Westwood Park

Dahlia is shocked to watch a man suck on her ex-lover's dick.

Dahlia

"Mark! What is going on?"

Mark jumps up. Rufus bites down on his dick. Mark screams as Rufus stands up, looking at Dahlia, wiping the sex juices from his mouth.

Rufus

"What a pervert! Do you always barge into people's houses?"

Dahlia

"I can't believe what I am seeing here. Mark! I went to jail because of you. You and Natalia. I went to jail because of a faggot."

Rufus

"Don't label my man."

Dahlia walks past Rufus and up in Mark's face

"Answer me! What is this this?"

Mark holds on to his manhood as tears roll down his face from the shock of being caught on the down low with Rufus biting his dick. He falls back on the couch and passes out from the alcohol. Dahlia shakes her head and rolls her eyes. She then looks at Rufus.

Dahlia

"Yuck. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Rufus

"Don't be mad at me girlfriend. I had him first. Before all you bitches. I bet he didn't tell you that, huh honey?"

Dahlia

"Before us? How long has this been going on?"

Rufus

"Right out of high school."

Dahlia vomits all over Rufus upon hearing the news that the man she loved, slept with men before she came into the picture.

Episode 91: Joy and Pain

Written by: Durand Saint Hillarie and ML Cooks with Miou Slater

Can I get a Witness West Coast Baptist Church

The church is empty and quiet. Jodie stands at the end of the altar. She holds a folded jacket in front of her.

She slowly heads toward the altar, her gaze locked on the statues of the virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.

At the end of the isle are small, candle-filled tables. She approaches a table, lights a candle and closes her eyes. Tears stream down her face. After taking a deep breath, she opens her eyes and wipes the tears.

Jodie

"I can do this."

She looks at the reflection in the window, checks her makeup and begins her walk down the long hall. She stops at the first door and walks into the room. Inside, a group of young men and women, ages ranging from seventeen to twenty-two, sit in a circle. They all become silent and turn in her direction as she closes the door behind her.

Jodie

"Sorry..."

The leader of the group stands up. He is blonde with shoulder length hair. He has green eyes and an Australian Accent. His name is Heath.

Heath

"Hello.. please, come in! Join us..."

Jodie smiles and heads toward a seat in the circle.

Heath

"I am Heath, and you are…..?"

Jodie

"Jodie."

Heath

"Everyone, please welcome Jodie."

All

"Hello..."

Heath

"Please, have a seat Jodie."

Jodie sits down next to the youngest guy in the group. Heath sits down and turns his attention to the crowd. Next to Heath is a young man named Pedro.

Heath

"Where were we? Yes, I am nineteen years old. I was diagnosed with HIV on my eighteenth birthday... Before I moved out here to Pasadena, I lived in Miami. I used to think it was fun to sleep with older guys, didn't care much about protection or feelings. It was just sex... Most of the guys I slept with were twice my age."

Others in the group begin sharing their stories.

Heath

"I ran away when I first found out. I couldn't bare to see the look on my mother's face . . . and my friends. That's how I ended up here."

Pedro

Have you talked to your parents since you found out?

Heath

"Man, they will never understand."

Pedro

"Do you miss them?"

Heath

"Yes. I miss them a lot. I have hundreds of letters..."

Heath laughs.

Heath

"I wrote one everyday, but I never had the courage to mail them."

Jodie

"Are you happy?"

Heath turns to Jodie. The look on his face comforts her.

Heath

"Never been more happier in my life."

Jodie smiles as Heath looks at her.

Heath

"What's your story? How are you doing?"

Jodie looks at him and pulls a cigarette out of her bag.

Jodie

"Do you mind if I smoke?"

Heath

"Not at all."

Lina

"Sweetie, around here, we don't do that kind of stuff. It's cheap and bad for your health... I got the real stuff."

Jodie looks at the skinny woman. She is obviously sicker than everyone else in the room. She pulls out a bag of weed from her purse.

Pedro

"You always come prepared, don't you Nurse Lina?"

Everyone laughs.

Lina

"Honey, it's clinically proven..."

