(UPBEAT MUSIC) 1 0 0 0 0 So, are you staying over tonight? I'm not sure. There are gallery openings I want to go to. I'm so nervous about my show. I still have two more paintings that I have to do. Everything I've been coming up with is derivative of everything at the Henry. Where's my stuff? It's in your Drawer. I have a Drawer? I figured I'd put your things in. There wasn't anything in it. A few things, but I moved them into a different one. It made more sense. Honey. We're getting so... domestic. (INSISTENT HONKING) Good luck with the paintings. I still have a lot of toothpaste in my mouth. Have a great day. OK. Bye. Bye. Yo! Sorry I'm late. What's that smell? What is that? What? Did you sit in jam or something? What are you talking about? You smell all fruity. Oh! Yeah. I ran out of shampoo and I had to use Rachael's. That's great. You smell like you fucked the cast of The View. Are we gonna go? Don't want to be late? I'm two minutes late already. You're already late. I know. But if you really care about that, you should learn to Drive. That's what I think. I deserved that. You know what's really gonna make us late? What? When I stop for cappuccinos. They have coffee there. Delicious cappuccinos. Dude, seriously. Your back still hurts? I'm going back to the doctor today. That's not right. I know. Have you been fucking in weird positions? Of course, that's where you would go with this. I tried froggy style for a while with a girl I was dating. Fucked up my back. I don't even want to ask what that is. It's kind of a doggy style, but you're kind of way higher up. We... Rachael and I... We haven't done it in like three weeks, dude. Three weeks? She had a yeast infection and had her period right afterwards. Which has got to be done by now. You can fuck with those. No, it hurts. It does? That's what she says. I think that's bullshit. No, but I've heard that before. Has she been giving you blow jobs? No, she doesn't like to. No fucking shit she doesn't like to. Who likes putting dicks in their mouth? That's why they're blow jobs. Don't get hysterical. I'm not hysterical. I think it is... You... She stays at your house all the time. She leaves her shit everywhere. You clean it up, you're nice. The least she could do is fellate you. You put up with a lot of shit with a hot girl. Truthfully, that's why, if you recall, in high school, I didn't date any hot girls, ever. That's why? We're not in high school any more. The relationship that I have with Rachael is about more than sex. What is it about, Adam? It's about each other. We care about each other, we talk to each other. Wouldn't it be nice if you could bang the hell out of each other? Ideally, yes. But it's not a perfect world. Can you hurry up, please? (GROANS) Just gotta tie my shoe. Good morning, Jenny. How's it going? Are you on the phone? I'll be quiet. That's so gross. It's disgusting. You shouldn't do that. Hey, Kyle, Adam. Hey, Phil. Sorry we're late. Look at that, you are late. Don't do that. I wanted to talk to you about the volcano piece. It's coming along well. All the interviews are done. Great. But the narration is a problem. Whoever did it, he kept clearing his throat. And he doesn't take a pause, he just keeps talking. With a pause, I could cut around it. Grab that. OK. So I'm just gonna - It's like he doesn't care. No, we gotta put shit on the radio every single day, and it's pointless to spend months working on something that someone's gonna hear for two seconds. Well, I like it when it's good radio. Yeah, well, good luck with that. You're in Wales? You're in Wales? So does that make you Welsh, or Waleish? I never know which one's which. (CHUCKLES) OK, yeah. World music. Can you hear me? Your voice sounds weird. You sound like a robot. Do I sound like a robot? Does it sound weird to you? You have to be quieter. I'm trying - I said you sound like a robot to me. Wait, go back. Go back. It's unbelievable. I know. I don't know what world music is. It's unbelievable. I know. I know. What is world music, anyway? I'm such a fucking asshole. I'm the king of the world. Suck my dick. My friend Adam hasn't had his sucked in six fucking months. Huh, huh! Huh, huh, huh! (DOOR OPENS) How are you? Hi. The patient has back pain and night sweats. Blood tests and urine analysis are normal. MRI suggests a massive intradural malignant neurofibrosarcoma extending in the psoas muscle with nerve root compression and bone erosion. The growth extends from L2 to L5. Will send patient for biopsy to confirm. Yes, question? Sorry, I... I didn't follow that. Is there something wrong with me? Yes. Well, if you look here on your MRI, you see this cephalopod-like object that's spreading down your spinal column. That is a massive schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma. OK. Uh... So sorry. I just don't know what - It's a malignant tumour. A tumour? Yes. Me? Yes. That doesn't make any sense, though. I mean, I don't smoke. I don't Drink. I, you know, I recycle. Actually, your case is really quite fascinating because your cancer is the result of an incredibly rare gene mutation in chromosome... (VOICE FADES OUT) I think that given the placement and size of your tumour, the wisest course is to see if we can possibly reduce this thing down to a more manageable size before we consider surgery. Now, chemotherapy can often result in fertility issues. But I'm gonna be OK? If you need someone to talk to, we have an excellent staff here of social workers and psychologists. They specialize in these matters, and they'd help you. Now you should consider... # Two jumps in a week # I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you, boy? # Flying on your motorcycle # Watching all the ground beneath you Drop # You'd kill yourself for recognition # Kill yourself to never, ever stop # Oh, Adam. Listen, I'm not expecting you to take this on. It's not like we're married. So, you know, if you have to bail, then you should. No hard feelings. Not that I want you do. I hope that you don't. I'm not gonna bail on you, Adam. I'm here for you. OK? Thank you. It's gonna be OK. Yeah. It'll be OK. All right? I'm gonna throw up. Don't throw up. You're gonna be fine. No, open your eyes. Look at me, look at me. OK. All right? (BOTH EXHALE) What kind of cancer is it? Some rare kind of cancer. What's it called? Schwannoma... I knew this. Schwannoma? It's schwannoma? Schwannoma... What's schwannoma? That means tumour. Do you have a picture of it? Why would I have a picture? It's common practice to fucking get pictures of shit now. It doesn't look like anything. It's just a lump. It's not a picture of anything. Are you gonna be OK? What are your odds? I don't know. It said 50-50. But that's like the Internet, so... That's not that bad. That's better than I thought. You'll be fine. Young people beat cancer all the time. Every celebrity beats cancer. Fucking Lance Armstrong, he keeps getting it. Yeah. He's fine. The guy from Dexter? He's OK. Patrick Swayze? He's fine. Patrick Swayze? And he's older. Yeah, but, dude, that guy's dead. Really? Yeah. That's fucked up. I didn't know that. Don't even think about him, OK? Look at the bright side. Bright side? Of what? You're gonna be fine. What did your parents say? Did they freak out? Your mother? I'm not gonna tell her. You gotta tell her. She'd deal with it well. Your dad has Alzheimer's. She's used to dealing with tragedy. Obviously you have to tell her. I'm gonna tell her. You're gonna be fine. Yeah. You're gonna be fine. 50-50! If you were a casino game, you'd have the best odds. Yeah, thanks. OK. Let's get to work. You don't want coffee? I'm awake now. Hi, Mom. Hi, honey. Hi, Dad. Hi, I'm Richard. Adam. This is Adam, your son. Remember? Adam. Hi! What's the big news? Is Rachael pregnant? No. I'll tell you, OK? OK, OK. I know you use protection. Wow, you need to do something about this. What? Well, call the landlord, the paint's peeling. It's fine. Give me his number, I'll call him. OK. I'll... OK. Hi. Hi. That's new. Yeah. Rachael made it. It's called Oppression. No, it's Liberation. That's right, that one's Liberation. Oppression's in the bathroom. Nice. Thank you. Sweetheart, your pills. There you go. So... What's the special occasion? I want to tell you something, but... I just need you to promise me you're gonna stay calm. Oh, Adam, don't be so overdramatic. Mom, just promise, OK? OK, I promise. You always make me out to be some irrational loon. OK. Have you ever seen Terms of Endearment? Jesus, Adam. Just tell her. Tell me what? I have cancer. What do you mean you have cancer? I have cancer. What do you want me to say? When did this happen? A couple of days ago. A couple of days ago? You waited a couple of days to tell me? I'm sorry. You're right. That... Honey. I'm moving in. What? No. No, Mom. No. I'm your mother, Adam. No! Exactly. That's why. You already have enough on your plate with him. Who'll take you to the doctor? You don't even Drive. Who's gonna look after you? Me. I'm going to take care of him. Mom. Mom. Mom! What are you doing? I'll make you some green tea. Can you just come back? Come sit down. I heard on the Today Show that it reduces your risk of cancer by 15%. Well, I already have cancer. So, can you just please come and sit down, OK? (SOBBING) Hi, I'm looking for Dr Mcay. Second door down there. Come in! Hi. Can I help you? I'm supposed to have an appointment with Dr Mcay? Oh! Sorry (LAUGHS). Please come in and please call me Katherine. Oh. You're Dr Mcay? Hi. I am. Uh... Uh... Well, have a seat. Sit down, please. Um... Sorry about this guy. You're Adam. Yeah. And aren't you supposed to be wearing an earth-toned sweater and be like 65 or something? Did someone say I looked like that? No, no, no. I'm just... Sorry. If you don't mind, how old are you? Um, 24. You're 24. Wow! So, what, are you like Doogie Howser or something? Who? Doogie Howser? Teenage doctor. Does he work here? No, no. I just meant you seem a little young to be a doctor. Technically I'm not a doctor yet. I'm working on my doctorate. Oh, OK. Yeah, this is a training hospital. I see. So have you had very many patients? My patient history is not - I'm your first patient, aren't I? No. No? No, not at all. Second? No. Third? Wow, OK, third. How are the first two doing? Can't talk about that. Right. So this is... this is training for you? It will be part of my dissertation. Oh, so you write about all this? Don't worry, I don't use your real name. OK. That's fine. Well, Dr Ross... filled me in on your situation. Yeah. This must be incredibly difficult, all this. How do you feel right now? Fine. Yeah, I feel... I can't remember being so calm in a long time. That's a really common symptom. Actually your body's in survival mode, so what you're experiencing is shock. I think I'm actually just... fine. Right, but that's why you're feeling the sense of calm. Would you describe what you're feeling as a kind of numbness? No, I'd describe it as fine. Certain patients - I feel great. Well, that's... that's wonderful. I think that's wonderful. Thanks. If it's OK with you, I think maybe, today, we'll just start with some simple relaxation exercises. I am relaxed. I know you are. Um... But just humour me? If you want to lie down. Oh, lie down? Yeah. (RELAXING MUSIC) OK. And close your eyes. Really? Yeah. For this to work, you'll have to trust me. Yeah. They're closed. OK. 