The Elephant Man Page #10

MOTHERSHEAD:

Do get on with it, Nora.

Mothershead walks on, as Nora now very flustered, picks up a

tray.

ISOLATION WARD:

CU of a bottle of dark fluid and a bottle of light fluid.

Treves mixes the two in a glass. We are in a small oddly

shaped room off the attic ward.

There is one tiny barred window located high up on the far

wall. There is also a bed, two hard chairs and a table. The

E.M. is sitting on the bed in shadow and his disguise is now

hanging from a peg on the wall beside him. He is still

wheezing and appears to be very weak. Treves serves the

mixture to the E.M., who sputters and gags on it, but manages

to get it down. Treves goes to the table and puts the two

bottles in his bag. He goes to the door and turns to the

E.M.

TREVES:

I don't know if you will understand

this, but you will never go back to

that man again. You're safe now. No

one will ever harm you. Do you

understand?

The two men just look at each other.

KITCHEN - LONDON HOSPITAL

Treves enters the kitchen and nicks up a bowl. A NURSE ladles

some porridge for him.

NURSE:

Breakfasting with the patients this

morning, Mr. Treves?

TREVES:

It's for a patient.

Treves exits and the nurses admiringly watch him go.

FIRST FLOOR LANDING AND HALLWAY

Treves climbs the stairs onto the landing. Down the hall,

Mr. Carr Gomm is walking toward his office. Treves tries not

to be seen, but to no avail.

CARR:

Mr. Treves, come over here a moment,

won't you?

Treves hesitates, trying to hide the bowl, but gives up and

goes down the hall to meet Carr Gomm.

CARR:

Good morning, Treves.

TREVES:

Good morning, sir.

CARR:

(seeing the bowl)

You've acquired a taste for this?

TREVES:

It's quite nutritious, sir.

CARR:

Don't be mad. This muck can kill

you.

Carr Gomm calls a Nurse from a nearby ward over. It is Nora.

He takes the bowl from Treves and hands it to her.

CARR:

Take this up, to to the man in the

isolation ward when you have a moment,

won't you?

NORA:

(apprehensively)

Yes, sir.

TREVES:

Don't be frightened. He won't hurt

you.

CARR:

Indeed!

He gestures toward his office door. As he and Treves enter

the office, Nora looks apprehensively up the isolation ward

stairs.

MR. CARR GOMM'S OFFICE

It is a small, elegantly furnished room with a large window.

The two men sit, Carr Gomm behind his desk and Treves in a

leather chair.

CARR:

A hospital is no place for secrecy,

Mr. Treves. Doctors spiriting hooded

figures about are liable to cause

comment. Why wasn't this patient

properly admitted, and why is he in

isolation? Is he contagious?

TREVES:

No sir, he's got bronchitis and he's

been badly beaten.

CARR:

Why isn't he in the General Ward,

then?

TREVES:

Well sir, he's quite seriously

deformed, and I fear the other

patients would find him... rather

shocking.

CARR:

Deformed? Is that it. Then am I to

assume that he is ultimately

incurable?

TREVES:

Yes sir.

CARR:

What are your plans then, Treves...

You are aware that the London does

not accept incurables. The rules are

quite clear on that point.

TREVES:

Yes, I'm well aware of that. But

this case is quite exceptional.

CARR:

Oh, is he a friend of yours?

TREVES:

No, more of an acquaintance.

ISOLATION WARD (A) AND STAIRWAY (B) CARR GOMM'S OFFICE (C)

(A) The E.M. is asleep in his sleeping posture on the bed.

(B) Nora, with the bowl, is climbing the stairs to the attic

ward. She pauses in sight of the door and looks apprehensively

at it. She begins to hum to give herself courage, and

continues up the stairs.

(A) The E.M. awakens, hears the footsteps, and now the

humming, which grows in volume. He becomes fearful and reaches

for his cloak. The humming stops. He freezes and listens.

(C) Treves and Carr Gomm seated as before.

CARR:

I certainly sympathize with your

problem, Treves... Why don't you try

the British Home, or the Royal

Hospital for perhaps they would have

a place for him.

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