Who Is Who
One Act
By John Blais
Characters:
Abbey………a young woman
Clair………..a young woman
Andy………..a young man, Abbey’s husband
The nurse……woman or man
The Set:
……is a hospital room with two beds. It is clean, bright and clinical. The two beds are against the back wall. Between them is a window which looks down several stories to the street. The door is in the wall to the left of the audience. Clair who has just delivered her baby has flowers and a box of candy on her bedside table. Abbey who is eight months pregnant, and has been in a sever auto accident has a leg in a cast and her wrist and her head are bandaged. Her eyes are black and she has a bruise on her cheek. She has recently moved to this room in the maturity ward and has no flowers or candy. Both women have the backs of their beds cranked up so they are in sitting positions.
The play opens with Claire looking at a pamphlet while Abbie has her eyes closed and is dozing. Her hands are on her very pregnant belly.
Andy enters. He wears blue jeans, a blue working man’s shirt and a baseball cap. Seeing Abbie asleep, he walks quietly taking off his baseball cap as he does. Claire looks up from her pamphlet and smiles]
Andy
Maybe I should come back.
Abbie
No, no. I’m awake.
Andy
Didn’t want to wake you. (He looks around the room.) They brought you down here, the maturity ward. It isn’t coming early is it? Is it?
Abbie
Going to give me a kiss?
Andy
Huh? Yeah, sure. (He bends down to kiss her but doesn’t know where to put h is hands or where to kiss her bruised face. He stops.) I don’t know how to do this.
Abbie
(She lifts her hand up and with her fingers poking out of her cast, points to her lips.) Right here, you can kiss me right here.
Andy
(He kisses her carefully and quick. He stands back.) They got all the tubes out of you.
Abbie
I know. The doctor said if it wasn’t for all my broken bones and … this (She puts her hand on her belly) I could go home.
Andy
That’s just wonderful. I wish …I mean if I knew where I could touch you…I’d …but I guess I’ll have to wait to hug you. You look a lot betternow too. You got color in your face now. You were so white there.
Abbie
I feel good…except when I try to move. Andy, I’ve got wonderful news. I do.
Claire
(As she moves to get out of bed) I should leave you two be alone.
Abbie
Oh. Andy, this is Claire. She just had her baby. Big boy it was. What? Eight pounds…
Claire
Ten ounces.
Andy
Hi.
Claire
Hi. I’ll let you two alone. I’m going to get my baby. You can just walk in the nursery now. You could never do that before.
(Claire gets out of bed and exits.)
Abbie
Did you talk to my mom?
Andy
Yeah, I called her. She told me you were out of intensive care. Hearing that was really a relief. I couldn’t stay at work any more. I had to get down here. Everything is going to be alright, Abbie. I’ve been thinking about it, and I know we can do it.
Abbie
Everything is going to be alright. You’re going to be so happy.
Andy
We can do it. We’ll go to those classes she talked to us about. We’ll learn just what to do. We will. We can do it. We’ll love the baby just as much. Maybe even more.
Abbie
Can I tell you?
Andy
And you can’t blame yourself. You got know that, Abbie. It wasn’t your fault. You understand. You can never think that. If you start thinking like you said last night, it just won’t work, honey. You can’t blame yourself. Just remember, it’ll be our baby and we’ll love him or her just as much. Like I said, maybe even more.
Abbie
Andy, let me tell you. They can fix the baby. It won’t have the brain damage. They can fix it.
Andy
Huh? They can fix it? They can? They really can?
Abbie
Uh huh. But you got to say it’s okay. They’re coming for me any minute now. You only have to say it’s okay. They can fix our baby.
Andy
Fix the baby? I don’t understand. How? Are they going to do brain surgery on it? You mean…but didn’t the doctor say there was nothing they could do? It lacked oxygen for too long. All that: the brain stuff, everything. They’re going to operate. Gezz.
Abbie
You have to say yes too.
Andy
Sure, sure….but it isn’t going to be dangerous. I mean you know just a little baby, not even born yet…if it’s too risky….if it’s too risky, we just should
Abbie
I’ll just have to go another nine months. That’s all. The baby will be perfect, just like it was before the accident. Andy, it’ll be just another nine months. I won’t mind that at all.
