Dallas, Texas

"The heartbeat is right around where we want it to be."

Watching his face as he listened closely, Sue Ellen was relieved to hear the words come out of Doctor Baker's mouth.

"That's good news."

"It is."

Sitting up as he indicated the examination was over, she felt an increasingly familiar sensation, one she wasn't convinced was real.

"I keep thinking I can feel movement, but surely not this early."

Well into her sixteenth week she wasn't too early to be showing, because that she certainly was, but it didn't seem plausible to her that she'd be able to feel movement yet. Bobby had described the size of Will to her once, commenting on how tiny he was at around twenty-two weeks, making her think twice about how much she could actually feel.

Chuckling, Doctor Baker didn't immediately dismiss her claim, instead making it sound almost reasonable, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Already?"

"Yes. Movement is often felt earlier after the first pregnancy."

"So many things are different."

Pregnant twice before, this was only the second time she'd gotten as far as she was, but already she was finding that her first experience wasn't necessarily the standard experience.

Rounder, heavier and feeling different in a way that was difficult to verbalise, at times she found herself wondering about things as if she were a new mother, something she wasn't and hadn't been for years now.

"Different but not concerning."

"I am so relieved."

Blowing out a heavy breath, she indicated how reassured she was by his opinion. As confident as she was that everything felt right, she knew it could all go wrong, so to have monthly reassurances that everything was as expected was a genuinely pleasant experience.

"Take that relief and try to relax. We need to watch your blood pressure."

"The past few weeks have been a little strange for us, not as far as my condition goes, just grieving and living with that grief."

Higher than he'd like it to be, her blood pressure issues were likely related to the situation she and the rest of the family had unexpectedly found themselves in recently. Jock's passing had come as a complete shock, especially after they'd truly thought more loss was unlikely given how hard their family had been hit in the last year. The shock hadn't translated into anyone leaving town or being unable to deal with life, their recent experiences with grief perhaps preparing them for what the emptiness felt like, however that didn't mean it was easy.

"I understand. I still urge you to keep in mind all of the things we've discussed."

"I will."

She could make her best efforts to relax, eat well and continue gentle exercise, and if none of those worked she'd consider taking medication; she knew Doctor Baker didn't want her to end up with preeclampsia and she trusted that he knew what he was talking about.

"I'd like you to reconsider the amniocentesis too."

Nodding, he moved on, addressing something she didn't have so much faith in.

"I won't do that."

Firm, she expected pushback, it was a discussion they'd had before and her refusal had come as a surprise to him, despite her explanation for why she felt the way she did.

"The risks are low."

"But not none."

She'd already miscarried once, and Pam and Will had both died as a result of an infection that potentially came from her having amniocentesis, so she wasn't willing to risk it.

Shaking his head, Doctor Baker confirmed, "no."

"Then I won't do it."

"I need to note it on your file that you're refusing testing against professional advice."

Nodding, she answered, "I understand."

She did understand, he'd explained that the test would be useful in easing her mind about potential issues that weren't detectable from measuring weight, width, position or heartbeat, but she'd made the decision herself, believing she'd be more at ease knowing she hadn't potentially set herself on the same path that had led to Pam's demise.

"Everything else is normal."

Insisting that she knew what she was doing, she looked for reassurance, which she received.

"So far, yes."

"I'm glad. We can handle a lot, and we are, but we really don't need any more bad news right now."

JR was handling his father's unexpected death as well as could be expected; he was quiet and devastated, but he had the peace of a conversation they'd had in his final week, one where Jock had expressed his pride and happiness in how he was running his personal and professional life now.

JR had always had a complicated relationship with his parents, his father even more than his mother, and there would always be questions that went unanswered and conflicts that were unresolved, however if early death was an inevitability she was glad it had happened after Jock and JR had had their talk. At least now, JR wouldn't wonder what his father had thought of him in his final days; at least now, JR knew that his daddy had wanted him to be the president of Ewing Oil, that he'd been proud to have him there, that he'd been proud to see how he'd developed as a husband and father.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realise Doctor Baker hadn't said anything following his understanding nod and murmured "mm", however he was an obstetrician, not a psychiatrist, so it wasn't overly surprising that he didn't have much more to say beyond his condolences when she started talking about heavily emotional subjects.

Doctor Williams had made it clear they could return any time they wished, and she had once since Jock's passing; JR hadn't but she would more strongly encourage him to do so next time she saw he was struggling.

In the meantime, she didn't have anything further to concern Doctor Baker with, so she made moves to end their appointment.

"Is that all for today?"

Nodding again, Doctor Baker answered, "I believe so. Unless you have any additional questions I'll see you again in four weeks."

"I don't, thank you."

To be continued…