Hollywood Hills -- Upside Down

[Moonlight Lady]

This first one is kinda short, it was started over on another board by Chelsea and myself. She thought it would be better to post it here and get more people to do it and I agree. So, we're gonna take turns posting until we're caught up.
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Upside Down

by: California Dreaming, JohnR Lover, #1 John Ritter Fan, Retrogirl82, BlueMoonFan, JACKANDJANETFOREVER

Larry Dallas saw his family off to work and school. Finally, he had time to himself before school let out for summer. He grabbed another mug full of coffee and the paper and sat on the patio to enjoy the sports page.

It was around 9:30 when he got the call that would change everyone's life dramatically. "Damnit! where the hell are my keys!" he hollered as he tore the house apart frantically looking for them. Jack ran in through the backdoor and hollered for his best friend and brother-in-law.

[Number 9 Dream]

Hmm, you've got me wondering! More soon, I hope

[Moonlight Lady]

Originally Posted by retrogirl82

Hmm, you've got me wondering! More soon, I hope

There sure will be, Once Chelsea and I get caught up over here. It'll turn into group participation. I sent you a PM.

[Number 9 Dream]

Yay! I'll go read it

Originally Posted by California Dreaming

There sure will be, Once Chelsea and I get caught up. It'll turn into group participation. I sent you a PM.

[Moonlight Lady]

Originally Posted by retrogirl82

Yay! I'll go read it

Oh my god, I'm having a Chrissy moment.

[Heart Shaped Box]

"Larry! Hey, what's all the yelling about?" Jack asked as he made past the kitchen, watching Larry run around the whole house like a mad man. He crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the doorway that led to the living room, waiting for Larry to tell him what was going on.

"Jack..something happened at school. No one will tell me but I have a feeling it's not good. I have to get down there now." He finally managed to find his keys, and he quickly put his coat on, about to walk out the door.

Jack was going to ask Larry how come no one notified Jack or Janet, but he knew that would be wasting time. Instead, he followed Larry out the door. "I'm coming with you."

[Moonlight Lady]

"Come on...Move!" Larry screamed at the cars ahead of him when the light turned green. He leaned on the horn all the time cursing up a storm. Jack had never seen his buddy like this and it was really scaring him. "Larry! take it easy! This routine isn't gonna get us there any faster, Pull over and I'll drive!" Jack yelled at him. Larry did one better, he pulled into a Denny's parking lot.


Just then Jack's cell rang. It was Janet, her voice was shaking and Kate could be heard in the background, crying hysterically. "Janet, what's going on? Larry and I are our way to the school and..."

[Heart Shaped Box]

"Jack, LJ and Bobby got into an accident at school." Janet cut right to the chase, even though her and Katie were sobbing their eyes out and Jack's eye widened with fear and sadness. Janet's voice was so loud that Larry could hear what she was saying while he was in the driver's seat.

"W-What..h-happened?" Jack's voice was cracking already, and he was already thinking of the worst. Whatever was going on, Jack and Larry both needed to know now. When Jack got no response from Janet, he spoke up again. "Janet, what the hell is going on?"

[Moonlight Lady]

"I don't think I can even say it." Janet started crying again. Jack demanded that she tell him what happened. He hated to yell at her, but, he and Larry needed to know. He put the phone on speaker.

"Well...the boys had just finished their last final. They met Robin in the cafeteria waiting for them to give her a ride to Jenny's house, Some lousy kid came in with a gun and started firing." She went on to tell him that Robin was hit as well, but, her injuries were minor compared to the boys. Bobby got hit in the stomach and LJ in the chest, quite close to the heart and he was losing alot of blood.

Jack was stunned and Larry felt sick to his stomach. He dashed out of the car and ran behind some bushes. Jack gave him a few minutes alone and then made him sit in the passenger seat. "I'm fine Jack, I'll drive!" Larry snapped.

[Heart Shaped Box]

Jack was too shocked and stunned to even argue with Larry at that moment. His only goal was to get to the school as quick as they can, and he knew that Larry wanteget their fast too. All these emotions were running through Jack's head. Were Bobby, LJ, and Robin going to be alright? What would happen if one of them died? Or maybe all of them? How would the families survive? Jack was also angry and the person who could have brought a gun to school. His hands started to form into fists and his anger was growing more and more inside him every second they got closer to the school.

"Oh god.." Jack was shaking all over but managed to get out of the car once they got to the school. There were yellow tapes around everywhere, and the police were there. But Jack and Larry's only focuse was the ambulance that was in front of the school, and they instantly found the three children on a stretcher.

"Janet!" Jack yelled as he saw his wife's small figure, that was shockingly watching all of the children being put into the back of the ambulance. She had just gotten out of the car and her and Katie were headed toward the ambulance, but Jack and Larry's calls stopped them.

"Oh Jack!" He could tell that Janet was already sobbing before because he was looking at her tear stained face. More tears came down and the first thing Jack did was take her in his arms and kissed her forehead, telling her that everything would be ok.

[Moonlight Lady]

"No Jack! how could it be!" She sobbed. "Our Son and his cousins have been shot how can you tell me they'll be okay." She punched him in the shoulder, which hurt like hell, but, how could he get mad at her. "Because we just have to believe they'll be okay baby and pray alot."

Katie couldn't stop shaking, no matter how close Larry held her or tried to convince that everything would be okay. He didn't believe it himself. How could he expect her to as well. He was trying really hard not to cry as he stroked her hair. He needed to be strong for his wife and kids, especially his kids.

Robin, his baby, was calling out for her dad. They had a very special bond.
She loved her mom very much, but, Larry was the one she was closest to.
Larry and Katie switched roles after Robin was born. She went to work full-time and he became Mr. Mom. He never regretted it.

