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ER
"Happy New Year"
Part Three
SCENE FIVE
(Time lapse to show Doug walking alone down a street. We can hear people shouting ‘Happy
New Year!’ and blowing whistles, as it turns midnight. He is walking slowly with his hands in his
pocket, looking sorry for himself. Cut to show Carol in her apartment. She is laid on top of her
bed, crying. Mascara is running down her cheeks. There is a knock at the door and Carol gets up
quickly to open it.)
Carol (as she opens the door): Doug?
Susan: No, it’s me... Carol?... Are you okay?
(Carol starts sobbing again and Susan walks in, shuts the door and gives Carol a big hug.)
Susan (in a soothing voice): Carol?... Come on, don’t cry... Sit down.
(They both sit down and Susan wipes the tears away from Carol’s eyes.)
Susan: You wanna talk about it?
(Carol takes a deep breath, trying to control herself. She looks to Susan with tears in her eyes.)
Carol: Susan, I’ve done something so bad. It’s all my fault... Doug’s gonna
hate me now.
(Susan starts to speak but Carol continues to talk.)
Carol: Shall I tell you something?... I found this yesterday.
(Carol takes the letter out of her bag and gives it to Susan.)
Carol (very tearfully): It’s a letter from Doug... telling me how much he loves
me... but I didn’t know... and when I finally realised how much I loved him... it
was too late. He doesn’t love me anymore, Susan. He proved that when he was
flirting with that girl at the party. That’s why I kissed Shep... to make him
jealous, but it didn’t work and now I’ve made a complete fool of myself... I’ve
left it too long and now he’s forgotten about me. He must have written that letter
ages ago... Why couldn’t I have seen how much he loved me?... Then I could
have worked out my own feelings and told him how much I care about him...
Susan?... I’m in love with him... and now it’s too late!
(Carol starts sobbing again and Susan puts her arm around her.)
Susan: Carol?... It’s not too late... There’s something I have to tell you...
(Carol looks at Susan, still with tears running down her cheeks.)
Susan: It’s not your fault at all... Neither is it Doug’s... It’s mine. I set Doug up.
Me and Mark... we knew you’d found the letter... Carol?... He’d only just
written the letter. He loves you, he truly does.
Carol (wiping away her tears): Then why was he flirting with that girl?
Susan: He wasn’t... SHE was flirting with HIM... I set it all up. She’s an old
friend from med school. When Mark told me about the letter, I knew we had to
get you two together, so I set him up. I told Carrie to flirt with him to make you
jealous and realise your feelings for him... only I screwed it all up. I shouldn’t
have interfered Carol and I’m sorry... really sorry.
Carol: So he wasn’t flirting with her?... And he does still love me?... But I
kissed Shep. He thinks I’m back with Shep...
(Carol rushes to the door.)
Susan (shouting): Where are you going?
Carol (shouting): To find Doug...
END OF SCENE FIVE
SCENE SIX
(We cut to show Mark knocking at Doug’s door. Doug opens the door, looks at Mark, and then
walks away, leaving Mark to walk in and close the door behind him. Mark follows Doug into the
kitchen.)
Doug: Hey, buddy. How’s things? You fancy a drink?
(Doug opens a cupboard door and reaches up high to take down a bottle. Mark watches him.)
Mark: I thought you’d stopped drinking.
Doug: Yeah, well, you know what?... I’ve just started again.
(Doug takes a glass from the side and pours himself a drink. He walks over to the kitchen table, sits
down and places the glass in front of him. He looks at the glass but doesn’t drink it. He brings his
hand up to rub his chin, wondering whether or not to drink it. Mark sits down.)
Mark (slowly and quietly): Doug, the reason I’m here...
Doug (loudly): Is to rub my nose in it... To say ‘Well Doug, deep down, I knew
you were making a complete and utter fool of yourself!’... To say ‘Doug, did
you REALLY think she’d EVER be in love with a guy like you!’ That’s why
you came over here Mark, isn’t it?... Admit it!
