John Q Page #17

SECURITY GUARD:

Are you saying Mike's life is more important than yours?

MITCH:

Or that it's okay that Mike grows up without a father?

MAGUIRE:

You can have more children, John.

LESTER:

What happened to Mike is bad, man. It's the worst. It ain't fair, but you can't kill yourself. Sometimes you've just got to let go and let God take care of it. You've got to accept it.

J.Q.

Accept what?

DR. TURNER

That Mike's going to die.

J.Q.

No. I don't accept it. I reject it out of hand.

John moves over to Dr. Turner to plea his case.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

I know you only think of Mike as a patient, but he's a great kid. Really. He's like magic, you know? He loves bodybuilding. You believe that? And he's funny. You'd like him, Doc. You'd really like him, if you knew him.

DR. TURNER

I do like him.

J.Q.

Please. You've got to help him. I'm begging you. If you ever do anything outside the rules, do this. Take a chance, please.

DR. TURNER

I'd like to. I really would. But what you're asking crosses the line. It's completely unethical.

J.Q.

I've crossed the line? No, you've crossed the line. The whole system has crossed the line.

J.Q. paces around the room, his hand on his weapon, his mood very dark and threatening.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

I don't think you understand. I'm not letting him die. Haven't you figured that out by now? I don't care what I have to do.

DR. TURNER

So, what, you're going to kill me if I don't operate.

J.Q.

No. I'm going to kill myself.

J.Q. puts the gun to his temple.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

And we'll just see what happens.

LESTER:

Aw, man, this is messed up.

J.Q.

We all know how this works, people. In order for Mike to live, someone has to die. I'm the father. It might as well be me.

J.Q. and Turner's eyes meet. Turner doesn't speak for a long moment.

DR. TURNER

Alright.

MITCH:

Alright, what?

DR. TURNER

I'll do it. If that's what you want.

MITCH:

Wait a minute. Are you serious?

The room goes quiet.

DR. TURNER

Once he's dead. Why not?

Dr. Klein moves to Dr. Turner.

DR. KLEIN

You're the finest surgeon I've ever known. You can't just throw your entire career for this man.

MITCH:

Yeah, you're not God. It's not up to you to decide who lives and dies.

J.Q.

Aw, come on, Mitch. We're all going to die.

MAGUIRE:

Not for nothing, Doctor. But if you do this, you're finished.

DR. TURNER

So, what are they going to do? Sue me? Disbar me? Evict me from the country club?

DR. KLEIN

Raymond, you're under a lot of stress. You're not yourself.

DR. TURNER

Yeah, well, what is myself? Because right now, I really don't know. Let's see --

He takes his Patek Phillipe watch off and throws it at the wall, smashing it.

DR. TURNER (CONT'D)

I run six miles a day, drive around in my little black Porsche and date girls thirty years younger than me. Is the picture clear now? I like twelve hundred dollar shoes and I've always got a great tan. And here's the best part. Everybody kisses my ass and acts as if that's the way doctors are supposed to be, that's the reward. Reward for what? What I am is a plumber. I connect valves to tubes and tubes to valves. That's what I do. But back in that room with your son, I got a very short glimpse of my soul. And let me tell you, it's been long lost.

MAGUIRE:

But...

DR. TURNER

This is still a hospital. There's a sick kid in there and I'm his doctor. And if there's a heart available, I'll be damned if I'm going to let it go to waste.

The room is stunned.

EXT. MONTANA HOSPITAL - ROOF - NIGHT

A medivac chopper swoops down, lands on the big white cross on the helipad tarmac. The doors fly open. A medical team quickly disembarks, lifts out a stretcher with a beautiful woman's body and runs across the roof into the hospital.

INT. MONTANA HOSPITAL - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT

The stretcher is rushed into the O.R. and the body is placed on the surgical table. A MEDICAL TRANSPLANT TEAM is waiting, ready. They take the body, prep for organ harvesting.

INT. MONTANA HOSPITAL - OFFICE - NIGHT

In another room, an UNOS OFFICIAL is notified of the beautiful woman's arrival.

UNOS OFFICIAL:

She's here?

He gets up and is on the move, securing his wireless headset and dialing.

INT. MONTANA HOSPITAL - OPERATING ROOM - NIGHT

The UNOS Official moves into the OR. Everything the transplant people tell him, he repeats into the phone.

MEDICAL TRANSPLANT PERSON #1

Female. Donor. Thirty-three years old. Five foot seven. Liver, kidneys, usable.

UNOS OFFICIAL:

Lungs?

MEDICAL TRANSPLANT PERSON #2

Okay.

UNOS OFFICIAL:

Heart?

MEDICAL TRANSPLANT PERSON #2

Heart is good.

UNOS OFFICIAL:

Type?

The transplant team are busy.

UNOS OFFICIAL (CONT'D)

Come on. Blood type?

MEDICAL TRANSPLANT PERSON #1

(checks bracelet)

B-positive.

INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT

The TVs are now off. J.Q. looks out the window at the evergrowing police build-up. There's an upbeat bound in his step, a sense of relief with the finality of the decision he's made.

J.Q.

Come on, guys. Let's hurry it up. They could bust in here any minute.

SECURITY GUARD:

This was your plan all along, wasn't it?

J.Q.

Last resort. You think I wanted it to turn out like this?

J.Q. pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolds it.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

This is my will. I'm leaving my heart to my son.

He holds up a pen.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

I need two witnesses. Don't everybody jump at once.

LESTER:

I ain't signing your death warrant. No way.

J.Q.

Come on, people. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we all go home.

JULIE:

I'll sign.

SECURITY GUARD:

Me, too.

They do.

SECURITY GUARD (CONT'D)

You know something, man? You're alright.

J.Q.

Sure am. Only one thing can stop me now.

SECURITY GUARD:

What's that.

J.Q.

Mitch here being B-positive.

MITCH:

No, sir. Type-O.Ê Swear to God.

For a moment the mood is light. J.Q. looks around the room at Maguire, Debby, Mitch, Julie, Lester, and the security guard. Debby can't stop crying again.

J.Q.

Hey, you.

MITCH:

Yeah.

J.Q.

Do yourself a favor. Start doing the right thing, huh? Life's too short. You had a good woman there. You're too smart to be so dumb.

J.Q. looks around the room before he leaves.

J.Q. (CONT'D)

Alright, people. See you in the funny papers.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM - SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA - NIGHT

The daisy wheel buzzes, pounding letters onto the print page. Mike Archibald, Hope Memorial Hospital, age 9, 85 pounds. Blood type: B-positive. MATCH.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

A man sitting alone in front of the computer. He rips the copy from the printer, lays it into the fax machine and dials. A piercing beep. The paper gets sucked away.

INT. PEDIATRIC I.C.U. - NIGHT

A fax machine chirps in the quiet PICU. Reggie picks up the fax, and as he reads, a look of disbelief.

REGGIE:

Oh, my sweet Jesus.

Paper in hand, he sprints out of the ward and down the corridor.

INT. MIKE'S TRAUMA ROOM - NIGHT

John enters to find Dr. Klein checking Mike's vitals. The heart monitor reads 30.

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