EPISODE 185
Written by: Bre L. Drew
May 23, 2022
Last Time On Town and Country
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Jordan began to bond with Jeremy successfully.
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Tommy was rejected by Tanner regarding rekindling their relationship.
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Deirdre deals with her being the one responsible for Emma's coma since she was the one who paid someone to tamper with Will's car.
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Max and Courtney were appointed Co-Ceo's when Daniel took a sabbatical in order to be there for the family.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
Max Covington and Courtney Covington Sullivan exit the elevator onto the ICU at Radcliffe Receiving Hospital, where they head for the room where they find their grandmother, Deirdre Covington, sitting vigil at the bedside of Emma, who is still in a coma from the result of the brain injury she suffered in the fatal collision.
Deirdre takes her sight off Emma to see her eldest grandchildren. "Before you ask, there hasn't been any change," she says in an expressionless manner.
She had been tired of giving the same answer to her friends who had called to check in on her, so she decided to give it to them before they could ask.
Both Max and Courtney go over to embrace their grandmother, knowing she is going through a rough time right now.
​"She will; she's stubborn on top of being a Covington; trust me, she's fighting to come back," Courtney glances at her aunt, with whom she has never been close, yet she despises seeing her in this vegetative state.
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"Do you need anything, grandmother?" Max queries the red-haired woman. "Coffee?" "Tea?" "Gin?"
Deirdre chuckles at her grandson's comment. "All I need is for her to wake up, and we can put this nightmare behind us."
She then reflects on her role that led her only daughter to be in this hospital room due to her hatred of Will Jackson being in Emma's life and how she saw fit to pay someone to tamper with his vehicle. Unbeknownst to anyone, she would be the one at the wheel of the car that night that could cost her life.
HOME FARM
Jordan McKnight enters her baby son's nursery on the second floor of the mansion on the Home Farm estate. A month ago, she would've felt dread doing this, but now it is becoming a habit since she came to bond with her baby a few weeks prior. Since then, she has done this to open herself up to finally being the mother her son deserves after months of abandoning him after he was born as a result of her postpartum depression.
By now, Jeremy was sleeping in his crib this afternoon. She still can't get over how she could leave behind the most important person in her life despite blaming herself for him nearly dying due to the hole in his heart that was repaired moments after his birth.
She spots Jeremy's bluish-gray eyes open while he stretches his chubby arms before dropping them.
"Hi, did you have a good nap?" Jordan asks softly. "Did you have a good nap?"
Before talking herself out of it, she scoops the infant into her arms she expected him to cry because he hadn't been held by her since he was a newborn but to her relief, he is simply holding onto her which in a way did make Jordan happy, with a huge smile.
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ESTHER SAUNDERS STABLES
"Tanner, darling, I'm about to make a run; could you hold down the fort until I get back," Esther Saunders requests to her great-niece, who is currently sitting behind the desk in the front office of the stables.
"No problem, Aunt Esther," the bespectacled young woman respectfully answers.
The older, petite buxom blonde saunters toward the door with her purse when someone enters the office, and Tanner casually lifts his head to see that it is Presley McKnight in a Champion maroon t-shirt and black power blend shorts.
He stares at Tanner, who finds herself grinning at him, which, of course, Esther doesn't miss in the slightest.
"Aunt Esther, you remember Presley McKnight, don't you?"
Presley shakes the hand of the woman, who smiles at him. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Saunders," Presley says, regardfully.
Esther turns around to face her great-niece. "I'm leaving now." She then turns back to the handsome Reverend. "If there's anything you need, she can help," she points back at Tanner. "Bye, Y'all." She continues to exit the room, leaving the two together.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to sign up for horseback riding lessons, but something tells me you wouldn't be interested."
Presley walks closer to the brunette woman he has been getting closer to since he's been back in Radcliffe. You're right. I think you could talk me into it. I wanted to ask you something."
FRANKLIN FARM
Louise Saunders Lockhart is out of her family home into the fresh air outside by taking a walk on Franklin Farm on this warm day. She sees Sean Lockhart coming out of the barn, from which she can hear the cows mooing loudly.
"Hey, I figured you would take a walk around here today," her ex-husband says knowingly.
"How'd you know that?" she asks.
"I think we were married once upon a time," Sean says good-naturedly. "I know you love walking when the weather is like this."
Louise never thought her former spouse would recall that particular routine of hers, but she can't help but feel good about it. "I've noticed you've been in a good mood lately."
Sean sways his head excitedly. "Yeah, Tricia and I found out we're having a boy."
Louise puts strands of her blonde hair behind one of her ears, feeling as if she had forgotten to breathe for a few seconds. "Congratulations,"
"I didn't want to make it weird between us."
"Why would it be weird?"
