Trauma Page #5

---

the gridlocked streets.

OPERATOR:

Are you all right ma’am?

CARPOOL MOM:

I’m fine but it’s big pile up.

Maybe ten... fifteen cars.

The OPERATOR touches the screen again. This time it reads:

“San Francisco General Hospital.”

INTERCUT:
SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL

Dr. Joe moves fast, clearing rooms. Interns set up gurneys

and temporary triage stations in the hallways.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 22

33 CONTINUED:
33

CARPOOL MOM (CONT’D)

It’s a mess. The worst is right in

the middle of the bridge.

The OPERATOR hits the touchscreen for “ANGEL’S FLIGHT.”

INTERCUT:
ANGEL’S FLIGHT EMT SERVICES

Johnny Oh looks up at Marisa. Behind her, the other copter

pilots and Paramedics scramble.

MARISA:

Sh*t...

She takes off up the stairs.

34

EXT. ROOF - ANGEL’S FLIGHT EMT SERVICES - DAY 34

Fast, practiced, the older copter takes off. Sitting in the

back, bay doors open, RABBIT watches it go.

MARISA:

We got to go. Sounds bad.

RABBIT:

I let you on here. I’m risking your

life. I don’t know you. Don’t know

if you can handle it. Can’t do it.

MARISA:

Look Rabbit, I know your story. If

you don’t mind me saying so, you

need to stop dicking around and get

back on the horse. People need us.

Don’t sweat me. I can handle. I did

two tours. Basra, Baghdad,

Fallujah. I’ve been in the nasty.

Rabbit’s ears prick up.

RABBIT:

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever

seen?

MARISA:

What? We got to go, man.

RABBIT:

The worst thing you’ve even seen.

What was it?

MARISA:

You serious?

(he is)

Daytime run on Fallujah. Early

days. Lots of craziness on the

ground there. My nav, Davey

Ballard, kid from Tacoma. Pretty

boy. Thought he was kind of hot.

Takes a small round, right here...

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 23

34 CONTINUED:
34

Marisa taps the left side of her forehead.

MARISA (CONT’D)

Davey doesn’t really feel it.

There’s a little blood. He figures

he got nicked. I’m a little busy,

flying through a firestorm. We get

out. He’s talking, starting to

slur. Says he feels sweaty. I look

over. He’s got brain matter leaking

out of his helmet. I wipe it away,

tell him it’s sweat mixed with a

little blood. Davey chats me up

all the way back to Balad, like

some drunk at a bar. I’m landing,

trying not to freak him out. We

land. He shivers. And he dies.

(taking a second)

That work for you?

Rabbit thinks about it.

RABBIT:

That’s awesome. Get in.

(extending his hand)

Rabbit Palchuk.

CLOSE UP:
RABBIT’S HAND

CUTS and NICKS mar the flesh on his right hand.

MARISA:

Marisa Benez. You know you’re way

messed up right?

Marisa vaults into the cockpit, fires up the copter quickly.

Checking her surroundings, she gooses the throttles.

MARISA (CONT’D)

And Rabbit. That story about Davey.

That’s probably number seven on the

list of worst things I’ve ever

seen.

The copter lifts off, rotors biting air. In the back, Rabbit

closes his eyes. In his hand the SCALPEL twirls, three times

as fast as before. It nicks his knuckle. He doesn’t notice.

Rabbit reaches into the COCKPIT, punches a button, LOUD MUSIC

fills the air.

Instantly, Marisa silences it.

MARISA (CONT’D)

Hey. Don’t touch anything up here.

It’s a line in the sand.

RABBIT:

Don’t like tunes?

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 24

34 CONTINUED:
(2) 34

MARISA:

Love ‘em. Don’t touch anything up

here. Got me?

He doesn’t answer. She turns on the music. He looks out the

window, eyes hungry, scanning for the freeway bridge. It

comes into view...

