Thirtysomething (TV Series)
Post-Op (1990)
Mel Harris: Hope Murdoch Steadman
Photos
Quotes
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Hope Murdoch Steadman : [over telephone] Hello?
Elliot Weston : Hi. It's me. She's okay. Everything went fine.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, thank God. It... it seemed like so long. I was starting to get worried. Is she awake?
Elliot Weston : No, no. They're just taking her to Recovery.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Did the doctors say anything?
Elliot Weston : No, well, I mean, they're real happy. It looked great, very 'contained.' How are the kids?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, they - yeah, they're fine. They're fine. Uhm, Ethan's been a little cranky, but... well, wait, let me put him on. Here you go, Eth. Eth! You're mom's fine. She's doing great!
Ethan Weston : [into the phone] Mom?
Elliot Weston : No, no. It's me. Uh, listen, Mom's still asleep from the operation. But everything went great. I mean, it went great. She'll be home before you know it. Okay, pal?
Ethan Weston : 'Kay.
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Hope Murdoch Steadman : She didn't think it was anything. The doctor found it during a regular check-up.
Melissa Steadman : Oh my God. Nancy. Chemotherapy? Radiation? What?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Yeah, probably some chemotherapy. I'm not sure.
Melissa Steadman : Did they know at the book party?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Yep.
Melissa Steadman : [clearly in shock] My God. Nancy! What about the kids?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : I sat with the kids on Saturday.
Melissa Steadman : Anything we can do for them?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : No. I don't think so.
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Hope Murdoch Steadman : [after a very long, very awkward silence] So, Nancy, how's the book coming?
Nancy Krieger Weston : Well, it's only been in the stores for a week, you guys.
Ellyn Warren : Oh! Your book! I saw it. I saw it! I was going by Wannamaker's and it was just sitting in the window as a - on display!
Nancy's Sister Deborah : My kids were so thrilled they took theirs to school.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, that is so cute!
Ellyn Warren : Well, uhm, look, I've uhm, got a meeting that I'm twenty minutes late for, so I was just gonna say 'hi'...
Nancy Krieger Weston : [polite] Hi.
Ellyn Warren : ...and drop some banana bread over and just...
Nancy Krieger Weston : [polite] Thanks.
Ellyn Warren : [leaning in to give Nancy a kiss on the cheek, but not quite succeeding] ... I don't know. 'Kay. Uhm, 'bye. Anyway, 'bye.
Nancy Krieger Weston : 'Bye.
Ellyn Warren : [tripping on her way out] Oh! Sorry. 'Bye.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [looking very embarrassed for Ellyn] 'Bye...
Nancy's Sister Deborah : [after she departs] The Big C really gets 'em, huh?
[Nancy just continues to comb through her wet hair roughly]
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Gary Shepherd : Stage One C? What is that? Good or bad? What does that mean?
Melissa Steadman : It could be worse. It was very contained, but there were a small number of cells outside the ovary. Bad cells.
Michael Steadman : It means she has to have chemo.
Melissa Steadman : Yeah, mild course. Six to twelve cycles.
Gary Shepherd : Oh, God.
Melissa Steadman : She's going to be pretty sick.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Well. How do you know all this?
Melissa Steadman : I called Vicky Mercer and Robby Schloss.
Michael Steadman : You called Robby Schloss?
Melissa Steadman : That's how scared I am.
Gary Shepherd : Oh, God. Poor Nancy!
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [visibly showing in her pregnancy] She must hate me every time she sees me.
Melissa Steadman : Oh, Hope.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : I mean she had a complete hysterectomy. They took out her ovaries and everything.
Melissa Steadman : They didn't want anymore kids, did they?
Gary Shepherd : Did they?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : I don't think so, but they took everything out and she still might die.
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Nancy Krieger Weston : [having opened the door to Hope] Hi.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Hi. I just wanted to bring this stuff by.
Nancy Krieger Weston : Oh, you really gotta stop doing this.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, it's okay.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [holding up a bundle wrapped in aluminum foil with a bright red ribbon] Banana bread?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : How did you know?
Nancy Krieger Weston : Just guessed. Thanks.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : It's okay.
Nancy Krieger Weston : Come on in. You want some tea?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, no, I've gotta go pick up Janey, and I just wanted to drop this stuff off... oh, and let you know that I'll take Ethan and Britty for dinner tonight.
Nancy Krieger Weston : No, you don't have to do that for...
Hope Murdoch Steadman : No, really. It's okay. I don't...
Nancy Krieger Weston : [sharply] No!
[then, looking at Hope who is a little taken aback]
Nancy Krieger Weston : I know that you are just trying to help. I know everybody is just trying to help, but I don't need help with Ethan and Brittany.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Okay. I'm sorry.