She rolls a cigar, and passes it around the room.

Everyone is smoking, laughing and sharing their stories. Jodie looks around the room. She feels happy, a sense of love.

She feels welcomed.

Lina

"The hospital left me to die at home. I don't have a home. This is my home."

She gets up and takes hold of Heath's hand. Pedro puts his arms around her.

Lina

"You are my family."

Heath

"And we love you honey."

Lina

"And I love you, both of you."

She squeezes Heath's cheeks and then does the same to Pedro. She turns to the crowd.

Lina

"All of you, you are all my family."

Jodie

"I was a prostitute..."

The room turns quiet. Jodie takes another puff of her weed.

Jodie

"Right after Katrina hit New Orleans. Moved to Cleveland, worked the streets to make a living. I had nobody."

She continued in spite of the tears filling her eyes.

Jodie

"No money. I had nothing. Drugs. Alcohol. You name it. I did it, all of it. Would I do it again? I don't know. I mean, look at me. Look at us, all of us. Can we really look back and regret this part of our lives? Or can we just forget the past and move on? How does anyone do that? Every freaking day, I wake up wondering if today is the day. What's going to happen? When is it going to happen? I hate it. I hate what I've become."

Pedro

"Darling, darling, this is not your fault."

Jodie

"Whose fault was it? The guy that gave it to me? God's? The parents who left me when I was a child? The system? The government?"

Lina

"You are not being fair to yourself."

Jodie

"I... I made the choice. A choice that turned out to be a mistake."

The youngest in the room speaks up. He is a young boy named Jason.

Jason

"You didn't ask for this."

He tries to get up from the chair, when suddenly he begins to cough up blood. Heath rushes to him.

Heath

"Jason?"

Jason's breath becomes more labored.

Jason

"I can't breath."

Heath

"Somebody, call an ambulance."

PASADENA TRAIN STATION

Hope Brady is sitting with her ticket in hand and waits for the train to arrive. She pulls out her wallet and looks at a photo of her family. It's an older photo with JT, Bo, Shawn and her.

She touches the photo.

Suga walks up and sits next to her.

Suga

"Hey!"

Hope looks at Suga who is pulling out a cigar.

Hope

"How did you find me?"

Suga

"That crazy old preacher lady told me I would find you here. You know, the bat they call Pat"

Suga looks at the photo.

Suga

"Happy little family you got there."

Hope

"Mmmmm...had."

She closes the wallet.

Suga

"You just going to go home. And then..."

Hope

"Please don't try to stop me."

Suga

"Honey, I am not going to stop you. I just...I hope you know what you are doing."

Hope

"I can't stay on the run forever."

The train approaches the station.

Suga

"Well, if that cop husband of yours gives you any trouble, I am just a phone call away."

Hope

"Thanks Suga. You've been a real friend."

Suga

"Don't get all emotional on me now."

Hope gets up from the bench. Suga remains seated.

Suga

"Well, get going or you'll miss the train."

Suga looks away as Hope heads toward the train. She reaches the door and looks at Suga who sits on the bench, still looking away.

Hope boards the train along with the other passengers. She takes her seat looks out the window at Suga as the train takes off. Only then, Suga watches the train roll past her. She wipes away the cascade of tears streaming down her face.

She's alone once again. In her lonely place with her weed for comfort.

CITY STREET

Jodie walks in the street with her coat hugging tightly around her body. She wears it to hide her weight. The weed she smoked earlier is starting to work its magic. Her head starts spinning her eyes feel heavy.

She wants to get home and find a place to lie down.

As she stops at the corner and waits for the light to change, a white limo pulls up and stops next to her.

The window rolls down. She sees Ty sitting in the back seat.

He watches her and looks deep into her eyes. Then without a single word, the limo drives off.

She realizes that this will be harder than she thought. The life she so desperately wants seems like a silly dream.

Just as she is about to cross the street, someone places a hand on her shoulder.

DC

"Hello sexy ho."

She is startled and nearly loses her balance. DC grabs her.

DC

"Easy there..."

