NCIS (TV Series)
Handle with Care (2018)
Maria Bello: Jack Sloane
Quotes
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John Ross : You know, I had a, uh, great-great-grandfather, I-I don't know how many "greats", but he was named after George Washington at the request of George Washington himself.
Jack Sloane : That is impressive.
John Ross : My family's been fighting for this country since it was founded. Where'd you serve?
Jack Sloane : Who said I served?
John Ross : You called your coffee "battery acid", so...
Jack Sloane : Ah. Dead giveaway, huh? Afghanistan.
John Ross : Oh. That's a... that's a tough part of the world for a woman.
Jack Sloane : Tough part for anybody.
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Jack Sloane : I see a lot of anger hiding behind that happy face of yours. Bottling up what happened to you is dangerous. You get that?
John Ross : And how would you know?
Jack Sloane : 'Cause it happened to me, too, okay? Nine months. They wanted Army intel. I never said a word. Screamed a bit.
John Ross : I'm... I'm so sorry.
Jack Sloane : I don't know if you had this, but it was like... they kept moving me around. So I-I didn't know how long I'd been there or where I was.
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John Ross : My problem isn't what happened to me over there. I've... come to terms with that. It's the life they took away from me over here.
Jack Sloane : What... what do you mean by that?
John Ross : I had a girlfriend when I got sent to Iran. She was more than a girlfriend. She was... she was really special.
Jack Sloane : What was her name?
John Ross : Clara. A few weeks into the mission, before we left base, I got a letter from her saying she was pregnant with our child. And, uh... I was thrilled. My life was all lined up. And I was gonna ask her to marry me the second I set foot back on American soil. But then... everything changed.
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John Ross : You know, they held me for five years. And after two rescue attempts went south and my captors cut off all communications... uh, everybody thought I was dead.
Jack Sloane : So she moved on.
John Ross : When I got back, she had a new husband, and my daughter had a father that she believed to be her own. I made her mother promise to never tell her. I mean, I-I just... I was in no shape to be a dad. They... they had to move on. I was a... I was a broken man for quite a while. You know, in a lot of ways, I still am. I th... thought I was better at hiding it.
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Leon Vance : What do you mean Ross seemed off?
Jack Sloane : Oh. It was sad. He seemed really scared.
Leon Vance : You think he sent that package?
Jack Sloane : Not sure.
Leon Vance : Sounds like there's a "but" in there.
Jack Sloane : Well, I did some digging. Ross has a checkered past.
Leon Vance : How so?
Jack Sloane : He had some violent outbursts after his rescue in Iran; a bar fight in '85, road rage in '87. Fired from several jobs.
Leon Vance : Sounds familiar.
Jack Sloane : Well, when he came back, they didn't have the same sort of psychiatric support system they do now. They barely knew what PTSD was back then.
Leon Vance : So you think he may be unstable?
Jack Sloane : Uh, I-I don't know. Uh, I-I'd like to meet with him somewhere where he feels safe. Could get a better read.
Leon Vance : All right, but do it quickly. There's a hold on all care packages to the military 'till this gets sorted out.
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John Ross : How do you take your coffee?
Jack Sloane : Oh, I like my battery acid black. I'll handle my own sugar, though.
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John Ross : So, uh... why'd you ask about Whit Dexter? He killed that sailor, didn't he?
Jack Sloane : I never said that.
John Ross : Well, you wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't a possibility.
Jack Sloane : You think he'd do it?
John Ross : He definitely hates our military. Came after me personally, too.
Jack Sloane : Listen, there is nothing that man could say to you that would be worse than living in a cage for five years.
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Donald Mallard : How may I be of assistance?
Jack Sloane : I was hoping that you could help me with a bit of profiling.
Donald Mallard : Well, I'm always up to a challenge.
Jack Sloane : Okay. The subject is retired armed forces with past trauma they refuse to talk about, and their whole life is stil wrapped up in the military.
Donald Mallard : Unable to move on?
Jack Sloane : Unwilling, at least.
Donald Mallard : History of aggression?
Jack Sloane : Sporadic.
Donald Mallard : Intelligence?
Jack Sloane : High.
Donald Mallard : Has the subject ever sought counseling before?
Jack Sloane : No.
Donald Mallard : What about the family?
Jack Sloane : None.
Donald Mallard : Huh. And... well, your concern is what?
Jack Sloane : What happens if the subject continues to internalize what happened?
Donald Mallard : Almost certainly, they'd be on the road to disaster.
Jack Sloane : Yeah. That's what I thought.
Donald Mallard : Well, you... you just have to use all your tricks to get him to open up.
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John Ross : I know I shouldn't have gone after that idiot.
Jack Sloane : Hey, I don't... I don't blame you. I just want to talk about why. Why you did it.
John Ross : 'Cause some nutbag's out there telling everybody that I killed a sailor.
Jack Sloane : John, you have a history of aggression.
John Ross : I am not interested in talking about my feelings.
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Jack Sloane : Where's Clara now?
John Ross : She and her husband both passed on. She had a heart attack.
Jack Sloane : I'm sorry. And your daughter?
John Ross : Oh, she still doesn't know anything about me.
Jack Sloane : Well, maybe she should.
John Ross : No. Just too much time has passed.
Jack Sloane : You have this mountain of family history to share. Don't you think she'd want that?
John Ross : Family is who's there when you need 'em the most. And I was never there for her. She's got her own family history now. She'd reject me if I brought all this stuff to her and dumped in her lap. She'd probably hate me, even, so... it's too late.
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Jack Sloane : I told him what happened to me.
Leon Vance : I know that's a very difficult thing for you to talk about.
Jack Sloane : He has a daughter that doesn't even know he exists.
Leon Vance : Does he know where she is?
Jack Sloane : He wouldn't say. He's fighting the demons that came after his escape, not the experience itself, so...
Leon Vance : What about that scares you?
Jack Sloane : Seeing what burying his feelings has done to John. He's, uh... he's angry. He's lonely.
Leon Vance : You're not like John Ross.
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Leon Vance : Takes a long time to get past what happened to you.
Jack Sloane : This is not about getting hooked up to a car battery! These are not emotions I can just get over. This is not a problem that can be solved!
[her voice breaking, she starts to cry]
Jack Sloane : I should have saved them.
Leon Vance : You didn't kil them.
Jack Sloane : But I let them die, right?
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Leroy Jethro Gibbs : You all right, Jack?
Jack Sloane : Yeah. I'm, uh... perfect. So, um, John is still living a life where he can't even talk to his own daughter. He says he doesn't even know where to find her.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs : You don't believe him.
Jack Sloane : I think he knows exactly where she is.
Timothy McGee : [overhearing] How old do you think she'd be?
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John Ross : I am so nervous. This could change her whole life. What if I screw everything up?
Jack Sloane : Hey, I think she'll be glad to know the truth.
John Ross : I just want her to know how much I loved her mother. And I'm ready to tell her it's okay if she doesn't want anything to do with me.
Jack Sloane : Stop it! You're a good man. She'll see that. It's gonna be a big step for both of you.
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John Ross : You know, Jack, you're the first person I could ever talk to about what happened to me.
Jack Sloane : I don't, uh... I don't talk about my experience much, either, John.
John Ross : It was hard, but... it definitely helped knowing that you understand.
Jack Sloane : Good. I'm glad to hear it.
John Ross : Maybe I was able to help you, too.