Doctors Page #4

Season #18

---

MAC:

So, what was in this cake then?

JANICE:

Chocolate.

[ROB AND JANICE EXCHANGE A GUILTY LOOK, WHICH

MAC SPOTS]

MAC:

And…?

ROB:

Cannabis.

[MAC’S REACTION IS ONE OF DISAPPOINTMENT RATHER

THAN ANGER]

MAC:

After everything I said?

ROB:

Yeah, well – I needed to try something, and it worked, too.

MAC:

But look at the state of you now. Still think it was worth it?

JANICE:

Are you sure it was the cannabis?

MAC:

No… but it can make people sick, particularly if they’re not used to it.

And there’s a lot we don’t know about the possible long term effects…

JANICE:

Could it be food poisoning?

MAC:

(GIVING HER A LOOK - IT’S OBVIOUSLY THE CANNABIS!) I’ll leave you

a specimen pot; drop a stool sample into the surgery as soon as you can

and I’ll get some tests done.

JANICE:

Oh… well, actually…

31

[SHE INDICATES THE COMMODE BY THE SIDE OF ROB’S

BED]

JANICE:

I haven’t had a chance to empty that yet… if it’s urgent…

MAC:

I’ll get a pot.

CUT TO:

32

EP105/SC22. INT. ROB OVEREND’S HOUSE. HALLWAY.

DAY 2. 12.40

[MAC IS LEAVING. JANICE IS SHOWING HIM OUT]

MAC:

I’m going to the hospital now, so I’ll pop this into the lab while I’m

there. The full culture test takes 3 days, but I’ll get them to do a

microscopy for me… might even have a result back later today if I call in

a few favours.

JANICE:

And if it’s food poisoning?

MAC:

Could be salmonella, or there’s another nasty bug called

Campylorbacter.

[JANICE LOOKS CONCERNED]

MAC:

Don’t worry. If it is food poisoning, it’s only a mild dose. Make sure he

drinks plenty of fluids, and he should be alright in a day or two.

JANICE:

And if it’s the cannabis?

MAC:

Then maybe you can persuade your husband to listen to medical advice

next time.

JANICE:

He does normally. You know what he’s like - he’s not one for taking

risks. That’s why he wanted to see the other doctor before he went

ahead.

MAC:

Which other doctor?

JANICE:

Doctor Mistry. We saw him yesterday. He said that if it was him, he’d

probably want to give the cannabis a go.

MAC:

Did he? Did he indeed?

CUT TO:

33

EP105/SC23. EXT. HOSPITAL MAIN ENTRANCE. DAY 2. 13.20

[MAC PARKS HIS CAR AND GETS OUT. HE LOOKS UP,

TAKES A DEEP BREATH AND GOES INTO THE HOSPITAL]

CUT TO:

34

EP105/SC24. INT. HOSPITAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

DAY 2. 13.25

[JO IS AS WE LEFT HER. JACK SITS IN HIS CHAIR. MAC

ENTERS]

JACK:

Hello Mac.

MAC:

Any change?

[JACK SHAKES HIS HEAD]

JACK:

Why did she do it, Mac? Why?

MAC:

Er… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about actually. Fancy a walk?

CUT TO:

35

EP105/SC25. INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR. DAY 2. 13.30

[A LONG SHOT DOWN THE CORRIDOR. PEOPLE GO

ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS AS MAC AND JACK TALK

IN THE DISTANCE. WE DON’T HEAR WHAT THEY’RE

SAYING, BUT MAC IS CLEARLY TELLING JACK THE TRUTH

ABOUT JO AND JESSIE. CUT TO A TIGHTER SHOT. JACK

IS STUNNED BY WHAT HE HAS JUST HEARD AND IS

STRUGGLING TO GET HIS HEAD AROUND IT]

MAC:

You OK Jack?

JACK:

Er… yes… no. It was Jo? You’re telling me it was Jo? Jo gave Mum those

pills?

MAC:

Yes. I should have told you sooner, only… (I DIDN’T KNOW HOW)

JACK:

But the trial… did you know then?

MAC:

Yes.

JACK:

And you didn’t say anything? What if you’d been found guilty?

MAC:

(SHRUGGING) Well, I wasn’t was I?

[BEAT]

MAC:

It was what Jessie wanted, Jack.

