One of my favorite shows is Singled out. This is my fantasy episode. Who will Aaron Single Out? It might be a surprise.
DISCLAIMER: The following features characters that are the property of David E. Kelley and William Goldman. No copyright infringement is intended in the use of these characters, any similarity of whom to anyone living or dead is coincidental. Singled Out is property of MTV Networks incorporated.
Aaron's office
Noon
Dr. Aaron Shutt was eating lunch inside his office. He had a procedure scheduled after lunch. He tried to eat lunch as fast as he could so he could get there early and scrub properly. He was gulping down a cup of coffee when his friend Dr. Jeffrey Geiger came to the door.
"What's up?" he asked Aaron as he took a seat across from him.
"Not much. You seem unusually chipper for this time of the day."
"Tell me about it," Jeffrey said with a sly grin on his face.
Aaron could take it no more. "What did you do?"
"Oh, nothing," Jeffrey said and got out of his seat. He began to pace the room.Aaron followed every step he took. "I set you up on a blind date."
"That was some nerve," Aaron huffed. He took a sip of coffee to calm himself down. "Camille just barely resigned from the hospital. Do you feel it's your duty to help me forget her as quickly as possible?"
"No. You have been down and out and I mistakenly thought you needed a little departure from your routine." Jeffrey sat back down. "Okay, you need fun."
"What if I say no?"
"What if I say she'll be here at eight o'clock?"
"Then I guess I have no choice. What's the harm. It won't kill me."
"That's the attitude to have." Jeffrey got up to leave. "The procedure after lunch is your last for the day. I suggest you take a little nap." He looked at Aaron's weary eyes. "Heaven knows you need it."
Aaron continued to eat as Jeffrey left the office.
"A nap is a good idea. Maybe I'll be in a better state of mind once my date shows up," Aaron reasoned. He finished his lunch and picked up his files. "At least I know what I might be in for," he said as he left the room.
Later...
Aaron left the O.R. and headed for the shower. As he scrubbed he thought of what his date might look like. I hope he didn't get a psycho, he thought and began to towel off. He was finished dressing by the time Dr. Billy Kronk showed up in the
locker room.
"Got a date, huh?" Billy asked Aaron.
"Well, if you must know, yes, I have a date."
"With who?"
"Geiger set me up on a blind date. O.K.?"
"Fine," Billy said and headed for the showers.
Aaron opened the door to his office. He piled his files and notes on his desk and closed the door. He left the light off. He also closed his blinds so he could be totally alone in the dark. At the last moment, though, he left it half open. Aaron thought he could fall asleep easier by looking at the Chicago skyline. He
drifted off slowly till he was finally asleep.
A loud drumming sound woke him up. He looked around. He was no longer in his office. Aaron looked around again. It seemed he was in a dressing room of some sort. The drumming sound came from the door. He opened to see what it was. It was a man with a headphone set. He was yelling loudly at him and into the small
microphone.
"Let's go!" he yelled and pulled him along. Apparently he was some sort of stage manager. But why would he be on a stage? Aaron looked around at the stage. It looked vaguely familiar. Kate Austin showed it to him once and moaned about the fact that she was too old for this show. But what was the show? He heard a voice.
"Here we got fifty single women. This is Camille, who really wants a man to open up his heart! And here we have fifty single men. This is Phillip, who is a man in charge, but can use a woman in charge too! We have a hundred people starving for love in MTV's Singled Out! And here is the man that needs no introduction
but he gets one anyway - our man Chris!!!"
That's what it was. Singled Out. But wasn't one of the fifty. He must be the guy who picks the date. This guy Chris or whatever had finished introducing his co-host. A man pushed Aaron to the stage and put a mask on him. Then he was introduced.
"This is Aaron Shutt. He's a neurosurgeon at Chicago Hope Hospital in Chicago. He is currently single but not sure what he wants. I wouldn't mind him going into my head, he is a fox!"
Aaron sat in a high chair and whisked his mask off. Chris shook his hand. "Hi. We have six categories for you to pick from: brains - hey how about that? - weekends, style, hair, body, and career goals. It's your move. You also have the golden ticket you can use anytime at all."
