EPISODE 177
Written by: Bre L. Drew
March 28, 2022
Last Time On Town and Country
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The Covington's and Jacksons discovered the state of Will and Emma's conditions from the accident they were in involving Deirdre, who paid someone to tamper with Will's brakes.
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Despite Tanner's feelings for Tommy, she still wants to remain friends.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
Mae Jackson gets out of her Toyota Camry in front of the main house on Franklin Farm. At the moment, she is mostly surviving on three hours of rest and the coffee she made herself this morning before driving out here.
After the observation window was over for Will, after suffering a mild concussion in the terrible wreck he was in along with Emma Covington last night, Mae had taken him back here from the hospital where she received help from Steven to get him up the stairs to his room, where hopefully he is resting as he recovers. She wishes he was at the apartment in his own room, recalling the reason why he was staying here: the two argued over her favoring Antoine, which had never been true. Instead, he prefers the company of their family friends over his own family, which then makes her feel guilty for even thinking that since last night could've gone in a more tragic direction than the actual outcome.
While walking onto the porch, she can hear the various farmstead animals as the intense sunlight shows the facade of spring. She then presses the doorbell and stands there for what feels like an eternity longer than it actually is in reality.
Esther Saunders opens the barrier to allow her best friend inside the two-story home.
The businesswoman is wearing a burgundy top, black slacks and a black blazer and is carrying one of her numerous carryall purses.
She wraps her arms around her best friend.
"How are you doing, darling?" she says warmly in her southern accent.
Soon, the two women let go of one another.
Mae places both hands on her hips. "Other than being a little tired, I guess I'm doing okay, "
"Well, you gotta take it easy on yourself too. You're no good to anyone if you don't get some rest." Esther advises.
One thing she knew about her friend was that she frequently prioritized everyone else over herself.
Esther peeks at the vintage clock on the wall in front of her.
"I need to get out to the stables, but I will call you later."
The petite blonde makes her way out of the house, leaving her friend in the living room.
The sound of someone knocking gets Mae's attention, thinking it's Esther who might have forgotten something. But when she turns around to answer the door, she finds it is someone else entirely.
"Hi Mae, I need to question Will about last night." Ernest McKnight responds.
Mae unlocks the door, letting him inside the house.
"He's upstairs; come on, I will take you to him," she says voluntarily.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
From the moment Emma Covington opens her eyes, she is soon reminded of her current predicament. Last night she was driving herself and Will over to the club as she had gotten word from one of her bartenders that a fight broke out and the police were present as a result of Will's having too much to drink, so she volunteered to drive his car. Nonetheless, a semi-truck was crossing lanes, but try as she might, the brakes weren't working, so she thought on her feet and drove the car off to the side of the road towards the fields, but the semi-truck collided with them. Her injuries include several abrasions, a broken pelvis, and a severe concussion. Yet, at this instant, she could feel the pain from the damage that was sustained.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Deirdre Covington says to her daughter:
The wealthy widow is at her bedside, dressed in the same outfit she wore the night before.
"Like a truck ran into me," Emma replies humorously.
"That is not funny," Deirdre says, seriously. "You are so lucky to be alive."
Emma tries to lift her head. "How long have you been here?" she says groggily.
A male voice says, "Can you believe most of the night?"
The two women gaze at Daniel Covington, who is also in the same clothing he was in last night, maintaining a cardboard cup holder with two tall cups.
Emma is taken aback by that proclamation since she isn't exactly close to her mother.
"Well, I had to step out a few times because of those pesky nurses needing to check your vitals," she answers.
Deirdre is hiding that she is the one responsible for her daughter being in the hospital since she is the one who paid for someone to tamper with Will's brakes in his car, hoping it would rid him out of her life since she strongly believes her daughter can do better than be associated with a convicted felon. If anyone found out, she would be facing criminal charges, not to mention it would wreck her family.
A light tap on the door gets all of their attention when a white male uniformed police officer stands with a courteous smirk on his face.
"I'm Officer Kensington; I need to take Emma's statement. May I come in, please?"
Daniel looks at his only sister. "Are you up for this?"
Emma puts her hand on her forehead. "It's not like I'm doing anything else worthwhile."
Officer Kensington takes out his iPhone. "If you don't mind, I will be recording this."
"Will she need an attorney?" Daniel questions him.
"Counsel doesn't need to be present," the policeman tells them. "You ready, Ms. Covington?"
HOME FARM
After being informed by the doctor of Emma's prognosis, Tommy Covington convinced his father that he should go home. At first, he was about to protest but realized his son shouldn't be left with his nanny all night, so he came home and checked in on the house before he went to sleep. Now showered and changed, he is walking downstairs of the mansion on his way out to the hospital. Despite him not being relatively close to his aunt, he still wants to support his family, especially his grandmother, even if it means missing classes at the university today.
