A Few Good Men Page #27

STONE says nothing for a moment.

KAFFEE:

(continuing)

Commander, is it possible?

STONE:

Certainly.

KAFFEE:

What might some of those conditions

be?

STONE:

(beat)

If a person had a coronary disorder...

or a cerebral disorder, the process

would be more rapid.

KAFFEE:

Commander, if I had a coronary

condition, and a perfectly clean rag

was placed in my mouth, and the rag

was accidentally pushed too far down,

is it possible that my cells would

continue burning sugar after the rag

was taken out?

STONE:

It would have to be a very serious

condition.

KAFFEE:

Is it possible to have a serious

coronary condition, where the initial

warning signals were so mild as to

escape a physician during a routine

medical exam?

STONE:

Possibly. There would still be

symptoms though.

KAFFEE:

What kind of symptoms?

STONE:

There are hundreds of symptoms of a --

KAFFEE:

Chest pains?

STONE:

(beat)

Yes.

KAFFEE:

Shortness of breath?

STONE:

Yes.

KAFFEE:

Fatigue?

STONE:

Of course.

KAFFEE has gone back to his table where JO has handed him

some documents. He shows then to STONE.

KAFFEE:

Doctor, is this your signature?

STONE:

Yes it is.

KAFFEE:

This in an order for Private Santiago

to be put on restricted duty. Would

you read your hand written remarks

at the bottom of the page, please,

sir.

STONE:

(reading)

"Initial testing negative. Patient

complains of chest pains, shortness

of breath, and fatigue. Restricted

from running distances over five

miles for one week."

KAFFEE:

Commander, isn't it possible that

Santiago had a serious coronary

condition, and it was that condition,

and not some mysterious poison, that

caused the accelerated chemical

reaction?

STONE:

No. I personally give the men a

physical examination every three

months. And every three months Private

Santiago got a clean bill of health.

KAFFEE:

And that's why it had to be, poison,

right, Commander? 'Cause Lord knows,

if you put a man with a serious

coronary condition back on duty with

a clean bill of health, and that man

died from a heart related incident,

you'd have a lot to answer for,

wouldn't you, doctor?

ROSS:

Object. Move to strike.

RANDOLPH:

Sustained. Strike it.

KAFFEE:

No more questions, judge.

ROSS stands immediately.

ROSS:

Dr. Stone, you've held a license to

practice medicine for 21 years, you

are Board Certified in Internal

Medicine, you are the Chief of

Internal Medicine at a hospital which

serves over 8000 men. In your

professional opinion, was Willy

Santiago poisoned?

Jo stands.

JO:

Your Honor, we re-new our objection

to Commander Stone's testimony, and

ask that it be stricken from the

record. And we further ask that the

Court instruct the jury to lend no

weight to this witness's testimony.

KAFFEE and SAM are dying, but they're trying to keep their

poker-faces. RANDOLPH'S gonna try to be polite about this,

but he thought he made himself clear.

RANDOLPH:

The objection's overruled, counsel.

JO:

Sir, the defense strenuously objects

and requests a meeting in chambers

so that his honor might have an

opportunity to hear discussion before

ruling on the objection.

RANDOLPH:

The objection of the defense has

been heard and overruled.

JO:

Exception.

RANDOLPH:

Noted. The witness is an expert and

the court will hear his opinion.

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