The Godmother

INT. THE OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT 

The Surgeon General is waiting, dressed in formal attire. 

Bartlet walks in.

BARTLET 

Good evening.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Good evening, Mr. President.

BARTLET 

I'm sorry about this.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Yes, sir.

BARTLET 

Is that your resignation?

DR. GRIFFITH 

[holds up the paper] 

Yes, sir.

BARTLET 

Thank you.

DR. GRIFFITH 

On thinking about it, I felt your firing me would send a dangerous signal to whomever had my job next.

BARTLET 

Did you not think that playing down the dangers of drug use sent a dangerous signal as well?

DR. GRIFFITH 

I do not believe that is what I did, sir. I was asked, by and large, if marijuana holds the same addictive properties as heroin or LSD; it does not. I was asked if marijuana poses a greater health risk than nicotine and alcohol, and in my opinion, it does not. And I believe if you look at the transcript...

BARTLET 

Millie, did you put her up to it?

DR. GRIFFITH

Sir?

BARTLET 

"My father won't fire the Surgeon General, he would never do that." 

You didn't put her up to it?

DR. GRIFFITH 

No, sir.

BARTLET 

You didn't pick up the phone after Josh came to see you and say, 

"Ellie, it's your godmother, let's stick it to your old man, and paint him into a corner?"

DR. GRIFFITH 

No, sir.

BARTLET 

Why haven't I ever been able to get her to like me? 

I'm asking you.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir, I'm not sure it's appropriate...

BARTLET 

I'm asking you.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Well, I think you're wrong.

BARTLET 

I'm not.

DR. GRIFFITH 

She worships you, Mr. President...

BARTLET 

She's mad at me.

Dr. Griffith 

Well, you're mad at her.

BARTLET 

Yes, I am!

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir...

BARTLET 

I was running for President, where the hell was she?

DR. GRIFFITH 

She was with us.

BARTLET 

Not like Zoey and Liz.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir...

BARTLET 

She's always belonged to Abbey.

DR. GRIFFITH 

You frightened her.

BARTLET 

No, I didn't!

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir...

BARTLET 

How did I frighten her?

DR. GRIFFITH 

Jed, look where you're standing!

BARTLET 

I was elected two years ago, she's 24 years old!

DR. GRIFFITH 

You've been The King of whatever room you walked into her entire life.

BARTLET 

It never seemed to intimidate Zoey or Liz.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Well, kids are different, they're not the same! 

You would be amazed, you'd be stunned at how soon they understand they're not Their Father's Favorite.

BARTLET 

That's not true.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir...

BARTLET 

That's not true.

DR. GRIFFITH

Mr. President...

BARTLET 

No, no, no. 

I will bear with the nonsense of the Christian right and the Hollywood left and the AFL-CIO and the AARP and the Canubus society and Japan, but I will not stand and allow someone to tell me that I love one of my children less than the others. 

[walks to the glass door] 

She's frightened of me?

DR. GRIFFITH 

She ain't the only one.

BARTLET 

I wanted to be so mad at her. I heard the news and my first thought was.. My god, "King Lear" is a good play. [sighs] "My father won't fire the Surgeon General, he would never do that." 

I wanted to be so mad at her. 

But the truth is, it's the nicest thing she's ever said about me.

DR. GRIFFITH 

Well, good night, sir.

BARTLET 

Good night.

Dr. Griffith walks to the door.

BARTLET 

Hey, doc!

DR. GRIFFITH 

Sir?

BARTLET 

I don't accept it.

DR. GRIFFITH 

I'm sorry, sir?

BARTLET 

I don't accept your resignation.

DR. GRIFFITH Sir, I appreciate that, but Leo's right. This shouldn't stop you from doing the bigger things.

BARTLET 

These are the bigger things. 

I don't accept your resignation. [hands her the paper] 

You work for me. 

You go when I tell you to.

DR. GRIFFITH 

You're an excellent role model, Mr. President.

BARTLET 

[walking out the glass door, turns] 

Yes, I know.

DR. GRIFFITH 

So you're back.

BARTLET [from outside] 

Yes, indeed.

CUT TO: INT. THE MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT Bartlet walks to Josh.

BARTLET 

Tell C.J., when she gives Millie our support on Monday, she can mean it.

JOSH [stands up] 

You know, it's going to seem to some people like you did it 'case your daughter asked you to.

BARTLET 

You know, Josh, I think if you ever have a daughter, you're going to discover there are worse reasons in the world to do something. 

Sit down, we're coming to the good part.

He walks past him to sit near Ellie.

MAN 1 [on movie] 

What is he doing?

MAN 2 [on movie] 

He's wondering why that key doesn't fit. He's going round to the main entrance. He stopped again...

BARTLET [to Ellie] 

How you doing?

ELLIE Hmmm?

BARTLET I said, how you doing?

ELLIE Fine.

BARTLET You know, we're coming up to the good part.

ELLIE Dad, people are trying to watch the movie.

BARTLET You want to bet me your tuition no one in this room is going to shush me?

Ellie shakes her head.

BARTLET I hear you're thinking about ophthalmology.

ELLIE [not looking at him] Oncology.

BARTLET [not looking at her either] Why would you want to study people's feet?

ELLIE That's podiatry.

BARTLET That's children's medicine.

ELLIE Pediatrics.

BARTLET I thought it was obstetrics.

ELLIE That's pregnant women.

BARTLET And what's the study of feet?

ELLIE [looking at him] Dad, you're not going to make me laugh.

BARTLET Hmmm? [beat, while he looks at her gently] The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day.

Ellie looks like she's about to cry.

BARTLET So, endocrinology would be what? Disorders of the gallbladder?

ELLIE [chokes the word] Thyroid.

BARTLET I'm pretty sure you're wrong about that, I think endocrinology is your sub-specialty of internal medicine, devoted to the digestive system.

ELLIE That would be gastroenterology.

BARTLET Are you sure it's not nephrology, immunology, cardiology, or dermatology?

ELLIE [smiling] Would you stop it? I'm trying to watch the movie.

BARTLET Okay. Here comes the good part.

They sit there, watching the movie, close to each other.

DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES. FADE TO BLACK. THE END