Author's Text

Other authors in the past have done stories about Doug's abuse as a child, but, I never have. This is the one shot story about that subject and I will close the door on it.

This story is dark...and deep...and sometimes even disturbing. But like "Fathers and Sons" on the real "ER", it takes the characters out of their known elements and transports them to another setting while Doug probes into the haunting past he can't seem to shake.

This story has moments of being strange...but sometimes strange things happen in life that no one can explain. And, like any story dealing with abuse, parts of it are rather violent.

The characters in this story are not mine and no money is made by me for the use of them in this story.

Robin

"Family Center"
"Things That Go Bump In The Night"
Opening Act

Scene opens on an open interstate highway. Show the Ross van cruising along at an average pace. Cut to inside the van. Doug is driving with Carol in the front passenger's seat. Mark and Nina are behind them and Mark has his legs stretched way out, looking very relaxed. Doug has the radio playing and the Allman Brothers song "Rambling Man" is playing.

Carol (looking out the window, very quietly):
I miss the kids already.

Doug (chuckles):
I do, too!

Mark (imitating a child):
Are we there yet?
(Nina playfully slaps him on the shoulder)

Doug (grins, looks in rear view mirror):
Five more miles...
(Carol chuckles)
When we went out west for my Dad's funeral he about drove me crazy. He is about the WORST car traveler I've EVER seen!

Carol (grins):
Worse than Tatchie?

Doug:
WAY worse than Tatchie.

Mark:
That's because she's afraid of you! I'm not!

Doug:
Hey, my children are NOT afraid of me...

Carol (laughs):
No, not hardly...they watch the clock and when it's time for him to come home they start lining up at the door to bombard him the second he's in the house!

Doug (shrugs):
Well, that's better than running out the back door the way I always used to do when I saw MY Dad coming home...

Nina (looks at Mark and smiles):
Did I tell you how proud I am of you?

Mark (confused):
Me? Why?

Nina:
For that patch on your arm...I think it's wonderful you are trying to quit smoking again...

Mark (looks at Doug watching him in the rear view mirror):
Yeah, well, that was a gift from a friend...not exactly my own idea...

Nina:
But you agreed to it, so, that means you care.
(pause)
Thank you, Doug...

Doug (chuckles):
No problem.

Carol:
How far away are we?

Doug:
About 40 miles. We'll be there soon.

The van rolls along the highway and passes a sign that reads WELCOME TO KENTUCKY...THE BLUEGRASS STATE. Mark looks out and sees the sign.

Mark:
YEE HAW! If I had a hat, I'd throw it in the air!

Doug (laughs):
That's Texas, Mark...not Kentucky!

Mark:
You don't say 'Yee Haw' in Kentucky?

Doug (shakes his head):
No.

Mark:
What do you say?

Doug (chuckles):
Get the hell off my land, Revenuer!

Mark:
I guess Daniel Boone was your big hero, huh?

Doug:
No, Mark, Daniel Boone was a little before my time. Dan Issel was my hero...

Mark (nods):
Basketball player, right?

Doug (nods):
Right! Played for the Kentucky Colonels in the old ABA.

Mark:
I should have known...
(Doug chuckles)
So, this town you lived in, a small town?

Doug (nods):
1500 people. Everybody knew everybody else...

Carol:
Then they should have known your Dad was beating you and your Mom...

Doug:
They probably did know...

Carol:
Then somebody should have done something...

Doug:
People didn't want to get involved. It was my Dad's business, in their opinion...and none of theirs. That's why once I got into medicine, I made abuse my business, too.

Carol (nods):
Good for you.

Mark:
Did you live on a farm?

Doug (laughs):
No, Mark! I lived in town.

Mark:
I know a country song...

Doug:
Well, everybody in Kentucky is not into country music...
(pause)
What song?

Mark:
COW PATTY!
(Doug groans, Mark begins to sing)
Yippie Yi Ay, Cow Patty! Lookin' for the man that killed her Daddy...

Doug (laughs):
You DO know what a 'Cow Patty' is, don't you, Mark?

Mark:
Yeah...sure...same thing as Cow chips...

Doug (nods, laughs):
Well, at least you know that much...
(pause)
I know that song...

Mark and Doug (in unison):
Forty shots were fired...forty people fell...Patty and the Killer missed each other but they shot that town to hell!

Carol (groans, laughs, and shakes her head):
That CAN'T be a real song...

Doug (nods):
Yes, it is...Jim Stafford did it...

Nina:
Isn't he the same one that did MY GIRL BILL?

Doug:
Yep!

Mark:
If Jim Carey were into music, he'd be Jim Stafford.
(all laugh)

Doug (hits his signal light):
This is my turn off...we're almost there!

Mark applauds and Nina laughs. Carol looks at Doug who has a serious fixed look on this face as he glides the van onto the off ramp and the Opening Act Fades into the Opening Credits of the show.

Act One

Scene opens with the van cruising slowly to a stop in front of a small brick house. Doug leans his head down to look out Carol's window. There is a wire chain link fence around the house and the gate is standing open. The outside condition of the house is worn, but still is pretty good shape. There is a red awning stretched across the front of the house along the porch and a glider on the far end by the banister.

Carol (looks out the window):
Is this it?

Doug (nods):
Yeah...this is it.

Nina (looking out her window):
Doesn't look like anybody lives there...

Doug:
No, my Mom said she was pretty sure nobody was living there now.
(motions with his hand)
See that dogwood tree over there?
(all look...there is still a tire swing hanging from a limb)
I fell out of that swing and broke my arm when I was nine.
(leans forward and looks, smiles, and points)
See that big limb up there?
(all look)
I used to hide up there when my Dad would yell for me...

Mark:
I thought your parents were divorced by the time you lived here?

Doug (nods):
They were...but my Dad still came around a lot. He used to come out on the porch and yell for me...pacing back and forth snapping his belt. I'd hide in the tree and wait until either my Mom came home or he sobered up...which ever came first.

Nina:
Where was your step-father?

Doug:
I don't remember...he wasn't around...working probably...

Mark:
How old were you when your Mom divorced your step-Dad?

Doug (thinking)
I don't remember...I was young...I remember that...because I was a latch key kid when I was 10.
(opens van door)
Well, come on...let's go see if the key is still behind the mailbox...

