Clare's Final Outline

[Clare Shin]

Clare Shin

Got Coffee?

Storyline A: A feisty obstetrician refers a pregnant patient with arrhythmia to Liza

Storyline B: Maude struggles with the US Medical Licensing Exam

Storyline C: Joe tries to figure out what’s got Liza so tired

Storyline D: Liza struggles with addictions to coffee, alcohol, and night life

TEASER:

– A pregnant woman waddles about the kitchen, shuffling from the stove to the cabinet. As she gets ready for breakfast, she suddenly becomes short of breath quickly escalating into what seems like pain. Her husband comes into the kitchen to find his wife nearly unconscious.

– An alarm clock flashes 9:00 am and begins to screech. The bedroom clearly belongs to a woman, messy but unfurnished in terms of personal items, eg. pictures, awards, etc. Not a homemaker. A figure is spread diagonally on the bed.
The woman emits a muffled groan. As she raises her head we see she is Liza, albeit with deep dark circles and smeared make-up she hadn’t erased from the previous day. She clutches her head, wincing.

– Maude is deeply immersed with her textbook. Notecards are strewn on a nearby table. Her cellphone rings twice, prompting her to reach across the table and take the batteries out.

ACT 1 

– Liza literally bumps into a petite harpy of a woman in a Starbucks line, ruining her doctor’s jacket

– Liza wearily enters the hospital with her coffee-stained clothes. She stops at the front desk and asks Juliet whether she has an extra shirt to spare.
Liza exits a hospital restroom wearing Juliet’s revealing low-cut shirt, and encounters Joe who notes that she looks tired and then: “And what…” He tears his eyes away from her cleavage. “What happened to your doctor’s coat?”
“There was a most -unpleasant- incident involving another party and a cup of coffee. Let’s leave it at that.”

– Staff room of heart department. Biskin is drinking out of a McCafe cup. Joe walks in and comments on a doctor consuming a McDonalds product, and that caffeine isn’t good for the heart. “Those studies are few and unfounded and I need the caffeine.” Joe gets to his true motive for seeking out Biskin and inquires about Liza and why she might be tired, alluding to her being overworked.
Biskin pulls a face. “She’s not on call like surgeons. Why should she be?” After a dull silence, Biskin asks, “That’s it? You came here and insulted my taste in coffee to inquire on Dr. Peck’s working conditions.” At Joe’s shrug, Biskin comments, “It’s nice to know you have your priorities straight.”

– Liza passes Mark, who also notes that she’s missing her coat.

– Maude shuffles through papers intently as she walks down the hallway. Bump sees her and greets her cheerfully before asking why she didn’t answer his calls. He’s cut short by Maude’s perfunctory “hey.” Undaunted, Bump continues, “Say, the second time I called, the voicemail came early. Are you – “
Biskin walks out from the staff room and sees Bump and gives his usual scolding and threat of firing him. Maude looks on unsympathetically before walking away.

– A secretary knocks and opens the door to Liza’s office. She too notes the absence of Liza’s doctor’s coat. “Well, I’m here to inform you that the Harpy has a surprise patient for you.” Liza is confused. “The Harpy; aka, Valerie Martinez.” The secretary gives Liza a meaningful look as she leaves. As the door swings open and closed, the petite woman who had bumped into Liza at Starbucks appears.

ACT 2

– Martinez gives a medical file to Liza and curtly informs her that a woman named Harriet Breamer would schedule an appointment with her shortly. When questioned why she came to give the file herself instead of leaving it to the hospital system, Martinez replies, “I wanted to see the new cardiologist myself, compare you to the one that left. Besides, I’m not ‘most doctors.’” Liza becomes grim when she finds out that Martinez is an obstetrician and her new patient is pregnant. 

– Cafeteria: Bump sits down next to Maude as she does her practice test. She glares at him when he can’t help but correct her. Maude makes a final decisive circle in her textbook and flips to the back, checking answers. Bump chatters away as Maude checks her multiple-choice answers. After she’s finished, almost half of them are wrong; she gives a muffled groan and slumps forward. Bump looks worried. “Is there anything I can do to help? I got the highest score of my class on the first 2 exams.”  Maude’s expression stiffens gets angry and she stomps away.

– Joe peeks into Liza’s office, and she’s there, staring at her referral patient’s file, closed and at an arm’s distance in front of her. He asks her to lunch but Liza declines in a roundabout way, prompting Joe to know something’s up and ask what’s wrong. Liza smiles and doesn’t say, but thanks him for looking out for her. Shrugging, Joe leaves, reminding Liza that she knows where to find him if she needs him. She returns to staring at the folder.

– As Liza’s attention returns to the folder, Biskin looks in, scowling. “Did you say anything to Dr. Nassar suggesting you have less-than-satisfactory work conditions, Dr. Peck?”
Liza looks bemused. “…No… Should I have?”
Eying her dark circles, Biskin states, “No. But I can see why he asked. You look like you’re in desperate need of coffee.”
Liza gives an admitting laugh. “Well, that I can’t deny. For the past few weeks, I haven’t been sleeping well.” They end up going to get coffee together. 

– Cups of coffee in front of them, Liza fills the silence by asking Biskin whether he’s ever performed cardiac surgery on a pregnant woman. Biskin answers, “Just once.” He hastily adds, “With no complications to the mother or the baby, I might add. Any reason for asking?” Liza casually explains how a doctor referred a pregnant patient to her that day. Biskin’s mouth forms an ‘oh’ and his face takes on a sympathetic expression. “Pregnant women are a pain. No offense to your general sex, of course.” Liza keeps a straight face. “Of course.”

– Liza enters her office, to resume her one-sided glaring match with the Harriet Breamer’s medical folder, interrupted by the secretary and one of her patients.

