Gothika Page #15

OFFICER TURLINGTON

Nice and slow, start talking to

me. And make it good. Tell me

just exactly who that is.

A confused Miranda slowly turns in the direction he'slooking to see Tracy Seaver at the barn door. Draggingherself in agony, clearly in a severe state of shock.

Battered, yet somehow -- incredibly -- still alive.

But just barely.

EXT. JACKSON HOSPITAL - DAY

A car pulls up to the chaotic ER area. Phil Parsons and

Pete step out, rush inside.

INT. HOSPITAL ER - MEN'S ROOM - DAY

Sheriff Ryan is busy at the urinal. But even here he

can't find any peace because Teddy Howard is on his

case -

SHERIFF RYAN:

Mr. Howard -- let me simply listthe events your client wasinvolved in last night. First she

drugs a janitor, steals his carand escapes a mentalinstitution -

TEDDY HOWARD:

Hold on, there isn't even anysubstantial evidence -

(CONTINUED)

77.

CONTINUED:

Sheriff Ryan zips up his pants, flushes and runs the sinkto wash his hands -

SHERIFF RYAN:

Mr. Howard -- there isn't evidence

because the overdosed janitorhasn't woken up, that's why -- andwhen your client was questioned onthe matter she admitted to

injecting a full syringe of -

TEDDY HOWARD:

(handing him a

paper towel)

You had no right to question myclient without my presence -

SHERIFF RYAN:

Mr. Howard, this is not a courtroom.

Your client was read her rights andshe still insisted -

TEDDY HOWARD:

-- Let me ask you this, Sheriff:

what exactly was a janitor doingwith several vials of sedatives

inside my client's cell? And is

it not possible he had taken somedrugs himself before my client -

Sheriff Ryan discards the paper towel and walks out tothe waiting room, Teddy following closely -

INT. ER WAITING ROOM

Paramedics and nurses doing their thing. The youngofficer who arrested Miranda hands the Sheriff a cup ofcoffee.

SHERIFF RYAN:

I'm not a drug expert. I'm simplystating the frigging facts.

Sheriff Ryan burns his tongue on the coffee, noticesParsons and Pete approaching. Relief crosses his face.

SHERIFF RYAN:

Phil, thank God -- this guy'sdriving me nuts!

PARSONS:

What happened?

(CONTINUED)

78.

CONTINUED:

SHERIFF RYAN:

An 'incident' -- for lack of a

better frigging word -- involvingMiss Grey and a teenage girl who'sbeen tortured and is in critical

condition and chances are slim

she'll even utter another word.

PETE:

Who's the girl?

SHERIFF RYAN:

A runaway from Portland, TracyMarie Seaver. Reported missing acouple weeks ago. We found Miss

Grey in some barn off WillowsCreek with the girl all messed up.

I'm just now waiting for thesurgeon to give me an update.

(to Teddy)

Notice, Counselor, how I'm not

even mentioning her trespassing orlying to a police officer.

Teddy waves him off in frustration. Goes to talk to

Turlington.

SHERIFF RYAN:

Christ, the woman's got the entirehospital busy -

Sheriff Ryan notices Teddy talking to Turlington -

SHERIFF RYAN:

Why are you harassing my deputies?

TEDDY HOWARD:

I'm only asking him where he gotthe coffee -- ?

SHERIFF RYAN:

He's not at liberty to answerthat. You've had enough goddamncoffee already.

The Sheriff leaves Pete and Parsons. They walk over tothe water cooler where they can talk more privately.

PETE:

We need to get Miranda back to theinstitute. She needs psychiatriccare, not a prison cell.

(CONTINUED)

79.

CONTINUED:

Parsons nods, lost in thought. Sheriff Ryan returns.

SHERIFF RYAN:

Phil, how well does your wife knowthe suspect?

PARSONS:

Why do you ask?

SHERIFF RYAN:

Because she's at the station rightnow, demanding to speak with her.

Parsons frowns at this, concerned. Pete studies him.

INT. COUNTY STATION HOLDING CELL - DAY

Bare room. A desk and two chairs. Glass window panes toinsure no privacy. DOROTHY PARSONS (50s) waits, seated.

The door opens and a DEPUTY escorts Miranda in. She sits

across from Dorothy, looking as lost as can be. A longbeat.

DOROTHY:

How are you?

Miranda doesn't answer. Her mind elsewhere. Namely backat the barn and how it connects to Rachel.

DOROTHY:

I needed to see you, but I'm notsure where to begin. I don't know

you well, I certainly have nothingbut fond feelings for you. Phil

always keeps me posted on hiscolleagues and his work and -- inany case, I have always thought ofyou as a very bright, veryperceptive doctor. Even though Idon't know you well.

She pauses here. Miranda looks up now. Her face hollow

and exhausted. Bags under her eyes. A person who hasseen too much. Wondering where the hell this is going.

DOROTHY:

My point is, my point being -when

Rachel died I had, um, I

suffered through these spells,

these recurring dreams.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

80.

CONTINUED:

DOROTHY (CONT'D)

And eventually, once I came toterms with her death, they went

away. Losing a child is thehardest, most inconceivable event

a mother can -

She drifts off. Takes a beat to collect herself and

resume:

DOROTHY:

The past few days I have beenhaving the same dream. A

nightmare.

Miranda can't help but smile to herself at that.

MIRANDA:

That word. Nightmare. Welcome to

my life.

DOROTHY:

This nightmare involves Rachel butit also involves you. In the

nightmare Rachel holds a box inher left hand. A small box. And

she repeats a series of numbers.

Now, Rachel never spoke, from thetime she was born -- she had a

condition -- I often asked God whyhe punished this child in such away -- she couldn't speak, but shewas extremely bright. She wasn't

autistic as the doctors claimed -

Dorothy Parsons starts to cry. A moment passes likethis. It seems she won't recover enough to continue hertale.

MIRANDA:

Mrs. Parsons, you need atherapist. Normally I wouldencourage you to schedule asession with me but as you can

see -

Dorothy shakes her head, determined to finish. She pullsout a folded piece of paper.

DOROTHY:

Every night the same box in herhand and the same numbers. I

wrote them down.

(CONTINUED)

81.

CONTINUED:

She slides the paper over. Miranda watches her

carefully, then looks at the piece of paper. The numbers

are:

1-0-2-2-0-1.

A long beat.

DOROTHY:

It's a message. It's a code for

something. I don't know what.

But she wants you to have it.

Miranda studies it. Studies this woman, who quitefrankly seems to have completely lost her mind. Then she

looks back at the numbers and is slowly hit with arealization.

MIRANDA:

October 22nd, 2001. It's mywedding date.

She stares at Dorothy, stunned. Brain click-clickclicking.

Her wildest fears confirmed: Doug is behindthis somehow.

MIRANDA:

That code belongs to a safetydeposit box my husband kept in abank up in Newcastle, that's wherehis parents live.

(beat)

Dorothy, I need you to drive upthere and open it.

Dorothy stares at her, scared. And finally nods.

EXT. WOODWARD INSTITUTE - DAY

Pete hurries down the front steps of the main building asTWO POLICE CRUISERS pull up. Miranda is brought out ofone of the cruisers by two OFFICERS.

PETE:

We can take those off now.

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