doctor closes the door behind him.
NELLY (Julia): Will you go?
JULIA: No, I'm going there, in General… Write down my phone number. Call me when you're free. I'll arrange a meeting with your uncle. I promise!
Mommies hug one last time, Nellie calls her daughter Marina and goes into the office with her.
Julia waves goodbye to Nelly, leaves the clinic.
The corridor – stage remains empty.
Soft, soft music plays.
Kirill enters the stage, leads his son Dima by the hand, and holds a stack of drawings in his other hand.
They sit on two chairs outside the office.
Cyril puts his arm around his son, and they have a silent dialogue. They look at drawings, discuss something, the father smiles, laughs inaudibly, the son also smiles, animatedly explains something to the father. Their dialogue is inaudible, the music plays, the music stops.
The office door opens and a distressed Nellie and her daughter come out. Nellie holds the recipe in her hand. Mother and daughter hurriedly leave the stage.
The doctor comes out of the office, examines the corridor, looks at the father and son with emotion, approaches Kirill with the child.
The music stops.
Doctor (To the child, affably): hi, how are you?
DIMA (draws attention to the woman standing next to him): Hello, nothing, thank you. Please sit down! (gives way)
The doctor smiles and sits down next to dad.
DOCTOR (Child): Thank you dear. This is education, this is what I understand. Father – well done. (Turns to Cyril) Are you coming to me?
KIRILL: Yes, Hello. The child's throat was cold, so they came for the advice of a knowledgeable person.
DOCTOR: am I knowledgeable?
KIRILL: I suspect so.
The doctor smiles and waves his hand. Then he looks at the child.
DOCTOR (to Cyril): You've got a good kid. Strong build, healthy skin. Calm, well-mannered. I don't want to ruin it with drugs.
KIRILL: Sorry, I didn't understand.
DOCTOR: everything that we should recommend in this case has side effects and contraindications, and this, frankly, is not very good. And the quality of modern drugs leaves much to be desired. You know what they say, if you treat a cold, it will go away in fourteen days, and if you do not treat it, then in two weeks.
KIRILL: About how… But in General from observations – it seems to be true.
DOCTOR: Well, so… (beckons Dima) Come here, little one.
Dima comes closer to the doctor.
DOCTOR:
Dima opens his mouth wide and shows his throat.
DOCTOR: everything is clear, you can close it.
Dima closes his mouth and steps aside.
The DOCTOR (Dima): Did you draw this? (pointing to one of the drawings in Papa's hand.)
DIMA: Yes. I drew the beach that my dad and I went to recently.
DOCTOR: WHERE are all the people? Uncles, aunts, children, Umbrellas from the sun, towels, bedspreads…
DIMA: now I will finish drawing!
Dima takes the drawing in question and runs off to finish everything else.
DOCTOR (to Cyril): You know, gargle with cold, ice-cold water. Pour cold water into a glass, add a few pieces of ice to it, and when it cools down more strongly, let the child rinse. You do not need to drink it, but rinse it – it will be the best.
CYRIL: It's kind of like fight fire with fire?
The DOCTOR: Sort of.
KIRILL: AND what will help?
DOCTOR: IN America, everyone has been treating the throat for a long time. It passes very quickly. And in our country everything is topsy-turvy. The throat is irritated, and it's still boiling water and raspberries. And then they come with a swollen throat, wonder why it didn't help and it got worse.
KIRILL: I didn't really think about it. Well, we'll try, thank you.
DOCTOR: a Woman came to see me, did you see her?
KIRILL: is she an Old woman?
DOCTOR: Well, Yes. This is my friend. Medicine is powerless for her. Dina has an incurable disease. The doctors can't help her, and no one knows how long she has left. Maybe a week, maybe a year. But when she comes to me, she's so happy. She forgets about the disease and the disease seems to recede. She even looks different when she leaves me. We'll talk, talk about this and that, and I'll look at it and listen to it… and she lives, smiles. In this I see my help. Some people are helped by pills, and some by a kind word. People are different, treatment is different, so I'm sorry that I had to wait a long time.
Kirill shakes his head understandingly.
Kirill: of COURSE, I understand.
Nellie returns with her daughter Marina, and Nellie hands the prescription to the doctor.
NELLIE: Here, I took the first and second at the pharmacy, but the rest they said – no.
DOCTOR: I see, well, then replace it with this, (writes something on a piece of paper) drink for four days, on the fifth to see me, I think everything will pass by then. We'll discharge you.
NELLIE (sadly): Okay, thanks.
The doctor stands up.
DOCTOR (Good to parents and children): Get well!
The doctor goes into the office, closes the door behind him.
Remain in the hallway, Cyril, Nelly, and Marina.
Cyril sees that Nelly is upset.
KIRILL (Nelly): is Everything okay?
NELLIE: I don't know… I wish it was better. I thought I'd be on sick leave for a couple of days at most and go back to work. And you'll have to sit for another week.
KIRILL: are you So eager to get to work?
: I would not rush, I do not work officially, sick leave is not paid. You want to go, you don't want to go, but you won't get any money either, and you can't raise a child by yourself… you won't run too far.
KIRILL: You are also alone…
Nelly sighs.
NELLIE: my Husband left two years ago.
Cyril looks at Nelly questioningly, but doesn't ask. She catches a questioning look on her face and explains.
NELLIE: I found a younger one.
