Teaser

We fade in on a school cafeteria, where a group of 4^th graders are sitting around eating their lunches. One of the girls, Caitlin, picks at her food—it’s a small salad and a bottle of water. The kids chit chat briefly until the bell rings—it’s time for recess. The kids rush out onto the playground and begin to play. Caitlin begins to swing on the monkey bars, and we see through her eyes as she becomes dizzy and blacks out. The teachers and kids run to her, shouting for help, as we smash cut to

CREDITS

Act 1

We fade in on Amanda meeting with the teachers in the teachers lounge of Caitlin’s school. They tell Amanda that Caitlin had always seemed thin and weak—she’d had to sit out of PE class numerous times due to sickness, and had, several times, broken bones. Amanda scribbles notes and asks whether there had been any signs of abuse. The teachers all deny any indications of abuse—the broken bones almost always came from falls at school. Caitlin was always ready with an explanation for where the injuries came from. Amanda nods, skeptically, as we fade to:

A hospital emergency room. Amanda is sitting, talking with a doctor, reviewing Caitlin’s medical records. The doctor concurs with the teachers—there is no sign of abuse on Caitlin’s body, despite the repeated fractures. The doctor did notice two things in his examination of Caitlin. First, Caitlin is well underweight for her age and build, so much so that the doctor was concerned that Caitlin might be anorexic. Second, Caitlin’s bones were unusually brittle and thin. Amanda asks the doctor to explain. He puts up the X-Rays of a normal 9 year old girl’s arm. Next to it, he puts up the X-Ray of Amanda’s arm. The difference is immediately apparent—Amanda’s bones are far thinner than that normal 9-year olds. As Amanda gasps, we fade to commercial.

Act 2

Amanda drops by Alice’s office at the division to discuss the case. She briefly summarizes the doctor’s findings and asks Alice if she has any idea what’s going on. Alice has no idea what the problem might be and offers to meet with Caitlin to see if she can figure out what’s wrong. Cut to Caitlin meeting with Alice at the DCFS offices. They talk for a few minutes, with Alice trying to get Caitlin to explain her injuries. Catilin clearly thinks there’s nothing unusual going on. Alice is stymied and offers Caitlin a piece of candy. Caitlin says she can’t have that. She’s only allowed certain foods. She roots around in her bag and pulls out an oddly wrapped piece of food, which she offers to share with Alice. Alice accepts the piece of food and nibbles at it.

Cut to: Alice knocking on Amanda’s office door. Amanda is filling out paperwork as Alice drops the piece of food on Amanda’s desk. Amanda looks up with a start and asks Alice what this means.

AMANDA

Guess you’re too young to recognize it. It’s a supplement from a dietary program that was popular about 10 years ago. No milk or milk products. No meat. No eggs. No fish.

ALICE

Being vegan was trendy 10 years ago?

AMANDA:

Now that you mention it—yeah. It stopped being trendy when doctors announced that it had health risks. I’d bet that if we talked to her parents, they’re probably adherents to the diet. There are still small communities for it on the Internet.

Alice and Amanda make plans to visit the parents at home as we fade to commercial.

Act 3

Alice drops by Terrence’s office and asks if he’s had a chance to look at the case file yet. Terrence says he has, but that there’s no clear-cut legal authority. The sole controlling language is that the DCFS must act “in the best interest of the child.” The three of them argue briefly about what the appropriate action is, with Amanda taking the position that termination of custody is appropriate, Alice opposing termination of custody, and Terrence somewhere in the middle. They agree to take it to Jack at their afternoon case meeting.

Cut to Jack’s office—the case meeting. Amanda briefly lays out the facts for Jack. Jack asks Terrence for his view of whether terminating custody is legally possible. Terrence says he believes a termination of custody would be difficult, but that the DCFS might be able to get a custody modification order, requiring that the family be kept on a “watch list” and the child’s diet be dupervised. Jack tells Terrence to go for it—it’s a middle ground between the two angles.

Act 4

Terrence walks into court as the case is being called. He explains that the DCFS is in court on a motion for supervised custody of Caitlin Spencer—this order would not terminate custody, but would require visitation and supervision by a DCFS representative on a weekly basis to ensure that Caitlin is properly being cared for. Terrence explains that the basis for the removal is the fact that the parents are strict adherents to a diet which requires no animal products whatsoever, and that this has resulted in a severe calcium deficiency, causing Caitlin’s bones to be brittle, a serious risk. If Caitlin doesn’t have a change in diet in the near future, her condition will become permanent.

The Judge interrupts Terrence, incredulously asking whether he’s asking the judge to order a custodial modification based on a diet. Terrence returns to his prior argument that the diet endangers the child’s health. The judge gets snippy.

JUDGE

You can’t be serious, right? We live in a world where there’s a new trendy diet every week. Arkins. Scarsdale. South Beach. Dr. Phil’s “Ultimate Weight Loss Solution.” You can turn on your TV and listen to John Basedow pitch some way to lose weight. Hell, there was even a diet a few years ago where you could eat nothing but cabbage soup. Silly? Perhaps. But society clearly approves of these diets, however strange you or I may find them, and unless you’ve got something more, Mr. McKittridge, you’re out of here.

TERRENCE

Your Honor, the DCFS stands on its case and the medical evidence.

JUDGE

And that’s not going to be enough.

Terrence walks into Jack’s office.

JACK

Tough beat. Can’t win ‘em all.

TERRENCE

Amanda and Alice talked to her parents after the hearing.

JACK

And?

TERRENCE

They’re going to add a calcium supplement to Caitlin’s diet.

JACK:

Well, you take what you can. (beat) Want a drink?

He pours scotch into glasses for each of them as we fade to credits.