Race You

Race You is the second episode of the first season of St. Brendan's.

Short summary
Joey and Alex turn St. Brendan's into a war zone following an announcement regarding the hospital's newest board opening; Manny offers to help Tilda score a date with Jesse after taking notice in her odd behavior whenever the two are together.

Full summary
Manny twirls a strand of hair around her finger while staring into what seems like space. She is unexpectedly snapped out of her daydream when Daniel nudges her. He offers to share his break time with her, but she denies and claims she isn't tired. She admits to staring at Tilda for so long to the point where she blanked out. Daniel turns to Tilda who stands across the room and agrees that she is an attractive woman. Manny rolls her eyes and says that she thinks she knows who Tilda is crushing on. Daniel laughs at the thought of Tilda liking anyone, soon stopping when he realizes that she is being serious. Before he can ask who it is, Manny refuses to disclose their name in fear of becoming her next victim.

Joey notices a larger than usual group of people surrounding the bulletin board and approaches them. He meets Alex behind them and asks about the crowd. Alex points to the stack of applications on the table beside them and tells him that a spot on St. Brendan's board had recently opened and including himself, half of the staff have already applied. Joey wishes him luck and slides a pen out of his pocket. Alex follows him and snatches it out of his hand, threatening to destroy him if he does apply for the spot. Joey points to his face and asks if anyone could say no to him, implying that his looks give him an advantage. Alex decides to give him a chance, but makes it known that he is jumping into the race with confidence.

Eleanor leans her back against the kitchen counter with a cookbook in-hand, an apple in the other. She flinches at the sound of her phone ringing and looks down at it to see Brian's name on the screen. Her eyes widen and she blinks repeatedly, Jeanette's name replacing Brian's. She realizes that she was only daydreaming and holds the phone up to her hear. Jeanette tells her that she will be arriving that night for her stay until the baby comes. Eleanor nods and warns her that she has to go as an alarmed look crosses her face. She assures Jeanette that she is okay when she asks and ends the call. She then scrolls through her camera roll and presses on a photo of Brian. She stares for a few seconds before covering her hand with her mouth and falling to her knees.

Manny pretends to read a book as she looks out at Tilda and Jesse who sit two tables down from her. She moves her chair a few inches closer, hoping to get a better listen at their conversation, instead receiving a dirty look from Tilda. Tilda turns back to Jesse and laughs with her, neither of their smiles leaving their faces until Jesse's pager begins to beep. They exchange a hug before parting ways, Tilda sitting back down after. Manny stands up and approaches her, waving when she arrives at her table. She asks Tilda if she can sit with her, doing so before she can even get an answer. Tilda crosses her arms and tells her that if she has questions about the board opening, that she should ask someone else. Manny mentions that she did apply for the spot, but her inquiry is irrelevant to the topic. After a brief moment of silence, she asks about her and Jesse's friendship. Tilda shrugs and tells her that they are best friends. Manny smirks and suggests she finally ask her out. Tilda immediately turns to her and suggests she leave before something bad happens to her. Manny moves away from her and tells that she has taken notice of her overly kind attitude while in Jesse's presence and how red she turns after a hug. She then offers to be her wing woman. Tilda laughs in her face and exits the room, leaving Manny with a bewildered look on her face.

Alex pokes his head into the lounge to see Joey sitting on a table as he fills out his application. He hides when he sees Joey stand up and rushes down the hallway. He grabs a water bottle from a nearby table and pours the water on the floor. He warns anyone walking by to stay clear of the liquid and hides around the corner when he hears Joey step out of the lounge. Alex discreetly watches as he heads down the hallway, eyes glued to his application while he looks over it, slipping and falling when he reaches the water puddle. Alex is unable to hold in his laughter and laughs out loud, immediately catching Joey's attention. He holds onto his lower back while standing up and points to Alex, promising him that he will get him back, thus fueling a war.

Manny waves Carlos goodbye before entering the lounge, stopping when she spots Tilda sitting on the couch across the room. She tiptoes up to her and discreetly glances over her shoulder. She squints her eyes to better her view of Tilda's phone, unsuccessful in doing so. Tilda tells Manny to get away from her without turning around and continues surfing through her phone. Manny jokes about her having eyes in the back of her head, causing Tilda to roll her eyes. She sits down next to her and proceeds to asking about Jesse. Before she can finish her question, Tilda interrupts her and admits that she has a crush on Jesse. Manny throws her arms around her and cheers, happy to have finally gotten it out of her. Tilda pushes her away and threatens to give her what she calls "the Joey treatment" if she were to tell anyone. Manny promises to keep it to herself and once again suggests she let her help bring them together. Tilda is thankful for her offer, but turns it down as she doubts Jesse will ever want to be anything more than friends. Manny reminds her that despite her attitude, she deserves a better love life. Before Tilda can leave, she makes sure to advise her that she will back off, but will be rooting for her in secret.

Daniel and Alex are eating in the cafeteria when Manny joins them, stealing a fry upon her arrival. Daniel slides his chair down the table to give her space and hands her another fry. Alex laughs and asks if she is okay as she grabs a handful of broccoli next. Manny nods and tells him that she has a secret to keep and the only way to hold it in is to occupy herself. In order to stop her from revealing the secret, he changes the subject and praises her for preparing such a fun night out. Alex agrees while expressing his sympathy for Joey who ended the night with a black and blue cheek. Daniel co-signs and calls Tilda a monster. Manny nudges him and threatens to push him even harder if he doesn't stop calling her mean names. He laughs and jokingly asks if she has a crush on her. Manny denies having a crush on her, but does add that Tilda has a crush herself. She immediately places her hand over her mouth, shocked by her own actions. Daniel gasps and vows to stop being her friend if she doesn't reveal the name of Tilda's crush. Without saying another word, Manny grabs his tray and runs out of the cafeteria.

Eleanor rests both her hands on her hips as she waits for the chocolate bar to fall from the vending machine. She repeatedly hits it until Joey rushes up to her and suggests she calm down before she stresses herself out. He takes her place and moves the machine back and forth, a Hershey's bar falling from it just a few moments later. He grabs it and opens it before handing it to her. Embarrassed, Eleanor shakes her head and laughs at herself for overreacting. Joey assures her that there was nothing wrong with her reaction and changes the subject.