"Come on Louise," Sean says consciously
"Honestly, I'm giving you my best to you and Tricia. It's just that it's really sinking in. You're having another child with a woman who's not me. But I assure you that Tanner and Lenny will be incredible big sisters." Louise says unequivocally
"I think they will be good to their brother." Sean expresses his excitement. "Hey, I saw you and Jai the other night at The Chateau."
That evening, Sean and Tricia were out together celebrating the news of them having a boy when they saw the two being seated in the restaurant, where they happened to see Mala Gupta, which looked uncomfortable to have the ex-wife of Louise's lover approaching them on their date.
Louise sticks both hands into her jean's pockets. "Oh, you did. Yeah, I had a good time."
"Well, I hope Jai treats you the way you should be treated, not the way I did."
"I think I'll keep him." Louise says half-jokingly
JOJO'S CAFE
On this warm and sunny afternoon, only a few had ventured inside the cafe in the last hour. When Lynn Lockhart steps into the establishment, she hears the Counting Crows classic "Mr. Jones" on the sound system.
The farmhand decided to drive into town from the farm for her lunch. Since she had forgotten to bring her own and even though she could've raided the refrigerator, her grandmother had just left for the grocery store. So, she decided to stop in and get herself something to take back to the farm to eat before getting back to work.
She received her order, which included a pepperoni flatbread pizza, a small side salad, and iced tea, in record time.
Lenny is about to go over to an empty table by the window when she hears a particular person calling her name a few times, which she purposely ignores. Though she could tell by the sound in the person's voice that they wouldn't stop until she acknowledged them.
Gathering enough energy, she turns around to walk over to the lounge area where she sees her stepmother, Tricia Lockhart, who is noticeably further along in her pregnancy in her light blue short-sleeve tie waist dress, sitting on the sofa.
"Hi Tricia, bye Tricia," Lynn says quickly; she eagerly wants to head out of the cafe since she and her stepmother have never been particularly close. She had hoped she wasn't working today.
Tricia raises one of her hands to get her to stop leaving.
"Lynn, look, I know we don't have the best relationship, but I just wanted to see how you been?" she asks meaningfully.
Lenny was about to say something snide when she remembered something her father had told her about how soon she and Tanner would be getting a new half-sibling who should be a part of their lives and at the very least be civil to Tricia, which will be difficult for her.
"All right... how are you?" Lynn replies uneasily.
The cafe manager smiles widely at her stepdaughter. "Other than my swollen feet, I am doing fine,"Tricia begins to wince like she is experiencing uncomfortable pain.
"Is it the baby?" Lynn asks urgently. "Do I need to call my dad or 911?"
Trica puts her hand on her stomach and gives Lynn a countenance to express her surprise at her. She sounds concerned.
"No, he's kicking," Tricia says to her eagerly.
"He?" Lynn queries. "It's a boy?"
"Yeah," Tricia says, nodding.
She moves her hand over her protruding stomach to feel the baby move. Tricia looks up at her stepdaughter, who is still holding onto her drink and bag of food.
"Do you want to feel?" Tricia asks. "Come on; I won't bite."
At first, Lynn is going to say no, but she doesn't know if her father's words or Tricia deciding to act human for the first time in the years, she has known her; she puts her items out of her hands onto the coffee table.
She puts her hand gently on her abdomen it is when she feels the hiccup movements. Seeing Tricia beaming somewhat makes Lynn see her in a different light though they will never be friends it does make her realize she can be more than just "The Bitch"
ESTHER SAUNDERS STABLES
Presley is now seated across from Tanner, to whom he had previously explained to her why he came to see her this afternoon. He had hoped he could bring his youth group from the church out here to the stables for their first outing. He is now watching Tanner look through the large calendar to find a specific date.
"What about the 7th?" Tanner asks
Presley nods satisfactorily. "I will let the parents and grandparents know, but I shouldn't foresee any issue."
"Good," Tanner responds. It shouldn't be any trouble to accommodate everything."
"Thanks for helping me out, Tanner,"
She casually smiles at him. "Well, it's my job, and it's no trouble, Presley."
The two glares at each other silently, waiting for the other to speak.
"How is everything going?" Presley manages to get the words out.
"Uh, all right, since the semester is over. I'm putting more hours here, and I've started back riding more." Tanner answers.
The reverend could tell something was troubling Tanner.
"Hey, what's really going on?"
Tanner sighs heavily before she tells him about what happened with Tommy wanting to reconcile with her despite her reservations as a result of their breakup which involved him cheating on her with Jordan, causing the creation of Jeremy.
"Whoa, that's a lot to handle, but whatever you do decide, you have to do what you believe is best, which is to put yourself and your needs first."
Tanner is taken back by what was said to her. "I thought you would suggest that I should overlook his mistake and give him the benefit of the doubt attached to a bible verse."
