Short Term 12 Page #13

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Her body tenses.

JAYDEN (O.S.)

What are you doing?

Grace looks up and sees Jayden standing in the doorwaylooking at her.

They stare at each other for a moment.

JAYDEN (CONT’D)

That's a little extreme, don't youthink?

Jayden turns and walks down the hall.

Grace stands awkwardly, realizing how stupid this idea was.

INT. JAYDEN'S DAD'S HOUSE -- MOMENTS LATER

Still holding the bat, Grace walks out of the bedroom and outto the living room.

EXT. JAYDEN'S DAD'S HOUSE -- LATER

Jayden and Grace sit together on the porch, like they've beenthere for a while. Grace thinks about it, wincing at thethought of what she almost did.

JAYDEN:

Are you going crazy?

GRACE:

Probably.

She starts to scratch her bandaged thumb, but stops herselfwith her other hand.

They sit in silence for a long moment.

GRACE (CONT’D)

When I was your age.

She thinks about it for a while.

GRACE (CONT’D)

I stood in a courtroom in front of

a bunch of strangers and told themall the ways he abused me...what hehit me with, how he got drunk, howhe forced me to take a shower with

him, got me pregnant, and I senthim to prison.

(MORE)

GRACE (CONT’D)

I didn’t talk about it, didn’tthink about it...until I met

you...I don’t know...

(beat)

I have a baby inside me and I don’tknow, I don't know what I’m doing.

Grace shakes her head.

Jayden looks at her a little differently. This is a broken

human being, just like her.

GRACE (CONT’D)

I was just trying to help you.

Jayden continues to look at Grace. Maybe she can trust her.

Then, she lifts up her shirt to reveal the fresh woundsacross her lower back, swollen red stripes, bruised andslightly bleeding.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Oh no.

JAYDEN:

He loves the belt, such a cliche.

GRACE:

Jayden, we have to do somethingabout this.

JAYDEN:

Should we go bash his face in witha baseball bat while he's sleeping?

Grace gets the point. The question sobers her.

Jayden looks back down.

CUT TO:

Jayden points to her bat. Grace hands it to her.

Jayden takes the bat and walks over to her dad's pristinesilver Audi.

Grace watches her wind up and swing, shattering the driver'sside window. She swings again and breaks the back window.

Then she turns and holds the bat out to Grace.

GRACE:

We should get out of here.

JAYDEN:

He'll sleep through anything.

Grace looks at the bat for a moment before taking it fromJayden.

She steps up onto the hood of the car, holds it above herhead and brings it down on the windshield with a SMASH.

She hits it again, SMASH! And again SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!

Letting out all of her frustration until the entire thing isdemolished.

She stands there as the bouncing cubes of glass settle on thepavement.

A dog BARKS across the street. Jayden notices.

GRACE:

Okay, now we should get out of

here.

EXT. CITY STREETS -- NIGHT

Grace packs Jayden on her bicycle as they cruise gently downthe street. Jayden hugs her from behind.

EXT. GROUP HOME, COTTAGE -- NIGHT

Grace and Jayden ride to the gate and stop. Jayden hops offas Grace parks the bike.

GRACE:

They're going to ask a lot of

questions. It’s gonna be hard.

JAYDEN:

I'll try to leave out the partabout you breaking into my housewith a baseball bat.

They share a smile.

GRACE:

Thanks.

JAYDEN:

You're gonna be a really good mom.

Jayden turns and walks into the facility, leaving Grace withthat thought.

INT. GROUP HOME JACK'S OFFICE -- NIGHT

Jayden sits in the office with Jack and a FEMALE SOCIALWORKER, telling them the whole story.

JAYDEN:

I told him this was going to be thelast time I came home. I wasn't

going to take his sh*t anymore.

That set him off, of course. But I

didn't care...

Grace watches them from the doorway. Jack notices her and

gives her a knowing nod.

She acknowledges him and walks off.

EXT. CITY STREETS -- NIGHT

Grace rides home, light as a feather. She coasts down a

long, steep hill.

INT. GRACE'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT

Grace walks in and sees Mason sleeping on the couch. She

walks over to him and kneels down. She sees he's not

sleeping.

GRACE:

I’m sorry. I didn't mean what I

said earlier. I'm just reallymessed up right now.

Mason looks at her for a moment, wondering. Then he lifts uphis blanket to make room for her. She slides in beside him.

MASON:

Marcus is going to get better.

Grace nestles in a little closer.

GRACE:

I think I am too.

They lie together on the couch, content in each other's arms.

FADE OUT:

INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE -- MORNING

Grace sits in a soft chair. She looks up at the therapist.

DR. HENDLER, a kind, older woman with a soft voice gives hera moment before hitting her with the next one.

DR. HENDLER

Grace, I know talking like this isreally hard, but this is our fourthsession together and I'd reallylike you to try, okay?

Close-up of Grace's hand, with her drawing of a sea horse.

She wiggles its tail.

GRACE:

I don’t really know what to say.

DR. HENDLER

Your Dad’s getting out of prison ina week. Do you wanna talk aboutthat?

Grace takes a moment.

GRACE:

Okay.

INT. MASON'S CAR -- MORNING

Mason and Grace drive together in his car.

INT. WAITING ROOM -- MORNING

Mason and Grace sit in a waiting room together, similar to

the one at the WOMEN'S CARE CLINIC.

MASON:

Are you okay?

Grace nods.

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM -- MORNING

Grace lies on the examination bed with a gown on. Masonstands behind her, holding her shoulders. They watch thedoctor as he goes through the steps of the procedure likehe's done it a thousand times.

DOCTOR:

Watch that monitor over myshoulder. There we go. There it is.

Stay with it. Hang on a second.

The doctor aims the monitor so they can see. He moves the

ultrasound camera around on her belly to give them a betterview of their child.

DOCTOR (CONT’D)

There's the heartbeat.

The monitor shows a tiny being, with a flickering heart.

Grace and Mason stare at it in awe.

Grace looks at Mason with a smile. She grabs his hand andsqueezes.

INT. GROUP HOME -- MORNING

Various shots. Music continues.

VARIOUS SHOTS, VARIOUS ROOMS

A static shot of the "Cool Down Room." The toy punching bagis deflated and sagging.

Luis lies in bed throwing a whiffleball against the wall.

Jayden pulls down the penis diagrams and carefully tapes herbirthday cards up in their place.

Sammy stands in his underwear and carefully takes down hisAmerican flag.

EXT. GROUP HOME, COTTAGE -- MORNING

Grace and Mason stand in a circle with Nate. Mason and

Grace are drinking coffee.

Jessica approaches and hands Grace the binder as Mason tellsa story.

MASON:

So, you need to get ready for this'cause it’s so f***ing unbelievableit's going to seem fake, but Ipromise you it's not. Grace will

vouch for me.

GRACE:

It depends, if you tell it right.

MASON:

There is no way not to tell thisright, it's a storyteller's wetdream.

Grace spins her hand in a circle, telling him to get on withit. Jessica comes outside.

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