La remise des diplômes approche à grands pas mais Bright n'a pas vraiment le moral car il n'ira pas à l'université. Et même si ses grands-parents sont revenus à Everwood uniquement pour l’événement, il a prit la décision de ne pas se rendre à la cérémonie. 
[Open on a big field. We see red and gold balloons and a big poster in those same colors that reads "Peak County High School Class of 2004!" and several teenagers walking around. Irv narrates.]
NARRATOR: There are certain milestones in our lives that give us the opportunity to reflect on where we've been and to look ahead to where we're going. If you're lucky, the looking ahead is as much fun as the looking back
[We land on Bright.]
NARRATOR: (CONT'D) But not everyone is lucky.
[A female teacher, who we know as Ms. Caleb in "Till Death Do Us Part", comes into the frame.]
MS. CALEB: OK, people. We're going to group up alphabetically. A to D, follow me over here.
[Bright absently follows Ms. Caleb as a male classmate, the Future Achiever, walks with him.]
FUTURE ACHIEVER: Hey. What's up?
BRIGHT: Hey, man. We, uh, never finished that game of, uh, Horse.
[They come to another male classmate, the Future Alcoholic and the three of them walk.]
FUTURE ACHIEVER: Yeah. Right.
BRIGHT: You can step to my house this summer. You know, any time this summer, I'll be there.
FUTURE ACHIEVER: Can't. Harvard beckons.
FUTURE ALCOHOLIC: Dude, my parents hooked me up one of those mini-fridges for my dorm room. [chuckles] It's going to hold one thing and one thing only: all beer, all the time.
[Future Alcoholic chuckles again.]
FUTURE ACHIEVER: So, uh, what are you doing next year, man?
BRIGHT: Uh, yeah, I haven't really, figured that out yet.
FUTURE ALCOHOLIC: Take care.
FUTURE ACHIEVER: Good luck.
[Bright's cell rings and the Future Achiever and the Future Alcoholic walk off.]
BRIGHT: Hello?
EPHRAM'S VOICE: Teaching you how to walk? That's sad, even for you.
BRIGHT: Aw man, where are you?
EPHRAM'S VOICE: Turn around.
[Bright does and chuckles. We see Ephram is the lone person in the stands. There is a big sign behind him that reads Congratulation Class of 2004.]
EPHRAM'S VOICE: (CONT'D) So how much longer? I thought we were going to have the whole city show up.
BRIGHT: Yeah, I would much rather stealing cars and running over pimps.
EPHRAM: Why? Is it that bad?
BRIGHT: Oh, I've read books funner than this. I mean, it's like I've known these guys my whole life and now, I don't have anything to say to them. Like they have anything to say to me.
EPHRAM: Well, for what it's worth, I mean, nobody talks to me either. It's actually kind of a good thing.
[On Bright.]
EPHRAM'S VOICE: (CONT'D) Less names to remember.
[Bright laughs. Back to Ephram.]
EPHRAM: (CONT'D) So you want me to stick around?
BRIGHT: Uh no. It's going to take forever. Save yourself.
EPHRAM: Well, alright. Remember it could be worse. You could be stuck here another year.
[They hang up. Ephram leaves. Someone hands Bright his red graduation cap and gown in a package. There is a label that reads "PCH / Your Future Awaits / Congrats Senior."]
NARRATOR: Sometimes in these moments of great promise and potential, we often wish we could simply stop time. To relish in those final moments of glory and to put off the future for just one more day.
[Off the rehearsal for graduation, we fade to opening credits.]
{END OF TEASER / OPENING CREDITS / COMMERCIAL BREAK}
{ACT ONE}
[Fade in – Brown kitchen – Dr. Douglas and Delia are sitting at the island and Dr. Brown is pouring Dr. Douglas coffee.]
DR. DOUGLAS: Keep pouring.
DR. BROWN: You sure?
DR. DOUGLAS: I'm having a tumor removed from my brain within a week. Now is not the time for temperates.
DR. BROWN: Well, we got a date with a demo radiologist for an MRI at noon, so we better get going.
DELIA: I thought your operation was next week.
DR. DOUGLAS: It is, but your dad has to do some tests on me. See what's going on up here.
DR. BROWN: OK, let's go, you [picking Delia up out of the stool] Nina's gonna be here any minute.
DELIA: I hope you do well on your test.
[Ephram walks in the kitchen and Delia leaves the kitchen.]
DR. DOUGLAS: Thanks, me too.
[Ephram hands Dr. Brown a permission slip.]
EPHRAM: Permission slip. I gotta get out of school tomorrow.
DR. BROWN: Right. Why is that again?
EPHRAM: Audition. Juilliard. Summer program. Processing anything?
DR. BROWN: Well, Dr. Douglas and I have a lot to do before the end of next week so I'm not sure I can go with you.
EPHRAM: That's fine. Quick trip. I don't need you there.
[Nina walks in the kitchen door.]
NINA: Hey. I thought you two were supposed to be on the road already.
DR. BROWN: Working on it. Working on it. OK, uh, coffee's ready and impressively unburned. Uh, Delia's dressed and getting her shoes on and you are a lifesaver.
[Dr. Brown kisses Nina on the cheek.]
NINA: Umm, coffee good, daughter dress, me wonderful. Check. Go.
[Dr. Brown and Dr. Douglas head out of the kitchen toward the front door.]
DR. BROWN: My phone is on if you need me.
[The front door shuts. Ephram sits on a stool with a muffin.]
NINA: Well, and there goes General Brown. So, how, uh, how is everything with you? No offense, but you look a little all over the place.
EPHRAM: No. All here.
NINA: Um, hmm. You still on Madison?
EPHRAM: No, Well, I mean, I-I-it's kinda like that but it's not that exactly. I-I-It's sorta like two things that shouldn't have anything to do with each other but kinda do.
NINA: OK, well, uh, let's back it up. A little less abstract, more names and verbs. Come on. I'm the only female perspective you've got for miles.
