PHILADELPHIA

Charles Wheeler, Walter Kenton, Kenneth Killcoyne, Bob Seidman
and SEVERAL LAWYERS and SPOUSES watch the game from a plush,
private box, complete with TV, bar, snack table. The lawyers wear
Ralph Lauren polos, chinos and ball caps. The place reeks of
cigar smoke. Walter Kenton has a twentyfive year old WIFE.

Charles Wheeler's nine year old GRANDSON sits nearby.
Wheeler turns the GRANDSON'S ballcap around, smiling
lovingly at the boy.

JUST BEYOND WHEELER: The door to the box is opened by a SECURITY
GUARD and a well-dressed, charismatic MAN looks in.

                              WHEELER
                         (spotting him)
                    Julius!

                              KENTON
                    Dr. J.!

                              DR. J.
                    Gentlemen... Ladies...

JULIUS ERVING enters, greeted by the LAWYERS.

                              LAWYERS
                    How's it goin', Doctor?/This is
                    an honor!/etc ...

The door is opened again, by the SECURITY GUARD, REVEALING
Joe Miller (in jeans and basketball jacket) and a MARSHALL.

                              JOE
                    Excuse me. Charles Wheeler?

Wheeler turns. Joe SLAPS a document into Wheeler's hand.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    Summons. For you.

NOW the box is QUIET.

                              DR. J.
                    Say. What's up, Chuck?

                                                  CUT TO:

THE BRIGHTLY LIT, RESTRICTED, INNER CORRIDOR OF SPECTRUM
Stadium (INT./NIGHT) where Wheeler walks beside Bob Seidman,
with Walter Kenton and Kenneth Killcoyne just behind. SOUNDS
OF THE GAME STILL IN PROGRESS can be heard, but FAR AWAY.
Occasionally the lawyers are passed by FOOD SERVICE or LAUNDRY
SERVICE EMPLOYEES...

                              WHEELER
                    ... interview every employee,
                    support staff, associates, partners.
                    Did any of them know Andy was sick?
                    How did they know? Did he tell them?
                    Did they notice something was wrong
                    with his appearance? None of this
                    information got to the managing
                    partners. We know that. Make sure
                    everyone else does too... And
                    Beckett: I want to know everything
                    about his personal life. Did he
                    frequent those pathetic bars on
                    Camac Street?

                              SEIDMAN
                    Jesus.

                              WHEELER
                         (ignoring Seidman)
                    What about other homosexual
                    facilities, whatever they are?

                              SEIDMAN
                    Charles...

                              WHEELER
                    What deviant groups or
                    organizations did he secretly
                    belong to?
                         (with irritation)
                    What is it, Bob?!

                              SEIDMAN
                    Let's settle with Andy and put
                    this whole tragic mess behind
                    us.

They arrive at a quiet, semi-private cul de sac.

                              WHEELER
                    Andrew brought AIDS into our
                    offices, into our men's room.
                    He brought AIDS to our annual
                    goddamn family picnic.

                              KENTON
                    We ought to be suing him.

                              SEIDMAN
                    For Christ's sake, where's your
                    compassion?

                              KENTON
                    Compassion? Andy sucks cocks,
                    Bob. He takes it up the ass.
                    He's a pervert.

Only Seidman shows any kind of REACTION.

                              SEIDMAN
                    That's kind of... extreme, Walt.
                    Andy's private life is none of
                    our business.

                              WHEELER
                    Bob. You're trying my patience.
                    Andrew Beckett is making his
                    private life our business. We
                    gave him Kronos. Did he say,
                    "I'm sick. I might not be able
                    to see this through?"

                              SEIDMAN
                    He was doing a great job.

                              WHEELER
                    Bob. I must ask you to shut the
                    fuck up. Did Andrew Beckett say
                    "I might not be able to serve our
                    clients to the best of my ability?"
                    He said nothing. And now, Andrew
                    Beckett proposes to haul me into a
                    court of law, to sling accusations
                    at me, in full view of the entire,
                    Philadelphia, judicial
                    establishment. My God.

                              KILLCOYNE
                    Beckett doesn't want to go to court,
                    he's hoping for a quick tasty
                    settlement.

                              SEIDMAN
                    A jury might decide that Andy has a
                    case.

                              WHEELER
                    Wait a minute. The man was fired for
                    incompetence, not because he has
                    AIDS. You didn't know he was sick,
                    did you, Bob?

                              KENTON
                    Holy Shit. Did you, Bob?

                              SEIDMAN
                         (after a moment)
                    No. Not really.

Wheeler walks away, followed by Kenton and Killcoyne.

Bob Seidman stands alone in this dark place.

                    CITY SOUNDS ON A WORK DAY AS WE CUT TO:

EXTERIOR, JOE'S OFFICE BUILDING, ON A THURSDAY MORNING.

                                        CONTINUOUS CUT TO:

JOB'S COLLEAGUE, FILKO, LOOKING DIRECTLY INTO CAMERA (in
Joe's offices, INT./DAY):

                              FILKO
                    Charles Fucking Wyant Wheeler?!

Joe sweeps by, just arriving for work.

                              JOE
                    Morning, Filko.

Filko keeps pace with Joe down the corridor. ANOTHER
COLLEAGUE calls out from an office as Joe passes:

                              COLLEAGUE
                    Hey, it's the local chapter of
                    the ACLU!

                              FILKO
                    You're a Republican, Joe! You
                    belong to the NRA!

                              JOE
                    How many toilet stalls are there
                    in the women's restroom on this
                    floor, Filko?

                              FILKO
                    How many... what?!

Filko follows Joe into Joe's office.

                              JOE
                    Two. How many toilet stalls are
                    there in the men's room? Two,
                    plus four urinals. How many
                    wheelchair accessible toilets in
                    either of those restrooms?
                    Zero. In this entire building?
                    Zero. Get the picture, Filko?
                    Discrimination! You find
                    yourself a female, paraplegic,
                    legal assistant who is qualified
                    to work here, except she can't
                    take a leak... and you've got
                    yourself a sex discrimination
                    suit and a handicapped
                    discrimination suit. Not
                    handicapped. What do you call
                    someone who can't use a normal
                    restroom? "Gastro-intestinally
                    challenged!"

Behind Joe, out a large window: PAINTERS on a scaffold.

Iris comes into the office and says:

                              IRIS
                    Wyant Wheeler's asking for a
                    postponement on the prelim, Joe.

Joe is dialing the phone.

                              JOE
                    Low-life, sleazy scumbags. Of
                    course they want a postponement,
                    I've got a client with a terminal
                    disease. They're going to drag
                    their heels every step of the way,
                    the rotten bastards.
                         (tapping on the window, to the
                         PAINTERS)
                    Is that spelled right?

                                        CONTINUOUS CUT TO:

EXTERIOR, JOE'S OFFICE BUILDING, WHERE PAINTERS ARE ADDING A new
question to the line of windows (DAY):

D I S C R I M I N A T E D A G A I N S T ?

                              JOE (VO)
                    Hey, Beckett. This is Miller.

                                        CONTINUOUS CUT TO:

JOE'S VOICE COMES THROUGH, ON THE ANSWERING MACHINE IN
Andrew and Miguel's loft (INT./DAY)

                              JOE (VO) (CONT.)
                    I just wanted to tell you...

CAMERA DRIFTS THROUGH the loft, finding Andrew in the rooftop
solarium, sitting crosslegged in front of a candle.

                              JOE (VO) (CONT.)
                    ... we're trying to set a date for
                    the prelim. Hang in there.

Andrew's eyes are closed. Next to him rests a tape player. A
WOMAN'S VOICE IS HEARD, accompanied by NEW AGE MUSIC:

                              WOMAN'S VOICE
                    I can heal myself.

                              ANDREW
                    I can heal myself.

                              WOMAN'S VOICE
                    I can heal myself.

                              ANDREW
                    I can heal myself.

                                                  CUT TO:

ANDREW AND MIGUEL IN THEIR BEDROOM AT NIGHT, LYING CLOSE TO
each other in bed (INT./NIGHT) ...

                              MIGUEL
                    I was coming out of the gym
                    today, and I ran into Jimmy. Do
                    you know what he asked me?
                    "What's it like knowing your
                    boyfriend's going to die?"

                              ANDREW
                    Jerk... What did you say?

                              MIGUEL
                    I said, "Everyone's going to
                    die, Jimmy. But Drew's not
                    going to die of AIDS. There's a
                    cure around the corner, and he
                    plans to be around to take
                    advantage of it."

Miguel strokes Andrew's hair.

                              ANDREW
                    You got that right, Mikey...
                         (beat)
                    You still believe that, don't
                    you?

                              MIGUEL
                    Yes. I think it will be a
                    simple solution. They'll put it
                    in a syringe, inject it into
                    your bloodstream. It'll
                    neutralize the virus. It'll
                    revitalize the immune system,
                    and people with AIDS will become
                    healthy again.

HOLD ON MIGUEL AND ANDREW, ON THIS QUIET MOMENT.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN: ESTABLISHING, EXT. PHILADELPHIA COURT HOUSE
(DAY) ...

TITLE: "Three months later."

                                                  CUT TO:

A LONG CORRIDOR IN A CITY COURT BUILDING -- FAR DOWN THE
corridor TWO FIGURES WALK TOWARD CAMERA (INT./DAY) ...

The figures APPROACHING CAMERA are Andrew and Joe, stepping
into and out of sunlight falling through tall windows.

TITLE: "Pre-trial settlement conference."

REVERSE ANGLE -- DOWN AN OPPOSITE CORRIDOR:

A PHALANX OF LAWYERS -- at least ten -- APPROACHING CAMERA, a
bulwark of white shirts and dark ties.

ON ANDREW AND JOE:

Andrew's hair is short, but growing back, the blotches have
receded,his weight is up. He's in a stage of recovery.

ON THE OTHER LAWYERS:

Charles Wheeler (seeming ironic) and Walter Kenton (he's
pissed) lead the battalion.

Behind them, walk young lawyers BELINDA CONINE and JEROME
GREEN. Belinda is white, Jerome is black.

                                                  CUT TO:

HUSHED VOICES (INT./DAY) ...

A JUDGE'S CHAMBERS, with couches, soft chairs scattered in a
loose circle, like a casual living room.

Joe and Andrew whisper to each other. The Wyant Wheeler team
takes up several chairs. Belinda Conine and Jerome Green sit
next to Wheeler and Kenton. Some of their ASSISTANTS stand.

Wheeler is looking across the room at...

Andrew, who catches Wheeler's stare.

                              WHEELER
                    You're looking better, Andy.
                    How do you feel?

SILENCE. Everyone watches Andrew for his reaction.

                              ANDREW
                    Fine, thanks, Charles.