As they sat down for breakfast Odel asked "You boys got big plans for today?"

Andy said "No Papa, can we have corncob jelly with our biscuits this morning?"

Odel Smiled and passed the jelly. He asked "How would you boys like to go to the Texas Rangers game today?"

Dan asked in an excited voice "Can we Papa? If we go before batting practice maybe we can get Juan Gonzales's autograph. He is my favorite player, he really belts the ball."

Andy asked "Can we wear our Ranger's Jerseys and take our gloves? Maybe we can catch a home run."

Dan jumped up and ran outside to get the newspaper. A minute later he came running back into the house shouting "The Yankees are in Town tonight. Roger Clements is pitching, Oh Papa this is too cool?"

"Ok Boys, if we are gonna go we need to get the living room cleaned up and get dressed." Said a smiling Odel.

The two boys jumped and started scrambling around to get ready for the game. Shouting and running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Odel couldn't help but smile.

In a small motel room in Galveston the boys father asked "How are you feeling this morning Babe? You feel up to going to the Waffle House for breakfast?"

"I feel pretty good today and yes we can go to the Waffle House for breakfast Jake. I am ready to go home today. We need to tell the boys and my Dad. I don't want to do that on the phone. I think it needs to be done in person."

"Ok, Babe we will head for home today, but if you get too tired or start feeling bad we are gonna stop. I know you want to spend a little time with your Daddy and the boys but I'm sure you don't want them to see you totally wiped out."

"You're right Jake but I wanna see my boys. I want to spend as much time with them as I can. I want to tell them how proud of them I am. I wont them to understand that I love them and this isn't their fault. I want to go to Casey's one more time with my Daddy. I want the chance to say goodbye to my family and our friends. I wish we would have let Danny play in the All Stars, I would have loved to see him hit one more home run. I wish -----" she broke down crying.

"Juan, Juan" yelled Dan as the Texas outfielder strolled away from the batting cage. Juan walked over and signed autographs for ten minutes. Dan and Andy both hot his signature and ran back to their seats laughing and screaming.

As the game wore on it became obvious to Odel that the boys were having a blast in spite of the fact that the Yankees were once more crushing the hometown heroes. Odel's mind wandered back to the days when he used take his girl to the wrestling matches in Dallas. He remembered how she would get so excited she couldn't stay in her seat always bouncing up and down, like Dan and Andy were doing now. A smiled tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered her swearing that when she grew up she was gonna marry Kerry Von Erick.

Andy leaned over and whispered into Dan's ear "look at Papa, he's smiling. Don't he understand baseball? We are getting the puppies beat out of us."

"I don't know Andy he has been acting real strange since Dad called the other night. I think he knows something he aint telling us." Whispered Dan.

"Danny, Is Mommy gonna die?"

"Andy don't say that, if you ever say that again I am gonna hit you!" shouted Dan.

Odel said "Whoa now boys, what's going on here. How come all of a sudden yall are yelling and threatening to beat each other up?"

Andy started crying and Dan said "nothing Papa."

It was obvious to Odel that both boys were extremely upset and he said "OK, boys I think we ought to go ahead and leave for home. This heat is beginning to get to me."

Odel tried his best to cheer up the boys as they drove home. The boys slowly responded to his jokes and kidding. Finally Dan said "I'm sorry I yelled at you Andy, but don't even thank that ok?" Andy nodded and hugged his brother. Odel thought about asking what Andy had said but decided to leave it alone for the moment.

As they neared Canton, Odel asked "Who feels like a Banana Split?"

Andy and Dan both started yelling "Me, Me".

Odel reached over and poked them and said "Funny, yall feel like little boys to me."

"Papa" groaned Dan, Andy started giggling.

Odel smiled and said "ok boys lets go to Dairy Palace and see if they have any Banana Splits just lying around."

As he pulled into the Dairy Palace parking lot Odel felt that old familiar pain once more flair up in his chest. His face paled and he thought "NOT NOW, NOT HERE!" As the fog closed in on him he felt the truck shudder as it plowed into something. Off in the distance he could just barely hear someone screaming then the warm soothing darkness enveloped him.

Carolyn LaPrade was frustrated. As she picked at her cold French fries she wondered why David was late this time. Was he filling out paperwork or did something happen to him. All she knew is that she hated his job. Every morning when he strapped on that gun she started worrying and didn't stop until he came through the front door again at night. She looked up as another vehicle pulled into the parking lot. A spark or recognition flared in her eyes as she realized it was Odel Houge's truck. Recognition turned into panic as the truck veered out of control and slammed into the Dairy Palace sign.

Carolyn was out of her seat in a heartbeat shouting "Call 911!" She ran out to Odel's truck to see if he was alright.

