who you talkin' to, jake? he turns to her and whispers.
is he asleep? my brother's here.
should we tell him?
i'm pregnant.
he saved my life.
i'm serious. the summer i was nineteen, i was at jones beach, i swam out too far and got a cramp in my leg. there was no way i was gonna make it back. i was goin' down, i was swallowing water and everything. tom was a lifeguard. i don't know what he was doing out that far, he said he just had a feeling.
had to. he said i'm his slave until i saved him back.
i saw his arm the next day. it left a mark.
yeah, right.
hey frank, you're the one who's so curious, why don't you-
ah, that's different. whaddya got to hide?
philip, have you ever done this before?
have you ever done it before?
try not to screw him up permanently.
are you okay?
you said it didn't hurt at all. and he kept it moving.
tom, you didn't do anything embarrassing or anything.
i hope it's a girl, i can't help it. six brothers, i mean, give me a break. i'm sick of all these balls around the house. he doesn't laugh. she rolls over, strokes his chest with one hand. maggie what's the matter?
"please, baby, please baby, just this one time, i can't feel anything with one of those on."
you don't have to. we'll get by, we always do. tom stares at a dark brown water stain on the ceiling.
relax. her hand is moving. he twists.
it's a good job. you know how many guys would kill for your job?
relax. she's making it hard for him to concentrate.
let me help.
what do you mean, like.  you mean like a hallucination?
did you, uh, get her name?
you sure you weren't dreami.g?
what should we do? you want to call philip?
how about my cousin elizabeth?
well, if anything like this happens again, we should go talk to elizabeth.
promise me.
-- you'd consider dumping whatever bimbo you're going out with friday night and baby-sitting for us instead?
i'd call mom, but it's a long drive for her and she's not feeling very well again, so.  call me as soon as you can, and no, i'm not kidding.
well, that'll happen in about a million years.
good idea. she picks up the phone and dials a number. jake just keeps eating. behind him: maggie hi, vanessa, it's maggie. what's your baby-sitter's name again, dorothy? are you gonna use her friday night? really? would you mind if i asked her to sit for us, just this once? oh, great, thank you so much, you saved my life. what's her number? uh huh, uh huh. great, thanks again. okay. she hangs up and finishes her make-up in her reflection in the toaster. maggie when did you ever meet dorothy, jake?
oh, i bet you saw her when you were over playing with jessica the other day, right? she was there then? jake turns to the empty chair on his left. he looks at it for a moment, then turns back to maggie.
hi, dorothy, thanks for coming, remem ber me? i'm maggie, we met over at vanessa's once or twice. okay, jake's asleep already and he hardly ever wakes up, a band could play in his room and he wouldn 't hear it, so
great! let me just grab my coat we' re out of here. and
vanessa recommended her. she's used her before, she said she's real reliable. tom nods. are you.  she's looking at the advil. he smiles, faking it.
are you okay? he forces a smile. they head into a crowded tunnel that leads into the stadium.
what's wrong? as tom turns to her, his eye is drawn by something just over her head. a giant light stanchion towers over them. when tom s\ares directly into the dozen large globes, the buzzing souni overwhelms him, nearly deafening. his hands shoot up to his ears -- -- and he leaps to his feet.
what?! tom fights his way out of the row, climbing right over people. they shout their objections.
tom, wait!
what the hell is the-
what?!
oh, my god! she bounds up the steps, calling out for jake.
what the hell is the matter with you?! dorothy jumps to her feet and races through the door that leads to the back, where the buses leave from.
samantha?
where have i heard that name before?
but she could still be around! hiding or something. i mean, she could have actually been here when you saw her!
where was she? when you saw her, where was she exactly?
what was it like? at the game, i mean, how did you know about jake? did you see anything?
like when i was drowning?
does it hurt when it happens?
god, tommy, what's the matter with you?
if your brain is tearing in half?
i like it better in.
you'll go insane. kill yourself. kill me and jake first.
i want you to go see my cousin elizabeth. make sure there's nothing wrong. just tell her about the headaches, that's all she needs to know, you don't have to bring up the other stuff. suddenly, he smiles.
yeah, right here. she hands him a cassette. elizabeth puts it into a tape deck and pushes "play."
what abnormality?
how uncommon?
there's really nothing wrong with him? nothing at all?
jake, do you remember the other day when we were talking in the kitchen? jake doesn't look up, just keeps playing and humming. maggie i was loo3.ing for a baby-sitter, remember? and you said "samantha" told you about dorothy. do you remember that? he keeps playing, humming.
is samantha someone who talks to you sometimes, jake? no answer. she tries a different route. maggie can you remember any of the things that saman- jake looks up sharply.
