N.B.: All rights go to Jeff Franklin. No copyright infringement is intended.
12 May, 1987
Not too far away from the suburbs in San Fransisco was a bar. On that Tuesday night in the bar, there was a party of sorts. Inside, a man was finishing his fifth glass of beer, and was already more than a little tipsy. "Mark," said his friend, Don. "I don't think you can drive home. Let me give you a lift, you can fetch the car in the morning."
Mark ignored Don, walking out to his car and getting into the driver's seat. He headed for home, swerving crazily around the roads, and had not gone far when he ploughed into another car...
7 May, 1993
It was nearly six years after the accident.
One person had died, and that was a certain Pamela Tanner, who was married with three daughters, one ten, one five, and the youngest just a few months old. Although adversely affected by the death, Pamela's family had somehow bounced back and carried on with their lives. Her brother, Jesse Katsopolis, moved in with her widower, Danny, to help him raise his girls, as did Danny's best friend Joey Gladstone.
Now, the family was holding a vigil to commemorate Pamela's life. In the very garden of the Tanner house, the two elder daughters, Donna Jo and Stephanie, now sixteen and eleven respectively, were raking the leaves, talking with one another to ease their tiredness.
"I can't believe it," said D.J. (for that - or "Deej" - was what everyone called her). "Six years since Mum died... when I heard the news I thought we were done for. Look at us now."
"Life goes on, Deej," said Stephanie. "Now we're stronger than ever... if only Mum was still here, it would've been much better."
"I know. Not a night goes by without me thinking about her," lamented D.J., "wondering what it would be like if she was still here."
"Same here," said Stephanie. She walked up to her sister, and they put their arms around each other's shoulders. Eventually, they found other thoughts to run over, and continued tidying the garden. Eventually, the job was finished, and they went back inside the house, where their father, Danny, hade made some hot chocolate for them. The girls enjoyed their drink, when suddenly - "Hola, Tannerinos!"
It was Kimmy Gibbler, D.J.'s best friend from school. She and D.J. had been working on a school project on feminism for the past few days.
"Deej, look what I just discovered. The Suffragettes were a bunch of conservatives who worked to preserve patriarchy!" said Kimmy, excitedly. Kimmy was not the sharpest tool in the shed, and she had got the facts wrong again.
"You just discovered that? Well, pin a rose on your nose," said Stephanie sarcastically.
"Steph, be nice," admonished D.J., who didn't want to hurt her somewhat dimwitted friend's feelings. "Kimmy, that's pretty good, but why don't we do some editing before we hand the project in?" In the words, there was a subtle hint that the facts were incorrect.
"Okay, Deej. Saturday afternoon sounds alright?"
"Yeah, for now," said DJ, "but we'll be out from Monday onwards. We'll fix the errors in the document" - Kimmy gave her a look - "if there are any."
The girls discussed their project. Soon enough, Kimmy went home, night fell, and everyone went to bed.
10 May, 1993
9:30 am
"The jury hereby finds Mark Munroe..." said the judge from his pedestal. There was a swirling of feelings in Munroe's brain as he sat in the courts. He only had one drink, he hadn't meant to cause any harm, he had a life too! What was the stern-looking man with a wig and glasses going to say?
Munroe breathed heavily as the judge gave his verdict.
"Not guilty."
Strangely enough, there were no cheers. There was not a single sign of joy, actually. All that could be heard was a deafening silence. Eventually, the moment came for Munroe to walk out, scot-free once more. He hadn't recieved so much as a warning for what he'd done. But what had he done? Munroe was just overcome with relief as he walked to his car.
2:45 pm
There was a much jollier atmosphere at the Tanner family's house that day. Danny had spent the whole day dusting, sweeping and sorting. Jesse and his wife, Becky, and Joey had helped him as well. Soon, the big moment arrived where Pamela and Jesse's parents, Nick and Irene Katsopolis, came in, staying for the vigil. Stephanie, D.J. and their younger sister Michelle were all overjoyed, as were Jesse and Becky's infant sons, Nicky (named after his grandfather) and Alex. They spent the next day preparing for their prayer.
