A giant stretcher was rushed through the doors of Dallas Memorial Hospital, leaving a sea of passersby's and reporters in its wake. Tonight was not going to be an ordinary night for the staff at Dallas Memorial Hospital. It wasn't every day that oil tycoon J.R. Ewing was shot.
"How did you find him!" snapped a surgeon, examining the body.
"He was shot in his office, body was discovered by the cleaning lady," a nervous intern said, not meeting his superior in the eye.
"Call his family. And get those damn reporters out of my hospital!" His forehead crinkled in angry waves; this was a life or death situation, and it could go either way.
*****
Head ranch foreman Ray Krebbs finished another hard day at the ranch, tackling ringworm that had infected the cattle. So far he was able to isolate the contaminated animals and separate them from the herd, but his job was far from done.
The phone in the living room rang and Ray glanced over to it. No one from the house was home.
"Hello?"
"Southfork ranch," a male voice called on the other end.
"Yes, this is the Southfork ranch."
"I'm Detective Alex Horton, of the Dallas Police Department, Mr. Ewing has been shot."
Oh my God, Ray cried in a sea of panic. "Which Mr. Ewing are you referring to, Detective Horton?"
"Mr. John Ross Ewing II."
"Oh no," Ray muttered. At that moment, Ellie Ewing came into the house, after an evening of shopping and turned towards Ray, shooting him a questioning look.
"Did you hear from Bobby and Pam?" she asked urgently. The Ewing matriarch was referring to her third son and his young wife. They had left the ranch that morning, declaring that they were moving away and not coming back.
"Miss Ellie," Ray said softly, "J.R. was shot."
Ellie Ewing collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Ray ran towards her, dropping the phone with the detective on hold. "Miss Ellie, Miss Ellie, you need to pull yourself together."
"Find Lucy," Ellie said softly. "Find Lucy, and call the police, have them find Bobby and Pam. I want all three of them at the hospital; I don't care if they like it or not. The family is in trouble." Ellie stood up, going towards the phone, talking to detective Horton.
"Yes ma'am," Ray nodded. He was going to have a full night ahead of him.
*****
Pamela Barnes Ewing pulled her compact out her purse; she was bubbling with glee at the current events. "Oh, Bobby, I never thought we'd ever be able to leave Southfork, or your brother's clutches."
Bobby chuckled at his wife. "Pammy, you make it seem like you were a prisoner finally released from their sentence."
"Do you realize that that brother of yours has been manipulating our marriage ever since you brought me to the ranch?"
"You know how I feel about J.R., but don't you think that you're exaggerating just a little?"
"Bobby, I was terrified for our marriage at that house. If J.R. Ewing had his way – I'd have been turned out on the streets."
"But J.R. won't have his way. This time I've beaten him."
"But at what cost? It broke my heart to leave Miss Ellie."
Bobby coughed, stifling a sob. "It hurt me too, Honey, but we'll see the family again really soon. I promise."
"Just not J.R.?" Pam laughed.
"With any luck, we can steer clear of J.R.," Bobby affirmed.
*****
Cliff Barnes escaped behind the closed doors of his tiny apartment. He was going to do it; he had brought the gun with him. But someone had beaten him to the punch. Someone had shot J.R.
Who could do such a thing he wondered, starting the coffee pot. Hell, why am I asking that? Half of Dallas wants him dead. No one more than me.
Cliff flinched. He was going to be a suspect in the shooting of J.R. Ewing. He had been at the Ewing Building at the time it happened, he had been seen by reporters. The whole state knew of the Barnes-Ewing feud.
The longstanding fight between the two families came to a head. Cliff had worked his entire life to put the Ewing family in their place. They had stolen everything his daddy, Digger Barnes had worked for, taking the credit for his hard work, and turning him into a laughing stock in Dallas. Bobby had stolen Pam away from him – the only family that he had left – and he turned her against him. J.R. had ruined Cliff's political career in Dallas, taking his job away from him at the OLM and then sabotaging his race for senate. Cliff had personal issues with J.R. Ewing as well. The two men shared an affection for J.R.'s wife Sue Ellen Ewing. Two years ago, Cliff started an affair with her – it didn't last very long, only six weeks –but it was very memorable. Sue Ellen meant a great deal to Cliff. It was more than just the fact that she was J.R,'s wife, he had feelings for her. But when J.R. found out about the clandestine relationship, he put Cliff's career in jeopardy, telling him to choose Sue Ellen or his work. Cliff chose his work, sending Sue Ellen back to her husband.
That wasn't the end of the personal troubles. Sue Ellen had gotten pregnant during her affair with Cliff, and she didn't know who the father of her son was. She told J.R. it was his, and he accepted it, not wanting to believe otherwise. But Cliff couldn't believe that Sue Ellen and J.R. were finally having a child – after seven years of being barren. He believed that the child had to be his. He wasn't about to let his offspring be raised as a Ewing.
But Cliff couldn't do anything but watch Sue Ellen and J.R. raise the little boy. When he heard that his father was dying, he made the mistake of telling him that John Ross was really his son. This got Digger excited, believing that he had finally beaten the Ewings. He spilled the story to a reporter, and before anyone knew what was happening, it made the front page of The Dallas Press. The Ewing family was enraged by the insinuation that Cliff was John Ross' father. Jock and Ellie never knew about Cliff's affair with Sue Ellen, but Bobby and Pam did. And the allegation drove the brother and sister further apart. The only way to end the questioning was to have paternity test. At the end of the ordeal, it was revealed that J.R. was in fact the father of John Ross, and Cliff was left humiliated once again.
Cliff hated losing to the Ewing family – especially J.R. – and he was more determined than ever to come out on top. He thought he found his answer in an old document of his father's –giving the Barnes family a 50-50 split with the Ewings in the oil field Ewing 23. Finally, there was no way of escaping the fact that Cliff had won. J.R. congratulated him on his efforts, then he called the field boss and told them to shut down Ewing 23, outdoing Cliff yet again.
Now Cliff had been ready to do away with J.R. It was the only way that Cliff was ever going to come out on top. And that was how he found himself at the Ewing Oil building at the time of the shooting. He had been one in the dozens of people seeing J.R. being driven away to the hospital. Cliff frowned when he realized the inevitable - if J.R. lived – he was going to point the finger at him. "I have to get out here!" Cliff cried.
*****
Sue Ellen Ewing opened her eyes, meeting the harsh sunlight at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. "What happened to me last night?" she wondered aloud, all memories clouded in a world of alcohol. All she remembered was the vodka, pouring into her system.
He had threatened to send her away. To take her away from her baby, the one bright spot in her life. J.R. was going to send her back to the sanitarium. Painting her as an alcoholic mother wasn't enough; he wanted her out the picture for good. And he had the power and influence to do it.
"I don't stand a chance against him," Sue Ellen muttered as she drove off, prepared to meet her fate.
The ranch was unusually quiet as Sue Ellen pulled in. "J.R.'s probably at work by now," Sue Ellen muttered entering the house. "I'll have a few minutes peace." She eyed the liquor cabinet with an insatiable lust. "And I know just how to find it." Sue Ellen greedily opened the bottle of vodka. "If J.R. wants to pose me as a drunk, I may as well help him out." Sue Ellen opened her mouth to take a sip of the harsh liquid when her sister interrupted her.
"Sue Ellen, Sue Ellen, you're alright!" Kristin Shepard cried, embracing her older sister.
"Kristin, what has gotten into you, I am fine."
Kristin grabbed the glass. "You shouldn't be drinking, Sue Ellen."
"I will if I want to," Sue Ellen shot back, grabbing her prize.
"How can you think about alcohol at a time like this?"
"A time like what?"
"You haven't heard?" Kristin asked, shocked.
"Heard what?" Sue Ellen asked, tired of her little sister's games.
"J.R.'s been shot."
Sue Ellen dropped the glass, the vodka spilling onto the carpet. "No, it isn't true."
*****
"Mr. and Mrs. Ewing?" An elderly doctor addressed the worried couple in the lobby.
"Is my son gonna be okay, doctor?" Jock Ewing asked soberly, worried for his eldest son's welfare.
"It's touch and go, we're at a very critical point."
"Surely there must be something you can do," Ellie urged.
"He's lost a great deal of blood, Mrs. Ewing. He'll be needing a transfusion right away."
"We'll all donate," Jock said.
"We have to make sure that you're matches, Mr. Ewing."
"Well hurry up then!" Jock boomed. "My son is wasting away, losing blood while you come out here and don't even tell us anything useful."
"Jock," Ellie scolded. "They're doing everything they can." The doctor walked off.
"Miss Ellie!" Sue Ellen called, running towards her in-laws.
"Sue Ellen! Kristin!" Miss Ellie cried, hugging her close.
"I just heard about the shooting."
Jock eyed Sue Ellen coolly. "Where were you last night, Sue Ellen?"
