Greetings to everyone, and thanks for those of you who checked into my well-being recently. I'm fine - I took some time off after Hurricane Debby left the state. I assisted with flood clean up efforts in Bradenton and Sarasota. Unbelievable damage that a 'minor' storm can cause. Special hello's going out to: Alex, Bill, Chuck, Darrell, Dave, Don, Geoff, Jerry, Joe, John, Kelly, Kevin, Mark, Mike, Ott, Rod, Sarge Ray, Tom R. and Wayne. I hope all of you are doing well, and have a good weekend!
I continue to rewrite, add to and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
I want to extend a big THANK YOU to Tom R. for the idea of this chapter, as well as all of the collaboration he and I have done on it. Tom - thanks for all of your help in getting your idea off the ground. Thanksgiving is over, and just when CJ thinks the holiday season will be peaceful, a traumatic event develops for him and his circle of influence. Please read on for more.
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Well, I made it back to the morning schedule. It was almost as though Ross had not seen me for over a month. He and I talked so much the first two days of the week. I'm so happy that the two of us are moving schedules together. I know I can handle a move on my own, but it's so comforting knowing that I have someone along for the journey.
The teaser commercials began on Monday. As Mindy predicted, the station phone lines have been flooded with questions asking what is happening? Angela came up with a Q&A script for anyone answering the phones. I know the audience will eventually figure the changes out, once they view all of the commercials for the morning, evening and weekend casts.
Jimmy and I went shopping on Tuesday afternoon. I picked him up at school, and off to the stores we went! He had his list, and he definitely was on a mission. We were able to print off his pictures, found a collage frame he liked and got all of the supplies he needed for his friendship bracelets. We also found Christmas ornaments with names on them. Luckily, we were able to find one for his and my households for everyone. I also picked up several more for Carl, Trev, Bailey, Aaron, Mack and Darrell. Our afternoon was very enjoyable, and enhanced our Christmas spirit even more.
There were no real surprises on Monday and Tuesday in the newsroom. I think everyone is still in the post-Thanksgiving comatose state. Wednesday came around, and soon a number of us realized the day is going to be more than we bargained for.
Our morning shows went fine, and Cecilia's breakfast was the normal delicious affair. When we returned to the station, Zach greeted us in a rushed state. He said "Angela, we have a SWAT situation in progress at a grocery store in the Crescent Lake neighborhood. The police are blocking off traffic for several blocks, and a negotiation team is enroute to deal with the gunman. I believe we should get two reporters and two cameras over there as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I've sent a number of reporters out already for different assignments."
Angela quickly said "Zach, are Josh and Trev here?" Zach acknowledged yes to her question and she said "I want Josh to do midday weather. CJ, you and Trev will cover the situation live. Someone find Carl, and I'll operate the second camera if needed. Let's move everyone!"
Carl was working with another camera operator when Angela found him. She informed him of the situation and said "can you grab two camera units, and get to the van quickly?" Carl and the other camera operator kicked into high gear, while Angela returned to the newsroom. She said "Zach, be ready to break in with a live remote scene when I let you know. Ross, be ready to go on with the information you can find out, and prepare to transfer to CJ when we need you to."
Soon, five of us were loaded up in the news van, and Carl tore out of the parking lot heading for the scene. We were there within ten minutes, and unloaded our equipment. Angela found a public relations office for the police department, and asked where we can set up two different camera shots? She instructed Carl and Trev to head around to the back area of the store, while she and I stayed at the current location. She asked the public relations officer if we can speak with him on camera, which he agreed to. I got a few pieces of information from him for an opening statement, and soon after that Angela told Zach that we're ready to go.
Zach had been busy at the station informing Bailey of the developing story, as well as making contact with the police department to obtain any information he could for us. Bailey also made a few calls to obtain any information for Ross to use.
The director cut the national feed and went to a live camera shot on Ross. Ross kicked in and said "we're interrupting our regular morning program to alert the public to a developing police standoff situation in the Crescent Lake neighborhood." Ross continued to give the audience basic information and then said "we now go live to CJ Walters who is at the scene monitoring the situation for us. CJ, what have you learned so far?"
I picked up the story from there, indicating where I was located, and some basic information I picked up from the police officer. I introduced him and said "Sergeant, what can you inform us about the situation going on inside the store?"
