What just happened?

That time of night had finally come when Jack's last customer had signed the bill, gathered up their belongings, and left his bistro. Jack grabbed his coat and keys and locked up the front door. Without warning, he just barely heard the clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen. Just to be on the safe side, Jack went to check things out.

"Hello? Anybody in here?" Jack whispered. "Guess not-" he gasped his last breath. Being pulled by his arms and his mouth covered, he had no idea what just happened. Who was it that grabbed him?

"Okay, listen up! It's either you or your wife and kid!" The mysterious man explained.

"What are you taking about? What do you want?" Jack said with the few breaths he had. He started to breathe heavier and heavier with each breath. He couldn't possible let anything happen to Janet and Chrissy. Thousands of thoughts were scurrying through Jack's mind. What would they do to the ones he loved most? Was he bluffing? Chrissy would miss out on so many adventures of life. Janet is just getting started with her own flower shop. We can't ruin that! "Stop thinking so fast Jack!" he thought to himself. "These guys must want something."

"Please tell me what you-" Jack was cut off by sound the sound of a gunshot from another man who was apparently in the room. Now he knew that they weren't joking about anything. This was getting way more serious than just a robbery.

"You say another word and I'll shoot you! Understand?" Jack nodded his head without taking any chances. The man backed away slowly from Jack while the other one held a gun pointed at him. "Okay, now's your chance!" he thought to himself. "Look around for something to pose as a weapon." A knife had been sitting on the counter. Thank goodness for Jack's forgetful mind and that he never puts anything away.

At fast as he could he grabbed that knife, but fell to the ground. It was no use. He was weak compare to them and he couldn't do anything about.

"FREEZE!" the man said, "Drop the knife."

"NO!" Jack screamed.

"I SAID DROP IT!"

"NO!--" Before he could say anything else, it was too late.

Later that evening, after Chrissy had gone off to bed, Janet was very cozy on the living room couch. Flipping through the channels she stopped on something very startling. The news bulletin caught her eye,

"2 serial killers were caught in several of the local neighborhood bistros. One man says that he saw two people walk into the restaurant where he was recently eating. Thinking nothing of it, he walked away. Sadly, these men had shot several of the owners. One of them being out very own Jack Tripper."

"WHAT! Ok calm down Janet. They couldn't have said Jack's names. No, it was impossible. Stop thinking that. Maybe I just misunderstood it-" Janet's thoughts we're interrupted by a telephone call. She scrambled to answer it without waking up Chrissy.

"Hello? Is this Mrs. Janet Tripper?" the man on the other line asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, this is Critentin hospital. We would like you to come by right away to see you husband. It's urgent." Janet paused…...

"Oh, um…," she started to tremble, "what's wrong with him?"

"Oh, well I'm terribly sorry miss; somebody was supposed to inform you about it hours ago. I guess the request was never sent through. He was shot earlier this evening. Would you like me to explain, well…what happened?" The police man asked.

Janet couldn't feel anything. It was if her entire body went numb and couldn't move at all. The news cast was true, it wasn't just hear imagination. She wasn't able to speak at all.

"Hello? Are you still there Mrs. Tripper?"

"Oh, um…would you mind please telling me when I get there please," she said as best as she could. Janet didn't want a huge scene over the telephone.

"Of course, I will see you soon then?" he asked.

"Yes, I will get over there right away." Janet hung up phone. Still in shock, she sat on the couch. For some reason, she couldn't comprehend what just happened. Her head started to pound and she put her hands in face. She began to cry, but did it as soft as she could. "What's going to happen? I can't tell Chrissy," She thought to herself, "at least not until morning." Janet went over to the phone to call her mother to see if she could watch Chrissy. When she finally came, Janet put her coat on and drove down to the hospital.

She began to pray. She prayed that Jack would be alright. That he would be able to see tomorrow. And that he would be in her and Chrissy's life.