Patrick Page #2

Put it back.

See me at room 15.

Once the medication

is administered

the window of opportunity

is vanishingly small.

We're waking up

dormant neurons,

goading them into making

new connections.

And they're mercurial

little bastards.

Very hard to train.

We only have a matter of minutes

to get them to do what we want

before the drug

wears off.

So you follow my instructions

to the letter.

Yes, Doctor.

But when that door opens,

your old ways die.

We're trailblazers,

do you understand?

He spits, you know.

Ophthalmoscope.

Retinal vessel perfusion

distinct.

Perturbation peaking at...

... four seconds.

Perturbing the base line

in eight seconds.

Slightly perturbed

frontal lobe.

Returning to base line...

... in three seconds now.

Damn.

Too much attenuation.

Clean up the patient,

nurse.

Okay, Patrick.

This might sting a bit.

What did you say?

Oh, nothing, Doctor.

I was just talking to him,

I suppose.

What were you

discussing?

Doctor, are you

absolutely certain

that he isn't aware

of us?

Nurse Jacquard,

I have monitored him

for 24 hours a day

with an EEG that registers

every kind of brainwave

from a fart

to a nervous breakdown.

What do you suppose

it has registered?

I don't know, Doctor.

Just farts.

You're wasting your time,

Kath.

Nothing grows in here.

It must be all the, um,

electrical stuff.

It's a wonder we don't

glow in the dark.

Okay.

I might have said something

to Brian

about taking you

for dinner.

You could have asked me first.

- Fine. Shut me up.

Say you'll think

about it.

I'll think about it.

Jesus, Kathy.

Up, up.

I'm not trying to sell you

for body parts.

- Got him?

- Yes.

Do you know with a ridiculously

attractive man,

you spend way too much time here

at the vegetable farm.

Once in a while you should

speak to someone

other than a turnip.

Sh*t.

Stupid thing.

You can go,

and I'll finish up here.

Good.

Is anybody in there?

Nurse Jacquard.

What do you think

you're doing?

Attending--

- And who instructed you

you try to engage

this patient in conversation?

Step outside, please.

I will make myself

very plain.

You will not be given

the opportunity to hear me...

... say this again.

This facility presents

special challenges

to those who work here,

both for the body...

and for the mind.

You will not invest

emotionally

in any of the patients here.

- Am I understood?

- Yes.

Kathy.

- Brian, isn't it?

- Yes.

Never really liked it,

but I got used to it.

I'm recklessly

avoiding a deadline.

What's your excuse?

Just wanted to get out.

Needed somewhere cheery,

right?

So, what do you make

of Patrick?

How do you know

about him?

Williams.

Not much she doesn't

talk about.

Well, technically,

she's breaking her

confidentiality agreement.

Not sure if I should

as well.

The Roget veil of secrecy.

Do you think it's possible

that patients

in a vegetative state

can be aware?

Well, I guess that depends

on the quality of the diagnosis.

One of the tests

for a vegetative state

is that there is

no awareness.

Over-hopeful families

see meaningless twitches,

and read signs

of responsiveness.

I'm skeptical by nature,

and by training.

Don't know what this says

about me exactly,

but I'm feeling

a bit peckish.

There's a place

around the corner.

Two-thirds, maybe even

three-quarters decent coffee.

All right. |

What the hell

did you do that for?

Paula, I really don't

feel like going out.

How about staying in?

I'm sorry for whatever I did,

or didn't do, the other day.

I honestly can't remember

a thing.

Thank you.

You're a great cook.

Yes, I am.

Actually, I can't take

all the credit.

They did most

of the work.

Fresh Corn.

Poor little things didn't know

what they were in for

when they woke up this morning. |

Then again, who does?

Cheers to that.

What are you looking at?

Ed.

Hey.

How did you find me?

Oh, it's not hard to find

people these days, Kath.

We have to talk.

Leave.

There. Talking's finished.

Kath!

I think you should go.

It's fine, Brian.

Well, I'm staying

at the boat sheds.

I'm not going to leave

till we sort this out, yeah?

- You okay?

- Yeah.

I think you should go too.

Look, I think I should stay.

- Sh*t.

- Oh, my God. What happened?

Oh, my God.

Sh*t.

Christ, Brian.

Nurse.

See to the patient.

Ah! Oh, God!

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

You felt that,

didn't you?

Patrick, can you hear me?

Can you see me?

Once for yes, twice for no.

Can you feel that?

That?

That? |

That? |

When you have a moment.

My office.

You have to listen to me.

Patrick is--

Not your concern.

He cried.

I was communicating

with him.

Nurse, these personal

experiments of yours

will cease immediately.

You will keep your eyes down,

your mouth shut,

your nose clean,

and your hands off.

Am I perfectly clear?

Dismissed.

But he...

he...

Would be better off dead.

They all would.

Nurse.

Show me.

Patrick, show the doctor

that you can hear me.

Same as before.

Patrick, show that you

can hear me.

He was communicating

with me.

How?

Spitting.

Alive. Correct?

Hmm.

Dead. Agreed?

Now, to imitate life...

... all bodily movement,

voluntary or otherwise,

depends upon electricity.

Stimulate the right

nerve centers,

and you see what happens.

Although he is a vegetable,

electrons still swarm

around inside 15's head.

Every now and then

enough of them

randomly conspire

to cause an action.

It signifies nothing.

As much as I would

wish it otherwise,

he is currently

160 pounds

of limp meat

hanging off

a dead brain.

Do you understand?

Do you understand?

Hmm.

Transcribe, please, nurse.

ROGET, OVER RECORDING:

Time:
zero.

Time cluster:
five seconds.

Patterns are eccentric and

seem to bear little relation

to expected outcome.

Patrick, you can hear me now,

can't you?

Why won't you

show the doctor?

On phase two...

Remember to tell me when

he has a bowel movement, yes?

Hmm.

... Plus 90 seconds.

Perhaps there's something

there.

I doubt it's the output.

Time plus 180 seconds.

What am I missing?

Patterns are eccentric...

Kathy, could you give me a hand

next door?

Kathy!

Sorry. Oh, I wasn't

concentrating.

That's my job.

Next door?

I don't require you.

Where on earth

did you get that from?

I won it in a raffle.

Doctor, this patient cannot

possibly give consent!

Indeed not, so I give consent

on his behalf.

Patrick, show him!

What good can it do?

Despite not being obliged

to answer your questions, nurse,

I will tell you again.

Our endeavors rely on my being

able to forge new connections

in 15's brain.

To do that, I need

to stir things up a bit.

I cannot do it

with a feather duster.

Now that you're here,

you can see to the patient.

He's not getting

any younger.

And neither am I.

Patrick.

Can you fell that?

Ed Penhaligon

in a place like this?

Better not let the golf club

find out.

I'm sure they've revoked

memberships for less.

Coming in from the outside,

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