First Class Rescue (First Class Novels) (3 page)

A couple of weeks had passed since Beth Collins had visited
the firehouse. Tim had had a hard time getting her scent out of his nose and
her voice out of his dreams. He remembered Janie saying how much she liked the
James Bond movies. When Tim and his brothers agreed they were fantastic, she
had clarified it was because of 007’s
voice
that she watched the films
with Matt. Apparently she preferred listening to the movies over watching them.

Beth Collins’ voice reverberated through his brain all day
long and all through his dreams and even though she was easy to look at, it was
her voice that kept him awake or woke him up with a massive hard-on. He hadn’t
understood Janie’s comment until now.

He’d been working the 7pm to 9am shift for the past week and
amazingly, they’d only had one call out the previous evening. He’d slept seven
hours and felt refreshed as he got ready to head home. He closed his locker and
stopped by the desk in his office to check his email once more. As he clicked
the mouse on the browser icon, the alarm sounded, followed by a code that
immediately sent his heart racing.
Big fire! Several units responding! Not
going home!
He ran to the pole, dropped to the lower level, dressed in his
response gear and jumped on the truck, praying that it wasn’t going to be as
serious as it sounded.

Pulling up to the fire, the adrenaline pumped through Tim’s
body. It
was
a huge fire, and fire engines and trucks continued to
arrive well after Tim and his team had received their orders and began
positioning the ladder to get to the upper floors of the building.

Hysterical crying and wailing was all around him as the
tenants were being led away from the smoke and firemen began exiting the
building with bodies over their shoulders. Tim knew they must get into the
building fast. The fire was spreading quickly, despite the best efforts of the
fire department, and if there were people still inside, they didn’t have much
longer before it would be a recovery effort rather than a rescue.

Tim and Jeff were the first ones to enter through the window
on the sixth floor. It was the highest they could go. There was fire beneath
them and fire above them, so they knew they needed to move quickly. The smoke,
however, was thick and black and the men had to move slowly and carefully,
feeling their way through the darkness.

They called out, hoping that if there was anyone trapped
inside they’d be heard and could yell for help, but the fire fighters’ calls went
unanswered. Radio communication informed them that the firefighters above them
were being called out…it was too dangerous on the upper floors. After several
minutes, Tim radioed to the Captain that they had not located anyone and that
the fire was now spreading through the floor. They were retreating.

Climbing back out onto the ladder, Tim knew that the
building in all likelihood could not be saved. As he backed his way down the
ladder, he watched as some of the hoses were being directed to the adjacent
buildings, attempting to keep the fire from destroying any other structures. He
felt helpless and frustrated that more couldn’t be done. He heard the call over
the radio. All personnel were to exit the building. They would fight the fire
from outside; hoses on the ground and hoses from the bucket ladders at the rear
of the building where the fire had apparently started. As Tim ran to Engine 24,
the hoses snaked and crisscrossed in front of him, trying to shoot water from
every angle. For minutes he watched as his brothers from many firehouses worked
together to save the fifteen story apartment building until they discovered the
unthinkable. There were two firefighters missing. They’d gone into the building
but hadn’t exited.

Tim’s job at this point was to support Engine 24; run hose,
adjust valves. Engine 57 sent two men in to assess the first floor. If it was
safe they would venture up one floor. If it wasn’t safe, they would retreat
immediately. All communication over the radio went silent as they waited for
word of the condition of the ground floor. Seconds turned to minutes and the
men tried to focus on their current assignment. No word was neither good nor
bad, and Tim’s heart beat faster as the minutes continued to drag.

Movement to his left caught his eye, and as he turned his
head the two firemen came back out of the building. The word on the radio was
that they couldn’t get up to the next level as the stairwell was blocked with
burning debris at the exit to the second floor. Tim’s heart dropped to his
stomach and the wave of nausea rose through his body. Somehow over the years,
he’d learned to squash the feeling and focus on his job and this was no
different. As he pulled on another hose a voice came over the radio.

“Fourth floor, west side.”

The fire department flew into action. It would take too long
to get the ladder truck in position, so Tim ran to help position ladders
against the brick exterior. Engine 57 had their men ready to climb in a second
and they were up and on their way. Breaking a window, the first firefighter
climbed inside and in a few moments radioed that he had the two missing men in
his grasp. One was conscious, the other not.

