CHAPTER 12: HOW TO HANDLE THE BULLIES LESSON 1

The group of stunned rowdies just looked at Logan and their friend laying broken and groaning in pain.

"I thought I told you boys to leave. Why are you still standing there?" Logan said. He addressed them as if they were naughty boys that had been caught spying on the girls in a girls gym shower. "If you boys don't start making for the exits, I'm going to have to get rough. So far I've been going easy on your friend. You could easily be next." Logan took a readied stance that left no doubt that he was willing and able to go after them as well. The confidence in his eyes and in his manner was enough to get one of the younger members of the group to sprint for the door. That was all the rest of the group standing around needed for them to also bolt for the door. Two of Big Thug's friends bent down and picked him off of the floor. The restaurant was clear of rowdies and Logan crouched down to the waitress.

"I'm so sorry, darlin' I didn't want anything to happen to you. I underestimated his attitude." Logan said to the hurt girl gently.

"It's alright. He's been coming here for awhile and he and his gang's been giving us a hard time." The girl said bravely trying to hold her pain inside.

"That's a bad break, although it looks like a clean one." He turned his head to listen outside, there seemed to be a raucous going on.

"Hey, Hank, I've got those men that you've been complaining about. One of them seems to have a busted arm and a shattered kneecap." A Highway Patrol man said as he entered the restaurant.

"Thanks Ben, I will be pressing charges against them," Hank the manager said as he looked down at the girl with the broken arm.

"The ambulance is on its way here." Ben said.

"Good."

"I don't need an ambulance. I can drive to the hospital." The girl said. The manager gave her a stern look.

"Jessica, don't you dare give me any guff about this, or I'll tell your mother. She never wanted you to take this job anyway, and neither did I. You have better potential than that."

"But dad...." Jessica started. Her father interrupted her.

"No buts, none, nope, nada! That is final." He glared at her and she immediately stopped her protesting. "Besides, this broken arm will give you the time to rethink the course of your life. You can go to college. In fact I want you to go to college." He said firmly.

"It's too late, for starting college." Jessica whined.

"Actually, it's never too late; you can enlist in classes now without missing too much." Said Logan. He smiled at her. She flushed red, though Logan wasn't sure if it was from him smiling at her, or the pain of her broken arm. The girl's father looked a Logan with something akin to gratitude.

"I'll think about it." The girl said.

"Well, you will have time; it takes about three to six weeks for a broken arm to heal and sometime after for it to be strong again." Logan said reassuringly.

"You sound like you've had medical training." Hank said.

"Some, I've been a medic in the service, and I was married to a doctor too." Logan said smiling.

"You were in the service? Well, that explains the moves you made on that creep who attacked my little girl."

"Daddy, I'm not a little girl anymore." The girl said testily.

"Don't be silly, you'll always be daddy's little girl. I know I've got a passel of them myself, and even though they are all grown, they will always be my little girls." Logan said with a gleam in his eye.

"No offence. But you don't look old enough to have grown girls." The girl said. Logan only laughed.

"Well, I am and I do have that passel of girls I told you about. Want to see pictures, got lots." He took out his wallet and opened it up and a long strip of photos slotted in plastic unfurled itself. There were gasps as they looked at the pictures of very beautiful young ladies. One of the pictures grabbed Hank's attention.

"Hey, this is a picture of the President of the United States! Is the woman standing next to him your daughter?" Logan nodded his head. "Your daughter is the White House Chief of Staff?!"

"Uh huh, and this is a picture of her and her husband Randall and their little boy Brendan. Isn't he cute little guy?" Logan said proudly. The girl's jaw dropped, her arm didn't hurt as much anymore. This man's daughter works in the White House! She was the first woman to hold that office and she was rather young too. There was a big to-do about her not being able to do the job because she was a woman and young as well. But no matter what they threw at her, she was able to handle it with little or no trouble. She thought if she went to college maybe there was a chance that she could do something like that. She instantly made up her mind at that moment.

"Hey Ben," One of the patrolman came into the restaurant. "The ambulance is here. There seems to be a scuffle on who to take to the hospital. The guy with the busted arm and kneecap wants it."

