On this week’s episode of Teen Mom OG, Maci Bookout’s husband Taylor McKinney set up a much-needed surprise for her as she was still reeling from the shock of the gas station shooting.
During last week’s episode of Teen Mom OG, viewers watched Maci recount her horrific ordeal at a Tennessee gas station, where she was caught in the middle of a deadly shootout.
This week, Maci admitted that she is still working through a lot of emotions
When Taylor felt that he couldn’t always say or do enough to help Maci, he thought of another way to help his wife. Taylor called up Maci’s friend Katie to plan a surprise dinner and girls’ night out for her and their friend, Ashley.
He told Katie, “Maci could just really use a night out.” He planned to bring Maci to the restaurant himself, have her see her friends there, then surprise her by telling her he was giving her the night off for a girls’ night out.
Taylor’s plan was almost foiled when Maci was a bit reluctant to head to dinner
Taylor played off the surprise by telling Maci they could let the kids skip practice so they could have dinner. Jayde and Maverick, the couple’s two youngest kids, were teasing and fighting with each other nearby, making Maci a bit reluctant.
When they pulled up to the restaurant, Maci noticed Ashley and Katie standing outside and asked why they were there. Taylor then dropped the surprise on Maci that she was there to enjoy a girls’ night without any kids.
Maci was grateful and sat down to have dinner, drinks, and conversation with her friends. She went into some detail about her weekly therapy sessions and how she was learning how to talk about the shooting without “losing” her mind.
Maci told her friends, “The nightmares are bad. They’re really bad.”
She detailed a certain dream she had where Bentley was in the car with her: “It was awful. Like full f**king blown, woke up like couldn’t breathe, panic attack, legit.”
“I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to go into a gas station. It’s hard.”
While talking with her friends at dinner, she reiterated a lot of the conversation she had earlier in the episode when she sat down with Taylor to talk about how she was doing since the shooting.
The incident left Maci in fear and she is suffering from PTSD as a result
When Taylor asked Maci how she’d been feeling since the shooting a few weeks prior, she said it was “like day to day.” She explained to her husband that dealing with the trauma feels like a “wave” that she’s working through, but can’t quite overcome.
Taylor listened patiently while he let Maci talk through her feelings. She added that there are times she thinks she’s “good,” only to be set off by certain triggers, mostly sounds.
Specifically, Maci pointed out that one of their kids’ toy balloons’ popping sound triggers her, causing her heartbeat to race. She also admitted to Taylor that she’s been having dreams about guns that she never did before.
Taylor told Maci, “I can be there for you all I want, but I’m not a therapist.” He was concerned that he wasn’t doing or saying enough to help Maci, so he suggested counseling, and Maci was on board with the idea.
It looks like Taylor doesn’t have to be too concerned about not doing enough to help Maci. He has shown to be a supportive husband and present father in their kids’ lives, even through some tough situations involving Maci’s ex Ryan Edwards and his family.
Teen Mom OG airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.