11 May, 1993
6:55 pm
"See you in school on Friday, then?" said Steve Hale, D.J.'s boyfriend. They were heading out of a convenience store, buying things that were to be bought for the vigil that was to start in the night.
"Yeah, sure," said D.J., casually. "You take care on the way back."
"You too," said Steve. "Love you," he added, and they shared a quick kiss before Steve jumped onto his bicycle and rode off. D.J. carried the bags of groceries and walked off, homeward bound.
"I hope I can make it on time," she thought, as she crossed the street. "We haven't much longer left before 8:30, and we really-"
Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly as the next car ran a red light and struck her, leaving her sprawled in the middle of the road. D.J. could only lift her head to see that the vehicle that had hit her was driving off at speed. Then she passed out.
7:30 pm
Meanwhile, the Tanner family was getting ready to head out to church. But where was D.J.?
"She's normally really punctual," said Danny. "Something must not be right."
"Cool it, Danny," reassured Joey. "Maybe she's stuck in the shop and her cellphone batteries are drained."
"I only hope so," sighed Danny. Just then, the phone rang.
"Have mercy," moaned Jesse. "Just what we need," he added, going to pick it up.
"Talk to me," said Jesse, casually.
"Are you related to Donna Jo Tanner?" came a voice on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, I'm her uncle, Jesse Katsopolis."
"Mr Katsopolis, I'm afraid your niece was involved in a car accident on Kennedy Avenue."
"Oh no," thought Jesse. "Just what we wanted to hear."
"How is she?" he asked.
"She's been taken to hospital - in critical but stable condition. I think it's best if you come to the hospital as quickly as possible."
"Yes ma'am," said Jesse, before hanging up the phone. He turned to Danny, with a shocked.
"Is D.J. okay?" he asked.
Jesse could not gather the words, so he just shook his head. Danny promptly fainted, leaving Joey to grab him by his armpits.
"We'd better get to the hospital right now," said Jesse. "Becks," he said to his wife, "you take care of the kids."
"Okay, Jess," said Becky. Joey and Jesse hauled Danny into the back of Becky's car, then Jesse got into the driver's seat with Joey next to him. The three men then headed off towards the hospital.
Nick and Irene Katsopolis looked shocked. "Rebecca," said Irene, "what's happened to D.J.?"
"I'm afraid she's in a bad way, Irene," said Becky. "It doesn't sound too good."
"We can't lose our granddaughter!" said Nick. "Not after losing our daughter."
"Well," said Becky, "we can't be sure what will happen. But let's just pray for her."
10:30 pm
While Becky looked after her parents-in-law, Stephanie took charge of the three younger kids. She bathed, fed and changed Nicky and Alex (the latter in spite of herself), then read them a bedtime story, then read Michelle a bedtime story. It was not long before all three of them were asleep. By the time she was through, she herself was tired, but she couldn't sleep either, as she was worried for D.J., so she tried to distract herself for some time with Charlotte's Web, her favourite book. It wasn't too long before Becky came up to her room with a cup of tea.
"Thanks for looking after the kids, Steph," she said. "That was a great help."
"Not a problem. Let's just say that I learnt some tricks of the trade from the professionals," quipped Stephanie, then her smile faded. "Aunt Becky... will D.J. be alright?"
"Well, the best thing to do is pray for her. The doctors will have her in safe hands," said Becky reassuringly. "Care for some tea?"
"Okay," said Stephanie. She drank it, and soon, sleep crept up on her.
12 May, 1993
2:30 am
Danny, Joey and Jesse sat by D.J.'s bedside. She was attached to many a machine; she was breathing through a tube, and her heart monitor jumped up and down like a mountain range. "Oh, God," sighed Danny. "It's six years today. I can't let history repeat itself."
"Don't say that, Dan," said Joey. "Always hope that she'll be okay."
"Well, that's the least I can do," said Danny. To take his mind off things, he turned the television on. The news channel came on.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," said a well-dressed newsreader - it was one of the repeats. "Three cases of hit-and-run accidents have been reported across San Fransisco yesterday. One person has died, while the other two are in critical condition. Police suspect that all three cases have happened due to the actions of the same person, and are tracking the driver down."
