coward than a dead hero.” It was a miracle I made it back. I'm sorry, but I can't put her through that again. SAMANTHA Hello? PAIGE Hi! I just called to wish you good luck on your interview. SAMANTHA Oh, the interview… PAIGE You didn’t forget, did you? SAMANTHA No! No, I’m on my way there now. PAIGE Ok, good. Break a leg! SAMANTHA Thanks! Bye! SAMANTHA Oh hi! APRIL Samantha Harrison! SAMANTHA Sorry, I’m late. APRIL Oh, it is so good to see you. Don’t worry about being late! Same old Samantha! That's why I always used to tell you that staff meetings started 15 minutes earlier than they were supposed to, so that you'd actually be on time. SAMANTHA Right. Well, I usually was. APRIL Usually. Let’s just say it’s a good thing you’re such a hell of a teacher. SAMANTHA Thanks! APRIL We missed you. SAMANTHA Yeah, I—I missed you too. APRIL Hey, I wanna show you something. SAMANTHA Ok! APRIL Remember Becca, the biter? APRIL All that work you did with her that year really paid off. Hmm! SAMANTHA Can I go say hi? APRIL Sure! SAMANTHA Becca? Hi! BECCA Are you done fighting the bad guys now? SAMANTHA I am done fighting the bad guys. I’m gonna be a teacher again. How are you? What are you doing? BECCA They have to go to the hospital. SAMANTHA Oh! BECCA Maybe you could help. Her leg fell off, and it hurts really badly. Can you help put it back on? SAMANTHA Sure! SOLDIER Oh God! SAMANTHA You’re not gonna die! BECCA Can I have her back? SAMANTHA You’re gonna be fine. Deep breaths, OK? BECCA Ms. Harrison… SAMANTHA Slow! BECCA Can I have her back? SAMANTHA Slow breaths! BECCA You’re squeezing her too hard! You’re hurting her! Let go! SAMANTHA I’m s— I’m sorry. It’s Ok! APRIL So, what’s it been like since you’ve been back. SAMANTHA Great! APRIL Well, I imagine it’s been somewhat of an adjustment. SAMANTHA No, not really. It’s just been nice to eat homecooked meals again and see green grass. That kind of thing. APRIL Right. SAMANTHA Yeah, I mean, it’s the little things that I appreciate now. APRIL Well, of course. And what about counselling? SAMANTHA What about it? APRIL Well, have you had any counselling since you’ve been back? SAMANTHA I’m not crazy, April. APRIL You just spent a year in a war zone, Samantha. Anybody would need therapy after that. Hell, I wound up doing five years of therapy after my tour of duty with my ex-husband. SAMANTHA I don’t need a therapist. APRIL They’re not all bad. SAMANTHA Ok, well, I’ll put it on my list of things to do. APRIL I’m gonna be honest with you, Samantha. I think what you did was very brave, and you're a real hero. And you could be a real role model for these kids, but I have got to be sure that you are ready to be back in the classroom again. SAMANTHA And you think therapy’s the only way that’s gonna happen? APRIL I think that it would be a really good start. SAMANTHA What I need is to get my life back on track. APRIL I couldn’t agree with you more. So I can give you some names, some people that I recommend really highly. SAMANTHA You know what, April, if therapy’s some new prerequisite for this job, then I don't think I belong at this school anymore. Thank you for your time. RODRIGUEZ This is Bobby. You know what to do. SAMANTHA Hey, Bobby, it’s me, Sammy. Listen, I—I have your Purple Heart, so I’m gonna drop it off at yours, and I wanted to apologize for last night. SAMANTHA I guess it was the whisky talking. SAMANTHA What happened? BYSTANDER The guy who lives in that house killed himself last night. Shot himself in the head. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Yeah? Hang on. I’ll be right there. COOP Hey, this is Jim Cooper. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message. SAMANTHA Coop, it’s me, Sam. Now it’s Rodriguez too. He’s dead. What the hell is happening? I need you to call me back. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS After you were kicked out of the memorial service, where did you go? GRAYDON Like I said, I wasn’t kicked out. I left voluntarily. I went to a bar up the street to cool down, and then I went home. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Same bar Rodriguez was at. GRAYDON Well, if he was there, I didn’t see him there. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS He was there. GRAYDON It’s a popular bar. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Samantha Harrison was there too. You know Samantha, don’t you? GRAYDON I thought this was about Billy. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Until Rodriguez showed up dead too. GRAYDON Why did you bring me here? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS It seems a little bit odd, doesn’t it? Both Billy and Rodriguez kill themselves within a couple of days of each other. Both are members of the same National Guard troop that you blame for the death of your buddies. GRAYDON Samantha Harrison put you up to this? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS You want her to pay for what she did over there, don’t you? What better way than killing off those closest to her? The same way she killed your best friends. GRAYDON This was a good talk, Detective, but we’re done. SAMANTHA You’re letting him go? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS We can’t hold him. SAMANTHA Well, what about this restraining order? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS That proves he’s a stalker, not a killer. SAMANTHA How many more dead bodies do you need before you have your proof? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Let’s go somewhere private where we can talk. SAMANTHA No! I’m done with talking. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS If you can go back to last night, do you remember any detail at all, any clues that would help us? SAMANTHA I have told you everything. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Anything Rodriguez might’ve said? SAMANTHA Get back! DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Hey, are you Ok? SAMANTHA Yeah, I have to go. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Wait! I want you to call this number. I work with a lot of Ptsd cases, a lot of veterans like yourself. SAMANTHA Yeah, let me guess: “I’m not alone.” DETECTIVE CLEMENTS You just need to talk to someone who you can trust. SAMANTHA Isn’t that what friends are for? COOP So, Rodriguez wasn’t going to testify? SAMANTHA No, he was scared to. COOP Ok, so then Rodriguez left, and you drove home? SAMANTHA Yeah. COOP Straight home? SAMANTHA Coop, we’ve been over this! COOP Sam, I’m just trying to help you here. SAMANTHA Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. He was really scared, and I didn’t believe him. And now he's gone. COOP Sam, look, you can’t blame yourself for these things. SAMANTHA First Billy, and then Rodriguez. Someone is taking out members of our unit. COOP Yeah! Graydon’s crazy enough, and he certainly has a motive. SAMANTHA Maybe he’s killing people who won’t testify against me. COOP But you said Rodriguez wasn’t gonna take the stand. SAMANTHA Yeah, but he knew the truth. COOP Sam, I’m not sure bourbon is the answer here, Ok? SAMANTHA Yeah, well, I figure if I just pass out, the nightmares won’t be as bad. COOP Hey, I have those same nightmares, Ok, almost every night. And this will not help you. It's Ok. SAMANTHA I thought commanding officers would get in a lot of trouble for getting involved with a member of their unit. COOP Well, it’s a good thing I’m not your commanding officer anymore. SAMANTHA I think this is a bad idea. COOP You have a better one? SAMANTHA I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Coop. I can’t do this. I just— I’m just not ready. COOP You were somewhere else all of a sudden. Are you Ok? SAMANTHA No. No, I’m not. Coop, I think you should just go. COOP Look, Sam SAMANTHA Please, just leave. COOP Ok. AMANDA Looking for a meeting or to join a group? There’s a lot of good ones. SAMANTHA No, I was looking for the legal aid department. AMANDA Ok! Right this way. AMANDA Iraq? SAMANTHA Yeah. AMANDA You’ve been back a while? SAMANTHA Yeah, long enough. MALE VETERAN You Ok? MAN ON BIKE Yeah. SAMANTHA Billy? Billy? Oh! Sorry, I thought you were someone else. BEARDED MAN That’s fine. AMANDA It seems like everybody’s got either a court date or a custody hearing this week. Fill out this intake form, what you need help with, and somebody should get back to you by the end of next week. SAMANTHA Well, I can’t wait that long. AMANDA Unfortunately, it’s two local firms working pro bono SAMANTHA Well, I’ve got a hearing. Um, there was, um, a friendly-fire incident. AMANDA Ok, I’ll see what I can do to push it through. SAMANTHA Thanks. AMANDA The more details you can give them, the better. SAMANTHA All right. Um, I can’t—I can’t remember. AMANDA It’s Ok. Just fill out what you can. It’s overwhelming, I know. SAMANTHA I’m sorry. I can’t. CLERK I’m sorry, but only officers involved in the investigation have access to those files. SAMANTHA Yeah, but— Listen, I was asked to review the file before the preliminary hearing. Lieutenant Jessup had me come down here. CLERK Yeah, well, you’re gonna have to talk to Lieutenant Jessup about it, then. I don’t make the rules. SAMANTHA Well, I can’t— CLERK Phillips here! No, no, no, no. You’re gonna need a signature for that. No. I’ll be right there, Ok? No, no, no! Just wait for me. I'll be there in a second. Yeah. Mm-hmm. CLERK All right, so files are organized by case number. If you just come in the back here, you can see the files that we have to look at today. I know there's a large amount of them… SAMANTHA Coop, you gotta help me! COOP Calm down! What’s going on? I can barely hear you. SAMANTHA Don’t tell me to calm down! You’re not the one with “Murderer” spray painted on your car. COOP What? SAMANTHA They were shot twice. COOP Who? SAMANTHA Keller and Beaver. They were shot twice, once at a distance, once at close range. COOP Where are you? SAMANTHA At the Guard Depot in Utica. It was right there in bold print. That can't be blamed on fog of war. No wonder they're trying to get me for negligent homicide! No wonder they all want me dead. COOP There must be some kind of mistake. There’s no way you would shoot them like that. SAMANTHA How do you know? What if I did? Oh God! What is this? Ok, it’s just a construction zone. It's gonna be Ok. Just slow down, like the sign says. It's not a trap. RODRIGUEZ Ok, slow down, Sam. It’s a trap. COOP He’s right. What you’re gonna wanna do is slow down like you’re gonna stop, and then when you're about 15 feet away from them, you gun it. COOP Sam? Sam, what are you doing? COOP Gun it now! CONSTRUCTION WORKER Whoa, hey! GRAYDON Sir! Can I help you with that? WALT You know, I hate to admit it, but you can. Right there. Thank you. You know, I still think I'm 25, until I look in the mirror or try to lift one of those. That looks like it's seen some active duty. GRAYDON Yes, sir! Iraq. WALT Really? You know, my neighbour’s just back from Iraq. She was, uh, National Guard. GRAYDON Is that right? WALT Yeah, the poor girl never expected to be sent over. But, hey, she made it back. GRAYDON So, uh, how’s she doing? WALT She seems Ok. It’s an adjustment, all right. GRAYDON Yeah, it sure is. So, um, does she live alone or… WALT Oh yeah. Yeah, she lives alone. But that, that’s something I cannot figure out. Pretty girl like that should have suitors lined up around the block. GRAYDON I bet. WALT Ah! There she is now. Samantha! I want you to meet— I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name. GRAYDON Corporal Graydon. WALT Ah! SAMANTHA What the hell are you doing here? GRAYDON I was just passing by. I saw your neighbour here. He needed some help with some gravel. WALT You two know each other? SAMANTHA Yeah. I’ve been trying to get a restraining order against him. WALT I think you should leave. GRAYDON Of course. Look, I didn’t mean any harm. SAMANTHA You heard him. Get the hell out of here. WALT Whoa, Samantha, put that down. GRAYDON You know, there is a support group you could see to help you with that. SAMANTHA I’m sorry, Walt. WALT No, no, I’m—I’m the one who’s sorry. I had no idea. SAMANTHA Listen, he’s been harassing me ever since I’ve been back, so… WALT Yeah, I’m sure. Do you carry that with you wherever you go? SAMANTHA Yeah, guilty as charged. WALT Hey, I get it. When I got back from Nam, I— I refused to leave the house without it. You know what they say: “In peace, you prepare for war.” But I took it to a grocery store one time. A little boy's balloon popped. It sent me right back there. I almost blew his poor mother's head off. SAMANTHA Well, I’m fine, so… WALT No, but you gotta be careful, Sam. What he said about the support groups, that’s right. They sure helped me. SAMANTHA I know. But I’m fine, honestly. WALT Ok, but if you need anything at all, anything, you call me, Ok? SAMANTHA will. GRAYDON After the direct enemy mortar hit on their position, the only guardsman capable of returning fire was Private Harrison. Her firing on our position resulted in the deaths of Corporal Beaver and Private Keller. I heard them screaming, “We're Americans,” and then a second round was fired at close range. Beaver was killed instantly with a head shot through the left eye. Keller was still alive, until the second shot in the chest. COOP Hey, this is Jim Cooper. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message. SAMANTHA Coop, it’s me. Coop, I don’t know who to believe anymore. The only person who is certain about this whole thing is Graydon, and he's sure it's me. Maybe I did kill those guys in Iraq and I just don't wanna remember. I don't wanna feel like this anymore. I'm sorry. MAN 1 All right! Let’s get your dirty work over. MAN 1 Maybe. You all set? MAN 2 Yeah. MAN 1 Let’s do the lobby. SAMANTHA Ah! COOP Samantha! SAMANTHA Help! Help! Walt! Walt! Help! SAMANTHA Walt! He’s in there. He tried to kill me! WALT Ok. SAMANTHA Call 911! You have to call 911! WALT Ok. SAMANTHA I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. I broke a mug. I came back out. I feel asleep. And that's when he gagged me. He was quick. His moves were fast. He'd obviously had training. Then he strong-armed me to the ground, he loosened the gag and he put the gun in my mouth. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS It’s Ok, Ms. Harrison. We have enough information. SAMANTHA It’s not Ok! He was trying to make it look like suicide. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS We’ll know more when the forensics report comes back. SAMANTHA What are you talking about? Why can’t you arrest him now? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Do you have anyone you could stay the night with? PAIGE Yeah, she can stay at my place. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Good. I’ll have a patrol car make regular rounds. SAMANTHA No offense, but he’s done three tours in Iraq. A couple boys from the Police Academy aren't gonna be able to protect me. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Officer Charles, could you please get Ms. Harrison to review the broken items in the kitchen? You two, can I see you? DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Jimmy Cooper shared a voicemail with us because he’s concerned that Samantha may be suicidal or having suicidal thoughts. PAIGE After what she’s been through, maybe. But she’d never do anything. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS She needs help. She’s not gonna want to ask for it. WALT Right. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Someone’s gonna have to look out for her, 24/7. PAIGE Of course. I won’t leave her alone. Yeah. DETECTIVE CLEMENTS Call me if you need anything. It doesn’t matter what time. PAIGE Thank you. WALT Thank you. PAIGE You should probably go get some rest. WALT Yeah. If you need anything, I’m just across the street. PAIGE Thanks. PAIGE You don’t have to rush. They’re gonna have a patrol car take us back to my place. SAMANTHA Yeah, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not staying at yours. PAIGE Why not? SAMANTHA Because it’s not safe. I’m not gonna put you in danger like that. PAIGE Ok, we can go check into a hotel, but I’m not leaving you. SAMANTHA I don’t have my gun. He must have taken it last night. Listen, I can't stay here. The longer I do, the worse it gets. I need to get out of here. PAIGE Ok. We’ll go somewhere you feel safe. Where do you wanna go? SAMANTHA