| Scene 5: Joanna�s father is at home, drunk, and drinking even more beers. He looks relaxed and is watching TV. Suddenly, Chase bursts in there and starts to yell at him. Chase: What is wrong with you?! What kind of father are you? You can�t even control yourself. You beat your own daughter sending her into the emergency room! What kind of sick person are you! You could have killed her - Father: (being drunk) I should have. What did I do? She made me beat her. Chase looks at him disgusted. Chase: Well, don�t worry about her making you beat her, because you are no longer allowed around her. I�ve called the police, and they will be here soon, but I had to tell you that I hope you rot in jail all your life and live with all your wrongs! Joanna�s father looks at him, then laughs. Chase gets mad, but controls himself quickly. He walks out and leaves her father alone. Father: Stupid boy! I haven�t done anything wrong. He mutters words to himself, drinks more, burps, scratches his belly, then a loud sound is at the door. Father: (angry) Go away, boy! Don�t you know your place is away from me, or do I gotta teach ya a lesson like my girl! He laughs. Suddenly the door is knocked down by four or more police officers with their guns and handcuffs at hand. One of them handcuffs him, one searches him, one searches the house, and the fourth officer holds his gun to Joanna�s father. Officer 1: You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.... Scene ends with the officers escorting Joanna�s father out the door (and off the stage). Scene 6: Joanna is resting in a hospital bed and is hooked up to oxygen tubes. Chase quietly walks in and sits down beside her, but she hears and smiles up at him. Joanna: Hey. Where have you been? Chase: Around. So, do you know what the doctor said? Joanna: Not yet. I�ve just been laying here and thinking about stuff. Do you remember how we met? Chase: Yeah. It was at the library. I was bored, so I went to the library and used their computers. You were there, so I found a way to send you a message through the computers . . . You thought it was so funny. We both knew, and still know, that we can�t go out, but that�s totally okay. Why do you ask? Joanna hesitates to answer. Well, why? Joanna: Because I . . . I . . . I forgot. I forgot that and so much more . . . Chase: What do you mean?! That�s impossible . . . unless . . . Joanna: Unless what? Chase: Never mind that. You should rest. I�m going to visit your doctor. Chase leaves and Joanna rests her head, but doesn�t rest. Instead she moves around in her bed. A nurse comes in and talks to her while she works: Nurse: (looks at the clipboard at the end of the bed) Hello, Ms. Joanna Thompson. (Starts working) So, have you decided if you would like to sign the �do not resuscitate� papers yet? Joanna: What do you mean? Nurse: Well, on the clipboard, your decision is unmarked, so I thought that if you made up your mind, I could mark it for you. With a case like yours, you�ll never know when your time ends. It will just sneak up on you . . . internal bleeding in the head, it�s a shame for a young person like yourself . . . Joanna: What?! What are you talking about? There�s no way possible! That must be the wrong name on there! The nurse looks at her and realizes what she just did. Nurse: Oh! I�m SO sorry! I didn�t know you didn�t know! Please don�t freak out on me! I...I...I have to go. The nurse quickly leaves the room and fetches Joanna�s doctor, who is also followed by Chase. Nurse: Now! Doctor, I accidently told her. You have to tell her more now. There�s no way around it. Nurse quickly leaves the room to avoid getting in trouble with the doctor. Doctor 2: Well, umm, Joanna, how much did she tell you? Joanna: (Fairly calm) Well, she told me that I had internal bleeding to the head and that I wasn�t going to live long. Chase: What?! Why didn�t you tell me earlier, Doctor?! Doctor 2: Well, I had to, umm, make sure I was right. It�s a very hard blow to someone to hear that they�re not going to live very long, to they�re okay. That�s just how things are. I suspected that it might be this, because there were so many bruises, and your file mentioned many visits here. It is fairly common for internal bleeding to happen when there are so many blows to the head. Joanna: What about the other way around?! Isn�t it hard to hear that you�ll be okay to you�re going to die, and you don�t know when?! What about that?! Would you have told me earlier?! Chase: Joanna, calm down. I�m sure he never meant it that way. Joanna: Calm down! I�m supposed to calm down! How about you go into my position and see how calm it can be? Do you see all roses and sunshine in my shoes?! I�m going to die! And all you can say is calm down! Chase: I�m not saying that it�s going to be easy for you, I�m just saying that � Doctor 1: (interrupts) Both of you stop it! We have more business to discuss! It has to be done. Do you want to be resuscitated after you have any troubles of some kind where your heart is no longer beating? Joanna: No, now can I just have some rest! I�m so tired. Chase and Doctor 1: But there are more questions! Joanna: I said go! I answered one question, and here�s another answer to a question that will I probably be asked: I want Chase to plan my funeral, I want to be cremated, and I want lots of white roses. Now go away! Chase: But Joanna � Joanna: (irritated) I said go! If you don�t go right now, then I�ll NEVER speak to you again! Both (doctor and Chase) leave and scene ends. |
| Sending White Roses (Page 2 of 3) |
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