All passengers open doors and get out of the van. Just about the time they get to the gate, they are started by someone calling out behind him.

Woman (coming across the street):
Dougie? Dougie Ross? Is that really you?

Doug turns to the woman and smiles in obvious recognition.

Doug (smiles):
Mrs. Coleman! Hello!

Woman (takes his face in her hands to look at him):
Oh, My, God! Just LOOK at you! All grown up and SO handsome!

Doug (laughs):
It's good to see you, too, Mrs. Coleman.
(turns to group)
This is Agnes Coleman...she lives across the street...she used to baby sit me sometimes!
(signals out his group)
This is my wife, Carol...my business partner and friend, Mark Greene, and his wife, Nina.

Woman (delighted):
A wife now! Any children?

Carol (laughs):
Yes, we have 7!

Woman (surprised):
Seven! Lands alive, Doug!

Doug (chuckles):
Well, we only gave birth to 4 of them. The other 3 we got by proxy!

Woman:
Well, what are you doing here?

Doug:
Well, uh, Carol had never seen where I grew up and I thought this would be a good time to bring her here and show her. Is anyone living here now?

Woman (shakes her head):
Oh no, it's empty. They tried to sell it for years, but, never could. After what happened in that house, I'm not surprised. No one in this town would buy it, that's for sure.

Doug (confused):
After what happened?

Woman:
Well, the house is haunted now.

Doug:
Haunted by what?

Woman:
Well, the ghost, of course!

Doug (laughs):
Ghost? What ghost? There's no ghost in that house! We lived there for years and I never saw a ghost...

Woman:
Well, the ghost didn't start the haunting until after you and your Mom moved out.

Doug:
You mean me, my Mom, and my step-Dad?

Woman:
Oh no...just you and your Mom...will you be in town long?

Doug:
A couple of days.

Woman:
Well, I'll call Gary and tell him you're here...he's working in Aberdeen now...he can be home in less than an hour.

Doug (grins):
Yeah, that'd be great! I'd love to see Gary again!
(looks at Carol)
He was my best friend here...we did everything together!
(Carol smiles)
Well, we'll see you later Mrs. Coleman.

Woman (starting away):
Well, if you need anything at all, you just come over and knock on my door...I'm going to go bake you a Cherry Chip cake...

Carol (laughs, as they start up the walk):
Cherry Chip Cake?

Mark:
Sounds good to me!

Doug (laughs):
Yeah...Gary and I could put a whole one away with a half gallon of milk in one sitting!

The four of them go inside the gate and start for the porch. Doug's attention is quickly averted to the dogwood tree off to the side.

Show in a flashback a young boy peering through the branches of the tree with wide, frightened eyes. Shift to show Ray Ross, much younger, pacing the porch in his trousers and an undershirt, snapping a belt in his hands.

Ray:
Dougie! Where are you boy!? You're gonna get the whippin' of your life when I get my hands on you!

Flashback to present as the party reaches the porch. The porch is made of cement and painted porch blue, but, the paint is worn and chipped in several places. Doug reaches behind the mailbox and smiles as he pulls out the key.

Doug (grins):
Still here!

He puts the key in the lock and opens the door. It creaks as he pushes it open to let the four of them walk inside. They walk from the open door into the living room. There is a sofa and chair there, covered with an old sheet. Doug walks over and lifts the sheet to look at the sofa.

Doug (chuckles):
The afghan my Aunt Alice made is still here...I'm surprised my Mom didn't take it with us...I remember when I was sick my Mom used to make my bed here on this sofa and cover me up with it...
(he picks up a corner of us and holds it close to his face)
Been washed...still smells like all my clothes used to smell when I was kid.

Mark (looking around the room):
That's because it was covered, I guess.

Nina (nervously, looking around the house):
Yeah, when you put a sheet over it, it preserves it as it was against age and time.

Carol (looks around):
This is a nice little house...small...but nice.

Doug (nods):
It was big enough for three people...four when my Dad came home. He used to sleep on this couch, too...

Mark:
Which reminds me...where are we staying?

Doug:
Oh, well, let's go see how the bedrooms look...

Doug leads them down a short and narrow hallway. He pushes open doors along his way...

Doug:
This was my Mom's bedroom...

The bedroom is still standing just as it was before they left...a four poster bed in the middle of the room, a dresser, a chest of drawers, and a mirrored vanity are also spaced out in the small room. Doug looks around and his eye is caught by a reflection in the mirror.

In a flashback show the face of a young boy in the mirror. He is sobbing and his torso is arched across the bed. Behind him show a man that is not Ray Ross with a flat sided hairbrush in his hand, paddling the boy heavily.

Flash back to present as Doug shakes off this vision.

Doug:
You and Nina should be able to sleep in here...

They go on down the hall to another room. Doug pushes the door open and they look in. The room is brightly decorated for a young boy. There are sports items all over the room, the lamp on the dresser is a football lamp. There is a twin bed in the middle of the room still sporting a baseball comforter on it.

Carol (looks in):
This must have been your room.

Doug (nods):
Yeah...this was it.

Carol:
Well, we can't both sleep in a twin bed...unless we're on top of each other all night!

Doug (grins):
Not that I think that's a bad idea, but, the sofa is a sleeper...we can sleep out there.

Doug's attention is distracted again by a closed door in one end of the room. Carol and Nina both see him looking at it.

Nina:
That's your closet, isn't it?
(Doug nods)

Carol:
Well, go on over there and open the door.

Doug nods, and nervously goes across the room and rips open the closet door. All he sees inside are empty hangers on the bar and one old blue and white high top tennis shoe on the floor.

Doug (quietly, never takes his eyes off the closet):
Let's get unpacked, shall we?

Mark (as they all start out of the room):
This will be great...no phone! No TV! Can we cook here at least?

Doug (flips a light, sees they have electricity):
We have lights...if we have lights, we have gas. Yeah! We can cook! But we'll need to go get food first!

Mark:
I vote for that!

They start back down the hallway and Doug sees a shadow fall over the wall. He turns to look and sees a splash of blood arching over the wallpaper. He shakes his head and looks again to see the blood is gone.

Carol (concerned):
Doug?
(touches his shoulder)
Are you OK?

Doug (nods, nervously):
Yeah...yeah...I'm fine.

