ADULT_JACOB ALMEDA ETHAN ETHAN_ET_WESLEY FEMALE_ANNOUNCER_DEUX FEMALE_ANNOUNCER_UN JACOB KRISTINE KRISTINE_ET_MALE_REPORTER KRISTINE_ET_MICHAEL KRISTINE_ET_MICHAEL_ET_NATALIA KRISTINE_ET_MICHAEL_ET_SANDY KRISTINE_ET_NATALIA MACKENZIE MALE_ANNOUNCER_DEUX MALE_ANNOUNCER_UN MALE_CONFERENCE_ORGANIZER MALE_OFFICER_UN MALE_REPORTER MICHAEL MICHAEL_ET_NATALIA NATALIA POLICE_DISPATCH SANDY SHAWN VALIKA WESLEY KRISTINE It was 2019. I was at the top of my game. We'd finally put the hard times behind us. MALE ANNOUNCER UN When you hear the story of the mom they say, "worked a miracle." FEMALE ANNOUNCER UN Everybody's favorite Hoosier, Kristine Barnett. FEMALE ANNOUNCER DEUX Kristine Barnett, Indiana's own miracle worker. MALE ANNOUNCER UN With me today is best-selling author, Kristine Barnett. FEMALE ANNOUNCER DEUX And I can assure you, every parent out there today. FEMALE ANNOUNCER DEUX Kristine Barnett, it is such a thrill to have you here with us today. MALE ANNOUNCER DEUX To save yourself. MALE CONFERENCE ORGANIZER Please welcome Indiana's own super mom, Kristine Barnett. KRISTINE Woo! Gosh, it still is such a trip to find myself in front of crowds like you all. KRISTINE I'm just a regular mom who's trying to keep the wheels from careening off the bus. KRISTINE So you see, I may have written a book on parenting, but I don't have it all figured out. There's a new challenge every day. It's a lesson I learned when my oldest Jake there, was two. He suddenly stopped talking. He stopped playing. He stopped making eye contact. Autism. The experts told me he might never learn to read or tie his shoes again. He'd never wrap his arms around my neck and tell me he loves me, that I might never hear his voice again. KRISTINE I was devastated for about a minute until I realized those experts were wrong. I was the expert on my son, and I sure as heck wasn't gonna give up on him because I don't give up on the people that I love. Call it Mom's intuition. But I knew Jake had gifts and a few years ago, at just 15, he began a PhD in quantum gravity. So I wrote The Spark because over the years I've worked with hundreds of kids with autism. Like Jake, each has a spark. And if we just learn to listen to our kids, they will reveal to us who they really are. Standard autism therapy pushes kids to focus on normal tasks instead of their everyday... fixations, instead of their unique fixations. But I've found that the opposite works better. With my spark method, I immerse kids in things they're naturally drawn to, whether that's algebra or animals. POLICE DISPATCH KRISTINE Well, gosh, parenting 911, what's your emergency? MALE OFFICER UN You Kristine Barnett? Kristine Barnett, you're under arrest for child neglect, the abandonment of dependent and conspiracy to commit neglect. MALE OFFICER UN You have the right to remain silent. KRISTINE What? My boys are right there. ADULT JACOB Should we call Dad? KRISTINE No, this is his fault. MALE OFFICER UN You have a right to an attorney. KRISTINE Call Grammy. MALE OFFICER UN If you cannot afford one, one will provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I've read them to you? KRISTINE No. No. You don't understand. Do you know who I am? The families that I've helped. Do you know how many children I saved? You are arresting the wrong person. She's not who she says she is. Ow! That bitch tried to kill me. MACKENZIE Bye, Miss Kris. KRISTINE Bye-bye, I'll see you tomorrow. KRISTINE It was years ago, it was 2010. I didn't wanna admit it at the time that my husband and I were struggling. KRISTINE Bye! KRISTINE We'd been on the path to adopting a little girl named Blanca, but it fell through. And I'd been thinking lately how if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be sitting here today. VALIKA At her last school, I couldn't get her in the door, with you, I can't get her out. KRISTINE Now if you don't let go, how am I gonna go to the junk store and get us a radio to take apart? VALIKA Speaking of, how much do we owe you for all that extra one-on-one time? KRISTINE Oh, no. VALIKA Kristine, you charge barely half of what that other school cost and they did nothing. With you, Shawn's reading. SHAWN "Don't put crayons in your nose." VALIKA KRISTINE Yeah, it has been a bit of an epidemic. You're so sweet, Val. But I don't charge for those sessions because I don't want the families who can't afford extra to miss out. VALIKA It's official, you're a literal saint. KRISTINE VALIKA Okay, honey, come on. Okay, how about this? How about I make a donation for the rec center? Oh, come on, I just want to help. KRISTINE Will you stop? I don't need the help. VALIKA Oh God, o-of course, I'm so sorry. KRISTINE I-I-I just didn't wanna brag, but I got a grant from the Christian Community Fund, so that plus what I've saved, almost ready to open. VALIKA Kris, congratulations. Hold on, honey, I got it, I got it. On top of everything you two have been through. How are you and Mike holding up? KRISTINE Oh, we're hanging in. Having the new space to focus on has been our saving grace. KRISTINE Honestly, I think it's all God's will. He just wanted me to get my behind in gear. KRISTINE JACOB Mom? KRISTINE What's up, bud? JACOB I-I-It's too quiet in the living room. Would you sit with me? KRISTINE Sure, just, uh, let me freshen up a little bit before Daddy gets home, okay? Will do me a favor and take this down. I'll be down in a jiff, okay? MICHAEL KRISTINE Hi babe, how was inventory? MICHAEL Long. The boys didn't call and say goodnight. KRISTINE Oh, I'm sorry, I did try. There was some sort of Lego crisis. You could go peek in now. MICHAEL Yeah, well... they're asleep. And why are you still up, sir? KRISTINE Dreaded string theory. MICHAEL Mm. It's getting pretty late, pal. You know, even college kids need to chillax at some point. What do you say? Wanna call it a night and play a little Xbox with the old man? Think I got some Pop-Tarts in there. JACOB Dad, would you please stop talking? MICHAEL What are those? KRISTINE Oh, I just packed a few things up to take over to the rec center. MICHAEL You're getting rid of her stuff? KRISTINE I'm just trying to pay it forward. I-I didn't want it to go to waste. MICHAEL And you weren't gonna ask me. JACOB Could you guys talk about this somewhere else, please? KRISTINE You're right, bud. This is parent talk. JACOB Can I use the windows? MICHAEL He's-- He's 12, he should be in bed. JACOB If I stop now, I'll lose everything that I just figured out. KRISTINE He was on a roll. MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE Good luck, bud. Don't stay up too late. Turn out the lights when you're done. MICHAEL You're okay. MICHAEL You're okay. You're okay. It-- MICHAEL So where do you propose I sleep now. KRISTINE How about right where you are? MICHAEL Is that why you let him stay up? You know, force me to sleep in here tonight. KRISTINE Michael. MICHAEL You spoil that kid. KRISTINE Says the man who bribes his son with video games and Pop-Tarts. MICHAEL I wanted time with him. I just worked a 12 hour shift to provide for a family that I don't even get to see. And now on top of that, I have nowhere to sleep. KRISTINE For Pete's sake, Michael, if sleeping with your wife is so repellent, there's a whole other bedroom down the hall that no one is using. MICHAEL So are you really just over her? KRISTINE Is that honestly what you think? MICHAEL I think I'm gonna sleep on the floor. MICHAEL KRISTINE Michael, I'm trying to sleep. MICHAEL ALMEDA I told you this would happen if you married that man. KRISTINE You told me I'd catch him spilling seed on the floor of our room? ALMEDA Well, not verbatim. KRISTINE (through/into phone) It's just a phase, Mother. He's depressed and it's my job to help him find his joy again. ALMEDA Well, you know best, I suppose. If you ask me, that life was never right for you. Just come home. I'm making soft meat. KRISTINE Will you stop? Michael's my soulmate. ALMEDA Well, whatever cranks your tractor, I suppose. KRISTINE I don't even know what that means. ALMEDA It means what it means. KRISTINE I have to go, Mother. I'm here. ALMEDA Think about what I said. MICHAEL KRISTINE Hi babe, it's me. MICHAEL You're okay. KRISTINE Just calling to say I'm sorry about her stuff. I should have asked you first. MICHAEL You're okay. KRISTINE It's just that I think that-- Oh, maybe this is you. Hi, I was just leaving you a message. SANDY Oh hi, is this Mrs. Barnett? Uh, my name is Sandy Mosley down here at First Path Adoptions in Myrtle Beach. KRISTINE Gosh, I thought you were my husband. SANDY Oh no. Well, no like I said, this is, uh, Sandy Mosley and, uh, I'm sorry to call out of the blue, but I got your name from, uh, Secure Children Indiana. Uh, and well, I understand, uh, your family was fostering a little girl earlier this year. KRISTINE Yeah. Yes, is-is Blanca okay? SANDY Oh yes, I mean, I assume. But I'm actually calling because, uh, I see you were on the path to adopting her. KRISTINE Yes, uh, until her aunt showed up and the state insisted she'd be better with biological family. SANDY Great, because we have a little girl here who I think you will love. She is seven, uh, born in Ukraine. She has dwarfism and is as sweet as can be. Now the only hiccup is we're-- we're in a little bit of a pinch. Uh, you see, her current situation didn't work out. So if we can't find a family for her in 24 hours, she's gonna be sent to a group home. KRISTINE Ooh, gracious, poor thing. What