INT. GOODWIN HOME - LAINEY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Lainey lies in bed in her dark room. Her shades are drawn. A sheet covers her full-length mirror and the mirror above her dresser. Full, uneaten plates of food sit on her side table.
INT. CORY'S MOM'S HOME - CORY'S BEDROOM - DAY
Cory looks at picture of him and his brother Ashton then outside his window and sees a lone skier cutting a path through the pristine powder.
Michelle enters with a laundry basket. She grabs Cory's laundry.
MICHELLE
You've been very quiet since you got home. How did it go with Lainey?
CORY
My skiing future's already open to so many opinions. Can I keep my personal life, personal?
MICHELLE
Okay... You have physical therapy this morning. And this came for you in the mail.
Michelle hands him an envelope. Cory opens it.
CORY
Goddamn. They're threatening to pull my health insurance if I can't be an active member of the ski team. I haven't even had my surgery yet.
MICHELLE
All the more reason to do your therapy.
CORY
As soon as we're worn out, they toss us in the trash.
INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER - DAY
Cory arrives at the physical therapy room to see patients of all ages being tortured through their rehabilitation.
MARTIN (30s), upbeat and fit, sees him at the entrance.
MARTIN
Cory! Good to see you man. I'm Martin. Welcome to physical therapy. Ready to get started?
Cory looks around, uncertain. Martin leads him to a treatment table.
MARTIN (CONT'D)
I'm a huge fan of yours. I've seen every one of your Olympic races.
CORY
And look at me now...
MARTIN
I was a skier myself. Never made it to the Olympics but I definitely gave it my entire childhood trying.
CORY
How come we never met?
Cory sits down on the treatment table.
MARTIN
This one right?
He points to Cory's leg that's swollen and bruised.
CORY
Good guess.
Martin laughs. He feels around Cory's injury.
MARTIN
When I was in high school, my dad got stationed at Fort Carson, here in Colorado. Before we left Europe, I fell on a slalom course and broke both my legs. I had a circulation problem and lost this one below the knee.
Cory looks down as Martin lifts his workout pants to reveal a prosthetic leg.
MARTIN (CONT'D)
It's amazing what you can do with a prosthetic leg these days. Alright, enough talk about me. This is your session. Can you lift up and out as straight as you can?
Cory tries but his leg won't go perfectly straight.
MARTIN (CONT'D)
We're going to need to get that straight before your surgery.
Cory winces.
INT. GOODWIN HOME - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Lainey sits in the bathtub staring at a bottle of pills. She pours them into her hand and looks at them. She contemplates swallowing them. She stares at them for a long time. She then pours them into the water.
INT. BAR - LATER
Cory enters. The place is filled with skiers. He requests two shots of whiskey. He tosses them back.
PRETTY BAR PATRON
Can I buy you another?
He looks up and into a pair of pretty brown eyes.
PRETTY BAR PATRON (CONT'D)
You look like you lost your puppy.
She smiles at Cory and squeezes in between the bar stools to stand next to him.
PRETTY BAR PATRON (CONT'D)
What are you drinking?
CORY
It's a tempting offer but I should be going.
Cory gets up, throws some money down for his drinks, and makes his way out of the bar.
EXT. GOODWIN HOME - EVENING
Olivia, Ted and Brandon sit at dinner.
OLIVIA
She's not talking or eating. I've never seen her like this. She's devastated.
TED
We should've known that she wasn't eating.
BRANDON
That's what weakened her bones and made her fall?
Olivia looks at Ted and then nods softly at Brandon.
The doorbell rings. All three look at the door. Olivia gets up to answer it.
It's Cory.
INT. GOODWIN HOME - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Cory walks up to Lainey's bedroom. Tara lies outside it, keeping guard, looking sad. Cory pets her.
INT. GOODWIN HOME - LAINEY'S BEDROOM - SECONDS LATER
Cory knocks and enters the dark room. Lainey's lying in the fetal position on the bed. Cory sits down next to her.
CORY
Hey there.
Lainey doesn't stir. Cory strokes her arm. He moves a stray hair behind her ear. He whispers to her.
CORY (CONT'D)
You'll be happy to know I went to therapy today. Everyone thinks they know what's best for me. Don't you hate that? (beat) I've been thinking a lot about my brother lately. I wish you could have met him. He would have loved you. He probably would have taken you from me. Girls always liked him better.
Cory looks at Lainey.
CORY (CONT'D)
I miss hearing you jumping around above me.
He reaches out and grabs her hand.
CORY (CONT'D)
People love you Lainey for who you are, not for any medal you win. (beat) I know how it feels to lose something, something so special, that you ache from the loss and you're not sure how to move on. Just know there's so much more to life than your sport. I'm learning that now too (beat) It's okay to take a break for a while. Get some rest. But it's not okay to give up. You'll recover and I'll be here when you do.
He reaches over and kisses her forehead.
INT. GOODWIN HOME - GUEST BEDROOM - NIGHT
Cory lies asleep when the door opens. Lainey enters. Quietly she goes to Cory.
LAINEY
Hey.
Cory stirs.
LAINEY
Get me out of here.
YOU ARE READING
Olympic Conquest
Romance"You already are the person I want you to be. I see so much more in you that you won't allow yourself to see." Lainey is on her way to her first and probably only Olympics. At twenty-two, she has finally made the U.S. Figure Skating Team after yea...
