When a regular at his restaurant stopped showing up, the chef went looking for him

Pensacola, Florida — At the Shrimp Basket edifice successful Pensacola, Florida, 1 lawsuit has been a changeless presence. For lunch, helium ever orders a cupful of gumbo, airy connected the rice, and asks to clasp the cracker. 

He besides puts the aforesaid bid successful again for dinner. Charlie Hicks, 78, has had the aforesaid lasting order, each day, doubly a day, for 10 years.

Shrimp Basket cook Donell Stallworth says you could acceptable your timepiece by Hicks.

"Mr. Hicks don't miss nary days," Stallworth told CBS News. "We unfastened the doors up, Mr. Hicks is determination to greet us."

Hicks was omnipresent astatine the Shrimp Basket until September, erstwhile helium abruptly didn't amusement up for respective days.

"I knew, then, thing was wrong," Stallworth said.

Fearing the worst, Stallworth near enactment successful the mediate of his displacement and drove to Hicks' apartment. He knocked connected the doorway repeatedly but got nary answer.

"And close erstwhile I was going to turn, I heard something, a voice, conscionable like, 'Help,'" Stallworth said. "And past I opened the doorway up. He was laying connected the ground, and I didn't cognize what his information was, that was the scariest portion close there."

It was unclear however agelong Hicks had been lying there; it whitethorn person been a fewer days. He was severely dehydrated and had 2 breached ribs. But acknowledgment to Stallworth, helium would survive. And acknowledgment to the unit astatine the Shrimp Basket, helium would ne'er beryllium unsocial again. 

They started by bringing his gumbo to the hospital. Then they went retired and helped find him a caller apartment, close adjacent to the restaurant, truthful the employees could ever support a watchful eye.

They adjacent got Hicks caller appliances and fixed up his caller place.

They did each that enactment truthful that this week, 3 months aft his accident, Hicks could prime up his regular close wherever helium near off.

"I'm gladsome to person you backmost buddy," Stallworth told him erstwhile Hicks entered the Shrimp Basket for the archetypal clip successful months.

He sat backmost down astatine his favourite array and ordered his favourite dish. Nothing had changed but their bond.

"We made a connection," Hicks told CBS News. "We made a connection."

Stallworth said having Hicks present surviving close adjacent doorway "is the champion happening going."

"He's that uncle," Stallworth said. "He's that grandfather. He's that champion friend. He's each successful one." 

• Florida