COMA based on ‘the novel by Robin Cook Producer: Martin Erlichman Written and Directed by: Michael Crichton February 28, 1977rere BLACK SCREEN 1 We hear the SOUND of feet coming up wooden stans. MALE VOICE OVER It's. the politics, that's the key...Now just today, Rudnick saw me and he said Conaretulations, and I said on what, and he said I hear you're the new chief resident in surgery... FEMALE VOICE OVER sesGreat, Mark... MALE VOICE OVER ++sBut see, here's the thing, he was just testing me. He said, I just talked to Harris and he said Mark Bellows was going to be the next chief of surgery... A CLICK. An overhead Licht comes on. We see’ two people in parkas. Both are in their late twenties, both attractive in different ways. MARK BELLOWS, ruggedly handsome, is one of those inherently likeable, warm people. SUSAN WHEELER is equally good-looking but not'so easygoing: she hes the feisty edge of @ woman who's worked for everything she's gotten. These two people usually complement each other very well. SUSAN Congratulations, mark. maRK (beaming) Weil, here's the thing, He was waiting for me to say I knew all about it, but that just wouldn't look right... The door is opened, and the camera tracks them into INT = BELLOW'S APARTMENT NIGHT 2 A students’ apartment; posters on the wall, secondhand furniture, bookcases of pine and cinder blocks. Drapes from Sears. They come in, shrug off their coats, Underneath, both wear white residents’ coats, maRK +I mean, it would have looked like I expected it, not humble, So I said, well, T haven't heard anything about that. SUSAN You've wanted it for two years...maRK 2 es Well, there's no point in sayina that, Cour'D is there? I just said, well, it'd be (2) nice. if it happened, and I'd try to do a good job, And then I said Chandler was doing a good job as chief resident, but I said it, you know, like 1 thouoht there was room for improvement. SUSAN Chandler's damned good. MARK (not hearina) Boy, I really laid it on thick with Rudnick, Told him I was followino his hepatic research, Cited a couple of references. He was impressed. (taking off tie) My procedure went well, too, gastrectomy on @ sixty year old fat Italian mama, With all that adipose tissue you worry about how much anaesthesia she absorbs, but she came through like a dream, saying her rosary right after the skin sutures, wide awake So it was a good day. I'm qoing to take @ shower, Sring me @ beer and start dinner, will you, honey? He walks off, Susan just stands there for a stunned moment, getting mad, what happens next has a familiar quality; they've had this fight before: SUSAN Hey, Mark, Get your own beer, MARK (turning) Aw, come on, baby, for Pete's sake--~ susaN --T want to take a shower--- She strides forward, throwina off her clothes. mark s+-T was on call last night--- SUSAN (passing him) ---50 was I--- MARK (trailing after her) s--And I had two arrests and an aortic aneuryism that blew at four in the morning and had to be done stat, and I didn't get any sleep, and I'd really like to take a showerss. She is elready inside the bathroom. SOUND of shower running.mark 2 seeif you don't mind, conr'D He has come to the bathroom doorway. The faceted shower qlase shuts with a BANG. Inside we see Susan, naked, indistinct. She soaps herself, SUSAN I had a hard day, too. Wark stands by the door, looking at her. mark You know something, you can get into a shower faster than any man alive, Faster than any person alive, SUSAN Have a beer. You'll feel better, Werk makes @ rude face, turns, and goss into the kitchen, In doing so, we see more details of the apartment. It is heavy with masculine appurtenances and jock paraphenelia: sianed footballs, photos of teams, banners from games. MARK (muttering) +ssaoddamn it, treat a crown man like a child...this is still my apartment, for Chrissake... He takes a beer out of the refrigerator, pops the top. mar what's for dinner? (shrugaing) 0h hell. He closes the door, walks back to the bathroom, chugging his beer. MARK Goddamn women...never fall in love with then,..shoulda been a Faggot... Susan is still showering, as Mark props himself against the doorway and sips his beer from the can, MARK (conciliatory) Hey'd you hear about Lewis? Got turned down for an assistant professorship at the med school, He's really paid his dues, and now they don't take him...and his son is waiting for @ kidney transplant...Poor auy--- SUSAN ---You start dinner? mark what?oO SUSAN (peering over glass) \ 2 I said, did you start dinner? conr'D (a) Simultaneously: SUSAN mark well, it's right in the refrigerator. Don't you ever listen It's "already cooked, Just heat it up. to me? I'm tryina to tell you samething that interests me... maRK I'm trying to tell you about something that heppened==-I'm tryina to tell you about my daye-- SUSAN s--I had a hard day, too, Just go heat it up, She turns water off, and comes out, mark watches her as she towels herself dry. maRK hy is it whenever we have a fight you're undressed? You always manage to be undressed. In Susan's expression, we can see that Mark is right, somehows she's using her attractiveness as a weapon, SUSAN What's the big deal? Just put the sti in a pan, and heat it up. Put it on low, It'll be ready in a few minutes. After you've had another beer, and taken a@ shower, Why won?t you help out? MARK That's the way you see it, huh? well, why do T have to make all the concessions? You always take the first shower--- SUSAN wa=1 don! tes- MARK =+-You do, too, And I'm getting tired of it, Susan looks at him dangerously. SUSAN oh? MARK (backing off) Now wait a minute, honey=--=SUSAN 2 =--don't call me honey-: mARK © ss-ell I'm trying to do is tell you what happened during my day, that's all, just what happened during my day. Don't ao running off. SUSAN Your days are always the same, MARK (getting mad) what the hell is that supposed to mean? SUSAN Just politics, that’s all. who said what ta wham, who's up, who's déwn, who's rising, who's falling, who made a good move, who made @ bad move... She sweeps past him, disappears into the bedroom. MARK ulall, somebody has to be interested in the hospital politics, You're certainly not. She pokes her heed out from the bedroom, SUSAN Tesigose: "hots political residents Her head disappears, mark moves down to the bedroom. : MARK Hospital politics are important. Just because you like to make waves ali the time He looks in the bedroom, His body seems to sag. mARK (sadly) Oh, Susan, come on...You want me to heat up dinner? Is that what you want? Inside the bedroom, She is pulling on Susan is half-dressed in street clothes. er boots, One foot is: on the bed. SUSAN I want some respect. maRK Come on, Sue. Don't leave again. SUSAN I don't know why you can't share half the responsibility--— CONT'DmaRK 2 vorI share more than half the responsibility--- CONT'D (6) SUSAN There's no need to shout. MARK (shouting) Well, why do you always go stomping out? You think I want this? Well, 1°12 tell you something, Dr. Wheeler, I make a lot of sacrifices for this so-called telationship SUSAN (sarcastic) =--I know it's hard on you, politically--- MARK (as she sweeps past) ind I just want you to know..,(breaks off, controls self.) Aw hell. In the hallway, she stends by the front door, putting on her coat agains He comes up, MARK Don't 90. SUSAN You know what the trouble with you is, Mark? All you care about is being chief resident, maRK You know what the trouble with you is? You cen't take an honest relationship. She is putting on her coat, reaching for the door. MARK You run away from it. Look at you, SUSAN This is ridiculous. MARK (shouting) You know what you want? You don't want 2 lover! She slams the door, exitino. INT = QUTSIDE LANDING 3 She pauses there MARK (muffled, over) You want a wife! She frowns, turns, exits,SLACK. SCREEN 4 The SOUND of @ rinaina phone. A door opens, and we see a rectanale of light, and Susan silhouetted in the door. She flicks on the light and enters, \ INT = SUSAN 5 APARTMENT It is the apartment of a person who lives elsewhere, S00k- shelves mostly empty. Couch covered in a sheet, She moves deeper, turning on lights, She enters her bedroom. The bed is bare mattress, with @ blanket crumpled at one end. The telephone continues to ring, insistently. SUSAN (low) Sastard. She doesn't answer. She sits on the bed, hearing it. Finally, she reaches for the phone, The ringing stops. She continues to sit there. BLACK SCREEN 6 ; We hear an electronic buzz, an annoying sound, A light \ switches on and we are CLOSE ON SUSAN 7 She lies on her back, in the bed, eyes closed, She