The Rookies

Lt. Ryker:
[Repeated line at rollcall] Check your pidmaps!... Hit the streets!

Jill Danko:
This is gonna cost a fortune.

Officer Mike Danko:
It's supposed to. Besides, it's our anniversary and I'm out to impress you.

Jill Danko:
What's it gonna take to impress you? For me it only takes a pizza.

Officer Mike Danko:
Now she tells me.

Jill Danko:
I could tell you something else, too.

Officer Mike Danko:
What?

Jill Danko:
[Smiles blissfully] Nope. It's gotta be the right place and the right time. I want everything to be perfect.

Officer Mike Danko:
[Looks at Jill quizzically] What are you talking about?

Officer Mike Danko:
[strokes Jill's hair] Hi.

Jill Danko:
[opens her eyes] Hi. [pauses to swallow and lick her lips] Don't let this get to you, Mike. I'll be all right.

Officer Mike Danko:
I know that.

Jill Danko:
I love you.

Officer Mike Danko:
I love you, too.

Jill Danko:
[slides her wedding ring off her finger] They won't let me me wear this, so [offers the ring to Mike] you keep it for me.

[Mike takes the hand holding the ring in both of his and kisses it]

[Jill awakens from deep sleep and looks around to see Mike asleep in a chair next to the bed]

Officer Mike Danko:
[awakens still holding Jill's hand, leans forward and stands up, while he rubs his face] Hi. I fell asleep.

Jill Danko:
[smiles sadly with tears in her eyes] That's okay. Am I gonna be all right?

Officer Mike Danko:
Yeah. You're gonna be fine, just fine.

Jill Danko:
[blinks and looks away] But I lost the baby, didn't I?

Officer Mike Danko:
That's okay.

Jill Danko:
[shakes her head] It was my surprise. I was gonna tell you last night. It was gonna be my anniversary present. [inhaled sharply, her voice strained] I don't understand that. I don't understand why they took it away.

Officer Mike Danko:
[shakes his head] I don't either. I guess... I guess it was just chance.

Jill Danko:
[breathes rapidly for a moment] Yeah. I guess so. But if that's the way it is and that's how stupid things are, I wonder if it's worth it. Maybe, it's just not worth the trouble.

Officer Mike Danko:
Look, you... you get some rest now. We'll talk about it later.

Jill Danko:
I don't ever want to talk about it again, because I'm never gonna understand it. There's nothing that you or anybody else can say that'll make me understand it and so I guess the safest way to live is just to be sure you can never get hurt like that again.

[Mike wipes tears from Jill's face as she cries]

Officer Willie Gillis:
[knocks on hospital room door and enters cautiously] My shift starts in a couple minutes. I thought I'd drop by and see if you needed anything.

Jill Danko:
I don't need anything.

Officer Willie Gillis:
How about some magazines or something?

Jill Danko:
I don't want anything, Willie, but thanks for coming.

Officer Willie Gillis:
Jill, I guess I can't really understand what it is you're feeling, but isn't there something I can do?

Jill Danko:
Look, Willie. I don't want to talk, okay.

[Willie nods his understanding]

Jill Danko:
I know you wanna help, but you can help me if you just leave me alone. I don't want you to lecture me and I don't want you to understand me. I just want you to go away. [shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut] Just go away.

Officer Willie Gillis:
Okay. Take care, huh? [turns to leave, pauses before he opens the door]

Jill Danko:
[rises from the bed screaming] Mike! Mike!

Officer Mike Danko:
[grabs Jill, holds her tightly and strokes her hair] I'm here. I'm here. Shhhhh. It'll be okay. Easy. Easy now. [carefully lowers Jill to the bed]

[Jill cries hysterically and refuses to let go]

Officer Mike Danko:
[gets Jill to let go, kisses and strokes her face] Okay?

Jill Danko:
I was dreaming about the baby and I saw her. We were playing and something scared her. And she started to... [pauses to swallow and take a breath] She started to cry and she called me. I tried to help her, but someone just takes her away from me. I reached out for her and I couldn't get her. I tried, but I couldn't. I tried.

Officer Mike Danko:
[strokes her hair] Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhhh. It's just a dream. That's all it is, just a dream. It'll pass.