Carol gives him a careful look as the party proceeds out to the van to bring in what few travel bags they have and haul them back into the house. Mark and Nina put theirs down in the master bedroom and Doug and Carol put theirs down in his old room. Doug goes over and sits down on the bed and sighs. Carol goes over and sits beside him, putting her arm around him and rocking him close to her. She puts his head on her shoulder and lets her comfort him.

Doug:
I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea.

Carol:
It'll be OK...you're not alone...Mark and Nina and I are with you and we won't let anything bad happen to you.

Doug:
Something happened in this house, Carol...something really, REALLY bad...why can't I remember it?

Carol (smiles weakly):
I don't know, Love. But, maybe we can find out.
(kisses his cheek sweetly)
I'm gonna go make a check list for us to get at the store, OK?

Doug (nods):
OK.

Carol (as she gets up):
Well, you be OK?

Doug (nods again):
Yeah...I'm just tired from driving so much...

Carol:
Did you unpack your dialysis stuff?

Doug (shakes his head):
No, I'll get it later...I'm not due for an exchange yet.

Carol nods and goes on out of the room. As soon as she is gone, Ray is suddenly standing in front of Doug. Doug is not looking up and doesn't see him, but Ray makes his presence known quickly.

Ray:
Get out of this house, Doug! You don't need to be here.

Doug (looks up):
I have more right to be here than YOU do! I lived here! You just stopped by once in a while to slap my Mom around and beat the hell out of me with a belt!

Ray (angry):
You're an ungrateful brat! You don't know the half of what I did for you!

Doug (just as angry):
You never did anything for me, Ray!

Ray (in his face):
I saved your life!

Doug (scoffs):
When? In between trying to beat me to death?

Ray (nods, satisfied smile):
Maybe you're right, Dougie...maybe you did need to come here...maybe you DO need to remember about that night...

Doug (quietly):
What happened in this house, Ray? What is it that I can't remember?

Ray (smiles):
It'll come back to you, Dougie...you just give it time...think about what day it is...you'll remember...

Doug:
What day it is?
(Ray is quickly gone just as he came and Doug is confused and annoyed)
Ray! Come back! Talk to me, Dad! What day is it?

Flustered, Doug flops back down on the bed, but his attention is caught by a calendar on the wall across the room. It is a Mickey Mouse calendar and it's one of those where you tear each page off. The last date torn off is still showing on the calendar...Friday...October 1st...1969.

Doug (chuckles to himself):
I was eight years old...bet I was getting ready for Hallow'en!

Child's Voice (in Doug's mind):
I wanna be a ghost...

Woman's Voice:
With those dark circles under your eyes, you ought to be a vampire...honestly, Doug...you need to get out in the sunshine more...

Pull back to present and show Doug heave a heavy sigh at the memories that are now flooding in to him. Show Carol in the doorway, holding up at piece of paper.

Carol:
OK...are we ready to go to the market?

Doug (gets off the bed and starts for the door):
Yeah! I'm coming...

As he starts for the door he hears the closet door creak behind him and he turns his head to see a young boy peering out between the crack in the door. Doug shakes his head and follows Carol out into the hallway. He looks at his watch and the date flashes with the time...October 1st...Focus on Doug's confused and concerned look as Act One Fades to Black.

Act Two

Scene opens with the traveling party unloading grocery bags out of the van and starting up the walk with them. Show everyone go into the house and then, minutes later, show Doug come back out to the van, open the back of it and rearrange a few things, then close it back up and start back to the house. He is distracted by a voice coming around the side of the yard.

Woman:
Doug? Doug Ross?

Doug (turns his attention to the voice):
Yeah? That's me!

Woman (comes further into the yard closer to him):
Don't you remember me?
(Doug gives her a confused look. She waves imaginary pom poms in the air over her head)
Go, Team, FIGHT!

Doug (delighted):
Karen? Karen Singer?

Karen (smiles, reaches to hug him):
Well, it's not singer anymore...I married Jerry Michaels...

Doug (hugs her back, scoffs):
Jerry Michaels! Oh, please! Surely you could have done better than that!

Karen (laughs):
Hey, you ran off to college and dumped me! What was I supposed to do!?

Doug (motions her with him):
Come on up on the porch and let's talk!
(she goes with him and they sit on the steps together)
So, you're married, huh?
(Karen nods, Doug holds up the wedding ring hand)
Me too.

Karen:
That's GREAT! Congratulations! I never thought you'd ever get married. I always figured you weren't the marrying kind.

Doug (chuckles):
Just had to meet the right woman.

Karen:
So, how long have you been married?

Doug:
Two and half years.

Karen:
Any kids?

Doug (smiles, laughs):
Seven.

Karen (shocked):
SEVEN kids? In TWO and Half years?
(scoots over on the step to put space between them)
I better not sit too close!

Doug (chuckles):
I think you're safe!

Karen:
I hope you married a strong woman...

Doug (chuckles):
Only one who's ever been able to do anything with me.

Karen:
I only have two...in eight years! Kevin is six and Maria is three.

Doug:
Mine are 12, 10, 8, 15 months and 4 months.

Karen (confused):
But you've only been married two years?

Doug:
The 12 year old is mine, and not Carol's...the 10 year old is a foster child, the 8 year old we adopted, the 15 month old is ours and the 4 month old is triplets....they're ours too.

Karen (shakes her head):
Good, Lord, Doug! I always knew you were a dangerous weapon, but, Geez!
(laughs)
Are you happy?

Doug (nods):
Deliriously.

Karen:
I can see the headline in the Reunion Newsletter now..."Doug Ross Grew Up"...
(Doug Chuckles)
You look great, Doug...what are you doing now?

Doug (smiles):
I'm a Pediatrician...that's a pretty good job for a guy with a house full of kids, huh?

Karen (laughs):

I'd say you picked the right field! (pause, looks over at him)
A doctor, huh?

Doug: Yeah...the big tall bald guy that went in the house ahead of me is my partner...
(pause)
...and my best friend.

Karen (stands up):
Well, I better get back...I just wanted to come over and be sure it was you...

Doug:
We'll be here for a couple of days...I'd love for you to meet Carol...and I guess I'd even like to see Jerry again, too.

Karen (nods):
We'll try and get together before you leave...

Doug (nods):
Good.

Karen waves as she goes out the gate and disappears up the street. Doug turns to go into the house but a flash of light goes off in his mind.

