Happy Days: An Accident of the Heart

Chapter 1: The Accident

Fonzie sped down the highway from Inspiration Point faster than he intended, and his nerves spun harder than a jukebox 45. He and his star lady Paula Petralunga just finished their last hot date. She'd dropped the bombshell she was becoming a nun.

"Oh the humanity!" He wailed. He quickly glanced at the starry sky. "I thought I was your favorite guy! Now you're taking her away from the Fonz...well...I don't blame ya. What man can resist Paula's bouncy Petralungas?"

He realized whom he addressed and straightened up on his bike. As he made a turn he waved his thumb in the air. "Aaayyy, big man, we're still cool!"

Fonzie was so lost in thought he almost missed a T-Bird erratically weaving down the road and trailing one of the worst cars ever made – the Renault Dauphin. The last time Fonzie fixed one at the garage, he told the owner in no uncertain terms to junk it if he wanted to save face. The RD was paper-thin and took over a minute to reach sixty miles per hour.

Fonzie heard the crash around the bend and a woman's scream. Mr. T-Bird's tires screeched and the driver flew the coop. Fonzie saw the Dauphin smashed against a tree and the engine billowed smoke. He slammed his brakes, jumped off his bike, and dashed to the scene. Through the closed windows he saw a girl slumped over the steering wheel with a gash on her head.

He banged on the glass but she kept unresponsive. "Hey! Lady, you okay?"

Fonzie backed up and tossed out his arms with a shrug. "It's cool! It's cool! You could do this, you're a Fonzarelli!"

Now was not a time to panic. The Fonz never panicked. He glanced up again. "Hey, big man, I'm sorry about the Paula comment, but I could use a little help here!"

The woman stirred and choked as smoke seeped into the car. She wearily raised her head and saw flames shooting out from the hood. She screamed and smacked the window when she saw a guy outside.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down!" Fonzie tugged on the hot door handle, but it wouldn't budge. The girl lifted the locks, but it still refused to move.

"Please get me out! Please help me!" She begged.

"I'm tryin' doll! I'm tryin!" Fonzie shouted.

The heat intensified. Any minute the car was liable to explode. Fonzie swiftly kicked at the door. Nothing. He growled and banged the top of the car with the side of his fist. The door popped open and dropped off its hinges and the radio blasted.

"Well, you can rock it, you can roll it. You can slop and you can stroll it at the hop. When the record starts spinnin' you calypso when you chicken at the hop. Do the dance sensation that is sweepin' the nation at the hop! Let's go!"

The woman was nearly overcome from the smoke. Fonzie caught her before she fell onto the grass. The music gave him a pounding headache and he bopped the steering wheel and immediately silenced the radio.

"Tha...thank you! Thank you!" She moaned and her rolled her head onto his shoulder. The odor of searing gas attacked him.

"You can definitely thank me later, sweet cheeks!" Fonzie tossed her over his shoulder and ran as far as he could.

The car exploded. Burning pieces ricocheted left and right. Fonzie tumbled down a small slope with the girl and kept her body covered. The girl stayed entangled in his arms and they refused to move for what felt like hours. Through the ringing in his ears Fonzie heard his name being shouted from the side of the road. He saw Richie Cunningham and his friends driving home from a night on Inspiration Point. Fonzie weakly raised his arm and thumb and eased himself to a sitting position.