Mark Arbour

Yep.

And Chapter 38 is up, so that should answer your questions.

September 11, 2001 9:32am: North Tower “Do you need medical attention?” a cop asked as we finally made it out of the building. “I think I just sprained my ankle,” Stef said. I’d been so absorbed in trying to call everyone, and in trying to figure out what to do, I’d ignored him until we made it to the bottom of the stairs. When it came time to walk, he’d staggered and fallen. So now I was helping him, propping him up on his injured side.

You probably forgot they're a big loving family because they haven't been acting like a big loving family lately.

Thanks for your posts, especially the last one, where you explained your reasoning. It's inevitable those will impact you, and effect how you view things: I'm glad you gave us your perspective. I view things a little differently than you do, but that's because I don't have your history. I think that Robbie figured that his two sons (and Maddy) were through the worst of it, and to the degree that they could escape, they would be able to do that without him. In other words, he had the confidence in them to be able to get out. He would not have thought going back for Jeanine and Hank was a suicide mission, he would have seen it as the right thing to do, to go and try and save other family members. Now that they knew there was a passable way out, he wanted to guide them through it. He also knows that if something happens to him, there are other people who are capable of taking care of his sons, and in some ways, maybe even more capable than him. He wouldn't have known that Brad was safe, but he would assume that JP was, and he has a lot of confidence in him. He also knows that Claire and Jack would step up and be surrogates for him, as would his father and Isidore. So he's risking his own safety to try and save Jeanine and Hank. Think of what Robbie would be like if he didn't do that. I can't even think of kinky enough things for him to get into to deal with that pain, the pain of thinking that he could have saved them, but chose not to. If Will and Darius needed his help, he would have stayed with them. Since they didn't, he went off to help the others, who did.

I have a weak spot for people who say they're sorry and reform themselves, and because of that, I give the senator a little more love than you do. :-) And I don't blame him for cheating on his wife, considering who his wife is.

Thanks Tim. And here's a chance for me to thank you for those links. You'll be happy to know that I read most of them before I wrote this (SMILE). I think that Wade and his father worked things through. I've gotten some kick-back on that, especially from my team, about how impossible/long it takes to heal from abuse like Wade experienced, but I don't think that factors in the sheer determination both of those men have to achieve a goal once they set their minds to it.

I think that is typical JP; his mother would have been proud of him. I think that West and Vesey was far enough to avoid being crushed by the towers.

I'm glad you got the helplessness in Claire's situation. Isn't that how so many of us felt? The air transport situation has been explained, but I think that it could have happened on the South Tower. The North tower was too peppered with antennae, and it was too smoky, but they could have attempted it on the South Tower. I found their excuses for not doing so pretty lame.

Good points on Brad and Will, and I suspect that as tragic as this whole thing is, no matter who lives or not, Brad and Will are going to view their battles in a whole different light now.

I think what Robbie did is totally in character for him. He got his sons and Maddy through the worst of the nightmare, so now all they had to do was descend the stairs and get out. He knows they can do that (Both Will and Darius are smart and capable). He would never have been able to live with himself if he hadn't gone up and to try to save Jeanine and Hank. He would always second-guess himself.

I'll have more to say on all this after chapter 38 posts. I envision the Senator and his hook-up being incinerated instantly in the explosion, so rescue was not something I contemplated.

I'm glad you like the multiple perspectives. I was initially worried that it would be confusing, but this is such a collage of events, it was the only way, other than switching to 3rd person. And that's just not CAP.

I think of the Bridgemont stories, where some of those men (Lieutenant Grafton comes to mind) die in battle, doing just what they wanted to do. I think that in a similar vein, Senator Danfield died doing what he liked best. :-)

September 11, 2001 9:10am: North Tower We were walking down the stairs slowly, ever so slowly, a step at a time, as masses of people tried to get out of the building. There was only room for two or three people to walk down the stairs, side by side. “You think we should try different stairs?” I asked Stef. “We are already down to the 25th floor,” he observed. “I think we should stay with this flight.” “They’re all this crowded,”

At first glance, I thought you meant "titties". Insert sophomoric laugh. :-)

Thanks so much! Check back in a couple of hours for the next chapter.

Thanks! JP is probably out of danger on this one.

Well Sam, I didn't mean to cause you distress, but your comments are truly flattering. I'll help ease the tension, but probably not the pain, in the next chapter.

I understand how you feel about cliffhangers, but they are inevitable in any serial story. It's not about dramatic pause, it's about finding a place to actually cut off a chapter. But perhaps you will credit me for posting follow up chapters to this cliffy (and others) in relatively rapid order. The next chapter of this story will post on 9-11. That's two days. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Nothing like a little pressure. Ugh. More research on the Directory required.

Well, cliffhangers are inevitable with this part of the story. I'll do my best to get us through things pretty quickly.

I decided to start it a little bit early, since the whole day of 9-11 in the story takes more than one chapter. Quite a few, actually.

Thank you very much! Unscathed = Unlikely.

I think that even as I experienced it, I didn't really realize how much our lives would change.