Dallas, Texas

"Good evening Teresa, it's Sue Ellen calling. Is Miss Ellie available?" twisting the phone cord around her finger, Sue Ellen waited anxiously for her mother-in-law to come to the phone. She had had just about enough of the back and forth between her in-laws and her husband and she had decided as soon as JR returned home from work agitated that it was time to take control of the situation and if necessary, to ask for professional help. Jock clearly didn't want to listen to anything anyone had to say, Miss Ellie seemed to have trouble articulating her feelings to the one person they affected the most, and JR was angry, upset, and stressed; none of them were in the right frame of mind to take a leadership role, so it was up to her to do so.

"Sue Ellen? Is everything all right?" hearing Miss Ellie's voice on the other end of the line, Sue Ellen tightened her grip on the telephone cord before speaking, "good evening Miss Ellie. We're all physically fine here, I didn't mean to worry you with my phone call, it's just, I think we need to talk, and I think we need to do it soon. JR and I would like to invite you and Jock over to our house tonight, say after dinner? We'd like to get John Ross down for bed first, but he falls asleep early so I don't think that'll be a problem. Are you available? It's somewhat urgent". Waiting for an answer, she hoped JR would be perceptive if the answer was yes, because she had bent the truth a little when she had mentioned both their names in the invitation and she still needed to talk to him about having yet another conversation about the past. From what she could tell, he was almost done with thinking about it and was ready to write his childhood off as a personally damaging experience he would never receive any apology for or any opportunity for closure. If she didn't act now and try to assist the situation, she could see him turning into Jock and refusing to listen to any sort of reason or differing opinions. He was hurt and angry and he needed to understand why the things that had made him that way had happened, and if at all possible, he needed to hear an apology from the people that had caused those feelings inside him. Miss Ellie needed to do more than she was doing now, she needed to speak to JR, and Jock, well he needed to do a lot more than he was doing now and it all started with listening to other people's thoughts and feelings, not just hearing them and dismissing them as nonsense. Doctor Williams had told her during their last appointment that the next time Jock said something she disagreed with, she should verbalise her feelings rather than biting her tongue for the sake of keeping the peace; she didn't have to be rude, just firm, and tonight, that's exactly what she intended to do.

"Well Sue Ellen, it is short notice, but I suppose we don't really have anything planned tonight, so yes, we'll be there. Are you sure though? Jock is in a foul mood and I don't mean to stall, but I've been battling with my thoughts all day and I'm still not sure how to speak to JR about everything you and I spoke about". As she listened to her mother-in-law's response, Sue Ellen knew that she had been right to make the first move, it was clear that Miss Ellie wasn't going to, and knowing the Ewing men, it was highly unlikely they would ever suggest a group talk anyway, so it was definitely up to her to organize plans and move them along. "I'm sure. JR isn't going to come to you, so you have to be the one to start the conversation. I can't tell you what to say, but I can tell you that what you told me yesterday would be a good place to start. As for Jock, I can't tell you what to say to him either, but I do hope he realises coming tonight would be in his best interest and the best interest of the Ewing family as a whole…" Hoping she didn't sound too rude or dismissive of her mother-in-law's concerns, she paused for a second before changing her tone and finishing with a peppy, "we'll see you later", and receiving a few words spoken in an apprehensive, but kind tone in response, she said goodbye and hung up.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, she then took a deep breath and walked back into the living room to join JR and John Ross as they played together before dinner. JR had returned home from work agitated, but a drink, a loosened tie, a nice kiss, a long hug, and John Ross' abundant affection and excitement for playtime was a great distraction from the drama of the day, and returning to the living room, she could tell he was already feeling a little less stressed. Knowing JR as well as she did though, she knew it wouldn't be long before his negative outlook on life returned, because although he had known she was going to phone Southfork, he hadn't believed her efforts would be met with a positive response, so to hear they had would be a bit of a surprise to him. "They'll be over tonight, after John Ross goes to bed", speaking as she walked toward him, she kneeled down and stroked her son's hair before taking JR's hand and looking him in the eye. "I love you, please remember that. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I know it's not something you want to do and I'm not going to force you to act any particular way, but please, just hear your mama out. As for your daddy, leave him to me; I've decided to take the advice Doctor William's gave me at our last appointment; if he has a problem with how we're living our lives and he decides he's going to make sure we are all well aware of that, then I'm going to do the same". Grinning as she spoke, she leaned forward to kiss him softly before pulling away and watching his facial expression change; for the first time in a while, he was grinning back at her, and that made her very happy. He was a complex man and sometimes she didn't understand him, but she understood him now; he was sad, angry, and unsure of what the evening held, but he wasn't weak, and he was completely behind her when she made it clear she wasn't interested in playing the submissive, weak woman anymore either. They were a team and as a team they supported each other, that was how it should be, how it was, and how they hoped it would always be. Jock and Miss Ellie needed to hear a few home truths before they could even consider trying to move on from the past, and tonight, they would begin that process.

To be continued…