| MUSCULAR, SWEATY MALE BODIES SLAMMING INTO EACH OTHER, sounds of
GRUNTS, skin SLAPPING against skin (INT./NIGHT) ...
... Hand SLAPPING a butt under satin shorts
... Sweaty armpits... the ROAR OF A CROWD...
... BASKETBALL PLAYERS embracing, twirling each other around, high
fiving...
WIDE ANGLE REVEALS: A basketball game in progress, Sixers versus
the Celtics in Philly's Spectrum Arena.
ON CLOSED CIRCUIT TV: ROBERT PARISH going for a lay-up...
WHEELER/KENTON/OTHERS
Watch this guy! Nail him! Ouch!
Charles Wheeler, Walter Kenton, Kenneth Killcoyne, Bob Seidman
and SEVERAL LAWYERS and SPOUSES watch the game from a plush, private
box, complete with TV, bar, snack table. The lawyers wear Ralph
Lauren polos, chinos and ball caps. The place reeks of
cigar smoke. Walter Kenton has a twentyfive year old WIFE.
Charles Wheeler's nine year old GRANDSON sits nearby. Wheeler turns
the GRANDSON'S ballcap around, smiling lovingly at the boy.
JUST BEYOND WHEELER: The door to the box is opened by a SECURITY
GUARD and a well-dressed, charismatic MAN looks in.
WHEELER
(spotting him)
Julius!
KENTON
Dr. J.!
DR. J.
Gentlemen... Ladies...
JULIUS ERVING enters, greeted by the LAWYERS.
LAWYERS
How's it goin', Doctor?/This is an honor!/etc ...
The door is opened again, by the SECURITY GUARD, REVEALING Joe
Miller (in jeans and basketball jacket) and a MARSHALL.
JOE
Excuse me. Charles Wheeler?
Wheeler turns. Joe SLAPS a document into Wheeler's hand.
JOE (CONT.)
Summons. For you.
NOW the box is QUIET.
DR. J.
Say. What's up, Chuck?
CUT TO:
THE BRIGHTLY LIT, RESTRICTED, INNER CORRIDOR OF SPECTRUM Stadium
(INT./NIGHT) where Wheeler walks beside Bob Seidman, with Walter
Kenton and Kenneth Killcoyne just behind. SOUNDS OF THE GAME STILL
IN PROGRESS can be heard, but FAR AWAY.
Occasionally the lawyers are passed by FOOD SERVICE or LAUNDRY SERVICE
EMPLOYEES...
WHEELER
... interview every employee, support staff, associates, partners.
Did any of them know Andy was sick? How did they know? Did he tell
them? Did they notice something was wrong with his appearance? None
of this information got to the managing partners. We know that.
Make sure everyone else does too... And
Beckett: I want to know everything about his personal life. Did
he frequent those pathetic bars on Camac Street?
SEIDMAN
Jesus.
WHEELER
(ignoring Seidman)
What about other homosexual facilities, whatever they are?
SEIDMAN
Charles...
WHEELER
What deviant groups or organizations did he secretly
belong to?
(with irritation)
What is it, Bob?!
SEIDMAN
Let's settle with Andy and put this whole tragic mess behind us.
They arrive at a quiet, semi-private cul de sac.
WHEELER
Andrew brought AIDS into our offices, into our men's room. He brought
AIDS to our annual goddamn family picnic.
KENTON
We ought to be suing him.
SEIDMAN
For Christ's sake, where's your compassion?
KENTON
Compassion? Andy sucks cocks, Bob. He takes it up the ass. He's
a pervert.
Only Seidman shows any kind of REACTION.
SEIDMAN
That's kind of... extreme, Walt. Andy's private life is none of
our business.
WHEELER
Bob. You're trying my patience. Andrew Beckett is making his private
life our business. We gave him Kronos. Did he say, "I'm sick.
I might not be able
to see this through?"
SEIDMAN
He was doing a great job.
WHEELER
Bob. I must ask you to shut the fuck up. Did Andrew Beckett say
"I might not be able to serve our
clients to the best of my ability?" He said nothing. And now,
Andrew Beckett proposes to haul me into a
court of law, to sling accusations at me, in full view of the entire,
Philadelphia, judicial
establishment. My God.
KILLCOYNE
Beckett doesn't want to go to court, he's hoping for a quick tasty
settlement.
SEIDMAN
A jury might decide that Andy has a case.
WHEELER
Wait a minute. The man was fired for incompetence, not because he
has AIDS. You didn't know he was sick, did you, Bob?
KENTON
Holy Shit. Did you, Bob?
SEIDMAN
(after a moment)
No. Not really.
Wheeler walks away, followed by Kenton and Killcoyne.
Bob Seidman stands alone in this dark place.
CITY SOUNDS ON A WORK DAY AS WE CUT TO:
EXTERIOR, JOE'S OFFICE BUILDING, ON A THURSDAY MORNING.
CONTINUOUS CUT TO:
JOB'S COLLEAGUE, FILKO, LOOKING DIRECTLY INTO CAMERA (in Joe's
offices, INT./DAY):
FILKO
Charles Fucking Wyant Wheeler?!
Joe sweeps by, just arriving for work.
JOE
Morning, Filko.
Filko keeps pace with Joe down the corridor. ANOTHER
COLLEAGUE calls out from an office as Joe passes:
COLLEAGUE
Hey, it's the local chapter of the ACLU!
FILKO
You're a Republican, Joe! You belong to the NRA!
JOE
How many toilet stalls are there in the women's restroom on this
floor, Filko?
FILKO
How many... what?!
Filko follows Joe into Joe's office.
JOE
Two. How many toilet stalls are there in the men's room? Two, plus
four urinals. How many wheelchair accessible toilets in either of
those restrooms?
Zero. In this entire building? Zero. Get the picture, Filko? Discrimination!
You find
yourself a female, paraplegic, legal assistant who is qualified
to work here, except she can't
take a leak... and you've got yourself a sex discrimination suit
and a handicapped
discrimination suit. Not handicapped. What do you call someone who
can't use a normal restroom? "Gastro-intestinally challenged!"
Behind Joe, out a large window: PAINTERS on a scaffold.
Iris comes into the office and says:
IRIS
Wyant Wheeler's asking for a postponement on the prelim, Joe.Joe
is dialing the phone.
JOE
Low-life, sleazy scumbags. Of course they want a postponement, I've
got a client with a terminal
disease. They're going to drag their heels every step of the way,
the rotten bastards.
(tapping on the window, to the PAINTERS)
Is that spelled right?
CONTINUOUS CUT TO:
EXTERIOR, JOE'S OFFICE BUILDING, WHERE PAINTERS ARE ADDING A new
question to the line of windows (DAY):
D I S C R I M I N A T E D A G A I N S T ?
JOE (VO)
Hey, Beckett. This is Miller.
CONTINUOUS CUT TO:
JOE'S VOICE COMES THROUGH, ON THE ANSWERING MACHINE IN Andrew and
Miguel's loft (INT./DAY)
JOE (VO) (CONT.)
I just wanted to tell you...
CAMERA DRIFTS THROUGH the loft, finding Andrew in the rooftop solarium,
sitting crosslegged in front of a candle.
JOE (VO) (CONT.)
... we're trying to set a date for the prelim. Hang in there.
Andrew's eyes are closed. Next to him rests a tape player. A WOMAN'S
VOICE IS HEARD, accompanied by NEW AGE MUSIC:
WOMAN'S VOICE
I can heal myself.
ANDREW
I can heal myself.
WOMAN'S VOICE
I can heal myself.
ANDREW
I can heal myself.
CUT TO:
ANDREW AND MIGUEL IN THEIR BEDROOM AT NIGHT, LYING CLOSE TO each
other in bed (INT./NIGHT) ...
MIGUEL
I was coming out of the gym today, and I ran into Jimmy. Do you
know what he asked me? "What's it like knowing your boyfriend's
going to die?"
ANDREW
Jerk... What did you say?
MIGUEL
I said, "Everyone's going to die, Jimmy. But Drew's not going
to die of AIDS. There's a cure around the corner, and he plans to
be around to take advantage of it."
Miguel strokes Andrew's hair.
ANDREW
You got that right, Mikey...
(beat)
You still believe that, don't you?
MIGUEL
Yes. I think it will be a simple solution. They'll put it in a syringe,
inject it into your bloodstream. It'll neutralize the virus. It'll
revitalize the immune system, and people with AIDS will become healthy
again.
HOLD ON MIGUEL AND ANDREW, ON THIS QUIET MOMENT.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN: ESTABLISHING, EXT. PHILADELPHIA COURT HOUSE
(DAY) ...
TITLE: "Three months later."
CUT TO:
A LONG CORRIDOR IN A CITY COURT BUILDING -- FAR DOWN THE corridor
TWO FIGURES WALK TOWARD CAMERA (INT./DAY) ...
The figures APPROACHING CAMERA are Andrew and Joe, stepping into
and out of sunlight falling through tall windows.
TITLE: "Pre-trial settlement conference."
REVERSE ANGLE -- DOWN AN OPPOSITE CORRIDOR:
A PHALANX OF LAWYERS -- at least ten -- APPROACHING CAMERA, a bulwark
of white shirts and dark ties.
ON ANDREW AND JOE:
Andrew's hair is short, but growing back, the blotches have receded,his
weight is up. He's in a stage of recovery.
ON THE OTHER LAWYERS:
Charles Wheeler (seeming ironic) and Walter Kenton (he's pissed)
lead the battalion.
Behind them, walk young lawyers BELINDA CONINE and JEROME GREEN.
Belinda is white, Jerome is black.
CUT TO:
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