The Lake House

You coming or not?

- All right, I'll get her to you right away. - Appreciate it.

- Hi. - Hi.

Dr. Klyczynski to ER, stat. Dr. Klyczynski to ER, stat.

- Hi, excuse me. - Yeah, just a minute, okay?

- Fill this out for me and wait over there. - No, I'm... I'm Dr. Forster.

I was told to report here.

You'll be covering 22 patients on rounds today, this floor and the next.

- Twenty-two? - Quiet morning.

If you get into trouble, beep me, but don't make it a habit.

The med students will help you out with scutwork.

What's he doing here? I ordered an MRI, stat.

- Transport said about four hours. - He could be dead in four hours.

Never mind. Dr. Forster, MRI.

- A right, two lefts, elevator to two. - Okay.

Follow the signs. Hustle back here for rounds.

Dr. Kly...

- Are you taking me somewhere? - I certainly hope so, sir.

- How are you feeling today? - Am..? Am I gonna make it?

Yes. Absolutely.

Alex!

I made my famous spinach pie. The trailer's nice and toasty.

I can't.

Look, it's really cold out here. Don't get sick on me or anything.

I never get sick.

So I heard you bought a house, and apparently I'm the last one to know.

I thought I mentioned that.

Wait.

Where?

Outside of town. Up the shore a little bit.

Up the shore? There's no houses...

Oh, God. You don't mean that thing with the stilts and the..?

- You all right? - Yeah. Are you crazy?

Why would you take that house, Alex?

It's made of glass. There's no privacy.

Mona?

Get yourself some boots.

Hey, Gonzalez!

- Four-thirty. - You lost?

- Yeah. - Takes a while to get your bearings.

- I'm Madhvi. - Kate Forster. Hi.

Oh, wrong floor. Where'd you do your residency?

Just a little community hospital up on the North Shore.

Dear new tenant, welcome to your new home.

As the previous tenant, let me say...

... I hope you'll like living here as much as I did.

I filed the change of address with the post office...

... but you know what a crapshoot that can be.

So if anything slips through, would you do me a favor and forward my mail?

I'd appreciate it. My new address is below.

Thanks in advance. P.S.:

"Sorry about the paw prints by the front door. They were there when I moved in.

Same with the box in the attic."

Paw prints? What the hell is she talking about?

Hey, baby girl. Hi. Hi. Hey.

Fix the light.

Get dog food, huh?

Get human food.

Hey. Hey.

Hey, come here.

Sixty degrees on Valentine's Day. Can't be Chicago.

The TV says it's global warming.

The icebergs start melting, water covers the Earth.

Thank God we won't live to see it.

What's this?

That's nothing. It's one of your father's.

- Dostoyevsky? - Oh, yeah.

It's about a guy who breaks the neck of a poor woman with an axe...

...and, so far, keeps wandering around regretting it.

This is good.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah. It's really good.

I'll meet you there.

What are you thinking?

My folks are coming into town.

Nothing.

When your father passed away, it was hard. It still is hard.

Holding his books, I feel like he's with me somehow.

Knowing that he was once on the same pages...

...reading the same words.

Oh, my God! Somebody call an ambulance!

We need an ambulance at Daley Plaza.

A man has been struck by a bus. Get an EMT crew here. Sir...

Get out the street. Get on the sidewalk.

- On the sidewalk. Off the street. - Sir?

Get on the sidewalk! Get on the sidewalk!

I'd like to get the foundation on number 17 dug today.

Look, I know you're kind of new around here, kid.

What?

I can't get to 17 until at least next week.

Come on, Mulhern. That's bullshit and you know it.

Take Clemens and Rodriguez off of roofing.

Jorge can run the backhoe they're not using on 14...

...and grab four or five of those other guys...

...who are doing nothing on seven and 10.

Paulie, Carlos, Frank, Danny, and what's-his-name, the tall guy?

- Rafael. - Rafael.

- Let's go. - Okay.

- Ready? - Yeah.

- Well, I need it to 10 and 11. - Hey!

Housekeeping ER to the Suture Room, please.

Housekeeping ER to the Suture Room.

- Hey. - Hi.

I heard about Daley Plaza.

EMT said you fought hard for the guy.

Yeah. Really knocked myself out.

Kate, I'm going to tell you what I tell every young doctor.

Hopefully, you'll be the first to listen.

On your day off, get as far away from this place as you can.

Go someplace where you feel most like yourself.

Dear Ms. Forster:

I got your note...

... and I'm afraid there must be some kind of misunderstanding.

As far as I know, the lake house has been empty for several years.

Maybe your note was intended for the Sandburg house down the shore...

"...since no one has lived in this house for years.

But I'm curious about the paw prints."

Dear Mr. Wyler, I'm very familiar with the Sandburg cottage...

... and I can guarantee I never lived there.

I'm old-fashioned, but I don't think a cottage should be over 6000 square feet.

So let me try again.

I used to live at the lake house, then I moved.

Now I live at 1620 North Racine in Chicago.

I'd appreciate it if you would forward my mail if you get any.

Oh, by the way, it's 2006.

Has been all year, ask anyone.

2006?

What does she mean, 2006?

God.

Oh, God.

- Good morning, Mr. Wyler. - Morning, Mr. Wyler.

- Morning, sir. - Morning, morning.

Hello, Mr. Wyler.

Mr. Wyler.

Sir.

Well, obviously, I derived my inspiration...

...for the metaphor of the fugue, the loop...

Yeah.

- Two hours of that shit. You kidding me? - What are you talking about?

- He didn't say a word. - Sadistic, bitter, bitter old man.

I think you're being a little overdramatic.

Where are you going?

Man, I love that place.

I can't believe that thing's still running.

Yep.

You look like shit.

I missed you too.

Hey, forget about him.

- Condos. - Riviera Estates.

- You're joking. - I don't believe this.

I come back after four years...

...and I get this in front of me. - What?

My brother thinking he's Frank Lloyd Whatever.

- Oh, come on. - Dad keeps you hostage...

...in that little mythmaking factory of his...

...while you haven't built so much as a phone booth or a hamster cage.

That's funny you say that, actually.

I have a hamster cage in mind. A development of them, actually.

Prefab, no foundations. What do you think about that?

See, that's what I'm talking about. You have vision.

Speaking of which...

...I'd like you to know I bought a house.

- Where? - On the lake.

A lake house. So you are making some money.

Well, it's a dump. Been abandoned for years, but...

So you got an abandoned, haunted lake hou...

That's as good a reason as any...

...for selling out and joining the flabby-developers' guild.

- How about this? I even got a dog. - You got a dog?

He just showed up at the house from out of nowhere.

- What are we doing here? - I have to deliver a letter.

It should be here. 1620 North Racine.

But...

...there's nothing here.

Are we meeting someone? Does somebody live here? What?

Yeah.

I thought so.

Should we ring the bell?

Dear Ms. Forster:

I went to 1620 North Racine, and it's not there.

It's just a construction site.

From the pictures it looks nice, but not for another 18 months.

What am I missing here?

Maybe you got the address wrong, because you got the date wrong too.

You really wanna play this game.

If you are truly in the year 2004...

...then...

...be forewarned.

Remember that day? You were not happy. Remember that?

I know.

Okay, my mystery correspondent, I get it.

Just in case you really are where and when you think you are...

... you'll need this.

There was a freak late snow that spring and everyone got sick.

So plenty of rest, lots of fluids. Doctor's orders.

Snow. Right.

Yeah, come to papa.

Jackie.

Jack.

Jack, come on. Come on, girl. Come on, come on. Jack.

"Impossible, I know. Not possible...