In a flashback, show Doug as a child being grabbed suddenly by the arm and he whirls around into the angry face of Ray, who is carrying a belt in his hand.

Ray:
THERE you are, you little brat! Where the hell have you been? Didn't you hear me calling you?
(the little boy is unable to answer. He is paralyzed with fear looking into his father's angry eyes and tries to pull away)
Get in the house, RIGHT NOW!

Dougie (coaxing):
No, Daddy, please don't...

Ray ignores the pleas of his son and drags him up the steps, lifting him off the ground and pulling him through the door. The child is already crying as Ray drags him, literally, across the living room floor to fling him across the arm of recliner chair.

Sarah (comes into the room):
Ray, don't hit him...he's home now!

Ray (whirls around and slaps her in the face with the back of his hand):
Shut up, Woman! Don't tell me how to handle this boy!

Sarah (recovering):
He's just a child, Ray! If you want a punching bag, use me, but don't hurt that boy!

Ray (ignores her, turns back to Dougie):
He's going to learn to come when he's called...one way or the other...

Sarah watches helplessly with tears running down her face as Ray begins to whip the child with his belt. After each blow, Dougie wails painfully.

Flashback to present to show Doug has gone into the house and is standing looking at the very same chair he used to take his punishment over.

Carol (pops his trance, suddenly beside him):
Doug? You OK?

Doug (looks at her):
Huh? Yeah! I'm fine!

Carol (laughs):
I asked you if you wanted some lunch?

Doug (nods):
Yeah...I could eat...then I'm gonna go lie down for a while.

Carol (as they start for the kitchen):
Who was that on the porch with you?

Doug:
Oh, that was Karen Singer...well...it USED to be Singer when we were in high school together...she's married now...it's Karen Michaels.

Carol (smiles, knowingly):
Old girlfriend?

Doug (laughs):
Yeah, she was. We were a real hot item.

Carol (grins):
I bet you were...maybe I'll go talk to her before we leave here...

Doug (laughs, pulls her into his arms):
I don't think you need to do that!

Carol (giggles):
Chicken!

Doug (nods):
Yes, I am!

He joins Mark and Nina at the table and Carol joins them, putting a sandwich down in front of Doug and a glass of milk. Doug reaches for the salt shaker across the table and knocks the milk over, spilling it all over the table...

Doug (jumping up):
Damn it!

Carol (coming quickly with a paper towel):
It's OK, Doug! I got it!

In a flash of light, Doug sees another scene from his past. In a flashback, he sees himself as a child, having lunch with Ray and Sarah. He reaches for his milk glass, but, his hand misjudges the distance and he knocks it over, spilling it all over the table. It runs down the table and onto Ray's pants. Ray jumps up, grabbing a napkin to start soaking up the milk from his pants, but he is angry about the mess.

Ray:
You idiot! Why don't you pay attention to what you're doing?

Sarah:
It's only a little milk, Ray...it's all right...

Ray:
It is not all right that this boy is too stupid to even have lunch without a disaster...
(to Dougie)
Stand up, Boy, and put your hands on the table...

Sarah:
Ray, please...don't hit him for this...he's little...little boys spill things...

Ray (points a warning finger at her):
Don't start with me, woman...if you know what's good for you...

Sarah (put her napkin on the table):
Well, I won't watch you do this...

Sarah walks out of the room just as Ray yanks his belt out of his pants and doubles it up. Dougie is standing at the table with this hands clutching the side so tight his knuckles are white and his face tensed up waiting for the hits he knows are coming.

Ray (puts his hand in the middle of his son's back to steady him):
You better get used to standing up, Boy...

The whipping begins with quick, sharp blows. Dougie does not cry...he just takes it by biting his lip and closing his eyes tight.

Flashback to present with Carol mopping up the last of the milk and giving Doug a fresh glass.

Doug (quietly):
I'm sorry.

Carol (smiles):
It's OK.

Cut to show time lapse. Carol is sitting out on the porch steps and Nina comes out to sit down beside her.

Nina:
So, where are the boys?

Carol:
They took a walk. Doug wanted to show Mark some of his old haunts.

Nina:
I think this place is getting to Doug.

Carol (nods):
I do too. He seems so distant.

Nina:
Has he said anything to you?

Carol (shakes her head):
Not yet...just that he thinks something really bad happened here.

Nina (nods):
I do too...I hope we find out what it is soon so we can get out of here...

Cut to show Mark and Doug walking slowly along a railroad track. Mark is not walking on the track, but beside it. Doug is walking down the middle of the tracks, picking up stones, and tossing them ahead of him.

Doug:
I used to come up here all the time...I remember this one time I stuffed cotton in my ears so I couldn't hear a train if it came and hoped it hit me.
(Mark gives him a sad look)
I must have been about ten or so...about Raoul's age.
Doug (continued):
I figured it would be good enough for my Dad if I died, you know? Then maybe he'd be sorry he wasn't nicer to me...

Mark (softly):
He would've been, you know...
(Doug looks at him)
He would've been sorry.

Doug (shrugs):
I guess. But he wasn't ever sorry any other time. What kind of a father beats the hell out of seven year old kid with a belt for spilling milk on the table?

Mark:
One whose father beat the hell out of him for the same thing.

Doug (shakes his head...tosses a rock):
Not acceptable, Mark. That's just an excuse. My dad beat me with a belt but I've never touched Scott with one...or Tatchie...and I won't touch Raoul with one, either...or Marc...or Lana, Tina, or Josh! So, that's no excuse...not for me, anyway!

Mark:
But you were smart enough to get help...you knew you had a problem and you worked it out before you ever even had kids.

Doug (looks at Mark):
He could've done that.

Mark (shrugs):
Maybe he didn't know he had a problem.

Doug (scoffs):
Come on, Mark! A man that uses a little kid for a punching bag and then slaps his wife around doesn't know he's got a problem? Get real!

Mark:
Maybe that's the way things were at his house when he was a kid and he didn't know any different...maybe he thought that's the way all families were.

Doug (ticks his head):
Yeah...maybe...but it's still hard for me to accept.

Mark:
Your Dad hit you a lot, huh?