The Sergeant informed the audience that four armed gunmen stormed the store just after 9:00 am. A number of people and workers in the store are being held hostage. All of the store entrances and exits have been blocked off by the gunmen. He went on to say that the SWAT team and a hostage negotiation team are enroute to the scene. The Sergeant also said "it appears they have been casing the store, as an armored truck is here to pick up money from the store. That's a normal occurrence from what we understand, as the truck makes scheduled stops here on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings to retrieve the cash on hand. One guard from the truck is inside the store, and the driver of the truck moved the vehicle at the request of the St Petersburg police department. The driver of the truck called the incident into 911 when he saw the four gunmen enter the store."
I transferred the story to Trevor and Carl who showed the SWAT team arriving on the scene and deploying the unit around the store and on the building roof. Trevor, Carl and a number of other people gathered at the scene were backed up even further for their safety.
Trevor transferred back to me as they got repositioned in their new location. I picked up the story re-stating what has happened up to this point. As I was recapping the story, I heard over the Sergeants speaker "all units, this is Fullinger. One suspect exiting the building with a hostage. Do not fire, I repeat do not fire."
I informed the audience of what was just said to all police officers. My camera operator focused in on the front of the store, where one person exited the door with a young boy held at his side. I knew when I heard the name Fullinger that Darrell is on the scene and is negotiating at this time. A chill went up my spine as once again my friend is putting his life on the line for the safety of the St Petersburg community. I was not aware of whom Darrell is negotiating with, but soon that all changed as the scene went from calm to chaotic in a matter of seconds.
Angela had me transfer the story back to Ross in the studio. She did not want to show any live video of someone being shot, should that occur. As I turned the story back to Ross, I said "Ross, we'll return here with any immediate updates as they occur. Until that time, I encourage anyone in the Crescent Lake neighborhood to stay away from the scene. Live from Crescent Lake this is CJ Walters reporting for channel 2 news."
Angela asked the Sergeant if there is any way to hear what is being said between the negotiating team and the suspect. Unfortunately, the negotiating team is in silent radio mode to all police units unless they need assistance. Angela and I continued to watch the scene, as our camera operator filmed all of the activity from the scene. I did see Darrell rise up from the protection of his car door and place his gun on the ground. Angela grabbed my arm as we both knew this could be serious for Darrell. The gunman appeared to be getting more agitated by the minute. We heard muffled screaming from our vantage point, but could not make out the entire context of the verbiage being exchanged.
The gunman continued to wave his arms in anger and scream at Darrell. It was clear to myself that he is becoming unhinged and the situation is going downhill quickly.
Suddenly, the gunman pointed his weapon at the child. I can only imagine what information is being exchanged between Darrell and him. I felt every hair on my body raise in suspense, as the child being held is probably the same age as Jimmy. He's struggling to get away from the gunman with all of his might. I wanted to charge the gunman myself to help the youngster escape. He has to be so scared and this is a traumatic event he certainly doesn't deserve in his young life.
I'm not sure if the child bit the gunman's hand holding him or what transpired. The child was able to slip away from the gunman and dropped to the ground. As this occurred in a split-second, Darrell grabbed his gun and aimed for the gunman. We all heard a shot, followed by the gunman falling to the ground.
Another police officer on the scene ran to the child and moved him to a safe location out of the line of anymore ensuing gunfire. After the child was cleared from the area, the SWAT team stormed the store from the back and roof.
My thoughts immediately turned to Darrell, the child and the remaining hostages in the store. I've never covered a story like this and I must admit it's hard to separate my feelings for all the victims, versus my professional obligation to deliver the story for a television audience. Angela nudged me and said "CJ, we're ready to go live again." I looked into the camera, and the operator gave me the queue to begin.
As I was detailing what had happened to the viewers, several gun shots went off inside the store. I took cover with other people behind the police cars while telling the audience that more shots are being fired inside the store. Once the shots ceased, I stood up along with Angela and the camera operator and resumed the report. The camera operator scanned the parking lot and I noticed that Darrell and several medics were attending to the gunman who continued to lie still in the parking lot.
As I commented on the story, I heard over the Sergeant's radio that the situation is under control. The voice on the radio said "situation stabilized. One gunman neutralized, one shot and two have been apprehended. Medics are needed inside the store to assist with treating hostages who were shot in the crossfire, as well as the gunman who has been shot." I asked the Sergeant "what does the term neutralized mean in this situation?" The officer replied saying "that indicates one of the gunmen is dead at the scene." I transferred the story over to Trevor to get updates from his perspective.
Angela and I watched the storefront as the hostages who are able to exit, came out into the parking lot. The boy from earlier ran to his mother once she had exited the store. She dropped to her knees and gave him hugs and kisses while they both wept together.
