EPISODE 165
Written by: Bre L. Drew
December 29, 2021
Last Time On Town and Country
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After years of trials and tribulations, Steven and Courtney said "I do" in front of friends and family on Christmas Eve.
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Elijah's admission that his drinking is a result of her and Nathaniel's pressure on him offended Brynn.
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Martha finds herself moving on from her feelings for Will, as he and Emma made waves at the wedding.
FRANKLIN FARM: BARN
The afternoon quickly turned into the evening as a dark blanket of clouds covered Radcliffe. Franklin Farm is populated with friends and family for Steven and Courtney's wedding reception, being held inside the old barn on the grounds. The once dilapidated building has been masterfully transformed. The interior environment manages to give off a rustic yet classy vibe.
Hand in hand, Steven Sullivan, along with his bride, enters the barn, which catches many of the guests' attention, prompting Tricia Lockhart to grab the microphone in the rear of the room.
"Please allow me to introduce to you Dr. Steven Sullivan and Courtney Covington-Sullivan." The matron of honor announces it in her best cheerful manner.
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A round of applause and some whistles can be seen and heard throughout the barn as they make their grand entrance.
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Tricia hugs both the bride and groom while she sees her husband, Sean Lockhart, standing in the back of the room gazing at her with intention.
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Soon, the deejay begins to play music once again. CeCe Penniston's "We Got A Love Thang" sends some people on the dance floor.
"Can we talk?" Sean asks.
Tricia folds her arms and shakes her head. "Now it's not the time, Sean,"
"When is it going to be the time, Trish?"
"Well, maybe you can run to your ex-wife and seek her advice on the matter."
The two were still having problems in their marriage, mainly due to trust and Sean's habit of frequently going to Louise instead of her. Now she is carrying their child and feels alone.
Sauntering her way away from him, she knows they have to settle things, but not now.
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Over at the open bar, Esther Saunders and Mae Jackson receive their martinis from the bartender.
"I must say it does feel good to not be the one serving for once," Mae says
Esther takes a sip of her cocktail and nods, "How are you doing?"
Mae partly sighs. "I'm doing okay. I just wish Will and I were on better footing. That's all."
Esther knows how it has been hard on her best friend regarding not being close to her son.
"You know, this day is about Courtney and Steven," Mae says suddenly.
The Saunders matriarch waves one of her hands dismissively.
"You're my best friend. Besides problems, don't take days off; trust me. I should know. "
As Mae sees who is approaching them, she whispers to her friend. "You might want to hold me back,"
"Please do the opposite for me, darling," Esther replies.
"Well, well, well, I'm not surprised to find the two of you together." Deirdre Covington says this in her usual snobbish tone.
"What do you want?" Esther says, directly
The wealthy widow puts a hand on her petite frame.
"I just wanted to say that it's official; we're finally family."
Esther chuckles ruefully at the woman who was once her best friend. "Get this okay; we aren't family; my son is married to your granddaughter. She will have a place in this family. You, on the other hand, well, please don't be hurt if you don't get invited to Christmas dinner next year."
Mae sips her cocktail while Dee's lips are pursed.
"Excuse me, ladies, is there a problem going on?" Roy Sullivan queries both women.
"Hello Roy, long time, hasn't it?" Deirdre responds.
"Deirdre, I see you're still the center of attention," Roy expresses
"Well, you know me,"
Esther rolls her eyes masterfully.
"I will see you all around," Dee remarks, as she turns on her heel back to her table.
"Thank you for handling the situation, Roy," Mae says
"It's clear that time hasn't healed all wounds," Roy responds.
Esther takes a hearty sip of her martini, thanking the lord that Deirdre didn't end up carrying her father's baby. daring not to imagine what a fresh hell that would've been.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL: INPATIENT REHAB
Elijah Barker decides to get out of his room to take a leisurely walk in the hall of the inpatient rehab located on the fifth floor of Radcliffe Receiving Hospital. He had to get some fresh air to cure himself of becoming stark, raving mad. In therapy earlier, he confessed to both of his parents that the reason he began drinking was because of years of them both pressuring him to do well academically and that anything other than success was a failure.
While his father was more accepting of the truth, his mother was in denial, stating that it was perfectly normal for parents to be like that. So now he is feeling quite alone as well. Not to mention it being Christmas Eve and that he is alone for the first time during the holidays. He finds himself going into the lounge, which is practically empty this evening.
Elijah had managed to finish his finals, which were made accessible to him by being a take-home courtesy of his professors and academic advisor. He knew he didn't need to be behind in any of his classes since next year would be his junior year, meaning he would be doing his internship, which meant he would be on track to graduate in four years.
"Hey, IQ," a somewhat familiar voice calls out.
He turns to see Joe, whom he first met during group therapy weeks ago. The twenty-five-year-old white male patient is a few inches taller than he is, with messy brown hair. For some reason, since he found out that Elijah is in college, he's been calling him "IQ" for some reason, but Elijah still doesn't get it.
"Hey, how are you doing?"
Joe digs both of his hands into his pockets. "You look like you've been through a few rounds with Pacquiao. You all right?"
