A/N: This is a long overdue story for Dougie Zerts, who wrote an amazing story called "The Attack" on which this story is a continuation, with many thanks for all of his reviews and encouragement.

Fully awake, Julie's eyes moved around, taking in the unfamiliar scenery. She was more than a little worried-she was petrified.

The last thing she remembered was leaving work. She crossed the parking lot to her car but after that everything after was a blur. There were angry words,

threats, shouts and screams, followed by excruciating pain and then darkness. It was horrible. But perhaps it had all been nothing but a terrible nightmare.

Gabe's tuna casserole could do that to a person, although she'd never insult his cooking. He might never cook for her again. A woman who had a husband who

did most of the cooking was, by all accounts, the luckiest woman around.

She closed her eyes and opened them again, hoping to find herself at home in her bed, Gabe sleeping soundly beside her. But she was still here, in the stark

room. It was a very frightening place-and Gabe was nowhere in sight.

What's going on? Where am I?

When she tried to move, she was startled by six pair of hands that reached out to stop her. Their overlapping voices frightened her even more. It took several

seconds to realize that the hands and voices belonged to familiar people. The voices became clearer and she recognized them as Gabe's students.

"Try not to move, Mrs. Ka-ter."

Freddie; the one that they called Boom Boom.

"Freddie's right, Mrs. Kotter. You don't want to be walking around with your feet all bandaged up." That childlike voice could only belong to Arnold.

When she was finally able to focus on him, he smiled at her. But she still had no idea what had happened-or if she was in some sort of dream. She had to get

out of here. But when she tried to move something happened that she hadn't counted on. A terrible rush of pain shot through her, causing her to cry out. Her

shriek sent Arnold and Freddie running out of the room. Juan, however, stayed in place.

"I don't-What's going on?" She cried. "What's happening?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. K." Juan said. "They're going to get some help. You'll be all right."

"Doctor? What are you talking about? Where's Gabe?"

"He'll be here soon."

"Soon? But-Epstein what's going on?"

"You were attacked. Don't you remember?"

"Attacked? I don't-." She tried hard to remember, but her thoughts were a jumbled mess inside her head. "No… I don't understand!"

"Well, don't worry. The doctor and police will straighten it out. Juan's voice grew louder and he punched his fist in the air. And we're gonna take care of the

punks who did this to you! I promise you that! They'll never hurt you again!"

"Where's Gabe? I need him! GABE!"

"Um, look-I'm gonna… see what's keeping Horshack and Freddie."

Before Julie could say another word, Juan ran out of the room, leaving her alone and even more confused. If this was a nightmare, she hoped she'd wake up

soon. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Seconds later the door opened and a man-a doctor entered the room carrying a clipboard. He was mid height, thin and dark haired with a warm expression.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kotter. I'm Doctor Sandon. I know you must have a lot of questions, but-."

"Yes, I have questions!" She shouted. "Why am I here? Why does it hurt so badly? And where's my husband?"

"Your husband will be here soon. He was notified after you were taken to the hospital. But in the meantime I need to speak to you about what happened."

"But I don't know anything! I don't know why I'm here or any-."

When the doctor turned around, she noticed that Juan, Freddie and Arnold were standing behind him, wearing worried expressions. And then she noticed the

police officer who was standing beside Doctor Sandon. What was he doing there?

Arnold approached her and took her hand. His sweet expression brought tears to her eyes. "It'll be all right, Mrs. Kotter. We won't let anything happen to you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Arnold."

"We'll go out in the hall and wait for Mr. Kotter."

"Thanks, Juan."

When they were gone, she leaned against the pillows and sighed.

"I know this is difficult, but we're here to help you. Now, I realize that it's hard for you to remember, so I'll tell you what we know."

She nodded.

"Okay, so according to what we were told, you were attacked in the school parking lot while going out to your car. I assume you work at the school, is that

correct?"

"Yes."

"All right. And you were confronted by three kids with weapons…."

The doctor's voice trailed away and she shut her eyes as a whirlwind of images moved through her head. The terror, the pain... It was too much to bear. And the

images were followed by waves of even more pain, which proved to be even more excruciating than before.

"Oh…. Make it stop, please! Where's Gabe? Where's my husband?"

"Mrs. Kotter just calm down, okay? I'm going to get the nurse to give you something for the pain."

"Please! Oh God! It hurts! Oh God…"

"Julie!"