"What?" Sue Ellen stammered, her hazel eyes wide.
"You're husband was shot last night. Where were you?"
"I was… I was…"
"Gallivanting around town no doubt!" Jock shouted angrily.
Sue Ellen was near tears. "I wasn't gallivantin'," she cried.
"Liar."
"Jock," Ellie warned.
Kristin piped in, defending her sister. "She was sick, Jock, I was with her last night,"
Jock's angry eyes turned to Kristin. "Sick, you mean drunk!"
"No!" Sue Ellen cried. "I wasn't, I swear it." Sue Ellen turned to Miss Ellie for comfort. "How is, J.R.?"
"Do you really care, Sue Ellen?"
Sue Ellen angrily glared at her father-in-law. "Yes I care, J.R. is my husband."
"Why weren't you here earlier! You're not a proper wife at all."
"Jock.…" Ellie said, trying to curb her husband's temper.
"Another trip to the sanitarium may be just what you need. Can't have you endangering your husband and child.
"Jock, that's enough," Ellie said. "I'm going to call Ray, see if he's found Bobby, Pam, and Lucy. Jock why don't you get some coffee?"
"I'll go with you, Jock," Kristin offered, leaving Sue Ellen all alone.
*****
"Lucy Ewing where are you!" Ray threw his hands up in frustration. He had called her best friend Muriel Gillis last night, hoping for some insight, but reached a dead end. He picked up the phone, dialing her number again.
"Muriel, it's Ray Krebbs; have you heard from Lucy?"
Muriel frowned, her face matching her red hair. She hated lying to the Ewings, but she swore that she wouldn't tell anyone about Lucy. "I'm sorry, Mr. Krebbs, but I haven't heard from her."
"Do you know where she would go? It's very important that we find her. She needs to be with her family. Her uncle was shot."
Muriel let out a sharp gasp. "I had no idea Mr. Krebbs."
"Muriel, I wouldn't be calling you like this if it wasn't an emergency. Her grandmother wants the entire family together."
Muriel frowned. She was accustomed to covering for Lucy, after all, that was what friends did for other friends. But this was different. She knew exactly where Lucy was, and if anyone found out where she was…there would be hell. "I understand, sir, believe me I do. Lucy's…."
"Muriel, if you know something, you can tell me. I won't tell Lucy that you snitched on her."
Muriel held the phone to her chest. I'm going to regret this. "Lucy's at a local motel in downtown Dallas. Here's the address and the man that she's with…."
Ray didn't bother getting angry at Lucy for sneaking off to a motel with a guy. The important thing was finding her and getting her to Dallas Memorial Hospital. He had made a promise to Miss Ellie, and he was going to keep it.
*****
Cliff Barnes hurriedly packed a suitcase, throwing items over his shoulder. He was leaving the state tonight; he couldn't risk the scenario of the Dallas Police Department coming after him about the shooting. The Ewings are going to pin me, everything that happens to that damn family they blame on me.
Cliff latched the carrier closed when the doorbell rang. "Damn." He opened the door, revealing an armed officer. "Hello, officer," Cliff gritted through his teeth.
The man eyed the suitcase in the corner of the room. His ID red Bret Cutler. "Going somewhere, Mr. Barnes?"
Cliff struggled to answer, but was cut off. "I don't see much traveling in your future."
Cliff placed his hands on his hips. "If you're hear about the Ewing shooting…"
"Maybe you should come with me before you incriminate yourself."
"You gonna arrest me?"
"Now don't be so hasty, Mr. Barnes. I'm just going to be taking you down to the station."
"For how long?"
"Until we find out what we need."
Cliff ducked into his bedroom, grabbing his gun. He figured that he may as well corporate with the police. "I suppose you'll be wanting this."
Officer Cutler took the gun and led Cliff away.
*****
Bobby continued to drive down the road, eying his sleeping wife. "We'll be in California in no time, Honey. This will be our fresh start, just you and me."
"Sounds heavenly," Pam moaned, half-asleep.
"I thought you were out cold," Bobby smiled.
"I woke up about ten minutes ago. Where are we?"
"We're just out of Texas limits, and still going strong." Bobby continued down the street, eying a helicopter leering before them. "We've got company," Bobby muttered.
Pam turned around. "Surely they're not after us. Unless… do you think that J.R. or Jock would try and stop us from leaving?"
"I wouldn't put anything past my brother. But I don't think he's too upset that we left Southfork."
The chopper continued to follow the red car. "Bobby Ewing, pull over. This is the Dallas Police!"
