On January 24, 2015, George Pickering II faced every parent's worst nightmare. His 27-year-old son, George Pickering III, suffered a massive stroke and was rushed to Tomball Regional Medical Center in Texas. After examining him, doctors concluded that he showed no detectable brain activity and planned to remove him from life support. Since George III was a registered organ donor, the organ donation process was also set in motion.
George Pickering II refused to accept that his son was beyond saving. Desperate and later admitting he had been drinking that night, he entered the intensive care unit carrying a gun. He pointed it at a nurse, ordered everyone to leave the room, and locked himself inside with his son. A tense four-hour standoff followed as police officers and a SWAT team surrounded the hospital.
While alone with his son, George repeatedly spoke to him and pleaded, "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." To the amazement of everyone involved, George III squeezed his father's hand several times. Those responses suggested that he was still aware and able to react.
The standoff ended peacefully when another of George Pickering II's sons managed to take the gun away. George surrendered without anyone being injured.
George Pickering II was arrested and charged with aggravated assault involving a weapon. One charge was later dismissed, while the other was reduced. After receiving credit for time already served, he spent about 11 months in jail.
In an extraordinary turn of events, George Pickering III went on to make a full recovery. Reflecting on the incident years later, he summed it up with one simple sentence: "It was love, it was love." He credited his father for never giving up hope and fighting for his life.
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