12 and holding Page #4

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Malee starts to cry.

EXT. JACOB’S HOME - LATER THAT AFTERNOON

Cars fill the driveway and line the street in front of

Jacob’s house.

INT. TWIN’S HOME - LIVING ROOM - SAME TIME

Mourners stand in small groups, engaged in hushed

conversations. Jim sits in his recliner, crying.

INT. TWIN’S HOME - KITCHEN - SAME TIME

A number of MOTHERS watch as Ashley obsessively prepares a

platter of deviled eggs. Concerned, one of them crosses over

to her.

MOTHER:

Ashley, there’s more than enough

food here.

ASHLEY:

No, Rudy loved my deviled eggs.

It’s right that I make them.

Where’s the paprika?

Ashley opens up her cupboards in search of the paprika.

ASHLEY (CONT'D) (cont’d)

Jesus, you put something down, and

it disappears.

Now angry, Ashley starts throwing objects out of the

cupboards, haphazardly.

MOTHER # 1

Ashley.

Ashley slams her cupboard doors shut. She looks around and

spots the GARBAGE PAIL across the kitchen.

ASHLEY:

Maybe I threw it out.

Ashley crosses to the garbage. She lifts it upside down and

dumps the trash all over the floor. Ashley gets on her knees

and starts searching.

The other women look to each other, uncomfortable. Mother #

1 kneels down beside her.

(CONTINUED)

21.

CONTINUED:

MOTHER # 1

Ashley.

Ashley ignores her. Mother # 1 grabs Ashley’s hands and

looks her in the eye.

ASHLEY:

It’s okay.

Ashley stops cold. The grief and heartache hit once again.

ASHLEY (CONT'D) (cont’d)

Not my baby! Please God not my son!

The mothers collectively drop to the floor and surround

Ashley in an attempt to comfort her. They give no care to

the pile of garbage they now sit in.

INT. LEONARD’S HOSPITAL ROOM - LATER THAT DAY

Leonard lies in a bed, staring out the window. There is a

BANDAGE wrapped around his forehead. Patrick sits beside him

in a chair.

Grace enters, carrying bags of MCDONALD’S food with her.

GRACE:

This hospital is a nightmare. The

elevator is never there when you

need it.

Patrick crosses over to the food and grabs his lunch.

PATRICK:

Where are the girls?

GRACE:

Haley took Sara up to the maternity

ward.

Grace crosses over to Leonard.

GRACE (CONT'D) (cont’d)

How are you feeling?

LEONARD:

My head hurts.

GRACE:

You’re lucky you didn’t get killed.

(CONTINUED)

22.

CONTINUED:

LEONARD:

I told you, I’m sorry.

GRACE:

You try being awakened at four

o’clock in the morning by the

police saying, they have your son,

he’s unconscious and on his way to

the hospital. I’ve never been so

scared in my life. And poor Rudy.

Leonard starts crying.

GRACE (cont’d)

What?

LEONARD:

My best friend is dead!

Grace hands Leonard a double cheeseburger.

GRACE:

Eat this. It’ll make you feel

better.

LEONARD:

I’m not hungry. Besides, I can’t

taste anything anyway.

GRACE:

Hospital food is always bland.

This has flavor.

LEONARD:

No, it’s because of my condition.

I can’t taste or smell anything

anymore.

GRACE:

What are you saying, condition?

What condition?

LEONARD:

(shrugs)

My condition.

INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Patrick and Grace sit across from the DOCTOR (50’s).

(CONTINUED)

23.

CONTINUED:

DOCTOR:

Leonard has a condition. It’s

called Anosmia.

GRACE:

Oh my God! Is it serious?

DOCTOR:

No. Anosmia is when a person

looses their sense of smell. It’s

not uncommon in patients who suffer

serious head injuries.

Unfortunately, it’s also affecting

his ability to taste. Again, not

uncommon.

PATRICK:

Is it permanent?

DOCTOR:

Depends on the patient.

GRACE:

What do we do? He can’t eat.

DOCTOR:

He can eat. He just can’t taste

what he’s eating.

PATRICK:

What she means is, he won’t eat.

DOCTOR:

Leonard’s association with food is

no longer about taste. It’s about

texture. While we may be partial

to sweet or salty foods, Leonard

will become partial to crunchy or

smooth ones. Once he settles on a

texture he likes, his appetite will

increase.

GRACE:

I can’t believe this is happening.

DOCTOR:

Considering what Leonard could have

suffered, he’s lucky. Besides, he

is severely overweight. A loss of

appetite may be a benefit.

Grace and Patrick shoot him a look of death.

24.

INT. LEONARD’S HOSPITAL ROOM - SAME TIME

Leonard lies in bed, staring out the window. A NURSE (40)

enters and crosses over to his bedside table.

NURSE:

How’d we do?

The nurse sees that Leonard has barely touched his food.

NURSE (CONT'D) (cont’d)

You have to eat something. It may

not be gourmet, but you don’t look

that finicky.

LEONARD:

This stuff feels like sh*t in my

mouth.

NURSE:

It’s macaroni and cheese.

LEONARD:

It feels gross. Like there’s a

film on my tongue.

The nurse grabs the tray of food. She removes an untouched

apple and places it in Leonard’s hand.

LEONARD (CONT'D) (cont’d)

I don’t like apples.

NURSE:

So, you can’t taste it, right?

Maybe you’ll like the crunch.

The nurse exits. Leonard eyes the apple in his hand. A

beat. He reluctantly takes a bite. The apple makes a loud

CRUNCH. Leonard starts chewing. After a few seconds, a

smile comes to his face. He likes it.

INT. JACOB’S BEDROOM - SAME TIME

Jacob lies in bed, holding Rudy’s old baseball GLOVE. He

brings the glove to his nose, and a flood of old memories

come back to him.

Jacob rises, crosses over to the closet and removes a metal

LOCK BOX. He selects 666 for the combination and the box

opens. Jacob removes the contents; baseball cards, some

firecrackers, a few ticket stubs and a PHOTOGRAPH of he and

Rudy at age 5. He can’t help but smile.

25.

INT. JACOB’S HOME - LIVING ROOM - SAME TIME

Gabe Artunian crosses over to Jim.

GABE:

I’m leaving, Jim. Again, so sorry.

As Gabe turns to leave.

JIM:

Gabe, are you still interested in

buying the land? Because I accept

your offer.

GABE:

This is hardly the time to talk

business.

JIM:

Buy the woods, Gabe, please. Tear

them down and build. Build houses,

condos, a 7-11, I don’t care. I

just don’t want to recognize it

ever again.

Off Gabe’s look

SFX OVER SHOT:
BUZZING CHAIN SAW

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. WOODS - THREE WEEKS LATER -AFTERNOON

TIGHT ON a CHAIN SAW chopping down a tree.

WIDEN to REVEAL a CONSTRUCTION CREW, tearing down the last of

the woods. Rows and rows of STUMPS make it look like a

graveyard for trees.

MALEE (O.S.)

It’s gone! It’s all gone!

We FIND Malee and Jacob, straddling their bikes a few feet

away from the site. Leonard is beside them on a scooter. He

as a band-aid on his forehead.

MALEE (CONT'D) (cont’d)

If Rudy was alive, he’d be freaking

out right now.

Leonard shoots Malee a look. She silences herself.

(CONTINUED)

26.

CONTINUED:

LEONARD:

You holding up alright, Jacob?

Jacob shrugs.

LEONARD (CONT'D) (cont’d)

I’m sorry. I wish I could have

done something.

JACOB:

Jeff and Kenny were the ones that

started the fire. It was their

fault. Or maybe mine. I should of

been there.

MALEE:

You wouldn’t have been able to do

anything. And it could have been

you who died.

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