Dallas, Texas
Six months later
17 November 1972
"Jock, are you all right? You don't seem well."
Concern written all over her face, his secretary Jane set her steno pad down as he stopped talking, the shortness of breath getting the better of him.
"It's just angina; happens all the time. Now, let's continue."
Brushing it off, he willed the squeezing pressure and tightness in his chest to dissipate so they could get on with their meeting.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Nodding, the single word was difficult to get out and the uncomfortably familiar nausea, sweating, and dizziness were difficult to ignore.
"All right. We stopped at '…cease production on Ewing 12 and reallocate resources to Ewing 32'."
"Give me a minute."
"I'll get you some water."
All too aware of the discomfort taking over his upper body, the nervous tone of his fresh from secretarial college assistant did nothing to calm him.
Closing his eyes, unable to do much more than that, he tried to think about things other than his present situation as a distraction, coming up blank as far as work went and unhappy as far as his personal life was concerned.
"What time is it?"
"Two o'clock."
Nodding, he said nothing; there was nothing to say.
Ellie had done it by now. She was Mrs Clayton Farlow.
That was the final nail in the coffin. His family had all moved on from him, without him, as if he were dead and gone, and day-to-day he felt as if he may as well be, especially in moments like this where his heart pained, not just emotionally but physically.
The ceremony had been lovely. A small gathering of select family and friends, the idea of a large wedding like her first or more recently JR and Sue Ellen's becoming less and less appealing to Miss Ellie as they made their way through their list of acquaintances, shared and individual. Dusty wasn't welcome, nor was Jock, that was expected, but when it came to deciding how close social connections were to her vs to Jock it became more of a headache than anything else. As far as Clayton's friends and acquaintances went, it was a lot easier, if she hadn't met a San Angelo connection then they weren't close enough to invite to the wedding. Rumours of a small wedding were now facts, and if someone were upset then they wouldn't be by the time the next barbecue or rodeo occurred because those were open to all, invitation or not.
Concerns about the guest list were easily forgotten now however because being in her new husband's arms as they moved around the dancefloor was more than enough to keep her mind occupied.
Clayton was a gentleman and everything a husband should be; they'd been married only an hour or so but she genuinely believed that to be true. It was disappointing she was fifty-seven and had only recently discovered the happiness she now felt but if everything Doctor Danvers told her was to be trusted she still had a good few decades left in her and she planned to enjoy every day of them.
Passing his mama and Clayton on one side and his brother and sister-in-law on the other side, Bobby held his date close too as they moved around the dancefloor.
He didn't love Suzanne but he had faith that love did exist, the way his mama and Clayton looked at each other confirmed that to him.
He'd never look to JR for that same understanding, he and his brother had very different ideas about most things in life, however he couldn't deny that whatever his brother had with Sue Ellen made both Mr and Mrs JR Ewing happy.
Things with his mama and daddy hadn't worked out but not because his mama hadn't tried. He'd never mistreat a lady like his daddy had, so he didn't fear ending up in the same situation as they were either.
Marriage was a long way off for him; he didn't feel any need to be married, not since Jenna had left. What he did feel and did have was companionship and for now that kept him satiated.
Slipping away from the party downstairs to tuck Eloise in after the baby nurse readied her for bed, Sue Ellen knelt on the rug beside where her daughter lay and whispered to her all the sweet things she was used to hearing, finishing with an "I love you."
She spoke nothing but truth, she loved her daughter, she loved her husband, and she loved their family, nuclear and extended.
The path they'd taken to get to the ideal occupancy at Southfork hadn't been easy, an affair, a divorce, and several estrangements were not the thing of dreams, but their lives now were almost perfect, and the little bit of imperfection was just enough to keep things interesting.
The end