EPHRAM: All right, so the other day Bright told me that Amy might be interested in me.
NINA: Amy. Wow. How do you feel about that?
EPHRAM: Nah, I don't even know if it's true. Last week, Bright told me he saw Gwyneth Paltrow at Sal's.
NINA: Well, then I guess the first question is do you want it to be true?
EPHRAM: I don't know. I'm not over Madison. You know, I don't think I'm ready for all that relationship stuff again.
NINA: Well, then there's your answer.
EPHRAM: Yeah, but it's Amy.
[Cut to Regency Fidelity, Mr. Edward Ogawa's office – Dr. H. Abbott is sitting in front of Edward Ogawa at his desk.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: This entire situation is preposterous.
EDWARD: Well, I'm very sorry for your circumstances, Dr. Abbott, but we've reviewed your files and we don't feel comfortable keeping you on as one of our policy holders.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Well, you felt comfortable covering Abbott Medical for over fifty years. You certainly felt comfortable hiking my premiums to $50,000 last year, which I paid in full and on time.
EDWARD: I understand, but all underwriting sees is the potential for one former patient to come forward with AIDS and blame you for it. Responsible or not, we'd be looking at the threat of a 10-figure lawsuit.
DR. H. ABBOTT: We're talking in circles now. I-I think it's time that I have a word with your supervisor.
EDWARD: I am the supervisor.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Well, that's... That's fine. I'm more than happy to take my business elsewhere.
EDWARD: I'm afraid you'll find that you'll be very difficult being covered by anyone, given the circumstances.
[Dr. H. Abbott gets up and storms out of the office.]
[Cut to the cafeteria at Peak County High. Page, Susie and Amy are sitting at a table eating lunch.]
AMY: I still don't understand what the problem is.
SUSIE: It's not a problem; it's a dilemma. If I invite Josh to the party tomorrow night, I've guaranteed lake dates at his parent's cabin this summer; but if I invite Bryan I could scam a trip with him and his family to London.
PAGE: But Bryan has major acne.
SUSIE: True.
PAGE: Who are you bringing, Amy?
[Ephram walks up and Amy sees him.]
AMY: Ephram? Hey?
EPHRAM: Hey.
AMY: [to Susie] Schooch over. [to Ephram] Sit. How's it going?
[Ephram sits next to Amy.]
EPHRAM: It's, uh, going good.
AMY: Umm, so we were just talking about Page's part that she's having tomorrow night. Her parents rented this giant screen TV, so we're having a kind of end of the year, end of the world double feature – Armageddon, 28 Days Later – Ben Affleck, Zombies. Umm, so do you want to come?
EPHRAM: Uh, no, I-I can't. Thank you though.
AMY: You have a hot date or something?
EPHRAM: Yeah, with three uptight music critics from the Juilliard summer program sort of an audition thing, you know.
AMY: Wow, that sounds kinda huge.
EPHRAM: Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's all the way in Boulder so I won't get back 'til late. Plus, I gotta leave at the crack of dawn, nice bonus.
AMY: So your dad's not taking you?
EPHRAM: No, he can't. So, you know, it's just, uh, just me.
AMY: Hmm.
EPHRAM: Yeah.
[Everyone at the table is silent and Page is looking at Ephram and Amy.]
PAGE: Anyways, tick tock, party isn't planning itself.
EPHRAM: All right, well, I'll, uh, I'll let you guys get back to, uh... See you later.
[Ephram gets up to leave.]
AMY: Good luck tomorrow, Ephram.
EPHRAM: Thanks.
[Ephram walks away, leaving Amy sitting at the table with Page and Susie.]
[Cut to Abbott House. Bright is in the den watching TV and Dr. H. Abbott comes in the front door and walks into the den.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Busy day I say.
BRIGHT: Looking for those DeVry commercials. They're always on except for when you need 'em.
DR. H. ABBOTT: You're not going to DeVry, Bright. Now hop up, your grandparents should be here any minute, God help us all. [picking up Bright's crumpled graduation gown] What, you know, have to have this pressed before your big day. You don't want to pick up your diploma looking like a paper ball.
BRIGHT: Doesn't matter, 'cause I'm not going.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Not going where?
BRIGHT: To graduation.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Come again?
BRIGHT: Figure, I'll get my diploma in the mail. It's the same difference.
[Dr. H. Abbott sits down on the other couch facing Bright.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Listen to me. I understand that things haven't exactly gone the way you hoped, but this is a milestone – a truly momentous occasion. You don't want to look back and regret that you didn't go.
BRIGHT: Thanks, but I got the looking back and regretting thing down and I don't need an audience for it.
DR. H. ABBOTT: What about all the hard work you put in this year? You deserve to celebrate that and be celebrated for all your accomplishments.
[Bright gets up angry and stands at the edge of the den and the foyer.]
BRIGHT: What accomplishments? It took me 13 years to finish 12 grades, Dad. I failed. The end.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Look, I understand you're upset.
BRIGHT: I'm not upset. It's gonna be frikkin' embarrassing, because everybody there has all these plans and I have nothing.
DR. H. ABBOTT: You will, but for now, you're going and that's that. Trust me in five years, you'll thank me.
BRIGHT: No, I won't, because I'm not going.
[Rose walks in the front door with her parents and looks on at the shouting match.]
ROSE: We're home.
DR. H. ABBOTT: It's incredibly selfish of you.
BRIGHT: So what. I busted my ass for County. I took them to State three years in a row – football and basketball. What do they give me – a handshake and a stupid piece of paper. Man, they never did anything for me. Screw them.
DR. H. ABBOTT: All right, fine, forget them. Do it for us? Indulge us with a few hours of your life. Your grandparents have traveled all the way from Scottsdale to see you walk across that stage. Do it for your family.
BRIGHT: I have done plenty for this family this year already, OK. I got good grades when you told me not to bother and I kept my mouth shut when you ran Amy out of this house. For once, I'm gonna do what I wanna do, OK, so back off.
CAROL: Well, it's nice to see nothing's changed around here.
[Cut to Hospital. Radiologist, Dr. Douglas, and Dr. Brown are looking at the Cat-Scan images on the light wall.]
RADIOLOGIST: As you can see, the Meningioma has grown since we last looked at the films. It's starting to impinge on the motor strip of the parietal lobe which is gonna make the surgery that you are planning...
DR. DOUGLAS: Even riskier than before.
RADIOLOGIST: Afraid so. I'm sorry.
DR. BROWN: Call Dr. Adler down. I'm gonna need to see the schedule for the OR tomorrow and I'll also need a bipolar stimulator standing by so I can test speech functions during surgery.
[Radiologist starts to leave.]
DR. DOUGLAS: Cancel the stimulator.
[Radiologist stops and Dr. Brown turns toward Dr. Douglas in shock.]
DR. BROWN: Donald, if we go that deep into the lobe you know that I'm gonna need...
DR. DOUGLAS: We won't be going that deep. [to Radiologist] Cancel it.
RADIOLOGIST: Yes, sir.
[Radiologist leaves.]
DR. BROWN: What are you doing? You know that I can't do a complete resection unless I have the...
DR. DOUGLAS: Forget the resection. It's too late for that now.
DR. BROWN: No, it isn't.
DR. DOUGLAS: Yes, it is. You'll take out what you can and we'll treat the rest with radiation. Plan for the deboking tomorrow.
DR. BROWN: Donald, listen to me, if we leave any part behind you run the exact same risks as if we'd left the whole thing in there. If we take it all out now, the prognosis is for a full recovery.
DR. DOUGLAS: STOP TALKING TO ME LIKE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT”S GOING ON.
DR. BROWN: Donald, I was your student 20 years ago.
DR. DOUGLAS: I'm not gonna argue with you, Andy. You're rusty.
DR. BROWN: Granted I haven't performed in awhile, but that has nothing to do...
DR. DOUGALS: That poor boy was supposed to be here and look how that ended. Now do as I say. That's it.
[Dr. Douglas walks out of the room.]
{END OF ACT ONE / COMMERCIAL BREAK}
{ACT TWO}
[Fade in – Abbott kitchen – Dr. H. Abbott, Carol, and Herb are sitting at the table and Rose is fixing some breakfast.]
CAROL: What on earth is that noise?
ROSE: What noise?
CAROL; Oh, it's just Harold chewing.
[Bright walks in with his bookbag on.]
CAROL: There he is – my handsome grandson. Would you like some breakfast?
BRIGHT: [grabbing a bagel] No, I'm fine, Grandma. I got to get to school. Best place ever, right, Dad?
[Bright leaves for school.]
CAROL: It's such a shame. I heard on the news that most problems of kids today have to do with a poor male role model.
DR. H. ABBOTT: And on that note.
[Dr. H. Abbott gets up from the table and starts putting on his jacket to head out for the day.]
CAROL: Where are you going? I thought your office was closed because of insurance problems.
ROSE: Oh, goodness, I completely forgot to ask you about your meeting yesterday. How did it go? Is it all cleared up?
[Dr. H. Abbott looks at Carol and hesitates before looking back at Rose and answering.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: It is. They've reinstated my insurance. I'm back in business.
ROSE: Wonderful.
[Rose gives Dr. H. Abbott a kiss on the cheek.]
CAROL: Good, then this trip won't be a complete loss anyway. You can have a look at Herb's boils.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Beg your pardon.
HERBERT: Well, I got some boils, you know, they need takin' care of. Size of nickels.
CAROL: No sense in paying a real doctor to do something surely you can handle.
DR. H. ABBOTT: I-I'm afraid – am afraid I'm totally booked up. I have many, many patients today.
CAROL: You can't make time for your own family.
ROSE: I'm sure he can find 10 minutes in his schedule. Isn't that right, Harold?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Shall we say 11 o'clock?
CAROL: Actually, eleven's a little late.
ROSE: Eleven will be just fine.
[Cut to Brown kitchen. Nina is giving Ephram a cinnamon roll. Dr. Brown walks in scattered.]
DR. BROWN: Has anybody seen my, uh?
[Ephram throws his dad the car keys.]
DR. BROWN: Thanks. Oh, hey, Nina, you didn't have to do all this.
NINA: Oh, please, it's practically a ritual.
EPHRAM: All right, I'm out.
[Ephram gets up and leaves.]
DR. BROWN: Drive safe. Call me when you get there.
NINA: How about good luck?
DR. BROWN: [calling after Ephram] Oh, yeah. Good Luck.
NINA: You OK?
DR. BROWN: Not particularly, no.
[Dr. Brown sits down on a stool at the counter.]
NINA: I guess, uh, having to move up Dr. Douglas' surgery isn't a good thing.
DR. BROWN: The tumor grew.
NINA: Meningioma.
[Dr. Brown is shocked that she knew the term.]
NINA: I pay attention. Well, I know you haven't done this in awhile, but you're gonna be great.
DR. BROWN: Well, that's nice of you to say. It's too bad my arrogant ex-mentor doesn't seem to think so.
NINA: He's gone from super mentor to arrogant ex-mentor over night, that's impressive.
DR. BROWN: Well, I wasn't particularly fond of the way he talked to me yesterday. He completely disregarded my opinion and basically dictated the way I was going to perform the surgery.
NINA: How is his way different from yours?
DR. BROWN: One would lessen the threat of motor function deterioration and the other would mean a full recovery. Granted the-the second one would be a little bit more risky, but...
NINA: Let me guess. He went for the safer choice.
DR. BROWN: He doesn't trust me. He obviously has no confidence in my abilities as a surgeon – at least not any more.
[Nina walks around the counter and sits next to Dr. Brown.]
NINA: Andy, just think about it for a second. A mean in his early 70s going in for major surgery finds out that the surgery's even more major than he originally thought. For any other patient, you'd understand, he's scared.
DR. BROWN: He's not scared. Other patients might be but not him. He's too cocky to be scared. Trust me.
Nina: OK.
