EPISODE #14

EPISODE 14

Created By: Casey Hutchison

Written By: Casey Hutchison

Executive Producer: Casey Hutchison

SAME DAY. AFTERNOON/EVENING.

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - MR. SMITH’S OFFICE

Andrea and Joshua enter the office. Mr. Smith is standing by the door. He shuts the door, goes to them, and motions for them to have a seat. Andrea and Joshua sit down. Mr. Smith takes a seat behind his desk.

MR. SMITH: Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, it is nice to see you.

ANDREA: Likewise.

JOSHUA: Um…, quick question. Weren’t there supposed to be other doctors here for this announcement? Aren’t there others in the running for this position?

MR. SMITH: Truthfully, they all got sent away. In fact, it has come down to the two of you alone. One of you will be chosen to take over the position of Chief of Staff at this hospital. And, that decision will be made right this very moment.

JACKSON FAMILY HOME - LIVING ROOM

Jennifer walks down the stairs. She is dressed in a simple black dress. She is wearing a diamond necklace and a pair of white and black pumps.

JENNIFER: Well, (sighs) it’s getting closer. In a matter of hours, it will be time for me to step up to the plate and reveal my true feelings for Philip.

Jennifer appears nervous. The camera zooms in on her.

COMMUNITY PARK - PRIVATE AREA

Lindsay and Cynthia are still standing face-to-face.

LINDSAY: So, let me get this straight. You were raped by your uncle. And, while he was on top of you, you hit him over the head with a bottle. Correct?

CYNTHIA: Yes.

LINDSAY: Cynthia…, I don’t know what to say.

CYNTHIA: How about you start with “I’m sorry.” Oh. Wait. Hold on. You’re incapable of saying that. I mean, my god, did you really think this was going to be your big prize for your deep dive into the history of my life? Did you think it would be fun for you to use this part of my history against me?

LINDSAY: Cynthia, I wasn’t thinking. And, I didn’t know…

CYNTHIA: You thought that this would be the nail in the coffin. You thought you were finally going to get me away from your father.

LINDSAY: I truly didn’t know the truth. The real story.

CYNTHIA: You should’ve dug a little deeper. Instead, Thomas saw something he thought you could sink your teeth into. And, you ran with it...no matter the cost to the people around you.

LINDSAY: You’re right. I did. And, for what it is worth, I am very sorry about this whole thing. And, I’m very sorry about what happened to you.

CYNTHIA: I don’t want your pity. Lindsay, I get it. You do not like me. And, in fact, I think you have some right not to like me. But, how dare you resort to anything to get me out of this family. That is low, even for you. You should be ashamed of yourself.

WHITMORE MANSION - LIVING ROOM

Stuart gets up from the couch. Judith does as well.

STUART: You and Michael had an affair?

JUDITH: Yes. We did.

STUART: Wow. I didn’t expect to ever hear that. That was like taking a knife straight to the heart.

JUDITH: Darling, I don’t know what to say. I am so sorry. I didn’t want the truth to come out like this.

STUART: It appears you didn’t want it to come out at all!

JUDITH: That is not true.

STUART: Like hell!

Stuart chuckles.

JUDITH: What’s so funny?

STUART: Michael seemed hesitant about doing the deal with me. It seemed as though something was holding him back. But, you’ll have to forgive me for not

guessing that the one thing that held him back was an affair he had with my wife.

JUDITH: I’m sure that wasn’t it.

STUART: Don’t tell me what you think was going through his mind! I can’t believe you did this to me. I can’t believe you did this to our marriage. To our family.

JUDITH: Stuart...I...I…

STUART: You are a miserable excuse for a wife!

Stuart walks out of the room. A tear strolls down Judith’s cheek.

Back at Memorial Hospital, in Mr. Smith’s Office, Mr. Smith puts his hands on the table. Andrea and Joshua hold hands.

MR. SMITH: Before I reveal who got the position, I just want to take the time to compliment you two on the amazing strides that you both have made at this hospital.

ANDREA: Thank you, Mr. Smith.

JOSHUA: Yes. Thank you.

MR. SMITH: Before me sits two people who are some of the hardest working this hospital has ever seen. I am so grateful for the work you two do, day in and day out. However, only one person can have the Chief of Staff position. Now, I don’t want the person who will not get the position to get down in the dumps. That’s because there is another position that has freed up.

ANDREA: There is?

MR. SMITH: Yes.

JOSHUA: What’s the other position?

MR. SMITH: Head of Cardiology.

JOSHUA: Mitzi’s retiring?

MR. SMITH: Yes.

ANDREA: Well, this is fantastic news. But, the question still remains. Who gets what position at this hospital?

Back at the Whitmore Mansion, in the Living Room, Judith is sitting on the couch with she and Stuart’s wedding album. She is flipping through the photos and lightly crying. Then, Stuart reenters the room. Judith puts the album down and goes to him.

JUDITH: Darling, I am so happy that you came back into this room. I was hoping maybe we could talk this whole thing out.

STUART: What is there left to say? You had an affair with Michael. You’ve kept it from me for years. End of story.

JUDITH: I really was planning on telling you.

STUART: Oh yeah? When? When?! Were you going to tell me tomorrow? Were you going to tell me on our net wedding anniversary? Or, were you planning to wait till I was on my deathbed?

JUDITH: Stuart, like I said, I was planning to tell you. But, I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to tell you that I went against our vows. I never planned on having an affair with Michael. It just happened.

Stuart then clears off the bar cart. He ends up breaking all the glass crystal and drinking glasses. Judith jumps back.

STUART: You didn’t mean for it to happen?! God, Judith! Tell me, when are you going to stop coming up with these lousy excuses for your misdeeds? When are you going to just tell me the damn truth?!

JUDITH: You want to know the truth?! Fine! I’ll tell you! You drove me to this affair! You are at fault just as much as I am!

STUART: Seriously? That’s the version of the ‘truth’ you want to put out? How the hell did I drive you to this affair?

JUDITH: You were always busy with work. All you wanted to do was work. And, all you wanted me to do was just host the dinner parties, make sure your suits were dry cleaned, and make sure I was there to make love to you anytime you wanted.

STUART: Okay. I’ll give you one thing. I, at one point, was a terrible husband. I didn’t take care of you the way I should have. But, I don’t think that gives you the right to go after another man.

JUDITH: It gives me the right to be happy.

STUART: You’re right.

JUDITH: About what?

STUART: You do deserve to be happy. But, not with me.

JUDITH: What does that mean?

STUART: It means that our marriage is over!

JUDITH: (laughs) That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong. Our marriage is so far from over!

Back at the Community Park, in the Private Area, Cynthia turns around. She has just finished a phone call. She hangs up her phone.

LINDSAY: You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to cancel your meeting with Austin Dillon’s team. I know how important this meeting is for the company.

CYNTHIA: You’re right. This is a very important meeting. I know that. However, there are more important things that I have to deal with.

LINDSAY: Like what?

CYNTHIA: Well, it is time we blew everything up. It is time we had a real talk. Since I have become apart of this family, you’ve gotten to air your grievances about how you don’t like me. But, now it is my turn. And, you’re going to stand right here and listen to me. Do you understand?!

LINDSAY: (quietly) Yes.

Back at Memorial Hospital, in Mr. Smith’s Office, Mr. Smith sits two files on top of his desk. The files have labels on them. And, there are papers inside containing information about the two positions available.

ANDREA: You definitely have my husband and I waiting on pins and needles, Mr. Smith. So, tell us. Who gets what position?

MR. SMITH: Alright. I’ll go ahead and tell you two the results. The board and I met yesterday to decide the ending result. I think you’ll both be happy either way. We’ll start with the Head of Cardio position. That position will now be filled by Doctor Joshua Jackson.

JOSHUA: Seriously? Mr. Smith, thank you so much. I am honored to carry on this position. I am honored to try and fill Mitzi’s shoes.

MR. SMITH: The board felt this was the right pick. Andrea, that means you are the new Chief of Staff. Congratulations.

ANDREA: (joyfully) Oh my gosh. Thank you.

JOSHUA: When do we take over our new positions?

MR. SMITH: Well, that’s where things get tricky.

ANDREA: I’m not following. What does that mean?

MR. SMITH: You two will be starting tomorrow morning.

JOSHUA: Seriously?

MR. SMITH: Yes. Oh, and one more thing.

ANDREA: What is it, Mr. Smith?

MR. SMITH: This hospital is going into a new era. And, I am very happy to have you two lead Memorial Hospital into this new era. Congratulations to the both of you. I know you’ll go on and do great things.

Andrea and Joshua smile at one another.

Back at the Community Park, in the Private Area, Cynthia puts her phone in the pocket of her suit blazer.

CYNTHIA: I know that things got tough for this family. I know it probably was not easy for you losing your mother to cancer. In fact, that is where our lives overlap.

LINDSAY: What do you mean?

CYNTHIA: I too lost my mother to cancer, Lindsay. I know what it feels like. And, see, if you had gotten the chance to know a little about me, we probably could have connected on a whole new level. Instead, you just had to be the vindictive bitch.

LINDSAY: I never meant for things to play out like this.

CYNTHIA: That’s bull, and you know it. (sighs) After my mother died, my father started to go insane. See, your father decided to heal his wounds. Mine just turned to whisky and abuse. My aunt Myrna realized that I was in a terrible environment. However, she could not take me in. So, she sent me away to my uncle’s home. Things were good for awhile. They really were. But, then there were just little things that I started to notice in him. Some things were off about him. I remember at one point, he offered to wash my body in the shower. The passes at me continued for quite awhile. His passes at me finally came to a high point one night. That was the night he raped me. That was the night I killed him.

LINDSAY: But, you were convicted for his murder. It was in self defense. So, I’m really not understanding the whole thing.

CYNTHIA: Well, I’ll help you understand. Two days passed before anyone found out what happened to my uncle. My aunt Myrna had stopped by to deliver a care package. When she found my uncle, she was absolutely horrified. She then found me sitting next to his body. The next thing she did was call the police. I tried to tell everybody what happened. But, the event was so traumatic that I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t tell them that I had been raped. I was mute. (sobbing) Anyway, they had

no choice but to believe that I had killed him. When I finally got my voice back, I told everyone what happened. My aunt Myrna was right there by my side. She is

ultimately the one who cleared my name.

LINDSAY: Cynthia, I can’t even begin to imagine the trauma that you went through during this whole period of your life.

CYNTHIA: (continues to sob) Lindsay, I know you don’t like me. But, your father is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can’t let you take him away from me. So, tell me, are you going to take him away from me. Are you going to spin this tragic event in my life to your advantage?

LINDSAY: I would never do something like that.

CYNTHIA: (collecting her things) Yeah right. I guess that we’ll just have to wait and see what you do next.

Cynthia and Lindsay have a short pause between each other. The tension continues to build. Then, Cynthia storms off.

Back at the Whitmore Mansion, in the Living Room, Judith steps closer to Stuart. She has an intimidating expression on her face.

JUDITH: You are not about to leave me. And, I am not about to leave you. We still need one another, Stuart.

STUART: I don’t need you, Judith.

JUDITH: You sure about that? You still need me to keep you out of prison. And, I need the same from you.

STUART: That situation is more of a ‘you’ problem.

JUDITH: That’s a load of crap.

STUART: Is it? After all, you are the one who cut the brakes to Jennifer and Joshua’s parents’ car. Not me.

JUDITH: And, you taught me. See, we need one another, darling. You’re an accessory to that murder. That is why I am not going anywhere. And, you are not going anywhere either. We are going to just go on with the rest of our lives. We are going to live happily ever after.

Before Stuart can reply back to Judith’s remarks, the home phone rings. Judith walks over to it and picks it up.

JUDITH: (on the phone) Whitmore residence. Vargas. Hello. What? How in the hell did Philip get ahold of Greg? We cannot have Philip hiring the best hacker in the whole world. Look, you need to take care of this situation. Yes. I am telling you that exactly. You do whatever you have to do, Vargas. Goodbye.

Judith slams the phone down on the hook.

JUDITH: Now do you see why we need one another?

Back at the Jackson Family Home, in the Living Room, Jennifer reenters the living room. She is carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. She sets all of this down on the coffee table. She opens the bottle of wine and pours herself a glass.

JENNIFER: The time is coming.

Jennifer takes a sip of her glass of wine.

JENNIFER: I know tonight is going to be prefect. I just know it.

The camera zooms in on Jennifer. She is smiling.

***FADE OUT***
**END OF EP. 14***