Sue Ellen looked around nervously, hoping that he would have changed his mind. However, she recognised his swagger in the distance. She folded her arms defensively as he approached. "I'm glad you came" he greeted her. "I'm not, but then I didn't have much choice" she retorted. "It's too late to be angry with me now" he countered. "What's done is done. You're having my child and we need to figure out where we go from here."
She shook her head angrily. "Now wait a minute. There's absolutely no guarantee that this baby is yours. All the chances are that it's not. As for where we go from here, this is going nowhere, and you should know that. If what we did ever came to be known the family would be ruined and that would mean your precious Ewing Oil would go down with it."
Taken aback by the vehemence of her tone, Jock decided on a softer approach. "Surely you will want to know whose child it is, Sue Ellen? Neither of us can afford to torture ourselves with the burden of such uncertainty. That's all I meant. I am not one to wreck all that I have achieved, surely you appreciate that?"
"The child will be a Ewing. That's all I need to know and that's what you promised. You promised me, Jock, that you would only regard this baby as your grandchild. You can't go back on that now." He stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. "I know I did, but now I feel differently."
"And what would you do, if you did find out that it is yours? I repeat what I said before, there is no way that anyone could know. Miss Ellie would divorce you and JR would divorce me. Oh, I will be alright and so will my child. But you? You'd have nothing. You do realise that I wouldn't have a thing more to do with you, don't you? Any sick fantasy that you might have about the three of us is just that. I didn't want you that afternoon and I don't want you now!"
She turned and began to walk away. "You will want to know, after the baby comes" he shouted after her. "You'll see!"
As she entered the hospital with her husband, even the pain of increasing labour couldn't shake the feeling that had grown inside her over the last few months. Whilst she had skilfully avoided her father-in-law at almost every turn and continued to deceive JR, the not knowing had haunted her. "Darlin?" JR asked anxiously as she was helped into a wheelchair. "It hurts, JR, but I'm okay" she told him, wincing as the next contraction took hold. "It will all be over soon enough, Mrs Ewing" the nurse reassured her.
Seven hours later they had their boy. "John Ross Ewing the third!" JR announced proudly to his parents over the telephone. "Well done, son" Jock responded, a knot tightening in his stomach and tears pricking his eyes. "When can we see him?" he asked anxiously. "Oh well, the doctor says Sue Ellen needs to rest now, so I'd leave it until tomorrow?" his son responded. "Alright then" Miss Ellie interjected. "We are just so excited, JR! Your father is getting quite emotional here!"
Six weeks later, they met in the underground car park of the clinic that Jock had chosen. Lifting her son from his car seat, Sue Ellen turned to face him. The period between the birth and now had taken its toll on both of them. Unable to wait any longer, they had agreed that they needed to know, but only on his solemn vow that if he turned out to be the father he would never act on it.
"Is the doctor trustworthy" she asked anxiously as they entered the elevator. "Yes, don't worry about that. His silence is completely assured." Albeit with confidence in the practitioner's ethics, Jock had made sure that their secret would never be revealed by having him sign a legal agreement and paying him an amount that would see his own son easily through college in return.
Thirty minutes later, the samples had been taken and they now needed to wait. Soothing her distressed infant, she bade Jock farewell but not without warning him against attracting suspicion. There was a chance, they had been advised, that the test result would not be definitive given the relationship between father and son. It was a chance, however, that they needed to take, for the sake of their sanity. There were further options, if the test did not prove paternity one way or the other, but those carried far greater risks than either of them had become prepared to accept.
"Mr Ewing, you are definitely not the father" the doctor announced at the outset of the follow up appointment. "Are you sure?" Sue Ellen asked quickly, wanting to be certain of the result. "I am completely sure. There is no doubt about it." She smiled widely in relief. Jock frowned, blindsided by the news. "I don't understand?" he eventually replied. "The test result proves it" the doctor answered, shooting Jock a meaningful look. Sue Ellen made to stand. "It's over, Jock. The nightmare is over, for both of us" she told him as she walked to the door. "I am very grateful to you for all your assistance, doctor. As I have no further questions, good afternoon."
The two men watched her leave, allowing a minute or so after she had closed the door to ensure that they could not be overheard. "I don't believe it" Jock began, his pride wounded and secret, albeit unrealistic, hope for the future dashed. The doctor cleared his throat nervously. "Mr Ewing, I didn't want to go into detail in front of your daughter-in-law, but the reason why the test result is so clear is that, erm, there is no biological relationship between you and the baby's father. The man you think is your first-born son, isn't yours at all. I am very sorry."
The End
Thank you for reading and reviewing. I am hoping to get a Christmas themed story out soon, but, if I don't, then I wish my readers and reviewers a very happy holiday :)