Sweet November Page #16

Sara's eyes fill with tears.

SARA:

Please don't make me do this right

now.

She heads for the bathroom.

NELSON:

Do what, tell the truth?

SARA:

(stopping)

This! What you want, what youneed... I can't give it to you,

Nelson. Any of it. Ever.

NELSON:

Why not?

SARA:

... because of me.

NELSON:

What about you? For God's sake,

Sara, please just tell me what's

wrong. All I want is the truth.

SARA:

I can't -

Rushing into the bathroom, Sara slams the door behindher.

NELSON:

Sara?

As he tries the door, Nelson hears her becoming violentlyill inside.

NELSON:

(banging on the door)

Sara? Sara! Sara!

(CONTINUED)

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102 CONTINUED:
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Throwing his shoulder into the door, Nelson breaks itopen and finds Sara, slumped over by the tub, with vomitcovering the floor beside her.

NELSON:

Jesus.

103 INT. BATHROOM - DAY 103

Delirious and crying, Sara fumbles to cover the vomitwith a towel as Nelson bursts in.

NELSON:

What the hell is going on?

He sees the key in the cabinet door, lunges toward it.

SARA:

No! You can't do that! Get out!

She tries to stand up and stop him from unlocking the

cabinet, but she's too weak. Yanking open the cabinet,

he gapes speechlessly at over 90 bottles of prescription

medicine. Sara weakly pulls herself to her feet.

Gathering a last surge, she angrily rips the shelves from

the cabinet, sending scores of bottles rolling around the floor.

(CONTINUED)

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103

SARA:

There. Is that enough truth foryou?! Are you happy now?

Sara hurls bottle after bottle at Nelson. He stands

there dumbly, lets them bounce off him.

SARA:

You just couldn't leave it alone,

could you?! You just had to know!

She turns to leave -- her body literally collapses andshe starts to crash to the floor. Nelson grabs her, sheis limp in his arms. He gently lies her down, panickingas she grows increasingly faint.

NELSON:

Sara, talk to me...

(as she doesn't

respond)

Please... just talk to me, tellme what's wrong, so I can help.

She closes her eyes. He is terrified, shakes her.

NELSON:

Sara? Sara!

104 INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - DUSK 104

A bewildered Nelson sits in a curtained-off area in a

busy emergency room, being grilled by a DOCTOR.

Sara is conked out on a gurney, attached to an IV drip.

DOCTOR:

Do you have her medical records?

NELSON:

No.

DOCTOR:

Who's her doctor, so I can track

them down...

NELSON:

I don't know who her doctor is.

The Doctor looks at him, taking stock of this shell-

shocked man.

(CONTINUED)

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DOCTOR:

Do you have any idea what's wrongwith her?

NELSON:

I'm sorry, I don't know anything.

I called a friend of hers, maybehe...

He peers around helplessly, sighs with relief when hesees Chas racing into the emergency room looking for him.

105 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DUSK 105

While Nelson stands off by himself, feeling exiled andhelpless, Chas confers with a NURSE outside Sara'shospital room. Nelson can see her in a bed, unconscious,

hooked up to blinking machines and a web of IV's. Nelson

slowly comes over to Chas, taps him on the shoulder.

NELSON:

I'm sinking. Fast.

Chas and the Nurse exchange a look. The Nurse goes inthe room to check on Sara's vitals.

CHAS:

I'm sorry you had to find out thisway, Nelson. She was diagnosed four

years ago. It's a non-Hodgkinslymphoma.

Nelson is stunned.

CHAS:

(shakes his head)

Come on, let's get a drink.

106 INT. BAR - NIGHT 106

Nelson and Chas share a booth. Nelson has left his drink

untouched, is desperately pumping Chas for information.

NELSON:

Wait a minute -- you said -- shestopped her treatments -

(astonished)

A year ago? How could she -

(CONTINUED)

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CHAS:

-- You're not listening, Nelson.

For Christ's sake, bone marrow

transplants, chemo, experimentaltreatments... She stopped becausethey didn't work.

(pauses)

Nothing worked.

Nelson finally takes a gulp of his drink to bracehimself. Tries to be brave.

NELSON:

Look, I'm no doctor... but one

year unchecked...

Chas holds a clear honest gaze on Nelson

CHAS:

It has spread everywhere.

Nelson inhales sharply, like someone kicked him in thestomach. He is struggling not to cry and puts so muchenergy into the struggle, he deflects the emotion to

anger.

NELSON:

God damn it. Talk about trust -talk

about honesty -- how couldshe get involved with me and nottell me she was sick?

Chas quietly sits there, lets him blow off steam.

NELSON:

I mean, what was she thinking?

CHAS:

She was thinking you'd be likeall the others. Just a month.

That stops Nelson. Chas continues, his manner gentle,

calm.

CHAS:

You need to understand something,

Nelson. Rules are how she copes.

When life's out of control,

people go to great lengths toinvent the illusion of control.

(softly)

Believe me, I know.

(CONTINUED)

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NELSON:

The rift with her family? That's

what it's about, isn't it? Her

rules?

(as Chas is silent)

Oh come on, Chas, I love her too,

you're not betraying her.

Chas studies Nelson, nods.

CHAS:

Yes. She saw what was coming, butthey wouldn't let go, kept tryingto run her disease. So she took

off.

NELSON:

And came here?

CHAS:

(nods)

She told me since she couldn't

live a normal life, she was gonnalive an abnormal one, best wayshe knew how.

Nelson hangs his head, trying to collect himself.

NELSON:

I don't get it, she loves lifemore than anyone I know, howcould she just... give up?

CHAS:

She's not giving up. She's makingthe most of what she's got left.

NELSON:

But... I'm saying... she shouldfight it, instead of accepting...

CHAS:

Fate? Why? What's so bad about

acceptance, Nelson?

Suddenly, all the emotions pour through the cracks andNelson just bursts into tears and cries like a baby.

107 INT. HOSPITAL - SARA'S ROOM - MORNING 107

Nelson steps into her room. She is awake, but drained.

The strain between them is so palpable you can touch it.

They're like two people spiritually exposed for the firsttime.

(CONTINUED)

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NELSON:

Hi. Feeling any...

SARA:

(can read his mind)

You want to know why I didn't tellyou, don't you?

He sits down on the chair by the bed. Nods.

SARA:

This is why.

She gestures to the whole set up: the room, her in bed,

him standing there looking stricken, afraid to move.

SARA:

Look at us, look at you. You

probably think I'll break if youtouch me, I'll crumble if yousay one harsh word. You measure

every step, every thought...

(pauses)

That's not how I want you to be.

He leans forward, takes her hand and kisses it.

NELSON:

Then I will learn to be better.

SARA:

Oh God, Nelson. If anyone could,

it's you.

She runs her fingers through his hair. They are silenta few beats.

SARA:

Will you help me do something?

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