Austin, Texas

Raising an eyebrow and shaking her head lightly, Sue Ellen shot JR a knowing look as her mother spoke. She had predicted her mother would have a sympathy-seeking speech prepared and she had been completely right; now all she was waiting to hear was the expected request for some kind of compensation or offering of goodwill from them to help heal her pain. They didn't owe her anything, they had been more than generous toward her in the past and they bore no responsibility for the current situation, however, despite those two truths, there was no doubt in her mind her mother would see things differently.

Knowing the way her mother operated, she knew she had to act quickly and offer an alternative to what she was sure her mother would ask for, before she actually asked for it. It wasn't necessarily fair that she had to offer anything, but it was nice to show she did love her mother and in the long run, it would benefit their relationship. As long as Kristin was still a child and as long as her mother was still alive, they would always have some interaction with each other and if there were steps she could take to ensure that interaction was as calm and cordial, then she would. "Oh mother, I understand. I remember after the accident Miss Ellie and I were in, I woke up in the hospital so confused and distressed. The most important thing to think about now though is that you didn't die and you aren't seriously injured; your life is still here for you to live. You can still see your family; Kristin will be coming home for the long weekend in a few weeks, and I'm sure once I get back to Dallas and look at my calendar, I'll be able to give you a better idea of when you can see John Ross again. Life isn't bad, remember that. You have your bridge club, your book club and all the people and events you're always updating me on when you visit. You had a car accident, it's scary, I completely understand that, but the truly important thing to take away from the experience now that you are ok is that you have a life to live and you should live it". She knew she wasn't exactly shutting down what she assumed to be her mother's plan to ask for either financial assistance or some kind of extra visitation, but she had her reasons for why she said what she said. She wasn't stupid, she knew if she openly told her mother she wasn't going to get something, it would cause a scene and turn into something much bigger and more dramatic than it needed to be, but if she validated her mother's feelings and then redirected her thoughts toward other things, she may save herself from an argument.

"Oh good, I'm so glad you agree…", listening as her mother began to respond, Sue Ellen suddenly knew she should have been a little more specific about what she meant, because her mother was known for taking advantage of opportunities that would benefit her. "…family really is so important. This accident has shaken me, I could have died and left so many things in my life unresolved. I could have left this earth without having had the pleasure of seeing John Ross grow up to follow in his daddy's footsteps; I could have died before seeing Kristin transform into a young lady, then a wife and mother, like you are. There is something about having a near-death experience that really puts everything in context…" listening as her mother continued, Sue Ellen knew exactly where the conversation was heading, though for some reason, she felt powerless to stop it. In a strange way, she believed her mother; she was being overly dramatic, she had broken her wrist, she hadn't been anywhere near death, but from the things she mentioned, she did believe there was a small amount of genuine emotion behind her words. Of course, with her mother, nothing was ever that simple; there was no way that seeing Kristin and John Ross grow older were the only things she was looking forward to in the future; they did sound like good, selfless, loving wants though.

"…I'm sure you understand some of my other feelings too. I don't know how long it took you to start driving again after your accident, but even with my physical restrictions right now with this broken wrist, just the thought of driving is near terrifying; especially the thought of driving on the same street where the crash occurred. I don't think I'll feel this way forever, but right now, the feelings I've had during this traumatic experience are still fresh in my mind…" Continuing to listen to her mother, Sue Ellen couldn't quite figure out a way to stop the conversation before it moved past the point of no return; her mother was specifically wording things with the intention of appealing to her empathetic side, and it was working. She empathised with the feelings of shock and physical pain that came with a car accident, she herself had spent the week after her accident recovering at Southfork with JR, Miss Ellie and Teresa all tending to her needs, but selfishly, she didn't really want to volunteer to do the same for her mother. She couldn't really think of any real excuse to use if/when her mother did ask to spend a little time away from Austin though, apart from, of course, that her mother hadn't exactly been present during her time of need. She wasn't too sure how much her mother had actually known about her accident though; JR knew how she felt about her and she knew how protective he had been during that time. She felt blessed to have had familial support, and she felt exceptionally blessed to know during the good period that had followed her accident, she and JR had conceived John Ross, however, although she had had a positive recovery experience, she couldn't quite bring herself to selflessly offer to give the same attention to her mother. Unfortunately, as her mother continued to speak, any possibility of her steering the conversation away from the possibility of a short break from Austin was lost.

"…I was thinking, I'm not going to be able to work, I can't type with a broken wrist, and by the time I can, I don't know whether I'll even have a job… I'll have to have a look at my contract again. For now though, with things as they are, I think I need a little time away from here; I need a little time to recover, physically and emotionally. I think Dallas would be the perfect location for me to do so. I really do miss seeing you and John Ross, this accident has made me realise that and has made me realise I should make more of an effort than I currently do. Being a mother and grandmother isn't something I should take for granted, neither is being alive…" As she listened to her mother speaking, Sue Ellen didn't know how to react. Her mother could stay with them for a couple of days if she really wanted to, some of what she said she wanted did make sense, it probably was time for them to spend a little time together again, but that didn't mean she wanted to.

Turning her attention toward her husband, Sue Ellen shot him a pleading look, though from the look he gave her in return, she wasn't so sure he understood exactly what she wanted. She understood his confusion, she had mixed feelings, so her expression was probably unclear; it was at times like these that she wished that amongst the many modelling classes she'd taken, she would have also taken a few acting classes.

JR had been silent throughout the entire conversation out of both courtesy to their mother-daughter relationship and plain unsureness about what his role was; she hadn't minded though, she understood why he was standing back, she often did the same when he and Jock were speaking, but right now, she wished he would say something. She didn't want to be the 'bad guy', but she also didn't want her mother to make herself too comfortable in their lives. For JR to be the one to respond to her mother and make their feelings clear made complete sense to her, especially since her mother already didn't particularly like JR, he had nothing to lose. Glancing between her mother and her husband, Sue Ellen let out a small sigh of relief when JR cleared his throat. She didn't know what he was going to say, but she hoped he had some understanding of how she felt and knew she wanted him to use his business expertise to word their offer in such a way that it was not open-ended. Her mother was welcome to stay with them for a few days, perhaps even a week, she was probably due for a visit anyway, but when they said a few days, they meant it; a few days was not a few weeks, months, or permanently; a few days was exactly that, a few days. Hopefully JR could convey that message in a way that sounded more like them being generous and loving than nasty or obstinate.

To be continued…