EPISODE 292
Written by: Bre L Drew
May 10, 2024
Last Time on Town and Country
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Aaliyah decided to surprise Lorenzo while he was working in Chicago.
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On the morning of receiving her results, Lenny remains nervous as her family and Elijah rally around her for support.
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Fed up with the familial division, Esther decides to unite her family, much to the skepticism of Max and Emma.
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Shauna felt guilt for having sex with Antoine after her fight with Max, as Antoine promised her, he wouldn't tell anyone about their one-night stand.
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And much to his amazement, Max felt movement in his leg, causing him to stand from his wheelchair.
THE WHITEHALL HOTEL - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Nearly three hundred miles away from the slower pace of rural Kentucky, Aaliyah Gupta is standing in the mirror, trying to decide between two outfits in her hotel room in the center of the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago.
Aaliyah had left Radcliffe early this morning, driving herself to the airport to get on the almost hour-long flight to the city she was born and raised in until she moved to Radcliffe with her mother and brother to attend Sampson University.
And now, four years later, she will graduate from that same school in the upcoming weeks.
It was an accomplishment in itself, yet she thought last year she would be celebrating it with her friends. Although her actions in playing the video of her friends' parents having a moment behind her father's back at their mother and her father's engagement party severed ties to them.
But at least her parents are reunited, which was her goal for doing so, never believing her parents should've never been apart. Others, including her brother, thought she was selfish, but in her mind, she thought, how could it be that if she saw how close and how much they still loved one another? She took the chance to get them back together, and it paid off.
She needed to get away, and what better place than her hometown to surprise her boyfriend? She hadn't seen Lorenzo since he left town months ago, when he took a job running social media content for Murray Hirsch's music artists. He is with an alternative neo-soul rock band that are in town, as they're playing a show tonight.
"This'll do," she says, finally landing on which ensemble she wants to wear.
She then goes and gets ready.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
According to one of his nurses, Dr. Saddleman, he had been called to an emergency downstairs in the hospital, so Lynn Lockhart, along with her parents, fraternal twin sister, and boyfriend, are waiting in his office. In a matter of minutes, she will find out whether or not the chemotherapy has stopped the cancerous cells in her body.
The young woman had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia months prior and had undergone chemotherapy to treat the disease, but her nerves were still getting to her.
"Maybe all of this waiting will lead to good news," Sean Lockhart says while sitting across the desk.
"From your lips to God's ears." Louise Saunders Lockhart mutters.
Neither one of them wants their daughter to continue to suffer.
Lenny starts to shake nervously, which Elijah Barker notices, and he takes his girlfriend's hand to help calm her down.
"Say whatever is on your mind," he says to her.
"Well, I might be," she says while feeling on a rollercoaster, not sure if she's going up or down until she finds out from her oncologist.
"Don't talk like that," Elijah says, a little louder.
Lenny roughly exhales while Tanner Lockhart excuses herself, needing to get some air. While in the hallway, she starts to feel bad for bailing on her twin sister, but it is beginning to become too much for her.
She gets out her phone from her purse and goes to a specific person in her contacts whom she calls.
But after four long rings, she gets her boyfriend's voicemail.
"Hey, it's me. I was hoping to hear your voice. We haven't gotten to see the doctor yet, but everyone's here on edge, and I can use some words of encouragement from you. I'll call you later. Bye."
After ending the call, she texts Tommy, hoping to get some positive feedback.
HOME FARM
Albeit uncoordinated, Max Covington is on his feet in the kitchen inside the mansion having breakfast when he feels this sudden twinge in his right leg, which he first chalked up to a reflex. However, it didn't stop, so he stood up from the electric wheelchair he had been in since his paralysis one year ago.
He thought he would never regain mobility, until now.
Meanwhile, Shauna Covington uses her key to let herself into the mansion. As she steps into the foyer, she thinks of having sex with Antoine on the same night she and her husband got into it about their ongoing marital issues.
While driving home, she settled on telling Max the truth, as she didn't want to hurt him but couldn't keep feeling this feeling of guilt over what she did.
"Am I doing the right thing by being honest with Max?" she asks herself while putting her purse on the end table.
"Shauna," a familiar voice calls her name.
She snaps back into reality, about to acknowledge her husband; instead, his appearance renders her speechless, seeing Max stumbling towards her.
HOME FARM: GUEST HOUSE
Another typical day within the two-story guest house on the Home Farm Estate as Bluey is on the television at a considerable volume while Jordan Covington sits on the floor with her two-year-old son putting on his shoes as the little boy is more into the animated dog while his father is on the couch waiting for him to get ready so they can go to the park to spend the day as a family.
