Good Blood Bad Blood

ENRIQUE:

Dump her, goddamn it! The fucking sharks will take care of her.

JULIO:

What if --

ENRIQUE:

Now!

(points at the knife on the floor)

Or do you plan to pick that thing up and use it?

JULIO:

(under his breath)

The whore deserved it.

ENRIQUE:

What did you say?

JULIO:

We will find another.

ENRIQUE:

You will find another. And that one you won't have.

Julio goes to dispose of the body.

CUT TO:

INT. ISABEL'S CABIN -- CONTINUOUS

JULIO unties Isabel's wrist and ankles tossing her about without any concern.

JULIO:

You stupid whore. Look what you've done.

He touches the side of his face. He spits on her.

JULIO:

Puta!

He bends and picks her up roughly.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE DECK OF THE BOAT -- CONTINUOUS

JULIO drops her over the side.

JULIO:

Stupid whore.

CUT TO:

INT. PAUL'S SLEEPING OFFICE -- NIGHT

PAUL is asleep in a cramped cot when there is an anxious knock on the door.

ROSALIE:

(through the door)

Paul! Wake up. Ambulance coming in. Four minutes. Beating victim. Sounds pretty bad.

PAUL:

(groaning)

All right. All right. I'm awake.

PAUL sits up, struggles for consciousness, then looks at the bedside clock. It is a few minutes past three. He throws the covers aside and walks to the wash basin where he hurriedly splashes cold water on his face.

CUT TO:

INT. THE EMERGENCY ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER

PAUL enters from his sleeping office as the wail of the siren dies outside. He snaps on his gloves as two husky, nervous looking young men wheel in Isabel. The three of them transfer Isabel to the examination table and the attendants leave to fill out their paper work and flirt with the night nurse until they receive another call.

A twelve-year veteran of emergency, ROSALIE moves about the patient swiftly and efficiently. She hooks Isabel up to the monitors and begins cleaning the blood from her face. She's seen many patients over the years. Some had lived, some had not. She looks up from the girl to the monitors and shakes her head sadly.

ROSALIE:

She's so young.

PAUL bends over the girl and begins his examination.

PAUL:

Christ! She's nearly frozen.

Immediately alarms sound.

PAUL:

(Yelling)

Get some help in here!

ROSALIE:

Blood pressure's dropping.

Other attendants hurry into the room.

PAUL:

We need an IV now!

She flatlines.

ROSALIE:

It's gone.

PAUL:

Paddles!

He applies them once with no results.

PAUL:

(bending over Isabel)

Don't you leave me!

Applies them again. Still no result.

PAUL:

Not this time, goddamn it.

Applies the paddles again. After a moment her heart begins beating again.

ROSALIE:

We've got a heartbeat. Erratic but it's beating.

Everyone struggles to stabilize her.

PAUL:

(to Isabel)

Not this time.

CUT TO:

INT. ISABEL'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- THE NEXT MORNING

ISABEL watches groggily as PAUL rehangs her chart on the foot of her bed. Her body begins to shake uncontrollably. A wrenching moan rises from deep inside her.

PAUL moves quickly to her side and lays a soothing hand on her shoulder.

PAUL:

(gently)

It's all right. You're safe here. No one can harm you.

The shaking subsides. Her lips quiver as she tries to work her mouth. PAUL shakes his head and places a gentle finger on her lips.

PAUL:

Not now. Wait until you're stronger.

Her head lolls back and forth. It takes him a moment to realize she is shaking her head. Her left arm drifts up and her bruised and bandaged hand closes desperately about his biceps. She draws him closer more with her will than the feeble pull on his arm. With a final mustering of strength she raises her head from the pillow.

ISABEL:

(in a hoarse whisper)

You....

She collapses back onto the bed, spent. PAUL caresses her head gently.

PAUL:

I know. I know. It's all right, now. You're going to be all right.

(looks at the monitors. Softly, to himself)

I hope.

CUT TO:

INT. ISABEL'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- THAT AFTERNOON

ISABEL is awake when PAUL enters the room. He notes how she tenses when she first realizes someone is in the room and then relaxes again when she recognizes him. She beckons him closer with a weak flutter of her hand.

ISABEL:

(weakly)

You Ess?

This time he hears her clearly and nods.

PAUL:

(nodding)

Yes. The US. You are in the United States. You're safe, now.

A weak smile flickers across her lips, and she nods. A great weight is lifted from her and she settles back into the pillows.

ROSALIE enters and moves about the bed, checking the monitors, the IV, the oxygen tube, and the bedclothes. PAUL moves to the foot of the bed, both to be out of Rosalie's way and to review Isabel's chart once again.

ROSALIE:

She looks better this afternoon.

PAUL:

(without looking up)

A little.

She frowns at him and continues moving about the bed. Isabel murmurs softly to herself.

ROSALIE:

What's that?

ISABEL continues speaking but her voice is barely audible. ROSALIE bends over the girl to hear better. Listens for a moment then straightens up.

ROSALIE:

(to Paul)

I think she's speaking Spanish.

PAUL:

(nodding)

I suppose that makes sense.

ROSALIE:

How's that?

Paul motions for them to go out into the hall.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE ISABEL'S ROOM -- CONTINUOUS

ROSALIE follows PAUL out into the hall and closes the door softly behind her.

ROSALIE:

You're not surprised she speaks Spanish?

PAUL:

(shaking his head)

It's a common enough story. She trades her last bits of gold, rings and broaches, heirlooms handed down in her family for generations, for transport to America. Instead, she's beaten and raped and thrown overboard to die.

ROSALIE:

But she didn't die. You saved her.

PAUL:

Not yet.

ROSALIE:

You will.

PAUL:

For what? We'll have to report her to the INS if the police haven't already. When she's well enough they'll send her back. Most likely she'll try again and keep on trying until she succeeds -- or dies trying.

ROSALIE:

(facetiously)

Then don't save her.

PAUL:

I have to save her.

ROSALIE:

Of course you do.

PAUL:

If I can.

CUT TO:

INT. PAUL'S OFFICE -- THE NEXT AFTERNOON

MICHAEL, a friend and linguistic specialist from the university, enters and takes a seat facing Paul. He is quietly excited.

PAUL:

Michael. Thank you for coming on such short notice. Have you talked with the girl?

MICHAEL:

I have.

PAUL:

And?

MICHAEL:

Unbelievable.

PAUL:

What? Were you able to understand her? One of our nurses who's fluent in Spanish said she thought it might be Portuguese.

MICHAEL:

It's not Portuguese. It's Indian. And old. Really old. I'm not an expert on ancient languages but I think it's Nahuatl.

PAUL:

Nah what?

MICHAEL:

Nahuatl.

PAUL:

I've never heard of it.

MICHAEL:

Not surprising. It's the language of the Toltecs. They're the ones who overran the Mayan civilization in the later 10th century.

PAUL:

Toltecs? Aren't they extinct?

MICHAEL:

Actually, yes.

PAUL:

That girl is speaking an extinct language?

MICHAEL:

Several of the more isolated tribes still incorporate some of the Nahuatl vocabulary in their speech. But nothing like this. I've seen Nahuatl written in some of the old texts in the archives in Mexico City, but this is the first time I've actually heard it spoken with all the syntax and everything. It's really quite a beautiful language. If that's what it is.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes