A Short Screenplay

INT. PRISON - THERAPIST OFFICE - DAY

DR. HILLCROFT, 50, sits in her chair with a notepad and pen in her hands and looks at her patient, Lindsay Morgan.

DR. HILLCROFT

Tell me what happened to you on May 29th

LINDSAY MORGAN, 24, lays on a couch with her eyes closed in a hypnosis trance

LINDSAY

It's a cold night. There are girls dressed only in a bra and a skirt that was much too short

DR. HILLCROFT

Skip that part and tell me what happened after you walked to your car.

LINDSAY

My keys fall onto the ground from my hands shaking from the cold. Then everything goes dark.

Lindsay hyperventilates and starts writhing around on the couch she's lying on.

LINDSAY

No... no... Let go of me!

Dr. Hillcroft looks at Lindsay spasmodically and puts her notepad and pen down on her lap.

DR. HILLCROFT

Okay, time to come out. Count backward from ten.

Lindsay counts backward from ten, and then she comes out of the hypnosis trance.

Dr. Hillcroft jots some notes into her notepad and looks up at Lindsay afterward.

DR. HILLCROFT

We got further this time than last time.

Something happened toward the end. Can you explain it?

Lindsay looks at Dr. Hillcroft dumbfounded.

LINDSAY

No... I can't. I can't remember anything past that, hence why I am here.

Dr. Hillcroft continues to write in her notepad while pursuing her lips.

DR. HILLCROFT

I am just trying to help. You were screaming for someone to get off of you. Does that ring any bells?

Lindsay runs her hand through her long black hair and sighs, stomping to the door and rapping on it with her fist hard.

DR. HILLCROFT

I guess that's all for today, I'll see you next week.

EXT. PRISON - HALLWAY - DAY

A prison guard opens the door and grabs Lindsay by the arm roughly, then starts walking her in the opposite direction of her jail cell.

Lindsay looks around, confused

LINDSAY

Where are we going?

PRISON GUARD

You have a visitor.

The prison guard looks straight ahead as he leads Lindsay away.

INT. PRISON - VISITOR ROOM - DAY

Lindsay sits across from her lawyer, Mrs. Monroe, and the detective, Mr. Stoll.

MRS. MONROE, 40, closes her file folder and looks up at Lindsay with a smile.

MRS. MONROE

How has therapy been, any breakthroughs?

LINDSAY

I want a new therapist; I am tired of that tedious, unsightly woman always judging me.

Mrs. Monroe and Mr. Stoll both look at each other

MR. STOLL, 45, clasps his hands together and looks at Lindsay

MR. STOLL

What happened?

LINDSAY

I can see it in her eyes and her body language that she does not believe I'm innocent.

Mrs. Monroe sighs

MRS. MONROE

I'm sorry you feel that way. You should have someone on your side

MR. STOLL

There isn't enough time to change therapists, I'm sorry.

Lindsay rolls her eyes, fiddling with her fingers on the table.

MR. STOLL

Do you remember anything from your hypnosis therapy sessions?

Lindsay sighs and closes her eyes, rubbing her fingers on each side of her temples.

LINDSAY

I don't know, every time we discover something new, it becomes more confusing.

MR. STOLL

How so?

LINDSAY

I only remember things inside the hypnosis trance. Once I'm out, everything I once remembered becomes scrabbled all over in my head.

Mr. Stoll runs his hands through his hair

MR. STOLL

So these sessions aren't working?

LINDSAY

Honestly, you are better off asking Mrs. Hillcroft, she scribbles everything into her notepad.

Lindsay looks at her lawyer, Mrs. Monroe

LINDSAY

Any word on the baby?

MRS. MONROE

Hillary has temporary custody of the baby until we can prove you are innocent

RANDOM GUARD

Okay, times up! Say your goodbyes.

Mrs. Monroe stands up with Mr. Stoll, grabs her folder, and says goodbye to Lindsay.

MR. STOLL

I'll talk to Mrs. Hillcroft and see what she says about your sessions. I have to solve this case soon.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - CELL - NIGHT

Lindsay lays on her cot with her hands under her head, looking at the ceiling, and then she starts to drift.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD - DOLBY THEATRE - DAY (FLASHBACK)

Lindsay staggers on the sidewalk where the red carpet is being held.

Famous stranger 1 looks past the crowd of other celebrities and watches a young beat up looking girl staggering as she walks with blood dripping down her legs.

Famous Stranger 2 turns around as people around her start gasping. She watches a girl with messy knotted black hair clutching a baby to her chest.

FAMOUS STRANGER 1

Quickly go get a guard and have him call 911 immediately!

Famous Stranger 1 goes over the red carpet line and stops the battered woman.

Lindsay feels hands on her and instantly cowards away but starts to fall as she has no more strength in her legs.

Famous Stranger 1 catches her and the baby she is protectively holding.

FAMOUS STRANGER 1

Woah, it's okay. We have help on the way.

Famous Stranger 2 joins famous stranger 1 on the sidewalk

FAMOUS STRANGER 2

Oh my God, is she okay?

FAMOUS STRANGER 1

Probably not, but she is breathing.

Random Guard comes out and walks onto the sidewalk, speaking into the phone.

RANDOM GUARD

Yes, I'm standing near a battered unconscious woman. She has an infant baby.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)

Lindsay wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom. She looks around to find she is hooked up to a machine that reads her heartbeat.

HILLARY (Famous Stranger 2) sits on a chair across from where Lindsay is laying down, feeding a baby.

Lindsay notices Hillary and starts to panic

HILLARY

It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm only here to help you get back on your feet. Cops are here to talk to you as well.

Lindsay looks at Hillary confused.

LINDSAY

Who are you and where am I?

Hillary burps the baby and rocks her afterward.

HILLARY

My name is Hillary, and you are in my house.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - CELL - NIGHT

Lindsay opens her eyes in shock.

Lindsay drifts off to sleep and starts to dream

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT (DREAM)

Lindsay sits on the carpeted floor, face swollen and bruised, watching another woman give birth.

A PREGNANT woman pushes her baby out, picks the baby up and holds her in her arms, and looks at her with so much love.

Lindsay watches the woman smile at her baby, then she watches as the woman goes still and stares unblinkingly at the baby. Lindsay closes her eyes and cries for the loss that little girl will feel throughout her life.

CUT TO:

EXT. BACKYARD - DAY (DREAM)

A younger Lindsay plays on a swing set when she watches a bird get shot and fall to the ground. Lindsay stands up and walks over to the bird. She inspects the bird's injury to find a gunshot in its left wing.

Lindsay's mom comes outside with a white apron on and wipes her hands on a white cloth as she squints ahead, looking for her daughter.

LINDSAY'S MOM

Lindsay honey, where are you?!

Lindsay picks up the bird and runs towards her mom's voice.

LINDSAY

Mommy, this bird got shot. We need to help it!

LINDSAY'S MOM

Oh honey, I don't think we can.

LINDSAY

Please, Mama, the wing took the damage. We have to try.

Lindsay starts to cry for the injured bird.

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE - NIGHT (DREAM)

Lindsay runs for her life, with torn clothes and no shoes on, with a bloody baby held tightly against her chest.

CUT TO:

INT. PRISON - TELEVISION ROOM - DAY

Lindsay joins everyone to watch the news

NEWS LADY speaks into her microphone, staring into the camera

NEWS LADY

Good morning Rhode Island, it's 8:20 A.M. Saturday, October 15th. I am Victoria Gomez here today with new evidence proving that Lindsay Morgan killed a woman and stole her infant baby

Lindsay's ears drown out the rest of the news as everyone turns to look at her.

LINDSAY

This can't be happening.