Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Scene opens inside the Elm Creek Animal Hospital. Veterinarian Alberta Hare, a dark-haired woman in her mid 40s, is working on a Jack Russell Terrier named Matilda. The dog has been brought to the examining room after being struck by a car.

“Greg, can you come here please,” she yells to the attendant. Richard Kimble enters the room.

“You called for me Alberta?” he asks.

“Yes, Greg, can you go and get some more gauze from the back,” she says. “This little girl is really banged up pretty badly.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Kimble asks.

“Oh, I think so,” Alberta says. “I wouldn’t want to be in her paws, though. She’ll be pretty sore for a while. But, all in all, it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully, they got here when they did.”

Kimble walks out briefly and returns with a handful of bandages.

“Could you hold this for me?” she asks, handing one of the veterinary instruments to him. “Once I get her ready to go home, she will need a lot of tender loving care. Recovery will be several weeks, if not months. She’ll probably want to lie around for a few days doing nothing. But, given what could have been, she is a very lucky girl.”

Relieved by the good news, Kimble walks out into the waiting room. He sees a man and woman sitting anxiously awaiting word about Matilda. There is also a boy sitting with them, distraught over what has happened. Kimble walks up to the family.

“I saw it happen, but I couldn’t do anything,” the boy says. “I yelled at her to come, but she just stood there and got hit. Then the car took off. He didn’t even try to help. He just left her laying there in the road.”

Seeing the boy crying over his dog, Kimble is overcome by emotion. He sits down next to the boy, looks at the parents and then puts his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Sometimes people can be mean, for no reason,” he says. “Hey, come on, Matilda’s a tough old girl. You know, I was back there talking to the vet, and she told me that Matilda is going to be okay.” Both the boy and his parents are happy to hear the news. The boy stops crying and looks up at Kimble.

“She looks worse than she is,” he continues. “She’s really lucky. She’s even luckier to have a friend like you. I want you to make me a promise, will you?”

“What is it?” the boy asks sobbing.

“When Matilda gets home she’s going to be pretty sore for a while,” he says. “She’s going to want to sleep for a few days. She is going to need you to take good care of her. Promise me that you’ll do that, okay?”

“We’ll all do whatever we can sir,” the mother says to Kimble. “Matilda has been part of our family for nine years. She is the sibling that Todd never had. I know he’ll be a good helper, won’t you Todd.”

“I want to help Matilda get better,” Todd says.

“And with you helping her, she will be up and playing soon,” Kimble says.

Kimble stands up as he notices a teenage boy entering the clinic. The teenager glances around the waiting room and then walks back into the clinic’s rear treatment offices. Kimble follows behind the unknown teen.

The boy walks into the room where Alberta is finishing work on Matilda. The boy is Alberta’s son, 17-year-old Brian Hare. Kimble stands outside of the room to listen,

“I’ve told you that you aren’t supposed to be hanging out with them,” Alberta tells Brian. “Every time you do you get into some kind of trouble.”

“You call it trouble, I call it just having a good time,” Brian tells his mother. “Besides, we don’t hurt nobody.”

“Says who?” Alberta asks. “Every time you get mixed up with them, I get problems from the police. Neither of us needs that you know.”

“You always have problems,” Brian says. “Problems, problems, problems…”

Just then, Kimble, who has been standing outside the room this entire time, enters.

“Hey Alberta, I just talked to Matilda’s owners and they were happy to hear she’s going to be alright,” Kimble says.

Brian looks at Kimble. “Who’s this?” he asks his mother.

“Brian, this is Greg Davison,” she says. “He’s going to be helping out around here for a while.”

“Oh really?” Brian says sarcastically. “Helping do what? Operating on animals? Or maybe…putting them to sleep?”

Kimble is stunned by Brian’s words.

“Brian, that’s uncalled for,” Alberta says in an angry tone.

“Whatever?” he responds. “You can sure pick friends,” he says, shaking his head. “I gotta’ go.” Brian leaves the room. Alberta looks at Kimble apologetically.

Brian exits the front door of the Animal Hospital and begins walking back to his car in the parking lot. Kimble runs after him.

“Hey Brian wait,” he says. Brian stops and turns around. “We started out on the wrong foot. Since I’m going to be helping your mom, maybe we should start over?”

“Start over?” he says loudly. “Ha, that’s a laugh! You know, you might be able to fool some people, people like my mom, maybe. But not me!” He turns to walk away.

“Hey Brian…” Kimble yells.

