"Your father has had a stroke," Joanie's mother, Marion, told her over the phone. "The doctors are evaluating him right now to determine the amount of brain damage he suffered. Richie and Lori Beth are here, and you should get here as fast as you can."

"We'll take the first flight out," Joanie assured her.

"My dad had a stroke," Joanie told Chachi as soon as she was off the phone. "We have to go to Milwaukee."

"Of course." Chachi was as shocked as Joanie had been.

Joanie went to tell Tony and Lisa what had happened.

"Is Grandpa going to live?" Lisa looked as if she might cry.

"I don't know," Joanie told her truthfully. "The doctors are doing all that they can for him."

The family packed as quickly as they could and headed for the airport. The first flight for Milwaukee didn't leave for several hours, so they were stuck waiting in the airport lounge for awhile.

"Everything's going to be all right," Chachi said, putting his arm around his wife. Joanie rested her head on his shoulder.

The flight to Milwaukee seemed to take forever. As Joanie left the airport for the hospital in a taxi with her family, she felt as if she were moving in slow motion. She entered the emergency room with a heavy heart, dreading the news she might be about to receive.

Marion saw her daughter arrive and rushed to embrace her.

"His condition's stable for now," Marion told Joanie. "They won't know how much damage, if any, he's sustained until he regains consciousness."

Joanie's older brother Richie was there with his wife Lori Beth and their son, Richie Junior, who was in his early twenties. All three of them came over to hug Joanie.

"How have you been, little sis?" Richie asked quietly.

"Mostly all right, until this happened. How have you been?"

"Everyone's fine. Richie just started a new job. Lori Beth still enjoys scrapbooking."

Joanie saw that an old family friend, Arthur Fonzarelli, nicknamed Fonzy, or simply The Fonz, was there as well. Although he now had a receding hairline, and his remaining hair was salt-and-pepper, he still looked just as distinguished as ever.

"Heyyy Cupcake." Fonzie's normally robust manner was greatly subdued.

"Oh, Fonzie." Suddenly overcome with emotion, Joanie clung to her old friend, near tears.

"There, now." He patted her back comfortingly.

"Meet my son Tony and my daughter Lisa." Joanie introduced her children to Fonzie, and they shook hands and said hello to him.

"I haven't seen you in so long. How have you been?" Joanie asked Fonzie.

"Life's been good so far. Still working at the same place. Married with two teenage daughters. Both of them are now dating guys who are just as cool as I used to be. Guess you can say the tables are turned."

"What do you mean? You're still cool!" Joanie laughed for the first time since hearing the news about her father.

"Thanks. You just made my day, Cupcake." Fonzie showed Joanie a photo of his daughters, Andrea and Monica. Both of them were dark complected with dark hair and eyes like their father.

"They're beautiful!" Joanie exclaimed.

"Thanks." Fonzie grinned.

Joanie approached the bed her father lay in. He was hooked up to machines to measure his vital signs, and he had an IV in his arm. He looked as if he were sleeping peacefully.

"Oh, Daddy," Joanie sobbed as tears rolled down her face.