Chasing Sleep Page #9

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ED:

I'm fine. I don't need a doctor.

He tries to hand the card back.

GEOFFREY:

Oh, I'm not a physician. I'm a psychiatrist. But I'm not here on business. This is my time off.

ED:

This is a personal visit? I don't understand.

GEOFFREY:

Human Services is a volunteer organization. We offer assistance to victims of traumatic crimes.

ED:

What kind of assistance?

GEOFFREY:

Advice, support, a shoulder to cry on.

ED:

Why would I want to cry on your shoulder?

GEOFFREY:

Maybe you just want someone to talk to. It can be a lonely world when those you love are taken from you.

ED:

No. I don't think so.

GEOFFREY:

Well, you have my card. If you feel like talking at another time, please feel free to call.

ED:

Actually, there is something you can help me with. I've been having trouble sleeping.

GEOFFREY:

That's understandable, under the circumstances.

ED:

Is there something you can give me?

GEOFFREY:

You mean a prescription?

ED:

You're a doctor, aren't you?

GEOFFREY:

Yes.

ED:

I can't seem to find anything strong enough.

GEOFFREY:

You're anxious.

ED:

Yes. I can't sleep. It makes me anxious. Or maybe I can't sleep because I'm anxious. I don't know.

GEOFFREY:

How long has this been going on?

ED:

A long time.

GEOFFREY:

Weeks?

ED:

Oh, yes.

GEOFFREY:

You must have slept some.

ED:

Maybe I do. But I don't seem to get the benefits. I never feel rested. There just doesn't seem to be the time to relax anymore. I'm always two steps behind. I have to stop the thinking. The longer I stay awake, the more my thoughts become frantic, irrational. If I don't get some sleep soon, nothing is going to make any sense.

GEOFFREY:

I see. May I come in?

ED:

Yes. Come in.

Geoffrey comes in and places his briefcase on the table inside.

GEOFFREY:

There are times when the pressures of everyday life become overwhelming. As a doctor, I notice more and more of my patients experiencing similar symptoms. I'm afraid it's a sign of the times, as much as anything else.

ED:

Can you help me?

GEOFFREY:

Like I said, I'm not here on a professional basis. Your insomnia is merely a symptom of a greater unwholesomeness. A lasting treatment may be extremely hard to come by. There's very little we can hope to accomplish with pharmaceuticals alone. However, under the circumstances, I can give you something to help you sleep. Do you have health insurance?

ED:

Yes, through work.

Geoffrey takes a prescription pad from his briefcase and scribbles out a prescription.

GEOFFREY:

The prescription I'm going to write for you is expensive, so I recommend you save the receipt for your insurance company. I'm sure they'll cover it. These pills are quite new. I've been prescribing them to my patients who travel a great deal, for their jet lag. They will help stabilize your internal clock by chemically suppressing certain amino acids in your brain.

ED:

Will it help me sleep?

GEOFFREY:

Oh, yes. Now, take two at night, and don't take more than six in a day. OK?

ED:

Yes. Thank you.

Geoffrey shuts his briefcase and starts to leave.

GEOFFREY:

I'm glad I could help. How about I check in on you tomorrow afternoon?

ED:

Tomorrow?

GEOFFREY:

To see how you're doing?

ED:

I don't know.

GEOFFREY:

For what it's worth, I understand your position better than you think. Don't shut it all out. Sometimes that fragile connection to the rest of the world is all we have. I sincerely hope things turn out for you. Tomorrow then?

ED:

Tomorrow.

Ed shuts the door behind Geoffrey.

INT. BATHROOM

Ed works the plunger in the toilet. The water is still pink from the finger, but also might be pink from the pink toilet paper that is now broken up and mixed in with the water.

He plunges the toilet a few more times and then stops to see if it is working. The water slowly goes down. He reaches behind the toilet and turns the water back on. He flushes it and it seems to be working again, albeit weakly.

He sits on the edge of the bathtub and takes a breath. The water in the tub hasn't gone down, so he takes the plunger and starts to work it over the drain.

After a minute, he sees that it isn't working. He reaches into the drain and pulls out a huge clump of scum-filled hair. It is repulsive to Ed. He throws it into the toilet.

The water in the bathtub still hasn't gone down.

INT. KITCHEN

He searches under the sink through an exhaustive supply of cleaning supplies. He eventually pulls out a king-size container of Drano.

INT. BATHROOM

He reads the back of the container quickly, then pours the whole thing down the drain.

He watches it for a second, waiting for it to go down.

Slowly, then softly, the piano can be heard playing in the other room.

Ed listens to it before following it down the hallway.

INT. HALLWAY

The lamp on Eve's writing desk is on and it lights up the end of the hallway. The music still seems to be coming from her room.

INT. EVE'S ROOM

Ed comes in and looks around the room. There is no one playing the piano, but the music continues over the rest of the scene.

Ed's attention turns to the diary, which is still sitting on the desk where he left it. Ed sits in the chair and starts paging through Eve's diary. The piano continues playing.

We hear Eve's voice as it must have been when she was writing.

EVE:

(V.O.)

More than three weeks late. Damn. I'm so stupid. I haven't told George because I'm sure he would use this as an excuse to pressure me to leave Ed. And how can I tell Ed. There's no way he could be the father. We haven't had sex in months. He would know it isn't is.

Ed flips back a few pages.

As he does, the camera starts to travel around the room, passing the piano, and then a few pictures from Eve's past, then some souvenirs on a shelf.

EVE:

(V.O.)

Saw a movie last night with George. It was awful; just the kind of movie Ed hates. I wanted to tell him about it, but I couldn't. I told him I was at Susie's. George loved it, of course. I think he likes every movie. Still, it was nice to go out on a date like that. It was fun.

INT. HALLWAY

Now the camera has turned to the empty hallway. It slowly moves toward the bathroom.

EVE:

(V.O.)

Ed came home in a shitty mood and started picking a fight with me about a coffee cup I broke last week. It was the last thing I needed, today especially. Sometimes I f***ing hate him. He can be such a sh*t.

INT. KITCHEN

The camera pans over the glass that has Eve's lipstick on it.

EVE:

(V.O.)

I can't believe what a jock George is. I knew he worked out, but he really takes car of himself. After we had sex, I was embarrassed to let him see me naked. How could I have gotten so fat? I'm going back to the gym tomorrow. I've really let myself go to pot. Maybe I'll get him a softball bat for his birthday next week.

INT. BATHROOM

The camera comes into the bathroom and passes over all of Eve's things sitting on the back of the toilet.

EVE:

(V.O.)

Ed doesn't sleep anymore. He's beginning to scare me. He takes all these pills to help him sleep, but they only make it worse. And he hates me. I can see it in his eyes. He blames me for everything that went wrong in his life. Maybe he's right. Maybe it is my fault. I feel so guilty about George that I can't argue with him anymore. I can't keep this up much longer. F*** it. I'm going to tell him about George tomorrow. He knows anyway. He must know. He's been acting so weird. Poor Ed. He used to have so much ambition. And he's so talented. I just wish things had turned out better.

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