EPISODE 221
Written by: Bre L. Drew
January 30, 2023
Last Time on Town and Country
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Tanner finally gave into her feelings and lost her virginity to Presley.
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Deceptively, Daniel gave Tommy a fake background check on Dr. Toussaint, although Tommy still suspects something isn't right regarding Jordan's treatment.
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Jordan has been feeling the effects of the sedatives as well as Daniel gaslighting her.
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Between the death of Dylan and Louise's engagement to Jai, Tricia began to feel the strain of her marriage to Sean.
PRESLEY MCKNIGHT RESIDENCE
Do I look any different?
That was the first thing that entered Tanner Lockhart's mind this morning upon seeing a reflection of herself in the foggy mirror of the bedroom bathroom in her boyfriend's Victorian home.
Last night she hadn't bargained on it, but after the two had dinner, she couldn't stop thinking about it. To her, it still seemed like what happened last night was some surreal dream. However, she is aware through memory that it wasn't. Last night, she was no longer a virgin as she made love for the first time.
Her hair required attention, and her wet, showered body was wrapped in a large white cotton towel. She felt silly observing herself and attempting to identify any physical signs of maturity after having sex.
Even though she is on the cusp of being twenty-one years old, she couldn't help but feel like those teenage girls who do the same when they receive their first kiss or lose their virginity in those movies from the 1980s that her mother grew up on.
A knock on the door gets her immediate attention. "Are you decent?" Presley McKnight asks behind the door.
"Yeah," she murmurs.
Already dressed for the day, Presley enters, smirking at her. "I think you look even more beautiful like this,"
Tanner shakes her head doubtfully while his arms grab her from behind.
"About last night, you don't have any regrets?" Presley questions his girlfriend sincerely.
"Not a single one," she communicates directly. "Last night, it became clear to me that the person I want to be with is you in every way," she admits wholeheartedly. "Do you have any regrets about being the one with someone who is a novice?" she partially snickers.
Presley keeps his hands around her frame, but he moves his head to convey what he is saying. "I don't have any either, and whether last night happened or didn't happen, it wasn't going to deter how I feel about you," he says honestly. "Besides, I don't have any complaints."
He turns her around, placing a soft but intimate kiss on her forehead as the two embraces.
HOME FARM
Tommy Covington lightly taps on the door of Jordan's bedroom on the second floor of the mansion on the Home Farm Estate this morning. He has been concerned since she admitted that she's still dealing with her mental health. He wanted to come by to check on her before he started his day.
From inside the room, he can hear faint sounds of Ariana Grande's voice as "Side to Side" plays.
"Who is it?" she asks unsurely.
"It's me," he answers casually.
"Come in," she responds.
He opens the door and finds Jordan in a standing pose on a yoga mat. Her long blonde hair is in a ponytail, and she is wearing a green tank top with navy blue leggings.
Jordan spots Tommy looking quite confused as to why she's doing yoga since she doesn't do this type of exercise.
"I haven't gone crazy yet," she says sarcastically. "I thought doing some yoga would center me."
Tommy sticks his hands into his pants pockets while approaching her. "Is it working?"
She then lifts one of her legs out. "I'll let you know."
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," he says to her caringly.
"I'm doing okay," she states somewhat authentically.
Another knock on the door interrupts their conversation. This time it is Lillith, their son's nanny, holding the toddler in her arms.
"Sorry for interfering, but this little guy wants to be with his parents."
Jordan quickly reaches out for her son as Lillith places him in her arms. "It's no problem; I got him."
Tommy nods respectfully as the red-haired woman takes off.
"I need to get going," he says primarily to her. "But when I get back, we're going to hang out, little man," he notifies his son.
The infant claps enthusiastically, which makes his parents amused.
Jordan can tell Tommy didn't want to leave Jeremy alone with her because of what happened with her and him going missing on Christmas day. "It's okay, go ahead; I'll be fine," she says convincingly.
Tommy silently dips his head while he pats his son's back affectionately, then walks out of the room.
Jordan looks into her son's beautiful bluish-gray eyes. "Don't worry, sweetie pie; mommy will protect you no matter what," she declares vehemently.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
Dr. Smith, please call extension 220. Dr. Jeff Smith, please call extension 220.
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The announcement is made over the intercom throughout the hospital while Samuel Gupta and Tricia Lockhart sit at the table near the back of the cafeteria with their food trays. Samuel had invited his good friend to meet him here this morning so they could talk face-to-face.
"I'm not sure whether I should be grateful or offended that you asked me to have breakfast in a hospital cafeteria of all places." Tricia says half-jokingly. She chose a plain bagel with cream cheese, a plastic container containing fruit salad, and a bottle of orange juice from the less-than-appealing options.
Samuel chortles good-naturedly. "Let's just say I wanted to see how you were doing for myself."
Last night, while having dinner with Martha, Shauna, and Max, she called him and told him how she hadn't been doing well since the death of her son Dylan, on top of the news that Louise is marrying Jai, which prompted Sean to go out for a few drinks at The Waterfall.