Jill Danko:
[fiddle with the snaps on Mike's jacket] Now, wouldn't it have been wonderful if we would really have been a family?

Officer Mike Danko:
We can again. The doctor said there's no problem.

Jill Danko:
[touches Mike's face] No. I don't want to. I don't wanna give chance another chance. I don't wanna give anything another chance to hurt us like that again. I'm just not... [turns away and buries her face in a pillow]

[Mike looks on sadly]

Lt. Ryker:
[enters the hospital room] Can we talk?

Jill Danko:
[looks away] About what, Lieutenant?

Lt. Ryker:
About me, Mrs. Danko. I have a job I do fairly well and like. I live comfortably. I eat well, too well perhaps. I'm not happy anymore. You wanna know the reason why? I'm sure I'm not gonna wait for the answer. It's you. You're making my life miserable, Mrs. Danko.

Jill Danko:
I don't want any pep talks, Lieutenant.

Lt. Ryker:
Well good, because I'm not gonna give any. I would like to talk to you as a friend. That's a role that was given to me by you and your husband some time ago and it's one that I am not ready to relinquish just yet. Don't bother insulting me. Not until I've said what I came to.

[Jill closes the book in her lap and crosses her arms over her chest defiantly]

Lt. Ryker:
You've been mourning the death of an unborn child and keep looking for reasons. I don't have any, but do know the name of the disease that's killing two healthy young people and its called self-pity.

Jill Danko:
[shouts] Are you quite finished?

Lt. Ryker:
No. I'm not finished. Where have you been all of your professional life? You're a nurse. [gestures wildly] You know all about life and death and everything n between. You tell me that who lives and who dies is just a matter of chance. What about you and Mike and the life you share? Did you pull him out a computer or did you meet him by chance? Ah, sure it's a gamble, all of it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. What do you want, a written guarantee? [continues to gesture wildly] Who do you think you are? What right have you got to throw your life away and the life of the man you love? At least you say you love him. Well, you don't have the right to throw his portion of life away. You don't and you never will. Now, I'm finished. I just hope you and Mike aren't.

Jill Danko:
Lieutenant?

Lt. Ryker:
What?

Jill Danko:
Would you do me a favor?

Lt. Ryker:
What's that?

Jill Danko:
[points at her right cheek] Would you kiss me right here?

[Ryker kisses Jill on the cheek]

Jill Danko:
[closes her eyes and touches Ryker's neck] Thank you. Thank you, dear friend. [kisses Ryker as he moves away and looks on as he leaves]

Officer Terry Webster:
Forgetting something?

Officer Willie Gillis:
What?

Officer Terry Webster:
Aren't you going to kiss me goodbye?

Officer Mike Danko:
[holds up a towel for Jill] Madame, your carriage awaits yonder. Would you tell yonder it's here?

Jill Danko:
[removes her shower cap and steps out of the shower] Tell yonder I'm ready.

[Mike wraps the towel around Jill and murmurs as he muzzled her neck]

Jill Danko:
Thank you. Oh, come on. I'm all wet. [turns around]

[Mike kisses Jill on the lips and works his way to her neck]

Jill Danko:
I've got surgical duty.

Officer Mike Danko:
Ryker wants to ride with me this morning. [continues to kiss Jill] We'll both make it on time.

Jill Danko:
Oh, Mike.

Officer Mike Danko:
Come on. When are going to throw that book away?

Jill Danko:
What book?

Officer Mike Danko:
You know what book. The one on caution and precaution.

Jill Danko:
[smiles and nods] Oh, that book.

Officer Mike Danko:
Yeah, that book. Michael Danko II, how does that grab you?

Jill Danko:
I'm coaxable, but I thought you wanted to wait.

Officer Mike Danko:
I did say that and we did wait. [reaches to stroke Jill's hair] Now, I'm proposing again.

Jill Danko:
Proposing again?

Officer Mike Danko:
[continues to stroke Jill's hair] Yeah. I asked you once to be my wife and you said yes. Now I'm asking you to be the mother of our kids. Do you need some time to think about it?

Jill Danko:
I've had time to think about it. [shrugs] I've had four years and my answer is yes.