She collects her thoughts.

Jodie

"DC...what are you doing here?"

DC

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Jodie

"I am fine. Now would you mind!?"

She starts to leave.

DC

"Not so fast. We still have that little bit of unfinished business."

Jodie's headache is getting stronger and her patience with DC is wearing thinner.

Jodie

"Look, what do you want?"

DC

It's time for you to pay what you owe me. You ain't getting away that easy ho."

Jodie

"Dude fu(k off! I owe you sh!t!"

People start gathering around. DC gives a fake smile to the crowd. He grabs a hold of Jodie's arms and pulls her toward him.

DC

As fast as I made you, I'll break you...you piece of sh!t. Just remember where you were before me. It's past time to pay what you owe me."

Jodie

"Or what?"

DC

"Don't push me!"

Jodie

"You aren't getting anything from me. I owe you nothing!"

She spits in his face and pushes him aside. She jumps into the taxi.

Jodie (to the taxi driver)

"Drive!"

As the taxi drives off, Ria exits the coffee shop, clapping her hands. She heads toward DC.

Ria

"You really know how to please a woman."

DC

"Don't you start on me."

DC passes her and walks down the opposite direction.

West wood Park

Mike's House

Jodie closes the door and walks into the kitchen. On the table next to a small tray with a couple different pills is a note from Mike. She opens the note and reads it.

Jodie (reading the note)

"Honey... I will be working late on my new case. Dinner is in the fridge. Don't forget the pills again. Love, Mike."

She puts the note back on the table, throws the pills in the trash and walks out.

In the bedroom

Jodie lies on the bed. She tosses and turns as she sweats from a bad fever.

Jodie

"Mike..."

She sits up. Her head is spinning and she is burning up.

Jodie

"Mike, where are you?"

She tries to get up. Suddenly, she vomits a mixture of blood and the breakfast she had this morning all over the bed.

She wants to go to the toilet. She forces herself off the bed, but she knocks over a lamp. It shatters as she collapses on the floor.

She crawls on the floor. The pain in her belly increases. And the sweat pours from her as the pain engulfs her body.

Jodie

"Jesus... Mike... where the are you?"

She holds her belly and tries to roll over. She screams in pain. She can't feel her legs.

She throws vomits up again and then defecates on herself.

The stench fills the room. She is lying in the waste from her own body. She wants to die.

The bedroom door opens, and Mike walks in.

Mike

"What's the smell?"

He sees Jodie sprawled on the floor.

Mike

"Oh my God, Jodie!"

He rushes to her, picks her up and carries her out the front door.

Huntington Memorial Hospital

Heath, Pedro, and Lina are standing at the counter talking to the receptionist. The door opens and Mike rushes in carrying Jodie.

Mike

"I need a doctor! Somebody help!"

Heath turns and recognizes the face.

Heath

"It's Jodie!"

Mike places her on a gurney. Diego rushes to them. As the gurney is pushed away, Mike follows.

Diego

"What happened?"

Mike

"I found her like this."

Heath and his friends watch Jodie's gurney being pushed through the double doors. Lina and Pedro embrace Mike.

Nurse

"Heath!"

Heath turns to the nurse.

Nurse

"How's Jason?"

Heath rushes to the room. Lina and Pedro follow.

Jason lies in the bed. His eyes are open but his life is gone. Heath looks at the body. He grabs Jason's cold hand and closes Jason's eyes.

Lina and Pedro stand by the door and hold each other.

Mike stands outside the door and watches Diego as he and the nurses work their magic on Jodie.

Down the hall, Ashley opens Natalia's door and walks in room. She is dressed in a nurse's outfit. She holds a tray with a needle on it.

Ashley closes the door behind her, and closes the small blind.

Natalia

"Who's here?"

Ashley

"Shhhh..."

She grabs the needle and heads toward the bed.

Ashley

"Hello Nat! Remember me?"

Natalia sees Ashley raise the needle.

Dahlia has her hand on the door handle to the room. Ashley sees the door handle turning. The door opens.

Dahlia

"What are you doing?"