EPISODE 341
Written by: Bre L Drew
May 13, 2025
Last Time on Town and Country
-
The Covingtons, Mae, and Jacques are shocked not only by Shauna's return but also by the news that she and Max have a newborn daughter—unaware that Keri’s biological father is Antoine, the result of Shauna’s one-night stand with him.
-
Tricia returns to her hometown of Bakersfield, California, and speaks with her childhood neighbor Mrs. Montez about her mother Jolene, who was hospitalized after abuse by her husband, Wade.
-
Attorney Jes Choudhury, the daughter of Jai and Mala’s longtime friends, decides to settle in Radcliffe.
-
Lenny receives a life-saving bone marrow transplant, and loved ones hope it puts her acute myeloid leukemia into remission.
RADCLIFFE RECIEVING HOSPITAL
This afternoon, the sunshine is an unmistakable sign that spring has settled into Radcliffe, Kentucky—despite the lingering chill. Still, the weather is the last thing on the minds of Sean Lockhart and Louise Saunders Lockhart as the once-divorced, now-reconciled couple step off the elevator onto the oncology ward at Radcliffe Receiving Hospital.
Lenny has contacted Louise to say her oncologist has the latest results—news that fills them with nerves. After nearly a year of uncertainty, they hope for a positive outcome.
Sean doesn’t have to ask how Louise is feeling—it’s written all over her face, a rare crack in the composed exterior she typically maintains.
“I guess I’m not doing a good job hiding how I feel?” she says, taking a strand of her blonde hair to place behind her ear.
They slow their pace in the mostly empty hallway.
“You don’t always have to be so damn strong,” Sean tells her. “I know I wasn’t good at it in the past, but no matter what Dr. Saddleman says… you can lean on me.”
In the past—especially during their marriage—Sean had a habit of shutting down when things got tough, one of the reasons their twenty-year marriage ended.
“My hero,” Louise says, half-joking.
She immediately regrets it when Sean gives her a wary look.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “After everything our daughter’s been through… I’m just scared. And with everything going on with the family regarding Emma, it’s a lot right now. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
As it turns out, the bone marrow donor is Emma Covington—Louise’s aunt, the result of a long-ago affair between her mother and her late grandfather. The truth causes tension in the family, especially since Esther and Steven knew and said nothing. Emma only discovers the truth after overhearing it herself.
“I promise I’ll do anything I can to restore your trust in me,” Sean says quietly.
In silence, they head down the hall to put on the appropriate protective gear before entering Lenny’s room.
Concurrently, in the sterilized hospital room, Lenny Lockhart lies in bed wearing black pajama pants and a long-sleeve crewneck shirt. Her shaved head is covered with a dark bandana. Beside her, Elijah Barker sits in his plastic smock and mask, half-skimming through a law book, trying to catch up on coursework for law school.
Earlier, a nurse informed Lenny that Dr. Saddleman has her latest results—courtesy of being poked and prodded daily, a routine that’s become her reality since being hospitalized with cancer.
Lenny glances toward the door, watching it remain closed. Elijah notices.
“You’re not going to ask me how I’m feeling?” she asks her fiancé.
Since she got sick, Elijah has made a point of not asking that question, knowing it annoys her—she’s already heard it from her parents, nurses, and nearly everyone else.
“No need,” Elijah replies, slipping his textbook back into his backpack.
“You’re nervous as hell but don’t want to show it. You can’t fool me.”
“Ha,” she says, smirking. “Promise me something, okay?”
“And what would that be?”
Lenny folds her legs under her. “If it’s not good news, I want you to move on with your life.”
The assertion makes Elijah quickly respond, “And if it is good news—which is what we all want, by the way?”
She looks down at the engagement ring on her finger—the one he used to propose last Christmas, passed down from her grandmother. “If it’s good news, I’ll marry you as soon as I leave this hospital,” she says lightheartedly.
Elijah is about to react when the door opens, and Sean and Louise enter in full protective gear.
“How are you?” Louise asks.
Lenny and Elijah exchange a look—as if to say, told you so.
“I feel like I swallowed a basketball,” Lenny confesses.
Sean folds his arms and steps closer to his daughter.
“Like I told your mother, whatever happens—we’ll handle it together. As a family.”
Louise decides it’s as good a time as any.
“Mentioning family, I think it’s fair that you’re told who donated the bone marrow.”
Sean and Elijah's exchange of knowing looks—aware that the answer comes with its own sordid history.
The sudden silence only heightens Lenny’s curiosity and unease.
“What? Or should I say who?” she asks, her voice edged with concern.
“It was Emma,” Louise reveals calmly.
“As in Covington, as in Tommy’s aunt?” Lenny asks, incredulous. “Not that I’m not grateful for her donation, but how in the world is she a match?”