'No peeking, keep your eyes closed.' OK, open your eyes. Surprise! His name is Skeletor. He's a retired race dog. You got me an old dog? Well, he's not that old. He's old enough to be retired. Having a dog helps with the healing process. What, does he have a medical licence? OK, forget it. I can bring him back to the shelter in the morning. Well, then what happens to him? He will be put back in his tiny cage with ten other dogs who'll rape him until he's eventually euthanized. OK, fine, I'll keep the dog. Really? Yeah. This is gonna be so good for you. I promise. Hmm. This party was my idea. I thought we could celebrate his life. I mean, he's gonna be better, right? It's not like he... I hope so. But, you know, I just... I'm not even thinking about that. Tonight I thought it was best not to think about whether he gets better or doesn't. I just thought we should celebrate the Adam we all know and love. Have you started chemo yet? So, what kind of cancer you got? Want to know the secret to beating it? My uncle had what you have. I like to get touched when I cry. I don't know about you. I'm gonna miss you so much. I'm gonna miss you too, Phil. Hey, Phil. Yeah, buddy? I want you to know I'm still gonna finish that Mount Moa Moa story. You take as much time as you need. I can't wait to hear that. Thanks. You know, I just wanted to say that you've been great these last few weeks. And then today making me breakfast and coming with me. It's just really, really great. Thanks for saying that. Thank you. Oh, Adam. Are you coming? If it's cool, could I just wait here? You know it's like four hours, right? Yeah, yeah, no, I know. So you're just gonna sit here for four hours? Honey, I don't wanna mix that world and, you know, this world. It's like an energy thing. You know? OK. So you... All right. Good luck! Adam Lerner? Yep. # I'm all alone This way, my baby. # Oh, I'm all alone # Now, you still listening to me # Isn't a lot as far as I see # You want a macaroon? Oh, thanks. I'm all right. There's weed in 'em. Oh. Yeah, thank you. But I don't... I don't do weed. Come on, man, just get high with us. OK. Thanks. Sure. Hey, hey. How old are you? I'm 27. That's the worst. What a waste of a perfectly good youth. Don't listen to him. No, no, you listen to me. You know, this cancer is bullshit. See, first, all your hair falls out, then your balls are gonna shrink. To make matters worse, your dick becomes a constant source of disappointment. I was kind of scared about this whole cancer thing. But now I've met you guys and, boy, do I feel better. Thank you. I'm Alan Lombardo, stage three lymphoma. Pleased to meet you. Mitch Barnett, metastatic prostate cancer. Nice to meet you. Oh, I'm Adam Lerner, schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma. Whoo! What the fuck is that? Tough break. The more syllables, the worse it is. These are really good. Yeah, my wife made 'em. Are they, uh... How strong are they? Stee-rong. # There's a light # A certain kind of light # That never shone on me # I want my life to be lived with you # Lived with you # There's a way # Everybody say # To do each and every little thing # But what does it bring # If I ain't got you? # Ain't got you, baby # You don't know what it's like # Baby, you don't know what it's like # To love somebody # To love somebody # The way I love you # Oh, no # You don't know what it's like # Baby, you don't know... # Adam, are you OK? So, how are you feeling, after your first chemo? It feels pretty bad, I gotta say. My head hurts right now. Yeah. From what I understand, it's really rough. Um... But it will pass. Mmm. It's important to remember that these side effects are normal. That's good. I'd hate to feel special in some kind of way. I'm sensing some anger, which is good. I'm not angry. Why would that be good? Because you're expressing yourself. You're dealing with a really serious illness and it brings up a lot of emotions. So you're trying to make me freak out or something, right? Is that the goal here? I'm not trying to make you freak out. I want you to get in touch with what you're feeling. So, if you're angry - I'm not angry! OK? Let's do the relaxation things, OK? Can we do that? I want to hear some sitars and go to my happy place and feel the warm beam of light. Can we do that? I see. I'm sorry. I'm just being an asshole. I didn't need to say that. I don't need you to take care of me. I'm trying to take care of you. You're right. Listen, there are a couple of books I want you to check out. A lot of people find them really helpful. Don't read them cover to cover. Just take a look and see if anything resonates. OK? OK. Sorry. Are you gonna, like, keep touching me like that? This? Yeah. It's... I'm, uh... I'm trying to make you feel more at ease. That'll make me feel more at ease? It's like being slapped by a sea otter. Touching promotes trust. It's one of the key ways to make patients feel more secure. Yeah, but that's not gonna help. Really? Sea otter? I mean, is that kind of better? OK, this is getting creepy. I'm sorry. OK, you don't like that. That's fine. You shouldn't do this. You're gonna look weird, man. What do you mean? It's gonna look fucking weird. Who knows if you've got some big Gorbachev bird-shit thing on your head. You said you liked this idea. I liked the idea in theory. Now we're about to do it, I think you'll look like fucking Michael Stipe. We have to do it. I'm not doing it. We have to do it. You do it. Do it. You said you would. If it looks fucked up you'll blame me every time you look at your weird-looking bald head. Wait a minute. Um... What do you use this for? You know, my body hair. When was the last time you cleaned this? Right now. That's great. Totally clean. OK. OK. OK. OK. Oh, fuck. Dude. Holy shit. Cut that part off. Shit. You want to do one? Yeah, can I? I'm gonna do it. (GRUNTS) Ah! I don't want to do it any more. You kinda got a Klingon thing going on here. You could pass for Worf from Star Trek. Looks totally good. Totally normal. It's totally uneven. Is this attached? Jesus Christ. Looks OK, right? No, looks really weird. We shouldn't have done this. Big mistake. Why didn't we go to a barber? That would have been a good idea. Using your fucking balls trimmer instead of going to a barber. I never wash them. And it's not my balls, it's my asshole. I'm joking. You're not joking. Not at all. You're not joking. Not at all. How come we've never met Rachael? Yeah, what the fuck? Yeah, hospitals kind of freak her out, so... (BOTH) Hmm. What? Well, Adam, nobody likes going to the hospital. That's not why people go. No, no, you don't get it. It's like she doesn't want to mix the negative and the positive. It's an energy thing. Sounds to me like a bullshit thing. Well, you can meet her if you want. She'll pick me up right after this. I'm sure she'd love to meet you guys. Sure. She's really great. You guys are gonna like her a lot. OK. Hey, it's me again. Just calling to check if you're close. I'll talk to you soon. OK. See you. So, you need a ride, kid? Oh, no, she's gonna come. I'm sure she's just hung up or something. You guys should probably go, though. You could meet her next time. Yeah, sure. See you, Adam. See you. Adam, I know. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. I was calling you for like an hour. Yeah, my cell phone died. You know, you don't have to do this. I'm sorry, I am. I know I fucked up. I gave you an out, so... I'm doing my best. Can we just go home? "Inoperable Optimism". "Cosper Schlegel, an American medical intuitive and mystic... mystic psychiatrist"? Mystic psychiatrist? What is that? Is he Frodo's psychiatrist? Why would you buy that? Because the therapist lady said to buy it. So, I don't know, what else am I gonna do? Let's go to Mardi Gras. I have a girlfriend. Why would I? You have a girlfriend. Yeah, I forgot. Why would you go to Mardi Gras when you're busy not getting blow jobs? You know what? If you're not gonna take advantage of this then I am. Hi, Claire. Hi. I'm Kyle. Hi. Could you help me find some of these, please? Yeah. Sure. Are these for you? I'm sorry - No. Don't worry. No, thank God. They're actually for my friend. That guy over there in the hat. They're for him. He's my buddy. He's really sick. That's awful. He's got type-four back cancer. Oh, no. Really? Poor guy. I know, yeah. It's really sad. I don't focus on that. I focus on the positive. Take him out. I like to take him for walks. I take him out to get snacks and... to plays, stuff like that, while he has time. That's nice of you. Yeah. So where are... ? Oh, yeah. Sorry. They're just over this way. All right, there you are. Thank you. Bye. I'll see you tonight. Bye, Claire. Nice to meet you, Claire. Thank you, Claire. (PHONE RINGS) (SIGHS) Hi, Mom. 'Jesus, what took you so long to pick up?' 'Are you OK?' I'm fine. I'm fine. I just didn't hear the phone ring. 'Do you need anything?' 'I was about to go to Rite Aid.' 'Listen, I'll come over. I'll pick up macaroni and cheese.' I haven't liked macaroni and cheese since I was like ten. 'You haven't?' Rachael's coming over later. So, I'm totally fine. Don't worry so much. 'Fine, if you say so. I love you.' Love you. (LOUD MUSIC) Oh, this one's really cool. Look at that. My friend did this. No way! Your friend's a real talent. I know. Uh oh. I think I got a new favourite. That's so amazing. It's like a circle, but then they add a line in the middle. And it totally sets it off. Yeah. Simple. Holy shit, there's two of them. What the fuck? So what do you think about this one? Oh. This is genius. I mean, I'm having like an emotional thing going on. It's fucking gorgeous. It's... You know, it's beautiful. Oh, my God, I should've known I would see her here. It's a fucking gallery opening, right? Who is she? You know my friend, the one who's sick? That's his girlfriend. I'll go get some wine. She doesn't really look like she's anyone's girlfriend. No fucking way. No fucking way. Oh! I fucking nailed that cunt. Can you believe that? Oh, God. I don't usually say that. MAN: Look around. As the Favourites come out, it begins. Working as the Dream team. Nice! Ah. The flirt. Classic! Cadbury Favourites. I don't usually say that. (KEY TURNING IN LOCK) Hi. I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you. Come here. Oh, I'm just... I'm so tired. Let's just go to bed, OK? Yeah. Hey. Oh, my God! Surprise, it's Kyle. What's happening, guys? Hi, Kyle. What time is it? Am I interrupting something? We were just about to go to bed. Oh, I'm sorry. I was in the neighbourhood. I was just on a date with Claire, the girl I met at the bookstore. My date did not go well, unfortunately, due to a lack of chemistry and an overuse of profanity on my part. But whilst on my date, I ran into Rachael. Oh, yeah? And I would like to present to you what I have grown to call exhibit... whore! Look at it! That's Rachael. And that's a fucking filthy Jesus-looking motherfucker! And they're kissing! I did it! I fucking nailed you! I've hated you for months! And now I have fucking evidence that you suck as a person! Holy shit! Holy shit! Nothing? Nothing? OK. You guys should talk about this. What? Were you cheating on me? Listen... Yes. Seriously? Adam... You have no idea how hard it's been. I don't know how to do this. This has been so stressful, and you've been so sick. And shit! OK, you know what? Kyle is the one who has been using your cancer for girls. You told me that. So why am I the bad guy? Because you're his girlfriend, you cheated on him. He has cancer, you lunatic! OK, Adam, we had problems long before you got sick. And then when you got sick, I just didn't know what to do. Well, then... Why are you here, then? Why do you spend every night in my bed? I didn't want to abandon you. Let's just go to bed. And we'll talk about this tomorrow. All right? I can't stand in the kitchen and listen to this shit any longer. You gotta get outta here. This is crazy! You're so weird. Adam. This is the most uncomfortable situation ever! Just leave! And then we'll talk tomorrow. No, you won't! Why will you talk tomorrow? I care about you, Adam. All right? This is disgusting. You are reprehensible. Shut up for a second. Kyle does not have your best interests in mind. I don't have your best interests? I didn't fuck a filthy bearded hippy. And I really care about you. Fuck you! You're disgusting. It's the best thing that's ever happened to you. Why? Why? You deserve better. Way better. If I was your girlfriend, I'd be sucking your cock every 30 minutes. I'd be baking you fucking cookies all day. What kind of cookies? Any kind. Snickerdoodle cookies? Bathe you in snickerdoodle cookies. I'm getting nauseous. Actually? No, that was a joke. Oh! Look at this guy. I love greyhounds. Hi. What's his name? Skeletor. This is Marlow. Marlow! Hello, Marlow! Look at this guy. Do you guys live around here? Yeah, we do. He's licking his balls. That was awesome. How wonderful. We should go. He gets cold when he's not moving. Nice to meet you. OK. OK. Nice to meet you. Bye. Nice to meet you. You could've fucked that girl. What are you talking about? No one wants to fuck me. I look like Voldemort. No, you don't. It doesn't matter, man. Seriously. You