JACK:

Yeah. But what about what anyone else wanted, eh Mac? What about

that?

[HE TURNS AND WALKS AWAY. MAC WATCHES HIM GO.

HAS HE DONE THE RIGHT THING IN TELLING HIM? JACK

WALKS BACK UP THE CORRIDOR, TOWARDS THE

CAMERA. WE SEE THE LOOK OF PAIN AND SHOCK ON HIS

FACE]

CUT TO:

36

EP105/SC26. EXT. PRACTICE FRONT CAR PARK. DAY 2. 15.45

[MAC DRIVES INTO THE CAR PARK AND STOPS HIS CAR.

HE IS STILL AFFECTED BY HIS CONVERSATION WITH

JACK. HE SEES RANA’S CAR, AND SETS OFF TOWARDS

THE DOOR WITH A GRIM SENSE OF DETERMINATION]

CUT TO:

37

EP105/SC27. INT. PRACTICE RECEPTION. DAY 2. 15.47

[PATIENTS ARE BEGINNING TO GATHER FOR EVENING

SURGERY. CANDY IS AT THE DESK AS MAC ENTERS]

CANDY:

Message from Mrs McGuire. She’s been delayed at the Cluster Meeting,

and she’ll see you at home.

MAC:

OK.

[MAC WALKS STRAIGHT PAST HER TO THE STAFF ROOM.

CANDY IS NONPLUSSED]

CUT TO:

38

EP105/SC28. INT. PRACTICE STAFF ROOM. DAY 2. 15.48

[RANA AND FAITH ARE STANDING QUITE CLOSE TO EACH

OTHER, SHARING A JOKE AND LAUGHING. MAC ENTERS

AND GLARES AT RANA]

MAC:

My room. Now!

[MAC TURNS AND WALKS OUT. FAITH LOOKS

QUIZZICALLY AT RANA]

FAITH:

You been a naughty boy then?

RANA:

Erm… not sure. But give me half a chance…

[HE LEAVES]

CUT TO:

39

EP105/SC29. INT. PRACTICE CONSULTING ROOM (MAC’S).

DAY 2. 15.48

[MAC SITS SEETHING AT HIS DESK AS RANA COMES IN,

STILL SMILING FROM HIS ENCOUNTER WITH FAITH]

RANA:

You know, she’s quite something…

MAC:

(LAUNCHING IN) What the hell do you mean by going round advising

my patients to take illegal drugs?

RANA:

What?

MAC:

Robert Overend. I was at his house this morning. He’s flat on his back

throwing up into a bucket, because you told him it was alright to take

cannabis.

RANA:

I didn’t…

MAC:

Then how come his wife’s baked a whole great big lump of the stuff in a

cake, just hours after talking to you about it?

RANA:

We did have a conversation about cannabis – I just think they wanted a

different angle…

MAC:

It is not the policy of this practice to condone the use of illegal drugs! I

told Mr Overend as much when he came to me last week, and now I find

you’re sneaking around behind my back…

RANA:

Now hang on…

MAC:

… deliberately going against me!

RANA:

Excuse me, this ‘policy’ on cannabis use? That’s something we all talked

about is it? You, me, Steve, Helen, Caroline? Something we all agreed?

MAC:

Some things don’t need talking about, they’re so blindingly obvious…

RANA:

40

Obvious to you maybe, but not to me. I thought I was a partner now, I

thought we were supposed to talk about these things, you know, share

views, hold discussions…?

MAC:

Since when do we need to have discussions about the rights and wrongs

of breaking the law?

RANA:

And if the law is wrong? And if we think that a bit of weed is going to

give some pain relief to a man who we can’t help in any other way?

MAC:

We are doctors Rana – we can’t put ourselves above the law.

RANA:

Oh yeah? And does that apply to giving an overdose of diamorphine to a

dying woman?

[THESE LAST WORDS ARE LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE TO

MAC]

MAC:

You what?

[MAC IS FURIOUS. HE TAKES A STEP TOWARDS RANA,

AND FOR A SECOND IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S ABOUT TO HIT

HIM. RANA TAKES A STEP BACK IN ALARM. MAC VISIBLY

CONTROLS HIMSELF, THEN CONTINUES WITH BARELY

RESTRAINED FEROCITY]

MAC:

So that’s what you really think is it? That I killed Jessie Helm?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes