| Forever Dreaming https://foreverdreaming.org/ |
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| 1x04 - Ted's Not Dead https://foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=149&t=8974 |
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| Author: | bunniefuu [ 12/29/00 08:43 ] |
| Post subject: | 1x04 - Ted's Not Dead |
FADE IN: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY Pan across various dishes at the counter then over to a booth. Brian on the left, Michael and Emmett on the right. They're eating breakfast, subdued. MICHAEL [VO] In case you weren't there, I gotta tell ya, last Saturday night at Babylon was ... to die for. EMMETT [OS] Would somebody please say something? MICHAEL Okay. So it's late, and I'm leaving Babylon and there's this really hot guy. FLASH CUT: INT. BABYLON - NIGHT Dancing go-go boys. Michael appears in the crowd. A second later, HOT GUY comes up from behind and starts talking. Michael turns his head toward him and grins. MICHAEL [VO] And he's, like, perfect. FLASH CUT: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY BRIAN How perfect? MICHAEL Perfect. And we end up ... [takes a bite of eggs] at my place. FLASH CUT: INT. MICHAEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Standing in the living room, Michael is kissing Hot Guy's neck. HOT GUY So I work with emotionally disturbed kids, and I really love it. And I'm the captain of the gay water polo team. MICHAEL You're really well-rounded. He squeezes Hot Guy's ass. FLASH CUT: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY MICHAEL So, we're making out, and in my mind I'm picturing him in a Speedo with a flag on it. FLASH CUT: INT. MICHAEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT HOT GUY Oh, say, have you ever been to Brazil? MICHAEL Um, n-no. Have you? He unbuckles Hot Guy's belt/pants. HOT GUY I just came back. It's fabulous. Michael whips his own shirt off over his head. MICHAEL Great beaches, I hear. He goes to his knees. HOT GUY Yeah. Only, they have these things. MICHAEL Things? HOT GUY Parasite things. They live in the sand and they sort of ... burrow themselves right up in there. Michael quickly stands, freaked. MICHAEL [VO] He had them. FLASH CUT: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY MICHAEL Brazilian beach parasites, in his ass. Emmett laughs. EMMETT Oh, god. Well, at least you found out before you got too far. Michael shudders. BRIAN [to Emmett] What about you? EMMETT We were just getting started. FLASH CUT: INT. WEIRD GUY'S BEDROOM We follow the camera across a blood red bedroom filled with a hundred lit candles, a leather/metal-clad torso dummy, whips on the wall, white bed and a chain headboard. A bald man in leathers and spiked metal collar, WEIRD GUY, is fitting Emmett into a leather body harness. EMMETT I feel like a 1991 Madonna video. Uh, do you have this in a size larger? Weird Guy cinches the back of the harness hard, rocking Emmett. WEIRD GUY Can we hurry this along? I've got a bride and groom to do in the morning. EMMETT So you're bi? WEIRD GUY No. They're dead. Car crash. He pushes Emmett onto the bed and grabs his legs in the air. FLASH CUT: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY MICHAEL You went home with... EMMETT An undertaker. Mm-hmm. BRIAN I fucked an undertaker once. MICHAEL You did? When? BRIAN He told me sometimes they sew the mouths shut. EMMETT What about you, Brian? What'd you do? Long pause. FLASH CUT: INT. LOFT - NIGHT A nude Justin sits on the bed, watching an equally nude Brian walk toward him. Brian drops onto his knees on the bed and they kiss. FLASH CUT: INT. LIBERTY DINER - DAY BRIAN I made it an early evening. EMMETT You know, um, when I go ... promise you won't let them sew my mouth shut. Because when I get to heaven, and I meet Natalie Wood, I wanna be able to say, 'Natalie, it's Emmett. What happened that night?!' They all laugh. DEB [OS] Hey! She's standing at the table with a serious face, serving tray in hand. DEB Shouldn't you boys be getting to the hospital? She walks away. Their smiles fade. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Ted, in a bed and on oxygen, looks asleep. MICHAEL [OS] Schmidt, Ted. NURSE [OS] Are you family? INT. NURSE'S STATION Brian, Emmett and Michael stand at the desk. MICHAEL Friends. Uh, we know he's, like, in a coma and everything. We just would like to be with him for a little while, if that's okay. NURSE I'll see. She walks away. EMMETT The nurse's station. I used to think it had something to do with radio. 'All nursing, all the time.' They chuckle. MRS. SCHMIDT [OS] Hello. We pan to the right and see a nicely dressed woman, MRS. SCHMIDT, sitting along the row of chairs against the wall. MRS. SCHMIDT I'm Margaret Schmidt. I'm Ted's mother. They look at her. Michael walks over. MRS. SCHMIDT If you need permission to see him, I'll give it. I've ... I'm sure he'd appreciate it. MICHAEL I'm Michael. And this is Emmett [gestures] and Brian [gestures]. We're Ted's friends. MRS. SCHMIDT He's still in the coma. He looks like he did when he was a boy. When he slept. They don't think he'll come out of it. Emmett looks back at Brian. Michael sits by Mrs. Schmidt. MRS. SCHMIDT I sat by his bed ... all night. About five o'clock in the morning it occurred to me ... loving someone's not the same as knowing them. Brian looks away. And spots a hot MALE NURSE in the room behind the nurse's station. As the sound of orgasmic moans start in the background, Brian watches him walk by and Male Nurse smiles, interested. Michael sees the exchange. MICHAEL Brian! Brian turns back around to see them all staring at him. He looks away, chastised. CUT TO: INT. JUSTIN'S BEDROOM - DAY Bedside table clock reads 8:09 a.m. Bare chested, Justin is sleeping face down under the comforter. JENNIFER [OS] Justin? Knock on the door. JENNIFER [OS] Justin, you're late. Justin lifts his head a little and 'hmphs' as he wakes up. Jennifer walks in. JUSTIN [OS] You're right. Tossing the comforter, he rolls over and up. JUSTIN I'm up, I'm up. JENNIFER You got ten minutes. She starts making his bed. JUSTIN I'm taking a shower, okay? He walks off-screen. The sound of running water. Jennifer spots his open backpack on the bed. After a glance at the bathroom, she pulls out Justin's sketchpad. Another glance the bathroom's way and she opens the pad. Inside are drawings of a football player (#68 - Chris Hobbs). First page: the football player a) talking to a figure b) holding a male figure in his arms. Second page: close-ups of the football player's face. Third page is blank. Fourth/fifth page: more of the football player in uniform, full body. Sixth page is men: chests, abs, asses. Seventh page is covered with Brian's name. Jennifer puts the sketchpad back. She stands still, closing her eyes. Justin's voice startles her. JUSTIN [OS] I'm out of shampoo. JENNIFER I'll get you some. She leaves. The clock reads 8:10 a.m. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Emmett, Brian and Michael looking into Ted's room from the door window. Inside, Male Nurse is tending to Ted. Lifting the bed rail, he sees them and walks over to slide shut the curtain. EMMETT Who do you think it was? I mean, who, uh, gave him the drugs. MICHAEL I bet it was that guy Blake who was cruising him all night. EMMETT Think we should tell someone? BRIAN No. Long beat. MICHAEL His mom said she'd call us if there was any change. BRIAN You know, he's a first. The first almost dead guy I sort of had sex with. MICHAEL You had sex with Ted? EMMETT You never had sex with Ted. MICHAEL When did you have sex with T-- BRIAN Sort of sex. At this semi-orgy. MICHAEL Semi? When? BRIAN You know that weekend that John-John's plane went down? EMMETT Oh ... god. They kept showing him on the beach with his shirt off. I didn't know whether to jerk off or weep. MICHAEL So did-so did you, like, plan it? BRIAN It just sort of happened. Things do. Emmett laughs. BRIAN It was Scott and Kevin, the Todds. Emmett holds up his pinkie finger. BRIAN And Ted shows up with my taxes, and all the sudden we're all doing it and ... he even tried to fuck me. MICHAEL He's in there. His life's like this [gestures up and down], dot on a screen. And that could be us. BRIAN No, it could not be us. Because we know better. We know not to believe pretty little blond boys who tell you it's 'really good shit.' Because that's what they all say. Ted didn't know that. And he didn't know that you only do drugs with your friends because they're the only ones who give a fuck about you. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders. BRIAN Now I've got to go to work. I have to be brilliant. CUT TO: INT. ST. JAMES ACADEMY - DAY Middle-aged teacher, MR. HORNER, stands at the blackboard where a large black and white photo of a man hangs. MR. HORNER F. Scott Fitzgerald. Classic profile, famously handsome. He gestures with a book he's holding. MR. HORNER And The Great Gatsby. He sits on the edge of his desk. View of the classroom and we see Justin, chin down, at his desk in the back. Chris Hobbs sits one aisle over to the right. MR. HORNER [OS] Which captures a particular American yearning. Shot of Chris that pans down to the back of a male figure Justin is drawing in his sketchpad. MR. HORNER And what do I mean by that, hmm? Daphne, at Justin's left and seeing the drawing, giggles. Justin grins in reaction but doesn't look up. MR. HORNER Justin? Justin looks up, startled. The class turns to look at him. Close-up on Chris. JUSTIN [OS] Uh, yearning is when you want something really badly. Back to Justin. JUSTIN Like ... so bad it hurts. Chris looks from Justin back to Mr. Horner. MR. HORNER Exactly. It needs to hurt to be worthy of the word. Back to Chris. MR. HORNER [OS] Otherwise, it's just wanting. Justin drawing. MR. HORNER [OS] It's represented in The Gatsby by the green light across the water. Close-up of Justin's eyes as he stares at Chris. MR. HORNER [OS] You can see it, but you can't touch it. Chris friend-punches the arm of the guy in front of him. They trade punches. MR. HORNER [OS] Mr. Hobbs! Tossing the book down, he walks over. MR. HORNER Mr. Hobbs, are your parents really paying for you to have another testosterone outburst? CHRIS I wasn't doing anything. MR. HORNER Exactly. But you will be after school. CHRIS I have football practice. Justin is listening intently. MR. HORNER Not today. Today you'll be cleaning out the athletic room. The only thing we fight about in this room, Mr. Hobbs ... is interpretation. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Michael and Emmett walk up to Mrs. Schmidt. She's sitting, reading a magazine. MICHAEL Mrs. Schmidt, we're going to work. I-if you want, you can call me on my cell phone if... MRS. SCHMIDT They said ... he took an overdose of a-a drug I've never heard of. EMMETT Well, h-he wasn't a-a drug user. MICHAEL He must have met someone that night. And-and took him home. MRS. SCHMIDT May I ask you something, Michael? MICHAEL Sure. Mrs. Schmidt stands. MRS. SCHMIDT If my son had been ... straight, if he had taken a woman home, do you think she would have run off and left him there to die? She grabs her purse and leaves. CUT TO: INT. ST. JAMES ACADEMY - DAY Chris is cleaning the equipment room. We pull back and see Justin standing there, watching. JUSTIN Need some help? Chris turns. CHRIS This sucks. JUSTIN Yeah. They need you at practice. He walks further in the room. CHRIS How do you know they do? I thought you weren't into, like, sports and shit. JUSTIN Some. CHRIS Yeah, well, you sure keep it a secret. I'm supposed to get all this shit cleaned up outta here. Justin picks up a box of equipment and sets it on the table. CHRIS Wow, you're pretty strong. JUSTIN It's my other secret. He grins. CUT TO: INT. RYDER ADVERTISING - DAY Brian at his desk, looking at some copy. He tosses it on the desk. BRIAN I can't do this fucking copy. MELANIE [OS] Excuse me for barging in. She strides in and slams her briefcase down on Brian's desk. MELANIE This won't take long. As you may or may not know, I'm Ted's lawyer. BRIAN So? MELANIE So, you need to know Ted made a living will. Do you have one? BRIAN No. MELANIE Well, you should. She holds out some papers from a folder for him to take. MELANIE But, I'm not your lawyer, I'm his. When Brian doesn't take the papers, she drops them on his desk. MELANIE Anyway, he's made you responsible. BRIAN For what? MELANIE For deciding should he ever be incompetent or unable to make a decision whether to be kept alive by extraordinary measures or ... be permitted to die. BRIAN Are you telling me that Ted wants me to decide whether or not to pull the plug? MELANIE I tried to talk him out of it. BRIAN And how long have you known about this? MELANIE It doesn't matter how long. BRIAN Yeah, it does. I'm this secret you two have been sharing. When were you planning on telling me? MELANIE I was hoping I wouldn't have to. That the situation would never arise. BRIAN Well, it has! It's arisen now. MELANIE And now you know. CUT TO: INT. ST. JAMES ACADEMY - DAY Equipment room. Chris is sitting on a mat. He catches the Pepsi Justin tosses at him. He pops it open and it foams out. Still standing, Justin watches. Chris takes a drink, shaking his hand of the foam. Justin is quiet. Chris offers him a drink. Their hands touch as they trade off and time slows. We see the red Babylon stamp on the back of Justin's right hand. The camera pans down, signaling a time jump, and Justin is sitting beside Chris. CHRIS Suzanne Shepley, big whore. She'll blow you, but she won't fuck if you're in this school. Only if you go somewhere else, preferably Catholic. JUSTIN She seemed like a dyke to me. CHRIS Oh, man, she's not a dyke. She's a whore. There's a difference. They laugh. Long pause as Chris looks at Justin's profile. CHRIS So you know Mary Francis Cottallutto? So, she comes over to interview me for the school paper about being this great athlete and shit. And it's four o'clock and my mom won't be home till six. So I tell her what a touchdown is like, and she grabs my dick. JUSTIN No! CHRIS Oh, yeah, she went for it. Not only that, she unzips my fly. He slides his leg down and starts to rub himself, eyes closed. Justin swallows as he watches. CHRIS She's got my dick and she's got all these rings on. They're cold, but her hand's warm. She's rubbing ... and rubbing. Oh, yeah. And then she's gotta go home. You know, and I'm there. And I'm... JUSTIN You're hard. Chris says nothing, eyes still closed. Justin reaches over and rubs Chris's cock. Then he unzips and slides his hand inside to slowly jerk him off. Chris pants and moans. Justin grins and goes faster. After Chris comes, Justin's smile fades and he pulls his hand away. In that instant, the door opens. CHRIS Shit. He zips his pants without Mr. Horner seeing as he walks in. MR. HORNER Shouldn't you be working? CHRIS I, uh, I am working, Mr. Horner. He quickly gets up. Justin grins. CUT TO: INT. WORLD GYM - DAY Steam room with towel-clad men. We follow NAKED GUY to find Emmett and Michael lounging in the corner. NAKED GUY #1 Hey, guys. NAKED GUY #2 Hey. Emmett watches Naked Guy pass. EMMETT How come I can't get my gluts to look like that? MICHAEL Maybe you're not properly visualizing the muscle group. EMMETT Oh, I'm visualizing it all right. On my face. They laugh. Brian appears and takes the seat in front of them. BRIAN Why me? Why not his mother? [to Emmett] Why not you? EMMETT Because I can't decide what to wear in the morning. Who, in their right mind, would give me power of life and death? MICHAEL I couldn't do it, either. BRIAN I don't even like Ted. MICHAEL Oh, come on. You do so. BRIAN Well, not enough to be responsible for his fucking life. EMMETT Well, he must have wanted you for a reason. MICHAEL Maybe he's secretly in love with you. BRIAN I love you. I'm comatose. Kill me. MICHAEL It's not over yet, Brian. He could still wake up. Brian looks at him. CUT TO: INT. JUSTIN'S ROOM - DAY Justin (in casual clothes) and Daphne (in her school uniform) are laying on the bed with the stereo playing. DAPHNE Chris? She laughs. DAPHNE No way! Grinning, Justin makes a jerking off gesture. JUSTIN Then don't believe me. DAPHNE But I thought you were in love with that Brian guy. JUSTIN Me and Chris? That's not love, Daph. That's just fucking. She laughs. DAPHNE Oh, and I thought it was detention. They laugh. JENNIFER [OS] Justin? Daphne sits up. DAPHNE Oh, I gotta go. She gets her backpack. Justin goes to the stereo. DAPHNE Hi, Mrs. Taylor. Jennifer grins. JENNIFER Hi, Daphne. Daphne leaves. Jennifer looks at her watch. JENNIFER Didn't you have art club this afternoon? JUSTIN I quit art club. Justin stops the CD playing. JENNIFER You love art club. JUSTIN I'm not interested. JENNIFER Since when? Just last week-- JUSTIN You don't know everything about me. A week's, like, a long time. Things can change in a week. JENNIFER Well, I thought you might like to know I'm going to Niketown, but you're probably not interested in that, either. JUSTIN When? JENNIFER Now. And you can drive. Justin follows her out. CUT TO: INT. LIBERTY AVENUE DINER - DAY Michael walks in and watches Deb behind the counter, clearing dishes. She rubs her nose in a cute way and Michael smiles. Deb looks up and sees him. She grins and waves, going over to him, rubbing her nose again. Michael keeps grinning at her. DEB What? MICHAEL Just the thing you do with your hand. He does her nose-rub twice. MICHAEL Like this. Deb grins. DEB I do that, huh? MICHAEL Yeah, you do. DEB Well, you should know. MICHAEL Yeah. They're quiet. Deb leans over, pats his hand. DEB People wake up from comas, sweetheart. MICHAEL Yeah, sure. DEB Your Uncle Vic. How long was he in his? MICHAEL Nine days? DEB Ten. And I thought I'd lost him. I couldn't tell your grandmother it was AIDS at the time because she couldn't have dealt with it. I wanted to hear all about the white light and the-the tunnel and-and-and did Aunt Teresa get to heaven. First words out of his mouth: 'Did I miss the Golden Globes?' She laughs, Michael smiles. She leans forward again. DEB So, how is he? MICHAEL The same. No change. [beat] I'm gonna go back a little later. I thought I'd take something to his mom. Deb gets emotional and comes around the counter to grab his head and kiss him. She walks back behind the counter. MICHAEL What was that for? Deb dismisses it with a wave and gets a Styrofoam container off a shelf, then the lemon bars. DEB Turkey meatloaf. Lemon bars. They're great today. CUT TO: EXT. RESIDENTIAL ROAD - DAY Justin driving, Jennifer in the passenger seat. JENNIFER You're a good driver. JUSTIN Better than you. He laughs and after a second, so does Jennifer. She touches the dashboard. JENNIFER Okay, slow down. This is a bit too fast. Justin looks/points to the speedometer. JUSTIN This is normal. And you just said I was a good driver. Jennifer smiles at him. JUSTIN What? JENNIFER Nothing. It's just nice. You laughed. It's been a while. JUSTIN You know, maybe you could get another car. Let me have this for school. JENNIFER Oh, just hand it over, huh? I was twenty before I had a car. I was going out with Jay McLaughlin. He could have been your father. JUSTIN That's stupid. I wouldn't be me. JENNIFER He was my first real boyfriend. JUSTIN I'd be totally someone else. JENNIFER Learned with him what a kiss really was. Justin makes a face. JUSTIN Gross! Jennifer laughs. JUSTIN Don't tell me. I don't want to know. JENNIFER Well, now you do. Justin grins. Jennifer looks at the Babylon stamp on his hand. JENNIFER So, do you have a boyfriend, Justin? Flash-cut to a shocked Justin. Long pause. JENNIFER You can tell me. I promise you, I won't tell your father. JUSTIN I don't. JENNIFER Then who's Brian? Justin shoots her a shocked look. He pulls over, shuts the car off and opens the door. JENNIFER Justin. He runs away. JENNIFER Justin! CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Chapel. Michael walks in with the diner food. He clears his throat. MICHAEL Mrs. Schmidt? Sitting in the front row before a cross, Mrs. Schmidt turns and smiles. MRS. SCHMIDT Michael. MICHAEL I don't mean to bug you. Uh, I brought you this. It's from my mom. I ... meatloaf and lemons bars. The lemon bars are really good. He hands her the container. MRS. SCHMIDT There's, um, still no change. Michael sits across the aisle from her. MRS. SCHMIDT They're watching and waiting, so ... I thought I'd take a small break. MICHAEL Well, I'm sure you could use one. MRS. SCHMIDT He mentioned a Michael. I said, um, 'Tell me the name of one special friend.' And he said, 'Well, there's a Michael.' Thank you for the food, dear. I'll, uh, stay a bit longer and then I'll go to his condo tonight. MICHAEL His ... condo? MRS. SCHMIDT Oh, for pajamas. I don't know if he even wears them, but ... if he does, he'll need them when, um... She stands to go after palming Michael's cheek. Michael waits until she's walking away before pulling out his cell phone. CUT TO: INT. TORSO - DAY Emmett is folding clothes with a phone headset on. EMMETT Torso. SPLIT SCREEN SHOT: Emmett at Torso. Michael in the chapel. MICHAEL It's me. EMMETT Oh my god, is he dead? MICHAEL No, but he's gonna wish he was when he finds out his mom's going to his condo tonight for pajamas. Emmett laughs. EMMETT Oh, shit! What if she finds his porn? MICHAEL And his magazines. And remember his thirty-third birthday last year-- Emmett laughs. EMMETT When we gave him those thirty-three dildos. That was hilarious. MICHAEL Well, it's not so funny anymore. We gotta go there and find all thirty-three. EMMETT Wait! MICHAEL What? EMMETT What if he's given some as hostess gifts? MICHAEL Wha--? CUT TO: INT. LINDSAY AND MELANIE'S HOUSE - DAY Lindsay, Gus in hand, goes to answer the knock on the door. It's Brian. He removes his sunglasses and comes in. BRIAN I don't have a lot of time. He shuts the door and walks away. LINDSAY You have time to kiss your son. She follows and hands Gus to him. Brian relaxes and kisses Gus's cheek. We hear someone coming down the stairs. MELANIE [OS] Hey, honey, his bath's ready. She stops at the base of the stairs, seeing Brian. Brian hands Gus back to Lindsay. MELANIE Oh. Did we know he was coming? BRIAN No, we did not know. MELANIE Well, it'd be nice if you'd call first. As I said, his bath's ready, so if you want me to take him up-- Brian swings around to face Melanie, agitated. BRIAN I don't give a shit what Ted wants. I'm not doing it, do you understand? MELANIE I told him you'd be this way. BRIAN