ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EST. THE HOSPITAL - MORNING
The start of another summer day.
CUT TO:
INT. BROOKE'S HOSPITAL ROOM
Sam walks in on a scene that might better fit the psychedelic
60's: soft, strangely hued violet and red lights fill the
room, and on her bed, Brooke is in something that more-or-less
approximates a lotus position, eyes closed, hands clasped in
front of her.
SAM
Brooke?
BROOKE
(opens her eyes)
Hey, Sam.
Sam walks over and picks up one of the sources of the strange
light, which turns out to be a tiny lamp. She turns it over
and around, examining it.
SAM
What's all this?
BROOKE
They're supposed to be votive
candles. But, the hospital wasn't
too big on the idea of candles, so
Jane brought these over before she
and Dad left.
SAM
These look familiar somehow.
BROOKE
She said something about old
Halloween decorations?
SAM
Oh...right.
Brooke turns on the overhead light, which instantly washes
away all of the color.
BROOKE
So, where's Harrison?
SAM
He's still—I mean, I'm sure he's
still sleeping.
BROOKE
Yeah, he does seem to be dragging
lately.
(pause)
Speaking of... You know, when
Dad and Jane get home, they're
going to know you did something.
SAM
What—what's that supposed to
mean?
BROOKE
(laughing)
Sam, if you glowed any more, you'd
need your own sun-block.
(considers)
I didn't glow when I did it with
Harrison. I don't think.
SAM
I don't think I was glowing the
first few times we did it either.
Not that it was horrible or
anything.
BROOKE
The first few—Sam? How many
times HAVE you and Harrison done
it?
SAM
Ah...well...
BROOKE
Sam...?
SAM
You know that box...in Mom and
Mike's bedroom?
BROOKE
The box of condoms they showed you
to freak you out so you wouldn't
do what you've been doing...yeah?
SAM
(sheepishly)
Well...we kinda, uh...had to,
um...buy a new box.
BROOKE
Sam...!
SAM
...twice.
BROOKE
Sam!
SAM
(throwing up her hands)
I know! It's like, I don't know
what it is... It's, all this has
been pent up inside me and...
well, now...
BROOKE
(holds up a hand)
Hold on—if there's a line in here
about floodgates opening, I don't
wanna hear it.
SAM
(grins)
I just mean, I can't keep my hands
off of him!
BROOKE
(giggling)
Well, obviously!
(suspiciously)
Has he been sleeping over?
SAM
Ah...
BROOKE
He HAS, hasn't he?
SAM
Kinda, yeah...
BROOKE
No wonder he's been yawning
through my sessions—you've been
wearing him out at night!
(rolling her eyes)
Great—my sister's a nympho.
SAM
(giggles)
You know what? I don't care.
(curiously)
How many times did you and
Harrison do it, anyway?
Before Brooke can answer, Sam holds up a hand to stop her.
SAM (CONT'D)
No, wait, that's totally rude of
me. Nevermind.
BROOKE
No, it's okay. We only did it the
one time. I mean, it just kinda,
happened, and after...it was a
little awkward.
(pause)
Not that it was horrible, or
anything.
As Brooke and Sam start giggling again, Harrison walks in.
HARRISON
Morning, ladies.
The girls try, not too successfully, to straighten out their
faces.
BROOKE
(innocently)
Morning, Harrison.
SAM
Hey.
Harrison pulls up short, examining them suspiciously.
HARRISON
What?
Brooke and Sam exchange glances, grins still tugging at
corners of their mouths.
SAM
(shaking her head)
Nothing.
BROOKE
Nothing.
HARRISON
Okay, what's going on?
BROOKE
We were just...talking.
SAM
Yeah.
Harrison studies them for a moment; then his mouth drops and
he backs up a step.
HARRISON
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, NO.
SAM
What?
HARRISON
If you two are gonna start
comparing notes, I am moving to
Siberia. My fragile teenage male
ego can't stand that kind of
pressure.
BROOKE
(laughing)
Relax. Sam hasn't spilled any
juicy details.
SAM
Yet.
HARRISON
(groaning)
This is gonna be a nightmare,
isn't it?
SAM
Come on, Harrison. It's not like
I'm writing a column for the
paper.
HARRISON
(warily)
That's a joke, right?
SAM
Yes, it's a joke! Lighten up!
Jeez...
Harrison is spared any further embarrassment by the appearance
of Dr. De Wolf.
DE WOLF
Good Morning, Brooke...Harrison.
BROOKE
(gesturing)
This is my sister, Sam.
Dr. De Wolf leans across the bed and shakes Sam's hand.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Is there something wrong, Doctor?
Did our session switch to morning?
DE WOLF
(reassuringly)
No, nothing's wrong, Brooke.
You've made remarkable progress.
In fact, you've done so well that
I've spoken to your other doctors,
and recommended that your
treatment be switched to three
times a week, on an outpatient
basis.
SAM
Outpatient, as in, she gets to go
home?
DE WOLF
(smiling)
As in, she gets to go home.
Probably tomorrow. We want to run
a few more tests, just to be on
the safe side.
Sam leans over and hugs Brooke, who is a bit stunned.
BROOKE
Oh my God...thank you, Doctor.
Really, I...wow! I'm going home!
DE WOLF
Now, remember, you still have a
lot of work to do.
BROOKE
(soberly)
I understand.
DE WOLF
I wish all my patients turned out
as well as you have, Brooke.
(pause)
Well, we won't have another
session before you're discharged,
but I'll check in on you tomorrow
before you go.
BROOKE
Thank you so much, Doctor.
As Dr. De Wolf leaves, Sam and Harrison give Brooke a group
hug.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
(laughing)
Okay, okay, you're smothering me.
Sam and Harrison break away, and Brooke brushes her hair back.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Of course, you realize that having
me home might cramp your style...
Harrison glares at Sam accusingly.
HARRISON
Sam!
SAM
(defensively)
I didn't say anything! Well, not
much...
BROOKE
Okay, you know what? You guys
need to go out and do something
fun—and I don't mean something
horizontal.
(pause)
Or, you know, not horizontal,
depending...
HARRISON
SAM!
Sam throws her hands up.
SAM
I swear, I did NOT tell her about
that!
BROOKE
What? Did I guess something?
What?
Sam points a finger at Brooke.
SAM
Forget it!
BROOKE
(grinning)
Oh, I have GOT to get this out of
you.
HARRISON
Oh, God...
SAM
No way—in fact, just to make sure
I don't spill any beans, we're
leaving right now.
Sam gets up and starts to walk out.
SAM (CONT'D)
Harrison?
HARRISON
Oh—yeah, right...coming.
Harrison gets up and follows Sam, leaving Brooke chuckling.
Before he gets out the door, though, a thought strikes her.
BROOKE
Hey—Harrison?
HARRISON
(turning)
Yeah?
BROOKE
You know the arcade room at the
bowling alley?
HARRISON
Ceasar's? Yeah.
BROOKE
Do they have an air hockey table?
HARRISON
(frowning)
I dunno... They mighta used to.
Why?
BROOKE
(shaking her head)
No reason. Just wondering.
(waving)
Go on.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ATRIUM
In the large open space a good-sized crowd is milling about;
on an easel is a large sign proclaiming, "NUTRI-DIET PRESENTS:
WEIGHT AND SELF-ESTEEM". Along one wall, lines snake away
from registration tables. Just coming to the head of one of
those lines is Carmen, who steps up to one of the tables.
CARMEN
Carmen Ferrera?
The person sitting behind the table flips through a clipboard,
and finally checks off a line. From a box she pulls a tag
with Carmen's name on it, and a thick packet of materials, and
hands them up to her.
REGISTRAR
Here you go.
CARMEN
Thanks.
Carmen turns away from the registration area, puts her tag on,
and takes a long look around the atrium, deciding where to go
first.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE HOSPITAL - LATER
Harrison and Sam are having a mild argument as they walk out
the front door.
SAM
...come on, Harrison, it's not
like I told her...it's not like I
told her ANYTHING!
HARRISON
But you're going to. That's what
counts.
SAM
No, I'm not. I swear— Besides,
what about you? Don't tell me you
aren't going to be bragging about
your exploits in the locker room
when school starts.
HARRISON
(wounded)
Sam, what do you take me for?
SAM
I dunno...a guy?
HARRISON
Well, SOME guys might do that...
I'M not going to.
(pause)
Unless you want me to...
Sam's answer is to shove him off the sidewalk and into the
bushes, and walk off.
HARRISON (CONT'D)
Hey! Is that a no?
Sam's cell phone rings; she stops to dig it out and answer it,
allowing Harrison to run and catch up to her.
SAM
(into the phone)
Hello?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. THE LAB
JOSH
Sam? It's Josh. Hey—have you
seen Lily lately?
SAM
Not for a few days.
(accusingly)
Josh, you SAID you would make some
time!
JOSH
I tried, really! There's just no
time to make. I haven't even gone
back to the motel the past few
nights; there's a cot in the snack
room with my name on it. And I
can't even get Lily on the phone
now—all I've gotten the last
couple days is the machine. Look,
Cure the Bay is this weekend, and
I need to talk to her about it
before she comes up here.
SAM
(sighs)
All right, fine, I'll go check on
Lily and make sure she's all
right. But I'll be real happy
when you're back home.
JOSH
You're not the only one. Thanks,
Sam.
Sam puts the phone away.
HARRISON
What, Josh and Lily are still
having problems?
SAM
I don't know, I guess Josh's going
away to work wasn't a great idea
after all.
She glares at him.
SAM (CONT'D)
YOU'D better not do that to me
when WE'RE married.
Harrison gives her a very strange look.
SAM (CONT'D)
What?
He just shakes his head as they walk along.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ATRIUM - LATER
The double doors to one of the auditoriums open, and people
spill out into the open area—including Carmen, who now has an
armful of literature. Her nose buried in papers, trying to
keep everything balanced, she winds up running smack into
someone's sizable back. Tottering, she just manages to keep
everything from flying into the air.
CARMEN
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see—
Then the other person turns—and turns out to be Sugar Daddy.
CARMEN (CONT'D)
—Sugar?
SUGAR
Hey, Carmen.
CARMEN
I didn't know you were here!
SUGAR
Yeah, I was over there—
(points)
—checking out what that nutrition
guy was saying.
Carmen takes a step back and looks him over.
CARMEN
Hey, Sugar, you look good.
Sugar's eyes light up.
SUGAR
Ya think so? I was in this
football camp all summer, man—
bulking up, and no flab, either,
all muscle. Only problem is,
camp's over now, and I gotta find
a way to keep off the old stuff-
your-face routine.
CARMEN
Oh, I know what you mean. I swore
I would lose twenty pounds this
summer, and I have—three times so
far. It just gets really
depressing.
SUGAR
Word. I know that track by heart.
Carmen points to her schedule.
CARMEN
Hey, are you going to this one?
SUGAR
(looking)
"Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lunch"?
Yeah, I thought I would.
(pause)
Wanna come with?
CARMEN
(slightly giggly)
Sure!
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE