Dallas is the sole property of Warner Brothers
J.R. Ewing quickly pushed the button to the elevator in the Ewing building. Something is definitely wrong he muttered. What did Angelica mean by 'it's too late'? What happened to Jamie and Jack? All I heard was some loud explosion. Why is this elevator taking so damn long? J.R. slammed his fingers into the button one more time before it opened. He ran in and shut it, praying to get out of the building without any hassle, not paying attention to the elevator opening next to him.
I have to make sure that he's all right, Sue Ellen Ewing said to herself as she hurried up the elevator to the Ewing building. I do not like him going to see Angelica, that woman is crazy. If something is wrong, I have to help him. The ride up the elevator proved exceedingly slow. Thoughts raced through her mind about her husband. Lord, please let my husband be alright. I cannot lose him now; we're finally in a good place in our marriage. The door opened with a quiet ding, and Sue Ellen ran out of the elevator, not noticing that the one next to her was closing. "J.R.! J.R.!" Sue Ellen ran into his office, hoping he would still be there.
His office was empty. Maybe he's on his way home. A briefcase filled with money sat on J.R.'s desk. Sue Ellen ventured toward it, wondering why it was still there.
J.R. ran out of the building, heading for the parking lot. I've got to find Jack! As J.R. ran he noticed his wife's car in the parking lot. "Sue Ellen!" J.R. screamed, running towards the building.
A large explosion shook the entire Ewing building. A harsh fire began as pieces flew onto the street. "Sue Ellen!" J.R. cried, running towards the fire, not caring about what happened to him in the meantime.
"Mr. Ewing!" a policeman pulled J.R. away from the building. "Mr. Ewing get back to safety."
"My wife is in there!" he screamed, pushing past the man.
"Mr. Ewing!"
"Get out of my way!"
Another police officer pulled J.R. away onto the street as an ambulance raced down the road, coming towards the crowd. "My wife is in there!" J.R. shouted. "You have to let me find her!"
"You have to let us do our job, Mr. Ewing."
J.R. glared at the man before him. "You listen to me! I pay your salary and you are going to do what I say!" J.R. struggled to climb over them as firemen arrived on the scene, running to the building.
"Our men will find her, Mr. Ewing, you can count on that."
"Ray, the house is perfect," Donna Krebbs squealed, taking a step through the front door.
"It should be, Ray Krebbs said proudly, "I spent months working on it."
"When can we move in?"
"As soon as we get the furniture," Ray said. "I've already picked out a room for Tony."
"I'm sure he'll love it."
"You know, Ray, I never thought we could do it. Adopt Tony, make him part of our family. So much has happened over the past few months."
"To think we almost lost," Ray said quietly. Fighting for custody of Tony was one of the worst battles for the Krebbs clan. Old demons from the past had been resurrected when the school decided that Ray may not be the father for Tony after pulling the plug on his nephew Mickey Trotter a few years ago. Mickey was near death, and he wanted to go. He asked Ray to end his life and turn of his machine. When Ray hit the button, he did not know what he would be in for.
"Things are finally looking up for us," Donna said.
Ray hugged his wife. "You and I have gone through enough problems to last a lifetime. Now all we have to do is sit back, relax, and live life."
"I can't wait."
"The house is going to be so quiet without Ray, Donna, Jenna, and Charlie," Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow noted solemnly. "I don't think I can stand it."
"We have J.R, Sue Ellen, and John Ross," Clayton reassured. "And Ray and Donna are not moving far away, just down the road."
"I was getting so attached to Donna. She deserves to be happy with Tony."
"Now, Ellie, you know that they'll visit."
"It's not the same; the house will be so empty."
"With J.R. and Sue Ellen going at the rate their going at, we may have more grandchildren."
Miss Ellie smiled. "I am so happy that those two have patched things up. For a while, I was wondering if things would ever be good between them."
"I wonder how long it will last," Clayton said quietly.
"Clayton!" Miss Ellie protested.
"Nothing against, J.R., but he doesn't have the best track record with Sue Ellen. I don't want to see her hurt."
"I don't think she will be. Don't you believe in second chances?"
"How many chances has J.R. had with her?"
"I think this is it. They are both committed to working on their marriage. They're finally in the same place in life and are ready to commit."
"For Sue Ellen's sake, I hope you're right."
The fire blazed a reddish glow highlighting the faces of onlookers as the Ewing building came tumbling down. It was a miracle that no one was in the office that day – no one except Sue Ellen Ewing.
"Sue Ellen!" J.R. cried running towards the gurney that carried his wife. "Oh no." J.R. looked down at the face that he had just seen a few hours ago. Her porcelain skin became victim to the vicious fire.
"Will she be okay?" he asked a nearby hospital worker.
"We're taking her to Dallas Memorial right now."
"Can I ride with her?" he asked. "I don't want her to be alone."
"Mr. Ewing, we usually don't allow other people in the vehicle with the patient."
"It's alright," a supervisor said, coming to J.R.'s rescue. "Come with us, Mr. Ewing."
J.R. nodded, his eyes never leaving his wife's body. "Darlin', you just have to pull through," he quietly sobbed. "I can't live my life without you.
Pamela Barnes Ewing Graison rested her weary head on the pillow of the elegant bed and breakfast in San Fernando Valley, California. Just a few short days ago she had married her lover Mark Grayson in a simple ceremony at her mother's estate.
I deserve to be happy, Pam murmured dreamily. She had been through so much in the past few years. Her life began to downslide when she divorced her first husband Bobby Ewing. It wasn't something that she or he wanted – outside forces from within their families drove them apart.
J.R. Ewing and Katherine Wentworth. Pam had forgiven J.R. for the years of cruelty he had dished out to her during her stay at Southfork. He had tried everything in his power to separate her from Bobby. But nothing worked; Bobby and Pam remained committed to one another. Pam had hated J.R. for years, he went further than going after her – he attacked her brother Cliff, breaking him in business every chance he got.
They say that time heals all wounds, and J.R. has made a real effort to change his ways, he's even been kind to Cliff. Pam wanted to believe that there was good in every person, that there were no 'evil people' in the world. But that wasn't true. Katherine Wentworth was the 'evil person' who ran down Bobby, with the hope of hitting Pam
Pam carefully slid the desk drawer open and took out a recent photo of Bobby. We were going to get married, we were going to become a family again with Christopher. She struggled to hide the tears that were forming. If Bobby were here right now, he wouldn't want me to be sad, he'd want me to be happy…even if it was with someone else. And Mark is a wonderful man, he's good to Christopher and to me.
Pam pulled on her bathrobe as she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom shut off. I'm going to make my marriage with Mark work, I've made peace with Bobby…I had to…he's…
A sudden thud from the shower made Pam run into the bathroom. "Mark, Mark, are you alright." Pam opened the door. "Oh my God."
Clayton Farlow came back into the ranch house, muddy after a hard day with the cattle. With Ray starting a home of his own, Clayton considered it his job to teach the new ranch hand – Ben Stivers – the latest worker at the ranch. Clayton was skeptical about Ray moving away and starting a cattle raising business, but he had enough faith in his friend to join him in the venture.
Clayton had been feeling restless after selling his old refineries. He could laugh at the way Ellie secretly bought them up, not wanting to see her husband unhappy. But it was a new era, he no longer had ties to the Southern Cross, and the family he had left were the Ewings and his son Dusty, wherever he was at the moment.
"Clayton!"
Clayton darted into the house when he heard Ellie yell. "What is it, what's wrong?"
"There's been an explosion at Ewing Oil." Her eyes were locked on the television screen as a slew of reporters raced to be the first to broadcast the news. They didn't give any thought to the people involved – this was just a fantastic story.
"No." Clayton said, helping Ellie into her chair.
"J.R. was going to the office today," Ellie wept softly.
"On a Sunday?" Clayton asked incredulously. "J.R. doesn't go into the office on Sundays."
Ellie turned to her husband. "Oh Clayton, I can't lose both of my sons, first Bobby, now J.R."
Clayton held Ellie close. "Now Ellie, we don't know that J.R. was in the building when it happened. Have the reporters said anything?"
"No one is releasing details. Sue Ellen had gone down to Ewing Oil to find J.R."
Clayton's face fell when Ellie mentioned Sue Ellen. "She did?"
"I'd like to think that they're both safe, but I just don't know."
"Ellie, they'll call. All we can do is wait."
Ellie squeezed Clayton's hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Clayton Farlow."
The phone in the living room rang, and Ellie didn't wait for Teresa to get it. "Hello?"
"Miss Ellie?"
"Pam?" Ellie could hear a muffled female voice. She was crying, barely able to speak. "Pam, is that you?"
"Miss Ellie," Pam cried, "Mark…Mark is dead."
J.R. anxiously paced around in the hospital corridor. The doctors refused to let him see his wife, insisting that they needed privacy to evaluate her properly. If only I had been the one in the building when it exploded, J.R. thought as he looked through the window at his wife. He angrily pounded the glass with all of his fury. Why did you have to come down to Ewing Oil like that anyway? I told you I had everything under control. But you worried about me, and you came…you came for me.
"Mr. Ewing?" The voice of a nearby attendee made J.R. focus.
"Is there any news on my wife."
"You should go home, Mr. Ewing. We'll call you as soon as we can. Right now, all we can do is try to bring Mrs. Ewing back to consciousness."
"Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"There's severe burns and scars from the fire, but those should heal in time. Her eyesight, however –"
"What about her eyesight!" J.R. demanded, cutting him off.
"We are checking the eyes for damages. Mr. Ewing, you aren't helping anyone by being here."
"The only person that I am concerned about, is the woman lying in that bed. When she wakes up, I want to be the very first person she is. And if that means that I have to camp out in this damn hospital than I will."
"Yes sir," the attendee nodded, knowing that he wasn't going to be getting anywhere with the powerful J.R. Ewing. As long as he wasn't disturbing the professionals, or the patients and visitors, he could stay as long as he wished.
J.R. anxiously dialed Southfork. He had tried all day to get in touch with Jack, but the phone was disconnected.
"Southfork Ranch." The familiar voice of the Ewing maid, Teresa made J.R. skip a beat. He didn't want to call any of the family to the hospital, but he knew that they had a right to be there.
"Teresa, this is J.R., put Mamma on the phone."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Ewing."
J.R. tapped his fingers on the wall, his eyes never leaving room 233A, where Sue Ellen was being held.
"J.R.!" Ellie cried. "J.R. why didn't you call sooner, I have been worried sick about you. Do you have any idea what happened? The Ewing Building has been blown to smithereens."
"Mamma, I need you to come down to Dallas Memorial Hospital."
Ellie nearly dropped the phone . "Are you hurt?"
"No, Mamma, I'm fine." J.R, swallowed as he tried to speak, "It's Sue Ellen."
Pamela stood in the bleak and lonely office of Mark's personal attorney, Herbert Blackwell. He had been speaking for over an hour, but Pam hadn't heard a word she said.
Dead….he had a heart attack in the shower. I should have been there with him, if I had gotten to him sooner I could have called for an ambulance. This is all happening so quickly. I didn't even know he was at risk. When he came back he was so evasive about his health, I was afraid to ask him about it. I assumed that everything was okay, that Mark was healthy and happy. But he wasn't…he was at risk the entire year that he was with me.
"Mrs. Graison?"
Pam's head snapped up at the unfamiliar title. "Ewing, my name is Mrs. Ewing," she said softly. I haven't been married to Mark long enough to keep his last name. We haven't even been married a week.
"Very well, Mrs. Ewing. We'll be contacting you to settle Mr. Graison's estate."
"Estate?" Pamela questioned.
"Your husband was a very wealthy man, Mrs. Ewing. Stocks, bonds, property, investments, he did business all over the world. Mr. Graison had no other living relatives to speak of, which means that you, as he wife, would be entitled to everything."
Everything. Pam couldn't wrap her mind around the events of the day. Seeing his lifeless body in the shower, already becoming cold, Pam was at a loss for what to do. She remembered talking to the ambulance and calling Miss Ellie, who was taking care of Christopher while she was on her honeymoon. Christopher, what am I going to tell Christopher?
"Mrs. Ewing?"
"Yes?" she said distractedly, meeting Mr. Blackwell's eyes.
"Would you like to set up an appointment to go over Mr. Graison's estate. We need to wrap all of his affairs as soon as possible."
Pam frowned at the lawyer before her. "Mr. Blackwell, my husband is dead. I don't think now is the proper time to be discussing finances."
Mr. Blackwell frowned impatiently. He found Mrs. Ewing to be a very peculiar woman. It wasn't every day that a husband died on a honeymoon. She seemed very distant, as if she wasn't even paying attention to him. His first thought was that she would be thrilled to inherit Mark Graison's fortunes. But she didn't seem interested in the money either. All he wanted was to wrap up his duties with Mr. Graison and put him to bed, move on to another client. But Mrs. Ewing seemed bent on dragging the estate reading longer than necessary. "However unpleasant you may find this to be, Mrs. Ewing, the issue needs to be taken care of right away."
Pam stood up, ready to leave the odious gentleman in front of her. "I'll be in touch with you, Mr. Blackwell."
"See that you will, Mrs. Ewing."
Ellie and Clayton ran through a slew of reporters as they made their way through the doors of Dallas Memorial Hospital. Word had gotten out about the explosion at the Ewing Building, and the entire family was being hounded by press.
"If I told you once I told you 100 times, get those damn reporters out of my hospital!" Dr. Derek Armstrong, the Chief of Staff at the hospital had his hands full with problems today. Mr. Ewing refused to let up and leave his wife's hospital room, impatiently looking out the window while the staff evaluated her condition. The presence of Ellie Ewing Farlow and Clayton Farlow only added to the chaos.
"J.R.!" Ellie called through the doors, eying her son by the nurse's station. She wrapped her son in a hug. "You're alright, I'm so happy that you're alright."
"Where's Sue Ellen?" Clayton asked quickly, looking around the hospital.
"She has burns from the explosion, but the doctors are saying that they aren't as severe as they thought, and that they'll be healing within a matter of months."
"Is she awake?" Ellie asked.
"Not yet, but the doctor's are confident that she'll get out of her coma soon. Where's John Ross?"
"We left him and Christopher with Ray, Donna, and Tony. The boys will be fine."
"I can't let John Ross find out about his mother like this. I'll tell him on my own when I get some answers."
"Are you sure you're alright?" Clayton asked.
"I was in the parking lot when it happened. Sue Ellen…she was in my office when the bomb went off."
"Bomb?" Clayton asked agitatedly, wondering how a bomb could find its way to Ewing Oil.
"Angelica Nero, she planted a bomb in a briefcase."
"My God, J.R., you mean to tell me that you kept doing business with the same woman that put you and Jack in danger when you were in Martinique?"
"Jack," J.R. stammered, remembering that he was trying to get in touch with his cousin. "Mamma, Clayton, have either one of you heard from Jack today?"
"No, I haven't," Ellie said.
"Me neither," Clayton said, shaking his head.
"He was the last person I talked to before the bomb went off," J.R. said. "Clayton, can you call Ray and tell him to find Jack. I'm sure he's still in Dallas."
"Of course." Clayton went off to the payphone while J.R. and Ellie stopped by Sue Ellen's room. "There she is," J.R. breathed. He gripped his mother's hand for support. Sue Ellen was hooked up to machines as doctors deciphered what happened to her in the explosion. J.R. looked up the ceiling in desperation. Lord, give me one more chance with Sue Ellen. I promise to do right by her if it's the last thing I do.
Far away from the turmoil in Dallas, Cliff Barnes returned to his hotel after a long day's work. After Pam and Mark's wedding he had received a phone call from his crew Gold Canyon 340, telling him that they needed him to inspect some of the pipes. Jamie had wanted to go with him, but after Jamie's accident the last time she came down to the Gulf, Cliff insisted that she stay behind. It was a routine checkup and he was only going to be gone for a few days.
Cliff took off his jacket and crawled into a bed, a smile forming on his face. For once in his life everything was in order. He had a wonderful wife in Jamie, he had Pam and Mark for family, his business was solid – no one could touch him, people were lined up to make deals with him –, and the best part of all was that he had finally called a truce between himself J.R. Ewing. No one had been more surprised than him when J.R. came in peace the night of the Graison Research fundraiser. He was cordial with everyone at night, standing by Sue Ellen's side and allowing her the spotlight.
If J.R. can be the bigger person and forget the Barnes Ewing Feud so can I. After all, he had more important things to focus on, like starting a family with Jamie and increasing the wealth of Barnes Wentworth. Yes, Cliff was becoming a force to be reckoned with in Dallas, a far cry from the tiny little attorney he once was. Now he had everything he ever wanted and more. Everything has fallen into place.
Clayton cornered J.R. by the coffee machine. He had some unresolved questions that needed some immediate answering. Clayton had a feeling that it was J.R. and his lousy double-dealings that sent Sue Ellen to the hospital and the Ewing Building into flames. "J.R."
"Did you get in touch with Jack?" J.R. asked.
"I called Ray and he's out searching the area. J.R., I want to know what happened."
"Weren't you watching the news? You saw what happened, the Ewing Building blew up."
"What were you thinking, doing business with Angelica Nero? She's the very same person that almost got you and Jack killed in Martinique."
J.R. let out a breath of anger. "I don't have to explain anything to you, Farlow!" J.R. said angrily. "The only person that I am concerned about is Sue Ellen."
"Is that so?" Clayton challenged, coming towards him.
"She is my wife and I love her, and I don't give a damn whether you believe me or not."
"She could have been killed by your greed and stupidity!" Clayton was ready to punch J.R. in the mouth. He was showing no remorse for the day's events.
"Don't you think I know that," J.R. said quietly, turning away. His eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Do you think I wanted her to come down to the office? I was heading home to be with her…everything would have been fine."
Clayton softened, realizing that now was not the time to hit J.R. with guilt. "What happened to Angelica Nero?"
"Harry McSween arrested her. She'll be put away for life in some maximum security prison…but that doesn't matter now."
"You care for Sue Ellen?"
J.R. turned towards his father-in-law. J.R. had very little in common with Clayton Farlow, but the one thing they shared was a love for Sue Ellen Ewing. Clayton had been her rock when she had divorced J.R., and he was the man that gave her away when she married J.R. again. If Clayton were to have had a daughter, he would have wanted one just like her.
"Things were good between us, we were both happy. I…I was going to make a commitment to her."
"Will you still be there for her, no matter what happens?"
J.R. looked at Clayton with disgust. "You don't know me at all," he said gruffly as he walked away.
"Mr. Ewing!" Dr. Armstrong stopped J.R. in his tracks. "We have some news about your wife."
Jack Ewing sat alone in a dark and empty apartment. It should have been me. That bomb was meant for me. I was going to leave Dallas, find a new life somewhere else. Jamie…she was an innocent victim, caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm her older brother, I should have been there for her, protected her.
Jack angrily thought back to when the car was rigged. After talking with J.R., he knew that Angelica Nero was the mastermind behind the incident, but when did it happen. I was with the car the entire time, I would have seen someone doing something. Jack's head snapped forward when he remembered the Pam and Mark's wedding. There was a valet there that day, he could have placed a bomb in their easily…one of Angelica's cronies.
Jack threw his empty glass of bourbon against the wall, smashing it into a million pieces. He didn't want answers, he wanted justice, and he wasn't going to be able to leave Dallas until he found it.
J.R. stood by Sue Ellen's room window looking in. She had fallen asleep. Her light brown hair messed around her forehead, J.R. wanted to go in and touch her, comfort her, apologize to her.
"Tell me the truth, doctor," J.R. said solemnly.
"The explosion – it caused a great deal of bleeding within her eyes…."
J.R. gasped in horror, "Doctor, is she blind?"
Dr. Armstrong nodded solemnly. He hated giving bad news to family members, but as Chief of the hospital, it was his responsibility, family had a right to know the truth. "Mrs. Ewing is suffering from bilateral vitreous hemorrhages , she's lost her eyesight."
"No," J.R. stammered. "Can something be done?"
"The excess blood in the retina needs to be reabsorbed back into the body. It's – it's going to take time for that to happen, it won't be over night."
J.R. batted his eyes to keep him crying. This shouldn't be happening to her, not my Sue Ellen. "So there is nothing that can be done?"
Dr. Armstrong shook his head. "Mrs. Ewing has been through a very traumatic experience, therapy is the very best thing for her. She needs to work with her blindness, heighten her other senses. There are several good centers around the Dallas area."
"Can I see her?"
Dr. Armstrong nodded as the men walked into the room. J.R. gently touched Sue Ellen's hand."
"As you can see, we've been able to treat the burns and scarring very quickly, in a matter of months, her skin will be healed. Your wife is very lucky."
"Lucky," J.R. said quietly, "I've blinded her, stolen her eyesight."
"Remember, the blindness is temporary."
"How temporary doctor?" J.R. said in a harsh whisper, not wanting to awaken Sue Ellen.
"It differs with every case, Mr. Ewing. As I already told her, therapy is the very best treatment for her."
"That's not enough."
Dr. Armstrong turned towards Mr. Ewing. "It will have to be enough."
J.R. opened his mouth to speak, but was startled when he saw Sue Ellen move.
Donna Culver Krebbs anxiously chopped carrots into a bowl while John Ross, Christopher, and Tony played with trains. There was so much that had happened within the last few hours. Donna hoped that wherever Ray was, he would find Jack and come home safely. She didn't like the thought of being alone right now. Anything could happen
"Aunt Donna?" John Ross came into the room and gently tugged at Donna's apron. "When are my parents coming home?"
Donna touched John Ross' cheek. She didn't know many details about the events of the day. All she knew was that Sue Ellen was in the hospital, and that John Ross wasn't to know a thing. "Soon, Sweetheart, really soon."
"I hope so. We were supposed to go to the water park today."
A small smile crept across Donna's mouth. "Why don't, you Tony, Christopher, Ray, and I go to the water park tomorrow."
"Really?" John Ross smiled.
"Really. I've never been, but I'd love to see it."
John Ross laughed as he turned around, asking Donna one more question. "If something was really wrong with my parents, would you tell me?"
Donna froze in her tracks, debating between lying and protecting John Ross, or telling him the truth and accepting the consequences.
"J.R.," Sue Ellen said faintly. "J.R., are you here?"
J.R. rushed to Sue Ellen's side, taking her hand in his. "I'm right here, Honey." He gently kissed her fingertips, relishing every part of her that he thought he lost.
"What happened? All I remember is coming to the office, looking for you, and then I felt the room move around me, and I fell."
"I'll tell you later, Darlin'," J.R. promised. "I'm just, I'm so happy that you're alright."
"I was so worried about you, J.R. I – I thought that you were in danger." Sue Ellen began to tremble as J.R. touched her shoulder.
"You need to relax, Darlin'."
"You're doing remarkably well, Mrs. Ewing," Dr. Armstrong assured her.
"Dr., could you please take the bandages off my eyes?"
J.R. felt a lump in his throat. He had to tell her the truth. "Sugar, you, you aren't wearing any bandages."
Ray Krebbs swore under his breath as the truck crossed onto the highway. He had been to every bar and restaurant in town and he found no sign of Jack Ewing anywhere. The moon was beginning to peak out from beneath the clouds and he knew that it was a sign that he should be stopping. Maybe I should call the police. Clayton said it was really important to find Jack.
Ray continued to drive as he passed Cliff Barnes' apartment. The last he heard, Cliff and Jamie were going down to the Gulf to check on the pipes. Maybe Jack is staying at Cliff and Jamie's.
Running out of options, Ray bounded up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Jack, are you in there, it's me, Ray."
The door slowly creaked open, revealing a disheveled Jack, holding a half-gone beer bottle.
"What happened?"
"Jamie," Jack said sullenly, as he threw his bottle against the wall, creating a stain, "is gone."
Sue Ellen grasped J.R.'s hand. "I don't understand," she said softly.
"Sugar, I'm so sorry," J.R. said quietly, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"Mrs. Ewing," Dr. Armstrong began.
"Are you saying that I'm blind?" Sue Ellen whispered, unable to speak.
"Mrs. Ewing, you're suffering from bilateral vitreous hemorrhages, there's a great amount of blood in your retina…"
"I'm blind?" Sue Ellen began to cry. "How-how…"
"Sue Ellen, the doctor says it isn't permanent," J.R. said softly.
"Chances are you'll be seeing again in no time," Dr. Armstrong said.
"I want to talk to the doctor alone," Sue Ellen said coolly, releasing J.R.'s hand.
A look of hurt that Sue Ellen couldn't see crossed J.R.'s face as he gently stroked her hair. "Let me be there for you, Sue Ellen."
"You've done enough, J.R."
J.R. blinked his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. He deserved everything she was giving him; he had put her – his whole family in danger – and now someone was paying the price, but it was the wrong person.
The door clicked closed as Dr. Armstrong came toward Sue Ellen. "Mrs. Ewing…."
"Please call me, Sue Ellen. I have a feeling that we'll be communicating quite a bit and Mrs. Ewing will be getting old very fast."
"Sue Ellen, as I was saying earlier, the force of the explosion caused some damage to your eyes."
"And there is nothing that you can do to take the blood away from the retina?"
"Sue Ellen, you're going to need to be patient, to work with the blindness. I've recommended some therapy groups to J.R…."
"Therapy!" Sue Ellen snapped. "You're making me out to be a nut job!"
"Not at all Sue Ellen; you've been through a traumatic experience, it's only natural for you to seek help."
"What I need, is the ability to see."
"Well you won't be having that for some time, Mrs. Ewing."
Sue Ellen began to cry. "It isn't fair, I, I didn't plan on this happening."
Dr. Armstrong took Sue Ellen's hand. "The hospital is going to do everything it can to make you better, Sue Ellen. That's a promise."
Sue Ellen smiled through her tears. "Tell me everything that happened to me because of the accident."
Pamela Barnes slowly pulled her car into the forgotten driveway of the Wentworth mansion. I'm so glad that I didn't sell the house right away. She let out a heavy sigh as waved at Louise, who rushed out to greet her.
"Mrs. Ewing, I'm terribly sorry about Senor Graison."
Pam nodded her thanks as Louise took the bags from the car.
"Are you staying on in Dallas?"
"Yes," Pam said slowly. "Christopher and I will be moving in by the end of the week."
Louise nodded, not wanting to pry into Pam's affairs.
Pam eyed the backyard and began to silently cry. She had been married to Mark in that very place a few short days ago. Every dream that Pam ever had was now being taken from her as she was forced to start a new life over.
I need to be strong for Christopher. Right now, that baby is all that I have. Christopher didn't know about Mark's fate, and Pam wasn't quite sure how to break it to him. He had been very distraught over losing Bobby, and he had gotten attached to Mark very quickly. How do I tell him that it will just be him and I?
Pam got into her car and began to drive. She couldn't deal with the big, empty house right now. What she needed was to see her family, Christopher, and know that she was safe, that she could move past Mark's death.
Southfork was eerily quiet as Pam drove through the white gates. Where is everyone? Pam finally spotted John Ross and Christopher playing catch with Tony.
"Mamma," Christopher cried as he jumped into his mother's arms. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Hi, Aunt Pam," John Ross said.
"Are you boys here by yourself?" Pam asked incredulously.
"Aunt Donna is in the kitchen."
"Mamma, can I play ball with John Ross and Tony?" Christopher asked as he struggled to get down.
"Of course you can," Pam said as she headed in to find Donna. She found Mrs. Krebbs going through papers in the kitchen. "Hi, stranger."
"Pam." Donna pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm so sorry about Mark." She gestured for her to sit down. "How are you feeling?"
"Everything is happening so quickly." Donna grabbed two water glasses and filled them up. "Donna, you will not believe the lecherous lawyer that I have to deal with. Herbert Blackwell – he has no respect for the dead whatsoever. All he wants to do is settle Mark's affairs and move onto his next client, pretend that he never existed."
"Did you have any idea about Mark's health?"
"No, none. He was never very open with me about his health. I assumed that after all of that time he spent at the clinic, he would have been healthier than ever, but I was wrong…"
"What are you going to do now?"
"Well, Christopher and I will be moving back to the Dallas mansion. I just – I can't imagine starting my life all over again, going through another death."
"I know what you mean," Donna said softly. "With Jamie…"
"Jamie?" Pam said quickly, "what happened to Jamie?"
Donna's eyes grew wide. "I – I thought Miss Ellie told you what happened when you spoke on the phone."
"Did something else happen?"
Donna took Pam's hand and pulled her into the living room. "None of the boys know what's going on, so you have to be quiet. There was a bomb set off, in Jack's car, Jamie was in it when it happened."
Pam covered her hands with her mouth. "Oh, no."
"And there was another bomb at Ewing Oil."
"Ewing Oil? Is J.R. alright?"
"J.R. is fine, Sue Ellen – Sue Ellen isn't."
"Bilateral what?" Ellie asked, confused. J.R. sat his mother and Clayton down as he struggled to tell them the news.
"You're saying Sue Ellen is blind?" Clayton asked, astonished.
"The doctors think that it's only temporary," J.R. said.
"Temporary or not, you have ruined that woman's life!" Clayton shot back angrily.
"Clayton," Ellie said in sadness.
"Don't you think I know that, Farlow?" J.R. said angrily.
"I think the only thing you were concerned was that precious Marinos Shipping deal."
"Clayton!" Ellie urged.
J.R. stood up in frustration. "Farlow, you are not a member of this family, and you do not know what is going on for this family right now. You have no right to judge to me!" J.R. walked off angrily.
"Clayton, how could you?" Ellie said sternly. "Why do you need to make J.R. feel worse than he already does?"
"Because once again, this is his fault, he should take responsibility for his actions."
"He is taking responsibility for his actions, Clayton!" Ellie stood up. It was often that she sided with J.R. against Clayton, but this time she felt Clayton was in the wrong. "You need to give him a chance to prove himself." Ellie walked off, leaving an upset Clayton behind her.
Sue Ellen listened as the doctor described her scarring. At least it isn't permanent, though I won't be seeing the scars anyway. She heard a gentle knock at the door and turned her head.
"Your husband, Sue Ellen," Dr. Armstrong said.
"Send him in," Sue Ellen nodded.
J.R. came armed with yellow roses as he opened the door. "Hello, Honey," he said softly, praying that she wouldn't throw him out of the room.
"Dr. Armstrong, may I have a moment alone with my husband?"
"Of course, Sue Ellen." Dr. Armstrong carefully closed the door, leaving husband and wife alone at last.
"J.R…."
"Darlin', before you say anything, you had every right to throw me out of the room, everything is my fault, you were right about Angelica."
"J.R., I shouldn't have treated you that way."
J.R. took a seat next to her, gently reaching for her hand. "Sue Ellen, I did this to you, if I had been more careful…"
"Then none of this would have happened," Sue Ellen finished. "You can't say that, J.R."
"I love you, I should have protected you."
Sue Ellen carefully traced J.R.'s fingers, longing to see him with her eyes. "I know that you love me, and I love you – and John Ross. Where is John Ross?"
"He's with Ray and Donna."
"I miss him."
"So do I."
"The doctor says I can go home soon."
"We've already got Raul and Teresa setting the house up for you."
"J.R. – I really thought I was going to lose you," Sue Ellen began to cry. "And, I'd, I'd rather be blind than lose you completely."
J.R. was touched by her gentle words. "I love you, Sue Ellen Ewing, and I promise to be there for you every step of the way."
"We still have each other."
J.R. cleared his throat, "Forever and always."
Cliff Barnes slammed the phone in his hotel room onto the base. He had been trying to contact Jamie for the past twelve hours and he was getting nowhere. The pipes on Gold Canyon 340 were in solid condition and Cliff was ready to go home.
Why isn't she picking up the phone?" Cliff thought in frustration. There's no point in having good news unless you have someone to share it with. He had been battling second thoughts about leaving her for a very long time, and he had finally convinced himself that he made the right decision in leaving Jamie for a few days. It was better to leave her for a few days than to have her risk hurting herself coming down here with me.
Cliff flicked on the television as he picked up the phone once again. His eyes were drawn to a stunning news reporter in the middle of the screen.
"We have more details about the tragic accident that occurred in Dallas, Texas just a few days ago."
Cliff leaned forward, turning up the volume on the set.
"There was an explosion at Ewing Oil."