Andy
What are you talking about?
Abbie
We just start all over. It’s called cloning. It’s like the sheep they did. Remember that story. They improved everything now. And it’ll be the same baby. [She pats her belly] Right here. It’ll be completely the same exepte it’s birthday.
Andy
Oh.
Abbie
Andy?
Andy
I need a breath or something. Too much too soon. It’s all changed and it’s going to be alright now. I just need to breathe for awhile.
[Andy takes a few deep breaths]
Andy
It’s going to be alright. Our baby will be normal. Abbie, it’s wonderful, wonderful. What can I say?
Abbie
Can you give me a hug?
[Andy bends down and reaches his hands but doesn’t know where to put his hands. She says, “wow” and then,“that’s okay” and then “no, wow”and then they give up]
Andy
I guess we’ll have to wait.
Abbie
Oh well.
Andy
Yeah.
[They are silent now. Abbie rubs her belly. Andy turns to the window and looks out. It is a well timed silence before he turns to her again.]
Andy
Won’t that be an abortion?
Abbie
Abortion? No, it’s a procedure. It’s going to be the same baby, Andy. The same baby. Everything will be the same: nothing different.
Andy
Then who…
Abbie
Is who?
Andy
The baby in there now.
Abbie
It’s our baby.
Andy
Won’t it have to go…go [He swallows hard] Go for the other one.
Abbie
Go for the other?…I guess. It’s all part of the procedure, Andy. They already got the DNA. We’ll just start over. It is the same baby. But this time, there won’t be an accident. I won’t even get near a car.
Andy
The same baby, it’ll be the same baby. You’ll just do it all over again. Oh. Oh yeah. I’ll drive you. Or your mom… your mom if I’m at work. You can call her when you got to go some place.
Abbie
No, I won’t go anywhere. I’m staying home. It’s our first one.
[Andy turns and looks out the window again.. Abbie rubs her tummy and they are silent for a long time. Andy’s head moves as he watched the people walking the sidewalks below.]
Andy
[Facing the window still] It sure makes you wonder about things.
Abbie
Wonder about what?
Andy
I don’t know. Just looking down there. The people. They all look like…what do they say? Like ants: one is the same as the other. Going this way and going that way: just different birthdays is all. [Andy turns to her now] Makes you wonder who is who.
Abbie
Who is…who?
Andy
Yeah. Who is who.
[Claire Enters. She has her baby swaddled in a powder blue blanket. She is smiling down at it, rocking it back and forth. She has a bottle of water she is trying to feed him. She looks up]
Claire
Here we are: baby and me. I get to give him a little water. You should have heard him crying in there. But as soon as I picked him up: he knew who is mommy was. Didn’t you? Hmm. [She puts her hand to his face as she admires him. A clank comes from the hallway, she looks to Abbie]
Claire
Oh, that’s right, I think they’re coming for you, Abbie. I saw the nurse with the wheel chair.
[The Nurse enters with the wheel chair. She smiles]
The Nurse
We’re all set for you. No, no. Don’t you try. Here let me.
[The Nurse helps Abbie get out of bed. It takes awhile for finding the right places to put her hands. Andy tries to help, sees he’s of no use and stands back. Abbie groans a few times, says “wow, wow” and then seated she sighs with relief.]
Andy You okay?
[Abbie doesn’t answer as she watches Claire fuss with her baby. She smiles.]
Claire
Good luck now, Abbie. We’ll be thinking of you, me and little…what are we going to call you huh. Hmm, what are we going to call you? We’re going to have to talk to daddy about that. He says Bob, but that’d be Robert. You’re no Robert are you? I don’t think so. You don’t think so, do you? Hmm. Come on, come on take a little water.
Abbie
You’re so lucky. You don’t have to wait. [then as she is being wheeled out and while Claire is talking to her baby] Actually, Andy, you know what? It will only be eight more months, not nine.
[The Nurse, Abbie and Andy exit]
Andy
[Off stage] Eight months? How do you figure that?
END