I looked over to Darrell who is visibly upset. The medics covered the gunman with a sheet as Darrell held the deceased victim's hand. I found Darrell's actions very strange and I'm unsure if Darrell knows the victim or if it's his first person he has killed in the line of duty. I quickly regained my composure and told myself "Darrell is fine CJ. Go finish the story for the viewing audience."
The five of us were allowed to go closer to the scene as the incident continued to de-escalate. Carl and the other camera operator obtained excellent video footage of the SWAT officers exiting the store with the two apprehended suspects. Medics also rolled out four gurneys from the store with people on the gurneys. One of the gurneys had two police officers running alongside of it. I assumed this is the injured gunmen who they want to keep under surveillance to the hospital.
Angela found out that the injured victims are all being transported to St Anthony's Bayside Hospital. She contacted Zach and had him send Jennifer over to the hospital with a remote unit for the noon news show. The police public relations officer also informed Angela that they will be holding a press update at 11:00 am today outside of the store.
As we continued obtaining interviews and video footage from the scene, my thoughts kept drifting off to Darrell wondering how he is doing? He was moved into a mobile command center vehicle, and I have not seen him exit the vehicle yet. My thoughts and prayers are with him, as well as all of the other victims of this traumatic event today.
Our news crew covered the press update live. By the time the update started, all of the other competing stations from Tampa arrived on the scene. Throughout the update it amazed me how much emphasis the St Petersburg police department is placing on this incident. They are being very forward with the information that they can share, and at the same time very empathetic to the victims of this incident.
The press update lasted for twenty minutes. After it was over, our station cut back over to national programming and we began preparing for our noon news show. I don't think that any of us doubted that this story will be the main emphasis of our news show today. As Angela, Trevor, Carl and I were preparing for the noon show, I was surprised to see two familiar faces approach our group.
Wally and Mack came up to all of us with Wally asking "are all of you, okay?" I smiled at him and said "we're all fine Wally, I think I speak for everyone though that we're all shaken by what has occurred here today. Mack, have you heard from Darrell, and is he okay?" Mack replied "I have heard from his captain, and Darrell is very shaken up. His captain requested me to come here to help Darrell out. Have you seen Darrell, or do you know where he is at CJ?"
Angela and I took Mack to the public relations officer and introduced him to the Sergeant. Mack explained that he is Darrell Fullinger's emergency contact, and that Captain Johnson contacted him asking for his assistance at the scene. The Sergeant escorted Mack to the mobile command center and Mack went into the center with the Sergeant.
I turned to Wally and asked "did Mack say anymore on the way over about Darrell?" Wally replied "Mack called me at work saying he needed to get to Darrell and was not sure where this store was at. I went to the condo and picked him up. All he told me on the way over is that Darrell has been involved in a police standoff situation. He's fine, but Darrell either hurt or killed someone in the process. That's all I know CJ; do you have any more information you can share with me?" Angela and I briefed Wally on what we knew telling Wally that Darrell killed the one suspect who exited the building. I continued and said "whomever Darrell killed was visibly spinning out of control. He had a young boy wrapped in his free arm. The gunman pointed his gun towards the boy's head, and Darrell put his gun on the ground in order to diffuse the situation. More verbiage was exchanged between the two, and the boy somehow broke away from the gunman. Once he was clear, Darrell retrieved his gun, and shot the gunman. It was all surreal Wally, and I'm still trying to process Darrell's reaction to the incident. He was on his knees holding the victim's hand and very visibly upset. I'm sure we'll find out more from Mack once he learns the situation. Will you be able to stay here to help Mack and Darrell out? We're due back on the air in ten minutes, and our noon news will be centered around this morning's events."
Wally replied to all of us saying "don't worry I will be here. You go do the news, and if Mack appears back here, I'll help him out."
The noon news show went off fantastic. Trevor and I had most of the show time as we recapped all of the events from this morning. We included interviews with several of the hostages, as well as portions of the press update from the police department. Jennifer added several minutes to the story as she informed the audience of the victims' conditions at the hospital. The three hostages are all being cared for with gunshot wounds to their extremities. The second gunman is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his upper abdomen. He's in surgery now and Jennifer informed everyone that she will continue to monitor all conditions throughout the afternoon.
After the three of us finished our reports, Ross took over and informed the noon audience of several other stories occurring in the area. Josh did the weather report, and as soon as the show started, it ended. Bailey called Angela and told her "When you five can, get back to the station and decompress from this morning. Zach and I are going to work on follow-up assignments for this evening's news."