happened with the other family? SANDY I'm afraid this happens more than you'd care to think. Not everyone's heart is big enough to hold a child with special needs. That's why we called you. KRISTINE Actually, the preferred term is disabled. All kids are special. SANDY Absolutely. Absolutely. That's why when your file came across my desk describing your daycare and your son, I just-- I cried. I think you are the light that this little girl needs. KRISTINE I'd have to talk to my husband. SANDY Of course, of c-- Absolutely, I-I know this is fast. KRISTINE And what's her name? SANDY Natalia. Natalia Grace. KRISTINE Natalia Grace. That is beautiful. Almost like a prayer. SANDY Amen. KRISTINE As soon as I got the call, I knew what we had to do. KRISTINE I mean, this isn't like getting a dog from the pound and realizing you can't take care of it. We're talking about a little girl here. MICHAEL It's awful, Kris. But that doesn't mean that w-- Jen, would you mind taking that out back or something? Please? I'm sorry for the girl, okay? I am. But Kristine, I'm-- we're barely holding it together as is. KRISTINE Because of what happened with Blanca. MICHAEL No. KRISTINE Yes. We were fine before that. MICHAEL Because I needed time to grieve. And you just forgot about her immediately. KRISTINE That's not fair. I was just raised not to wallow. MICHAEL Kris, she was supposed to be our daughter. KRISTINE Maybe she wasn't. Maybe this little girl is. MICHAEL And who says the same thing isn't gonna happen all over again, Kristine? How do we know? How do we know that? KRISTINE Well, because Michael, she needs us. She doesn't have anybody. And if we don't take her, they're gonna put her in a group home. Do you know what happens to disabled kids in a group home? MICHAEL Kris, come on, please. KRISTINE I know things have been rocky between us this last little bit. I know you've been sad. But this is the little girl that you've always wanted. A daughter to dance with at her wedding. Everything you've always said, talked about. MICHAEL I have to get back to work. KRISTINE Maybe we're not being called to save this little girl. Maybe she's being called to save us. MICHAEL Hi. KRISTINE Hey guys. MICHAEL Boo, Mom, boo! KRISTINE Hey guys. WESLEY What? KRISTINE I want us all to be prepared that it may take Natalia a little while to warm up to us. So we need to be patient with her. MICHAEL That's right. ETHAN Even if she hits us? KRISTINE She's not gonna hit you. She just may not hug you right away. ETHAN I don't want her to hug me, she's a girl. WESLEY Boys rule and girls drool. MICHAEL You might wanna try a different opening line there, Wes. JACOB It's not how the expression goes anyway. It's the reverse. ETHAN What? WESLEY No way, I don't drool. KRISTINE Anyhoo, the other thing I want us all to remember is that even though Natalia's small, she's the same age as Ethan. She's not a baby. ETHAN How small is she? Like a G.I. Joe? WESLEY No, dummy. Mommy said she's a little person. KRISTINE Yes, a little person is another way to refer to someone with dwarfism. The point is that Natalia is seven. ETHAN Yeah. MICHAEL Well, I hope you guys got all that because we are here. KRISTINE Well, this can't be the right place. MICHAEL Gps says it is. KRISTINE Hi, we're the Barnetts. SANDY Welcome to Myrtle Beach. Come on in, there you go. That's it, right this way. Now your princess is saying goodbye to her previous family. Um, so you all can just wait right here in our forever family room. KRISTINE Okay, will there be a chance for us to speak with the other family? SANDY Not in a closed adoption. Mm-mm. But you all have fun and we'll be in shortly, all right? MICHAEL Thank you. SANDY Okay. KRISTINE They're really not going to say hi? MICHAEL I mean, I don't know. Would you want to say hi to us? They're probably embarrassed. KRISTINE ETHAN When's she gonna be here? KRISTINE Soon, soon. Woo, okay. Should we check out the toys? They have The Game of Life. KRISTINE Oh. ETHAN Ugh. KRISTINE Okay, well how about a game on my phone? ETHAN Yes. WESLEY Thank you. KRISTINE Okay. NATALIA No! WESLEY What was that? JACOB Someone sounds mad. KRISTINE Ooh. It's probably nothing. MICHAEL You want me to go see what's going on? KRISTINE No, no, I think you should give that some space. MICHAEL Okay. SANDY Sorry that took a minute. KRISTINE Oh, what was that? Is everything okay? SANDY Oh, just a little hustle and bustle. Uh, but this is... KRISTINE Natalia. MICHAEL Hi. NATALIA Are you gonna be my Mommy and Daddy? MICHAEL Well, um... KRISTINE MICHAEL We sure would love that, if you'll have us. NATALIA I will, I will. KRISTINE ET MICHAEL ET NATALIA KRISTINE We got you this. We squeezed it the whole way here. We filled it up