Louder Than Words Page #5

dad about things?

Dad?

I just have to be strong for

him until he comes out of it.

Yeah, but what if he doesn't?

He will.

I know he will.

It's just weird.

For the first time in my life,

I'm realizing he's

not our father.

He is, Julie. He

always has been.

I know.

I keep telling myself that,

but now it's like he

could just disappear

and it'll be like it was

before he came along,

like we were never a family.

Don't say that!

I've always been able

to count on you.

I'm sorry.

I'm trying.

I'm really trying.

[ MARIA LAUGHS ]

Well, I'm amazed that you have

the strength to pursue this

after what you've been through,

losing your only child.

She's not my only child.

I'm sorry. I meant your only...

I'm just saying it's a

beautiful thing,

what you're trying to do,

but it is a big lift.

It's not gonna be all Kumbaya.

I've been trying to

tell him that.

John, you're a developer, right?

You see a piece of property,

you go, "what's this cost?"

Then you pull a few strings.

You bend a few rules.

A year later, the job is done.

The government's not like that.

In politics, you have to hold a very

high standard of low expectations.

Let's say the

county's behind it,

but some jerks in the

legislature,

they're opposed to it,

because they... they got some

kind of pet project.

Yeah, or the

legislature's in favor,

but the division of

budget kills it.

I mean, I don't want to say

anything, but...

Say it.

We both know

you made one or two

enemies along the way.

Come on. It's not like I'm

trying to build a strip club.

I know.

Like I said, it's a

beautiful thing.

I'm just saying.

JOHN:
No family should have to

endure what we did.

This is just a no-brainer.

You've got people around here

taking their kids

to a hospital that's...

it's a nightmare.

I mean, you gotta be able to

raise money to fix that, right?

WOMAN:
I wish I had better

news to tell you,

but unfortunately the numbers

just don't add up.

We've looked at it from

several different angles.

And this is what it is.

So say you need 120

million to build this.

130 by the time you're done.

So to issue bonds for this,

you need donations of at

least 25 million.

Right, yeah.

Unfortunately, our study shows

that you'd be lucky to raise 10.

10? This is the richest

part of the country.

Trouble is you have

no donor base.

This is a county facility.

People feel like they've done

more than their share

by just paying their taxes.

What about, um, a

corporate sponsor?

Maybe, if you let them put

their name on it.

They might contribute something.

Exactly.

Maria's name is going on it.

What? Maria's name is

going on it.

Right.

Well, I wish you luck.

Thank you for your time.

All right, um...

Maybe... maybe you should

rethink this.

Rethink what?

Aren't you listening to

anything anyone has to say?

What's the point?

They're just saying no.

Why do you think that is?

[ SIGHS ]

You want to quit?

Thanks for dinner. It was good.

John.

Yeah?

I want to be involved.

With the hospital.

I want to help.

You don't... you don't need me?

You want to do it all...

all by yourself?

What are you talking about?

I have Bruce.

Jesus.

She was my daughter, too!

You are not the only one

who feels hurt!

You have three other children!

Do you even care what

they're going through?

Say something.

[ CRYING ]

I can't do this anymore.

I can't... I can't be strong

for you anymore.

I can't do it.

[ FRAGMENTS CRUNCHING ]

MARIA:
Adults are so weird.

Mom told me it scares her when

dad doesn't talk to her,

because when she was little,

her mother would get mad

and wouldn't talk to her for

weeks, literally.

But she doesn't want

dad to know that,

because she thinks it

would freak him out

or piss him off or something.

But maybe dad doesn't

talk sometimes

because actions speak

louder than words.

John?

Yeah, it's me.

Where have I been?

I don't know.

I don't know either.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, too.

How long have you been

building hospitals?

Well, gee, it's been

about 17 years now.

Yeah? More or less.

Ready?

Uh, I don't know.

I really don't know about this.

Want to cancel?

Maybe.

Yeah? Okay. No, no, no.

I don't know.

You know, I don't know either.

No.

I mean, I've never done

fund-raising in my life.

Oh, no? No.

No, but the consultant told me

that there's nothing more fun

than looking someone in the

eye, asking for money

and watching them squirm.

That sounds like a nightmare.

Heh.

Right.

So can anyone tell me

what this is?

Um, a basement room?

Anyone else?

Now, I... I gather

that none of you

have had the occasion to be in

a place like this,

and, hopefully, you won't,

because it's a

low-security prison cell.

Now here, here is a place

that we're all likely

to end up in at some point,

a hospital room.

Now, what's amazing to me is how

similar these two rooms are.

You take a person.

You take their clothes.

You assign them a number.

You put them in a room

with a stranger.

You give them

institutional food.

It's the most dehumanizing thing

you can possibly do to a person,

and we do it at the worst

moment of your life.

We do it when you're sick

or you're dying.

Do you want to... do you want

to just say a few...

now? Yeah.

Okay.

[ CLEARS THROAT ]

Um...

Everything that Bruce just said.

Uh, we want to build a place

where there's enough room for

children to get well

and where parents aren't sleeping

in chairs in the hallways.

...has cut its earnings,

recorded a

fourth-quarter charge,

dismissed its auditors

and suffered an

embarrassing 3%...

And here we are. Okay.

Well, your prison

thing was great.

RARBG.COM Oh, thank you.

I was awful.

No, come on. You were great.

No. Yeah.

I didn't... I didn't

know what to say.

I haven't... I haven't really

talked to anyone since...

I'm sorry. Hmm.

John's idea of

bringing me on board

was to dump me on you.

Oh, no.

I know babysitting a...

Grief-stricken basket case

doesn't exactly fit your

job description.

Actually it does pretty much.

Oh.

[ BOTH LAUGH ]

You're sweet.

Good night.

[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]

[ CELLPHONE BUZZING ]

[ CELLPHONE BEEPS ]

[ LINE RINGING ]

You have not reached us,

so I'll call you back. [ BEEP ]

[ TRAIN HORN HONKS ]

[ INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT ]

Hey, sweetie, I don't know if

you have plans tonight,

but if you're free, dad and I are

going over to meet some donors,

and it would be so great if

you guys could come.

It's something we can

all do together.

What do you think?

Oh, I'm sorry.

I've got a paper due Monday,

but if I get that under control,

we were gonna go see some

friends tonight.

Well, we don't want to mess

up your weekend.

It's just so nice to

see you two.

Try to get Steph to come home,

but you know how she is.

Yeah.

Well, this is the design.

Came in last week.

Dad's hired some really

great architects

who've done a lot of hospitals.

JULIE:
Great. That's

really great.

I mean, that's just a

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