Elephant Song Page #5

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- I want to get out of here!

I'm gonna take that away

from you unless you calm down.

Calm down!

Now, tell me what you want.

I want to get out of here.

OK, well, that's...

That's up to the board to decide.

I don't have any power over that.

If you did, your opinion...

How long have you been here?

I've been here forever.

That's what I'm trying to tell you.

I've been here forever!

I've been... I've been...

I've been here for 5 years, OK?

I've been here for 5 years.

We had a deal.

The deal was that...

you would tell me

what happened with Dr. Lawrence.

I want you to take me

on my own terms...

on who I am now...

not on the things I've done,

not on the things

people say about me.

Is that so crazy?

No, it's quite reasonable.

That's the first decent thing

you've said to me all day.

Well, you have a way

of pushing people's buttons.

There's nothing lean do about your

status here, Michael. That's the truth.

But here's what I will do:

I will go to your next review hearing,

and I'll make absolutely sure

it's thorough.

How's that?

You would do that...

for me?

Yeah.

Maybe you're just saying this.

You're just saying that

to get this over with and go home.

I'm... I'm not in any hurry to go home.

Wow.

Look at us being all honest and stuff.

Now...

your turn.

Dr. Lawrence never touched me.

A couple of months ago,

he confessed he was in love with me.

What?

Don't get your panties in a twist.

He said he found me to be one of the most

interesting people he'd ever met.

He said he found my intelligence

to be frightening and beautiful.

To beloved was a new thing for me.

I... I was in love with James

long before he ever was with me.

The photographs were

a gift I made him.

Well, and here we are...

with the truth.

Yeah.

The truth, there it is.

When I lie, I embellish.

But to him, of course,

the whole thing was platonic.

Can you imagine being in love...

with someone who won't touch you?

Yes, I can understand that.

Can you?

DO you?

It's the closest

I've come to happiness.

Does this make you uncomfortable,

Dr. Greene?

Hi.

What are you doing here?

I... I brought you your glasses.

- I'm in the middle of a session. I can't...

- I thought you might need them.

Hi, honey!

Hey, these aren't yours!

What happened?

They're not mine, but...

- You have a stain.

- Oh, for Christ's sake, Olivia!

Don't raise your voice with me.

I'm not feeling well.

I think I'm getting a cold.

You can't just drop in here.

Hello!

' Ha'.!

Everything's fine, Miss Peterson.

We're... we're fine.

Is that Amy?

Amy? Amy!

Oh! Ah, oh!

Oh, my goodness!

What are you thinking,

bringing her here?

She wanted you.

Well...

- I'm not feeling well.

- I know you're not feeling well.

- And I'm getting a cold, OK?

- I'm sorry! What do... What do I...

- I've got a headache.

- OK. Well, you should go home.

OK!

Time to go!

I know you still want one, don't you?

Time to go. Bye, now.

Time to go!

Aw!

Oh!

Goodness!

Olivia, Susan Peterson.

- Hello.

- Oh, how do you do?

- Nice to meet you.

- You too.

All right, I'll get back

to what I was doing.

- Bye!

- Bye!

Bye!

Are you ready to go home?

. Bye, Amy!

- Bye!

- Bye!

OK! She's tired.

Just take her home.

I'll be home as soon as I can!

- Say bye-bye!

- Amy, come on, let's go.

- Say bye-bye!

- Bye!

Come on!

- And that was?

- That was my niece.

- Listen...

- I know.

I know. You gotta go.

- No.

- No?

I know there's...

some reasonable explanation.

What are you still doing here?

I think you still have things

you wanna say to me.

You know, if we carry on with this,

you might begin to understand.

That's the idea.

I'm just saying,

caveat emptor, doctor.

That's the number of times

I saw my father.

As long as it's the truth.

Trust me,

I couldn't make any of this up.

When my mother was on tour

in South Africa,

I was a last-minute accident

of a 24-hour affair.

I can see you going through your archives

of absent-father pathologies.

I went to visit him

when I was 8, just once.

He died with his eye fixed on mine.

Michael!

- Yes'?

- Is everything all right'?

Yes, everything's fine, Susan.

My mother knew

something was wrong

because she picked me up

herself at the airport

And were you close to your mother?

Real close for about 9 months,

then she gave birth.

So, when you came back

from Africa, that's when...

she gave you Anthony?

How did you know that?

- Intuition, I...

- Oh! Huh.

Intuition...

My mother, I'll have you know,

is the greatest opera singer

this country's ever produced.

I didn't know that.

Famous, successful.

Has a child she doesn't want,

names him Michael.

There were lots of nannies,

boarding schools,

age inappropriate birthday gifts.

I figure:
"It's all right.

She's not very good

at the whole mom thing. It's fine."

And then...

gives me this and sings to me,

that counting song...

me Elephant Song.

And on and on.

It's a French counting song.

The point is...

she could be a good mom.

She knew how.

She gave me hope.

That's the worst thing

you can give a child, Dr. Greene,

if you're not gonna follow through.

Does she come to visit you often?

She can't.

I killed her.

Pardon me?

I killed her.

That's why I'm here.

I'm 14.

I come home.

She's lying on the floor,

a bottle of pills in her hand.

She's still breathing, though.

I'm old enough

to know what's going on, right.

I know what I'm supposed to do:

I should call an ambulance

and have her stomach pumped.

But instead...

I kneel by her...

I take her hand...

I sing the Elephant Song.

I made it to 78 elephants

before she stopped breathing.

Do you know what her last words are?

"I love you? Forgive me?"

"Three false notes."

Which I later found out referred

to her last concert, her last performance.

On a happier note...

YOU win!

In exchange for 3 chocolates

and tending my review board...

you get to find out

what happened to Dr. Lawrence.

How do we do this?

On the count of three...

...two, one.

' Oh, my God!

It's just a stroke.

Why would you hide this?

His sister...

Because I'm ugly.

. "Ugly-"

Go on.

You know, I personally think

that you should get your staff

something more exciting next year.

I'll keep it in mind. Hello.

This is Dr. Greene from

81. Christina Psychiatric Hospital.

Could I speak to

Dr. James Lawrence please?

Well, could you ask him

to call me back at his extension please?

Thank you.

Dr. Greene.

You and Susan,

I son of see it now.

You two must have been good

together, hmm?

Excuse me?

Hmm.

And Rachel, she was lucky

to have you as parents.

Give me that!

James! James, hi.

Yeah, how are you?

Well, no, we just got your note.

That's right.

Yeah, of course.

Why? Well, yeah,

Susan said the same thing.

How is your sister?

Oh, thank God!

OK, well, um...

No, no, nonsense! You just take

all the time you need, and...

Michael would like to say,

uh, have a quick word.

Can I hand him over?

. Hey-

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