V.O.: A Screenplay

FADE IN:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM — DAY

JAKE, an athletic-looking college student, awakens on a
hospital bed. His cranium is heavily bandaged. He looks
around, apparently confused by his surroundings.

JAKE
Uh, hello? Someone?

FOOTSTEPS are heard. In walks the NURSE.

NURSE
I’m glad to see you’re awake, Mr.
Harris. But next time, please press
the call button on the side of your
bed.

JAKE
Oog. What happened? I don’t
remember…

NURSE
I’m afraid you’ve been in an accident,
Mr. Harris. You hit your head quite
severely, so it was definitely a
good thing you were wearing a helmet.
The staff and I wish more people
your age would follow your example.

JAKE
Why do I feel so light-headed?

NURSE
Undoubtedly the side effect of the
medication we had to give you. Give
your body some time to process them
and you’ll be back to normal.

JAKE
This feels a lot different than what
I experienced when I took a lot of
other, um, medicines. It’s like
I… I’m more conscious of my
surroundings. I have this… weird
rapport with everything around me.

NURSE (V.O.)
My life is just one sad ending after
another. It’s as if an editor
condensed a thousand tragic novels
so that only the deepest tragedies
remain, and compounded it into a
single volume, and then someone
decided to turn it into a movie where
I’m the one minor character in each
tragedy that strings the plots
together. I’ve always been exposed
to the last parts of people’s lives,
and when I get to see the beginnings,
I can’t help but envision the newborns
at the end…

Jake reacts as if he can hear the nurse’s voiceover.

JAKE
Whoa, hold on. What?

NURSE
Hmm? I’m sorry, I didn’t say
anything.

JAKE
(Pause)
Oh, man. I must be really out of
it.

NURSE
Perhaps you would like to speak to a
doctor, Mr. Harris?

JAKE
I guess that’d be good, yeah.

NURSE
I’ll go fetch him. Excuse me.

The nurse exits. Jake cautiously explores the bandages on
his head. He takes his hand away as soon as the door opens.
In walks DR. GIMMLER.

DR. GIMMLER
Hello, Jake. I’m Dr. Gimmler. I
must thank you for wearing a helmet —
it’s made it a lot easier for my
crew.

The doctor smiles, seemingly expecting Jake to follow suit,
which doesn’t happen.

DR. GIMMLER
Anyway, I believe the reason you
wanted to see me was that you were
having an odd reaction to the
medication. Could you describe the
sensation you informed the nurse
about?

JAKE
Well, um, it’s kind of hard to
describe. It’s like…

DR. GIMMLER (V.O.)
People always say that they want to
be a doctor because they’ll make a
lot of money… but little do they
know that the most green doctors see
is when we see our patients grow
green with envy for the healthy ones!

Jake is taken slightly aback.

DR. GIMMLER
Yes, what is it like?

JAKE
(Pause)
…Well, it’s like I feel more in
tune with things I’m in… in close
proximity to… or something…

DR. GIMMLER (V.O.)
No amount of monetary wealth is worth
informing people their life span can
be measured in months. Sometimes it
seems that it’s equally difficult,
trying to find solace as a healer.

JAKE
What?… I mean… Look, do you
know what’s causing this, these
feelings?

DR. GIMMLER
Well, there is one drug we’ve used
on you that may be the source of
these feelings. It’s new — don’t
get me wrong, it’s been approved by
the FDA, of course — but there have
been some questions raised as to
different individuals’ reaction to
it.

JAKE
What’s it supposed to do?

DR. GIMMLER
It’s designed to help the brain
function during operations where the
patient needs to remain conscious.
Or they used to, anyway. Thanks to
Helopreme, you didn’t need to be
awake while we were digging around
in your brain. But there was still
some question as to how patients
would react to Helopreme when they
awoke and it was still in their
system. Some speculated that it
would cause the patients to have a
heightened sensitivity to their
surroundings.

JAKE
Yeah, I guess that’s what you could
say is happening to me, I suppose.

DR. GIMMLER (V.O.)
Every day on the job is a gamble —
curing one patient, sending another
to a hospice. I can only hope every
day is composed mostly of the former,
but…

JAKE
(As if interrupting
someone talking)
Look. Is there someone I could see
about returning to normal or
something?

DR. GIMMLER
Well, I’m sure these feelings will
wear off as the drug does. But I
can refer you to a psychiatrist I
know of, Dr. Hymes, one well-versed
in the whole controversy about
Helopreme.