He sang her to sleep, taught her how to swim, helped her with homework,
took her almost everywhere with him, protected her from monsters in her closet and neighborhood bullies. Why couldn't he have protected her today.

"Larry, you better go ride with Robin, I'll be okay." She held his hands. "Are you sure honey?" He brushed the stray hairs away from her face. "Yeah , i'm sure, she really needs you right now." He kissed his wife and climbed into the ambulance. He gently took his daughter's hand in his. "I'm scared Dad."

[Heart Shaped Box]

As Jack was trying to console his wife as best as he could, he noticed that there was another ambulance right next to the first one he and Larry saw when they arrived. He instantly knew that's where Bobby was.

He stepped back to look into Janet's eyes and they both looked at the ambulance. He gently took her hand and they both were holding their breath as they walked towards the aumbulance. They were both afraid of what Bobby would look like. They weren't even sure if he was completely ok, which made matters worse.

Soon though they were relieved to see Bobby on the stretcher breathing and hooked up with a few IV's already. "Oh god." Janet couldn't help herself when she took a look at her son. She burst out crying and Jack squeezed her hand. He wanted to cry too, but he knew that if Janet wasn't going to stop crying, he was going to have to be the one who had to be strong.

"Hey there kid." Jack looked at his son, who's eyes were open the whole time watching his mother break down. He didn't say one word though, and they didn't even know if he could or if he even wanted to. Suddenly though, a quite voice escaped from Bobby's lips. "Hi dad." He closed his eyes though in pain, and it was obvious that it caused him pain to talk.

"Mom..hey mom don't cry. Please." Janet suddenly looked up at him and she tried her hardest to not cry. But his sad smile and courage made her want to cry even more. Jack was on the verge of crying also. Their son had an enormous amount of strength inside him, and they knew that he was going to fight it out.

"We love you son," Jack said and him and Janet both kissed him on the forehead. Everything was just too much for Jack and Janet, but they had the same amount of sadness. For Janet, it was tough for her. To bring in a boy in the world and watch him go through serious pain that might be worse was too much to handle. And for Jack, he taught Bobby pretty much how to do everything. Jack was his guide in life.

Why him God? Why him and his cousins? Janet thought as she held Bobby's hand and Jack rocked her soothingly to keep her from going crazy.

[Moonlight Lady]

"I know baby, I'm right here." Larry assured her. "Where's LJ, where's..." She was getting agitated and he had to keep her calm. "Shhh....honey, you need to lie quietly and stay calm, everything will be okay." He told her that her brother and cousin were in another ambulance with Uncle Jack and Aunt Janet.


Katie ran to Larry's car and got in on the driver's side. She wished she hadn't made Larry go with Robin, she needed him too. This was not the time to be selfish though. She sat hold on to the steering wheel. She got lost in her memories of her children's births. A rap on the window, brought her back to
today. She looked over and saw Terri standing there. Katie got out of the car
and embraced her friend. Terri got in the driver's seat and they drove to
Wilshire Memorial.

The ambulance carrying the two boys, arrived at the ambulance entrance,
followed by the one Robin and Larry were in. The parents got out first and then the children were lifted out.

[Heart Shaped Box]

The whole time Bobby was being taken to the emergency room, Jack and Janet never let go of his hand. They both like if they ever did let go, then they were giving up on him. It was the only thing that was keeping Janet and even Jack from getting even more depressed.

A few times they looked back and saw Katie and Larry with both their kids being pulled down the hall by doctors. Unfortunately, their rooms weren't close together at all.

"Daddy..is Bobby going to be alright?" Jamie asked as they both sat down on chairs outside his room. A while after Jack and Janet found Bobby and LJ inside the ambulance, a scared and alone Jamie was wandering around the grounds looking for her parents and her brother. They had both been caught up in the events that were happening that they totally forgot about their daughter, which made matters worse.

"He-he's going to be fine. Your brother is a fighter," Jack said as he kissed Jamie on the forehead. He was about to reach over and kiss Janet, but he remembered that she went to go see how Larry and Katie were holding up. Jack had already visited them and he knew that if Janet stayed around where Bobby was she would start breaking down again.

"I'm scared though daddy." Her quite little voice brought tears to Jack's eyes. It seemed like Jamie was lost. She didn't know if everything was going to be alright or not. She was too little to be dealing with all these emotions and all the violence. Both Jack and Janet were the ones that wanted to keep their kids away from all of that, but somehow it all got to them.

"I know sweetheart. I am too," he said, and suddenly he saw Janet coming towards them, but the one thing he did not want to see was the doctor behind her and what news he would bring.

[Moonlight Lady]

"Jack, this is Dr. Richards, he needs to talk to you and Larry in his office, I need to get back to Kate." Janet put her hand on his shoulder. "Janet, what..." He started to ask before she cut him off. "Go to Larry...Jack, it's not good." Janet took Jamie with her and they went to keep
Kate company.

Bobby was being rushed into surgery to remove the bullet, his spleen
would have to be removed because of all the damage done, but, he would
recover. LJ is a different story. Terri stayed with him until she had to leave to pick up her own kids, John was around the same age as Bobby and LJ Anna, Jamie and Robin were around the same age as well.

Kate stood by a window in an waiting area, down the hall from the OR, where
LJ was in emergency surgery. Larry was with Robin around the corner. She had just come out of surgery. A bullet had removed from her leg, it did some damage, but with physical therapy, she would be able to walk on it, but, with a bit of a limp. Larry sat at her bedside, holding her hand and singing to her softly. Jack appeared in the doorway. He watched quietly. He was moved to tears, but, afraid to make a sound. He sat outside the room listening, Larry started to pour out his heart. Jack could hear him crying and wasn't sure what to do at that moment.