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Never Too Late Written By John Curbello Cast of Characters: Nick – Man in his early to mid twenties. Lives a pretty rough lifestyle. Jen – Nick’s best friend. Extremely devoted to Christ. She has been working on getting Nick to accept Christ, but to no avail. Brian – Jen’s boyfriend. Nurse – Nurse on duty at hospital Doctor – Doctor on duty at hospital Jesus Satan (In the darkness, we hear the sounds of an ambulance and voices communicating via radio talking about a young white male arriving with severe gunshot wounds to the chest. The patient is not expected to make it.) JEN: (panicked and yelling at the nurse) Where is he??? Where is Nick??? The Nurse gives her a slightly puzzled look. BRIAN: (Speaking to the nurse) We’re looking for a young man who arrived in an ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest? NURSE: Oh yes, he just came out of emergency surgery. JEN: Do you have any information on his condition? NURSE: I only know that he has suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and has lost a lot of blood. Let me grab his chart. Oh no. I’m sorry my dear, but he isn’t expected to live through the night. I don’t have any information other than that. JEN: (Burying her face in Brian’s chest) He’s not ready to die!! I’ve got to talk to him!! BRIAN: (Dragging Jen to the waiting room) Jen, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for him at this moment. He is in God’s hands. You have told him over and over about Christ and he has repeatedly turned his back on getting saved. JEN: (Still sobbing) But you don’t understand. He’s my best friend!! He has to accept Christ!!!! He just has to!!! He told me that he wants to. He did. I prayed every day that God would deliver him from that lifestyle he was leading. I talked to Nick every day nearly. I’ve prayed for him every day. He just won’t do it. I really thought that he was going to pray with me yesterday. But he said he just couldn’t make that kind of decision right then. I begged him. I pleaded. He said he just wasn’t ready. BRIAN: All we can do is pray. (They bow their heads and start to pray. Jen does more sobbing than praying. The doctor comes over to the nurse and gets Nicks’ chart. She points him in Brian and Jen’s direction.) DOCTOR: Hi. I’m Doctor Michaels. Your friend Nick is in very serious condition. He has suffered four bullet wounds to the chest and I’m afraid two of those bullets struck major organs. He was bleeding badly when they brought him in, externally and internally. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I just don’t believe there is any chance that he will make it through the night. I have my doubts that he will even regain consciousness again. (Jen buries her head in Brian’s chest and sobs uncontrollably. The Doctor puts a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and Brian Extend’s his hand to the doctor.) BRIAN: Thank you doctor. DOCTOR: I’m so sorry. JEN: (Pops her head up, eyes full of tears) Is there any way I can see him one last time?? DOCTOR: (Rubbing his face) Yeah, I think we can handle that. Come with me. (She and Brian follow the doctor off stage. Lights dim. Lights come up and we see Nick lying in a hospital bed. He is not conscious. Jen and Brian enter into Nick’s recovery room.) DOCTOR: Here you go. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic, but you need to make this quick. I’ll be right outside. (Doctor leaves). JEN: (Sobbing and talking at the same time) Oh Nick, why wouldn’t you give your life to Christ? I really thought that yesterday was the day. Nick, if you can hear me, it’s still not too late. If you can understand anything I’m saying, please understand this. It’s not too late. As long as there is a breath left in your body, you can still get right with God. Please Nick, please. Please hear me. If you’ve ever listened to me in your life, please listen to the words I’m saying right now. All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you. Just tell him you want him and need him. It’s not too late. BRIAN: Come on Jen. The doctor is waiting for us. JEN: (bowing her head, sobbing) Oh lord, I know you can hear me. Please speak to Nick in these final moments. Please don’t let me lose my best friend for eternity. (Jen and Brian leave. Lights get a bit dimmer but don’t go completely out. Through the doorway comes a man in a black suit wearing a red shirt and black tie.) SATAN: Hooo boy!!! Look at you!! You really got yourself