INT.

BEVERLY HOSPITAL 5 PM
PETER sits worriedly in the waiting room, face in his hands. EDWARD,
his younger brother, dashes through the doors of the hospital. Peter
spots Edward and runs to him, concern in his face.
EDWARD
(short of breath)
How is she? Is she doing okay?
PETER
Shes hanging in there. Just barely.
Edward lets out a deep breath and sits in a chair across from Peter.
Peter gives him an impatient look.
PETER
What the hell took you so long?
EDWARD
Its five in the afternoon. You know how bad traffic gets around this
time.
Peter snorts out sarcastically.
PETER
Traffic is the reason you werent here earlier? What do you have to
say about the other days? You havent been here all week.
EDWARD
(impatiently)
Peter, you know what my situation is like..
Peter scoffs.
PETER
Youre right, I know exactly what your situation is like.
Edward shifts violently in his seat.
EDWARD
What is that supposed to mean?
PETER
It means that it takes your own mother being on the brink of death for
you to put the needle and the drink down.
Edward reflexively gets up from his seat. He is repressing the impulse
to get violent.

EDWARD
Dont talk about what you dont know. You have no idea what its been
like for me.
Peter rises from his chair to face Edward. They are a few inches away
from each other.
PETER
Oh, here we go again playing the victim card. Edward, there is
nothing to justify what you do. The least you can do is own up to your
bullshit choices.
Edward begins to lose his temper, red rising to his face.
EDWARD
Not all of us have had it as easy as you.
PETER
Ha! You think my life has been easy?
EDWARD
Your life has always been easy, Peter. Easy and safe. Ever since we
were young. Fueled by praise, determined to maintain a pristine image
to others have you ever had a real problem besides the ones in your
math books?
PETER
You dont have an ounce of the mental and emotional endurance that I
have to have gone through what I did.
EDWARD
Oh yeah? Whats that? You got a B in a row of all As?
PETER
You know exactly what Im talking about.
Edward bursts out in frustration, his hands in the air.
EDWARD
You think that because you have an attraction towards men it
automatically means theres a crutch to your life?
PETER
You dont know what its been like
EDWARD
But I do know what its been like, Peter! I do know. Ive lived it.
Youve always been the favorite. Ive always come second to perfect,
pristine Peter. Do you know truly know what its been like for me? Do
you know what the other side is like? What its like to be the other
son?

PETER
You dont realize the privilege you have.
You dont appreciate the liberty you had to have always been yourself.
All this special praise and regard that you speak of could have been
gone in an instant the moment they knew about me.
EDWARD
Yes, but they didnt, didnt they? They lived their whole lives
idolizing you. The whole time knowing a diluted version of you. For
Gods sake, dad died not entirely knowing his the son he loved most.
Moms in a hospital bed and she still doesnt know. I should have gone
through with telling them that night.
PETER
And why didnt you?
EDWARD
I guess that goes to show the difference between you and I, Peter.
PETER
Oh, please. You think telling my parents all those times youd sneak
out of the house to get high with your pals was a bad thing? I was
looking out for you, dumbass.
EDWARD
Yeah, right. You always did it out of spite. You always did it with
intention. Youve always been about favoritism. Rat me out and keep me
where you want me second best to you. You wanted to always be
perfect in their eyes. Well congratulations, youve succeeded.
Edward claps his hands to his side in exhaustion and sits back in his
chair. He sighs and claps his face to his hands. Peter remains silent
and similarly walks back down to his own chair. There is a momentary
silence between the two of them. Peter breaks it.
PETER
Do you remember the night that dad died?
Edward removes his face from his hands but maintains his eyesight to
the floor.
EDWARD
Barely.
PETER
I remember it very clearly. I remember the repetitive, monotone
beeping of his monitor. I remember his labored breathing and all the
foreign wires attached to his body. And I remember the ugly flowers
aunt Anny left him at his bedside.
Edward chuckles.

PETER (cont.)
I remember you and mom had just left the room.
EDWARD
Yeah, he had asked to speak to you privately.
Edward gives a quick glance at Peter and then rolls his eye, focusing
on the ceiling. Peter maintains his focus on him.
PETER
Do you know what he said to me?
EDWARD
(distant)
What?
PETER
He said he knew he was going. And that he was so happy to have all
three of us with him. He wanted nothing more than for all of us to be
together before he left. He then started talking about you.
Edward diverts his sight from the ceiling and meets Peters glance.
EDWARD
What did he say?
PETER
He said one of his biggest regrets was not having listened to you. All
he ever did was talk, talk and talk. Always talked over you. But he
never got to listen.
Edward begins to develop tears at his eyes.
PETER (cont.)
He asked something of me. He asked for me to do for him what he was
never able to do. To listen to you. He asked me to look over you
because he did not want you to stray down a road from where there was
no salvation.
Both brothers begin to cry. Peter gets up and walks to grab a tissue
box from the receptionists front desk. He walks back to Edward,
handing him a tissue then goes to sit in the chair. Edward giggles
lightly.
EDWARD
You always had a way with your words, Peter.
PETER
Those werent just words. That was the truth.
EDWARD
I know. Thank you for that.

A NURSE coming hurriedly down the hallway approaches them with a

binder in her hand.
NURSE
Family of Mrs. Martinez?
Both Edward and Peter simultaneously answer yes.
NURSE
The doctor has asked to see you to speak about the conclusion of Mrs.
Martinezs condition. If you could please follow me down this way.
Edward and Peter rise from their chairs and follow the nurse to a door
nearby. The DOCTOR sits by his desk, examining paperwork. He motions
Edward and Peter to take a seat.
DOCTOR
Mrs. Martinez is in critical condition. It pains me to tell you that I
do not see her making it past the night.
Edward sinks lower into his chair, turning to the window at his left.
Peter