Dallas, Texas

Examining his young patient, Doctor Danvers noted a few things down, read over his notes briefly and then looked at the boy's parents. Sue Ellen Ewing had always had a tendency to worry too much about small things and while JR didn't worry nearly enough about his own health, it was clear he too was worried about his son. Luckily for them and more importantly, John Ross, they were just being overly cautious and really didn't have anything to worry about, because as far as he could tell, John Ross Ewing III was a healthy little boy. He wasn't his usual happy self at present, everyone at Southfork had noted that during the past couple of days, though Sue Ellen had been more worried than Miss Ellie, because Miss Ellie's intuition and experience with babies told her that there wasn't anything seriously wrong. Even with that small reassurance though, after the first couple of days of John Ross' discomfort, it then did enter into everyone's minds that perhaps something terrible could possibly be wrong, and if there was even a possibility of that being true, then they needed to seek a professional medical opinion. Making a house call to visit the youngest Ewing, Doctor Danvers was now satisfied that he could officially rule out that speculation though; as far as he was concerned, John Ross was suffering from nothing more serious than just side effects of natural growth and development.

Opening John Ross' mouth and shining a light onto his gums, he then moved over so both JR and Sue Ellen could look at what he wanted to show them. "Do you see that? The little bump? I suspect that is the reason for John Ross' discomfort these past few days. He's teething. Well, he has been for months probably, because it doesn't just suddenly happen, but this is new, this is the first of his teeth to actually break through the gum. In order for it to come through, it needs to cut its way through the gum and clearly, that hurts, hence why he hasn't been settling well recently. I can recommend a few things I think would help, but for the most part, it's just something everyone has to deal with at some point in their lives and you have to take comfort in the knowledge that the discomfort John Ross is in at the moment is just temporary, it's not permanent and it's perfectly normal". Observing JR and Sue Ellen as he spoke, he was pleased to see that his words appeared to bring them a lot of relief, and when Sue Ellen thanked him and then asked him for his recommended course of action and appeared to hang on his every word, he knew everything would be ok. They were first time parents and they were human, no one expected them to know everything without asking for advice and experiencing things on their own and naturally, as with most parents, seeing their child distressed upset them, but they were asking and they were eager to do whatever was necessary to maintain their family's health and happiness.

An hour later, after putting some of Doctor Danvers recommendations into practice, Sue Ellen sighed with relief as John Ross's eyes drooped and eventually closed. He was still clingy, but she didn't mind his clinginess when she knew he was seeking her out for comfort and she was able to provide him with that comfort. She felt a little bad for JR, because over the past couple of days, although their personal relationship had improved, she could tell he was beginning to get frustrated with the diminished connection between him and John Ross. She knew he knew it wasn't because he'd done anything wrong and it wasn't because John Ross was knowingly holding some grudge against him, but she also knew sometimes he was just as influenced by irrational emotion as she was. Making a mental note to ensure JR knew what the situation was and that none of it was his fault, she then laid John Ross down in his crib, watched him sleeping for a moment and then left the nursery, walking across the hall to her and JR's bedroom.

The past few days had been a little strange and very tiring and in the moment, all she wanted to do was feel at peace again. She had forgiven JR, explained her feelings of frustration regarding the seemingly constant reappearance of old issues, and then they had talked about it and he'd accepted her apology and offered the only thing he could, the promise of his love and an apology for his past wrongdoings. She wasn't angry or upset with him anymore, she was just tired of the situation his past presented them with, however, she also knew it wasn't fair to blame him for the actions of others, especially vengeful ones like Marilee Stone, and it wasn't fair to keep punishing him for past mistakes. She had told him she forgave him and she meant it, she did forgive him and she was absolutely determined to move on, so except for momentary reactions when bad things did happen, she vowed not to dwell on the past.

Doctor Williams had been a wonderful addition to her life and she was truly grateful for the way he had helped her to see the world. She still had a long way to go personally, because she didn't want to have the immediate reactions to things that she sometimes did, but she was sure she had made a lot of progress. She felt the same way about her and JR's marriage counselling; they still had a few more things to work through before they would be able to comfortably step back from having Doctor Williams close involvement in their marriage, however, they had come a long way and she felt optimistic about the future. All she needed was for the temporary setbacks they were facing right now to disappear and she was sure all would be well again. She and JR were stronger than the problems they faced; she truly believed that was the truth.

"He's asleep", entering the bedroom, she was comforted by the familiar image of her husband sitting on the bed reading, and walking over to him, she didn't really have any plan except to be close to him. She needed JR, she needed John Ross, and she hoped that soon enough, things would be back to normal for the three of them.

To be continued…