Chasing Sleep

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INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Ed lies awake in bed. He is sweaty and nervous. His eyes are wide-open, blood-shot and tired.

He picks up his bedside clock which is ticking loudly. It is 3:37.

He looks over at the other side of the queen-size bed. It is still made. He picks a long, blonde hair from the pillow and examines it curiously.

There is a noise outside and Ed gets up to investigate.

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

Ed walks through the dark hallway and into the living room of his small house.

INT. LIVING ROOM

By the front door, hanging on the wall, is a framed picture of Eve, Ed's wife. Ed passes by it and looks outside through the window. There is some wind outside, but nothing else.

INT. BATHROOM

Ed looks longingly at his reflection. Ed Saxon, 45, is a morbid, insecure man. His frustration with his life has tinged his sense of humor with an acerbic bite. His early success, a few publications of his poetry, has given him a professorship at the University. He is well-read, intelligent, a bit pompous and occasionally condescending. But mostly, these qualities are restrained and his outward appearance is a little sorrowful. There is an unquestionable charm about him, and its effect is evident in the people around him.

He searches through the medicine cabinet, which is full of women's items, and takes out a Cosco-sized bottle of sleeping pills. He reads the back and takes two.

He hears something bang against the front door.

INT. LIVING ROOM

He opens the front door and takes a step outside.

EXT. PORCH - NIGHT

He looks down by his feet and finds the morning paper, wrapped in blue plastic, lying on the doormat. He picks it up and goes back inside.

INT. LIVING ROOM

Ed stands helplessly in the empty living room.

Ed's desk sits on one side of the living room, crammed into the corner. He searches quickly through the stuff on the desk and finds a small address book. He finds a name in the book and dials the number.

SUSIE:

(over phone)

Hello?

ED:

Susie. Hi, it's Ed. I'm sorry I woke you up.

SUSIE:

Is something wrong?

ED:

Eve isn't there, is she?

SUSIE:

No. She's not there?

ED:

No. She didn't come home after work.

SUSIE:

Oh, no. Didn't she call or anything?

ED:

No. She was supposed to be home around six. I cooked her dinner.

SUSIE:

Could she have gone anywhere else?

ED:

I don't think so. Do you?

SUSIE:

I don't know.

ED:

I'm a little worried.

SUSIE:

I bet. Did you call Harborview?

ED:

No. Do you think I should?

SUSIE:

Yeah. If she got into an accident of something, they would take her there.

ED:

You don't think that's overreacting?

SUSIE:

Don't be silly. Just call them. It can't hurt.

ED:

Alright. But if she comes home later and it turns out to be nothing, don't tell her I called the hospital, OK?

SUSIE:

Call me back.

ED:

Alright.

Ed finds the Yellow Pages and finds a page of "non-emergency" numbers. His finger runs down the list: Trauma, Fire, Disaster, etc. until he comes to Hospitals and then Harborview. He dials the number.

OPERATOR:

Harborview.

ED:

Hello. I wanted to find out if someone had come in. In an emergency, maybe.

OPERATOR:

Hold on.

She transfers him and the phone rings again.

NURSE:

Emergency room.

ED:

I wanted to find out if someone had been brought in.

NURSE:

What's the last name?

ED:

Saxon. Eve Saxon.

NURSE:

Are you a relative?

ED:

She's my wife.

NURSE:

One second. No. No one with last name Saxon.

ED:

Are there any other hospitals that I could check?

NURSE:

Well, we serve as the emergency room for King County, so unless they specified a hospital, they would have been brought here. In an emergency.

ED:

OK. Thank you.

He calls Susie back.

SUSIE:

What happened?

ED:

Nothing.

SUSIE:

Jeez. Did you guys have a fight?

ED:

No. No.

SUSIE:

Did you call the school?

ED:

Yeah, a while ago. No one answered the phone there.

SUSIE:

It's not like her to not call, is it?

ED:

No, she would have called.

SUSIE:

Why don't you call the police?

ED:

The police?

SUSIE:

Maybe they know something? Like if she was in an accident.

ED:

It's going a little far, don't you think?

SUSIE:

I don't know. If you're worried...It's not like the police have anything better to do.

ED:

I guess. OK. I'll call you tomorrow. Sorry to wake you up.

SUSIE:

It's OK. Call me tomorrow.

He hangs up.

INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Ed looks around the kitchen, searching lazily for something to eat. He opens a cabinet that is full of boxes of fat-free Skin-EE( chocolate-marshmallow cookies.

He opens the fridge, looks around and takes the plate of food he made for his wife. He takes off the cellophane and starts to eat.

He sits at the table, but after a few more bites, he loses his appetite.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Ed sits at his desk, staring at the phone. He takes a breath and calls 911.

OPERATOR:

911 emergency.

ED:

Hi. I don't think this is an emergency.

OPERATOR:

What's the problem?

ED:

My wife hasn't come home and, I don't know..I wanted to check with the police to see if there was an accident.

OPERATOR:

When was the last time you saw her?

ED:

This morning. She was supposed to come home from work, but she didn't.

OPERATOR:

When does she get off work?

ED:

Around six. Usually.

OPERATOR:

She hasn't called since then?

ED:

No.

OPERATOR:

Do you have any idea where she might have gone? Maybe to a friend's house?

ED:

I don't think so. I called the only place I could think of.

OPERATOR:

But you were expecting her home.

ED:

Yes. I cooked dinner.

OPERATOR:

I could send a police officer to your house.

ED:

Do you think that's necessary? Maybe I should wait.

OPERATOR:

Until when? It's five in the morning.

ED:

Maybe she went somewhere.

OPERATOR:

Where?

ED:

I don't know. Should I be worried?

OPERATOR:

I would be.

ED:

Yes, I'm worried.

OPERATOR:

So, do you want me to send an officer to your house?

ED:

I don't think so. I think I should wait.

OPERATOR:

Do you think she's going to come home soon?

ED:

I hope so.

OPERATOR:

So do I. How long are you going to wait?

ED:

A little longer. I think I may be overreacting. She might have gone somewhere I can't think of. Sometimes I worry too much.

OPERATOR:

OK. It's up to you. My name is Paul. I'll be here if you change your mind.

Ed hangs up.

INT. BATHROOM

Ed takes the sleeping pills from the medicine cabinet and takes two more.

INT. HALLWAY

Eve has a small room in the house that Ed is cautious about entering. He walks in and looks around, as if he hasn't been in there for a while.

INT. EVE'S ROOM

The room is painted sky-blue and the ceiling has clouds painted on it.

On one side of the room, there is a console piano with some sheet music resting on it.

On the other side of the room is a small, antique writing desk. Ed sits down and looks at some of the items lying on it. There are a couple of letters and an address book. There is a box containing paper clips, etc. There is an open box of Skin-EE( cookies.

There is a drawer in the desk which he tries to open, but finds that it is locked. He searches around the desk for a key, but can'' find one. He presses a little harder at the drawer, but it won't budge. He takes a letter opener from a jar on the desk and starts to fidget with it, but he still can't open it.

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