The house is quiet.
The warm evening light shines through the windows.
Wayne stands near the center of the living room, his arms crossed.
His expression is serious.
Dan sits on the couch, looking irritated.
Delicia stands nearby, already sensing that something is wrong.
Wayne takes a slow breath and looks directly at Dan.
Why did you hit Lauren?
Dan looks away. For a moment, he says nothing.
I asked you a question.
Why do you care?
Because Lauren didn’t deserve that.
Man, stay out of it.
Dan, watch how you’re talking to Wayne.
No. You’re being disrespectful.
Dan stands up from the couch. The tension in the room suddenly rises.
And what are you going to do about it?
Dan, calm down.
I’m not here to fight you. I’m here because I want to know what happened.
You think you’re everybody’s boss now?
That’s not what this is about. It’s about Lauren.
Dan steps closer to Wayne. The room becomes completely silent.
Lauren knows why it happened.
Then explain it.
You don’t know the whole story.
Then tell me the whole story.
I don’t have to explain myself to you.
Dan, please.
I’m trying to talk to him.
But you need to calm down and explain what happened.
You’re taking his side?
I’m not taking anybody’s side. I’m trying to stop this from becoming something worse.
I asked you why you hit Lauren. That’s all.
And I told you to mind your business.
Don’t disrespect me.
Or what?
Dan, stop.
I’m not scared of him.
You need to calm down right now.
Make me.
The room goes silent. Wayne takes a deep breath and tries to walk away.
Yeah, walk away.
Don’t push me.
What are you going to do?
Wayne grabs Dan as Dan moves toward him. The two men struggle. A chair is knocked backward.
STOP!
Wayne and Dan continue struggling.
I told you to calm down!
Get off me!
Please! Both of you, stop!
This is exactly what I was trying to prevent!
You started this!
No, you did!
Delicia covers her mouth. Her eyes fill with fear. The room begins to spin.
I… I can’t…
She grips the edge of a table. Her vision becomes blurry.
Wayne…
Wayne doesn’t hear her.
Wayne…
Her knees suddenly weaken. She releases the table. Her body drops to the floor.
Wayne suddenly hears a loud thud. He turns around. His face immediately changes.
Delicia!
Dan freezes. Both men look toward the floor. Delicia is unconscious.
Delicia!
Wayne rushes over and kneels beside her.
Oh my God…
Call for help!
Dan immediately pulls out his phone. His hands are shaking.
I’m calling.
Delicia, can you hear me?
There is no response. Wayne looks frightened.
Come on, Delicia. Please wake up.
I didn’t mean for this to happen.
This is what happens when you let anger take control.
Stay with us, Delicia. Help is coming.
The room is quiet now. The fight is over. The anger has disappeared. Only fear remains.
Dan stands near the doorway, staring at Delicia. His breathing is heavy.
Wayne…
Not right now.
I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.
We’ll deal with everything later. Right now, Delicia is what matters.
Wayne holds Delicia’s hand.
You’re going to be okay.
Outside, the sound of approaching sirens can be heard.
The consequences of the confrontation are finally sinking in. The night that started with a simple question about Lauren has turned into something none of them expected.
When this is over, we’re going to talk about Lauren.
I understand.
The sirens grow louder. Wayne stays beside Delicia. Dan stands silently in the background.
The tension remains in the room. But for now, the fight is over. And everyone knows that when Delicia wakes up, they will have to face what happened.