Teri: I’m so glad it’s Saturday. I’ve worked so hard this week and it’s nice to have a day to spend with my family having fun.
Karl: Honey, it’s Friday.
Teri: It is?
Karl: Yes, it very much is. I believe you work today.
Teri: If it is actually Friday then yes, I work. I’m going to need to see confirmation, though. I’ve worked so hard this week, surely I can’t have another day of work ahead of me.
Velma: It’s Friday. I know because I’m currently working and have been for an hour!
Teri: How hard can you possibly work when you overhear every conversation we have?
Velma: My office is a few feet away from the dining room. It’s not that hard to hear. And I don’t want to hear about not working hard from the one who has to be at work in an hour and only just realized she has to work. Might be a good idea to get ready, don’t you think?
Teri: I’m going to, I just need to finish breakfast.
Karl: You finished breakfast ten minutes ago.
Teri: Don’t rat me out!
Teri gets up and walks to her room to get ready for work.
Cindy: Has anyone seen my son? He didn’t come home last night.
Betty: Cindy! What are you doing here? It’s noon!
Jerry: How does no one in this house know what day or time it is?
Cindy: I am running late, but not that late, mom. It’s seven o’clock.
Betty: Then why does my watch say noon?
Ralph: Because your watch is broken.
Cindy: I mean it, you guys. I haven’t seen Zeke since he went out yesterday at six.
Tammi: He’s probably at Amelia’s.
Cindy: I called her. She said he’s not there.
Tammi: That would be concerning if it wasn’t Zeke. He does this all the time.
Karl: I’ll help you look for him. I was going to get flowers for your mother’s garden but that can wait a few hours.
Betty: Find him fast. My garden looks horrible and the HOA ladies are making me feel bad about it. Anita sent me a letter yesterday saying our house “brings down the appeal of the neighborhood.”
Mitchell: Anita’s an ass.
Betty: Yes, but she’s right.
Frank: Even a broken clock…
Betty: Frank…
Frank: I know, “shut up.”
Betty: No, I was going to say how shocked I was that you actually said something that made sense for once.
Frank: You can still say it!
Betty: Nah. Moment’s passed.
The front door swings open.
Betty: Oh god, an intruder! Take Frank, the rest of us still have something to live for!
Frank: I thought we were getting somewhere!
Betty: Thought wrong. Now, let’s take cover before this guy kills us.
Cindy: It’s not an intruder. It’s just my son stumbling in from last night’s drinking binge. Where were you, Ezekiel?
Zeke: I was in the guest house.
Cindy: And you were there because…?
Zeke: I lost the key to the front door.
Cindy: Oh, great. Now we’ve got a key to our front door floating around out there at some bar in town.
Betty: I’ll have the locks changed!
Danielle: All those key copies to make… that’s gonna be a nice chunk of change.
Betty: I’d prefer to not be murdered in my sleep by a large drunken man.
Zeke: Why are you so upset? It’s not like I haven’t done this before.
Tammi: That’s what I said!
Cindy: That’s the problem. You do this all the time and I’m tired of having to work about where you are and what trouble you’re getting into.
Karl: Guys, I think this is a private conversation between Cindy and Zeke and Jerry. LEt’s step into somewhere private like… Velma’s office.
Velma: Come on in, not like I’m working or anything.
Danielle: I gotta get to work, I won’t be an intrusion at all. I just need to fill up my water bottle and I can go.
The family - save for Cindy, Zeke, Jerry and Danielle - shuffles into Velma’s office.
Cindy: This pattern can’t continue. You’re going to kill yourself. Drinking all day and night until you’re so drunk you can barely stand, let alone find a key to the house. That’s going to destroy your health.
Zeke: It will not!
Cindy: Can I tell you a story.
Jerry: Oh boy.