He sees Jordan McKnight walking towards him from the kitchen in a black long-sleeve hooded jumpsuit with her long blonde hair partly in a ponytail while the rest is hanging is holding onto her coat.
"Hey, how is Emma?" she asks the father of her son and her longtime object of affection.
"She's doing okay; they want to keep her in the ICU until they think she is over the worst."
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know I'm not the easiest person to be around lately, but I just want you to know Tommy."
Tommy could tell she did mean well. "Thanks, uh, what are you doing today?" He stuffs his hands in his pants pockets.
Jordan sticks her black clutch bag underneath one of her arms. "Believe it or not, I have my first appointment with a psychiatrist today."
Jordan had been dealing with post-partum depression since she gave birth to their son, Jeremy. She thought going all the way to King's Bay, Washington for several months would cure herself of what she was feeling, but when she came back home, she couldn't even pick up her baby without losing it emotionally.
"Well, that's good to hear, Jordan," he replies amicably. "I know I haven't been supportive of you, but I'm glad you're taking the initiative."
Jordan couldn't help but smirk widely.
"Do you need a ride?" he asks her invitingly. "I'm heading out to the hospital."
That's a coincidence because that is where I'm heading myself. "Dr. Toussaint works out of there," she informs him."Yeah, I never rode in a Tesla before."
Tommy chuckles while he and his son's mother make their way out of the house.
SAMPSON UNIVERSITY: PARKERSON DORMITORY
"Love To Dream" by Doja Cat fills the room as Tanner Lockhart puts on her coat. She quickly observes herself in the mirror while her good friend and roommate, Aaliyah Gupta, is relieved to find her art portfolio on her bed.
Don't you hate it when you lose something, and it turns up right in front of your face? Aaliyah notes.
Tanner replies, "That happened to me last week with my glasses." They were on the bathroom sink. That whole time. "
Aaliyah picks up her backpack off the chair. "I thought at least you'd be at your computer working on some assignment before you had class this afternoon."
Tanner sighs steadily. "Yeah, well, I'm heading out before I have to go to the lab."
Does this destination have to do with a certain ex whose aunt was recently in a near-fatal accident? Aaliyah asks suspiciously.
It's been all over the internet about the accident involving Emma and Will. She had initially planned to send him a text, but decided he deserved more than that, even though she broke up with him nearly a year ago.
"We're friends, only friends," Tanner says defensively. "We're not in a place for anything else."
Aaliyah recalls a few weeks ago that the two of them had talked about the way she felt about Tommy. Nevertheless, nothing could happen with Jordan being back in the picture, as well as how their relationship ultimately ended.
She then puts her arms around Tanner in a friendly manner.
"$500 says he's probably at the hospital. Anyway, textiles are calling my name. I'll see you later, and tell him that Lorenzo and I will drop by later on,"
The two ladies let go as the design student went out the door, leaving Tanner alone with her thoughts.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
"Emma tried to use the brake but, uh, it didn't work, so she swerved into the field and next thing I knew, I came to in the hospital." Will Jackson answers from the bed of the room he's been staying in upstairs from the main house on the farm.
Ernest is standing on the other side of him, writing down what he is being told into his notepad while Mae is standing on the other side of him.
"Have you received any threats before this happened?"
"Ernest, how did we jump from a semi-truck colliding into my son and Emma Covington to someone threatening Will?" Mae queries.
Will shakes his head at the police officer.
"No, why are you askin this?"
Ernest and Mae exchange glances before he focuses back on the victim.
"Because brakes don't just suddenly stop working, and with your past, I have to wonder if this was a deliberate attempt."
In the past, Will had been convicted of forging checks and other non-violent felonies. Since he had been out of prison, he had been turning his life around.
"Last time I checked, Jerome and his thugs were still in prison," Will explains. "And I ain't got no beef with anyone else."
His ex-cellmate kidnapped his niece in retaliation for a drug deal gone wrong behind bars. He went to rescue her by confronting them along with the police.
Sarah Lynn Saunders lightly taps the door, having heard the commotion from downstairs.
"What's going on in here?"
"Just a disagreement," Ernest says defensively.
"I guess you can call it that," Mae says irritatedly. "By the way, I hope you use the same conviction on the driver of the truck that you used on my son if he does wake up."
The driver of the truck is still unconscious, and it is feared he won't wake up.
Will positions himself in the bed to get more comfortable, which is difficult due to his physical injuries.
Ernest closes the notepad and sticks it inside the pocket of his jacket.
"I believe I have enough for now; like I said, I didn't mean any offense. I just want to get to the bottom of things."
"You can show yourself out," Sarah Lynn says.
​
The chief does what he is told by leaving the bedroom towards the staircase.
Sarah Lynn moves further into the room with an encouraging smile.