with all the hugs we've been missing for the last seven years. NATALIA Hi, Daddy. Hi, Mommy. KRISTINE Hi, sweetheart. MICHAEL Guys, come on, meet your sister. Get over here. ETHAN I'm Ethan. WESLEY I'm Wesley. JACOB Jacob. NATALIA Hi. SANDY And we just need your signatures here. KRISTINE Now, on the phone, they didn't mention Natalia's walker. It's fine, of course. But our house isn't accessible, so it'll need work. SANDY Well, there's no financial assistance. KRISTINE No, no, I just meant that we'll need time to do the work and I-I don't wanna get dinged for that on home visits. SANDY Oh! Oh no, don't worry about that. No, we have your home study from before and this is technically an independent adoption. So the state doesn't require post-placement visits. KRISTINE Oh, which state? South Carolina or Indiana? SANDY Uh, neither. MICHAEL Great, that'll just help smooth the transition, don't you think? SANDY We find that it does. MICHAEL KRISTINE Does she have any other health concerns? SANDY Oh, well, just a few surgeries to help with the hip and foot pain. But she got a clean bill of health at her last checkup. MICHAEL Well, she sure seems like a spitfire. SANDY Yeah. Look out for that one. KRISTINE ET MICHAEL ET SANDY SANDY Oh, and, uh, speaking of her surgeries, we usually just add the past medical expenses onto the other fees, if that works for you. KRISTINE I'm sorry, what? SANDY To reimburse the previous family for accrued medical expenses. MICHAEL We have to pay for her surgeries? KRISTINE None of that was in anything they sent. SANDY There are HIPAA restrictions on what we can email. MICHAEL Well-- KRISTINE Well, how much is it then? MICHAEL Yeah. SANDY Not a lot, uh, her family had great insurance. MICHAEL Okay. SANDY Uh, it was just shy of seven grand. MICHAEL I'm-- Seven th-- What? W-We-- We don't have $7,000 just lying around. KRISTINE Okay. Okay. Okay. MICHAEL We're-- We're not that kind of family, so... KRISTINE No, no, I-- So none of this was mentioned, so I think we should speak to a lawyer. MICHAEL Yeah. SANDY Absolutely. KRISTINE Okay. SANDY Mm, of course. Mm. We're-- We're gonna have to put her in a home until you sort things through. KRISTINE No, I just-- I think we just need a minute. Give us a minute. SANDY Mm-hmm. MICHAEL Okay. KRISTINE I will figure this out. MICHAEL How-- How? How possibly? We maxed out our credit card just to get down here, Kristine. KRISTINE I know, but what are we gonna do? We're just gonna let them dispose of her. NATALIA Daddy and Mommy. MICHAEL Hi. Hi. Hi, sweetheart. NATALIA Hercules ran outta hugs. KRISTINE Did he, already? NATALIA He? She did, Hercules is a girl. KRISTINE Of course, of course, my mistake. Well, let's fill Lady Hercules up. NATALIA MICHAEL Okay, okay, okay. KRISTINE ET NATALIA MICHAEL That ought to hold her. NATALIA Could I get a refill too? MICHAEL Sweetheart, yes, yes. KRISTINE Yes. Of course. NATALIA Oh, I-- excuse me. MICHAEL What was that? NATALIA I didn't have breakfast. MICHAEL What? KRISTINE They didn't give you breakfast? NATALIA No, it's-- it's okay. I'm-- I'm more of a lunch girl. KRISTINE It's not okay, Natalia. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. MICHAEL That's right. KRISTINE Tell Jacob to dig around in the blue backpack and look for a granola bar to tide you over. And we'll stop for lunch on the way back to the motel. NATALIA Okay. KRISTINE Okay? NATALIA Thanks, Mommy. MICHAEL What are we going to do? What are we going to do? KRISTINE Okay. MICHAEL We can't-- We can't just-- KRISTINE We'll use the rest of the rec center money. That ought to do it. MICHAEL What? What? Don't you need that to finish it up? KRISTINE No, it's okay. We'll cut corners at home until we pay it back. That money is there to help disabled kids, right? MICHAEL Are you sure? KRISTINE My grandpa always said when God has a job for you, he gives you everything you need to get it done. I'm gonna go get my checkbook. MICHAEL Okay. MICHAEL Syrup for you. NATALIA Thank you, Daddy. MICHAEL You know, I saw on the Food Network that in the Ukraine they eat pancakes with fish eggs. ETHAN ET WESLEY Ew. KRISTINE Would you like some help? NATALIA Thank you, Mommy. WESLEY Did you used to eat fish eggs, Natalia? NATALIA Nah. I like fish brains better. ETHAN Ugh! WESLEY Ugh. ETHAN Watch out, I'm gonna puke. WESLEY Not on me. JACOB You're making a joke, aren't you? NATALIA Of course, who puts fish on pancakes? But I do like to, um, do this. I just gonna-- So I put this on here. And then-- And then I roll it and then ta-da pancake burrito. MICHAEL We have a chef, you guys. NATALIA JACOB I can see fish eggs being good on it too. ETHAN ET WESLEY No, no, no. NATALIA How come you aren't eating, Mommy? You said breakfast