DR. BROWN: What?
NINA: Nothing. Just, you know the saying "don't drive angry". I'm thinking the same thing applies to neurosurgery.
[Dr. Brown gets up and goes around the counter.]
DR. BROWN: Well, I am angry. I mean, I've learned to accept the fact that there are things in life that I cant control, but this surgery is not one of them. If I can't make decisions in that O.R., if I'm not allowed to use my instincts then I'm-I'm already playing with a handicap. If he's not coming back the way he is now, then wh-what the hell am I doing it for?
NINA: Maybe he's not the only one who's scared.
[Cut to outside the Brown house. Ephram is loading stuff in his trunk and Amy walks up.]
EPHRAM: Hey. What are you...?
AMY: I brought Chupalupas, fruit rollups and nachos, I was gonna make a mixed tape, but I figured all you had in here was an 8-track.
EPHRAM: Well, I thought you have a big Apocalypse party.
AMY: Yeah, but I thought it would be kinda false to go to a party with a bunch of people I didn't talk to all year. Much prefer a road trip.
EPHRAM: So you want to come?
AMY: Uh, yeah, Umm. I-I mean, if-if you want me to. I thought – I thought you might want some company.
[Ephram starts to walk around to the driver's side of the car.]
EPHRAM: What flavor Chupalupas do you have?
AMY: We have options.
[They both get in the car.]
[Cut to Dr. H. Abbott's office. Dr. H. Abbott is paying some people to be patients.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Uh, Mr. Jensen, just sit. [to Thurman] Good, anywhere. There.
MR. JENSEN: If I'm gonna sit here all day, uh, pretend to be a patient, I'm gonna need more than this.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Well, this won't take all day, Mr. Jensen. I-I simply need you to pose while I take care of my father-in-law. Half hour tops.
[Thurman raises his hand while Dr. H. Abbott continues paying his fake patients.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Yes, Thurman.
THURMAN: I was jus-just wondering what exactly do I have? It would help me get into character.
DR. H. ABBOT: You-you-you have the flu.
[Thurman raises his hand again.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Yes, Thurman?
THURMAN: I already had the flu this season. Couldn't I have something a little- a little more exotic? Small pox maybe?
DR. H. ABBOTT: [to Thurman] Pneumonia. [to other patient] Sciatica. [to another patient] Abdominal Pain. [a third patient] Arthritis. [to Mr. Jensen] Incontinence.
[Herbert and Carol walk in.]
HERBERT: Well, I just... Take a look at this place, huh? Hasn't changed in years?
CAROL: No, it hasn't. Good thing you don't do the decorating at home. You should try to get one of those homosexuals from the TV to come in here and spruce the place up.
[Thurman coughs loudly.]
MR. JENSON: Twenty-eight minutes, Abbott.
CAROL: What does that mean?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Tha-That means that we are on an extremely tight schedule and I sincerely hate to keep my patients waiting so...
[Dr. H. Abbott rushes Herbert toward a patient room and Carol goes to sit down in the waiting room.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Aren-Aren't you coming in?
CAROL: I've seen the boils already. I'm not missing much, believe me.
[Carol goes to sit close to Thurman and he coughs loudly again, causing Carol to sit some place else. Dr. H. Abbott pushes Herbert toward an examining room.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Uh, it's to the left here.
[Cut to audition. Someone is playing a piece on the piano and Ephram is pacing nervously off to the side of the stage and Amy is squatting down watching Ephram.]
AMY: I'll tell you a joke. Uh, Bright told me this stupid joke about a camel the other day.
EPHRAM: You know what, let's just blow this off.
AMY: But you're up next.
EPHRAM: Yeah, I know, but it-it's going to be boring for you. I have no chance of getting in. IF we leave now, we could be on the second basket of curly fries before lunch.
AMY: No. No. No. I-I wanna hear you play.
EPHRAM: Yeah, I don't even wanna be here. And to-to tell you the truth my track record with this sort of thing not-not good – bad. I don't even know what I'm doing here.
AMY: [says a little louder] I do.
[Girls look at Amy and Ephram and go "sshh".]
AMY: [lower voice] Look, half of these kids that are here today are just good at playing the piano. Their parents told them so, their grandparents told them so. Umm, now they're trying to use that skill to get into some fancy college so that they don't have to go to science class any more. They're here to impress three old men who are gonna help them get into Juilliard, but that's not why you're here.
EPHRAM: What's that?
AMY: No, you don't need some stupid school to tell you what you're gonna do with your life. You already know. You're gonna play piano. It's your destiny, your fate or whatever you want to call it. So you don't get to decide when or if you play the piano; you just do, because it's who you are. That's why we're here today.
EPHRAM: So this is meant to be?
AMY: Yeah, I think so.
[Ephram and Amy look in each other's eyes.]
JULLIARD JUDGE: [off camera] Ephram Brown.
[Ephram and Amy still continue to stare at each other.]
JULLIARD JUDGE: [off camera] Ephram Brown.
[Ephram starts to walk out and Amy lets go of his hand.]
AMY: Good luck.
[Ephram goes on stage.]
[Cut to Dr. H. Abbott's office – Louise walks in.]
LOUISE: What are you all doing here?
CAROL: They're in a doctor's office, deary, they're here to see the doctor. Heh.
[Dr. H. Abbott and Herbert walk out of the examining room toward the waiting room.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Louise?
LOUISE: Dr. Abbott, I came by to water, Frida. She's our fichus. Did our insurance get reinstated?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Uh, yes. Yes, it did.
LOUISE: So why didn't you call me back into work?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Because I assumed you were still in Barbados.
LOUISE: Barbados?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Or Bermuda. Wherever it was that you chose to vacation this year. In any case, you've clearly returned early and with a lovely tan I might add.
LOUISE: I'm confused.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Of course, you are. It's the jet lag. Go home, get some rest. I will call you when I need you. Mr. Jenson, you're- you're up.
[Dr. H. Abbott tries to get Louise to leave.]
