INT. HALLWAY - JUST OUTSIDE HOSPITAL ROOM - CONTINUOUS The young nurse comes out of the room, and moves quickly past two people in the middle of a tense discussion by the door. KATHLEEN FITZPATRICK-STEINBERG, days shy of turning 43, impeccably groomed, well-heeled, goes at it with DR. TUCKMAN, a physician who's no match for her overly-controlling personality. KATHLEEN ... Understand something, Dr... err... DR. TUCKMAN ... Tuckman. KATHLEEN Right. My brother's an attorney. We'll sue your ass, and this poor excuse for a medical institution... DR. TUCKMAN Mrs. Steinberg, we're doing all we can. Bottom line is... He stops in mid-thought as ALBERT CONNORS, still boyish-looking at 50, carrying a tupperware container, smiles politely as he passes by and enters the room. Tuckman, lowering his voice, continues. DR. TUCKMAN (continuing) ... The bottom line is -- your father's terminal. KATHLEEN Meaning? Tuckman looks at her in disbelief. DR. TUCKMAN Meaning his cancer's very advanced. All we can do is keep him comfortable. KATHLEEN I see. And a drug induced stupor is your entire idea of "comfortable", is that right? DR. TUCKMAN At this point, there's nothing else we can do for him. Kathleen's having a hard time grasping this. She fights becoming frantic. KATHLEEN Well, that's not acceptable. DR. TUCKMAN Excuse me? KATHLEEN (emphatically) Unacceptable. DR. TUCKMAN Mrs. Stein... KATHLEEN (cutting him off) ... No. I've listened to all of Tony Robbins' tapes. What we need here is a positive attitude. Silk purse out of a sow's ear. Lemons into lemonade. I've heard the testimonials, damnit! Sensing her desperation, Tuckman's tone is compassionate as he shakes his head 'no'. DR. TUCKMAN I'm sorry. Kathleen stares at him in silence for what appears to be a moment of acceptance. But it really isn't. KATHLEEN Okay, how much? DR. TUCKMAN I really couldn't say. Predicting an exact moment of death would be presumptuous on my... KATHLEEN (impatiently cutting him off) ... Money. How much money? DR. TUCKMAN (confused) For what? KATHLEEN To do something. My husband makes a fortune... She digs into her purse, pulls out a pen and her check book. KATHLEEN (continuing) ... I'll cut you a check right now. An OLDER NURSE wheels a bath cart past them and into the room. A distraught Tuckman pleads with Kathleen. DR. TUCKMAN Mrs. Steinberg, you have to listen to what I'm... Kathleen lights into him. KATHLEEN ... No, you listen to me, you self-inflated, bag of doom. I didn't come all the way down from New York to watch you quacks throw up your hands and move on. Moreover, I didn't pack a goddamn thing to wear at a funeral. What I did pack was a wardrobe for bedside vigilance while Dad recovers. That's it. Bright and cheery separates. Nothing black. You understand what I'm saying?! DR. TUCKMAN (meekly) I think so. She whips open the check book and clicks her pen emphatically. KATHLEEN Fine. So, name your price. The dumb-struck doctor just stands there, at a loss for words.