Bobby drove to a ditch by the side of the road. "J.R. wouldn't be that desperate," Bobby said, reassuring himself of his brother's intentions. The policeman came to the car. "Is something wrong, officer?"
"We've been asked to take you both to Dallas Memorial Hospital."
"Why?" Pam asked, genuinely concerned.
"Your brother J.R. Ewing's been shot."
Pam and Bobby looked at each other with sheer terror. "Oh my God!"
*****
Ray Krebs drove up to the Star Drift Motel, after an hour of getting nowhere with the day manager. He had talked to Miss Ellie twenty minutes ago, and though they finally found the proper match for J.R.'s blood type, the situation was bleak.
Ray stormed up to the front door, his fingers jamming the little desk bell.
A middle age gentlemen with wire-rimmed glasses approached the cowboy. "Can I help you?"
"I need the room of a Mr. Derek Forrester, it's urgent."
"I'm afraid that's private information."
Ray glowered at the man. "Didn't you hear me tell you this was urgent?"
The man sniffed, put off by Ray's angry demeanor. "We here at the Star Drift Motel respect the privacy of all guests."
A red color formed in Ray's cheeks; he was ready to jump over the desk and strangle the manager. "Now you listen here, partner, that man has an underage girl in his room, and it just so happens that this girl has an uncle in the hospital, and if you don't move aside and tell me where she is, I'll notify the police!"
The manager moved behind the desk, grabbing the master set of keys, and slowly moved towards Ray.
"Come on!" Ray shouted, pulling the man behind him.
The men stopped at room 22. Ray turned to the worker. "Can I have some privacy please?"
The gentleman nodded and left.
"Lucy Ewing, open that door!" Ray bellowed, his fists slamming into the hardwood.
Ray was greeted by a disheveled man. "Who are you and what do you want?"
Ray pulled the man by his collar. "I want that girl that you brought here last night! And I want to know why you bring students to motels to have sex, don't you know how young she is!"
"Ray!" Lucy Ewing shrieked, hastily pulling on her top. "How did you find me?"
"That doesn't matter," Ray said gruffly, dragging Lucy to the door.
"What are you trying to do?" she hissed. "I'm a grown woman who can make her own decisions."
"He's your teacher!"
"That isn't any of your business!"
Professor Forrester turned on Ray. "I'm only going to say this once, get out of my room!"
"Like hell!" Ray thundered, dropping his grip on Lucy as he lunged for the professor. "You degenerate, you belong in prison!" Ray angrily choked his opponent, who was rapidly turning a dark purple.
"Stop it, Ray," Lucy cried, "you're hurting him." Ray slowly loosened his grip, letting Derek fall to the floor. As he fell his wallet popped out of his jacket. Lucy knelt down to take it.
"What is this?" Lucy asked, starring at a photograph of Derek with a woman and two children.
"Lucy." Derek tried to come towards her, but Ray held him away.
Lucy flipped to another page. "A wedding photo."
"Your married?" Ray muttered in disbelief. If this had been any other day, he would have laughed at the situation. Lucy was accustomed to getting herself into pickles, but never something this big.
"How could you?" Lucy cried, ready to attack her professor.
"Lucy," Derek said nervously. "Why don't we forget about this whole thing?"
"How many kids do you have?" Lucy angrily challenged. "How many of your female students have you done this with?"
Ray looked on with disgust, but the fact of the matter was that there was no time for an intense grilling. "Talk to him later, Lucy, you're coming with me." Ray pulled Lucy out of the motel and into the truck.
"Why did you come here?" Lucy asked, seething.
"J.R. was shot."
Lucy's frustration turned to fear. "Oh no, he is alright?"
"It's too soon to tell, I'm taking you to the hospital right now."
*****
Bobby Ewing talked privately in the corner with his father. There were so many things that were up in the air. Bobby knew that he wasn't going to California with Pam any time soon; they were both needed at home. Jock had been receiving calls from businessmen regarding the status of Ewing Oil. The shooting of the president did very little to calm the nerves of fellow oilmen, all wondering what would happen to the family owned oil company.
"Daddy, is now really the time to be focusing on business?" Bobby asked.
"Boy, I don't like this any better than you do. But something needs to be done about the company. We can't Ewing Oil in shambles when J.R. wakes up. You know that he would want us to keep Ewing Oil top priority."
Bobby nodded, knowing how deeply his older brother cared for the family dynasty. "What do you want to do?"
"I can't focus on the company right now; I need to be here for J.R. I'm giving you temporary control of the business, Bobby."