Tommy Covington's attention is directed towards his phone screen, as he just received a text from Tanner.
Today, we got the results. Can you send some good vibes our way?
He instantly texts back a response to his ex-girlfriend, who is still a good friend.
Absolutely! 🙏🏻
He knew firsthand of having someone in your own family with that disease from his late mother, Keri, who succumbed to breast cancer when he was fifteen.
Finished with helping out her son, Jordan observes her husband fixated on his phone.
"What's up?" the stay-at-home wife and mother ask.
At first, Tommy was going to lie, but he had nothing to feel bad about since he hadn't crossed the line with Tanner, even though he still loved her, and if he wasn't married, he would try to pursue something with her again.
"I was just texting Tanner; today is the day Lenny finds out if her treatment is working or not," he tells her.
"Well, I hope it works out for Lenny," Jordan says, taking a strand of her permanent dark chocolate hair and tucking it behind her ear.
Despite having stopped being friends with Lenny, she would never want anything terrible to happen to her; however, Tanner, whom she knows, still lives rent-free in her husband's head, even though her dating her brother hasn't detracted him.
She decides to change the subject entirely. "I like that we're spending time together before things gets crazy—I mean, a good kind of crazy with your graduation coming and everything."
"Me too,"
The college senior will walk across the stage to receive his diploma, along with his friends and other peers.
Soon the doorbell rings, and Tommy goes to see who it is as Jordan picks up her son and makes sure they have everything they are taking on their excursion.
But when he opens the door, he sees his paternal grandmother standing there, unsure whether or not to let her in.
"Thomas, where are those impeccable manners you were raised with? Are you going to let me in?" Deirdre Covington greets him.
"If this is about me forgiving my father, you can forget it, grandmother."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, let me in," she says impatiently.
Not wanting to cause further commotion, he allowed her to enter. She notices Jordan holding onto her precious great-grandson, who has grown so much since they moved out of the mansion.
Tommy shuts the door while giving his wife an apologetic look.
"It has come to my attention that this family has been apart for far too long." Deirdre verbalizes.
"It's now way in hell. I'm moving back into that house with your son, who made me think I was losing my son all the while he was trying to take my little boy away from me." Jordan tells her.
Much as Deirdre wants to confront the young woman responsible for the division of her family, due to her revelation of Daniel's gaslighting her to the board members at the shareholders meeting last year, she decides to go to this meeting more affable, not wanting to forgo their compliance altogether.
"This isn't about your change of address," Deirdre clarifies.
"Park now," Jeremy emits, unwise to any of what's going on around him.
"We'll be leaving soon, sweetie," Jordan tells her son.
"I just want this family to be on better terms," Deirdre says. "And the next step is to get everyone together in one room to get to the bottom of our issues and come out even stronger."
"What do you have in mind?" the Covington heir asks curiously.
Deirdre aims her focus on her youngest grandson.
"I'm glad you asked," she responds optimistically. "The Chateau, tomorrow afternoon. "Look, I know we might not come out of this willing to forgive, but we will at least come out of this more understanding of the other's motives."
She then saunters toward the door. "I let you all enjoy the rest of your day, but I expect you all to be there."
Tommy opens the door to let her out, and she takes one last look at her grandson and his son, who look the spitting image of him, albeit with curly blonde hair.
The millionaire widow steps out of the house, with Tommy shutting the door behind her.
"Thank God she's gone," Jordan says in relief.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Tommy says in agreement. "Are you ready to go to the park, buddy?"
The toddler nods in Jordan's arms.
"If you don't want to go, I completely understand," Tommy says.
"I can't let your father get to me forever, and after everything you have done for me, for us, let me be there for you for a change. I'll get my mother to babysit this little guy." She suggests.
"It's no big deal. I know you have a good reason for not wanting to be near my father."
"It is a big deal,"
She firmly plants a kiss on his lips, which he doesn't refute.
FREEHAND CHICAGO- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Settling on a sleeveless colorblock mini dress with black boots, a black cardigan sweater, and a red mini purse. Aaliyah makes the ten-minute walk to Lorenzo's hotel.
Upon entering the lobby, she is about to go to the front desk to see if Lorenzo has checked in yet.
As she is about to do so, among the small crowd within the lobby, she spots a couple near the elevator; she doesn't see their faces but can make out a black girl about five inches taller than Aaliyah with thick, dark brown natural hair wearing a tie-dye shirt with well-worn jeans.
At first, she is about to overlook it, until the girl in the tie-dye shirt finally comes up for air along with the guy.
However, it wasn't some random guy; it was Lorenzo.