HERBERT: Well, uh, you know, thanks a lot, Harold. And, uh, look, w-we'll see you back at the house, OK?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Yes, can't wait, Herb. Goodbye, Carol.
[Herbert and Carol leave. Louise and Dr. H. Abbott are standing by the door.]
LOUISE: Do I really look tan to you?
[Dr. H. Abbott looks speechless after Louise's remark.]
[Cut to hospital. Dr. Douglas is sitting on his bed and Dr. Brown walks into his room.]
DR. DOUGLAS: I haven't watched this much television in a decade. All these new channels you hear about they don't seem to make much difference, do they?
DR. BROWN: Well, Delia likes Animal Planet. We got a couple hours 'til surgery, I thought maybe we could have a talk.
DR. DOUGLAS: Yeah, Y-you can spare me the pre-op pep rally speech, Andy. When you wake up, you're gonna have a dressing on the left side of your head and after the surgery, we're gonna do a base line post-op scan. Oh, yeah, I expect to see you on your feet within 80 hours to prevent any DVT, which is...
[Dr. Douglas starts to cough and Dr. Brown goes for some water. Dr. Douglas backs him away.]
DR. DOUGLAS: It's all right. It's all right. I'm fine. [drinks some water] What do you need? Want to talk about testing around the motor cortex again?
DR. BROWN: No, I've got it.
DR. DOUGLAS: Then you should get some rest. I know Adler says you'll be out in nine hours, but Adler's a putz.
DR. BROWN: You know I'm ready for this, Donald.
DR. DOUGLAS: Yeah, I know you are. Been over it a dozen times. You're as ready as you can be. Just stick to what I told you.
[Dr. Brown laughs.]
DR. DOUGLAS: Yeah, what's so funny?
DR. BROWN: You're talking to me the way I talk to Ephram. It's no wonder he's always slamming doors in my face.
DR. DOUGLAS: Yeah, well, I'm sorry. I know what we're up against and I'm a little past coutesy here. I mean, I-I have a tumor the size of an olive up there where my motor functions are. I mean, I can recite every damn base pair in the DNA. I-I can tell you every vessel that leads to the blood supply, but I can't – I can't do a damn thing to stop it.
[Dr. Brown sits in a chair in front of Dr. Douglas.]
DR. BROWN: Yes, you can, Donald. You have. You have had 20 years to make me into exactly the kind of doctor you want working on you in that room. Now, I know you don't think that I'm capable enough any more and you have every reason. I am out of practice. My last surgery failed and we lost Colin Hart.
DR. DOUGLAS: It's-it's not you, Andy. It's the odds.
DR. BROWN: Odds are something that the ordinary use as incentive or excuse. Does that sound familiar? I have forgotten nothing you taught me. Every adage, every insightful example, everything, it is all gonna be in that room.
DR. DOUGLAS: You wanna go for it?
DR. BROWN: I do.
DR. DOUGLAS: Get the scans. We'll go for the resection together. Just don't screw the damn thing up.
[Dr. Brown looks happy that Dr. Douglas agreed.]
{END OF ACT TWO / COMMERCIAL BREAK}
{ACT THREE}
[Open in Abbott's dining room. Dr. H. Abbott, Rose, Bright, Herbert and Carol are eating dinner.]
CAROL: Quite the busy little office down there today, Harold, - lots of crazies.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Well, it takes one to know.
[Rose gives him a glare.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: (CONT'D) Uh, good eye, Carol. You are a revelation to diagnostic medicine; it's true. Some of my patients do have mental health problems as well as physical ailments. It's par for the course. More scotch, Herb?
HERBERT: Well, I don't mind if I do.
[Dr. H. Abbott gets up to get more scotch.]
CAROL: It was quite a bit of unusual activity there today. Not just your patients, but your nurse coming back early from Barbados to simply water a fichus. It's a little strange.
ROSE: Louise in Barbados. Now there's an image. Where would you get an idea like that?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Oh, that.
ROSE: Harold?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Oh, it's-it's-it's not what you think.
ROSE: Well, why would you tell my mother that Louise was in Barbados?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Uh, because, uh, because it was the... It was the first thing that came into my mind.
ROSE: I don't understand.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Louise never went to Barbados and my patients were fictitious. I paid them to sit there in my waiting room so that you would all think that my office was still running when in fact, it is not.
ROSE: Why not?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Because Regency Fidelity refused to reinstate my insurance coverage.
ROSE: So you-you lied to me.
DR. H. ABBOTT: There was simply no reason to discuss it further. Not-not with Bright's graduation turning everyone upside down.
BRIGHT: Oh, don't try to pin this on me.
DR. H. ABBOTT: What I mean was that I-I saw no reason to add tension in the house.
ROSE: You can't practice without your insurance.
DR. H. ABBOTT: I'm well aware of that. It's, uh, it's a simple matter of finding another insurance company. And before you jump down my throat, I've already started calling other carriers; so far several seem promising, so I'm sure that-that one of them will be more than willing to take me on.
ROSE: And what if they won't? What then?
[Cut to outside audition building. Amy and Ephram are walking out of the building towards his car.]
AMY: I swear to God, I thought I was gonna throw up. I'm serious. I looked past those curtains and saw all those judges, I thought I was gonna puke.
EPHRAM: Well, that's so sweet. I never had a girl vomit for me before. Romantic.
[They laugh and stop at the car. Ephram hesitates opening the car.]
AMY: You forgot your keys in there or something?
EPHRAM: Why are we going home right now?
AMY: Is this a trick question?
EPHRAM: We're in an actual city. There's probably a million things to do and we're-we're just gonna drive back to Everwood, to do what?
AMY: We could go to Page's party. It's probably still going on.
EPHRAM: Yeah, but by the time we get there, Armageddon will be half over. The world will have exploded and no remaining pizza left.
AMY: This is true.
EPHRAM: Well, why don't we hang out? Yeah, we can celebrate my impending rejection with a fancy dinner. Check out the Boulder scene. Yeah, we haven't spent that much time together just the two of us.
