Breathe for M e

Note- Though the following scenes might seem random, there is a reason for it being in this story.

Chapter Seven

"How exactly did you get put on the cash register?" Georgie asked Milo.

Milo said, "I came in for dinner and Spinelli said they needed all the help they could get. Mike had to take off because the poor guy was sick. He nearly passed out before Cooper put him in a cab. But he didn't want to leave because Penny and that new busboy-"

"Daniel," Georgie filled in.

"Right," Milo said "They both called off. So Lulu was left here alone. She had promised Mike she could handle it. She said she would call her Aunt Bobbie but when she did Bobbie was in surgery so...that left just us. It's been a crazy night...but it's going okay, I guess."

Okay is not hardly the word Georgie would use for the sight before her. When the next person came up to pay there bill, Georgie handled it, after sending Milo in the kitchen to work on the dishes. He seemed thrilled to be given a task that didn't require dealing with anymore pissed off customers.

Lulu stormed away from Logan and into the kitchen. She snapped out "Where are those cheeseburgers, Coop? I'm getting complaints because of how long it is taking for food to go out."

"Dail back the bitchy," Maxie told her. "What happened? Did Logan hurt poor little Lulu's feelings? What a shame. Lucky that you have a back up in Johnny...but then again, when don't you?"

Lulu loaded up her tray again, threw a couple nice little curse words at Maxie, and left the kitchen.

She walked past Logan and Georgie without saying a word. Logan was behind the counter, attempting to make a shake for a customer.

Georgie told him, "You don't have to help out."

"I don't mind. It's not like I think you are just going to go home and leave your friends covering this place. So if you are gonna be here, then I'm gonna be here, and I might as well be useful."

"You know how to cook?"

"The army taught both me and Coop. During bootcamp, you got kitchen duty if you pissed off the Sergeant and I pissed him off just about every day."

Logan passed the shake to the customer. "There you go, sir."

Georgie wanted to ask him what happened with Lulu but there was table after table of customers needing to be waited on. She gave Logan a small smile and they got down to work.

XXXXXXXXX

Hours later

The doors were locked. They had survived the dinner service, cleaned the kitchen and put the cash and receipts in the safe. The jukebox played while they all sat around one table, drinking tequila that Maxie had brought down from Cooper's room.

Lulu and Maxie were both too exhausted to argue with each other, and working on being too drunk to even care what issues they had between them in the past.

Milo said "We should all do this again sometime."

"Are you freaking insane?" Maxie asked "I will never don an apron again. From now on, it is all take out and five star restaurants for me."

"I didn't mean work here," he said "because that sucked. I meant hang out together."

"Good idea. The Jackal concurs. But I am sure the Bad Blonde One doesn't want to slum with us. She considers herself above the commoners."

Maxie rolled her eyes. "You know what, Spinelli? You were a lot more fun back when you used to get stoned."

Logan laughed.

All of them seemed to not want to leave the diner, for as soon as they did it was back to the real world, where a killer lurked in the shadows. As long as they were here together they were safe from all that.

Georgie's phone rang. She answered it, slightly slurring her words, "Hi, Dad. No, I'm fine. Maxie is here...yes, we're both safe. No, you don't have to send a squad car to bring us home. Cooper can give us a ride. How much safer can we be than with a cop? All right. Yes, I love you too, Dad. See you later...what? Drinking? Um... I can barely hear you...bad connection...Bye, Dad!"

She felt bad for consuming alcohol but, after the events of the night before, she knew that she needed to do more living and less following of the rules. Her eyes connected with Logan's. Before he walked in and rescued her, the night before, she had thought him to be impulsive, cocky, too damn good looking, and too damn angry for his own good but now she saw that was just what was on his surface. He was also loyal, courageous and the one person who could, with one look, make her think she could get through whatever was coming.

Maxie, Cooper, Milo, Lulu and Spinelli started playing a drinking game. Logan opted out, heading over to the jukebox to start a new song instead. Georgie walked over and joined him. The song drowned out their conversation from everyone else.

Georgie said, as she leaned against the jukebox, her eyes searching his."Thank you for today, Logan. You put your life on hold to protect mine- and you put in a shift at Kelly's too. Above and beyond the call of duty, really."

"Had nothing better to do."

"You could have been hanging out with your girlfriend. I hope I didn't cause this tension between you two."

"Lulu kissed Johnny last night. She claims they're just friends but I don't kiss my friends. Doubt Coop would appreciate it if I tried smooching with him."

She chuckled. "You don't have to play it off... I know it must hurt to not have it work out with her."

"I thought it would but I guess I half expected this. Things haven't been right for a while with me and her. Don't think you had a thing to do with it cause you didn't. I'm hanging around you because that's what I want to do. I want you safe."

Georgie's eyes drifted over to the spot where she was grabbed the night before. Earlier, when this place was jammed with customers, it had been easy to think about what had to be done rather than focus on her own fears, but now the memories came rushing back.

This is justice, he had hissed in her ear.

Logan touched her arm, dragging her attention back to him, and then he said "He won't get to you again, I promise. I'll ride back to your house with you and keep watch all night."

"No, you don't have to. Mac told me at breakfast that he was getting a patrol unit to sit on our place from midnight to eight am. Plus Mac and Maxie will be there. I'll be fine." I hope, she silently added.

Logan didn't trust anyone but himself to assure that but he didn't think he was in the position to insist. Still he didn't know how he could go home and try to sleep when she was across town, possibly needing him. "If you change your mind, if you want me to come over, call me and I'll be there in ten minutes flat. Seven if I run all the red lights."

She gave him a small smile. Whether he was someone she should trust and lean on, or just a guy who was using her as a distraction from his own messed up life, she didn't know.

But it felt right to be in this with him and so Georgie nodded, agreeing that if she felt she couldn't make it though the night alone then Logan Hayes would be the man she called to get her through till the sunrise.