"Oh, let him have it." Said the girl. "I refused to share an ambulance with him. Dad, you can take me in the car. I'm not that badly hurt." Hank saw a look in his daughter's eye and something in her voice. What happened in the last few moments might have repercussions for some time to come, and he couldn't thank this stranger enough. What might have taken years to accomplish was done in seconds. Hank stood up and looked at the stranger.

"I don't know how to thank you for what you've done." Hank said to Logan.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't even stop her from getting a broken arm." Logan said somewhat confused.

"You did. Her arm was only broken, what that bum would have done to her if you hadn't been here would have been worse." Hank said gratefully. Logan couldn't make any sense of what he was hearing and smelling. Something more was happening here that he couldn't put his finger on. He wasn't sure what he was missing. He patted the girl's unbroken arm gently and stood up refolding his photos. "Nice family you've got there, you and your wife must be so proud."

"Yeah, she would be if she were still around. I lost her when Andrea was in college third year. A drunk driver ran her off the road. She never saw her daughter graduate with honors." A dark look came over his face.

"Sorry. That's a damn shame. Hope that drunk driver got what for." Hank said. Logan shook his head sadly.

"No. He was a rich kid with a powerful family, he got away with it. Not even so much as a ticket." Logan said hotly. He thought he had put it behind him, but on occasions it surfaced. Hank heaved a great sympathetic sigh.

"Isn't that always the way." Hank said, gloomily. "Well, I better take my little gal to the hospital to have that arm set and cast. Bullies, a pain in the ass." Hank helped his daughter to her feet. "Hey Joey! Keep an eye on the place for me while I take Jessica here to the hospital."

"Sure thing, Boss!" Joey shouted from across the room.

"And Joey, Logan's meal is on the house. Give him what he wants, the best of everything." Hank said nodding to Logan.

"Really Hank that's not necessary." Logan said

"Yes it is. Look, just enjoy. Joey here is a great cook and I do owe you." Hank said smiling.

"We have a problem," said the patrolman. "The fella with the busted arm and kneecap wants to press charges against some mean tough dude." The partrolman looked around the room and he seemed to be searching for this mean tough dude. "Personally I'd like to give the guy a medal." Ben looked at his fellow patrolman and then at Hank and winked.

"Listen, George. The mean tough dude isn't here any longer. And I think that the fella with the busted arm and kneecap is in enough trouble already." Ben said cocking his head in a conspiratoral manner.

"Oh, right. Um I'll just put a APB out on this mean tough dude. Maybe we can find him...or not." George grinned. "Hey Jessie, are you alright? I could give you and your dad a lift to the hospital." He said to the girl.

"Thanks George, and don't call me Jessie. It's Jessica for the umteenth time." Jessica said whincing. The three men helped Jessica out to the patrol car and Logan felt all eyes of the restaruant on him.

"Mr. Logan, I'll have your lunch for you in just a few minutes." Joey said.

"Thanks, and it's just Logan." He smiled and nodded at the audience and went back to his booth.

Hank was not boasting idoly when he said that Joey was a good cook. Logan had one of the best meals he'd had in a long while. After finishing up with his lunch he went over to the cashier.

"Look, Mr. I mean Logan. Hank said you don't have to pay for your lunch."

"I know, but I want you to give this to Jessica. Tell her to buy something nice for herself, or a backscratcher. She'll need it." He chuckled as he handed Joey a couple of bills.

"You bet, Logan." Joey said taking the bills and chuckling along with him. He looked at the bills that Logan had handed him. "Wow! Are you sure that you want to give her this?!"

"Yes. I do. It's the least I could do since she broke her arm because of me."

"It wasn't you. Everyone knows that. Besides, you gave that bully a lesson that he won't soon forget." Joey said snickering.

"Yeah, it seems to be my lot in life to go around giving bullies lessons. Maybe I should start a school for them.....Nahhhh. They'd never come to class." Joey laughed. "Well, I'd better be getting on the road then. Thanks for lunch kid. It was great." Logan nodded and turned and went out the door and got on Scott's bike, put on the helmet; started it up and rumbled away. Joey put the bills in Jessica's tip jar. You just don't know about some people, he smiled. Some of them surprise you...in a good way.