Dallas, Texas

Setting her book down when she heard the phone ringing, Sue Ellen stood and walked into the foyer to pick it up, "hello?"

Having no expectation for who would be calling her on a Friday night besides perhaps JR again, she listened and quickly worked out from the tone of Jenna's voice that she wasn't in her usual high spirits. "Jenna? What's wrong?"

"Sue Ellen, I'm sorry to call so late, I just didn't know who else to call", confirming something was wrong, she was light on detail.

"It's fine, I wasn't in bed, what's going on?" glancing at the grandfather clock, she noted it was only around 9.00pm; John Ross was asleep but the rest of the world was still very much awake.

"It's Bobby, he's in my living room and he doesn't seem well", revealing the source of her concern, Jenna's comments made her stomach lurch.

"How so?" knowing what Bobby had been through she could only imagine what he was still dealing with, she didn't know how that would manifest itself in him though. If being around JR had taught her anything it was that she couldn't assume her own reaction to things was the way other people would also react.

"He's distant and vague. He showed up on my doorstep wanting to see Charlie, I told him she was asleep and he only seemed to realise then that it's night-time. He said he'd go but I asked him to come in because he came all this way and to be quite honest I'm not sure he's safe to drive back to Dallas tonight", quickly explaining what had happened, Jenna sounded to her to be genuinely worried for his safety, which was understandable considering the circumstances. Bobby had disappeared from family life weeks ago and only reappeared now, in a less than healthy state; it was only natural he'd be grieving, but to see it up close and personal like Jenna was was likely a real shock.

"Do you think he's been drinking?" knowing anything was possible, she'd fallen into the trap of using alcohol to numb her feelings at a few particularly low points in her earlier life, she asked, even if it wasn't something she'd ever known Bobby to do.

"No, I think it's emotional. It's like his head is somewhere else entirely", sounding lost for words, Jenna tried her best to describe what was going on.

"That's understandable considering. I'm more surprised he's around at all, I haven't seen him for probably close to a month". Briefly wondering where Bobby had spent his time grieving before he made his way to Tyler, she then thought perhaps it wasn't her business and it didn't really matter, he was obviously still in a terribly upset state and had finally resurfaced where he felt comfortable.

"Neither have I, not since the funerals. It's strange though, he hasn't mentioned Pam or the baby at all, just Charlie, but not in a coherent way", seeming a little shaken by what was going on, it wasn't clear whether Jenna was unsure of what Bobby wanted or whether she was upset he hadn't come looking for her specifically.

"He might be thinking about the fact that right now, she's the only child he has", referencing the situation Jenna had created out of fear when Charlie was born, naming Bobby as her father when he wasn't, she could empathise with Bobby if that was where his head was. He was grieving the loss of his biological son so perhaps in his mind it made sense to not want to miss time with his legal daughter.

Making a "mm" sound, Jenna obviously had some thoughts on the subject, but she was short on elaborating, saying only, "you might be right. I did what I thought was right back then, I didn't realise how complicated it really was".

"Would you like me to come over? I can. Mrs Smith is here overnight", unsure what more she could do in person that she couldn't do by phone, apart from perhaps driving Bobby back to Dallas, she offered her support anyway because she considered both Jenna and Bobby to be friends and friends helped friends.

"No, I don't think it's necessary. We have a guest room, he can sleep there tonight and if he still wants to see Charlie in the morning then he can", appreciative in tone, Jenna refused her offer nonetheless; obviously she really did feel she just needed someone to talk to.

Nodding along as Jenna explained her plan, it occurred to her that Jenna hadn't once mentioned the other man in her life, "is Richard there?"

"He is, and he's been so understanding, I think he can see Bobby is no threat in the state he's in", confirming Richard's presence, it was a relief to hear that he had the maturity to see past the history Bobby and Jenna shared together, at least for now while Bobby was down.

"That's good", she couldn't imagine Richard would be thrilled if he knew just how often Jenna had made it clear previously that she'd resume a relationship with Bobby if he'd give her the chance, but now wasn't the time to raise those points. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I just wanted to let someone know, thanks for listening", grateful for her support, Jenna reiterated that she just needed a friendly ear.

"You're welcome. If there is anything just call", sure that at some point Jenna would need a friend again, she made sure she knew the offer was there.

"I will, thank you", accepting her kindness, they said their goodbyes.

Hanging up, Sue Ellen stood still by the phone for a few moments. She had problems, but so did everyone else, and for once, her problems felt insignificant. She was safe and sound at home with her son, JR was working hard for their family and would return soon, hopefully happier than he'd been when he'd left, it was Bobby that was really having a hard time of it, and she hoped that he'd find the peace he was looking for in Tyler.

Twenty miles southwest of JR and Sue Ellen's home, another family were in the midst of their own crisis, one that wasn't so easily fixed by a friendly ear. Cliff Barnes had done what he felt he could with his limited resources and his own grief; he'd organised for his daddy to enter a facility that was better equipped to deal with the problems that plagued him. The staff at the facility were good at what they did but they weren't miracle workers and could only offer so much, and discharged home now, sober, Digger had a difficult road ahead of him.

To be continued…