Dallas, Texas

"Darlin'? What is it? What else is bothering you?" feeling the way she was clinging to him, desperate, upset and from her mumbled words, seemingly overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, JR was smart enough to infer that her current mood wasn't entirely just a bratty reaction to a gift and then a sad response to being called out on her behaviour. There was something more, but without a real explanation, he was at a loss to explain exactly what that more was. He had thought that everything had been going well for them and they were finally in a good place, but it didn't strike him as normal for a happy wife to fall to pieces over a gift. "Darlin'? Talk to me, please", softening his tone of voice, he attempted to get her to talk again; he'd intended on not leaving until they resolved her problem and he wasn't ready to give up on that goal just yet. "It's everything", pausing for a moment, she stepped back and looked at him and noting the confused look on his face, she took a deep breath and then turned away slightly, finding herself embarrassed and unable to look him in the eye as she attempted to tell him something that would be depicted as negative. "Please don't be mad at me", mumbling her words quietly, JR found himself even more confused than he already was; what did 'everything' mean and why would it make him mad? "Sue Ellen…" giving her a firm but empathetic cue to continue, he waited for her to speak again; "I'm worried and I'm scared", her voice was shaky as she spoke, but she continued, "your daddy is so… forceful. What if we have a daughter? No matter what you or Miss Ellie say, I know your daddy will be disappointed and I'm scared of what that will mean for our relationship and the family. I do not want our daughter growing up with the feeling that she's a disappointment or somehow not good enough. We both know what it's like to try so hard to please a parent but always come up short and I will not have my daughter feeling that way about herself…" Pausing for a second, she tried to work out whether she needed to specifically tell JR that his father was overbearing and lacked empathy or insight into his behaviour or whether JR understood what she was saying simply from her brief explanation.

Feeling exasperated and still confused as to why they were rehashing the same conversation they'd had a million times before, JR found himself reaching out and turning her face toward him, "darlin', we've discussed this before, I don't know why you don't believe me. It's only natural for a man to want to continue the family name and legacy, but a child, no matter whether it's a boy or a girl, will be loved and wanted. Daddy just gets a little excited about things, but he doesn't mean it harmfully. I promise you, I will not allow my son or daughter to grow up the way you and I did, because I agree, it was wrong and harmful and no child should have to experience that. However, that being said, you need to stop demonizing daddy, he's a traditional type of man and he's excited for the birth of his next grandchild, possibly the grandchild that will bear his name and legacy. I know you think he interferes where he's not welcome and I know you have a less than pleasant opinion about the way he raised his sons, but I need you to stop holding that against him and pulling it out as an attack card when you're upset. Daddy is the head of the Ewing family and no matter how you feel about his past actions, he still deserves our respect and you need to stop holding his mistakes against him. Another thing, before you mention the car again, the one you're obviously displeased with, no matter how much you try to pretend that you're not. Yes, we went to the dealership and yes, he did mention that the station wagon would be more appropriate, but he didn't force me to do anything and he didn't purposely suggest it because he knew you wouldn't like it". Making sure not to raise his voice as he spoke, he tried to calmly explain the position he was in, he didn't enjoy being put in the middle of his wife and his father and he didn't think it was entirely fair, to anyone involved.

If he thought objectively about it, he could see her perspective; his father had suggested the station wagon over the sedan he had picked, but he hadn't forced him into anything and he'd only said it with good intentions based on his own experiences. The simple fact was that children did come with a lot of things and it did make sense to have more than enough space to fit everything rather than worrying about rearranging and balancing items in the car. His father knew what he was talking about and after mentally comparing the pros of both cars, JR had agreed with his opinion. He'd honestly intended on doing something nice for her and when she hadn't reacted as he'd expected, it had thrown him and he had gotten angry. His father was a sore spot for Sue Ellen though and his thoughts and overbearing opinions were less welcome in her life than they were in JR's, something he had to remind himself of more often, otherwise, her responses seemed cold and possibly rude. He was trying his best to maintain the open communication they had established recently though and in that came empathising and at least attempting to understand and see things from her perspective.

With mixed emotions, Sue Ellen attempted to think of a rational but still firm response to her husband's words. She wasn't entirely convinced that it would be that easy for them, however, JR appeared to be on her side in the opinion that even if his father wasn't pleased with another granddaughter, there was no way in hell that they would ever allow that sort of negativity to enter her life and that was somewhat comforting. Sighing to herself, she was conflicted, one part of her wanted to just apologise and move on, forgetting the whole argument, but another was telling her that she couldn't just ignore the facts, even if she were exaggerating them a little. "You're right and I apologise, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions about the car and your daddy's part in it, and for the record, as much as I dislike the physical car, I love the thoughts and ideas behind it. I love that you were thinking of me and the baby and I love that you wanted to surprise me", pausing for a moment, she looked at him and smiled, she really did appreciate the gesture, it was just the material actualisation of the gesture that was the issue. "My opinion and position remains the same though; I understand that you love and respect your daddy and you want to please him, but I will not allow my daughter to feel like she's not enough, because I wanted a baby and I'm getting a baby, whether it's a boy or a girl is irrelevant to me. I want to be a mother and I want everyone to respect that, especially your father. Please just understand where I'm coming from; I agree, your daddy is the head of the Ewing family and I respect that, however, he needs to respect us as a family too and I am the mother of this baby, a protective mother, one who will not stand for negativity about my son or daughter. I want you to promise me that you'll be on my side if it does become an issue", looking at him expectantly, she smiled amusedly as he let out an exasperated sigh, "darlin', how many times do we have to have this conversation? Yes, I promise. You're right, I respect my daddy, a lot, but respect goes both ways and our child, whether it be a son or a daughter is just as much worthy of respect as my daddy and I will see to it that he understands that from now on". Realising that her powers of persuasion were stronger than she'd originally thought, Sue Ellen grinned at him, "good… and thank you. I love you and I love our baby. I don't mean to cause problems, I just want everything to run as smoothly as possible and now that we're on the same page, I think we have a better chance of that happening". Looking at him expectantly, her large brown eyes glimmering with hope and happiness, she was entirely unsurprised and totally happy when he ended their conversation, kissing her as if his actions could portray his feelings better than his words, and they did exactly that. They could negotiate about the car specifically later, but right now, her main fears and worries were calmed and she was happy.

To be continued…