This story is dedicated to my dear sweet great uncle who passed away January 2, 1999.  He was more like a grandfather to me and in every way he was a lot like CD.  With CD now gone from the show it's almost like losing my great uncle all over again.  Dallas is usually warmer than where I live and where my uncle's funeral was held but I used the images of my uncles funeral for this story. I tried to keep everyone in character for this story but the main reason I wrote it was to help me deal with the loss of a GREAT man.  So there is more of myself in this story than most of my others.  I hope you enjoy.

   A dreary, gray cloud hung over Dallas, like a pall.  Snow fell like frozen tear-drops as the temperature dipped well below freezing.  But even with the freezing temperatures it didn't stop the throng of people from attending the funeral of a famous Texas Ranger, C.D. Parker was being laid to rest after a long, hard battle with cancer.
    Now his neice and her husband stood next to Walker, Trivette and Alex.  As the guns sounded Alex could feel the tears falling down her cheeks and her chest was weighing heavy as she held in the sobs. Trying to say goodbye to a man who had been like a father to her was proving to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.  Glancing at her husband she could tell how C.D's death had affected him.  Without speaking a word she knew they were sharing paoin and when he wanted to talk she would be there.
    Jimmy stood still as the bag pipes played their melancholy tune.  He had been there at the end, when C.D. had slipped away from them in his sleep.  In fact it had taken Jimmy several minutes to realzie that the "Big Dog" was gone.  Chekcing for a pulse he had ran out the door to find a nurse who, after checking his stats, informed him that C.D was indeed gone.
 

    "Hello?" Alex answered the phone early that morning.  Walker had left a day earlier to question a witness down near Houston and Trivette had sent her home.  AT first she had put up a fight but with two children to contend with she finally relented.
    "Alex...C.D. passed away a few minutes ago." She could hear how heard it was for Jimmmy to tel lhe rhtre news and even though Alex had known it was coming her eyes fought back the tears.
    "Ok, Jimmy, I will get the children and we'll be right in."
    "Uh...Alex, do you want to call Walker, or do you want me to do it?"
    "H'es supposed to be back in an hour or so, I'll just leave a message for him to meet us."
    "All right...let's just meet at the bar."
    After hanging up the phone Alex noted that the tears were falling freely.  For several minutes she stood there unsure of what to do.  He was gone, the man they had loved for years, their "father" was gone.  He had always been there to add an extra hand and was never afraid to give his "two cents" in a matter.  For that they had loved him just like they loved each other.  For years they had been a family and now one of them was gone.  The puzzle was missing a piece...a piece that would never be replaced.
    "Mommy...Mommy..." Alex was pulled out of her trance as four year old Faith tuggd on her leg.
    "What honey?" Alex asked picking up her precious daughter.
    "Why are you crying?"
    "Well...uh...sweetheart, I'm not sure if you'll understand, but Grandpa C.D. isn't with us anymore."
    With bright blue eyes and the voice of an angel Faith looked up at Alex and said "you mean he crossed the river?" Alex could only nod her head in amazement at the words her child had spoken.
    "Yes, Grandpa C.D. crossed the river. Faith, did Daddy teach you that?"
    "Yes," Alex was truly amazed at how bright Faith was. She seemed to grasp everything that they taught her.
     "Well we need to get dressed so we can meet Uncle Jimmy in town."
    "What about Daddy?"
    "We'll meet Daddy when he returns." Satisfied with that response Alex smiled through her tears as Faith bounced up the stairs to her room.
 

    A short time later Alex, Faith and little C.J. came into C.D's bar.  At first Alex was apprehensive about meeting Jimmy there, why she wasn't completely sure.  For almost a year C.D. had been too sick to work.  In his absence Mable had more than graciously ran the business.  Then six months earlier C.D had handed the pink slip to Jimmy.  But it wasn't just owned by him, C.D. had left it to all three of them. Unsure of which one to give it to he had decided to give it to all of them, figuring between them all it would continue.  So in turn Mable ran the business with Trivette, Walker and Alex managing it.  So far business was fine, if anything it had actaully picked up.
    "Uncle Jimmy!" Faith said running up to her favorite uncle.  Alex followed closely behind with two year old C.J. on her hip.
    "Hey there beautiful." Jimmy replied picking her up.
    "Mommy said Grandpa C.D. crossed the river." Jimmy caught off guard glanced to Alex who only nodded her head.
    "Yes Faith, Grandpa C.D. crossed the river."
    "I'm going to miss him." Faith said matter of factly.
    "You know what so will I." Jimmy said noting that Alex's eyes had misted over.  Little C.J. didn't understand as he squirmed and demanded to be put down, which Alex obliged.
    "You know what Uncle Jimmy?" Faith asked starting again.
    "What?"
    "I'm going to miss how Grandpa C.D used to pick on me."
    Jimmy sat there a minute and chuckled.  She was right of all the things that he would miss that was one of the main ones too.  "Big Dog sure did have a way with words that's for sure."
    Alex nodded her head in agreement.  "Yes he did. He could take anythign and make it funny.  And his smile, it radiated the entire room. Whenever I was upset all I had to do was come here and listen to him for awhile.  Woudln't be too long and I would be laughing like crazy."
    Just then the door opened and Walker came in. Alex got up and met him in an embrace. "What's going on...I got the message to meet you guys here?"
    "Honey, C.D passed away a couple of hours ago.  I didn't want to tell you over the phone." She could tell he was hurting, he had wanted to be there. But the witness coudln't wait.
    "Was someone with him?"
    "Yes, Jimmy was there." Walker could only nod as Alex led him to the table.
    "Daddy!" Faith said reaching out her arms for him to take her.  Two tiny arms wrapped around his neck as C.J. toddled over and stood next to Walker who was now sitting in a chair.
    "Hi there." Walker said to both of his growing children.
    "Daddy, Grandpa C.D crossed the river." Faith said hippy that she was adding to the conversation.
    "I know honey." Walker was trying to be understanding and sociable but all he really wanted was to be alone.  But he also knew that they all needed to heal and get through the time together.  He hadn't gotten a chance to be with him in the end. Sure he had spent as much time as possible with him, but in the end his job had come first.
    "Daddy, what are you going to miss about Grandpa C.D?" Faith asked.
    Walker sat tehre a moment taken aback at the question.  What would he miss most.  There were so many things about C.D that he would miss.  His sense of humor, his abilities as a Ranger, his friendship...there was just so many things.
    "You know something I'm thankful the 'Old Goat' did?" Jimmy asked smiling at Walker and ALex who were sitting close with their two beautiful children.
    "What Jimmy?" Alex asked looking up.
    "I'm thankful he never gave up on you two." Alex just laughed as Walker nodded his head.
    "Jimmy's right, if C.D hadn't been there when we first met...goodness, I don't even want to think what could have happened."
    "You guys would have killed each other." Jimmy said as they all chuckled and nodded in agreement.
 

    For most of the afternoon they had sat around the table remembering the goodtimes along with the bad.  There were so few people that warmed your heart the way C.D. did. Even in the end when he was in pain he was the picture perfect patient.  One afternoon in particular he was coming out of some of the drugs and the nurse had come up to him to see if he was comfortable.
    "Mr. Parker, how do you feel?"
    "With my fingers..." he had said without batting an eye.  The nurses had been in stitches for days over that one.
    Everyone he met he had touched their hearts.  Through his stories and through his actions C.D. Parker was one fo the best men that had lived on earth.  He was gentle as a lamb and yet when the time warranted it he coudl be meaner than a hornet's nest.  They all knew that through the years there would never be another man that would equal C.D. He was one fo a kind.
 

       As the pastor finished the short grave side service a soft blanket of snow began to fall.  It seemed so peaceful and so serene. A brisk north wind gently blew the flaps of the tent they were standing under.  Several groups had moved off as the small trio stood before the casket.  They all held hands and through their pain and mourning they said goodbye.
 

"Goodbye my Sweetheart, take care and be good."