rjo

At this point only Mark knows the truth. Growing up with his mother and then being shipped to boarding school seems to tell us something. At this point we don't know what that is. Is Ethan gay? After all these years with JJ we just found out he was bi. If Wade likes him would he want to move Ethan out to CA to be near Wade. None of these things are known. My guess is the reason he was sent to boarding school will answer some things. I would think that boarding school could be a great experience or a very bad one. I think it could be a very lonely thing, but that's just me. Does Ethan know who his father was? Did the senator ever visit him? Does Ethan know about the other family? I guess we must wait to see.

The last chapter 48, was wonderful. This whole time is painful, but Mark has handled it perfectly. When David reminded me Ethan was 15, I thought wow maybe Will would find his soul mate at 15. That would make Will and Wade related for real. so further bind the Cramptons and the Danfields together. If that works it would be even more interesting. All these chapters have dealt with the aftermath, the pain and loss. We only have one more service, but that is the worst one. Wade said that the senator would not want his father to be sad and in pain. Robbie's service will bring out all the pain again. All of it. Robbie would be the last person to what his family to be sad. Honestly, even after a week or more the family is still on the edge. Brad said will the pain always be this bad? Will is having problems to. I am not sure who will be able to help them through it. All of them have been hurt and hurt bad. I wonder if JP is strong enough to help. Again I must thank our beloved author for dealing with this subject as he has. Death and loss are hard at the best of times. This is not the best of times. Not just a single loss but four people on the same day. Overwhelming loss, all at the heart of this family. Good Luck, Mark I am glad I don't have to write this part of the story.

As I read this the nation is coming back from the cliff. The Senate has voted and the house will do so soon. I can only hope they do the right thing. I am not surprised that Senator Danfield had things sown up so perfectly. Once he understood what Elizabeth had become he moved quickly. Again you made this so real. Considering the divorce was only a short time ago I think Elizabeth is going to have a hard time overturning the eill. I liked that Goodwell was given to Riley. It is only to bad Riley will not remember his grandfather. I suppose it is not unusual that the Senator would have another child out there. I hope that Wade and Ethan get along well. I think it was David who reminded me that he is the same age as Will. Wouldn't it be interesting for them ( Will and Ethan) to meet. The real surprise is Mary Ellen I am hoping her new freedom has given her a soul. At this point the children ( Wade, Mary Ellen, and Beau) seem to be on the same page. Another good thing. Two last things as David said It was good to see Turner and others from the team there. Things like that mean so much at time like this. I have a feeling this time will be very hard on Wade. I think he loved his father much more than he thought. One thing is good just like Will and his mother, Wade and Jeff worked so hard to get back in a good place with each other. At the end Wade knows Jeff loved him and Wade knows he loved Jeff. No one nor anything can take that away from them. Mark again you have shown an outstanding skill in telling this difficult story. You have made it so real for us, thank you.

As congress gets to a minute to midnight, every election I voted for the man who won. Ever since Nixon all the way through Clinton. I vote for the person I thought would be the best for the country. I never voted for George W Bush however. Some of those presidents have disappointed me, including our present president. It is too bad they don't learn from the past. Lincoln, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt where not perfect but they knew what needed to be done for the good of the country and did it. I seems to me no one does that anymore. It is all for oneself and to hell with the country. It is all a game and the country looses.

It is very interesting, no much more than that, these last chapters I would guess must that been harder to write. Once the horror and loss of 9 11 is done, and the dust has settled there is the pain and confusion that is left in it's wake. You can see it in the faces of each character, the racing of emotions. Just like Joey's mother bouncing back and forth between anger and sadness. Some are dealing with this much better than I would think. Some are not. However the real test is coming up: Robbie's service. This will test the family like nothing has done before. Darius: has taken control of Jeanine's estate and service. Again he has stepped up as he did with Jeanine's health care. How I he dealing with the loss of both of his parents. JJ: Seems to be doing much better than I thought he would. Maybe the problems of Christmas made him stronger, again Robbie's service will be the test. Will: We can see the anger come forth, but he seems to be able to control it better than what he had a year ago. Again maybe the battles with his father prepared him for this. His loss seems to be the greatest he lost his mother, who he had worked so hard to restore his relationship with, Robbie , who he can gotten much closer to since the wars with his father, and Hank with whom he had bonded with more than any one else. Brad: what can we see or say about Brad. On the surface he seemed so strong and now we see him so weak. Again I hope he will trust JP to help him through this. Frank: is again another one who seems strong but is not. Isidore will have her work cut out for her helping him. Again the test is coming up soon. Marie: with her confession to Will, she seems to have healed the rift and is in a better place. One of the only bright spots in this dark picture Mary Ellen: Maybe the death of her father and independence from her mother has been good for her and brought out her humanity? At lest she seems to have joined for the moment with Wade in common cause. Wade and Matt: seem to be dealing with this better. Hopefully, they can lean of each other. I think for Wade he has put all this away to deal with later. Sometimes that works if you can do it. JP and Stef: JP has like Wade put his away, just like he did when he got the family ot of the city on 9 11. He job is now to help his family heal. Again the big test with come with Robbie's service. All this and all these emotions because of a few moments on a clear sunny day in September. I believe this book is going to be the masterpiece of the saga. Again maybe the hardest to write but your best work. Why the best? Because these characters who were real before, now jump off the page so much we can feel their pain and loss. What more can an author ask for?