invite her out on a doggy date, tell her you have cancer, and fuck the shit out of her. You think a girl will go for me cos I have cancer? For the millionth time, yes! You're fucking single now. Dude, help me help you get laid. You think that would work? It would totally work. Let's do it. Lots of hot girls! Good odds tonight. Lots! OK, right there. All right. Blue shirt. Go for it. Just talk, spark up a conversation. Hey, how's it going? OK, you know what I'd do? Get into the cancer thing faster. Faster? She didn't say anything. I know, but it's your hook. It's what you got. You know? That's the first thing I say? "Hello, I have cancer." That's what sets you apart. You're sympathetic. OK. Just try it. OK. It's a great song. Totally. I have cancer. I was wrong. I was wrong. It was weird. It's weird like that. That's too soon. It doesn't sound cool. I'm Kyle. How's it going? Allison. This is Jackie. Allison? Jackie. I'm here with my buddy, actually. The skinny one? One second. I met two nice girls. They're right there. Yeah, they're cute. Are they nice? They're very nice. They're talking to you? Really? Yeah. Take the hat off. Take it off. What do you guys do? I just designed the website for the Swiffer. The Swiffer? Really? Sorry, I got excited. I'm a fan. I like the Swiffer. I use it for everything. Mopping and sweeping. I just got a dog and he sheds a lot. And when there's hair all over the place I use a wet cloth. Taken care of. That's cool. What's your dog's name? His name is Skeletor. Cool guy. It's kind of warm in here, isn't it? Oh, you're so bald. No, no. It's just cancer. I'm sorry, what? Cancer. Yeah, I have cancer. It's not contagious. Oh, my God. Well, what kind of cancer is it? It's spinal. It's in his spine. I didn't even know that was possible. How did you get it? Bad mattress. He's joking. It was a joke. Oh! He's just kidding. See. He still has a sense of humour. He's inspirational. It's an inspiration. Very cute. Can I? May we touch it? Is that weird? Yeah, if you want to. You can do more than touch it. Come on. Oh, this is a really nice head. Play with it a little. Let's all rub it together. It will grow if you rub it enough. There you go. What are you doing? Are you OK? I've got to go to sleep. No, man. You can't. We have to be awake when they're awake. That's how we have sex. That's the purpose of this. Don't throw all this away. Don't waste my time, man. OK. Can you give me an approximate time when I'll be having sex? Ninety-five minutes from now. I'm not gonna make it. That's how fucking long it'll take. I wish it was sooner. Hey, what's happening? Look at that. Got a wiener. You got one! So, you guys want to hit up Lash? I know the DJ. Oh, nice. I'm gonna have to crash out. Sorry, I'm just exhausted. The chemo just takes it out of you. Um... But I have some really potent medical weed at my house if you want to come over. That sounds fun. That does sound fun! That's a great idea. I love that. Game on! Yeah, let's do it. Nice! Let's do it. Let's get a cab. There's cabs over here. Sensational. That's pimping. That was impressive. I'm sorry, am I hurting you? No, keep going. OK. Are you sure? You don't look like you're having a good time. Mmm. No, but it does... It hurts. I'm sorry. Yeah, my back is... Yeah, maybe you should just... Oh. I'll get off you. Maybe... Yeah, if you don't... Sorry. I wonder what the machine gun budget on this film was. You can't afford actors, but you need one million machine guns. Can we watch something else? No, I want to see how this ends. (MOUTHS) I fucked her. Adam? Oh, hi. Hey. What are you doing? Good old chemotherapy. Oh. Waiting for the bus. I'm on my way home right now. I have my car if you want a ride. I'm used to the bus. Thanks. I can't just let you... I can't make you wait for the bus. I mean, I live kind of far away. I won't take no for an answer. Sorry about the mess. I'm not good at getting rid of stuff. Yeah, I see. Let me know if you need to pull over or anything. Like if the chemo's... If you feel nauseous, say the word and I'll pull over. OK, thanks. So you don't have a car? No, I don't even have a licence, actually. Oh, why not? It's incredibly dangerous. It's like the fifth leading cause of death. Which is, I guess, just a few behind cancer. Still, the bus? The bus after chemo? Well, usually Rachael drives me. But, um... we broke up, so... She kind of cheated on me. Oh, um... Adam, do you want to talk about this? You know what? Actually, no. Let's not do the therapy in the car. You're just giving me a ride as a friend. Adam, if - You know what we should talk about is, you have trash on your floor. And there's no reason. At least have a bag to put the trash in. Adam, your girlfriend cheated on you. We don't have to talk about it. We don't have to. I just broke up with somebody recently myself. You did? It sucks. Sorry. No. Well, it's good because... We actually shouldn't be talking about it. Why not? It's not appropriate for me to tell you personal things. The patient-therapist deal doesn't work if you know my problems. Admittedly, I do check his Facebook every day to see if he's dating somebody new, which is so pathetic. I shouldn't have said that. I should have stopped. Yeah. We could just listen to the radio. Yes. (MUSIC STARTS) Stop the car. Are you OK? Yeah, let's just stop. I'm stopping the car. I just... What are you doing? I just can't handle this mess. Are you serious? Adam. You don't have to. That's my dinner. The brown thing is my dinner. Which one? That... This thing. You're gonna eat that? This is new. Don't judge me. Hey, nice. Look at that. Could you unlock the door? Thanks for the ride. No problem. Thank you for cleaning my car. Oh, yeah. I'll see you next week? OK. OK. Uh... Are you gonna be OK by yourself? Yeah. Yeah, I'll be totally fine. OK. Bye. Bye. Hey, um... Adam? Listen. I just want you to have my cell number. Just if you need anything. You have it. Thanks. Did I just, like, score your digits? No. No. That was a joke. That's fine. I don't know why I said that. That would be inappropriate. Of course. It's a defence mechanism. And that's fine. Yeah. That's for emergencies. And if you need someone to talk to. Yeah. Good night. Good night. Thank you. (TV) 'The great white.' 