EPISODE 3.



               INT. COUNTY GENERAL CITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER-- WAITING
               ROOM -- DAY.

               ESTEBAN emerges from behind the double doors and removes his
               mask. 

               ALL CHARACTERS are in the waiting room. They look expectantly
               at Esteban for news.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         He's going to be fine, everyone.

               Everyone expresses relief. Esteban pulls Faith aside:

                                   ESTEBAN
                         He's dead.

                                   FAITH
                             (gasps)

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I couldn't save him. He died. This
                         is the worst part of the job.

                                   FAITH
                         I'm so sorry.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         The hours are pretty bad, too. It
                         seems like I never leave this
                         place. 

                                   FAITH
                         I know what you mean.
                         But losing a patient, that's tough. 
                         My premiums are going to go through
                         the roof. This job sucks sometimes.

                                   FAITH
                         I know it's difficult. If it was
                         easy to be Chief Surgeon, everyone
                         would be.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I haven't slept in like 30 hours.
                         And the coffee here... I don't know
                         what I'd do without you, Faith.
                         You're my rock.
                         If I even thought for a moment that
                         you were untrue to me, I would go
                         to ridiculous lengths to find out
                         if it was true, and then hunt down
                         and punish everyone involved.

                                   FAITH
                         I feel the same way.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         What?

                                   FAITH
                         I feel the same way. 

                                   ESTEBAN
                         You seen a lame play?

                                   FAITH
                         No, I feel the same way.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         Oh. I thought that was odd grammar.
                         Seen a lame play. 

                                   FAITH
                         Who was it that died?

                                   ESTEBAN
                         What's his name, that gardener.
                         What was his name?

                                   FAITH
                         I don't remember...

               ALTERNATING SLOW ZOOM on Faith and Esteban, trying to
               remember the gardener's name.

               COMMERCIAL BREAK: Diapers! Detergents! Divorce Court!

               BACK FROM COMMERCIAL:

                                   FAITH
                         Juan? Julio? Armando?

                                   ESTEBAN
                         Ricardo! Armando?

                                   FAITH
                         I said Armando.

               VERANDA appears.

                                   VERANDA
                         Any word on Reynaldo?

                                   ESTEBAN
                             (psyched to remember)
                         Reynaldo! Del Soto! 
                         Yeah, he's dead.

                                   VERANDA
                         Oh my god no!

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I know, this is the worst part of
                         my job. 

                                   VERANDA
                         Someone should contact his family.

                                   ESTEBAN
                         Yeah, what was he... where was he
                         from? 

                                   VERANDA
                         South America, somewhere?

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I dunno. 

               KLAUS THE POLICE CHIEF appears.

                                   KLAUS
                         Did everyone hear that? This case
                         just got upgraded to a homicide.
                         I'm going to be looking at all of
                         you very closely. Whoever committed
                         this crime covered their tracks
                         very well. You'd all better hope
                         nothing happens to Vivian, because
                         if she dies the identity of her
                         attacker will probably die with
                         her. She's going to be lying
                         unconscious in that unguarded
                         hospital room, next door to the
                         narcotics closet, for the next
                         three days. So you'd all better be
                         on your best behavior, because I am
                         watching you, and if you so much as
                         breathe the wrong way, Deputy
                         Carlisle will call me at home and
                         ask me for further instructions. 

               SLOW ZOOM on ESTEBAN, anxious, with Faith:

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I've got to keep Vivian alive, no
                         matter what it takes. Her death
                         would be devastating. It would make
                         three just this week.

               QUICK FLASHBACKS: ESTEBAN LOSING PATIENTS

               Each time Esteban is standing over the patient, when the
               beeping machine indicates death with the long beep. Esteban
               reacts increasingly peevish with each death:

               1. A figure skater. Esteban: "No. No! NO!"

               2. Football referee. "That wasn't my fault. You saw it, he
               did it."

               3. Reynaldo the gardener, hands slathered in mustard. "Oh,
               come on! I don't know why I bother sometimes."

                                                               BACK TO:

                                   ESTEBAN
                         I forgot about that guy today, the
                         gardener. So Vivian makes four this
                         week. I'm totally off my game.
                         It would suck to lose another one,
                         I'm interviewing for Hospital
                         Administrator next week. I can't
                         let Vivian die!

                                   FAITH
                             (beside Esteban, hand on
                              shoulder)
                         Don't put too much pressure on
                         yourself. She'll be fine.

               FAITH'S cell phone rings. She quickly ducks away, opens it
               and on its screen, live video of SHADOWY MAN.

                                   SHADOW MAN
                         Agent Mockingbird, is the target
                         acquired?

               FAITH nervously shuts her phone, nervously looks around,
               EXITS.

                                                               OVER TO:

                                   ANASTASIA (V.O.)
                         Esteban is the perfect man. A
                         loving father, a devoted husband.
                         All I have to do is steal him. And
                         when I tell him I'm pregnant, it'll
                         be like taking candy from a baby.
                         He's the candy and Faith's, not the
                         baby, the baby will be the baby,
                         and Faith will be shit out of luck.

                                                                CUT TO:

                                   AMANDA
                         I can't imagine what you must be
                         feeling, but I'm sure that Vivian
                         will be fine, Rex. You shouldn't
                         worry.

                                   REX
                             (reading his Blackberry)
                         Vivian what now?

               PULL BACK to SANDRA facing the same way as Rex:

                                   SANDRA

               SLOW ZOOM ON:

                                   VERANDA
                         Vivian is the only thing standing
                         between me and my ex-husband. If
                         she wakes up all my plans are for
                         nothing. Though she does seem to be
                         a sound sleeper.

               FLASHBACK: VICTOR FUCKING VERANDA on Vivian's hospital bed to
               the rhythm of Vivian's beeping life support machine.

               SLOW ZOOM ON:

                                   VICTOR 
                         If my wife dies, I stand to lose
                         everything. What will the board
                         think when I'm a suspect in a
                         murder? But I can't stand her.
                         Jesus, what a bitch. She's
                         blackmailing me nine ways to
                         Sunday. 

               QUICK FLASHBACKS: VIVIAN holding up various items with which
               to blackmail Victor. Vivian's hair and makeup are different
               in each. Each time Victor pushes a silver briefcase across
               the table.

               1. Photographs. Vivian has a perm.

               2. A murder weapon. Vivian has a bob.

               3. A positive home pregnancy test. Vivian has a Rachel.

                                   VICTOR
                         The longer she's in that coma the
                         better off I'll be. 

               ESTEBAN ENTERS

                                   ESTEBAN
                         Great news! Vivian just woke up
                         from her coma. 

               REACTION SHOTS as music swells.

               ESTEBAN, determined;

               DEEP FOCUS TO ANASTASIA, over Esteban's shoulder, like she's
               gonna eat him;

               PAN TO FAITH, Happy, then noticing Anastasia

               VERANDA, coy

               SANDRA AND AMANDA: Sandra looking around at everyone else
               with concern, landing on Rex; Sandra, facing the other way,
               holds up a mirror to also see Rex;

               REX, around the corner behind a newspaper machine, looks
               nervous;

               JEFFREY stands into frame from kneeling position behind paper
               machine. 

               VICTOR, furrowing.

                                   VICTOR
                         Damn you, Vivian...

               SCENES FROM THE NEXT EPISODE

               END.