DR. GIMMLER (V.O.)
…It seems as if the latter rears
its ugly head more often than usual.
Perhaps it’s not only the patients
who are dying, but ourselves, losing
tiny pieces of our souls that flake
off to accompany the physically dead
in their graves. I must wonder, is
there anything left of mine?

JAKE
Great. Look, can I see him, like, as
soon as possible?

INT. PSYCHIATRIST’S OFFICE — DAY

Jake sits as DR. HYMES reviews his notes on a clipboard.

DR. HYMES
So, Mr. Harris, I am to understand
you seem to be experiencing a sense
of… mental telepathy?

JAKE
Well, sort of. Telepathy means I
can read thoughts, right? Well, I
don’t hear other people’s thoughts,
I hear their — what do they call
them, their voiceovers.

DR. HYMES
I’m sorry, their what?

JAKE
Voiceovers. You know, like in a movie
when a character does a narration
about their life story, just to get
a background for the plot. Only the
voiceovers I hear are all really
trite and bathetic, with awkward
forced analogies. They’re very…
just very annoying.

DR. HYMES (V.O.)
I’ve listened to so many problems
other people have, I’m not sure which
problems are my own. I…

JAKE
Look, I just need to stop hearing
these things. Please. It has
something to do with the Helopreme,
right?

DR. HYMES
One would think so, which is why I
wouldn’t worry too much about it.
From what I know about it, it should
simply leave your system in a matter
of days.

JAKE
Days? I can’t wait that long! I’m
expecting a call from my sister soon,
she’s all depressed from a breakup,
and Frank — Oh, god, Frank. My
roommate’s a theater major. A theater
major! Oh god, can you imagine…
(Beat)
Listen, I’d just really appreciate
it if you could speed up this recovery
process somehow.

DR. HYMES
Hmm. Well, I suppose I could arrange
for Dr. Gimmler to give you something
to negate the drug’s effects. An
antidote, if you will.

JAKE
Yes. Yes, please do that.

DR. HYMES
Okay then…

Dr. Hymes begins writing a note.

DR. HYMES (V.O.)
Every problem forms a rough-hewn
mosaic of troubles, spread across
the population, an open wound across
society, and it falls upon me to
provide the antiseptic and bandage.
But how can I apply them when it
won’t stop bleeding? Could I be
forgiven for just trying to cauterize
it shut?

He finishes writing the note and hands it to Jake.

DR. HYMES
This should take care of everything.

Jake takes the note and quickly exits.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM — DAY

Jake sits up on the bed with cotton and surgical tape on his
inner elbow. Dr. Gimmler walks in.

DR. GIMMLER
Well, it’s been an hour. The counter-
drug should have taken effect by
now. Do you feel any differently?

JAKE
Well, I do feel less lightheaded…
Hey, would you mind doing me a favor?

DR. GIMMLER
Of course not.

JAKE
Could you just think, like, really
hard, about your innermost hopes and
dreams?

DR. GIMMLER
Uh… Okay, certainly.

JAKE
(Pause)
Just… maybe about your regrets, or
outlook on what your place in life,
that sort of thing…

Silence.

JAKE
Thanks, Dr. Gimmler. That will be
all. Thank you.

INT. EMMA’S APARTMENT — EVENING

Jake’s girlfriend, EMMA, opens the door to find him. She
gives him a big squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

EMMA
Oh Jake, thank god you’re okay…
But your head!

JAKE
Shh. I know. Everything’s fine
now, OK?

He kisses Emma on the cheek.

EMMA
I got us some steaks. They should
be medium rare right about now.
C’mon.

They exit for the kitchen.

INT. EMMA’S APARTMENT — LATER

Jake and Emma sit across from each other, having finished
their meals.

JAKE
Very nice way to celebrate my
recovery. Thank you, Emma.

EMMA
I’m glad you liked it, Sweetie…
Actually, that wasn’t the only reason
I brought you here.
(Beat)
Listen, I… there was something I
wanted to tell you before the
accident. I guess I should talk to
you about it now. It’s about us.

JAKE
(Reproachfully)
Uh… Okay.

EMMA
Jake… There’s something you need
to realize. On the highway that is
my life there are plenty of twists
and turns. The road is littered
with the bumps and dips of new
adventures, and the only roadkill…
is my innocence! Sweetie — Sweetie?

Emma turns to look at her boyfriend, but he’s gone, the door
slowly closing in his wake.

FADE OUT