Great story, Wayne. Dovetails nicely with the chapter I published today. It highlights a 'community' coming together to support an injured soldier. I'm a big believer in personal involvement and lending a hand whenever possible.
I'm gonna do what my readers do to me: predict the future. Chad's going to be a very important cog in future events. He and the two agents Harris left in Hailey will be a line of defense. Paul will be the final protective barrier. How close am I? LOL
High praise coming from a talented author. Thank you. We'll start the recovery process in a couple of days and next week I'm taking CJ, Ozzie, and Harley to New York and then New England. A motorcycle trip's always a good way to get rid of stress.
Recovery from losing two legs will never be fast. I talked to someone who lost them years ago while researching the Brad story arc; fifteen years later, they still face medical issues and the phantom pain is a constant reminder of the loss.
Young men, and more recently women, have always been cannon fodder in wartime..
I'm learning as I go along. One of the 3 stories I'm currently working on lends itself to foreshadowing but I'm resisting. I want the ending to be a real surprise.
I was never in the military and some people have questioned why I portray service members in such a positive light. I remind them I've also showcased at least one jerk (CJ's teacher who objected to him not saying the Pledge of Allegiance.) But my experience with vets has been a positive one overall. I've dated a few of them, lived with a sailor and then a flyboy, and count many good men who served as friends.
With the cast growing so large, and the boys now adults, I've tried to give everyone air time. I did it with Trip and Danno on the trip to California, and now with another 5 of the older guys. Hopefully, the change in how the younger and older crowds relate to each other has kept pace and evolved properly.
As usual, CJ throws his wealth around, but again as usual, he spends just as much on others as he does on himself. Let's hope Brad does get to walk again.
You scare me because of how perceptive you can be. I tried misdirection with you, but you were right: I foreshadowed this happening. Hell, I had itplanned out a couple of years ago before I even started writing this installment. Let's see what you think of how CJ tries to help the recovery along. He may get pushy.
Thanks! Although some readers feared the worst, I hope sparing Brad's life came as a good surprise. He may be calling Don to get tips on handling a wheelchair.
I could title it either Hero or Cripple, which one you like better? Let me get through my list of pending stories before I consider a Brad spinoff. As for writing happy sappy romance, I think you have the wrong author. How about next week I give you a motorcycle trip with Harley instead?
Thanks!
There was no way CJ wasn't flying to Europe. His comment about being there for any of his peeps encapsulates how he feels about the Squad. Hope you liked the appearances by 5 Elite members!
I took his legs but I didn't kill him. That's what a few people feared. I'm hoping the sober demeanor displayed during his most recent appearances presages good things.
CJ's like a snowplow. He'll clear the way so others can get through, but the blade can sometimes scrape against the sides. In this case, he definitely bulldozed over everyone to get his way.