My Sister's Keeper Page #2

...but she wouldn't

open the door. Your mom kicked it in.

JESSE:
Kicked the door down?

KELLY:
Yeah.

SARA:
I haven't gotten in touch with them,

she's lost a lot of blood.

We need to get

platelets and fluids into her.

- I don't want her going into shock.

EMT 1:
Her age and weight?

SARA:
Fifteen, she's about 90 pounds,

she's allergic to penicillin.

EMT 2:

One-hundred over 68.

EMT 1:

Okay, Base Camp, Rescue 11.

We have a 15-year-old girl,

approximately 90 pounds.

- BP is 100 over 68.

- Jesus Christ.

EMT 2:

All right, let's get her up. Yeah.

There you go.

We're just gonna bring you downstairs.

JESSE:

Nobody's saying anything...

...but seeing everybody together

lets me know that this is serious.

Our family is kind of disconnected.

Dad's relatives are wealthy and distant,

and Mom's side drives her crazy.

So besides Aunt Kelly...

...we never really get to see anybody

except on holidays or disasters.

NGUYEN:

Kate's leukemia is back.

She's no longer remissing.

CHANCE:
We've looked at her smear,

and her leukemic cells are showing at 23%.

- How many is bad?

- Any.

TOMMY:

What about chemo?

NGUYEN:
It's an option,

but Kate doesn't seem to take it very well.

And her cancer may be too far along.

So you need more bone marrow?

Yes, but the leukemia

isn't Kate's biggest problem now.

She's lost the function of her kidneys.

They've quit.

They're gone.

SARA:
Not a match?

CHANCE:
No.

We're her parents, don't we have to be?

Everyone inherits two sets

of chromosomes containing HLA genes.

Unfortunately,

there's only a 1 in 200 chance...

...that parents and their children will be

perfect histocompatible HLA matches.

What about Jesse?

I'm afraid not.

It's possible that a donor will crop up

on the national bone-marrow registry.

I thought you said getting a transplant

from an unrelated donor was dangerous.

I did.

But Kate's situation is time-sensitive,

and sometimes that's all we've got.

I'd like to suggest something

completely off the record.

Many times one sibling isn't a match,

but another is.

Have you considered

having another child?

Not to be forward...

...but umbilical blood can be an incredibly

effective tool in treating leukemic patients.

It's like a miracle.

Well, how would you know

that the new child would be a match?

- We could make sure of it.

- In a test tube?

Yes. With preimplantation genetic diagnosis,

it would be a 100 percent match.

A donor child?

It's not for everybody.

And legally,

I can't even officially recommend it.

But like I said,

cord blood would be invaluable.

Well, we gotta do it.

We gotta try.

JESSE:

That was it.

Grown in a dish,

they would have an in vitro child.

A perfect chromosomal match

who would be Kate's genetic savior.

SARA:
Remember that time

where we strapped that fabric on her feet?

Someone here to see you.

MAN:
Sara Fitzgerald?

- Yes.

You've been served.

KELLY:

What is that?

SARA:

"Petition for medical emancipation by... "

What does that mean?

SARA:
" The ability to make future medical

decisions independent of parents...

...not to be forced to submit treatment

including donating her kidney. "

Anna, what is this? Is this from you?

Yeah, I got a lawyer.

SARA:

You're suing us?

Well, honey, what the hell is going on?

I don't want to do it anymore, Mom.

You don't want to do it anymore?

That's it? You don't want to do it?

No.

Guess what?

Neither do I and neither does Kate.

- Please.

- It's not like we have a choice.

- That's the thing, I do. I do have

a choice. SARA:
Really? Is that so?

- Yeah.

- That's your sister. Have you forgotten?

- No.

- Do you know what's gonna happen?

Yeah. Believe it or not, Mom,

I actually thought about it.

Sara.

KELLY:
Have you lost your mind?

SARA:
What is she doing?

KELLY:
What the hell were you thinking?

SARA:
What the hell is she thinking?

I don't understand...

MAN:

Let's hit it now, go.

GUS:

Fitzgerald!

Your wife called, she said to give

her a call, it's important. 911.

- Just telling me now?

- I'm not your secretary.

- Get your own frigging calls.

- Goddamn it, Gus.

BRIAN:

All right, let's hear it. What's going on?

Okay.

Forget about the fact that the operation

is dangerous, or that it would hurt...

...or that I might not want to have

something cut out of me.

But if I only have one kidney,

then what happens to me?

What if I need it?

And am I really never allowed to play sports

or be a cheerleader or get pregnant?

Can't drink.

What if I just want to live a long time?

Sweetheart,

you're gonna live a long time.

Yeah? Then tell me this:

What if the transplant doesn't work?

What then?

- She's your sister.

- I know that! But I'm not like you, Mom!

I see the other kids, I see what they do.

They go to parties, the beach.

I don't understand

why you didn't say something earlier.

When?

When should I talk to you about it?

You're never home.

You leave me here with her.

Excuse me? You've never had to do anything

you don't want to do, and you know that!

I always wound up doing everything,

didn't I?

- You spoiled sh*t!

- Stop yelling!

BRIAN:

Everyone be quiet.

We said she gets the table,

she gets the table.

Go ahead.

Remember how the doctor said

if I did the operation...

...I would have to be careful

for the rest of my life?

But I don't want to be careful.

Who wants to live like that?

SARA:
Anna, listen...

- I'm important too, Mom. I'm important too.

- Hey, now...

- Let me go!

BRIAN:
Mom needs to cool off a bit.

She's a little upset.

ANNA:

Yeah, I heard her.

"Get her out of here.

I don't want to look at her face anymore. "

BRIAN:
I looked at my daughter and

wondered how it got from there to here.

MAN:
Hey!

- Hi!

[CHATTERING]

- The truth, the truth.

- Okay.

All right, so, what do you think?

A bit more salt.

A bit more.

BRIAN:
From the moment we decided

to genetically conceive...

...I suppose this was

the eventual outcome.

It was our fault. We went against nature

and this was our comeuppance.

But have we really pushed her too hard?

Have we forced her

into helping her sister?

All those little encouragements

and rewards, were they real?

Or did we just want what we wanted?

She was so little when all this started.

When did she start

wanting to make her own decisions?

BRIAN:
It's okay.

YOUNG ANNA:
I want my daddy.

- I want my mama! No, please! Mama!

BRIAN:
It's okay. I know.

YOUNG ANNA:

Mommy!

BRIAN:

I guess the answer is now.

SARA:

What do you mean, you don't know?

BRIAN:

She won't talk.

You know,

maybe she just wants to be considered.

Take the credit that it's her decision,

I don't know.

- Maybe it's not crazy.

SARA:
What, you don't want her to do it?

I didn't say that.

But it's against her will,

so how does that work?

- Do you hold her down, or do I?

SARA:
Don't be dramatic.

You gonna take her ankles,

I'll take her wrists?

- She's not a baby. You just

can't trick her. - I know.

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