Misery Page #4

CUT TO:

PAUL. Motionless, dead pale. He has a little beard now. Eyes

barely open, he's shaking with fever.

PAUL:

(hardly able to whisper)

...where...am I...?

ANNIE is quickly by his side.

ANNIE:

(so gently)

Shhh...we're just outside Silver Creek.

PAUL:

How long...?

ANNIE:

You've been here two days. You're

gonna be okay.

(relieved)

My name is Annie Wilkes and I'm --

PAUL:

-- my number one fan.

And now the gibberish words make sense.

ANNIE:

That's right. I'm also a nurse. Here.

(Now, as she brings the

pills close)

Take these.

She helps him to swallow, as Paul's eyes close.

DISSOLVE TO:

AN EXTERIOR OF THE PLACE. It's a farmhouse -- we're in a desolate

area with mountains in the background.

THE HOUSE is set on a knoll so that Paul's room, although on the

first floor, is ten feet off the ground.

CUT TO:

PAUL, in the room. He's not on the I.V. anymore. His fever has

broken. Annie enters, pills in her hand.

ANNIE:

Here.

PAUL:

What are they...?

ANNIE:

They're called Novril -- they're for

your pain. (helps him take them)

ANNIE applies a cool rag to his forehead.

PAUL:

Shouldn't I be in a hospital?

ANNIE:

The blizzard was too strong. I couldn't

risk trying to get you there. I tried

calling, but the phone lines are down.

PAUL tries to test his left arm.

ANNIE:

(Gently, her fingers go

to his eyelids, close

them)

Now you mustn't tire yourself. You've

got to rest, you almost died.

CUT TO:

ANNIE:
CLOSE UP. Sometimes her face shows the most remarkable

compassion. It does now.

HOLD ON IT briefly.

DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE UP ON PILLS IN ANNIE'S HAND.

ANNIE (o-s)

Open wide.

CUT TO:

PAUL'S ROOM

He lies in bed. His fever is gone, but he's terribly weak.

CUT TO:

ANNIE. As she lays the pills on PAUL'S TONGUE, she gives him a

glass of water from the nearby bed table.

CUT TO:

PAUL, swallowing eagerly.

CUT TO:

ANNIE, watching him, sympathetically.

ANNIE:

Your legs just sing grand opera when

you move, don't they?

(Paul says nothing, but

his pain is clear)

It's not going to hurt forever, Paul,

I promise you.

PAUL:

Will I be able to walk?

ANNIE:

Of course you will. And your arm will

be fine, too. Your shoulder was

dislocated pretty badly, but I finally

popped it back in there.

(proudly)

But what I'm most proud of is the work

I did on those legs. Considering what

I had around the house, I don't think

there's a doctor who could have done

any better.

And now suddenly she flicks off the blankets, uncovering his body.

CUT TO:

PAUL, staring, stunned at the bottom half of his body as we

CUT TO:

PAUL'S LEGS. From the knees down he resembles an Egyptian mummy --

she's splinted them with slim steel rods that look like the

hacksawed remains of aluminum crutches and there's taping circling

around.

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