Pam looked up at him; her eyes still looked tired and weak. “What do you mean you're taking her back to Chris and Karen's? Why aren't you taking her back to Southfork with you?”

“Because I'm not going back to Southfork.”

Pamela frowned. “Bobby, I wish you'd listen to me. You need some rest. I'm going to be fine. Besides, you're beginning to look as bad as I do.”

“Good.” Bobby leaned over and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Because I think you look beautiful. Maybe a little scratched up, but that'll go away.” He added, trying to lighten the moment a little.

Pam raised an eyebrow and started to reply, but Grace interrupted, tugging on her sleeve. “Mama, wanna play!”

Pam took the little hand that was pulling on her. “Just a minute Sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy need to talk.” She looked back toward Bobby. “I do wish you'd go get some rest, but I won't run you off.”

“Couldn't if you tried.” He knew Pam would be okay, but there were still the twins to consider and he wasn't leaving while they were still critical.

It was as if Pamela knew what he was thinking. “Bobby, you still haven't told me about our babies. I know you've been concerned about my health, but honestly, Bobby, the longer you go without telling me, the worse I'm beginning to think it is.”

“Pam, I know you feel a lot better, and I'm thrilled about that, but you still have a ways to go…” his voice trailed off. “You don't need any stress.” He finished, lamely.

Pam looked at him wearily. She was beginning to get irritated, What was he hiding? “Bobby! I have been hit by a car while pregnant with twins, undergone surgery, been in and then out of a coma; my husband won't tell me how our babies are doing and there's some strange man hanging around my hospital room! If that's not stress, what is? I'm handling all of that. But I'm really going to be stressed if you don't tell me their condition.”

Bobby snapped his head up and looked straight into her in the eyes. “What strange man?” His eyes were full of apprehension, but she was too tired to notice. Her only focus was finding out about the twins.

“…And if you won't tell me, I'm going to pick up that phone the minute you walk out of here and call the doctor myself!”

He sat down on the end of the bed. Grace immediately flung herself at him hitting him on the side of the head with the cast that was on her arm. “Hey, be careful Gracie, that thing's a lethal weapon.” He put his arms around his daughter. “Pamela, I have to take Gracie back. I don't think this is a conversation she should hear anyway.”

Pam started to object, but she could see that Gracie was becoming a little distressed at hearing her parents argue. But there was nothing left to say, Bobby could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't about to give up. “Okay, I believe you. You're stronger now than I thought. But you are exhausted from your visit with Grace. Why don't you lie down and get some rest and then when I get back, I promise, I'll explain everything.”

She sat silently, her eyes averted from his. “Pammy, promise me you'll wait for me; that you won't talk to anyone else.” He reached out and touched her wrist. “This is something that should come from me.”

She looked at him in alarm. “But you told me you'd seen them, held them. I assumed they couldn't leave the unit because they're small.”

“That's mostly true, but there are some other problems. Nothing that I think can't be overcome; but I want to tell you all of that in detail before you see them.”

“Bobby, Savannah and BJ are our babies and I'm going to love them no matter what. But I suppose I can wait another hour. But I want to go and see them too – today.”

Bobby relaxed a little, “If they even let you out of that bed. Now, tell me about the man you said was hanging around your room. What was that about?”

“Probably nothing really; I'm just a little unnerved by everything right now…”

“Did you know him?”

“He said he was an old friend, but I don't remember ever meeting him.”

Bobby tried to keep the worry from showing on his face. He remembered Ace's phone call and warning all too well. “Did he do or say anything?”

“He asked how I was. He really didn't do or say anything beyond that.” Pam thought for a moment, “now that I think about it, it seems harmless.”

Bobby had a sick feeling that it wasn't nearly as harmless as it looked to Pam. He stood up with Gracie in his arms. “Give Mommy a kiss Gracie.” He leaned down to let Grace plant a slobbery kiss on Pam's cheek. He gave her a quick kiss as well. “I'm going to take her to Chris and Karen and then I'm coming right back here to be with you and BJ and Savannah.”

Pam leaned back against the bed. She really was exhausted. She yawned, “Be good Gracie.”

“I told you you were exhausted.” Bobby chided as he and Gracie left the room.”

