Line of Duty Page #4

She watches Steve drive away, curious.

PARAMEDIC:

This one’s still alive!

Suddenly everyone migrates towards Prasad.

Hanging up the phone, Kate brings up the rear. She gazes at

Prasad as the paramedics give him oxygen and get an

intravenous cannula into him.

KATE:

(To Hastings.)

I want to stay with him, and keep

hold of the firearms unit. Let’s

make sure he gets to hospital

safely.

HASTINGS:

Agreed. Thanks, Kate.

Dot, you’re with her.

Hastings moves off to hassle some uniforms.

HASTINGS:

Let’s get this cordon sorted!

CUT TO:

512 OMITTED

513 OMITTED

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 20.

513A INT. STEVE’S CAR. MOMENTS LATER.

Steve drives. He takes a call via bluetooth.

STEVE:

(Into bluetooth.)

DS Arnott.

INTERCUT:

513AA EXT. DERELICT MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK. CONTINUOUS.

The cordon has been established round the crime scene. Prasad

is receiving medical care. Kate calls Steve on her mobile.

KATE:

(Into phone.)

Steve. Prasad’s still alive.

INTERCUT:

513AB INT. STEVE’S CAR. CONTINUOUS.

STEVE:

(Beat. Into bluetooth.)

Received.

He processes the information.

CUT TO:

513B OMITTEDOMITTED

514 EXT. ASHCLIFFE NURSING HOME. LATER THAT DAY.

From his car, Steve gets out still in his stab vest. His

phone rings. He talks while jogging towards reception.

STEVE:

(Into phone.)

DS Arnott.

INSERT SHOT 513AA HERE

KATE (O.S.)

Steve. Prasad’s still alive.

STEVE:

(Beat. Into phone.)

Received.

He processes the information.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 21.

514 CONTINUED:

He goes into reception.

CUT TO:

515 INT. ASHCLIFFE NURSING HOME. RECEPTION. CONTINUOUS.

Steve comes into the building. The nurse, Kasia, comes

quickly to meet him.

STEVE:

(Shows ID.)

You the nurse I spoke to on the

phone?

KASIA:

Yes.

STEVE:

(Indicates.)

This way?

KASIA:

Third door on the right [or

whatever is accurate].

STEVE:

If you hear any kind of commotion,

call triple-9 straight away.

KASIA:

Okay.

Steve continues alone. He reaches the door.

STEVE:

Lindsay? It’s Steve Arnott. I’d

like to come in please. Is that

okay?

No answer.

STEVE:

Lindsay, I’m coming in now.

Steve opens the door and goes in.

CUT TO:

516 INT. ASHCLIFFE NURSING HOME. ELIZABETH’S ROOM. CONTINUOUS.

Steve enters to find Lindsay, alone, with the bed empty and

stripped.

STEVE:

Very sorry for your loss.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 22.

516 CONTINUED:

LINDSAY:

I should’ve been with her.

STEVE:

We can make arrangements for you to

see her, if that’s what you want.

LINDSAY:

(Beat. Fights back tears.)

They’ve already stripped her room.

Her things were very personal. They

mustn’t lose them.

STEVE:

No, of course, they’ve got to be

returned to you.

Long sad beats from Lindsay.

LINDSAY:

How did you know I’d be here?

STEVE:

She was your mum.

More long sad beats.

LINDSAY:

I’ll come now.

STEVE:

Have as long as you need.

LINDSAY:

Thank you.

Steve steps out and closes the door behind him. Lindsay lets

out her emotions -- more tears, more anguish.

CUT TO:

517 INT. ASHCLIFFE NURSING HOME. CONTINUOUS.

On the other side of the door, Steve hears Lindsay’s pain. It

moves him. It connects him to her as a human being.

CUT TO:

518 EXT. ASHCLIFFE NURSING HOME. MOMENTS LATER.

Steve walks Lindsay to his car.

LINDSAY:

I’ll wear cuffs if that makes you

more comfortable.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 23.

518 CONTINUED:

STEVE:

Course not.

LINDSAY:

Thanks. I know what the crime scene

must look like.

STEVE:

What happened?

LINDSAY:

I was defending myself. All I meant

to do was immobilise him.

STEVE:

You succeeded.

LINDSAY:

Don’t make light of it. It was

horrible.

She looks very upset.

STEVE:

What happened to Cole?

LINDSAY:

Prasad murdered him.

STEVE:

Tell me something. Copper to

copper. Cole -- he was definitely

the one who killed Georgia?

LINDSAY:

Yes. He confessed.

Emotions well up in Steve, taking him by surprise.

She reaches out automatically. Then they both realise how odd

and inappropriate that is, and shy away from each other. But

she’s registered his emotions.

CUT TO:

519 INT. STEVE’S CAR (DRIVING BACK INTO TOWN). MOMENTS LATER.

Steve drives, Lindsay rides shotgun.

LINDSAY:

You listened to the whole

declaration Prasad made?

STEVE:

Not yet.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 24.

519 CONTINUED:

LINDSAY:

Dryden ordered the ambush, Steve.

He keeps driving.

LINDSAY:

With Cole and Prasad dead, how

d’you propose to build a case

against Dryden?

STEVE:

We’ll manage.

LINDSAY:

The fact he’s the Deputy Chief

Constable -- that’s not an issue?

Steve hesitates.

LINDSAY:

He’s been accused of lying about a

driving offence and it’s still just

melted away -- nothing to do with

him being the DCC?

Steve tries not to engage with this line of argument, keeps

his eyes on the road.

LINDSAY:

Where’s that coming from? From

Hastings, right? Every rank above

DCI’s more politician than

policeman. He’s not daft enough to

take on Dryden.

STEVE:

You really don’t know the man.

LINDSAY:

I think I know you.

STEVE:

Do you?

LINDSAY:

You were on a counter-terror op

that shot an innocent man. The

brass wanted to cover it up but you

wouldn’t go along with it. I’d’ve

done the same.

He keeps driving but she sees she’s getting to him.

LINDSAY:

Dryden ordered the killings of four

police officers, Steve. One of them

was Georgia.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 25.

519 CONTINUED:
(2)

Manipulated and conflicted, Steve fights with his emotions.

He pulls off the road and gets out.

CUT TO:

520 EXT. ROAD SIDE. CONTINUOUS.

Lindsay gets out and joins Steve. They talk with traffic

whizzing by.

LINDSAY:

You were there when it happened?

STEVE:

There but not there -- out cold.

LINDSAY:

Then there was nothing you could’ve

done.

STEVE:

I pushed her to go into that

hospital room.

He fights to control his desperate feelings of guilt.

LINDSAY:

She hadn’t been in AC-12 long. Did

you know her from before?

STEVE:

No.

LINDSAY:

Something happen between you two?

STEVE:

Something.

She lets him leave it at that.

LINDSAY:

Your guilt’s nothing compared to

mine. I should never have trusted

Akers in the first place, should’ve

taken firearms and back-up. I’d do

anything to change that, but I

can’t. Being a police officer’s the

only thing I’ve ever really cared

about. Let me be one again. Let me

help you get Dryden.

She looks at him imploringly, sniffing back tears. Steve

reflects, torn.

CUT TO:

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 26.

521

INT. GENERAL HOSPITAL. ITU. LATER THAT DAY.

Prasad is in an intensive care setting, attached to

intravenous drips going in via a central, connected to

cardiovascular and respiratory monitors, attended by nursing

staff.

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