Dallas, Texas

Catching a glimpse of the clock as she rolled back over to her side of the bed, Sue Ellen gasped as she realised the time; she couldn't hear her son's distress, but if it was as late as the clock said it was, there was no way he was sitting in his crib happily babbling to himself. "JR, we have to get up", sitting bolt upright, she threw her legs over the side of the bed, reached for her discarded nightgown and robe and quickly dressed herself. "JR! Why aren't you moving? Have you seen the time? It might be Sunday, but John Ross doesn't understand that we don't have to get out of bed early. I'm going to go and check that he's ok, and if he's not, do not even try and talk me out of being annoyed at you for A. not seeming to care, and B. looking at me the way you are right now. Don't you care that our son might have been lonely and crying while we were occupied by our own activities this morning?" shaking her head and glaring at him, she then turned and walked toward the door, though she turned as she heard him calling her name.

Picking up his watch to confirm the time and date, JR laughed to himself as his wife's mood changed from worried to agitated to completely annoyed. "Sue Ellen!" calling out to her as she reached out to open their bedroom door, he grinned, waved his hand, motioning her to retreat, and then explained his amusement. "It's only Saturday. Come back to bed, John Ross should be just fine with Mrs Smith for another half hour before breakfast", they didn't really need a baby nurse, John Ross slept through the night now and between his mother and Sue Ellen, he didn't lack capable, loving women in his life, however, it was a nice luxury to have. On mornings like these, where they liked to have a little bit of a rest, and maybe a bit of fun too, before they had breakfast together, it was nice to remember that they did have a baby nurse and that meant they had the privilege of not having to get up and do everything themselves. Sundays were days where everything in their home was completely 'ordinary', Mrs Smith and Francisca didn't work at all on Sundays which meant he and Sue Ellen did things themselves that they didn't usually do, though it wasn't a chore, it was a novelty. He understood Sue Ellen's worry if in her mind it was Sunday though, because on Sundays they were the first people John Ross saw in the morning and from previous experience, if he was left for too long in his nursery after he awoke in the morning, his enthusiasm and contentment when it came to individual play quickly declined. Today was Saturday though, so while Sue Ellen's concerns were completely valid if it had been Sunday, at present she didn't actually have anything to worry about, or anything to be upset with him about.

"Saturday? Are you sure?" feeling simultaneously relieved and stupid, Sue Ellen turned slowly and cautiously made her way back over to the bed, taking her husband's watch out of his hands as she reached him. "Saturday. Hm." JR was right, it was Saturday, not Sunday; the reason why she hadn't heard John Ross' distress was because he wasn't distressed; and the reason why JR hadn't seemed concerned when she had been, and why he had taken his time with their activities this morning was because he'd known all along there was no time constraint. Tomorrow would be different, tomorrow morning they would wake up, she or JR would go and collect John Ross and if it was still early, bring him back to their bed to snuggle and relax for a little while before getting up. When they got out of bed, she would shower and get ready while JR changed and dressed John Ross, then they would swap and while JR showered and dressed, she would take John Ross downstairs, put him in his highchair or on the floor in the breakfast area with some of his toys while she made breakfast. They had a routine, she knew it, JR knew it, and by now, John Ross probably knew it too.

"Yes darlin', Saturday. Now, you have two options. One, you can go and get John Ross if you wish, you know I love our little boy and you know I care about his feelings, so I imagine, or at least I hope you now realise how unkind your comments were earlier…" Pausing for a moment to allow her to think about what she had said and how she had said it, but to also increase his chance of getting what he actually wanted, because he was hurt, but not to a point where an apology wouldn't suffice, he then continued speaking. "Or, two, you can come here and show me how sorry you are", patting the sheet covering his lap, he grinned as he spoke and laughed when she gently smacked him after she realised that he was acting more dramatic and hurt than he actually was. "JR", whining his name as she began to respond, his grin increased when she inched closer to him and gently kissed his lips, "I'm sorry. I know you love our son. I was worried though, and I will react exactly the same way if this happens again, on a Sunday of course. As it's only Saturday though, I am sorry". Waiting a moment before saying anything in response, JR pulled her from her position kneeling next to him, onto his lap, looked her in the eye and whispered "you're forgiven" to her before returning her kiss. They had already done his favourite activity this morning and by the time he was physically ready again, they wouldn't have much time left before they really did have to get up and ready, but that didn't matter to him, he was content to enjoy whatever time he had left alone with his wife this morning.

A couple of hours later, with their earlier misunderstanding all but forgotten, Sue Ellen smiled to herself as she pushed John Ross back and forth on a swing at the park. As with many things, he would probably enjoy the park more when he was completely able to run around and explore, but for now he was happy enough and she was in no hurry to rush him growing up. She was very happy to be in a place in her life where she could focus on giving him a lot and receiving a lot in return. Her smile grew as she spotted JR out of the corner of her eye, shaking the slide to make sure everything was secure. He was a wonderful father, he was loving, doting, playful, protective and responsible and that made him even more attractive to her as a man, especially as the man she had chosen to be her husband and the father of her child. Being an adult was difficult at times and being a parent was even harder sometimes, but it was also wonderful and she knew in her heart that there was nothing she would rather be doing with her life than exactly what she was doing now.

Watching his wife and son from across the playground, JR smiled equally as widely. He loved the oil business, but it was almost a bit of a shame that it required so much time and attention, because every time he spent time with Sue Ellen and John Ross, he was left wanting more and wishing he had more to give. There was no point in dwelling on the negatives in life when he had so many positives though, life was short and it was worth it to value every minute of positive experience he had. He was lucky, he had a fantastic job and nearly owned a very profitable business and that meant he could financially support his wife and son in exactly the way he wanted to, and being the vice president, it also gave him some power to select when and where he wanted to use his vacation days. His weekends were precious to him too, during his younger years the weekends had always been his time to relax, but not in the way he did now, and now that he had begun to experience a different kind of relaxation, a simpler, more pure kind, he was happy to be older and more settled. Sue Ellen was a very versatile woman, so he never lacked the kind of attention and activities he had enjoyed when he was younger, but at the same time, she wasn't one of his disposable women, she was so much more than that, she was his wife, his lover and his best friend and he was very glad. John Ross was the other light of his life, he had always understood his father's pride and enjoyment of being a father to sons, but it wasn't until Sue Ellen had actually become pregnant and John Ross had been born that he truly understood the kind of value and substance being a father added to his life. John Ross was a wonderful little boy and anyone would fall in love with him, but what made him even more special to him was that he was literally the product of he and Sue Ellen's love; he had been conceived during the time after Sue Ellen's accident where they had really reconnected and recommitted their love for each other.

Being a father was a challenge, he'd had to learn how to do a lot of things he'd truly had no idea about, but he'd done it, from catering to John Ross' physical needs to fostering his emotional needs and developing an understanding of who his son was, and he loved it. It was a joy to play with his son and see the genuine surprise and happiness in his expressions and reactions to new things, and it was an absolutely wonderful feeling to see the amount of love and want his son had for him when he returned home from work at the end of the day. What made everything even more appealing was the way becoming parents had strengthened his and Sue Ellen's marriage; he truly loved seeing his son growing, but he also truly loved seeing his wife growing and changing as she too reaped the rewards of showing love to their son. Additionally, while he couldn't attribute the change in their sex life to parenthood, because things had begun changing before she had given birth, he was thrilled by the diversity and continued amount of energetic interest she had in intimate activities. All in all, he was happy and satisfied with his life and he was proud of himself for making the effort to listen to the criticism and advice his parents, his wife, Doctor Williams, and a couple of other people had had for him. He was a changed man and instead of being bitter about the changes in his life, he was happy, because he had more now than he had ever had before, and he was so very pleased about that.

Making his way over to the swing set, he stopped behind his wife, put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Is the slide all up to code?" letting out a small laugh as Sue Ellen spoke, breaking the comfortable silence they had fallen into, he shook his head and grinned; he hadn't realised she had been watching him, but apparently she had, and that made him happy. "It is. I don't like paying taxes, but Braddock County can rest assured they'll get their money from the Ewings next time they send us a bill; I'm satisfied with their Parks & Recreation Department, for now…" Laughing as he spoke, he knew Sue Ellen knew he was joking, but only just, and he was pleased that she 'got' him; it relaxed him to know that she accepted him and his unwillingness to settle for less than he was entitled to and deserved. "Good", stepping back to allow the swing John Ross was in to slow down naturally, she then bent down, unclipped the lap belt and lifted him up and out, speaking to him as she did so in an effort to stop him from screaming or grumbling at the perceived loss of fun. Watching in amazement as his wife did just that and his son happily clung on to him as they walked over to the slide, JR's grin widened; he was definitely a happy man and his wife and son were a huge part of why that was.

To be continued…