Passion Fish

It’s all so strange.

All I remember is that I wasn’t happy.

Was I?

Scarlet--

You keep calling me that. Sounds like some other person.

Isn’t there anything that you can remember?

There is something.

It’s more like a dream

than anything that really happened.

I’m walking down a hallway.

It’s dark.

And it’s so quiet I can hear my footsteps echoing.

The hallway is very long. It seems never to end.

All the time I’m walking, I have this feeling

that when I reach the end of the hall,

I’ll find something.

It’s very frightening at first,

but if I can stand up to it and face it,

it could be something wonderful.

But I can’t remember my dreams.

That’s my close-up.

Maybe I just don’t want to.

He gave her my fucking close-up.

Is something wrong?

I thought that was the call button.

Do you know where you are?

Yeah. I’m in the fucking hospital.

I was here yesterday, wasn’t I?

You’ve been here for a while.

My legs... fell asleep.

I wanted to get up.

Do you know who you are?

She’s the one with the amnesia, not me.

Just help me sit up, all right?

You had surgery yesterday.

We put the rods on your spine. Do you remember?

I’m going to call Dr. Miles.

He’ll give you something to calm you down.

No, I don’t need to be calmed down.

I need to be helped up.

You did something to me, didn’t you?

You gave me a shot and my legs went to sleep.

-I’m going to call Dr. Miles. -No!

Just give me a straight fucking answer!

-What did you do to me? -I think he’s on the floor.

I’ll get Dr. Miles.

He’ll give you something to calm you down.

No. What happened to my legs?

Sometimes the medication makes it hard to remember.

What am I doing here?

What is wrong with me?

What is wrong with me?

It’s good to see you out of the hospital.

-How are you feeling? -Fine, Dr. Buckner.

Try to hold your position

without using your arms too much.

Okay. Now turn your head to the left, very slowly.

I’m right here. I’m not going to let you drown.

I knew there was a catch.

Look at Carlos.

He’s doing ten reps already with weights on his shoulders.

Carlos is a fucking monster. Carlos belongs in a circus.

You’re just as good a candidate for rehab as he is.

Right. Can you take me back to my room now?

-No. -My shoulders hurt.

Are you gonna make me stay here?

Go back to your room if you want.

-You know the way. - All right.

Let’s try a little weight on it.

If you had some upper body strength,

you wouldn’t have any trouble with that.

Fuck you!

Fuck you too, Carlos!

Who are you?

I’m Dr. Kline.

A shrink.

I’m a psychologist.

You got the voice.

Do I?

I was under analysis for seven years.

I see.

I’m going to ask you some questions about yourself.

You going to make me walk?

No, May-Alice.

You going to make it so I can pee

without sticking plastic inside me?

I’m not a urologist.

Then go peddle it somewhere else.

Okay, I want you to raise yourselves up on your elbows.

That’s it. Not too much side to side with the head.

Okay.

Now push your body back to where your elbows are

underneath your shoulders.

That’ll give you the leverage.

Hey, that’s really good, Chuck.

Okay, I want you to roll to the left.

Really slowly now, under control.

Go right to the supine elbows position.

Use your momentum.

Don’t lie back.

Okay, from the elbows, we extend the arms,

keeping balance.

Walk it up to a sitting position.

Wonderful.

Okay, leaning forward,

those of you with your legs still crossed...

I just want out of this fucking boot camp.

It’s like a fraternity here.

All these gang members shot in holdups,

motorcycle casualties, hang gliders.

I want to go home.

No. "Home" home, down there.

You’re my business manager.

You’re supposed to know about this stuff.

Square it with the insurance company

and get me out of here.

Scarlet.

We read all about your tragedy

in the Digest.

We were so shocked.

You’re one of our favorites.

Could you sign this?

Thank you so much.

You’re going to make a wonderful comeback.

I just know it.

Thank you very much.

Hold it there as long as you can.

Is that as much as you can do?

I don’t have any upper body strength.

We’re going to get you some.

Car accident.

Fucking taxicab. I was getting out of one,

another one comes along and sideswipes it.

Hit me, took the door right off.

Fucking kamikazes.

Don’t let me push this down.

I was going to have my legs waxed.

New York City.

It says you’re some kind of actress.

Some kind.

I was on daytime.

-"Daytime"? -Soap opera.

Some of my patients watch those.

Yeah, we always got lots of letters from shut-ins.

What brings you down to Louisiana?

I heard what a brilliant therapist you were.

Might not be New York City, but we do alright.

Can even get your legs waxed here, if you want.

I have a house here.

Vacation house?

No. I grew up here. Jeff Davis Parish.

Could’ve fooled me.

I spent a fortune losing my accent.

Okay, there’s two kinds of therapy

I’m going to work on with you.

One is to strengthen the muscles

you still have control over.

Keep your back lined up right, increase your range of motion.

The other is to promote circulation and tone

in the areas you’ve lost the use of.

I’m not the wheelchair Olympics type.

May-Alice, you’re a T-10 complete spinal lesion.

Whatever movement and sensation you’ve lost

because of that isn’t ever coming back.

But the rest of your body, the rest of your life,

it’s whatever you want to make it.

Right, Coach.

I don’t know what you were like before the accident.

You mean my premorbid personality?

Oh, you’ve been reading the literature.

You got a standing frame at this house?

My business manager said

he bought everything in the catalog.

Well, you have to use it.

I want you to stand one hour a day.

Sure.

If you’re going to be my patient--

Look, I know the whole routine, and I’m not buying into it.

I don’t want you coming to my house.

I don’t want your pep talks.

This visit is just something

that my business manager cooked up

with the insurance company.

Am I going to meet this guy, this business manager?

I’m out of business.

Mm-hm. No ramp.

No.

The house has not been prepared.

I figured we’ll sort of work our way into it.

An old house.

Not that old.

Old houses are dirty.

I had my business manager call to get it cleaned.

There should be a ramp.

That hurts.

You must be clean.

I’m clean enough.

It hurts.

You think this is pain?

At home I do 100 abortions.