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<blockquote data-quote="CeeCee72" data-source="post: 215935" data-attributes="member: 5055">I don&#039;t own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.This is a &quot;What if?&quot; fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode &quot;Top Gun&quot; Sue Ellen had changed her mind at the last possible moment and instead of teaming up with Kimberly and Wendell to beat JR she voted her Weststar shares to make him CEO?***What IfPart 31***&quot;You look beautiful!&quot; Ray said, kissing his wife. &quot;God, I missed you. I missed this little guy, too,&quot; he smiled and patted Lucas on the head. &quot;How was your flight?&quot;&quot;Long,&quot; Jenna sighed. &quot;Lucas was so fussy. I don&#039;t think he likes flying.&quot;&quot;Well, let&#039;s get you home and settled in so the two of you can get some rest.&quot;&quot;How is everyone doing?&quot; she asked as he opened the truck door and helped her climb in.&quot;Fine. Mama and Clayton are bringing Lucy home this morning. Cliff is getting discharged too,&quot; Ray shut her door, walked to the driver&#039;s side and climbed under the wheel.&quot;And JR?&quot; Jenna asked, buckling Lucas into his car seat.&quot;Doing fine. Doctors say he can come home in a few days, but I wouldn&#039;t be surprised if he was home by tomorrow.&quot;&quot;How is Sue Ellen holding up? She must be exhausted.&quot;&quot;You know Sue Ellen,&quot; Ray shrugged. &quot;No matter what happens, she&#039;s all grace and dignity. To be honest, I&#039;m worried about her. She looks awful and she&#039;s wearing herself out fussing over JR.&quot;&quot;So much has changed in the short time I&#039;ve been gone. I can&#039;t believe JR is buying the house and ranch.&quot;&quot;JR&#039;s had a pretty harsh wake-up call,&quot; Ray smiled. &quot;The reality Sue Ellen was really going to divorce him seems to have made him straighten up and fly right.&quot;&quot;You think it will last?&quot;&quot;Time will tell,&quot; Ray shrugged. &quot;Enough about JR and Sue Ellen. I want to hear all about Charlie and the house hunting you&#039;ve been doing.&quot;&quot;I missed you, Ray,&quot; Jenna smiled at him.&quot;I missed you too.&quot;***&quot;You&#039;re all packed up,&quot; April smiled at Lucy. &quot;You&#039;ll be ready to go as soon as your grandparents get here.&quot;&quot;Thanks, April. Cliff excited to get out of here?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; April laughed. &quot;He was already up and in the shower when I got here.&quot;&quot;Are you guys a couple or what?&quot; Lucy asked.&quot;Or what,&quot; April grinned. &quot;We&#039;re good friends. That&#039;s it.&quot;Lucy nodded distractedly. &quot;I talked to my ex-husband last night. His sister was asking about Cliff. They used to be a couple.&quot;&quot;Afton?&quot;&quot;How did you know?&quot;&quot;Cliff told me all about her. She&#039;s the one that got away.&quot;&quot;You don&#039;t know the half of it,&quot; Lucy muttered.&quot;What?&quot;&quot;Nothing,&quot; Lucy looked around the room to make sure she wasn&#039;t forgetting to pack anything. &quot;JR asked me to come by his room before I left. Something about a surprise for Sue Ellen. Do you think you could coax Sue Ellen out of his room for a few minutes so he and I can talk?&quot;&quot;Sure. I&#039;ll take her down to the cafeteria and buy her some breakfast.&quot;&quot;Great,&quot; Lucy chuckled. &quot;Who would have thought a week ago that Uncle JR would ask me to help him with anything? Times, they are a&#039;changin&#039;.&quot;***&quot;Good morning,&quot; the doctor came into the room and took a seat by the bed. &quot;How are the two of you feeling this morning?&quot;&quot;I&#039;m perfectly fine,&quot; JR told him. &quot;I&#039;m ready to go home.&quot;&quot;Your medical chart says differently, Mr. Ewing. Rest and take your medication today and we&#039;ll re-evaluate in the morning. And you?&quot; he turned his gaze on Sue Ellen.&quot;A little dizzy when I first woke up, but feeling better now.&quot;The doctor nodded. &quot;I have your test results, Mrs. Ewing. You&#039;re slightly dehydrated and your blood sugar is lower than I&#039;d like. I need you to drink plenty of water and juice today and you&#039;re going to need to eat well. I&#039;ll prescribe something for nausea to help you.&quot;&quot;Alright, doctor,&quot; Sue Ellen agreed.&quot;What&#039;s causing her to be sick?&quot; JR demanded. The doctor sighed. &quot;Well, Mrs. Ewing is right; she isn&#039;t pregnant.&quot; He paused and watched their reactions carefully. JR&#039;s expression didn&#039;t change, but Sue Ellen looked a little sad. &quot;It could be you have a stomach bug, Mrs. Ewing. That would explain most of your symptoms. But I want you to make an appointment with your OBGYN as soon as it&#039;s practical.&quot;&quot;Why?&quot; JR&#039;s eyes narrowed. &quot;You said she wasn&#039;t pregnant.&quot;&quot;She&#039;s not, but...I can&#039;t make a diagnosis based on one set of tests and as I said, it could be just a stomach bug. But Mrs. Ewing&#039;s estrogen levels are alarmingly low.&quot;&quot;What does that mean?&quot; Sue Ellen asked.&quot;Again, I want to stress that I can&#039;t make a diagnosis based on one set of tests. It could be an aberration. You&#039;re under a lot of stress and if you have a virus it could be playing havoc with your body and your hormones. But…&quot;&quot;But what?&quot; JR snapped. &quot;Spit it out.&quot;The doctor sighed heavily. &quot;Mrs. Ewing, I&#039;m afraid it&#039;s possible that you&#039;re entering the early stages of menopause.&quot;***The sheriff sat back in his chair and nodded his head. &quot;Thank you, Mrs. and Mr. Farlow. Mr. Krebbs and Miss Stevens came by earlier and signed their statements. I&#039;ll get the rest of them once everyone gets home from the hospital.&quot;&quot;Well, we&#039;ll be heading out,&quot; Clayton said.&quot;Wait Mr. Farlow. We need to know what you want us to do with your sister&#039;s body.&quot;&quot;You can burn it for all I care,&quot; Clayton told him.&quot;I&#039;ll put it down as unclaimed,&quot; the sheriff sighed. *We&#039;re taking the cowboy out to the cabin today to show us where they buried your son. I assume you want to claim his body after the autopsy?&quot;&quot;Yes. Just give me a call when it&#039;s done,&quot; Clayton said.The sheriff stood up and shook Clayton&#039;s hand. &quot;I&#039;ll be in touch.&quot;Clayton nodded, took Miss Ellie&#039;s arm, and escorted her from the room.&quot;Clayton,&quot; she asked once they were safely buckled into their car, &quot;are you sure you don&#039;t want to give Jessica a decent burial?&quot;&quot;She doesn&#039;t deserve any decency, Ellie,&quot; he growled. *Frankly, I hope she burns in hell.&quot;*&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen buried her face in her hands and fought back her tears. &quot;But I&#039;m too young!&quot;&quot;It&#039;s unusual for women in their early forties to enter menopause, Mrs. Ewing, but it isn&#039;t rare. And again, I don&#039;t know for sure. That&#039;s why you need to go see your own doctor.&quot;&quot;What&#039;s the bottom line, doctor?&quot; JR asked. &quot;What happens if it is menopause?&quot;&quot;Well, more than likely she&#039;ll be placed on hormone replacement therapy. She&#039;ll be emotional sometimes. She&#039;ll experience hot flashes and some dizziness. The hormone therapy will help with her symptoms.&quot;&quot;But she&#039;ll be alright?&quot; JR pressed. &quot;This isn&#039;t anything dangerous about it happening early?&quot;&quot;Not at all, Mr. Ewing,&quot; the doctor smiled. &quot;It&#039;s the same natural process all women go through eventually. She&#039;ll be fine.&quot;&quot;Thank God,&quot; JR let out a deep breath.&quot;Mrs. Ewing, do you understand what I&#039;ve told you?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Sue Ellen said softly. &quot;I completely understand.&quot;&quot;Good,&quot; he stood up. &quot;Mr. Ewing, you stay in bed, get a lot of rest, and don&#039;t give the nurses any trouble. If we can get your blood pressure up a bit more, we&#039;ll talk about possibly sending you home tomorrow.&quot;&quot;Alright,&quot; JR nodded. &quot;Thank you doctor.&quot;The doctor nodded to both of them and left the room.&quot;Hear that, honey?&nbsp; I can go home tomorrow.&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t get excited, JR,&quot; she said without looking at him. &quot;He said maybe.&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen?&quot; JR&#039;s voice was soft. &quot;Come on, look at me honey. It was all good news.&quot;&quot;Menopause isn&#039;t good news, JR.&quot;He reached out and lightly rubbed her knee. &quot;You&#039;re going to be okay. That is very good news.&quot;Sue Ellen nodded at him and tried to smile. She wondered if JR had a clear understanding of everything menopause meant. &quot;I love you, JR.&quot;&quot;Love you too, Miss Texas.&quot;***&quot;Well, I think that went very well,&quot; Harv said. &quot;I don&#039;t think they&#039;ll publish the story about Christopher. Bobby? Did you hear me? I don&#039;t think the newspaper will publish anything about Christopher&#039;s paternity.&quot;&quot;Yes, I heard you. Listen Harv, I have something I need you to do for me.&quot;&quot;What&#039;s that Bobby?&quot;&quot;I want you to look into the Zurich law firm that handled Pam&#039;s affairs. I need to know everything about them.&quot;&quot;Alright. Am I looking for anything particular?