He has a mother. MELANIE Yeah, would you wish this on yours? BRIAN He has better friends. MELANIE Well that's for goddamn sure! Gus starts to cry. LINDSAY [disapproving] Melanie, would you please... MELANIE Look, did I barge in here at bath time? Was that me? BRIAN Fuck bath time and fuck you! MELANIE Hey, fuck you! LINDSAY Just stop it, both of you. BRIAN So, let's cut to the chase. Find somebody else. His mommy, or Michael or Madonna. I don't care who. LINDSAY But he chose you. BRIAN Well, he chose wrong. MELANIE Yeah, that's what I said to him. I said, 'Brian is not the person you want responsible for your life. He's a selfish, narcissistic little fucking faggot!' And let me tell you something, it's not because you suck cock, it's because you're a little fucking coward! So go, get out, now! Brian stares at her, then looks to Lindsay. Her expression and a helpless shake of her head says he should just go. Brian looks at Melanie again, then goes to the door. Melanie shadows him, slamming the door once he's gone. Lindsay takes a few steps closer. LINDSAY You had no right talking to him that way. Melanie turns. MELANIE No right? Ted is lying there, on life support. He's probably never going to wake up and he is depending on Brian to show him the decency, the kindness to release him. Lindsay closes the distance between them. LINDSAY That's all the more reason to be kind. After all, he's the one who has to do it. Think how hard it must be. What if it were one of us? If it was me lying there and you had to pull the plug? Melanie shakes her head, affected. MELANIE I'm not sure I could. LINDSAY Maybe that's why you're so angry at him. Because you know if it were you, you'd be as scared and angry as he is. They lean their foreheads together. CUT TO: INT. BABYLON - DAY Backroom. Brian grabs Trick #1 to kiss. The trick slides down while two more tricks join in, touching and licking Brian's body. After a minute, Brian grabs the chin of Trick #2, looks at him, then pushes him away. He shoves the other tricks away and pulls his leather jacket back up onto his shoulders and walk-stumbles a few steps. Puts on his sunglasses and goes out the back door. CUT TO: EXT. DAPHNE'S HOUSE - DAY Justin and Daphne stand in the driveway behind a car. Justin is smoking. JUSTIN She knows! My mom knows! DAPHNE Holy shit! JUSTIN I've got to find Brian. DAPHNE What for? JUSTIN He'll know what to do. DAPHNE Like he cares. JUSTIN He wants me! DAPHNE How can you tell? JUSTIN Because I can. I'm gonna live with him. I'm gonna be with him. You'll see. Now, please, you've got to help me. DAPHNE I'm grounded. JUSTIN [soft] Oh, fuck. He takes a drag off his cigarette. DAPHNE My mom said she'd better come home and find me reading Toni Morrison. Justin gives her puppy eyes. Daphne sighs. Beat. DAPHNE Well, they don't get home until seven. And you do beat Beloved. Justin is grinning as he throws his cigarette down. They get in the car. CUT TO: INT. TED'S APARTMENT - DAY Sound of a key in a lock. Emmett and Michael walk in. Emmett slides the coffee table lamp over a few inches. EMMETT That's better. I'm always telling him not everything in life needs to be centered. Michael is in the kitchen, frantic. MICHAEL We can redecorate later. His mother's coming. He opens the refrigerator. MICHAEL Poppers. He tosses the vial over his shoulder to Emmett. EMMETT Oop! Michael tosses more packages that Emmett catches. MICHAEL Cheddar. Uh, Brie. EMMETT I don't think there are particularly strong shame issues attached to cheese, Michael. MICHAEL Fine! Whatever. You check out the bedroom. I'll work out here. EMMETT Okay. Emmett goes off. Michael throws things away in the kitchen, then rushes to the front room. At the TV stand, he goes through drawers of video tapes, sorting out the porn. MICHAEL Falcon ... Falcon... You've Got Mail. He masturbates to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? A dildo comes sailing through the air, hitting him in the head. MICHAEL Ow! More dildos come flying. EMMETT Found 'em! Michael catches a huge one. MICHAEL God! Jesus, look at this one. Emmett jumps into the room, holding another huge dildo like a sword. EMMETT Ha! They start dueling. MICHAEL Touché! Emmett jabs at Michael's butt. EMMETT In this case, tushy. MICHAEL Whoo! More dueling, then Emmett stabs Michael in the chest. Making dying noises, Michael falls on the couch, Emmett following to sit hard on his lap. EMMETT Dead! Right through the heart! Emmett jumps up to head back to the bedroom. EMMETT All right. There's, like, a million of 'em in there. And we've gotta find them all. Michael gets up. MICHAEL We must. He rounds up the thrown dildos and porn tapes off the floor, following Emmett into the bedroom. After tossing them onto the bed, he starts going through Ted's dresser, while Emmett opens a locker. Taped to the inside of the door are about twenty pictures of Michael: candids, smiling with Ted, working at the computer, making funny faces, bare chested. EMMETT Michael? Come here. Michael walks over. He goes solemn, seeing the pictures. They trade a look. CUT TO: EXT. BRIAN'S LOFT - NIGHT Justin repeatedly buzzing the loft's intercom. He tries the locked door. JUSTIN Shit! Fuck! He backs up into the street, screaming up at the loft. JUSTIN Brian! Brian! MAN [OS] Shut up! Across the street, Daphne honks her car horn and leans out the window. DAPHNE Justin, I gotta go home. Justin looks back at her, then up at the loft, before crossing the street. JUSTIN But, I-I have to find him. DAPHNE Well, what about the crazy lady? JUSTIN What crazy lady? DAPHNE You know, the weird one ... from the diner. JUSTIN You mean Debbie? CUT TO: INT. WOODY'S - NIGHT We pan by a guy playing pool to Michael and Emmett sitting at a table with beers. MICHAEL So what do you think it means? EMMETT I think it means he likes you. MICHAEL I think it means he loves me. Emmett takes a drink. EMMETT Kind of flattering, in a way. He collects you the way you collect comics. MICHAEL It's just that ... all this time, I ... I never knew. EMMETT There's a lot of things we don't know about each other. Like, did you know ... I used to walk down the street in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, and the postman would spit at me. MICHAEL I don't know where my father was born. Or ... even who he is. EMMETT I sat with my dead grandma for an hour ... and held her hand ... before I told anyone she was dead. Michael reaches for his hand. EMMETT How come we never tell each other these things, huh? He takes Michael's hand. CUT TO: INT. DEB'S HOUSE - NIGHT Deb with a hand on her hip, having answered the door to find Justin. DEB Don't tell me. Brian. Am I right? Justin nods. Deb softens. DEB Come on in. I'll make you a sandwich. She walks away. Justin comes in, closing the door. JUSTIN Actually, I just need to know how I can-- DEB And don't talk. I can figure it all out. She goes to the wall phone, motioning Justin to the kitchen table. DEB Have a seat, honey. Right there. She punches in a number as Justin sits. DEB Michael? Justin whips his head around. DEB It's me. You've got male. Justin deflates. CUT TO: INT. BRIAN'S LOFT - NIGHT Lindsay in the loft. Brian, fresh from the shower in his robe and holding a drink, slides the door shut. He walks to the kitchen, Lindsay following. LINDSAY I just want you to know Melanie feels terrible about what she said. BRIAN Do you think I care? Adds ice to his drink. LINDSAY Look, it's upsetting for all of us. But at a time like this we could try showing a little compassion. Especially for Ted. Is there any word? BRIAN The machines say he's still alive. LINDSAY Poor guy. BRIAN What about us? We don't have any beeps or wires with little white dots telling us we're alive, so how do we know? I guess we just take each other's word. LINDSAY Maybe we know from what people expect from us. I mean, take Gus. He needs me to feed him, to change him. Knowing that tells me I'm alive. So, for me, right now, it's him. BRIAN What about me? Lindsay closes the distance between them. LINDSAY Ted needs you now. So maybe that's what tells you you're alive. Brian exhales and looks down. Lindsay holds his face. LINDSAY You'll do the right thing. Whatever it is. Her hands slide away. BRIAN You don't know that. CUT TO: INT. TED'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT Slow pan up the bed, a machine beeping. Brian's hand comes into view and hovers over Ted's face. BRIAN Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. For going home with some tweaked out little twinkie and thinking you got lucky. He leans down. BRIAN Did he let you eat his ass? Did he let you suck his cock? Well, I hope it was worth it. And fuck you for choosing me. I ought to let you lie here forever. How'd you like that? Can you hear me? [long pause] You know, you're not so bad looking. In fact ... you look better like this. You should die more often. Or live. So that I don't have to say yes. Yes, I'll do it. I'll give you what you want. What you need. But don't think it's for you. It's not. It's for me. A hand on his shoulder makes Brian turn. It's Male Nurse. They face each other for a second, then start kissing and stripping. Male Nurse lays on an empty bed. Brian pushes his pants to his ankles and jumps on top of him. Moans. The camera pans back to Ted's bed as he begins to wake up. MALE NURSE [OS] [whispered] Oh, yeah. More moans and grunts. Ted moves his head, following the noise. TED Jesus. CUT TO: INT. DEB'S HOUSE - NIGHT Justin eating a sandwich. MICHAEL [OS] This is my house. You've got your own. Go home. JUSTIN [mouth full] I can't. MICHAEL What? JUSTIN [mouth full, articulating] I can't. My mom knows. Shot widens and we see Vic at the kitchen table with Justin. Deb and Michael are standing. DEB Well, she could go to my PFLAG group at the Center every other Tuesday. I'll get her a t-shirt and a button. MICHAEL Ma, please! DEB Ma, please, what? I am proud to have a gay son. MICHAEL We know! DEB And brother. She encircles Vic from behind. VIC Thanks, sis. He takes his pills with water. DEB I've always said it isn't who you love, it's how you love. Genitalia is simply God's way of accessorizing. MICHAEL This is not about you and the Gay Mother of the Year award. This is about Brian's one night stand. Justin shakes his head. JUSTIN [mouth full] Not just one. MICHAEL Don't bet on it. And who here even cares?! VIC I do. JUSTIN My dad threatened to disown me. He called me a big queer. VIC He didn't hit you, did he? MICHAEL Oh, come on, Uncle Vic. You're not gonna listen to this shit! JUSTIN That's why I have to see Brian. He'll let me stay with him. MICHAEL I don't think so. JUSTIN Well, then ... I'll go to New York! I'll become a hustler, and I'll sell my body to gross old homos! Vic leans in. VIC I'll give you twenty bucks. Deb swats his head. Vic turns to her. VIC Save him the train fare. JUSTIN I'm gonna throw up. I gotta vomit. He stands, putting more sandwich in his mouth. Deb points up. DEB Upstairs bathroom. The one for guests and drama queens. Justin jogs off. Vic and Michael laugh. DEB It's not a joke, you know. Gay teens have a very high suicide rate. MICHAEL Unfortunately not this one. He enters a number into his cell phone. Deb smacks his arm; he snorts and puts the phone to his ear. INT. MICHAEL'S ROOM Justin walks in, looking around. He grins, seeing the corkboard with the picture of Brian and Michael as teenagers. He reaches for it. INT. KITCHEN Deb at the sink, Michael and Vic eating sandwiches at the table. DEB I'm calling his mother. MICHAEL It's none of our business. DEB He may be telling the truth, and even if he isn't, she's got to be worried. VIC She's not worried. Now she knows. It's not drugs. It's not booze. He didn't buy an automatic weapon to take down to the Spanish club. It's just cock. Amused, Deb turns, hand on hip. Vic laughs. Sound of the front door closing. BRIAN [OS] Hi. He walks in. BRIAN [to Deb] How did he find you? Deb throws her hands up. Brian walks over to grip Vic's shoulder in greeting. MICHAEL They all find her. And now he won't leave. You gotta do something. BRIAN Like what? MICHAEL Like get him out of my house! He's upstairs. Brian frowns and turns. BRIAN All right. I'm going. MICHAEL This is not how I wanted to spend my evening. Brian stops and grins back at them. BRIAN By the way ... Ted woke up. He's going to be okay. Brian runs up the stairs. Everyone is relieved at the news. Deb crosses herself. INT. MICHAEL'S ROOM Justin looking down at the photo. He hears the door open behind him and smiles to himself before turning to face Brian. BRIAN What are you doing here? JUSTIN Waiting for you. INT. KITCHEN Michael, Deb, and Vic at the table. DEB Well, it's a relief. I'll say that. I like Ted. There's a real sweetheart in there, somewhere. Michael is staring into space. DEB Michael? INT. MICHAEL'S ROOM Twice, Justin tries to go in for a kiss. Brian dodges the first time, pushes Justin's chest back the second time. When Justin stands still is when Brian finally pulls him in for a couple kisses. INT. KITCHEN Michael looks up at the ceiling. INT. MICHAEL'S ROOM One more kiss and Justin goes to his knees. Unbuttons Brian's jeans, then rises for more kisses. Brian whips Justin's shirt off. More kissing. Justin sinks downward and Brian's eyes close as Justin blows him. INT. KITCHEN Deb stands, taking her coffee cup to the sink. DEB I've decided. MICHAEL What? DEB You and me. We're taking him home. MICHAEL Why you and me? Wh-why me at all? DEB Well, he can hardly go with Brian. VIC And if I go it looks a little ... Fagin and Oliver Twist. MICHAEL Leaving me, huh? The harmless one. Thanks a lot. Deb swats him with her dish towel. Justin and Brian come down the stairs and into the kitchen. Justin grins smugly at Michael and steals some chips off his plate. Agitated, Michael stands and moves to the far wall behind Brian. DEB I'm calling your mother. I'm taking you home. JUSTIN I'm not going. Deb points a finger in his face. DEB You get my tits in a knot, Sunshine, and you're gonna be in deep shit. A hand to his chest and a grin moves him out of the way. DEB 'Scuse me. She goes to call Jennifer. Justin sits at the table, drinks some milk. VIC What are you studying in school? JUSTIN Hmm? VIC Called conversation. Brian chuckles. He catches Michael's pissed off look and goes solemn, glancing down. Deb appears with her coat on. DEB Ready? MICHAEL I need to talk to Brian. I'll be there in a second. Deb makes a 'come on' finger gesture to Justin, then turns toward the door. Justin follows. JUSTIN [mouths to Brian] Bye. Vic gets up and leaves. Michael watches everyone leave, then faces Brian. MICHAEL Do you have anything to say? Pause. BRIAN No. MICHAEL Well, I do. You can fuck him at your place, you can fuck him in his gym class, you can fuck him at the zoo, but you cannot fuck him in my mother's house. In my room! Brian is silent. DEB [OS] We're waaaiting! Michael looks over at the front door, then back to Brian. MICHAEL Okay, I'm gonna go do this little job, and then I'm going to go see Ted at the hospital. You do whatever the fuck you want. CUT TO: EXT. CITY ROAD - NIGHT Michael is driving. He looks in the rear view mirror at a smugly grinning Justin. DEB [OS] Nobody knows if it's nature or nurture, being gay. We see her in the passenger seat. DEB Now they're all saying you can tell by the length of the index finger. Although, all of Michael's fingers are perfectly normal. He should have three kids and a beer belly and he's about as gay as you get! Justin laughs. MICHAEL Ma, give it a rest! Deb pouts. Justin grins. CUT TO: EXT. JUSTIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT Deb and Michael walk up to the door. Justin lags around the corner by the garage. Deb rings the doorbell; it's melodic. She grins. DEB Listen! That's nice, huh? Not like that old buzzer at our house. Jennifer answers the door. DEB Oh, hi. Um ... I was admiring your chimes. You have a ... real nice place here. JENNIFER Well, thank you. Uh, you-you must be-- Justin barges between them and into the house. DEB Rude little shit, isn't he? Jennifer stands with her hand over her heart, composing herself. DEB Um, I'm Debbie Novotny ... and this is my gay son, Michael. MICHAEL [out of the corner of his mouth] Ma! Pause as Jennifer stares at Michael before shaking Deb's hand. JENNIFER I-I'm Jennifer Taylor. Deb grins. DEB Jennifer. CRAIG [OS] Honey, who's there? JENNIFER [calls back] It's no one! Michael and Deb look down. Jennifer comes further outside, pulling the door closer behind herself to hide them. DEB Uh, listen, uh ... if you ever need to talk to somebody, I work over at the Liberty Diner on Liberty Avenue. 