Dallas, Texas

"I'll be right here waiting for you when you come out", reassuring her young niece that everything would be fine, Sue Ellen then motioned for her to follow the middle-aged woman into her office. Jock hadn't been too happy to hear the news that yet another member of the Ewing family was going to be telling a therapist all about their dysfunctional family, however, his objections were quickly silenced. When faced with two options, one: to personally put a lot of effort into dissecting and assisting his granddaughter to move past her insecurities, or, two: to allow a professional to do so, the decision had been easy. It had been made clear to him by JR, Sue Ellen and his wife that ignoring the issue and doing nothing was not an option; Lucy clearly had concerns and insecurities that couldn't just be ignored, it wasn't responsible or kind to do so now they were aware of them; they had to and would do something to help. Lucy herself had been surprisingly calm when Sue Ellen had suggested speaking to a professional, and Sue Ellen was sure that part of that was because everyone was aware of her personal development and the improvement in her and JR's marriage since seeing Doctor Williams. She was setting a positive example in her own life and she had suggested the idea in a kind, friendly and relatable way, not a manner that was judgemental, mean or scary. As long as Doctor Lacey, the child psychologist Doctor Williams had recommended was as good as he'd said, and as long as Lucy was as willing to speak and open up to her as she had been with Sue Ellen, then Sue Ellen had no doubt things could improve and Lucy would one day again feel strong, loved and secure.

Back at Southfork, Miss Ellie was in full preparation mode. With all the chaos of the past few days, she had almost forgotten about the upcoming Ewing Christmas party, however, once reminded of it by Teresa, she had had no problem falling straight back into the role of party planner. Jock was still sulking about 'losing' a business deal and having everyone disagree with him, and Lucy was still a little shaken by what in her mind had seemed like a reality check about her vulnerable position in the Ewing family, but in general, things seemed to be returning to normal. There was sure to be some kind of drama or chaos soon enough, that was life; for now though, everything seemed to be steadying and calming down.

After confirming the final catering order and looking through the bags of decorations Teresa had purchased earlier in the week, Miss Ellie looked at her watch and decided to head upstairs to check on John Ross. At present, Bobby was probably on the Ewing jet, returning from his most recent business trip to Houston; JR and Jock would be extremely busy at the office right now as they tried to get everything in order for the shutdown period over Christmas and New Year. Lucy had finished school the previous Friday and was now with Sue Ellen at her first appointment with a child psychologist that could hopefully address and help her to move past some of her personal issues. As she reached the top of the stairs and her thoughts about her family's present actions turned toward John Ross, she smiled to herself as the thoughts forming in her mind were confirmed by the sounds coming from his nursery. Hearing him happily babbling to himself, her heart jumped as his babbles turned from casual into excited when she opened the door; he was pleased to see her, he loved her, and that was all she really wanted.

Across town, JR sat in his office, frantically checking and rechecking his paperwork. The Ewing Oil offices would be closed for ten days between Christmas and New Year and he and his father had to be ahead in all of the administrative work so that when they returned, they weren't bombarded with a pile of things that needed attention. They also had to have plans in place for anything that could possibly go wrong at their various oil fields; the office may be closed over the holidays, but their fields remained open, and they had to be prepared for any issues that could come up. With Bobby out of the way for now, he was more relaxed than he had been in previous years; however, with things still somewhat tense between him and his father, he wasn't entirely relaxed. In this case, his father was being ridiculous, it almost seemed as though he was more upset that he had taken Sue Ellen's opinion into consideration and come back with a firm 'no' than he did about the actual 'no'. For some reason, his opinion about his own marriage and his wife's reluctance to support him and general opposition to his proposal, had affected how he saw Sue Ellen and JR's relationship. He didn't really have a problem with the way JR and Sue Ellen's marriage was, because even as sexist as he was, he believed in being respectful of women, and in the past, JR hadn't been very respectful. He did however take issue with JR putting Sue Ellen's emotional plea on a higher level of importance than the potential business profits; that annoyed him and as a result, he had been acting a little more coldly toward JR than he ordinarily would have. JR was sick of allowing his father to control him though, so instead of caving and agreeing to allow Southfork ranch to lease his and Sue Ellen's land, he had chosen to simply ignore the situation for now. If his father mentioned it, he reiterated his earlier response of 'never say never, but for now, no', but if he didn't mention it, then neither did JR. He was sure his father would eventually get over it, even if it took him a while, so for now, he was content to just accept the slightly distant relationship being offered to him.

To be continued…