Characters:
-Emily
-Mr. Newman

Props:
-  Envelope and Sam’s letter
- Pictures for the wall
- Clipboard
-Glasses
-Table
-Chair
-Scrubs

Scene: A hospital. A hallway in the rehabilitation unit lined with doors on both sides lies on stage right. A door separates MR. NEWMAN’s room from EMILY in the hall downstage right. LIGHTS UP on MR. NEWMAN stage left in a hospital bed staring out a window in his room (far left). LIGHTS OUT in MR. NEWMAN’S room and LIGHTS UP on EMILY stage right outside of the door to MR. NEWMAN’S room.
EMILY
(Anxiously pulls letter out of pocket, opens it, and reads it aloud)
My Dearest Emily,
I’m not sure how much longer I will have to keep my days a secret from you, but for now I can just say that where I am, life is tough.

Pray for me, but don’t worry. I am doing the job that I love and still thinking of you every day. I know these past few months have been hard for you, but I promise that I will always be there for you, Emily Elizabeth. I love you.

(Pause)

Your loving husband,
Sam

(Wipes eyes and neatly folds the letter back in the pocket of her scrubs, checks watch, and prepares to meet her newest patient. ENTER EMILY from the door downstage right into MR. NEWMAN’s room)
Hello, Mr. Newman. I am Dr. Emily Morrow, and I will be working with you on your physical therapy.

(MR. NEWMAN moves his gaze from the window to Emily and then back to the window but does not say anything)

How are you feeling?

(EMILY walks farther stage left into the room)

I heard you had a pretty big fall. On scale from one to ten, how is the pain in your hip today?

MR. NEWMAN
  (Looking gravely at EMILY)
If I say zero, will you leave me alone?

EMILY
If you say zero I will have to bring a doctor in to examine your hip. I’m just here to assess your situation and make a recovery plan, sir.

MR. NEWMAN
  (Gazing back out the window to avoid eye contact)
I can’t recover from this.

EMILY
Okay, let’s just see what you can do today. We will start slowly with some stretches.

MR. NEWMAN
You aren’t listening to me.

EMILY
Your room is very neat. I see you have a lot of pictures on the wall. Are you a photographer?

MR. NEWMAN
God, it’s obnoxious how blindly optimistic young people are these days.

EMILY
If you can, I want you to sit up and bring your legs over the side of your bed toward me.

MR. NEWMAN
Can’t you see I’m old?  If I could move my legs I wouldn’t be in this crappy place.

EMILY
Mr. Newman, I have helped many patients in your situation. If you are cooperative there is a chance that you will be able to move again. Now please try and stretch your toes toward me.

MR. NEWMAN
No. You young people just don’t listen. I feel like I am talking to a wall all day between you and the nurses.

EMILY
I’m sorry that you feel that way, sir.

MR. NEWMAN
Yeah, sure you are.

EMILY
Is there anything that I could do to better your stay?

MR. NEWMAN
I’m not getting rid of you, am I?

EMILY
  (Looking down at clipboard)
You have come a long way already in recovery, and the doctor thinks that you are capable of gaining back some of your strength. I seems that your attitude is the only thing stopping you. Oddly enough, we see this happen in some of our most resilient patients.

MR. NEWMAN
  (Turns to look at EMILY with a hint of a smile. He is annoyed by EMILY’S insistence on his recovery but slightly amused at her audacity to point out his rudeness.)
My attitude, eh? Usually you young ladies just come in here and tell me I’m a trooper.

EMILY
Sorry, sir. It’s been a long day.

MR. NEWMAN
No, no it was refreshing, but sweetheart you are too young to have long days. However, I reckon you don’t have the most exciting job.

EMILY
I don’t mind my job. It’s gratifying most days, and the days when it’s not I remind myself that I could have it a lot worse.

MR. NEWMAN
Smart woman.

EMILY
(Attempting to make a joke but instead making herself look pathetic)
And when I’m still not satisfied, I go home, curl up in front of the screen to some Days of Our Lives and cry.
(Attempts a laugh)

MR. NEWMAN
Dear God honey, you need to get out more. Tell your husband to take you out on a nice date tonight. If you throw in that an old guy like me is demanding it he won’t refuse.

EMILY
(Staring at clipboard awkwardly, trying not broach the subject of her husband to avoid tears)
I sure will. Now let’s start those stretches, Mr. Newman to build back your strength.

MR. NEWMAN
Ha, I know what strength feels like, Miss Morrow. It’s not this.

EMILY
(Still trying to be optimistic despite her sadness over thoughts of Sam)
I know this situation is not ideal for you Mr. Newman, but

MR. NEWMAN
(Interrupting her)
Eh I’m fine, you actually seem like a nice lady.