Louise places a gentle hand over her daughter’s. “Turns out... she’s your great-aunt.”
Lenny’s confusion is noticeable. “Say what now?”
The three others exchange looks before they begin to explain.
BAKERSFIELD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
With every step she makes in her pointed-toe pumps down the hallway of the observation unit at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Tricia Lockhart’s mind flickers with memories she’s done her best to bury—the moment she decided to leave this godforsaken place. But being back in her hometown of Bakersfield, California, somehow brings them flooding back, no matter how hard she tries to stuff them down.
When she arrives at the designated room, she pauses as a nurse’s page echoes overhead. She exhales before slowly walking toward the door, which is slightly ajar.
Silently, she takes in the sight of her mother lying in a hospital bed, dressed in the standard blue gown.
Jolene Woods tilts her head, taken aback to see her daughter. Tricia is just as stunned—not by her presence, but by the state she’s in. Despite the bandages, her mother’s injuries are evident: her arm is in a splint, and her brown hair sits mussed on top of her head.
“Tricia, what are you doing here?” Jolene asks, already slipping into the familiar pattern of trying to cover things up like she always did after getting beaten. “How did you know I was here?”
Tricia sighs and shakes her head. As many times as she’s seen her mother like this, it never gets easier. And still, her mother tries to pretend it’s not so bad.
THE WATERFALL BAR
You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers
I've got lovin' eyes
Of my own..
The distinctive vocals of Carly Simon are heard as "You Belong to Me" plays over The Waterfall’s sound system for the early afternoon crowd—mostly workers on their lunch break grabbing a bite to eat, while others can’t wait for a drink.
Behind the bar, the establishment’s owner Mae Jackson stands, chatting with her beau Gus Hewitt about her granddaughter being away for months, Shauna is back—and not only that, but she’s also given birth to a baby girl.
"So how are you feeling about being a great-grandmother?" Gus asks, seated on a stool in front of her for a second his hand resting on hers.
"I'm still trying to get my head around it," Mae admits, "but as long as that baby is healthy and my granddaughter stays determined to work on her marriage, I can't complain."
Unbeknownst to them, Antoine Hall—who had been handling a customer at the other end of the bar—walks over, having overheard Shauna’s name.
"Y'all heard from Shauna?"
Both Gus and Mae turn to each other before anyone can respond.
Jes Choudhury and Mala Gupta sit across from each other in a booth, having lunch—it’s been a while since they’ve been out together, even though they live in the same house.
"How’s the employment search going for Aaliyah?" Jes asks.
Mala swallows a bite of her chicken Caesar salad before answering.
"Unfortunately, it’s still going. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to secure a decent job these days," she says in her native British accent.
Her daughter Aaliyah graduated from university last year, but she hasn’t been able to land meaningful employment, despite receiving degrees in design merchandising, and business.
"Oh, I can," Jes remarks. "Six months ago—"
Mala snickers and sets her fork aside.
Jes takes a sip of her white wine. "I’m sure Aaliyah will eventually find something. She’s smart and resourceful."
The architect nods, though she quietly wonders how long it will take.
"It just came to me—I think there’s something for you at Covington Tower."
Jes chuckles as she lifts her glass again. "I know I haven’t practiced law in a while, but I’m afraid my knowledge of property management is mostly limited to contracts."
"I mean there’s available space for lease in the Covington Tower. I’m sure you could set up the firm there—if you’d like," Mala offers.
BAKERSFIELD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
"I suppose a certain next-door big mouth told you I wound up here," Jolene surmises.
Tricia steps further into the room, closing the door behind her. "For some people, it's not every day they find out—through a childhood neighbor over two thousand miles away—that their mother is in the hospital because her husband beat her. But in my life, I’ve gotten that call too many times."
"I told Adela not to worry you about this. I fell, that’s all... Look, one more day of recuperating and I’ll be good as new. I’m coming home tomorrow."
"And pretend like nothing happened, right?"
Jolene sighs. She isn’t ready for this conversation, but she knows it’s already coming.
"We both know what really happened. You can dress it up all you like, but Wade keeps getting away with this shit. Aren’t you tired of it?"
The truth is, that Jolene suffered violence again. Wade strikes her after she questions his whereabouts when he doesn’t come home on time. She remembers the last time she tried to leave—he comes to Radcliffe and threatens to hurt Tricia if she doesn’t return. Jolene would never let anyone hurt her only child.
"It looks worse than it is," Jolene says quietly. "Honestly."
Tricia doesn’t move. She’s heard these cover-up stories her whole life. "I think I already know the answer, but has Wade come by to see what he’s done?"
Jolene shifts in bed at the sound of his name. "No... but I know he’s sorry."