The youngest Ewing flinched at the incredible weight that was being placed on him. When he was growing up, he never gave the family business a second thought; he was too busy playing on the ranch to notice the corporate world. After college Bobby took the role as 'goodwill ambassador' for the company, he was never involved in the business side. Jock told Bobby to spread the 3 B's 'Booze, Broads, and Booty'. It was his responsibility to see that business men and politicians were happy. Bobby did well as PR man; it fit well with his loose and free-living style. He probably would have stayed where he was at the company if it were not for Pamela. She inspired him to be more than just a 'party guy', telling him that he had great business potential and that he belonged as an executive, working with his father and brother. Bobby took her up on her idea – much to Jock's delight and J.R.'s chagrin. J.R. never wanted Bobby meddling in business affairs, and he never hesitated to let his little brother know how he felt or where he stood.
Circumstances were different now. J.R. was fighting for his life, and the entire Ewing family formed an alliance to fight alongside him. Old feelings were disregarded, family was more important, and there needed to be a united front.
Sacrifices were going to need to be made. Ray would need to work the ranch on his own –taking the lead, without Jock next to him. Ellie would need to put her social engagements and charities on the backburner, neglecting everything but her family. Jock was forced to realize the fact that he could lose his namesake and for once he was powerless and could not come to his son's aide. Sue Ellen was required to put her anger towards her husband aside –forgetting every nightmare that the previous year had brought. The paternity suite, the bickering, the insults, the one-upping, the custody battle for John Ross. Any hope that Sue Ellen held taking John Ross and leaving J.R. was now destroyed. She needed to stand by her husband. Lucy was now compelled to care about the man who had destroyed her family – keeping her parents apart and away from her. She was now required to stand by her uncle, and pray for his recovery. Pam would not get the opportunity to leave Southfork – or her malicious brother-in-law – for a very long time. She and Bobby were needed at the ranch, and there was no escaping the fact that once again their lives were being controlled by the almighty J.R. Ewing. Bobby needed to become an adult, assume responsibility for the family business, and fill J.R.'s shoes.
"Daddy, I'll go to work as soon as you tell me to," Bobby answered.
"Atta boy." Jock slapped Bobby on the back, knowing that if there was one person that he could count on, it was his youngest son.
"How am I ever going to tell, Pam?" Bobby silently wondered as he watched his beloved wife comfort Sue Ellen.
"The doctors are doing everything they can," she soothed, running her fingers down Sue Ellen's back. "They are not giving up on J.R., and you can't either."
"Our last conversation... we were fighting," Sue Ellen wept.
Pam tried to hide a smile, knowing that fighting was all that Sue Ellen and J.R. really did. "He knows that you love him."
Sue Ellen looked up. "Does he? Does he know how worried I am about him?" Does he know that I wanted him dead?
Sue Ellen had struggled the entire day to fight the pesky thoughts within her. She had had a gun with her the night J.R. was shot. She had gone to see her psychiatrist, Dr. Simon Elby, to tell him that J.R. was threatening to put her back in the sanitarium, and keep her away from John Ross indefinitely. She had brought a gun in her purse, she remembered that much. The rest of the day was a blur. She didn't remember any stops between the doctor visit and passing out, though anything could have happened. Anything could have happened.
Did I do it? Did I shoot J.R.? Put myself out of my misery? Did I pull the trigger? The tears continued to flow. "He needs to pull through."
"Sue Ellen, if I have learned anything about that husband of yours – it is that he is unbeatable," Pam said soothingly, attempting to mask her concerns over J.R.'s condition.
Ellie Ewing stood by a payphone, talking with her middle son Gary. "You'll come down as soon as you can?" she asked soberly. "Wonderful, give my love to Valene…I love you too, Gary…. Goodbye." Ellie turned, seeing her young granddaughter. She was ready to break into tears right there, seeing the pain on her baby's face. She had raised Lucy as a daughter when her mother and Gary abandoned her, asking her to raise their little girl. "Lucy," Ellie cried, hugging her close.
"Grandma, I came here as soon as I could. I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier, I…."
"Don't you worry about that, Lucy. We have more important things to think about."
"Any news on J.R.?"
"They're saying that there are two bullets in him. One in near his spleen and the other is near his spinal canal."
"What can they do?"
"Everything they can."
Kristin Shepard hurried back to the group. She needed to keep an eye on Sue Ellen, a Shepard among Ewings. She hated the look that Jock had sent her sister earlier. It was as though he thought that she had pulled the trigger. Yes, I do believe that the almighty Jock Ewing has found suspect number one. Kristin knew that she needed to monitor the situation closely.
