Dallas, Texas

Holding onto the end of the kickboard, pulling John Ross through the water, something they'd not easily mastered as John Ross' instinct seemed to be to either thrash around in the water or not move at all, leaving him to sink rather than swim, JR slowed as they passed Sue Ellen laying sunbathing floating in the water.

At almost twelve weeks along the baby Sue Ellen was carrying was still tiny however being her third pregnancy, laying on her back the outline of a small bump was noticeable. Not so obvious while she lay was the growth in her chest, however he'd definitely taken note of that too. With the weeks passing, her illness had passed and a new set of symptoms had started, ones he remembered very well from the first time she'd been in the condition she was now, ones he delighted in assisting her with.

"Mama."

Letting go of the kickboard to touch Sue Ellen as they passed her, it was obvious that John Ross didn't quite grasp that what was keeping him afloat was not his own body strength, as he began to sink beneath the water. Luckily, very aware of his son's tendency to sink, he wrapped an arm around his waist and held him above the water while he and Sue Ellen talked.

"Watch me swim."

Squirming in his arms, John Ross turned his head to him and gave him a puzzled look, as if to ask why he wasn't moving.

"You need to keep hold of the kickboard."

Reaching over to grab the floating foam board, he placed it back in front of his son and let go, watching him splash about, not going anywhere quickly.

Chuckling, Sue Ellen watched John Ross and clapped, although the look they shared told him they were on the same page. They were working on teaching their son to swim but it was clear they had a long way to go before he could get in the water without a floatation device or adult supervision.

"Very good sweetheart."

Sliding into the water, Sue Ellen was careful with how she positioned herself as she joined them, staying close to their son's face and away from his kicking legs. In her state she could do just about everything she already did besides drink and ride horses but she was cautious with the things that were relatively safe too, for her own peace of mind.

Giggling away as Sue Ellen took over pulling him along as he floated on the kickboard, John Ross' expression of delight was simple but he could only imagine that they were sharing in similar levels of happiness. John Ross' world was small and his was large but they were both very happy people. Personally and professionally, everything was working out exactly as he wanted it to. Newly promoted to president of Ewing Oil, he had a wife, son, and another baby on the way, a friend in Bobby, Jenna, and Jack, as well as his competitive needs met as far sibling rivalry went, knowing that he had what Bobby wanted; his life was good, and he expected it would only get better.

Nice, France

"Merci beaucoup."

Thanking the midwife as they left their appointment, Rebecca kept a polite smile on her face until they reached the door, letting her façade fall as soon as they entered the corridor.

The staff were lovely and they probably thought Katherine was an absolute delight too, she could play the game well, but she wasn't perfect, both traits which had led her to where they were now.

She loved her daughter and before Katherine had gone and started digging into her past she'd thought they were close however now, five months after their initial confrontation in Switzerland, their relationship was more strained than ever.

Katherine had criticised her for keeping secrets, ones that affected multiple people, however she was no better herself. She knew the identity of the man who'd put her in the condition she was now, she'd made that clear in her answers when the medical staff enquired after family history, detailing what she could, what she didn't make clear was who he was and why she was keeping him at a distance.

Katherine was adamant that her situation was nothing like that decades ago with Digger, underlining that she'd made the choice herself, that she bore some responsibility, and that she didn't want his involvement because she wanted to make her own decisions. On one hand, she seemed to be behaving very maturely, but on the other hand, she couldn't have been any more immature about the situation if she'd tried.

Being an only child herself, sharing was something Katherine hadn't had to do much of growing up and she didn't seem keen to start doing now, the problem was, a baby wasn't a doll and being selfish in her choices had consequences, ones that were more serious than being scolded by the teacher after a fight at recess.

"All of that about the breech position was scary, didn't you think?"

Making conversation, Katherine chose a particularly painful subject, one she should be concerned about, but should also take comfort in knowing that if it did apply to her, she had the very best medical care available to deal with it.

"Yes, I believe Cliff may have been breech..."

Thinking back to 1946, the circumstances in which she'd welcomed Cliff into the world hadn't been at all ideal, but they'd survived.

"I… was it painful?"

"It always is."

Honest, she empathised with her youngest daughter. For all the disagreements they had and continued to have, she did have some empathy for her. Katherine was clearly scared, not of the present or distant future, but of what was in her near future, and while it would be a disservice to assure her all would be well, especially in light of what had happened to Pam, she didn't want to scare her more than necessary.

"Worse than when I broke my ankle skiing?"

"Different."

Pale and concerned, Katherine didn't look to be particularly reassured, which wasn't much of a surprise as her words hadn't been overly positive.

"Let's not worry about that at present, you don't know whether or not the baby is breech and even if it is, it could flip over the next few weeks. As far as everything we heard today, you're healthy."

Changing her attitude, less angry and annoyed with her daughter as her vulnerability showed, she gave her hand a squeeze, receiving one in return.

"You're right. Thank you."

To be continued…