into a mess this time!!! Come on, come on, snap out of it. Hey, did you hear? No, I guess you didn’t did you. They caught the guy that shot you. Would you believe it was your old pal Mike? Man, he put up a fight when they tried to arrest him. Oh well. Serves him right. Hey, you awake over there? (Nick stirs a bit under the covers and sits up suddenly) NICK: Who are you? SATAN: Who do you think I am? NICK: I don’t really want to know. SATAN: Ah, but you do know. You gave your life to me a long time ago. You’ve been serving me well for better than ten years now. It’s a shame your time is up. I could have used you a bit longer. Ah, no problem. I’ll just get some other poor sap to carry on for you. Are you about ready? NICK: Ready for what? SATAN: To die son!! Your time’s up. You took four bullets directly in the chest. You’re done. You’re finished. It’s time to pay the piper my man. !!! NICK: (Starting to get a bit afraid) No. NO!!! This can’t be right. I was getting ready to get out of the business. I was going to start my life clean. SATAN: Oh waah….I don’t have time for this. Save that crying and moaning for later. Believe me, your not going to like it where your going. NICK: This isn’t fair. I really wanted to start new. I really wanted to accept Jesus….. SATAN: (In a seriously hostile tone) Don’t you ever mention that name around me again!!!!! Boy, I’ll make you suffer like no one else before you!!!! Oh man!!! That hurts just hearing it!!! I got so sick of hearing it when your little friend Jenny came around every day. Oh Nick, you’ve got to get saved. Oh Nick, you have to ask forgiveness. Oh Nick you have to accept …….uurrgh…..into your life. Don’t you get it? Do you think it’s an accident that you’re here? I told Mike to do it. I couldn’t take the chance that you might actually listen to that girl. Your mine pal. You always have been, and now you always will be. NICK: (Sitting on the edge of the bed, trembling with his face in his hands) But I don’t want to go to hell. SATAN: (Sarcastically and unsympathetic, getting a bit more hostile) But I don’t want to go to hell. Well that’s just tough kid. You made your bed, and now your going to lay in it. I gave you the world, and in return, you’re giving me your soul. NICK: Gave me the world?? What are you talking about? You didn’t give me anything!!! SATAN: (Really mad now, yelling) I didn’t do what!! I gave you money!! I gave you power!! I gave you women!! I gave you some of the best times of your life!! Whether you like it or not son, your time on this earth is about through. And when that heart of yours finally gives out, your coming with me, and your gonna burn forever. Got it??!! NICK: (Sobbing angrily) NO!! You’re a liar!! You didn’t give me anything!!! You stole my life from me!! You gave me nothing but sorrow, disease and a habit that’s cost me everything!! You’ve given me nothing but hell and I refuse to spend eternity there with you!!!! (Nick falls to his knees sobbing uncontrollably) SATAN: (Way beyond mad, he takes a step towards Nick with his arms out like he is going to choke him) You ungrateful little…… NICK: (With his hands raised to Heaven he shouts out) Oh Jesus, save me!!! (Satan falls backwards) SATAN: NOOOOO!!!! (A very bright light shines in on the opposite side of the stage. Enter Jesus on the opposite side of the stage. Satan hides his face in shame.) NICK: (Looking towards Jesus, still sobbing) Lord, please forgive me. I don’t want to die a sinner and have to spend eternity with him. Please forgive me of all my sins. I want to be with you Lord. (Jesus walks to Nick and squats down and embraces him.) SATAN: No!! No!! This isn’t fair!! You can’t have him. He’s mine!! He’s a sinner!! He can’t go with you!! JESUS: He has been forgiven. Now leave us!!! You have no business here!!! (Satan runs out of the room screaming. He is obviously upset. Jesus helps Nick to his feet. Nick can’t seem to take his eyes off of Jesus. Nick and Jesus walk into the light together and just before they walk offstage, Nick stops to look back at the hospital bed. He realizes that his time on earth is through. Nick feels of his chest and smiles. He turns to Jesus.) NICK: It doesn’t hurt any more Lord. JESUS: And it never will again. NICK: (Sniffling back tears of joy) Thank you Lord, for saving me. I’m so sorry I waited until the last second. JESUS: (Looking out at the audience) It’s never too late. (Nick throws his arms around Jesus and they embrace as the lights fade out.) (back to the scripts page)