"Yeah, I bet he is," Tricia replies, gripping her handbag tighter. "Look, I know you don’t want to hear this, but going back to that house is not a good idea."
Jolene does her best to shield her tears. She's become a master at it.
"I have nowhere else to go. And besides, Wade and I will work this out—like always."
The forced belief in her voice makes Tricia sick, even after hearing it a hundred times. But Mrs. Montez told her to try, so here she is.
"Mom, if you go back, you’ll end up here again—or wind up dead."
"Trust me. It'll be all right, baby doll."
Tricia slowly backs away, holding herself together. "I can't do this again."
She rushes out. Alone, Jolene lets the tears fall.
THE WATERFALL BAR
"I suppose I can at least check it out. It’s not like I’ve found any decent space yet—it’s either too expensive or so small I couldn’t even keep my computer in there."
"And if you like it, it’ll be nice to have you working in the same building as me. I'm pleased to have you here," Mala remarks significantly.
"Trust me, being here in Radcliffe has been good for me too, Mala."
Jes turns her head toward the bar, thinking about going over to speak with Antoine. The two have bonded since meeting here, but he seems deep in conversation, so she continues talking with her parents’ best friend while they finish their meals.
Mae and Gus toss another glare at one another, knowing what she is about to say might not be easy for him to accept due to his history with her granddaughter.
"Remember the other day when I had to go out to Home Farm?” the older woman reminds the young man, who she looks at as family.
“Yeah.”
“Well, come to find out that Max wants everyone to know that Shauna is back.”
The statement brings Antoine some relief—he hasn’t seen nor heard from her in months.
“About damn time. You saw her? How she doin’?”
Gus takes a swig of his beer as his partner continues.
“I have. She’s doing good. Turns out she needed some space from everything, but she’s home.”
“I think you oughta tell him the rest,” Gus suggests.
Antoine throws a curious glance at his boss.
Mae decides to tell him the bigger part of the matter.
“Uh… when she left town, she found out she was pregnant. And now she and Max have a baby daughter—born only a few days ago.”
The information hits Antoine hard. He starts to process it. If he’s got his math right, around the time she left, things were already tense between them. They’d had a one-night stand—because Max, at the time, had been impotent due to the paralysis he sustained in the accident. The same accident that also took the life of their unborn child. But all Antoine can think about right now is the infant. His child?
“You alright, Antoine?” Gus asks the younger man.
“It’s just a lot to take in,” he says, clearing his throat.
RADCLIFFE RECIEVING HOSPITAL
"I wish one of you would've told me about this," Lenny says.
She’s just learned not only is her donor match Emma—but Emma is also their long-lost aunt.
Elijah looks at his fiancée with intent. "You're right, we should've, but we wanted to see how you were doing before dropping that bomb."
"Yeah," Sean adds. "But we thought you should know now. This is your battle, and you deserve to know everything, good or bad."
Lenny is caught off guard to hear her father say that, especially since their relationship has been rocky for years.
Not long after, the door opens, and Dr. Ike Saddleman steps in, tablet in hand. The tall, older Black oncologist, with salt and pepper hair and a cordial presence, greets everyone, knowing what he’s about to say could make or break their day—maybe even their lives.
Elijah moves to Lenny’s side and takes her hand. She grips his in return as they brace themselves.
"All right, I won't keep you in suspense. I know how nerve-wracking this part can be," the physician says. He pulls up the chart as the room tenses.
"Your recent bone marrow tests show that the treatment is working. We’re seeing signs of improvement. The number of leukemia cells has decreased—an encouraging response at this stage. We still have a ways to go, but this is exactly what we hope for. We’ll continue monitoring and adjusting the plan as needed. But this is a very good step forward."
Silence settles in. No one dares speak at first.
Then Sean breaks it. "So, this means the cancer is gone?"
"The cancerous cells have diminished, giving us a positive prognosis."
"So… she's in remission?"
Dr. Saddleman tilts his head. "I don't usually like to use that word this early, but with enough monitoring, I’m confident Lenny will be able to leave within a week."
"Oh my god!" Louise exclaims, pulling her daughter into a tearful embrace.
A chorus of “Thank you, Doctor” fills the room.
"I’ll let you all take it in," he says before exiting, giving the Saunders-Lockharts and Elijah a moment to bask in the good news.
Sean and Louise turn to one another, grateful.
Lenny remains speechless, mouth agape, overwhelmed. She wraps her arms around Elijah and begins to cry softly, relieved this nightmare seems to be coming to an end.
END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Elijah enlists Tommy and Tanner.
Jes avoids her past.
Max and Shauna are caught off guard.
​
Leave your thoughts here on the T&C forum
​