"Yes, D.J.'s one of them," said Jesse to Danny. "I already informed the police while you were blacked out." "Great," said Danny thickly. "Now for the hard part - the bit where someone's life hangs in the balance."
Just then, a doctor came in. "Mr Tanner?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Your daughter's brain activity is somewhat low, but she's not in a coma. She may require another emergency surgery, and if that's the case, it'll be performed this afternoon." "Okay, thank you," said Danny blankly, as the doctor left the room. He then turned to his friend and brother-in-law.
"Not today, please," he said, as though he was praying. Jesse and Joey put their arms around Danny. They didn't like seeing their friend in such pain.
8:30 am
"...and the doctor just confirmed that she needs an emergency surgery," said Jesse to his wife, over the phone. "It'll be done in the afternoon."
"Alright then. Tell Danny to take it easy," said Becky. "And you have something to eat as well... yeah? Ok, will do. Alright, Jess. Love you." And with that, she hung up the phone.
"How's D.J.?" said Michelle, as she and Stephanie fed the twins. "She needs an operation," said Becky. "But everything will be okay in the end, if we just hope it will." She turned to her younger niece. "Michelle, if you don't feel up to it, you don't need to go to school today."
"No choice," said Michelle flatly, as she turned to her own cornflakes. "I have a play."
"Alright then," said Becky. "And you, Steph?"
"I'm afraid a day off is out of the question," said Stephanie nonchalantly, as she took a bite on her peanut-butter-and-jam sandwich. "Baseball again."
"Since when have you been interested in baseball?" said Michelle, suddenly perking up. "Oh, yeah - I remember! Brett-Brett, Brett-Brett, Brett-Brett..." and she fell about laughing.
"How rude," murmured Stephanie to herself, before turning to Michelle. "Michelle, now isn't the time to make jokes."
"Oh," said Michelle, blushing. "Sorry."
Stephanie checked her watch. "Ah - eight thirty-five. About time we were off."
Nick Katsopolis stood up. "Well," he said in his gruff voice, "I can drop you girls off at school today."
"No thanks, Grandpa Nick," said Michelle. "We'll manage." The two girls said goodbye to their grandparents, Becky and the twin boys, then headed off to their bus stop.
On the bus, Michelle met her friend Denise Frazer. "Hey, Michelle," said Denise. "Ready for today's rehearsal?"
"Yeah - unless Derek's around. Then we'll all get booted out!"
Meanwhile, Stephanie met her classmates, the Jennifers. "Hello, ladies," she greeted. "Cool earrings."
"Thank you!" they chorused.
"It's the latest style," gloated Jennifer P. "I got mine from Sant Blanc."
"Me too!" cried Jennifer S., in surprise.
"NO WAY!" they exclaimed in unison.
Stephanie and Michelle kept their facades as the bus reached school. Then Stephanie walked Michelle to her Kindergarten classroom before heading down to her own classroom. It was then that they both realised that they had a hard day ahead of them.
4:45 pm
D.J. was wheeled out of the operating theatre and back into the ward. There, Danny, Joey and Jesse were waiting anxiously. Danny sprang to his feet.
"How is she?" he asked the doctor.
"She'll be okay," said the surgeon. "Her spine was slightly damaged, so she'll require physiotherapy, but she will recover. But it'll take weeks for her to be discharged, though."
"Alright then. Thanks for helping my daughter," said Danny, relieved. The surgeon left the room. Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone.
"I'll call home and tell the others," he told his friends. Then he dialled the landline number. After about three rings, Stephanie picked up.
"Steph - it's Dad. D.J.'s recovering from her surgery. She'll be needing physiotherapy but with luck, she'll be back to normal."
"That's great news, Dad," said Stephanie, with genuine relief. "Give her our love. Can we visit her?"
"Soon," said Danny. "Preferably by the end of the week. If Joey and Jesse are okay with it, I'll come back home tomorrow night. You take care of yourself and Michelle. Give the others our love."
"Okay, Dad," said Stephanie. "Love you. Bye." She put the phone down and told the rest of the family the news.
