Dallas, Texas

As she rolled over on Sunday morning and gently awoke, Sue Ellen's stomach dropped as she felt the cold, empty sheets on JR's side of the bed. There was absolutely no way that he had just gotten up early, not with the way he'd been drinking at the party last night, and somewhere inside her, she knew he hadn't come to bed at all, a thought that worried her deeply. It was the week before Christmas and they'd had the annual Ewing Christmas party last night, it had been fun, but by the end of the night, she'd been exhausted. There was something about being pregnant that meant that her energy was drained much faster now than it usually was, and having to play hostess and make sure that she and JR fulfilled their social obligation to personally meet and greet each guest at the party was more tiring to her now than it normally would have been. As the final guests began to leave the party, she had said her goodbyes and stayed as long as socially expected before Miss Ellie noticed that she looked tired and released her from her social duties. Quickly explaining to JR where she was going, he'd made a quiet comment to her about joining her later, though he said something about having a few more drinks with the other men first; she'd then slipped upstairs to go to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as she lay down. It wasn't that she didn't trust JR to be out on his own, because she did, and she had to if she wanted them to have a good marriage, however, there was something inside her that was telling her that something was wrong. If the feeling she had wasn't distrust or suspicion about his fidelity, then she figured that it was anxiety related to his safety, because the thought of him being hurt or worse, dead, was something she feared, and it was something she just couldn't deal with right now. She wasn't sure whether it was her pregnancy hormones or whether she'd always been an emotional mess, but whatever she was feeling this morning translated into a steady stream of tears and an increasingly worsening feeling in her stomach, one that she could only attribute to anxiety, though she hated not knowing exactly what she was anxious about.

Across town, JR awoke with a pounding headache and looked around the room at the unfamiliar surroundings as he tried to work out where he was and why he was there; he was conscious enough to recognize that he was in a hotel room, but an exact explanation as to why he was there wasn't as obvious. However, he wasn't stupid, if he was naked and hungover in a hotel room, there was definitely more to the story than what he would publicly admit; he knew he'd had female company last night, but he didn't know who, though he didn't particularly care either, and he was thankful that whoever she was appeared to have left already. The situation he was in right now wasn't exactly new to him, he'd slept with plenty of women in his lifetime, but the hangover he had this morning was one of the worst he could remember. His headache, shakiness and excessive thirst were expected, but the lack of memories related to the previous night's activities was something that bothered him, he didn't like to not be in control, and not remembering things made him feel uneasy. Picking up the phone, he called down to room service to get some pills for his headache and some coffee to help him wake up; he then dialled the outside extension number and called the phone at the Ewing condo. It was too late now to return home and pretend he'd spent the night, so he needed a story for when either his mother or his wife inevitably asked him where he'd been all night. If no one was at the condo, then he could pretend that he'd spent the night there, and if someone was there, then he'd use them as his alibi. After five or six rings, someone finally answered the phone, "hello?" JR sighed with relief as he recognized Bobby's voice, and he was thrilled, but also empathetic when he listened to the way he was speaking, he sounded almost as bad as JR felt, and it made JR feel a little bit better to know that whatever had happened last night hadn't just affected him. After a quick conversation, he deduced that he, Jock, Bobby, Ray and Punk had gone to the Longhorn Bar after the party last night, and at some point, he, Bobby and Ray had moved on to another bar; the rest was for him to figure out on his own, though he had a fair idea of what had happened. He didn't ask Bobby whether he had companionship or not, because he already knew the answer if he was at the condo and not Southfork, but he did make it clear that he was going to need to pretend that they'd both spent the night at the condo. JR was the natural liar of the family and already had a story for them to use, their reasoning for staying in town was purely to do with convenience; the condo was closer to the bar and it seemed more logical to stay there than to get taxi all the way back to Southfork at that time of night. In his hungover state, Bobby didn't really argue with his older brother's request, truthfully, he felt so bad right now that he would have said or done anything to get JR to stop talking.

"Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie knocked on the bedroom door and grew concerned when her knocks went unanswered. She and Lucy had been the only people at breakfast this morning, and from the state Jock had come home in last night, she had a fair idea of why neither Bobby nor JR was at breakfast. However, Sue Ellen had gone to bed almost as soon as the party had ended and it was unusual for her to miss breakfast, even in the first few weeks of her pregnancy, when she'd had bad morning sickness, she'd always made an appearance at mealtimes. Opening the door, she gasped as she found Sue Ellen crying in bed, it had been a long time since she'd seen this girl and she wondered what had happened to cause her to act like this, because from being around Sue Ellen, she knew that her tears almost always had a reason. Walking into the bedroom, she closed the door and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Sue Ellen?" she spoke calmly and softly as she tried to get her to calm down and verbalise her feelings. After a few minutes, she was able to surmise that JR had done something to worry or upset Sue Ellen, though she couldn't quite work out what, especially since Sue Ellen and JR's marriage had appeared to be good in the past few months. "Shh, everything's going to be fine", she stroked her hair until Sue Ellen's breathing calmed; "he could have called me. He knows I worry", the mumbled words were all Miss Ellie needed to hear before she worked out why Sue Ellen was so upset. Once again, JR's lack of forethought was coming back to bite him and she sighed to herself as she silently cursed his inconsiderateness; JR, like Jock, Punk, or any other married man, was allowed to have a night out with his friends, but Sue Ellen was right, it would have been nice if he'd at least called her. She quietly explained that sometimes men didn't think about things like women did, but she was sure JR was fine and that he'd be home soon, and in a way, Sue Ellen actually felt reassured by Miss Ellie's explanation. A few minutes later, Sue Ellen pulled herself together and felt silly for crying about something she couldn't control, "I'm sorry Miss Ellie, I overreacted. You're right, I'm sure JR just didn't realise that I'd want to know about his plans. I did tell him I was going upstairs to sleep anyway", she smiled at her mother-in-law and got out of bed, walking toward her closet and pushing past whatever negative feelings she'd been having about JR. Miss Ellie wasn't convinced that Sue Ellen was really over it, but she let it go for now, leaving her to finish getting ready by herself, but also making a mental note to have a word with JR about being a more considerate husband. He'd been doing so well over the past few months, and she really was pleased that he and Sue Ellen seemed to be happy for the most part, but sometimes he needed a little guidance, and she was prepared to do whatever she needed to to make sure that their marriage stayed strong. After all, they had a baby coming in just a few months, and if their relationship was weak at that point, then it would be extremely strained under the stress of raising a child; no, she wanted them to have the best life they could, and if that meant interfering a little bit, then so be it.

To be continued…