EPISODE 140
Written by : Bre L. Drew
July 12, 2021
Last Time On Town and Country
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Jordan gives birth to a baby boy as Daniel tracks them down to the birthing center, where he and Tricia begin to argue over the baby when Jordan notices the baby is struggling to breathe. It is discovered the baby might be possibly suffering from congenital heart disease.
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Tommy finally tells Tanner about him being the father of Jordan's baby, which made her leave.
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Shauna begins drinking heavily at Steven and Courtney's engagement party.
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Deirdre arrived at the engagement party already causing some mayhem.
HILLSDALE COUNTY HOSPITAL : WHITE OAK, KENTUCKY
From the moment she was able to speak, Jordan McKnight never felt the need to be silent. Yet in the last hour or so, she could barely emit two coherent words together. The sight of her newly born son in her arms struggling to breathe is something she never dared to envision. The journey to the hospital in the helicopter was a haze for her. Even when she and her baby were both wheeled into the hospital from the helipad on the roof. But all she could feel was a strong sense of sadness.
Daniel Covington and Tricia Lockhart exit from the elevator onto the third floor of the Hillsdale County Hospital pediatric surgery waiting room; both had driven here separately in their vehicles.
Tricia goes to the front desk to inquire from the unit clerk about the status of both mother and baby.
"Maybe I should get a specialist to consult, to intervene if need be," Daniel says to no one in particular.
Tricia does her best to keep her mouth shut to avoid any unneeded hostility. "I'm going to get some coffee; do you want any?"
He raises his head to display confusion upon his face since they are not friendly. "No, I will get something later,"
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She trails off to follow the arrows of the signs on the wall of the vending area, leaving him alone pacing back and forth before stopping himself from moving. He puts his hand into one of his pockets to retrieve his iPhone.
THE LAKE HOUSE - HUDSON LAKE, KENTUCKY
Tanner Lockhart thought going outside to think would give her some clarity. But all she got was warm air on the evening of Fourth Of July. The same evening she was supposed to lose her virginity to her boyfriend. Nevertheless, he had revealed to her not only he cheated on Jordan last year, but he had also impregnated her. She quickly left him in the room where they were about to make love for the first together. As she tirelessly drags herself back up the stairs in the two-story house on the lake out of town. So many emotions run through her when she returns to the bedroom, where she sees Tommy gazing out of the window; he turns around when he hears her footsteps behind him.
"Tanner, can we talk?"
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Tanner tucks a few loose strands of her brown hair behind her ear. "I don't want to say anything to you right now,"
"I know whatever I say to you, it won't be enough -- it will never be enough."
Tanner opens the closet, where she takes out her rolling suitcase. "I don't want to hear it; all I know is that you have been lying to me for months now. I thought after all the promises you made to me on Christmas that you changed -- but you haven't."
"What is with the luggage?"
"Did you think I was going to stay here with you? There is a bus leaving for Radcliffe in an hour."
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Tommy begins to reflect on that winter day when he came out to the farm to repair their relationship due to him kissing Jordan the year before.
"I only slept with her once,"
"What the hell does that matter! You still slept with her and kept it from me?" Tanner replies strongly. "And now you are having a baby with her."
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"It's not like that,"
"What is it like then Tommy, When were you going to tell me about you being a father? The baby's communion?; preschool graduation? I need to know."
Tommy is about to explain the situation when his familiar ringtone makes him obtain his phone off the bed. "Hello," he answers with irritation. As Daniel informs him of his newborn son, Tommy is somewhat in disbelief. "I'm on my way."
He ends the call. "There is more we got to say to each other. But it isn't the time that was my dad, Jordan had the baby, it is a boy -- he is really sick, something with his heart, I got to go."
Tanner does her best not to roll her eyes at the sound of him sounding like the doting father.
"I will give you a ride to the bus depot on my way; it's near White Oak,"
Tanner is about to ask why Jordan is two hours away yet decides not to for now, "I'm going with you; I need to see all of it for myself."
Tommy was not going to try to deter him from going with him while grabs his suitcase from the corner of the bedroom; it is obvious their time alone is over.
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HOME FARM
Courtney and Steven's engagement party is still commencing on the grounds of Home Farm as Will Jackson is nursing his beer at the open bar. He thinks back onto his run-in with Shauna, who still considers him "the devil incarnate," for his minor role in her being held hostage by his former cellmate Jerome Hawkins.
Emma Covington walks over next to him. She is in a bluish-purple strapless maxi dress. "You look like you rather be anywhere but here; trust me, you're in good company."
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She and her niece have never gotten along, so being here isn't highly pleasing for her. Emma then orders herself a mojito.
"Let's just say I ain't popular around here," Will replies
"I guess when I invited you here. I didn't necessarily take that into account."
The bartender gives her the cocktail.
Will raises his beer. "To a successful partnership."
Emma smirks while lifting her glass. "To a successful partnership."
The two clink their glasses as a familiar-sounding voice pierces through.
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"What did I just hear?" Deirdre Covington questions mainly her daughter.
"Hello, mother," Emma greets the wealthy widow. "Will and I are going into business together."
"With what money, dear?" Deirdre says mainly through a clenched jaw.
Deirdre recalls Daniel took away access to her trust fund due to her out of control lavish jet-setting lifestyle.