Over the next several minutes the rescue of the two men
became the number one priority. Using ropes and pulleys they lowered the
unconscious firefighter out of the window and to the ground, where the waiting
EMS had him on a gurney and rushing him to the ambulance. Then, carefully, the firefighters
climbed out of the window and down the ladder to the safety of the ground to
the cheers of all who looked on.

A beam had dropped on them and had knocked them out, one
only temporarily. As soon as he had come to, he’d managed to pull his partner
from under the massive piece of wood and radioed for help. Unfortunately, it
was one of the many real hazards of the job, but the relief was short-lived as
the word spread that the unconscious firefighter, Daniel, was in critical
condition. The sirens began and the ambulance left for the nearest trauma
center.

The firemen continued to battle the blaze in mostly silence.

*****

Eight hours of trying to outsmart the fire finally paid off
and the flames were out. New York City’s bravest had saved the surrounding
buildings, but the one where it had started was all but gone. It would be
condemned and what was left standing would be torn down. It was always
difficult when they lost a battle, but that’s not what was on their minds. As
Ladder 5 reversed into its parked position in the garage, the worst news
possible came to the station. Daniel hadn’t made it.

Tim and Daniel Welch had gone through training together.
They’d had a drink together after work on several occasions. Daniel was a
little older than Tim and was married. He had two sons and his wife was
pregnant with a daughter, due to be born in three weeks. As the news sunk in,
Tim became nauseated. Once off the truck and out of his boots and jacket, he
pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called his parents. The news would
report that a firefighter had died and he made sure his parents would know it
wasn’t him.

They weren’t home so he left a brief message and replaced
his phone in his pocket. His team all worked in silence. They hauled the miles
of wet hoses to the drying racks and put dry ones on the fire engine. They cleaned
and tidied the inside of the ladder truck and hooked up the exhaust hoses and
the engine warmers. Everyone did their jobs without speaking, and barely made
eye contact. When there wasn’t any other reason for them to stay downstairs,
one by one they went up to the family room of the firehouse.

Tim headed straight for the shower and washed the soot and
grime away. He watched the shampoo suds circle around the drain and eventually disappearing
into the floor. The hot water continued to fall and he leaned against the white
tiled wall while the water cascaded over his head, flattening his hair to his
scalp. He didn’t have the energy or the desire to move. His body was exhausted
and his emotions were too raw to deal with right then. Eventually, he turned
off the water and dried himself with a fluffy white towel. Wrapping it around
his hips he stepped from the stall and brushed his teeth and his hair. He
needed to get it together. As an officer he was in charge of his team. Several
of them had been called in to help battle the blaze, and it was his
responsibility to make sure everyone was dealing with the loss of their
brother. This is when he needed to stand tall and be a leader. This is what
separated the leaders from the men. He dressed in khakis and a FDNY t-shirt and
gathered his team.

*****

He had a few hours before he had to be back at work to start
his shift, so Tim called his older brother Paul and his wife Nic and invited
himself over for dinner. They were only too happy to have him.

“We saw it on the news,” Nic frowned. “It looked terrible.”

“It was,” Tim agreed, putting down his knife and fork.

“I’m so sorry,” Paul said. “I understand what you are going
through.”

Tim nodded. “I know you do. Thanks.”

Paul had served his country honorably as a Navy Seal for
eleven years before finding his soul mate in Nic and leaving the military and
settling down in marital bliss. They were expecting their first baby in just a
few weeks.

“I knew him…pretty well…but I hadn’t seen him in a couple of
years. But even so, it’s really hard.” Tim picked up his glass and took a drink
of his ice water.

“Of course it is,” Nic sighed. “I’m glad you called. You
know you can come here anytime.”

“Thanks,” he managed a weak smile. “I guess I’m not really
hungry. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Paul smiled as he took the half eaten piece of
rib-eye steak from Tim’s plate. “We’re eating for two you know.”

Tim chuckled. “
You’re
eating for two?”

“Yes he is!” Nic laughed. “And every morning he complains
that he has to run an extra couple of miles because he’s gained a pound…or
two.” She stood and gathered up hers and Tim’s plates and took them into the
kitchen.

Paul grinned at his wife’s back as she left the room. “Love
her!” he grinned.

