Open to a figure in a hospital bed, catatonic and in a stupor, eyes open staring at nothing, with a head so bandaged that their features can hardly be recognized, only a part of the mouth left uncovered and one eye. There is a noise of what sounds like a heartbeat, beating ever slowly and softly, the period is in the 1950’s, when despite medicine not being as advanced as it is today, life support technology becomes common, along with heart monitors. Though with the hospital room looking like any other, that fact is not very noticeable. The atmosphere is gloomy and the light is low.
A nurse enters the room
Bandaged Figure: Hello!
The figure speaks in cheery dozing tone, like one would when drunk.
The nurse continues walking around the room without replying; she removes the blanket over the figure, and turns him over rather roughly.
Bandaged figure: Argh! What’re you doing?
The nurse is seen moving behind the patient, as if adjusting the sheets.
Bandaged Figure: Hellooooo I said, what are you doing? What is going on?
The bandaged figure seems to be speaking more accurately, less like a drunkard, anger or irritation causing them to wake up. Yet their mouth does not move, their words are played from the stage speakers.
Bandaged figure: Can.You.Hear.Me!? I demand to know where I am, who the h-OW!
The figure is interrupted by the nurse roughly rolling them back into place, the Bandaged figure groans. The monitoring device next to the patient beeps, grabbing the nurse’s attention, she looks at it carefully and then goes back to the “door” of the room, which in this case is the border of the stage.
Nurse: Doctor Achim? Could you please come here for a minute?
In enters an extremely old man in a white coat. The man subsequently trips into the stage area with a yelp.
The nurse who was ahead of the doctor quickly steps back to help him and subsequently trips herself, they both go down in a tangle of limbs and noises of exertion till they both manage to get up. Tripping again one or two times again in the process.
Finally the two manage to get up with what remains of their dignity, and move on to the patient’s bedside. Doctor Achim looks disgruntled, the nurse looks embarrassed. The lights are no longer dim.
Doctor Achim: So what was it that you called me for?
Nurse: The patient seems to be suffering from brady-errr, Brady—uhm. Well his heartbeat is slowing.
Doctor Achim responds with an “Hmm” and moves to the foot of the patient’s bed to look at their chart.
Doctor Achim: Trauma Induced to the Thyroid causing Bradychardia, I’ll prescribe an appropriate injection.
Bandaged Figure: What does any of that even mean?
The stage lights darken and the sound of a clock ticking for a few seconds. The light returns and the Doctor enters again, along with the nurse, with what seems to be a needle. He swabs the bandaged figure’s skin and injects.
Bandaged Figure: Ouch!
The heartbeat playing in the background quickens, the doctor observes the monitor, and goes back to the patients chart.
Doctor Achim: Joaquin Brossard, age 32, automobile crash victim, currently unresponsive. No Visitors?
Nurse: No Doctor. The hospital is still trying to contact his family.
Joaquin: Crash? Unresponsive? I’ve been talking to you people since I got here! Oh Lord, please save me. What is wrong with you people!?
The sound of the heartbeat quickens further
The nurse looks at the monitor and the back at the doctor.
Nurse: Doctor?
She gestures at the screen.
Doctor Achim: A side effect of the injection, don’t worry.
Joaquin: None of you can hear me can you?
The clock sound again, time passes, lights dim and return.
Another man is wheeled into the room by the nurse, a few seconds later a woman and 2 male children, the younger carrying a paper airplane enter the room as well.
Woman: Oh can’t my husband have his own room? He’s quite ill.
Nurse: I’m afraid not, the hospital is very very crowded these days, but we will wheel in a divider to split the room in two if we can, and Mr. Joaquin here is catatonic anyhow, he won’t bother you.
Woman: Catatonic?
Nurse: He’s… not aware of anything, there’s a chance that his brain might be too damaged to function.
Joaquin: My BRAIN IS FUNCTIONING QUITE FINE, you’re all simply USELESS, why can’t any of you HEAR ME?
The nurse exits, the family remains.
After a few seconds, one of the boys starts to play; he throws the paper airplane over and over occasionally hitting Joaquin.
The Woman, too busy worrying over the man who seems to be her husband, notices nothing.
Boy 1: Stop it! That’s not nice.
Boy 2: It’s not like it matters! He’s not even feeling any of this! You stop it!
With each time the paper hits Joaquin, he makes a noise of disgruntlement (in his head of course), and his heartbeat begins to quicken again before he says.
Joaquin: If only I could move, I would take that paper airplane and rip it to pieces; I’d smack your mother who notices nothing, and slap you to bits!
Joaquin groans and weeps
Joaquin: Why can’t anyone hear me!?
A sound of an electric shock, the lights darken further, it seems to be a power cut. Everyone in the room jumps, except for poor Joaquin.
The nurse immediately enters again with two candles and a tray of food.
Nurse: Don’t worry don’t worry! The light circuit is just out, the backup generator will run all the monitoring devices, and we’ll bring up the light as soon as we can. In the meantime, here’s your husband’s food for when he wakes up, a candle for you, and a candle for Mr. Joaquin here. Now I have to be off to attend to the other patients.
Joaquin: I’m not very fond of the dark, but at least I have a candle as well.
Three ticking noises, to signify 3 hours. Attendants enter to place a divider between Joaquin and the family.
Boy 1: Mummy, it’s been so long, Daddy’s food is cold now, and this dark is scary, can’t we have another candle?
Woman: I don’t think we can ask for another, but go behind the divider and take that man’s, I don’t think he needs it.
Joaquin: Yes I DO need it! Go get another from outside!
The boy takes the candle.
Joaquin: No!
His heartbeat rises.
Ticking noise, the family leaves.
Nurse enters: Your brother is right this way. Ms. Brossard
A new woman enters and then rushes to Joaquin’s bedside.
Ms. Brossard: Joaquin! We were so worried about you when you disappeared, oh Joaqy, all that’s left of my family, what has the world done to you? Why are you not speaking?
Joaquin: Emilia! It’s been awful, I love you, and I’m here I’m here!
Ticking sound, signifying how time passes with Ms. Brossard at Joaquin’s bedside.
Doctor Achim enters, yet only the ticking sounds is heard, she and Ms. Brossard seem to talk, she starts to look more and more troubled. The Doctor leaves, Emilia goes to her brother’s bedside again.
Ticking stops
Emilia Brossard: Joaqy…The doctors, they say that the accident damaged your brain, that you are asleep…Your mind dead, your body left behind…
A heartbeat
Joaquin: What? But I’m right here! I’m alive Milia I’m alive!
Emilia: They say that there are two choices
Joaquin: Why do you sound like that?
A Quickening heartbeat.
Emilia: I can have them keep you like this, in case there might be part of you somewhere in there. Or I can have them... give you something to ease your passing. And I think I know what I’ll choose.
Joaquin: Oh no
A Quicker heartbeat
Emilia: Remember when we were children? We were playing in Nana’s garden; you said that if anything like this should ever happen to you, you’d rather die.
Heartbeat becomes louder
Joaquin: I was a child! I didn’t know what I was talking about!
Emilia: You’d rather die than be trapped in a dead body, for the rest of your life.
Joaquin: My body is ALIVE, and so am I, I can hear my heart beating in my ears, I can hear YOU.
A louder heartbeat, a quicker heartbeat
Emilia: Give me a sign Joaquin, anything, just in case.
The audience can see that Joaquin’s hand, the one visible to them but not to his sister, tightens almost into a fist, but alas his sister sees nothing.
Joaquin’s sister bows her head.
Doctor Achim enters with a syringe. Emilia nods and looks back to Joaquin.
Emilia: I’m sorry Joaqy, but I cannot watch this.
Emilia exists
Joaquin: No…
Doctor Achim approaches and takes out a syringe from his pocket.
THE HEARBEAT BECOMES EVEN QUICKER AND DEFEANING
Joaquin: NO NO NONONO!
The good Doctor injects
Joaquin’s cries out one last time.
The heartbeat slows and slows and slows.
And slows.
Silence
Narrator: To be forgotten and unnoticed is to be alone, even when surrounded by others, as Joaquin was. Yet Joaquin tried so hard to break that barrier, to pierce the silence in the air. To all who feel solitude even when surrounded, will you fight as Joaquin did? Or wait till no one can hear you?
NB: I think it would be good if the person playing Joaquin himself could suddenly sit upright and say the words above. They would finally get a line after basically doing nothing the whole play, and it might surprise the audience a bit to see him sit up. Or even better, just have the person sit up then play the above words.
Feel free to provide feedback.
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