"I'm sorry you had to be questioned like that,"
Will waves his hand dismissively. "It comes with being a black man 365 days a year." Anyway, I dealt with worse boys in blue than McKnight."
"Do you need anything? Something to eat or drink?" Mae says, changing the subject.
"I'll take some water, thanks, momma,"
Mae and Sarah Lynn take a step out into the hallway.
"I didn't mean to intervene with Ernest," "It wasn't my place to do so."
The two hadn't seen eye to eye since Will decided to move out of the bar, as Mae believed Sarah Lynn was trying to come between her and her son.
Mae tucks a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry about it. It's just that people don't want to give him the benefit of the doubt about him changing,"
"I get people not wanting to see you in a different light. When I first started seeing Peter, some people thought he could do much better than the girl from the trailer park."
"I hoped you ignored them."
Sarah Lynn moves her head uneasily. "At first, I felt I was exactly what they said about me. But Rosemary told me, "No one can think lower of you than yourself."
​
***
Will had managed to get through the ICU on his phone. He waits for a minute or so on hold until he hears that a female nurse picks up.
"I'm calling to see how a patient is doing?" He responds casually.
"What's the name of the patient?" the nurse asks.
"Emma Covington,"
The line goes temporarily silent as Will gathers that the nurse is going to confirm the latest update. He still recalls how much more injured she was due to her being in the driver's seat of his car, which is completely totaled now.
"She is in critical but stable condition; that's all I can tell you over the phone,"
Will gives a nod of approval. "Thanks,"
He ends the call relatively relieved that her condition hadn't changed. Though he couldn't stop himself from having some responsibility for the accident, since if he hadn't been drinking, he would be the one in her spot right now. Then he begins to wonder who could've tampered with his car.
RADCLIFFE RECIEVING HOSPITAL
"All I remember is that I was unable to stop the car when that truck was coming into our lane. — The next thing I can recall is waking up here — connected to a morphine drip."
Emma reports to the officer, who is currently recording their conversation.
"I think that is enough; my daughter has been through enough strain in the last twenty-four hours," Deirdre says protectively.
Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. "How about the truck driver? Has he awakened yet?"
Officer Kensington shakes his head and places his phone in his jacket pocket.
"No change, but we found out this isn't the first time he has had an accident. Apparently, in the previous one, he had drifted off to sleep, and instead of pulling over onto the side of the road, he decided to keep driving."
Deirdre shakes her head in dismay.
"I promise you, if he comes to, we will question him. Thanks again for cooperating."
With that, the policeman walks out of the room.
"That driver better die before I get to him," Deirdre remarks in anger.
Daniel glances at his mother, recognizing her impassionate tone when it comes to her family.
Emma is about to open her mouth when she begins to shake uncontrollably in the bed.
"Someone please, help her!" Deirdre yells as she tries to look for a call button.
Daniel dashes out of the room to call for assistance.
Within seconds, the nurses and Dr. Kettering tend to Emma while the mother and son are told to wait outside in the hall.
When Tommy comes off the elevator, he sees his father and grandmother outside his aunt's room in dismay. He hopes nothing serious has happened to Emma.
"What's going on?" he asks them when he gets over to them.
Daniel places a hand on his hip. "After your aunt gave her statement to the police, she started to have some sort of seizure."
"Is she going to be, okay?" Tommy probes curiously.
Before Deirdre can respond to her youngest grandson, Dr. Kettering steps out of the room, heading towards the Covington's.
"Emma experienced an intracranial hematoma, which is when a blood vessel ruptures within the brain."
"Why wasn't this picked up on any of the tests?" Daniel asks urgently.
"Sometimes it doesn't appear on scans." Dr. Kettering informs them all. "But when we treated her, Emma slipped into a coma."
The wealthy widow, agape in utter shock,
"Will she ever wake up?" Tommy asks inquisitively.
Dr. Kettering bobs her head. "It's possible; I assure you; our neuro team has been notified and will be treating her. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can go in there now and oftentimes patients in a coma can still hear."
The physician saunters down the hall as the family tries to come to terms with their new reality.
Tommy spots Tanner coming towards his direction and finds himself putting his arms around her. Rather than asking why, Tanner accepted the embrace without question.
Meanwhile, having time before her appointment with the therapist, Jordan walks off the elevator to see if Tommy needs some company. However, she sees that he has all the company he needs with Tanner in his arms.
Quickly, she gets back into the elevator, deciding she needs to leave.
Deirdre partly hears Daniel telling her he is going to the office to give Max and Courtney the latest update them on Emma's condition.
She manages to walk a few feet away, where she starts crying to herself.
​
"Dear God, what have I done?"
​
END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Will makes a promise to Emma.
Tricia gives Jordan some tough love.
Daniel makes an impactful decision.
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