Dallas, Texas

Handing JR his drink, Sue Ellen looked at him sincerely as she spoke, "tell me honestly, are you worried?" Their conversation earlier in the day had been on her mind all afternoon and she had a feeling that if he was even half as emotionally invested in Ewing Oil as she believed he was, then he had a lot of things running through his mind too. She hoped that being home for the night now would allow him to relax for a little while before he had to return to the office the next day. She knew him well though, before he could relax, he needed to let all of his feelings out, either verbally, or physically. Prior to their now clear understanding of what they both wanted and enjoyed when it came to the intimate side of their relationship, some of the most exciting and satisfying sex they had had had been at times where JR was worked up and needed somewhere to direct his energy. With John Ross in the living room with them at present though, she knew verbally would be his chosen communication method, for now at least. If she thought about it realistically though, communicating by talking before acting physically was really the best option, because as history had proven so many times before, a lot of the time, they didn't really achieve anything except temporary satisfaction by acting on their physical instincts first. Sex was wonderful, but it wasn't magic, it didn't make problems disappear and acting as if it did was a recipe for disaster. That being said, there was nothing wrong with working through their feelings physically after they had verbally communicated; sometimes a discussion that ended with their clothes scattered on the floor was exactly what they needed to clear their heads. Talking was the key though, without it, there was too much room for confusing and untrue interpretations of issues.

Taking a sip of his drink, JR considered his wife's question for a moment before answering. "Am I worried? Yes and no. It's hard to explain darlin', but put simply, I'm still confident that the pieces I've been arranging over the last year will come together and protect us if things do worsen, but I won't deny that daddy's words and tone have made me question my confidence. I don't think worried is the right word to use though. Daddy's concern is concerning to me. He's the backbone of Ewing Oil and we need him to be strong. Having him consider things to be so black and white this early on is frustrating and borderline ridiculous. The stock market dropped a few points, so what? It's not the end of the world. I can't believe a man of his experience is so shaken by such a small event. It could become something larger and more concerning, but until we're actually nearing that, I really don't share his level of concern". Gulping his drink as he finished speaking, he then looked over at Sue Ellen to read her reaction. He didn't want to explain the inner workings of Ewing Oil in too much detail for a few reasons, the main reason being that as much as she tried to pretend to understand everything, he knew she didn't and truthfully, probably didn't really care either. The other main reason for his lack of detail was related to caution; although things were a lot better now, there had been a point in their relationship where she had taken his business concerns to heart and it had negatively affected her. He wasn't hiding anything from her and he would answer any questions she had, but he was cautious about unloading absolutely everything on her at this stage; she didn't need to concern herself about a crisis that was at present, non-existent. Surprisingly, mixed in with his thoughts about Sue Ellen and his father had been a couple of thoughts of Doctor Williams; he had initially been cautious about opening up to a complete stranger, but as time went on, he found it increasingly liberating to have someone neutral and rational to speak to. He still thought the man was too nosy for his own good sometimes, but he couldn't deny that his years of training and experience were worth something, and his services had been truly beneficial for his and Sue Ellen's relationship.

Observing her husband as he spoke, Sue Ellen knew he was purposely oversimplifying his feelings, though she was pleased that he wasn't completely glossing over everything. His response had made his position perfectly clear, he was frustrated with his father more than he was frustrated with the supposed bad situation they were entering into. She knew he loved and respected his father though, so his frustration was coming from a place of concern rather than plan annoyance like it had previously when he'd been worked up over Bobby's constant presence and unearned privileges at the office. Generally, JR and his father shared the same vision and most of the time, they agreed on how to achieve their vision, so it was always frustrating for JR when his father's thoughts and actions took a completely different path to his own, especially when he was convinced his way was the right way.

"Mm, I understand. I'm sure your daddy has his reasons for thinking what he does, but I have all the confidence in the world that you're just as knowledgeable and capable of forming a reasonable opinion", touching JR's hand lightly, Sue Ellen then paused, gathering her thoughts for what to say next. She was and wanted to be supportive and sympathetic, but she also had a small urge to dig deeper into why exactly JR was so sure he was right and his father, the man he had just called 'the backbone of Ewing Oil', was wrong. Unfortunately, just as she was about to speak, Francisca appeared in the doorway to announce that dinner was ready to be served in the dining room. They could and would talk over dinner, but the direct conversation they were currently in had been broken. It didn't matter too much though, because they had all night to be alone together, and if she failed to get any answers and/or help JR to relax and unwind, there was always their appointment with Doctor Williams tomorrow. She just wanted the best for him and for their relationship and she knew that to achieve that, they needed to remain close and uninhibited, so she would do what she could to make sure that happened and the good relationship they had created for themselves remained that way.

To be continued…