Dallas, Texas

"I want you to tell JR that he doesn't have to go back to Washington on Monday and his out-of-town trips are on hold, indefinitely", holding up her hand as her husband attempted to protest her request, Miss Ellie cut him off, "no Jock, please, just hear me out. Ordinarily, I wouldn't interfere in business, but this is personal too. You were at work all day, you didn't see the way Sue Ellen reacted to false labour pains this morning; she was in tears before she saw the doctor and I know for a fact that those tears weren't all due to the physical pain she was experiencing. I've been where she is, she's a scared young woman and she needs her husband's support right now; she needs to feel that his love and support is real and I know that even just knowing JR is close is a huge comfort to her. I think JR knows it too, look at how thoughtful and caring he's been this evening, he really is a different man now and I am so happy and proud that he and Sue Ellen finally reached that place in their marriage. However, that being said, even with his love and care for his wife and child, it's obvious that he's still a torn man; he wants to do the right thing for his family, but he also feels an obligation to Ewing Oil and right now, I don't think it's entirely fair to put him in such a positon. I understand that you want to prepare him to take over the presidency, but that won't be happening for years, so forgive me for not seeing the urgency or immediate importance of all of these out-of-town trips. Sue Ellen is due to give birth in just a few weeks and call me an irrational and emotional woman all you want, but I believe JR's primary concern should be about his wife and child right now, not the potential problems in the oil business. Please Jock, try to see it from a different perspective; this is the grandchild we've been waiting for for years, but it's also the child JR and Sue Ellen have been wanting and wishing for for a long time and I think they deserve time to themselves to enjoy the changes their lives are about to go through".

Huffing at the way his wife made sense, Jock reluctantly agreed to spread the upcoming trips to Washington between he and Bobby, though not before making a few grumbly remarks about his dislike for stuffy business trips where a lot of men in suits talked and debated, eventually reaching an agreement that no one was really happy with. He was good at business, but he liked to be in control of a situation, he liked to be the one negotiating, not the one having facts and decisions dictated to him; he would take over JR's responsibility as Ewing Oil's Washington representative, but he couldn't pretend that he really wanted to do so. "Thank you Jock", leaning over and giving him a soft kiss, Miss Ellie hoped that he understood how grateful she was that he wasn't fighting her on this issue. She wanted the best for JR, Sue Ellen and their child and she knew Jock did too, sometimes he just didn't see that things weren't always best the way he arranged them and she felt that it was her responsibility to present a different perspective and way of approaching things. She always enjoyed when he simply agreed and followed the way she suggested things happen, because she knew her place in their marriage and she didn't make suggestions on things that she didn't feel strongly about. If she were saying something to her husband about his thoughts or actions then it meant that she'd thought long and hard about it and she wanted him to listen; she didn't just make comments for the sake of talking, there were reasons behind her words and she wanted him to listen and understand those reasons.

Down the hall, Sue Ellen yawned for the third time that evening; although she'd taken a nap after returning home from the hospital, she couldn't deny that as she got closer and closer to her due date, her stamina was steadily declining. Sensing his wife's yawn, JR's body soon followed, though his reasons for yawning were much different to hers, he was simply just tired from a long week at work; travelling, meeting and discussing the same issues over and over was mentally and physically draining. "Darlin', you've had a long day, you must be exhausted. How about we get ready for bed and then we can talk until you fall asleep. We'll go out to dinner and maybe even dancing tomorrow night, but tonight, you need to rest", acting as if he were doing it all out of care for her wellbeing, he was pleased when she seemed too interested in his idea to question it. She loved pillow talk and she couldn't think of anything more appealing right now than falling asleep with her husband, because even though he hadn't mentioned his own sleep in his suggestion, only that she was tired and would feel better after a good night's rest, she knew that he was speaking for himself too. Brushing her teeth, washing her face and changing into her nightgown, she smiled to herself as she considered the changes their relationship had gone through even just in the small period of time that she had been pregnant. She'd finally gotten pregnant after eighteen months of marriage and months of mental and emotional issues related to her marriage and self-worth, but the pregnancy had changed those feelings, at least for a little while. After finding out and telling everyone of their success in conceiving a baby, she had been on top of the world, until her whole life came crashing down around her when she found out that her husband was a serial cheater and had risked both she and the baby's health with his reckless actions. Leaving him had been both the easiest and hardest thing she'd ever done, but it was completely necessary and worth it in the end. By exposing and standing up to his ridiculous double standards and silly issues, she had opened the door to a real, open, honest relationship and their lives were better because of it. Her refusal to play by his and only his rules any longer was the best thing she ever did and she was pleased and relieved that everything had worked out the way it did. Getting into bed and laying down next to JR, she smiled to herself; it was amazing that they'd had so many issues relating to intimacy in their marriage, but right now, just lying beside him, she felt so close to him. They didn't have to be physically consummating their relationship to show each other love, there was so much more to it than that and it pleased her that they both seemed to really understand and believe that now. Of course, that didn't mean she didn't still enjoy that side of their relationship, she did, she was just pleased that they weren't basing the quality of their marriage on just one aspect. There would be plenty of time to resume a full, diverse relationship in that sense, but now was the time in their lives where the focus was on them as a couple, because in just a few weeks, their lives would never be the same.

To be continued…