Tragedy at Trinity High

Disclaimer: this was written for the soul purpose of my entertainment. I lay no claim on the characters of Walker Texas Ranger, if you recognize a character it does not belong to me.

(Walker's POV)

April 3rd started as any normal school day at our home outside Dallas Texas. At six o'clock that morning I got up and started getting ready to go out to the barn to care for our horses. Before I leave the room I watch my wife, Alex, sleep. It is hard to believe that next mouth we will be celebrating our nineteenth wedding anniversary and our oldest daughter's eighteenth birthday.

As I went down the hall, I stopped at the door to my seventeen-year old daughter, Angela's room. She is lying on her side, one arm holding the pillow in place; seeing her biology book lying open on the bed by her I know she fell asleep studying for her biology exam today. Angela is a strait A student and potential valedictorian of her senior class at Trinity high school next year. I decide to let her sleep until her alarm goes off, knowing she would need the extra sleep this morning.

I continue to go down the hallway and look in on my ten-year old daughter Kristen; she was sound asleep in her loft bed, turned on her side, towards me. On her desk, under the bed, I can see her math book open; and chuckle softly as I think about how much Kristen wants to be like her older sister and because of that she is also a strait A student. I can also see her sketch book lying open with a pencil lying on top of it; even though Kristen wants to be like her sister, she is also developing her own opinionated personality, and drawing is one of her unique favorite things to do.

Going to the last door, I look in on my fourteen-year old son Andrew, he is sleeping on his stomach, one arm slid under his head to pillow it for sleep, his other arm was hanging precariously over the side of the bed, he was lying dangerously close to the edge of the bed, unaware of how close he was to slipping off if he moved the wrong way. His legs are spread wide, and only has his body covered by the blankets. Andrew's English book is lying beside the bed, obviously fallen off at some point in the night due to Andrew's restless sleeping habits. Andrew is mostly an A/B honor roll student, and sometimes frustrated because his sisters do better in school than he does.

Shaking my head out of my thoughts, I go downstairs to the kitchen and head toward the kitchen and start the coffee maker to start the morning coffee. After I hear the water being heated, I turn and go into the mud room just off of the kitchen and get my work boots out of the cabinet where we keep our shoes that we wear out to the barn. Sitting on the bench by the back door, I put on my boots and go out the back door and walk down the path to the barn.

(Alex's POV)

I wake up at 6:15 in the morning, and realize that Walker had already gotten up. Getting out of bed, I grab my bath robe that hangs on the hook to me and Walker's bathroom. After putting it on I make my way down the hallway, as I pass the kids' rooms I glance in each room and realize that Walker let them sleep, sometimes he will wake them up and have them help him out in the barn.

Going into the kitchen, I realize that Walker had already started the coffee maker before heading out. Going to the cabinet beside the stove, I get out the pans for making breakfast and get eggs out of the refrigerator and a bowl to scramble the eggs in, as I walk past the window I notice Walker coming back from the barn. A few moments later I hear him come in the back door and take off his boots. Suddenly I feel a pair of strong arms around me and I almost jump.

"Cordell Walker, don't you dare scare me like that!" I mock scold him as I turn to face him. Before I could say any more Walker give me a kiss. Reluctantly I break the kiss and begin to put breakfast on the table, as Walker pours himself a cup of coffee.

At 6:30 the first alarm goes off, I instantly recognize it as Angela's, after a few moments it is followed by a second one that I know is Andrew's, then a few moments later Kristen's; all of them amazingly turn off at the exact same time; sending the house into silence.

"Well I guess that means the troops are up." Walker comments, when the alarms go off.

"If they don't try to go back to sleep, Angela was up late studying." I replied. Mornings after Angela's all night study sessions, Walker or I have to practically pry her from her bed with the Jaws of Life.

"I know, I don't understand why she is so worried about her biology exam, she knows more about nature and human anatomy than anyone I know." Walker responded.

"She wants to stay at the top of her class. You know she wants to apply to the University of Texas next year, and she believes that she has to be top of her class to get accepted. Even though she is guaranteed acceptance for being in the top 10" I said as a shake my head, knowing that Angela really wants to stay the top of her class, just to be top of her class.

My thoughts are interrupted when Kristen came into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of dark denim shorts, a white spaghetti string shirt and dark blue plaid shirt over it and her ever present flip flops.

"Morning everyone." She said in her normal upbeat voice.

"Good Morning Kristen, breakfast is ready."

"Thanks Mom, it looks good." Kristen said as she sat down at the table and began putting food on her plate.

"Are your brother and sister up yet?" Walker asked knowing that he would have to get them up himself if they weren't.

"Angela was in our bathroom when I came down; and I think Andrew was getting dressed."

As if on cue Andrew came downstairs closely followed by Angela.

After they said good morning, we sat down and ate breakfast as a family. After breakfast Angela and Andrew got their backpacks together and were about ready to leave for school; saying that they were suppose to meet Jimmy and Erica's 16 year old son Marcus, and Gage and Sydney's 15 year old son Jacob, the two always ride together in Marcus's black pick-up.

As they headed out the door to Angela's little blue neon, I stood at the door a few seconds longer than usual. Angela noticed me standing there and raising her right hand to where I could see it, she held it there with her pinkie, pointer finger, and thumb extended, Sign Language for 'I love you'. Repeating the gesture I finished getting ready to leave to take Kristen to school on my way to court.

11:30

I just got out of court and heading back to my office, when I get into my office I turn on the radio and what I hear is something that makes my blood run cold.

"Gunshots have been fired in or outside Trinity High School…"

TBC