Just when things started looking up, it turns out that Deacon didn't get his liver surgery on Nashville . It seemed like he was finally in the clear at the beginning of Wednesday's episode when he got the call saying that they had found him a match, but fans of this show know that it's never that easy for these characters to get what they want. Sure enough, Deacon had a low-grade fever that delayed the surgery for a few hours, making us all anxious about what was going to happen next. Finally, it seemed like they'd been given the green light, and Deacon went under for the surgery — only to wake up and discover that the donor of the liver had cancerous lesions on their lungs, and the doctors couldn't do the transplant.
By the end of the episode, everyone was even worse for wear than they were at the beginning. Rayna was at her wit's end, Maddie was devastated, and even Deacon couldn't seem to hold it together. What's curious about this whole liver donor situation, though, is that they really haven't explored all of their options. True, Scarlett and her mother weren't matches, but they're not Deacon's only living blood relatives. Wouldn't somebody have thought to get Maddie tested as a match by now?
I'm guessing they'll end up testing Maddie fairly soon, but that in turn comes with its own set of consequences. She'll have to get parental permission, for one thing, and obviously Deacon would be reluctant to give it — not to mention Teddy. A surgery like that could seriously put whatever singing career plans she has on hold while she recovers, and there are all sorts of potential risks that go along with it as well. Regardless, they're going to have to find someone to donate soon, because it doesn't seem like Deacon has a lot of time left. Here's hoping that they get this solved before the season finale, so we don't spend the whole summer sweating over it!
Image: Mark Levine/ABC
