Dallas, Texas

"How did you feel about that? Honestly", leaving Doctor Williams' office after another half hour of conversation, Sue Ellen looked at her husband and spoke. For her, it really hadn't been a bad appointment, she was comfortable with Doctor Williams and she understood why he asked certain questions, especially ones that seemed irrelevant, however, she also remembered how she'd felt during her first session and it wasn't all positive, so she wanted to get a feeling of JR's opinion. They were attending marriage counselling in an attempt find a way to repair the cracks in their relationship, especially in regard to rebuilding trust, but before they really started discussing the issues specific to marriage, they first had to explore their own personal histories, including their motivations and fears. She understood and didn't mind Doctor Williams' somewhat intrusive style, because there was always a point to his questions, however, just because she was comfortable didn't necessarily mean JR felt the same way and she really needed and wanted to know that he was still on board with the whole thing. It wouldn't do their marriage any good if marriage counselling was viewed as a negative event; she wanted him to get as much out of it as she was and she wanted it to be a success, but for that to happen, she knew that she couldn't just overpower the conversation and ignore his opinion; their opinions were equally important.

"Honestly? I thought it was rude and intrusive for a stranger to ask the sorts of questions he did and I think that man needs to think long and hard about who is in control here, I am paying for his services after all, not the other way around. What does my relationship with my mama and daddy when I was a child have to do with our marriage? What does my opinion on success and successful people have to do with marriage? What does the pressure of running a multimillion-dollar company have to do with marriage? I thought we were here to discuss you and me, and our marriage, not analyse my life prior to meeting and marrying you or prior to any of the problems we've faced in our marriage? I didn't particularly care for his answering style either, he wasn't in-depth enough about his intentions for my liking; I felt like I was being tricked into spilling information that I wouldn't have otherwise told him; I don't like that, I don't like feeling like I'm being taken advantage of. I'm JR Ewing, I'm always in control, but he didn't seem to grasp that… well actually, he did, but instead of respecting it, he just ignored it and started asking more questions; I don't appreciate that". Exiting the building as he finished airing his main frustrations, JR observed his wife's expression and was both surprised and almost a little annoyed when he saw something more than concern on her face, she looked amused. "What's so funny? You asked for my opinion, I gave it to you, and I don't see anything amusing about the intrusive nature of this so-called marriage counselling", stopping as they reached his car, he looked directly at her and waited for an answer.

"Oh JR… I'm amused because my first reaction to the personal questions was much like yours; I didn't understand why a perfect stranger would think it was any of his business or his place to ask me such things, so I understand exactly how you feel right now. That being said, now that I've been through these types of sessions with Doctor Williams and I feel like I've made some progress, I understand why he does what he does and why he doesn't ever change the way he approaches things. He wants you to think and analyse, he wants you to look at yourself more deeply than you ordinarily would and he wants you to find the answers to your problems within yourself rather than having someone else dictate them to you. He's trying to get inside your head to teach you how to cope with problems and think about things in a different way when you're outside of his office. Does that make sense?" hoping that his opinion of marriage counselling so far didn't mean that he was officially turned off and no longer interested in attending with her, she waited for his response.

Unimpressed, JR grumbled a few words in response, "mhm, makes sense. Doesn't mean I like it any better. I don't enjoy being questioned about things that, in my opinion, are irrelevant to what we're actually paying that man to help us with. I don't believe that he needs to deeply understand my relationship with daddy before he can help us with our marriage. Daddy has nothing to do with our marriage and I'm a grown man who can make decisions about personal and business affairs without considering daddy first", scowling as he considered the idea that the doctor felt he was that incompetent, his mood darkened further when Sue Ellen let out a small giggle. "Sue Ellen…" speaking in a warning tone, he glared at her, "it's not funny and I don't appreciate you laughing. You may understand and enjoy the stupid questions and ridiculous self-analysation, but I don't". Despite being a little hurt by his tone of voice, one that reminded her of an adult disciplining a child rather than two equals having a conversation and disagreement, Sue Ellen also empathised with his words; he honestly seemed upset by her amusement, but her intention hadn't been to hurt him, she'd honestly just found his claim a little odd. "I'm sorry JR, I didn't mean to make light of your feelings. I do however have to ask you whether that's how you truly feel? Do you really believe that your daddy has no influence over your business or personal decisions? Now, before you get upset again, I don't mean it in a bad way, as if you shouldn't respect your daddy, but honestly, sometimes it does feel as if I'm married to multiple people; don't you ever feel the same way? First we had my mama interfering in our relationship when we were dating, then everyone was asking questions about engagement and marriage; then it was all about children; then when I was pregnant and still, now, the comments are all about future of Ewing Oil and the part both you and John Ross play in all of that. There are a lot of opinions to deal with and I assumed you felt the same way, so when you said that your daddy didn't have anything to do with our marriage, I found it slightly amusing; I'm sorry if I upset you though, I didn't mean to". Genuinely meaning what she said, but also calculatingly knowing that she'd never get JR back to marriage counselling if he had completely negative thoughts attached to his experience, she apologised; she hadn't intended to hurt his feelings, it had been an accident, so she didn't mind apologising, even if she was still upset with him in a general sense.

Considering her apology and explanation for a moment, JR sighed to himself, she was right, they did hear a lot of opinions in their life together and he did take his father's words to heart and try to please him as best he could, and pretending otherwise was silly. As everything fell into place in his mind, he sighed again, "fine. I still don't like Doctor Williams or consider the questions about my relationship with daddy prior to meeting you to be particularly related to our marriage, but I suppose you're right, our marriage does often feel like it's more than just the two of us and John Ross. We do receive opinions and feedback from all angles, so I suppose some of the questions that man was asking about my parents do have a purpose and he's not just being nosy. Again though, just because they have a purpose, doesn't mean I like them or feel comfortable answering them. I know that you feel it's necessary, so I'll keep going to these sessions, for you, but I do wish that it could just be you and I sometimes, not just in our lives, but in problem solving too". Taking a chance, he hinted toward dropping out of marriage counselling in favour of an honest talk between themselves, though as he saw her expression, he knew she wasn't going to change her mind. Looking at him with one eyebrow raised, Sue Ellen shook her head and then smiled mischievously. In a way, although he wanted to stop going to marriage counselling, she had still won a small part of the battle; she and Doctor Williams had helped JR to realise something about himself that he hadn't noticed before, and as long as she approached it correctly, they'd soon be on the road to recovery, at least she hoped so. "Thank you, and I'm proud of you", leaning forward, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek and then continued to speak, "I'd like us to continue to attend these sessions. However, that being said, I'm hearing what you're saying and I'm listening, so, if you're being completely honest right now and you're really willing to try to work on our relationship, outside of Doctor Williams' office, then I'd like to try that too. I won't be moving back into our bedroom until I'm ready and I wouldn't expect any highly intimate displays of affection if I were you, I'm still upset about everything that has happened and it's going to take me a while before I make any drastic decisions either way, hence why I want us to keep attending these sessions. As I said though, if you're really willing to try and change things now, then I'm listening and receptive". Staying firm in her position, but also showing him that their marriage wasn't a lost cause and she wasn't completely set on being mad at him forever, just until he earned back her trust and respect, she then motioned toward the car and waited for him to open her door for her, and being a gentleman, he did just that. Waiting for her to get in and then closing the door, JR found himself a little confused as to how their conversation had ended, though he knew that whatever had just happened couldn't have been all bad, because for the first time in weeks, he felt hopeful; they could and would work through their issues, he just felt it.

To be continued…