'Cause I know what you're going through. The finding out. I mean, I always knew about Michael. In fact, I told him, right? She laughs, touching Michael, who's itching his ear and giving her a 'Ma!' look. DEB To spare him the pain of having to tell me. So ... Jennifer ... don't ask, 'Are you?' Because it's never a question. Just say, 'I know.' JENNIFER Uh, thank you. Jennifer gestures inside and leaves. Michael turns to Deb as the door closes. MICHAEL You had to say all that?! DEB I was trying to help. MICHAEL You try too much. They turn and walk back down the driveway. Deb zips her coat up. MICHAEL You're still wearing that same old coat. DEB So, someday you'll buy me a mink. You're going to be a big success. MICHAEL Yeah, right. You'll freeze to death first. Deb swats his head. MICHAEL What was that for?! DEB You can be such an asshole! MICHAEL What'd I do?! DEB You don't know yourself. 'Know thyself.' Some Greek said that. Who was it? MICHAEL Zorba? DEB I don't know. She glances back at the house. DEB I don't know anything. Now take me home. CUT TO: INT. TED'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY Seated, Mrs. Schmidt watches Ted pack his bag. MRS. SCHMIDT Are you sure I can't help? TED I can do it. It's no big deal. MRS. SCHMIDT I wish you'd let me drive you home. TED I already asked my friends. MRS. SCHMIDT Michael, Emmett, Brian. Ted looks up, surprised. He nods. MRS. SCHMIDT I met them while you were asleep. TED Oh. MRS. SCHMIDT They're very nice. Especially Michael. TED Yeah, Michael is ... especially special. MRS. SCHMIDT Are you two ... I mean... TED Oh, no. No. We, uh ... he's just a friend. MRS. SCHMIDT Well, he's a very good friend. He was very kind to me. I'm grateful you have him. TED Yeah, so am I. MRS. SCHMIDT Because, more than anything, I worry that you're alone. And that there's no one to look after you. TED I can take care of myself. MRS. SCHMIDT Oh, I know you can. You've always been self-sufficient. I just ... I wish you had someone to love you. I mean, if you did, maybe this wouldn't have happened. TED Mom, please. Let's, uh... MRS. SCHMIDT I'm sorry. I know that it embarrasses you if I talk too much or ... I get too emotional. But I can't help thinking that ... if you hadn't woken up ... then I would never have gotten the chance to let you know how proud I am that you're my son. And that .. and it doesn't matter to me what you are. Yeah, I got over that a long time ago. And that whenever you're feeling alone ... or that no one loves you ... that's not true ... because I do. They're both near tears. TED Th-thank you ... mom, for, uh, for saying that. CUT TO: INT. TED'S APARTMENT - DAY Brian, Michael, Emmett and Ted walk in. Brian and Emmett are carrying paper bags of groceries and go to the kitchen. The wall clock says 11:30 a.m. EMMETT Now say it three times and click your heals: There's no place like home. TED You know, you guys really didn't have to do this. All the flowers and the groceries. Brian and Emmett are unloading the bags. Michael holds his arms out. MICHAEL One stop shopping at the Big Q Mart. TED Oh, that's-that's nice. He eyes the coffee table lamp Emmett moved earlier and slides it back where it began. TED Only, can somebody tell me why I had to stay there three days after I woke up. EMMETT They wanted to make sure you're still alive. BRIAN On your best days it's ... hard to tell. Michael walks over to Ted. MICHAEL Okay, just so you don't freak out ... your dildos are missing. And your porn. We had to move it all ... in case your mom found it. TED Well, I expect all thirty-three back. [to Emmett and Brian] Cleaned. Emmett laughs. EMMETT You should eat something, honey. TED I'm not hungry. He walks toward the bedroom. MICHAEL We bought you a whole fucking chicken. BRIAN And you're gonna eat it. In his bedroom, Ted looks around. Michael follows him. EMMETT [OS] Oh my god, look at this. Who-who keeps lube in their-in their front kitchen cabinet? Ted notices Michael. TED It always looks so much smaller. MICHAEL What does? TED Your life. Especially after returning from a near-death experience. MICHAEL Like watching the Oscars. 'Immediately proceeded by...' MICHAEL AND TED 'The Barbara Walters Special.' They chuckle. TED I'm glad you're here. MICHAEL You are? Well, uh ... I, um... TED What? MICHAEL Um ... uh ... I'm glad you're here, too. And if you ever wanna talk about this or ... other stuff... TED 'Other stuff?' MICHAEL You know, there's--oh, you know, there's something you can't talk about... TED Like what? MICHAEL I don't know. You know, maybe if you talk about it, it might help it? But, you know, you might not get what you want. But ... Oh, shit. Ted's confused. Brian pokes his head in. BRIAN Are you going to come eat the chicken? MICHAEL I'm going to arrange the daisies. He leaves. Brian starts to follow when Ted speaks. TED I saw you. Fucking. Brian frowns and comes in the room. TED When I woke up. I thought ... I'm in hell. And this is my punishment--watching Brian Kinney fucking for all eternity. Brian puts his arm around Ted's shoulder. BRIAN You should be so lucky. Ted smirks. Brian slides his arm away and steps back, serious. BRIAN Why me? Why did you choose me? He sits on the bed. Ted shrugs. TED My mother couldn't do it. Michael and Emmett ... couldn't do it. But ... you could. Because you're a heartless shit. You could pull the plug and you wouldn't cry. And you'd know when it's time to go. He gently swats Brian's cheek as he walks away. Brian remains on the bed, gutted. CUT TO: INT. BABYLON - NIGHT Brian and Michael are dancing, having a good time. BRIAN I want it to be you. MICHAEL What? BRIAN I want it to be you. I'll put it in writing. MICHAEL I want it to be you, too. You pull my plug. BRIAN And you pull mine. FADE TO BLACK. |
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