could be in '@ coma. Finally she opens her eyes, looks over, reaches out, and turns off the alarm clock. She yauns. SUSAN Mark, time to get up... She looks over; he isn't there, She stares at the ceiling. She sighs. SRING UP sound of Boston news radio station, EXT - 80STON REET = DAUIN 8 4s we heer the car radio, we see a battered mG sportscar driven by Susan come around the corner. It pulls into the parking lot of the Boston Memorial Hospital, a huge, looming complex in the early morning. Susan climbs out, checks her watch, hurries into the hospital, INT = A HOSPITAL ROOM = EARLY MORNING 9 Susen wearing hospital whites, examines the bandaged arm of an elderly woman, MRS. ROGERS. susAN I don't know what you're worried about, firs. Rogers, you're coming along fine.oO MRS. ROGERS (tense) 9 I can take it...It was.cancer, wasn't CONT'D it. I'm old enough, God knows, I've Q) lived a full life. If my time has come-. SUSAN (interrupting) Mrs. Rogers. le biopsied an epithelial growth, but it was totally benign. MRS. ROGERS You're sure. susaN I promise you, there's no mistake, You don't have cancer, MRS. ROGERS Really? SUSAN (warm smile) Really. INT = ANOTHER HOSPITAL ROOM - MORNING 20 Susan examines the bandaoed abdomen of a pretty teenage cirl, ELLEN, @ cheerleader who stares at the ceiling, ELLEN It must have been a mistake, They said my appendix was normal, SUSAN (undoing bandages) Tt was, Sut that happens. We can't be sure about the diagnosis of appendicitis. $0 @ good surgeon ends up taking out some normal ones, just to be safe. ELLEN (quick) It wasn't cancer? SUSAN (smiling) No. ELLEN (meaning the scar) I don't want to look, Is it big and ugly? SUSAN No. As a matter of fact, it's sort of cute. ELLEN (intriqued) It is? She bends and looks, ELLEN Oh, that's nothina.She and Susan smile. 20 cont'D ELLEN (mixed feelinos) (2) I thought it would be biaaer. INT = ANOTHER ROOM = DAY 1 A rakish, handsome man in his middle thirties, SEAN MURPHY, is sittino up in bed, He oreets her with a big smile. MURPHY Hello, beautiful. SUSAN Good morning, Mr, murphy, MURPHY Have you accepted my offer of marriage? SUSAN (taking hand to feel pulse) No, but I admit it's tempting... muRPHY I love your bedside manner. And I especially love your a SUSAN (embarrassed) Stop it. MURPHY (looking at her hand) My pulse races every time you come near, SUSAN Actually, it's quite slow for a man about to have surgery. MURPHY Didn't you hear? You have to put up with me for another day. my suraeon cancelled. He has the flu. I ask you: what kind of a world is it when even doctors get sick? INT - A HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY ar Now sunlight streams into the room, making it @ study in white, white bed, white patient, and a cluster of SIX RESIDENTS making rounds, all in white. They are huddled araund the bed. SUSAN Mrs. Levine is day five post cholecystectomy and doina well, she remains afebrile and her Previous anorexia is gone, draining well, and an AP chest done yesterday is clear, her white count is nine four and her SUN has stabilized at forty-point-two, good output of sixteen hundred cc'ss..Mark looks at Susan as she gives her technical speach. She 12 catches his glance but continues talking, without missing CONT'D @ breath. Wow the chief resident, a dapper man named (2) CHANDLER, speaks: CHANDLER Blood cultures? SUSAN No growth times two, CHANDLER: Well, Harris can't nail us with this one, (chuckle) Not that he'd ever nail Sue. Next case, INT _~ SURGICAL FLOOR 13 TRACKING SHOT moving toward a sign: “SURGICAL FLOOR NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL" Susan moves forward, pushes the door open, goes throuah, INT > NURSES’ CHANGING ROOM 14 Susan briskly changes into surgical greens. In the backgroud THREE NURSES discuss the anatomical attractions of their boyfriends in crude detail, She is apparently oblivious. INT = SURGEONS’ CHANGING ROOM 15 Mark is also changing. In the background, TWO SURGEONS discuss the anatomical attractions of a certein nurse, As Mark finishes, he passes TWO SURGEONS discussing the stock market, SURGICAL CORRIDOR 16 Tracking Susan as she moves toward us. She stops to talk to 2 handsome older. man in @ suit, DR. HARRIS, the Chief of Surgery, They appear to have a special relationship, mutually shared. HARRIS Good morning, Su morning? How are you this SUSAN Just fine, Dr. Harris, HARRIS You look a little tired. SUSAN I'm fine, really, sir,a HARRIS 6 Good luck with your cases today. comme SUSAN Thank you, sir. She goss on, passing the suraeons’ chanaing room, missing Merk as he comes cut. He locks at her. Shé continues on, down the stairs, INT = OPERATING FLOOR a This is one floor below the surgical floor. Susan appears, pulling on her face mask, She passes a large blackboard, listing 211 operations for the morning. HOLD on it a moment: lots of operations. OPERATING CORRIDOR a We TRACK Susan as she passes operating room after operating room, all with patients, and ongoing surgery. Obviously this hospital is en enormous surgical facility, SCRUBROOM 19 with a hissing rush of water, Susan scrubs vigorously. & NURSE comes out of the adjacent OR. NURSE They're ready when you are, Dr. Wheeler. Susan nods. . INT = OPERATING ROOM 20 As Susan comes in, wet hands held high. A NURSE hands her @ towel: she dries her hands. The she is gowned by sterile Procedure. Then she is glovad---she expertly slips her hands into the rubber cloves. She steps up to the table. SUSAN All right, let's beain. knife. THE OPERATION IN PROGRESS 22 Susan is doina the procedure, with an ASSISTANT SURGEON. The low murmar of technical talk as they carry it out. THE OPERATING CORRIOOR 22 4s Susan comes out, lifting up her mask, She siahs.oO 12 THE SURGICAL LOUNGE Fe It is upstairs, and crowded with surgeons---talkina, drinking coffee, making calle, readina the newspaper, The atmosphere is largely masculine, Susan enters, goes to the coffee machine, gets a cup, turns. She sees Harris across the room. He looks at her quizzically. She gives a thumbs-yp sign. He nods and smiles, turns away. Suddenly mark is there. mARK HL. SUSAN (cool) cre MARK How are you? SUSAN Fine. The case went well, No problem. She is moving away. He hurries after her. MARK Listen, I'm sorry about last night. SUSAN I am, too, maRK How about lunch? SUSAN (shaking head) T have class, MARK (leaning closer) Listen. Isn't this more important than thet demn class? SUSAN mark, that class is the only time I get away from this damn hospital. It's importent to me, Can you understand that? mark (after extremely lona beat, turning away) You're impossible, Susan. He walks away. She stares after him, bites her lip. INT = DANCE CLASS DAY 24 To the plinking of @ nearby pieno, a DOZEN WOMEN of all shap and ages and sizes, from sleek teenagers to lumpy middle-aged (cont'd.)~ VO 13 (cont'd. ) 24 CONT'D women, move in unison---more or less. Susan is among them. (2) She concentrates on her moves. We aiso notice a pretty girl about Susan's age: NANCY GREENLY, who looks at Susan From time to time, INSTRUCTOR Gut in, Susan! Tight! Now...turn! And...turn!,,.Come, come, come, Susan, this isn't like you,,,what's the matter with you today?.,.and...turn! Late. Late. Leg up! Gut inl (shaking head) Susan, Susan, Susan... Susan struggles to do better, but remains off her mark. INT > DANCE LOCKER ROOM - DAY 25 Susan leans back against the wall, eyes closed, breathing deeply, Nancy sits on the wooden bench beside her. NANCY I don't know hew to say this. SUSAN (panting, eyes closed) Just say it, Nancy Are you sure it's all mark's fault? SUSAN (eyes opening abruptly) what do you mean? NANCY Are you sure it's all his fault, SUSAN Nancy, I've been telling you what happened... NANCY se-I know. And I know Mark, too... SUSAN You know what he says? He says I'm afraid of committment. NANCY Is he right? SUSAN (elaborate sigh, taking off slippers) Who the hell knows, NANCY I think maybe you are. (beat) Afraid of committment, :1a SUSAN 25 Well, at least I'm getting an expert opinion. CONT'D (2) NANCY That's not fair, Sue. SUSAN (after beat, embarrassed) You're right...Hey, I'm sorry, Nency. 26 INT - SHOWERS Susan and Nancy shower side by side. Both turn their bodies to the spray, Susan looks at Nancy. Nency is cryina in the shower, Susan notices. INT_= CHANGING ROOM - LATER 27 Nency is fully dressed, fumbling in her purse, lighting a cigarette. Nancy has expensive clothes. Susan is putting on her white hospital clothes, SUSAN who's the father? NANCY ~ I don't know... Not Ed, if that's what you mean, My dear husband and I... haven't made it...