– Liza leaves the hospital and gets into her SUV. She throws her shirt and coffee-stained jacket onto the seat beside her; beneath it is Harriet Breamer’s medical file. She turns on navigation ‘latest locations’ and the words ‘Cloud 9’ pop up.

ACT 3

– 8 am the next day, Liza encounters Martinez again, who forces an unwilling Liza to buy a coffee for her and sit down to talk. Liza gets the idea to ask Martinez to refer her patient to another cardiologist. Martinez realizes that Liza is scared, but refuses to refer her patient to someone else. “See, even if I don’t trust you, I trust your experience. So unless you want to turn away an expecting couple…” Martinez trails off, but her smug face shows that she’s won the argument. “Thank you for the coffee, Dr. Peck.“ She stands up and leaves Starbucks, leaving Liza sitting alone.

– A disheartened Liza enters the hospital, and the secretary stops her and informs her that one Harriet Breamer had requested the earliest possible appointment. “There’s an open space because of tomorrow’s cancellation. Is it okay to give it to her?” Liza reluctantly agrees.

 

– Liza sits in her car in the hospital parking lot, with her patient’s file, a coffee, and a bottle of whiskey. Looking apprehensive, Liza reaches over for the file, rests it on the steering wheel. She hardens her resolve and takes a drink of liquid courage and opens the folder.

– In a ward, Bump is following Maude around, springing random test questions at her. Maude glares at him and refuses to answer. “Come on Maude. Work with me. I’m trying to help you.” Reluctantly, Maude answers, but forgets a key detail. Bump does all he can to coax/prompt out the detail, but Maude loses her temper with him. Biskin sees this and asks Bump what was the matter with Maude, who answers that she has a US Medical Licensing Exam coming up.

– The pregnant woman from the teaser signs in “Harriet Breamer” at the front desk. Beside her is her husband.

– They are sitting in Liza’s office. Liza smiles and assures the Breamers that chances are high that it’ll be harmless arrhythmia. “But I’ll schedule you guys for an echocardiogram today.”

– When the couple leaves, Liza massages her temples. “I need a coffee…”
“Are all the cardiologists in this department addicted to coffee?” Joe is at the door, which surprises Liza so much that she snaps at him.  She excuses herself to go get a cup of coffee.

– Joe, still standing outside Liza’s office, stops Biskin as he walks by. “Are you really sure that Liza’s not being overworked?”
Biskin rolls his eyes. “Dr. Peck was referred a new patient a few days ago. A pregnant patient." At Joe's blank face expression, Biskin clarifies, "And cardiologists don’t get many pregnancy cases.” He shrugs. “Well, with Dr. Peck’s experience, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Joe muses that the timeline doesn’t match, as Liza’s been tired for several weeks now.

– The echocardiogram results are on Liza’s desk and judging from her face expression, the results are not good.

ACT 4 

– The Breamers are back in Liza’s office and at the news of cardiac arrhythmia and the possible consequences – worst case, cardiac arrest –the husband gets angry and stands up. “What has this hospital done for us? We came regularly after Harriet’s pregnancy but you only discover this now!?” Liza tries to calm him down.

– Joe is talking to the couple in his office and Liza watches worriedly outside the window. Biskin asks Liza what happened, and she cites privilege and ‘patient confidentiality.’ After receiving the ‘don’t give me that bullshit’ look, Liza sighs. “The husband reacted badly to bad news.”
"Can you get any vaguer?"

– After Joe calms down the couple, Liza speaks with them just before they leave. “I advise you stay away from things containing caffeine until post-pregnancy.” The husband agrees exuberantly.

– Bump tries to take Maude’s mind off the test by playing a song for her. He asks whether she has any requests, but she says all she wants to hear is silence for her to study. Bump is now getting impatient with Maude, who has long been sick of his help.

– Joe, claiming to have had difficulty with the Breamers, asks Liza out for a drink. Liza readily agrees. Joe finally asks what’s got Liza so tired for the past few weeks. “Oh, just living a life.” Liza vaguely replies. “A tired one.” Joe corrects her. Liza chuckles that it’s quite the opposite and downs another beer, Joe starts to realize what she’s doing a poor job of hiding.

ACT 5

– Liza goes to confront Martinez and ask her why she didn’t send the Breamers to a cardiologist earlier. To her surprise, the fierce Martinez apologizes, saying she could give a thousand excuses, but when it got down to it, it was her fault for not forcing the Breamers to come into the office enough. “Even if it was their choice, it was neglect on my part.”

– Bump, angry with Maude for the day before, avoids her. Biskin, who is now aware that Maude’s test is the next day, tries to comfort Maude, who is too nervous to even snap back at her father.

– Liza and Martinez go out for drinks, and Martinez coaxes Liza to come out onto the dance floor.

– Maude spends an all-nighter with energy drinks and coffee over her US Medical Licensing Exam soon coming up.

– As Harriet bemoans her fate of no caffeine until the baby’s arrival, Mr. Breamer comforts his wife by giving her a cup of decaf coffee. She drops the coffee cup and clutches at her heart, alarming her husband.

– Harriet Breamer is rushed into the operation room. Mr. Breamer is protesting that she drank decaf. Martinez sharply informs him that even most “decaffeinated coffee” contains caffeine.

ACT 6

– Biskin and Bump work on Harriet’s cardiac arrest as Martinez and several nurses work on the baby.

– Meanwhile, Maude takes one last swig of coffee and walks into her exam room.

– Montages of Maude’s exam and the operation. After several close calls, Harriet and the baby are saved.

– Mr. Breamer holds his newborn baby as he, Liza, and Martinez look at Harriet put in an induced coma to recover.