I asked Angela to speak to Bailey and said "Bailey, it appears that Darrell Fullinger is very shaken up. He's been on the scene since it started, and he shot the gunman who exited the store with a hostage. Mack is with him now, but do you have any news on the gunman that he shot?" Bailey replied "no, I don't CJ. We did hear from the police department that there will be another press update at 3:00 pm this afternoon at police headquarters."
I went over to Wally and said "have you heard from Mack yet?" Wally smiled at me and said "no, the only one I have heard from is the chief. He's concerned about everyone on the scene and wants to know if he can do anything here? I think he's bugging Ronny also asking him to get any information he can on the story." I cracked up and said "good old Alex, the protector of us all. Bailey has not heard any additional information other than what we've gathered here. There is another press update at 3:00 pm today at the police headquarters."
About twenty minutes later, we saw Mack and the Sergeant walking back towards us. Mack looked pale and worn out. He did perk up as he got closer to Wally and myself.
Once they arrived, Angela asked the Sergeant several questions which allowed Wally and myself to get a few minutes with Mack. He looked at Wally and said "do you mind wasting your day with me? They are going to take Darrell downtown shortly to headquarters, and he will need a ride home. He's going to be on administrative leave for some time until a complete investigation has been done. The one gunman is singing like a canary though and said that the four of them have been robbing businesses to support their drug habit. This has been their biggest robbery attempt and as we all know it did not fare well for any of them."
Mack took a look at me and said "Darrell asked me to tell you this personally CJ, and he does not want it released to anyone other than the close group of friends. The man he shot was Lucas. Darrell said that it was very tough to deal with Lucas as he was screaming at Darrell saying this was all of Darrell's fault." I'm not sure who had more of a shocked look on their face between Wally and myself.
I took a gulp, and said "is Darrell okay, Mack?" He thought for a moment before responding and finally said "I'm not sure CJ. Physically, yes, he is fine. Mentally, I believe this is going to be a hard situation for him to work through. The department officials are already telling him he will need to work with a psychiatrist to process what all has happened here today. I can already tell that I'm going to need some help with him. He asked if he can stay with me at the condo, as he does not want to go back to his house. I'm due back at work tomorrow, and with my shift schedule of one day on, followed by two days off, I cannot always be with him."
Before I could say a response, Wally jumped in and said "do not worry about anything Mack. We'll be there for you and Darrell for whatever you both need. You need to focus on your new job, and help Darrell when you can. We'll fill in the pieces for you and get you both through this event."
Mack smiled at both of us and said "thanks guys. I'm so glad I have you both in my life now, and I promise not to be a burden to either one of you. Knowing that you and others will be around for Darrell and myself is very comforting to me." Wally embraced Mack in a hug, and I followed up with a hug to Mack afterwards.
After our hugs, we saw several police cars departing the scene from the mobile command center. Mack said "they told me it will take about an hour to finish up with Darrell downtown. Do you mind if we go to the station now and wait for him?" Wally replied "no problem at all, Mack. CJ, we'll see you at home. Will you do me a favor and contact Alex to try and calm him down?" I smiled and said "can anyone calm him down when there is a crisis?" The three of us chuckled on what I said and I continued with "I'll let him know as well as bringing Trevor and Carl into the loop. You two take care, and let me know if I can do anything to help out. We're going to pack up soon and head back to the news station."
Everyone is in a somber mood as we rode back to the news station. Carl attempted several conversation topics away from the morning events, but his attempts fizzled out. Once we reached the parking lot, we unloaded the equipment and headed into the newsroom.
Bailey was waiting for us, and asked each of us individually if we're doing, okay? When he asked me, I told him "I'm fine, but I need to talk to you in private when you have a few minutes." He gave me a wink and replied "stop by my office in fifteen minutes CJ." I went to my office and shut the door. I'm still having problems comprehending all of the morning events, but my mission now is to rally the troops and get a solid support system in place for Darrell.
My first call went to Alex, and I told him what I knew. It was hard to get him off the phone, as he kept asking me questions. I finally had to say "Alex, those are all valid questions, but unfortunately, I don't have the answers for you. I'm not sure if Darrell will open up to us or not, and frankly I don't think we should push him too hard on anything. I don't mean to be so blunt, but it's been a hell of a day for me Alex." Alex replied "I know CJ, and I'm sorry. I have been so worried about everything and I'm driving myself crazy here. I'm going to pack up early and head home soon. I'll see you there later."