'It is the largest predator...' I thought the deserts were crazy. The ocean's fucking nuts, man. I like the trees. The trees are gonna be bananas. Jesus! (COUGHING) You OK? Lift your elbows above your ears. What? It helps you stop coughing. I'm not doing that. I always heard it would help you stop coughing. I'm just here to pick up my things and then I'll get out of your way. Oh, um... Yeah, I put all your things in a box. It's outside the door. You walked right past it. Oh. Well, then I guess I'll be on my way. You're smoking weed? Well, it's medicinal. You got a prescription for medicinal marijuana? No, I got a prescription for it. Adam was too afraid. What's wrong with you, Kyle? I have night blindness. My cones and rods are askew and weed fixes it. You took down my painting? Well, it didn't really fit there with the new TV. Adam, can I talk to you outside for a second, please? Yeah. It's all right. So, how are you feeling? Pretty awesome. I wanted to tell you that I'm... I'm really sorry. Well, I'm sorry, too. I mean, I know this wasn't easy for you. Sorry I didn't come to your opening. It's just because I hate you so much. I'm glad you didn't come. It was a complete disaster. No one bought any of my paintings. That's... That's weird, they're so good. Really? Yeah, they're great. I'm sorry that happened. You'll get them next time. Oh, God. I don't want to break up. I can do better. We can... We can start over again, and I'll just... I'll just do better. You should go. Really, you should go. I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you. No. No. You know what? Seriously. You should get the fuck off my porch. Now. That's the box. Your painting? I made it for you. # I was all right # For a while # I could smile for a while # But I saw you last night You held my hand so tight # As you stopped to say, "Hello" # You wished me well # You couldn't tell # That I'd been crying over you # Crying over you # When you said, "So long" # Left me standing all alone Alone and crying # It actually looks a lot better. We could hang this up. You were around before TV, right? No, cos I want to hear about the radio. The radio used to be a really... We work in radio, right? Yeah. They talk about people just sitting around and listening to the radio, like, actively. Glued to the radio. Yeah. What did you listen to? Little Orphan Annie. What did you look at while you were listening to it? Nothing? It engaged everything somehow. What kind of stuff do you guys do? I'm doing a piece on a volcano. I do radio I think people would want to listen to. Mostly stuff about food. People like to listen - Best hamburger in Seattle. You'd listen to that, not, "Hey, coming up next, a guy talking about a volcano for 20 minutes." You know what I'd do? What? I'd turn on the TV. (LAUGHS) Yeah. That would be a very good idea. It's not the same. What do you mean, it's not the same? You get audio and the video. Guys, Bernie blended up some wheatgrass. Thank you. It's like drinking liquid lawn cuttings. (MUTTERS) Oh, Jesus! Bernie, Adam. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Hi, Adam. And this is my friend, Kyle. Oh, God. Good, you like it. It's not good. So, Adam, I'm surprised. The way Mitch talks about you I thought you were much older. He's 85 years old. He just looks really good. OK, I gotta go. No, honey. Come on, stay. Stick around. I haven't seen you all day. Are you all right? Good stuff. I'm good. Really good stuff. I love you. I love you, too. 'Mom, I can't talk about this. I'm at an appointment' And I'm late. Yes, I'm here, standing in the office talking on the phone to you. 'I just want to know if you tried those recipes.' OK. 'Do you know what you'll make for dinner?' I don't know. I'll figure something out. I'm hanging up now. Goodbye. 'Fine. I love you.' Me, too. Bye. God. Sorry about that. Don't worry about it. I have parents, too. Do yours give you migraines? Well, I would talk to my therapist about my parents. Oh, really? Yeah, we could do role play. I'll be your mom. Oh, God, no. That's disgusting. Why is that disgusting? Uh... No, it's not. I mean, OK, my mom, uh... I don't know. She's a crazy person. She just worries all day, every day. And, honestly, it annoys the shit out of me. It's way too much. And it's not helpful and I can't talk to her. I don't call her back. It's a problem. So she's got this husband that can't talk to her and this son that won't? Yeah, I guess. Makes you kind of a dick. Me? Is that, like, the medical term? Yeah, I mean, listen... You can't change your parents, only how you deal with them. Aren't you meant to subtly manipulate me into figuring this stuff out? Not just call me on my shit? Yeah, you cleaned my car. So we're completely beyond that. It's weird, isn't it? Shouldn't have gone for it. It was good. No, it wasn't. It was so forced. I'm sorry. Try it again. I was too far. OK. If I'm a bit closer... It'll make it really natural. Yeah. That was better. OK. You're all set. Thanks. Where's Mitch? He died last night. We were just with him. He was fine. What happened? What does it matter? His heart stopped. "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. "Though I walk through the shadow of death "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." (VOICE FADES) (TV) 'I have your test results.' 'Good news! You're me positive.' 'This is Cheating Death with Dr Stephen T Colbert.' '..speculation, Mount Moa Moa, located on the highland of Savai'i, erupted early this morning, shooting a plume of black ash and smoke nearly four miles into the air.' 'Initial reports suggested Mount Moa Moa was getting weaker.' 'Our analyst can now confirm that the volcano is growing stronger.' 