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Man and Wife
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 Southfork Ranch
Outside, caterers were scurrying around, preparing the ranch for the upcoming nuptials. Upstairs in her bedroom, Lucy nervously stood before a mirror as Valene worked on her hair. “Lucy Ann Ewing, hold still for a second!” Sue Ellen was also in the room and there was a certain mystique roaming about the ranch—today was a big day, another Southfork wedding. “Mom, you said you invited some people from California, but you won't tell me who,” Lucy nagged. “You'll just have to see. I want all of my friends to see my beautiful daughter marry that handsome man.” A knock sounded at the door. “Who is it?” Sue Ellen said. Theresa's voice answered. “There's some guests here for Ms. Valene.” Val squealed with delight. “Send them in!” The door opened and Karen Mackenzie and Val's mom, Lilimae, spilled into the room. Val hugged them both. “Val! It's great to see you again.” Karen Mackenzie was Val's longtime best friend and neighbor from Knots Landing. “Karen, this is Sue Ellen Ewing and of course you've met Lucy. And everybody, this is my mother, Lilimae.” Karen smiled, “Hi Sue Ellen, it's nice to finally meet you after hearing so much about you. And Lucy, congratulations, I know your mother is thrilled about this.” “Hello Lilimae and Karen,” Sue Ellen said, “my goodness, two Karen's at Southfork, let's hope that doesn't get confusing.” “Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten that Christopher's wife was a Karen too,” Karen Mackenzie laughed. “Where's Mack?” Val asked with concern. “Is everything okay?” “He really wanted to come, but he was so tied up with all that's going on out there.” Sue Ellen gave her an inquisitive look. “Sue Ellen, let's just say I've heard all about what goes on at Southfork, but you ain't got nothin' on Knots Landing.” “So I've heard,” she said with a laugh. Lucy turned from the mirror. “Thanks for coming Karen. It means a lot to have my Mom's best friend here.” “Now where is this Pam Ewing I've heard so much about?” Sue Ellen answered. “Pam left yesterday morning for Paris. Bobby went with her.” “Will she be back in time for the wedding?” This time, Lucy answered. “I talked to Pam before she left. She said she'd try her best to get back, but she wasn't sure how long she'd be there.” “That's a shame, I've really been looking forward to meeting her.” Karen Mackenzie smiled, and then she turned back to Lucy's direction. “You really do look beautiful and I'd love to meet the groom before the wedding. Where is he?” “I think he's still at his apartment, but he should be back here soon.” As they talked, Lucy counted off the guest list in her mind and tried to remember if she'd forgotten to invite anyone. She would have loved to have Muriel there, but Muriel had taken her own life after being diagnosed with AIDS. Lucy would have also liked for Eric to be there, but as far as she knew, he was still in a hospital recovering from being shot by Arliss. But, the most important people were her parents. She had purposely not invited Afton and Cliff…for obvious reasons…
Things were progressing faster than Gary ever thought possible. John Ross showed himself into the office and immediately noticed the look on Gary's face. “What? Good news?” “Wonderful news. Two houses are ready and a third is on its way. Looks like we're finally going to get some cash flowing in here.” “You're not planning on selling them already are you?” “Why wouldn't I?” “I don't know…I just thought we'd wait until most of it was finished before selling.” “I don't see why we should. The houses will sell just as good now as they will in a month or two.” “I just don't like jumping the gun. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to take things slow,” John Ross argued. “Okay, we'll do this your way then. After all, it was you who saved the company.” “Tell you what, we'll wait until we get five of the houses finished, then we'll start selling them off.” “That sounds great.” Gary looked at his watch. “Oh no, the wedding is gonna start soon, so we'd better be going.” John Ross agreed and the two left the office and headed back to Southfork.
“Oh Bobby, it's beautiful.” “Is that a hint?” “Maybe,” she smiled slyly. “Well, I guess it's the least I can do, after all you've done for me.” “What have I done for you?” “You brought my little daughter into the world just a few months ago.” Bobby noticed a man wearing sunglasses who kept staring at them from a bench. “What is it?” “Nothing,” Bobby said. He led Pam into the store and a few minutes later, they walked back out with Pam holding a bag. The man was gone from his position on the bench. Thinking nothing else of it, Bobby and Pam continued to walk. “I just can't figure out who this Rex Wentworth is.” “Do you think he could be one of your mother's children, maybe a half-brother of yours?” “Maybe, but surely Mother would have said something about it.” “Maybe.” “Bobby, have you noticed that man that keeps following us? The one with the sunglasses…” “You've noticed it too? I thought it was just a coincidence. Maybe I should go ask him what the hell he's doing.” “No, don't cause any trouble.” Bobby reluctantly agreed and they continued. “Whoever he is, this Wentworth guy definitely struck me as a mysterious character.” “Yes, I got that too, but we'll get to the bottom of it as soon as he calls us back. Then, we can ask him anything we want.” “And I intend to have my private investigator check him out when we get back to Dallas.” “Now you're sounding like J.R.” “What can I say…living with him all those years, I've picked up a few tricks from him.” Pam laughed. “Hopefully not his fondness for other women.” “Never. My heart belongs to only one woman.” Pam decided to tease him. “And who might that be?” He turned her toward a store window, until her reflection was staring back at her. “You're looking at her.” “Okay, I was just checking Honey. Hey, I think we should call Lucy to let her know we're thinking about her today, since it's obvious we're not going to make it back in time for the wedding.” “Good idea. There's a phone right over there…”
“Hi Theresa, it's Pam.” “Hello Miss Pam.” “I need to speak with Lucy please.” “Yes ma'am.” Theresa set the phone on the table and walked upstairs to Lucy's room. “Miss Lucy, there's a phone call for you.” “Thanks Theresa, I'll take it up here.” Theresa nodded and left the room. Lucy picked up the phone. “Hello?” “Hi Lucy.” “Pam, hey. What's up? Where are you calling from?” “Bobby and I are still in Paris.” “Oh, does that mean you won't make it back in time?” “I'm afraid not Lucy…Bobby and I are both really sorry.” Lucy perked up. “Hey, that's okay. I know you're reasons for being there are important. You need to close the door on all of this Jenna and Katherine stuff so you and Bobby can stop worrying.” “I'm glad you understand. Have the guests arrived yet?” “Just Karen Mackenzie, Mom's best friend. There may be some people outside, but I'm not sure.” “Well tell Karen I said hi.” “Speaking of Karen's, Karen Ewing was released from the rehab center yesterday. She's totally clean now.” “Really? That's wonderful. Christopher must be thrilled.” “He is, believe me.” “Oh, I forgot to mention this, but Bobby and I got you a little preliminary wedding gift. We'll give you something a little more concrete when we get back.” “Okay, now the suspense is killing me…what is it?” “You'll see. But now, I really need to be going. Lucy, I wish you all the best today. Neil is a great guy and I know he'll make you happy.” “Thanks Pam, that means a lot to me, to know I have your support.” “Oh, Bobby wants to say hi.” “Okay.” In Paris, Bobby took the phone from Pam. “Hey Lucy.” “Hi Bobby.” “Sorry we couldn't make it, but I just wanted you to know you had my best wishes. I guess the next time I see you, you'll be a Lancaster.” Lucy hadn't thought about that. “Yeah, I guess so.” “But just remember, you can change her name, but you can't take the Ewing out of one of our Ewing women. Good luck…this is one Southfork wedding that'll go off without a hitch.” “Bobby, that didn't sound exactly encouraging, considering without a hitch could mean that we won't be getting hitched.” “Don't be silly. Everything's gonna run smoothly. You go knock him dead Lucy.” Lucy laughed. “I haven't heard that phrase used for a wedding, but I guess that will work. I'll take to you later Bobby, and I really hope you and Pam find the answers you're looking for.” “Thanks Lucy.” The two said their goodbyes and hung up their phones. “So Bobby and Pam won't be making it back?” Sue Ellen asked. “No, they're tied up in Paris, but that's okay.”
“Oops. I'm sorry,” he apologized. “No biggie,” the girl replied. She looked at him, and a sign of recognition crossed her face. “Aren't you Todd Foster?” “You know me? Intriguing!” Todd couldn't place her. She was familiar. She was also very attractive. “I know of you. Office gossip.” “Who are you?” “Janice Kelly. I'm Lucy's secretary.” “Oh! Yes, Phyllis's daughter.” Todd had heard of her, and believed he had seen her before as well. “Is that what everyone knows me as?” “What would you prefer to be known as?” She was so pretty! Todd felt like a smitten teen. “A foxy chick.” She had a sense of humor. He enjoyed that too. Their eyes met for a moment. It was almost as if electricity passed between them. What was going on? Todd hadn't felt this way in a long while. Sure, people were attractive, but rare were the times he was attracted to someone for the person they were. He was more of a user, or at least he prided himself on it. What was he talking about? He hardly knew her! “See ya around, Todd.” Janice gave him a warm smile before trotting off.
“Oh my God,” Lucy beamed. “What's everybody here for?” “To give your shower of course,” Donna answered. Miss Ellie spoke up. “It's a bit late, but I say there's no time like the last minute.” “Guys…or girls I guess I should say, you don't know how much this means to me for you all to be here right now.” Lucy's eyes were beginning to fill up with tears. “Lucy Ewing! I'm the one that's supposed to be doing the crying,” Val said. “I know Mom, but I can't help it, I'm so happy.” Lucy turned to Karen Ewing. “Karen, I'm so glad everything's okay with you now, so you could be here too.” Karen nodded and smiled. “So am I Lucy. It's really helping my spirits to see that so much happiness is going on here.” “And you too Melissa…I know you just got out of the hospital from the fire. How are you doing?” “Oh, I'm fine. John Ross was hurt worse than I was, but he's okay too.” “And I bet the next Southfork wedding will be yours…or maybe Donna's.” Donna smiled uneasily at Lucy and thought to herself that she didn't see that happening at the moment. “Well, who knows what the future holds.” Lucy then walked over to Lilimae. “Grandma, I'm glad to have you here too…and it feels kind of weird saying that, considering I never even met you until just this summer.” Lilimae smiled. “You're a fine young girl Lucy…and I met that husband of yours…he's almost as fine as Clayton, but I still think he'll do for you.” Lucy laughed and winked at Miss Ellie, who didn't look that amused. Then she went to Sly, Phyllis, and Janice. “Ladies, I'm glad you were able to make it too. Hopefully Ewing Oil won't crash without you there to keep it running smoothly at the moment.” “Ah, we don't do that much,” Sly said modestly. Lucy moved to the next person, her sister Betsy. “Bets, thanks for agreeing to be my maid of honor. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather have than my little sister.” “No problem Lucy, I'm really honored.” Lucy hugged her tearfully. “And Cally, words don't express how happy I am that you're back in my life again. You were one of my dearest friends and we've been through a lot together.” “Lucy, I'm mighty proud of you today. From what I've seen, Neil is a great man and I know you two are just going to be as happy as two little doves.” Lucy smiled and hugged her. “Thanks Cally.” “Now we'd better get this show on the road before the wedding starts,” Donna said after she'd glanced at her watch. “We've got a lot of gifts to give you!” Several of the women handed Lucy boxes and throughout the next twenty minutes, she opened them and thanked them all. Then, it was time for the old wedding tradition… “Here's something old,” Miss Ellie said. She took out a box and handed it to Lucy. “It's a pendant that Jock gave me many years ago.” “Grandma! It's beautiful.” She hugged Miss Ellie. “Quick, time's a wastin'…here's something new,” Cally said. She handed Lucy the next gift. Lucy tore off the paper to reveal a beautiful painting of her and Neil together. Her eyes immediately reddened and welled up with tears. “Cally, I'm speechless…” “Miss Ellie gave me a picture of you two and I painted from that. I really hope you like it.” Lucy hugged her and held her for a moment. “I'm going to cherish this forever.” Lucy noticed everyone else was beginning to get tearful, so she decided to lighten up the moment. “Now if somebody would just give me a house, I could hang this in. Just don't let it be the borrowed thing, because I wouldn't want to give it back…but a blue house? I dunno.” The women all laughed at her joke. “Okay, here's something you can borrow, but I'm afraid it's not a house. But first, let me give everyone a little history lesson,” Karen Mackenzie said. Her face took on a solemn look. “Sid Fairgate was my first husband, who died from complications resulting from a surgery he chose to have after a car crash…” Val's face soon had the same sorrowful look. She remembered very well that time. Karen took out a black box and from it, she pulled out a shimmering gold bracelet. “Sid gave this to me when we were married.” “Oh Karen, I'd be afraid to wear it…” Karen Mackenzie smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Don't be, it's a tough little thing…I've held onto it through the bad times and good. And for you, this one is a good time.” Karen fastened the bracelet on Lucy's wrist. “Thank you so much Karen,” Lucy said, nearly choking up. “I'll be sure to give it back after the wedding.” Karen smiled and nodded. “Now, who has something blue?” Val stepped forward. “That would be me. This is kind of a strange present…at least you may think so.” She left the room and came back with a huge bouquet of blue roses. “Mom! They are gorgeous…” “Your Daddy gave me blue roses one time and I thought they were so unusual and beautiful.” “They are, thanks so much Momma.” Lucy hugged her. Theresa walked into the room. “Everyone, the wedding is going to start in five minutes.” Lucy's stomach was queasy and she knew that now was the moment—she was about to be married. A few minutes later, outside, the wedding music started playing and the bride's maids began their march down the aisle, but not before Tiffany had walked ahead and thrown out several flowers. Cally was the first to walk. She was wearing a yellow dress, which made her blonde hair stand out even more. Her eyes cut over to where J.R. was sitting and despite her feelings for him now, she couldn't help but remember how happy they'd both been on their wedding day. Cally quickly pushed that thought out of her mind and looked ahead as she continued her walk. When she reached the altar, she moved to the side. Next, Karen Ewing strode down the aisle. She breathed in the fresh air and sunshine and pushed all thoughts of the rehab center out of her head. She thought about her husband and the wedding music seemed far away. Karen spotted Christopher sitting to one side and she smiled at him, but he seemed distant. Worried, Karen joined Cally near the altar. Finally, came Betsy, the maid of honor. She thought about how happy she was for Lucy and about the fact that they'd gotten to be so close since she moved to Dallas. She smiled and joined Karen and Cally. Everyone stood and turned as Lucy, arm-in-arm with Gary, began the march down the aisle. She couldn't believe this was finally happening. After her final divorce to Mitch, she honestly hadn't believed there was a chance for her to be happy again, but Neil had disproved that. She smiled at him and he returned her smile. Val crumbled a tissue in her hands and wiped away tears with another one. She turned to Lilimae. “I can't believe this…both of my little girls are all grown up.” Lilimae quickly responded. “And how do ya think that makes me feel? They're both my granddaughters for crying out loud!” She'd said that a little too loudly and several people sitting around them overheard and a few laughs emerged from the crowd. Finally, Lucy reached Neil and the music stopped. The pastor began. “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman, Neil and Lucy, in holy matrimony.” The pastor talked for a few more seconds and Val continued to cry. “Before we begin, if there's anyone here who sees just cause why Neil and Lucy shouldn't be joined in marriage, then speak now, or forever hold your peace…” There was a deathly silence and Lucy's breath was nearly taken away. What if someone objected? In the audience, Cliff clasped Afton's hand and bit his lip. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the pastor continued. “Very well then.” He said a few more words, then started the next step. “Do you, Lucy Ann Ewing, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” Lucy nodded her head and answered at the same time. “Yes, yes I do.” “And do you, Neil Lancaster, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” Neil turned to her and smiled. “No…”
She hefted her large duffel bag toward the guest house that J.R.'s ex-wife was residing in. Dominique took out her lockpicks, and bent down to open the door. A moment later, it swung open in front of her. She dragged the bag into the living room, and zipped open the top. It was full of cameras. Miniature cameras—state of the art. Dominique only worked with the best. She surveyed the room to find the best place to put them, where J.R.'s ex-wife would never suspect them. She sounded like a stupid country girl, so Dominique did not expect her job to be hard. And what a job it was! She was being paid well for this. She should be. What J.R. was doing, in her opinion, was unforgivable. But then again, who was she to judge? She was getting paid!
Neil then clarified his statement. “Even death won't come between us. We'll be together forever, but yes, I do take Lucy as my wife.” Lucy sighed and had never been so relieved in her life, but she would have liked to clobber him over the head with her bouquet. The audience was relieved as well. “Rings please.” John Ross handed Neil a ring. “With this ring, I thee wed.” Neil placed it on Lucy's finger. Next, Lucy took Neil's ring from John Ross. “With this ring, I thee wed.” She slid it onto Neil's finger and clasped his hand tightly. “Then by the power vested in me by the great state of Texas, I now pronounce you man and wife. Neil, you may kiss your bride.” Neil swept her into his arms and kissed her—a kissed that lasted just a bit longer than the usual wedding kiss…
Sue Ellen walked over to him, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Having fun?” “Yeah, it's a great time.” He still couldn't get that nagging thought out of his head. “Well, I hope that Lucy and Neil will be very happy. She deserves it.” The two made general chit-chat for a while, when Sue Ellen broached a new topic. “Jack, I've been thinking about something.” “What? How wonderful I am?” Sue Ellen gave a slight laugh, “Well, not only that, but also about Ewing Oil. You own 7.5% of it.” “Yeah. So?” “Well, I own 10%….” She had confided in Jack about Christopher selling her his 2%. “You know how bad I want to get it away from J.R. What about selling to me? My impression is you don't use it that much.” “You want me to sell you my shares of Ewing Oil?” That was it. That was why she was with him. “Yes, I do.” Sue Ellen saw his growing hostility. “Is that all you've ever wanted from me?” “Jack, what are you talking about?” “You. You're obsessed with this notion of getting J.R. You two aren't married anymore, why can't you just leave him alone!” His voice was getting louder. “Jack, where the hell is this coming from?” That was a good question. Where was it coming from? He supposed it was his insecurities talking. But he wanted to be sure….he wanted to be sure of this. He really cared about her. He didn't want to be screwed with. He was sick of being the second most important thing in a woman's life. It was business first with Abby. It seemed it was J.R. first with Sue Ellen. “I'm sick of being second fiddle?” “Is that what you think you are?” Sue Ellen was growing a little bit hostile herself. She was trying to keep her voice down. Thankfully, no one was close enough to hear them. “I don't really know. You seem to care about J.R. a little too much for an ex-wife.” “How dare you presume to tell me how I feel? For your information, I'm trying to get that son of a bitch where it hurts! I really wouldn't call that love!” “Why can't you just give it up?” Sue Ellen didn't understand what was going on. “Jack, what is this about?” “It's about what your priorities are. And it's clear that J.R. is obviously one of them.” His words seemed to give finality on the matter. “URGH! You are so difficult! Fine, believe what you want. I'm not having someone tell me how I feel, or presume to even know how I think. If you don't understand what this is all about for me, then perhaps you don't know me as well as you'd like to believe. Or I'd like to believe. Whatever. Goodbye.” She threw her hands in frustration and darted inside the house. Jack was so angry that he didn't even care.
“Karen, you look great.” Todd hugged her, and Karen grabbed her friend tightly. “It feels so good to be back,” Karen pulled out from the embrace, smiling. “How are you feeling?” “Better. Much better.” She looked down. “A little embarrassed, I guess.” “Why? Because you faced a problem?” Todd laughed. “Ew. That sounded like an after school special, but I meant it.” Karen laughed. “I'm sure it'll get easier with time. It was tough in there, though. Those nurses could be harsh.” “Probably because they have to wear those god awful shoes.” “Their hair could use some work too.” It felt good to be joking with Todd again. “Christopher has missed you.” “I think this whole thing got to him---me being in treatment and everything.” “What do you mean?” “I think he felt guilty for putting me in there. I think he still feels guilty, but doesn't know what to do. I don't know. It's confusing.” “Everything will work out fine. You're home. That's all that matters.” “The food's better here, that's for sure.” Karen joked sarcastically. A few feet away, Gary held Val as she continued to sob. “Val honey, for crying out loud, this isn't the first time she's been married.” “I know…I know, but I've never played such a big part in the wedding…or felt as close to her as I have now.” “I think I know what you mean.” Miss Ellie walked up to them. “I hope Lucy will hurry up and change so she can get back out here. It's almost time for Bobby and Pam's surprise.” “What is this surprise?” Val asked. “You'll see in just a moment.” John Ross noticed Neil and Lucy walking back outside, arm in arm, now changed back into the normal clothes. “Ladies and gentlemen, allow me the pleasure to present Mr. And Mrs. Neil Lancaster.” “I love the sound of that,” Lucy said, waving at them all. Suddenly, there was a loud roar from above and everyone directed their gazes to the sky. An airplane flew by, pulling a gigantic banner behind it. The banner read:
Congratulations Neil and Lucy“Oh my God…so that's the surprise,” Lucy beamed. Neil pulled her closer to him. “You've got quite an uncle and aunt Lucy.” “They are…they're great.” Lucy was surprised to see J.R. walk up to her. She halfway expected him to try and cause some sort of trouble. “Lucy, I know you may not believe me, but I'm really happy for you…and I mean that.” In typical Lucy fashion, she responded. “Of course you are J.R…my getting married means I'll be moving out of Southfork and I'll be out of your way for good.” J.R. laughed. “Well, that is right…” “Okay people,” Lilimae said, pushing her way into the crowd. “That wedding cake looks deeelicious, so why don't we let this pretty little bride and this handsome hunk of a man scoot on up to it so we can cut it…” The crowd roared with laughter and Lilimae was pleased to know she'd managed to entertain them. But, Lucy and Neil didn't think it was a totally bad idea, so they did just that. After spending several minutes doing that, someone mentioned that Lucy should toss her bouquet. “Okay single girls, gather 'round,” Lucy said. She laughed dryly when she saw that both Afton and Pamela Rebecca were in the crowd of women. She sighed, then turned away from them and began the countdown. “One…two…three!” The bouquet went flying over her head and directly into Afton's hands. “Well, what do you know…” she said. Lucy couldn't believed that had happened. She had clearly aimed in the other direction. Pamela Rebecca smiled. “Mom, looks like you'll be the next one at the altar.” “You never do know.” Afton didn't notice, but her wheelchair was sitting awfully close to the edge of the swimming pool. Suddenly, Lilimae appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Clayton. “Come on Clayton, let's cut a rug!” Surprised, Clayton didn't resist, but Lilimae had thrown him off balance and they both bumped into Afton's chair, sending it spilling into the pool. Water splashed out onto some of the closer wedding guests and several screams sounded. “Oh my God! She went in!” one shouted. Afton hit bottom and managed to free her foot from where it was entangled on the chair. She kicked violently to get herself to the surface. Cliff broke through the crowd, but not before Afton had come up for air. He went sailing through the air and dove in for her, but to his surprise, she seemed okay. Clayton grabbed her hands and pulled her out, where she stood up in front of the entire crowd. Lucy gasped. “Afton, what the hell are you doing standing up?” Afton realized what a grave mistake she'd made. Thinking fast, she tried to cover it up by collapsing. Clayton caught her. “Not so fast there Afton.” He then let go of her. “Looks like you're doing just fine on your own.” Pamela Rebecca shook her head and turned away. She couldn't believe her mother had slipped up like that. Cliff pulled himself out of the pool and he stood in front of her, dripping wet. “Afton, you've got about five seconds to give me an explanation for why you're suddenly and miraculously able to walk!” “Cliff, I…I don't know, but I couldn't before…I…I guess it was the urgency of the situation…you know? I've heard all about people who were paralyzed and got in fires and stuff…and when it came right down to it, they…were able to walk right out…and I guess that's what happened here…” “And you expect me to believe that?” J.R. stepped up. “Hell Barnes…and I thought my ex-wives were bad.” “Shut up J.R., I don't want to get into this with you again.” Lucy and Neil were both standing back, both moderately amused. Lucy couldn't believe that Afton had been faking the whole time! Cliff suddenly grabbed Afton's hand and pulled her through the crowd. “Come on Afton, we'll talk about this when we get home.” Afton didn't argue…she didn't exactly want to talk about it in front of the wedding guests. Lucy smiled. “Well, my husband and I hate to leave this wonderful wedding party, but we do have a honeymoon to go on.” “Ooh, where are you two going?” Karen Mackenzie asked. “Lucy doesn't know,” Neil replied. “And she's not going to know until we get there, if I can help it.” Lucy pretended to pout. “If you're not going to tell me, I guess I'll just have to be surprised. But I can't wait any longer, let's go!” The two newlyweds said their goodbyes and thanked everyone for coming, before approaching Neil's car. They drove off, and in true wedding tradition, cans dragged behind it and Just Married was written on the back window. As the car moved away from Southfork, Lucy couldn't believe it—she was married…and happy.
When he raised it, he saw Janice Kelly quickly taking a last puff of her cigarette before throwing it on the ground and putting it out. Todd smiled. “Caught you.” “Oh God, I thought you were my mother. She'd blow a lid if she found me.” “You have a light?” Todd asked. “Sure.” Janice walked over and lit his cigarette. Todd had to bend down a little, and when he did, their eyes locked for a moment. They were staring when Phyllis popped her head around the corner and shouted. “Janice, we've got to get going! C'mon.” “Bye,” Janice said. She let her gaze and her smile linger on Todd as she walked away. Todd heard Phyllis muttering, “What were you doing back there?” as she walked away with her daughter. It was a distant sound though, because Todd felt like he was in a dream.
“Yeah?” “Mr. Ewing?” “Yes.” “This is Leslie from Dallas Memorial…” “What? Is something wrong with Mandy?” “You need to get here right away Mr. Ewing.” “Well what the hell is wrong with her?” “She's taken a turn for the worse…and we're not expecting her to make it through the night.” “Oh my God…I'll be right there.” J.R. dropped the phone and made a U-turn in the road, heading back to the direction of Dallas Memorial. Five minutes later he was cursing the elevator for taking so long and nearly two minutes after that, he was standing outside Mandy Winger's hospital room door. J.R. took a deep breath, took off his hat, and then went inside. Mandy wasn't alone. There was someone he knew standing beside the bed. “Just what do you think you're doing in here?”
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