Dallas, Texas
Awaking after a few hours rest, Sue Ellen noticed that she was alone in her room and looking around, she began to reflect on everything that had happened in the past day. Surrounded by yellow roses, blue balloons, stuffed animals, multiple bouquets of other flowers, gift baskets and a few small gift boxes, she smiled to herself; it was obvious that Miss Ellie had been phoning around town to tell people of the good news, because there were too many gifts for the Ewing's and her mother alone to have purchased. Although she didn't consider herself to have many close friends, it still made her smile to know that there were a number of people in her life, or the Ewing's lives, that cared enough to actually send a gift; it was nice and although they were just material items, she still appreciated the thought. Focusing on the blue mylar balloons with the words, 'it's a boy' and 'baby boy' printed on them, she found herself smiling widely at the message; she had a son and everyone knew it. However, while basking in the happiness of having finally delivered the baby everyone had been waiting for, she suddenly felt a little guilty about just how happy she was. Although she hadn't really realised it before, she had been preparing for the worst with the thought of having a daughter, because although she personally only really wanted a healthy baby, she knew how much everyone else wanted a boy. Knowing that she hadn't disappointed anyone with the birth of her child and seeing the way the family had unconditional love for her son, it seemed wrong to her that she was so relieved and pleased that she had had a son, not a daughter. She didn't honestly believe girls were worth any less than boys, but something inside of her was telling her that having a son was a superior situation and she found herself racked with guilt over having those thoughts and feelings. Brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening, but still a little distracted, she didn't fully comprehend what was happening and was a little surprised when the nurse snapped down the barrier on her bed and started assisting her in standing up. Apparently, it was time for her to shower and start moving again; it made sense, but it still surprised her. She'd been so wrapped up in John Ross' needs that she'd almost forgotten that to the nurses, she was also considered a patient in need of their care and in the moment it was actually rather nice to have someone look after her as a person, not simply as the mother of a baby. Wincing as she stepped out of bed and slowly walking into the bathroom, closely followed by the nurse, she suddenly felt self-conscious; in giving birth, she'd lost the weight of the baby, placenta and fluids, but looking in the mirror, she didn't feel as if she'd lost any weight at all. She still looked pregnant and suddenly, her goal of getting her pre-pregnancy body back in the next six weeks seemed a whole lot more difficult.
Tokyo, Japan
'…oil magnate, John Ross 'J.R.' Ewing, Jr. and wife, Sue Ellen Ewing, are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, a son, John Ross Ewing III, born May 22nd 1972 at 11.05pm…'. Not needing to read any further details about his first love's new happiness, Clint Ogden placed his coffee down on the table and sighed; he had finally lost Sue Ellen, not in the short term until she realised that JR Ewing wasn't the man for her, but forever. She was happily married to a wealthy man whom she loved and if Clint knew anything about Sue Ellen, she was now completely head over heels in love with her son, the baby she had always wanted. The perfect life and family she had always dreamed of was now a reality for her, but unfortunately for him, it was with another man. In the back of his mind, he'd always known that he'd lost her the moment she and JR Ewing laid eyes on each other at the Miss Texas pageant, but a small part of him had been holding out hope that she would change her mind. He'd moved from Austin to Tokyo shortly after graduation and although he'd been career driven in his work within the electronics field, he'd always had a secret ambition, he'd always hoped that upon his return to Texas, his newfound success would allow him another chance with his first love, Sue Ellen Shepard… Ewing. It was clear to him now though that any chance of getting her back was lost; she was a devoted wife and mother, a popular society lady in Dallas and most of all, she was happy. It would be a terrible thing for him to come back into her life now, not when she finally had everything she ever wanted, even if it wasn't with him. In seeing the newspaper announcement, it finally resonated with him; he had been her college boyfriend/fiancé and what they'd shared was special, but she'd moved on with her life and he needed to as well.
Dallas, Texas
Having showered, walked around for a little while, had a physical check-up and then spent the rest of the evening with JR and John Ross, Sue Ellen had fallen into a deep, restful sleep at the end of the night and waking up on Wednesday morning, she felt refreshed and physically less sore than she had the previous day. She'd initially worried about JR's presence after the birth, because Ewing Oil had demanded his attention so much in the past, however, seeing the way he was with both she and John Ross and hearing the reassurances from Jock and Bobby the previous day that Ewing Oil could survive for a little while without JR, she began to relax. Everything was really falling into place; JR's words of kindness and the gentle encouragement from the nurses was finally getting through to her and she was slowly learning to lessen her expectations and worries about being prefect and relax a little when handling John Ross. It wasn't easy and she definitely had a lot to learn, but now, even though he still cried and was a fussy little baby, she felt a little calmer and more confident about motherhood. She'd allowed Miss Ellie to talk her into having a baby nurse at Southfork months ago, simply to support her in a professional capacity the way the hospital staff did, and although she'd initially been a little wary of having another adult present in her baby's life, she now felt more comfortable with the idea. It wasn't that anyone was interfering and stopping her from being a mother, the women assisting her were simply more experienced and knowledgeable and they were there to help and guide her in becoming confident and competent in her role as a mother and for that, she was grateful. She couldn't imagine having no family or help with her new role, because when she failed to calm and comfort her son upon her first few tries, her initial confidence had diminished and being sent home without any support or help would have sent her spiralling down a path that wouldn't have been good for she or John Ross. No, she was determined to be a good mother to her son and if that meant taking up the offers of help and advice that were available to her, then that was exactly what she would do.
To be continued…