Rescue Me

by Nikki Ryan

  “Great.”

  Alyssa followed Helena out of the city to one of the neighboring towns. They spent the afternoon touring the three houses Helena had chosen. One was too small and didn’t have a garage, while another had white cabinets in the kitchen with the ugliest granite countertop Alyssa had ever seen. The third house had promise from the outside as they both parked their vehicles out front. Helena had boasted about this property, telling her it had just been placed on the market.

  “This little gem will sell quickly,” she said.

  Alyssa stepped out of the car and surveyed her surroundings. It was a 2200 square foot, four bedroom, and two and a half bath, Dutch Colonial home.

  Helena opened the front door. Alyssa immediately fell in love with the layout. She followed Helena into the kitchen and was relieved to see the honey colored oak cabinetry. It was a newly renovated gourmet kitchen with an island containing a deep, farmhouse style, hammered copper sink. She didn’t need to see anything else. She wanted this house yesterday!

  “So, here we are in the great room. As you can see, there are French doors leading out to the large back deck.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Alyssa stood looking out onto the manicured back yard. Someone had definitely been a green thumb or hired someone professionally. Off the deck, a cobblestone patio with a large Jacuzzi that had been placed off to the side. The lawn was neat and tidy. Alyssa envisioned herself sitting outside sipping lemonade while she watched her child play.

  Alyssa turned and walked over to the marble fireplace.

  “Is this gas?”

  “Yes, dear. And the cathedral ceilings make this great room look very big, don’t you think?”

  “Helena, I was sold on this house the moment we walked into the kitchen.” They both laughed.

  Helena continued the tour. The master bedroom, bath and walk- in-closet took up half of the upstairs. There was a decent sized bedroom close to the master. The nursery. Alyssa pictured the room all decorated with pale blue walls for calmness, and mahogany furniture. She’d have a rocker in the corner of the room where she would sit late at night breast feeding. She thought of Sam. She imagined her and Sam sitting in the middle of this room, putting the baby’s furniture together before the big day. A deep sadness pierced her heart. He would love this place.

  She turned to follow Helena down the stairs.

  “I want this house.”

  “Great. Are you sure? It’s only the third one you’ve looked at.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Okay. Let’s go back to my office and we’ll get the process started.”

  “Wonderful.”

  She left Helena’s office an hour later and called Kat who was at the hospital. She’d left a message for her to call during her next break. Alyssa couldn’t wait to tell her best friend about this house.

  Alyssa pulled in front of her apartment and parked. She grabbed the two grocery bags in the back seat and headed inside. Sam opened his door. He was dressed for work and carried a duffle bag. Their eyes met. He glanced at her growing tummy and looked away. He looked sad. Really sad. Alyssa wanted to go to him and throw her arms around him. But she didn’t. She turned to look back at him. Their eyes met again. A faint smile crossed his lips. He opened his car door and was gone for the night.

  Alyssa went inside and began putting the groceries away. She grabbed the bag of Reece’s peanut butter cup minis, poured herself a glass of milk and had a pity party for one on the living room couch. Eight peanut butter cups, two glasses of milk and one colossal stomach ache later, Alyssa got up and put the candy bag in the pantry. She grabbed tums from the bathroom and laid back down on the couch, cuddling into the fleece throw she had draped over the couch.

  Alyssa woke to the ding of her cell phone. She grabbed the phone from the coffee table. There was a voice message from Kat and a text from Sam. She read Sam’s text first.

  You looked good today. I know you never want to talk to me again but I needed you to know that I miss you.

  Alyssa pondered her response. She missed him too. Like crazy! But what about Tiffany? She hadn’t seen Tiffany or her car in the parking lot since that fate-full morning three weeks ago. But was she ready for the truth?

  What about your ex? Did she look good today too?

  A few minutes passed when she heard the next ding.

  Lys. That was a huge misunderstanding and I’d like to explain myself to you in person. But I will say, nothing happened.

  She walked out your front door in the morning, Sam. Come on, I’m not an idiot! Don’t insult my intelligence.

  I never meant to insult you and it’s the truth. Nothing happened that night. She had found my key under the rock and let herself in. She was drunk. I told her nothing was going to happen between us. I slept in my bed alone! She slept in the spare bedroom. I wanted you there, Alyssa, not her.

  Alyssa thought about his story. It did make sense. She would have heard them if they had done anything. But he would have known that and would have sex anywhere but his bedroom. Could she trust him?

  I don’t know if I can trust you, Sam. I want to but this is the second time I caught you with another woman.

  You make it sound like you caught me in the act. That’s not fair, Alyssa. And you know it.

  A few minutes later, the phone chimed again.

  How’s the baby?

  Alyssa sat cross-legged on the couch and chewed her finger nail. Should she tell him that the baby wasn’t his concern anymore? No. That would be mean.

  Growing like a weed. I had a sonogram last week and learned the sex.

  Kat had gone with her to that appointment. They’d both cried as they watched the baby suck her thumb on the big screen.

  Ten minutes had passed since her last text. Maybe he had to go on a call. Alyssa jumped when she heard someone knock on the door. She wasn’t expecting anybody. She peered through the peephole and held her breathe as she opened the door.

