Play: 'One'

  Mackenzie Gilmore presents an extract for his new play, 'One':

We open on a soulless white box of a hospital room. There is a singular bed in the centre of the room, with a collection of chairs around the room and a monitor next to the bed. There is a male body in the bed, hooked up to the monitor with various wires. Mum, Dad, Brother, Sister, Wife and Mother in Law are in the room. Sister is crying quietly on Brother's shoulder, both sitting on chairs, Dad is pacing the room silently, and everyone else is sitting or standing in various places in the room. Everyone looks at each other, or the floor, or into space for some time. The awkwardness is prominent. The only sounds are the quiet crying of Sister and a steady beep of the monitor. A Doctor comes into the room clutching a clipboard, and everyone turns their heads towards him gratefully.

Doctor: Hello everyone. I hope the wait wasn’t too bad? (shaking of heads and general murmuring) Ok so, I will be the doctor on duty for this, and I hope I can get him operating as normal as soon as possible. Now, it’s been made aware to me that you’re all none the wiser as to what's actually happened to him? 

Dad: (still pacing) No idea. He just left, and we didn’t hear from him until you called us. You know it's JUST like him / to do this kind of thing,

Mum: Please can we just not do this right now? He’s in hospital for god’s sakes, leave the / poor boy alone!

Dad: (defensive) I’m just saying! He could afford to be a little more communicative sometimes, and I dont think it's wrong to / say that.

Mum: PLEASE! (with a sense of finality) Doctor. Accept my apologies, please carry on. 

Doctor: (clears throat nervously) Thank you. So, I thought first I would give you a little overview of what we have on our end, what we’ve been told and what we’ve figured out in the initial tests before you came here. (nodding from around the room) Patient was wheeled in by our ambulance crew at nine-fourty-two pm this evening, unresponsive, but still with a pulse. The ambulance crew told me that they had discovered the patient in his car, head against the dashboard, with his car crashed into a barrier by Monkswell Avenue. He told the paramedics that there had been a hit and run, before falling unconscious. After running some testing, we found that all his vital organs were ok, apart from his brain, which had suffered extreme trauma in the alleged hit and run. He has since not woken up, and our initial assessment is that he is in a coma. (gasps from Wife, Mother) We can’t be sure if he’ll wake up or not, it’s too early to tell, but I can assure you he is in good hands. (Sister throws up in a bin) Now there’s a lot of resources available if / you need them

Door banging from offstage. Father in Law enters the room in a rush, sees Boy in the bed, and gives a big sigh, before composing himself. He turns to the doctor, and shakes his hand.

Father in Law: Good evening doctor. I’m the Father in Law of this young man here (points at bed) and I hope you help us as much as you can with this (grasps for word) tragedy. (briefly smiles before sitting down) Sorry all! I was trying to park, it’s a circus out there, took me forever to find a space, that’s why I dropped this young lady off outside first. (patting Sister on the back gently) I’m so sorry we couldn’t find him before he got into this awful accident, we drove around for what felt like forever before we got the call from you guys, didn’t we? (Looks at Sister for encouragement, she ignores him and throws up again.) 

Doctor: (quickly) Well you guys sound like you’re about caught up with the situation, I’ll give you some time alone with him, I just need to confirm on my records the relation you all have to the patient so we can keep track of you when you come and go, if thats ok with everyone? (nodding) 

Doctor goes around the room, asking everyone, everyone responds, except Sister, still retching, Brother responds for her. Doctor then leaves the room, leaving everyone else to sit in silence again for a short time, before Mum speaks up.

Mother in Law: (turning to Father in Law) It’s ok dear, you weren’t to know what happened. And it was so kind of you to go with his sister to look for him after he stormed out. (under her breath) Personally I’m not so sure what all the fuss was about in the / first place.

Wife: Mum. Stop it. You’re embarrassing us.

Mum: (cutting in) Well anyway, what’s done is done, don’t worry about it, you’re here now.

Father in Law: What happened after we left?

Mum: Oh, um, nothing much, no. This one (pointing at Brother) was going to be leaving soon anyway so after it all happened he took off in his car, and, well, you know how he gets when it gets heated sometimes don't you, so (indicating to Dad) you decided to go on a bit of a drive, just to, clear your head, yes. (Silence) Well, I suppose we better start calling people? Let them know? (looks at Dad)

Brother: Mum, it's like nearly midnight people will be asleep or out doing stuff, it’s a bit late for that.

Mum: Well I don’t know I just feel like we ought to do something! (tearful) Honey, why don’t you start going through your phone? (Looking at Dad) 

Dad: Yes, alright, fine. (pulls out phone, dials) Hey m- yes, yes I’m fine. Hi mum, I just wanted to- yes. Yes, yeah yeah, mhm, look mum I need to tell you something. No he can’t, he- no he can’t come to the phone right now, no I know he’s your favourite grandson, but well, look sit down, it’s serious. He’s been in an accident. he’s in hospital. Well I was TRYING to tell you but- it doesn’t matter now anyway. Just thought I should let you know. He’s at St Orpheus hospital, room 22, if you want to come and see him. Yeah, nope, yes I will, mhm. Mhm- yes. (gestures to Brother to start talking) Oh mum- the doctor needs to talk to me (gesturing, giving brother the eye) no you can hear him mum it's just your hearing (Brother starts speaking noncommittally, ‘Hello sir…’ near the phone) Yeah sorry mum, bye. Bye. bye, bye. (hangs up)

Mother in Law: (passive-aggressive) And how is your mother? 

Dad: (through gritted teeth) Oh she’s grand, she is. Right, anyway, I’ll call your brother next (nodding at Mum, dials) Oh thank god, it’s answering machine- Yeah hi, hope you’re doing well. I was just calling to let you know there’s been an accident and our boy’s in hospital now. We thought we should just let you know. Well, have a good night, call me back. Bye. 

Sister: (tearfully) Shouldn’t someone like, call his friends and let them know? I would, like, wanna know if it was my friend?

Dad: Well yes maybe, but I don’t HAVE their numbers so how am I supposed to go and / do that?

Brother: I have a couple of their numbers from that camping trip? I’ll call them hold / on

Dad: Give your phone here, I’ll do it.

Brother: What? No! Hold on a second I’ll do it myself, it’s my / phone!

Dad: (volume rising) Stop being difficult and just give me the phone!

Mum: ALRIGHT! THAT IS ENOUGH FROM THE BOTH OF YOU! (snatches the phone from Brother’s hands) GET OUT!

Dad: (suddenly quieter) Honey, I know you’re upset, but I was just trying / to

Mum: (screaming) BOTH OF YOU GET OUT OF THIS ROOM NOW! (Brother and Dad trundle out of room slowly, still quietly arguing about who was right, exit) I DON'T CARE WHO CALLS HIS FRIENDS, JUST FIGURE IT OUT!’ 

She throws the phone offstage the same way the two men exited. Crack. Silence. Father in Law breaks the silence:

Father in Law: Well I could do with a tea I think. Who’s in?

Blackout.