snow angels

‘Snow Angels’ continued...

Written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec; Directed by Sander Stern; (as "fanscribed" by Janet)

RETURN TO PART 1

Gary:
Earl? Earl.

Earl:
I can’t, I can’t move.

Gary:
All right, now, hold on.

[Earl coughs]

Earl:
Gary? Where did you come from?

Gary:
Listen Earl. Earl, tell me what hurts, huh?

Earl:
More like, what doesn’t hurt. I'm… having… trouble breathing.

Gary:
Earl, I’m going to get you out of here. Listen, all right? All right, listen.

Earl:
Hey, Gary…It stopped snowing.

[Gary rolls the skylight off of Earl and Earl screams in pain.]

Earl:
Aah! Aah! [Earl groans] Well, am I okay? Am I okay?

Gary:
You're all right, Earl.

[Gary kneels next to Earl and unzips Earl’s jacket. Seeing heavy bleeding from Earl’s stomach he hurried takes his own jacket off along with the scarf. In the process he knocks his baseball cap off his head. Stuffs the scarf inside Earl’s jacket in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Re-zips Earl’s jacket and puts his own back on.

Earl:
Gary…I think…I’m in trouble.

Gary:
Listen, Earl… You hold that, okay? You hold that.

Earl:
I got it, okay?

Gary:
Hold that. Come one. Come on, now. Hold that, Earl. Hold that. You keep pressure on that, all right?

Earl:
I got it.

Gary:
All right, come on Earl. You ready to get out of here now?

Earl:
Yeah.

Gary:
All right, come on. Come on.

Earl:
Gary…I can’t move my legs.

Gary:
You can't…? Earl? Listen, Earl, I think—I think your legs may be broken.

Earl:
It sure feels that way.

Gary:
I’ve got to get to a phone, Earl.

Earl:
Got one. Inside pocket. Shirt pocket. [Groans]

Gary:
Earl. You’ve got a phone. I didn’t think of you as the cell phone type, Earl.

Earl:
Ha. Can’t live…without it.

Gary:
Hello?

911 Operator:
911 dispatch. How may I help you?

Gary:
L-look, I’m over at 630 West Cavalry [walks away from Earl toward the window.] I’m on the second floor. I’ve got a fellow with a stomach wound and both legs are broken.

911 Operator:
Is he conscious, sir?

Gary:
Yeah, he’s conscious, but you’ve got to get here quick.

911 Operator:
Sir, all of our ambulances are out right now. We’ll do the best we can to get to you.

Gary:
Look, you’ve got to do better than that!

911 Operator:
Sir, I understand. But this storm has overwhelmed all of our resources.

Gary [quietly so Earl won’t hear]: Listen, if you don’t get here quick, I don’t think this guy’s going to make it.

911 Operator:
[heavy static interfering] Do your best… an ambulance will be th-…

[Phone beeps indicating low battery]

Gary:
Hello? Hello? [Walks back to Earl] Earl? Earl, listen to me. You’ve got to stay awake. Open your eyes. Come on. They’re on the way.

Earl:
I’m just resting.

Gary:
All right, good. Listen we, uh…Talk to me Earl.

Earl:
What do you want to know?

Gary:
Are you, uh. Anything. Listen, Earl, uh…where are you from?

Earl:
I’m, uh, I was born right here, on the south side. I, uh, two years ago, I had an apartment over on Blackstone. Um…Before that…[groan]…I lived in the streets.

Gary:
Oh, yeah? Is that why you—Is that why you’re helping people out, Earl? Are you trying to give something back?

Earl:
No, Gary…It ain’t about giving back. It’s about taking back.

Gary:
Taking back. Taking back what?

Earl:
[hesitates before answering] My past.

[Scene changes to Mr. Mourning’s hotel. Employee getting ready to leave. Mourning is looking for something in the closet.]

Alvin:
Night, Mr. Mourning.

Mr. Mourning:
Hey, Alvin, where did you put the shovel I bought last year?

Alvin:
It’s in there.

Mr. Mourning:
I’ve been looking.

Alvin:
On the floor, to the left.

Mr. Mourning:
Okay, I got it. You’ve got to give me a hand outside.

Alvin:
I’m heading home. [Points in that general direction.]

Mr. Mourning:
Some guy, he ditched my keys out in the snow. We’ve got to find them.

Alvin:
I’ve been here 15 hours. Light’s out in my building, the kids are scared.

Mr. Mourning:
I guess you ain't been listenin'. I’ve got a problem here!

Alvin:
Mr. Mourning.

Mr. Mourning:
Okay, Okay! I know a shakedown when I see it. Here is a buck. Now shovel out my keys!

Alvin:
A buck?

Mr. Mourning:
I would do it myself, but I’m not as young as I used to be.

Alvin:
I’m going home.

Mr. Mourning:
Five bucks.

Alvin:
My family needs me.

Mr. Mourning:
You don’t do this, and you don’t come back tomorrow, Alvin!

Alvin:
Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before, Mr. Mournin'. But who else would put up with you? I’ll see you tomorrow. [Walks out making "yeah, yeah" gesture with upraised arms]

Mr. Mourning:
I am serious, Alvin! Alvin! You can’t rely on anybody.

[Scene changes to the abandoned building where Gary waits with Earl for an ambulance to arrive.]

Earl:
I, uh… I had this fire inside of me. I was so angry all the time, I couldn’t see straight. Ooh, I was a mess.

Gary:
Listen to me, Earl. Earl, from what I see you ought to be pretty damn proud.

Earl:
No, I’ve got too many casualties in my past to be proud…[Black & white flashback of pistol being fired] I shot a man once. [Tears are running down his face.]

Gary:
Well, what did this fellow do, Earl. This fellow you shot?

Earl:
That’s the saddest part about the whole thing, Gary. I don’t even remember what the man did. I remember being in the police car, [more flashback black & white & color of cruiser lights and man being loaded in ambulance] looking at the blue and red lights bouncing around, and, uh…I had a moment of clarity and I said, "God, let him live. I’ll change…If you let him live. I’ll be different. I'll do good." Two souls were saved that day. His and mine. [Snow begins to fall again] Gary? It’s cold. It's, it’s a different kind of cold, like, like I’m never going to get warm again. It’s cold all the way to my bones, G-Gary.

Gary:
Sure, you can. You know, when I was a little kid, I used to love the snow. [Flashback to Gary’s childhood in Indiana.] As soon as that first snow fell, I’d be the first one to get out there and get my hands in it. I’d stay in it for hours, and you know what? I was never cold until that walk home. The thought of that walk home would make me cold, but then, then I'd remember that there would always be a cup of hot chocolate waiting for me.

Earl:
With marshmallows?

Gary:
Yeah, that’s right. I can still taste it.

Earl:
Me, too.

Gary:
Yeah? So whenever I’m cold, I think about that hot chocolate. You see, that warms me up.

Earl:
You know what?

Gary:
What?

Earl:
I, I can taste it.

Gary:
Good.

[Gary checks paper. Headline is now: GOOD SAMARITAN BLEEDS TO DEATH]

[commercial]

[Light snow is falling, Gary sees another headline: LANDLORD DIES SHOVELING SNOW. Gary starts pacing nervously. Short scene change to Mr. Mourning shoveling snow, then back to Gary and Earl at building.]

Gary:
What do I do now?

Earl:
What’s wrong?

Gary:
Where the hell is the ambulance? [Dials 911 again on the cell phone] Come on, give me a break!

Earl:
What’s the matter?

[Cell phone beeps low battery warning]

Gary:
Earl… nothing, Earl. Listen

Earl:
Hmm?

Gary:
Listen Earl.

Earl:
Yeah?

Gary:
There’s someone else I’ve got to go help.

Earl:
What kind of help?

Gary:
If I don’t get to him, Earl, he could die.

Earl:
Mm-hmm. Then you should go.

Gary:
But I can’t, Earl.

Earl:
Hey, hey, you’ve done everything for me…that you can do, and, uh…the ambulance is coming.

Gary:
But Earl, I can’t leave you here alone. I can’t…

Earl:
I’d rather die alone than to…mess up somebody else’s chance at life.

Gary:
Look, Earl, you don’t know this guy. He’s not half the man you are. He’s…

Earl:
Hey, hey, hey. Don’t judge. Uh…If I had been judged for who I was 15 years ago I’d already be dead. Gary, everybody deserves a second chance. Now…It’s time for you to go.

Gary:
I can’t do that, Earl.

Earl:
Gary…do it for me. Sort of a dying man’s…last request.

[Gary takes his coat off and covers Earl with it.]

Gary:
You take this coat and you stay warm. That ambulance is going to be here soon, all right.

Earl:
Gary?

Gary:
Yeah?

Earl:
I promise…I’ll see you again.

Gary:
Yeah, Earl. We’ll have that cup of hot chocolate together, huh?

Earl:
Yeah, with marshmallows.

Gary:
Yeah.

Earl:
Gary.

Gary:
Yeah?

Earl:
Thank you. [Moans and wheezes]

[Gary starts to leave but hesitates, looking back at Earl. Puts his cap on as he rushes out paper in hand.]

[Scene: Exterior of Mr. Mourning’s hotel. He’s shoveling snow.]

Mr. Mourning:
Ah, there they are. [He finds the keys and then groans and collapses, clutching his left arm and heart as Gary rushes up.]

Gary:
Cliff. Cliff, come on. Come on, listen to me, Cliff. Everything’s going to be fine. Come on, we’re going to get you to the hospital.

Mr. Mourning:
Oh, I’m dying.

Gary:
No, you’re not, Cliff. No, Cliff, you’re not dying. Listen to me, Cliff. Hey, look, think of all the people you’ve got left to piss off, huh? Come on, now. Come on.

[Gary gets Mourning on his feet and into his truck.]

[Scene: Exterior of the hospital as Gary drives up in Mourning’s truck with Mourning in the seat beside him.]

Gary:
Hey, I need some help here! I’ve got a guy having a heart attack!

[The paramedics that have been shoveling snow rush over at Gary’s call. As they do another ambulance pulls up. Earl is the patient.]

Paramedic:
We’ve got a trauma arrest! He’s been down 12 minutes!

Gary:
[running alongside the gurney] Hey, Earl, It’s me.

E.R. Doctor:
What have we got?

Gary:
Look, Earl, open your eyes, huh?

Paramedic:
Penetrating abdominal injury. He's been bleeding for a while, lost a lot of blood.

Gary:
A skylight fell on him. He was trying to, uh…

E.R. Doctor:
Sir, please step back.

Gary:
Uh, look, he’s a friend of mine.

E.R. Doctor:
I understand, but you need to let us work. Let’s lift him on three. Wait.

Gary:
Earl, it’s me.

Paramedic:
Sir, you’ve got to give us some room.

E.R. Doctor:
He’s been down 12 minutes. No vitals. I’m calling it. Mark him D.O.A. [Turns to Gary] I’m sorry. He lost too much blood. I truly am sorry.

[Gary stares in shock at Earl’s lifeless body, unable to comprehend that he failed to save him.]

Doctor:
E-excuse me, sir? Your friend…The cardiac arrest. Mr. Mourning? We’ve stabilized him. I, I should say that we've stabilized him momentarily. He has serious heart disease. We’re going to take it moment by moment, but I like to be honest about these things. It doesn’t look good.

[Her pager beeps]

Doctor:
Excuse me.

[Leaves Gary feeling lost and depressed as the hospital personnel cover Earl’s body.]

[Scene: McGinty’s office. Marissa seated at her desk. Phone rings. She gropes for it and answers. No one speaks for a few seconds. She breaks the silence.]

