ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EST. L.A. SKYLINE - DAY
RADIO ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
Well, folks, the heat is
officially upon us. Look for
highs near one hundred at the
beaches, and climbing well over
the century mark inland. The
forecast for the next few days:
hot, hot, hot!
CUT TO:
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL
Sam, Mike, Jane and Mackenzie—in a bassinet—are standing
outside the Departure Lounge.
JANE
Now, Sam, you won't forget, the
gardeners come on Tuesdays now...
SAM
(wearily)
No, I won't forget the gardeners,
or the patio furniture, or the
car, or anything else. I'll take
out the garbage, do the dishes,
feed the cat...
JANE
We don't have a cat.
SAM
I'll feed it anyway. Will you
just go and TRY to have a good
time, please?
JANE
(stroking Mackenzie's hair)
Maybe we should just stay home.
What if she doesn't like flying?
SAM
Then, she'll scream for the entire
trip, and everyone will hate you.
Jane throws an exasperated look at Sam, who shrugs gamely.
MIKE
(nonchalantly)
So, Sam...any plans?
SAM
Who, me? When was the last time I
had plans?
(pause)
Carmen's flight is due here in—
(checks her watch)
—about an hour. Lily and I are
supposed to meet her so...I
thought I'd just hang around here
'til then.
MIKE
What about Harrison?
SAM
He's with Brooke, of course. I'm
kinda sending Harrison in as an
advance guard these days. That
way, she gets all the crossword
clues out of her system, and I
don't have to deal with them.
JANE
(fretting to Mike)
Do you think it's too late to
cancel the reservations?
SAM
Mike, would you...?
Mike gently catches Jane by the shoulders.
MIKE
Come on, Jane, it's time to go.
Gathering up Mackenzie and their carry-on bags, Mike guides
Jane towards the x-ray machines.
JANE
(turning back)
And—absolutely NO parties!
Sam throws up her hands.
SAM
Who am I gonna invite to a party?
MIKE
(waving)
See you in two weeks, Sam. Take
care of yourself.
SAM
Don't worry. I'll look after
Brooke...everything'll be fine.
After she watches Mike and Jane disappear into the departure
area, Sam shakes her head and strolls off in the opposite
direction.
CUT TO:
EST. THE HOSPITAL
CUT TO:
INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM
Harrison walks in to a frightening sight: Brooke is sprawled
sideways across her bed, head hanging over the edge, eyes
closed.
HARRISON
Brooke!
Her eyes fly open and focus on him; suddenly she giggles,
while he shrugs helplessly.
BROOKE
You look funny upside down.
HARRISON
(struggling to calm down)
Brooke, what are you doing?
BROOKE
Meditating. It's supposed to
clear my surface thoughts and let
my unconscious flow.
(winces)
But all it did was give me a
headache.
(pause)
Also, I think I'm stuck.
Harrison rushes over and lifts Brooke's head up, gently
turning her back onto the bed. Suddenly she winces again.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Ow!
HARRISON
What?
BROOKE
I have a pain in my leg.
A moment later, her eyes widen.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Oww... Ow! OWWWW!
Flailing wildly, she grabs Harrison's arm.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
(screaming)
AHHHHHH! Harrison, help!
MAKE IT STOP!
Harrison frantically leans as far as he can towards the door,
shouting over Brooke's rising shrieks.
HARRISON
HELP! NURSE!
FLIP CUT TO:
INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
A doctor is just finishing injecting a vial of clear liquid
into Brooke's arm.
DOCTOR
Is that better?
Bathed in sweat, Brooke drops her head back onto her pillow,
breathing heavily.
BROOKE
Yeah...better... Oh my God, that
hurt.
While the doctor examines Brooke's leg, Harrison gently pries
her hand off of his arm, and gingerly rubs the deep marks that
are left.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
(looking over)
Sorry.
HARRISON
No, it's okay.
DOCTOR
Looks like you pinched a nerve.
From now on, no calisthenics
unless your therapist is
supervising. Otherwise, you could
be in here another six months or
so.
BROOKE
Oh, I promise. Definitely.
DOCTOR
All right. By the time that wears
off, the nerve should be relaxed.
But let the nurse know if you need
something more.
BROOKE
Thank you, Doctor.
CUT TO:
INT. JOSH AND LILY'S LIVING ROOM - LATER
The room is, to put it mildly, a mess: cans, wrappers and
bags litter the floor. Mary Cherry, dressed in a trailer
trash outfit of white T-shirt and boxers, is stretched out on
a recliner, snoring loudly, while the television blares in
front of her. Lily lets out a little sigh when she comes in,
gingerly steps over the trash and turns the television off.
MARY CHERRY
(opening one eye)
Hey, I was watchin' that.
LILY
No you weren't. You fell asleep
during Springer again. Mary
Cherry, it's been two weeks—you
can't just mope around like this
forever.
MARY CHERRY
(slurring)
Wash'me.
LILY
Well, I can't afford all this junk
food, so if you want to go on
living here, you're going to have
to think about a job.
MARY CHERRY
I'm un-em-ploy-a-ble.
LILY
Nobody's that unemployable. Not
even you, Mary Cherry. Look, I'm
going to the airport to pick up
Carmen. Will you at least clean
yourself up and go look for a job
today? And, maybe pick up a
little around here.
MARY CHERRY
(waving listlessly)
'Kay, fine, wha'ever.
Lily shakes her head and walks out.
CUT TO:
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL
At the arrival gate, Sam spots Carmen in the line of deplaning
passengers and waves.
SAM
Carmen!
Carmen breaks ranks and rushes over, hugging Sam.
CARMEN
Hola! Muy amigo! Hasta que la su
casa!
SAM
(shaking her head)
What are you saying?
CARMEN
(grinning)
I have no idea! But it sounds
so—Latin!
Laughing, the girls start walking towards the baggage area.
SAM
So, tell me, did you meet any
gorgeous Latin guys?
CARMEN
(sighs)
Oh! It's like, the whole country
is filled with them! Well, and
old guys in really big sombreros.
But still...
Carmen pants, and Sam breaks up giggling.
CARMEN (CONT'D)
Okay, Sam, 'fess up. You were
kidding about Mary Cherry, right?
SAM
No, unfortunately I was completely
serious. Mary Cherry has, in
fact, encamped at Lily's.
CARMEN
(shaking her head)
What's up with that?
SAM
You know, I'm as clueless as
everybody else.
CARMEN
So, you think Mary Cherry's some
kind of project.
SAM
That's what I thought. Lily says
no, but—
Lily appears, waving and jogging down the concourse towards
them.
LILY
Hey, guys! Carm!
CARMEN
Lil!
Carmen hugs Lily.
LILY
Sorry I'm late. I got a little
held up.
CARMEN
Yeah, Sam told me already.
LILY
Oh, you're not going to start,
too, are you? Look, Mary Cherry
just needs a place to stay until
she and her mother patch things
up.
SAM
Yeah, but it's been two weeks.
And Josh is coming home soon.
What's going to happen then?
LILY
(sourly)
You know, I'm not so sure that
Josh is going to be welcome when—
if—he does come back.
Sam and Carmen trade worried glances.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE