EPISODE #23

EPISODE 23

Created By: Casey Hutchison

Written By: Casey Hutchison

Executive Producer: Greg Ziobrowski

SAME DAY. NIGHT.

PREVIOUSLY ON THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW

--Cynthia gave Carter a job as the head of marketing at Anderson Manufacturing on the condition that he leave town after his finances are stable.

--Thomas filled Lindsay in on Becky’s false past with Carter.

--Later on, Lindsay went to go visit Carter and was suspicious when she found a file from Anderson Manufacturing on the desk in his hotel suite.

--Philip proposed to Jennifer and she declined stating the fact that there is too much going on for her to even think about a wedding. Even though he appeared to be a little bit upset, he ended up agreeing with her statements.

--Andrea got to deliver good news to Stuart, revealing that she finally found a heart for him. Later on, Stuart revealed to Judith that if he survived the operation, he was going to officially divorce her.

THE GRAND PIANO - DINING AREA

Michael and Cynthia are sitting at a table. Both of them are having a glass of red wine and looking over the dinner menu.

CYNTHIA: Thank you for taking me out on the town tonight. After the day I have had, it is nice to get to spend time with the man I love.

MICHAEL: I’m happy that I could fix the course of your day.

CYNTHIA: So, enough about me. I want to hear about your day. How did it go? Did you do anything exciting? Did you get a lot of work done?

MICHAEL: Well, I actually had an eventful morning. Other than that, my day was pretty boring. But, I do want to go back to talking about you.

CYNTHIA: Really? Why is that?

MICHAEL: I got a call just a couple of hours ago. It was from Mark over in accounting. He had heard that you hired someone new today. Word on the street is you hired a man by the name of Carter Morrison to be the new head of marketing.

CYNTHIA: That’s right. I did. Anything else you want to know?

MICHAEL: Yes. I would like to know who he is.

POLICE DEPARTMENT - FRONT OFFICES

Becky is sitting at her desk. She is filling out paperwork on Philip’s hit and run case. She is filling out a form that details the reason they dropped the case was because of lack of evidence. Then, Thomas enters the station. He goes to Becky’s desk.

THOMAS: Hello.

BECKY: (looking up) Thomas, hi. What are you doing here, baby?

THOMAS: I think it’s time we had a little chat.

BECKY: About?

THOMAS: About the lies you’ve been telling me.

JACKSON FAMILY HOME - KITCHEN

Jennifer is standing over by the stove. She has just finished making some tea from a kettle. She is pouring some tea in a mug. She then picks up the mug and takes a sip of the hot tea. As she does this, she becomes deep in thought.

(FLASHBACK)

JENNIFER: Look, in time, we will get married. And, when we do, it will be the biggest, splashiest wedding to be seen in decades. I’m talking ‘Meghan Markle and Prince Harry television event’ splashy.

PHILIP: (laughs) If that’s what I’ve got to look forward to, then I guess I can hold out for just a bit longer. Plus, I will always be around to propose again.

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

Jennifer is pulled out of her thoughts when Andrea enters.

ANDREA: Hello.

JENNIFER: Hi.

ANDREA: (sighs) Can you not sleep either?

JENNIFER: No. I did make some tea. Would you like a cup?

ANDREA: That’d be wonderful.

Andrea grabs a mug from one of the cabinets. She hands the mug to Jennifer. Jennifer proceeds to pour Andrea a cup of tea. She then hands the cup to Andrea.

ANDREA: Thank you.

JENNIFER: No problem.

ANDREA: So, what has you up this late anyway?

JENNIFER: Well, to tell you the truth, I think I made a huge mistake. And, I’m just trying to figure out a way to rectify it.

THE PALACE HOTEL - CARTER’S SUITE

Lindsay sets the file back down on the desk.

LINDSAY: When were you going to tell me that you had a meeting at my family’s company? I didn’t even know you wanted to get into business with my family.

CARTER: Well, I’m not exactly getting into business with your family.

LINDSAY: What do you mean?

CARTER: Your step-mother has hired me be the head of marketing.

LINDSAY: Whoa. Hold on. I’m sorry. Did you just say that Cynthia has hired you to be the new head of marketing at Anderson Manufacturing?

CARTER: Yes.

LINDSAY: I can’t believe her.

CARTER: What?

LINDSAY: I know exactly what’s going on here. I haven’t even dated you for a month and Cynthia is already trying to get her hooks into you. She’s trying to break us up to get back at me for everything.

CARTER: No. You’ve got it all wrong.

LINDSAY: Oh, do I now? Carter, it would be stupid of you to trust her. I know that you do not know much about her. But…

CARTER: That’s where you’re wrong. I know a lot about Cynthia. In fact, I know more about her than you could possibly ever know.

LINDSAY: I don’t understand.

CARTER: (sighs) Lindsay, I think it’s time I fill you in on my past.

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - STUART’S HOSPITAL ROOM

Stuart sits up in his bed.

JUDITH: You want a divorce?

STUART: Yes. I want out. I can’t believe you don’t want the same thing.

JUDITH: Stuart, of course I don’t want the same thing. I love you.

STUART: You lied to me for years. You played me for a fool. I don’t understand how you could love someone one moment and crawl into another man’s bed the next. That isn’t how a committed relationship works.

JUDITH: Stuart, I am sorry. I am so, so, so sorry. And, for the rest of my life, I will regret the decision I made to jump into bed with Michael. I regret he and I’s affair so much. You have no idea…

STUART: Stop. Just stop. Stop trying to come up with the right excuse as to why you had sex with another man multiple times! I don’t want to hear it anymore, Judith! We are done. End of story. The book on our marriage is writing its own ending.

JUDITH: That’s where you’re wrong. The book on our marriage is not writing its own ending. It’s writing a whole new chapter.

POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERROGATION ROOM

Becky and Thomas enter the room. Becky shuts the door.

BECKY: Okay, now we can have a little more privacy.

THOMAS: Good. Privacy equals conversation. So, tell me, how are you and Carter really connected? Tell me the truth.

BECKY: I did. I know that it is only right to believe your sister over the woman you just started seeing not that long ago. But, I am telling you the truth. Carter did abuse me. He is dangerous. And, if your sister knew what was good for her, she would run far away from him.

THOMAS: Becky, I don’t ask for much. I really don’t. I’m a reasonable, ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ type of guy. However, when I do ask for something, I expect to get that something. I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. So, I’m going to ask you again, how are you connected to Carter Morrison?

BECKY: (deep breath) Fine. I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything. As my boyfriend, you deserve to know the truth. So, here it goes. Carter never abused me. I made that whole story up.

THOMAS: And, why the hell would you do something like that?

Back at the Jackson Family Home, in the Kitchen, Andrea and Jennifer walk over to the kitchen table and sit down.

ANDREA: Did Philip really propose?

JENNIFER: Yes. He did. (sighs) And, I turned him down because of how crazy things are right now. I mean, he just got discharged. And, the police dropped the case of looking for his hit and run driver.

ANDREA: I was so shocked to hear that from Joshua.

JENNIFER: I was too. I mean, my god, are the police in this town really that lazy? They gave up investigating the death of my parents six months after they died.

ANDREA: We’ll get justice. Somehow. Someway.

JENNIFER: I hope you’re right.

ANDREA: Anyway, let me ask you this. Why do you regret turning him down? I think you gave a valid reasoning behind turning him down.

JENNIFER: Philip and I have almost been together for a year. And, in that year, we have been through so much. And, yes, I know that I felt betrayed when he did not tell me he was there the night my parents passed. But, I’ve gotten over that. I’ve forgiven him. Plus, a wedding might’ve been just the distraction I needed.

ANDREA: First of all, I am so glad that you and Philip have come very close to working every bit of your relationship out. But, from your reasoning behind why you feel guilty, I think that turning him down was the right option. Getting married to someone should never be used as a distraction. Honey, wait until things calm down. Wait until you feel as though you can walk down that aisle and have this wedding as your sole focus. Okay?

JENNIFER: (smiling) Okay. Thank you for the advice.

ANDREA: Anytime.

JENNIFER: Now, how about we stay up late, raid the fridge, and watch a violent slasher movie? Are you up for that?

ANDREA: Duh.

Jennifer and Andrea laugh and get up from the table.

Back at The Grand Piano, in the Dining Area, Cynthia and Michael are both having chicken alfredo with mushrooms. Cynthia takes a sip of her red wine.

MICHAEL: Okay. I think I’ve waited long enough.

CYNTHIA: Waited for what?

MICHAEL: For you to tell me who this Carter guy is.

CYNTHIA: He’s just somebody I found in a stack of resumes sent to me by my assistant. As you know, we’ve dug through hundreds of resumes in the past month. Carter’s stood out to me. He has a business degree from Princeton. And…

MICHAEL: Okay, that’s enough. No need to explain anything else.

CYNTHIA: Are you sure? I could go on and on and on and…

MICHAEL: (laughs) I get the picture.

CYNTHIA: Okay.

MICHAEL: Um…, I’ve gotta go make a call.

CYNTHIA: Really? Honey, we have not had a night out with one another in forever. And, after all we’ve been through with Lindsay, I would just like it if we could separate business and pleasure tonight. Please?

MICHAEL: (standing) I’ll only be a minute. I promise.

CYNTHIA: Fine.

MICHAEL: I love you.

CYNTHIA: I love you too.

As Michael walks off, he grabs his cell phone from his suit jacket breast pocket. He dials a number and places the phone to his ear.

MICHAEL: (on the phone) JJ, it’s me. How are you? Good. Glad to hear it. Look, I need you to do a job for me. Yes, another background check. I need you to get me all the information that you can on a Carter Morrison. And, I need a file put together on him ASAP.

Back at The Palace Hotel, in Carter’s Suite, Carter and Lindsay walk over to the bed. The two sit down by one another.

LINDSAY: You’re kind of scaring me here.

CARTER: I’m sorry. That’s not my intention.

LINDSAY: (sighs) What do you need to tell me? Are you a serial killer? Are you a mob boss? Who are you Carter?

CARTER: I’m none of those things. And, I really just need to discuss one aspect of my past with you. Lindsay, long before Cynthia came to Thorne Hill, she and I were involved.

LINDSAY: Involved how?

CARTER: We were married.

LINDSAY: (taken aback) What? (standing abruptly) You were once married to that evil bitch? Why did you not tell me this sooner?!

CARTER: (standing) I’ve honestly been waiting for the right time to tell you. I just know how much you hate her. And, I like you so much. I just didn’t want to ruin my chances with you.

LINDSAY: Carter, that’s a very sweet thing to say. But, I don’t enjoy people who keep secrets from me. Especially something like this. Don’t you get that I now feel threatened even more by her?

CARTER: Why do you feel threatened by her?

LINDSAY: Because, so many things line up now. Everything finally makes sense. She gave you a job. She gave you a top position at my family’s company. And, she used to be your wife. This means my theory proves itself to be true. She wants you back.

CARTER: That’s not true at all. Cynthia doesn’t have any feelings left for me. We ended our marriage because I cheated on her. I had an affair.

LINDSAY: Oh. Great. Thanks. That makes me feel better.

CARTER: I didn’t…

LINDSAY: No. It’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. You cheated. That’s fine. That’s none of my business. Plus, it wasn’t even my marriage.

Lindsay collects her things and goes to the door.

LINDSAY: I’m gonna leave now.

CARTER: Lindsay…

LINDSAY: You have a lot of work to do. And, it is getting really late. I’ll see you some other time. Have a good night, Carter. And, thanks for telling me everything.

CARTER: Yeah. No problem. Seya.

Lindsay leaves the room. She shuts the door behind her. Carter goes to the door. He hits the door with an open palm.

CARTER: Damn.

Back at the Thorne Hill Police Department, in the Interrogation Room, Becky leans up against the table and crosses her arms.

BECKY: The truth is, is that Carter and I were at one point boyfriend and girlfriend. We split up because I wanted to advance my career and he wanted to settle down.

THOMAS: Okay. That’s a very practical end to a relationship. So, why did you go out of your way to make up this story about him abusing you?

BECKY: (sighs) Thomas, you aren’t going to like what I have to say.

THOMAS: Tell me. Right now.

BECKY: I can’t tell you the truth as to why I made up that lie.

THOMAS: Becky, if you don’t tell me, what we have is over.

BECKY: That’s just a risk I am willing to take.

THOMAS: Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you and Carter up to something that is no good? What is going on here? If you tell me, I can help you.

BECKY: No. No, you can’t. No one can save me. No one can help me. You might as well just cut your losses now.

THOMAS: Be careful what you say.

BECKY: Thomas, if you are going to break up with me, then go ahead and do it already. I don’t really play into these theatrical games.

THOMAS: Fine. We’re done.

Thomas collects himself and walks out of the room.

BECKY: Well, that was that. It was fun while it lasted. But, I can’t tell him the truth. No one can ever know who I really am.

Back at Memorial Hospital, in Stuart’s Hospital Room, Judith is pacing around the room. She then stops by Stuart’s bedside.

JUDITH: (sighs) We have been through so much together. From the start of our journey to now, we have climbed over some pretty big hills. You literally pulled me up from nothing. You took this poor, minimum-wage-paid-secretary, and you made me into a wealthy housewife. I gave you children. I gave you support. I gave you love. I gave you ideas for our family company. And, I helped you cover up a murder. I’ve always been there for you, Stuart. We’ve always been there for each other. I am so sorry for what I did to you. I will regret that affair for the rest of my life. I will regret how it complicated and destroyed our family. But, I will never regret my love for you. I am not saying goodbye. I will fight! I will fight for you! I will fight for our love! I...am...not...giving up on you! Not by a long shot.

Judith wipes a tear from her face.

JUDITH: You get some rest. You’ve got some big days coming up. Think about what I said, Stuart. And, think about how much I love you.

Judith kisses Stuart on the forehead.

JUDITH: Goodnight, my love.

Judith collects her purse and leaves the room.

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - OUTSIDE STUART’S ROOM

Judith shuts the door. She then begins to cry silently. She does try to hold back her tears though. She then gathers her strength and walks off. The camera looks through Stuart’s window. He is obviously thinking about the current state of his marriage. There’s a blank stare on his face. The camera zooms out.

***FADE OUT***
***END OF EP. 23***