The setting is a hospital room. Brightly lit, quiet, and occupied. A bed is positioned between stage right and center, with the head facing towards upstage and the foot of the bed facing the audience downstage. To the right of the bed, and closest to center stage, is a man in his early twenties. He is dressed casually: a fitted brown coat, a beige t-shirt with a design on the front, not visible to the audience; a pair of color-washed jeans and brown construction-styled boots; a cross attached to a silver chain dangles from around his neck. He is overlooking an older man who rests emotionless on the bed; even quieter and still. On an end table to the left of the bed is a large vase with flowers of varying type.

[ANTHONY]

(calmly but filled with a large sense of distress).

“Hey, dad. It’s…Anthony. I’m sorry I couldn’t visit last week. I’ve been real busy with the house and…- Mom says she came by the other night. Uncle Joe was with her. They brought you some flowers, but you can’t – well, I wish you could see them. They’re really beautiful. Aunt Michelle sends her love, as usual. Maria would’ve come with me tonight, too, but she had to work late - Oh, speaking of work, did I ever tell you I got a promotion? I’m now an Editor of the New York Times. I basically help go through everything in the paper before it’s printed to make sure there’re no errors. Okay, it sounds more boring than it really is, but it’s a job, and I enjoy it. That’s all that matters. That’s what you used to say, anyway. You’d say, ‘Son, no matter what you do in life, remember one important thing: make sure you enjoy doing it.’ You don’t say that stuff anymore, obviously, but I remember it. I remember a lot of things….”

Anthony pauses for a moment and looks off at the flowers on the end table. He turns to look off stage left, as if suspecting someone is eavesdropping.

“I remember how you used to make mom so angry because of the stuff you did. And I remember how it ate you up from the inside. I just want you to know we’re not angry anymore; well, I’m not. Rosa and Stefanie…they just don’t know what to feel. You hurt us all so much, and they haven’t forgotten anything. They said they don’t want you a part of their lives anymore, for the sake of their children. I guess I’m just more forgiving….”

His mood suddenly changes along with the subject; he is now visibly smiling.

“Oh, before I forget. The Giants finally won the Superbowl. I know - about time, right? I remember my 7th grade teacher - Mr. Blair, you remember him? Well, he used to tell all of his students every year that he’d give them a day off if the Giants ever won. I wonder how he must’ve felt watching the game…You should’ve seen it, dad. These are the moments that one truly appreciates from sports. There was a huge parade in the city for them; for a single day, everyone forgot about all of their problems. At least New York has one good team, huh?…-“

Once more, the subject changes and his expression turns to regret.

“I miss you, dad. I wish I could’ve been there to stop you from getting in the car that night and driving off the way you were. I wish I could’ve been there to stop you from taking that first drink. I wish I -”

A doctor enters from stage left and interrupts Anthony mid-sentence.

[DOCTOR]

“Oh, Anthony. I didn’t realize you were in here.”

[ANTHONY]

“Doctor Sheppard? …Yeah, I just dropped in after work to check up on him.”

[DOCTOR]

“Alright, well I’ll give you a few minutes alone.”

[ANTHONY]

“No, that’s okay. I was just about to leave, anyway.”

[DOCTOR]

“Oh, I see. Is your mother coming by later tonight?”

[ANTHONY]

“No, I don’t think so. She was just here on Tuesday.”

[DOCTOR]

“Alright, well tell her I said hello.”

[ANTHONY]

“Hey, Doctor…how’s he doing? Any signs of improvement?”

[DOCTOR]

“Anthony…I tell you this every time you come. Your father’s been in a steady coma for three years. He hasn’t said a word, hasn’t made a movement for three years. I’m sorry, but…nothing’s changed.”

[ANTHONY]

“Yeah, I know…One can pray, though, right?”

[DOCTOR]

“Yes, Anthony. One can pray.”

[ANTHONY]

“I’ll see you in a few days, Doctor.”

[DOCTOR]

“Take care, Anthony. Drive safely.”

Anthony exits stage left as the doctor opens a medical clipboard. The room is once again enveloped in silence.