INT. HOSPITAL WARD #1 - DAY

PHIL arrives in the ward. There is a sign on the door that reads RB UNIT. STEWART, a wee cheeky looking fellow in his mid thirties, glances up from the game of table football he's playing with three youngsters GAV, NATALIE and MALCKY. KATRINA nudges SARAH as they recognise PHIL.
PHIL doesn't give any of them eye contact as he passes CHARLIE and JOHN a slightly plump fellow in his early forties. He sits on his bed and pulls out his laptop.

VOICE-OVER

They put all the Richen Bach, or RB patients in the country into one unit. Nine of us like laboratory rats in return for the glimmer of a cure.

A NURSE comes in with a trolley. She goes over to the table football. The eight patients start to form a group around her, and are handed out pills and solutions. PHIL slides reluctantly off his bed and joins the others.

VOICE-OVER (CONT'D)

This is how life and ultimately death would
have been had it not been for the arrival of
man mountain himself.

A golf ball rolls into the ward, which catches everyone's eye. THE BEAR, a giant of a man in his mid-thirties walks into the ward laughing and shaking his head as he conducts a golf lesson with the COUNSELLOR.

VOICE-OVER (CONT'D)

Rab McNair, known commonly as the Bear,
for reasons I can only guess at, was to
change everything.

The BEAR, with bags of take-away food, sits on his own at the dinner table about to tuck in. Everyone is standing with the NURSE, staring.

THE BEAR I'm not eating on my own!

The others look at him. Some immediately and others hesitantly walk over. PHIL indicates that he won't join them and goes back to his laptop. He taps away, but his hand starts shaking. He can't type anything. Laughter emanates from the table and PHIL glances over. He goes into his bag and pulls out the bottle of whisky, which he takes over to the table. He walks around pouring drams into the plastic mugs.

VOICE-OVER

People skills were not my forte.

PHIL winks at the group and walks back to his bed.

VOICE-OVER (CONT'D)

But I was learning!