“Hey what?” he shoots back sharply. Brian turns back around and looks at Kimble with disgust. “What are you saying? Huh? Tell me? What do you have to offer me … Doctor Kimble?”

==========

Scene reopens with Kimble and Brian standing outside the Elm Creek Animal Hospital. Kimble is horrified to learn that Brian knows his real identity.

“Yah, that’s right, I know who you are,” Brian says confidently. “Who doesn’t? Your name and face are all over the internet, thanks to that computer website. You know, if you ask me, that’s pretty bad news for somebody who’s trying to stay anonymous and hide from the cops. If I were you, and I was trying to stay out of sight, I would see that website as a M-A-J-O-R problem.”

Kimble begins looking around the street wondering who else knows his real identity. Brian turns to walk toward his car.

“Brian, let’s talk about this,” Kimble says.

“Talk about what, doc?” he asks.

“Please don’t call me that,” Kimble says, as he looks around to see if anyone is listneing.

“Okay, since you want to talk, then let’s go,” Brian says as he motions Kimble to follow. Brian and Kimble approach a nearby red Chevrolet Camaro. Kimble gets in the passenger’s seat, while Brian drives. The Camaro pulls away.

Driving along a busy street, Brian uses this opportunity to talk candidly with Kimble.

“You know doc, I’ve read all about you,” Brian says. “You’re very interesting. You had everything. A great job. A beautiful wife. A wonderful life. Now you’ve got nothing. It’s a terrible thing what happened to your wife. I mean, getting her skull crushed with a bat like that.”

The matter-of-fact way in which Brian describes Helen’s murder sickens Kimble.

“The police have made you out to be some kind of gruesome animal,” Brian continues. “But I have to confess that you don’t look like the kind of guy who would freak out and kill his wife.”

“I didn’t do it,” Kimble says firmly. “There was another man. A man with…

“…with one arm, yah I know,” Brian interrupts. “Johnson, Charnquist, or whatever his name is. Well, I can’t blame you, because that’s exactly what I’d be doing if I wanted to avoid death row. Blaming somebody else.”

“It’s the truth,” Kimble says. “I’ve been set up. Since you’ve seen the website, then you know full well what’s going on.”

“Sure Doc,” Brian replies. “I’ve read your history. I read the messages on the boards. Very compelling reading I must admit. Seems like these people believe you, even though the rest of world doesn’t.”

“I’ve got to make the others believe, somehow,” Kimble says sternly. “What do you think?”

“To me, the bottom line is that I don’t really know, or care, if you did it or not,” Brian says. “That’s not my problem. But I admit that, deep down, I believe you might be innocent.”

“If you don’t care then why are we having this conversation?” Kimble asks.

“Because, I want to negotiate a deal with you,” Brian says.

“Negotiate a deal?” Kimble asks curiously.

“Yes,” Brian says. “I’ve got a problem, and I need your help. As a doctor you wouldn’t turn down someone in need of help, would you?”

“Okay, go on,” Kimble says as he continues listening to what Brian is saying.

“If you help me, then, I’ll forget who you are and won’t call the cops,” he says. “But if you don’t … well let’s just say I’ll be a good citizen and help turn in a dangerous, wanted fugitive. I think that’s fair don’t you?”

“Fair?” Kimble asks as he stares at Brian thinking about what he has just said. “Fairness is a word that has lost all meaning to me these days.” He seriously considers what Brian is asking and how it could help both of them.

“Deal,” he says. “So what do you want me to do?”

= = = = =

Kimble spends another restless night on the couch at the Animal Hospital. He awakens early in the morning after hearing a strange noise. He gets up walks to the bathroom.

“Well, good morning Greg,” Alberta says as she sees Kimble walk by her office. “Didn’t sleep well last night did you?”

“It shows that much?” Kimble asks.

“I can see it in your eyes,” she says. “You kept talking in your sleep. Something about a man named … I think it was…Ben. Is he a friend of yours?”

“No,” Kimble says quietly. “He’s not a friend at all.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Alberta says. “I get up early every morning so that I can try and get caught up on the work from the previous day. It gets crazy around here sometimes and once the phones start ringing, they never seem to stop. I find solitude helps me concentrate and focus on the day ahead.”

“Solitude may be a great place to visit once in a while, but it’s a lousy place to spend too much time,” Kimble says. “I used to have a doctor friend of mine with that same philosophy. He would spend the very early hours of every day reviewing cases and researching issues for patients. He felt that some of the most valuable time was just before the office opened. He doesn’t practice medicine anymore.”

Alberta looks at Kimble curiously.

