BETHANY OPENS UP TO LARRY â AND HE RUSHES HER TO THE HOSPITAL
đŹ SCENE 1 â LIVING ROOM â EVENING
The house is unusually quiet.
Bethany sits on the couch, staring down at her hands.
Her breathing is slow, but her expression is overwhelmed.
Larry notices something is wrong.
He walks over and sits beside her.
For a moment, neither of them speaks.
Bethany⊠talk to me. Whatâs going on?
Bethany looks up at him.
Her eyes are filled with confusion.
I donât understand whatâs happening to me.
Larry listens without interrupting.
I donât even know whatâs wrong with me anymore.
She looks away.
Larry gently leans forward.
You donât have to figure everything out by yourself.
Bethany takes a deep breath.
Sometimes I just feel like Iâm not myself.
Larry remains quiet, giving her time to speak.
One minute Iâm okay⊠and then suddenly everything gets to me.
She shakes her head.
I get angry. I say things I donât mean. Then afterward, I sit there wondering why I acted that way.
How long have you been feeling like this?
Bethany pauses.
I donât know.
She looks down again.
Sometimes I feel like Iâm going into these really difficult emotional states, and I donât know how to handle them.
Larry reaches for her hand.
Then we need to get you some help.
Thatâs why Iâm angry all the time.
Her voice becomes quieter.
I donât know how to control what Iâm feeling.
Larry gives her a reassuring smile.
You donât have to control everything alone.
Bethany looks at him, surprised by how calm he is.
Weâre going to figure this out together.
đŹ SCENE 2 â LIVING ROOM â CONTINUOUS
Bethany wipes away a tear and takes another breath.
Larry stands up.
His expression suddenly becomes more serious.
Weâre going to the hospital.
The hospital?
Yes.
I already called the doctor.
Larry, I donât know if I need to go to the hospital.
Larry sits back down beside her.
I understand.
But I want you to be checked by a doctor. We need to know whatâs going on instead of guessing.
Bethany nods slowly.
Okay.
Good.
Youâre not doing this alone.
Bethany looks down at their hands.
For the first time that evening, she seems a little calmer.
đŹ SCENE 3 â LIVING ROOM â MOMENTS LATER
Larry stands and starts gathering a few things they might need.
Bethany watches him.
LarryâŠ
Yeah?
Thank you.
You donât have to thank me.
Bethany takes a slow breath.
I just donât want everyone thinking Iâm crazy.
Larry immediately shakes his head.
Nobody is saying that.
Youâre going through something, and weâre going to get answers.
Bethany nods.
Larry picks up his phone again.
He looks at the screen for a moment before calling Brooke.
The phone rings.
đŹ SCENE 4 â PHONE CALL â EVENING
Hello?
Larry speaks quickly but calmly.
Brooke, I need you to come here as soon as you can.
Why? What happened?
Larry looks over at Bethany.
I need to take Bethany to the hospital.
There is a brief silence.
Is she okay?
Sheâs having a difficult time right now.
The doctor is going to check on her.
Okay. Iâm coming.
All right. Just get here as soon as you can.
I will.
The call ends.
Larry puts his phone away.
đŹ SCENE 5 â LIVING ROOM â CONTINUOUS
You called Brooke?
Yeah.
I donât want her to worry about me.
Sheâs family. She should know whatâs happening.
Bethany nods.
I just donât want this to become another big situation.
It doesnât have to be.
Right now, the only thing that matters is making sure youâre okay.
You really think I should go?
Yes.
Let the doctor talk to you. Tell them exactly how youâve been feeling.
Okay.
Thatâs all I need from you.
đŹ SCENE 6 â BETHANYâS ROOM â LATER
Bethany walks into her room to get ready.
Larry waits outside.
The house remains quiet.
Bethany looks at herself in the mirror.
I just want to understand whatâs happening to me.
She takes another breath.
Then she grabs her things and walks out.
Larry is waiting in the hallway.
Ready?
Yeah.
Okay. Letâs go.
They begin walking toward the front door.
đŹ SCENE 7 â FRONT DOOR â NIGHT
Larry opens the door.
Bethany stops for a moment.
She looks back at the house.
You okay?
Yeah.
Iâm just scared.
Larry steps closer.
You donât have to be scared.
Weâre going to the hospital, youâre going to talk to the doctor, and weâll take it one step at a time.
Okay.
Come on.
Bethany walks outside.
Larry follows.
đŹ SCENE 8 â OUTSIDE THE HOUSE â NIGHT
Larry walks toward the car.
Bethany follows slowly behind him.
Larry opens the passenger door for her.
Bethany gets inside.
Larry closes the door carefully.
He walks around to the driverâs side and gets in.
Before starting the car, he looks at Bethany.
You ready?
As ready as I can be.
Thatâs enough.
He starts the car.
Bethany looks out the window as they pull away from the house.
For once, she isnât trying to hide how she feels.
And Larry isnât trying to solve everything himself.
They are simply taking the next step.
The car disappears down the road toward the hospital.
FADE OUT.
TO BE CONTINUEDâŠ