Dallas, Texas

"…oh you know, the usual; negotiating contracts, analysing geological reports, meeting with the cartel, oh, and a friendly lunch with Tex Jackson, he's mostly retired now, but Ewing Oil bought a lot of land off him a few years back, in a deal that was good for both parties, so we're on good terms. Murmurings around town are that he's getting ready to sell up and retire for good, so the remainder of his wells and oil-rich land holdings may be up for grabs soon, and Ewing Oil is always interested in acquiring productive land if it's offered, so, naturally, lunch is a very good idea". Grinning as he tied his tie and explained about his plans for the day, conveniently leaving out his appointment at the laboratory for a HLA blood test, he then looked over at his wife and noticed that she was dressed more formally than she usually would to spend the day at Southfork with their son or run errands in town. "What about you darlin'? You look lovely today. Should I be jealous?" jokingly fishing for information, he was genuinely curious about her plans for the day, he didn't remember her mentioning that she was planning on doing anything different to her usual routine. "Thank you", listening to his compliment, Sue Ellen's confidence was boosted and walking over to him, she gave him a soft kiss, "and no, no need to be jealous. Remember how I told you that socialising with everyone at the barbecue prompted me to move forward with my plans to start attending DOA meetings and participating in events again? Well Miss Ellie informed me last night that the committee she's on is handing out care packages today and they could use an extra pair of hands, so I'll be there this morning and home in time to spend the afternoon with John Ross again. I think it'll be nice to get out of the house for a little while and since I enjoy helping people more than I do sitting around and having tea, gossiping with the other DOA ladies at the meetings, I'm happy that this opportunity was available to me". Explaining her position, she was pleased when JR gave her a genuine smile and congratulated her; she knew he understood how much her activities meant to her and how good they were for her psyche and she was happy to know that she had his support. Finishing getting dressed, they made their way down to the nursery, collected John Ross and then headed down to breakfast together.

"All done", directing JR to put pressure on the cotton ball that was covering the needle prick mark, the laboratory phlebotomist then recorded his personal information on the tube of blood, checked to see that his blood was clotting and then showed him out of the room. Walking down the corridors and exiting the laboratory, JR felt a little anxious, but in a way, he was also relieved. He was fairly certain that Cynthia Moore was a liar and an opportunist and he was not the father of her child, so he wasn't too worried about what the results of the blood test were, what he was worried about though was the uncertainty of the situation prior to him having evidence to counter her claim. It wouldn't do him any good to have his father or wife finding out about his current situation, not now and if possible, not later on, so the sooner he could get the blood test results back, prove Cynthia a liar, punish her for her lies and eliminate her as a threat in his life, the better. If Harve had done what he said he would do though, everything would be over and done with by the next evening and he could go back to living his life as a happily married man with one wife and one son. It had occurred to him a few times that he was thinking about the situation coldly if that little baby was his son, however, he just couldn't and didn't want to believe that he was, so he tried to block out any guilty thoughts about potentially expelling an illegitimate child from his life. As it was though, all evidence pointed toward him not actually being the father, so he wasn't prepared to start thinking about what would happen if he were, it wasn't something he wanted to have to consider and until time came that he had reason to, he wouldn't.

Across town, set up in a community centre, Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie, Mavis Anderson, Linda Bradley, Marilee Stone and a few other DOA ladies were busy at work talking and distributing care packages to the small group of new mothers and their babies that were in less fortunate social and economic situations than themselves. It was a bit of a surprise to Sue Ellen to find out that the group they were helping were women that she could relate to, but at the same time, couldn't relate to because she had so much, however, instead of feeling guilty about what she had, she threw herself into doing as much good as she could. She enjoyed seeing the way a small action on her part could really impact another woman's life and it made her feel useful and valued to be thanked for her efforts. As her conversation with a woman whose husband had been laid off just a week before their daughter was born came to a natural close, Sue Ellen excused herself to use the bathroom, not taking much notice of the movement of the rest of the women in the main hall. Using the bathroom, washing her hands and then checking her appearance, she then pulled at the door to open it, just as a young woman and her wailing newborn son attempted to enter, startling both women and resulting in the young woman's personal items ending up all over the floor. "I'm so sorry, let me help you", shocked that she'd been so clumsy, Sue Ellen immediately crouched down and began to collect the diapers, wipes, bottles and other items that had fallen out of the young woman's slightly open diaper bag. "No, it's my fault, I'm so clumsy and I was distracted by John's crying and balancing him as I tried to open the door", crouching down and helping to collect her things as best she could with her newborn son in her arms, she then froze as she comprehended who she was speaking to. Sue Ellen Ewing wasn't a woman she ever expected to meet and the fact that they were there, having a somewhat friendly and embarrassing conversation made her feel a little anxious. Whatever way it was put, she had slept with Sue Ellen's husband, broken up their marriage for a little while and had possibly delivered a child that was a biological result of the fling she'd had with Mr JR Ewing, and although she wanted him to bow down to her wishes, she didn't want to ruin his marriage.

A little embarrassed by her clumsiness, even if it wasn't entirely her fault, Sue Ellen gave the young woman a weak smile and continued to pick up the contents of her diaper bag. Working relatively fast and not really having her mind set to where she was intentionally taking notice of what she was picking up and putting into the bag, it took her a moment to comprehend the letter when she saw it. No stranger to the interlocked S&B logo that represented Smithfield & Bennett law firm, something inside her was intrigued. Smithfield & Bennett was not a cheap law firm and it struck her as odd that a young woman who needed charitable help would be dealing with such a company, however, as her eyes quickly moved over the contents of the letter, everything fell into place and as it did, her stomach dropped. In some horrible twist of fate, the words 'John Ross Ewing, Jr.', 'paternity', 'blood test' and 'minor child' were printed on the legal letter in front of her, and putting together JR's skittish behaviour last week, the age of the child, the child's name and the worried look on the young woman's face, she knew her initial thought was correct. Her worst nightmare was unfolding right in front of her; JR had or possibly had another child, a son, an infant son, with a girl that was even younger than she was, and he'd hidden it from her. Feeling physically ill at the thought of JR cheating on her, especially to the point where a child was created, and emotionally heartbroken by the betrayal she had experienced in the past and was now experiencing again, she dropped the items in her hands and sunk to the floor, unable to speak or look at the woman or her baby.

Seeing the reaction of JR Ewing's wife, Cynthia felt guilty and ashamed; she'd never wanted to hurt his family, all she wanted was a little support for she and her son from a man that had more than enough and even if he wasn't the father, very well could've been. It wasn't much to ask, not really; however, she never expected her actions to have such consequences either. Feeling as if she needed to say something, she stuttered as she attempted to do so, "I… I'm sorry…" getting out three words before finding herself at a loss and having her attention redirected back to her crying son, she was almost relieved then when Sue Ellen appeared to have a sudden resurgence of energy and stood. With more class than to act on her emotions, even if they were more than valid, Sue Ellen simply glared at the young woman and spoke directly to her, "I don't want to hear it..." then, collecting her things, she walked away, heartbroken, angry and confused.

To be continued…