was the most important meal of the day. KRISTINE It is. I'm just not that hungry right now. NATALIA You can have some of mine, Mommy. My tummy's telling me it's full. JACOB I'm full too. Can we go down to the water? ETHAN Please, Mom. Please. WESLEY Can we? Can we? ETHAN Please, Mom? KRISTINE That's a great idea. Go weigh yourselves out before the flight. MICHAEL Don't mind if I do. NATALIA MICHAEL Oh man, look how much fun he's having. KRISTINE Oh, I love seeing him like this. MICHAEL Yeah. NATALIA I wanna go too. Will you carry me? The sand is hard for my walker. KRISTINE Yes, ladybug. Just let Daddy and I pick up these scraps and we'll take you down. NATALIA I thought you're not hungry. KRISTINE Waste not, want not. NATALIA But how come the boys didn't have to wait, it's not fair. MICHAEL You know what? It's okay, I'll take her. KRISTINE No, you should eat. Natalia, in a family we have to be patient. NATALIA But it's not fair. KRISTINE Fair isn't always equal. NATALIA I wanna go down to the beach too, it's not fair. It's not fair. KRISTINE Maybe someone's still hungry. NATALIA I wanna go to the beach now. MICHAEL Maybe j-just-- we just let her go-- KRISTINE Well, have some more-- NATALIA No, now, now, now, now! I wanna go to the beach now. KRISTINE Natalia. NATALIA I wanna go to the beach now! KRISTINE Have some more pan-- NATALIA KRISTINE Have some more pancake-- NATALIA No, I don't want pancakes. KRISTINE Natalia, that's enough. MICHAEL Look, I get the tantrum, but the whole running thing, I mean, what was that? Do you think she's faking not being able to walk? NATALIA KRISTINE No, I don't think she's faking. Michael, she's a kid. She didn't just go out and buy a walker. A doctor prescribed it. I mean, look, there are real skeletal concerns with dwarfism that would cause pain. It's not that you can't walk, it's just that it hurts to walk. NATALIA Could you get Hercules please? KRISTINE And this morning she wanted to go down to the beach so bad that the pain didn't matter. MICHAEL Mm. KRISTINE I think we just have another very stubborn kid on our hands. MICHAEL NATALIA KRISTINE MICHAEL Here we go. NATALIA MICHAEL No peeking, okay? NATALIA I'm not. MICHAEL Are you ready, Natalia? NATALIA I am. KRISTINE Okay. NATALIA Oh. MICHAEL Don't you like it? NATALIA It's a little baby-ish. MICHAEL Oh. KRISTINE That's not kind. Natalia, Daddy worked so hard putting this together for you. NATALIA Oh, I thought you did it. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Daddy. I just thought I should be honest. The whole princess thing isn't really my jam. MICHAEL Okay, well what is your jam? NATALIA Black or rocker. Rock and roll. MICHAEL Well, I can dig that. NATALIA MICHAEL You know I played in a band for a while. NATALIA Whoa, I have a cool Dad. MICHAEL I know. NATALIA KRISTINE Well... MICHAEL Okay, hold on a second. We did a pretty jacked up cover of "I Would Do Anything for Love". MICHAEL Look at you, you are a rocker. NATALIA MICHAEL And you know what? It is okay if you don't like the room, we'll just redecorate it. It'll be our little Daddy-Daughter project. Cool? What do you think? Huh? Aw. KRISTINE No, no, thank you. And the more we get the word out, the more kids we can help, right? Okay, we'll see you there. KRISTINE Great. You guys, The Star is gonna do a piece on the rec center opening next week. MICHAEL Yes! Natalia, Mommy is about to open a community center and school for kids with autism. We're very proud of her. ETHAN Now can we talk about why Natalia got to watch TV and we didn't. KRISTINE Oh really? MICHAEL Well, it was just this once. It's her first night home, guys. NATALIA Yeah, and fair isn't always equal. KRISTINE Eat up, sweet pea. MICHAEL Do you want something else, honey? ETHAN Can I have something else too? KRISTINE No, you get what you get and you don't get upset. MICHAEL Exactly. Of course. Taste a lot better with a big squirt of ketchup. MICHAEL ET NATALIA JACOB I loved every bite. KRISTINE Okay, Mr. Clean Plate. You may be excused. Go do your homework. JACOB Would you sit with me, Mom? KRISTINE Absolutely. I'll give your sister a bath and I'll be right there. NATALIA I want Daddy to gimme a bath. KRISTINE Maybe Daddy can do bath tomorrow night. Tonight he's on dish duty. KRISTINE Do you like toys in the bath or are you more of an in and out kid? NATALIA I don't know. KRISTINE I'll take that as in and out. Do you wanna start getting your clothes off? NATALIA I hate baths. It's gross just sitting in dirt soup. KRISTINE I get that. But you didn't take a bath at the motel. You need to get those airplane germs off. NATALIA You can't tell me what to do. You're not my real Mom. KRISTINE How about a bird bath? You can just stand in the tub and I can wash your-- NATALIA I said no! KRISTINE KRISTINE It's polite to ask how someone is when they're hurt. NATALIA Mommy, I'm so sorry. Mommy, I'm so sorry. Mommy, I'm sorry. KRISTINE NATALIA I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm sorry! KRISTINE It's okay. NATALIA Please don't mad, Mommy. KRISTINE It's fine. NATALIA I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mommy. Please don't be mad. KRISTINE We'll skip the bath tonight. NATALIA I'm sorry. KRISTINE It's okay. I'm gonna go get some ice. MICHAEL Well, I had to read her about a dozen books, but she is finally asleep. How's your side? KRISTINE It'll be sore tomorrow, but I'll be okay. MICHAEL Mm. Okay, I'm sorry you had a rough first night, but I just know you guys are gonna be great. You know, I see many a Mother-Daughter pedicure in your future. KRISTINE I'm not worried, Michael. It's the first night, for heaven sake. MICHAEL Well good, that's great. Look, 'cause I know, believe me, how hard it is when a child is favoring the other parent. And for what it's worth, you know, I-I find Natalia to be kinda like a little cat, you know? You just gotta-- gotta wait for her to just come to you. KRISTINE Oh, is what you've been doing? MICHAEL Never mind, I just-- Ignore it if it's not helpful. Anyway. S-Scoot over. KRISTINE MICHAEL Hey Mama. KRISTINE ET MICHAEL KRISTINE You know, I really was in the mood, but it just-- it hurts so bad. MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE Morning. Good morning. JACOB Mom! Mom, come here. Mom! Mom. KRISTINE What is it, baby? JACOB Wes or Ethan wouldn't do this. KRISTINE Natalia Grace. Come in here. Did you do this? NATALIA Don't you like it? KRISTINE We don't draw in the windows, Natalia. We draw on paper. NATALIA But Jake did, I thought I could. KRISTINE Well you can't. Jake does that when his equations get too big for his notebook. So he does it on the windows. It's for school. NATALIA Uh, I didn't know. Are you mad at me? MICHAEL What? Oh no. No one's mad at you, honey. It was just a mistake. JACOB It wasn't a mistake. She did it because I caught her sneaking Cheetos last night and threatened to tell. NATALIA No, no, why would I sneak Cheetos when I had Pop-Tarts with daddy? KRISTINE Is that true? Did you give her Pop-Tarts after she didn't eat her dinner? MICHAEL NATALIA No, no, no, don't be mad at Daddy. Playing Xbox just made me hungry. KRISTINE Was that before or after the 10 books? MICHAEL Okay, we played for maybe 20 minutes. It's not a big deal. KRISTINE If it wasn't a big deal then why didn't you mention it? We're supposed to be on the same team. MICHAEL Don't do that. We are on the same team. Which is why I was trying to help. I was just trying to put her to bed. KRISTINE Doesn't sound like you were trying to get her to bed. MICHAEL You weren't there, so you don't really know. JACOB Will you guys please just stop. MICHAEL I don't know why-- KRISTINE You're right honey, sorry. Let's focus on how do we fix it? Do you wanna talk it out again? JACOB Dr. Joglekar has office hours today. I wanna talk to him. KRISTINE Okay, well I can take you because I have to, uh, go by the rec center anyway. JACOB Dad can take me on his way to work. It's more efficient. KRISTINE Okay. MICHAEL Let's get some breakfast. NATALIA Mm. KRISTINE Natalia, can you stop that please? NATALIA I like the sound. KRISTINE Well it's really making Mommy's head hurt. This is Kristine Barnett. MICHAEL You guys, this is too much. Oh boy, hold on. Here we go. MICHAEL Hang on. One sec. Babe, are you in on this too? KRISTINE In on what? MICHAEL The team just surprised me with a new Daddy party. They got me drinking soda out of a baby bottle. KRISTINE Walmart won't install the hoops because the payment didn't go through. I ordered it ages ago and I thought the check had cleared before we paid for that other thing. MICHAEL It's almost the end of the month. Why don't we wait until I get my paycheck and just put a down payment? KRISTINE No, I need it for the opening next week. I have a reporter coming and part of my grant is showing that I have a range of physical activities. And how the heck am I supposed to explain that I don't. KRISTINE Michael, are you listening to me? I need help. Boys, be careful. MICHAEL I think we just have to wait till we have the money. I'm sorry. KRISTINE Fine, I'll figure it out myself. KRISTINE So I have to fess up. KRISTINE I was excited for you to meet Natalia, but the real reason I popped by is, you know, I've been working like crazy to get the rec center open. But I realized today that we are just a wee bit short on funds and-- VALIKA Oh my God, hell yes. I would be thrilled to help. How much do you need? KRISTINE Oh gosh. Val, I-- VALIKA