tom? he can't answer. he's panicked, but unable to move. with every twitch of his chest clouds of steam burst from his mouth, all the air going out, none coming in. from the top of the stairs, maggie can see him, standing there, hand outstretched into the darkness, touching nothing. but from tom's point of view, he's touching fingertips with samantha. he's frozen, breathless, and now his cheeks start to turn pale, unnaturally white. another few seconds of this and he'll pass out. maggie tom!? she races down the stairs. maggie
sheila, if you're so miserable, why don't you leave? adam's almost out of school, he can handle it.
how long have you guys been there?
so.  you know most of the people around here pretty well, right?
is questioning sheila.
did you ever hear of a girl named samantha muller?
i think so.
i'm sure they're very nice people, but in case they aren't -- she hands a thin black cannister to him. maggie mace the shit out of `em. he smiles and shoves it in his pocket. she kisses him.
hey! you're home early! she struggles to take the keys out of the door while still holding the groceries. maggie can you pick up jake? i'm exhausted! she comes in and kicks the door shut behind her. tom's nowhere to be seen. from somewhere in back, there is a faint crunching sound. maggie hello? no answer. she heads into the kitchen with the groceries.
hey, look what i'm not cleaning up. she sets the groceries down on the counter and pulls out a gallon of milk. she opens the refrigerator. she does a double take. the entire top shelf is jammed with cardboard cartons of orange juice. from outside, the crunching sound comes again. she follows the muddy footprints out the kitchen door.
tom? tom raises the pick high and brings it down hard. crunch. the hole he's in at the moment isn't more than two or three feet deep. but, hey, it's early. maggie draws closer. in between swings -- maggie tom. tom whirls, the pick raised to defend himself. his shirt's off, his chest and face are streaked with mud and sweat. maggie jumps back.
s scared you? swing. crunch. maggie tom. swing. crunch. maggie what are you doing?
what do you mean? zom shrugs. swings the pick.
who says? he just looks at her from under his sweaty brows. you know who. maggie oh. tom manages to break apart the rock he was working on with the pick. he tosses the axe, which bounces crazily across the grass at maggie's feet. she jumps out of the way. he hoists himself out of the hole and picks up the garden hose. he sprays water into the hole. maggie why are you doing this?
no, i mean.  could you stop for a minute? would you please stop for a minute?
tom! i'm asking you to stop for one
what are you searching for?
i think we should call the police.
why don't you come in the house with me? take a break. i want to talk to you, you're not yourself right now.
stop!
my brother steve. my mother's going back in the hospital again.
what? he shakes his head. maggie what?
what is it? tom can't look at her. the phone rings again. tom gets up, opens the door that leads to the back yard, and goes outside.
sunday. we should leave as soon as we can.
do i want you to come with me:! to my mother's funeral?! of course l want you to come, why the hell woullv't you come?! but he's looking past her, at the holes in the yard.
it's me. tom oh, hi. how ya doin'?
i'm okay. tom how's your family?
you know. drunk. fighting with each other. tom listen, maggie, i'm sorry. i was an asshole. i should be there with you right now.
yeah, well, what can i say? you are kind of an asshole. how do you feel? tom fine. a lot better. much, much better. everything's fine here. real good.
have you had any- tom nope. not even one.
no, uh.  no more digging?
look, i'm sorry too. i' wish i hadn't just stormed out of there, i shouldn't have left you alone. tom i deserved it.
are you okay? you sound funny. what are you doing? tom just.  moving a chair. there.
why don't you come up here with us? this time of night you could make it in an hour. tom well, i can't, really.
why not? tom i'm, uh, not supposed to use the truck for personal trips.
alright. i'll come down there and get you. i'll leave right now. behind her, the bedroom door swings open. jake stands there. he looks terrible. she doesn't hear him come in. tom no, no, no, no, no, what do you want to do that for? don't come down here.
oh, my god, i gotta go. i'll be there in an hour. tom maggie, wait, no, mag- she hangs up the phone and races over to her son.
honey, what happened? why didn't you tell me you had to go to the potty? jake turns and looks at her.
jake, come on, we have to go.
what?
why not?
what does that mean, jake? he shrugs. philip, maggie's brother, stands in the doorway to the other room.
be good. she opens the door and heads out. as it's swinging shut:
mace.  shit. she starts up the stairs. she reaches the top. the last light that was on inside clicks off. now the house is totally black inside. remembering something, she pulls her purse around and feels inside it. she finds the butterfly knife, the one she found in tom's pants. she holds it in her left hand, keys in her right. she goes to the door. she unlocks the deadbolt. inside, she hears a scurrying sound. she unlocks the knob. she puts the keys back in her purse.
tom? no answer. she steps inside and fumbles for a light switch. she flicks it. nothing happens. maggie are you here? she crosses the room to another light and clicks its switch. as the light floods the room: harry, who was hiding behind the front door, bangs it shut. kurt damon is still kneeling on tom's back, holding one hand roughly over his mouth, trying to keep him quiet. maggie
hi, baby, did you sleep well? i sure didn't. the baby sees maggie's face, blurry, but friendly. tom leans in.
if you're very, very careful. climb up here.