35 EXT. FREEWAY BRIDGE - DAY 35

Mayhem. A CAR burns. FIRE TRUCKS try to maneuver near the

snarl. The only way to get to the worst of it is on foot.

Lugging his med kit, BOONE arrives at the impact site.

Behind him, Tyler brings a backboard. Boone checks cars.

People are dazed, scared. He gives one guy the once over.

BOONE:

Can you walk? Good. Head that way

away from the Tanker.

Boone checks a BMW. TEXT DRIVER’S in bad shape. He’s got a

nasty bump on his head. Gently and quick Boone moves him out.

He and Tyler get him on the carry board. Instantly, Text gets

aggressive.

TEXT DRIVER:

Don’t touch me. I didn’t do

this....

BOONE:

Shhh. We’re medics. We’re here to

help you.

TEXT DRIVER:

Medics? I need to be at a meeting.

TYLER:

(low to Boone)

Agressive, disoriented. Think we

got a brain injury?

They get him strapped to the board. Boone notices a SMALL

CROWD of ANGRY DRIVERS.

ANGRY DRIVER #1

It’s this joker’s fault. He slammed

into that Tanker.

CLOSE UP:
TEXT DRIVER’S HAND

His CRACKED BLACKBERRY’s still in his grip.

ANGRY DRIVER #2

Jackass...

Boone checks the TANKER in the near distance. There’s a

pretty big pool of GASOLINE. He sees a WRECKED CAR. Its

BROKEN HEADLIGHT sparks.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 25

35 CONTINUED:
35

BOONE:

Move!!!!

Tyler and Boone pick up the carry board and run like hell

away from the tanker. So does everyone else.

The tail light sparks again... The gasoline ignites. So does

the tanker. A FIREBALL erupts. SHRAPNEL flies...

36

INT. MINIVAN - FREEWAY BRIDGE - DAY 36

A chunk of metal SHATTERS THE WINDOW. Everyone ducks.

CARPOOL KID:

Mrs. Wahl...

She looks in the back. The 10 YEAR OLD SKATE KID is choking.

His throat’s a mass of blood.

END OF ACT ONE:

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 26

ACT TWO:

37

EXT./INT. RESCUE HELICOPTER - DAY 37

Marisa and Rabbit see the explosion. They share a look. She

veers the copter toward a clear spot on the bridge.

RABBIT:

God, I love my job.

38 EXT. FREEWAY BRIDGE - DAY 38

FIRE AND SMOKE obscure everything. Boone and Tyler stumble,

get back to their feet. Visibility’s impossible in all the

smoke. A VOICE rings in Boone’s headset.

NANCY:

(over)

Cameron?

You alright?

BOONE:

Yeah.

(looking around)

I think everyone got out before it

blew.

NANCY:

Not much we can do for them if they

didn’t.

Tyler checks out the TEXT DRIVER.

BOONE:

I got a head wound here. Possible

brain trauma. You?

INTERCUT:
ANOTHER PART OF THE BRIDGE

Away from the epicenter, NANCY and BAILEY walk through the

WOUNDED. Nancy kneels next to a woman with a severely twisted

ARM, filling out a TRIAGE TAG.

First Nancy checks pulse, then she pinches the woman’s thumb,

watching how quickly color comes back.

NANCY:

(to the woman)

Hold up two fingers please.

The woman does. Nancy clips a YELLOW TRIAGE TAG to the

woman’s collar.

NANCY (CONT’D)

(on the headset)

I got a little bit of everything.

A pale CORPSE gathers soot. Pulling a blanket over it, BAILEY

marks it with a BLACK TRIAGE TAG.

(CONTINUED)

TRAUMA "PILOT" PRODUCTION DRAFT 2/17/09 pg. 27

38 CONTINUED:
38

TEXT DRIVER:

Don’t tie me up. Don’t tie me up.

Text Driver thrashes around as Tyler bandages his head.

BOONE:

You need to calm down sir.

ANGRY DRIVERS start to come back.

ANGRY DRIVER:

Why are you helping this guy? Hell,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes