EPISODE 220 - Heather's Dilemma

Steven looks over at his wife.  ''Amanda, what's going on?  How do you and Alex know each other?  I mean, I know you're from Texas, too, but, you're from Houston.  So do you two know each other?"

 

Amanda looks at Alex, then at Steven.  "Steven, it's true that I am from Houston.  I grew up there.  But then, I moved to Dallas."

 

"Oh, so you guys met when you moved to Dallas?"  Steven asks.

 

"Steven, the truth is........I used to be married to Alex's father."

 

Steven looks at his wife in shock, as do Bridget and Michelle.  "You what?"  Steven asks.

 

"You were married to John Ross?" Bridget asks.  

 

"Why didn't you ever tell me this?"  Steven asks.  "I knew that you'd been married twice before, but, you didn't tell me that one of your ex husbands was a Ewing."

 

"Both,"  Alex says.  

 

"What?"  Steven asks.

 

"BOTH of Amanda's ex-husbands are Ewings.  Amanda was married to my father first, then she divorced him and married my Uncle Justin, my father's younger brother.''

 

Steven turns to her.  "Amanda, tell me this isn't true.''

 

Amanda looks at him in tears.  "I'm sorry, Steven.  But it is."

 

"Alex, maybe we should just......go,"  Bridget says.

 

"I think that's a good idea,"  agrees Michelle.  

 

''NO,"  Steven says.  "No one is going anywhere.  You were all invited here for dinner, so we're gonna have dinner."

 

Bridget and Michelle exchange awkward looks, and the group moves to the dining room, unsure of what kind of drama will play out during dinner.

Southfork....

 Meanwhile, another drama is being played out at Southfork, as Heather has come face to face with the mother she hasn't seen in years.  

 

''Heather?"  Lucas says.  "Is this true?  Is this woman your mother?"

 

"Mom, what are you saying?"  A confused Bryce asks.  

 

"It's true, Bryce," says Connie Richardson.  "Heather is my daughter, and your sister."

 

"Heather, this can't be true,"  says Lucas.  ''You told me that your parents were dead."

 

Without saying a word, Heather quickly bolts from the crowded room and runs up the stairs.  Lucas runs after her.  

 

"Well, I guess from this unexpected turn of events, we can assume that dinner's gonna be late this evening,"  John Ross says sarcastically.

 

Meanwhile, Heather storms into her and Lucas's bedroom upstairs and slams the door.  A couple of seconds later, Lucas walks in and closes the door behind him.  "Heather, what's going on?"

 

"Lucas, please.  Just leave me alone right now,"  Heather says in tears.  

 

Lucas walks over to her.  "Heather, come on.  Talk to me.  Is that woman downstairs your mother?"

 

''That woman downstairs may have given birth to me, but she's no mother of mine,"  Heather says.  

 

''Heather, I'm trying to understand here.  You told me that your parents were dead, and now your mother shows up here, alive?"

 

"My father is dead, and as far as I'm concerned, he's the only one that counts."

 

''Honey, what happened between you and your mother that was so terrible that you just wrote her off?"  Lucas asks.  ''Heather, PLEASE........share this with me. Help me to understand what's goin' on here."

 

Heather turns to Lucas and begins to cry.  Lucas embraces his wife.  

Meanwhile....downstairs....

 

''I'm very sorry that I've created such a scene,"  Connie Richardson says to the other Ewing family members gathered in the den.  ''Maybe I shouldn't have come here.''

 

"Then why DID you, Mrs. Richardson?"  Bobby asks.  "It's obvious that you and Heather have been estranged for quite some time."

 

"Yes, we have."

 

''Mrs. Richardson, you must forgive us if this has taken us by surprise,"  says Ann.  "We all thought that Heather's mother was dead."

 

''I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Heather told everyone that,"  Connie says.  After a brief pause, Connie looks over at Michael and smiles through her tears.  ''Michael,"  she says.  "My very handsome grandson."

 

Michael looks at the woman, this stranger.......this woman who was supposed to be the mother of his new friend, but who is now his grandmother, and remains silent as he lowers his head, unsure of what to say to this strange woman, or to Bryce.  

 

"Mom, can we just go?"  Bryce asks.  "I wanna just go home"

 

"We will, honey, in a minute.  But first, I would like to see Heather."

 

''Well, it doesn't seem much like Heather wants to see you,"  Bobby says.  

 

"Bobby,"  Ann says, looking at him.  "Mrs. Richardson, I'll take you up to Heather's room and see if she will see you."

 

"Thank you, Mrs. Ewing,"  Connie says.  ''Bryce, wait here."  Connie follows Ann into the foyer and up the stairs. 

 

A moment later, Ann knocks on Lucas and Heather's bedroom door.  ''Heather, are you alright?"  Ann asks.

 

In the bedroom, Lucas and Heather are sitting on the bed, Heather crying.  "WE'RE FINE, ANN,"  Lucas calls back to her.

 

"HEATHER CONNIE REALLY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU,"  Ann says.

 

''YOU TELL HER TO GO AWAY!"  Heather says. "I HAVE NOTHING AT ALL TO SAY TO HER!"

 

Outside in the hallway, Connie knocks on the door.  "PLEASE, HEATHER.  I HAVE SO MANY THINGS I NEED TO SAY TO YOU."

 

"GO AWAY!"  Heather yells.  

 

In the hallway outside, Connie lowers her head.  

 

"I think you'd better go,"  Ann says to her.  Connie looks at her, nods, then quietly walks away, going back downstairs.  

 

Back in the bedroom, Lucas hands Heather a tissue, then retakes his seat on the bed beside her.  ''I know all this

must seem really strange to you."

 

"Yeah, it does,"  says Lucas.  "Heather, what happened?"

 

Heather lowers her head.  ''Growing up, I had a pretty typical, normal family.  There was me, Mama, Daddy, and my older brother."

 

"Heather, you......you never even told me you had an older brother."  

 

Heather nods.  "His name was Michael.  I named Michael after him.  He was a year older than me."

 

"Where is he now?"

 

''He's dead.''

 

"What?"  Lucas asks.  

 

''We were an average family, just like any other,"  Heather says.  ''My brother, Michael, he was terrific.  A star athlete, and my best friend.  Michael and my Daddy, they were both my heroes.  And within a couple of years of each other, they were both gone."

 

"What happened?"

 

"Michael and me, we were both the apple of our Daddy's eye.  One night, when Michael was 15, he went out on a double date with his friend, Joey, who was older.  Joey was 16.  It was the homecomin' football game at the high school, and Michael begged my father to let him go, and he did.  That Friday night, I went to the game with my parents, and we saw Michael and Joey there with their dates.  Michael's date was a friend of mine, a girl named Meredith Burns.  Michael and Joey said they were gonna take the girls out to eat at McDonald's after the game, and my Daddy told him not to be too late.  The last thing Michael said to us was, that he wouldn't be too late, and that he loved us.  Then, I left the ballfield with Mama and Daddy.  As we left, I looked back and I saw my brother and his friends walkin' toward Joey's car in the parkin' lot.  That was the last time I ever saw him.  My parents and I went home that night, and went on to bed.  Then, around 2 in the mornin', I was woken up by the sound of someone knockin' on our front door.  I didn't think much about it, so I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.  The next thing I heard was my Mama screamin', and my Daddy cryin'. When Michael, Joey, and their girlfriends left the ballfield, they went to McDonald's to eat, and then they went to take Meredith, Michael's date, home.  Joey, Michael, and Joey's date, Hannah, were on their way to take Hannah home, and, there was a train comin'.  I don't know whether Joey was tryin' to beat the train across the tracks, or what, but, the train hit the car on the rear passenger side.......the side where Michael was sittin'.  It was the police who had come to our house to tell my parents that my brother had been killed instantly.  Hannah was seriously injured and suffered some brain damage.  Joey.......he was in a coma for six weeks, but he recovered.  At least physically.  But my family was never the same.  That woman downstairs, my so called mother........she blamed my father for allowin' Michael to go with the other kids that night, and his guilt drove him to drink.  And not only that, but to use drugs, too.  Cocaine, meth, anything that would numb his pain.  My parents fought ALL the time, and  Daddy would go on these benders that would last sometimes for weeks.  This went on for two years.  Then one day we got the call that I had been dreading ever since my brother died.  My father was found dead in a hotel room from a heart attack.......a heart attack brought on by all the alcohol and drug abuse.  After that, things REALLY fell apart between me and Mama."

 

"How old were you when your father died?"  Lucas asks.  

 

"16.  After he died, I found out we were broke.  Daddy had gone through everything, all their savings.  He had no life insurance, so Mama was stuck with the funeral bill.  So what did she do?  She took up with any man who had money.  Any man she thought would be her ticket to becoming rich.  Some of those men were real pigs, and there was one.........he was the BIGGEST pig.  He would help Mama, but for a price.  A price she was all too willin' to pay.  That price was me."

 

"Heather, are you saying that your mother......."

 

"Yes.  She was willin' to make a whore out of her 16-year-old daughter for the sake of money.  There was this one guy she met online.  He was young, maybe in his mid-20s.  He was even kinda handsome, but he was an arrogant pig, and every time he touched me, it made my skin crawl.  He had a rich Daddy and was set to inherit millions, and my mother hoped he would marry me.  So every time he would come over, she would force me to go to bed with him.  In exchange, he would pay all her bills and even give her money.  She basically made me a prostitute.  Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, so I left.  I left with Bo, who had been my high school sweetheart. I haven't seen or spoken to that woman since.......until tonight.  With the life she lived, for all I knew, she WAS dead.  It was always easier for me to say that she was, because she was dead to me.  Anyway, I lived with Bo, and for a while we struggled to make ends meet.  But, things didn't work out between us at first, so I left him and went to work on a ranch, and that's when I met you.  The rest, you know."

 

"My God, Heather, I'm so sorry,"  Lucas says.  ''No wonder you reacted the way you did when you saw her again."

 

"Seeing her brought back so many memories. So much pain.  God, Lucas, what's she doin' here?  And that boy, Bryce.........Lucas, that boy is.........that's my little brother."

 

"Maybe she's really here to make amends.  Maybe she's a different woman now than she was then."

 

"Oh, please!"  

 

''Heather, come on, think about it,"  Lucas says.  "You met Bryce and spent time with him.  It's obvious she's raised the kid right."

 

"Lucas, I don't care.  I don't care if she's changed.  After the things that she did, I can never forgive her.  She blamed my father for my brother's death, and that killed him.  Then, what she did to me........no, Lucas.  I never want to see her again."

 

"And what about Bryce?"  Lucas asks.  "Heather you just found out that you have a younger brother.  One who's just a year or so older than Michael.  Bryce goes to school with Michael and the boys have become friends.  How are we going to avoid them now?"

 

"I don't know, and I don't care.  I just know that I don't wanna see her.......ever."

 

''Okay.''

 

''Lucas, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for a while."

 

"Alright.  I'm gonna go downstairs and see if your mother and Bryce are gone.  I'll be back up in a little while."

 

Heather nods.  Lucas kisses her on the cheek, then gets up and leaves the room.   

 

A moment later, Lucas comes down the stairs and finds the family still gathered in the den.  He pauses a second, then walks in.  

 

"Lucas, is Heather alright?"  Bobby asks.  

 

Lucas sighs.  "Yeah, she's just upset.  Mrs. Richardson and Bryce, are they, uh......"

 

"They left,"  Ann says.  

 

"Is it true, Dad?"  Michael asks.  "Bryce's mother is my.........grand-mother?"

 

"Yeah, Michael, it's true."

 

"Then that means that Bryce is my......uncle?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Dad, why did Mom tell us that her mother was dead?"  Michael asks.

 

"It's a long story, buddy, and I'm gonna let your mother tell you about it when she's ready."

 

Meanwhile, back upstairs in the bedroom, Heather gets up, walks to the closet and opens the door.  Reaching into the back of the closet, she brings out a box.  She takes a seat on the floor, opens the box, and takes out some photos.  Looking through them, she finds one photo that she looks closely at, tears streaming down her face.  

14-year-old Heather comes out of her family's home and onto the back porch.  She is immediately hit by the scorching heat of the hot, summer Texas sun.  After a few seconds, Heather hears the sound of a guitar playing around the corner of the house.  She walks down the steps and around the side of the house and sees her brother, Michael, playing his guitar.  Heather stops and listens to him for a while.  ''You sure are gettin' good on that thing," Heather says to him.

 

"Heather, didn't know you were there."

 

"What was that tune you were playin'?"  Heather asks.  "I don't recognize it."

"That's 'cause I just wrote it myself,"  Michael says.  

 

"Michael, you WROTE that?  It's real pretty.  It wouldn't surprise me if my big brother didn't become a big star one day."

 

"That's the plan.  Michael Reyes, the next George Strait."

 

"Hold on.  I'll be RIGHT back,"  Heather says.  

 

''Hey, where you goin'?"  Michael asks.  

 

"Just keep playin', I'll be right back!"  Heather says as she rushes back into the house.  A moment later, she returns carrying a camera.  

 

"What's that?"  Michael asks.

 

"What's it look like?  It's my camera, silly.  Go on, keep playin'.  I wanna get a picture of my big brother, the future country music superstar."

 

Michael laughs.  "You're crazy,"  he says, then resumes playing his guitar as Heather snaps the photo with her camera.....

******************RETURN TO THE PRESENT**************

Heather smiles through her tears.  "Michael.  I'm so glad I took this picture that day,"  she says.  

Southfork....the next morning....

 

Lucas is working out in the exercise room at Southfork the next morning when Christopher walks in.  "Mornin',"  Christopher says.

 

''Mornin'.  I'll be finished soon."

 

"Don't worry about it.  We can both work out in here together.  Unless you'd rather be alone."

 

"No, it's fine,"  Lucas says.  

 

"How's Heather this morning?"  Christopher asks.

 

"She didn't sleep much last night, so, I let her sleep late this mornin'."

 

"That was quite a surprise last night, Bryce's Mom turning out to be Heather's Mom, too."

 

"No one was more surprised by that than me."

"Y'know, when Heather and I were dating she......she never talked about her family at all,"  Christopher says.

 

"She didn't with me, either.  All she told me was that her folks had died when she was young.  She never even mentioned that she had an older brother."

 

"What?  She has an older brother?"

 

"HAD,"  Lucas says.  "His name was Michael, and he was killed in a car accident when he was 15.  Heather was 14.  That basically destroyed their family.  Her father blamed himself for his son's death and he started  to drink.  He died two years later of a heart attack when Heather was 16.  After that, things totally fell apart between Heather and her mother, and it got so bad that she ran away with Bo McCabe.''

 

"Oh, wow. No wonder she never talked about her past,"  Christopher says.

 

Lucas stops working out and looks at his brother.  "But wouldn't you think she would with ME?  Christopher, how is it possible to be married to someone......to share a child with them......and never really know them?  To never know about their past, or their family, or even that they had a brother?''

 

"Well, Lucas, from what you just said, Heather had a lot of pain in her early life.  Maybe she just wanted to forget that part of her life.  And, you gotta remember, you and Heather were apart for a lot of years before you found each other again.  Just don't be too hard on her, little brother."

 

"I'm not.  But I think I definitely am gonna go and see her mother today.  Heather told me a lot of stuff last night.  Stuff her Mom put her through after her Dad died.  I need to talk to that lady and get some answers for myself.  I'm gonna go get a shower.  I'll see ya later."

 

"Yeah, later,"  Christopher says as Lucas leaves the room.

Steven Frame's apartment, New York City....

 Steven answers his ringing doorbell that morning to find Alex, Bridget, and Michelle.  "Hey, guys, come on in,"  he says.

 

The three walk into the elegant apartment.  "How was the rest of your night after we left?"  Michelle asks.

 

"What you really mean is, did Amanda and I talk about what happened earlier.  And the answer is, yes we did."

 

"She told you everything?"  Alex asks.  

 

''Yes, she did,"  Steven replies.  "Even about her little tryst with Dylan Baxter."

 

 ''Look, Steven, this is none of my business, but, Amanda has caused a lot of problems for my family over the years,"  Alex says.  

 

''You're right, Alex, it IS none of your business,"  Steven says.  

''So, umm, Amanda,"  Michelle says.  "How exactly did you meet our brother?"

