The Honor Roll: Episode 19. The Biggest Risk

 As afternoon arrives, at Waters Elementary, Pat sits inside her classroom, by herself as Effie and Alice walks in, and tells her "Pat we missed you at lunch. These days are a good time to have some laughs and enjoy it before the kids arrive." Pat looks at them, and sighs "I can't think about that while Thomas is possibly dying." Alice walks over to Pat's side, as does Effie, and tells her gently "We are both having a hard time too Pat, but we have to keep going for him." Effie tells Pat "My Daughter's a RN in the ICU, and Thomas is in good hands." Pat reminds them "But when my Husband Willard died there from a mere cold, that changed my faith in the only damn Hospital around here besides Newnan and LaGrange. I wish Caswellton Memorial Hospital was still around." Alice sighs "Well even they couldn't help Thomas right now Pat. And with Caswell County politics..." Pat reminds them "Well Eliza knows how things work, and money talks in this county, and name, and who you're related to, like Anna and Betty." Effie nods, as does Alice, and Alice goes "We could use a Hospital closer than what we have." Effie assures them "I bet that Eliza will make sure of that. She's never held back, and from what's been going on, I hear she's ready to go after Bankhead. My Daughter told me that after Eliza threatened her earlier today." Meanwhile in Bankhead, In Thomas' Room in the ICU at Bankhead Medical Center, Eliza sits next to her Son, as she looks at him, with his eyes closed, and holds Bill's hand to her chest, as he holds it tightly, as Bill and Eliza cries, and Eliza tells her Son "We don't want you to leave us Thomas. But please don't give up. Please." Bill starts to cry, as he cries "I can't go on without you boy. Fight like hell. A Duncan's a fighter!" The nurse walks inside with the Doctors, as they look at Bill and Eliza, as the Doctor asks "Are the two of you ready to do this?" Bill and Eliza nod with a scared look in their eyes, as both Eliza and Bill kiss their Son, before the Doctors and nurse takes him to surgery, as he's removed from the ventilator, and Eliza collapses into tears, as Bill holds his Ex-Wife, and they cry together, as Eliza cries "Please God don't take him. Please God, don't do it....NO!" Bill holds her tightly, as both are scared of what could come.
    At The Courthouse Inn, Maura and Corey has lunch, as Maura tells him, as they talk "It's best to keep that private in this town. There's many people here that are backwards." Corey responds "I'm not ashamed of who I am Maura. Are you?" Maura tells Corey "With women, it's different, but men, it's complicated to explain. Your Grandmother and I were complicated to explain. It just happened, and then.." Corey sighs "She went mad." Maura goes "Yep. And then sent to Milledgeville, and well you know all about that." Meanwhile Didi, working part-time at The Courthouse Inn, notices Maura and Corey, and walks over and reminds Maura "Eliza has banned you from her restaurant." Maura snaps "Shouldn't you be at the damn school?" Didi snaps back "Want me to call the police? I could call Eliza, but she has enough going on, and she may just come and kill you the way she's feeling at this point, or send Bill." Maura tells Corey "Next time we do lunch, it won't be here. I refuse to give that bitch my money." Didi quips "So are we ready to pay bitch?" Corey hands a check to Didi, and Didi looks at Maura, and goes "Looks like your friend paid for your meal, now beat it before I call your friend Eliza." Maura looks at Didi, and bluntly responds "She's not my damn friend, and she can go to hell!" Maura walks out, as Corey asks Didi "Why is Maura banned from here?" Didi laughs "Eliza hates her. I've been to her house up the street, and she has a dartboard, and her picture in the middle." Corey asks "You're joking aren't you Didi?" Didi looks down, and responds "Maybe. Maybe not." Corey walks out, as Maura tells Corey "Take me back to the school, and Missy's picking me up. I should have a car tomorrow." Corey takes Maura back to Waters Elementary. Meanwhile back inside The Courthouse Inn, Erica sits in a corner, as she says to herself, as she snaps a photo "Yeah. The two of you will really go over well once Eliza finds out, and she will when it's time."
    Back at Waters Elementary, Dwight sits inside his office, as Mary walks inside, and asks him "So anymore word on Thomas?" Dwight shakes his head, as he tells her with a sad tone "I haven't heard anything from Eliza or Bill." Mary sits down, as she tells Dwight "Thomas is such a good man, and a great Prinicpal, and although he drives me mad, I feel so bad for Bill." Dwight asks Mary "Maybe you should go visit?" Mary quickly responds "The way he and Eliza's been, I wouldn't dare. Knowing Eliza, that'd be a death sentence." Dwight laughs "Very true. But they could always use the support. I'm going to the hospital when I leave school, and some of the staff's going also. You should come with us. They will need all the support they can get." Mary tells Dwight "I have a card, and you can give it to them. I don't do hospitals." Dwight tells Mary "I'm sure Eliza and Bill will understand." In Missy's Classroom, Missy sits at her desk silently, as she has flashbacks, and starts to cry, as she thinks of Thomas, and asks herself in anger "I really hurt him when we were kids. If he dies I can't forgive myself for that. Maybe I shouldn't be here." Alice walks inside, as she overhears Missy talking to herself, and notices the pain in her eyes, as Alice asks "What's bothering you?" Missy tells Alice "I'm just thinking about Thomas. I am kicking myself for what I did years ago for Mommy Dearest." Alice sits at Missy's desk, and tells her "You can't take back what you did yesterday, but make tomorrow better. A wise person told me that years ago." Missy cries "I went to see him, and Mr.Duncan just went off on me. It really hurt my feelings Alice." Alice reminds Missy "He's going through a lot. But in the back of his mind, and although he will never admit it, he is very appreciative you have went to check on him." Missy goes "I think Eliza has forgiven me, but I think Mr.Duncan's got it out for me." Alice sighs "That's Bill for you. What you see is what you get, and remember to never let him substitute your class when you have to go to a convention." Missy responds "I heard about that fiasco." Alice tells Missy "I'm going to the hospital later in the day, and so is most of the staff, except for your Mama." Missy yells "Damnit! I got to take her home!" Alice tells Missy "Dump her out and join us. We're going to support Eliza and Bill, and say a prayer for him." Missy tells Alice "I'll go after I dump Mom out at her Apartment." Alice walks out, as Maura has returned, and walks inside, and goes "Dump me out? Oh no Melissa, I demand you stay with me!" Missy asks her Mother "Why? Because you have such a disdain for Thomas and his family?" Maura sighs "Not exactly that, and I don't want to talk about it." Missy is silent, as she sighs with shock "She's still breathing isn't she?" Maura asks "Who?" Missy yells "Edna! Or as Eliza and Erica calls her, Snowball!" Maura tells Missy "I don't want to be alone!" Missy points to the door, and tells her Mother in a bold tone "Get the hell out of my classroom, and since you are getting so close to Corey, you should let him know, or I will!" Maura asks "How do you know?" Missy pulls out her phone, as she responds "Erica sent this picture to me, and I imagine everyone else." Maura walks out, and yells at her Daughter "Next you'll be calling Eliza Mother." Missy yells back "She's a hell of a lot better than you are!" Missy fumes, as Maura walks inside her classroom, and calls Corey, and his phone goes to voicemail, as she tells him "Can you pick me up?"
   As the staff of Waters Elementary begins to wrap up, as the afternoon comes to a close, Pat sits inside her classroom, as she is quiet, and Winnie walks inside and tells Pat "Just let me know when you're ready to go." Pat tells Winnie "I will." Winnie walks out, as Pat sits at her desk, and finishes her paperwork. In Thomas' office, Dwight, Alice, Effie, Anna, Mary, Judy, and Louise are inside, as Dwight updates them on Thomas, as Winnie walks inside, and tells them "Pat's still down." Alice tells Winnie "I haven't seen her like this since Willard died, and maybe she needs to go home." Winnie sighs "I'd like to go to Bankhead to pray with everybody, and be there for Eliza and Bill." Anna tells them "Well Mama's wanting to go also, so I'm picking her up, and taking her, and Erica said she'd meet all of us there." Missy tells them "Mommy Dearest is staying behind." Everyone shakes their head, as Dwight goes "Wise choice for her." In Maura's Classroom, Corey arrives, as Maura tells Corey "Melissa's going to the hospital, and I decided not to go." Corey pulls out his phone, as he asks Maura "As I drive you home, can you explain this picture to me? It looks like someone around here's setting us up." Maura snarls with disgust "Erica." At Bankhead Medical Center, Eliza and Bill sits in the waiting area, as they hold onto each other, as Didi arrives and tells them "Here's dinner, and any word?" Eliza gets up and hugs Didi, and tells her "I'm not hungry right now, I'm ready to hear what the doctor says." Meanwhile Thomas is being wheeled on a stretcher to his room in the ICU, as he's been taken off Life Support, as he hears a voice that goes "Thomas." Thomas' spirit awakens as he sees his deceased Wife, Valerie, and their Son, T.J., as Valerie opens her hand, as does T.J.. In the waiting area, Eliza and Bill are informed of Thomas' return, and the Doctor tells them "It looks like it's time to prepare your goodbyes." Eliza looks at the Doctor, as she and her Ex-Husband walks into the ICU, and warns him "You should prepare for a damn lawsuit."