Tricia takes a drink of her orange juice and shakes her head in unsureness. "It feels like Sean, and I are roommates these days," she admits. "You would think losing a child would bring Sean and me closer together, but it seems we're growing apart, Samuel. I mean, the nights we aren't together, he goes out to the bar or downstairs in our building to work out, and he usually passes out on the couch," she informs him. "But at the same time, since I returned to work, he's been texting me constantly to check in on me, but a part of me wishes he'd leave me alone; do I make any sense?"
The psychiatrist takes a sip of his coffee. "You do," he replies generously. "The way you're feeling isn't uncommon in the slightest; it sounds like you miss the partnership of having Sean as your spouse, but you wish he knew when to give you space and when not to." Samuel expresses himself effortlessly.
Tricia smirks at her friend for putting her issue into a clear and concise assertion.
Samuel exhales softly while making the right choice of words. "You have to talk to him," he says. "I know it's not going to be easy, but marriage is about honesty, and both of you cannot afford not to at least try and save it before it's too late."
Tricia remains silent while convincing herself to act on her words, knowing that if she does nothing, her marriage will suffer even more consequences.
"Anyway," she says, changing the subject. "How are you feeling about your dad getting married again?"
Samuel puts a piece of granola in his mouth and chews and swallows. "I'm okay with it," he says to her. "My father hadn't been in a serious relationship since my parents split, so it's great that he wants a life with Louise, but Aaliyah, on the other hand."
"Yeah, I know," Tricia says.
She proceeds to tell him about his sister being in the cafe the other day and confiding in Sean about how she wants their parents to reconcile and is not accepting of Jai's engagement.
"A part of me knows where she is coming from, though another part wants to tell her to grow up, you know," Samuel discloses.
Tricia plops a small piece of pineapple into her mouth and eats it. "Aaliyah is a rational person, and I'm sure she'll come around to the idea in time," Tricia advises her friend.
"As long as she doesn't object to the nuptials, you might be right," Samuel remarks.
"Will we ever have a drama-free year?" Tricia asks pessimistically.
Samuel chuckles in agreement as the two continue to converse over breakfast.
FRANKLIN FARM
Despite an unseasonable warmth this winter, a chill is still in the air this morning as Louise Saunders Lockhart is on the land of her family's dairy farm, making mental notes on what needs sprucing and repairing, which includes one of the fences near the cow barn.
She is about to walk off when she hears footsteps close by; she immediately lifts her head to see Sean Lockhart wearing a black jacket, well-worn jeans, and a baseball cap.
"Hey," she casually greets her ex-husband and employee. "The wiring on the fence needs to be taken care of; you can get Howie or another farmhand to do it."
Louise instantly recognizes that tilt of the head movement from him, which usually occurs when he is about to say something or is distressed about something.
"I guess congratulations are in order," he says dryly.
She then realizes that someone must have told him of her engagement with Jai. "I would say thank you, but I can tell you aren't necessarily happy for me," she retorts.
Sean wraps his arms around his chest as the chill in the air increases. "I know I don't know Jai all that well, but he seems like a decent guy who lives one floor below me."
"But what, Sean?"
"Are you sure you're doing the right thing by marrying him?" Sean boldly queries.
HOME FARM: GUEST HOUSE
Being so fed up with finding out that her father is marrying Louise, Aaliyah Gupta ended up at her boyfriend's, where she stayed the night at the guest house, he resides in on the Home Farm estate.
"I think you need this," Lorenzo Vidal says while giving his girlfriend a mug of coffee.
The two were in the living room of the two-story home.
"Do you have anything strong in it?" Aaliyah jokes. She then takes a sip, the hot liquid soothing her raw throat.
Lorenzo sits next to her on the sofa with his coffee in his hand. "Are you going to be all right?"
"That's a good question," she says. "I know my life could be a lot worse than my father getting married again, but in the last few years since my mom and dad divorced, they've been getting along better, and I was hoping they would get back together."
"I don't want to cause any friction between us, but your parents not being together is probably why they're good with each other now."
Aaliyah, in a way, hates that perhaps her boyfriend is sounding logical.
"I'm not saying when they were married, they were perfect, but my father always made it a point to make my mother feel special, and I know it doesn't seem like it, but the two of them used to whisper things to each other that they didn't want me or Samuel to know, of which I know half were naughty. I guess I really never got over them not being together anymore."
Lorenzo puts an arm around his lover, pulling her closer to him. "Whatever happens will happen, but you can't keep living in this fantasy world of wanting your parents back together."
"God, I'm a mess," Aaliyah says sensibly. "How do you ever put up with me?"
A smile spreads across his face as he glares at her adoringly. "The same way you put up with me."
The two embraces as Aaliyah tries to push the thought of her parents reconciling out of her head, knowing that she will always want that.