“Since when does a doctor stop practicing medicine?” she asks.

“He, um, had a life altering experience,” Kimble says hesitantly.

“Hey, I’ve got a couple hours before we open, do you want to go out and get some breakfast?” she asks.

“I’d love to,” Kimble says.

= = = = =

Richard Kimble and Brian Hare are sitting eating lunch in a local diner. It is 2:43 p.m. and the two are meeting to discuss Brian’s “deal” he wants to negotiate with Kimble.

“Okay, so what’s this deal you want to talk about?” Kimble asks.

“It’s simple really,” Brian says. “I need help with a group of guys who have become a problem. It’s the same guys mom considers troublemakers. A few months ago some friends and I met these guys. They were new in town, so we hung out a bit. We got to know each other, and did some foolish things.”

“Are you talking about a gang?” Kimble asks.

“No, its not like that,” Brian says. “They learned that I worked at the Animal Hospital and wanted me to get them some tranquilizers. It started small, harmless fun. But now, it has gotten to be a big problem. They keep wanting more and more. It started out innocent but…

“That’s not innocent, Brian,” Kimble interrupts. “That’s serious. You’re talking about dealing drugs.”

“Save the fatherly advice,” Brian says. “It started with a little here and there, and now has become a major pain. They called recently to tell me that unless I continued to keep up their supply, they would get even.”

“Get even? How?” Kimble asks.

“They said some pretty gruesome stuff,” Brian says. “They talk about hurting my mom or even burning down the clinic. They’re freaking me out…”

“When people make threats like that about you or someone you love, you have to take them seriously,” Kimble says. “If they can talk about doing harm to you, then they are more than capable of following through on that threat. Does your mom know about all this?”

“Are you kidding, no way,” Brian declares. “She’s already putting the guilt trip on me about the guys I hang with. If she knew this she would freak. Who knows what she would do? She’s never been one who could handle a lot of stress.”

“She doesn’t miss the tranquilizers at the clinic,” Kimble asks.

“Oh sure, she knows the inventory is off, but just thinks she miscounted,” Brian replies.

“So what are you going to do?” Kimble asks.

“That’s where you come in doc,” Brian says. “You’re going to help me end this thing and get these people out of my life…for good.”

= = = = =

Later that evening outside the Animal Hospital.

Kimble and Brian are sitting in Brian’s Camaro parked in the rear. A white GMC Safari van pulls around the building, turns its light off, and parks next to Brian’s car. Brian rolls his window down to speak to the passenger in the van.

“You got it?” the passenger asks. “You got the stuff with you?”

“No, I don’t,” Brian says. “Pull the van over and park it.”

The driver and passenger look at each other briefly, and then the van pulls into the parking space beside the car. Brian and Kimble exit their car as the two men exit the van. Both are while males in their mid-20s.

“Hey what gives?” the driver asks. “You promised to have the stuff.”

“Yes I did…but I’ve changed my mind,” Brian says.

“Who is this clown?” the passenger asks, looking at Kimble. “You bodyguard?”

“You could say that,” Brian says. “Trust me, he’s not someone you want to mess with.”

The two men walk up closer to Kimble and Brian to continue their conversation.

“Where’s the shipment,” the passenger asks in a firm voice. “We don’t have time to play around here.”

“Hey, we’re not playing,” Kimble says in a menacing tone. “He said he’s changed his mind. Do you speak English? What part of that answer don’t you understand? Why don’t you get back in your van and get lost, before we call the police.”

“Cops!” the driver says. “You aren’t calling no cops. You’re in this to.”

“It’s over,” Brian yells. “It ends here and now. No more supply. Period. It’s over. Now get out of here!”

Suddenly, the driver rushes at Brian, and gets him in a chokehold. Brian struggles to get out. “You ain’t getting away with this kid!”

At the same time, the passenger lunges at Kimble in an effort to get a grip on him. Kimble quickly responds with several punches to the face and stomach in self-defense. Kimble and the man engage in a vicious fight. The man lands two punches to Kimble’s face, which causes his mouth to bleed. Kimble grabs the man and responds with a punch to the stomach and face. He tackles him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Brian struggles to get out of the chokehold. “You think you can get away with breaking a promise to us?” the man asks Brian. “You’re going to pay, one way or another.” Brian continues to try and break free from the man.

Once Kimble has successfully subdued the passenger, he leaves him lying on the ground and runs to help pull the driver away from Brian. It is a very difficult struggle, but Kimble succeeds in separating the two.

After he is freed, Brian retaliates by punching the driver in the stomach, and the driver falls to the ground. Brian jumps on the driver and starts kicking and punching him, over and over and over. Blood begins pouring from the man’s nose and mouth.

“Brian, stop,” Kimble calls out as he tries desperately to pull Brian off. “It’s over. Brian that’s enough. Stop! Don’t do this!”

Responding to Kimble’s pleas, Brian stops kicking with the man. The passenger looks at what is going on, and then gets up and runs away. The driver, still bleeding from Brian’s punches, lies silent on the ground.

“There will be no more supplies from me,” Brian tells the man, exhausted from the fight. “It’s over and done with…period! You got that? Don’t be coming around here any more making any threats or looking for any help from me.”

“Alright, man,” the driver says as he continues whining from the pain. “It’s cool.”

The driver struggles to get up, stumbles back to his van, slowly enters and drives away.

“So, you think we got our point across?” Brian asks Kimbl,

“I think so, but time will tell,” Kimble says as he wipes some blood from his mouth. “You did the right thing Brian. I’ve got a feeling if you stand you ground, they won’t be bothering you any more.”

As they begin to catch their breath from the battle, Brian and Kimble notice a police car turning the corner and coming around to the back of the clinic. The squad car parks near the two and a passenger in the back of the car jumps out.

“That’s him, that’s the guy,” the passenger says. Brian and Kimble notice that the man in the police car was the passenger in the van.

“Sir, please come here,” the officer calls out to Kimble. “I want to speak with to you.”

Kimble hesitates, then walks slowly over to the police car.

“This man says that you assaulted him,” the officer says. “Is it true? Did you strike this man?”

“Officer it’s not that way at all,” Brian calls out as he walks quickly to the police car.

“I’m not talking to you, kid, I’m talking to him,” the officer says, pointing to Kimble.

Just then the passenger in the police car jumps out and makes an effort to get at Kimble. However, in the process he gets restrained by the officer. “That’s the guy who beat me up,” the man says, trying to get at Kimble. As the officer and man struggle, Kimble seizes the moment and takes off running.

“Hold it,” the officer yells at Kimble as he breaks away from the man and draws his gun. “Freeze!” The officer then fires one shot, which misses Kimble and ricochet’s off a nearby building.

The officer pushes the man away, gets into his squad car and begins his pursuit.

Kimble runs through the streets, ducking in between buildings to avoid being seen by the police. The officer calls for reinforcements as he pursues Kimble.

As Kimble runs around the corner of a building, he notices a tour group boarding a blue and white Greyhound bus. Kimble sees his opportunity to hide and make a clean get-away.

“Okay, let’s go, everyone on board,” the bus driver announces loudly as he closes and secures all luggage compartments. The group walks up the steps of the bus and takes their seats. The driver enters, closes the door and takes his seat behind the wheel.

Police officers arrive on the scene where Kimble was last seen and begin their search. The bus pulls away, but is stopped by arriving squad cars. The officers exit their cars, and approach the bus.

The driver opens the door. “What’s going on?”

A police officer draws his pistol and enters the bus. “Police, everyone remain calm,” he announces as he walks up the steps of the bus. “We are looking for someone.” The officer walks down the aisle, checking both sides of the bus. He closely examines the face of each and every passenger, looking for his suspect.

He walks row by row, and as he gets near the back of the bus, he is surprised that he does not see Kimble. However, he does hear some noise coming from the bus restroom. He points to the restroom and motions for two more officers to come to the rear of the bus.

Suddenly, the door opens and a woman in her mid 60s emerges. She is startled by the presence of three police officers, and gasps at the sight of guns pointed at her face.

“Sorry ma’am,” one officer says apologetically, seeing that she is not their suspect. “We thought you were somebody else.”

“No, I’m only who I am,” the elderly woman says to the officer. “Sorry to disappoint you officer! I came in here to wash my hands. NOW I have to go to the bathroom…thank you very much!” The woman turns around, reenters the restroom and closes the door.

The officers look at each other with a nervous chuckle. Recognizing that Kimble is not on the bus, they exit and walk back to their squad cars.

“Suspect got away,” one officer announces over his car radio. “Get the word out. He couldn’t have gotten very far.”

The bus pulls away and enters the highway.

Just then, Richard Kimble is seen laying down in a cramped, dark compartment inside the bus. Unaware to everyone, he managed to sneak aboard and tuck himself inside the baggage compartment below the passenger area. The ride is uncomfortable, but it has, once again, helped him remain a free man.

The bus enters the interchange and heads east.

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