(Doug still doesn’t take a drink from the glass. He is looking at Mark, waiting for him to speak.)
Mark: I came over here to apologise...
Doug: Apologise?... Mark Green?... The one person in the world who’s never
done anything wrong in his life?... What would you have to apologise about?
(Doug sits there, waiting for him to answer.)
Mark (looking at Doug): Me and Susan... We’ve done something stupid... really
stupid... and in the process, we’ve hurt two of our best friends. I’m sorry,
Doug. I didn’t get rid of the letter. Carol found it. She knows how you feel
about her, Doug.
(Mark looks down, ashamed. Doug sits there, trying to take it all in. After a moment, he speaks.)
Doug: So she knows about the letter? She knows how I feel about her... but she
still decides to get back with Shep.
(Doug bangs his fist on the table.)
Doug (shouting):
How could I be so stupid? How could I think she’d EVER be able to love me
again, after all I did to her.
(Doug goes to take the drink but Mark stops him.)
Mark (sternly): No Doug, listen...
(Mark sighs.)
Mark: There’s something else I need to tell you... We set you up.
Doug: What?
Mark: We set you up... me and Susan. Remember Carrie? We arranged for her
to flirt with you. We thought that if Carol saw you together, she’d get jealous
and realise how much she loves you... I’m sorry, Doug.
Doug: And that’s why she kissed Shep?
Mark: Well, that’s what me and Susan think, yeah.
(Doug grabs his coat and runs out the door.)
Mark (shouting): Doug, where are you going?
Doug (shouting): To find Carol...
END OF SCENE SIX
SCENE SEVEN
(We cut to outside. It’s raining hard and we see Doug running down a street. We then cut to follow
Carol running. She’s only wearing her party dress and she is dripping wet. The camera stops as
Doug and Carol turn a corner and run into each other. They stop and stand there for several
seconds, breathing heavily, before they both say each others name at the same time.)
Doug: Carol, I...
Carol: Doug...
(They both laugh.)
Doug: After you...
(Carol takes a deep breath.)
Carol: Doug... I’ve read your letter. The one you wrote me... I’ve read it.
Doug: I know.
Carol (surprised): You know?
Doug: Yeah, Mark told me... Carol, they set me up. I never flirted with Carrie,
you HAVE to believe me. SHE was flirting with ME. You don’t know how
much I wanted to come over to you and ask you to dance... When I saw you
kiss Shep... my heart just broke.
Carol: Doug, I never would have kissed Shep if I’d known. When I saw you
dancing with her... with your hands around her...
(Carol starts to cry. She lifts her hand to wipe her face and smears her mascara even more. Doug
chuckles.)
Carol: What?
Doug: Carol, you look...
(Carol looks at her hand, sees the mascara and laughs.)
Carol (smiling): Ridiculous?
(Doug looks deep and meaningful into her eyes.)
Doug: No... You look beautiful.
(Carol smiles at Doug. It’s the first time she’s ever really looked into his eyes since reading the
letter. She takes a deep breath.)
Carol: Doug, that letter... It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever read.
Doug: And I meant every word of it... Carol, I love you. I love you with all my
heart.
(Doug sighs.)
Doug: Carol, will you marry me?
(Carol smiles and tears start to fall down her cheeks.)
Carol: Yes, Doug... I will marry you.
(Doug takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders. The rain is still falling down and they
are both soaking wet. He walks closer to her, before placing his hands on her face. They look into
each others eyes.)
Doug: You’re the most important thing in my life, you know that. I’m not just
saying that. I mean it... You believe me, don’t you?
Carol (smiling): Yes, Doug... I believe you. I love you so much.
Doug: And I love you... Happy New Year.
Carol: Happy New Year.
(They kiss long and passionately, before Doug wraps his arm around her and we see them walk off
into the rain... together.)
FADE TO BLACK
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