(inhales) in months. Too many months. SUSAN : What are you going to do? NANCY Or, Richards is going to do a 0 and Cy for menstrual irregularity. SUSAN He's good. NANCY (blurting) You won't tell Fd, SUSAN Or course not. NANCY I'm supposed to go in tomorrow. SUSAN vorried? NANCY (nodding) I know you do this every day, Sut it scares the hell out of me.1s SUSAN 27 That's natural, CONT'D NANCY I mean, what if somebody tells Ed? INT = OPERATING ROOM EIGHT 28 It's deserted, just overhead lights and a bare table. Two students, JONES and PETERS in gowns and masks, enter and sort of stand around. JONES Is this the place? PETERS They said OR 6. It must be. JONES sesHey, you hear that Watson passed out in suroery yesterday? PETERS That right? Poor ouy. JONES Yeah, really embarrassing... A SCRUBNURSE comes in, and starts setting out instruments on a Mayo stand. JONES We're second year students, we're looking for the anaesthetist, Dr. Cowans. WURSE ; Put your masks on, He'll be here in a minute. The anaesthetist, OR. COWANS, also masked, comes in, rolling his anaesthetic cart. He whistles: “whistle while you work. . COWANS Mornina, Mary...(seeing students) Oh, there you are, 1 was wondering where you were...leil, let's try to teach you a little anaesthesia. This is the standard cart, and what we're going to do first is plug into the wall lines... He goes to the wall outlets, labelled, but he reads them aloud: COWANS Oxyoen, compressed air, nitrous... Patient on call, Mary?16 NURSE 28 Coming down now, Or. Couans. Boer cowans 2 Case is a D and £, Dr, Richards’ patient, actually it's a TA, theraputic abortion Private patient, so keep it clean, she's @ married woman...Now the cart has these three manometers and flow valves to control gas rates and we have emergency oxygen here, checking..,(terns dials) they're full... we will be recording all this and vital signs as well,.ah, here's our beautiful victimt The students stare at the complexities of the stainless steel cart with all its valves and knobs and meters, ANOTHER ANGLE 29 Nancy is wheeled into the room, transferred to the surgical table. Cowans leans over her, cowans Morning Nancy. Remember me? I'm Dr. Cowans, NANCY (drugoed) You're Dr. Cowans, couaNs 7 That's right, and you're going to have 2 nice, lona'sleep...(to students) She's received preop one hundred of demerol and point four of atropine, so she's pretty Telaxed... Meanwhile ancy has curled up in fetal position and stuck her thumb in her mouth, NURSE I'll say she's relexed...Come on, Mrs, Greenly, on your back, that's a girl... Nancy is strapped down and put into stirrups. The scrubnurse drapes her. DR. RICHARDS, gowned and holding dripping hands high, enters the room, COANS Morning, Tom, RICHARDS Morning, Jim, How's our lady?7 cowans 29 dust about ready. (to students) Now, cont 'D we'll induce with sodium pentathol, (2) injected in this syringe...Okay, Nancy... NANCY (suddenly alarmed) I'm still awake, CoWANS, Not for long, dear... Nancy You promise... She looks over at Richards. RICHARDS 30 He is putting on his gown, and slipping his hands into his gloves, expertly flexino fingers in the rubber. THE ROOM 31 cowans You're going to have a nice, long, wonderful sleep...now I want you to count backward from one hundred, okay? One hundred.. ninety-nine... NANCY Ninety-nine. .ninety-eight...ninety- COWANS Great stuff, pentathol... NANCY Ninety--- She's out. Cold, cOWANS We can intubate. You see, pentathol'’s not an anaesthetic. Any pain and she'd wake right up, For anaesthesia we need ges Now I'm injecting succinylcholine, which is like curare---complete muscular paralysis. Watch her, she'll stop breathing Nancy in fact is suddenly still, Dead still, The students are tens . COWANS (relaxed, enjoying drama) She is completely paralyzed. I have about three y minutes to start breathing for her, or } she'll die. Now we intubate with ea squirt of local anaesthetic, (squirts (cont'd. )18 COWANS (cont'd) 31 needle down throat)...and now we place conr'D the larynaoscopa, visuslizing the trachee... (2) take a look here... The students look. And look... COWANS You see the trachea there---okay, come on, auys--=(as they pull hastily back) Now we slip the endotracheal tube directly down, inflate the cuff...and we're done. le hook up to our respiratory apparatus... He starts squeezing the breathing bag. Her chest inflates, COWANS And I can breathe for her, until it's time for her to come around, JONES You're giving her oxygen, COWANS Right. But I'm also...(twiddles valve) giving her nitrous oxide. During suraery I'l] probably switch over to telothane, 2 good anaesthetic agent. It isn’t strictly necessary, the uterus isn't that sensitive, but I'll do it. Cowens takes his flashlight. COWANS Now we check pupillary reflex you see, she’s responsive...A yes, is well, INSERT = PUPILLARY REFLEX 32 when light is shone on Nancy's eye, the pupil constricts, Shine away, it dilates, Shine back, it contracts. BACK TO COWANS AND STUDENTS 33 cowans So that's it. PETERS Seems like a pretty easy job. CowaNs They say anaesthesia is the easiest job in the world until something goes wrona. Ninety-nine percent boredom, and one percent scared shitless panic, (beat) which we try to avoid...ag O Richards steps up to the stirrups. a : RICHARDS ee Finished with your lecture? COWANS The patient is yours, Or. Richards. RICHARDS (taking first dilator) Now, if you students move behind me, you'll be able to see what I'm goina to do for this youno woman... A little music, please, Linda, Actually what I'm going to do for her is get her out of a hell of a mess. She's preanant and doesn’t want her husband to know, I don't approve but it's none of my business...I'm just her surgeon, 1 don't run her life... The students cluster behind him. & circulating nurse turns on a tapedeck: chamber music. ANOTHER ANGLE 34 The operation in progress. The students stare. we see no gore. COWANS AND NANCY 35 She's fine. RICHARDS AND STUDENTS 36 He passes instruments back and forth to nurse, talking. STUDENT JONES 7 Woozy, wiping forehead, THE INSTRUMENT TRAY 38 Gleaming, polished, sharp instruments. RICHARDS AND THE STUDENTS eo He works obliviously, Jones is in trouble. Richards raises a bloody hand to take the next instrument, Jones ae He shakes his head. INSTRUMENTS ON THE TABLE 4. Some are bloody, now,20 JONES 42 He reels, and suddenly collaps. RICHARDS AND THE SCRUBNURSE 43 As the second student, Peters, bends to help his friend. RICHARDS Jesus.,.better get him out of here... THE TWO STUDENTS 44 As one helps the other out, Jones is fighting neusea. They exit, RICHARDS 45 RICHARDS Terrible when you can't take the sight of a few red cells..,students have it too easy, today...not like the old days when we were going through, hell, T remember when, Richards stops. The scrubnurse has moved across the room and turned off the tapedeck. RICHARDS Something wrong? WIDE ON THE ROOM 46 Cowans looks at the monitor. COWANS She just had a PVC, And her blood pressures fallino: ninety over sixty. RICHARDS (chuckling) Well, she's fully oxygenated. Red as @ cherry down’ here... On the monitor, there are a few more PUC's, irreguier blips. COWANS How much longer? RICHARDS (unconcerned) Oh...another couple of minutes. cowans I don't like this, ®lood pressure's still falling... More PVC's on the monitor. Cowans begins to sweat.21 oO COWANS 46 } Maybe we should stop. She may be cont'D getting vagel stimulation, (2) RICHARDS Tom, you're a good man, but quit. worrying, I'm just scraping this gal's uterus. The monitor shows a spectacular run of PVC'Ss RICHARDS (stopping) Jesus Christ. They all look at the monitor, Conversation gets fast: RICHARDS What the hell's the matter? COWANS (Frantic, checking everything) I don't know what's the matter, Nothing's : the matter, RICHARDS Well something's the matter. This girl's going to arrest! COWANS (taking blood pressure) well T can't find anything wrong... RICHAROS Jesus Christ... Suddenly, the monitor becomes normal agein---normal rhythm, Everyone in the room remains tense, then relaxes. cowans Okay. Pressure's back up, one hundred over eighty, RICHARDS Let's Finish up...I want to get this mother off the table... coWANS One ten over ninety, climbing. She's okay, RICHARDS I'd hate for you to take my blood Pressure right now..,okay, these tissues can go to pathology...sponge, please COWANS ) Should I start Bringing her up?So) 22 RICHARDS 46 yeah... Just a minute more...okay... conr'p bring her out, Tom. 3) Richards steps away from the table, Cowans shakes Nancy, takes tape away from her face. Her head rolls loosely on her shoulders, COWANS Okay, young lady...