Would a thousand to start help? KRISTINE It would, Val. It would be-- VALIKA KRISTINE And I will pay you back. VALIKA It is not a loan. You're not. It's a donation. You pay me back by letting me be a part of something. So I'm dying to hear about Natalia. I didn't know you were still trying. KRISTINE It's a tragedy, really. I mean, we're her second adopted family. First one gave her back. VALIKA My God, why? KRISTINE No idea why, she's the sweetest thing. She just ran right up and gave us a big hug and called us Mommy and Daddy. Almost like it was fate. VALIKA How is she getting along with Mike? KRISTINE Honestly, it's been a godsend because you know, he was having such a hard time since things with Blanca fell through. So I've just been trying to stay back and give them space to bond. VALIKA You really are a miracle worker, you know that, right? KRISTINE VALIKA And we had such a tough time at the beginning. KRISTINE Really? How so? VALIKA Jaden was just so hot and cold. One minute he was sweet as pie. And then the next he was throwing screaming tantrums and crying until he threw up. He would say that I wasn't his real mom or he didn't want me. KRISTINE Oof. That must have hurt a lot. VALIKA I just didn't know what to do. I mean, who wants to go to the social worker and admit, you know, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe my new kid just doesn't like me." KRISTINE So when did things turn around for you guys? VALIKA Um, I guess after a few months. No. I mean, it was gradual, of course. I remember there was this one night he had strep, he was so sick. You know, just this little mush. He crawled into bed with us like we were a safe place. I guess that's-- that's when I knew that everything would be okay. KRISTINE Hey. How did you go with Dr. Joglekar? MICHAEL I don't know. He was like that the whole way home. KRISTINE Can I come in? Love to hear about your day. KRISTINE Come on, little man. Don't close up now. You've gotten so good at talking about your feelings. JACOB I'm not not talking to you because of autism. I'm not talking to you because I'm mad at you. You said you'd sit with me last night, but you stayed with Natalia. You lied. KRISTINE I didn't lie. I was hurt and I was tired. JACOB You're never tired. KRISTINE I'm always tired. And last night I was feeling a little sad. JACOB How come? KRISTINE I guess I'm-- I guess I'm worried Natalia doesn't like me very much. JACOB But you said it would take a while for her to warm up to us. It took a while for me to warm up too, right? KRISTINE Yeah, it did. And that was definitely worth the wait. You know, you're one of my favorite people to talk to, right? JACOB I know. KRISTINE I've always considered myself blessed. KRISTINE How many folks spend their whole lives searching for their purpose? But me, I've known I was put on this earth to help children ever since I was a child myself. More than anything, I've wanted to build a world where all kids can feel safe just being who they are. KRISTINE And that's what the safe center will be. Safe center. Safe center. Safe space. Our space. Our house. Our-- NATALIA Finally. KRISTINE Oh sweetie, you need to hop to it and get ready. People are gonna be here sooner than I care to think NATALIA That dress is funny looking. KRISTINE Well, that was mine when I was little. NATALIA So you should understand. KRISTINE Natalia, today is very important for me. I would like it if everyone tried to look nice. NATALIA You don't think I look nice? KRISTINE That's not what I meant. If that's what your comfy in, fine. NATALIA Why are you being so mean? I came in 'cause I wanted to help. KRISTINE I would love your help. You can fold the napkins. NATALIA I wanna cut veggies. KRISTINE No, Natalia, put that knife down. I don't want you to hurt yourself. NATALIA I won't. KRISTINE Drop the knife, please. That's a knife for grownups. Now put that down. NATALIA No, you can't tell me what to do, you're not my real Mom. Leave me alone. KRISTINE Natalia, put the knife down. NATALIA No, I wanna cut veggies. No! KRISTINE Drop that knife right now. NATALIA No! You're not my real Mommy, you can't tell me what to do. KRISTINE Natalia, drop it. NATALIA KRISTINE Natalia drop it now. MICHAEL Hey, what's going on? NATALIA MICHAEL Natalia, what is it? Sweetie, what is it? NATALIA Mommy is mad at me. MICHAEL W-What is happening? I-- She-- She wanted to help and she wanted to cut vegetables and I wouldn't let her. And I grabbed her arm. MICHAEL Wait, you grabbed her arm. KRISTINE Michael, I felt like she wanted to hurt me. MICHAEL What? Wait-- KRISTINE I was scared. I'm telling you I was scared. MICHAEL Kristine, she's-- she's just a little girl. What do you-- VALIKA Hello. Are we the first ones here? KRISTINE No, no, no. VALIKA The place looks amazing! KRISTINE Michael, I'm not ready. I'm-- I'm not ready for this right now. Nothing is ready. Nothing is ready. I don't have a name for this place. Nothing back here is ready. MICHAEL Okay, calm down, you got this. KRISTINE Okay. MICHAEL It's fine. KRISTINE Okay. MICHAEL You got this. KRISTINE Michael, I can do this. MICHAEL Yes, you can do this. KRISTINE Okay. MICHAEL There you are. KRISTINE I'm fine. MICHAEL There you are. KRISTINE I'm gonna do this and you are gonna go out there and make sure everything is okay. Make sure Natalia is okay, okay? I need everything to go smoothly today, okay? MICHAEL Okay, I will-- I will see what I can do. KRISTINE Okay, I need you. MICHAEL Okay. You're-- You're-- You're good. You're good. KRISTINE Okay. Okay. MICHAEL There's somebody here to see you. MICHAEL ET NATALIA MICHAEL Oh, don't get old, Natalia. NATALIA So, you giving me back too? MICHAEL What? No. Oh, honey, no. Of course not. NATALIA But she hates me. MICHAEL She-- Who, Kristine? She does not hate you. No. If anything, I think she's worried that you might hate her. NATALIA She thinks I hate her? MICHAEL Well, not 'cause of anything you've done, it's just Kristine wants to be close to you. And if there's anything that Kristine does hate, it's not being able to help the people she cares about. NATALIA I don't hate her. MICHAEL I know that, honey, I know. Look, my Dad-- Your Grandpa, I guess. Funny. He was a-- He was a pretty mean guy, especially to his kids. And when I met Kris, I didn't think I deserved to be loved because I wasn't really used to that. And so, sometimes I would behave in ways that, um, made it harder for her to love me so I wouldn't get hurt in case she changed her mind and-and realize I was no good. Does that make sense? NATALIA Not really. MICHAEL Okay, I'm sorry. Look, I-I... I just want you to know that in this family we love unconditionally. And that means we love you for who you are no matter what. NATALIA Even Kristine? MICHAEL Oh, sweetheart. Especially Kristine. MALE REPORTER So what are you studying exactly, Jake? JACOB Mostly quantum physics. MALE REPORTER And what does that entail? JACOB Well, I've been focusing a lot on PT symmetric lattice systems. KRISTINE Don't worry, I have no idea what that means either. KRISTINE ET MALE REPORTER MALE REPORTER Oh good, I'm not alone. Well, I-I gotta say, if what you've done with Jacob is any indication of the scope that this place can have, I think you're gonna have a major impact. KRISTINE For so long, it's been a dream of mine to build a place where kids on the autism spectrum can come and play and make art and watch movies, most of all, a place where no one tries to change them. KRISTINE A place where our kids feel free to just be who they are. I've decided to name our center Jacob's Place because it's been in raising Jacob, that I've realized how important it is for all kids to have a safe haven, NATALIA Mommy. Mommy. KRISTINE To learn, to play, to be themselves. And even though it's called Jacob's Place, I hope that everybody feels like this is their place. NATALIA Mommy! KRISTINE We are a community. NATALIA Hi, Mommy. MICHAEL What can I do for you? NATALIA No Daddy, I want Mommy. KRISTINE I hope everybody feels welcomed and so we are open to anyone-- NATALIA No Daddy, stop it. Daddy. Mommy. KRISTINE Yes. NATALIA The zipper is so tricky. KRISTINE Okay, okay. For those of you who haven't met our new daughter, this is Natalia Grace. NATALIA I took off my dress to go eat because I didn't want it to get messy, but now I can't put it back on. KRISTINE Okay sweetheart. NATALIA No, Mommy, Mommy, I'm sorry about before. KRISTINE I'm sorry too, baby. It's okay. NATALIA You don't hate me? KRISTINE No, of course not. I could never hate you. KRISTINE Did you know we got two teams worth of kids signed up for basketball today? MICHAEL Honey, I am so proud of you. KRISTINE But you, you were the real hero today. Whatever you said to Natalia. You just-- You really saved the day. MICHAEL You wanna know what I said to her? KRISTINE Yeah. MICHAEL That you were the one who taught me how to love. KRISTINE Yeah? MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE MICHAEL And that I couldn't have helped her if you hadn't helped me first. KRISTINE Yeah? MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE KRISTINE ET MICHAEL MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE Oh yeah. MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE ET MICHAEL MICHAEL Yeah. KRISTINE ET MICHAEL NATALIA Mommy. Mommy. Mommy, are you awake? KRISTINE Oh. Hi sweet pea. Did you have a bad dream? Do you wanna get in and cuddle? NATALIA No. Not time yet. NATALIA KRISTINE