I’m gonna go to Coop and see if he’s got a gun that I can borrow. PAIGE Sam, I’ve been reading a bit about PTSD, and apparently, it’s harder to treat combat victims because your experiences over there are both positive and negative. SAMANTHA You click on one website, and all of a sudden, you’re an expert? PAIGE No, I’m just trying to understand. SAMANTHA Well, don’t, because you can’t. PAIGE I can try. SAMANTHA No, you can’t! Something awful happened in my life, and now it’s falling apart. And you wanna stand there and psychoanalyze me. PAIGE I’m not! I’m— SAMANTHA Then what the hell are you doing? PAIGE I’m—I’m worried you’re gonna hurt yourself. SAMANTHA Oh my God! Oh my God, Paige! You think I did all this. You think I tried to kill myself. PAIGE Can you hear what you’re saying? You’re not yourself! SAMANTHA Get out of my way. PAIGE You need help. You need to be around people you can trust! SAMANTHA I had people I could trust. PAIGE You can’t leave. SAMANTHA Watch me. Move. PAIGE Ow! SAMANTHA I’m sorry. COOP Hey, Sam! SAMANTHA Coop! COOP Are you ok? SAMANTHA No, I’m not Ok. Graydon tried to kill me and nobody believes me. COOP I believe you. Somebody followed me home the other day, and then tried to run me over when I got out of my car to see who it was. SAMANTHA It was Graydon. I know it. COOP Listen, I’d have you come here, but it’s not safe here either. My father has a hunting cabin outside of the city. It's a long drive, but we'll be safe there. I'll text you the address. SAMANTHA Ok. Ok. COOP Ok. SAMANTHA Hi. COOP Hi. COOP It’s gonna be Ok. SAMANTHA Thanks. COOP This is it! My dad used to bring me here every summer as a kid. SAMANTHA Cool. It’s quiet. COOP yeah, you know, you get used to it. Just sit. Just try to relax. SAMANTHA I’m scared to relax. COOP It’s gonna be Ok, Sam. SAMANTHA Yeah. He’s not gonna stop, you know. COOP We’ll find a way to stop him. Look, my father has every important official in his back pocket. There's no way he's gonna get away with this. SAMANTHA Must be nice to have such a wellconnected dad. COOP Yeah, it can be, I guess. Every decision is very calculated. SAMANTHA What was he like about you joining the Guard? COOP It was his idea. He thought that I would look good with him in campaign photos. If I thought we were gonna get sent to Iraq, I would have thought twice. SAMANTHA Yeah, me too. I joined the Guard when my sister died in Katrina. I just thought I'd be working disaster relief, stuff like that. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. COOP I think you did. SAMANTHA Yeah? I’m not so sure. Sometimes, I think there’s a difference between the truth you wanna remember and what actually happened. COOP Look, all I know is all of this is gonna be behind us very soon. SAMANTHA I hope so. SAMANTHA Because my flashbacks, they happen day and night. And I don’t feel like they're ever gonna go away. And I just wanna move on. COOP Me too. SAMANTHA What was that? COOP It was probably nothing. SAMANTHA No, no. I definitely heard something. COOP Ok, well, I’ll go check it out. SAMANTHA Oh, here. COOP It’s Ok. You keep it. I’ll be right back. GRAYDON You really are a lousy soldier. Never prepared. GRAYDON I don’t think you wanna add your boyfriend to the body count. SAMANTHA Let him go. It’s me you want. GRAYDON Put the gun down now. SAMANTHA No. COOP Sam… Put it down. GRAYDON Don’t be a hero. Drop it and slide it over. GRAYDON Thanks to you, the cops think this is my fault. I shouldn’t be the one on trial here. It's your fault. My men were just standing there, just like you're standing there now, not even defending themselves against your position because they didn't think they had to. And then you just shot them, and not just once. Twice. COOP Shooting us won’t make any difference. SAMANTHA When does it stop? You already killed Billy and Rodriguez. How many more of us do you have to kill before you get even? GRAYDON Oh, I’m not the one with blood on my hands. Now get your hands up! Outside, now! GRAYDON All right, that’s far enough! You turn around. Now this is the end. You admit it, Samantha Harrison. You