I placed my next call to Randy knowing that he and Darrell are very close through their community work together. Randy was shocked with the news and said "CJ, I don't want to bombard Darrell tonight. If you think I can help any situation, call me anytime day or night and I'll be there for Darrell. Once he goes through the standard police routines, I may be able to offer Darrell extra help through one of our support groups in the Pinellas Partners in Action network. CJ, you take care of yourself and be there for Darrell if he reaches out to you. Please keep me in the loop, and again I'm available anytime day or night for Darrell and you." I smiled knowing how sincere Randy is being and replied "I will Randy. I'll keep you in the loop on everything, and perhaps you and Leo can stop by this weekend." Randy closed the call with "sounds good, CJ. I'll talk to you later."
My next call was to Fred. I wanted to let him know what happened today, and that he may want to discourage Jimmy from watching too much television over the next few days. I told Fred "I know that youngster of yours is a sponge for information. The video we captured showed Darrell clearly, and I'm sure you want to protect him from advanced social topics." Fred thanked me and said "I'm going to call Toby now to let him know what all happened today. CJ, Toby and I are able to help Darrell out in anyway. Just let us know where we need to be, and how we can help. We'll keep Jimmy away from the topic and hope that he does not hear about it at school. Thanks for giving me an update, and you get moving to your next call. I'll talk to you later CJ."
By the time I finished my call with Fred, fifteen minutes had passed and I headed for Bailey's office. As I appeared at the door, he got out of his chair and quickly shut the door behind me. He pulled me in for a hug and said "I remember my first report where I witnessed a shooting. I still think about it and I can tell you it's something you'll always recall in your career. Are you sure you're okay, because I sense that something is bugging you CJ."
We both took a seat in his guest chairs and I looked at him intently. I said "I'm fine Bailey, but I'm having problems comprehending what occurred this morning. The cop who shot the gunman is Darrell, and the gunman was Lucas." Bailey's face turned pale as he said "oh my god CJ, are you serious?" I replied "yes, I'm serious Bailey. Mack and Wally are waiting at the police station to take Darrell back to Mack's place. Darrell listed Mack as his emergency contact, and Darrell's captain called him to assist with Darrell. Darrell told Mack while he was in the mobile command center. I knew the situation between Darrell and Lucas was not good this morning, as it appeared that Lucas was shouting so many vulgarities at Darrell. I think he lost it, and luckily the child he was latched onto slipped away from him. At that point, Darrell reached for his gun and shot Lucas. Darrell must be in pure agony over this."
Bailey took some time before he responded. Eventually he said "I knew that Lucas had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd and dived deeper into his drug habit. Darrell needed to talk after he kicked him out because of the drug use, and I have been his sounding board since then. He's perked up since Mack entered his life, but I agree with you CJ this will be very agonizing for Darrell to get through. Are you planning to be at the condo complex when Mack and Wally return with him?"
I shook my head yes and responded "yeah, I'm going to head out shortly unless you need me to do a follow-up on the evening news?" He smiled at me and said "we're covered here. You go ahead and get out of here. I'm going to finish up one item, and I will head out also in less than fifteen minutes. Darrell is going to need all of us to get through this. Have you informed anyone about what you heard from Mack?" I replied "yes, I called Randy knowing that he and Darrell are close friends. I wanted to let Randy know in case Darrell needs any assistance moving forward. I also gave Fred a call knowing he will want to shield Jimmy from news reports for the next few days."
Bailey said "okay, I will track down Aaron and inform him. I'm sure he will want to help Darrell in any way he can. Please get with Carl and Trevor before you leave and inform them. It's going to take all of us to help Darrell out and get him through this tragic event. Get going, and I'll see you back at the complex soon."
On my way out of the station, I found Carl and Trevor editing some video footage from the morning. I went into the editing booth with them and informed them of what Mack had learned from Darrell. Carl said "Jesus, I knew that it was Darrell in the negotiations, but I had no idea that the gunman was Lucas." Trevor added "we better get back to the complex and be there for Darrell if he needs us." I smiled at both of them and said "I'm heading out now and if I learn any more information before I see you both at the complex, I'll let you know."
I feel very tense on my ride back to the condo. I'm not sure that even having Jimmy by my side singing at the tops of our lungs will help relax me today. The trip back to the beach seemed very long, as I managed to hit every red light I could. All I can think about is being there for Darrell in whatever way I can help him out. He was such a big help to me in getting through the Jasper Jeffers trauma, and now I want to pay him back in whatever way I can.
