Dallas, Texas
August 1977
He knew. He had to. He was staring at her, watching her, taking in every inch of her as if he might see the truth if he looked hard enough. Almost three months along now, her abdomen no longer lay concave when she sunbathed, it curved slightly outward, evidence of her condition, at least for anyone who might be looking. And she suspected he was.
Through her sunglasses, Sue Ellen could see Jock clearly, though it appeared he hadn't noticed. Either he couldn't tell where her gaze was directed, or her face was simply the last place he was looking. She felt exposed, even though she was no more uncovered than she'd be any other day by the pool. Sitting up, she took a sip of the iced tea Teresa had brought her, careful not to betray that she was aware of his study. She stood, casually draped her cover-up over herself, then lay back down.
There was only so long she could keep this news to herself, and only so long she should. It was time to tell the family. Hopefully, putting it out in the open would cement everyone's roles. Jock was a man, but he wasn't her man, and he ought not to be looking at her the way he was. With any luck, the news of his coming grandchild would remind him of the true nature of their relationship.
JR didn't want to believe it, but his wife was right: his daddy was leering, plain as day. He understood why, Sue Ellen had changed a lot in a short time, but that was for him to notice and enjoy, not for other men.
She was also right that it was time to make an announcement. First, because she and the baby were both in excellent health, and with each week that passed, the risk of miscarriage dropped. Second, as time went on, it was going to become even more obvious, as his daddy had already made clear. And third, the word grandparent was sure to establish everyone's place. His parents were already grandparents; Gary had given them that title years ago, but Sue Ellen had a point that his daddy probably needed to hear it again, this time in relation to her.
Miss Ellie was delighted; her smile lit up the room. His own smile, though, wasn't entirely real, his delight was mixed with a touch of bitterness.
He'd been ready to congratulate them, to commiserate with them, and to silently accept their gratitude, but he'd had no opportunity to do the last two. Their announcement came during pre-dinner drinks, a quick, pleasant declaration that was completely lacking in detail. If he hadn't known about all their specialist visits, he wouldn't know now. They hadn't mentioned their struggles, their pain, or their gratitude. He might have understood them not thanking him aloud if they'd made any other gesture of appreciation, after all, they didn't know they should possibly be thanking him. But they hadn't said a word beyond that they were happy and in good health, and to him, that didn't seem like enough.
Her mother was pleased to hear the news, pleased and proud. She didn't much like the word grandmother, but she loved the idea of her grandchild being a Ewing by blood. Kristin was pleased too, though more in a superficial way, her excitement about a baby rooted more in a cutesy fantasy than any real desire. But pleased, nonetheless.
It was a relief to have it out in the open now, to finally be able to say what was actually going on instead of carefully sidestepping it. If she felt hungry, ill, tired, or had insomnia, or if she experienced anything she wasn't entirely sure about, she no longer had to pretend otherwise.
To her relief, their friends and acquaintances were just as kind as the family had been. JR needn't have worried so much about gossip; no one whispered or wondered why it had taken him so long to father a child. Now that she was expecting, any doubts about his virility were put to rest.
"There's no file; Mrs Ewing has been discharged back to her regular doctor's care, and whatever paperwork was kept on-site has been moved offsite for storage now," his new contact explained over the phone.
"Offsite where?" Jock asked.
"A warehouse somewhere in Irving. They send boxes off every week."
"They must bring them back sometimes. What do you know about recalling documents?"
He understood the basics of sending items to storage and retrieving them, as the concept wasn't complicated. Ewing Oil had plenty of paperwork that needed filing, but he didn't handle it himself, Julie did. As a result, he had no real understanding of how the process worked logistically. Was someone able to simply open the cardboard cartons to locate the records?
"That requires signed paperwork. I don't have that level of access," his contact explained.
Shaking his head at the lack of help, he asked, "Anything else?"
"No, I've told you everything I know."
"Fine."
Ending the call, Jock looked out his office window and sighed. Making a new contact was always a gamble, and this one had turned out to be next to useless. What he wanted was information, answers only a handful of people could give him.
As more time passed, he found himself wondering if things had unfolded the way he suspected. It was maddening that his original contact had left town before he could confirm whether the job was complete. He was growing increasingly suspicious that he'd been swindled, that perhaps his instructions had been ignored and his money taken without a single interference. JR wasn't sterile; he could have children, albeit with a lower probability than most men, so there was always the chance he and Sue Ellen had managed it on their own.
Jock wanted answers. He wanted to know what had happened, when, and whether he'd been involved at all. Asking JR and Sue Ellen wasn't an option, so he needed alternatives, and his latest alternative had just proved a bust.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading :) I can see nearly 30 of you are regulars, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a review if you have any thoughts. Special thanks to Suzanna, Laurie and Ukdallasfan for your reviews. Your support means a lot!