Dallas, Texas

Talking to to Muriel and Lisa as they exited the main building after school, Lucy stopped talking for a moment as she noticed the Sue Ellen's car waiting in the parking lot. It wasn't unheard of for Sue Ellen or Bobby to bring her to or collect her from school, but more times than not, that task fell to one of the ranch hands. She didn't mind, she liked the ranch hands, but she couldn't deny she liked it better when one of her family members did it. It was a small thing, though not insignificant as Doctor Lacey had told her, she liked to feel as though she mattered enough to the Ewing family that they would take time out of their 'busy' day to do something for her.

It briefly crossed her mind that maybe Sue Ellen's presence wasn't a good thing, that perhaps she had come to deliver some bad news, however, she rationalised that if that was the case, she would have been pulled out of class earlier, not just left to finish the day as usual. Finishing her conversation and saying goodbye to her friends, she then made her way over to where Sue Ellen was waiting. Reaching the car, she took note of Sue Ellen's facial expression, Sue Ellen looked happy and it was clear she was not there as the bearer of bad news.

Waiting patiently in her car, Sue Ellen studied the front of the school building as crowds of students poured out, and when she spotted Lucy looking out and then finding her, she was pleasantly surprised at how happy her niece looked. After her and JR's appointment with Doctor Williams ended, she had driven back to Southfork to collect John Ross from Miss Ellie, and while she hadn't planned on staying for hours, she had done just that. She hadn't quite realised it before, but while she didn't rely on Miss Ellie to be her only friend anymore, she did genuinely miss having someone to casually talk to during the day. As well as that, John Ross and Miss Ellie had a special bond with each other and she saw no reason to end the happy picture as soon as she returned to Southfork.

For the most part, her afternoon at Southfork had been nice, though there was a small part of her conversation with Miss Ellie that had shaken her a little. John Ross' sweet, joyful disposition made it difficult for her to continue feeling melancholic like she had after hearing JR describing his vulnerabilities, however, even his happy, playful mood couldn't completely override negative news. Hearing that Lucy had been feeling a little down recently made her feel selfish and sad; she had just recently had a conversation with her niece where she had promised her everyone loved her and wanted her, but in moving out and making little effort to communicate, she had probably sent the complete opposite message. Discussing it with Miss Ellie, she had managed to make herself feel a little better; she couldn't change the past, but she could change the future; if Lucy honestly wanted a relationship with her, then she would make it happen; she cared and she wanted Lucy to know she cared.

A few minutes later, after getting the casual, general matters out of the way and falling into a comfortable silence as they left the school parking lot, Sue Ellen broke the silence. Focusing on the road, but briefly looking at Lucy, she began to speak, "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately…" pausing for a moment, she wondered how much to say. "I meant what I said before Christmas, I care and I do believe everyone else cares. It's unfortunate and it's not an excuse, but sometimes there are things in life that get in the way of making that clear. I want to do better though. That's why I'm here now; this afternoon is about you, we can do whatever you want. If you want to go shopping, we'll go shopping; if you want to go riding, we'll go riding; if you want to go and get hot chocolate and just talk, we'll do that; whatever you want to do. John Ross is with your grandma and JR is at work; we have a few hours to spend together today, and we can figure out what you want the future to look like too". Smiling encouragingly at her niece, Sue Ellen then waited for a response.

Considering things for a moment, Lucy's initial annoyance at her grandmother for breaking her trust by obviously letting Sue Ellen know how she felt slowly disappeared as she considered Sue Ellen's words and gesture. She didn't like feeling left out, but it was obvious from Sue Ellen's apology that she hadn't intended for things to happen as they had and she did honestly want things to be different moving forward. Knowing that and knowing her grandmother's revelations were well intentioned, she was able to control her negative emotions and see the positive side of the situation; she couldn't just forget her previous sadness, but she could move past it and focus on the positive future being offered to her.

Nodding to acknowledge and accept Sue Ellen's apology, Lucy then paused for a moment before speaking again, "can we go ice-skating and then get hot chocolate?" She could go shopping or riding anytime, and while she could also go skating with her friends if she wanted to, it wasn't an all-year activity, at least not at the outdoor rink. It was January and still cold, but soon enough it would start to get warm again, so if she wanted to skate, now was the time to do so. Really though, all she wanted to do was spend some time with Sue Ellen. It was strange, because there had been times in the past where she felt as if Sue Ellen was too smothering and controlling, however, for the most part, she really did enjoy and appreciate having another adult female in her life. "Yes, we can do whatever you want", seeing her aunt nod and hearing her confirm the plan, she then smiled to herself; it was nice to feel as though her opinion and her presence was valued; she liked being made to feel special.

To be continued…