"Well, that's a good sign," said Irene. "What about visiting?"
"It's best to wait until the weekend, Grandma Irene," said Stephanie. "But don't worry - we'll all get a chance."
6:30 pm
Danny lay near D.J.'s bed, murmuring the Lord's Prayer. He wasn't particularly religious, but he needed his faith more than ever at that very moment.
"...for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory-"
"For ever and ever," murmured a voice. It was D.J., and her eyes had fluttered open. "Amen."
"D.J.," said Danny. There were genuine tears in his eyes. "D.J., you're okay!"
"I knew I'd get through, Dad," said D.J., weakly. She squeezed her father's hand. "Do you remember anything that happened?" asked Danny, nervously.
D.J. hesitated for a moment, before speaking. "I was on the way home from the store, when I got hit by a car. The last I could see was the car that struck me driving off. It was a hit-and-run."
"That was almost exactly how you lost your mum, D.J.," said Danny. "I'm just glad that you pulled through."
"Am I okay?" D.J. asked her father.
"Well, you'll need some physiotherapy, but you'll be able to walk before long," said Danny.
D.J. squeezed her father's hand again. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she did.
8:45 pm
"She's awake? Danny, that's great news," said Becky over the phone. "But are we allowed to visit her? Not until the end of the week? Well, it's Tuesday today. But a watched pot never boils. Well, we'll pass the time by. Okay, Danny. Give D.J. our love." She then hung up and walked back to the kitchen, ready to deliver the news to the others.
"Well?" said Irene nervously.
Becky waited, for extra effect, then said, "D.J.'s regained consciousness!"
There were no cheers, no exclamations. There were just smiles - genuine and radiant. Everyone knew that D.J. was going to be alright in the end.
9:30 pm
Danny and D.J. (Jesse and Joey had headed out to a nearby hotel for the night) were watching the news on television. Once it ended, Danny turned to D.J. and said, "D.J., do you know what day it is today?"
"The day Mum died... five years ago. I'm just lucky. Lucky that I survived, even if I can't walk anymore."
"Deej, don't be silly," reassured Danny. "You'll be back on your feet soon. We'll get through this, 'cause we're all here for you, and we care for you." D.J. smiled, albeit weakly, and told her father, "I will try to get my legs back somehow."
21 May, 1993
4:30 pm
D.J. still hadn't been discharged, but everyone had visited her. She'd excitedly told them of how she was going to get physiotherapy and regain the use of her legs.
That evening, Becky was driving home from work. Nicky and Alex were waiting to be picked up from pre-school, so she was fetching them on the way. She kept her Toyota Camry (that Danny had returned to her) at a steady pace on the road as she drove, and was not far from the town when another car drove up from behind her. It rear-ended her once, and she was about to slow down and survey the damage when - CRASH.
The other car hit her again. And again. Becky sped up to try and get the car off her tail. Just then, a bend caught her unaware. She swerved frantically, skidding all over the place, before coming off the road and crashing head-on into a tree. CRASH! BANG! WALLOP!
Becky was unhurt and she knew it. But the car was a write-off: the bumpers were bent, the hubcaps were nowhere to be seen, and the engine was smoking. Becky looked around and saw the car, a late-70s-ish Buick LeSabre, brown in colour, speeding round the bend and off into the distance. "Oh, for goodness' sake!" she cried out loud to herself. It was a hit-and-run. Were all the women in the Tanner family cursed? Pamela had been killed by a drunk driver, D.J. was still in hospital, and now her car was totaled. "Well," thought Becky. "That's the least of our worries now. I'll call Nick and see if he can fetch the boys. Then I'll let the cops know."
5:45 pm
"And he drove off? Just like that?" asked Michelle. She and Stephanie had been listening, wide-eyed, to what had happened to Becky earlier in the day. "Uh-huh. Just like that," said Becky. "Good thing your Grandpa was able to pick up Nicky and Alex, otherwise I don't know what I would've had to do."
"You know, Aunt Becky," Stephanie began suspiciously, "d'you think whoever who ran over D.J. and then hit your car was the same person? I mean, we can't be sure, but I have my suspicions."
