ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM

From off-screen, various moans and groans can be heard. Then
Brooke walks in and flops down on the sofa, followed by
Clarence, who turns out to be the source of the groaning. He
collapses heavily into an overstuffed chair.

BROOKE
(eyeing Clarence critically)
You need to work out more.

CLARENCE
(huffing)
That's the first time...I've been
roped...into a basketball game...

Brooke rolls her eyes and, out of habit, picks up the TV
remote and clicks it. She blinks in surprise when the TV
actually comes on.

BROOKE
(leaning forward)
Hey—why didn't you tell me the TV
worked?

A shadow of concern crosses Clarence's face.

CLARENCE
Ah...Brooke, I'm not sure that's
a—

BROOKE
(watching the TV)
What's this?

CUT TO:

INSERT: THE TV SCREEN

INT. AN ARENA

The scene of a girls' basketball game. Superimposed on the
screen are "2022 NCAA Championship", and, lined up in a row
underneath, are a clock labeled "2nd Half", which is ticking
down from 05:15, then "UConn 42" and "UCLA 95".

Down on the court, a UConn player has the ball, as the play-by
play announcer and color commentator breathlessly follow the
action:

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
Pierce holds the ball, looking for
Nickens in the post.

COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
They have to force the UCLA
defense to extend, and start
making perimeter shots. NOTHING
is working inside for UConn now.

The ball is bounce-passed to another UConn player inside, who
dribbles a couple of times, then spins towards the basket.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
Nickens with the ball, curls into
the lane—

Just as she is shooting the ball, from the side Mackenzie
leaps across and swats it away, eliciting a roar from the
crowd.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D)
—BLOCKED BY MCQUEEN!

Another UConn player picks up the ball; Mackenzie runs over to
guard her.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Deflected to Coleman. That's
McQueen's sixth block.

COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
Inside is death for UConn; they
cannot get past the long arms of
Mackenzie McQueen.

While the UConn player looks for someone to pass the ball to,
Mackenzie reaches out and swipes the ball away, sprinting down
the court with it.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
McQueen with the steal! Rudin is
back on defense.

As the lone UConn player backpedals full-speed towards the
basket, Mackenzie pulls up short twenty feet away, and fires
the ball up.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D)
McQueen—FOR THREE!

The ball swishes through the basket, and the crowd erupts.
The referee blows his whistle, and the players start to walk
off the court.

ANNOUNCER (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Fifty-seven points for Mackenzie
McQueen! UConn calls its last
time-out, but they have no answer
for McQueen!

COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
There IS no answer for Mackenzie
McQueen; she is EVERYWHERE today!

CUT TO:

THE MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM

Brooke is on the edge of the sofa, enraptured.

BROOKE
(awed)
Wow... She really IS good.

She looks down at the remote in her hand, thinking.

BROOKE (CONT'D)
Hey—can I get other people on this
thing? I wanna see what Nicole's
prison cell looks like.

Clarence, who had been caught up in the excitement along with
Brooke, frowns again now.

CLARENCE
Brooke, maybe you shouldn't—

But Brooke is already flipping channels. Clarence gets up and
steps over to her, intent on taking the remote away—but by the
time he gets there, it's too late: she has found what he was
afraid she'd find. As she watches the screen, her face
crumples and, finally, she starts to cry.

CUT TO:

INSERT: THE TV SCREEN

INT. A DELIVERY ROOM

Where Sam is in labor, while Harrison holds her hand and wipes
her forehead.

DOCTOR #2
Okay, Sam, we're going to need a
really big push the next time
around.

Sam grabs Harrison's arm.

SAM
(panting)
It's too late to call this off,
right? Right. Okay.

DOCTOR #2
Okay, here we go—one, two,
three...PUSH!

Sam grits her teeth, tenses, and with a muffled squeal,
pushes. Meanwhile, Harrison yelps as she crushes his hand.

DOCTOR #2 (CONT'D)
All right, you're doing fine, one
more time... One, two, three,
PUSH!

Sam obedient curls up and pushes again.

SAM
OHHH, I DON'T WANNA DO THIS
ANYMORE!

DOCTOR #2
You're almost there, just one more
big—PUSH!

She screams and pushes one more time, then collapses back,
panting. Harrison looks at the doctor expectantly; a moment
later, the baby's crying fills the room.

DOCTOR #2 (CONT'D)
Congratulations—it's a boy.

The doctor brings the wrapped-up newborn and puts him in Sam's
arms. She and Harrison grin at each other, and their son.

CUT TO:

THE MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM

Clarence takes the remote from Brooke's unresisting hand and
clicks the TV off.

BROOKE
(wiping her eyes)
He really does love her.

CLARENCE
Brooke...

BROOKE
You knew.

She looks at him.

BROOKE (CONT'D)
You said you helped Harrison. You
knew what his future was.

Clarence looks away.

CLARENCE
It's only a possibility, Brooke.
Nothing's written in stone...
anymore. You just have to have
faith. Good things will happen, I
promise.

Brooke has her face buried in her hands, sniffling.

CLARENCE (CONT'D)
Okay, this is bad. Look, why
don't we go do something fun? You
look like you could use some
cheering up. I know I could.
Hey—how about rollerblading?
Or—or skateboarding? If I
remember right, you were not bad
on that board back in the
hospital.

Brooke wipes her eyes clear.

BROOKE
(tonelessly)
No.

CLARENCE
No?

She stands up.

BROOKE
I know.

CLARENCE
(nervously)
Ah...know what?

BROOKE
I know where I'm going now.

Without another word, she walks away.

CLARENCE
Oh, hey, wait up!

He scrambles to his feet and takes off after her.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM - EVENING

Sam is sitting by Brooke's bed. Harrison comes up and puts
his hand on her shoulder.

HARRISON
How is she?

SAM
(looking down at Brooke)
The same.

Sam stifles a yawn.

HARRISON
Why don't you take a break?

Sam gets up, and Harrison sits in her place.

SAM
I'll be back in a little while.

HARRISON
Oh, no rush.

As Sam walks away, Harrison takes Brooke's hand and kisses it,
stifling his own yawn.

CUT TO:

EXT. A STREET - TWILIGHT

Brooke is walking quickly down another deserted street, while
Clarence scrambles to keep up.

CLARENCE
Brooke! Come on, slow down!

Brooke walks on, unheeding.

CLARENCE (CONT'D)
Brooke, stop! You're not in the
right state of mind to do this!

BROOKE
My state of mind is just fine,
thank you.

CLARENCE
Would you LISTEN to yourself?

Brooke stops in front of a nondescript little building.

BROOKE
This is it, isn't it?

CLARENCE
(emphatically)
Brooke, I really want you to
reconsider.

Brooke steps up to the front door.

BROOKE
Coming?

Clarence shakes his head grimly.

CLARENCE
I can only take you this far. If
you're going to go through that
door, you have to do it all by
yourself.

She thinks about that for a moment, then jogs back the few
steps to him. She takes his hands in hers, and pecks him on
the cheek.

BROOKE
Thank you.

She backs away.

CLARENCE
Brooke—

But Brooke raises a hand in farewell, pushes the door open and
steps inside.

CUT TO:

INT. INSIDE THE BUILDING - CONTINUOUS

The only thing inside the shallow lobby of the building is a
plain counter along the back wall. Standing behind it, Brooke
sees the same hostess who greeted her back at the restaurant.
Boldly she steps up to the counter.

HOSTESS
(looking up)
Name?

BROOKE
(steady this time)
Brooke McQueen.

HOSTESS
(nods)
Through the door at the end of the
hall.

Brooke looks in the direction of the nod, and sees a long,
wide hallway (much longer than the size of the building). At
the end of the hall is a doorway, filled with blazing white
light. She resolutely starts walking down the hallway.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE STREET

A peal of thunder fills the air. Clarence looks skyward.

CLARENCE
You're up there! YOU do
something!

CUT TO:

INT. THE HALLWAY

Brooke walks unflinchingly towards the light.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM

Harrison is asleep, his head resting on the hand which still
holds Brooke's.

And on the EKG monitor, the steady pulse line spikes once.

CUT TO:

THE HALLWAY

Brooke is still walking steadily forward. But just a few
steps away from the end of the hall, a whispery, indistinct
voice makes her falter.

VOICE (O.S.)
Brooooke...

Her pace broken, she looks up, down and around. The voice
grows stronger:

VOICE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Brooke...

Finally she turns completely around—and sees Harrison standing
there, perhaps twenty feet behind her.

BROOKE
(puzzled)
Harrison?

HARRISON
Brooke... What are you doing?

His eyes shift past her to the light, and he gasps as he
realizes its meaning.

HARRISON (CONT'D)
Oh, Brooke...no!

She manages a wan smile.

BROOKE
It's time.

HARRISON
(anguished)
No... You're getting better, and
you'll wake up soon, and...

Brooke shakes her head wistfully.

HARRISON (CONT'D)
(desperately)
Brooke, please... You
can't—leave... What about your
dad? And Sam, and—and Mackenzie?

BROOKE
She'll be fine. You'll all be
fine... I know.

HARRISON
(choking up)
Brooke—please...don't—

BROOKE
I'm sorry—
(nods towards the light)
—I have to go now.

She turns away and begins walking the last few feet.

HARRISON
(panicking)
NOOO! Brooke! Stop!

Brooke walks on.

HARRISON (CONT'D)
BROOKE, I LOVE YOU!

And halfway through the doorway, bathed in the brilliant white
light, Brooke turns, and—

CUT TO:

BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM

—Harrison starts awake, to the sounds of alarms going off all
over the room.

A doctor and nurse run into the room; the nurse pulls Harrison
up and pushes him outside.

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

As more people rush by and into the room, Harrison bangs his
hand weakly against the wall, sobbing, and slides down to the
floor. From the end of the corridor Sam comes running full
tilt; falling to her knees, she wraps her arms around him.
They hold each other, rocking, as Sam begins to cry along with
Harrison.

Finally a strong hand takes hold of Sam's shoulder and lifts
her up; she grabs Harrison and pulls him up as well. As
various people are leaving Brooke's room, they stand at the
doorway, looking in.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

A human curtain of white coats surrounds Brooke's bed, which
gradually parts as people turn and walk out. Finally Sam and
Harrison are able to see Brooke lying there—her eyes open.
She turns her head ever so slightly towards them, and manages
to lift one hand briefly. Sam cries out and runs to the bed,
gingerly hugging her, while Harrison stands there, fresh tears
running down his cheeks.

FADE TO BLACK.

END OF ACT FOUR

THE END