Awakenings Page #15

&««*c#***O»**ri '««* A•*•x\•••

The hand, and the music, unfinished, stop.

The hand is still, the arm is still, the head is still,

Leonard's eyes are "still."

Only the metronome moves, gently slapping.

Drifting slowly away from Leonard, his face, his body, his

being, "asleep" . . . across the empty room . . . and slowly toward

the window . . .

... where it is now snowing . . .

v, •

. . . long silence before . . .

/T\

LEONARD O.S.

It's winter.

O:

*

His voice is flat, inflectionless. His eyes, with little life

behind them, staring at the falling snow. He's in a

wheelchair.

Yes.

SAYER O.S.

LEONARD:

Am I speaking?

Yes.

SAYER O.S.

Leonard's eyes drift to a chair, his mother's chair, the one

she has used for thirty years. It's empty.

SAYER O.S.

Your mother is well. She's home.

She visits you on Sundays.

Leonard slowly nods. Somehow he knows that.

f ~^

LEONARD:

She's living her own life.

:

SAYER O.S.

She's trying to.

,

Leonard's eyes drift again, across to silent ghost-like figures

in wheelchairs, the post-encephalitics, all of them, "asleep"

again.

SAYER O.S.

They fought, as you did, with

great courage. They were strong.

Leonard looks down at his hands and feels one with the other.

He looks back at the "sleeping" patients, not comprehending why

they cannot do the same.

LEONARD:

I'm stronger?

Sayer is finally revealed seated beside him. He doesn't

answer. Leonard's hands slowly reach to his face and feel its

features.

, x

LEONARD:

I'm here, aren't I?

&

His glance finds the tray beside Sayer, the paper medicine cup

and empty juice cup on it. He must be back on the medication

again. He looks back to Sayer, who's looking toward the

window, to the falling snow. Eventually

SAYER:

Do you think you can walk?

i

203. INT. CORRIDOR -DAY 203

A doctor in a lab coat, one Sayer long ago imparted his "will

of the ball" theory to, emerges from a ward.

FERNANDO O.S.

Dr. Tyler?

The doctor turns. Fernando is walking toward him.

FERNANDO:

You got a minute?

DR. TYLER

(not really)

What is it?

Fernando arrives, leans against the corridor wall, and sort of

mumbles —• .

FERNANDO:

You know thatwoman in Ward7 . ..

Grace, uh ... what's her last name

... Grace ...

DR. TYLER

(annoyed)

Does it matter, Fernando?

Sayer and Leonard walk slowly past, behind Tyler. Fernando's

eyes briefly meet Sayer's.

FERNANDO:

... no... Iguessnot...

204. INT. ANOTHER CORRIDOR, -DAY 204

Another doctor emerges from another ward.

• *

MARGARET O.S.

Dr. Sullivan?

DR. SULLIVAN

(turning)

Yeah?

REV.12/15/89 (GREEN) Pg.114

204 CONT.

Sayer and Leonard approach. Margaret has positioned herself,

like Anthony, against the wall, and, pointing out something on

T~^\ a clipboard to Dr. Sullivan, glances up briefly as Sayer and

(i—J Leonard pass.

205. INT. CORRIDOR / LOBBY -DAY 205.

Sayer and Leonard approaching the lobby. As they enter, the

switchboard operator glances up, notices them, and glances back

down without a word.

They approach the front doors. They are almost there. From

behind them, loudly —

MISS COSTELLO O.S.

Dr. Kaufman?

KAUFMAN O.S.

Dr. Sayer?

Sayer and Leonard stop just short of the doors. They glance

back and see-Kaufman -and,v-several* steps .behind..him, looking

distraught, Miss Costello. She has failed.

SAYER:

Yes?

The two doctors stare at one another for several moments.

Clearly Kaufman knows what is happening. Clearly Sayer knows

he knows. Eventually —

KAUFMAN ,

Put a coat on him for Christ's

sake. •

He turns around, walks past Miss Costello and down the corridor-

from which he came. Miss Costello relaxes, turns around and

walks away down the corridor.

Sayer and Leonard turn and walk outside.

206. INT. DAYROOM -SAME TIME -DAY 206.

Though Rolando is not playing, cannot play, the piano, he can

hear it, distant, like an echo, as a nurse wheels him toward

the windows. Other nurses and orderlies are wheeling Rose,

Frank, Bert, and Lucy and the others there. Sidney is wheeling

Lolly.

They all "peer" out. They all "see" down below, standing

across the street, Sayer and Leonard.

REV.12/15/89 (GREEN) Pg.115

207. EXT. BAINBRIDGE -SAME TIME -DAY

Sayer drapes his coat around Leonard. Neither speaks.

CO:

CO:

Neither quite knows what to say. Eventually, Sayer holds out a

hand for Leonard to shake. Leonard stares at it for a long

moment, then awkwardly embraces Sayer.

208. INT. DAYROOM -SAME TIME -DAY 208

The others "watch" Sayer cross back to the hospital. They

"watch" Leonard staring after him. He glances down the street,

Leonard, glances down the street the other way. He seems

uncertainwhich waytogo ...

He walks away.

209. INT. SUBWAY -EVENING 209

Rhythmic pounding. Metal wheels over metal tracks.

Leonard feels things.inside his coat pockets. He,pulls from

one several capsules of L-Dopa in a clear plastic bag; and from

the other, a wad of money wrapped in paper on which is typed

his name and "Bainbridge Hospital, Bronx." He stuffs it

all back into his pocket and glances up. :

The train is crowded. Everyone seems to be hiding behind a

newspaper or the veil of a glazed look; everyone but Leonard

and the eleven year old boy seated next to him with his mother.

They're taking everything in, Leonard and1 the boy -the rumbl

of the train, the overhead lights flashing off and on again,

the mounting excitement they both feel.

The boy glances up at Leonard, and, like a secret

BOY ON TRAIN:

(a whisper)

We're going to the city.

LEONARD .

(a whisper back) .

Me, too. '

210. INT. SUBWAY STATION -N.Y. -NIGHT 210

Underground tunnels. People climbing stairs. Leonard climbing

with them. Under exposed pipes and ducts. Along passageways.

Through an exit turnstile. Up more stairs. And finally

REV.12/15/89 (GREEN) Pg.116

(continuity only)

211. EXT. NEW YORK CITY -NIGHT 211..

Leonard, emerging from down below, reaches the street. People

jostle past him but he doesn't move. He stares in wonder at

what lies before him . . . lights, skyscrapers, Christmas

decorations, taxis, noise, people . . . life.

211A. INT. EXAMINATION ROOM -SAME TIME -NIGHT 211A.

An oppressive silence. The oppressive institutional room.

Sayer, alone in it, at his desk in the corner.

MISS COSTELLO O.S.

Good night.

Sayer glances up, sees Miss Costello in the doorway to the

corridor.

SAYER:

Good night.

i

She leaves. He-stays. iPuts.a -folder in.a.drawer* Straightens

things on the desk. Looks for something more to do. Clearly

there's nothing more to do.

He gets up. Wanders slowly around the room. Past the medical

instruments in the glass cases, the tripod and projector, along

ii covered with taped and tacked data, notes, Polaroids.

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