The Sweet Hereafter Page #9

The phone continues to ring, as BILLY stares at MITCHELL.

MITCHELL turns to look at the ringing phone.

CUT TO:

INT. DOLORES'S HOUSE -- DAY

MITCHELL is getting ready to leave. DOLORES is still

grasping onto ABBOTT'S hand.

DOLORES:

I have a question for you, Mr.

Stephens.

MITCHELL:

What's that, Dolores?

DOLORES:

I told you that I was doing fifty

miles an hour when the accident

happened. That's how I remembered

it. But the truth is, I might have

been doing sixty. Or sixty five.

And if that's true, that I was over

the limit when the bus went over,

what would happen then?

MITCHELL:

That would complicate things.

DOLORES:

Because I'd be to blame, right?

MITCHELL:

Billy Ansel will insist that you

were driving fifty-one miles an

hour. Just like you've done every

morning for the past fifteen years.

DOLORES:

He knows that? Billy?

MITCHELL:

Yes. He does.

DOLORES:

Billy said that?

MITCHELL nods.

DOLORES (CONT'D)

You've talked to Billy?

MITCHELL:

I did.

DOLORES:

And Billy told you that he'll tell

that to...

MITCHELL:

Mrs. Driscoll, if Billy Ansel does

not volunteer to say so in court, I

will subpoena him and oblige him to

testify to that effect.

Pause. MITCHELL plans his next step.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

But in order to do that, you must

let me bring a suit in your name

charging negligent infliction of

emotional harm. That's what I'm now

asking you to consider.

Pause. DOLORES is lost.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

It's clear to me and other people

that you have suffered significantly

from this event.

DOLORES:

What other people?

MITCHELL:

Excuse me?

DOLORES:

Who's been talking to you about what

I'm feeling? Who should care about

what I'm feeling?

MITCHELL stares at DOLORES.

MITCHELL:

Dolores, people have to know that

you've suffered too.

MITCHELL:

And they won't understand until you

let me clear your name - your good

name - once and for all. Will you

let me do that? Will you let me do

my duty?

Suddenly, ABBOTT says something. He twists his face around

his mouth, purses his lips on the left side and emits a

string of broken syllables and sounds. After this outburst,

DOLORES looks at MITCHELL, a comforted smile on her face.

DOLORES:

You heard what Abbott said?

MITCHELL:

Yes.

DOLORES:

Anything you didn't understand?

MITCHELL:

There might have been a word or two

that slipped by. Maybe you could

clarify it for me, just to be

absolutely sure.

DOLORES:

Abbott said that the true jury of a

person's peers is the people of her

town. Only they, the people who

have known her all her life, and not

twelve strangers, can decide her

guilt or innocence. And if I have

committed a crime, then it's a crime

against them, so they are the ones

who must decide my punishment.

MITCHELL stares at ABBOTT, who stares back.

MITCHELL:

That's what he said, is it?

DOLORES:

Yes. Abbot understands these

things.

CUT TO:

EXT. DOLORES'S HOUSE -- DAY

MITCHELL leaves the DRISCOLL house, watched by DOLORES.

INT. HOSPITAL -- MORNING

NICOLE BURNELL is in bed. A doctor, DR. ROBESON, is

touching her forehead. NICOLE'S family (SAM, her mother

MARY, and her little sister JENNY)

DR. ROBESON

The mind is kind.

The camera fixes on NICOLE'S expression as she stares ahead.

NICOLE:

(voice over)

They say I'm lucky because I can't

remember the accident.

SAM:

Don't even try to remember.

MARY:

You just think about getting well,

Nicole, that's all.

The camera is always fixed on NICOLE'S face when her voice

over is heard.

NICOLE:

(voice over)

I know I'm as well as I ever can be

again. So shut up, Mom. To stay

like this, to live like a slug, I'm

going to have to work like someone

trying to get into the Olympics.

SAM:

Just wait till you see what we've

got waiting for you at home.

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL -- DAY

NICOLE, in a wheelchair, is being led down a hallway with

her family.

NICOLE:

(voice over)

It's an incredible relief to be

leaving the hospital. I'm so sick

of looking at my doctor, listening

to Frankenstein ask me stupid

questions about what I was

feeling...

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL. LOBBY. -- DAY

NICOLE is being wheeled to the front door of the hospital.

NICOLE:

(voice over,

continuing)

He thought it was cute when I called

him Frankenstein. It wasn't. I

feel like his monster.

MARY:

Isn't it a lovely day?

NICOLE:

What happened to summer?

MARY:

Summer's over. It's fall.

NICOLE:

And winter?

MARY:

Well, winter's far behind us now.

NICOLE:

How was it?

MARY:

We had a terrible winter last year,

didn't we, Sam?

SAM nods.

NICOLE:

Good thing I was in Florida.

MARY doesn't know quite what to make of NICOLE'S joke. SAM

flashes NICOLE a smile. She doesn't return it.

CUT TO:

EXT. BURNELL HOME -- DAY

NICOLE arrives at home. The car pulls up in front of the

modest house.

SAM opens the door and puts the wheelchair up next to it.

He points out the ramp he has built for NICOLE.

The ramp is painted green.

SAM:

How do you like it, Nicole?

NICOLE:

The ramp?

SAM:

Pretty slick, eh?

NICOLE:

Very slick.

SAM:

Do you like the colour?

NICOLE:

It's okay.

SAM:

And I had to widen a few doors.

You'll see.

CUT TO:

INT. BURNELL HOME -- DAY

Inside the house. The interior of the house is dark and

somewhat tawdry. The BURNELL'S are almost poor.

But SAM then leads NICOLE into the special room he has built

for her. It seems like another world. Every detail has

been lovingly attended to. No expense has been spared to

make this room as attractive and inviting as possible.

A room that a guilty, abusive father might dream up for his

crippled daughter.

SAM:

What do you think?

Pause. NICOLE wheels around, trying to control her emotions

as she inspects the room. A phone rings in the background.

MARY goes to answer it.

NICOLE fixes her gaze at the back of the door.

NICOLE:

The door needs a lock.

SAM:

(taken aback)

Sure. I'll fix it right away.

SAM goes to get his tools. JENNY stares at NICOLE.

JENNY:

Can I come and visit you here?

NICOLE:

You better. And you can sleep in my

new bed with me too.

NICOLE grabs her sister's hand, and JENNY moves in close to

her. SAM comes back with the tools. He starts to screw in

the hook.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

That's too high. I'll never reach

it.

SAM:

(nervous)

Oh. I better get some spackle.

SAM leaves again.

JENNY:

Mommy says you need to lock the boys

out.

NICOLE:

What boys?

JENNY:

I don't know.

NICOLE stares at JENNY, as MARY comes back into the room.

MARY:

So do you like your new room?

NICOLE:

It's interesting.

MARY:

Your Dad spent all his spare time in

here. He wanted to make it

absolutely perfect.

NICOLE:

I feel like a princess.

SAM comes back and begins to work on the door. NICOLE

watches him. She notices a new computer on a desk.

NICOLE (CONT'D)

Is this mine?

MARY:

Yes. It's a present.

NICOLE:

From you?

MARY:

No. From Mr. Stephens. That was

him on the phone just now. He was

calling to see how you were.

NICOLE:

Who's Mr. Stephens?

SAM:

He's a lawyer. He's our lawyer.

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