Please Come Now - Part 1
Please Come Now - Part 2
Please Come Now - Part 3
Please Come Now - Part 4
Please Come Now - Part 5
Please Come Now - Part 6
Please Come Now - Part 7
Please Come Now - Part 8
Please Come Now - Part 9
INT. JACK AND RACHEL'S BEDROOM - DAWN
Jack wakes up to see Rachel putting on her prosthetic leg on the other side of the bed.
JACK
You're up early.
RACHEL
I'm going in to CFI. There's a girl who just came in. Lost her leg in Afghanistan.
JACK
What do they want you to do?
RACHEL
Talk with her. Show her it's going to be ok.
JACK
You? A role model?
RACHEL
I know right. I'm just going to tell her to move in with the first guy who gives her the time of day.
Jack smacks her in the ass.
RACHEL
Your PT test is today right?
JACK
Ten o'clock.
RACHEL
Going to pass the run?
JACK
I don't think I'll finish the run.
Rachel gets up and moves over to Jack's side of the bed and gives him a kiss.
RACHEL
You'll do great. I'll be right there when you finish.
JACK
Love you.
RACHEL
Love you too. Go back to sleep.
INT. JACK AND RACHEL'S APARTMENT - MORNING
All of the boxes are gone and the apartment looks very much like Jack's old place, save for a brand new couch dominating the center of the room.
Sipping on a cup of coffee, a barefoot Jack pads over to the computer and pulls up his email program.
At the top of his inbox is a message from Rebecca. Subject line: "I'm sorry."
It takes Jack a long moment to open the message.
REBECCA (V.O.)
Jack, I heard about what happened to you in Iraq and I was devastated. I should have been there for you as you were recovering. I should have driven down to see you the moment I heard. I'm sorry the way things ended between us. You have always been in my thoughts and in my heart. Love, Rebecca.
Jack moves the cursor to the reply button but stops.
He takes another sip of his coffee. Looks around the apartment.
After a long moment he moves the cursor to the delete button and clicks it.
He tries to shut down the computer but it takes forever. He finally pulls the CPU forward and rips out the power cord in the back.
He just sits and stares at the blank monitor.
INT. CFI RUNNING TRACK - MORNING
The CFI running track is one floor up from the main therapy area, and it's open air design means the climbing wall is visible as Jack runs around a turn and heads toward a set of bleachers.
Tom Parker is there with a stopwatch, and a HALF DOZEN PATIENTS, including Rachel, sit in the bleachers and watch.
TOM
Final lap. Pick up the pace.
Jack doesn't respond. He's red-faced, sweating, heavily exerting himself. His stride isn't close to pure, but he's doing it.
He's running.
He passes the climbing wall again and heads down the home stretch. He can hear Tom in the distance calling out times.
TOM
Seventeen thirty, thirty one, thirty two...
Jack tries to pick it up even more, but he's clearly out of gas.
TOM
Forty one, forty two, forty three!
Jack passes the finish line and collapses unto the track, breathing very heavily.
The wounded soldiers start applauding and congratulating him.
Rachel rushes to his side.
RACHEL
You did it!
JACK
I did?
TOM
Made it by 17 seconds.
Rachel kisses him.
RACHEL
You did great. How do you feel?
JACK
Like shit.
TOM
That's it. That's the final test. If your doctor gives you a thumbs up, you're ready to head back to your unit.
Tom throws Jack a towel and he sits up and wipes himself off.
INT. ITALIAN RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Jack and Rachel sit across from each other at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, each sipping a glass of wine.
JACK
I don't know, until he said that I hadn't really thought about leaving. This past year has been like a dream. I don't want it to end.
Rachel grabs his hand.
RACHEL
It's not ending.
JACK
So what then? I go back to Ft. Hood and we see each other on the weekend?
RACHEL
It's only three hours away.
JACK
And then a couple months later you go back to Ft. Bliss and we're even farther away from each other.
RACHEL
We'll both be in Texas. Look, I have a year left on my contract. When that's over, I'm out, and I can go wherever you are.
JACK
It's such a long time.
RACHEL
I'm not going to leave you.
Jack brings her hand to his mouth and kisses it.
INT. JACK'S APARTMENT - MORNING
Jack and Terry stand in the kitchen and watch MOVING MEN bring boxes back into the apartment. Jack again notes the number and tells them where to put it.
Aside from the couch that Jack left, Terry hasn't put any other furnishings in the bare apartment.
TERRY
Didn't we just do this?
JACK
We're getting rid of that couch.
TERRY
We may need have them turn the water on, too.
JACK
Seriously?
INT. JACK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Jack and Terry sit on the new couch playing Call of Duty.
Boxes, some opened but most not, are strewn throughout the living room.
TERRY
So how's the long distance thing gonna work?
JACK
I don't know. I'll drive down there on weekends but it won't be the same.
TERRY
And when she moves back to El Paso?
JACK
I don't know.
TERRY
You've been here twelve hours and haven't asked me about her yet.
JACK
I don't want to know.
Terry glances at Jack but doesn't say anything.
JACK
She sent me an email about a month ago. Said she'd heard about the accident. Said how sorry she was that she couldn't be there for me.
TERRY
That was nice of her.
JACK
I deleted it.
TERRY
So that's over?
JACK
That's over. Rachel is everything I could ever ask for.
Suddenly both of them focus on the game, frantically pushing buttons and moving their controllers.
At the end Terry is elated, Jack dejected.
TERRY
Hell yeah! Take that bitch!
JACK
You've been practicing.
TERRY
There’s only so much pot a guy can smoke.
INT. US ARMY ORDERLY ROOM - DAY
Jack, in uniform, sits at a desk collating papers and putting them into manilla folders. Several OTHER SOLDIERS mill about, BS'ing with each other.
All of a sudden First Sergeant's voice pierces the calm of the room.
FIRST SERGEANT
Dollard!
JACK
Yes First Sergeant.
FIRST SERGEANT
Get your ass in here!
Jack stands up immediately and trots into the First Sergeant's office.
INT. FIRST SERGEANT'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Jack stops in front of First Sergeant's desk and assumes the position of At Ease.
FIRST SERGEANT
What the fuck is this?
Jack looks at the paperwork First Sergeant holds up.
JACK
A pass request First Sergeant.
FIRST SERGEANT
Every fucking weekend for the past two months. You got a girl down there or something?
JACK
Yes, First Sergeant, I do.
FIRST SERGEANT
She married?
JACK
No, First Sergeant.
FIRST SERGEANT
You've been doing good work since you got back but sometimes it feels like you're head's not in the game. You gonna marry this girl?
JACK
I don't know First Sergeant.
FIRST SERGEANT
San Antonio's not that far away, but I'm not going to keep approving these forever, especially if means you're not here when you are here.
JACK
Roger First Sergeant.
FIRST SERGEANT
Get out of here.
Jack turns around abruptly and leaves the office.