Conspiracy Theory Page #8

The Psychiatrist takes the chart from the foot of the

bed.

LIZA:

I was trying to tell, um, Jerry, I

mean Fletcher, he's --

Liza stops short as the Psychiatrist turns around. His

nose is bandaged. His eyes look right through her. It's

Jonas! Jerry's man with no nose.

JONAS (PSYCHIATRIST)

He's what?

INT. HOSPITAL - ROOM 322 - DAY

Covered in oatmeal, Jerry clutches his chest, groans.

Three nurses, two orderlies and an INTERN surround him.

INTERN:

He's having a heart attack!

The Intern tugs on the handcuff.

INTERN:

Where's that goddamn cop?!

(giving up)

Get a crash cart in here!

JERRY:

No! Get me to the crash cart!

INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR - DAY

Liza, Jonas, Lowry, Wilson and the CIA agents get into

the elevator. Liza can't take her eyes off Jonas's nose.

He looks over at her. It's unnerving.

LIZA:

Can I ask you something?

JONAS:

A dog bit it.

LIZA:

Excuse me?

JONAS:

You were going to ask about my

nose. The poor animal is slated

to be destroyed today.

LIZA:

And you feel bad for it?

JONAS:

It was my dog. Let me ask you a

question. How long have you been

acquainted with Jerry?

INT. HALLWAY - OUTSIDE ROOM 322 - DAY

A crash. The Intern staggers back out the door and into

the wall. Jerry exits -- wearing a johnny which flaps as

he dashes down the hall. Bouncing along behind him is

the bed's side rail which he's still cuffed to.

INT. 3RD FLOOR HALLWAY - ELEVATORS - DAY

Jerry pounds on the down button. PING! The doors on the

middle elevator open to reveal Liza, Jonas, et. al...

They spot Jerry the same moment he spots them.

Jerry drives the rail into one agent's gut, staggering

him. The second agent trying to exit catches the rail in

the teeth. The elevator doors close.

ELEVATOR:

Lowry reaches for the control panel. But he's too late.

As the elevator starts up, Lowry slaps the emergency

stop. Then they pull the doors open. The various agents

climb out, step down to the 3rd floor hallway below.

Jerry is nowhere in sight. But from the hallway to the

right of the elevators, a SHOUT and a CRASH. Everyone

heads that way.

NURSES' STATION

A nurse stands over an upended Med-Cart. She looks up at

Liza and the suits charging around the corner. Points.

PILLS CRUNCH under their feet as they take off in

pursuit.

HALLWAY TWO:

Jerry pulls a chair cover, hops up and punches a ceiling

panel loose. Then he continues down the hall.

The gang round the corner, stop short at the chair and

panel. Jonas motions two agents up.

JONAS:

The rest of you go room to room!

I want dogs! I want motion

detectors! I want heat sensors!

As Jonas moves off, Lowry mutters to Liza.

LOWRY:

Is this guy a psychiatrist or a

field agent?

HALLWAY THREE:

A row of beds against the wall. An orderly dumps a load

of laundry down a laundry chute. He leaves. Jerry exits

a bathroom, heads over. Gripping the lip of the chute,

he's just swung a leg inside when the room COP appears

around the corner, gun drawn.

COP:

Put your foot down.

JERRY:

If you knew what really happened

to Serpico, you'd be doing

everything you could to help me

out.

COP:

(closing)

Put your damn foot down.

Obliging, Jerry swings his leg back over. But he sets

his heel on a laundry cart, shoves it hard into the Cop.

It gives Jerry a chance to swing the bed rail into the

Cop whose gun skitters away as he tumbles back.

Jerry tries again to jump down the laundry chute, but the

Cop is there, grapples with him. Jerry finally head-

butts him. As the Cop falls back, releasing Jerry, Jerry

falls down the chute. He jerks to a stop as the bed rail

forms a crossbar over the mouth of the chute.

LAUNDRY CHUTE:

Jerry dangles from his wrist. That hurt.

Jamming his back against one side of the chute, his feet

against the other, he inches his way up. As he grips the

edge to get out, a face looms! Liza. Jerry loses his

grip again, drops, jerks to another joint-wrenching stop.

HALLWAY THREE:

Liza stands beside the semi-conscious Cop, looks down at

Jerry. He looks up at her. At her mercy.

LIZA:

He says a dog bit his nose.

JERRY:

Arf... You gotta help me.

LIZA:

I can't promise you anything.

Liza turns, hears PEOPLE COMING her way. Deciding, she

takes the key ring from the cop's belt, finds the

handcuff key. She slides it into the cuff on Jerry's

wrist.

They share a long look. Click. Jerry drops. Liza's

left holding the rail. She turns, sees the beds by the

wall.

LAUNDRY ROOM:

Jerry lands hard in a hamper.

HALLWAY THREE:

Liza tends to the Cop (returning his keys, pockets the

cuffs) as Lowry and Jonas turn the corner.

LOWRY:

Which way did he go?

LIZA:

I don't know. Didn't see him.

As the Cop starts to sit up groggily.

LOWRY:

No way we can shut a place this

size down quick enough.

JONAS:

You have a half-naked man chained

to a bed rail. Just cover the

exits.

Lowry nods, heads out. Liza follows.

LIZA:

I'll come with.

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