Tim smiled at his brother and was pleased he had found Nic.
She was a wonderful addition to the Lathem family. Now all of the brothers
except him and Ben were attached. David’s wedding to Lindsey was two weeks away
and the family loved her, too. Tim heard his coworkers talk about the woes of
in-laws and Tim couldn’t understand what they were going on about. He had one
brother-in-law, and three, almost four sisters-in-law and he adored every one
of them. It had been a good idea to spend a couple of hours with Paul and Nic.
He was emotionally buoyed and ready to deal with the members of his team again,
but it was going to be a hard few weeks.

*****

Back at the firehouse, his team of seven arrived ready to
start their ten-hour shift. They had all spent the evening with family and a
somber mood enveloped the station.

It had been almost a year since they lost an FDNY brother, and
he had died of a heart attack, not in a burning building. Not that it made it
easier or harder…it was just different.

“A fund has started for the family,” Tim informed the men.
“As you know, Daniel has two boys and his wife is pregnant. It’s gonna be hard
for them, so anything you can do is appreciated.” He threw a couple of water
bottles from the fridge to waiting hands, and as he unscrewed the top of his
bottle he thought that he should talk to Matt. His company would donate to the
fund, of that he was sure, and Matt’s donation could make an enormous
difference in Daniel’s family’s financial security. He would call him tomorrow.

A couple of the guys started reminiscing about Daniel when
he was a Probie. Being on probation the first few months could be difficult.
The teasing, and mostly good-natured torture, could get to you after a while
though, but Daniel had been a bit older and a little more mature and had taken
it like a man. For the last few years he had taken it upon himself to take the
Probies under his wing and act as an unofficial mentor and somewhat of a
guardian. He was widely respected among the FDNY and the department had lost a
great man.

The reminiscing was interrupted by a call. The men sprang
into action and within just a couple of minutes were responding just a few
blocks away. A mother had called 911 hysterical that her daughter had locked
herself in the bathroom and was unable to get out. Calmly, Tim assessed the
situation, and within just a couple of minutes he and Jeff had removed the
hinges of the door and reunited the mother with her five year old daughter,
Madelyn. With smiles and gratitude, the woman said goodbye to the firemen and
put her sleepy and unaffected daughter back to bed.

It was exactly the kind of call that was needed for his
team. Something simple with a happy child rescued and a grateful mother who had
complete confidence in them. Hopefully they would start to heal from their loss
and with each call out that ended happily, they took one step closer.

Beth’s routine was pretty much the same week after week. She
went in to the office a couple of times a week to drop off read manuscripts and
pick up new ones. She had a fulltime assistant that she communicated with by
phone and email. She was grateful that she was able to work mostly from home.
Since the majority of her work load was reading, it was much more comfortable
to do it in the confines of her apartment and of course, there was Cleo. Beth
hated leaving her alone for long periods of time. If truth be told, Cleo was
probably fine with it…it was Beth that suffered from separation anxiety.

Right after she’d broken off her engagement with Edward,
she’d had a client, a writer, who had decided that in order to write the
best-seller he knew was inside him just waiting to be written he needed to go
to Africa, the land of his ancestors. He begged her to help him find a home for
his six month old puppy, Cleopatra. Beth had been less than eager to become a
dog broker, but once she’d met Cleopatra, she knew she’d found her best friend.
Her client had told her it was meant to be and gladly handed over her leash and
half a bag of dog food to Beth and booked a flight to Johannesburg to begin his
‘self-discovery’ tour.

Cleopatra soon became Cleo and they had bonded immediately.
Growing up in England, her family had Corgis and Beagles, her mother had said
they were the dogs of the upper class. Beth loved the dogs and spent hours
playing fetch and running the fields with them. Living in New York with a
German Shepherd was quite different but they were making it work.

Beth ran with Cleo several times a week and her neighbors
across the hall loved to
borrow
Cleo for their walks. Jerry and Vince
said it made them feel safer having Cleo with them and she knew Cleo loved the
attention they lavished on her and the box of treats they kept on top of the
fridge especially for her. They lived in a safe neighborhood, but Beth
understood that Jerry and Vince, now in their sixties, hadn’t always enjoyed
the tolerance and acceptance most gay couples now had. So loaning Cleo to them
was perfectly fine with her, in fact, she knew Cleo loved them as much as they
loved her. But they’d been in Miami for the past couple of weeks. They left
after the fire seeing as though they couldn’t get back into their apartment
anyway. They’d suffered more water damage than Beth and it had taken a few more
days for them to be able to return. They’d gotten back the night before so when
there was a knock on the door, Beth smiled to herself knowing they were back
and ready to see their girl.