He quickly headed for the nearest phone, since he couldn't use his cell phone in the hospital. Detective Ed Poole picked up on the second ring.

“Ed, I need another favor.”

“Bobby. Hey, I was really sorry to hear about your wife. How's she doin'?”

“I think she's going to be fine now… but I need you to send someone over to guard her room.”

“What? Why? You think the hit and run is connected to the Wentworth case?”

“I got a call… the person threatened my family. Pam's an easy target in this hospital.”

“Any idea who it was?”

Bobby hesitated for a beat. “No, they… didn't say. So, can you get someone down here?”

There was something about the edginess of Bobby's voice that made Ed wonder if his friend was telling him the whole truth. But death threats after a hit and run couldn't be taken lightly. “Sure, I'll have them send some one right over.”

“Thanks Ed, I owe you one.”

“Actually, you owe me two!”

“This case seems a little heavy. Why don't I carry it off for you?”

Michelle continued with the fake smile. “That would be great. I'm so tired from the long trip.” Why not let him carry the bag, she thought, but if he thinks he's carrying it to his hotel room, then he's dumber than he looks.

The man continued getting his own luggage down. “It was a long trip, but not nearly as long as it would have been if I hadn't had such lovely company.”

“You really are too sweet, Darin.”

The man's smile faded slightly, “it's David.”

“Hmm?”

“My name, it's David.”

“Oh, of course it is. I'm sorry – see I told you I was tired.” She giggled and David's smile returned. Oh brother, she thought, this guy's way to easy to play.

As the plane taxied to a stop at the gate, the Captain's speaker came on. “Ladies and Gentleman, I'm sorry to inform you that we have landed in the middle of a Texas ice storm. We were one of the last planes allowed to land; the others are being directed to other airports in various cities. As of now, there will be no flights leaving Dallas. Thank you for flying with us.”

“You're welcome!” Michelle mumbled.

Michelle hurriedly walked off the plane, David following close behind laden with his own bag as well as Michelle's. Once they arrived in the terminal, she stopped abruptly and turned toward him, looking at him expectantly.

David smiled, “Hey, since it looks like we may be stranded here, how about having a drink?”

Unlike the sweet woman he'd chatted with on the plane, Michelle was now all business. She took her bag from his hands. “No thanks. I don't plan on being stranded here or anywhere.”

“Are you sure? I thought we might get to know each other better.”

Michelle was scanning the immediate area for a car rental. “Um, no, I already know more people than I want to know.” Her eyes finally fell upon a rental agency, surrounded by what looked to be a crowd of angry travelers. “Gotta go. See ya Darin.”

He frowned and called after her. “It's David!”

“Well, hello David.”

He turned to see an attractive blonde standing beside him. “What? How did you know my name?”

She smiled wryly. “I'm sure the whole airport knows it now.” His faced flushed red in embarrassment. “Don't sweat it. Practically the whole town knows mine.”

“How about having a drink with me in the lounge and telling me why all of Dallas, Texas knows you but me.”

She looked him over and smirked. “You're cute enough David, but I have much bigger fish to fry.” She took a firm hold on her suitcase and straightened her spine. “It's time this town knows that Pamela Rebecca Cooper Ewing is back!” …And they're going to regret it, she added silently. She walked away looking confident and self-assured, being sure to sway her hips as she went.

He shook his head and silently cursed Gregor. That jackass didn't have to go and kill Afton. It was true that not long ago, that's exactly what he'd wanted, but now everything had changed. There was Kaitlin to think about and no matter what; he didn't want anything to upset her. Now here he was, forced into being the one who could possibly hurt her the most. Not to mention the fact that if he didn't play his cards right, he might end up in jail for conspiracy to commit murder.

He took the dozen red roses that he'd bought for her out of the box. Once again, he silently rehearsed what he planned to say. To lose Kaitlin now would be too lose everything that was sweet and beautiful in his life. She just had to believe him.

He stepped out of his car and walked to Kaitlin's door, oblivious to the ice raining down upon him. Kaitlin saw him walk by her window and opened the door before he had a chance to knock. “Rex! What are you doing here? I just heard on the radio that half the roads in Dallas have been closed. You could have been in a wreck.”

Still holding the roses, Rex put his arms around her. The fact that she was so worried about him, gave him hope. “Kaitlin, my darling, there's no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, I don't like to see you so upset.”

Kaitlin finally smiled and let herself relax in his arms. She looked up at him coyly. “So are those flowers for me? Or are you secretly hiding a mistress?”

Rex flinched at her words. Could someone have told her about Afton already? He pulled away from her and smiled nervously. He decided to ignore the question. “Of course they're for you.” He handed her the flowers.

Kaitlin took them and started to go get a vase when Rex stopped her. “They'll keep. I want us to spend every minute we can together.”

Kaitlin chided him, “You sound like you're going off to war.”

That's not too far from the truth, Rex thought, as he led her into the living room.

Pamela raised her head and smiled triumphantly as she was carefully lowered into the chair. “You got here just in time to go see BJ and Savannah with me.”

Bobby walked on into the room smiling. Even though he would have to tell her that the twins' lives were still in danger, it was good to see her up and back to being her feisty self.

The nurse tucked a blanket around Pam and left the room. Bobby leaned down to kiss her. As their kiss ended, Pam said, “It must really be freezing out there, I think you're lips are frozen.”

“Well, as soon as you get out of here, maybe you can warm them up.”

“I think that can be arranged. Now, tell me what you wanted to talk about and then take me to see our babies.”

Bobby sat down on the edge of the bed. “First, I want to know if there have been any more strangers hanging around here.”

Pamela looked at him quizzically and said slowly. “No… why would there be?”

“Pam, you were involved in a hit and run. We don't know who was responsible or why they did it.” He felt a tinge of guilt. He knew exactly who was driving that car, and why. But he couldn't tell Pam who he was protecting her from. Not now – not ever. “I had a guard placed at your door.”

Pam had the feeling she wasn't getting the whole story, but the explanation was good enough and she sat quietly waiting for him to tell her about the twins.

As for Bobby, he didn't know how else to tell her, except to plunge right in. “Pam, you know how serious the accident was… for a while there, I thought we were going to lose you.” As Bobby recalled the accident, the pain of that day showed in his eyes.

Pam didn't miss that look and somewhere in the back of her mind, a memory of Bobby pleading with her to stay alive surfaced. But wait… it wasn't Bobby, there was someone else – but who? The memory faded as quickly as it had come.

“You had to have emergency surgery and all three of you could have died on the table. So it was a miracle that you all made it through that at all.”

Another memory flashed through her mind, one of her telling Bobby that if he had to choose, she wanted him to choose the babies' lives over her own. Pam nodded and he continued.

“You know that they're small because of their premature birth, but they also suffered trauma from the accident and then from the surgery.”

Pam looked concerned, but still calm. “What's wrong besides the low birth weight?”

Bobby swallowed hard before answering her question. “They're lungs aren't developed enough for them to breathe on their own, so they're both on respirators. And the weight has been a real problem, but I think that may be coming under control. But in the mean time, until they gain more, it's still a problem. And then there are possible neurological and developmental problems down the road; things that you can't see right now.” Bobby gazed at her looking for signs of distress. He was relieved to find that she looked worried, but still calm and in control.

“How serious is it? I mean, right now.”

That was the question Bobby had been dreading. “There's hope.”

Pam let that sink in. Then she reached over and took his hand in hers. “I get the feeling that's not all. But whatever it is, Bobby, whatever happens, we'll face it together.”

Bobby gave her hand a squeeze before standing up. “Well then, let's go see our babies.”

“I'm sorry Miss. We aren't allowed to rent any cars in weather like this. The insurance alone would kill us.”

Michelle sighed. “All right then, sell me one.” She snapped open her purse and began digging through it; she quickly pulled out a credit card. “Here.” She pushed the card across the counter.

The clerk stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. “I'm sorry Miss, but even if I could do that, we can't take credit cards right now, the lines are down.”

Michelle groaned in frustration. Then she thought of another tactic. She glanced at his nametag and leaned into the counter just enough to give the young man a nice view down the front of her shirt. “Jerry, I have an idea. I'm really hungry after my long flight. When do you finish your shift here?”

The man answered without taking his eyes off of Michelle's cleavage. “Um, I get off in about an hour.” He looked up to find her smiling seductively at him.

“I was thinking that I might hang around until then and let you take me to dinner at the restaurant here.” Michelle ran a fingertip across the top of his hand. “Then maybe after that, you could be a sweetheart and take me back to my hotel.”

Jerry knew what she was doing, but he didn't mind being used by a beautiful girl, as long as there was something in it for him. But his excitement at that thought quickly turned to disappointment when he realized it wasn't possible. “I'm sorry. I can't do that.”

Michelle licked her lips. “Don't you find me attractive, Jerry?”

“Oh yeah. I do, it's just that I can't drive you anywhere. Not tonight.”

“Why not? You do have a car, right? I mean, you do drive to work, don't you?” Michelle stood up straight, once again, completely business.

“Yes, of course, but the roads are closed. I'm stuck here too. But I'd still love to take you to dinner.”

His words trailed off as Michelle picked up her bag and hurried off in a swirl of anger and frustration.

At the car rental counter just a few feet away…

“I don't understand. Don't you know who I am? Does the name Cliff Barnes or The Clifford Group mean anything to you?”

“I've heard the name. One of those oil companies, right?”

Pamela Rebecca smiled. “That's right.”

“I still can't rent you a car. All of the roads out of the airport have been closed. It wouldn't do you any good even if I could.”

Pamela Rebecca licked her lips and spoke in a soft, sexy voice. “You know, I could make it worth your while. Imagine all of your wildest dreams coming true.”

The man leaned across the counter toward her and spoke in the same soft, secretive voice. “That would be amazing… but you're just not my type. Now if you had a brother or a willing boyfriend, that, I could get into.”

Pamela Rebecca's eye grew wide as his words sunk in. Quickly regaining her composure, she replied. “You don't know what you're missing.” Turning, she picked up her luggage and headed for the phones.

Austin and Cole were sitting in the floor playing checkers. Austin looked at her and said, “Megan, you're such a baby. You can't go outside during an ice storm.”

“You'd freeze solid.” Cole chimed in.

Megan pouted and stared hard at Austin. “I'm NOT a baby! Gracie's a baby.” She said, pointing at Grace who had been sitting quietly in a corner of the room tearing apart Megan's Barbie dolls.

“I not baby!” Gracie stood up and indignantly threw a Barbie doll head at them.

'What's going on in here?” Christopher and Karen walked in just in time to see the Barbie head flying through the air. They were trying hard to hide their amusement.

Gracie tore 'Tour Guide Barbie's” head off and got ready to fling it at Megan. “Megan called me baby!”

Karen rushed forward and grabbed Gracie's arm just in time. “Grace, we don't throw Barbie heads.” From behind her, Christopher burst into laughter. She turned around and glared at him. “Really Christopher! I know she's your baby sister and she's been through a lot, but you've been way too lenient with her.”

Christopher continued laughing. “Did you just hear what you said? 'We don't throw Barbie heads'?”

Karen tried not to smile, but the absurdity of the statement got to her. “Okay… I see the humor, but that still doesn't explain what was going on here. Megan, did you call Grace a baby?”

Megan squatted down to pick up the head that Grace had thrown first. She aimed it at Austin and Cole. “They called me a baby first!” Chris jumped forward and took it from her. Megan immediately folded her arms again and began to pout.

Karen turned to Austin and Cole. “Boys?”

Cole squirmed but Austin sat up straight. “Well, it's not our fault she was acting like a baby.”

Chris pointed at the staircase. “To your rooms. Now.”

“Aw Dad, we didn't even throw anything. They were the ones muphfrmph” Cole had put his hand over Austin's mouth.

“Yes, sir.” Cole said, as he proceeded to drag his brother to the stairs. “You just keep it up, and I know we're going to get grounded for life.” He whispered to Austin.

“Well, it's not fair… Ahhhhhhhh!”

Austin's scream was mingled with the Megan, Gracie and Cole's as the house was plunged into darkness.

Bobby leaned over her and B.J. “I don't know. I see a lot of resemblance to Gracie, and she's a definite mixture of both of us.” He gently reached into the crib next to B.J.'s and being careful not to pull on any wires, he picked up a sleeping Savannah. “Now there's no doubt that this one is the image of her mommy; especially her beautiful brown eyes.” Bobby held her up next to B.J. and Pam ran a loving finger across the baby's cheek.

“You can't tell that yet. All babies' eyes are blue when they're born.”

Bobby snuggled his little daughter close to him and replied. “I just know. My Savannah is going to be gorgeous, just like her sister and she's going to have brown eyes.”

Pam smiled and held back a chuckle. “Nice to see she doesn't have you wrapped around her finger yet!”

They laughed together, happy to forget the problems and just be a family for a little while.

As they laughed, B.J. stirred in Pam's arms. Soon his eyes were open and he was crying. The sound was small and weak. “Shhh… it's going to be all right. Mommy and Daddy are here and we love you. Wait until you meet your big sister. She's going to adore you too.” B.J. seemed to quiet down at the soothing sound of her voice. The same voice he'd heard while he was contented and safe in his mommy's womb.

One of the nurses brought a bottle over and handed it to Pam. “Want to feed him?” Pam took the bottle and B.J. hungrily began to suck on it. The nurse looked on. “You know, that's the first time we haven't had to prod him to eat.” She smiled, and patted Pam on the shoulder, “It's amazing what a mother's touch can do.”

Kaitlin unconsciously tossed a long tress back over her shoulder. “Don't be ridiculous. I was so busy today; I barely had time to brush my hair.”

Rex lifted a finger to her chin and tilted her face up to his. “You're always beautiful to me.” It might have sounded like an obligatory statement if he hadn't been so sincere. He knew he couldn't wait any longer to tell her about Afton. He was feeling guilty just sitting there with her. He couldn't remember ever feeling guilty for anything he'd done, no matter how reprehensible it was. But then, he'd felt a lot of feelings that he'd never felt before since Kaitlin entered his life. Without her, it seemed he'd been numb to emotion.

Kaitlin noticed the slight change in attitude. “Rex? Is something wrong?”

He took a deep breath and turn back to face her. “There is something we need to talk about, but I'm afraid it isn't going to be easy.”

A sudden chill coursed through Kaitlin's body. Her life with Rex had been almost like a living fairytale. Rex had promised that for the rest of her life, it would stay that way. But something inside told her it couldn't last forever. Then again, how bad could it be? She knew Rex loved her beyond reason and would do anything for her. Feeling slightly more relaxed, she said, “Okay, I'm listening.”

Rex turned from her again, unable to meet her eyes. He began. “It started out simply enough. I was helping a family member. Or so I thought. But things went horribly wrong. Before I could figure out a way to change it, I met you.”

Kaitlin looked puzzled. “Rex, what are you talking about? What family member?”

“Afton.”

“Afton? You mean Afton Cooper?”

Rex wondered how it was that he could stand in front of hundreds of people and speak, lead board meetings and deal with some of the most powerful men in the world, yet here he was stumbling over his words and not making sense. “Let me start over. You know that Iris and I are divorced.”

“Yes, but I have a feeling this doesn't have anything to do with Iris.”

“Only in that when we separated, I had a huge penthouse all to myself.”

Kaitlin nodded her head. She'd only been to his penthouse a few times and huge was an understatement. They hardly ever went there because Rex said it was too big – he preferred her roomy, but cozy condo. They planned to sell both places as soon as they were married.

“I'm not sure if you know it, but Cliff Barnes and I are related in a rather complex way. His mother was married to my father.”

“So you're step brothers?”

“You could say that, in a way… anyway, a while back he married Afton Cooper. This is where it gets a little complicated because right after they were married, Cliff's first wife showed up and they found out that they weren't divorced, so his marriage to Afton wasn't legal.”

“That's quite a soap opera, but what does it have to do with you?”

Rex knew he had to be careful here. His relationship with Kaitlin would hinge on whether she would believe his version of the events. “Well, nothing, except that Afton was left out in the cold. Could you imagine marrying the man you loved, only to find out that he had another wife he was still married to?”

Kaitlin could only imagine how horrible that would be. “That's awful. Poor Afton.”