It was good, very good to see JP and Brad talking about this. JP has gone through so much pain and loss in the past, I am so glad Brad came to him for help. I hope Brad continues to seek out JP it will bring them together and maybe make things easier for Will. It was funny to see Wade take charge of things and put Elizabeth in her place. He will not let her get the upper hand. I think she doesn't know her son that well. He is not someone she can push around. She will haveto learn who is in charge now. Thanks again for a chapter which even though it is dealing with death and loss it shows us how people must pick up the pieces and move on. It will not be easy but it can be done. Thanks for showing us the strength these character have. It was great to hear from JP and Wade. They both have the quit strength that is needed in times like this.

I wonder if you thought about all the different ramifactions when you began to write about 9 11. I can't tell you how real these chapters have been. Your work has brought those days back to life. What is even more interesting is how this family deals with it. Ever since the very first chapters in CAP Mark you were able to reflect real life, real feelings of real people. Here again you have shown us characters like Will who are dealing with this loss in a unbelieveblily real way. This last chapter could have been sad, but in some way it wasn't. Maybe because it showed what I always believed, that even out of tragedy good can come. The human spirit is stronger than we think. There are good people in this world. ( too bad none of them are in congress) Sorry it is after 5 am.

After reading the chapter the second time I thought that Will handle himself pretty good. It was important that Cody knows the promise Will made to Jeanine. Again Will has come across as a stand up guy. Wakes can be harder that funerals. Most of the time it is the first time you see the person who died. That is a shock. Someone here said Will reminds them of Stef, I think it was more like Tonto. It is interest how she never really is gone. Will said what need to be said in a powerful way and he also defended John and Joey's relationship. Good for him. Last he knew what John needed and comforted him. A great chapter Mark. I llke the person Will is becoming, even through the loss grief and anger Will still thinks about the other people in his life. That is really good to someone so young.

I think JJ's shell is to protect him. Hopefully there will come a time he will not need that shell because inside we might be surprised what a terrific person is there.

Again as so may times in the past David has brought up some very important points. I agree Brad is going overboard in blaming Robbie for all his woes. I wonder how that will fit with Robbie's service coming up. Brad is still that little kid who his mother hated. He can't seem to get over that. Until he sees that and moves on I am not sure about him. I agree something is fishy with Jeanine's parents. Maybe the father molested her when she was a child. Last I also agree that Darius has stepped up creating a beautiful service for his mother and Hank. Will has also handled this much better than he would have a year ago. Even JJ who seems to be having a difficult time has been dealing with things better. I believe the real test with come on the 28th during Robbie's service. It maybe best that they are having this last. I understand the loss for Brad is the greatest then maybe Frank. However the brothers and I mean all four of them we forget about Matt. Darius was Robbie's kid for all those years growing up. After Jeanine was gone, JJ grabbed on to Robbie. I think Will got a lot closer to Robbie during his fights with his father. And then there is Matt 18 years passed without him knowing Matt and even though Matt and Robbie don't live together they bonded too. Robbie is a big hole in this family. For all his stubbornness he still loved these kids and forgave them as they forgave him.

Sometimes tragity can destroy families and relationships and sometimes it can make them stronger. I think it has brought these brothers together like never before. I am wondering if it will do the same for Matt and Wade. as for the many point of view some people would find it difficult I think it works really well. As it was good to hear JP after so long, at was good to see JJ and begin to understand how he is dealing with this. He seems the forgotten middle kid who uses his skating to get attention. I believe you caught the conflict between his resentment of being overlooked and the knowledge that his family really loves him. In some ways he is like Billy (Clarie's twin) but JJ has skating and he has two brothers that will not let things get out of control any more. Which is to say that Will is a better brother to JJ than Brad was to Billy and that is saying something from a former Bradofile.

