Jackie Page #3

(through tears)

And his head was so beautiful, and

his mouth was beautiful and his

eyes were open. I was trying tokeep the top of his head down. Keepit all in. He had the most

wonderful expression on his face,

you know? Just before they’d askhim a question, just before he’danswer. He looked puzzled.

(beat)

I knew he was dead.

She lights a cigarette. The Journalist looks up from his

notes.

JOURNALIST:

(clears throat)

Mrs. Kennedy-

JACKIE:

Don’t think for one second I’m

going to let you publish that.

(MORE)

14.

JACKIE (CONT'D)

(beat)

You understand?

JOURNALIST:

Yes, of course. I understand.

The Journalist looks down.

JOURNALIST (CONT’D)

What did the bullet sound like?

PUSH IN on Jackie and...

SLAM CUT TO:

EXT. PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE -DALLAS

BANG! --two motorcycles speed up to the President’s

Limousine as it races to the hospital.

Jackie sits in back. Her husband’s head is in her hands.

SLAM CUT TO:

INT. AIR FORCE ONE -PRESIDENTIAL QUARTERS

A TIGHT CLOSE-UP of Jackie. Her wide-set, deep brown eyes

are blank, exhausted.

Her mascara is streaked, her cheeks scarred with red-brown

smudges. The dried blood of her dead husband. She stares at

herself in the mirror. The pillbox hat is gone --cast onthe floor --and her usually perfect hair is tousled.

Frantically, she scrubs at the blood, some of it still wet,

with Kleenex.

She wipes at her reflection in the mirror.

Finally, she pats her face dry with a hanging towel. Then,

noticing her hair, she attempts to restore its shape with herhands. Her hands quiver.

Frustrated, she lets out a wrenching SOB. And then --KNOCK!

KNOCK!

O'BRIEN (O.S.)

Mrs. Kennedy? Are you alright?

It's Larry...

She takes in a breath, forcing her composure.

15.

JACKIE:

I'll be ready in a moment.

LARRY O'BRIEN, the President's Congressional Liaison and oldfamily friend, speaks to her from the doorway.

O’BRIEN

Take all of the time you need.

With her fingers she wipes the tears and blood from under her

eyes.

JACKIE:

Are they waiting?

Jackie stares at herself in the mirror --a macabre

distortion of the picture from Love Field that morning.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE -CONFERENCE ROOM -CONTINUOUS

JACKIE'S POV --PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON, his wife LADY BIRD,

his aide JACK VALENTI. CONGRESSMEN ALBERT THOMAS and JACK

BROOKS, stand by JUDGE SARAH HUGHES, who holds up a smallbible.

President Johnson hesitates --but there's no choice. He

places his hand on the bible.

Jackie pulls back her shoulders, holding herself erect.

JUDGE HUGHES:

I do, solemnly swear...

President Johnson’s deep Texas drawl is uncharacteristicallysoft, subdued. He repeats every line after Judge Hughes.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

I do solemnly swear...

JUDGE HUGHES:

That I will faithfully execute...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

That I will faithfully execute...

JUDGE HUGHES:

The office of President of the

United States...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

The Office of President of the

United States...

16.

JUDGE HUGHES:

And will to the best of my

ability...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

And will to the best of my

ability...

JUDGE HUGHES:

Preserve...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

Preserve...

JUDGE HUGHES:

Protect...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

Protect...

JUDGE HUGHES:

And defend...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

And defend...

JUDGE HUGHES:

The Constitution of the United

States...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

The Constitution of the United

States...

JUDGE HUGHES:

So help me God...

PRESIDENT JOHNSON

So help me God...

Johnson kisses his wife, then places his hand on Jackie’sshoulder.

A FLASHBULB erupts, capturing the moment.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON (CONT’D)

Let’s start the engines and get

some of the heat off this plane.

Thank you.

Valenti shakes President Johnson’s hand and addresses him.

VALENTI:

Mr. President.

17.

Jackie's eyes drift downward, blank.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE -CABIN -LATER

Air Force One is airborne. Jackie sits, staring straight

ahead.

Suddenly she rises and approaches CLINT HILL, the head of herSecret Service detail.

JACKIE:

Agent Hill? Can you tell me...whatsize was the bullet?

A beat of silence, everyone unsettled.

JACKIE (CONT’D)

I don’t think it was a thirtyeight, was it? What do you call it?

The caliber? It seemed bigger. It

seemed like something soldierswould use or maybe it was the kindthey use for deer hunting....

O’BRIEN

(very careful)

Mrs. Kennedy, you don’t have to-we

don’t know yet.

No one answers. She becomes distant, lost in concentration.

She turns to her husband’s oldest friends, the IRISH MAFIA -KENNY

O’DONNELL, O’Brien, and DAVE POWERS.

JACKIE:

We need to have the Irish Cadets.

O'BRIEN

I'm sorry?

JACKIE:

Yes. The Irish Cadets --for the

funeral. Jack loved them. He saw

them perform in Dublin last summer.

O'BRIEN

Of course, Mrs. Kennedy. We'll

make sure of it.

JACKIE:

And those bagpipers from Scotland.

What were they called, Kenny?

18.

O'DONNELL

Yeah. The Black Watch.

JACKIE:

That's right. The Black Watch

Pipers.

Hill approaches -

HILL:

When we arrive, we'll be exitingout the rear of the plane. You,

the President --President Johnson

that is, Mrs. Johnson-

JACKIE:

--Why the rear?

HILL:

There's press at Andrews. Not to

mention the security risk-

JACKIE:

--I'm supposed to hide away. Now?

HILL:

Not hide-

Jackie's voice rises, an unexpected anger-

JACKIE:

--I'm sure those people would lovethat. What do they callthemselves? The Birch Society? No,

I will not sneak out the back door.

(beat, final)

I'll go out the usual way. We all

will.

Hill is about to argue, but Jackie stares back at him -defiant

--and he realizes it's a lost cause.

HILL:

I'll arrange it.

And now ADMIRAL GEORGE BURKLEY interjects-

BURKLEY:

When we land, Mrs. Kennedy, we'llneed to proceed directly to thehospital for the autopsy.

19.

JACKIE:

(aghast)

The autopsy?

(beat)

Is that necessary?

BURKLEY:

I'm afraid it's required.

JACKIE:

By who?

BURKLEY:

The law, Mrs. Kennedy.

She considers this. And then -

JACKIE:

And what exactly will they do?

Burkley hesitates --looks to the others for help --but noone knows what she means.

BURKLEY:

I’m not sure-

JACKIE:

--What does an ‘autopsy’ entail? I

want you to explain to me. I wantall of the details. I’m his wife -or

whatever I am now.

(beat)

I want all the details. Will they

slice him open?

LADY BIRD JOHNSON approaches. Nearly 20 years Jackie'ssenior, she is a warm, maternal presence.

Lady Bird moves toward Jackie as if she might give her a hug -

but stops short, repulsed by the gore that still clings toJackie's dress.

LADY BIRD:

Oh, Darling.

She takes Jackie's hand, instead.

LADY BIRD (CONT’D)

Can I send someone back to help youchange? Before we land?

Jackie glances down at her dress and seems to take in thehorror again, for the first time.

20.

LADY BIRD (CONT'D)

All those cameras... People will bewatching.

But Jackie is lost in her own world...

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