Beginners Page #5

delicate.

CUT TO PAST:

INT. HAL’S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Oliver’s POV:
Hal and Andy kiss lovingly.

INT. HAL’S KITCHEN - DAY

Oliver’s POV:
Andy comes up behind Hal doing the dishes,

kisses him. Hal smiles very happy.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT

Oliver’s POV:
Andy kisses Hal in the Hospital.

CUT TO PRESENT:

10/29/07 25.

INT. OLIVER HOUSE ENTRY WAY

Oliver and Arthur enter his home, much more alive than the

last time we saw him come through the door.

OLIVER:

Hello house, (Low voice) hello

Oliver.

INT. OLIVER'S DINING ROOM - DAY

Oliver makes two piles of mail, one says Oliver Fields, one

has a yellow forwarding sticker that says Hal Fields. The Hal

Fields pile is much bigger.

OLIVER:

Jesus, Pop, you get so much mail.

Oliver slows and stares at his father’s magazine - The

Advocate. Two attractive, shirtless men on the cover under

the title:
America’s Sweethearts. Oliver’s lost in memory...

DOCTOR LONG (O.S.)

Hal, its remarkable how well you’ve

recovered from being on the

ventilator.

INT. HAL’S HOSPITAL ROOM

Hal sit’s on top of his hospital bed, wearing one of his all

black outfits, looking much healthier. A doctor sits on his

bed, Oliver listens from the side.

HAL:

But...?

DOCTOR LONG:

The bronchoscopy revealed a mass

about the size of a quarter. It is

located in your lower right lung.

CU on Hal taking this in.

DOCTOR LONG (CONT’D)

I’m afraid the biopsy showed it’s

cancerous.

HAL:

Uh-huh. I see.

DOCTOR LONG:

It appears to have spread... to the

large hilar lymph nodes in your

chest and liver.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 26.

CONTINUED:

DOCTOR LONG (cont'd)

With the already weakened state ofyour heart and lungs...

As Dr. Long talks about treatments, Oliver drifts back from

the conversation, slowly retreating to a window in the far

corner, as we continue to hear Dr. Long speak, we see

Oliver’s thoughts, fixating on “a mass about the size of a

quarter”

WE HEAR:

DR. LONG (O.S.) (CONT'D)

... Surgery isn’t possible given

its location. We can start

radiation treatments and see if

you're strong enough for Chemo. You

will be able to go home.

WE SEE:

SHOT OF A QUARTER ON BLACK

SHOT OF TWO DIMES AND A NICKEL

SHOT OF 5 NICKELS.

SHOT OF 25 PENNIES.

We cut back to Hal’s face, stoically digesting the news.

DOCTOR LONG:

Do you have any questions?

HAL:

No. Thank you.

As the doctor leaves. Oliver takes his father’s hand.

OLIVER:

I’m sorry.

HAL:

Well, let’s not rush out and tell

everyone.

OLIVER:

Andy?

HAL:

No need to get him up a tree.

Hal takes a moment and composes himself. In his eyes we can

see that he knows there is an end to his life.

HAL (CONT’D)

Can you read me something?

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 27.

CONTINUED:

Hal hands Oliver his Advocate magazine, he begins to read

from “Tough Guys Do Dance.”

OLIVER:

The Brazilian ballet star is

already known not only as a skilled

partner, but also as a gifted and

versatile dancer, who adeptly

fields roles ranging...

Camera tracks out of the room, leaving the two men alone...

CUT TO PRESENT:

INT. OLIVER'S OFFICE - DAY

SERIES OF CU JUMP CUTS: We see Oliver’s hands as he draws a

series of silhouetted figures hanging from trees, others

happily beheaded, all with talking bubbles that say, "Let's

not rush out and tell everyone"

JUMP CUTS:
Oliver draws another severed head, then a woman

smoking next to the words, “First lung cancer.”

JUMP TO LATER:
Oliver tacks his drawings to the wall, looks

at them.

He looks down and pets Arthur, as we hear...

CUT TO PAST:

OLIVER V.O.

Yeah, he’s fine. He sleeps on your

bed.

HAL:

But is he eating?

INT. HAL’S HOSPITAL ROOM

Hal sits on his bed fully dressed, Oliver is visiting.

OLIVER:

Yeah, yeah, he’s eating.

HAL:

Oh God, I worry so much about-

As Andy enters, his hands mysteriously cupped together.

HAL:

Oh here we are...

Andy shows Hal his cupped hands.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 28.

CONTINUED:

HAL (CONT'D)

What have you got in there?

ANDY:

A slug.

HAL:

Oh, Andy, you can’t bring that kind

of thing in here.

ANDY:

Oh I can look.

Andy flashes open his hands, revealing nothing. He snorts and

laughs.

HAL:

F*** you.

Oliver watches with amusement. NURSE SOPHIA enters...

HAL:

It’s time for inspection...

The nurse works her way between Andy and Hal to take his

pulse.

NURSE:

Hello, Mr. Fields.

HAL:

Hello.

Andy feels interrupted, strangely hurt by the nurse. The

nurse begins to take Hal's vital signs.

ANDY:

I’m Andy. Hal’s boyfriend

NURSE:

I’m Sophia.

Andy gets more and more upset.

ANDY:

You know, I have the right to be

here as much as anyone else.

Hal lovingly cuts him off, trying to ease the tension.

HAL:

Go take a walk. Calm yourself.

Andy walks out, feeling embarrassed and rejected.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 29.

CONTINUED:

OLIVER:

What was all that?

HAL:

Oh, Andy hasn’t had it easy. Be

nice to him.

To everyone’s surprise, Andy storms back in with a bouquet of

flowers, dumps them on Hal’s chest, kisses him triumphantly

and leaves again.

HAL:

(knowing he stole them)

Andy, where did you get these?

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM NIGHT

JUMP CUTS:
Oliver helps a group of Hal’s gay friends and Andy

get settled. They're jovial, they come with drinks and

flowers, the room gets very full. Oliver hands out cups,

offers wine, Andy lifts his paper cup and makes a toast.

ANDY:

Guys, guys, this is to us. Cheers.

A NURSE suddenly enters.

STRICT NURSE:

Drinking's not allowed in the room.

All the guys freeze.

HAL:

Oh, it’s not?

She shakes her head no, the party stops, she leaves. Oliver

instinctively polite, starts packing up their cups.

OLIVER:

I’m sorry.

Moans and complaints from the group.

HAL:

No, no, no. She’s a wonderful

nurse. (he pauses a beat, then

raises his cup again) Here’s to

health care.

Hal swigs back his wine. They all laugh, grab their cups and

toast.

EVERYONE:

To health care!

Hal looks happy, Oliver smiles but can't believe his dad.

(CONTINUED)

10/29/07 30.

CONTINUED:

OLIVER:

What did you do with my father? He

was so polite.

HAL:

Oh, I invited him - but he never

returns my calls.

The guys drink merrily. Someone shoves a cup into Oliver’s

hand, pours him a drink.

CUT TO PRESENT:

INT. OLD MELROSE BOOKSTORE - NIGHT

Oliver, Elliott and Arthur are shopping in a very old and

crowded used book store. Oliver picks up a stack of magazines

as Elliott interrogates him.

OLIVER:

Two, four, six, eight...

ELLIOTT:

That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna

tell me?

OLIVER:

I'm gonna meet her at her hotel

again. You happy?

ELLIOTT:

Yeah, I’m very happy. Are you

happy?

Oliver drops his books on the counter to check out.

OLIVER:

(to shop owner)

Here’s eight...

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