(pats her cheeks) Okay...Mrs, Greenly...aive us a cough... Cowans frowns. He shines his light in her eyes. INSERT = THE EYES 47 They are maximally dilated, spooky, And fixed. WIDE ON THE ROOM 48 coWaNs Oh, Christ, Fixed dilated pupils, RICHARDS (whirling) whet? COWANS Fixed,.,dilated...oupils. Richards looks. RICHARDS (soft) Oh, my God. INT_- BASEMENT - MAINTENANCE. ARt DAY io A darkish floor, lit by harsh sources, and noisy---blowers for air conditioning, and lots of electrical hums, A maintenance man, identified by his name KELLY on his pocket, comes around with a clipboard, making notes. He stops by an electrical switchboard, checks it. Suddenly from the background a MAN emerges. He is pushing a cart with a oreen oxygen bottle on it, This man is about 40, neutral-faced, unmemorable except for a widow's peak in his hairling He has a cigarette tucked, pencil-like, behind his ear, He wears a windbreaker. He is VINCE KELLY (jumping) Scared me, Didn't know there was anyone else down’ he: VINCE Yeah. Just changing the oxygen lines.CO 23 Kelly nods, Vinee goes an. His cart creaks a little, 49 rhythmic. squeaking. conr'D @) KELLY (thinking) Oxygen lines? Down here in the basement? He looks back toward Vince with new puzzlement. INT = 8ASEMENT HALLWAY 50 Vince now squeaks away from us, going down toward an exit. We can now read the back of his windbreaker: ACME HOSPITAL SUPPLIES. SACK TO KELLY 51 He is puzzled , but finally shrugs it off, returns to work. We sense he'll forget all about it. INT = RECOVERY ROOM = DAY 52 Day or night, it dossn't matter in this low-ceilinged, windowless flourescent-1it room filled with beds. A All the patients are post-op, Mark enters the room, lifting his mask, and he walks past a SURGEON dictating his surgical notes into @ telephone, ‘le hear techtical dialogue as Mark goes forward, WARK (to Nurse) Where's Lewis? Cholecystectomy? NURSE Bed four, Mark goes over to bed four, one of a row of many beds. mR. LEWIS is orogoy, but okay, mark leans over. MARK (loudly) Hi, Mr, Lewis, This is Dr, Bellows. LewIs No need to shout. MARK How you feeling? Lewrs Okey... MARK Any pain? The questions bore Mark, He looks over at bed three, alongside him, There are EIGHT DOCTORS clustered around it, whispering,24 OC LewIs 52 No» no pain... cont 'D Q) MARK (putting on stethoscope) I want you to breathe for me... easy.,.easy,..cood... As he listens, he looks. POY MARK ~ BED THREE 53 And the doctors clustered there. They move apart: he glimpses Nancy Greenly, with lots of tubes, and an ashen color. FREEZE FRAME on her face, MARK 54 As he moves away from his petient. MARK (absently) That's real good, Mr. Lewis... He goes over to bed three. He listens to the technical talk which amounts to only one thing: Nancy Greenly is in : irreversible coma, and will be transferred to intensive cere, Mark moves away to the side desk, picks up @ phone, As he watches, Nancy Greenly is wheeled off, . mark (to phone) Pace Or. wheeler, please. INT = CLINIC ROOM = DAY 55 A beautiful BOY of about seven, very solemn, sits with his back to the wall. Susan talks to him, The boy's mOTHER stands to one side SUSAN So you see, Jimmy, your kidneys are very sick. They don’t work right. And you need an operation, where we take out the sick kidneys and put in @ new one. Jimmy Today?25 ry SUSAN 55 No, not today, because we have to conr'p wait until there is a kidney that we (2) can put in, Jrmey Tomorrow? SUSAN T don't know when it will be, It may be a while, Jimmy Can I go home now? SUSAN (glancing at mother) Well, you'll have to stay here for 2 few days, while we do some tests. Jimny (very reasonable) I don't want to stay here. Her beeper goes off, a futzed voice aiving her a number to call. She picks Jimmy up. SUSAN Now you sit right over here, and take one of these---which color do you like? She sits him on an examining table, and shows hima trey of colored lollipops. He hesitates, She dials. SUSAN (to phone) Dr. Wheeler, Jtmmy Blue. (glances at mother, who nods) SUSAN Take two, She smiles at Jimmy, Jimmy gives a conspiratorial glance, and takes two, then slips a third in his pocket, JTemy I like blue. SUSAN (to phone) Yes, Or. wheeler, yes... Yes... Her smile fades. Her eyes widen, She hangs up.26 SUSAN (struagling) 55 Jimmy, ah...(turning to Mather) Something cont 'D has...they need me in intensive care Q) the nurse will be right in...excuse me. She exits, leaving the door open. rtmy I like red, too, He stuffs another two lollipops into his shirt pocket. INT = Icu = pay 56 The ICU is restfully dark, with little pools of light over each patient. We track fark as he goes through the nursing stetion, which clows with beeping CRT's monitoring vital signs, and comes around to stand by the foot of Nancy Greenly's bed. “(we do not see Nancy.) Two RESIDENTS are already there. maRK what's her status, FIRST RESIDENT Greenly? Complete squash rot. She's a total aomer. mark ceG? SECOND RESIDENT Flat. maRK ‘las it repeated? FIRST RESHDENT what's the point, fiark? A Flat £EG is a flat E£C. It's brain death. ARK She*s a personal friend of Dr. Wheeler. BOTH RESIDENTS (simulteneously) Oh, Jesus---0h, Christe-- Has anybody told her? ARK She's been pages. She's going to take it pretty hard, INT, = HOSPITAL CORRIDOR 57 Susan running,27 INT = STAIRVELL 58 Susan takes them two at a time, Sweating, frantic. Tears in her eyes. INT = ICU. - DARK 59 There is a sepulchral atmosphere that stops Susan, as she enters the nursing station, She stands for a moment, catching her breath, ana looks at the TiO NURSES on duty, They are goino over a chart, She decides not to disturb them, She enters the ICU proper, She moves from bed to bed, HER POV = THE ICU = TRACKING SHOT 60 Intercut with SUSAN MOVING THROUGH THE ICU - TRACKING SHOT 61 as Susan moves into the dark recesses of the intensive care unit. We see SEVERAL VERY SICK PATIENTS, of all aces and sizes and sexes-~-but not Nancy Greenly.’ Finally ANGLE ON SUSAN 62 As she moves alongside Mark and the two residents, and stops. Stops cold, HER POV = NANCY GREENLY 63 A ghastly sight, tubes in arms and neck and nose and throat; hissing, clicking respirators; ashen skin; lifeless hands; closed-eyes on the slack face. Nancy looks like what she ise--2 dead person kept artifically alive. SUSAN AND THE RESIDENTS 64 She stares at Nancy, horrified and anouished: she drops her head; takes a deep breath, The residents all sort of look away. Mark wetches her. After a moment Susan looks again at Nancy, Tears in her eyes, HER POV = NANCY 65 A dreadful sight. SUSAN AND THE RESIDENTS 66 Again, she drops her head, SUSAN (low) How can this happen. She turns away, The residents look uncomfortable.28 SUSAN (very low) 66 How the fuck can this happen, CONT'D (2) And then she pulls herself together, with great effort, Fighting for control, and she turns to the residents. SUSAN Did you do an EEG? MARK (kindly) Flat. SUSAN Completely flat? FIRST RESIDENT Completely flat. SUSAN Did you repeat it? FIRST RESIDENT (careful) No,..Not yet. SUSAN What happened in the D & C? mark Nothing. Unremarkable case, according to the notes, Transient PyC’s late in the operation, Nothino else. SUSAN She never woke up? MARK (after very long beat) No. SUSAN ere's her chart? mark In the nursing station. Susan walks away from the three men, going into the nursing station behind them, She takes the chert and sits down to read, FIRST RESIDENT I think she took it very well. SECOND RESIDENT Very professional, if you ask me. Hell, if it was my friend, I don't know if I could have been that cool...29 NANCY GREENLY = PROFILE 67 She's in coma, tubes in every orifice, hissing and moving Thythmically, a body suggesting life now moving because machines and equipment prompt the movement; otherwise nothing. Her face either peaceful, or dead. INT = ICU NURSING STATION 68 The two NURSES debate the virtues and defects of a movie star. Mark enters, and moves up to Susan, who sits with her feet Propped up on a table, reading the chart. She ignores him; she ignores everything around her, and she reads with a bland concentration that seems like sleepwalking. After a moment, he walks around so that he sits near her feet, staring at her. MARK (most winning manner) Hi, baby. No answer. maRK Go easy, baby, I know she was your friend... No answer, She turns a page, She might be in a trance. mark Susan? SUSAN (bland, objective) Well, there doesn't seem to be anything Unusual in the record. Normal 28 year old patient in good health for a 0 and C, underwent — telothane