Honestly I long for George to return home. I think Paris is only 100 miles or so from London. I was so happy to see Winkler and Jacobs get safely home. They as all the crew have gone through so much. Even today traveling around the world can be an adventure in those days not many lived to do it. From this chapter I can only help but believe that Caroline has restored her position with the King as well as society at large. She is a powerful force thank God she is firmly on George's side. When Calvert returns most of the remaining pieces will be laid out. I wonder what the Guild will think about Maidstone's gruesome end. Spencer with have to give Lord Granger a even bigger ship.

Two birds have returned safely to the nest. Thankfully for the quick thinking of Winkler and Jacobs. I must say that I loved the encounter with Spencer. Not many women at that time could have done that. She was brilliant! Once the Santa Claira docks, and the truth about Maidstone is known as well as the letters at the bottom of the ocean, the Guild will have to answer for it all. So only one bird will be gone. I am hoping he ( George) will return home soon. Thanks ever so much for this wonderful chapter. I can see a happy end down the road. Hopefully not to far down the road.

On another topic, after Will's problem at school in Math class the family came loaded for bear. It would had been easy for things to get out of control, but Will thought something different. Two things seem to have changed with Will. He has learned about compassion and forgiveness. Some people spend their whole life and don't learn that lessen, Will has learned them at 15. Time after Time Will has shown this. More and more from little things like buying hotel rooms, to helping Kai's father now to this. I only wonder what kind of person Will is going to became. When it seems there are few truly good people in this world, here is Will, not perfect by any means, but a person with a good heart. I hope that could be said about us. Thanks Mark, again for creating these wonderful characters who have so endeared themselves to us in so many ways.

Again Mark, you caught the sadness and emotion of those days with heart breaking realism. Having been through it myself the loss can be overwhelming. I loved hearing from JJ it added so much. Brad and Will seem to be doing better. They are sharing maybe more then ever before. You did a great job and added a twist at the end. What is wrong with Jeanine parents? Will is not going to forget his promise to his mother. I am glad for that. I wonder if Brad and Cody have worked things out. Again Mark this is your best work.

Sorry the word replace is wrong. I am not trying to lessen the loss of Robbie for Brad. I just feel because of the relationship problems Brad may not be as hopeless is he thought. When people die, we who are left tend to remember all the good things and forget the problems. If Brad builds up Robbie into the perfect soul mate, he might not ever find another person to love. Brad needs that person. Robbie knew that. That's why he wanted Brad to find someone. He wanted Brad to be happy.

I've been thinking about the relationship between Robbie and Brad. After the revelations in the last chapter, I am wondering if Robbie's loss is not as great as it could have been if their relationship would have been perfect. Tim brought up a point, that part of their relationship problems Is Brad's emotional maturity or lack of it. I am wondering if Robbie was not in the same boat. I also agree that you really can't compare Will and Brad. They may seem a lot a like but they grew up in a totally different worlds. Brad was afraid of people knowing he was gay, Will could care less. Brad was shy and needed ce to help him out. Will seems much more open. Who should Brad look for to replace Robbie? The first person that comes to mind is Cody, but I feel Cody won't work, Cody is not ready to settle down, Some have thought of Matt or Wade. bt I don't see that either. So for the only one I see is Alex the new CEO. So far Alex seems to be a good guy. What do you think?

Jeremy sorry to tell you are wrong about ACE's age he was born March of 1963, Brad was born October 4th, 1962. As for the person I think Brad should look at is Alex who is in the early thirties.

Well. finally Brad and Will can talk. The shouting has stopped. For once in a long time we get to see what they are really thinking. How this situation is not simple, just like real life is not simple. Long ago back in Man in Motion, Brad had a choice between Max the safe pick and Robbie the challange. He went with Robbie and knew it would be a ride. Just like surfing clam seas aren't always the best. So many times in this saga it is the simple parts that have the greatest meaning. This is one of them. Two people setting in a car driving down a road they must have done a hundred times. Getting to know each other again. Talking to each other not at each other. Sharing the deepness thoughts. Being real with each other. One of those priceless moments. Will has been dreading school, he wants to forget what has happened, but how can he? When he is confronted with this teacher. I wonder if this was not planned, to help Will deal with it. This was not something teacher or kids wound not know about? We will have to wait to find out about. Ever since 9 11 real time I wonder if you have a real life Mark. You have written so many chapters in the short time. Not only that but I believe your best work. You have dealt with one of the hardest times in the history of this country and of this family with care, and thought that brought the day alive again. Showed us the loss, forced us to feel the loss, and helped us get over the pain, So many times in this sage I believe you have given us lessons in how to live our lives. These lessons are not forced upon us but given to us through these characters which you created. All of them broken in some way, but not defeated. Now in this greatest time of need, you have given them to strength rise up and carry on. These chapter from 36 on have become my favorite chapters, not because of the horror, which is great or the loss, but sometimes through those things we see the greatest of the human spirit and that is what you are doing here Mr. Arbour

I am not sure where this fits, but I've been reading 9 11 more from the beginning. what strikes me the most is knowing these people are not going to make it. When Brad and Will went to war, Robbie was there. Will don't like Hank at first, but when he bonded with her after seeing how she treated his mom and Maddy. Even Jeanine, after years of war Will finally was in a good place with her too. Now I look at those characters much differently. I see how they were the glue which bond this family together, or maybe stopped it from flying apart. Who will take their place? Who can take their place?

So near yet so far. Paris to London I have no questions that Lord Granger will have a short but pleasant stay. Money goes a long way. Even though George's trip was difficult I have a feeling with his hosts help his stay in Paris will be better. It has been a long time without our hero. as much as I like Calvert and Winkler, I have missed George a lot. Every since he first went to sea, his has shown the combination of bravery, kindness, humility, and he is cute to boot. How could you not love him? I wish good luck to him and a big thank you to Mark for bringing him safely this far.

How does one start, other than being shocked with Marie's revelation. So many times what we see as hate as really love. Aren't they the opposite sides of the same coin. Even though Claire and Brad were raised as brother and sister they are not related. Therefore Will and Marie are not cousins. Of course this family is not as much as family of blood but of relationships. To loss three members of your family at one time is horrible. Each person will grieve in his or her own way. To have this situation healed with help this family heal. The problems Jack and Claire have been having will soon end and the greater task will begin. Mark has shown us that Brad and Will are just making it from day to day. We must remember it has only been a few days. Feelings are still raw. I can only hope the surf will heal both Brad and Will. It is what they need, to focus they minds on something they love. To understand there is more to life than loss and sadness. To begin to live again if only for a few hours. Should the family gather and tell their story? Is it too soon? After my father died my mother broke down almost every week, my stepfather almost died after my mother died. Both of them dung down inside themselves and somehow went on. After Andre and Billy died, JP gave up on God. Tonto after losing both sons lived for her grandchildren. Remember Barry was a hollow shell. I can only hope that Brad, Will and the others have Tonto's strength. I think they do. Will is so strong. He is. He may not know it. But he is. He will need his family as will Brad to grieve and most importantly to begin to live again. It's that picking up and living again, something they must do.

Shock!! For the first time I was totally shocked! I have read your stories over almost 5 years never in that time have I had my breath taken away. It is wonderful you can still do that. One of the things that all your stories seem to teach us is that these characters are growing, learning, maturing. It happened with JP and Stef (well I am not sure about Stef). But of all your characters Will shows the most change. Yes sometimes he takes a few steps backward but in the most part he moves forward. Honestly, if I were him, I am not sure if I would visit Marie after everything she did to him. But not our Will. He never thought twice about it. He knew what he had to do. He could make a difference. I am glad he was able to make that difference. I guess JP will have to give her ring back. With so much pain, it is good to have this rift healed. Thanks so much Mark. Sometime we forget that most of the story of 9 11 is after that horrible day.

I think David said it perfectly. Many of these details we don't know. Cody could have looked in on Maddy before seeing Brad. Jeanine thought of both Cody and Wade as sperm donors. Wade however wanted to be a lot more and that worked out. I have a feeling that Cody will work things out with the rest of the family. She will be well taken care of. Back to one thing that I find very interesting both Robbie and Jeanine had Will promise to look after both Maddy and Brad. We have already seen times which Will has been living up to his promises. Handing over Maddy to the nurse, and looking after Brad, comforting him, by a word or hand on the shoulder or a hug. Why did they pick him? What was it that Will had the others didn't? It makes the story more interesting, deeper, richer. It also follows te pattern which was started all those years ago. I find it very comforting. Mark's stories have those patterns, that repeat though the generations. Traditions what bind the family together and make thise characters seem real.

Back to Kitt's comments about Cody. I wonder if Jeanine set up a written formal agreement with him, or if It was something just agreed on at the moment. I think when Brad bought the condo and set up Jeanine's income all the issues would have settled. I think Cody will enter the situation when he needs too, However, the one person who is pleaged to look after Maddy is Will. Will bonded with her and Riley early and I hope he will be able to keep that promise. Will is one of those people to whom a promise is a promise and their word is their bond. That is one thing I like about him the most. I don't know if Robbie and Jeanine knew they weren't going to make it, but I feel they could not have picked a better person. I reminds me of the time Steven was going off to war and asked Tonto to look after JP.( other examples are JP looking after Brad and Brad looking after Darius and JJ) Except for one time, she did a understanding job of that. I can see Will doing just as well.