Nancy Krieger Weston : It's just... I want to be with them.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [realizing] I'm sorry. I didn't think.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [feeling badly now] But if my vacuum cleaner needs repair or something like that, I'll give you a call. Okay?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [smiling] Okay.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [as phone rings again] Damn.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [rushing out] I've gotta go anyway. I'll call you later.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [seeing her friend to the door regretfully] Okay.
Elliot Weston : [recorded on phone machine] Hi. We can't come to the phone right now, but please leave a message and we'll get back to ya.
Gary Shepherd : [over phone machine] Nance, hi. It's Gary. Listen. Uh, this is our weekly night for junk food and we thought we'd just swing by and pick up Ethan and Brittany and take them out...
[Nancy just goes over and lowers the volume of the machine so she can no longer hear it]
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Elliot Weston : And the most impressive thing is how well, I mean no, honest to God, it's really selling. It's really selling. I mean - we got a preliminary report from the publishers and it's all computerized now so you can track exactly where it's selling, who's buying it, what breakfast cereals they eat in the morning... I mean it's great! No, it really is, and Nancy was...
[Elliot turns to see that Nancy has fallen asleep in her chair]
Elliot Weston : How long has she been asleep?
Eleanor Krieger : About five minutes.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Poor baby.
Elliot Weston : She tried to do too much today. Honey?
Nancy Krieger Weston : [roused by Elliot] Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I was tired.
Elliot Weston : It's okay.
Nancy Krieger Weston : What?
Elliot Weston : It's okay.
Nancy Krieger Weston : No, it is not okay. It's not okay to fall asleep during dinnertime. That is not okay.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : We know you're tired.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [irritated] Yes, I am tired. I have just had half of my insides removed, and I'm going to start chemotherapy in a week or two, so yes, I am tired. I'm tired of thinking.
[looking around at them]
Nancy Krieger Weston : What - why were you whispering? I mean, what were you talking about?
Michael Steadman : We were just talking about how well your book's doing, Nance.
Nancy Krieger Weston : Apparently. Gives new meaning to the words 'publish or perish', doesn't it?
[Nancy exchanges a tiny smirk with her sister when nobody laughs]
Nancy Krieger Weston : [breaking the awkward silence] Could I have some coffee?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [about to get up] Yeah. Sure.
Michael Steadman : [already up] I got it. You want something in it?
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Hope Murdoch Steadman : [as Grendal barks in the snow] Grendal! C'mon! Leave that squirrel alone, would you please? Good boy! C'mon! You silly dog! Good boy. C'mon!
Nancy Krieger Weston : Does he ever catch 'em?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : No, of course not!
Nancy Krieger Weston : Oh, life is hard for a dog.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Oh, yeah, right.
Nancy Krieger Weston : Deb left this morning.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : You're going to miss her.
[they go through two bundles of letters to check for postage before dropping them in the box]
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [looking at Nancy, uneasy] I'm sorry for not always knowing the right thing to say.
Nancy Krieger Weston : No, that's all right. I don't know the right things to say either.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : I mean. Just tell me if I say something stupid. It's just so scary.
Nancy Krieger Weston : I know.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Are you scared?
Nancy Krieger Weston : Are you kidding?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : When I was about to have Janey. I don't know how to say this, but uhm... I felt like I was...
Nancy Krieger Weston : [grinning broadly] Like you were in a permanent state of bliss?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : Yeah, yeah. I was, but I, uhm... you know, besides all the happy stuff, underneath...
Nancy Krieger Weston : [realizing] What?
Nancy Krieger Weston : [when Hope doesn't answer right away] What?
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [a bit lost in her thoughts] Uhm. I felt like I was going into this tunnel. And then the tunnel went way down, deep. And uhm, I couldn't turn back, I had to go through it and come out the other side, and it was about coming close to dying, and about having my body ripped apart, and blood and pain and, you know, because it's not about drugs, and doctors, and hospitals. It's about, uhm, blood, and pain, and uhm, brushing real close to dying. I'm not saying I know what you're going through, I'm just trying to understand. I mean, maybe - maybe your tunnel is different. I mean, maybe it... oh, maybe it's not even a tunnel. I'm sorry.
Nancy Krieger Weston : [as Hope gives up and walks away] It is a different tunnel. And it's so deep that I keep screaming and yelling and no one seems to be able to hear me.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : I'll try to hear.
Nancy Krieger Weston : This is what it is. I mean, this is one thing. I get this feeling, right here, this panic? Ethan... I mean, Ethan is big. He's out in the world everyday, and I've done my work with him. You know, the real work. But Britty. I mean, she's still a baby somehow, she's still a part of me. Now if I die, I mean that would be horrible for Ethan, but he will survive. I mean, it'll be a burden, but he will survive. But Britty, if I die... well, I'll be abandoning her. She's not whole yet. She won't understand. She'll just think that I walked out on her.
Hope Murdoch Steadman : [swallowing a sob] Oh, God.
Nancy Krieger Weston : She won't remember me. Ethan will. But Britty will not remember me.