Pearl Harbor Page #11

The lights from within the hospital, and the pristine white

beds beneath those lights, give the place a kind of glow,

where Evelyn moves alone and beautiful, like a ballerina in a

giant's jewel box.

Now we see the shoulders of the figure, from behind, and can

tell that it is a man in uniform, but at first we can't tell

who. He's standing dead still, transfixed in watching Evelyn

through the windows.

INT. BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Evelyn moves to her desk, and sits down. She looks at the

calender turning back to October, where she wrote on the

square of October 22, "Order supplies" -- she counts the

weeks from then to today, December 6.

EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT

We see the full figure of the man watching her. And now we

see his face. It is Rafe.

His left hand is bandaged, but he is very much alive --

though seeing Evelyn has taken his breath, and even seems to

have robbed him of the power to move. His eyes pick up every

detail of her -- her face...her hands.

And as Rafe watches Evelyn, he has the SUDDEN JOLTS OF

SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACKS...punctuated by fragments of the letter

she wrote to him, and INTERCUT with Rafe in the present,

watching Evelyn.

EVELYN'S VOICE

Dearest Rafe --

IN SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACK, RAFE'S SPITFIRE, crippled and

trailing smoke, passing through a patch of cloud as Rafe

hurls himself from the cockpit and jerks the ripcord of his

chute.

IN THE PRESENT...Rafe's face winces with the memory, and he

rivets his eyes on Evelyn, as if to force himself to know

that this moment is real.

SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACK...RAFE LANDS IN THE WATER, and the shock

of its coldness travels up his body faster than his body

sinks into the water. He's cloaked in the fog; his

parachute, pushed by the wind, is pulling him along face

down. He fights with the straps, flips himself over, and

pulls the release...

But he's still in desperate trouble; in his flying clothes,

his heavy leather jacket soaking with sea-water, he's going

down; his body sinks beneath the surface...

EVELYN'S VOICE

...Every sunset...

IN THE PRESENT, Rafe's chest trembles... Is it from the

memory of the frozen water, from the emotion of seeing Evelyn

again -- or both?

SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACKS -- Below the surface of the North Sea,

Rafe's body drifts, but he fights his way back up...he kicks

off his shoes, sheds the jacket, strips off his pants and

starts tying the cuffs into knots.

Then, in a CUT, he is floating in the water, his pants turned

into a makeshift life preserver, his body shaking

convulsively from the cold.

Then in another CUT we see him after he's been in the water

for so long that his body no longer trembles; he's lost

consciousness. He has no strength, no will to live... His

face settles into the water...his body slips from his

preserver, and drifts beneath the surface...

EVELYN'S VOICE

...gather it's heat into my heart, and

send it to you...

IN FLASHBACK, Rafe beneath the surface... His eyes come open.

From his POV beneath the water, he sees something above the

surface. It's only in his mind, but that makes it no less

real...an orange glow, the warmth of the sunset, and her face

above the surface... His limbs come to life, and he fights

his way up, breaking the surface. The whole sea around him

is dark and empty, but he grabs his makeshift preserver and

holds on for dear life...and for Evelyn.

IN THE PRESENT Rafe stares through the window, at Evelyn, but

he can't go in. He backs away from the window.

INT. PILOT'S BARRACKS - NIGHT

A Japanese-American MESSAGE BOY parks his motorbike outside

and enters the barracks.

MESSAGE BOY:

Daniel Walker?...

Danny rises from his bunk and accepts the telegram. As the

message boy leaves, Danny reads... The news he learns stuns

him...

EXT. BENCH - OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Rafe is still lost in thought. He hears steps running up --

and sees Danny -- who spots him at the same moment.

DANNY:

Rafe!

INT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Evelyn puts away the calender.

EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Rafe is sitting at the bench, his head down.

ANGLE - Evelyn on the path; she sees someone on the bench,

his form hauntingly familiar. He hears her, and looks up.

It's Rafe.

From Evelyn's POV, the whole world spins. She faints.

Rafe jumps to catch her before she slams to the ground. He

gathers her into his arms, and she looks up into his face.

He's real, very real.

RAFE:

Evelyn.

She's trembling, shaking. He lifts her to her feet, and

moves her to the bench.

RAFE:

I sent telegrams, I guess the military

traffic held them up.

EVELYN:

Why were you sitting here, instead of...

RAFE:

I saw you, I couldn't go in, I...just

stood there wondering if you knew. You

looked...sad, and I had to sit down a

minute.

EVELYN:

How did you?...

RAFE:

...Survive? I jumped in a patch of fog,

and nobody could see me. I hit the water

hard. And it was so...cold.

He looks toward the horizon, when the last light of day fades

to black. There's something he thinks about saying, and

doesn't. Then...

RAFE:

I don't know how long I was in the water.

A Norwegian freighter picked me up. They

were headed to Spain. They docked in La

Rota, right beside a German ship, and

told me to stay hidden below. I was

afraid they'd turn me in, so I stole some

clothes, jumped ship, and found a church,

where the priest contacted the

resistance, and got me on a freighter to

New York.

He looks at her, then looks down again.

RAFE:

I called my folks, then Colonel

Doolittle. The Colonel sent a man to

pick me up. They wanted to debrief me.

I told the Colonel I needed to see

somebody first, and he had a supply

flight heading out in an hour.

(beat)

I've done a lot of talking. You haven't

said anything.

EVELYN:

I'm just...so amazed, so glad to know

that you're okay. You are okay, aren't

you?

RAFE:

Nothing that won't heal. I guess.

At these words, she looks at him for a long, long moment.

EVELYN:

It's been...so different, being so sure

you were dead.

RAFE:

I'm so sorry for what you must've gone

through, but I'm back.

He sees the troubled look on her face.

RAFE:

Maybe I've assumed too much. Has

something changed?

(beat)

I'm afraid to ask what. And I'm afraid

not to.

(beat)

Have you fallen in love?

She nods; she can't even say it. Rafe's dying inside.

RAFE:

It's all right. Danny always said I see

things with my emotions instead of my

eyes.

EVELYN:

It's not your fault, Rafe. The letter I

wrote you, they --

RAFE:

Don't worry about that. Guys away from

home, lonely, good-hearted women try to

cheer them up.

EVELYN:

It's not that I didn't mean everything I

wrote. It's just that -- I thought you

were dead. And now --

Danny runs up, through the darkness.

DANNY:

You're alive!

Rafe and Danny stare at each other; Danny hesitates, looking

from Rafe to Evelyn, wondering what they've said. Then Rafe

looks at Evelyn, and picks up the look on her face. In that

moment he puts it all together.

RAFE:

Aw, God. Oh my God.

Danny's speechless, and for a moment Evelyn is too.

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