Bringing Out the Dead Page #3

NOEL:

Give me some water!

NURSE CRUPP stops Frank and Larry as they approach the

Critical care room. inside, the staff appears as if under

siege by a battalion of shriveled men and women lying on a

field of white sheets.

NURSE CRUPP:

Don't take another step. We're on

diversion. Can't accept any more

patients. Your dispatcher should

have told you.

FRANK:

We got him at Eighteen and Second.

You're closest.

NURSE CRUPP:

Where will I put him, Frank? Look.

Tell me.

FRANK:

He wanted to come here. Said the

nurses at Misery were the best.

NURSE CRUPP:

(acquiesces)

All right, give me a minute. I'll

kick someone out of slot three.

Larry unravels himself from the IV lines as nurse walks over,

takes Burke's pulse.

NOEL:

(to Frank)

Excuse me. You are a very kind man.

I can see that. A man like you could

not refuse a poor sick dying helpless

man a small cup of water.

FRANK:

I can't. I have to stay with my

patient.

BIG FEET:

Shut the f*** up! If it wasn't for

these dun feet I'd get up and kick

your ass!

DR. HAZMAT, 30, steps over.

HAZMAT:

Godammit, guys, what are you doing

to me? We're all backed up in here.

Christ, would you look at him? He's

gonna need the works. What's wrong

with him?

LARRY:

You should know. You pronounced him.

HAZMAT:

You told me he was dead. Flatline.

FRANK:

He got better.

HAZMAT:

I hate pronouncing people dead over

the phone.

(flashes light in

Burke's eyes)

Better, huh? They're fixed and

dilated. He's plant food.

NURSE CRUPP:

(returning)

We stole a stretcher from X-ray. No

pad on it, but I don't think he'll

mind. Put him in three, next to the

overdose.

HAZMAT:

He's our lowest priority now. He

shouldn't even be here. All this

technology. What a waste.

Back at SECURITY, the Burkes confront Griss.

GRISS:

Please folks, step back.

(they hesitate)

Don't make me take off my sunglasses.

In CRITICAL CARE, Larry wheels Burke into unit three as Dr.

Hazmat turns Frank to face the room, explaining:

HAZMAT:

First-time heart attack, age 45.

Should have gone to the CCU ten hours

ago. There's three bodies up there

Mike the one you just brought in.

over there, two AIDS patients, one

in twelve filling up with liquid.

I'm gonna hafta intubate because the

kid's mother won't sign the Do Not

Resuscitate. Mercy killing doesn't

translate well in Spanish. It's a

sin to tube this kid. Three more ODs

from some new killer junk. They call

it Red Death.

Hazmat pulls out a vial marked with a red skull and

crossbones, shows it to Frank.

NOEL:

Water, water, water, doctor man,

water.

HAZMAT:

A mix of heroin and I don't know

what else, some kind of amino acid

maybe. Stuff so strong they're

drinking it with grain alcohol. You

have to use ten times the usual amount

of Narcan and watch out when they

wake up, liable to go nuts on you.

FRANK:

(about Noel)

He one of them?

HAZMAT:

No, that's Noel. Used to be a regular

off and on, hasn't been in in a while.

He seized and almost coded--I gave

him a hypertonic solution. He drank

so much the kidneys were taking out

salt. One for the textbooks.

NOEL:

Oh doctor, you are the greatest. You

must help me.

BIG FEET:

For God's sake, give him a drink of

water.

HAZMAT:

I am helping you, Noel. You could

die if you drink more water.

Nurse Crupp pulls on Hazmat's arm.

HAZMAT (CONT'D)

What is it?

She points to Burke. His monitor is ringing like a fire alarm.

Hazmat and Crupp rush over, wave to others:

HAZMAT (CONT'D)

Crupp, start CPR. Milagros, get me

an epi. Odette wake up Dr. Stark.

Tell him I need a blood gas, stat.

As the staff crowds around Burke, pulling the paddles from

off the monitor, Frank, pushing his stretcher away, notices

Big Feet climb onto his infected feet, hobble over, work to

untie Noel.

NOEL:

Bless you sir, bless you.

BIG FEET:

Shut up.

Frank heads down Skid Row pushing the stretcher, passing

Nurse Constance speaking with a man with a gash over his

eye:

NURSE CONSTANCE:

... so you get drunk every day and

you fall down. Tell me why we should

help you when you're going to get

drunk tomorrow and fall down again?

Frank pushes the automatic door button--and is suddenly hit

from behind by Noel. The stretcher spins sideways. Noel

dives out the doors for the water fountain, snorting up water

like a bull. Mary Burke, standing with her family, looks at

Frank.

FRANK:

(stock reply)

He's very very sick.

MARY:

I know him. That's Noel.

FRANK:

We'd better go outside. Quickly.

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