  Sam stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets. He looked incredibly sexy. It had been almost a month since she’d had sex and the pregnancy hormones weren’t helping. She wanted to jump him right there.

  “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at work.”

  “I can’t work tonight. I asked another guy to cover the rest of my shift. I needed to be with you.”

  Alyssa nodded and stepped out of the way, allowing him entry. He turned towards her when she shut the door. His hands lightly caressed where his baby lay. His eyes jumped to hers when he felt the fluttering for the first time.

  “Wow! That was amazing! Does it hurt you?”

  Alyssa giggled.

  “No. But I’m sure it will as the baby gets bigger and stronger.”

  “What are we having, Lys?”

  Alyssa gazed into his eyes. She wanted to remind him that it was her baby but she knew it could never just be hers. She thought about the house. She couldn’t deny Sam. After all, he was right. She didn’t catch him in any compromising position. And if she was being honest with herself, it was Tiffany who had kissed him, not the other way around.

  “It’s a girl!”

  Sam’s eyes welled up with tears. He knelt down in front of her, lifted her shirt and kissed her belly.

  “Hi, princess. It’s your daddy. I love you so much.” The baby rewarded him with another kick.

  Sam looked up at Alyssa and smiled. “She knows who I am, Lys.”

  “Yes, she does.”

  They spent the rest of the evening making love and reconnecting. Alyssa smiled as he pulled her into him.

  They both slept better that night than they had in the last three weeks combined.

  * * * * *

  The week flew by for Alyssa. She hadn’t seen a lot of Sam as he had taken on an additional shift for one of the guys at work.

  Alyssa placed the last folded article of clothing on top of the others when the phone rang. She scooped up the pile and reached for the phone. The caller ID told her that it was Helen
a.

  “Hi, Helena. Tell me you have good news.”

  “I’m sorry, dear, I’m afraid I don’t,” she said. “I just spoke with the seller’s agent and they accepted another buyer’s offer. Apparently, they are paying for the house in cash.”

  “In cash?” Alyssa was crushed.

  “Don’t worry, dear. The good news is that there is a house similar to this one that has just been listed.”

  Alyssa barely registered Helena’s words as she sat down on her bed and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

  “I see,” she said.

  “When would you like to see it? I’m available in the afternoon tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Umm . . . in the afternoon? I can do any time after four.”

  “Great. How about you swing by the office after four then.”

  Alyssa hung up the phone after they exchanged goodbyes. She rubbed her belly.

  “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll find us a home.”

  Just then the phone rang again. It was Sam.

  “Hi, Sam,”

  “Hey, sweet girl. What’s wrong? You sound sad.”

  “I found the house of my dreams, put a bid on it and lost to someone who paid cash for the entire thing.”

  There was a long pause before Sam spoke again.

  “I’m sorry, Lys. I had no idea you were looking for houses.”

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you. I started looking when you and I weren’t speaking. But Helena has another house for me to check out tomorrow, so we’ll see.”

  Another pause.

  “For the record, you weren’t speaking to me. I wanted to speak to you. Well, good luck. Let me know if you want me to walk through with you.”

  “That would be great. I’d like that. Was there another reason for you calling me?”

  “Oh shit. Right. I wanted to remind you that my sister’s wedding is next month and I booked a room for us at the Inn near the reception venue.”

  “Oh, I completely forgot about the wedding. Thank you for doing that. We should probably go shopping for a wedding gift one of these days,” Alyssa said.

  “We could do it tomorrow after we look at the house.”

  “That sounds great. And you can take me out to dinner afterwards. I’m always hungry these days.”

  Sam laughed.

  “It would be my pleasure to feed both of my girls.”

  They chatted more about the baby when the alarm sounded at the firehouse.

  “Gotta go, Lys. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Holy shit, man. What are the chances of that happening?” Jesse said from the driver’s seat. They were suited up and headed towards the Charles River where a runner witnessed a car take a plunge with a family still locked inside.

  “That’s crazy,” one of the other fighters added from the back seat. “I can’t believe you bought the house in cash. Who the fuck can afford to do that?”

  “I just can’t believe I bought the house she wanted and didn’t even know it. What luck?”

  “Think she’ll be pissed?” Jesse asked.

  “Shit! I hope not. It’s no picnic when she’s mad at me.”

  “Join the world of married men, my friend,” John chimed in.

  They all laughed. Jesse pulled the truck along the river bank where a crowd had formed.

  “They’re still under the water. Hurry!” said one of the bystanders.

  Sam and Jesse quickly donned their wetsuits and diving equipment. The two men descended down through the cold dark water. The only light that shown through the murkiness came from their flashlights. Jesse spotted the vehicle first and kept the light on it for Sam to see. Sam swam to the driver’s side and shined a light through the window. There were three victims. Two adults, the male was conscious, and one child. He signaled to Jesse to rescue the female. Without hesitation, he used his window punch to break the driver’s window. He swept the tiny shards of tempered glass away with his right hand before reaching in and cutting the seatbelt with the opposite side of his tool. The man swam passed Sam like he was in the water with a barracuda and wore millions of sparkling diamonds. He swam upwards to the surface; stirring up debris around the vehicle as he went. Sam then broke the window opposite from the child and swam through the window. Jesse had just removed the unconscious female and was bringing her to the surface. He needed to get the child out immediately. He cut the harness off the car seat and pulled the lifeless body to his chest. The two of them ascended as fast as Sam could go. Paramedics were at the water’s edge ready to transport the three victims to the nearest hospital.

