RICHARD AND JULIA'S CONFRONTATION IN THE HOSPITAL

Miss Waiching 3

Chapters 1

Word count: 1,061

Summary: A foam covered Julia and injured Richard have a lengthy talk over their relationship. Richard then denounces his sham marriage to Julia by telling her it is over between them

Additional author's notes: this based on the hospital scene in Caroline and the bullfighter. Was wondering to myself how the conversation between Julia and Richard had turned out. Thoughts in italics

(scene: Richard is lying in bed, still dazed after being trampled by the bulls; Julia has entered the room)

Julia: Oh Ree-chard, how are you feeling my darling?

Richard: not so well, Julia? (sounding slurred and looking disbelieved)…. What in God's name happened to you?

Julia: I was covered in foam! Damn, my clothes they're ruined! That cruel woman Annie sprayed me with a fire extinguisher!

Richard: Oh. She did huh? Good for you Annie!

Julia: What Ree-chard? Oh? Is that all you can say? Look at me, I look a mess! Can't you see I am covered in all this foam?

Richard: So that's the white stuff, I thought it was whipped cream!

Julia: Ree-chard! This is no joke, this is serious!

Richard: Um, sure it is, right now I miss Caroline so much. If only I could see her, touch her…better still, kiss her. What happened? Where are Caroline and Annie?

Julia: I couldn't care less, now are up to anything on Friday?

Richard: Hold on Julia, so you didn't see Caroline?

Julia: Ree-chard, this is about us, me- not Caroline

Richard: No! You didn't answer my question. Did you see her? What did you say to her? Where did she just go?

Julia: That's enough Ree-chard!! I am sick of you mentioning Caroline's name! Can't you for once listen to what I have to say and be reasonable?

Richard: Julia, I am being reasonable here but you are really pushing it. Now tell me what had just happened

Julia: Alright Ree-chard. You win. Yes I saw Caroline and yes she was here in the hospital. But she was being nosey and so eager to stick her nose where it didn't belong, so I told her to stay away from us for good. And I told her that by the time you leave this place that you don't want to see her ever again. Happy now ?!

Richard: Far from it, I cannot believe you would say that to Caroline. She was just being concerned about my welfare

Julia: Concerned? Ha! Of course, so there was more going on between the both of you, I should've known

Richard: First of all Julia, at least she cared enough to travel halfway round the world to see me and secondly, you had absolutely no right whatsoever to speak to Caroline like that. What did you have to be so rude to her?

Julia: Rude? I wasn't being rude. I was only telling her to stay well away from us. She was a constant menace in our lives; why can't she just leave us in peace?

Richard: There is no US anymore. This is just not working out anymore. Julia, I've had it with you

Julia: What are you talking about?

Richard: Julia, I don't want to stay married to you anymore. As it's not you I love but Caroline

Julia: Then why did you marry me Ree-chard? Tell me that

Richard: I only did it believing that you'd changed and that Caroline would never feel the same way about me as I did towards her then. But the truth is she does: she loves me, and I love her and you, I realised that you are still the same old Julia as you were then all those years ago and that I made a grave mistake in falling for you

Julia: (sounding immature) you are hurting me

Richard: Me, hurting YOU? No Julia, you are wrong. The only person I hurt was Caroline. I'd taken advantage of her and used her to the extent to which I'd completely disregarded her feelings. She was always there for me, through to supporting me as an artist and for giving me my job. Of course I have proved at times to be difficult to work with and we always had our differences with each other. But Caroline was so supportive, so caring, so loving which I never felt with anyone- not from my mother, my other ex's and most certainly not from you. You were never there for me; in fact you'd never really cared for me at all. All you ever loved was your expensive jewellery, fancy dresses, parties, and money. Likewise, your father's trust fund

Julia: Look, I know we've had our problems but please hear me out. We will work through this. I love you and have always loved you

Richard: Well Julia, I had fallen in love with this concept of you but I never was IN love with you. Marrying you was a huge mistake. I wasn't even aware that Caroline had feelings for me. I was lonely and needed someone to love me and so I got married to you. But when I had to hear it from Annie and Caroline herself, I knew I'd blown it with Caroline.

Julia: So let me get this straight- you married me only because you feared that Caroline wouldn't feel the same way about you as you did towards her?

Richard: Um, yeah!

Julia: Ha! What a silly excuse! I've never heard anything as ridiculous as that in my life. I think you are lying

Richard: Well surprise Julia I am not and I must add also that you were a bitch for erasing Caroline's message! Yeah you heard me say it; you're a bitch for what you did!

Julia: But Ree-chard…

Richard: But nothing Julia!

Julia: And so what's going to happen to us?

Richard: I just told you didn't I?! Julia, it's over and I don't want to see you again

Julia: Fine, if that's the way you feel (takes off her wedding ring and throws it at Richard), then so be it! Goodbye Ree-chard

As Julia exits the room, Richard goes back to sleep. As he does, he has a dream: it was the same one that Caroline had when she and Richard were dancing together in that restaurant: they were naked in bed together, kissing caressing each other, with the piano player in the corner of her bedroom. As this goes on in his head, he cannot help but have a wry smile on his face as he drifts off in his nap. A few weeks later, Richard was declared fit and well enough by the doctors to fly back to New York and to Caroline's apartment and thus, declare his undying love for her at last

THE END