[Amy hesitates in a response.]
EPHRAM: Aahh, never mind.
AMY: No, I would. I just... I don't have very much money, so we should just...
EPHRAM: Well, that's what emergency credit cards are for, right? [pulling a credit card out of his pocket] Shall we?
[Cut to the Hospital OR. Dr. Brown and Dr. Adler are performing the surgery.]
DR. ADLER: Have you found a good plain?
DR. BROWN: No. I'm not ready for dissection. The tumor's all over the middle cerebral artery. I'm gonna keep teasing and see where that gets us.
CIRCULATING NURSE: We're at the eleven-hour mark, Dr. Brown and Dr. Koehler is still waiting to take over.
DR. BROWN: We're almost there. Tell the doctor he can go home.
DR. ADLER: That's a mistake.
DR. BROWN: Excuse me.
DR. ADLER: We're not almost there. We have at least three hours to go maybe four. You should step out.
DR. BROWN: I've performed 16-hour surgeries on tougher cases. Fourteen hours isn't easy, but it's doable.
DR. ADLER: Doable when the hard part comes at the beginning of the surgery not at the end.
DR. BROWN: Nurse, please ask Dr. Koehler to step in.
DR. ADLER: Thank God.
DR. BROWN: He's to relieve Dr. Adler.
DR. ADLER: What?
DR. BROWN: Good night, Doctor. Go home. Get some sleep, you could use it.
[Cut to Abbott house. Bright walks in the front door and sees Dr. H. Abbott flipping channels quickly.]
BRIGHT: Little advice from a pro - - You wanna go slower, give it a 2 – second pause, flip – pause, flip – pause. Maximize your time without skipping the good stuff.
[Dr. H. Abbott flips a few more times, then turns the TV off. Bright lays down on the couch opposite his dad.]
BRIGHT: So you want me to go kill Grandma with ya? We could go to prison together.
[Dr. H. Abbott laughs and sighs.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: There's been an Abbott Medical Office in Everwood for over 50 years. I always thought that when it finally closed down it would be because I retired. Not because I had no choice in the matter.
BRIGHT: You're not getting shut down, Dad.
DR. H. ABBOTT: The fact is right now I am not allowed to distribute Band-Aids let alone write prescriptions. I can't find someone to insure me I have no practice. Truth is no one I spoke with today is willing to take me. I'm waiting on one more phone call but that doesn't come through – that's that.
BRIGHT: But you're a good doctor, Dad. You can't just give up like that.
DR. H. ABBOTT: I haven't given up, simply run out of options. There's a difference.
BRIGHT: OK, so worse case scenario, the office gets shut down. I mean, it's not like you're the kind of guy that's gonna sit around and watch cable the rest of your life. You'll figure something else out to do.
DR. H. ABBOTT: I'm a doctor. Doctors practice medicine.
BRIGHT: Yeah, I know that. But they also do other stuff – they teach. They help firefighters. Be a firefighter.
DR. H. ABBOTT: I appreciate what you're trying to do but Bright, this situation is beyond good advice and a sunny outlook.
BRIGHT: Oh, why, 'cause you're scared. Yeah, I get that, OK. I'm mastering in scary right now, but maybe this is the point, to have a chance to be scared. That's why I didn't want to go to graduation. I didn't want to be the only kid freaking out not knowing what I was going to do next. But now that I think about it, I'll also be the only one who's psyched to figure it out. Almost makes me want to go.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Go?
BRIGHT: To graduation.
DR. H. ABBOTT: What is this about?
BRIGHT: I don't know. Maybe I am clueless and don't have a plan, but so do a lot of people. Someone's got to represent.
[Cut to Boulder in a park. Amy and Ephram are finishing getting a charactiture of them made and start walking toward a gazebo.]
EPHRAM: Thank you. All right, this looks nothing like me. You look great, but I look like one of the kids on Hi and Lowest.
AMY: That's not true. I think you look cute for a cartoon character.
EPHRAM: Yeah, exactly.
AMY: Shut up. Don't keep fishing.
EPHRAM: No, you know, I-I actually had a good one of these done on Coney Island one time. My mom liked it so much she had it framed. Don't know where it is now, but it's better than this, I swear.
[Ephram is now leaning up against a pole at the entrance of the gazebo and Amy is leaning against the pole opposite him.]
AMY: I bet you can't wait to get back to New York, can you?
EPHRAM: Yeah, a little. I-I miss it. Be cool to spend the summer there.
AMY: What do you miss about it.
EPHRAM: I don't know, there's just something about being there, you know, the unpredictableness of it all. You never know what can happen to you when you're in New York.
AMY: Yeah, but that's true in Everwood too?
EPHRAM: What was the last thing that shocked you in Everwood?
AMY: Well, you. I mean, when you came to Everwood with your purple hair last year, that was pretty shocking.
[Amy sits on the banister of the gazebo and Ephram follows and sits next to her.]
EPHRAM: So my hair is the most shocking thing that's happened to you in the last 16 years. That's pretty sad.
[They laugh.]
EPHRAM: You know to tell you the truth, meeting you wasn't that shocking.
AMY: Thanks, that's sweet.
EPHRAM: Nah, I mean, I-it's pretty standard that I'd move to a town like Everwood and meet a girl like you. It's even more standard that I'd totally fall for that girl and she wouldn't like me back.
AMY: I didn't always not like you back.
EPHRAM: Yeah, When did you like me?
AMY: [hesitating] Now, I like you now.
EPHRAM: What do you mean?
AMY: [nervous] I mean I like you Ephram. I like you as more than a friend. I have for awhile now, I just didn't know how to tell you or if I should tell you because of everything that's happened lately. I like you, Ephram.
EPHRAM: Wow.
[Ephram gets up and looks into Amy's eyes and leans in to kiss her.]
AMY: Wait.
[Ephram pulls back.]
EPHRAM: What?
AMY: Nothing. Never mind.
[Ephram leans in again and Amy pulls away.]