&quot;&quot;Not really,&quot; Bobby said. &quot;I just can&#039;t shake the feeling that something isn&#039;t quite right. Just let me know what you find out.&quot;&quot;Alright, Bobby, I&#039;ll do what I can.&quot;&quot;Thanks, Harv,&quot; Bobby stood up. &quot;I&#039;m off to the hospital to see JR then I&#039;ll be in the office for the rest of the day. You can reach me there if you need me.&quot;&quot;Give JR my best,&quot; Harv told him. &quot;I&#039;ll start poking around in Zurich. If there&#039;s anything to know, you&#039;ll know it soon.&quot;***&quot;We have to find an adult to help us,&quot; John Ross said thoughtfully. &quot;We have lots of money but two kids traveling by themselves will look weird.&quot;&quot;No one around here will help,&quot; Christopher said. &quot;What are we going to do?&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t worry, Christopher, I have an idea.&quot;&quot;What is it?&quot;&quot;I&#039;ll tell you later. We better get down to breakfast before Teresa comes up here snooping around for us.&quot;&quot;Okay, John Ross.&quot;&quot;I just have to figure out a way to use the phone without anyone knowing, then we&#039;re out of here.&quot;***&quot;Good morning, ladies,&quot; JR smiled. &quot;Beautiful day, isn&#039;t it?&quot;&quot;Stop it JR,&quot; Lucy&#039;s eyes narrowed. &quot;You know it always makes me nervous when you&#039;re in such a good mood.&quot;&quot;You&#039;d better get used to it,&quot; JR laughed. &quot;Now that I have my beautiful wife back, I have a feeling my mood is going to be improved on a regular basis, especially in the mornings. Right, honey?&quot;Sue Ellen playfully slapped his hand. &quot;Can&#039;t you ever behave?&quot;&quot;Never,&quot; JR winked at her.&quot;You two are worse than a couple of teenagers,&quot; April laughed. &quot;I&#039;m so jealous!&quot;&quot;Eat your heart out,&quot; JR teased.&quot;Really, JR,&quot; Sue Ellen rolled her eyes.&quot;Hey, Sue Ellen, I was wondering if you&#039;d like to go to the cafeteria and have breakfast with me. I have some time to kill while Cliff&#039;s waiting on his discharge papers.&quot;&quot;Oh.. I don&#039;t know, April,&quot; Sue Ellen cast an uncertain glance at JR.&quot;You go on, honey,* JR told her. &quot;The doctor said you need to eat well. Lucy can stay and keep me company, can&#039;t you, girl?&quot; he looked up at Lucy.&quot;Yup,&quot; Lucy answered. &quot;I have to hang around until Grandma and Clayton get here anyway.&quot;&quot;Well, if you&#039;re sure,&quot; Sue Ellen said, &quot;I&#039;d love to have breakfast with you, April.&quot; She leaned down and kissed JR on the forehead. &quot;Be back soon,&quot; she promised him.&quot;Take your time and enjoy yourself, darlin&#039;.&quot; He watched her follow April from the room, his gaze fixed on her firm backside. &quot;God, I love that woman.&quot;&quot;Seriously, knock it off, JR. It&#039;s getting creepy,* Lucy groused. &quot;You said you needed my help with a surprise for Sue Ellen?&quot;&quot;Yes. Look in the closet and bring me my wallet. Should be in my coat pocket.&quot;Lucy went to the closet, found the wallet, walked back to the bed and handed it to JR. He dug around for a minute, pulled out a business card and handed it to her.&quot;Custom made jewelry?&quot; Lucy read the card.&quot;Yes. He made Sue Ellen&#039;s wedding band years ago. I had him make another piece to attach to it. Diamonds to surround that big rock she has now.&quot;&quot;And you need me to go pick it up?&quot;&quot;Yes, but that&#039;s not all. I&#039;m planning a big party of sorts out at Ray&#039;s ranch next Sunday. I need you to handle the invitations. There&#039;s a list of guests in the top drawer of the desk in Ray&#039;s study. I also need flowers and catering and a wedding cake…&quot;&quot;Wedding cake?&quot; Lucy interrupted him. &quot;Who&#039;s getting married?&quot;&quot;I am,&quot; JR laughed. &quot;I hate to break this to you, JR, but you&#039;re already married.&quot;&quot;Yes. I&#039;m going to ask Sue Ellen to renew our vows. We&#039;ve made a clean start. I want to show my commitment, to her and to the public.&quot;&quot;And she doesn&#039;t know about any of this?&quot;&quot;No, I told you it was a surprise. Now, I&#039;ve already talked to Ray. He and Jenna will both help you. I&#039;m sure April will too if you ask her.&quot;&quot;Yes but…&quot;&quot;What?&quot; JR asked. &quot;What&#039;s wrong?&quot;&quot;Well, nothing…. except...what if Sue Ellen says no?&quot;JR laughed heartily. &quot;I know my wife. She&#039;ll be thrilled to say yes. Especially once she finds out she&#039;s going to get the dream honeymoon she&#039;s always wanted.&quot;&quot;Okay, JR. I&#039;ll take care of everything. Um listen, I was planning to go to Atlanta next weekend, but looks like I&#039;ll have to change my plans. Would it be okay if I invited Mitch to the wedding?&quot;&quot;Fanning old flames, are we?&quot;&quot;Maybe,&quot; Lucy shrugged.&quot;Of course he can come, if that&#039;s what you want. Oh, and Lucy, you should know, I&#039;m thinking of inviting your parents.&quot;Lucy&#039;s eyes grew wide. &quot;For real?&quot;&quot;For real,&quot; JR smiled and winked at her.&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen, I think you&#039;re making too much of this.&quot;&quot;Really?&quot; Sue Ellen said doubtfully. &quot;JR is a handsome and vigorous man. There&#039;s always going to be other women chasing after him. I am getting old! Menopause, for God&#039;s sake!&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen, JR loves you. And you&#039;re NOT getting old. You&#039;re still a gorgeous woman.&quot;&quot;Yes, but for how long?&quot; Tears welled up in her eyes. &quot;April, I can&#039;t even have any more children!&quot;&quot;Have you and JR even talked about having more children?&quot;&quot;No, but that&#039;s not the point!&quot; Sue Ellen sniffed. &quot;Mandy Winger has years of fertility left. How can I compete with that?&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen,&quot; April sighed, &quot;JR doesn&#039;t want Mandy Winger. He doesn&#039;t want anyone but you. He truly loves you. No woman can compete with THAT.&quot;&quot;Oh April, he has always loved me. But he couldn&#039;t be faithful to me even when I was young and beautiful. How can I hold onto him when I&#039;m old and dried up?&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen, do you think JR is the same man you married all those years ago?&quot;&quot;What do you mean?&quot;&quot;I mean stop feeling sorry for yourself for a minute and think about things rationally. The old JR Ewing would never have offered to give up the oil business. He would never have offered to move off Southfork. He sure as hell wouldn&#039;t have given Ewing Oil back to his brothers. He&#039;s changed, Sue Ellen. Even Cliff sees it and admires it. You are what he wants.&quot;&quot;Maybe,&quot; Sue Ellen sniffed.&quot;Besides,&quot; April grinned, &quot;I&#039;ve read that some women experience very heightened sex drives during menopause. You can just keep him so worn out he won&#039;t have the energy to look at other women, much less do anything else with them.&quot;Sue Ellen laughed along with her friend. &quot;Thank you, April. For everything.&quot;&quot;And thank you, Sue Ellen. Really. I&#039;m honored and so happy to have you as a friend.&quot;***&quot;Is this a private party or can anyone join&quot;&quot;&quot;Hey, Uncle Bobby!&quot; Lucy skipped to the door and hugged him. &quot;Hey, Lucy. I stopped by your room, but they said you&#039;d already been discharged.&quot;&quot;Yeah. Just hanging out with JR until Grandma and Clayton get here to take me home.&quot;&quot;Where&#039;s Sue Ellen?&quot; Bobby asked.&quot;Having breakfast with April,&quot; JR told him. &quot;She&#039;ll be back soon.&quot;&quot;April and Sue Ellen have gotten quite close, haven&#039;t they?&quot; Bobby mused. &quot;Pretty strange, considering all the history.&quot;&quot;What history?&quot; Lucy asked.&quot;April.is a wonderful girl, Bobby,&quot; JR said, ignoring Lucy&#039;s question. &quot;Sue Ellen is very fond of her, so you&#039;d better get used to seeing her around a lot.&quot;&quot;What history?&quot; Lucy asked again.&quot;Nevermind, Lucy,&quot; Bobby sighed. &quot;It&#039;s not important.&quot;&quot;Oh, my God!&quot; Lucy breathed out. &quot;JR, did you sleep with April?&quot;&quot;Lucy, mind your own business!&quot; Bobby snapped.&quot;Oh, for the love of God,&quot; JR laughed. &quot;She knows about everything else, including Kristen after the cowboy confessional the other night. No reason to hide anything else from her now. She&#039;s a grown woman after all.&quot;&quot;Does Sue Ellen know?&quot; Lucy asked.&quot;Yes, Sue Ellen knows,&quot; JR sighed. &quot;It was long ago during a bad time in our marriage. Sue Ellen has forgiven us both.&quot;&quot;I really like April. And, well if it&#039;s okay with Sue Ellen, who am I to judge?&quot; Lucy shrugged.&quot;That&#039;s very wise and mature of you, Lucy,&quot; JR told her. &quot;It&#039;s really too bad others can&#039;t be so mature about the situation.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s enough, JR,&quot; Bobby warned him. &quot;How are you feeling?&quot;&quot;Good,&quot; JR let the subject of April drop. &quot;Doctor said I can go home tomorrow.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s great news. It&#039;ll help to have you and Sue Ellen back at Southfork. Mama and Clayton will need help with the boys. I have to take a quick trip out of the country. I&#039;m leaving tomorrow afternoon.&quot;&quot;Where are you going?&quot; JR asked him.&quot;Canada.&quot;JR nodded his silent understanding. &quot;Hope you find what you&#039;re looking for up&nbsp; there.&quot;&quot;How long are you going to be gone?&quot; Lucy asked. &quot;Will you be back in time for the wedding?&quot;Bobby&#039;s eyebrows shot up. &quot;Wedding?&quot; What wedding?&quot;&quot;Can we tell him, JR?&quot; Lucy asked excitedly.JR couldn&#039;t help himself. He burst out laughing and shook his head at his niece. &quot;Well, since you spilled the beans already, guess I don&#039;t have much of a choice!&quot;***&quot;But who is she?&quot;&quot;One of Dad&#039;s girlfriends. He spent a lot of time with her when him and Mama were fighting. I met her a few times.&quot;&quot;And you think she&#039;ll help us?&quot;&quot;Sure she will,&quot; John Ross said. &quot;She really hates my mama and from what we heard Grandma say, she&#039;s probably pretty mad at my dad.&quot;&quot;Okay, John Ross. You want me to go now?&quot;&quot;Yeah. Just make sure you keep Teresa upstairs as long as you can.&quot;&quot;I will.&quot;John Ross sat at the table and watched Christopher run up the stairs. Moments later, he heard a loud crash. That was his signal.&quot;Teresa!&quot; he jumped up and ran into the kitchen. &quot;Christopher just broke one of Grandma&#039;s vases upstairs. I think he might be hurt!&quot;John Ross watched her run from the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight he snatched up a pen and a scrap of paper. He picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed 0.&quot;Operator? I need a number. Dallas. Mandy Winger.&quot;***</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CeeCee72, post: 215935, member: 5055"] I don't own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended. This is a "What if?" fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode "Top Gun" Sue Ellen had changed her mind at the last possible moment and instead of teaming up with Kimberly and Wendell to beat JR she voted her Weststar shares to make him CEO? *** What If Part 31 *** "You look beautiful!" Ray said, kissing his wife. "God, I missed you. I missed this little guy, too," he smiled and patted Lucas on the head. "How was your flight?" "Long," Jenna sighed. "Lucas was so fussy. I don't think he likes flying." "Well, let's get you home and settled in so the two of you can get some rest." "How is everyone doing?" she asked as he opened the truck door and helped her climb in. "Fine. Mama and Clayton are bringing Lucy home this morning. Cliff is getting discharged too," Ray shut her door, walked to the driver's side and climbed under the wheel. "And JR?" Jenna asked, buckling Lucas into his car seat. "Doing fine. Doctors say he can come home in a few days, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was home by tomorrow." "How is Sue Ellen holding up? She must be exhausted." "You know Sue Ellen," Ray shrugged. "No matter what happens, she's all grace and dignity. To be honest, I'm worried about her. She looks awful and she's wearing herself out fussing over JR." "So much has changed in the short time I've been gone. I can't believe JR is buying the house and ranch." "JR's had a pretty harsh wake-up call," Ray smiled. "The reality Sue Ellen was really going to divorce him seems to have made him straighten up and fly right." "You think it will last?" "Time will tell," Ray shrugged. "Enough about JR and Sue Ellen. I want to hear all about Charlie and the house hunting you've been doing." "I missed you, Ray," Jenna smiled at him. "I missed you too." *** "You're all packed up," April smiled at Lucy. "You'll be ready to go as soon as your grandparents get here." "Thanks, April. Cliff excited to get out of here?" "Yes," April laughed. "He was already up and in the shower when I got here." "Are you guys a couple or what?" Lucy asked. "Or what," April grinned. "We're good friends. That's it." Lucy nodded distractedly. "I talked to my ex-husband last night. His sister was asking about Cliff. They used to be a couple." "Afton?" "How did you know?" "Cliff told me all about her. She's the one that got away." "You don't know the half of it," Lucy muttered. "What?" "Nothing," Lucy looked around the room to make sure she wasn't forgetting to pack anything. "JR asked me to come by his room before I left. Something about a surprise for Sue Ellen. Do you think you could coax Sue Ellen out of his room for a few minutes so he and I can talk?" "Sure. I'll take her down to the cafeteria and buy her some breakfast." "Great," Lucy chuckled. "Who would have thought a week ago that Uncle JR would ask me to help him with anything? Times, they are a'changin'." *** "Good morning," the doctor came into the room and took a seat by the bed. "How are the two of you