The Fault in Our Stars Page #12

HAZEL:

(turns to her Mom)

So you'll come too.

FRANNIE:

What?

HAZEL:

The Genies can hook it up. They're

loaded.

FRANNIE:

I --

HAZEL:

You've never been to Amsterdam,

have you Mom?

And judging from her face, seems she'd kinda like to. Dr.

Maria looks at Frannie, shrugs - kid's got a point.

Hazel smiles. And on that smile, we SMASH CUT TO:

BLACK.

Over which, we HEAR:

HAZEL (V.O.)

And then this happened.

INT HAZEL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

[Note:
There's no sound in this sequence. Just images.]

Hazel wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, shaking

and holding her head.

Frannie and Michael burst in. Mom grabs her crying daughter,

frightened beyond belief, waves to Michael to call for help.

HAZEL (V.O.)

People talk about the courage of

cancer patients. And I do not deny

that courage...

He leaves the room to do so and Fran stays behind, rocking

with her daughter, promising her it'll all be ok. Whatever

nightmare this is, it's going to end. CUT TO:

INT FRANNIE'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER

Still silent. Michael drives, trying to keep it together.

Frannie's in the back with Hazel's head in her lap.

45.

Hazel continues to scream in silence, whether from pain or

terror, we do not know.

HAZEL (V.O.)

I'd been poked and stabbed and

poisoned for years and still I trod

on.

INT EMERGENCY ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Michael carries Hazel into the chaotic emergency room.

They're practically running. There's still no sound.

HAZEL (V.O.)

But make no mistake...

The doctors rally to assist the screaming, crying child.

She's wheeled away from her family who can only watch. We

stay with her and WE HEAR:

HAZEL (V.O.)

In that moment I would have been

very, very happy to die.

END SEQUENCE.

INT HOSPITAL ROOM - ICU - MORNING

The sound returns. And it's the sound of a heart monitor.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. It's also the sound of a working heart.

Hazel has made it through. Her eyes open. A NURSE is there.

HAZEL'S NURSE

Hello.

HAZEL:

Hi.

HAZEL'S NURSE

You're ok, Hazel.

Even Hazel seems surprised by that.

HAZEL'S NURSE

Would you like to see your parents?

Hazel nods. The Nurse goes to get them. Soon they come

bounding in, crying and kissing her repeatedly. So much

relief. CUT TO:

LATER. Hazel's bed has been raised up so she can talk to her

parents "comfortably."

FRANNIE:

They thought it was a brain tumor.

MICHAEL:

It wasn't - thank god --

46.

HAZEL:

So what happened?

FRANNIE:

The usual. Fluid in the lungs,

preventing oxygenation. They put

that in...

There's a TUBE in Hazel's side draining fluid into a plastic

bladder that hangs off her bed.

FRANNIE:

Drained a liter and a half last

night.

(That's a lot of fluid.)

MICHAEL:

The good news is... no tumor

growth. No new tumors in your body.

Hazel nods. That is a relief.

MICHAEL:

We're all so relieved.

Frannie embraces her daughter.

FRANNIE:

This is just a thing Hazel. It's a

thing we can live with.

Hazel nods again. Only in the universe of Hazel Grace

Lancaster is something like this just a thing. Meanwhile:

INT HOSPITAL ICU - WAITING AREA - LATER

Here's Gus, his foot tapping nervously on the floor. It's

unclear how long he's been waiting there. He sees Michael

walk down the hall. Races after him.

GUS:

Mr. Lancaster! How's she doing?

MICHAEL:

Better, thank you. Much better.

Gus nods, as relieved as the rest of them.

GUS:

They won't let me in. Family only.

MICHAEL:

I'm sorry --

GUS:

No I get it. Will you just... will

you tell her I was here?

47.

MICHAEL:

Of course I will.

Gus smiles. And sits back down. Though he won't get to see

her, he still wants to stay.

MICHAEL:

Gus.

Michael really likes this kid.

MICHAEL:

Why don't you go home, get some

rest?

Gus looks up. That might be for the best. CUT TO:

INT HOSPITAL - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAYS LATER

Hazel and her Parents sit at a very large conference table

along with Dr. Maria and THREE OTHER ONCOLOGISTS - her whole

"Cancer Team."

ONCOLOGIST #1

The great news is... Phalanxifor

continues to control your tumor

growth.

(BEAT)

The not so great news is we're

still seeing serious problems with

fluid accumulation.

(BEAT)

So how should we proceed?

Silence. Hazel looks around the room, waits for someone to

answer. No one does.

HAZEL:

Um, I feel like I'm not the most

qualified person to answer that.

ONCOLOGIST #1

I was talking to Dr. Simmons.

DR. SIMMONS (late 60s, white beard, old school) speaks next.

DR. SIMMONS

It's a strange case. Normally the

tumors start resisting the

treatment. But that hasn't happened

here - yet.

Hazel hears the "yet" the loudest.

DR. SIMMONS

Unfortunately, the drug may be

worsening the edema.

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