new scene, 1st draft as always

(NURSE 2 enters the room. DR. X is handcuffed to the bed. They look at each other for a long time. Neither of them moves. Then, finally, NURSE 2 approaches.) NURSE 2 I have medication for you. It’ll allow you to sleep. DR. X It’s you. NURSE 2 Yes. DR. X It’s really you. NURSE 2 Yes. DR. X I can’t believe it. NURSE 2 I didn’t know if you’d know me. DR. X I couldn’t ever forget you. NURSE 2 I thought you might. DR. X I thought I’d never see you again. NURSE 2 Me either. DR. X You’re all I think about. Day and night. Afternoon. Morning. When I’m dreaming. When I’m awake. When I’m loading my syringe or washing the dishes. When I’m thinking about getting a cat, really I’m thinking about you. I do it all for you. NURSE 2 I wish you would stop. DR.X If I can’t have love, no one can. NURSE 2 That seems unfair. DR.X Tell me--What is your name? NURSE 2 You don’t know? DR.X No. NURSE 2 Well, let’s keep it this way. DR. X Why is it I can’t remember your name, yet all I think of is you? NURSE 2 Maybe it’s because I hit you on the head. DR.X You did? NURSE 2 Before I left. DR. X Oh. NURSE 2 You were sleeping so peacefully. I wrote the note and I put it where I thought you would see it. DR. X You didn’t sign it. NURSE 2 I thought it was a very polite note but I thought maybe you didn’t necessarily understand polite based on my past experiences with you. So I hit you over the head with a frying pan just to be sure you got the message. You didn’t wake up so I hit you again just to be sure. Then I checked your vitals and everything was OK so I went to work. And I never saw you again. Now it turns out you’re Dr. X. DR.X And you’re, Molly? NURSE 2 No. DR.X Sylvia? NURSE 2 No. DR.X Gertrude. NURSE 2 No. DR.X Betsy? NURSE 2 Listen, I’m not going to tell you. In fact I’m thinking of hitting you over the head again just to make sure you don’t remember that I work here. DR.X Why didn’t it work out between us? NURSE 2 It just didn’t. DR. X Your face. NURSE 2 Please don’t say it. DR.X It’s like a plate. NURSE 2 Oh, God. DR. X I may be handcuffed to the bed right now, but that won’t always be the case. We can run off together. You could even help me escape. NURSE 2 I’m going to transfer to a different hospital. DR. X Don’t do that. NURSE 2 I might move to a different state. DR. X We could move together. NURSE 2 This is the last time you’ll see me. DR. X You don’t know that. No one ever knows that. NURSE 2 I’ll make sure this time. DR. X No. NURSE 2 It was good to see you. I think I had to see you. I had to know. Now I know I made the right decision. DR. X No! NURSE 2 Good bye Dr. X. DR. X Nooooo! (NURSE 2 exits.) DR. X Noooo! Come back! Come back.

new scene, first draft as always

17 (NURSE 1 is eating doughnuts. NURSE 2 and 3 watch.) NURSE 2 You’ve been eating lots of doughnuts. NURSE 1 Not really. NURSE 3 Yes, really. NURSE 1 I know but I have good reasons. NURSE 2 What’s a good reason to eat so many doughnuts. NURSE 1 You know why I do it. It’s him. NURSE 3 You’re eating too many. It’s not good for you. that many doughnuts takes a toll on your heart. I know you think you can hurt your heart, get your arteries clogged, have a heart attack so he’ll operate on you, but that’s not the way. That way will lead you to nowhere but pain. NURSE 2 You need to let up on the doughnuts. We’ve all noticed. It’s become too much. We’re concerned. NURSE 1 You’re concerned? NURSE 2 This is an intervention. NURSE 1 It is? NURSE 3 Miriam wanted to come but she’s in surgery. NURSE 1 With a doctor. NURSE 2 Yes. NURSE 1 That you for your intervention. I’m touched. I’m warmed. My heart . . . But I don’t know how to fill myself if I stop eating doughnuts. I’m afraid I will cease to exist if I stop eating even for a minute. NURSE 2 We’re here to help you. NURSE 3 Tell us what you want us to do. NURSE 2 We can go out for a healthy lunch. Together. Would you like that? NURSE 1 OK. (Enter PETER, ecstatic) PETER It works! The heart works! (PETER hugs the NURSES, jumps up and down in celebration.) PETER The heartbeat is so strong, much stronger than I thought it would be. NURSE 1 That’s great! PETER I have to go tell Lisa! (PETER exits running.) (NURSE 1 breaks down and sobs. NURSE 2 offers her a doughnut.) NURSE 3 OK. It’s OK. We can have the intervention tomorrow.

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a new scene. as always, this is a first draft. 5 (In the hospital, the NURSES stand around talking. PETER is visible in a space behind them, working on an artificial heart with a screwdriver.) NURSE 1 Is he in there again? NURSE 2 Yeah. Never eats or sleep, just plays with that damn heart. NURSE 3 Does it work? NURSE 2 Not yet. NURSE 1 If he’s fiddling around with that, he doesn’t have to deal with the world outside or with real problems or with other people. NURSE 2 He’s solving a real problem. You’re not being fair. NURSE 1 I don’t want to be fair to him. He’s never been fair to me. NURSE 3 Can you say that? Can you really say that? NURSE 1 If he’d been fair to me, He would have let me kiss him under the mistletoe at the Christmas party. He would have smiled back more, he would have frowned less. He would have taken the time to notice my body instead of looking away. He’s never been fair to me, so he doesn’t know what could have happened. NURSE 2 He has a higher calling. NURSE 1 He has an escape hatch. I wish I had one. I would have liked to find it in his lips. (The NURSES sigh in unison) NURSE 3 His lips. NURSE 2 His lips. PETER Dammit! Why won’t you beat? Beat! Beat! (PETER fiddles with it some more.) NURSE 1 I’ve seen him in there, you know. With the heart. Shimmying his screwdriver between the chambers. PETER Beat, dammit. Beat. NURSE 1 He wants the heart to beat for him, but a heart will only beat for who a heart beats for. NURSE 3 Isn’t that the truth?