When I pulled into the complex, I did not see Wally's truck. I pulled into my parking space and retrieved my items from the jeep. Toby met me in the parking lot to give me a hug. He said "I saw all of the live reporting this morning, and Fred called me about what you learned. Are you okay my friend, this has to be mind-blowing to anyone who was at the scene."
I smiled at Toby and replied "yes, it's been a tough day. Today is my first live report where I covered a hostage situation with shootings. I knew that Darrell was involved in the negotiations, but I had no idea that he was trying to talk Lucas down. It's all surreal to me, and I can't stop thinking about Darrell and want to do anything I can to get him through this."
Toby replied "I'm off to pick up Jimmy from school. I'm going to tell him that Fred is going to be late, and he and I can go shopping for Fred's Christmas gifts. I'm taking him out to dinner after that. If you need me though, just call me and I'll be here as soon as I can. Fred is planning to leave his construction site early and be here to assist with whatever he can. Thanks for giving us the heads up about Darrell and Lucas. I know we can't shield Jimmy from everything, but in this case Fred and I want to defer the topic as long as we can from him." I smiled at Toby and said "tell Jimmy I said hi and I'll see him this weekend."
Eventually, Mack and Wally returned with Darrell. By the time they got back to the complex, everyone else had made it home and were waiting for their return. We had been watching the parking lot, and all made our way to Wally's truck once Wally had parked and shut his engine off. As the three of them exited the vehicle it was very apparent that Darrell is not up for talking to anyone. Each one of us approached him and pulled him in for a big hug. I was first in line, and as I embraced Darrell he broke down in tears. As he continued down the line giving each one of us a hug, it was obvious to all of us that no words were needed at this time. We just need to show Darrell that we're all here for him when he is ready to open up to us.
Mack said "everyone, I'm going to take Darrell up to the condo. I know he's exhausted and he needs some rest. Maybe in a few hours, he will be able to eat something for me." Alex quickly said "we'll make up some dinner Mack, and if you two want something to eat later we'll bring you some food." Darrell smiled at Alex and said "thanks Alex. I'm not hungry now, but maybe later. I'm sorry everyone, I just want to go and lay down with Mack for a while. I'll talk to all of you later."
The remainder of us went up to our place. Once inside, Alex said "okay everyone, we need to keep our strength up so that we can help Darrell and Mack when needed. What sounds good to everyone for dinner, and I'll begin fixing it?" No one responded to Alex and finally Bailey said "Alex is right everyone. Instead of fixing dinner, let's order takeout. We can talk over dinner on immediate things we can do to help Darrell and Mack out." Wally then spoke up and said "I agree with Bailey. How about Italian tonight, and we can order extra for Darrell and Mack when they're ready to eat? I also have the first topic we can talk about to help them out. I'm going to go change into more comfortable clothes, if someone will place an order for us?"
Several other people went to change their clothes, while Aaron placed the dinner order for us. He placed a huge order for us, along with two individual dinners for Darrell and Mack. Once he finished up, he returned to the patio where Bailey and I were sitting. He said to us "the food should be here in 30 to 40 minutes, and I ordered individual dinners for Darrell and Mack." Bailey smiled at him and patted the seat next to him. Aaron joined him on the loveseat and Bailey said "thanks babe, I appreciate you placing the order. Are you doing, okay?" He smiled at Bailey, gave him a kiss and said "I am fine Bailey. I'm in shock along with everyone else. We're going to have a challenge ahead of us making sure that Darrell comes out of this situation as sane as possible."
Bailey took Aaron's hand and also grabbed my hand. He gave each of us a look and said "we're all going to need to rely on each other heavily during the next few months. I know this group, and we have the fortitude and determination to get through this. We can do this guys, are you both up to the challenge with me?"
I looked back at Bailey and Aaron and said "absolutely. I'm up for the challenge, and I know the remainder of the group will be here to help out as well." Aaron then spoke up and said "I'm in this for the long-haul as well. CJ and I have been traumatic events this year, which have made us stronger. Together we all will knuckle down and help Darrell through this. Once we're through it, we'll all be stronger and even closer than we are now."
Eventually, the rest of the group returned and our food arrived. We all made ourselves a plate of food, and began the discussions of how we can be of assistance to Darrell and Mack. I looked around the patio and said to myself "I love each and everyone of these gentlemen. Bailey's right, our determination and commitment to each other will get us through the trying times ahead. I cannot believe how close we have become, and through the trying times ahead, I know that all of us will come out stronger and more committed to each other. Even though we have dark skies in our forecast today, we're going to make it through this and help Darrell to find our sunny skies again."