Dialogue 1 - Breakfast in the hospital
Our first ‘visit’ to Temple Newsam is at the start of the day. The patients who can get out of bed are assembled in the Great Hall for breakfast.
Tom is coughing.
Netta: Are you all right there, Tom? (more coughing) Do you need anything? Let me get you a cup of tea.
Fred: Blimey Tom, you’ve got it sorted there mate. He’s only after a bit of sympathy, Nurse! He was hardly coughing at all before breakfast.
Brendan: Are you coming at all, Taff? I’ll have finished my porridge and be starting on yours if you don’t hurry yourself.
Alun: You wouldn’t be so fast out of bed if I hid those crutches of yours, now would you boyo? It’s quite a trek from our dorm to the Hall...
Netta: Sister says you are doing very well, Alun. We’ll have you back with your pals in no time.
This comment changes the mood a little.
Alun: Well, I’d like to know how they all are keeping. I’ve heard nothing.
Fred: I should be getting my moving orders too any day now.
Alun: They won’t put you back on the frontline, Fred. You can’t get that arm up high enough to hold a bloomin’ rifle.
Tom: He’s right - you might even get a posting back in England. Maybe near your family. That would be alright, wouldn’t it? You could marry that lovely fiancé of yours?
Fred: (Trying to change the mood) Don’t go telling the Nurses about my fiancé! It’ll break their hearts. (Calls out) Are we getting any scrambled eggs today? I’m starving here.
The hubbub fades into the background and we have a few moments of background clatter (simple sound effects of eating - scraping plates, pouring tea, etc).