EMILY
I’m sorry?

MR. NEWMAN
(Pointing to a black and white photograph)
Do you see that picture up there?

EMILY
Yes, sir. Is that you?
MR. NEWMAN
1941 at Croft. I was in combat training.

EMILY
(Fixing things around the room to avoid eye contact)
You look very good in that picture, sir.

MR. NEWMAN
Best days of my life right there. I was 22 years old and the strongest man in the camp. I was in the military for 4 years after that.

EMILY
(Distracted again by thoughts of her husband)
What happened then?

MR. NEWMAN
Hmm?

EMILY
I’m sorry. Why did you leave the military? If you don’t mind me asking.

MR. NEWMAN
I never did. I became a military correspondent after active duty when my children were born. I couldn’t stand to worry my family any more than I had to as much as I loved my work.

EMILY
How... Could you come home and see your family?

MR. NEWMAN
(Lost in thought and looking the happiest yet)
Dorthy, my wife was a nurse in the Red Cross at Croft where that picture was taken. I found her back in South Carolina after my call of duty, and we got married just in time for me to go back into the workforce. We had three little ones while I was at the university learning how to better my writing, and I was lucky that most of my work was here in the states after that. I was only away for a few months here and there.

EMILY
Oh, I see.

MR. NEWMAN
I was thrown into the war after Pearl Harbor cut my training short, and I never looked back. It was a tough life, but I grew up an army rat, and after my dad was killed, I owed it to him to join.

EMILY
(Becoming increasingly more nervous as Mr. Newman continues to talk about the military)
Thank you for your service.
MR. NEWMAN
Now, why am I telling you all of this? Dorothy is gone now, and you and all of the other people here are trying to be kind, but you won’t listen. I have been strong long enough, and it’s obvious my body doesn’t want to be anymore. You are a nice girl, but I would rather…

EMILY
(Begins to cry silently and Mr. Newman looks at her truly for the first time. The room is awkwardly silent as he realizes that he has upset her)

MR. NEWMAN
I’m sorry.

EMILY
No, no.
(Trying to get herself together)
It has been a rough day because my... my husband is overseas in the army. I got a letter from him this morning and I think he is struggling to...

MR. NEWMAN
He’s okay. Hand me the letter.

EMILY
(Pulls the neatly folded letter out of her pocket and unconsciously holds it firmly close to her heart)
What are you going to do with it?

MR. NEWMAN
(Holds hand out to receive the letter)
I am going to tell you what is going on with your husband. Now, I think I know a little bit about decoding these letters. I have written many over the years.
(Reaches for glasses on the bedside table and EMILY reluctantly lets go of the letter in MR. NEWMAN’S hand)

EMILY
(While MR. NEWMAN reads. Getting anxious and watching his facial expressions intently.)
I’m probably just not used to this life yet with him gone, but I can’t help but wonder if I will ever see Sam again.
(MR. NEWMAN puts down his glasses and the letter on his bedside table)

MR. NEWMAN
He’s simply scared. You must know that your husband may never be the same after this experience.

EMILY
What is that supposed to mean?

MR. NEWMAN
You are strong, Emily. I’ve known that since you walked in this door.

EMILY
What do you mean?

MR. NEWMAN
I was wrong. Your determination to not give up on me proved you are not naive. You remind me very much of my wife actually. I would never tell her the detailed truth either when I wrote home not because I thought she couldn’t handle it, but because I knew she would worry.

EMILY
I can only imagine what she felt like.

MR. NEWMAN
I will tell you this because I think Sam would want to say this to you if he could. You may feel that your lives have both changed dramatically since the time he left, but no matter what happens, he will always love you.

EMILY
I know that. I just

MR. NEWMAN
  (Interrupting EMILY)
Miss Morrow, if you need anything, I will be here to talk. I think Dorothy would have wanted to see our years of seperation go to use. And, frankly, I think that I can help.

EMILY
Thank you, Mr. Newman. You have no idea how much this means to me.

MR. NEWMAN
No need to thank me. Sam will need you to stay strong. And hey, you are coming to see me and my antics every day now, so might as well make our time worthwhile.

EMILY
(Laughing for the first time)
There’s that attitude.

MR. NEWMAN
Hey, I gotta entertain myself somehow.

(Brings his legs around over the bed like EMILY asked him to earlier)
By the way, you are not doing a very good job, Miss Morrow.
(Pointing at his legs)

EMILY
Well well well! I will gladly take the blow this time if that’s what it takes for you to try to improve.

MR. NEWMAN
(Reaches for the letter from his bedside table)
Yeah, yeah. Well, it looks like you and Sam have brought out the youth in me.
(Hands the letter to EMILY)

EMILY
(Smiling)
Glad we could help.