She was barely aware of Gabe's footsteps as he rushed into the room, but the moment she saw him she grabbed him, no longer caring about the pain that shot

through her.

"I'm her husband. How is she?" Gabe asked.

"Mr. Kotter may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

"Um, sure. I-I'll be back in minute, honey."

"No, Gabe! Don't leave me, please!" Julie cried! Oh God, it hurts! Make it stop!"

Gabe stared at her in horror. "Don't you see she's in pain? For God's sake, do something! Don't just stand there like a couple of morons!"

Arnold, Freddie and Juan gasped, averting their eyes away from the police officer.

"I need to see you out in the hall, Mr. Kotter."

Gabe sighed. "All right, but please, give her something! I can't stand seeing her like this! What the hell happened?"

"Come with us." Dr. Sandon motioned to the door and Gabe reluctantly followed.

When the door closed behind them, Julie began to sob, prompting Juan, Freddie and Arnold to appear at her side. The three boys did their best to comfort her.

"Hey, look. Mr. Ka-ter… he's just talkin' to the doc. They'll be back in a minute." Freddie said.

"Don't you worry about a thing. Mrs. Kotter. Everything will be okay."

But Arnold's words only made Julie cry harder.

Juan sighed. "He's right, you know. Everything will be fine. We're just glad we got there when we did. Otherwise-." He jumped in surprise when Freddie smacked

his arm. "What?"

"Don't say stuff like that." Freddie hissed. "We're trying to make her feel better, not terrify her!"

"You're right. Sorry. Like Arnold said, everything will be okay."

But Julie knew that was impossible. Nothing would ever be okay again.

"Um, look, we're gonna get out of here because I'm sure that Mr. Kotter will be back soon. But we're going to come and see you every day after school, all

right?"

Julie smiled and hugged Juan as best as she could. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"Goodbye Mrs. Kotter."

"Bye, Arnold. And thank you."

Freddie stood still for a moment and then smiled. "Hi there!"

Julie tried to laugh at his trademark greeting but it made the pain worse.

"Hey, look I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better. I should probably leave. Mr. Kotter should be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Freddie."

"Yeah, well, we'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"I'd like that."

"Bye."

"Bye."

And then he was gone.

She was about to drift into a deep sleep when she heard the door open.

"I'm sorry about that honey. Seems like I was playing twenty questions out there. Even worse than the time that I tried to explain the Vietnam War to the

Sweathogs. Now there was a challenge! I never thought they would ever-."

Julie burst into tears prompting Gabe to go to her and take her into his arms as best as he could. "Hey, it's all right. Everything is all right, okay? You're safe

now. Thank God… I don't know what I would have done if-." His voice caught but he swallowed hard and continued. "Thank God for those boys, you know?

They're…. They're better than I give them credit for and-."

"I was so scared!" Julie cried, clutching him tighter. "I thought I was going to die! I thought-."

"I know, honey. I know. The officer told me what happened."

"Hold me, please!"

He moved closer and held her. "Of course. I'll hold you forever. God, when I think of what would have happened if-."

"Gabe?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we not talk about it anymore? It-." She gasped when another round of pain shot through her. "Oh God, it hurts! Help me!"

Gabe scrambled off of the bed and rushed to the door. "WE NEED A DOCTOR! NOW! MY WIFE IS IN PAIN!"

Julie continued to cry out until the door burst open. A nurse entered the room and rushed to Julie's bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Gabe shouted. "Don't you care that my wife is in terrible pain? Don't you have any compassion at all? My students

have more sympathy than you'll ever have!"

"Mr. Kotter, if you'll just calm down-."

"No I won't calm down, damn it! My wife is the greatest person on this earth and she's in pain and I swore at our wedding in front of our friends and family that

I'd be with her through sickness and health!"

"The nurse is administering the pain medication now." Dr. Sandon said. "I need you to remain calm because we don't want anything to excite your wife. She

needs to lie as still as possible."

"But… she's in pain!" Gabe said. "The bandages…"

"I know it's difficult, but it's going to take some time for her to feel better. She's been through a very traumatic experience and will probably need counseling in

the future."

"Counseling? Counseling?" Gabe shouted. "What in the hell are you talking about? My wife's not crazy!"

"I never said she was. I just meant-look, if you want to come to my office, I'll be happy to discuss this with you in more detail. The police should have all of the

information they need. Those boys gave a pretty good description of the attackers, and they're going to do everything they can to make sure they're brought to

justice."

Gabe sighed and closed his eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just-." When he looked at Julie she was sound asleep. For a moment she looked like an angel.

"Why don't you sit here with your wife? Visiting hours are almost over, but-."

"It's okay, I can come back tomorrow."

"Actually under the circumstances, if you want to spend the night here, it's all right. I'll make sure the staff knows."

"Thank you. Are the boys still here?"

"Um, no, they left. But they said to call if you need anything."

"Thank you."

When the doctor left, Gabe looked at Julie and kissed her forehead. "I love you, sweetheart. I love you more than you'll ever know." With a sigh, he walked out

of the room. But in the hallway he prayed that no one saw him crying.

He looked around to no avail and was about to start yelling again when he saw a nurse in the hallway. She was putting a clipboard into a slot on a door and

Gabe wondered what had happened to the person in the room. Were they sick? Or had they been a victim of a senseless crime like Julie? Tears stung his eyes

and he banged his fist against the wall, wincing at the pain. At least if he hurt himself he'd be in the right place. It reminded him of something his Uncle Edward

did back in the fifties. He pushed the thought from his mind. What was wrong with him, thinking about family at a time like this? He needed help.

He quickened his steps and headed straight for the nurse who was about to start walking away.

"Miss?"

She turned, clearly annoyed at his greeting.

"I'm sorry…. Franny." He said, glancing at the young girl's name tag. This girl barely looked twenty one. How was it possible that she was a nurse? Clearly she

hadn't graduated from James Buchanan High. She must have graduated from a much better school. Gabe doubted that many Buchanan High graduates ever

amounted to more than teachers or construction workers. And those things would be a stretch for the Sweathogs.

The girl-Franny-sighed. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a pay phone."

"Yeah, over there." She pointed to a narrow hallway.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

As he headed for the hallway, he scoffed. What are they teaching kids about manners these days? Apparently nothing. But he sighed with relief when he found

the payphone. He slipped some coins into the slot and began to dial. The phone rang and rang and he was about to give up when he heard a familiar voice.

"Yeah?"

"Vinnie?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Vinnie, it's Mr. Kotter! I need to talk to you."

"You are talking to me!"

"Look, Vinnie this is serious! I need help!"

"So why are you calling me?"

"I just told you! I need help!"

"I ain't a psychiatrist!"

Gabe sighed. "VINNIE, I need help, right now!"

"What?"

"Help! I need help!"

"Where?"

"I'm at the hospital."

"Why?"

Normally Gabe would have found the familiar exchange humorous, but now it was distressing.

"I-it's Julie." Gabe said, trying to keep his voice steady. "She-she was attacked-after school in the parking lot. She's in the hospital and I need to get some

clothes and things so I can stay with her tonight. Can you get the guys to go over to the apartment? The key is-."

"Right away Mr. K." Vinnie said "You could have just told me."

"I did tell you-I'm telling you now! I-Oh, never mind! Just call Arnold, Juan and Freddie and get them to help you, all right? I'm in room 436, and-."

The dial tone ended the conversation as the clink of the coin fell into the bottom of the pay phone.

With a sigh, Gabe went to the Men's room and washed his face, drying it with a paper towel. He walked down the long length of the hallway, trying to figure out

how this could have happened, but he had no answers. Perhaps the boys could enlighten him. But then the feelings of guilt surfaced. If he'd never taken the

promotion to Vice Principal, Julie would have never decided to get a job as secretary and she would have never been in that parking lot. Damn it, why did this

have to happen?

Feeling more upset than before, he walked back to the hospital room. Quietly he opened the door, but smiled when he saw Julie sleeping soundly. He pulled up a

chair and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his.

"Hey, how're you doing? That's a stupid question, isn't it? I mean, you're lying here in a hospital, your feet bandaged, your-." He swallowed hard and lifted the

blanket, exposing her feet. He couldn't even imagine the pain-the unbearable pain that she must have experienced, being forced to walk on glass barefoot in the

high school parking lot. Carefully he laid his hand on her foot and sighed as he covered them with the blanket.

"I'm so sorry honey. This is my fault. I should have been there. I should have-." his voice broke and he leaned against her, sobbing.

He had no idea how long he'd stayed there, but when he heard the door open he lifted his head.

