Body of Proof Page #3

The Medical Examiner's Office of a major metropolitan city is

a world unto itself, with departments and staff to handle the

hundreds of autopsies of homicides, suicides and John Does,

as well as the more mundane functions like issuing death

certificates and the many other matters involved in

processing the dead.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 7.

The directory at the front desk lists Intake & Processing,

IT, Records, Storage, Examination Rooms and Laboratory, to

name a few, as well as the names and office numbers of the

Chief and Deputy MEs and a dozen other MEs and Assistant MEs.

This is the directory Megan blows right by as she returns to

the office. Administrative staff hustle and bustle but at

the sight of Megan they part like the Red Sea. Deferential

nods and mumbled "hello's" follow her down the hall towards

the Bullpen, a long row of ME offices....

....from out of which various MEs jump out and follow for a

few paces bending Megan's ear. We get immediately that Megan

is their go-to diagnostician.

ASSISTANT ME #1

Five year old boy choked to death

during a seizure but had no

hippocampal lesions.

MEGAN:

Check for Alexander disease.

Assistant ME #1 peels off and is replaced by -

ASSISTANT ME #2

Twenty three year old man,

jaundiced, anemia and liver failure

but no cirrhosis or history of

Hepatitis B or C.

MEGAN:

What are his copper levels?

A blank look. Assistant ME #2 has no idea. He peels off and

is replaced by -

DR. ELLIOT GROSS, age 33. He's boyish, geeky in an endearing *

way, and utterly non-threatening. Even Megan lightens up

around him, not in word so much as tone, like giving your

little brother a hard time. They walk side by side until --*

MEGAN:

What do you want?

ELLIOT:

Nothing.

MEGAN:

Oh.

A few more steps -

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 8.

ELLIOT:

But since you're asking, I got a

female, age 32, died in a sauna of

apparent heat stroke, but urine

came back normal for hydration.

MEGAN:

What are her electrolytes?

ELLIOT:

Um, they're these things in the

body that contain free ions -

Off her look -

ELLIOT:

Wait. I know. You're thinking *

hyponatremia?

MEGAN:

I'm thinking you should go now.

He does so. She watches him go with mild amusement, then *

walks into her office. *

INT. MEGAN'S OFFICE -MORNING

Megan walks in and closes the door. She drops her handbag,

sits down at her desk and takes a moment to decompress. Or

rather, try to. She holds her hands out in front of her,

inspecting them like they belonged to someone else, like they

were once trusted friends who have since betrayed her.

We take in the office. Multiple degrees and certifications.

Photographs of Megan with various dignitaries. These take a

back seat, however, to photographs of her daughter LACEY, age

12, as well as a photograph of Megan as a girl POSING WITH

HER FATHER IN FRONT OF A TOOL SHED IN THEIR BACKYARD.

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