Elijah considered him an associate but not someone to confide in about his problems. "It's just some stuff going on. I'll be okay," he finally responds.
He was moving his head back and forth like he was looking for someone in particular. "I got something that will make you forget your troubles,"
He then pulls a small bottle of water out of his pocket.
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"I'm not thirsty,"
Joe busts into a small laugh. "Well, it's more than H2O here."
Elijah suddenly realizes that there is alcohol in that bottle.
"How did you get that in here?"
"It's rehab IQ, not prison. There is always a way."
Joe removes the cap from the bottle, which he lets Elijah smell. A sense of rush hits the young man as memories of him drinking vodka flood back to him.
FRANKLIN FARM: BARN
Chris Stapleton's soulful voice sings, "Tennessee Whiskey" fills the barn when Martha Saunders is at the wedding party table watching Will Jackson and Emma Covington in the corner of the room laughing about something.
She picks up her flute of champagne, then puts it down. She tells herself she and Will are best off as friends. Something more, yet she is having a hard time letting go.
"Hi,"
Martha lifts her head, seeing Samuel Gupta in front of her, looking good in a dark Calvin Klein suit. "Hey,"
Samuel smiles charismatically. "Do you want to dance?"
At first, she is about to turn him down, but from the corner of her eye, she sees Emma giving her a mischievous glance.
"Yeah,"
Samuel takes her hand as he accompanies her out onto the floor.
"You do know how to dance, don't you?" Samuel asks curiously.
Martha offers a quick glimpse of them both.
She arches one of her eyebrows naughtily. "You're about to find out,"
The pair rhythmically move in sync, causing awareness from guests, including the former object of Martha's affection.
Lynn Lockhart finds herself having to excuse herself outside to get better phone reception.
"I almost drank tonight," Elijah tells her.
Lynn stands there as the wind hits her. "You didn't, and that's the most important thing."
Elijah begins filling her in on what occurred with his parents, leading him to consume alcohol from a relative stranger.
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"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Heather Merriwether tells her close friend Daniel Covington.
The two are at a table near the wedding party.
"Seems like five minutes ago we were chasing them around Central Park, and now they're adults themselves." Daniel nods sentimentally.
The actress takes a sip of her champagne. "And then we blink," she chuckles. She then adds "John feels terrible about not being here, but you know him when it comes to Montage."
"I get it,"
Montage is the monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that John's father founded nearly fifty years ago.
"How are you doing?" he asks her.
"Okay, all things considered, hopefully, this time, Saffy gets the help she clearly needs."
Saffy is John and Heather's eldest daughter, who is currently on her second stint in rehab for her addiction to cocaine.
"Even though we live nearly a thousand miles apart from one another, "I will always be there for you all, " Daniel advises.
Heather touches one of Daniel's hands platonically. "Same for you all too."
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL: INPATIENT REHAB
While some of the patients began caroling in the lounge to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," Elijah found himself alone in the recliner, managing to tell Joe he wasn't going to drink, to which Joe shrugged and went back out. He knows he is still weak when it comes to urges and almost took a drink, causing him to risk his sobriety. He gets on his feet to head back to his room. But he stops himself when he sees his girlfriend and his friends together, holding gift bags in their hands.
"What are you doing here?" Elijah asks. "I thought you all would be still at the wedding."
Lynn says, meaningfully, "We were but we all thought that you could use all of the people who believe in you."
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"You couldn't be with us this year, so we decided to bring everything to you," Aaliyah Gupta says jovially.
Elijah finds himself being embraced by his girlfriend, then by his friends.
"Merry Christmas, Man," Tommy Covington says.
"Merry Christmas, Elijah," Tanner Lockhart remarks as she puts her arms around her oldest friend.
At that moment, Elijah realized that he had people in his corner who hadn't given up on him, and he owed it to every one of them to get the help he needed.
FRANKLIN FARM: BARN
This time, Bekah Merriwether takes the mic.
"All right everyone, this time the bride and groom will take their first dance as man and wife."
As Steven and Courtney make their way onto the floor, Courtney winks at her youngest godsister.
The deejay now plays their song You and I (Nobody In The World) by John Legend.
The two move slowly to the music, holding one another.
"Have I told you how I'm so happy to be your wife?" she tells him adoringly.
"One more time doesn't hurt," he says. "I know when we get back from St. John, we won't have a home to go to."
Their realtor hadn't found anything to their liking in town.
While Martha and Samuel slow dance together, Will turns to Emma, who is sipping on her third glass of champagne.
"Wanna get outta here?"
"I've been waiting for you to say that since we first got here,"
The two make their exits from the barn.
Deirdre rolls her eyes at the sight of her daughter chaining herself to the former prisoner.
Courtney stares up at her husband. "We will work all of that out when we get home. But for now, let's simply enjoy the moment, okay,"
"Anything you say, Mrs. Covington-Sullivan," Steven responds.
Half of the guests were now dancing with their significant others as the newlyweds remained at the center of the barn.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Nathaniel confronts Brynn.
Steven and Courtney return from their honeymoon to a surprise.
Aaliyah notices the closeness between Tommy and Tanner.
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