"Drink some coffee, Sue Ellen," Kristin ordered. "It will calm your nerves."
Lucy eyed Sue Ellen's sister was suspicion. She loathed Kristin Shepard with every bone in her little body. The two had been at war during the past year, over several issues, namely Bobby and Pam's marriage (which Kristin had tried to break numerous times) and over Cliff Barnes' right hand man, attorney Alan Beam. Lucy had begun dating him during the past year, much to everyone's shock and Kristin found her way in the middle, making life a hell for the youngest Ewing. Somehow that girl always found herself in Lucy's affairs.
"What are you doing here, Kristin?" Lucy accused, eying the intruder.
"I'm here for Sue Ellen," Kristin said defensively, noting Lucy's temper. That Ewing bitch is always accusing me of something!
"You're not family, and you're not needed," Lucy declared.
"That's enough, Lucy," Ellie said in Kristin's defense. "Thank-you for staying with us, Kristin."
Kristin smiled her classic smile. "No trouble at all, Miss Ellie," she nodded, knowing that she would need to be playing the charade of loving sister to make sure that everything went according to plan.
The head doctor came to address the Ewing family. "My name is Dr. Brandon Pearson; I'm the chief of staff at this hospital."
"How is he?" Pam asked urgently.
"We've been able to extract the bullet from his spleen with very little difficulty; however, the other bullet is in a very dangerous area. We've got our best neurosurgeon, Dr. Roclaire to perform the surgery."
"What are the complications?" Ellie asked.
"Mrs. Ewing, there is a tremendous amount of risk involved with the surgery. One wrong move and Mr. Ewing could wind up paralyzed or…"
"Or?"
"Or dead."
Ellie leaned on Bobby for support. "But there is a chance that the surgery will be successful?"
"Yes, Mrs. Ewing, we will do everything we can to make the surgery a success if you decide to go along with it. We just want you to be aware of the risks involved."
"Who decides if you do the surgery?" Lucy asked.
"Normally, that would be up to the spouse," the man said, looking at Sue Ellen.
"I don't know if surgery is the best way to go," Sue Ellen murmured.
"How can you say that!" Jock demanded. "This surgery will let J.R. walk again."
"And if it doesn't work, he could be dead," Sue Ellen said coolly. "I need to think about this."
"Of course Mrs. Ewing," Dr. Pearson nodded, leaving the family alone.
Detective Horton entered the hospital and headed towards Jock. "Mr. Ewing, I realize that this is a difficult time for you and your family, but it's very important that we proceed with finding J.R.'s shooter. Do you of any people with strong motives for shooting J.R. Ewing?"
The entire family grew silent. J.R. had committed so many misdeeds and wronged so many people, the entire state could have a motive for shooting him. This last week alone J.R. had bankrupted an associate, and driven businessman to suicide.
It was all encircled with J.R.'s sneaky Southeast Asian deal. He had purchased oil wells on the coast of Southeast Asia with the intent of making a killing off the profit. Everyone in town knew about J.R.'s lucrative deal and wanted in on it. J.R. had always said no. But when he heard that there was going to be a change of government in the country, due to a violent revolution, and the wells were going to be nationalized and turned over to the government, he sold of 75% of his holdings to cut the loss. Within a matter of hours he swindled several fellow oilmen into purchasing the now worthless wells, which were owned by the South Asian government. No one was going to see a penny. Seth Stone, Andy Bradley, and Jordan Lee – members of a tight cartel in Dallas – jumped on board without asking any questions. It was too good of a deal to pass up, and J.R. instructed them to act quickly. Another buyer was Vaughn Leeland, the family banker. J.R. had a large score to settle with Vaughn – after he threatened to take Southfork away from the Ewings. Leeland had forced J.R. to mortgage Southfork in order to buy the oil leases. There was a great deal of production to be done on the wells and there were not coming in quickly enough. Vaughn called in J.R.'s loan, forcing him to confess the entire matter to his family. He hadn't told anyone about buying the leases and he was greeted with a thunderstorm of fury. Ellie was heartbroken at the thought of losing her precious home. Faced with no other option, she agreed to allow drilling on Southfork, to pay back the loan. Yet luck was on the Ewing's side, and the wells came in just in time, providing enough money to pay back the loan.
But that wasn't the end of J.R.'s troubles. Jock was furious with his son, for buying leases without saying anything, and for mortgaging the house. He told J.R. that his days of free reign at Ewing Oil were over, and he moved back to the office to keep his sneaky son in check. J.R. hated having a watchdog at Ewing Oil, and he hated disappointing his father even more. He had decided that Vaughn was going to pay for what he did to the family.
J.R. found the perfect revenge in the oil leases. Greedy Vaughn jumped at the chance to make a large profit in Asia, never once assuming that J.R. was out to get him. Vaughn took out a twenty million dollar loan from another bank to pay for his share.
The day the wells became nationalized J.R. kept his cool, knowing that everyone around him was panicking. He didn't tell his family what he had done right away, not wanting any interference with his plan. Bobby was suspicious of J.R.'s deal, wondering how he could have known to sell those leases before the Asian government took control. Jock was proud of his son, and relieved that the family was able to sustain the losses. He defended J.R. to the slew of angry lease holders, challenging Jordan Lee when he accused J.R. of knowing about the revolution ahead of time. Jordan was the one who told the Ewings of Seth Stone's desperate ending, killing himself over the losses, and leaving his widowed wife Marilee Stone.
Vaughn stormed into the office, screaming at J.R. that he had been set up, and was now needing to pay back the twenty million dollar loan. He demanded reparation from J.R., who told him that he was sorry but that it wasn't his problem. Vaughn was humiliated and left Dallas, knowing that he could never return again.
"Mr. Ewing?" Detective Horton urged, "is there any names that you can give me at all?"
"There are a couple people with motive to shoot my son. Vaughn Leeland, Cliff Barnes, and Alan Beam are the men that come to mind."
"Thank-you, I'll be in touch."
Pam looked on in horror as Jock named her brother Cliff as a murder suspect. "Bobby, I need to leave," she said quickly. She had to find Cliff right away.
"Where is she going?" Kristin asked.
Bobby turned towards his father. "Why did you have to do that in front of her, Daddy? You don't know that Cliff shot J.R."
"Boy, after everything that we've been through with that family, I've got every reason in the world to think that Cliff would shoot him. And right now I'm too concerned about J.R. to care about what Pamela thinks about her brother."
"You mentioned Alan Beam," Lucy said quietly.
"Lucy, it's no secret that J.R. and Alan are enemies," Bobby said. "Alan has just as much a motive as anyone else in shooting J.R."
Kristin couldn't help but smile at the mention of Alan Beam's name. Bobby was right, he was the perfect suspect. Only Kristin knew of all of the dirty dealings between J.R. and Alan. How J.R. had used Alan for the sole purpose of destroying Cliff Barnes, and was ready to send him away when the job was done. Alan threatened to fight him – refusing to leave Dallas. But J.R. had enough weight to make the move happen.
It's really too perfect, Kristin thought to herself. All of those suspects to hunt down and question, those insipid detectives will be busy for months. And poor darling J.R, he can choose between being paralyzed or dead. Some choice, but that's what you get for being evil.
*****
Pam ran into Cliff's unlocked apartment. Tell me he didn't skip town, Pam silently pleaded. It'll only look worse for him if he did. Pam eyed his closed suitcase and breathed a sigh of relief; her brother was still in Dallas. But for how long?
The shrill sound of the phone centered Pam's thoughts. "Hello?"
"Pam?"
"Oh, Cliff. I'm at your apartment. Where are you? I'm so worried about you? Jock Ewing named you as a suspect for shooting J.R."
"I know, Pam. They've been holding me in the police station for hours."
"Oh Cliff," Pam silently cried.
"It's okay, Pammy, guess what? The bullets in my gun don't match the one's in the shooter's gun."
Pam breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to believe that her brother could have tried to kill J.R. Though the thought was always in the back of her mind. "That's wonderful."
"Can you pick me up at the station, Pam? They're telling me I can go home."
"I'm on my way."
*****
Ellie paced the hospital grounds. One bullet had been removed, and the other was in a deadly position. What is going to happen to my baby boy? Ellie smiled slightly, she hadn't called J.R. her baby boy in years. He was Jock's boy through and through. Her husband took J.R. to Ewing Oil when he was five years old and he never looked back. Gary was her boy, and he would be coming home soon.
Sue Ellen fixed her eyes on the floor, her mind overflowing with questions about J.R., whether he would live through the next few days, and what would happen when he woke up.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Bobby joked, taking a seat by his sister-in-law. Sue Ellen had always been special to Bobby. He knew about her troubles with J.R., and that she was no match for his power. He had vowed to protect her in any way he could, making sure that she never lost John Ross. He had tried to leave Southfork, which he now saw as a selfish action. There were too many people who needed him here. His father, mother, J.R., Sue Ellen. Pam would have to understand Bobby's reasons for staying on at the ranch… indefinitely.
"I thought you were leaving, Bobby," Sue Ellen whispered, hurt by Bobby's betrayal. If J.R. hadn't been shot, he would have had his way with her, and she would be confounded to the sanitarium.
"I'm not going anywhere, Sweetheart." Sue Ellen looked at him, trying to tell if he was serious. "Pam and I are moving back to Southfork, and we'll both be there to help J.R…. and you," he whispered.
"How do I know that you're telling me the truth, Bobby? Did you know that J.R. was going to put be back in the hospital? He would have done it too; no one would have been there to stop him."
Bobby gripped Sue Ellen's shoulders. "Whatever problems you and J.R. may have had need to be pushed aside. He needs you, Sue Ellen."
"I know," Sue Ellen nodded, "And I am going to be there for him.
"Excuse me?" One of the nurses stepped forward. "Mr. Ewing has woken up."
Ellie's eyes brightened at the thought of seeing her son. "May we see him?"
"Of course." The Ewings followed one-by-one to the large private room at the corner. In the middle of the room, lying on a bed, was the infamous J.R. Ewing.
Sue Ellen Ewing caught her breath as she gazed at the lifeless body. J.R. I swear, if you pull out of this, I'll be the perfect wife; I'll never take you for granted again. She closed her eyes, the image of seeing him in a hurt state too painful to bear.
"J.R.," Miss Ellie whispered, getting her son's attention. Her voice trembled with joy and concern as she edged closer to the bed with Jock. It was a relief to see her baby boy alive.
"Hello, Mamma," J.R. said softly, acknowledging the presence of the other members of his family.
"How you feeling, Boy?" Jock asked gently. His normal stance of power was missing, he was hunched over, and his eyes were dark, betraying his concern over his son. For once, Jock Ewing didn't have the power that he craved; even he didn't have the power to pull J.R. out of the hospital bed.
"Fine, Daddy. I'm still alive," J.R. joked lightly.
"That you are," Miss Ellie nodded.
"Where's that wife of yours, Bob? Didn't she care enough to come and see ol' J.R.?" J.R. asked, smirking at his younger brother.
Bobby smiled at J.R. cutting remark. His attitude hasn't died, that's for sure. "Pam's with her brother, she'll be here tomorrow J.R."
J.R. looked closely at Sue Ellen. Her eyes were heavy and her face was streaked with tears. Don't tell me that woman is starting to care for me now? She was one of the last people that J.R. expected to see. Did she get thrown out of every bar in town?
J.R.'s gaze turned to anger when he saw Kristin. She was supposed to be long gone – to Hawaii. He'd have to take care of her when he got well.
Detective Horton came into the room. "Glad to see you're awake, Mr. Ewing. I was wondering, do you think that you could point out the shooter?"
J.R. closed his eyes. His mamma and daddy would never hurt him – he had frustrated them plenty over the years, but he knew that they loved him. Lucy didn't care enough about him to see him gone; she was too wrapped up in her own little world. Bobby – well Bobby was his brother – and they had come into many confrontations together, especially since Pamela came along, but J.R. wanted to believe that his brother loved him, and wouldn't want him dead. Pam – Pam would want J.R. dead, that was for certain, but J.R. figured that she didn't have the heart to pull the trigger.
J.R. returned his eyes to Sue Ellen. Their marriage would be described as dysfunctional at best. They both openly used one another to get what they wanted – he wanted a trophy wife, she wanted the Ewing name and money. Lately J.R. had gotten tired of their little arrangement, and apparently she did too. When she asked him for a divorce, he didn't bat an eyelash, all he wanted was to keep his son with him. Trouble was that Sue Ellen wanted John Ross with her. That woman is capable of anything if she's pressed against a wall.
J.R.'s eyes remained fixed on his wife. "I don't know who did it," he answered.
Detective Horton nodded and left the room.
Sue Ellen examined her husband. Why is he looking at me like that? Like he thinks that I'm guilty? What am I saying; I very well could be guilty.
Sue Ellen began to tremble. "Easy, Honey," Bobby said gently, supporting her arms. "Why don't I take you, Kristin, and Lucy home?"
"That's a good idea, Bobby," Ellie said. "Your daddy and I would like a few moments alone with J.R."
Bobby led the harem out the door, each individual being silent. Everything was uncertain now; there were no guarantees.