Dallas, Texas

"I've been ready for that child; have been for a long time. That kid is going to have everything", Jock took a sip of his bourbon as he and Punk sat at their table in the Cattlemen's Club, "a Shetland pony, a go-kart, one of those big trainsets, a remote control plane, whatever he wants, he'll have. I spoil Lucy, and she appears to be a very happy young lady; I spoiled Bobby rotten and he turned out to be the best of the lot. Yes sir, that kid's going to have everything", he paused for a moment as he took another sip of his drink, "my grandson, John Ross Ewing III", he grinned as he said the words, "Ellie doesn't like me making it so obvious, but I damn sure hope it's a boy". Punk, being the good ol' boy that he was, and being Jock Ewing's friend of many years, knew exactly what he meant when he stated his desires for a grandson and had no problem with his thoughts. It wasn't that he wouldn't love a granddaughter, of course he would, Lucy was evidence of that, however, a grandson was special, the first grandson held an important place in the family, one that Jock had been ready and waiting to have filled for a long time. Not only was John Ross Ewing III responsible for carrying on the family name, he was the future heir to both Ewing Oil, a large percentage of the Ewing fortune and he was the future patriarch of the Ewing family; he was wanted, needed, and long-awaited. Every man dreamed of having a son, and he'd been lucky enough to have three of his own, and no matter how much one of those sons had disappointed him and continued to frustrate him, he didn't regret any of his children. Now, his eldest son was about to become a father himself and he was about to make him a grandfather again and he couldn't have been happier about the expansion of the Ewing family, his family. "I'll drink to that", Punk held his glass up and made a toast, though he and Jock were the only two people at the table, "to John Ross Ewing III", the two men grinned and clinked glasses as they toasted before continuing their discussion.

"Look at this one Sue Ellen, isn't it just precious", Miss Ellie held up a pink, infant sized snowsuit as they perused the baby and childrenswear department of The Store, "can you believe that they really fit into these things? It's been a long time since we've had a baby on Southfork…" her mind wandered as she looked through the racks of clothing; she had enjoyed being a mother to her babies, though it was when they became children and teenagers that the real parenting challenges appeared and she couldn't pretend that she'd enjoyed all of those. She hadn't been a proper hands-on mother to her sons for years now, they were grown men who ran their own lives, and even Lucy was almost a teenager now and although she still needed her grandmother's love and attention sometimes, she was becoming more and more independent every day. With the current and future changes in her role as a grandmother and surrogate mother to her granddaughter, Miss Ellie was thrilled that JR and Sue Ellen were finally giving her another grandchild, someone she could focus her pent-up motherly attention on. She wasn't naïve though, she knew things would be different with this grandchild, its parents were actually present and capable and as much as she may have liked the opportunity to do it again, she couldn't be a mother, she had to know her place, as a grandmother. However, being a grandmother wasn't a punishment, a child was a blessing, no matter where the child came from, and just from spending a little bit of time with Sue Ellen, she had no doubt that she would get to show her maternal side with her new grandchild. Sue Ellen had already begun asking the questions that any first time mother would ask, and she, being a mother to three sons and a surrogate mother to a granddaughter, felt good and useful when she was able to answer the questions and reassure Sue Ellen that everything would be ok. She despised how poorly Patricia treated Sue Ellen and how much that mistreatment had damaged Sue Ellen's self-esteem, but in a selfish way she did enjoy the closeness in their relationship that came from the distance Sue Ellen had in her relationship with her own mother. She was pleased and felt privileged to be the person that Sue Ellen felt comfortable coming to for advice and reassurance. Sue Ellen was a wonderful daughter-in-law, she was a pleasant young lady, she was eager to learn and carry out the Ewing traditions, she adored JR and would do anything to make him happy, and as a mother, Miss Ellie couldn't have asked for a better wife for her son or woman to one day be the mistress of Southfork.

Sue Ellen looked up at her mother-in-law as she held up the tiny item of clothing and she smiled and then giggled as she realised what it was, "its adorable Miss Ellie, but the baby is due in late May, I don't think it'll need a snowsuit". Miss Ellie laughed to herself as Sue Ellen's words repeating in her mind as she put the snowsuit back on its hanger; Sue Ellen was right, they were in Texas, a place where the summers required no more than light cotton clothing and a baby would easily overheat in anything thicker. Looking around at the racks, she realised that almost everything on display at the moment was more winter oriented and unless they wanted to buy the baby's 1972 winter wardrobe a year in advance, they'd probably be better waiting until the spring clothing came into stock. "I think you're right, and I'm not sure we'll find any clothing here that's appropriate for the summer just yet", she laughed as she spoke, "I didn't even consider it before now, but I think we should rearrange our planned schedule. We'll wait until the spring to buy the majority of the baby's clothes, and instead of decorating the nursery in the spring, we'll focus on that and buying all of the other items that aren't seasonally dependent in the next few weeks. As I said before, it's better to start thinking about these things early, because believe me, by the time the baby is ready to come, especially in the summer, you won't feel like doing anything too taxing, and then when you feel that way, you won't have to worry, because everything will be ready and waiting for that little angel". Sue Ellen nodded, Miss Ellie made a lot of sense and she'd raised four babies herself, she trusted what she said, "I agree. Have you thought about how we should decorate the nursery? I was thinking something bright and colourful, but then I began to think that maybe that would be too distracting for the baby. I'd really like your opinion; I'm so new to all of this", Sue Ellen blushed as she admitted that she didn't really have a clue what she was doing, but she was reassured as Miss Ellie agreed with her idea and launched into a discussion about wallpaper, furniture, toys and decorations. Selfishly, she realised that she loved the idea of being pregnant not only for the baby that would result at the end of the process, but for the sheer pleasure of having a real title and role that came with real things to focus on and do, and she loved having someone to learn from and share the experiences with. She couldn't remember a time in her married life where things had been better for she or JR and she felt blessed to be experiencing that now.

To be continued…