CURTAIN

(Lights up. DAVID enters SR and walks around to SAM who is seated at a desk, working.)
SAM: Good morning, Dr. Wahters. (Hands DAVID a clipboard.)
DAVID: Good morning, Sam. How’s everything going so far?
SAM: Pretty smooth. Mr. Tackett woke up with a mild headache so I gave him 10 cc’s of Dilaudid.
DAVID: Excellent, I’ll make sure to check in on him later. Thank you, Sam. (Turns around.)
SAM: No problem. Have a nice day, Dr. Wahters!
DAVID: (Turns to face SAM.) Sam, we’ve been working with each other for two years now; call me David.
SAM: Alright, David, have a nice day. (Smiles.)
DAVID: Thanks, you as well. (Walks SL to LUCY who is sitting upright in a hospital bed wearing a bandage around her head.)
LUCY: Hey, Doc!
DAVID: Good morning, Lucy. How are we feeling today?
LUCY: Well, considering I had major brain surgery yesterday and I’m still alive, upright, and talking; I feel pretty d--- good!
DAVID: (Laughs.) I’m glad to hear that, but I’m more interested on how you’re feeling physically. Any pain today?
LUCY: Um, a little.
DAVID: On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst?
LUCY: Hmm, probably an eight, maybe a nine.
DAVID: Oh, wow, we should do something about that.
LUCY: Yes, yes we should.
DAVID: I’m going to go ahead then and prescribe you Oxycodone--
LUCY:--Dang, that’s pretty hardcore!
DAVID: And so is your pain.
LUCY: Totally. It’s like there’s a miniature Mount Vesuvius erupting inside my skull!
DAVID: (Laughs.) Which is exactly why I feel Oxycodone is the best solution. Speaking of, I’ll just head over to the medicine cart across the hall real quick and grab you some so you can start taking that right away.
LUCY: Sounds good, Doc. Hopefully I won’t get addicted, right? (Laughs.)
DAVID: (Laughs nervously.) Yea.
(Lights dim SL. DAVID walks SR.)
DAVID: Hey, Sam?
SAM: Yes, Doct--I mean, David; what can I help you with?
DAVID: Can you get me the key for the medicine cart?
SAM: Oh, what do you need? I can just go grab it for you/
DAVID: No, that’s fine, I can get it.
SAM: Are you sure? It’s really no troub--
DAVID:(Yells)--I can do it myself! (Calms down.) Sorry, Sam, I just--
SAM:--No, it’s fine. Here. (Hands him the key.)
DAVID: Thanks. (Exits SR.)
(MARC enters SR, passing DAVID.)
MARC: What’s with all the yelling?
SAM: I don’t know, maybe he’s just having a rough day.
MARC: Wouldn’t be his first. You know, he hasn’t been himself lately. Normally, every Friday, we go out for drinks after our shift, but not anymore.
SAM: That is weird. (Looks at clock.) Oh, would you look at that, it’s time for my lunch break.
MARC: I was just about to head down to the cafeteria after I checked up on my post-op in 204. Would you care to join me?
SAM: Sounds great!
(Both exit SL. DAVID enters SR with a pill bottle and stops at SAM’s desk. He grabs a piece of paper and a pen and begins to write.)
DAVID: 15 milligrams of Oxycodone prescribed to Lucille Collins for severe headaches. Take every four to six hours, as needed. This bottle contains twenty pills. (Scratches out last sentence.) Thirty. (DAVID pulls out an empty pill bottle from his pocket and transfers ten pills into it.)
(MARC and SAM enter SL and towards DAVID.)
MARC: (Puts his hand on DAVID’s shoulder.) What’s up, Dave?
DAVID: (Startled, he quickly puts the bottle with ten pills back in his pocket.) Jesus Christ!
MARC: The name’s Marc, but I can see where you would find us similar.
(SAM laughs.)
DAVID: (Sarcastically.) Ha-ha. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some, uh, paperwork I need to finish. (Walks SL.)
(Lights dim SR. MARC and SAM freeze. DAVID walks up to LUCY and hands her her pill bottle.)
DAVID: Well, here you go. (Starts to walk away.)
LUCY: Want some?
DAVID: (Quickly turns around.) What?!
LUCY: (Laughs.) Just kidding, Doc.
DAVID: Oh, (Laughs nervously.) good one. (Walks DSL and sits on a bench.)
(Lights dim SL and a spot lights up DAVID. DAVID take out the pill bottle from his pocket and pours five pills into his hand and dry swallows them. He lays down with his back on the bench and passes out. Spot dims for a moment, then lights come up full stage.)
DAVID: (Wakes up, looks at his watch.) D***it! (He frantically gets up and walks US.)
(MARC and SAM are putting on coats, getting ready to leave, when MARC notices DAVID.)
MARC: Hey, Dave!
DAVID: (Rubbing his face.) Hey.
MARC: S***, man, you look like h---.
DAVID: (Sarcastically.) Thanks.
MARC: Anyways, Sam and I were just about to head out and grab a few drinks; wanna tag along?
DAVID: Um, no, I’m good.
MARC: Alright, man, don’t stay here too long.
DAVID: Yea, yea.
MARC: Okay, see you tomorrow!
DAVID: Yep. Bye, Sam.
SAM: Bye.
(SAM and MARC exit SR.)
(Lights dim SR. DAVID walks SL past LUCY.)
LUCY: Yo, Doc!
DAVID: Yes?
LUCY: How come all of the nurses are giving me so much c--- recently?
DAVID: What are you talking about?
LUCY: Every since you gave me those “happy pills”, all of them are saying that I’m taking more than I should and are threatening to put me on suicide watch. What’s up with that?!
DAVID: (Nervous.) Um, I really couldn’t tell you. Nurses are very particular with certain things.
LUCY: I mean, I’ve only taken like two or three of them since you gave them to me and they’re saying that there’s like ten missing from the bottle.
DAVID: Weird. (Awkward silence.) Actually, (Sits down in the chair next to LUCY’s bed.) I have to tell you something.
LUCY: I’m dying, aren’t I?
DAVID: (Chuckles.) No. (Takes a deep breath.) I know why there’s ten pills missing.
LUCY: Oh?
DAVID: (Takes out pill bottle from his pocket.) Yea.
LUCY: Is that them?
(DAVID nods.)
LUCY: Why do you have them?
DAVID: Lucy, I had a surgery a while back that resulted in a very painful recovery. My doctor prescribed me this and I was never able to let go of the feeling it gave me.
LUCY: So, you’re addicted to Oxycodone?
(DAVID nods.)
LUCY: (Awkward silence.) Well, that’s okay?
DAVID: What?
LUCY: I mean, we all have our own issues and ways we deal with them; I get it. I mean, as long as you’re not getting a fix right before you go into the operating room. (Laughs.)
(DAVID looks at the ground. There is a moment of silence. LUCY’s eyes roll back in her head and she begins to seize.)
DAVID: (Looks up.) Lucy? Lucy! (Tries to hold her down, but can’t. He backs up and puts his hand on his head.) What do I do? (Runs SR.) Sam?! Marc?! Sh**! (Runs back to LUCY and tries to hold her down again.)
(BLACKOUT)
(Stage is cleared and reset with two chairs SR, facing SL and a door CS. Lights up full stage. LUCY’s parents are seated in the chairs while DAVID stands to face them.)
DAVID: Mr. and Mrs. Collins, thank you for coming in so late and on such short notice.
DAD: What’s wrong with Lucy?
DAVID: Earlier tonight, your daughter had a seizure.
MOM: Where is she? Is she okay?!
DAVID: (Pause.) I’m afraid Lucy didn’t make it.
MOM: (Sobbing.) What?! No, no, that’s not possible; she was completely fine yesterday! What even happened?
DAVID: I’m not too sure.
DAD: What do you mean you’re not sure? Weren’t you with her?
DAVID: (Pause.) Not at the moment of the seizure. I heard the alarms and got to the room as quickly as I could.
MOM: Did you even try to help her?!
DAVID: I did the best I could. I- I’m sorry for your loss. (Quickly runs through the door to SL.)
(DAVID frantically grabs the pill bottle from his pocket. His hands are shaking so bad that as he tries to open the bottle, the pills spill all over the ground. DAVID gets down on his hands and knees and desperately tries to put them back in the bottle. After much struggle DAVID shouts, drops the bottle, and sits back, putting his head in his hands.)
DAVID: (Looks up, crying.) I need to stop.

SCENE