He elicits an affable chuckle. "I might be a man of God, but I'm a realist, and I know both people have to want to work to make a relationship succeed."
"I want to move on with my life," Tanner says thoughtfully. "And whoever I want to move on with, I hope will never hurt me the way Tommy did."
Presley is about to reply when his iPhone alerts him of a text message on his screen from Jordan.
Can't wait 2 see u 4 lunch.
He quickly fires back a response before getting his focus back on Tanner.
"I gotta go meet my sister for lunch,"
As much as Tanner wants to say something sarcastic about Jordan, she realizes it isn't a good idea since he knows how much he does care about her.
"I'll see you around," Tanner says
Presley smirks at her while he gets out of the chair and walks out of the office.
"Not if I see you first," he winks.
Tanner finds herself smiling at the feeling she is experiencing, which she hadn't felt in such a long time.
ESTHER SAUNDERS STABLES
As Max and Courtney have left to go back to the office, and so, as Deirdre is left brushing her daughter's hair, which has grown since her hospital stay, A light tap on the door gets Deirdre to permit whoever it is now to enter. "Yes,"
The shuffling footsteps get Deirdre to see Dr. Kettering holding onto her electronic tablet.
"Is it time for another examination?" Deirdre asks. "It's probably around that time, right?"
"No, Mrs. Covington, that's not why I'm here." Dr. Kettering says. "This is about what we do next."
Deirdre puts the brush down on the bedside table before rising to her feet. "What do you mean next?" We are waiting for her to be awake."
The doctor does her best to remain professional but, of course, offers comfort. "I believe it's time we talked about putting Emma in a long-term care facility."
The wealthy widow quickly doesn't hold back her shock at that statement. "You will not be ushering my daughter off anywhere, and if this is about this hospital needing more patients, then I will donate any sum for you to remain to treat her here with her family around her."
"Mrs. Covington, this isn't about space nor lack of the hospital's resources; it's about giving Emma the best care possible."
"I want to speak with her neurologist right now," Deirdre commands.
"Both her neurologist and I agree that there's not much we can do,"
Deirdre finds herself crying in which she wipes the tears from her face since she doesn't like it when people see her cry, not wanting people to think she is weak-willed.
But she is more surprised when she sees Esther Saunders, of all people, near the doorway, who is caught off guard by her current emotional condition.
"Mrs. Covington, I don't mean to upset you, but decisions have to be made." "Dr. Kettering says firmly."
Esther strolls further inside the room, standing beside Deirdre. "She obviously needs some time to make them, and she should be allowed that."
The room is silent, albeit with the sounds of various beeping from the machines Emma is connected to.
Dr. Kettering turns on her heel to get herself out of the room, leaving the two older women together.
"I could've handled her by myself," Deirdre says stubbornly.
"A simple thank you would've sufficed, Dee."
Deirdre places her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here, Esther?"
COVINGTON GROUP
Max and Courtney each enter their father's office suite on the twentieth floor of the Covington Tower after coming from the hospital to check in on their grandmother and aunt.
"I have never seen grandmother so despondent," Courtney says, putting her purse on the desk. "I do hope Emma makes a full recovery."
Max nods agreeably. "I do too, and it also got me thinking maybe I should step down from being co-CEO."
Courtney doesn't hide the amazement on her face. "Are you serious?"
Since Emma's hospitalization, Daniel had stepped down to be there for their grandmother while he appointed them temporarily in charge of the company. And it didn't go unnoticed how much Courtney was unsatisfied with having to work with her brother, who never wanted to have anything to do with being in a corporate environment.
"Yeah, this is your dream, Courtney, not mine, so I'm going to tell dad when I get home this evening I'm stepping down, and you should run the company until his return."
Courtney is about to open her mouth when she sees their father stepping into the room, and from the way he glances at the two of them, it is clear that he overheard their discussion.
"Not in any circumstance whatsoever that I will accept your resignation." Daniel Covington says vehemently
The CEO on leave is in casual dress attire with a dark green polo and black pants.
"Dad, I reasoned, part of being on a sabbatical is not coming into the office to eavesdrop." Max says sarcastically
"There isn't any reason for you to quit, especially with you two doing a remarkable job of keeping this company afloat while I'm gone." Besides, your sister is busy getting her new home and marriage in order, so she wouldn't be able to give it attention without the two of you together."
"Dad, there are a lot of things that I would expect from you, but I never expected a sexist remark coming from you." I'm more than capable of running Covington on my own while fulfilling my other obligations."
Daniel conveys more of an apologetic expression. "That was not my intention,"
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Courtney snatches her purse off the desk. "Max, I'm leaving for the rest of the day." The petite corporate heiress marches out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Esther stumbles onto something peculiar.
Courtney considers her options.
Lorenzo shoots Martha's music video.
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