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ER
"Twilight Zone II: Problems, Aliens and Death"
Part Three
(Int. Trauma Room 1. Benton and Gant standing over a gurney, with a man on it, hooked to a
respirator. Enter Anspaugh. He looks over the man, checks a chart, and looks up at Benton)
Anspaugh: Why was I called here Dr. Benton? This patient seems to be fine.
Benton: He is Dr. Anspaugh. But I thought you should take a look at him. His
breathing rate is fine, but I can't seem to find his heartbeat. It's the strangest
thing I have ever seen.
(Anspaugh takes the man's wrist, tries to find a pulse, and can't. He drops the hand and looks at
Benton)
Anspaugh: I don't understand either.
(The man opens his eyes and removes the respirator with a swift hand.)
Man: Good afternoon, doctors. I am Death.
(Benton, Anspaugh and Gant stare at him with wide eyes)
Gant: Death? As in the Grim Reaper?
Death: Well, yes. If you must call me that. Why was I hooked up to that
machine?
Benton: You fell down in front of the ER. You were brought in and hooked to
the respirator because of shallow breathing.
Death: Oh. I would have been fine if you had just brought me in. I don't really
need to breathe. I don't even have a pulse.
Gant: Yeah, we saw that.
Benton: What are you doing here?
Death: I'm here to look for someone. Someone I need to take with me to the
other side.
Anspaugh: (quiet, to Benton) I'm not sure that this guy is in the right mind. Can
you get him a psych counsel?
Benton: Of course, Dr. Anspaugh. I could talk to him.
Anspaugh: Yeah, that's a good idea.
Benton: (to Gant) Dennis, take Mr. Death to a free room. (to Death) I think you
should stay here for observations. I will be with you as soon as I can.
Death: (sighs) All right, Dr. Benton. I'll stay. (smiles)
Benton: Good.
Gant: C'mon, Death. We're going for a ride. (pushes gurney out of Trauma
Room)
Anspaugh: Thanks for taking him, Peter.
Benton: No problem. Anything for my patients. (exits)
Anspaugh: (to himself) What a great team I have here at Cook County. Good
thing I didn't take that transfer to Antarctica.
(Int. Admitting desk. Hath standing behind desk next to Jerry. Jerry on phone, Hath on a
computer)
Jerry: Yes, that's right. I'd like to donate all my clothes to Good Will. Yeah,
seven bags. Money? (laughs) Of course not. I only do things for charity. You're
welcome. God bless you too. (hangs up and smiles)
(Greene approaches admin. desk and walks behind Hath. He taps her on the shoulder. She jumps)
Hath: My God, Mark. I could have a heart attack! (slaps his arm)
Greene: Well, this is a hospital. Best care in the world if you did.
Hath: With you around, I'm sure.
(Greene smirks)
Hath: So what's up?
Greene: I heard about what happened between you and Doug.
Hath: That's old news, and so is Doug for that matter. I needed to move on.
Keep going. Doug was just pulling me down.
Greene: That's not a nice thing to say about the man you love.
Hath: 'Loved'. That's the word. I loved him, Mark. I love Maggie now.
Greene: You are so unpredictable.
Hath: That's why everyone wants to be with me.
Greene: Well, not everyone. I can't stand you, and you know it. But you are
breaking Doug's little heart. I think you should give him one more chance. I
know you still love him.
Hath: Well, yeah. I do still love him. But I am very attracted to Maggie, and I
always go with my first instinct.
Greene: I think your first instinct is to commit murder, but you don't do that.
Hath: Shut up, Mark. Your first instinct is to have sex with every woman in the
world, but you haven't done that.
Greene: (smiles) Yet.
Hath: Well, the point is, is that Maggie is right for me at this time in my life. If
anything changes, I'll give you a call.
Greene: Did you choose to be born without a heart, or did you just forget to
stand in line when God gave them out?
Hath: I don't have blonde hair.
Greene: That's because you dye it black.
(Int. Waiting room. Jenner and Donner standing, staring at patients who are staring at them right
back. They huddle next to each other, a bit worried and frightened.)
Jenner: I don't think I like this place.
Donner: I know, I know.
Jenner: I don't think we should even mention your hangnail.
Donner: Shut up about that. I don't want everyone to know.
Jenner: We are strangers in a strange land.
Donner: Even worse, I think I just saw Rod Serling pass by.
Jenner: No, that was Bob Saget.
Donner: No way! I love that guy!
(Enter Weaver, limping)
Weaver: Excuse me, may I help you. I am Dr. Weaver.
Jenner: Um, yeah. We are not from around here.
Weaver: I can see that. (smiles) Follow me. I'll take you to somewhere more
secluded.
(Weaver walks to exam room 3, with Jenner and Donner following her. They get stares, but
nobody says anything. Inside the room, Donner sits on the bed and Jenner stands.)
