Chapter 12

"This is Robin Flowers on KTVA channel 7 and tonight we have with us Kenneth Jacobs, the hero at the hospital last week and with him are two young ladies; Consuela Gomez and Barbara Hicks. These are two of the people Kenneth saved from gunmen in the emergency room. First off Ken, I understand that you were injured. Are you not healed yet?"

Ken looked down at the sling on his left arm and grinned. "Not completely Robin, I should be able to get rid of this after I see the doctor tomorrow. Barb here is going to help me with some physical therapy then."

Robin turned to Barb. She asked her and Connie about what had happened and what they had each been feeling, how scared they were and what they thought of Ken's actions.

"What do think would have happened if Ken hadn't been there Barb?"

"Well, it would probably have turned into a hostage situation when the police showed up. The police don't have a very good record when it comes to hostages Robin. I'm sure that Ken saved two or more people from injury or death. I know that he saved the man who was shot. Five or ten minutes later and he would have bled out. Ken got the doctor to him just in time."

"But he killed a man too Barb, don't you think that is wrong?"

"Sure, it's too bad that he died, but it was his own fault; not Ken's. I was in the exam room with Ken, I was about to look at his arm, when Drake came in and knocked me to the floor. I heard what he was saying and I saw the scalpel in his hand. He was going to hurt Ken as much as he could and then go after me. I was just realizing that I was in big trouble when Ken spun around and Drake fell. Ken only hit him once, and there is no way he expected to kill the man with a bedpan. It was an accident. If Ken had grabbed the knife and stabbed Drake in the chest, then that would have been murder, but in this case it was just an accidental death."

Robin turned to Connie then and asked, "Would you agree with this Consuela? Was Ken just acting in everyone's best interest?"

"Why are you treating him this way Ms. Flowers? You act like he was trying to get famous or something. Drake followed me home and then called his friends to the hospital; Ken did nothing without just cause."

"What about when he saved you the first time a couple of months ago? Did he need to hurt those men as badly as he did?"

"There were three men who intended to rape my employers and me and my mother. He stopped them and once they were down he didn't do anything else."

"Two concussions and a broken jaw is not just stopping those men Consuela."

"One against three, what else would you have him do Ms. Flowers? They had ropes and gags to use on us. They even had a key to the house. Ken couldn't take any chances."

"Then what about this, Ms. Gomez?" A screen lit up behind Robin Flowers showing a parking lot at night. "A friend at the San Francisco airport sent me this yesterday. A young man was complaining about being attacked Saturday. When airport security looked at the tape this is what they saw." The scene on the screen went into motion and showed a slim man wearing a hoody running away from a woman with a white purse in his hand. The woman was gesturing but not attempting to follow the man. A chubby woman pushing a baby stroller appeared into the scene on the left and suddenly she kicked a trash can into the path of the purse-napper. The man skipped sideways then tried to run past a man and woman who were following the chubby woman. Suddenly the crook was on the ground and the walking man was picking up the purse. He then trotted over to the woman it was stolen from and moved away. The whole scene only lasted 30 seconds and left the audience silent.

"Do you deny that you were there and that Ken Jacobs hit that young man? Let's see that in slow motion." Robin turned to the screen again and the portion of the video where Ken stepped in and leveled the running crook. He was seen to drop the duffle bag he was carrying and step to the side as he swung his arm at the runner.

Ken stood up then, he had been largely ignored and had decided that enough was enough. "What do you expect me do Ms. Flowers? You there, the cameraman; would you have stood by and let the crook escape? The damn fool is just lucky he didn't try to go after my mom, she would have crippled him. Mom grew up on the docks and you don't want to mess with her."

The cameraman looked at Robin Flowers first, then he answered, "No, I probably would have had to do something; but there is no way I would have been able to clothesline the man the way you did."

"Maybe not, but you would have done something. Come on girls, I think this interview is over."

Robin Flowers jumped up, "Wait a minute, we're not done yet."

"Yes we are, c'mon Connie. Barb, how would you like to meet my mother and daughter?"

Ken took Connie's arm and the three headed out of the studio.

"If you leave you won't have any control over what we say about you, you'll be yesterday's news."

"Why thank you Ms. Flowers; that's the best thing you could have said to me. As far as having no control, you have done everything but call me a publicity seeking thug with me sitting beside you, how will us walking out make any difference?"

Barb giggled and looked up at Ken, "Your mom sounds like fun, let's go."

And just like that, Ken's moment of fame was over. The station never ran the aborted interview, and interest in Ken dropped when the hotel heiress forgot to wear her panties to an opening (pun intended).

Barb and Rosemary got along together very well, but the emergency room nurse was surprisingly uncomfortable with Mallory. Ken would have thought that a nurse would be good with kids.

Connie and she were alone for a moment and Connie asked, "What gives with you and Mallory Barb?"

"I don't know Connie; I can't seem to connect with her. I usually don't have any trouble with kids, as your little guy shows." Stefan had crawled all over Barb when she sat down on the couch. "Maybe it's because I see how Ken looks at her and I know that I could never compete. You I can fight, but he loves that little girl completely."

"Oh Barbara; it's not a competition hon. You're not trying to take away his love from Mallory, or even from Rose. What you need to do is to add yourself as someone for him to love. Mallory has captured a large chunk of his heart, but there is plenty left for the rest of us. If you try to insinuate yourself between him and Mallory, you will lose. Ken could never replace Stefan with me, but he sure could stand beside him." Connie was looking at Ken on his knees with Stefan building something with blocks.