“That's exactly what I thought. She was out on the street and there I was with that great big penthouse. So I asked her if she wanted to stay there for a while – just until she could pull herself together.”

Kaitlin's eye's widened and she looked at him incredulously. “You asked her to live with you?”

“No, not exactly; I offered her a place to stay, that's all. I felt sorry for her, she was really torn apart. Then not long after she moved in, she asked me to take her out to dinner one night. I didn't think anything of it, so I took her. I don't even remember where we went, but sure enough, Cliff and Jamie were there. She started acting like we were a couple. I had no idea what she was doing until she told me that she was trying to make Cliff jealous. She was obsessed with him and she wanted him back, so she concocted this story about her and me being a couple.”

Kaitlin had been listening in silent skepticism, but this was too much! “And you didn't stop her?”

“Kaitlin, darling, please try to understand, she was acting very strange. I really thought she was going to have an emotional breakdown. So I played along looking for a chance for her to move out.”

Rex hung his head. The large outline of what he was saying was true, but all of the details were lies. He couldn't believe how miserable he felt; he'd never found it difficult to lie before. He continued, “After a while, I think she decided that Cliff wasn't going to beg her to come back. That's when things really went bad. She started acting like the 'couple' she was claiming we were, wasn't a farce, but true. She even made up an engagement – bought her own ring and everything. I really think that she'd pretended we were a couple for so long in her head, that she came to believe it.”

Kaitlin stared at him. She was silent, but her eyes were beginning to look blank and empty. “Were we together when all of this was happening?”

“Not until towards the end, when she decided we were engaged.”

“Are you telling me that you asked me to marry you, knowing that another woman was living in your house and planning her wedding to you!?”

“Kaitlin, please, try to understand, the woman was on the brink of a total breakdown, if she hadn't already had one. I was trying desperately to get rid of her… uh, I mean… to find a way to let her down easily.”

“No! I don't understand. You could have come to me. You could have told me and maybe we could have figured it out together. Instead, you didn't trust me and you made it some dark secret.” She thought back to when she sold him her Westar stock. She'd told him it was a 'gift of trust'. Now she felt sick just thinking about it. Rex moved to touch her hand and she jerked it away. “Don't touch me! Don't even think about it! I suppose you were sleeping with her too. All the time you were here with me, you went home to her!” Now she was fighting back tears of anger and hurt. “How could you!?!” She stood and Rex stood with her.

“No! Kaitlin that's not true. I never slept with her. I didn't want to. You're the only one I love, the one I want. It's always been you.”

Kaitlin turned and fled from the room with Rex following closely behind her. When her bedroom door slammed shut, it nearly broke his nose. He could hear Kaitlin crying on the other side. “Kaitlin, please believe me. Please…”

Inside her room, Kaitlin beat her fists against her pillows. Why did she ever believe in him! The thought of Rex sleeping with Afton Cooper kept running through her mind and her tears kept flowing. She felt as though her heart was being torn out. How could he lie to her? How? She could hear him pounding on the door, saying that he loved her and begging her to understand. She felt her heart break into a million pieces again. Why couldn't your love for someone just disappear when they hurt you? It was so much harder to feel both deep love and intense hate at the same time. She managed to stifle her tears long enough to shout through the door. “Go away, Rex! I never want to see you again. Never!” She ran into her bathroom, his pleas echoing in her ears. 'I love you, Kaitlin, please, please…”

Ben took the empty glass and filled it to the rim. It took a certain talent to be a good bar tender. Far beyond knowing how to mix drinks. You had to have a quick eye and be able to size a person up at a glance; figure out which ones just need to be left alone with their bourbon and which ones need to talk about their troubles. Ben took his job seriously; took pride in it. He'd been tending bar for well nigh on forty years now at the Goliad Saloon. He supposed he knew how to do it right.

He ambled back to fill the glass – again. This time he didn't walk away, but quietly leaned back against the wall of glasses behind him. It didn't take long for the man to raise his head and begin to talk.

“Damn Ewings!” Eric Stone muttered. He took his drink and downed it in one big gulp before looking up at the bartender. “Called me a thief! Way I see it, they owe me.” Eric gingerly touched the cut on his face where Bobby had punched him. “I shoulda grabbed the letter opener and killed him where he stood when I had the chance there in my office.”

Ben continued listening quietly; there was something oddly familiar about this young man, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. “Man's gotta right to defend his good name.”

Eric looked at him and smirked ironically. “Good name? Ha! Which name would that be? Stone? Not much to defend there. My 'fun-loving' mother put an end to that a long time ago.” He sat his glass back down on the bar and motioned Ben to fill it again. “Now, Barnes… there's a name to be proud of.” He was definitely drunk now and his voice rose as he spoke. “Mr. Clifford Barnes, owner of the soon to be bankrupt, Clifford Group. My dear ole Dad – not that he'd claim me right now… but know what?” He leaned across the bar as though he was about to reveal a secret. “I don't give a damn anymore.” He sat back on his bar stool and laughed to himself.

As he watched Eric take another drink, he suddenly realized why the man looked familiar. “Couldn't be.” Ben whispered to himself. He reached way back in his memory and heard the words that Eric had just spoken all over again. The names were different, but the gripe was the same – 'the Ewings owe me' – 'shoulda killed him when I had the chance'. “Hey son, you wouldn't happen to be related to that old wildcatter Digger Barnes would you?”

Eric stared at him with a blank look on his face. “Digger Barnes? Don't know.” He continued to ramble. “As long as I'm not related to a Ewing.” He thought for a moment. “Auntie Pam doesn't count. Some aunt, what's she ever done for me anyway?”

“Well, I just thought that you look a little like him and he was always in here complaining about the Ewings. Tellin' about how Jock Ewing stole his money and his gal. He sure did hate the Ewings.”

Eric's eyes had clouded over, but now they cleared a little. “Hated the Ewings, did he? What was that name again?”

“Digger, Digger Barnes.”

A small smile crept over Eric's face. Yes, he remembered now. He'd seen the man's picture a few times – Cliff's father – Eric's grandfather. “Yeah, I do know the name. I guess he was my granddaddy.”

“Well I'll be. I don't believe it. Digger's grandson in here drinkin' at my bar; after all of these years. It's almost like having Digger back.”

“You remember him?”

“Oh sure, weren't nobody ever forgot Digger once they talked to him. He always had the same story, but he liked to tell it a little different every time. Yes, sir, he was one great story teller.”

Eric blinked and tried to focus his eyes on Ben. “What was the story?”

“Why, everyone knowd it. He tol' it at least a thousand times right here in this saloon - about how Jock Ewing cheated him out of his share of the millions they made off of the oil that Digger found.”

“Really? Now there's a story I'd like to hear.” Eric looked around the bar. “Pull up a stool and I'll buy you a drink, this place is about dead and no one's gonna be comin' with that ice storm out there.”

Ben took a full bottle down off the shelf and joined Eric on the other side of the bar. “Well, it was like this; Digger, see, he had a nose for oil. When I say nose, I mean nose. He could sniff it out of the ground. One of the best wildcatters ever was, to hear him tell it…”

'It's just not fair!' she thought to herself. Here she was, dealing with Neil's sickness and possibly his impending death; then Mitch goes and gets himself murdered and Todd gets himself blown up. She took a deep shuddering breath and wished there was some one she could talk to about all of the thoughts and feelings running chaotically through her mind. There weren't many people Lucy had ever confided in. Only three came to mind. Most of the time, she had been able to talk to her grandma. But lately Lucy had begun to worry a bit about her too. She seemed preoccupied and distant… and then there was the recent announcement of the new “family members”; Lucy wondered if those people knew what they were getting into.

Then there had always been Bobby – especially when she was a teenager. She hadn't talked with him about her problems in a long time, but she knew he genuinely cared about her and would listen and try to help all he could. Problem was; Bobby had enough to worry about right now. It wouldn't be fair to go dumping her problems in his lap. Same with Ray. She'd always been able to talk to him, but now he'd spent the better half of the past few months helping out his ailing Aunt Lil on her farm and hadn't been around much.

But the one person she always knew she could go to was Pam. Thinking of her now brought on another wave of despair. She was glad that Pam had come to, but now there were still the little babies to worry about; her cousins Lucy had felt a tinge of jealousy as she stared at them through the glass of the hospital neo-natal unit window. They were so tiny, but so beautiful and she'd wished they belonged to her and Neil instead of Bobby and Pam. Now the thought filled her with guilt. If either or both of the twins died, Bobby and Pamela were going to need the support of all of their family, including Lucy.

She moved her blankets aside, careful not to disturb Neil. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. She stood, gazing at the ice as it fell to the ground. It seemed each drop was reflected in the lights of the street lamps. Lucy looked down and pressed her head against the frigid window. Anger swept through her again and she vowed to make it to the other side of all of the sadness. Her last name may be Lancaster, but her blood was Ewing blood. Ultimately, she was a fighter; her Granddaddy would have expected nothing less.

In his mind, her image haunted and accused him. 'You never appreciated me, Cliff.' 'You never treated me like you should have.' Over and over those words rang through his mind.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Cliff jumped, startled at the sudden sound. Bang. Bang. For a moment, he wasn't sure where he was. Then he slowly realized that he was in his house, in his living room. He tried to turn on a light, but they didn't work. Bang! Bang! Bang! Regaining his senses, he recognized the sounds as coming from the front door.

Cliff pulled open the door. He could barely see the figure that stood in front of him. “Who is it?” He stepped closer. “Oh my God! But… but… I th…”

Pam smiled and snuggled closer to him. “Everything's going to be okay Bobby, just wait and see.” All of the excitement of being up and seeing the babies had exhausted her and she quickly fell asleep.

Bobby held her for a while and listened to the ice fall against the windows. It was really coming down hard now. Gently, he eased himself up from the bed and went to the window. The streets below were empty. The ice was so thick on them now that it looked like thick panes of glass were covering them.

As he stood there, the soft light in Pam's room went out. Bobby had his back to the room and the light was so dim that he didn't notice the blackout until the street lights went out moments later. He turned around just as the lights came back on. The ones outside were still off. He thought back to the horrible thunder storm that had sent the hospital into a brief blackout when Pamela was in surgery. At that time, he'd worried about the operating room being plunged into darkness, but the hospital generators had kicked in almost as fast as the lights went out.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a nurse hurried in. “Mr. Ewing?”

Bobby put a finger to his lips and pointed at Pam, signaling the nurse not to wake her. The nurse seemed to ignore the sign. “Mr. Ewing, you have to come with me right now.”

The urgent tone of her voice had Bobby quickly following her down the corridors. “What's wrong?” He kept asking, but all she would do is motion for him to keep following. They rounded a corner and a sick feeling welled up in his stomach; they were going to the neonatal unit.

Dr. Boneta was standing in the hallway talking to a small group of doctors. She turned when she saw him coming. “Mr. Ewing, come with me.”

He followed her into the unit. It only took a glance to see what was wrong. The doctors later explained that the time between the blackout and the generators coming on, though brief, had been too much for the baby. The tiny lungs couldn't withstand the stress and the baby was already weak. As Bobby arrived there, the child was in cardiac arrest.

Bobby looked around at all of the wisdom and medical knowledge standing before him. “Why isn't anyone doing anything?” He shouted. Their blank stares told him all he needed to know. The respirator was still forcing the baby to breathe, but the heart monitor showed slow, shallow and erratic beats that were getting slower every second.

With tears in his eyes, Bobby picked up the child and held it closely against his chest. If he and Pam's baby had to die, at least its daddy was going to be there to give whatever comfort he could. The heart beat continued to slow and Bobby cradled the child in his arms and looked into the sweet little face. There was no pain for the baby. As Bobby's tears fell, the child quietly drifted away.

At that moment, another baby began sobbing as though it were in physical pain. Bobby immediately knew it was his other child. All he could do is sit motionless, and watch the nurses check the baby over. But they couldn't find a reason for the wailing and the child wouldn't stop crying, not even when Bobby let go of the other one and picked up his only twin.

The child was inconsolable and cried well into the night. They had been together since they were conceived and were comforted by each others presence. Now, one of them was left alone for the first time and somehow, the other twin seemed to know.

CREDITS ROLL