The excitement fades as the young woman takes off running outside while Lorenzo, who saw her, goes after her.
"Aaliyah!" Lorenzo Vidal calls out.
"Oh, it seems you haven't forgotten my name after all," Aaliyah verbally hurls.
People on the streets go by minding their own business, unlike Radcliffe, where gossip is a sport.
Lorenzo is wearing a white t-shirt under a blue plaid shirt that's unbuttoned and blue jeans, and Aaliyah hates that he still looks good.
"What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming last time we talked."
"And the last time we talked; you didn't mention whatever her name is. Start talking!" she demands.
Lorenzo puts his hands into his pants pockets and shrugs, realizing they aren't going to discuss this in private.
"Her name is Phoenix; she's the lead singer of the band that's performing tonight, and... we've been kind of seeing each other for about three months."
Aaliyah could feel the tightness in her stomach after being told that her boyfriend, with whom she believed they were in a long-distance relationship, is seeing someone else.
"In all those times we've talked, Lorenzo, you've failed to mention that."
"I've tried," he admits. "But when you mention the gang still icing you out, I couldn't do it... I couldn't hurt you."
Aaliyah does her best to hold back tears, not wanting him to see her cry and not wanting to give him satisfaction.
"I think you succeeded," she lowly retorts.
"We've grown apart," Lorenzo discloses.
He tries to reach out to console her, but she turns away from him briefly.
"I don't want to leave things like this, Aaliyah," he tells her.
"Well, maybe we weren't meant to be," she realizes. "Who knew that by coming here to surprise you, I would be the one to get the surprise instead?"
With that, Aaliyah walks away. And this time, she doesn't turn around to see him again.
While walking down the street, the notorious Chicago wind makes the weather chillier than it is as tears cascade down, and everyone around her is oblivious to her heartbreak.
HOME FARM
Shauna still can't believe what is taking place in her sight. Her husband, who has been in a wheelchair for over a year, isn't in one and is on his feet again.
"Oh my god," she finally reacts. "When did this happen?"
"Uh, not long actually, I was in the kitchen drinking coffee, and next thing I knew, I'm standing."
He starts to lose his balance, and Shauna helps him get onto the couch.
He glances in her face to notice she's been crying. "Hey, hey, you all right?"
"I never expected this," she cries.
Water starts to come down her cheeks.
"I know it will never be enough, but I'm so sorry for what I said to you; I was completely out of line, and from now on, I will do my damnedest to make it up to you and be the husband you deserve."
He then uses his hand to wipe the tears from her beautiful, delicate face.
"I'm sorry too," she tells him, overcoming the emotion filled with joy and culpability.
Max soon wraps her into his arms, which she leans on while inhaling his trademark scene of soap and cologne.
She couldn't be honest with him about her affair, and for now she decides to keep it to herself, not wanting anything to possibly hinder his breakthrough.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
"I apologize for keeping you all waiting," Dr. Ike Saddleman says.
The lofty-statured black oncologist in his early sixties with salt and pepper hair and square-frame glasses in a white doctor's coat enters the office, spotting his patient and her family.
He sits behind his desk, continuing to gaze at them while locating her file on his electronic tablet.
"Unfortunately, it is not what we hoped."
A stillness of uneasiness overcomes the room as Lenny starts to mentally be unable to hear anything else after that, while she can see the disappointment on her parents' faces, the fear on Tanner's, and the worry on Elijah's.
"What is the next step, then?" Louise questions the physician.
"Well, we continue the chemo, but it will have to be on a stronger course since the initial protocol didn't eliminate more leukemia cells," he informs them. "But that means more trips here."
"And what if that doesn't work?" Sean asks abruptly.
The oncologist who has treated hundreds of cases of this particular type of cancer isn't a stranger to that question.
"That's why Lynn will continue chemo until we look for a bone marrow transplant."
"It's gotten that far?" Louise asks surprisingly
"This is a fast-growing cancer, Mrs. Lockhart, so time is of the essence."
So, when she gets the adequate number of treatments, we will start looking into a match for her, and I encourage you all to get tested since blood relatives are always the best match."
"Can we go now?" The blonde young woman dispiritedly remarks.
Lenny is uninterested in hearing the rest of her ill-fated prognosis.
Before anyone else can react, Lenny walks out of the office feeling like she is unable to breathe, wondering if she will ever be free of this damn disease or if it will be the cause of her untimely death.
END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY - PROGRAMMING NOTE - WE'LL BE BACK ON MAY 20th.
Sarah Lynn and Esther offer support to Louise.
Thora tries to advise Jordan.
Sean does the unthinkable.
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