Doug:
When I think about it, it seems like he hit me all the time. I know there were good times, too...plenty of them...but sometimes they just get choked out by the bad memories. (Mark nods)

Mark:
That's understandable...most children only recall the bad things about their parents...I know I do.

Doug:
He used to take me fishing...and there was this big amusement park called Coney Island close by in Cincinnati, he used to take me there...

Mark:
What about your step-Dad?

Doug:
I remember the step-dad I had a teenager...Ben...but my Mom was married before him, too. And for the life of me, I can't remember anything about this guy!
(looks at Mark)
Isn't that weird?

Mark (nods):
Yeah...I'd have to say it is. Was your Mom married to him when you lived in this house?

Doug (nods slowly):
Yeah...yeah she was...

Mark:
Well, maybe whatever you're trying to remember has something to do with him?

Doug (ticks his head, nod):
Could be...

Focus on Doug thinking with a confused look on his face and Fade Act Two to Black.

Act Three

Scene opens later that evening. Show Doug and Carol making the bed on the sofa sleeper. Once they get the blankets on it, they flop down together on it to relax with each other.

Carol:
Did you do your exchange this afternoon?

Doug (nods):
Yeah...both of them. I'll do the last one in a little bit.
(leans his head back against the pillow and sighs)
I've been a real lame ox today, haven't I?

Carol (laughs):
Oh, I don't think I'd call you anything like that.
(smiles sadly at him)
This is really hard for you, isn't it?

Doug:
There's just so many pieces of the puzzle missing. I mean, my Mom and I lived in this house with my Step-Dad, Henry...but I can't remember one thing about him in this house! She married Ben when I was 10 and I remember everything about him. It's really strange. I remember my Dad in this house, but, not Henry. Why would that be?

Carol (shrugs):
I don't know...I wish I knew what to tell you...

Doug:
Mark thinks maybe whatever it is that happened in this house involves him. I don't really know.

Carol:
Maybe you'll remember.

Doug (thinking):
I wonder what ever happened to the plaque I used to have in my room...

Carol (smiles):
What plaque was that?

Doug:
It was a plaque that had these little ghosts and monsters on it and had the prayer "From Ghosties, And Ghoulies, And Long Leggity Beasties And Things That Go Bump In The Night Good Lord Deliver Us". I had it in my room forever.

Carol (grins):
Sounds cute.

Doug:
I would liked to have taken it home for Tatiana...

Carol:
Maybe you'll find it. Does this house and an attic? Or a basement?

Doug (shakes his head):
No, it's all on this one floor.
(looks at the clock)
I'm going to get ready and do my exchange, OK?

Carol (nods):
OK...I'm going to read a book!

Doug gets off the sofa sleeper to get his supplies and Carol reaches into her travel bag and takes out a book.

Cut to Mark and Nina in the master bedroom. Nina is sitting on the bed brushing her hair and Mark is coming into the room in his t-shirt and boxers.

Mark (country accent):
Well, Ma, I guess we better hit the hay...

Nina (laughing):
You really have been unmerciful to Doug over this.

Mark (climbs into bed, slides under the covers):
Ah, well, he'd do the same for me!
(reaches and takes the brush from her hand to brush her hair himself)
You look like you've got a lot on your mind.

Nina:
I do. I wondering about what's going to happen tonight, if anything, and if I'll be able to control it.

Mark:
Have you ever done anything like this before?

Nina (shakes her head):
Not on my own. I observed someone else doing it but it was in a closed room...not in an element like this.

Mark:
If he doesn't remember, what will that do to him?

Nina (shrugs):
That depends on him. He may just accept it as something he's lost out of his life...or he may let it eat at him until it destroys him. I think he would accept it, though.

Mark:
Does abuse do this to people? When kids are beaten like I assume Doug was, does it make them this messed up as adults?

Nina: Abused children go one of those ways. They either turn themselves inside out trying to be different from what they were raised, as Doug is doing, or they just repeat the cycle, as Ray did.

Mark: Doug has a 10 year old boy with a history of sexual and physical abuse in his background...if he spends the next eight years with Doug and Carol, as I assume is their intention, can they stop him from ending up like Doug when he's grown up?

Nina (nods): I think they can...if they get him into child counseling and work hard with him to reassure him that he is not a bad person and that he is capable of being loved...

Mark (stops her train of thought): Wait a minute...are you telling me that Doug doesn't, or didn't think he was capable of being loved?

Nina (nods): Not capable of being loved and not sure he was capable of giving it. He knows better now but that's just because of Carol. If she hadn't come into his life, I suppose he would still think that way.

Mark:
He's crazy about her...that's for sure...

Nina (smiles):
She is his rock and his whole world. She's the power that makes him strong.

Mark:
I remember when Carol tried to kill herself...Doug was so devastated. He was like a helpless child. He just stood there, paralyzed. totally unable to do anything to help.

Nina:
They weren't together by then, were they?

Mark (shakes his head):
No, they were broken up by then. But, that night, when I looked into his eyes at him looking into that room watching her in there so still and lifeless...I knew then that he loved her. I tried every way I knew to get him to admit to himself or to her, but, just resisted my every plea.

Nina:
He was afraid. Admitting that you have deep rooted feelings for another person is a very hard thing for some people...especially someone who has never had anyone display it much to them.

Mark:
What about his mother? I mean, he and Sarah get along well now...surely she gave him love and attention.

Nina (nods):
She did...but he wanted it from his father...not his mother.

Mark:
He should have just been grateful for what he got and been happy with it.

Nina (grins):
Look who's talking.

Mark (grunts):
Huh...I guess you got me there!
(reaches for her and pulls her to him)
Let's don't talk anymore...

Nina (kisses him):
Yeah...let's not...

Cut back to Doug and Carol on the sofa sleeper. Doug is doing a dialysis exchange and Carol is reading her book.

Doug (turns to her):
Tell me something, OK?

Carol (puts her book down, looks at him):
Sure...

Doug:
Say I was a father like Ray was...and I used a belt on our kids...would you stand in the room and let me do it? Wouldn't you try and stop me?

Carol (nods):
I think I would...yeah.

Doug (confused):
Then why didn't my Mom ever try to stop Ray? Sometimes she just walked out of the room saying 'I won't watch this' and other times she stood right there and watched him beat me. Why wouldn't she try and stop him?