David LaPrade thought "Dang it, I'm gonna be late meeting Carolyn again." As he turned on State Highway 19 his Radio Squawked "Dispatch to Deputy LaPrade". He reached over, picked up the Mic and said "LaPrade here."

"David you still in Canton?"

"Yea Julie, I just turned on Highway 19".

"David hightail it up to the Dairy Palace, there has been a bad accident."

"On my way!" He flipped on his lights and siren and sped towards the accident.

Five miles away at the Canton Fire Department the alarm went off in the Paramedics lounge. Timmy Earl Houge and Jason Cumbie grabbed their gear and jumped into the Ambulance. Jason grabbed the Mic and said "Dispatch, this is Canton Para 1, where is the show?"

As she ran across the parking lot Carolyn silently prayed that Odel was ok. As she reached the truck and saw the two boys for the first time, the sound of a distant siren struck her ears. She pulled open the truck door and shouted "Boys get out of the truck now!"

Andy was still giggling about his Papa's joke as they turned into the Dairy Palace parking lot. His thoughts consumed with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge when Dan Screamed "Papa, Look out." He looked up just as the truck smashed into the Dairy Palace sign. He felt himself being thrown forward and his seatbelt painfully slamming him back into his seat. Then he felt an arm fall across his chest and something big and hard hit him in the face.

Dan was wondering if he could get both Strawberry and Butterscotch toppings on his Banana Split as they turned into the parking lot. He smiled up at his Papa and saw him suddenly scrunch up his face in pain. He glanced out the window and saw the big sign coming straight at them and screamed "Papa, Look out!" As they hit the sign he threw his arm across Andy and felt the Air Bag slam into his face. Then the door popped open and some lady yelled at him to get out of the truck. He yelled back at her "My Papa is hurt!", as she grabbed Andy.

Carolyn dragged the youngest boy out of the truck and reached for the older one while her eyes desperately searched Odel for any signs that he was ok.

David came screaming into the parking lot and spotted the truck wrapped around the sign. He took in the sight of one child unmoving on the ground and somebody on the passenger side of the truck pulling a second child out when suddenly he knew without a doubt that the sign was gonna fall at any second. He slammed on the brakes and bolted out of the squad car yelling "Get away from the truck, the sign is gonna fall!" He grabbed the tow hook in front of his squad car and ran to the pole, wrapping the steel cable once around it and dashed back to his car. David slipped the hook into the loop and hit the button to take up the slack. After stabilizing the sign he ran to the drivers side of the crashed truck. He ripped open the door and gasped "Oh my God, its Odel."

Carolyn scrambled away from the truck dragging the two boys to safety. As she put them down she heard David Yell. She turned and saw him struggling to pull Odel out of the truck.

As the Ambulance pulled into the parking lot Jason Cumbie said "Good Lord, Timmy that looks like your Uncle's truck." Timmy and Jason quickly jumped out of the ambulance and ran over to the truck. With the help of Deputy LaPrade they were able to get Odel out of the truck. Timmy quickly checked his vital signs and said "Cardiac Arrest, get the hospital on the horn and grab the Shock bag. David can you start CPR while I get him hooked up?" Deputy LaPrade started administering CPR as the two Paramedics hooked Odel up to the Shock bag. Timmy yelled clear then applied the shock to Odel's heart.

Odel was confused, one minute he was driving his truck and the next he was in this dark room. As he turned around to try and figure out where he was he spotted a bright light in the distance. He started walking towards it.

"Timmy we are losing him, we gotta transport him to the hospital now!" shouted Jason.

Odel approached the light and heard a voice he thought he would never hear again. "Peggy, is that you?"

The Ambulance screamed into the Hospital emergency room, doctors and paramedics scrambling in every direction to unload Odel and rush him into the ER.

Carolyn yelled at David "David this boy is still out cold is there another ambulance coming?"

Dan started crying and hugging Andy quietly saying "Don't go Andy, I need you, don't go."

David scooped up the two boys, put them in his squad car and told Carolyn "Honey I am taking them to the Hospital, I don't think we should wait for another ambulance. You follow me in your car."

Odel smiled and said "I'll be danged, it is you Peggy. Glory be you look just like you did when I married you."

"Hiram Odel Houge, you get your but back down there. Them boys need you, it aint your time yet."

"But Peggy, I have missed you so much."

"Now Hiram, I wont have you abandoning those babies."

Slowing he turned and headed away from the light. As he walked he began to hear the voices. They were saying "Administer another shock, we still don't have a pulse."

In the ER the Doctors tried valiantly to revive Odel. Shouting out instructions and administering Shock and CPR in an attempt to restart his heart. One of the Doctors shouted "Administer another shock, we still don't have a pulse." The Nurse once more put the paddles on his heart and shocked him.

"Doctor, we have a pulse." Shouted one of the nurses.