The Hollars Page #7

JOHN:

Awesome.

43.

26 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY. 26

Ron sits in the chair, as his daughters lie on the

hospital bed with Sally. They all watch a kids TV show.

Stacey enters the room, followed by Reverend Dan.

STACEY:

Oh, my god. There you are.

CONSTANCE:

Hey, mom.

STACEY:

I’ve been looking all over for you. What

are you guys doing? Why didn’t you go to

school today?

CONSTANCE:

Dad brought us here instead.

STACEY:

No one called me. I was worried sick.

MATILDA:

Grandma’s got a tumor the size of

basketball in her head.

SALLY:

It’s the size of a soft ball actually.

STACEY:

Oh, my god. Sally, I’m so sorry.

Ron looks at Reverend Dan.

RON:

What is he doing here?

STACEY:

You can’t take our kids out of school

without calling me, Ron.

RON:

My mom is sick.

STACEY:

Yeah, you still should have called.

RON:

(whispers)

But...she could die any minute.

SALLY:

I can hear you, Ron.

(CONTINUED)

44.

26 CONTINUED:
26

STACEY:

Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?

Ron follows his ex-wife out of the room. He gives

Reverend Dan a deathly glare as he walks past him.

REVEREND DAN:

Anyone want to pray?

27 INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY. DAY. 27

Stacey waits until she is out of the children’s earshot.

STACEY:

What the hell are you doing? You’re

scaring the girls. Not to mention your

mom.

RON:

What do you care?

STACEY:

Come on, Ron. Don’t be a child.

Stacey sighs.

RON:

What did you bring him here for?

STACEY:

I was worried. He comforted me.

RON:

So, you guys serious or...

STACEY:

Ron. We’ve been divorced for over two

years.

RON:

Yeah. So?

STACEY:

So, it was your idea to get divorced in

the first place.

RON:

Well...what if I wanted to change my

mind?

STACEY:

Change your mind? Change your mind about

what?

(CONTINUED)

27 CONTINUED:

45.

27

You know.

RON:

STACEY:

Are you kidding me??

No?

RON:

STACEY:

I don’t even know what to say to that.

RON:

(very vulnerable)

I’m lonely. I just lost my job. I got no

one to talk to.

STACEY:

... And who’s to blame for that?

RON:

Stacey, I just wasn’t ready.

STACEY:

Well, life doesn’t wait Ron.

Stacey shakes her head and walks past Ron as she goesinto Sally’s hospital room to collect the girls. Ron

stands in the hallway alone reeling... then finallyfollows behind her.

28 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY. 28

Reverend Dan holds Sally and the youngest daughter’s

hands in a prayer circle.

RON:

Hey, get your hands off my family you

pervert.

Everyone stops praying and looks at Ron.

REVEREND DAN:

I was just offering your mother a little

prayer.

RON:

Yeah? Well, who asked you?

I did.

SALLY:

(CONTINUED)

46.

28 CONTINUED:
28

RON:

Oh.

STACEY:

Come on, girls. We’re leaving.

The girls kiss their grandmother goodbye and leave the

room with their mom.

RON:

(whispers to Dan)

If I were you I’d pray for me-

REVREND DAN:

I will.

RON:

Wait. You didn’t let me finish. I was

going to say-

STACEY:

Good bye, Ron.

Stacey and kids leave with Reverend Dan.

RON:

...for me not to kick your--Oh, damn it!

A beat later John enters the room carrying a dripping JC

Penny bag. He wears a T-shirt with a funky graphic on it.

JOHN:

Hey, what’s going on? Why does everyone

look so upset?

SALLY:

(upbeat)

No one’s upset.

Ron wipes away a tear. John looks at the cat scan on the

wall monitor.

JOHN:

Hey, look, I was thinking we should ask

Dr. Fong about this procedure. I want to

know more about the risks involved with

removing the tumor.

SALLY:

Oh, no. I don’t want to know anything

about that.

(CONTINUED)

47.

28 CONTINUED:
(2) 28

JOHN:

He’s going to be operating on your brain.

If we’re not going to get a second

opinion we should at least find out more

about what he plans to do. His level of

experience. Stuff like that.

SALLY:

I trust him.

JOHN:

But you don’t even know him.

SALLY:

Asian people are very hard workers.

RON:

Yeah. And they have tiny hands which

helps in surgery.

John doesn’t know how to respond.

JOHN:

I just... think we should be prepared.

SALLY:

That’s fine, John. Ask him whatever you

want. Just leave me out of it, okay?

John sees how scared his mother is. He stops pressing the

subject.

Ron looks at John.

RON:

Is that my shirt?

29 INT. NEUROLOGY DEPARTMENT. DAY. 29

John and Ron walk up to a nurse’s desk in the neurology

department.

JOHN:

Ron and John Hollar for Dr. Fong, please.

NEUROLOGY NURSE:

Have a seat. Dr. Fong will be right with

you.

John and Ron sit in a waiting room.

(CONTINUED)

48.

29 CONTINUED:
29

RON:

Hey, look, I know you think you’re hot

sh*t ever since you moved to New York but

don’t be an a**hole, okay? This guy holds

mom’s life in his hands.

JOHN:

What? I don’t think I’m hot sh*t. What

are you talking about?

RON:

Sure you do. That’s why you never call.

You think you’re better than us.

JOHN:

I told you I don’t like talking on the

phone.

RON:

You used to call Gwen all the time.

JOHN:

She was my girlfriend.

RON:

It’s okay. I understand.

JOHN:

What? Understand what?

RON:

You’re jealous.

JOHN:

(laughs)

Why would I be jealous? You live in mom

and dad’s basement.

RON:

You got kind of ignored growing up. I was

the one that everyone thought had

promise. You were just kind of a spaz.

And mom and dad were so busy starting

that business they never really had any

time for you.

JOHN:

I hate plumbing supplies.

RON:

You resent me, don’t you? You resent all

of us. That’s why you moved so far away.

(CONTINUED)

49.

29 CONTINUED:
(2) 29

JOHN:

Are you kidding? I moved to New York

because there’s nothing to do here. And

besides, it’s not like mom and dad’s

attention really helped you out that

much. I was probably better off with them

not around.

RON:

No one’s better off without their parents

around.

John gives Ron a strange look. His brother has hit a

nerve.

JOHN:

Whatever.

RON:

Yeah, whatever. I don’t care, either.

Just don’t offend this guy, okay?

30 INT. DR. FONG’S OFFICE. DAY. 30

John and Ron are seated in front of Dr. Fong’s desk. Dr.

Fong is in scrubs.

DR. FONG

I have to be in surgery in a few minutes,

but, how can I help you?

JOHN:

Well, my brother and I were just

wondering if you could tell us a little

more about this procedure you want our

mother to have. Will you actually be able

to remove all of the tumor-

RON:

I wasn’t wondering. I trust you. My mom

and dad trust you, too.

DR. FONG

Thank you.

RON:

Yeah. We love Asian people.

DR. FONG

Ah. That’s...nice.

RON:

I use to take karate as a kid.

(CONTINUED)

50.

30 CONTINUED:
30

Dr. Fong looks confused.

RON (CONT'D)

The instructor was actually black but I’m

pretty sure he’d spent some time in

China.

DR. FONG

Mmm, well.

RON:

Mmm. What martial art do you do?

DR. FONG

None.

Ron is blown away!

JOHN:

Getting back to the tumor--

RON:

--I guess you’re probably pretty busy

with brain surgery and whatnot.

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