killed my men, and then you tried to cover it up. SAMANTHA I don’t remember. GRAYDON “I don’t remember. I don’t remember.” SAMANTHA I don’t. GRAYDON The hell you don’t remember! COOP Hey! She may not remember, but I do, OK? She shot your men. Yeah. SAMANTHA What? COOP She did it. And that’s exactly what I’ll say if you just let me go. GRAYDON You saw her shoot my men? COOP Yes, twice. GRAYDON So, you’re saying she’s a cold-blooded killer? SAMANTHA No! GRAYDON Answer me, Lieutenant! COOP It wasn’t me! It was her. GRAYDON You are pretty quick to sell out your own. COOP I’m telling the truth, man. It’s the truth. GRAYDON It seems like you are hiding something. SAMANTHA Get off of me! GRAYDON What are you hiding, huh? You didn’t turn out to be Daddy’s big hero, after all. You are such a coward. SAMANTHA What the hell did you do? COOP It was self-defence! I had no choice! You’re gonna back me up, right? COOP Right? SAMANTHA We gotta try and save him. COOP Forget him! He’s done for. Hey! We’re safe now. SAMANTHA Coop, I need your help! COOP Oh my God! Oh my God! SAMANTHA Deep breaths, Soldier! COOP Forget about them. They’re done for. I got movement back there. I’m out! I’m taking your gun. SAMANTHA You’re shooting the wrong way. SOLDIER Stop! We’re Americans! COOP Uh, wait here! COOP You Ok? Samantha, you Ok? SAMANTHA Listen to me. Listen to me. You gotta keep pressure on it, Ok? GRAYDON He’s gonna kill us both. SAMANTHA I know. SAMANTHA I gotta get something to stop the bleeding. COOP What are you doing? Get off the ground. What do you need a gun for now? The threat’s been neutralized. SAMANTHA Who are you? COOP What are you talking about? SAMANTHA I know it was you. You shot Graydon’s men and used my gun and tried to pin it on me. It was you the whole time. COOP Sam, you said yourself your memory is screwed up and damaged. You’re going crazy! SAMANTHA And that’s why you thought you’d get away with it. COOP You know they would have gone easy on you in the hearing. I wanted to go easy on you. My dad thought that you were the safest to blame. Graydon said it was you. Even you said it was you. Now that's what everyone's gonna believe, because Billy and Rodriguez aren't here to say anything different. Now neither will Graydon, and neither will you. COOP You know it was all fine until Graydon started digging, trying to prove it was you in case the trial was a whitewash. I'll just make it look like I shot you in self- defence. That'd be more heroic, wouldn't it? And my dad would love that. 'Cause that's who we are, isn't that right, Sam? National heroes! COOP Get back here! SAMANTHA Hey! Hey! SAMANTHA Hey, it’s gonna be Ok! SOLDIER I don’t wanna die. SAMANTHA No, you are not gonna die! GRAYDON I’m not gonna make it. SAMANTHA You are gonna be fine. Ok, Ok, move this. GRAYDON Get out of here. SAMANTHA No! GRAYDON Save yourself! SAMANTHA You listen to me: I am not the untrained, weekend warrior you think I am. Move! SAMANTHA You’re gonna make it. GRAYDON Oh, that’s cold. SAMANTHA You just hang on. COOP Ah! Oh, I knew you’d try to save him! You just can’t let anything go, can you, Sam? Well, at least this way, you'll die knowing you didn't do the killing. That's what you wanted, right? To know for sure. Just couldn't give it up. Where is she? GRAYDON Just do it. COOP Where is she? SAMANTHA Ah! SAMANTHA State Senator Cooper was trying to make sure all this went away before he ran for congress and that his son didn't get blamed. SAMANTHA Coop was just trying to stay a hero in his father’s eyes. But he lost his way when he got home, like a lot of us do. There's a problem when you feel safer in a war zone than you do in your own home. And it's that brotherhood and sisterhood that we have to recreate so we're not so isolated anymore. SAMANTHA I used to think that I was a good soldier because I never asked for anyone's help. But a soldier is only as good as the person standing next to them. And you're dead if you try to go it alone. This is the first time in a long time that I haven't felt alone. So, thank you. FEMALE VETERAN Thanks for sharing. SAMANTHA Thank you.