The Sweet Hereafter Page #12

MARY:

Jenny, it's time for you to go to

bed.

JENNY:

Mom...

SAM:

Come on, Jen. I let you watch your

nature show.

JENNY reluctantly kisses her father goodnight, then NICOLE.

As she leaves the room, MARY starts clearing the table.

SAM (CONT'D)

Is he coming over now? Right away?

MARY:

That's what he said.

SAM is anxious. He looks over to NICOLE.

SAM:

What are you up to, Nicole?

NICOLE:

Nothing.

SAM:

Nothing good on your T.V.?

NICOLE:

As opposed to this T.V.?

NICOLE stares at SAM.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

Besides, I'd like to see Billy.

NICOLE stares at the television.

ANGLE ON:

On the television screen, an image of a studio audience

applauding. The image is silent. The T.V. is on MUTE.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

(voice over)

That wasn't true. I didn't want to

be seen by anyone whose kids had

been killed by the accident.

Especially not Billy Ansel.

NICOLE turns her attention back to her parents.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

Actually, now that I think about it,

I'd just as soon stay in my room.

NICOLE shoves her wheelchair towards her room, as the camera

remains on her face.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

(voice over)

I remembered all the times I had

tucked Jessica and Mason into bed.

How they loved to have me read to

them before they slept. There was

nothing for me to say to Billy,

except I'm sorry. I'm sorry that

your children died when my parent's

children didn't.

CUT TO:

EXT. BURNELL HOME -- NIGHT

BILLY pulls up to the BURNELL home. He gets out of his pick

up and approaches the house.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME -- NIGHT

From her room, NICOLE watches as BILLY approaches the house.

He leaves her view as a knock is heard at the door. NICOLE

wheels over to the door and presses her ear to the door so

that she can hear the conversation.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME. KITCHEN. -- NIGHT

SAM:

Hey, Billy! What brings you out on

a night like this? C'mon in. Take

a load off.

MARY:

Would you like a cup of tea, Billy?

There's a piece of cake left.

BILLY:

No. No, thanks, Mary.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME. KITCHEN/LIVINGROOM -- NIGHT

SAM leads BILLY into the livingroom.

SAM:

So what brings you out tonight?

BILLY:

Well, Sam, I might as well tell you

the truth. It's this lawsuit you've

gotten yourself all involved with.

I want you to drop the damned thing.

Pause.

SAM:

I don't see how that concerns you,

Billy.

BILLY:

It does concern me.

SAM:

Well, I don't know why it should.

There's a whole lot of people in

town involved with lawsuits. We're

hardly unique here, Billy. I mean,

I can understand how you feel.

BILLY:

How?

SAM:

Well, it being so depressing and

all. But it's reality. You can't

just turn this off because you

happen to think it's a bad idea.

BILLY:

Why not?

SAM:

Because it's what we have to do.

BILLY:

Well I don't want a damned thing to

do with it.

SAM:

Okay, fine. So...stay out of it.

Pause. BILLY stares at SAM. Tension.

BILLY:

I've tried to stay out of it. But

it turns out that's not so easy,

Sam. You've gone and got yourself

this lawyer. Mitchell Stephens.

You and Risa and Wendell and the

Ottos.

SAM:

So? I mean, lot's of folks have got

lawyers.

BILLY:

But yours is the one who's going to

subpoena me, Sam. Force me to

testify in court. He came by the

garage this afternoon. Gave me this

piece of paper.

BILLY reaches into his pocket and shows the paper to SAM.

MARY:

Why would he do that? You didn't

have anything to do with the

accident.

BILLY:

Because I was driving behind the

bus, Mary. Because I saw it. I saw

it happen...

BILLY is harrowed by this image. SAM and MARY stare at him,

frightened by his intensity.

BILLY (CONT'D)

If that bastard does subpoena me, if

he forces me to go over this again,

then all those other lawyers will

line up behind him and try and do

the same thing.

SAM:

That won't happen, Billy. Mitch

Stephens' case is small, compared to

some of those other guys. The way

he told me, all he needs is for you

to say what you saw that day,

driving behind the bus. I know it's

a painful thing to do, but it'll

only take a few minutes of your

time. That'll be the end of it.

BILLY:

That's wrong, Sam. You know that.

We'll be tangled up in this thing

for the next five years. This is

never going to go away...

SAM:

C'mon, you know that won't...

BILLY:

We've got lawyers suing lawyers

because some people were stupid

enough to sign on with more than one

of the bastards. We've got people

pointing fingers, making side deals,

and dickering over percentages.

Yesterday, I heard somebody wants to

sue the rescue squad. The rescue

squad. Because they didn't act fast

enough.

ANGLE ON:

NICOLE listening from her door.

BILLY (CONT'D)

If you two dropped the case, then

the others would come to their

senses

BILLY:

and follow. You're good sensible

parents, you and Mary. People

respect you.

Pause.

SAM:

No, Billy. We can't drop the

lawsuit. You know how much we need

the money.

BILLY:

Why? You got money from Dolores'

insurance with the school board. We

all did.

SAM:

It's not enough. For hospital

bills. For Nicole.

BILLY:

I'll help pay for Nicole, if that's

what you're really talking about.

I'll even give you the money I got

for my kids.

(beat)

That's what we used to do, remember?

Help each other. This was a

community.

SAM:

I'm sorry.

BILLY stares at SAM.

BILLY:

I used to like it here. I used to

care about what happened. Now I

think I'll sell my house and move

the f*** away.

MARY:

Billy, please. The children.

BILLY:

The children.

BILLY looks at SAM and MARY, s strange smile on his face.

He moves to leave. He pauses at the door of the kitchen.

BILLY (CONT'D)

How is Nicole? Is she around?

MARY:

She's resting. In her room.

BILLY:

Say hello for me.

CUT TO:

EXT. BURNELL HOME -- NIGHT

BILLY walks to his car. SAM and MARY watch him from the

porch/ramp.

SAM:

(calling out)

We're getting on with our lives,

Billy. Maybe it's time you got on

with yours.

BILLY turns around, looks at SAM one final time, then moves

to his pick up.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME -- NIGHT

NICOLE is watching BILLY from her window. She is crying.

ANGLE ON:

NICOLE'S P.O.V. of BILLY driving away.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME. NICOLE'S BEDROOM. -- NIGHT

NICOLE is lying in her bed. A knock at the door. SAM

enters the dark bedroom and sits on the bed beside her.

SAM:

Are you sleeping?

NICOLE:

No.

SAM:

Nicole, tomorrow Mr. Stephens wants

you to make your deposition at the

courthouse. I thought I'd take you

over.

NICOLE:

Great.

SAM:

You seem...I don't know...well,

distant, I guess. Hard to talk to.

NICOLE:

We used to talk a lot, didn't we,

Daddy. About all the things you

were going to do for me.

SAM:

What do you mean?

NICOLE:

I mean I'm a wheelchair girl now.

It's hard to pretend I'm a beautiful

rock star. Not like you used to

tell me. Remember, Daddy? All the

people that were going to discover

me? Where are they now?

SAM turns away from NICOLE.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

(voice over)

He couldn't look at me. But I

looked at him. Right at him. His

secret was mine now. We used to

share it. But not anymore. Now, I

owned it completely.

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