anaesthesia. Comes out in irreversible coma, MARK Hey, Susan... SUSAN (as if giving a lecture) It's well documented that telothane causes liver damage and severe side effects in a small percentage of cases--- that's just the surgical risk of anaesthesia---and it affects patdents no matter what age or general health, roughly six per hundred thousend,,. maRK I know you must be upset--- (wriggles her foot)30 SUSAN 68 I'm not upset. CONT'D (2) She stares flatly at Mark, and he stares back, not sure how to deal with this. SUSAN You think because I'm a woman I'm goino to be upset. I'm fine, Mark. T simply want to understand the variables as they apply to this patient, I'm sure you agree that's indicated... MARK (low) This patient... SUSAN (pointing to chart) Here we have an ordinary, rather un- interesting case of surgical reaction to telothane anaesthesia in a healthy patient... MARK Susan... SUSAN So far as I can determine, there are Ro unusual aspects, except thet the patient was tissue-typed. maRK Tissue-typed for a D and C? It must be a mistake, SUSAN Here it is, No name on the slip, and no billing number, MARK (coming around to look) Well, it's not the first time a lab test was ordered on the wrong person, (strokes hair) You're tired, baby, Let's go home, SUSAN I think I better check the tissue typing lab. MARK why? She gets up, replaces the chart in the rack, She doesn't answer, Her back is to him, MARK (gently) Nancy's problem wasn't caused by a ( wrong lab test,308 SUSAN (flat) 68 I know, conr'p @) mark vlel1? (long beat, as he stares at her) You're grabbing at straws, Sue. You know that. she still faces the charts, She takes a deep breath. Finally she turns, a little defiantly. WARK (gently) Let's get some dinner. susan I'm not hungry. MARK You can check the lab tomorrow, SUSAN (very deliberate) fark, I wish you would stop acting as if there were something wrong with me, or the way I am thinking, I am going to check the leb now. mark They're closed. SUSAN (collecting purse) I'm not just going to sit here, maRK Susan, the lab is closed, They close at six. fiark watches her go, and turns away, NURSE Is she all rioht? MARK Yeah, She's just...She has to do things her way. He stands there, surrounded by the beeping monitors of the ICu, but he's worried. INT_= TISSUE TYPING LAR 69 The rows of lab benches are deserted, we hear a low MOANING and sighing. Then we hear the BANG of a closing door. The moaning and sighing stops; whispers. & head pokes up from the floor between one of the rows of tables---a MAN, about forty, wearing a labcoat.CO 32 MAN (irritably) 69 Who's that? cont’ 2 He sees Susen, her back turned to him, Susan is looking at 7) a book. SUSAN (not turning) or, Wheeler. man We close at six, doctor. We don't do any determinations after six. The man now stands, arranging his clothes. A pretty FEMALE TECHNICIAN stands up, Fusses with her hair, SUSAN I want to look at your requisition book, The man and woman exchange glances. The man comes over, maN That door's supposed to be locked. SUSAN It was open, (flipping pages) what does it mean when there's no physician name and no requisition number on tle eb slip? ‘maN There's always a name op a number. Otherwise how would we bill the patient? SUSAN Well, here for example. Patient Nancy Greenly, you did tissue typing yesterday, but there’s no physician number and no billing number. MAN (looking) well, it's perfectly obvious, Just look. INSERT = THE 800K = SHOWING THE SLIP 70 And several others, as comparisons, pasted inside. This slip is typed out, man (over) It's been printed out by computer. SUSAN AND THE MAN n32 SUSAN n oo. conr'D (2) man It's hospital policy, A certain number of tests are randomly ordered by computer, as a check on quality. we do the tests, and they're also repeated by an outside lab. SUSAN You're saying the computer ordered this test? man (shrugging) sure. Susen pauses thoughtfully, The man glances at his technician, who's annoyed. MAN Doctor, it's a little late SUSAN Sorry, She exits, The man watches her go, then turns to the technician. GIRL (irritable) This time will you lock the door? (beat) Typical doctor, married to their work, that’s all they ever think about... I was her, I wouldn't be hanging around here all night, I can tell you AN (randy) Hey, baby... GIRL Day and night, work..,They're all crazy...No feelings, did you s No feelings, her? The man ‘stares at her, realizing their moment is past. She is putting on lipstick, making kissing movements, locking in @ compact mirror, INT = COMPUTER CENTER - NIGHT n It's a large modern room with about 20 consoles, each with a desk, a CRT, and a telephone, 411 but one console is deserted. Susan enters, The solitary TECHNICIAN, @ young man of 25, is sort of surfer-cute. He's working hard, with a stack of charts before him, entering data into the computer banks.33 In a LONG SHOT, Susan walks over and makes preliminary 2 conversation which we do not hear. cont'd (2) CLOSER ON THEM 73 TECHNICIAN Can't this wait until morning, or. Wheeler? There's only one: person on duty between now and 7AM, and I'm usually pretty busy, SUSAN (touching his shoulder) I really appreciate your help. It's important. TECHNICIAN (noticing touch) well, of course, if it's important, if it involves a patient... SUSAN (intense) It is important. I need to understend. (cooler) This computer orders lab tests on patients, is thet right? TECHNICIAN Yes, That's one of its functions, SUSAN why would the computer order a lab test on a particular patient? TECHNICIAN No reason, (seeing Susan's confusion) If the computer ordered it, it's random, SUSAN I don't understand. TECHNICIAN There's nothing to understand: it's a random selection. Certain incoming patients have certain tests ordered at random, There's no meaning to it. SUSAN No meaning....How can you be sure, TECHNICTAN Because that's the way the computer is programmed, There's no pattern--- it's complete chance. SUSAN Complete chance--- TECHNICIAN Yeah.34 ISAN (thinking) 73 But if 1 flipped a coin, it could Conn coma up heads several times in @ row, w there's 2 pattern, even though it's ‘chance... TECHN ICTAL Right, aut the computer's beyond coins, or dice, or anything human, The computer works from tables of random numbers out to nine digits, Only a computer can da it--- it's far beyond anything humanly possible, SUSAN You're sure there is no pattern? TECHNICIAN Nine digits? Even if there was 2 pattern it would take another computer to detect’ it, SUSAN (jumping) So maybe there is a pattern, Isn't that what you're saying? TECHNICIAN No way. This computer hes been programmed to have no pattern, and it has no pattern, It's just a machine: it does what it's told. SUSAN (stil1-hoping) But there minht be e pattern... TECHNICIAN (shaking head) You don't understand... : SUSAN «Supposing you ran off all the patients who had computer-ordered lab tasts in the last twenty-four hours. TECHNICTAN You'd never find a pattern, believe me. SUSAN Well, supposing you just show me. TECHNICIAN I can't, That information isn't coded. SUSAN why not? TECHNICIA# (shrugging) It just ism’t coded, ang if it isn't coded, we can't pull it out. J mean, hho would over punt. that infaramtions-=35 SUSAN 2 Well, supposing I wanted a list of all cont'D the patients who had tigsue-typing in the <3) last month. TECHNICIAN Same thing, Not coded. You could go to the tissue lab and check their records--- SUSAN (growing frustration) ---All right, supposing I wanted a list of all surgical’ patients who had telothane anaesthesia in the lest six months---No? TECHNICIAN (shaking head) Anaesthesia's not coded, SUSAN Well, what do you do here, anyway? what good is all this equipment? I thought you recorded lots of information--- TECHNICIAN crWe do, But mostly we use this system for billing patients. So we code patient name, patient number, medical or surgical admission diagnosis, therapy, and discharge diagnosis. Then we'code~-- SUSAN ---Okay, wait a minute. Supposing I : wanted all the surgical patients with discharge diagnoses of coma, You can do that? TECHNICIAN (shooting glance) It depends..,(consults code book) We code one general catecory of coma and nine subcategories under brain syndromes, acute and chronic. SUSAN Okay, then you can give me a list of all the patients with the general category Of coma in the past year. You can do that, right? TECHNICIAN (after beat) You sure you want it? CLOSE ON THE COMPUTER PRINTOUT 74 As it comes from the machine at very hich speed, printing dozens and dozens of names in long rows of data---there are ( well over 200 names