Is There A Doctor In The House?

Hey there, crime kids. Happy Friday. It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where your most violent fantasies become sins of the flesh, right here, where the hardboiled action is non-stop, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 19 of LITTLE GIRL BLUE, private eye Carrie Love's mother's house is under seige on Christmas Eve in Beverly Hills during a freak snow storm. Upstairs, Carrie and her ex-husband, homicide cop Bernie Keko shoot it out with a pair of goons hiding in Carrie's childhood bedroom. Meanwhile, downstairs, Carrie's mother Margo has another stroke ... and Carrie's stepmother Eva comes up with a most unusual treatment ...


INT. MARGO'S MANSION - UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Eva pokes her head out of the door.

EVA
The shooting stopped.

CARRIE
They’ve barricaded themselves IN there.

Go down and tell everyone what’s going on.
Make sure my mom’s okay,
then come back up and join us.
This isn’t over yet.

EVA
Will do.

She dashes toward the stairs.

BERNIE
So what do we do now?

CARRIE
We wait them out. Come up with a plan.
(thinks)
Oh shit, I just remembered.

BERNIE
What?

CARRIE
The connecting bathroom.

BERNIE
Shit, that’s right. Between your room --

CARRIE
And the guest room, yeah.
The scene of our crimes.
Come on, let’s go check it out.

IN THE STUDY
The door opens. Layla SHOOTS in.
Closes it behind her.

SETH
Are you okay?

LAYLA
I stayed in the bathroom.

BLUE
It’s quiet now. Maybe they got them.

SETH
NO --

BLUE
I meant maybe Carrie and Bernie got THEM.

The door OPENS. In comes Eva.

EVA
It’s okay, everyone.
Carrie and Bernie have the bad men trapped in her room.

SETH
She DOES?

BLUE
Holy SHIT.

Margo opens her eyes, groggy. Looks at Eva.

EVA
(brightly)
Margo. How are you feeling?

MARGO
What the fuck are you doing with my rifle?

INT. CARRIE’S BEDROOM - AT THAT MOMENT
Aldo helps Mick tie a tourniquet around his leg. TIGHT.

MICK
So what now.

ALDO
There’s another door. Let’s check it out.

MICK
But boss said to sit tight.

ALDO
And if he told you to jump off a bridge, would you?

MICK
Fuck you. At least we’re warm. I say we stay here.

ALDO
My point IS, dummy -- that if there’s another door,
they could come IN.

MICK
Oh. Right.

SPLIT SCREEN WITH:

IN THE ADJOINING ROOM
Carrie and Bernie walk in.
Tip-toe over to the connecting door
into where Mick and Aldo are. Listen.

IN CARRIE’S ROOM
Mick and Aldo go to the same door. Listen.
Mick looks at Aldo. Shrugs.

Aldo screws his face up.
He’s about to sneeze.

Mick CLAMPS his hand on Aldo’s mouth.
But it’s no good.

He let’s a LOUD ONE RIP --

ALDO
A-CHOOO!

IN THE ADJOINING ROOM
Carrie and Bernie OPEN FIRE.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

IN CARRIE’S ROOM
Aldo gets HIT in the chest.
Falls to the floor, THWUMP.

Mick ROLLS away to the side.
Starts PUMPING SHOTS at the door.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

IN THE ADJOINING ROOM
Carrie and Bernie JUMP on either side of the door.

CARRIE
(whispers)
I got one of ‘em. You hear that ‘thump?’

BERNIE
What about the other one.

CARRIE
Let’s wait and find out.

IN CARRIE’S ROOM
Mick sits on the floor, under the window.
Holds his right hand. It’s bleeding pretty bad.

MICK
God-DAMMit.

He goes to the bed.
Pulls off a pillow case.
RIPS off a strip of fabric.
Starts winding it around his hand.

MICK (CONT’D)
Fucking BITCH is gonna PAY.

IN THE STUDY
Margo is having another seizure.
Layla holds her hand.
Increases the dosage on her drip.

LAYLA
We need a doctor, NOW.
I don’t know what else to do.
(looks at everyone)
I’m just a NURSE.

SETH
(rushes over to her)
Mom, are you okay? Can you hear me?
(to Layla)
You gotta DO something.
Can’t you give her anything?

BLUE
Ohmigod.
She rushes to Seth.
Collapses in his arms.
He comforts her.

SETH
(to Eva)
Can’t YOU do something?
You were a doctor.

EVA
I was a doctor -- back in Germany.
But here in America,
they don’t acknowledge my degree.

She looks off into space. A bitter memory.
Stares at Margo.
Something resembling concern
flashes on her face.

EVA (CONT'D)
(to Layla)
Do you have any morphine?
Something to knock her out?

LAYLA
I have Dilaudid --

EVA
Perfect. Give her 10 cc’s.

LAYLA
But that might -- put her in a coma.

EVA
Not that much.
And it would stop any brain damage.
(smiles)
It’s a European method.
Not used here in the States.
Simple, but effective.
Give her the Dilaudid,
and then a blood thinner.
The combination of the drugs --
something to stop the seizures,
and then something to open up
the artery to the brain -- can work.

SETH
(to Layla)
Go ahead, do it.

Layla crosses herself.
Pulls a small bottle out of her bag --