Carol (shrugs):
Maybe she was afraid of him...afraid of what he'd do to her and it was easier to let you take it...maybe she figured you'd get over it easier...that he could really hurt her, not that he couldn't really hurt you...
(pause)
Did he ever?

Doug (thinking):
One time I remember he cut me. It was the worst whipping I ever got. I must have been about Raoul's age...about 10. I was throwing rocks at cars up on the highway and Ray caught me. He cut a switch off a tree and whipped me with it all the way home. When we got here, he hauled me off to my room, pulled my pants down and whipped me until he broke that switch. I was cut and bleeding and I didn't sit down for SEVERAL days.

Carol (quietly):
That's abuse.

Doug:
Well, hell yes, that's abuse! Why do you think when I see just ONE mark on a kid I call social services? No kid should have to live in that kind of environment.

Carol:
Why didn't you tell somebody? A teacher? Or a neighbor? Somebody that maybe could have helped you?

Doug:
Because I knew they would take me away from my Mom. And in a crazy sort of way, I thought I was protecting my Mom by being here to be the punching bag...because if he was beating on me he was leaving her alone.

Carol (strokes his head):
But look at Raoul...he got taken away from his mother and he ended up someplace better.

Doug:
Well, I don't think I have to tell you that Raoul's case is not average. Most foster kids end up in worse places than they came out of. They don't belong to anybody so nobody really cares what happens to them. I want Raoul to know that isn't the case with us...as I'm sure it wasn't with the Altons, either.

Carol
That reminds me, what are we going to do with the money from the state we'll get for keeping him?

Doug:
I thought we could set up a trust fund for him and then when he's 18 he'll have money for college or whatever he wants it for.

Carol (smiles, nods):
That's a great idea, Doug!

Doug (shrugs):
I have my moments...

Carol (snuggles down in bed):
Come on...let's try and get some rest...

Doug (snuggles down with her):
I'm almost afraid to go to sleep...

Carol (wraps her arms around him):
I'll be right here with you...don't be afraid...

Doug and Carol snuggle together and lay side by side, face to face on the small sleeper sofa.

Doug (chuckles):
Now I know why we have a king sized bed!

Carol giggles and Doug reaches to turn out the light.

Cut to show time lapse. Show Nina and Mark sleeping in the master bedroom and pan down the hall to show Doug and Carol sleeping on the sleeper sofa in the living room. Dry ice swirls fog under the door and surrounds the room quickly. Show Doug opening his eyes and sitting up in bed. He looks at Carol, sleeping undisturbed beside him. He is not sure if he is dreaming or if this is real. He looks to the foot of the bed and sees Ray standing and watching him.

Ray:
You want to know what happened in this house, Dougie?
(reaches his hand to him)
Come on with me...I'll show you what happened...but don't say I didn't warn you.

Doug slowly reaches his hand and Ray grabs hold of it, pulling him with him. They start slowly down the hallway and disappear into the fog. When they emerge from the fog, they are standing in the living room again, and the hand that Ray is holding is only eight years old...a small boy is in Doug's place now.

The action in the living room is Dougie, Ray, and Henry. Ray and Henry are drinking heavily and boasting each other out the way men always do. Dougie is playing with a toy truck on the floor. He is making truck noises and generally making a lot of noise.

Henry (drunken slur):
Dougie, put a muffler on that truck, boy.

Dougie looks up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He makes his noises a little quieter and continues to play. A few minutes later, he is loud again and Henry calls him down again.

Henry (loudly. angrily):
Doug, I told you to play quietly, didn't I? Now, if I have to tell you again, I'm gonna whip you...you understand me?

Dougie (nods quietly):
Yes, sir.

Ray (drunken slur):
Ah, he's just having some fun...

Henry:
Well, he can do it quietly!

Dougie quiets his truck sounds for just a few minutes but starts them back up again loudly, zooming his truck all over the floor. Henry slams his beer can down and gets to his feet.

Henry:
OK! That's it!
(he reaches down and grabs Dougie by the arm)
I owe you a spankin'! Let's go!

The little boy looks desperately at Ray, who gives him a shrug.

Ray:
You do the crime, you do the time, Doug. I can't help you, son.

Henry jerks and shakes Doug all the way to the master bedroom and shoves him over to the bed.

Henry (demanding):
You get your pants down and lean across that bed...

Dougie looks up at him with fearful eyes, but turns around slowly. We see his eyes cringe as he drops his pants and he timidly leans across the bed, gripping the bedspread in his fists. Henry goes over to Sarah's vanity and picks up a flat backed hairbrush and goes back over to the bed.

Henry (puts his hand in the middle of Doug's back to hold him onto the bed):
When I tell you to do something, Boy, you better learn to DO it!

He begins to paddle the little boy with hard, solid blows. Dougie begins to cry almost immediately. This angers Henry even more.

Henry (scolding):
You got nothing to cry about...I warned you first...you deserve this spankin'...

Dougie cannot stop or control his tears and Henry continues to paddle his bottom relentlessly with the hairbrush.

Henry (still scolding):
I'll give you a spankin' you won't soon forget...

Cut back to the living room and focus on Ray. He is listening to the hits his son is taking in the other room and suddenly his eyes mist with tears. He flashes in his mind to his own father, Doug's grandfather, whipping him for something and he shakes his head to shake it off. Suddenly, he jumps up and goes down the hall to stand in the doorway.

Ray:
OK, Henry...that's enough...

Henry (still paddling Doug):
No, I don't think he's learned his lesson yet...

Focus on Ray's face growing angry as he continues to listen to the hits of the hairbrush and the wails of his suffering son as Act Three fades to Black.

Act Four

Scene opens still in Doug's "dream" or vision, only now, he is standing in the doorway behind Ray as an adult, watching the action that happened when he was a child, with Ray's image standing with him. Henry is still paddling him with the hairbrush and Dougie is crying painfully, still clutching the bedspread in his fists.

Ray (angrily):
I said, that's enough, Henry!

Henry (doesn't let up):
I'm gonna teach this boy that he better DO what I say!

Ray:
You've given him enough...I'm his father...if he needs a whipping I should be the one to give it to him...you go no right...

Henry (stops long enough to whirl around and face Ray):
I got EVERY right. I'm the one that's here with this boy all the time...you're sure the hell never around.

Now Henry is angry and begins to beat Doug about the back and shoulders with the hairbrush. Now Doug is screaming and trying desperately to get away but Henry's hold on him is too strong.