feeling this morning?" "I'm perfectly fine," JR told him. "I'm ready to go home." "Your medical chart says differently, Mr. Ewing. Rest and take your medication today and we'll re-evaluate in the morning. And you?" he turned his gaze on Sue Ellen. "A little dizzy when I first woke up, but feeling better now." The doctor nodded. "I have your test results, Mrs. Ewing. You're slightly dehydrated and your blood sugar is lower than I'd like. I need you to drink plenty of water and juice today and you're going to need to eat well. I'll prescribe something for nausea to help you." "Alright, doctor," Sue Ellen agreed. "What's causing her to be sick?" JR demanded. The doctor sighed. "Well, Mrs. Ewing is right; she isn't pregnant." He paused and watched their reactions carefully. JR's expression didn't change, but Sue Ellen looked a little sad. "It could be you have a stomach bug, Mrs. Ewing. That would explain most of your symptoms. But I want you to make an appointment with your OBGYN as soon as it's practical." "Why?" JR's eyes narrowed. "You said she wasn't pregnant." "She's not, but...I can't make a diagnosis based on one set of tests and as I said, it could be just a stomach bug. But Mrs. Ewing's estrogen levels are alarmingly low." "What does that mean?" Sue Ellen asked. "Again, I want to stress that I can't make a diagnosis based on one set of tests. It could be an aberration. You're under a lot of stress and if you have a virus it could be playing havoc with your body and your hormones. But…" "But what?" JR snapped. "Spit it out." The doctor sighed heavily. "Mrs. Ewing, I'm afraid it's possible that you're entering the early stages of menopause." *** The sheriff sat back in his chair and nodded his head. "Thank you, Mrs. and Mr. Farlow. Mr. Krebbs and Miss Stevens came by earlier and signed their statements. I'll get the rest of them once everyone gets home from the hospital." "Well, we'll be heading out," Clayton said. "Wait Mr. Farlow. We need to know what you want us to do with your sister's body." "You can burn it for all I care," Clayton told him. "I'll put it down as unclaimed," the sheriff sighed. *We're taking the cowboy out to the cabin today to show us where they buried your son. I assume you want to claim his body after the autopsy?" "Yes. Just give me a call when it's done," Clayton said. The sheriff stood up and shook Clayton's hand. "I'll be in touch." Clayton nodded, took Miss Ellie's arm, and escorted her from the room. "Clayton," she asked once they were safely buckled into their car, "are you sure you don't want to give Jessica a decent burial?" "She doesn't deserve any decency, Ellie," he growled. *Frankly, I hope she burns in hell." *"" Sue Ellen buried her face in her hands and fought back her tears. "But I'm too young!" "It's unusual for women in their early forties to enter menopause, Mrs. Ewing, but it isn't rare. And again, I don't know for sure. That's why you need to go see your own doctor." "What's the bottom line, doctor?" JR asked. "What happens if it is menopause?" "Well, more than likely she'll be placed on hormone replacement therapy. She'll be emotional sometimes. She'll experience hot flashes and some dizziness. The hormone therapy will help with her symptoms." "But she'll be alright?" JR pressed. "This isn't anything dangerous about it happening early?" "Not at all, Mr. Ewing," the doctor smiled. "It's the same natural process all women go through eventually. She'll be fine." "Thank God," JR let out a deep breath. "Mrs. Ewing, do you understand what I've told you?" "Yes," Sue Ellen said softly. "I completely understand." "Good," he stood up. "Mr. Ewing, you stay in bed, get a lot of rest, and don't give the nurses any trouble. If we can get your blood pressure up a bit more, we'll talk about possibly sending you home tomorrow." "Alright," JR nodded. "Thank you doctor." The doctor nodded to both of them and left the room. "Hear that, honey? I can go home tomorrow." "Don't get excited, JR," she said without looking at him. "He said maybe." "Sue Ellen?" JR's voice was soft. "Come on, look at me honey. It was all good news." "Menopause isn't good news, JR." He reached out and lightly rubbed her knee. "You're going to be okay. That is very good news." Sue Ellen nodded at him and tried to smile. She wondered if JR had a clear understanding of everything menopause meant. "I love you, JR." "Love you too, Miss Texas." *** "Well, I think that went very well," Harv said. "I don't think they'll publish the story about Christopher. Bobby? Did you hear me? I don't think the newspaper will publish anything about Christopher's paternity." "Yes, I heard you. Listen Harv, I have something I need you to do for me." "What's that Bobby?" "I want you to look into the Zurich law firm that handled Pam's affairs. I need to know everything about them." "Alright. Am I looking for anything particular?" "Not really," Bobby said. "I just can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right. Just let me know what you find out." "Alright, Bobby, I'll do what I can." "Thanks, Harv," Bobby stood up. "I'm off to the hospital to see JR then I'll be in the office for the rest of the day. You can reach me there if you need me." "Give JR my best," Harv told him. "I'll start poking around in Zurich. If there's anything to know, you'll know it soon." *** "We have to find an adult to help us," John Ross said thoughtfully. "We have lots of money but two kids traveling by themselves will look weird." "No one around here will help," Christopher said. "What are we going to do?" "Don't worry, Christopher, I have an idea." "What is it?" "I'll tell you later. We better get down to breakfast before Teresa comes up here snooping around for us." "Okay, John Ross." "I just have to figure out a way to use the phone without anyone knowing, then we're out of here." *** "Good morning, ladies," JR smiled. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" "Stop it JR," Lucy's eyes narrowed. "You know it always makes me nervous when you're in such a good mood." "You'd better get used to it," JR laughed. "Now that I have my beautiful wife back, I have a feeling my mood is going to be improved on a regular basis, especially in the mornings. Right, honey?" Sue Ellen playfully slapped his hand. "Can't you ever behave?" "Never," JR winked at her. "You two are worse than a couple of teenagers," April laughed. "I'm so jealous!" "Eat your heart out," JR teased. "Really, JR," Sue Ellen rolled her eyes. "Hey, Sue Ellen, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the cafeteria and have breakfast with me. I have some time to kill while Cliff's waiting on his discharge papers." "Oh.. I don't know, April," Sue Ellen cast an uncertain glance at JR. "You go on, honey,* JR told her. "The doctor said you need to eat well. Lucy can stay and keep me company, can't you, girl?" he looked up at Lucy. "Yup," Lucy answered. "I have to hang around until Grandma and Clayton get here anyway." "Well, if you're sure," Sue Ellen said, "I'd love to have breakfast with you, April." She leaned down and kissed JR on the forehead. "Be back soon," she promised him. "Take your time and enjoy yourself, darlin'." He watched her follow April from the room, his gaze fixed on her firm backside. "God, I love that woman." "Seriously, knock it off, JR. It's getting creepy,* Lucy groused. "You said you needed my help with a surprise for Sue Ellen?" "Yes. Look in the closet and bring me my wallet. Should be in my coat pocket." Lucy went to the closet, found the wallet, walked back to the bed and handed it to JR. He dug around for a minute, pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Custom made jewelry?" Lucy read the card. "Yes. He made Sue Ellen's wedding band years ago. I had him make another piece to attach to it. Diamonds to surround that big rock she has now." "And you need me to go pick it up?" "Yes, but that's not all. I'm planning a big party of sorts out at Ray's ranch next Sunday. I need you to handle the invitations. There's a list of guests in the top drawer of the desk in Ray's study. I also need flowers and catering and a wedding cake…" "Wedding cake?" Lucy interrupted him. "Who's getting married?" "I am," JR laughed. "I hate to break this to you, JR, but you're already married." "Yes. I'm going to ask Sue Ellen to renew our vows. We've made a clean start. I want to show my commitment, to her and to the public." "And she doesn't know about any of this?" "No, I told you it was a surprise. Now, I've already talked to Ray. He and Jenna will both help you. I'm sure April will too if you ask her." "Yes but…" "What?" JR asked. "What's wrong?" "Well, nothing…. except...what if Sue Ellen says no?" JR laughed heartily. "I know my wife. She'll be thrilled to say yes. Especially once she finds out she's going to get the dream honeymoon she's always wanted." "Okay, JR. I'll take care of everything. Um listen, I was planning to go to Atlanta next weekend, but looks like I'll have to change my plans. Would it be okay if I invited Mitch to the wedding?" "Fanning old flames, are we?" "Maybe," Lucy shrugged. "Of course he can come, if that's what you want. Oh, and Lucy, you should know, I'm thinking of inviting your parents." Lucy's eyes grew wide. "For real?" "For real," JR smiled and winked at her. """ "Sue Ellen, I think you're making too much of this." "Really?" Sue Ellen said doubtfully. "JR is a handsome and vigorous man. There's always going to be other women chasing after him. I am getting old! Menopause, for God's sake!" "Sue Ellen, JR loves you. And you're NOT getting old. You're still a gorgeous woman." "Yes, but for how long?" Tears welled up in her eyes. "April, I can't even have any more children!" "Have you and JR even talked about having more children?" "No, but that's not the point!" Sue Ellen sniffed. "Mandy Winger has years of fertility left. How can I compete with that?" "Sue Ellen," April sighed, "JR doesn't want Mandy Winger. He doesn't want anyone but you. He truly loves you. No woman can compete with THAT." "Oh April, he has always loved me. But he couldn't be faithful to me even when I was young and beautiful. How can I hold onto him when I'm old and dried up?" "Sue Ellen, do you think JR is the same man you married all those years ago?" "What do you mean?" "I mean stop feeling sorry for yourself for a minute and think about things rationally. The old JR Ewing would never have offered to give up the oil business. He would never have offered to move off Southfork. He sure as hell wouldn't have given Ewing Oil back to his brothers. He's changed, Sue Ellen. Even Cliff sees it and admires it. You are what he wants." "Maybe," Sue Ellen sniffed. "Besides," April grinned, "I've read that some women experience very heightened sex drives during menopause. You can just keep him so worn out he won't have the energy to look at other women, much less do anything else with them." Sue Ellen laughed along with her friend. "Thank you, April. For everything." "And thank you, Sue Ellen. Really. I'm honored and so happy to have you as a friend." *** "Is this a private party or can anyone join"" "Hey, Uncle Bobby!" Lucy skipped to the door and hugged him. "Hey, Lucy. I stopped by your room, but they said you'd already been discharged." "Yeah. Just hanging out with JR until Grandma and Clayton get here to take me home." "Where's Sue Ellen?" Bobby asked. "Having breakfast with April," JR told him. "She'll be back soon." "April and Sue Ellen have gotten quite close, haven't they?" Bobby mused. "Pretty strange, considering all the history." "What history?" Lucy asked. "April.is a wonderful girl, Bobby," JR said, ignoring Lucy's question. "Sue Ellen is very fond of her, so you'd better get used to seeing her around a lot." "What history?" Lucy asked again. "Nevermind, Lucy," Bobby sighed. "It's not important." "Oh, my God!" Lucy breathed out. "JR, did you sleep with April?" "Lucy, mind your own business!" Bobby snapped. "Oh, for the love of God," JR laughed. "She knows about everything else, including Kristen after the cowboy confessional the other night. No reason to hide anything else from her now. She's a grown woman after all." "Does Sue Ellen know?" Lucy asked. "Yes, Sue Ellen knows," JR sighed. "It was long ago during a bad time in our marriage. Sue Ellen has forgiven us both." "I really like April. And, well if it's okay with Sue Ellen, who am I to judge?" Lucy shrugged. "That's very wise and mature of you, Lucy," JR told her. "It's really too bad others can't be so mature about the situation." "That's enough, JR," Bobby warned him. "How are you feeling?" "Good," JR let the subject of April drop. "Doctor said I can go home tomorrow." "That's great news. It'll help to have you and Sue Ellen back at Southfork. Mama and Clayton will need help with the boys. I have to take a quick trip out of the country. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon." "Where are you going?" JR asked him. "Canada." JR nodded his silent understanding. "Hope you find what you're looking for up there." "How long are you going to be gone?" Lucy asked. "Will you be back in time for the wedding?" Bobby's eyebrows shot up. "Wedding?" What wedding?" "Can we tell him, JR?" Lucy asked excitedly. JR couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing and shook his head at his niece. "Well, since you spilled the beans already, guess I don't have much of a choice!" *** "But who is she?" "One of Dad's girlfriends. He spent a lot of time with her when him and Mama were fighting. I met her a few times." "And you think she'll help us?" "Sure she will," John Ross said. "She really hates my mama and from what we heard Grandma say, she's probably pretty mad at my dad." "Okay, John Ross. You want me to go now?" "Yeah. Just make sure you keep Teresa upstairs as long as you can." "I will." John Ross sat at the table and watched Christopher run up the stairs. Moments later, he heard a loud crash. That was his signal. "Teresa!" he jumped up and ran into the kitchen. "Christopher just broke one of Grandma's vases upstairs. I think he might be hurt!" John Ross watched her run from the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight he snatched up a pen and a scrap of paper. He picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed 0. "Operator? I need a number. Dallas. Mandy Winger." *** [/QUOTE]

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