The Bionic Woman Page #3

---

He takes off, loping quickly across the street to the

HOSPITAL. Jaime straightens her hair, trying not to blush

too hard as she comes behind the counter.

INT. APARTMENT -- NIGHT

Someone is KNOCKING at the door as Jaime quickly gets her

stuff together. Becca trails her, not happy.

BECCA:

I don't need a babysitter. It's

insulting.

JAIME:

It's insurance.

12.

Jaime opens the door -- MRS. ARAKELIAN stands in the hall,

holding a large POT, a stack of something made of YARN, and

a small paper bag.

MRS. ARAKELIAN

I brought mufflers.

She pulls out the yarn, revealing that it is indeed two

MUFFLERS, handknitted.

BECCA:

Yeah, it's been snowing indoors a

lot lately.

Becca goes into her room, SHUTS the door decisively.

JAIME:

Maybe I shouldn't go -

MRS. ARAKELIAN

(shrugging)

Maybe I should stuff a muffler down

her throat. Go. Me, I hope you

stay all night. What's wrong with

her, you can't fix.

(carrying the pot)

I'll just put this in the fridge.

It's fish.

JAIME:

(a little nervous)

What kind of fish?

MRS. ARAKELIAN

Big. With a head.

Mrs. Arakelian crosses to the fridge.

MRS. ARAKELIAN (CONT'D)

It's good for you. You need protein.

JAIME:

Thanks, but I'm over the stomach

thing, really -

MRS. ARAKELIAN

You know, before I came to this

country, I worked for years in the

hospital in Yerevan.

(moving things around

in the fridge)

I was the best, the best -- all the

doctors ask for me. "I want Baba

Nika," they say, "get me Baba Nika!"

Triumphantly, she shoves the pot into the fridge, turns back

to Jaime.

13.

MRS. ARAKELIAN (CONT'D)

I knew things even they didn't know.

Mrs. Arakelian hands her the small paper bag, closes Jaime's

hand over it.

MRS. ARAKELIAN (CONT'D)

The best.

(pats her hand)

You stay out all night. Go ahead.

Jaime meets her eyes, confused, then looks down quizzically

at the small bag.

EXT. CAR ON BLUFF -- NIGHT

JAIME AND ERIC sit on the hood of Eric's CAR, parked on a

bluff off a windy road. The OCEAN is CRASHING against the

ragged cliff far below; the road is DESERTED.

They're unpacking fast food bags. Eric pulls out his fries;

Jaime is oddly QUIET, looking DISTRACTED.

ERIC:

I said you could pick a restaurant.

Burger Boy barely even qualifies as

food.

(as he unwraps a burger)

You really don't want to know what's

in this stuff. It's amazing how

much flavor you can get from deep

frying something and coating it in

salt -

He notices Jaime's STARING OFF into the darkness.

ERIC (CONT'D)

(a little worried)

Hey... are you still upset over Becca

being pissed at you? 'Cause

seriously, she'll pick a fight with

you over breathing. I don't know

what her problem is -

JAIME:

It's me.

As he looks at her, curiously, Jaime continues:

JAIME (CONT'D)

They -- were coming out to see me.

My parents. I'd gotten this Honors

thing, there was an award dinner and

they were flying out for it.

(hesitates, then)

I wanted them to come. I asked them

to be there...

14.

Jaime is obviously affected by the memory, but at the same

time strangely DETACHED -- as if she's been forced to keep

the full force of the pain at bay, just to survive.

Eric is watching her, WORRIED, he's clearly never heard this

part of the story.

ERIC:

The plane crash -- ?

JAIME:

Becca was 11. That's what she

remembers... that they left for me,

and they never came back.

Eric reaches over, takes her hand.

ERIC:

They were your parents, too. It's

not your fault.

JAIME:

After they died, that first day, I

went running. I ran, and ran, and

ran. Like... if I could just go

fast enough, I could get away. But

some things, you can't run away from.

She looks away, over the crashing ocean waves.

JAIME (CONT'D)

It felt like the world was falling

on me, like this weight that was so

heavy it would crush me. I never

thought -- the last thing I ever

wanted was more. More responsibility,

more to take care of.

(abruptly)

I'm pregnant.

Eric is SURPRISED into total silence. Jaime starts to speed

up, her speech becoming NERVOUS and QUICK.

JAIME (CONT'D)

Yeah, I didn't believe it either.

Turns out, stomach flu? Not so much.

Good thing Mrs. A put two pregnancy

tests in the bag.

ERIC:

(totally confused)

What?

But Jaime doesn't even seem to hear him, just PLOWS forward,

determined, all of it coming out in a RUSH:

15.

JAIME:

(rapid, nervous)

I don't want you to -- I just -- I

know this isn't something you just

spring on someone, except for the

part where that's exactly what I'm

doing to you right now. And I know

that you're in a place in your career

where you can't even think about

this, and god, I'm only twenty-four,

it's not -- I mean -- I said to

myself, well, there's only one thing

to do -

ERIC:

(breaking in)

Jaime -

JAIME:

(relentlessly)

-- but the point is, I couldn't even

think about it, not even for a second,

not half a second. I couldn't.

(repeating)

I never thought I would want more.

But I do. And it just feels -- like

this is something I'm going to do.

I don't know how -

(a determined edge)

-- but somehow. And I know this is

my choice, and I'll live with it.

I'll take responsibility for it. I

will.

As she stops to take a breath, Eric finally INTERRUPTS -

ERIC:

Let's get married.

A half-second of pure SHOCK before Jaime manages:

JAIME:

Let's -- I'm sorry?

His voice is GENTLE, a counterpoint to her staccato, defensive

speech, like she's a wild animal that might run away -

ERIC:

You want to keep the baby. And I

want to keep you.

(grins)

It's a sign from God.

JAIME:

But -(

helplessly)

-- you don't believe in God.

16.

Eric reaches out, brushes a strand of hair from her forehead.

ERIC:

(softly)

If you say yes, I might start.

Jaime just looks at him for a moment -- and then they KISS,

and it's sweet, and honest, one of those moments you remember

the rest of your life.

Even if you don't want to.

INT./EXT. ERIC'S CAR ON ROAD -- NIGHT

Jaime and Eric, driving down from the bluffs into the city.

She's feeding him fries as he navigates the sharp turns.

ERIC:

You realize this is it.

(off her curious look)

We're not eating any more of this

junk for the next eight months.

JAIME:

You have serious control issues, you

know that?

ERIC:

Shut up and feed me a fry, woman.

EXT. ERIC'S HOUSE -- NIGHT

Eric's car pulls up to a nice VICTORIAN on a steep San Fran

street. He pulls into the driveway, unfastens his seat belt.

JAIME:

I -- I should really get back -

ERIC:

I'm just going to run up and get

something. It'll only take a minute.

JAIME:

(unfastens her belt)

I'll come with you.

As he opens his door, Jaime gathers her courage:

JAIME (CONT'D)

You don't have to, you know.

He turns back to look at her, not sure what she means -

JAIME (CONT'D)

(explaining)

Marry me.

17.

The warm glow of headlights from passing cars WASH over them,

rising and falling waves of LIGHT and SHADOW -

Rate this script:3.3 / 3 votes