Aaron squinted. "I'm not a typical guy; how about weekends?"
"All right. Laid Back or Cut No Slack?"
"I have no time on weekends, but I would probably spend them at home. Get rid of No Slack."
"OOP. You're too wild for him, girls. Go hang with someone else," Jenny roared. Ten girls passed by.
"Next move, Aaron."
"Hair is always nice," Aaron said.
"Okay, Straight and Narrow or A Crooked Mane?"
"Last time I dated a curly chick, she did some nasty stuff. Crooked Mane,"Aaron said, feeling totally at ease with all this.
There were only five people left.
"Okay, time for the second round. Each girl will introduce herself. Then you will choose one and read her a question."
Aaron perked his ears up. Since he couldn't see them he would have to use his imagination.
"Hi, Aaron. I'm Camille. I hope to meet you."
"I'm Jane. I want to be your next patient."
"Hi, Aaron. I'm Kate. I have no idea why I'm in your dream sequence, but it's your subconscious."
"Hi, Aaron. I'm Mavis. I hope to make your dreams come true."
And finally...
"Hi, Aaron. I'm Paula."
Chris came up to him with a set of cards. "All right, Aaron. It is time to pick one of them. Then you read the question in front of you."
He thought hard. "Number two."
"Jane" got up and stood by Jenny, who put her arm around her.
"All right. Chris has a sore throat and a cough?" He squinted to make sure he was reading it right. "His tummy also hurts. What's the best diagnosis you can give him? And remember you can't operate because you are a frontier doctor."
Jane looked at his throat and gave him a bottle. "He has a frog in his throat. His - uh - tummy hurts because he hasn't eaten in so long that he has hunger pains."
Chris came around the corner drinking the cough syrup that he was given.
"Well, keep her or dump her?"
"Keep."
Jane went up to a spot on the stage. The game continued.
"All right. We have our final question. Would all of you stand up?"
They all stood up and moved toward the center of the stage.
"There has been an accident. The one person who saves the life of this resuscitation dummy will move on to round three."
They all valiantly tried to revive the dummy but only two managed to do it,Camille and Kate. They took their spot up at the top of the stage with Jane. Chris had the mirror moved from the back of Aaron. It was time for the third round.
"If you have the same answer that Aaron has on that card, you move up a step. Whoever gets into that circle wins. Are they ready?" Chris asked Jenny.
"They're ready!"
"All right. First date: Wanna wait or Don't delay?"
"Wait."
"Don't delay."
Aaron said, "Wanna wait."
"Weirder presidential candidate: Perot or Dole?"
All three said "Perot." As did Aaron.
By that time Camille and Kate were neck and neck and Jane only a step away.
"One more question. Nights: Early to bed or Up all night?"
"Early to bed," Jane said.
"Up all night," Camille said.
"Up all night," Kate said.
Aaron held up his sign. "Up all night."
Chris took one of the girls' hands. "She has lovely straight hair, so laid back it's sickening and she saved a dummy's life." Chris whipped around Camille. Aaron turned and looked at his ex-wife.
She smiled slightly. He gave no response. Camille grabbed him and started to shake him. "Aaron. Talk to me! Wake up. Wake up! Wake up!"
Aaron felt himself being shaken. Camille's voice slowly turned into Jeffrey's.He was standing over him. How did he get in here? He must have gotten a key from maintenance.
"Wake up!" Jeffrey shook extra hard.
"Quit it." Aaron sat up. "What are you doing?"
"Your date." Jeffrey opened a blind. "She chickened out on you."
"Oh."
"You all right?"
"I'll be fine. I just had a strange dream, that's all."
"Well, tell me about it later. I'll treat you to dinner."
"You don't have to..."
"Hey, I said I was treating. Don't make me go by myself."
Aaron smiled. "Okay, it's a date."
Jeffrey helped Aaron to his feet. Aaron then fetched his briefcase and followed Jeffrey out the door. He walked by Kate's door. He peeked in the open door. How ironic: She was watching Singled Out. Aaron shook his head and hurried to meet Jeffrey at the elevator.