 

''Well, when I left Dallas a couple of years ago, I came here to New York, and I got a job working for Frame Technologies."

 

"Oh, so you worked for Steven,"  says Bridget.  

 

''Yes.  I didn't actually meet him until a year ago this past Christmas,"  Amanda continues.  "We had a company Christmas party, and a friend introduced me to Steven.  We hit it off right away."

 

"So, you and Steven had been dating for a year?"  Michelle asks.

 

"No, not quite,''  Amanda says.  ''I went through something really terrible.  It was a time in my life when I felt really alone, and scared.  And Steven was there for me when I needed a friend. Eventually, we fell in love and started dating.''

 

''That's our big brother, always the knight in shining armor,"  Michelle says.

 

"And he definitely was that for me.''

 

''It's still hard for me to believe that you were actually married to Alex's father,"  says Bridget.

 

"Why?"  Michelle asks.  "I mean, you gotta admit, John Ross Ewing is pretty hot for  a guy his age."

 

''How, umm, how are the Ewings, by the way?"  Amanda asks.

 

"They're all fine," replies Bridget.  "You were married to Justin, too, right?"

 

Amanda turns to the girls and looks at them.  "Yes, that's right."

 

Michelle smiles.  "Wow, Amanda, you tried to go through the whole family, didn't you?  Of course, all the Ewing men are hot, so, I can't say as I blame you.  So why'd you and John Ross get divorced?"

 

"It's a long and  complicated story."

 

"Well, what about you and Justin?  He's one that I SURE wouldn't let get away, "  says Michelle.

 

''Again, it's a long and complicated story, and I'd rather not talk about if you don't mind,"  Amanda says.

 

Bridget and Michelle exchange looks, both girls believing that their new sister-in-law is hiding something.

The Richardson home in Braddock....

 Lucas walks up to the front door of the Richardson home in Braddock and rings the doorbell.  He impatiently waits for someone to answer the door.  After a moment, Bryce opens the door.  

 

''Hello, Bryce,"  Lucas says.

 

"Hi.  What do you want?"

 

"I was hoping I could speak to your mother.  Is she home?"

 

Bryce looks at him for a few seconds, then steps aside to let him into the house.  "MOM!"  Bryce calls out to his mother.  

 

Connie Richardson comes down the stairs.  "What is it, honey?"  She asks, then stops short when she sees Lucas. She looks at him, surprised to see him.  "Hello,"  she says.  

 

"Mrs. Richardson."

 

"Lucas, I'm surprised to see you."

 

"I'd like to talk to you,"  Lucas says.  

 

"Of course.  Bryce, honey, would you excuse us?"

 

"Sure,"  the boy says, then quietly goes up the stairs.

 

"Let's go into the living room,"  Connie says.  "Can I offer you something?  Some tea?"

 

"No, thank you,"  Lucas says.  

 

''So, Lucas, what can I do for you?  I can only imagine what Heather must have told you about me."

 

"Heather has told me her side of things.  Now I'd like to hear yours."

 

''Why don't we have a seat?"  Connie asks.  She walks over and takes a seat at a table.  Lucas sits down across from her.  ''So, Heather told you and my grandson that I was dead, huh?"

 

"Yes, she did."

''Lucas, I was very young when I got pregnant with Heather's brother, Michael.  It was during my senior year in high school,"  Connie says.  "Tommy Reyes was my high school sweetheart.  He was the most handsome boy I'd  ever seen in my life.  Jet black hair, olive skin.  Rugged features.  His grandparents had emigrated to the United States from Spain during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, so he had that Latin look about it.  Anyway, during our senior year, I got pregnant with Michael.  Thankfully, Tommy and I were able to graduate, and then, that August of 1986, Michael was born.  Tommy and I were both just 18, and fresh out of school.  With the baby, our plans for college were scrapped, so Tommy went to work in a garage to make ends meet while we lived with my parents.  13 months after Michael was born, Heather came along.  I had the dream family that I had always wanted.  Then........it all fell apart."

 

"When Michael died?"  Lucas asks.

 

"Yes.  My handsome boy.  He was only 15,"  Connie says in tears.  "Did Heather tell you that Michael wanted to be a country music singer?"

 

"Yes, she did.  She said he was very talented."

 

Connie stands and walks over to a desk and opends a drawer.  She takes out a framed photo and brings it back 

 

over and shows it to Lucas.  "This is Heather and Michael.  Wasn't he handsome?"

 

"Yeah, he was sure a good looking kid,"  Lucas says.  ''Bryce looks a lot like him."

 

''This was taken the afternoon before Michael was killed that night.  It was Friday, October 12, 2001.  I remember I took this right after the kids got home from school.  It was about 4 in the afternoon.  Little did we know that, within 8 hours, Michael would be dead.  It was the homecoming football game at the high school that night.  Michael asked Tommy for permission to go with some friends, and Tommy said it was okay.  That night, in the middle of the night, the police came to our house and told us that........that our son had been killed.  The car his friend was driving collided with a train.  They said Michael died instantly.  A part of me died that night, Lucas."

 

"Heather said that you blamed your husband for Michael's death."

 

"Yes, I did.  Tommy also blamed himself, and he turned into a hopeless drunk.  Oh, maybe it was my fault.  Things were never the same between us after that.  Tommy would go on a bender and then he'd come home dead dog drunk.  We'd fight, and he'd leave and go on another bender.  Finally, he just didn't come home anymore.  Next thing I knew I got word that he had been found dead in a hotel room.  Heart attack, they said.  So there I was.  A young widow, at 35 with  a teenage daughter, no money, and bills up to my eyeballs.  So, out of desperation, I did some things that I'm not at all proud of."

 

"What......sort of things?"  Lucas asks.

 

Connie looks at him.  "Come on, Lucas.  Let's not play games.  I can tell from the way you're lookin' at me that Heather ,must have told you everything.  About.....the men."

 

"She told me that you basically made a prostitute out of her in order to get by.  You sold your own daughter for money."

 

Connie lowers her head.

 

"And you don't even bother to deny it,"  Lucas says.  

 

Connie stands and walks to the fireplace.  "Why bother to deny the truth?  Yes, I did.  And I have regretted it every day since Heather walked out of my life with that boy, Bo McCabe."  Connie turns back to Lucas.  "Whatever happened to him, anyway?"

 

"Heather married him.  They were together for several years and then split up.  Then Heather and I found each other again."

 

"Then, you ARE Michael's father?"  Connie asks

 

"Yes, I am."

 

Connie sighs.  ''Right after Heather left, I met Bryce's father.  And I found myself pregnant at 37.  It was almost like I was being given a second chance at being a wife and a mother.  Well, the wife part didn't work out, but, thank God, Bryce has been my saving grace.  After he was born, I realized I had to change my life.  I went to work, and I put myself through college, and 4 years ago I earned my degree as a radiology technician."

 

"I'm curious, how did you happen to end up in Braddock?  It can't be a coincidence."

 

"You're right, it's not. Bryce and I were livin' in San Antonio, and even down there, you can't escape hearin' the name Ewing.  A few months ago, I saw in the paper about some trouble at the Ewing ranch here in Braddock.  There had been a home invasion, a wanted fugitive, and a shooting.  I saw Heather's name and picture in the paper where she had been injured.  I was shocked to see that my daughter was married to a Ewing.  So, I did some research, looking up newspaper articles and such.  And I started looking for a job close by.  I got lucky and a job opened up in the radiology department at the hospital in Braddock, so I applied, and got the job.  Bryce and I moved here right after the first of the year.  I had no idea that Bryce would end up goin' to the same school with Heather's son......my grandson.  I just naturally assumed that, being a EWING, my grandson would be goin' to some exclusive private school somewhere."

 

''No, the Ewings have always sent their kids to public schools,''  says Lucas.  

 

"Lucas, you seem like a very nice young man, and it's obvious you love my daughter, or you wouldn't be here.  Please be honest with me........is Heather happy?  Are she and Michael happy?"

 

"Yes, I'd say they're happy,  And you're right, Mrs. Richardson, I do love Heather very much.  She and Michael are my whole world, which is why I don't wanna see Heather hurt."

 

"Lucas, I have no intention of hurting my daughter."

 

"Why ARE you here?"

 

"I'm here because I wanted to see my daughter again, and meet my grandson."

 "Mrs. Richardson, Heather doesn't wanna see you.  And I don't think that's gonna change.  What you did left Heather with some very deep scars, so I think the best thing that you can do is leave her alone.  Better yet, I think the best thing for you to do is for you and Bryce to go back to where you came from."

 

''I can't do that, Lucas.  Not without at least trying to make things right with my daughter.  Lucas, please.  Talk to Heather for me.  Tell her that I'm deeply sorry for what I did, and that I'm not that person anymore.''

 

"I don't think that I should interfere,"  Lucas says. 

 

"All I'm asking is that you tell her what I said.  And maybe convince her to see me.  Lucas, I made some HORRIBLE mistakes.  But my son shouldn't be punished for mistakes I made before he was even born."

 

"What does Bryce have to do with any of this?"

 

"He has a sister, and a nephew.  Bryce and Michael had become friends.  Shouldn't they have a chance to get to know each other?"

 

Lucas sighs, then hesitates a moment.  "I'll talk to Heather.  But I won't pressure her.''

 

"Fair enough."

 

Lucas nods, then without saying another word to Connie, he turns and leaves the house.  

 

After Lucas leaves, Bryce comes back down the stairs and stands in the doorway to the living room looking at his mother.  ''Why, Mom?"  The boy asks.  "Why didn't you tell me?  When I told you that I'd met a new friend at school and his name was Michael Ewing, why didn't you tell me that Michael's Mom is my sister?"

 

"Bryce, I........I'm sorry.  I should have told you before we went over there last night.  I honestly don't know why I didn't.''

 

"Michael's probably never gonna speak to me again.  And his Mom is probably never gonna let us hang out again."  Bryce turns and runs back up the stairs.

 

Left alone in the living room, Connie walks over and picks up the photo of her son Michael and Heather.  Looking at the photo, she begins to cry.

 

 

 

Southfork....afternoon....

 Heather is walking from the house to the stables at Southfork that afternoon when she stops and leans against the fence.  As she looks off over the horizon of the ranch, her mind once again travels back in time to her youth....

*******************FLASHBACK, Summer, 2004***********************

Heather comes down the stairs of her mother's home and walks into the living room, looking for her mother.  "Mama?"  She calls out.  

 

"I'm in the kitchen, Heather,"  Connie replies.  

 

 

As Heather pauses a moment before she begins walking toward the stables, Ann comes out of the house and hurries to catch up to her.  

 

"Heather!"  Ann calls to her.

 

Heather stops and turns around to wait for her.  

 

Ann walks up to her.  ''Hi."

 

"Hi, Ann,"  Heather says.

 

''How are you?"

 

"I'm........I'm okay."

 

"That didn't sound too convincin'.  Would you like some company, or would you rather be alone?"

 

"I think I'd like some company.  I was just goin' for a walk to clear my head.  Join me?"

 

Ann nods and smiles.  "Sure,"  she says.  The two women begin walking.  ''Heather, if you wanna talk about what happened last night, I'm a real good listener."

 

"I know, and thanks, Ann.  It's just hard to talk about."

 

"I understand.  Heather, I know what it's like to have a strained relationship with your mother.  I'm sure you'll

remember that, I also had a very strained relationship with my mother.  I left home when I was home, and, I didn't see or speak to my mother for many years."

 

"I was thinkin' about that last night,"  says Heather.  "It's amazing how similar our stories are.  We both had older brothers.  Only mine was killed when he was 15.  I was 14 at the time.  The family just fell apart after that.  My Daddy started drinkin' because he blamed himself for Michael's......my brother's........death, and he died two years later."

 

"Is that when things got bad between you and your mother?"

 

"Yeah.  It's a long and complicated story, but, my Mama got to the point where she would do anything for money, includin' usin' me.  I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I left with Bo."

 

"Maybe she's here to make amends,  That was a long time ago, and, she has Bryce now."

 

"That's just what Lucas said.  But, Ann, the things she put me through..........I just don't know if I could ever forgive her,"

 

Ann stops walking and turns to her.  ''Heather, I'm not tryin' to tell you what to do or interfere, but, I never really made up with my Mama, and then it was too late. Maybe you should at least see yours and hear her out.  Don't put off somethin' and then regret it later.  Just think about it."  Ann smiles at her, then walks away, leaving Heather to think about what she said.  

Southfork....that night....

 

Heather is turning down the covers on her and Lucas's bed that night while Lucas is in the shower.  A knock comes at the door.  "Come in,"  Heather says.

 

Michael walks into the room.  "Mom,"  he says.

 

"Oh, hey, sweety."

 

Michael walks over to his mother.  

''Mom, why didn't you tell us?  I mean about your mother being alive?"

 

Heather sighs.  "Baby, it's real complicated."

 

"What about Bryce?"

 

"Oh, honey, I didn't even know Bryce existed.  You see, I left home when I was pretty young, before Bryce was even born.  I hadn't spoken to my mother or seen her since, so I didn't know she had another child.''

 

"Am I gonna be able to hang out with Bryce again?"  Michael asks.  "I know you don't like your Mom, but, that doesn't have anything to do with us, and I like Bryce."

 

Heather looks at her son.  ''I dunno, baby.  We'll see.  We'll just see what happens."

 

Michael looks over and sees a photo of Heather's other brother, his namesake, on the bed.  He picks up the photo

and looks at it.  "Who's this, Mom?"

 

''Well, baby, that's my older brother, Michael Reyes."

 

"Michael?"

 

"Uh-huh,"  Heather says.  "You were named after him."

 

"I didn't even know you had an older brother.  Where is he?  How come I've never met him?"  Michael asks as Lucas starts to come out of the bathroom.  Hearing his wife and son in the bedroom, he stops and listens to them.

 

''Because he died, sweety.  When he was 15.  Michael, look, I wanna explain all of this to you some time.  How about tomorrow, you and I go for a ride out on the ranch, and I'll tell you all about my family, okay?"

 

''Okay,"  Michael says.

 

"You go on to bed."

 

The boy nods, then hugs his mother.  "Night, Mom,"  he says as Lucas comes out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.  ''Night, Dad."

 

"Night, buddy,"  Lucas says as Michael leaves the room, closing the door behind him.  Lucas walks over to

Heather.  ''Are you okay?"

 

Heather sighs.  ''Yeah, I'll be okay.  I have the best and most handsome husband, and the best son in the world, so how can I not be okay?''

 

"Heather, there's somethin' I gotta tell you.  I went to see your Mama today."

 

''Oh, Lucas......"

 

"Now just hear me out.  I know that your Mama made a lot of mistakes.  She did a lot of bad and hurtful things to you, and she knows it, too.  Heather, the woman I saw today was......... she was very sorry for her bad choices.  She told me everything.  At first, I was honestly expecting her to tell me a different story from yours.  I thought she was gonna try to lie and make herself look better in my eyes.  But she didn't.  When she talked about your brother, Michael, and even about you, her voice was that of a broken woman."

 

"Lucas, if you're sayin' that you think I ought to forgive her for what she's done......."

 

"No, I'm not saying that.  I'm just saying that I think you should see her.  Hear her out.  More so for yourself than for anyone else."

 

''I don't need to see her for myself,"  Heather says.  

 

''Oh, I think you do,"  Lucas says.  ''Heather, you were left with a lot of emotional scars stemming from things that happened when you were a kid.  Your brother died when you were 14, and then just two years later you lost your father.  Did you ever real deal with those losses?  Have you ever really dealt with the stuff that your mother forced you to do?  And what about the stuff that happened between you and your mother?  Honey, until you DO deal with this stuff and confront your mother, there's no way that you're gonna be able to get on with your life and find some kind of closure."

 

''Damn it, Lucas, now you're soundin' like some sort of therapist,''  Heather says.  

 

''Well, I HAVE learned a lot in therapy with Dr. Benson,"  Lucas says.  ''Honey, I'm just saying that you're never gonna fully be able to move on with your life until you face your Mama and what happened between you."

 

Heather puts her arms around Lucas and embraces him.  "I've been runnin' from her for so long, and from the past, I'm not sure how to face it."

 

''I know,''  Lucas says, stroking her blonde hair.  "But you don't have to face this alone.  I'm here, Heather.  Every step of the way."

 

Heather begins to cry.  "Lucas, I don't know what I'd do without you."

 

"Well, you're not gonna have to find out,"  he says, holding her as she continues to cry.

A nightclub in New York City....

"Mountain Dew, please,"  Alex says.  He looks at Amanda.  "I can't until next fall when I turn 21 and can DRINK," he says.  

 

Amanda smiles.  "Yeah, I remember those pre-21 days.''

 

''Y'know, I can't tell you how surprised I was to see you when I came here to New York, and especially married to my girlfriend's brother."

 

"Small world, isn't it?"  Amanda asks.

 

''Yeah, too small.  Look, Amanda, I really hope that I didn't mess anything up between you and Steven when I blabbed about your history with my family the other night."

 

"Do you really care if you did?  You don't like me, and after all the stuff that's happened, I can't say that I blame you.  So why do you care if you screwed anything up for me?"

 

The bartender returns with Amanda's two beers and Alex's Mountain Dew.  

 

"Thanks,"  Alex says, then he looks at Amanda.  ''Why do I care if I screwed anything up?  Because I care about Steven.  And I don't wanna see him hurt."

 

"And of course, you're sure I'm gonna hurt him, right?"  Amanda asks.

 

"Well, you don't really have the best track record, do you, Amanda?  There was my father, my Uncle Justin, my cousin Jimmy, and then my cousin Dylan.''

 

"I love Steven, and I'm not gonna hurt him.  I've changed since I left Dallas."

 

"Then why hadn't you told Steven about your past?"  Alex asks.

 

"Hey, you, two,"  Steven says, he and Bridget walking over to them.  "Amanda, I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost with my beer."

 

"Umm, no, here it is,"  Amanda says, handing Steven the beer.  

 

''Thanks.  So what are you guys talking about?  You looked intense."

 

"Nothing, we were just.......chatting,"  Alex replies.  

 

"Well, enough of that,"  Steven says.  "We came here to have a good time tonight.  Amanda, come on.  I've caught my second wind, so let's take a couple sips of these beers, then put 'em down and hit that dance floor again!"  Steven grabs her by the hand and pulls her away from Alex and Bridget and onto the dance floor.  

 

''What WERE you talking to her about?"  Bridget asks Alex.

 

''The past."

 

Bridget looks at him.  "Alex, do you think she's gonna hurt my brother?"

 

"Amanda has left a trail of hurt wherever she goes,"  Alex says.  "I hope she's changed, but I wouldn't bet on it."

 

A worried Bridget looks across the crowd at her brother and his new bride, concerned that Steven will become yet another of Amanda's male casualties.

Southfork....the next day....

 Ann is curled up on the sofa by a warm fire in the living room the next afternoon reading Charles Dickens's Great Expectations when Michael comes down the hall, passes through the living room, and goes into the foyer.  Heather walks into the living room after her son.  "Hi,"  Ann says to her.

 

"Hi,"  Heather says, taking off her coat.

 

"Warmed up outside anyway?"  Ann asks.

 

"No, it hasn't.  Michael and I went out ridin' and nearly froze our buns off."

 

Ann puts her book down and smiles.  "Y'know, I use to love the cold weather.  Winter was my favorite season, but, seems like the older I get, the more the cold bothers me.  These days I'd much rather be curled up by a warm fire readin' a good book on  a frigid winter day like this than outside.  Dickens has always been my favorite for winter readin'."

 

"Dickens has always been one of my favorites, too,"  Heather says.  "The house is so quiet.  Where IS everybody?"

 

''Bobby, Christopher and Lucas are out workin' on the ranch some place," Ann replies.  "Bobby said they needed to check the herd in a couple of the pastures on the north end of the ranch.  John Ross and Krystina took the kids into Dallas to the park, I think, and Courtney and Jacob went to an afternoon movie in Braddock with Courtney's brother, Gavin."

 

Heather sighs.  "Everybody's just scattered everywhere today."

 

''I'm not complainin',"  Ann says.  "I was takin' advantage of the house bein' so quiet with everybody out."

 

"I'm sorry I disturbed ya,"  Heather says.

 

"Oh, you didn't.  In fact, I was gettin' a little tired of readin' and kinda hopin' somebody would come home.  You and Michael have a nice ride, aside from the cold?"

 

"Yeah, we did.  We talked about...........my Mama and things."

 

"You tell him everything?"

 

"Not everything,"  Heather says.  "There are some things that Michael's just too young to handle knowin' right now.  I told that I would tell him everything when he gets older.  Ann, I've done a lot of thinkin'.  And I've decided that I'm gonna take your advice, and Lucas's.  I'm gonna go and see my mother.  I need to, not for her, but for me.  I need some kinda closure, or at least to come to terms with my past, and with her."

 

"I think you're makin' the right decision,"  says Ann.  

 

''I hope you're right,"  Heather says.  "No time like the present.  Best to get this over with."  Heather turns and leaves the room.  

Connie Richardson's home in Braddock....later....

 Heather drives her car up in front of her mother's home in Braddock and comes to a stop.  She sits in the car looking at the house for a minute before she gets out.  After another brief pause, she walks up to the house and onto the small front porch and rings the bell.  She waits nervously.  A moment later, her mother, Connie Richardson, opens the door. 

 

Connie is surprised to see her daughter.  ''Heather,"  she says.

 

"Hello, Mama.  May I come in?"

 

"Of course,"  Connie says  She steps aside and lets Heather in, then closes the door.  "Can I get you anything?  ''Some tea, perhaps."

 

''No,"  Heather replies.  

 

''I'm very surprised to see you. Happy, but surprised after you refused to see me the other night."

 

"I didn't come here for you,"  Heather says.  ''I came for me.  Because I needed to see you so that I can get some kind of closure."

 

As Connie is about to say something, Bryce comes down the stairs and walks into the living room.  He stops quickly when he sees Heather.  

 

"Hello, Bryce,"  Heather says.  

 

Daddy,"  she says.  

 

Connie smiles.  "Yes.  Wasn't your father handsome?"

 

"He was that,"  Heather says, continuing to look at the photo of her parents.  "Mama, did you love him at all?"

 

"What?"  Connie asks, taken aback by the question.

 

Heather turns and looks at her mother, still holding the picture in her hands.  ""I asked if you loved Daddy at all."

 

"Well, of course I loved your father.  Tommy Reyes was the love of my life.  My high school sweetheart.  The first boy who ever kissed me."

 

"You sure didn't act like you loved him after Michael died.  You treated him like crap."

 

"Oh, Heather,"  Connie says.  ''I have regretted that every day of my life since your father died.  Don't you understand, I was angry.  I was hurt.  I was a mother grieving the death of her son.  I needed someone to blame, and I blamed your father because he let Tommy go that night to that damned football game that night."

 

"The way you treated him.  He was grievin' too.  He had also lost a son.  The things you said to him caused him to start drinkin', and he drank himself to death.  He had to grieve for Michael all alone and live with the guilt he felt because you were too busy blamin' him.  But how could he have known?  Do you think he would've let Michael go that night if he had known that accident was gonna happen?"

 

"No."

 

Heather looks at her mother in tears.  "You know what I use to do?  I use to wish that it had been you who died instead of Daddy."

 

"I suppose I deserve that."

 

''Yes, you do deserve that and more after what you did to me,"  Heather says.  "I was just a girl.  I was 16 when Daddy died, but you used me and you turned me into a whore.  You sold your own daughter's innocence for money."

 

"Oh, DEAR GOD, Heather, don't you think I know that?"  Connie says, turning away from her.  "I know what I did.  But at the time, I didn't know what else to do.  I was a young widow with a teenage daughter and no money.  Your father left us so deep in debt I had no idea how I would ever get out.  And with no life insurance he left me with the cost of his funeral."

 

"And you REALLY think that's justification for what you did to me?"  Heather asks, walking over to her.  

 

"No, of course not!  There IS no justification for what I did,"  Connie says. 

 

"You're damned right, there's not!"  Heather angrily says,in tears.  "You forced me to do things that........"

 

"Heather, I know what I did.  When Jeff Scoggins came along, I thought.......well, he was very handsome young man........"

 

"Who had a rich father whose money you wanted,"  Heather says.  "So you tried to sell me to Jeff for that money."

 

''Heather,Jeff cared for you.  I thought that he would marry you, and you would have the kind of life that I never would have been able to give you."

 

"Jeff was a pig.  It made me cringe.......made my skin crawl every time he touched me.  And the things he made me do.......Did you know that the first time we were together, he forced me?  He RAPED me, Mama."

 

"Heather,, I didn't know,"  Connie says.  "I didn't know."

 

"Would you have cared, if you had known?"

 

"Of course I would.  Heather, you're my daughter.  Heather, I'm so sorry, for everything that I did, and for everything that you went through."

 

"You mean what YOU put me through!!"  Heather yells.  "God, how much I HATED you for that!  And for Daddy's death!"

 

"And what about now, Heather?"  Connie asks.  "Do you still hate me now?"

 

"No.  I don't hate you anymore.  I realize that the only person I'm hurting by holdin' on to all that hate is myself.  And even Lucas and Michael.  So no, I can't hate you anymore."

 

"Then, does that mean that........that maybe we could start over?  Have a relationship as mother and daughter?"

 

"I don't think so,"  Heather says.  "Too much has happened between us.  There's been too much hurt."

 

Connie nods in agreement.  She turns and walks to the mantle.  After a brief pause, she turns back to her daughter.  "Maybe the best thing, is for Bryce and I to just leave.  Go back to San Antonio."

 

"No, Mama, you don't have to leave Braddock.  Bryce and Michael have become friends. I don't wanna take that away from them. The boys like each other, and, I would like the chance to get to know my little brother."

 

"I would like that.  And, what about me?  Is there any way you would be willing to let me get to know my grandson?"

 

"If you want to get to know Michael, and if he wants to get to know you, then I won't stand in the way of that,"  Heather says.  "And Bryce is welcome at Southfork any time."

 

"Thank you."

 

"I have to go."

 

"I'm glad that we were able to cleat the air between us,"  Connie says, walking over to her daughter.  "Heather, I want you to know that, whatever has happened between us, I do love you.  I've always loved you, Heather."

 

She looks at her mother for a moment, then without saying a word, Heather turns and walks to the front door.  She places her hand on the doorknob and pauses for a second, then she walks out of the house. 

 

After her daughter is gone, Connie breaks down in tears.  She walks over to the mantle and takes down a photo of Heather and her brother Michael.  ''Heather, my beautiful girl.  I hurt you so much, and I'm so sorry.  And Michael, my beautiful boy.  How different all our lives would have been if you had lived."  Connie holds the photo tightly to her chest and cries.

 

Meanwhile, outside, Heather walks to her car and gets in.  As she puts on her seatbelt, she looks at her mother's house and begins to cry.  Seeing her mother has helped her come to terms with the pain of her past, but at the same time, it has opened up new pain.  

END OF EPISODE 220....