Cindy: My great uncle Henry, he was the sweetest man alive. Sadly, he had a severe drinking problem. At the age of seventy, he was so drunk but got behind the wheel of a car anyway. Ran down a newspaper boy and nearly killed him. He went to prison for ten years, he lost so much of his life. He became even more of an alcoholic once he got out and started trusting the wrong people because he needed money for booze. Next thing we know, he shows up at home beaten so badly we couldn't tell it was him. He was drunk, he got into a fight with one of these young punks he hung out with, and they beat him senseless. He survived that but it left him blind and with health issues and he died two years later, penniless, drunk, and alone. He lived out his days in your great grandparents’ basement because no one else would take him in. You want that to be you?
Zeke: No.
Cindy: Then wise the f*** up! You’re gonna die!
Danielle: Pardon me, just brushing through on my way to the door. Don’t mind me!
Zeke: I’m not going to die because I drink a few beers.
Cindy: No, drinking a few beers is what your father does every weekend when we have our family night. That’s not a problem. You drink a case a day. Rehab taught you nothing, did it?
Zeke: I got better
Cindy: Then you got worse.
Zeke: I can stop when I want.
Cindy: You’re an addict. This was all a mistake. Treating you with kid gloves, I never should’ve. You’re a grown man but I should’ve done more. I can’t bury you. Do you hear me?
Zeke: What?
Cindy: I can not be alive when you die. At this rate I will be and it’s going to kill me. The stress of it all, I will die. I saw what it did to my grandparents when they buried their son in his fifties because he drank himself to death. I saw what it did to his brother, who died two years later because the stress was too much to bear. I saw what it did to your grandmother, who’s still here but will always be missing pieces of her heart because of what happened. Get a hold of yourself. Now, I need to get to work and I’m already running late.
Cindy runs out of the house.
Zeke: Well, I guess I should go to Amelia’s. Mom’s not gonna want me around here for a while.
Jerry: I think that would be for the best.
In Velma’s office…
Velma: Are you guys done eavesdropping now? I have to work.
Tammi: Oh, as if you didn’t want to hear it yourself!
Velma: I did, but it’s over now, so get out.
Betty: She really dug into Zeke. I wasn’t expecting that.
Ralph: Don’t worry, for all that Cindy said, there was an equal amount of Jerry just standing there adding absolutely nothing.
Mitchell: You’re not wrong about that. What was going on there?
Jerry: My wife was exploding on our son and I didn’t want her to yell at me, too. My silence implied that I didn’t have a problem with what she said.
Betty: Jerry! We weren’t listening to you.
Jerry: I heard everything you said. You’re not quiet. None of you made any attempt to whisper and the door is as thin as paper.
Velma: I hope you all see why I can hear everything. What is this door made of?
Mitchell: We got it, Velma. We’ll get you a new door.
Velma: Yeah, sure. You’re gonna get me a new door.
Mitchell: Someone will.
Velma: That’s certainly more accurate.
Teri: What’s going on here? Why do you all look like you’re up to no good?
Jerry: They were.
Teri: What did I miss? This is why I take showers right when I get up. That way I don’t miss the action.
Tammi: Oh my god, I forgot to wake Steven up.
Teri: See, I’m not the only one that’s running behind today!
Frank: I need to get to work! Good luck with Steven, honey.
Teri: They might actually pay you more for not showing up. You should try it.
Frank runs out the door.
Teri: So is anyone going to tell me what happened here?
Jerry: It’s not really your business, is it? Or the business of anyone here.
Betty: Your sister got into an argument with Zeke because he didn’t come home last night.
Teri: Thank you, mom.
Jerry: You people…
Cindy is driving to work and calls her Vice Principal, Regina Horne.
Regina: Cindy, where are you? The office girls are getting real worried about you. It’s kinda driving me crazy. It’s the day of the big end-of-year assembly and they’re afraid you won’t make it in time.
Cindy: Regina, I’m running a bit late but I’m going to get there very soon. I’ll make it there by eight for the assembly, I promise.