"Hey, Mr. Kotter."

He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his students; Vinnie, Epstein, Arnold and Juan. "Guys."

"We brought you something." Arnold said. "Your clothes and-."

"Some sandwiches from Guido's." Juan finished. "We figured you might be hungry."

The last thing on Gabe's mind was eating, but he took the brown bag, gratefully. "Thanks, guys. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I mean I owe you

my life for this."

Vinnie's eyebrows rose. "For bringing sandwiches?"

For the first time in hours, Gabe laughed. "No, Vinnie. For saving Julie's life. I'll never forget it."

Vinnie looked away. "I wasn't there."

"But you're here now. You were there on the phone when I needed you, Vinnie. And that means a lot."

"Oh okay. Well, thanks, Mr. Kotter."

"Listen boys, really. I owe you the world for this. If you hadn't been there, Julie might have-." Horrified, his voice broke and he began to cry. Never in his life did

he imagine that he'd be crying in front of his students. It was the most humiliating thing in the world and he could only imagine the flack he'd get when he

returned to school. He could see the headline in the now:

Vice Principal Caught Crying In Front Of Students. Story on page 12

But to his amazement, the boys went to him and engulfed him in a hug. And he was too stunned to pull away.

"She's gonna be fine, Mr. Kotter. I promise you that. The thugs that did this to her will pay!" Juan said. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure that

happens."

"I don't care about that." Gabe said, blotting his eyes with a handkerchief.

"What?" Freddie yelled. "Are you serious? After what they did? They almost-."

"She's alive and that's all that matters. Now, I know you boys will do whatever you want. There's no stopping you and I can't tell you how much that means to

me but as long as Julie's alive-."

Again they hugged him.

"She'll be fine." Arnold said. "You'll see."

"That's right. She'll be back at school in no time, yelling at me for being late to English class." Vinnie said.

"I've yelled at you for being late to English, Vinnie!"

"Yeah, but the way she does it is-special."

Gabe laughed. "It sure is."

"Well, here are your clothes and the sandwiches. Oh and we got something for Mrs. Ka-ter as well."

"Freddie, you didn't have to do that."

"Well, we wanted to." Vinnie said. "It was the least we could do."

"All right. Where is it?"

"Arnold, you do the honors." Juan said.

"Yes sir!" Arnold said, giving Juan a salute. He opened the door and disappeared into the hallway but returned seconds later with an armful of flowers. "Help

me!" He cried.

The boys scrambled to the door, grabbing the flowers and balloons from Arnold.

"Where do you want em?" Vinnie asked.

Gabe smiled at the sight of his students, holding dozens of floral arrangements, along with balloons and a few stuffed animals.

"How about some over there by the window and a few over here, so she can see them when she wakes up?" Gabe sighed. "When she wakes up."

"She'll be fine. You'll see." Juan said. "We'll make sure of it."

"Thanks."

"Well, we've got school tomorrow, so we should probably get going." Juan said. "You comin, boys?"

"Oh yeah, yeah! See you later, Mr. Kotter!" Freddie said.

"Goodbye, Mr. Kotter." Arnold said. "And don't you worry about a thing."

"Thanks, Arnold."

"I guess I'll see you around" Vinnie said. "Take care of Mrs. Kotter, okay?"

Gabe slapped Vinnie on the back. "I will. You can count on it."

"We'll be back tomorrow after school." Arnold said.

"Okay, I'll see you guys then."

When they were gone, Gabe turned out the light. He opened his bag and pulled out his sweats and a sweatshirt. After he'd changed in the bathroom he returned

to the room where he opened the bag and unwrapped a sandwich. When he took a bite, he sighed. It tasted like heaven.

"Oh God, Julie you have to try this." The words were out before he could stop them and he watched her sleeping soundly. "You will. As soon as you're better, I

promise."

He finished off his sandwich and then poured a cup of ice water. "Did I ever tell you about the time my Uncle Milton was in the hospital?"

He hadn't even started the joke when he stopped. It was probably his imagination but he could have sword that he saw Julie smile. He looked out the window

and saw a rainbow hidden in the clouds. Until that moment he didn't believe in signs, but now things were different. It was most definitely a sign. He smiled and

kissed Julie's lips, feeling like Prince Charming kissing Snow White. Julie was still asleep but he knew that she would wake up soon. And everything would be

perfect again.

The End