The Phlebotomist

Ella Road

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781786824547
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Bea meets Aaron. He's intelligent, handsome, makes her laugh and, most importantly, has a high rating on his genetic profile. What's not to like? Char is on the brink of landing her dream job and has big plans to start a family - but her blood rating threatens it all. In a world where future happiness depends on a single, inescapable blood test – which dictates everything from credit rating to dating prospects - how far will people go to beat the system and let nature take its course? The Phlebotomist questions the value we place on one another, whether knowledge really is power, and if it's truly possible for love to conquer all.

ACT 1

INTERLUDE 1

AUDIO Soundscape. A&E. Muffled voice-overs:

DR 1: …just ran right out in front / of the

DR 2: …by a tram, right outside the / hospital

DR 3: Intracranial haemorrhage / GCS

DR 1: Unconscious, suspected bleeding to the / carotid

DR 2: Well do we resuss?

DR 3: What’s the profile?

DR 1: Male, late twenties, no abnormalities, no record of / any previous

DR 2: If we’re gonna go, we need to / go now

DR 3: Yes, yes, we resuss!

DR 2: Let’s move him through please!

Soundscape fades into:

SCENE 1

Hospital hallway. Some years later. Background noise. BEA has just fallen on the floor. The trolley she was pushing is upturned. Blood vials roll in all directions. AARON is scrabbling around, picking them up.

A: Are you alright? Hey. Are you OK?

BEA makes a confused noise. Lifts her head.

B: Huh?

A: You alright? You/

B: Owh. Fuck. What…

A: You tripped, just/

B: Did you /

A: Fell.

B: What?

A: You fell over / Are you /

B: Oh God / What?

A: Quite hard. Are you alright?

B: Oh shit.

A: Is your head/

B: No, these, the bloods!

A: Don’t worry, I’ll /

B: No, you shouldn’t be handling those.

A: Oh. Sorry. Look, is your head OK?

B: How did I…?

A: You just dropped, like fainted?

B: I didn’t faint. I’m not a fainter.

She stretches out her neck and winces.

A: Shall I get someone?

B: No.

She looks around at the vials.

I’m gonna get fired.

A: It’s fine, no one saw.

He holds out his hand. She looks at him warily, then lets him help her up.

B: Ahh, nah, I think I…

She touches her head. Drops into a chair. Beat.

I’m really not a fainter, really not at all. Got a proper steady hand. God, I feel like some Victorian lady, you know, ‘fetch me the smelling salts’? Twat. Sorry.

He laughs. She reaches down to pick up a vial.

A: Sure I can’t get you anything? Water?

She shakes her head.

What’s your name?

B: Er Bea. Bea Williams?

A: Hi BeaBea Williams. I’m AaronAaron Tennyson.

He extends a hand.

B: Tennyson?

A: Yeah.

B: Like the poet?

A: Er, yeah.

B: Like Alfred Lord/

A: Yeah/

B: /Tennyson?

A: Er yeah that’s the one.

B: You related?

A: Um. Um, yes.

B: What? You serious? Nah you’re shitting me.

A: Yes. I mean no I’m not shitt/

B: What like actually Alfred Lord the dude?

A: Yep.

B: We did ‘In Memoriam’ in school. I love it. It’s like my favourite poem ever ever.

A: Really?

B: Yeah, no seriously, I. Like I didn’t used to like English but then I. Yeah. It’s beautiful.

A: It is.

B: I used to… Shit man. That’s cool.

A: Um ‘I hold it true, whate’er befall, I feel it when I sorrow most, Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all’

B: Wow, d’you know the whole thing?!

A: Ha no no.

B: Sounds good in your accent.

He smiles. Beat.

A: No one, um. No one’s usually this enthusiastic about…

B: Oh I dunno, I just. See we did it in class ‘round the time my mum passed and it kind of… well, yeah. All the stuff about moving onwards, upwards.

He smiles.

A: And looking back...