Regina: Thank goodness. I don’t think I can do the assembly on my own.
Cindy: If I don’t make it in time for whatever reason, Peggy has all the materials you need for the assembly and she can take over for me.
Regina: I don’t want to rely on Peggy.
Cindy: Who does? But that’s what you can do if you must.
Regina: I’m surprised you’re running so late, you’re always right on time.
Cindy: I got into a big blowout with my son, it was awful.
Regina: Zeke?
Cindy: My one and only. He didn’t come home last night and I was terrified. It turned out he was just sleeping in our guest house, but it still makes me worry about his drinking. I need him to get under control.
Regina: I get it. My brother struggled with alcoholism for some time before he got it under control. It was terrifying for all of us.
Cindy: I don’t know why to do for him. We tried rehab and then the pandemic hit and we were able to watch him but since it cleared up last year, he started drinking again and he controlled it at first and it’s getting a lot w-
A car crashes into Cindy’s car and knocks it over.
One hour later…
Karl: Can I please… can you guys come in here?
Betty: Honey, what’s wrong? You look horrible all of the sudden.
Karl: Tammi! Velma! Get in here!
Velma: What’s going on?
Tammi: Grandpa, I hope this is important, I have a lot of work to do.
Velma: I… I don’t.
Mitchell: What a surprise.
Karl: Is everyone in here?
Betty: Should I call Teri and Cindy? This seems important.
Tammi: Frank isn’t important enough to call?
Betty: Obviously not.
Karl: I just got a phone call from the police.
Ralph: What did Teri do now?
Karl: Cindy was driving in to work and was t-boned by a van when she was driving through the Decatur Street intersection.
Tammi: What?
Betty: Oh my god! Karl, say it isn’t true. Say it isn’t!
Karl: I can’t, because it is true!
Ralph: How is she? Is she gonna make it?
Karl: I don’t know anything. They just said they were taking her to Richmond General. They can’t say anything else.
Betty: We need to go! Everyone, let’s go.
Tammi: I gotta call Frank. He needs to get Steven.
Ralph: I’ll call Teri and Danielle. They need to know.
Tammi: Dad, you’re not saying anything. Are you okay?
Jerry: I know God has a plan here for us, but I can’t see what it could possibly be and that terrifies me. I don’t know what to do and I don’t know what to say. I just need to be strong for you and for your mom and for your br- oh, god.
Tammi: What’s wrong?
Jerry: Your brother’s at Amelia’s, I have to go tell him.
Tammi: No, you’re not going to do that. This is all his fault.
Jerry: Tammi, don’t blame your brother. He wasn’t driving the car that hit her.
Tammi: She wouldn’t have been so late if it weren’t for him. She’d be at work, safe and sound.
Jerry: We’re not doing this now. Your mother was just in a car accident, we need to stay together.
Tammi: Fine, but this will be discussed later.
Jerry: I agree.
Mitchell: Jerry, I can go to Amelia’s. You shouldn’t have to do that in the middle of all of this.
Jerry: Thank you, I appreciate it.
Karl: So, can we get on our way to the hospital? We need to be there for her.
Ralph: Are you okay to drive?
Karl: I’ll be fine. I can’t be the only one to drive, though. We’ll never fit in one car. Who’ll drive the other car?
Velma: I can. Jerry doesn’t need to drive and neither does Tammi and neither does Betty. Mitchell’s driving scares me.
Mitchell: Thank you.
Jerry: Let’s go as soon as Mitchell gets Zeke. We need to get to the hospital right away.
30 minutes later…
Betty: Hi, nurse. My daughter Cindy Delacroix was in a car crash. I’ve been told that they brought her here.
Nurse Amy: What’s you name?
Jerry: She’s Betty Bellwood. I’m Cindy’s husband, Jerry Delacroix. We should both be listed as contacts.
Nurse Amy: I see you both right here.
Jerry: Can you tell us what’s going on with her?