"Well, Steph, you never know," said Becky. "But if it is, heaven forbid, whoever who sets foot or tyre on the road is in big trouble. I've already told the police about the accident and they said they'd track the driver down."
Just then, a minivan pulled up. Out stepped, Danny and Joey, and following behind was - "D.J.!" Becky and the girls cried out in unison as Jesse stepped in, carrying D.J. in his arms. She smiled at them as Jesse kept her down on the sofa. They each took turns to hug her.
"It's so good to see you, Deej!" Michelle began. "What happened to your legs?" "I'll tell you soon enough," said D.J., patiently. "I'm sorry to spoil the mood, but can you leave me alone for a while?"
"Okay," said Michelle, somewhat disappointed. Just then, a baby started crying in the next room, followed by Grandma Irene's voice. "Michelle, Steph, can you give me a hand with the twins?" she called. Stephanie and Michelle hurried into the back room to help Irene with Nicky and Alex. D.J. asked her father to take her upstairs, which he did.
"Jess," said Becky, taking her husband aside, "there's something I have to tell you."
"What?" said Jesse, alarmed. "You haven't been-"
"Oh no, nothing like that," reassured Becky. "But it is important." Joey also tuned in to listen. Danny sensed that the matter was urgent and also poked his head in. Becky began her account of what happened.
"I was heading to pick the twins up from pre-school. Just then my car got hit from behind!"
"What happened next?" asked Joey, alarmed.
"I got run off the road! I was okay, but the car was done for," Becky sighed.
"Have mercy," cried Jesse. "Stephanie reckons that whoever who crashed into my car was also the one who ran over D.J., and you know what, that may not be such a far-fetched scenario."
"Do you have any idea what the car looked like?" Danny asked.
"It was a brown Buick, going at breackneck speed, and I also got the registration: MYU 617." Becky held up a piece of paper torn from a pocket-sized notebook. "Will D.J. remember what happened to her?" Jesse asked his wife. "Let's not ask her so soon," said Joey. "She's just out of hospital."
"I agree. Give her time to wind down," added Danny.
8:30 pm
Stephanie was sitting at her desk in her pyjamas, finishing off the last of her homework. Michelle was playing with her dolls as usual, making a bit of a racket.
"Michelle, could you keep it down, please?" said Stephanie, a little frustrated. "You might be enjoying your land-of-make-believe, but I could do without the noise while I try to grasp the rule of pi."
"I doubt Mr Bear has ever had to struggle with stuff like that, so I don't see why you're still keeping him," Michelle hit back, pointing to Stephanie's old but loved trenchcoat-wearing teddy bear, which was sitting on the bedside table. "On behalf of Mr Bear - 'How rude!'" exclaimed Stephanie. Then her tone softened. "Let's go and see how D.J.'s doing, shall we?" she suggested. "Alright," said Michelle. Stephanie took her reading glasses off, put her pens aside, and followed Michelle to D.J.'s room. There, their older sister was lying awake, looking listlessly up at the ceiling. She smiled at them as they sat down on either side of her bed.
"How you doin'?" Stephanie asked D.J. softly.
"Well, I was getting a bit bored up here. But now you're here, the atmosphere's a bit brighter. It's good to see you both."
"What happened to your legs?" Michelle inquired.
"Well, my back was damaged in the accident, so now I need to learn how to walk again." D.J. suddenly became a little emotional. "But then they said that the physiotherapy centre was being closed down, so everything's being put on hold." D.J. shed a tear. Both her sisters put one arm each around her shoulders.
"I just don't want to be a burden on everyone. I need to get my legs back," sniffed D.J., staring up at the ceiling.
"You will get them back," said Michelle.
"But even if you don't, we'll get through this nightmare somehow," said Stephanie. "Like we always do, 'cause we're a family and we care for you."
"Thanks, you guys," said D.J., and embraced both her sisters. Soon, all three had fallen asleep, arm in arm. Luckily it was a fairly large bed.
Part Two will come soon - and that's a promise. I hope you enjoyed reading this.