  “Child’s unconscious,” Sam told her. She grabbed the baby and ran her to the truck. Within minutes, the sirens were on and they were on their way.

  “Thank you so much,” the gentlemen wrapped in a blanket said to Sam. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “She’s in the best hands right now.”

  “They took my wife already. I didn’t want to leave until I knew you had Sarah. Thank you.”

  Sam placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

  “Are you a father?” he asked.

  “Soon to be, yes.”

  “That’s great. Just great! They change your life forever.” The man shook Sam’s hand as the paramedics prepared to lift him into the truck.

  “That was fast work, my friend.”

  Sam turned as Jesse approached.

  “Yea. Let’s hope there’s a happy ending.”

  They stayed until the car had been removed from its shadowy grave. Then headed back to the firehouse.

  The Chief greeted them in the garage.

  “Good work, men. I just got a status update on both of the female victims. Medical personnel was successful in reviving both of them. They have more testing to do, but I hear they’re both responsive. So that’s positive.”

  Sam was happy to hear that. He had been shocked at how deeply that baby had affected him. He thought about his unborn child and his body shivered. He stepped into the lieutenant’s quarters, laid on his bed and called Alyssa. He needed to hear her voice and know that everything was okay.

  “Hi there. Was it an easy call?” she asked.

  “Hey.” Dead silence. “Near drowning. A family trapped in the car. The baby looked to have been six months old.”

  “Oh my God, Sam. Are they okay? Are you okay?”

  “They’re all responsive right now. So that’s a good sign. I just needed to hear your voice.”

  “Oh, honey. I love you. Your daughter and I are just fine.”

  “Okay. Well, I’m going to shower and get something to eat. They made tacos tonight.”

  “I love tacos.”

  Sam laughed. His girl did love food.

  “I know this, sweet girl. I cook for you, remember?”

  “Will you make me tacos tomorrow night?”

  “I’d be happy to.” Tacos two nights in a row, he could definitely handle. Sam felt better having talked with her. He grabbed clean uniforms and headed towards the shower room.

  Jesse had just finished. He was busy getting dressed when Sam walked in. Their lockers were next to one and other.

  “You okay?” Jesse asked. He had noticed something different in Sam as they sat watching the wrecker pull the car out of the water. He had been very quiet. Jesse guessed it had something to do with the baby. He had overheard him talking to Alyssa in their room as he gathered his personal items before showering. His friend had fallen hard for this girl. He was happy for him. Really happy for him. He couldn’t wait to tell his girlfriend, Shelley. She’ll never believe that the infamous playboy is off the market.

  “Yea. The baby affected me with Alyssa being pregnant and all. I realized that I won’t always be there to protect them. What if something like that happened to her and Alyssa? I . . .” Sam wiped his face with his hand before looking at his friend. “She’s my best friend. I can’t live without her or the baby. They’re my
life.”

  “I thought I was your best friend?” Jesse said. He loved to joke with Sam but he knew what his friend said to him was real. He had been witnessing it for some time now. The guy practically lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she enters the building.

  “You are but she gives better head.”

  “Fuck you, man.” They both laughed. Jesse left Sam to his own thoughts. He had started on his third taco when Sam appeared in the common room. He grabbed a plate and started filling his taco shells.

  “Hey, Sam. I hear you’ve gone all pussy whipped on us. That can’t be true, can it?” Moose asked. He was the oldest member of the group and had trained Sam when he first came on. The man loved busting his balls more than anything else. He hadn’t seen the man for the past two months since he was out on disability due to a broken arm. Apparently, he needed to get away from the wife and decided to hide out at the firehouse for a while.

  Sam glanced at Jesse who had his mouth full of taco.

  “Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell him.”

  “He didn’t, Sam,” Moose said. “My wife ran into your mother the other day. Told her how you’ve hung up your playboy jacket and all.”

  Sam rolled his head heavenward. Mother! He really needed to have a word with her.

  “Yea. Well. What can I say? You’ve met Alyssa.”

  Moose got up from the couch to pour himself another cup of coffee. He walked over to where Sam stood and looked him in the eye.

  “She’s been cleaning my family’s teeth for years. She’s a good girl, Sam. If you hurt her, Marg will wrap your ball sack around your neck and strangle you with it. Mark my words.”

  Sam cringed at the imagery and had no doubt that Moose’s wife would do just that.

  “I don’t plan on it, Moose.”

  “Good. Now go eat.”

  “Gee thanks, Dad.”

  Sam was thankful that the rest of his shift had been uneventful. He heard the shower running when he walked through Alyssa’s front door and undressed himself as he climbed the stairs to the bathroom. He grabbed a towel in the closet, placed it on the floor next to hers and pulled the curtain away.

  “Hi, baby.” Alyssa jumped.