Weaver: So, what seems to be the problem.
Donner: Well, we landed on the roof of the building, and we can't seem to get
our ship started.
Jenner: Not only that, but he has a really bad hangnail.
(Donner looks at Jenner angrilly)
Weaver: Let me see your hangnail.
(Donner reluctantly gives Weaver his hand. She looks over his long fingers)
Weaver: I think I see the problem. Don't worry, I can fix that right up. Wait right
here. I'll be right back. (exits)
Donner: Thanks a lot, Jenner.
Jenner: What? She's a nice woman.
Donner: Yeah, I guess so. She seems harmless enough. You think we could
repay her by fixing her leg?
Jenner: Yeah. I think we can do that.
(Ext. In front of ER doors. Carter standing outside, hands in pockets. Enter Ross and stands next
to Carter.)
Ross: Rough day?
Carter: Naw. Just needed a breath of fresh air.
Ross: Me too.
(They are silent, staring out into space.)
Ross: This sucks.
Carter: Don't have to tell me.
Ross: You too?
Carter: Yeah. But don't tell anyone.
Ross: I won't.
Carter: (looks at Ross) So what happened with you?
Ross: Carol dumped me for Maggie Doyle.
Carter: That's funny.
(Ross gives Carter the evil eye)
Carter: I'm sorry, but it is.
Ross: Well, I don't find it funny. I'm miserable without her. She was my entire
life. I'm nothing without her.
Carter: Don't think that way. Forget about her. It's not worth dwelling over.
Ross: Then why are you outside?
Carter: I don't want to talk about it.
(Carter walks back inside the ER. Ross is left standing alone against the wall.)
(Int. Exam Room 2. Death is sitting up in a bed, his legs covered by a blanket. Benton is sitting in a
chair beside the bed, holding a clipboard and pen.)
Benton: So when did you first realize that you were Death?
Death: Well, when I was younger and the world was new, I found that whenever
I touched someone, they died.
Benton: When was the first time this happened?
Death: Well, there was this guy, I'll say his name was Bob. I didn't like him very
much. So, one day while he was out gathering some berries from a field, I
snuck up on him and touched him on the shoulder. He fell down immediatly and
died. I was shocked at first, but then I realized that I had been chosen to be
Death.
Benton: (writing on the clipboard) Sounds very interesting. And this happens
everywhere you go?
Death: Yeah. I thought it was a fluke too. I thought I just scared him, and he had
a heart attack or something, but later that day, I went to his house and touched
his girlfriend, and she fell down dead too.
Benton: Are you sure it's not just a bit of bad luck.
Death: (smiling) I can touch you.
Benton: No, that won't be necessary. (places clipboard on bed) I think I believe
you.
Death: Why shouldn't you?
Benton: Dr. Anspaugh has his reservations about you being Death. But I can
talk to him, and tell him that you seem fit and sound.
Death: Don't you want to ask me to count to five or something?
Benton: That won't be needed, but if you want to, I'm not going to stop you.
(smiles)
Death: That's okay, Dr. Benton. I'm not very good with numbers anyway.
(Int. office. Edson is standing, looking at empty boxes. Enter Gant)
Gant: Hey, Dale, I heard about your transfer.
Edson: (sad) Yeah. Antactica. It's gonna be fun.
Gant: How's Carter taking it?
Edson: (turns and looks at Gant) He's mad at me, but I'm not surprised. I wish
I'd never fallen for him. Then we wouldn't be in this mess.
Gant: (puts hand on Edson's shoulder) You can't help what you feel. Gawd! If
that were true, us doctors would have a much easier time.
Edson: (eyes get watery) Yeah. (laughs sadly) I guess you're right. But what am
I going to do? I can't leave knowing that John's angry.
Gant: You'll just have to talk to him.
Edson: That's what I was afraid of.
Gant: I'm sure that everything will work out just fine.
Edson: I wish I were too. (smiles, then faces the empty boxes again)
(Int. Doctor's lounge. Greene is just about to leave. Enter Ross to stop him)
Ross: So? Did you talk to Carol?
Greene: Yeah, and it's not so good news.
Ross: (frowning) She is in love with Maggie, isn't she?
Greene: That doesn't mean she doesn't love you anymore.
Ross: Do you think she does still love me?
Greene: I'm sure of it. Just like I'm sure that I will never get married, I know that
you and her have plety of years left together.
(Ross steps into room and sits down)
Ross: I don't know Mark. It seems really strange. One minute, we are laughing
and having fun together, and the next minute she is with somebody else. I don't
think I can take much more of this.
Greene: Oh, stop it. You two will be together by the end of the day.
Ross: You promise?
Greene: Even if I have to use my charms on the lesbian, I promise.
(Ross smiles disbelieving)