Victor Very much. We’re having fun.

Tim My hospital room. My illness. My body. My death. My choice.

He takes the pills.

Nadia Well done.

Victor Thank you honey. Thank you.

Victor kisses Tim. Tim cries. Victor holds Tim.

Come on, honey. Come on.

Nadia Alright darling, alright.

Tim I didn’t want to do that. Why did you make me do that?

Victor Please honey …

Tim This is … I can’t stand this.

Nadia You’ve done the right thing and you’re alright.

Tim I want communists and apartheid. I want the finger on the nuclear trigger. I want the gay plague.

Victor Honey …

Tim I want to know where I am. Since I was nineteen, I’ve known that, you know? I knew where everything was heading. And sure, it was a fucking tragedy. My life was a tragedy and that was frightening and sad and it used to do my head in. But I knew where everything was going. Bit by bit my immune system would break down until… no fixed figure. Five years, ten years, some amazing freaks even took fifteen years.

Victor Honey.

Tim And you could imagine each step before it happened because you were told what it would be. You start off feeling completely knackered.

Nadia Darling.

Tim Oh yes, that’s happened to me. Now, I’ve started feeling completely knackered, I’ve reached the first step. Now I’m on the same path as the others. Better start resting. Wait until stage two. Skin problems. Dry skin, warts. Short of breath. Waiting until… lesions. Here they are. This thing is taking its course. We’re moving forward. And now you can see everything all the way down the line.

Nadia Darling,

Tim Of course, you can’t say exactly when. You can’t announce a date. You can’t choose the hospital. But you control what you can. And you can even imagine the funeral. You can get a clear picture of it. What people will feel, what they’ll say to each other. How all the people who liked you will say nice things and how all the people who never liked you will say the same nice things. I used to know everything and that’s what those fucking pills have taken away from me.

Victor So, get used to it.

Tim I am trying.

Victor You get used to it and you find a way of carrying on.

Tim What way?

Nadia It’s over now, come on, come home. Let’s find a doctor and tell them we’re taking you home.

Nadia exits.

Victor I can’t be with you if you don’t take the pills.

Tim Alright then.

Victor You stay with me and you take the pills?

Tim I don’t know.

Victor You’ve got to promise me you’ll take the pills.

Tim I can’t do that.

Scene Eight

Street.

Jonathan is washing blood away from Nadia’sface.

Jonathan Yes. Yes. You’re going to be alright.

Nadia Hurts so much.

Jonathan There’s a lot of blood, but actually the wound … the wound is pretty superficial.