RADCLIFFE RECEIVING HOSPITAL
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After having breakfast with Tricia, he said goodbye to his friend. Samuel is now preparing himself to see the rest of his patients today in a psychiatric clinic nearby the front desk, where two nurses and the office clerk are discussing one of those Bravo reality TV shows that his girlfriend Martha enjoys but he doesn't get the point of.
"Hello, Dr. Toussaint," one of the nurses says abruptly.
The greeting makes Samuel lift his head to see the long-standing colleague holding a tall paper cup from Jojo's Cafe. He looked rather stressed about something.
"Hello, ladies," he says. He is about to make his way down the hall when Samuel catches up to him.
The psychiatrist notices the younger doctor beside him. "Is there anything I can do for you, Samuel?"
The doctor has on a black wool overcoat with gray turtleneck and dark slacks, holding onto his briefcase.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
Pierre is about to ask why when he recalls how he didn't come in to work last night, which is unusual for him because it is required that one cover a late shift out of the week due to a shortage of psychiatrists in the hospital. However, with the pressure he's receiving from Daniel Covington to assist him in trying to cause Jordan to have a mental breakdown, it's starting to become too much for him, so he called off the meeting so he can at least get himself together.
"I had a terrible migraine last night, but I'm doing much better," he lies. "I heard you gave Dr. Bert the information he needed to cover for me; thanks."
"It's no problem,"
Dr. Toussaint checks the time on his watch on his wrist. "I, uh, better get going," he notifies him hastily. "I have an appointment with a patient in fifteen minutes; I'll see you around."
With that, Pierre goes down the hall to his office. Despite leaving this matter alone, Samuel suspects it is something more.
FRANKLIN FARM
Louise shakes her head in disbelief while walking along the path back toward the house. Sean follows his ex-wife to get her to understand where he is coming from.
"Aaliyah confided in me that she doesn't want you and Jai to get married because she thinks there's a chance that Jai and Mala can get back together." He replies matter-of-factly.
Louise turns to face him with an expression that combines a scowl and confusion as to when and why he spoke with their daughter's friend. "I know everything about that; Jai told me about it, and we're going to deal with it together," she replies. "At the end of the day, Aaliyah will always have both of her parents, just like our daughters have us; nothing will change that."
Sean clears his throat. "You know that I care about you," he tells her directly. "I just don't want to see you make a mistake by rushing into a marriage."
Louise once again moves her head out of frustration. "You know it's funny," she tells him. "I don't think I gave you this much hell when you married the woman who got in the way of our marriage, but me marrying Jai is a mistake for you," she remarks. "Is it because I won't be there to be a shoulder for you to cry on any longer when you have another marital issue?" Louise says sharply.
She notices on his face that she may have gone too far, but it was necessary to say now because he had crossed the line.
"I'm never going to apologize for caring about you, and if it's not about work or Tanner and Lenny, I will keep everything else to myself," Sean tells her emotionally.
With his baby son's death from SIDS and other past issues affecting their marriage, Sean had been leaning on his ex-wife for support, but he didn't think she would use it again until now. Sean throws up his hands in defeat as he takes off in the opposite direction, leaving Louise standing and staring at him with the wind blowing through her long blonde hair.
PRESLEY MCKNIGHT RESIDENCE
Tommy parks his Tesla in front of the rectory, home to Jordan's mother and Jordan's brother, Presley. He had received a message from her the day before, stating that she had noticed something was wrong with her daughter; he wanted to speak with her about it, hoping she could help him convince Jordan to switch doctors. Despite the clean background check his father's PI did, he still doesn't believe Dr. Toussaint is up to any good. Not to mention his own father being involved in the matter since he had come to the psychiatrist's office wanting information on her months prior.
He lets himself out of the car and onto the sidewalk. He catches a glimpse of the reverend's car, a 2016 silver Ford Explorer, parked in the driveway.
Tommy climbs up the steps and presses the doorbell. And for the next several seconds, he stands outside, waiting for someone to answer the door. He is about to ball up his fist to knock when he hears the lock from the inside turning, and he then sees Presley standing in the doorway with a disconcerting facial expression.
"Hey, Tommy, what's up?" He greets the young man whose ex-girlfriend he's currently dating.
Tommy enters the house without waiting for him to invite him in, leaving Presley perplexed as to why he is here in the first place, given that he isn't close to him.
"Is your mother here?" Tommy ignores him. "I need to talk to her,"
"No, she isn't," he corrects him. "She left about an hour ago; she had to go into the cafe today."
Tommy looks around the area since this is his first time being here, even though this is where his son's relatives reside.
"I'll tell her that you stopped by." Presley responds.
"Don't bother," Tommy retorts.
As Tommy prepares to leave, he hears a female voice stating she had a great night last night, which makes him turn in the opposite direction to see a young woman on the staircase—it's Tanner.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Awkwardness lies between Tommy, Tanner, and Presley.
Max surprises Shauna.
Jordan has a confrontation with Ernest.
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