'Again, Mount Moa Moa has just erupted. This is live footage...' So, I'm starting to realize I'm probably gonna die. Did something happen? No, it's just... Look at me. I wake up and I look in the mirror and it's pretty obvious, you know. Mitch died. Alan's... probably gonna die. And, you know, so am I. You don't know that. A lot of what you're feeling is from the treatment. I know, but it's... Look. Thanks, but you don't have to cheer me up. I'm actually really OK with it. You know. OK, I'm gonna die. You're gonna die. You know, hopefully a lot later than I am. But it's just what happens. And, you know, it doesn't mean anything anyway. OK. I mean, Adam, right now, you're going through what's called the alienation phase. And I know that you feel really helpless. But I think it's important to remember that the way you feel is normal for someone in your situation. Sorry, but I just have to call you on this. This is just bullshit. It's what everybody has been saying, "Well, you'll feel better," and, "Don't worry," and, "This is all fine." And, like, it's not. You know? I don't know why everybody's so scared to say it. Like, "You're dying, dude." It makes it worse that no one will just say it. OK. Um... Adam, I'm here to help you. I'm trying to help you. Why? So 30 years from now you can be at some party, and tell an inspiring anecdote about your third patient and how you coached him into feeling normal before he died? Adam, I'm sorry if I'm saying the wrong things. I'm trying. I really am. No, you know what? This isn't working. I don't know why I came here. (DOOR SLAMS) 'This is Kyle. I'm not around. Leave a message.' (MACHINE BLEEPS) Hey, I'm calling to see if you could take me to the doctor's tomorrow. Um... It's the big one. So... (REMOTE PHONE RINGING) 'Oh, my God! What's wrong?' Hi, Mom. The doctor's with another patient. He should be out in a few minutes. Are you holding up all right? It's cold in here. Can you lower the air conditioning? The temperature is controlled by a central thermostat. My son has cancer. Really, if I could, I would. But there is nothing I can do. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I can get you a blanket. I'm OK. Thanks. I'd love a blanket. We're fine. OK, but if you need anything you let me know. I don't like her. You're warm. I'm fine. Hmm. What? Nothing. What? He just went to a state college, that's all. You're unbelievable. I worry you're not getting the best care possible. Would you just stop it? Please? I'm not him. I can take care of myself. It's just so hard when you won't let me take care of you. It's just really hard. I am letting you. You drove me here, didn't you? Didn't you? And what about you? What about me? How are you? Seriously? Yeah. What's going on in your life? The highlight of my week is this cancer support group I've been going to. You're going to a support group? It's for parents whose kids have cancer. I didn't know you were doing that. How could you? You never call me back. You're right. I'm sorry. You don't have to say you're sorry. (DOOR OPENS) Sorry to keep you folks waiting. Anyway, I will cut to the chase. The cancer is not responding to the chemo. As you can see, the tumour is continuing to grow here along the nerve. We have to remove it now, or we risk metastasis. OK, so what do we do? We need to operate. I've moved things around and I can get you in with Dr Walderson. She is one of our finest neurosurgeons. But he's gonna be OK, right? You're going to fix it. Considering the placement and the size of the tumour, a surgery of this nature is always very dangerous and potentially life-threatening itself. The surgeons will attempt to be very aggressive. However, if we are not successful in removing the cancer, then, unfortunately, we will be out of options. I won't bring up the fact your surgery is tomorrow. I'm not thinking about it. So, don't worry about it, cos I'm not gonna bring it up. You remember the last time we were here? Oh, yeah. It was prom night. (CHUCKLES) The memory seems really far away. Yeah. It was long ago. I don't remember who you went with. Nora Mattingly. That girl. That girl sucked. You knew how to pick them. Even then I think you knew. Yeah. Well, she seemed sweet. No, she didn't. She always sucked. You just always hate my girlfriends. That's not true. OK, it is, actually. But it's because you always date fucking dickheads, man. You date needy bitches. Why? It's fucking cold. And it's only midnight. Dude, let's go to a bar, man. Let's try to get laid. What's the fucking point? Come on. Live in the now. I have fun with that. I know you have fun with it. Well, you could, too, maybe. Let's do it. You're drunk. It worked. Take your hat off. You'll leave this here? A homeless gentleman'll collect it. Oh, fuck. Are you drunk? You're really drunk. A little. You think I should drive? I would let you drive but you don't know how. You don't have a licence even. That's so funny. It might be my last chance. So you want to drive, right now? Yeah. That's what you want to do? That's your make-a-wish? To drive? We could be having sex with hookers while skydiving. And you want to do something I learned to do when I was 15? Can I have the keys? OK. Be careful. Whoa! Just drive carefully. Don't change my seat adjustment, OK? It's all in places I like. OK. OK. Now the first thing - What the fuck! Make a left. Make a left! It's a one-way street! What the fuck! Jesus Christ! There's a car! Wrong way! Wrong way! Christ, dude. What the hell? Adam! Stop, man! Stop! What the fuck are you doing, man? You're being an idiot. Get out. Get out? This is my car. Get out! Just get out! Don't hit me! I can't fucking let you do this. Jesus Christ, man! Shit. Oh, no. No, you are not calling her, man! After what she did to you? You're a pussy, Adam! You're a selfish piece of shit! You care more about getting yourself fucking laid than being my friend! (REMOTE PHONE RINGING) 'Hello?' Hey, it's Adam. Adam? It's midnight. What's going on? I'm just probably having a nervous breakdown. I think I just fractured my larynx. I'm really, really glad that you called. I just want it to be over. I'm so fucking tired of being sick. 'You know, if this surgery doesn't work, it's... That's it.' And I've never, you know... I've never been to fucking Canada. I've never told a girl I loved her. 'It sounds stupid, doesn't it?' No, it doesn't. Sorry I was such an asshole the other day. 'No, I was an asshole. I was totally unprepared for you.' This job is really hard. If I fuck up, I can ruin somebody's whole life. I guess we're both beginners at this. 'Yeah.' 'What were you doing when I called?' Were you on Facebook? You know, stalking my ex isn't the only thing I do in my free time. I wish you were my girlfriend. Girlfriends can be nice. 'You just had a bad one.' I bet you'd be a good one. Let me in, man. Jesus! It's fucking freezing. 'I'm gonna go.' Yeah, it's no problem. Thanks. Thanks for everything. Good night. Come here, boy. Yeah. OK. Ready? Yeah. OK. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be fine. Yeah. Adam. That's your mom. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. So, I'll just... I'll park the car, I guess. Then I'll come in and see you before you go in there, right? Yeah, there's... It depends on if they bring me in first. If not before, then... Right after. Yeah, I'll see you after. OK. Yeah. Take care, man. OK. I'll see you in there. Thanks. Good morning, Adam. Hi. I'm Dr Walderson. I'll be doing your surgery. How are you feeling? Great. Good. Good, good. We'll take excellent care of you. The surgical team is top-notch. Just try to relax. See you later. Thanks. What's this? Standard paperwork. Hospital liability and disclaimer forms and organ-donor authorization. Sign right there. OK. Thanks. I got a new coat. Oh, yeah? Brooks Brothers. Silk pockets, feel. Feel. I'm feeling. Nice? Yeah. Listen. I know it's hard to follow everything that's going on right now. But I just want you to know, I love you, very much. OK. OK, Dad. OK. Hi, Adam. I'm Dr Lee. I'm here to administer your anaesthesia. OK. Hi. Excuse me, please. Just relax. I'll inject the anaesthesia through your IV. It'll take a bit before you feel the effects. You're doing it now? If you want to head over to the waiting room... And how long does it last? That depends on the individual. Right, but how do you know it's gonna last long enough to... So I don't wake up in the middle of the surgery? So that you make sure that I'm gonna wake up after. Mom. Sweetie, you're gonna be just fine. I'm sorry but we need to get Adam to the operating room. Could you just wait a moment, please? I'm sorry. I love you. # I won't run far # I can always be found # I can always be found # I # I # If you need me # If you need me # If you need me # I can always be found # I can always be found # I # I # I # I # I # If you want me to stay # If you want me to stay # If you want me to stay # I will stay by your side # I will stay by your side # I will stay by your side # I # I # I won't run far # I won't run far # I won't run far # I # If you need me # If you need me # It's been five hours. Has it? Something's wrong, we should have heard by now. Don't worry. Adam's gonna be fine. OK? Um, Adam Lerner? Yeah. Dr Walderson's one of the best surgeons in the country. So, he's in good hands. Who are you? I'm Katherine. Um... I'm, uh... Therapist. Yeah. I'm Kyle. I'm Adam's friend. Oh, hi. Hi. These are Adam's parents. It's nice to meet you guys. Did he say I'm a dick? Cos I'm not. I want you to know I smothered him because I love him. Seriously, did he say anything? I can't. I wouldn't talk about that kind of thing anyway. Mr and Mrs Lerner? So, as you can imagine with a surgery of this magnitude, there were some unforeseen complications. The bone erosion was much greater than anticipated. We had to remove part of the hip, as well as most of the psoas muscle. Also, a good amount of the sheath tissue around the sciatic nerve. It's not gonna be an easy road back, but he's gonna be OK. He's gonna be OK? You should start with that information, OK? Good. He's gonna be OK. Thank you, Doctor. Thank you. Mommy. My little boy. Hi, Dad. Adam. It's nice here. We got a good room. I know. We need to go on more vacations. Yes, we'll go on a huge vacation. We'll go to Hawaii. Hey. Hey, man. What's up? I'm afraid to touch you, but it's good to see you, dude. Yeah. Boom. You look... You look really good. I'm high as a motherfucker. We don't get high. Cool, man. It's you. It is me. How are you feeling? Great. I love morphine. What time is it? Um, it's eight o'clock. I was just working late, so I thought I would stop by. Working late? Do you have a new patient? I got a few new patients, actually. That's good. I want to make you pancakes sometime. That is really nice, Adam. You're gonna like it. I'm peeing right now. I'm not gonna look. Oh, it's gross! Oh, God. OK. I just need to... Oh! Oh, I keep looking back at it, thinking it's gonna be less gross. Can we just get it over with? Your mom does this? She does it all the time. This is like saw shit. Your words are so comforting. It's really reassuring. You're a good friend. OK. I'm just gonna do it. I'm just gonna act like it's nothing. I'm really proud of you, man. OK. Let's go. Let's just do this. Oh, I'm doing it. I'm inside of you! Wait, wait. Is that your finger? What? Is that your finger? No. There's Q-tips. I know. I got one. That was your finger. It wasn't. Is it bad if it was? Did you wash your hands? It was a Q-tip the whole time. Don't worry about it. This looks like Kuato from Total Recall. The oxygen. No! Don't do that! Can we get this going? It's 7:30 now. Come on, put the bandage on. Excuse me. And you are ready for your date. All right-y, there we go. That's crazy. I look pretty good. I'd fuck you. Thanks. (DOOR BELL RINGS) Who could that be? Go answer it. Just go. Hey. Hey. You look nice. Thanks. You, too. You look super nice. You want to come in? Yeah. Nice place. Look at you. Walking up a storm. Oh, la, la, la, la. (CLEARS THROAT) You remember Kyle? Yeah, hi. We met. I see you brought pizza, which is good, because I haven't fed him yet. I did just change the dressing. Yeah, he came to - If it starts seeping, I left all the stuff out. There's Vicodin if you need it. People take it recreationally, but he actually needs it for his aches. Are there channels he can't watch? That's funny. See, she's cool. So, you're doing your doctorate? Dude? Yeah. You're awesome. Get the fuck out of here. She's cool. She's funny. I know. So. So... Now what? www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2014