Decoding Annie Parker Page #4

---

- Pardon me?

They eat very little red meat,

and they have a much lower rate

of breast cancer

than North American women.

Is that so?

Yeah.

- So did your family go out...

- Three different tests.

One was over ten years.

It's fairly conclusive.

Anyway, I'm gonna get going.

- So...

- We can't know anything.

There's so many

possible factors.

It could be diet.

It could be toxins in the home.

One of a thousand viruses

known or unknown.

They know the groups that

have the highest incidents.

They don't know the elements

common to those groups.

We don't know

what happened to your family.

We may never know.

My mom used to wrap

hot dogs in bacon,

and they deep-fried them.

- What's this?

- It's dinner.

Where's the rest of it?

That's it.

It's a salad.

It's got tomatoes in it.

I hate tomatoes.

You can pick them out.

Is everything okay?

Yeah. Yeah.

You know what?

Um, I'm gonna go

get us some burgers.

- You want one?

- Yeah!

But no tomatoes

and no oniony things.

No tomatoes

and no oniony things.

Okay. You want one?

Why are we looking

at Mormons and Jews?

Mormons tend to have

very large families,

which makes them

excellent genetic resources.

Plus the Church

of Latter Day Saints

believes everyone

related to the Mormons

has to be baptized

to be saved later.

So, what, there's carcinogens

in the baptismal water

they're using?

No. But they keep

incredibly detailed records

of their familial ties.

A researcher before us found

30 cases of breast cancer

in one family.

Called the Kindred 107.

Ashkenazi Jews are

important, Tom, because

they have an extraordinarily

high rate of breast cancer.

In New York, it's an epidemic.

Okay. But...

why couldn't it be

the water or the air?

If that was true, it would be

true of all women in the area.

Breathing the same air,

drinking the same water.

- But it's not.

- So it's something in them.

In their genes.

You're early.

Dr. Gold's not here.

So how did you know

all that stuff the other day?

What stuff?

The medical stuff.

I used to be a nurse.

- You used to be a nurse?

- Yep.

- What happened?

- What do you mean, "what happened"?

You don't think

I enjoy this? Yes?

Okay.

Mr. Elson, you can

take your wife through

to the back with the nurse.

Seriously, what happened?

Uh...

I used to work

in the oncology ward.

But it was too much,

so I quit.

You're right. Cancer patients

are a pain in the ass.

- Sorry.

- Hello.

Yes, Doctor, the tests

will be ready this afternoon.

No, Doctor.

I would've told you.

Okay. Bye-bye.

- You're right.

- About what?

You're all a pain in the ass.

That's true.

- He likes you, you know.

- Who?

Dr. Gold?

Yeah, him.

- No.

- Yes, he does.

I'm married.

Of course.

What was I thinking?

Annie.

Hey. Hi.

Oh. Oh.

I could've gotten cancer

from my mom?

Like passed down?

Uh, there's no evidence

that you can get it passed down.

All cancer is

genetic in the end,

just not necessarily

in the beginning.

I don't understand.

When you get cancer,

your DNA gets messed up,

and certain genes

can cause your cells

to replicate wildly.

But something

has to mess the DNA up

in the first place, right?

Right.

Well, then, what messes it up?

We don't know, really.

I really didn't mean

to upset you again.

It's not you. It's me.

It's the chemo, I think.

You know, I even cried

at the Leafs game

with Paul last night.

- You did?

- Yeah.

It was a tie,

but the players all looked so sad.

Hey, An...

Hey, hon.

Hon.

Annie...

Why?

Why? We've got doctors.

The chemo...

is going well...

you know?

I've gotta

do something. I...

Annie...

Hey, why can't you

just leave it alone?

I really didn't know.

I think that part

more than anything

drove him crazy.

Guys want reasons.

I should've made one up.

I don't know, Annie.

Maybe you need to give him time.

I've given him time.

Maybe it has something to do

with the...

- You know. The...

- What?

I don't know.

All the research.

It's a tiny, tiny bit obsessive.

Obsessive? How?

You know, like...

wacko obsessive.

Wacko obsessive.

It's not the bad kind, then.

It's not too late

to reach out to him

and to let him know

how you feel.

What, like a blow job?

Yeah, that's

exactly what I mean.

Have you guys heard

of Mary-Claire King?

She used dental genetics

to identify children

of parents murdered

by the junta in Argentina.

But she is also doing

some very interesting work

on the genetics

of breast cancer.

So I wrote to Dr. King,

and I wrote to her again,

and I wrote a third

and a fourth time.

I told her my story,

my family's story.

Books were hard for me,

so I started making models

so I could understand.

Cells, genes,

chromosomes, and a helix.

I'm going to the bar!

What?

I'm going to the effing bar

because this is

an effing building site!

I can't hear you!

I don't f***ing believe this.

I'm going out!

Hey, watch the rest of the game.

Remember the score.

Paul, would you

put William to bed?

We didn't discover much

in that first year,

but, oddly, that mattered

less and less.

Something mysterious

was taking hold of me.

I didn't know what it was then.

That would come later.

And then, some news.

Keep having you

in to do screenings

every six months or so

just as a precautionary measure,

but I would say that

cancer is out of your life.

You have reason to celebrate.

Done?

I'm done with chemo?

You're done with chemo.

Hey.

Hey. What is this?

Uh, Louise is watching William.

Okay. Um, I...

I wish you had told me.

- Why?

- 'Cause I have plans.

- You have plans?

- Yeah.

- What plans?

- Just...

You know, just plans.

I...

Can you just stay

and eat a little bit

before you go at least?

Yeah. Yeah.

Great.

Okay.

Can you change them?

- What?

- Your plans.

I kind of, uh...

I made this dinner

special for us, you know?

Thank you.

I know you went to...

a lot of trouble,

and it looks great.

- I just...

- No, no.

There's no trouble,

Paul, you know?

I'm married.

Married people do nice things

for each other.

I know.

They do things together...

like make love.

Annie, please, just...

We can have sex.

Don't do this.

Don't you love me anymore?

Annie, I do.

Hey, I want to.

You want to?

No, I... I do.

Well, then, I don't understand

what the problem is.

Why can't you make love

to me anymore?

Look, I just... I just...

I just can't.

- You can't?

- Okay? I can't.

Oh, is it because

I only have one breast?

- Is that what it is?

- Oh, my God, Annie.

Why don't you just, like,

only put it up halfway?

Maybe you could

get half-erect.

- Maybe you could close one eye.

- Annie, stop it!

- No, I will not stop it!

- Stop it! Stop!

I can't touch you!

Okay? I can't touch you!

Annie...

I can't even look at you,

at your body.

I mean, I hate that...

that hole, that scar.

I'm sorry. I just...

Paul...

Knudson's

two-hit theory?

Normal cells have

two undamaged chromosomes...

- ...one from the mom...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes