Trauma

---

COLD OPEN:

1

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - DAY 1

The City. Hometown to Maupin, Jerry Garcia and the Zodiac

Killer. Fading light paints the usual landmarks: Golden

Gate, Coit Tower, the TransAmerica Building.

CONSTRUCTION CRANES dot the skyline. Even in tough times,

progress continues. People work. People love. People die.

A HALF-COMPLETED SKYSCRAPER comes into view. We move onto its

top floor.

2 EXT. TOP FLOOR - INCOMPLETE SKYSCRAPER - DAY 2

The city sprawls behind the open space filled with rebar.

WORKERS pack tools. One grabs a beer from his cooler.

Everyone heads to the CONSTRUCTION ELEVATOR.

WORKER #1

Sorley’s, man.

WORKER #2

No, chicks are awful there.

Houlihan’s.

WORKER #1

Lookit you. If the choice is

between women and cheap beer. Take

the beer..

Older workers chuckle. One of them, WALKER, hangs back.

WORKER #1 (CONT’D)

You coming?

WALKER:

Transformer 2’s sucking juice. I’m

gonna shut it down and take a look.

WORKER #2 tosses Walker a beer. The steel cage closes. The

elevator heads down. Cracking the brew, Walker looks out over

the city until the whirring of the elevator stops.

Walker SHUTS DOWN the main POWER SWITCH. Popping iPod

headphones in his ears, Walker heads off, sipping his beer.

MUSIC sounds out, loud and strong.

TWO TRANSFORMER boxes sit dormant in a rats’ nest of cords

and wires. Setting his beer on the top, Walker gets to work

checking each connection.

It’s tedious going. Thank God for the iPod.

At the other end of the job site, a PORTA POTTIE opens.

FITCH, a younger worker, heads out. The site’s barren.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 2

2 CONTINUED:
2

At the TRANSFORMER, Walker’s found the problem. Quick, he’s

into the guts of a transformer lead. The music cranks.

Fitch gets to the elevator, pushes the call button. Nothing.

He tries again. Checking around, he sees the MAIN POWER

switch thrown to “OFF.”

FITCH:

Hey!!! Anyone up here?

Oblivious, music cranking, Walker repairs the lead. His

pliers twist exposed cables. The voltage meter reads “0.”

Light fading, Fitch throws the POWER SWITCH to “ON.”

CLOSE UP:
VOLTAGE METER

The needle JUMPS past 30,000, frying the meter.

WALKER takes 30,000 volts through his body. His hair melts,

the hand gripping the pliers chars. His body goes rigid. The

beer topples from the transformer, boiling at his feet.

Across the job site, lights flicker. The elevator goes dead.

Fitch sees sparks, hears horrible sounds in the distance.

FITCH (CONT’D)

Oh no...

Leaving the switch “ON,” he runs off in the direction of the

Transformer. Walker twitches in a pool of beer. His breath

catches in rasps, then STOPS.

FITCH (CONT’D)

Oh God, Walker. Oh God...

CLOSE UP:
FITCH’S HAND

Pulling his phone, he dials “911.”

CUT TO:

3 INT. EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER - DAY 3

Banks of OPERATORS man phones and screens. The WORDS:

“FITCH, THOMAS A. CELLULAR 415-555-6655” hit a touch screen.

OPERATOR:

911. What is your emergency?

INTERCUT:
INCOMPLETE SKYSCRAPER

Freaking out, Fitch just avoids stepping in the beer.

FITCH:

It’s Walker... He’s been

electrocuted. He’s not breathing.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 3

3 CONTINUED:
3

OPERATOR:

What is your location?

FITCH:

1012 Montgomery. It’s a

construction site. Top Floor...

Back at Emergency Response, the operator’s already routing

the call. Her touchscreen reads: “SFFD, PARA.”

CUT TO:

4 EXT./INT. SFFD PARAMEDIC VAN - MARKET STREET - DAY 4

At the wheel, TYLER (30s) - slight build, nutty eyes - hits

the lights and nails it. Next to him, CAMERON BOONE (30s) -

drinks all the information from a SCREEN in front of him. He

touches a headset at his ear.

BOONE:

Patch me in...

CUT TO:

5

INT. TRAUMA CENTER - SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL - DAY 5

Pain, healing and chaos swirl around the curtained Trauma

rooms and offices. Walking through it all, the maestro, DR.

JOSEPH SAVIANO (50s) sees everything, remembers everything

and appears to be affected by nothing.

A team of TRAUMA DOCS and INTERNS trails Dr. Joe.

DR. JOE

Cardiac arrest, burns, brain

damage, organ failure. Full meal

deal of electrocution. Incoming

within ten minutes...

Dr. Joe opens the curtains of TRAUMA 3, surprising an Intern

and a heavily BANDAGED MAN.

DR. JOE (CONT’D)

He stable?

The Intern nods.

DR. JOE (CONT’D)

Move him.

CUT TO:

6 EXT. PARAMEDIC VAN - DAY 6

Parked in an alley, the van lies still.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 4

6 CONTINUED:
6

RADIO:

(over)

Unit 114, we’ve got cardiac arrest,

electrocution, burn Trauma at 1012

Montgomery.

7 INT. PARAMEDIC VAN - DAY 7

In the back, on a gurney NANCY MONAHAN (32) - intense, just

enough damage to make her interesting - straddles TERRY

BANNER (36) - handsome, witty and serious in equal measure.

To say the radio interrupts is a huge understatement.

NANCY:

Wait... Not now.

Terry scrambles out from under her.

TERRY:

It’s a call...

He grabs the radio.

TERRY (CONT’D)

Unit 114, we’re here. We got the

call. En route. 1012 Montgomery.

Pulling up his pants, Terry slides into the driver’s seat.

RADIO:

Copy that Banner. Oh hey... Tell

Naughty Nancy to check her buttons.

Terry doesn’t like that too much. Nancy checks her uniform.

Yep, the top button on her blouse reveals a little too much.

She takes care of it.

TERRY:

I told you... Not in the van.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Nancy musses his hair.

NANCY:

Yes, in the van. I mean come on, I

get the residency, no more fun on

wheels. But...

(a naughty smile)

... There’s always the trauma room.

TERRY:

That’s just wrong.

NANCY:

Yeah, isn’t it? Relax baby. Life’s

short. Ya gotta enjoy it.

CUT TO:

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 5

8

INT. ANGEL’S FLIGHT EMT SERVICES - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 8

A TV screen reads SONG FAILED on Guitar Hero as ASHER “ROTOR”

REYNOLDS (30s) tosses down the controller. He grabs a FLIGHT

HELMET and HEADPHONES and heads upstairs.

9 EXT. ROOF - ANGEL’S FLIGHT EMT SERVICES - DAY 9

Rotor bolts out on the roof, sees a FIGURE standing on the

ledge. REUBEN “RABBIT” PALCHUCK (36), somewhere between

genius and madness. Smiling serenely, toes 12 stories over

the street, Rabbit looks over the city, his city.

ROTOR:

We’re working. Dr. Joe says it’s a

bad one.

Rabbit’s smile kicks up a couple of watts.

RABBIT:

My favorite kind.

CUT TO:

10 EXT. TOP FLOOR - INCOMPLETE SKYSCRAPER - DAY 10

WALKER’s turning grey. FITCH listens to a DEEP REASSURING

VOICE on the other end of the line.

BOONE:

(phone filter)

...do not touch him or get near him

until you know he’s not in contact

with power. Is there any liquid

around him?

FITCH:

Yeah... Yeah... A spilled beer.

CUT TO:

11 INT. PARAMEDIC VAN - DAY 11

Insanity at Code 3 as Tyler weaves through traffic. Boone

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes