Dallas, Texas

Sue Ellen gasped as she looked at the dates on her calendar, she felt anxious, scared, optimistic and excited all at the same time and she hoped beyond hope that she wasn't setting herself up for another disappointment. She had officially missed her period last month, and she was now four days late this month; although in her heart she was sure that that meant something, her rational mind was still unconvinced. Despite all the signs pointing to the logical conclusion, that this time it was actually real and she really was finally pregnant, she felt like it made sense for her to still be at least a little sceptical, she had believed her body and her calendar before and she had been wrong. It was an assumption that had caused her great pain and disappointment and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle that kind of news again. She and JR had been married for just over a year and eight months and in her mind it didn't even make sense that it had taken this long, everyone including her doctor had been so positive that it would just happen, but it hadn't. However, lately she had been emotional, sensitive to smell, sick and if she were honest with herself, she had gained a pound despite not dramatically changing anything about her diet; if it wasn't real this time, then she wasn't sure it would ever be real. "Sue Ellen?" she jumped as she heard Miss Ellie knocking on the bedroom door and she quickly opened the drawer on her bedside table and placed the small planner notebook back inside, she wasn't certain of anything just yet and she couldn't deal with Miss Ellie questioning her about the calendar she was looking at. "I'm sorry, I'm ready now, let's go", she opened the door and walked into the hallway as if she had just been getting ready for the DOA meeting, not letting on that she had just had a life-changing revelation, she wasn't ready to share that news just yet.

"I'm so glad you're home; I missed you", Sue Ellen rushed downstairs as she heard the sound of JR's car parking in the driveway, meeting him just as he walked toward the house. JR looked at his wife confusedly as she walked toward him quickly and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He'd only been gone for two days and he'd even called her last night to check in with her, but from the way she was acting, it appeared that she had genuinely missed him and had been eagerly awaiting his return home. The sincerity and depth of her emotions startled him, of course he loved her, but he never felt the same deep need to be with her all the time as she did with him, and the way she acted when they reunited still surprised him. However, he couldn't say it didn't please him to know that she was so deeply in love with him, her actions had a certain way of boosting his ego and reconfirming his assumptions about their relationship. Although he may not have been entirely faithful to her, he had no doubt that he was the only man she had ever been with and was the only man she was interested in being with, and those were two very appealing thoughts. Pulling back from their hug, he looked at her more closely, there was something different about the way she was carrying herself today, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what that something was. Taking her excitement and general good mood at face value, he decided not to analyse the situation too much right now, instead, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her into a slow, romantic kiss, one that quickly developed into something more fiery and passionate. As their kiss ended and they separated, JR's mind went into overdrive and he began to question exactly what had happened in the two days he'd been gone. He had never known Sue Ellen to be so direct with what she wanted, she was usually a follower, not a leader, but today, that was different; he may have been the one to start the kiss, but it had soon become clear that he wasn't the one controlling their actions, though surprisingly, he didn't really mind. There was something about her newfound forwardness that he found appealing, though he didn't really know why, he usually disliked when women tried to control a situation, even a non-sexual one. However, with Sue Ellen's earlier mood, he assumed that she was just overly excited to see him and wasn't trying as hard to repress her emotions as she usually did, and for that, he couldn't be upset with her, he loved that she wanted him so much, it made him feel special and important.

"I don't know what happened while I was away, but if this is the welcome I get when I return after just two days, then perhaps I should leave town more often", he grinned as he spoke, though he felt a little bad as he watched her expression change from ecstatic to concerned and almost depressed at the thought. "Please don't", Sue Ellen whispered as she looked at the ground, she knew he was joking, but that didn't stop her from wanting to cry; she couldn't control it, her emotions had been all over the place lately, and she now had a fair idea why that was. JR looked at his wife's face, completely confused about what had just happened, only a few seconds ago she had been a strong, sexy woman, but now, she was back to her usual, meek, delicate and ladylike self; he loved her either way, but he didn't really understand her. "Hey, don't cry, I was only joking", he looked into her eyes as the tears welled up and then came spilling down her cheeks, it was the strangest transition he had ever witnessed and he wasn't entirely sure how to react; "I know…" she mumbled before wiping the tears from her face, "I'm sorry, I just missed you. Let's go inside", she looked around and realised that they were still standing in the driveway, and as much as she loved the family, she didn't particularly want anyone else coming outside and witnessing her emotional state. JR shook his head lightly, he would never fully understand women, one minute she was ecstatic, the next she was in tears, and now she seemed ok again; the strangest part was that barely any words had been exchanged between them and what was said was fairly harmless, so her reactions were completely over the top. Taking her hand, they walked inside the house together.

To be continued…