Emma smiles wickedly. "Mother, I guess your favorite offspring did not inform you of his generosity," she replies. "I have full control of my trust again,"
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She had blackmailed her brother with if he doesn't give her account back; she would go to Tanner to tell her that Tommy had knocked up Jordan McKnight without her knowledge.
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The look of disappointment and shock spreads across the older woman's face. "Can I speak with you alone?"
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"There is nothing else we have to say on this matter, mother,"
With that, the Covington heiress saunters off, leaving her partner and mother together.
Deirdre gets in Will's face suspiciously. "I know all about you and your criminal background. Let me make something quite clear if you're using my daughter to get her money. I will make you pay."
"I don't think so," Mae Jackson denounces from behind Deirdre.
Deirdre turns to see her grandson's wife's maternal grandmother in the rear of her. "I'm not trying to cause any commotion here. I was telling your son that I will not have my daughter be taken advantage of again."
Emma was once engaged to a French billionaire heir who was using her for her ample monetary and familial connections.
"I assure you he doesn't intend to make it rich by managing a nightclub in Radcliffe. Now, if you excuse us," Mae says warningly.
Without anything else to say here, Deirdre marches away.
Will clears his throat a bit before taking a sip of beer. "You didn't have to do that."
"I refuse to let anyone talk foolish about my son besides; I had to stop myself from smacking the living daylights outta her."
Will laughs with his mother, which eases the tension between them. "Momma, thanks,"
Despite his best efforts, Antoine Hall couldn't stop Shauna Covington from continuing to drink flutes of champagne. So much so she is currently tipsy as he brings her outside to get some much-needed air.
"I can't re-member when Max and I have had sex --- he's always so damn busy with work now," Shauna says drunkenly.
"Let's get you some water,"
The two see their friend Martha Saunders who looks suspicious at the two of them since he is holding her up.
"Oh my god, what is going on?" Martha asks
"Shauna had a little bit too much to drink," Antoine says in a half-whisper.
"Hey, Marty-Mar, when was the last time I told you that -- I love you," Shauna chortles loudly, causing some attention from some of the party-goers.
"I love you too," Martha responds with some annoyance at her friend being smashed.
"What the hell are you doing with my wife?" Max Covington demands while walking towards them.
HILLSDALE COUNTY HOSPITAL
Time has passed since both Daniel and Tricia first arrived in the waiting room of the hospital. Daniel is on his phone about to leave another message for Tommy. And Tricia is sitting down in a chair wanting to visit Jordan but was told by a nurse earlier she was resting.
"The family of Baby McKnight," the male mid-thirties physician in his green scrubs calls out.
The two of them get up to get the latest word on the infant.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Wesson, the pediatric cardiologist who is working on your---
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"My grandson," Daniel interjects
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"The birthing center was correct in their findings; your grandson is suffering from a type of congenital heart disease that is called atrial septal defect, which is an abnormality of the heart."
When the doctor is about to carry on, Tommy and Tanner head towards them.
"Here is the baby's father, my son," Daniel states proudly.
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Tanner instantly feels like she is the fifth wheel due to her finding out her boyfriend's betrayal a few hours earlier. So she remains a few feet back but being close enough to be in earshot.
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The doctor introduces himself again before getting back to his prognosis. "As I was saying, ASD is when a hole is in the wall between the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart."
"Why wasn't this detected on any of the sonograms?" Tricia queries curiously
"ASD is usually discovered at birth," Dr. Wesson replies diplomatically.
"Is it treatable?" Daniel seeks out
Dr. Wesson nods. "Due to the size of the hole, we think we should seal it by cardiac catheterization -- it's when we insert a narrow tube into the heart through an artery to seal the hole. I know this sounds like a lot, but I believe this is the best course of action."
"Can you please do the catheterization?" Tommy demands intuitively.
"All right then, please go to the desk to sign consent forms, and we'll get started."
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Tommy looks back at his girlfriend before he goes off with his father accompanying him.
Tanner remains standing up with arms folded across her chest as she gawks at her stepmother.
"Tanner, I never supported Tommy hiding this from you," Tricia says cautiously.
"But you had no problem hiding the fact my boyfriend got another girl pregnant?"
Much as Tricia wants to expose Lynn's duplicity in this cover-up, she decides not to. "Hate me all you want to, but this isn't about you right now. A small child's life is at stake."
"Screw you," Tanner seethes before she heads somewhere else to get away from her.
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Tanner digs in her purse to locate her iPhone. She uses it to dial Lynn's number. "It's me; -- I will tell it all to you later. But do you think you can come to pick me up at Hillsdale County Hospital? No, I'm fine; no one is hurt -- just come please."
She ends the call while putting her back against the wall, tears streaming down her face.
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Daniel and Tommy are nearby the nursing desk of the waiting room.
"Son, you're doing the right thing by stepping up for him," Daniel says encouragingly to Tommy, who had signed off on the procedure.
"That's funny because I felt like by doing the right thing. I just lost the most important person in my life." Tommy sincerely admits to him.
Daniel studies him and realizes he had told Tanner about everything. "Your priority has to be your son right now."
Before anything else is sad, Daniel wraps his arms around his son. Tommy sobs onto his father like he hadn't done since he was a toddler.
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END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Jordan finds herself unable to cope.
Max and Antoine get into it at the engagement party.
Mala finds herself getting envious.
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