Danny Collins Page #17

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A98 EXT. FRONT LAWN - DAY A98

We’re used to watching Danny walk toward the house. This

time, we watch his son walking away from it... toward the

unknown.

98 OMITTED 98

99 EXT. ONCOLOGY OFFICE - LATER 99

A medical office building in NYC.

A100 INT. ONCOLOGY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS A100

Tom makes the long trek down the building’s hallway,

stops at a door, opens it, and...

100 INT. ONCOLOGY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 100

ENTERS the waiting room, turning a corner only to see...

Danny. Sitting there. Alone. Waiting.

Tom shakes his head, SIGHS. He checks in with a NURSE.

TOM:

Tom Donnelly. Here for Dr.

Silverman.

NURSE:

Just have a seat, Mr. Donnelly.

Tom sits two seats away from Danny. They sit in silence

for a long beat. Finally:

DANNY:

Was she pissed?

TOM:

No, she was thrilled. It’s been a

great few weeks, thanks.

DANNY:

It’s no excuse but it was a

horrible night for me.

(CONTINUED)

99A.

100 CONTINUED:
100

TOM:

Yeah, well, it was a worse one for

me, I assure you.

Silence. Long beat.

DANNY:

Why isn’t she...

(CONTINUED)

100.

100 CONTINUED:
(2) 100

TOM:

She can barely even move. Plus,

whatever the news is, I want her

to hear it from me. Not some

doctor.

A beat, then...

DANNY:

Tom, I-

VOICE (O.S.)

Mr. Donnelly?

The NURSE beckons. Tom STANDS. Danny STANDS with him.

Tom SIGHS.

101 INT. EXAMINATION ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 101

Tom and Danny wait, on an EXAM TABLE, side by side.

Danny looks at Tom’s foot. It’s TAPPING, relentlessly.

They sit there for a while like this. Finally:

TOM:

If the news is bad...

Tom stops, gathering himself.

DANNY:

Tom, c’mon-

TOM:

No, listen to me. If this goes

bad, Samantha, and Hope, and the

baby-

DANNY:

Will be taken care of. You don’t

need to worry about that.

Tom nods. He’s starting to cry but doing the best he can

to hold it back.

TOM:

Okay. Good. Thank you.

A beat. Tom speaks, almost to himself:

TOM (CONT’D)

I am not ready to leave them. I

am not ready.

Danny puts his hand on Tom’s knee, steadying his shaky

leg. Danny takes a deep breath himself.

(CONTINUED)

101.

101 CONTINUED:
101

DANNY:

You know... this doctor, whenever

he comes in here, he either calls

you Mr. Donnelly or Tom? Ever

notice that? Always one or the

other. When he calls you Mr.

Donnelly, it’s never good news.

Next thing you know he’s shooting

you with something that makes you

throw up, or telling you he

doesn’t like your levels. I’m

serious, I’ve taken notes, he

literally does it every time.

(then)

But when he calls you Tom, it’s

always good news. Like that time

he liked your white cell count,

remember that? He called you Tom.

So that’s what we want right now.

We want him to open that door,

come in here, and call you “Tom.”

That’s all we want. Let’s focus

on that, okay?

Tom nods, takes a deep breath.

TOM:

Okay.

DANNY:

It’s going to be alright, Son.

Everything will be alright.

TOM:

(choking up)

You promise?

Danny looks at his son.

DANNY:

Have I ever let you down before?

Tom CRACKS UP through his tears. Crying now...

TOM:

You’re a ridiculous man, you know

that?

DANNY:

I’ve been told, yes.

Tom considers the man sitting next to him, then, giving

in to it... he puts his hand on top of his father’s.

(CONTINUED)

102.

101 CONTINUED:
(2) 101

The camera swings behind them, slowly, till it lands on

their backs (facing the door). As it swings around,

Danny continues talking, soothing.

DANNY (CONT’D)

Yep, he’s just gonna open that

door and call you Tom. It will

all be alright. Everything will

be alright.

We’re behind them now, father and son, touching hands in

silence. And just then...

The door OPENS. Their heads jolt up and we...

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END:

But not before we hear, over black:

DOCTOR SILVERMAN (O.S.)

Okay, Tom, so here’s where we

are...

A NOTE TO THE READER:

In 1971, John Lennon read an interview in a small music

magazine. The subject of the interview was a twenty-one

year old musician named Steve Tilston. In the interview,

Tilston admitted wondering if future wealth and fame

might one day hinder his ability to write powerful songs.

And so... John Lennon wrote Steve Tilston a letter.

In the letter, Lennon offered Tilston advice and

friendship, as well as his home phone number.

Steve Tilston did not receive the letter until 2005. He

was nearly sixty years old at the time.

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