Doug (as an adult, looks desperately at Ray):
Dad, DO something! He's going to kill me!

Ray (steps into the room):
Henry! Let him go!

Henry (yelling at Doug):
Nothing but trouble...no good brat...

Ray (steps in and grabs Henry by the arm to stop him from hitting Doug):
Henry, stop it! He's just a little kid! He didn't do anything to deserve what you're giving him! You're hurting him!

Henry (pushes Ray backwards):
You stay out of this, Ross!

Henry sets back to hitting Doug, who is crying loudly and trying to get away. Ray stumbles out of the room and rest against the wall for a minute. Doug (the adult) stands looking at him in disbelief.

Doug (painfully):
You're not going to help me?

Ray gives him a perturbed look and inches towards a closet at the end of the hallway. He rips open the door and sifts through boxes on the shelf until he pulls down a shoe box and flips it open. He takes out a revolver and starts back down the hall.

Doug (as an adult):
Ray, what are you doing?

Ray (in the doorway, aims gun at Henry):
Damn it, Henry, I said LET HIM GO!

Henry (turns to face Ray, sees the gun, and laughs):
Shooting me over this kid is not worth going to jail for, Ross...

Ray:
That's my son, Henry...and I WILL protect him. Nobody should beat him like that.

Henry (finally lets go of Dougie):
Nobody except you, huh?

Ray (to Dougie):
Get up, Boy, and go get in your room!

Dougie struggles to his feet, shaking and crying, but manages to dart past Henry and Ray to fall into his room. Focus now on the child sitting on his bed listening to the two men argue in the other room.

Ray's Voice (demanding):
Don't you EVER hit that boy like that again.

Henry's Voice (snarls):
Or you'll do what?

Ray's Voice:
I'll kill you, Henry. I've got half a mind to go ahead and do it now.

Henry's Voice (laughing):
What's stopping you, Big Man?

Ray's Voice (quiet):
You're not worth going to jail for, Henry...Dougie is...but you aren't.

Henry's Voice (scoffs):
In other words, you ain't the balls to follow through.

Focus on Dougie's wide eyes as a scuffle breaks out in the other room. Suddenly, the two men are slamming into the wall in the hallway just outside his room. The little boy wastes no time scurrying into the closet in his room. He cracks the door just slightly and peeks out to watch the action in the hallway. The two men begin to wrestle over the revolver, knocking each other into the wall and the gun is clasped in both of their hands as the both try to take control. Suddenly, the gun goes off with a loud BANG! and blood splatters quickly on the wall as Henry drops to the floor.

Dougie (crying in the closet):
Daddy!! Daddy!!!

Ray goes quickly to the closet and opens the door. Dougie rushes to him, crying uncontrollably.

Dougie:
Daddy...

Ray (stoops down to be one on one with his son...Doug the adult is standing behind him, watching with Ray's image):
Dougie, listen to me...this is not good...now you have to do exactly what I tell you, you understand?
(Dougie nods)
Nobody but you knows I was here tonight and you can't tell anybody I was, OK? Your mother doesn't know...nobody knows...and they can't know, OK?

Dougie (confused, crying):
Why, Daddy?

Ray:
I can't explain it to you right now, son...you just have to trust me and do what I tell you. Can you do that for me?

Dougie (tears running down his face):
You're leaving?

Ray (nods):
Yeah...but I'll be back...

Ray pats his son on the back and quickly leaves the room. Dougie sniffs his tears back and begins to walk slowly towards the door of his room. Doug (the adult) and Ray (in image) stand in the room watching as the little boy gets to the doorway. He walks out into the hall to peer down at Henry. The man is dead with a gunshot wound to his head and he is still clutching the gun in his hand. Blood is oozing from his head and running on the wall beside him. Dougie reaches up then presses his hand to the wall, his face a total blank, just as Mrs. Coleman comes into the hallway. She sees the child standing close to the dead man...the little boy in nothing but his underwear, bruised and battered from his beating, and completely in shock.

Mrs. Coleman:
Dougie?
(Dougie turns his head to look at her)
Come to me, child...
(she opens her arms and Dougie rushes to her, falling against her and sobbing. She strokes his head to comfort him)
Shhhhhh....it's all right, Dougie...come on...let me take you to my house and we'll call the police...

The woman wraps her coat around the little boy and take him by the hand, leading him away. He looks over his shoulder at the dead man on the floor until he is out of sight*

*author's note...no pun intended.

Doug (as an adult):
Did they think I killed him?

Ray (shakes his head):
No...his death was ruled a suicide...they thought he killed himself.

Doug:
They wouldn't have done anything to you, Ray...it was an accident.

Ray:
I'd have still gotten manslaughter...I couldn't handle going to prison...

Doug:
With my testimony, they probably would've let you off easy...probation even...

Ray (shakes his head):
I couldn't take a chance...

Doug (angry and sad):
So, you just took off? You just walked out on me? You let me witness a murder and then you didn't stick around to try and help me through it?

Ray (desperately):
I made a mistake, Dougie! I made a lot of mistakes!

Doug (nods):
Yeah, the biggest one you made was having me!

Ray (sincerely):
No, Dougie...having you was probably the only thing I did right in my life...just like having Scott was the first thing on the road to getting your life on the right track...

Doug (looks at his feet):
But it took me 10 years to owe up to it and find him...

Ray:
But you DID find him...and you made everything right between you. I don't know where you learned to be such a good father, Son...you sure didn't learn it from me.

Doug:
Why didn't I remember any of this, Ray?

Ray (shrugs):
I don't know, Son...you're the one with a psychiatrist sleeping in your Mom's room...why don't you ask her.

Doug (carefully):
Did you know about Uncle Don?

Ray (shakes his head):
Not when it happened. You should have told me about that, Dougie...

Doug (nods):
Yeah...I know that now.
(looks sadly at Ray)
You're leaving now, aren't you?

Ray (smiles):
You don't need me anymore, Dougie...

Doug (cuts him off):
Yes, I do! I need you now more than ever! Why did you have to leave me, Ray? Just when we could've been friends!

Ray:
Life works out that way sometimes, Dougie...
(Ray's image begins to fade)
But I'll always be watching you...

Doug (desperately reaching for the fading image):
Dad! Don't go! Don't leave me!

Cut to show Doug sitting up on the sofa sleeper, clutching his pillow to his stomach and rocking gently on the bed, mumbling the words from his dream...

Doug:
Dad! Come back, Dad! Don't leave me...

Carol (sits up, touches his shoulder):
Doug! Hey, Doug! Wake up!

Doug (pops out of his dream and turns to look at her blankly):
Huh?

Carol (smiles):
You were having a dream...

Doug:
Where's Nina?

Carol (throws the covers off her and starts climbing off the bed):
I'll go get her...

Cut to show short time lapse. Mark and Nina are sitting on the bed with Doug and Carol and Doug is finishing his story from his dream...

Doug:
...and I don't remember anything about that night...
(looks desperately at Nina)
...why? Why didn't I remember any of it?

Nina:
Post traumatic stress can sometimes block a person's memory for a long time. You were very young...and didn't you tell me your Uncle Don died also when you were eight?
(Doug nods)
Well, those two things together were probably just too much for a little boy to deal with. You just put it away and went on with your life...
(Nina smiles)
...Just the way you tend to do with things now. It's part of what made you the person you became...it's not the best way for a person to deal with things, but, it's part of what made you so strong.

Doug (shakes his head):
I'm not that strong, Nina...
(reaches over and takes Carol by the hand and smiles):
...not by myself.

Nina:
When we get back to Chicago, if you want to talk about this some more, we can, but, I think you'll be all right with most of it now...and I think we should all just go back to bed.

Nina and Mark get up and start back down the hallway. Doug snuggles back down with Carol and they cuddle together.

Carol:
Do you remember anything about your Mom that night?

Doug (shakes his head):
No...but you can bet I'm gonna ask her about it when we get home.
(sighs, wraps his arms around her)
But right now, I want to just go back to sleep.

Carol (softly):
I'm so sorry for that little boy...you and Raoul have so much in common...have you ever thought of telling him about your childhood?

Doug (thinking):
No...but maybe I should...it might help him understand that if you just work hard enough, you can overcome anything.

Carol (strokes his hair, gazes into his eyes):
If I could, I'd love to comfort that little boy...

Doug (smiles):
You are...
(chuckles, cuddles close to her)
Believe me when I tell you...you are.

Focus on the two of them locked in each other's arms and pan back for a long shot of the bed as Act Four Fades to Black.

Closing Act

Scene opens with Mark helping Doug load the travel bags back into the van. Mark is handing Doug the bags and Doug is placing them inside.

Doug:
Mark, I want you to know, I really appreciate you coming with us...I was really glad you were here.

Mark:
Well, I wasn't much help, but I was glad I came, too.

Doug:
Just being here was help, Mark...I hope you believe that.

Mark (nods):
I do.
(pause)
So, you think you'll be OK now?

Doug (shrugs):
I think it's a good start. Nina and I together can unravel some of the rest of the things that happened that night.

Mark (sincerely):
You really had a rough childhood, Doug...I'm really sorry.

Doug (grins):
Wasn't your fault, Mark. And it's all in the past now...finally.

Mark:
I'm gonna go in and be sure we've got everything...

Doug (starts up the walk with him):
Yeah, I'm just gonna put the key back where it goes...

Mark goes into the house and Doug reaches behind the mailbox on the porch to tuck the key back in where he took it from. When he turns around, he sees a little boy standing at the base of the steps in the front lawn.

Doug (grins):
Hey, kid! Where'd you come from? You live around here?

Boy (smiles at him):
Not anymore...but I used to.

Doug looks closely and sees the jeans the boy is wearing are turned up two cuffs on the bottom and he is wearing out of date converse tennis shoes and a red and white striped t shirt...all out of date for modern times. He notices the boy has a fading black eye ticks his head just slightly...just the way he does now. Before he can say anything else, the rest of his traveling party comes out of the house and onto the porch.

Carol (takes Doug by the hand):
Are we ready to head for home?

Doug (nods):
Yes! I want to see my babies! I've missed all 7 of them!

Carol (smiles):
Oh, I have, too!

Mark (as they head for the van):
Yeah, I want to get things ready to go to war with Jennifer...

Nina (walking with him):
We're ready...

Doug gets to the van and helps Carol in on the passenger's side. Then he goes around and opens the driver's door and finds a small wooden plaque lying on the seat. He picks it up and grins...the plaque has little ghosts and monsters peeking out around the sides of the wording that reads "From Ghosties and Ghoulies and Long Leggity Beasties and Things That Go Bump In The Night...Good Lord Deliver Us"

Carol (delighted):
Oh, good! You found it!

Doug (smiles, climbs into the van):
Yeah...I guess I did...
(hands her the plaque)

Carol (looks at it):
Tatchie will LOVE this...

Doug looks in his rearview mirror before he pulls away from the curb and sees the little boy standing at the gate waving at him. Quietly, and barely audible, he mumbles...

Doug:
So long, Dougie...R.I.P., kiddo...

He pulls the van away from the curb to begin their journey home. One last time he looks in the rear view mirror, but the little boy that was standing there is no where to be seen. Doug shakes off the strange effect and turns on the radio to hear words most fitting for his present situation in the Barry Manilow song "I Made It Through The Rain"...
Lyrics:
I made it through the rain, and kept my world protected
I made it through the rain, and kept my points of view
I made it through the rain, and found myself respected
By the others who got rained on too and made it through...

Mark:
I thought all they had in Kentucky was country stations!

Doug (laughs):
You know, Mark...I am REALLY gonna have to educate you a little better!

Mark (scoffs):
Hey, I'm a city boy, Miss Scarlett...I don't know nothing about cows...

Doug (laughs):
No, but you do know about birthin' babies, right?

Mark:
No, you and Carol are the experts on that!

Carol (snickers):
Amen to that...

Cut to show time lapse. Show the Van pulling up in the driveway of the Ross home and the door of the house opening quickly. Show Tatiana out the door first with, Scott, and Raoul behind her carrying Tina and Lana and Amy following close behind carrying Joshua, and Marc toddling along beside her. Show Doug scoop Tatiana up in his arms, and rough the hair of Scott and Raoul as Carol picks up Marc and the family, now reunited, goes into the house together and the Closing Act fades into the Closing Credits of the show.

April 30, 1998