on the list,358 SUSAN AND TECHNICIAN 15 She looks with dismay. He tears off the sheet and hands it to her, SUSAN I had no idea, TECHNICIAN Lot of patients get treated in this hospitel. Lot of them don't turn out so well, She looks at the sheet, TECHNICIAN (looking at her) You married, or what?358 INT = ICU - NIGHT 16 TRACKING A NURSE As she comes around, checking IV lines, She stops at Nancy Greenly's bed, checks the lines and eyas, then moves on, back to the nursing station, She passes Susan wheeler, working with the computer printout, Susan is crossing off names, and writing in her notebook. STAY WITH SUSAN, as she yawns, sits back in her chair, The monitors beep all around her. EXT - BOSTON SKYLINE = DAUN 7 A baleful red sun rises over the city. INT = ICU = DAWN 78 tuted light falls on Nancy Greenly, NURSING STATION 79 The same light falls on Susan wheeler, asleep in her chair, as dead in her own way as Nancy. The computer printout is beside her. A HAND reaches into the shot, and slides the printout from under her arm, gently. She doesn't seem to Teact for a moment, then sort of shudders, blinks, opens her eyes. She looks up. mark 80 He is standing beside her, looking at the printout. MARK (very concerned) what's all this? SUSAN AND MARK 7 81 SUSAN (yawning) All the surgical coma patients for the past twelve months--- MARK =-cuhere'd you get this? SUSAN The night technician ran it off for ma. MARK Jesus, Susan, don't you know that's against the law? It's illegal to just tap a data bank, SUSAN I don't see why, I'ma doctor at the hospital. 1 have a research interest.38 Rounds are being mad white, maRK a Gaby, you know, Every house officer got ae the lecture From Harris last year. No ere access without authorization, You could 7 get thrown off the staff for this, SUSAN (standing up) Well never mind that... MARK (truly horrified) Never mind? SUSAN (pointing to list) Look right here: there's two hundred and forty names, but ten are young people, admitted for minor procedures, and they came out in a coma, Look, appendectomy... breast biopsy,..distel fracture...Over @ year, ten people, MAKR So what? SUSAN You're not surprised? MARK No. You shouldn't be, either, (genuinely concerned) Susan, what's the matter with you? You missed rounds today, and you were supposed to scrub in on Chandler's subtotal gastrectomy, SUSAN T had to do somethina, Merk. mark How about getting back to work? INT = HOSPITAL ROOM ~ LATER 82 tots yPreviously seen, lots of doctors in They are clustered around the bed’ of Sean tturphy. CHANDLER Now, that we have Or. Wheeler back, Derhaps she'll tell us about mr, murphy. SUSAN Mr. Murphy is @ 35 year old architect in good health admitted for a lateral meniscetomy on the right knee. He's supposed to be operated on today,37 MURPHY (grinning) Promises, promises... They keep telling me there's a delay, another half hour The suspense is killing me. I though surgeons liked to operate. you CHANDLER We'll get to you, MURPHY I'd hate to be left out. CHANDLER How'd you get your injury, mr. murohy? Murphy Playing touch football with some of tne guys, you know, horsing around... while he talks VOICE says: " in his office.” rT, Wheeler, see Or. Harris, See Dr. 82 cont'D (2) Susan's beeper goes off; the transmitter Harris All the residents hear it, Conversation stops. Heads turn. A moment of frozen silence, CHANOLER The Chief of Surgery himself. Good luck, Susan leaves. CHANDLER $0, playing touch football, huh? mURPHY Yeah, so I come in, but all that happens is they come in and give shots and take blood, give shots and teke more blood... Murphy is joking; Susan is orim as she leaves. INT = CHIEF OF SURGERY'S OUTER OFFICE It_is plush, wood-panelled, a contrast to the steril 83 fe stark- ness of the hospital. Susan sits, leaning beck, waiting. Across from her, a SECRETARY of about 35, one of those handsome~but-no-nonsense-efficient people, types wit! phones. After a moment THREE MEN come in. Two are in overalls, and they lug a heavy metal rectangle. is in a suit: he is WR, OREN, the hospital director. SECRETARY (removing phones) Good morning, Mr. Oren. h ear~ WORKMEN The third38 OREN = Morning, Mary, I thought or. Harris would Conz. want to see the plaque for the new wing. (2) Oren gestures to his workmen, they swing it around so mary (and the camera) can see it,’ It's gleaming raised bronze. Gren reads it: OREN "The Carpenter Building, erected in Memory of Mrs. Louise Carpenter of foston, through a donation to the Surgical Department of Dr. G.H. Harris.” Nice, huh? SECRETARY He may not approve. Oren looks a little crestfallen. SECRETARY ' He'll be out of his meeting in a minute. Oren glences at Susan, OREN (smiling) Even the director of the hospital has to wait for the Chief of Surcery. SECRETARY He'll only be @ moment, At that moment, @ rear door opens, and DR. HARRIS appears, with another senior PHYSICIAN. The physician wears a long labcoat. Harris wears an extremely well-cut three-piece suit, He shakes hands; the physicien leaves, and Harris comes forward, HARRIS Well, Charlie Oren, (shaking hands) And what's this? OREN The plaque for the new Carpenter wing, HARRIS Uh-huh...(reading, frowning) Charlie, I thought we discussed this...my name shouldn't be there OREN You're the most successful fund-raiser in the history of the Memorial Hospital, and here you got us a grant of thirty-five million dollars, your name should be--~ HARRIS (shaking head) ) : sz-No. I'm just doing my job. It's inappropriate, Charlie.39 OREN 83 You want us to do it again? CONT'D Qa) HARRIS I'm afraid you'll have to. we can discuss it at lunch tomorrow, (to Susan) would you come in now, please? Susan gets up and goes into the inner office. Oren and his workmen carry off the plaque, Oren shaking his head. As Susan goes in, Harris closes the door behind them both CHIEF OF SURGERY. DR. HARRIS. INT > INNER OFFICE OF DR. HARRIS 84 If possible, it is even more plush than the outer office, but it is tasteful, in no way aaudy, Gn the walls hang photos of Harris with Presidents and senators; diplomas and awards; and so on. The desk is lerge and bare. Susan stands there as Harris moves behind the desk. Their personal relationship is submerged here. HARRIS (neutral) Sit down, Sue, They both sit, HARRIS You've presented me with something of @ problem, The intercom buzzes, SECRETARY (futz) I'm sorry, Or. Harris, It's Senator Brooke's office, he wonders can you change the meetine from three to four this afternoon, HARRIS Four is fine, Wotify Henry of the change, will you? SECRETARY Yes, sir, Click off, HARRIS (after beat) I like to think that the Boston Memorial is the best hospital in this city. Perhaps in the country. I'm committed to the hospital, to the house staff we have here, and to you. (beat) I think you know that, Sut we have certain (cont'd. )40 HARRIS (cont'd. ) 84 constraints imposed on us, rules thet conr'D we haven't made, but must respect. We have (2) to operate within those constraints, Susan says nothing, she just watches. A pause That puts She does, HARRIS One is the state law respecting privacy and computer bank access, We knew that an unauthorized entry was made last night. We have already put the young man involved on probation. (puzzled) Sut he told us he made the entry on your behalf, it's her turn to talk, SUSAN That's true, sir, HARRIS (finding it hard to believe) All the discharce discnoses of coma over a twelve-month periad? SUSAN That's right. HARRIS I've talked to Dr. Chandler, 1 gather you have a personal reason for being under stress, For not acting as..,carefully as you might have. ...I'm sympathetic to the way you must be feeling over the Greely? Greenly case. I certainly don't went to lose @ good house officer. a chill through her. HARRIS I think we can handle it, Sue, First of all, do you have the printout? and hands it to him, He glances at it. HARRIS I'll keep...