Bringing Out the Dead Page #23

NOEL:

Oh man, Bucky.

FRANK:

The pitch, high heater. Bucky knows

what's coming. He steps in, smash,

over the green monster.

Frank c*cks the baseball bat, relishing every moment, swings

into the Volvo's side window. Shattered glass flies on his

hands and clothes.

Walls, fed up with this, stands:

WALLS:

Frank, what the hell are you doing?

Noel, seeing Walls, grabs the bat, flees down an alley.

WALLS (CONT'D)

You go down those stairs there. Meet

me back here if you can't find him

in ten minutes. Call out if you see

him. Get with the program, Frank.

Walls takes off after Noel. Frank, taking out his flashlight,

enters second alley, walks down dark stairs which hopefully

circle around to Noel.

CUT TO:

INT. ALLEY--NIGHT

Mini-flashlight leading the way, Frank steps gingerly down

the refuse-strewn alley. Ahead: footsteps.

He kicks something, thinking it's trash, looks down; a body

rustles, pair of sleeping eyes look up.

Suddenly everything seems silent. He passes a row of glowing

red doors. Shadows flash in the distance. He hears a woman

crying, shoots his flashlight her direction: nothing.

Frank hears the voice again: Rose's voice:

ROSE'S VOICE

Why did you kill me, Frank?

FRANK:

I didn't mean to.

ROSE'S VOICE

You should have helped me.

FRANK:

I tried to help. I wanted to.

Shadows like hands extend against the wall ahead.

ROSE'S VOICE

Don't you love me?

Frank moves toward the reaching arms. The shadows swing like

baseball bats. Noel SCREAMS.

Suddenly, before him, a blurry mass of bloody dreadlocks--

Noel goes flying to the ground, Walls standing over him

swinging the bat, hitting him, killing him.

WALLS:

I got him, Frank!

Frank stands back, watching Walls and Noel like some static

black and white TV screen from his childhood. Noel, trying

to protect himself, cries out.

WALLS (CONT'D)

(swinging bat)

To the moon, Alice! You little

motherf***er!

Frank charges forward into Walls, sending Tom, the baseball

bat flying. Walls on the ground. Frank bends over Noel: Noel's

face covered with blood, gasping for air, blowing red bubbles,

convulsing.

FRANK:

(to Walls)

Get the kit! We're gonna tube him!

WALLS:

Frank!

FRANK:

Do it!

WALLS:

(standing)

Frank!

FRANK:

(to Noel)

We're gonna save you, Noel. You're

gonna be all right.

(to Walls)

Do it, Tom! I'll call for f***ing

backup, I swear!

WALLS:

You're crazy.

Noel unconscious: Tom hurries down the alley toward the

ambulance as Frank opens Noel's mouth.

FRANK:

You're going to make it! You're going

to make it!

Pressing Noel's chest, Frank lowers his mouth, starts CPR.

His mouth to Noel's. In the distance: Walls' footsteps

returning.

CUT TO:

EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT

16 XRay parked out front: the sky is going blue.

CUT TO:

INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT

Frank and Tom, their shirts blood-stained, pushing Noel down

Skid Row, past Griss, past Nurse Constance. Tom wheels, Frank

carries the IV bag.

NURSE CONSTANCE:

Take him straight through.

GRISS:

Who got that funky motherf***er this

time?

FRANK:

(to Nurse Constance)

Last show of the night.

HAZMAT:

(arriving)

Jesus Christ. Nurse Crupp!

(to Frank)

Anybody else hurt?

FRANK:

No.

HAZMAT:

Crazy f***er.

Walls pushes Noel into unit one. Frank looks over to unit

three--Burke's cubicle is empty.

FRANK:

Where's Burke?

HAZMAT:

Upstairs. 212. Had to shock him twice

more.

Frank nods, walks out. Behind, Walls helps Hazmat and Crupp

place Noel on a bed.

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM 212--NIGHT

Frank Pierce walks down the hospital corridor, steps into

room 212.

Burke lies, tubed, wired and tied to life support. Blue light

comes through the window. On the EKG monitor: a slow steady

green endless line: up, down.

Frank takes a moment, exhales.

One by one, Frank flips off the machines. The clanging EKG

ALARM is followed by the bass honking of the respirator alarm

and two tweetering IV-drip alarms.

Frank, holding Burke's pulse, watches the life go out of

him. Hearing commotion outside, Frank flips the machines

back on:
the EKG monitor is flatline.

A FLOOR NURSE rushes in, feels for Burke's pulse.

FLOOR NURSE:

What happened?

(calling out)

Code!

Frank steps back as the Nurse hits the emergency switch.

FLOOR NURSE (CONT'D)

Are we doing CPR?

Dr. Hazmat, out of breath, enters:

FLOOR NURSE (CONT'D)

He coded.

HAZMAT:

Christ, what a way to start the day.

He's in V-fib. Shock him.

Frank pulls out the paddles, applies them to Burke's chest:

FLOOR NURSE:

Clear!

Frank, knowing it's futile, shocks Burke: no result.

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