Jacob's Ladder Page #9

JACOB:

I love you, Sarah.

She smiles warmly. His eyes close and in a matter of seconds

he is back asleep.

EXT. VIETNAM - PRE DAWN

WE HEAR SUMMER MORNING SOUNDS, CRICKETS and BIRDS. The image

of trees materializes overhead and a beautiful pink sky,

just before sunrise, can be seen through the branches. It is

an idyllic setting.

Suddenly a strange sound can be heard in the distance, a

metallic humming, growing louder. There is a scramble of

feet and a sound of heavy boots moving through the tall

grass. Voices can be heard. Men's voices.

VOICE:

They're here.

VOICE:

Thank God. Move 'em out!

VOICES:

Bust your balls!

VOICE:

Move it! Move it!

There is an instant swell of activity. Trees and branches

blur and speed by overhead. The idyllic image of moments

before reveals itself as a P.O.V. SHOT. The CAMERA races out

of a JUNGLE covering and into a huge CLEARING.

High overhead a helicopter appears. Its blades whirl with a

deafening whine. Long lines drop from its belly and dangle

in mid-air. SOLDIERS leap up into the air reaching for them.

The air is filled with turbulence. Tarps fly off dead

bodies. SOLDIERS hold them down. Voices yell but the words

are not clear. They are filled with urgency.

The CAMERA leaves the ground. The edges of the sky disappear

as the helicopter's gray mass fills the frame. It grows

larger and darker as the CAMERA approaches. Rivets and

insignias dotting the underbelly come into view. Suddenly

the stretcher begins spinning, out of control. Hands emerge

from inside, reaching out to grab it.

Watery, womb-like sounds rise out of nowhere, the rippling

of water, a heart beating. Gradually voices can be heard

mumbling; distant sounds, warm and familiar.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

JACOB's DOCTOR reaches down to help him out of the tub.

Surprisingly JEZZIE and MRS. CARMICHAEL are standing there

too. JACOB stares at them in total confusion.

DOCTOR:

You are a lucky man, my friend. A

lucky man. You must have friends in

high places, that's all I can say.

SAM and TONY appear next to the DOCTOR. They are extending

their hands to the P.O.V. CAMERA. JACOB'S arms, nearly blue,

reach out to them.

Slowly they lift him from the icy water. JACOB takes one

step onto the tile and collapses to the floor.

CUT TO BLACK:

INT. JACOB'S BEDROOM - DAY

FADE IN sounds of feet shuffling across the carpet. A glass

rattles on a tray. A television is on low in the background.

Slowly the CAMERA LENS opens from JACOB's P.O.V. and we see

JEZZIE puttering around the BEDROOM. Suddenly she is aware

that JACOB is watching her. She smiles.

JEZZIE:

Jake.

(she places her hand on

his head and strokes his

hair)

You're gonna be all right, Jake.

You're gonna be fine.

JACOB:

Am I home?

JEZZIE:

You're here. Home. The doctor said

you're lucky your brains didn't boil.

(she smiles)

What a night, Jake. It was crazy. You

kept sayin' "Sarah, close the

window," over and over. And talkin'

to your kids. Even the dead one.

Weird. You know you melted 200 pounds

of ice in 8 hours. Amazing, huh?

JACOB:

Are we in Brooklyn?

JEZZIE:

You're right here, Jake. You just

rest.

(she puffs up his

pillow)

The doctor said you had a virus.

That's what they say when they don't

know what it is. You can't do

anything for a week. He says you

gotta recuperate.

(she strokes his

forehead, and gets up)

Now you just lie here. Mrs. Sandelman

made you some chicken soup. It'll

warm you up.

JEZZIE leaves the room. JACOB watches her as she goes. He

seems lost and confused.

INT. JACOB'S KITCHEN - DAY

JACOB, unshaven, wearing his bathrobe, is sitting at the

KITCHEN TABLE. PILES OF BOOKS on demonology are spread out

before him. He studies them to distraction. JEZZIE is

standing by the counter making sandwiches. She wraps them in

plastic Baggies and puts one in a lunch box, another in the

refrigerator. She is dressed in her postal uniform.

JEZZIE:

You know, you really ought to get out

today. You can't just sit around like

this all the time. It's not healthy.

It's not good for your mind. Go take

a walk, or somethin'. Go to a movie.

Christ, who's gonna know? You think I

care? I don't give a sh*t. Go. Enjoy

yourself. One of us should be having

a good time.

(JEZZIE knocks on

JACOB's head)

Hello! Anybody home?

(she looks in his ear)

Anybody in there?

JACOB:

What?

JEZZIE just stares at him. She does not respond. JACOB

returns to his books.

CUT TO CLOSE UP IMAGES OF WINGED DEMONS, real demons, with

spindly horns and long tails. JACOB's huge finger,

magnified, scans page after page of ancient images and

archaic text. JEZZIE, enraged at his lack of attention,

returns to packing her lunch box. Suddenly she spins around.

JEZZIE:

Goddamn it! I can't stand it anymore.

I've had it up to here. Go ahead and

rot if you want ... You son-of-a-

b*tch, I'm talking to you.

CUT BACK to the DEMONS. Suddenly a crashing sound catches

JACOB's attention as a KITCHEN POT flies by his head. He

looks up to see JEZZIE knocking pots and pans off the

kitchen counter and kicking them wildly across the room. The

noise is terrible. The intensity of her rage is shocking.

The pots crash into every surface, knocking all his books

onto the floor. And then, suddenly, she stops.

JEZZIE stoops down to the floor and picks up her sandwich,

stuffs it back in its plastic Baggie, and puts it back in

her lunch box. She is about to leave when she stops and

looks at JACOB.

JEZZIE:

(continuing, her anger

in check)

I made you a tuna fish sandwich. It's

in the fridge. Eat a carrot with it.

The aspirin's on the bottom shelf.

We're out of soap so, if for some

reason you decide to wash yourself

again, use the dishwashing stuff.

(she walks out of the

room and returns with

her coat)

I'm sorry I yelled, but you get on my

nerves.

(she bends down and

makes eye contact with

JACOB)

Hello? Listen, I gotta go.

JEZZIE sits on his lap, gives him a big kiss, and then,

unexpectedly, raises two fingers, like horns, over her head.

The gesture catches JACOB's full attention.

JEZZIE:

(continuing)

Look, I'm horny. Keep it in mind.

(she kisses his cheek)

Love me a little?

JACOB:

(speaking with

affection)

You are the most unbelievable woman I

have ever met. One second you're a

screaming banshee and the next you're

Florence Nightingale. Who are you?

That's what I want to know. Will the

real Jezzie Pipkin please stand up.

Suddenly the telephone rings. It startles them.

JEZZIE:

Oh sh*t. Tell 'em I've left.

JEZZIE grabs her jacket and shoves her arm in it upside

down. A pocketful of change falls on the floor. JACOB

smiles. JEZZIE curses as she struggles to pick it up and get

the jacket on right. JACOB gets the phone.

JACOB:

Hello.

PAUL (V.O.)

Jacob Singer?

JACOB:

Speaking.

PAUL (V.O.)

Paul Gruneger!

JACOB:

Paul Gruneger! Well I'll be

goddamned!

JACOB indicates it's for him. JEZZIE throws him a kiss

goodbye and hurries out the door.

JACOB:

(continuing)

Paul! You son-of-a-b*tch, how the

hell are you? I haven't seen you in

what, five, six, years?

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