(smiling a little)...the evidence. And we'll just overlook the whole matter, But I'd also like you to see somebody, I was thinking of Or. Morton. SUSAN (quickly) I'm fine, Or. Harris. I don't need to see @ shrink,4a. HARRIS 84 I'm sure you're fine, Aut I think it cont'D would be,.,useful...for you to have @ Q) conversation with Gob Morton, SUSAN Well, I don't see why... HARRIS (gently) ++eActually, it would be a precondition to your continuing on, here at the Memorial, Is that acceptable? SUSAN Yes, sir, Harris stands, so does she, HARRIS I want to emphasize, Susan, that 1 have the oreatest faith in you, in your past record and your future promise as an excellent and responsible suraeon, From time to time, everyone has these little problems...I'm here to help, in any wey I can, I hope you'll remember that. He has walked her to the door, now shakes hands. He gives her a hearty, paternal, chin-up smile, She smiles back. INT_» PSYCHIATRIS: OFFICE 85 Susen sits and talks to OR, MORTON, @ fortyish rumpled looking man who listens and smokes a cigarette, SUSAN well, I think it's unfair, that's all, Everybody's on my back about this. mean, there's Mark, whining about how T can't make @ committment and I'm cold and I'm afraid of intimacy, and I want 2 wife...And then this thing happens to Nancy, and she's my best friend, just about---T've known her since boarding school, Nancy---and then everybody jumps on my back, and acts like I'm neurotic or somethino, and I'm not doing my job. ORTON I think there's concern about breakina the law. SUSAN I didn't know T was.cy 42 MORTON Every staff member knows the rules about computer data, ‘We all signed a statement last year. Didn't you sign a statement? susAN I...1 don't remember. moRTON And you went to the data bank in the middle of the night, when there was only one person on duty... SUSAN I wanted to do somethina, do something right away, T just couldn't sit there and look at Nancy. MORTON And then you missed rounds, and failed to scrub in on a case the next day.e. SUSAN I overslept, it's no big deal. (seeing Morton's blank stare) People do oversleen. mORTON Do you often oversleep? SUSAN OF course not. Morton just stares, SUSAN But I just wanted to know what happened to Nancy, Nobody else in the hospital seems to care, moRTON I doubt that nobody else cares, SUSAN Listen, I checked, and there have been ten cases of unexplained coma in youna healthy people in the last year. Now don't you think that's surprising? moron No. SUSAN (throwing up hands) NOveee 85 conr'D (2)43 MORTON Susan, This hospital does thirty thousand operations a year, I'm not surprised that a few turn out with serious, unexplained side effects. Wedicine isn't perfect. We all know that, accept that, Don't we? Susan sighs elaborately, MORTON I'm concerned about a pattern of behavior here. Isn't it possible that your uncertainty about making a committment to your relationship with mark is. being compensated for by...an excessive and possibly self-destructive- zeal to pursue this question of Nancy? SUSAN I don't think so. MORTON (very reasonable) are you sure? SUSAN No. I'mnot sure. I'm not sure, > moron I think you should 90 easy on yourself fora while, Just carry out your duties, get more rest, Susan, INT_- HOSPITAL CORRIDOR norton and Harris walk along, talking. MORTON Basically, there's a crisis in her personal life, she's involved with one of your residents, Mark Sellows-~~ : HARRIS -+-uh-huh-=- MORTON s-rand it's led her to overreact to this orief situation, which she hasn't consciously faced, She's under stress, and a little paranoid. HARRIS Well, do you think we're ooing to have more trouble with her in the future? mORTON I don't think so, a5 conr'D 3) 8644 INT - MAINTENANCE ROOM - AASEMENT a7 Kelly and another MAINTENANCE MAN are talking. man ++.50 the girl says, aee, the weather report says only three to five inches tomorrow, And the quy says, well, 1 can quarantee you seven inches tonight! Kelly and the man laugh. In the background, the Acme man, Vince, wheels out another oxygen bottle, Kelly glances at hims the other man doesn't notice. maN well, try this one: There's an Italian guy, see, and he loves this crazy Polack airi INT = SURGICAL FLOOR a8 Susan and merk walk along, mark 50 you feel better? SUSAN Yeah. I hate to admit.it, but I do. I think I was just...upset about Nancy. I really didn't know what I was doing. maRK You on call tonight? (she nods) So am I, How about @ terrific dinner just the two of us---in the hospital cafeteria, SUSAN (arinning) Sounds areat. mark About eleven? SUSAN You got a date INT RECOVERY ROOM 89 They are just moving through its lots of activity here, with post-op patients; nurses coughing them, doctors examining them, bleeping monitors, MARK (leaning close) As a matter of fact, maybe afterwards you could meet me in that room up on the eigth floor,45 SUSAN (smiling) 89 Oh mark... conn! 2. mark (only half serious) 2 No, really, nobody's ever up there after midnight. They are not arm-in-arm, but they might ae well be, having this private conversetion in @ public place. They aren't paying much attention to their surroundinas. Then Susen stops by one bed, surrounded by a cluster of doctors. HER POV - THE SED 90 FIVE WORRIED DOCTORS around it blocking the patient. Their postures and manner conveys grimness. One seems to be in charge, @ severe, almost ascetic looking man, DR. GEORGE. He is the chief of anaesthesiologys right now he is chewing out @ youna anaesthetist, OR, GOODMAN, GEORGE And when did you administer the additional dosaae? GOODMAN Right after the onset of cardiac irritability. The surgeon said he was too light. Gorse Surgeons don't know anything about anaesthesia, How much did you give. Goopman Two cc's push. GEORGE yas that wise? coooman I thought so at the time, As the camera tracks, we see the patient, It is murphy, the knee case. He's in coma, lots of tubes. SUSAN AND MARK 91 He looks at Susan, He looks at what Susan is moving toward now: the new coma case, MURPHY'S BEDSIDE 92 As Susen comes up, and stares at Murphy, hearing the conversation of the others, TWO NEUROLOGISTS examine the patient while others talk.46 Goopman There was no reason to believe there might be any other problem, he just seemed light irritability, and maybe a little cardiac some PVC's in runs... GEORGE Slood pressure? Transient hypotension, down to ninety over sixty. coopman GEORGE ---then perhaps--- coopman --but never any sion of hypoxia, Skin color and blood in the field were ell red and fully oxygenate, No reason to invoke ischemia, Susan just stares, mark comes alongside her. NEUROLOGIST (Looking up) well, the pupils are fixed and dilated, Babinski is strong, tendon reflexes are hypotonic. we'll wait for the EEG but 1 must presume brain death. You see any teletion to your other case? GEORGE Completely different: different staff, different anaesthetic agents, 1 don't know how to explain it, Come on, Sue, Warkeses Come on, Sue SUSAN AND maRK As he leads her away, maRK (to Susan) susan maRK 92 conr'D (@) 93>) 47 SUSAN Mark, it happened again. MARK That's Or. Georce, the head of anaesthesia, It's under control. Come on,. OUTSIDE THE RECOVERY Roor A corridor; they talk alongside a big sign that says ROOF with an arrow, US AN ut you can't just look the other way--- mark ---Nobody's looking the other way--~ SUSAN -=-3ut twice, in two days, Mark it's not naturel--~ WARK (trying to reason with a disturbed woman) ss-Honey. Listen to me. A certain number of cases SUSAN s-+I know all that. I know, gut two in tuo days mark 2 It's like flipping a coin. It comes up heads half the time, but you can still have it come up tails ten times in @ row. Twice in two days is just our bad luck. You know that. She stares at him, uncertain, MARK Did Dr. Harris take that computer printout? 93 conr'D (2) 94 RECOVERY (she nods) All right, Then forget about it, Sue, The hospital hes review boards and committees, and it'll be looked into, You have a job 'to do, Forget about this, SUSAN You're right. maRK Good girl. 1°11 see you at dinner.48 He leaves, She takes out her notebook She opens it to a 94 page. CONT'D (2) INSERT - NOTEBOOK 95 There is one page with ten names, and hospital numbers, She adds two: Nancy Greenly, and Sean Murphy, SUSAN oe As she pauses, and snaps the notebook shut, we hear a BANGING SOUND. INT - RACQUETBALL COURT - DAY oT A BALL COMING TOWARD US (SLOW MOTION) It comes toward camera, coming right at the lens, growing in size,a floating mysterious object with a sizzling, whizzing sound, @ hissing menacing object and then it bounces off glass in front of camera and we are in A GAME IN PROGRESS (NORMAL SPEED) 98 Susan and ANOTHER GIRL play, wearing white shorts and shirts, One wall of the court is glass. The came is furious end fast. A point is made, Susan looks teward her clothes, in one corner. HER POV = HER CLOTHES 99 Alongside them, the notebook. BACK TO THE GAME 100 GIRL Ready? SUSAN Ready. Play recommences, Again with a kind of fury. Susan plays very hard, ‘almost viciously; she's trying to oet something out of, her system. The play breaks agains aoain she looks at ber notebook, and then the.game continues. END OF THE GAME 101 Susan and the other girl lean against the class, panting. GIRL You were really out for blood, today, SUSAN Felt good. GIRL Want to go another set?ag SUSAN (looking at notebook) 101 +I have things to do, conr'D 2) INT = HOSPITAL RECORDS SECTION 102 A very large, sprawling sort of library where all the hospital charts are stored. ATTENDANTS are working on ladders, etc. to pull charts for people who want them: or they are talkino on the phone, and so on, It's a hectic place. Susen is aver in one corner, consulting her notebook and Filling out slips of paper.’ Finally she goes over to the desk, where a GO0KISH MAN is in attendance. SUSAN Hie MAN Afternoon, Doctor, You want to pull these charts? SUSAN (giving him slips) Please. man Eddie? Eddie, where are---just a minute. He walks off, She watches. He takes the first slip, goes into the stacks, climbs a little ladder, rummages, comes back. maN This first patient, The chart is signed out to Dr. George, Chief of anaesthesioloay. SUSAN All right. Get the others. He goes off. She waits, She watches. He checks the second location, no chart, Then he checks the third location. Then he disappears from view, SUSAN WAITING 103 with increasing impatience. She gets a beeper call; answers on the phone, SUSAN (after dialling) or, wheeler, 1 know there's a conference, but...I'm tied up with a patient now... Where?...I'm in the emergency ward yes, it's very important... She hangs up as the man comes back. man That's funny, All of these charts are signed out to Or. Groror.50 BARKING DOGS IN CAGES 104 A bizarre shot: the dogs bark vigorously, but we heer nothing at all, no sound. MALE VOICE OVER I must say, this is all highly irreqular. Highly irreoular. Then a soundproof alass door opens, and Susan and Or. George walk away from ys, through a doq lab, We now hear the dogs barking. The door shuts? silence again, INSIDE THE Lag 205 A kind of kennel. Barking is very loud. Susan and George walk alono. GEORGE You must forgive me if I feel as though Iam induloing you, Dr. wheeler, What did you say you were? As he speaks, he pauses at one cage, pets a dog. GEORGE Q00H, hellow, baby, sweet baby, you're doina fine, aren't you, just up and around in no time... SUSAN Third year surgical resident. GEORGE (walking on) I. see. You have @ special interest in this situation? SUSAN Yes. GEORGE ummm. INSIDE ANOTHER LAS aoe This is a regular biochemical lab with long benches of reagent-proof stone, and bubbling liquid in complex glassware. Three pretty EURASTAN TECHNICIANS work here.., Also we see Kelly repairing @ wall outlet in a corner. George and Susan enter, ALL TECHNICIANS TOGETHER Good afternoon, Dr. George. GEORGE Afternoon, staff.51 Susan blinks at this little display. George leads her to 2 196 corner. CONT'D GEORGE 2 We run a happy lab here, a precise lab. Nothing left to chance, no mistakes, The charts are here, He points to a stack of ten. GEORGE So you see, there's no mystery, They're right here. Now, what is it you want, SUSAN I'd like to look at them. GEORGE For what reason, SUSAN I'm interested in unexplained coma followina routine surgery. GEORGE You're interested, SUSAN yes. GEORGE Young lady, I an more than interested, My anaesthesiology staff is’ more interested, We are intensely, deeply concerned. SUSAN I understand your feelings. GEORGE se-I'm not sure you do--. SUSAN ‘but perhaps something was missed--- GEORGE Missed? Every professor of anaesthesia, most of our house staff More then forty expert people have aone over these charts, And you think some- thing was missed? SUSAN I know it sounds silly, but if anything links them all together---52 GEORGE 106 if anything linked them all together, conr'D we'd know it, But there are ten cases--~ (3) now twelve---and look at them. Different ages and sexes. Different surgeons, different anaesthetists. Different operations. Different anaesthetic agents, different methods of induction. These cases share nothing in common, except they all emerced with unexplained coma, Sut we are certainly not neglecting the problem. SUSAN I didn't say you were. (beat) Do you mind if 1 just have @ look at the charts? GEORGE I'm afraid I do mind. 1 mind very much, SUSAN (surprised) well, GEORGE Thank you for your interest, however misplaced, Dr. wheeler. Good afternoon, She stares, then turns and leaves. As she goes out, we briefly hear barking dogs, Once she is gone, the technicians come to stand behind George, in a kind of show of solidarity all except Kelly, who is working on the outlet. SUSAN EXITING THE 006 LAB 207 Walking down the rows of barking dogs, away from us. INT = HOSPITAL CAFETERIA ~ NIGHT 108 CLOSE ON MARK He holds his head in his hands. maRK Oh, my God, you didn't... (looking up) How could you do that? SUSAN AND MARK — In a-corner of the room. SUSAN I wanted to see the charts. MARK But don't you understand?...Jesus, Dr. George himself, Susan, he's the (cont'd.)53 MARK (cont'd. ) 108 Past president of the American Society cont'D Of Anaesthesiologists, he's a member of (2) the triple-AS, the advisory board of the NIH... And you told him he might be doing his job wrong. susan I just wanted to see the charts. mark But that's not your area, It's not your responsibility, You're way off base.. 00 you know who his wife is? SUSAN I don't care- mark =--well you should, his wife is Amy Cabot and she's related to Godfrey Lowell, and he's half-owner of Amerin Copper and Mining--- SUSAN =--I don't care about this Soston society--- mark Or, George's wife is worth sonewhere between fifty and @ hundred million end her family is worth twice that and when she dies, that money is going to go some- where. Why do you think George is chief of anaesthesia here? They were going to give it to Perkins but George’s wife is worth so much money... suSAN So what, MARK So Dr. George has a lot of muscle in this hospital. He's the wrong man to cross. Jesus. You're really getting into a mess. susaN Afraid to be seen with me? mark Susan. Please, Try to understand. susAN It seems to me everyone's forgetting @ very important fact. Twelve people are in coma,© 54 maRK 109 Nobody's Forgetting that fact---least conr'D of ell Or. George... He's (beat) qoino @) to make a lot of trouble for you. INT = DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY 110 Susan sits in Oren’s office. It {s panelled, but is not as large or as opulent as Harris's office. Oren is anary. OREN There are meny ways for a youna person such as yourself to get ahead...to make points. Sometimes they are at the expense of the system, and the institution which is furthering your education, trying to make you into a physician of excellence and quality. So, (rearing us.) Tell me. who are you working for. SUSAN (astounded) who am I working for? OREN (almost pitying) I'm not a fool, Dr. Wheeler, You think I don't know the stakes? Of course I do. This hospital does an operation every eight minutes, Thirty-thousend a year, And we take~. jecause we think it is our duty---very sick patients, dying patients, hopeless patients. We do the best we can, We don't turn them away, because we're afraid we micht be sued. Her eyes widen, OREN ut I'm afraid we might be sued. Do you know our malpractice insurance costs? we pay two million dollars @ year in mal- practice coverage alone--- SUSAN ss-if you're saying--- oreN =-and, and, that's cheap, It might be ten times thet. Do you know why it isn't more? Because the Goston Memorial Hospitel has an unimpeachable reputation, a world-wide reputation. We aren't sued, SUSAN Oren--~55 INT = ICU _- DAY OREN 10 ce-but I know about those lawyers, and cont'p their private jets and their weekends in (2) the Bahamas. You're not the first house officer that's been wooed, that's been asked to get the inside information, SUSAN Do you think there's malpractice in these coma cases? OREN No, but that isn't the issue. We're not looking to win cases, We're looking to avoid lawsuits, and that's different. Now: who's hired you, SUSAN Nobody. OREN I promise you, I will do everything in my power to retain you on the staff of this hospital, if you just give me the name of the person=-- SUSAN s--Mr, Oren, Nobody asked me to do this. That's the truth, OREN The truth,.....If that's all you have to say, I'm afraid your situation here at the Memorial is very precarious indeed. I don't know what can be done. ql SUSAN where's Greenly? NURSE That coma case? She was due to be transferred today to the Jefferson Institute, I guess she went there. (as another nurse comes in) Hey, Liz, did Greenly in bed four go to Jefferson? LIZ (absently) Naw, didn't make it. She arrested at six this morning. She's down in patholooy, SUSAN (stunned) Down in patholoay?