As they closed the door behind them Cleo attacked them with
kisses and love. Vince collapsed to the floor as Cleo rubbed all over him and
left a trail of saliva over his face. He laughed loudly and kissed her with
equal affection.

“Oh I’ve missed you too sweetheart,” he gushed.

“If people could only see her now they wouldn’t be so
intimidated by her on the street,” Jerry laughed.

“Well, we won’t tell them, will we?” Beth grinned.

“Can we take her for a while? Please?” Vince pleaded.

“Of course,” Beth laughed. “How can I say no to that?” she
laughed as Cleo rolled onto her back so Vince could rub her tummy.

“Thanks. We’ll have her back in a couple of hours.”

“Take your time,” Beth smiled. “I’m not going anywhere. Just
here working.”

The two men leashed Cleo as her tail wagged wildly and they
closed the door behind them. It was suddenly very quiet and Beth went back to
the sofa and returned to the murder mystery she was reading, although there
wasn’t much mystery to it. The ex-girlfriend killed him. This manuscript
wouldn’t make a best-seller list. In fact, she would probably be the only
person to read it, other than the author.

*****

With the new month came a new shift for Tim. He was working
a day shift. He really didn’t care which shift he worked. He lived by himself
and came and went as he pleased with nobody to consult about his schedule.

It was Friday and he was actually only working half a day.
Tomorrow his older brother David was getting married and this evening he had a
rehearsal dinner to attend. He had a couple more things to do and then he was
off for the weekend. He checked his email and then went down to do a final once
over of the truck before he left the station. It wasn’t required of him to give
everything the once-over, but he did it anyway.

After stowing all of his response gear inside his locker, he
turned to find a large German Shepherd sitting at his feet. He hadn’t even
heard her approach.

“I know you,” he grinned. “How are you girl?” He scratched
Cleo between the ears and she tilted her head into his hand. “Where’s your
mom?”

Tim looked up expecting to see Beth but she was nowhere to
be seen. He picked up the leash that was lying on the concrete and walked Cleo
out to the street and looked in both directions. He didn’t see her anywhere.

“Did you run away?” he asked. “Let’s go find your mom.”

*****

Beth was surprised to hear the knock on the door. Jerry and
Vince had only been gone for about an hour. She didn’t expect them back so
soon.

“That was quick,” she said as she opened the door. “Oh!”

Tim stood at the door, Cleo sitting next to him. “Hi,” he
replied.

“What? Why do you…where’s Jerry and Vince?”

“Who?”

“Jer…never mind. How do you have my dog?
Why
do you
have my dog?”

“She came to the firehouse. Alone.”

“Oh boy.” Beth ushered Tim and Cleo into her apartment and
shut the door. She grabbed her phone and dialed Jerry.

“It’s okay,” she said into the phone. “She’s here. Not sure
but she ended up at the fire station and a fireman has brought her home. No,
it’s fine. All good. Okay. Bye.” She hung up the phone.

“They are frantically looking for her,” Beth frowned.
“Apparently she heard sirens and bolted, almost ripping Vince’s shoulder from
the socket.”

They both looked at Cleo who was now snuggled in her bed in
the corner of the room looking quite content. The silence that surrounded them
was awkward as each of them looked everywhere but at each other. Finally, Beth
spoke.

“Can I get you a drink? Coffee? Water?”

Tim shook his head. “No, I’m good thanks.” He smiled and she
appeared to blush. He took a moment to study her, while her eyes were directed
at the floor. She was tall; probably five eight, and while she wasn’t skinny,
she certainly wasn’t fat either. She looked healthy. He appreciated that. She
wore jeans and her feet were bare. Her toenails were red. His eyes ran back up
her long legs and up to her breasts. They were perfectly proportioned to the
rest of her body. She had a long neck and a small nose. Long eyelashes hid her
blue eyes and her hair looked like blonde silk. It was straight and fell below
her shoulders. And when she spoke, her voice just finished the package. She was
as close to perfect as he’d ever seen.

“Well…would you like to come in and sit? Or…?”

“Thanks but I should get going. My brother gets married
tomorrow so there’s a dinner I’m supposed to be at this evening.”

“Oh! How lovely,” she smiled.

Yeah, it’ the voice
, he thought.

*****

The Bourbon, the restaurant where David’s fiancée worked,
was closed to the public. The Lathem’s had booked it for the rehearsal dinner.
However, the dining room filled quickly as all the guests arrived.

As Tim sat at the table with his brother Ben, and Aaron,
Lindsey’s boss, and his wife Lucy, he watched his married brothers with their
partners. It was the first time he’d really studied the way they interacted
with their mates.

Andrew was the first to get married. He and his long-time
partner, Rory, were just like every couple Tim knew. They had adopted a
daughter, Isabelle, who was now eighteen months old and spoiled rotten, but
absolutely adorable and she was the apple of her daddies’ eyes.

Matt would walk on fire for Janie. Mark and Katy were
perfectly paired. David and Lindsey only had eyes for each other. It was as if nobody
else existed. Of course, they
were
the bride and groom and it was to be
expected. But it was Paul and Nic that had Tim’s attention. He really hadn’t
noticed the way Paul doted on his wife. And it wasn’t just the obvious stuff,
like opening a door or pulling out a chair for her. He held her hand or was
touching her in some way
all
the time. When she was cold, he would drape
his jacket over her shoulders. When she was warm he’d get fresh ice water for
her. He talked to those around him, but he always had one eye on Nic. He sensed
her every desire. He ordered her salad without onions while she was in the
bathroom and when it was served to her, she turned to her husband and smiled,
placing her hand on his cheek and kissing him sweetly.

He helped her stand. He helped her sit. Yes, she was very
pregnant, but he had done it before too, Tim realized. There was a oneness to
them that tugged at his heart just a little. Maybe it was because Paul was just
a couple of years older than Tim, or maybe it was because of Daniel’s death
that was still so very fresh in his mind, but either way, he watched with a
pang of longing he’d not experienced before.

The next morning he arrived at St. Luke’s in his new suit
and sat on the front row as David pledged his eternal love for Lindsey. It was
only a few short months ago that Tim had been teasing his brothers about being
completely whipped, when in fact he was now the teeniest bit jealous.

The ceremony was beautiful. Everyone cried. Well, all the
women cried, especially Maureen. They endured over an hour of having their
photos taken and then they partied in the grand ballroom of The Plaza as some
of New York’s most elite families wished the happy couple well.

Once again, Tim found himself at a table with his older brother
Ben while the dance floor filled with bodies.

“You don’t ever think about it?”

“What?” Ben asked. “Getting married?”

“Well…yeah.”

“No!” He was adamant.

“Really?”

“Really,” Ben replied. “I’m not sure I’m husband material.”

That made Tim think.
Am I?

Ella, his four year old niece didn’t let him consider it for
long. “Please dance with me?”

“How can I ever say no to you?” he grinned and lifted her
into his arms.

“Daddy is always dancing with mommy,” she frowned.

“Well, I will dance with you any time you want,” he grinned.
Looking through the crowd to find Ella’s parents, he located them in the middle
of the dance floor, entwined in each other’s arms, Matt’s cheek resting on the
top of Janie’s head, their eyes closed, and a smile on each of their lips. ‘Wedded
bliss’ is what Matt called his life and the picture in front of him left no
doubt his brother meant it.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” Ella asked.

Tim laughed. “I can’t sweetheart. I’m your uncle…and
way
too old for you.”

“Daddy won’t be my boyfriend either. He says I’m not allowed
to have one.”

“I bet he does,” Tim chuckled.

Hours of dancing and celebrating followed until the groom
took his bride by the hand and led her from the hotel. They were off to Italy
for their honeymoon and the crowd whistled and cheered as the limo whisked them
away. Eventually most of the guests left and Tim sat at the table nursing a
drink. Amanda, an attractive woman he’d met earlier in the evening, slid into
the empty seat next to him. She tilted her head just a little and smiled.

“Interested in continuing the party?” she purred.

Tim held the crystal glass in his hand and swirled the
remaining amber liquid in circles. He lifted it to his lips and swallowed it in
one gulp.

“Let’s get out of here,” he replied as he thumped the glass
on the table.