Pale Blue Dot Page #11

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DREW:

You know what? I’m feeling

adventurous. Egg rolls sound great.

Laura?

Laura-- still not quite there-- manages a shrug.

LAURA:

That’s fine.

63.

CHERYL:

Fantastic. I’ll get that started

and y’all just shout if you need

me.

With a cheerful bounce, Cheryl heads for the kitchen. But,

after only a few steps, she stops, remembering something. She

hurries back to the table.

CHERYL (CONT’D)

Oh, and Laura? We’re so proud of

you.

Laura forces a smile.

LAURA:

Thanks. You shouldn’t be.

Cheryl’s unsure what to make of that. She gets a confused

look on her face before heading back to the kitchen.

DREW:

Be nice. She means well.

Laura doesn’t respond. She sips her water. She looks at her

hands-- they’re shaking. But she can’t bring herself to look

away from them.

Anything to avoid looking at Drew.

DREW (CONT’D)

So...

LAURA:

Drew, I have to tell you something.

DREW:

Okay. I actually have something to

tell you, too. But go for it. You

first.

Laura takes a deep breath. She looks at her husband across

the table. He has no idea. It terrifies her.

But still, she has to do it. It’s the right thing to do. She

steadies herself and is about to blurt out everything, when-

DREW (CONT’D)

Actually, can I go? I’ve been

working up the nerve to say this

all day. I know you’re not going to

like it, but I just feel it has to

be said. And if I don’t do it now,

it’ll be too late.

64.

LAURA:

What is it?

Drew takes a deep breath of his own.

DREW:

I don’t want you to go back.

LAURA:

What?

DREW:

Up there. You can’t go on another

mission. I won’t allow it.

LAURA:

You won’t allow it?

DREW:

Okay. Poor word choice. But it’s

time to realize your life is here.

Your kids are here. I’m here.

LAURA:

I know that.

DREW:

Do you? Do you ever even think of

what I go through when you’re gone?

What the kids go through?

LAURA:

Every single day.

DREW:

Well, if you really did, you’d

realize how selfish this is.

Laura is taken aback. She lashes out-

LAURA:

Are you serious? How can you call

me selfish and then ask for this?

DREW:

I’m not asking you. You can’t go

back. I need you. We need you.

LAURA:

And I need this. You know that.

I’ve worked my entire life to get

out there.

65.

DREW:

You got there. You did it. You went

up and you came back. Safely. I’m

proud of you for it. Every single

god damn person in your entire life

is proud of you for it. But why go

back again? Why risk it?

Laura slams her hand down on the table, rattling the

silverware. Everyone around her notices.

LAURA:

Because it’s the only thing I ever

wanted.

Cheryl, back with the appetizers, cautiously places the

platter on their table. A pro, she acts as though she hadn’t

heard a thing.

CHERYL:

And here we are. They’re on the

house. Just our way of saying

thanks to an American hero.

She leaves. An embarrassed Drew and Laura mumble gratitude.

DREW:

Thanks, Cheryl.

LAURA:

Thank you.

Laura and Drew sit there for a moment.

Scared. Hurt. Ruined.

The food goes cold.

INT. DREW’S CAR - LATER

Drew and Laura drive home in silence.

CUT TO:

INT. NASA’S NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB - DAY

A massive swimming pool. A tank, actually. It’s large enough

to contain a full-scale mock up of the International Space

Station. This is where NASA’s astronauts go to train for

spacewalks.

66.

Which is exactly what Laura’s preparing to do. She’s beside

the pool, on a metal platform, being outfitted in a specially

modified space suit.

A LAB WORKER holds Laura’s helmet.

LAB WORKER:

You ready for a six hour bath?

LAURA:

Can’t wait.

Laura offers a clumsy thumbs up. The Lab Worker gives a

thumbs up of her own and fits Laura’s helmet over her head.

INT. NASA’S NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB - LATER

The platform, with a fully-outfitted Laura strapped in, is

lowered into the water.

INT. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - LATER

Surrounded by safety divers, Laura works underwater to

install a solar panel much like the one we saw her install in

space. She’s great at it. A real pro.

INT. NASA’S NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB - LATER

Laura stands outside the pool, water pouring from her suit.

The lab workers slowly go to work removing the equipment-

PAXTON (O.S.)

I want you to know we’re watching

you, Pepper.

-- Laura jumps, startled, accidentally elbowing one of the

lab workers. Laura doesn’t even notice. Paxton’s stepped up

beside her, smiling.

Laura’s utterly terrified by Paxton’s words.

PAXTON (CONT’D)

We know what you’ve been up to.

LAURA:

Excuse me?

Laura’s sheet white. Breathing heavy. Seconds away from a

panic attack.

67.

PAXTON:

Your training. You’re really

pushing yourself. You’ve made a lot

of fans around here.

Laura’s face fills with relief.

LAURA:

I do what I can.

PAXTON:

Well, nothing’s official, yet, but

we’re sending the Atlantis up next

August. I’ll be putting in my

highest recommendation to have you

on the crew.

LAURA:

Thank you, sir.

PAXTON:

Of course, Pepper. It’s my

pleasure.

CUT TO:

INT. PEPPER KITCHEN - EVENING

Laura stands in the kitchen, washing dishes. She’s wearing

that pair of yellow, rubber dish washing gloves. There are a

ton of dishes, huge piles of them, and Laura works alone.

That isn’t to say she’s alone, Wally sits at the kitchen

table, playing solitaire and chewing dip. Ruth’s beside him,

reading her book. Drew’s building Legos with the boys, or,

rather, they’re destroying Lego structures together.

LAURA:

Ruth, dry for me.

Ruth doesn’t even look up from her book.

RUTH:

Do I have to?

LAURA:

Yes, you have to.

RUTH:

Ugh. Nobody else has to help.

Ruth rolls her eyes as she stands-

68.

LAURA:

F*** it, then. Neither do I.

-- the rest of the family (aside from Wally, who just smiles

and keeps at his game of solitaire) looks at Laura in stunned

silence as-

-- she drops an unfinished plate in the sink and storms off,

grabbing the phone as she goes.

INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Laura pulls the gloves from her hands and dials a number.

CUT TO:

INT. MARK’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Mark sits in a recliner, drinking a beer. MARY GOODWIN, his

wife, sits at the kitchen table, helping their daughters with

homework when-

--the phone rings.

MARK:

Got it!

Mark grabs the portable and answers.

MARK (CONT’D)

Hello?

LAURA (O.S.)

Hey. It’s, uh, me.

There’s a flicker of panic on Mark’s face, it’s the closest

we’ve ever seen him to losing his cool. But, after just a

second, he’s got a handle on this:

MARK:

Yeah, Pete. Give me a second, I’ll

go check on that.

Mark stands from the recliner, motions to Mary that he’ll be

in the garage, and hurries from the room.

INT. MARK’S GARAGE - MOMENTS LATER

Mark makes it safely to his garage before saying anything.

69.

MARK:

What are you doing? This is my

house. Mary could have answered the

phone. My daughters could have

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