Austin, Texas

Sighing to herself as she lay down in bed for an afternoon nap, Sue Ellen felt tears running down her cheeks; she wasn't entirely sure what she was crying about, because nothing out of the ordinary had really happened today, so she attributed her current state to general emotion and frustration. Physically, she felt terrible; she was beginning to feel out of breath just doing simple tasks, she felt bloated and unattractive, as if every ounce of the twelve pounds that she'd gained so far was pure fat; she'd recently developed bad indigestion, and as if that wasn't enough, the baby didn't seem to want to stay still today. She hadn't been this physically uncomfortable since the beginning of her pregnancy and her physical discomfort combined with her emotional state meant that she was not in a good place right now. Emotionally, she was overwhelmed and confused by her conflicting feelings; she was still in a lot of pain and felt a lot of anger toward JR for his actions, and she didn't trust him or his change in attitude toward her, it seemed too convenient to be genuine. However, a huge part of her did love him and really wanted to trust that he was sorry and did want to change; so the thoughts running through her mind were hugely conflicting and were frustrating to deal with. "Baby, please, I know you like doing that, but mama's tired", she spoke the words aloud as the baby started to move again; she'd long since gotten over the self-consciousness of talking to the baby as if it were able to respond to her like an adult. She usually enjoyed feeling the baby move and having a reminder that she wasn't all alone, but right now, she felt overwhelmed by everything and she didn't feel well, so to have her quiet nap time constantly interrupted was frustrating and irritating, though she knew she only felt that way because of her general mood, it wasn't the baby's fault. After ten or fifteen minutes of constant crying, her tears subsided and in her post-emotional state, she quietly fell asleep, sleeping most of the afternoon away and only awaking in the early evening, just in time for dinner.

Dallas, Texas

Eating an early breakfast, JR left the house before the rest of the family awoke on Sunday morning; things were tense at Southfork right now between JR and the rest of the Ewings and he couldn't deal with another awkward meal with his family. His parents had begun questioning and noting his every move, Lucy was starting to get suspicious and ask questions about when Sue Ellen was coming home and Bobby, despite being no angel himself, had expressed his disapproval of JR's actions, both cheating on his wife and being stupid enough to allow himself to get caught. It was time for him to fly to Austin, make amends and bring his wife home, anything less was unacceptable to his parents and was uncomfortable for him as a member of the Ewing family.

Austin, Texas

Feeling a little bit better than she had the previous day, Sue Ellen made her way downstairs for breakfast and then over to a nearby day spa for a massage, manicure and pedicure; she always felt better after she took good care of her own needs. Returning to the hotel around noon, her stomach dropped at the sight of her husband pacing back and forth in the lobby, a large bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and a small gift box in the other; she was nervous about having a real conversation with him, but he'd earned at least that much and she was ready. Looking up, JR suddenly felt more nervous than he had in a long time, this was his chance to make things right between them, or at least begin to, and he had to make sure he didn't say or do anything that would ruin the possibility of getting his wife back. Studying her appearance as he walked toward her, he found himself noticing things that he hadn't noticed in a long time and discovering new things about her, things he regretted missing the development of. She was still the most beautiful woman in Texas, almost the same as she had been the first moment he'd laid eyes on her, but now, there was something different about the way she carried herself and for that he felt responsible, for both the good and the bad. He accepted that for any period of time they were away from each other there was bound to be a few minor physical changes, hair length, nail colour, new outfits etc., but he regretted missing out on seeing their baby grow and develop and watching his wife's body adapt to that development. They hadn't seen each other in over a week and in the grand scheme of life, that really wasn't a long period of time, but she was pregnant and if he remembered correctly, she was midway through her pregnancy now and he could tell. In just that small space of time, it seemed as if the baby had grown and Sue Ellen's abdominal area had gotten significantly larger, though he knew his mind was probably exaggerating. However, even if his mental image was exaggerated, it still didn't stop him from regretting the time they were apart and the significant events he'd missed.

The annoyance, anger and smugness that he'd had a few weeks ago and up until a few days ago, before and during the time when the original issue had come to light, was all but gone now and in its place was remorse, regret and shame. In the moment, cheating on his wife didn't seem like such a terrible thing, in general, he only did with other women things that his wife didn't or wouldn't do anyway, and he put enough effort into being safe and discreet that what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, so in his mind, he felt somewhat justified. However, when his infidelity did finally come to light, she was justifiably angry and upset and looking at the situation now, he understood her reaction and why she had written him that note and left town; he also knew and understood now that the way he'd reacted to her reaction was completely the wrong way to go about things. Empathy had never been one of his strong traits, so it had taken him a lot longer than it should have to see things from her perspective, and if it hadn't been for his mother basically forcing him to acknowledge his wrongdoings, it probably would have taken him even longer. Now that he had though, he understood Sue Ellen and he agreed with her, she'd only done what any sane woman would do in her situation and for that, he didn't have any right to be angry with her. Slowly walking toward her, his stomach flip-flopped as he came to terms with the significance and severity of the situation. If he didn't get this meeting right, then he very well may never get his wife back, and without his wife by his side, the opportunity to prove himself to be the husband, father and son that everyone wanted and expected him to be and he wanted to be would quickly disappear. Standing in front of her, he looked down at her and gave her a genuine, hopefully remorseful-looking smile, "hello darlin'", he hesitated about whether to kiss her on the cheek and decided against it for the moment as he handed her the bouquet of yellow roses and waited for her to respond.

To be continued…