Marissa:
Gary?

[Scene switches back and forth between Marissa in the restaurant office and an obviously distraught Gary at a hospital pay phone.]

Gary:
Hi. [No emotion in his voice.]

Marissa:
Are you okay?

Gary:
No. [Numb with shock.]

Marissa:
Where are you, Gary?

Gary:
I’m at the hospital.

Marissa:
The hospital?

Gary:
Earl is dead, Marissa.

Marissa:
I’m so sorry, Gary.

Gary:
I didn’t get there in time.

Marissa:
Well, he wanted to be out there, Gary. He wanted to be out there helping people.

Gary:
I was supposed to save him.

Marissa:
You did all you could do.

Gary:
There’s um…there’s another guy I brought in. He had a heart attack. I don’t know if he’s going to make it either.

Marissa:
Don’t put this on yourself, Gary. How many lives did you save today?

Gary:
I don’t know.

Marissa:
16, Gary. 16 lives. And if that’s what stopped you from getting to Earl in time I’m sure he understands, and I’m sure this other guy does, too. [No response from Gary.]

Gary?

[Gary is still on the phone but in shock. He’s unable to accept his failure to save Earl.]

[Scene: Mourning’s hospital room. Medical equipment all around.]

Doctor:
He’s in v-tack. Clear. [Applies paddles] Recharging. Clear. [Applies paddles again.] Come on. Come on. Come back to us. [Sighs] Okay. Good job.

Nurse:
Looks like a flutter. BP’s 78 over 40.

Doctor:
This guy needs a new heart.

Nurse:
You know, that abdominal wound that came in earlier? D.O.A.? The guy was an organ donor.

[Scene: Hospital corridor. Mourning, on a gurney is being rushed through the corridor. Gary is sitting there. Gets out of his seat as the gurney comes along.]

Doctor:
Helen, tell ‘em to open O.R. Five. We’re on our way.

Nurse:
Dr. Schulweiss is en route. He's stuck in snow, but he’s on his way.

Doctor:
Okay. Where’s the donor?

Nurse:
They’ve wheeled him up already.

Gary:
What’s going on?

Doctor:
Your friend might be getting a new heart.

Gary:
He what?

Doctor:
I can’t talk right now.

[Gary reaches for his paper. Headline has changed: GOOD SAMARITAN GIVES GIFT OF LIFE; FINAL ACT OF KINDNESS OWN HEART.]

[Scene: Time lapse from night to day and back again several times.]

[Scene: Mourning’s hospital room. Gary approaches the door carrying his jacket.]

Gary:
Hi. A close one there huh? The doctor said that you wanted to see me.

Mr. Mourning:
Sit.

Gary:
Well, I-I—

Mr. Mourning:
Please.

Gary:
All right. [Sits in chair by the wall across from the bed.]

Mr. Mourning:
I’ve had three weeks…to think about things. You saved my life. I don’t know what to say about that, except that…when I was slipping in and out there, I kept thinking, "Let me life. Please, let me life, and I’ll change. I’ll do good." [Chuckles] Funny, huh? [has a half smile on his face] Don’t you believe me?

Gary:
No, No. I-I believe you. Everybody deserves a second chance.

Mr. Mourning:
Tell me about him.

Gary:
How’s that?

Mr. Mourning:
The guy… who gave me this. [gestures to heart] I hear he was something.

Gary:
Yeah, he was. His, uh his name was Earl.

Mr. Mourning:
Tell me about Earl.

Gary:
All right. He, uh, he was born and raised in Chicago. South Side. For the better part of his life, you might say he helped save souls…lost souls. He wasn’t always that way, though. He, uh—you might say he started out angry. In all sorts of trouble. And just when he hit bottom, something happened…

[Final shot of Earl as Gary left him then back to Gary and Mr. Mourning as Gary tells him about Earl.]

THE END

Many thanks to Janet for sharing her fanscription of "Snow Angels" – Thank you!

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