Nurse: I’ll get Dr. Halliford.
Jerry: Thank you.
Five minutes later…
Dr. Halliford: I apologize for the wait. I understand that this is a very difficult time for your family and I rushed here as fast as I could.
Jerry: It’s no worry. Please, though, how is my wife doing?
Dr. Halliford: She’s in critical condition.
Betty: Oh god! Karl, hold me.
Dr. Halliford: She has a shattered pelvis and severe trauma to her head and neck. She’s in a medically induced coma. We had to do this to avoid any further damage to her brain. There’s already swelling present and we need to reduce that.
Tammi: Is my mom going to make it?
Dr. Halliford: I wish I could give a definitive answer but I can’t. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure she is okay. The first step will be further tests so we can look at treatment options.
Karl: Didn’t you already do a brain scan?
Dr. Halliford: We did a CT scan immediately but all that told us is that she has swelling, we’re going to use some other methods to fully see what injuries she sustained and then form a treatment plan.
Betty: Can we see her?
Dr. Halliford: You can in a few hours, after we finish tests, as long as she doesn’t need any emergency procedure.
Karl: Thank you for your help. We’ll be out here.
Dr. Halliford: I will immediately let you know if we have any updates.
Velma: I think I’m gonna go to the cafeteria and get some water. Does anyone need anything?
Jerry: I’d appreciate a water.
Velma: I’ll get one. Anyone else?
Betty: I have a few in my purse. I always carry them for emergencies
Ralph: You carry multiple waters in your purse in case of an emergency.
Betty: You never know! Look how it’s helping now. Because you questioned it, you can get one of Velma’s hospital waters.
Ralph: Better than a purse water with tissues and hard candy stuck to it.
Twenty minutes later…
Teri: Bozo the clown and I are finally here!
Frank: Could you cut it out with the insults on today of all days?
Tammi: How did you two get here together?
Teri: I pulled into the parking lot and almost ran him over! He was looking at the ground in the middle of the lot like an idiot. He almost forgot your son in the car. Enough about that, how is my sister?
Ralph: We don’t know much. They said she’s in critical condition and they put her in a medically-induced coma. That’s all we know.
Karl: The doctor said there’s swelling on her brain and she’s got a crushed pelvis and maybe other things, too. They’re doing sets right now.
Teri: Oh my god, that’s horrible!
Betty: Thankfully Velma brought us waters. I don’t know what they’ll do but she did it.
Velma: Just trying to help.
Teri: Can we see her?
Ralph: They’re doing tests, Teri.
Teri: I know, but can we see her? Will we be able to see her?
Jerry: Once they finish the tests, a few of us can go in at a time, as long as they don’t have to do any emergency operation.
Teri: How long are the tests going to take?
Betty: You know, you really should’ve been here when we were talking to the doctor about this.
Teri: I had to rush here from work!
Betty: No excuse.
Two hours later…
Dr. Halliford: Dr. Delacroix?
Jerry: Yes? Is something wrong?
Dr. Halliford: We’ve finished testing.
Jerry: What are the results?
Dr. Halliford: We won’t be doing any immediate tests. She remains in critical but stable condition and you can visit her now. Three at a time, please.
Jerry: Would you guys mind if I went in alone for a few minutes?
Betty: I wa-
Karl: No, go ahead.
Jerry: Thank you, Karl. I appreciate it.
Betty: Why’d you do that?
Karl: Betty, come on.
Dr. Halliford: I’ll escort you to her room, then.
Five minutes later, in Cindy’s room…
Dr. Halliford: Here she is. A nurse will be right outside if you need anything.
Dr. Halliford leaves.
Jerry: Goodness, Cindy. This is not where I expected us to be today. God, I know you’re listening and I know you have your plan, but I’m asking you to please watch over my wife and heal her. Let her stay with us, let her get better. I can’t lose her, and no one else in this family can, either. Work your miracles and let her get better, please.
To be continued…
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