AMY: It's just you didn't seem surprised.
EPHRAM: What are you talking about?
AMY: Well, I just told you that I like you which is, umm, pretty big news I think. I mean, not in a full of myself kind of way, just generally speaking big stuff, you know, and umm, you just smiled and tried to kiss me. You didn't even do your whole mumbling thing that you always do.
EPHRAM: Yeah, I mean, I-I... You... I knew. I said wow.
AMY: I know but it was a weird "wow". Did you know? Was I that obvious?
EPHRAM: No, you weren't. No, I mean, I kind of had an idea, but I didn't. You weren't obvious at all. You didn't do anything embarrassing, don't worry.
AMY: I'm not worried.
EPHRAM: OK.
AMY: Well, how did you know?
EPHRAM: Well, why does it matter?
AMY: Because something's going on right now and I can tell and now I fell all weird, which is exactly the opposite of how I want to feel at this particular moment so if you could just be honest with me.
EPHRAM: Well, Bright told me, OK? God, talk about ruining a moment.
AMY: Bright told you.
EPHRAM: Yes, he told me the whole thing. He told how, you know, you-you were gonna tell me at prom and-and then-then you didn't and you know, it's no big deal.
AMY: I can't believe this.
[Amy takes off out of the gazebo across the park and Ephram follows her.]
EPHRAM: Wait. Where-Where are you going? What-What's the problem? Where are you?
AMY: Go away, Ephram. I'm serious.
EPHRAM: Wait, are-are you crying?
AMY: Ephram, go away.
EPHRAM: No, I can't. I'm not gonna go away. I don't understand what's going on? Why are you crying?
[Amy stops in front of a fountain in the park and Ephram stops with her.]
AMY: Do you know how hard that was for me – to lay my heart on the line like that?
EPHRAM: Yeah, I think I do.
AMY: Well, maybe it's easy for you but it's not for me. I don't really like feeling this vulnerable but I told you because I trusted you and this whole time, this whole night you've been lying to me.
EPHRAM: I wasn't lying to you. I wasn't sure if it was true or not.
AMY: Oh, please. If all you cared about was whether or not it was true, you could've just asked me. Instead, you created this completely false moment this whole night, just how much of it was a manipulation – dinner, after dinner? Were you faking being nervous at the audition too?
EPHRAM: That's not how it happened.
AMY: Maybe you don't see it, but that is exactly what happened tonight and I am completely humiliated.
EPHRAM: I wasn't trying to humiliate you. I was trying to get you to tell me how you feel, why is that so wrong? I've told you a thousand times.
AMY: You told me because you wanted to, not because I tricked you into it by being all calculated.
EPHRAM: Oh. How many times have you lied to me? With my dad, with Colin, all last year? You knew that I would do anything for you. You didn't even have to ask so you didn't. You would just bat your eyelashes and cry on my shoulder you played me. Well, tonight I played you.
AMY: You know, Ephram, I thought we were ready but we are so obviously not.
EPHRAM: What are you talking about? Ready for what?
AMY: Every time we get close to being something more than friends, this is what happens, we play these mind games. We hurt each other. It is horrible how we hurt each other, Ephram.
EPHRAM: All right, so we can start over. All right, we –we treat each other better this time.
[Amy shakes her head "no".]
EPRHAM: Why? Why? Why not?
AMY: Because I don't want to anymore. I don't want to do this with you. I just want to go home.
[Amy takes off across the park toward the car. Ephram turns and watches her walk away.]
{END OF ACT THREE / COMMERCIAL BREAK}
{ACT FOUR}
[Fade in. We're at the hospital. Dr. Brown is sleeping in a bed next to Dr. Douglas in a bed. Dr. Douglas has a bandage around his head. A Nurse comes in.]
ICU NURSE: Dr. Brown?
[Dr. Brown jumps up, groggy.]
DR. BROWN: What is it? What happened?
ICU NURSE: You have a call at the nurses' station. It's your son.
DR. BROWN: Oh. Thank you.
[Dr. Brown gets up and looks at Dr. Douglas.]
ICU NURSE: His vital signs are stable. He's able to move all of his extremities and the post-op MRI look clean. Looks good.
[Dr. Brown smiles with satisfaction.]
[Cut to Brown house. Ephram is sitting at the table on phone.]
EPHRAM: I got great news.
[Dr. Brown is on the phone at the hospital.]
DR. BROWN: I thought you were gonna call me yesterday.
EPHRAM: Oh, yesterday was not so good.
[Cut to hospital. Dr. Brown is at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Oh, I'm sorry, Ephram. You can always audition again next year.
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram is on the phone.]
EPHRAM: No, the audition was awesome.
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Oh, but you just said that you...
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram gets up and starts pacing on the phone.]
EPHRAM: Yeah. Yeah, it was other stuff that wasn't good. But I got in, Dad. I'm going to Juilliard not for 4 years, just for the summer program.
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Oh, well, that's great. That's fantastic.
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram gets up and starts pacing on the phone.]
EPHRAM: Yeah, they said that I was the best they saw in Colorado at least. Will is gonna freak.
[Dr. Brown can be overheard on the phone.]
DR. BROWN: Have you told him yet?
EPHRAM: No, I-I wanted to tell you first. I thought that maybe when you got home tonight we could go online. Book a ticket.
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Well, do we have to do it this soon? I mean, when do you have to be in New York?
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram is still pacing on the phone.]
EPHRAM: I don't know, next week sometime. We can figure it out. Anyway, I should go call Will.
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Yeah, go ahead and congratulations, Ephram. I'm-I'm very proud of you.
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram is still pacing on the phone.]
EPHRAM: Hey, I-I, uh, I almost forgot to ask, uh, how was the surgery?
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Oh, it went well. Very well.
[Cut to back to Brown House. Ephram is still pacing on the phone.]
EPHRAM: Well, then I guess it's a great day in the history of the Browns.
[Cut back to Hospital. Dr. Brown is still on the phone at the nurses' station.]
DR. BROWN: Yes, I guess it is.
[Cut to the Abbott House. Dr. H. Abbott is in the foyer with a video camera recording everything.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Just in from Scottsdale, Grammy and Pop Pop always so delightful.
[Carol and Herbert walk by and wave at the video camera. Dr. H. Abbott walks over and videos Rose, Bright and Amy coming down the stairs.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Oh, here's Momma Rose looking just radiant and behind is the graduate himself looking quite dashing in his County colors.
BRIGHT: Do you hear that I look dashing?
AMY: Yeah, only because I told you how to put your hat on properly. He had it on sideways so it looked like a chucker hat.
BRIGHT: It's called style, little sister, maybe you should try it.
DR. H. ABBOTT: Yeah, all right, little sister, go get with your mother. I want to practice my two shot.
CAROL: For heaven's sake, Harold, at the rate you're going we'll be there in time for Amy's graduation.
[A knock on the door. It's Edna and Irv.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Who's that?
[Carol opens the door.]
CAROL: Oh, it's you.
[Edna and Irv walk in the foyer.]
EDNA: Hello, Carol. You remember my husband?
CAROL: How could I forget? How are you, Merv?
IRV: Just fine, Carol.
[Irv shakes Herbert's hand.]
ROSE: Lovely, everyone's here. Shall we go?
[Phone rings. Dr. H. Abbott answers it as everyone else walks out the front door.]
DR. H. ABBOTT: Abbott Residece. [listens] Yesh, this is he. [listens] Uh, huh. [listens] I see. [listens] I'm sure. I'm sure you noted prior to this that my record was impeccable. [listens] Yeah, well I, uh, understand. [listens] I'm sorry to hear that. [listens] Thank you.
[Dr. H. Abbott hangs up the phone and Rose comes back in the house.]
ROSE: Sweetheart, if we don't leave now, my mother's gonna drive herself.
[DR. H. Abbott looks at Rose somber.]
ROSE: Harold?
DR. H. ABBOTT: Come on, let's go watch our boy graduate.
[They walk out the house, hugging each other.]
[Cut to the Brown house. Nina is fixing bowls of ice cream for herself and Dr. Brown who is sitting at the counter.]
NINA: So, tell me everything. I want to hear all the gory details.
DR. BROWN: Not much to tell. Fourteen hours from open to close. Thirty-five point two millimeters of tumor fully resected and everybody calls me a genius.
NINA: You saved his life.
DR. BROWN: I saved his quality of life.
NINA: So why do you look like a guy who just got gum stuck in his hair?
DR. BROWN: Ephram got into the Juilliard program.
NINA: That's great.
[Dr. Brown doesn't look excited.]
NINA: That's not great? That's horrible.
[Nina goes around the counter and sits next to Dr. Brown.]
DR. BROWN: No. No. Of course, it's great. It's wonderful. He's gonna be spending 8 weeks in New York, living on his own, learning from the best musicians in the world, far away from Everwood, away from this family, from me. I know, the most selfish father in American history.
NINA: No, you're not.
DR. BROWN: Well, then what's wrong with me? Why aren't I happy for him?
NINA: You want my official diagnosis?
[Dr. Brown nods his head.]
NINA: You're exhibiting early signs of empty nest syndrome.
DR. BROWN: He's only gonna be gone for the summer.
NINA: His last summer before senior year. After which, he'll be leaving for four years, then for good and you're starting to see it.
DR. BROWN: Ya think so?
NINA: Oh, that's textbook. Everybody worries about their children growing past them, past their need for them, and you've got even more of a reason. Your son is gifted and his talent can even take him further away than most kids go – like it did with you.
DR. BROWN: Oh, great. These are the genes he inherits. He couldn't of just gotten my eyebrows.
NINA: Well, he's gonna go away eventually, Andy. All you can do is enjoy the time that you have with him now and make sure there's always a place that he'll want to come home to.
DR. BROWN: Thank you, Dr. Feeney.
NINA: You're welcome, Dr. Brown.
[Cut to Graduation Ceremony. Ephram is walking towards Amy, who is talking with Page and Susie.]
EPHRAM: Hey?
[Amy turns and sees Ephram.]
EPHRAM: Can I, uh, can I talk to you for a second?
AMY: Umm, it's about to start, Ephram.
EPHRAM: It'll just be a second. I swear.
AMY: We don't need to do this. I think we said everything we needed to say last night at least I did and whatever you need to say you don't have to. I'm sorry, you know, you're sorry so...
EPHRAM: I didn't come here to apologize. I came here to thank you.
AMY: For what?
EPHRAM: For helping me with my audition. I got in.
AMY: Really. That's awesome. When did you find out?
EPHRAM: Uh, this morning. They called. I'm off to New York next week.
AMY: Next week. That's-that's-that's really, uh, that's fantastic, Ephram.
EPHRAM: Thanks. But, you know, seriously, I couldn't have done it without you, so...
AMY: You're welcome.
EPHRAM: All right, so, you know, I'll see ya.
AMY: Yeah.
EPHRAM: All right.
[Ephram walks away and Amy is standing there upset from what she just was told.]
[Start of Graduation Ceremony. Principal Ackerman is at the podium.]
PRINCIPAL ACKERMAN: And now without further ado, I welcome you all to Peak County High's Graduation Ceremonies 2004.
[The crowd cheers.]
PRINCIPAL ACKERMAN: Please join me in congratulating the first graduate in his class: Harold Brighton Abbott.
[Cheers & Bright looks back at his family.]
PRINCIPAL ACKERMAN: Harold Brighton Abbott.
[Ephram stands and cheers as Bright walks up and gets his diploma. He stands there and lets Dr. H. Abbott video tape him. Dr. H. Abbott motions for Bright to move his tassel to the other side of his hat and Bright does so.]
NARRATOR: We're taught to remember only the significant moments – the rites of passage. In truth, the smallest steps that get us to these momentous occasions are just as significant. Looking back, we see it's not just the high points, but the low points that also define who we are and who we will become.
