First Class Rescue (First Class Novels)

by Harmon, AJ

  “That’s his wife!” Emma noted. “A sad day when he went off the market,” she sighed.

  “He’s not cattle!” Beth frowned, but she had to admit that he was gorgeous and would make any woman swoon. Mrs. Lathem was a very lucky woman. “And how do you know all about him?”

  “I read the papers and the magazines. He was New York’s most eligible bachelor for several years a while back, but then he got married. I’d marry a Lathem,” Emma sighed wistfully.

  “We don’t know any Lathems,” Beth said. “And he might be an only child.”

  “Too bad,” Emma sighed again.

  “You do know your dates are sitting right here and can hear you?” Gerald snapped.

  Neither sister responded.

  Their limo pulled forward and the driver once again came to her rescue by opening the door and helping her from the car. The photographers didn’t appear to be very interested in her group so they moved across the carpet and into the hotel quickly.

  Once inside, Beth tensed as Gerald grabbed her elbow to guide her through the throngs of elegantly dressed people to their table. It was towards the back of the massive ballroom and off to the right. There was a tent card in the middle of the table that read 24 – Linton, Clark & Davies, Attorneys at Law.

  “Here we are,” stated Gerald and pulled out a chair for her to sit. He sat to her right and Emma chose to sit next to Gerald instead of next to her. The table seated eight.

  “Are there others joining us?” Beth asked.

  “Probably,” Gerald replied, trying to get the waiters’ attention so he could order a gin.

  Beth sat back and watched the sea of color. The dresses were glamorous and the men all looked like penguins in their black and white ensembles. As the lights began to dim, everyone settled in at their assigned tables and the program began.

  The Executive Director of the humane society welcomed everyone and outlined the program portion of the evening which was to be preceded by dinner and followed by dancing. The waiters and waitresses began delivering the first course of the meal and the hum of voices began to rise. All through dinner a slide show was being played of all the animals that the organization had taken in over the past twelve months. Before and after shots of neglected and starving dogs and cats were heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Flea infested carcasses had blossomed into healthy happy playful dogs that had seemingly forgotten the atrocities inflicted on them by their former owners.

  Beth watched the screen, neglecting her salad of frisse, bleu cheese and pears. Horror filled her as she wondered what kind of people could treat animals with such cruelty, her mind immediately thinking of Cleo. She couldn’t fathom doing anything to harm her best friend.

  Another photo appeared on the screen of a mastiff with its collar embedded in its neck. It was a gruesome sight.

  “In poor taste,” grumbled Gerald. “We are trying to eat here.”

  “Sometimes the shock of seeing this…this brutality will help the viewer to understand the need that’s out there. I believe that these people rely solely on donations to run the shelter,” replied Beth.

  “And we write our check every year for this blasted event,” Gerald all but yelled. “They get my money! I don’t need to be indoctrinated like this.”

  “Plus it’s a great tax write off and we get good PR from it,” added Evan. He wasn’t even watching the slide show.

  “So that’s it?” Beth asked. “Tax deductions and PR?”

  “What else is there?” Gerald huffed. “We have to take pro bono cases and we have to have a cause,” he said, using air quotes around the word. “One of the secretaries suggested this one, so that’s what we do. If someone has a better idea next year then we’ll do something else. We just have to give some money away to make us look like we care about the community.”

  “Wow,” Beth mouthed. She decided to eat her meal in silence. She couldn’t stand to hear anymore.

  Tomato Bisque was the next course served. Beth carefully lifted the spoon to her mouth as to not spill down her dress. That would be mortifying. Gerald refused to eat it because tomato soup was not what he had paid ten thousand dollars to eat. It was certainly not up to his standards.

  “It cost ten thousand dollars?” Emma gasped.

  “For the table,” Evan clarified.

  Nobody else had joined them. It was just the four at them at the table. If this was what Gerald was really like, Beth wasn’t surprised that no one had shown up to be stuck with him after hours. She doubted they were paid enough to be subjected to the additional torture.

  Finally the main course was served. Beth had chosen the chicken. It was delicious. Gerald had the beef. He didn’t seem to care for it much.

  “It’s full of gristle,” he complained to the waiter assigned to their table. “Bring me another.”

  The young man quickly disappeared with the plate, leaving Gerald to continue muttering about the food. In just a matter of minutes, a fresh plate of beef and potatoes was placed in front of him.

  “I suppose this is better,” he admitted grudgingly.

  As guests finished their meal, they began milling around the room, visiting other tables and introducing themselves to each other. Nobody approached the Linton, Clark & Davies, Attorneys at Law group.

  Beth wasn’t really surprised. Her mother had pushed this match since the Christmas party and Beth had almost resigned herself to the fact that she may as well accept her fate and let herself be pushed into a loveless union to make her family happy. But two courses into her dinner and she had changed her mind. She couldn’t spend her life with Gerald. She’d prefer to be alone than with him. Her mother could be disappointed. She didn’t care anymore. Life was too short to be spent being miserable, and that’s what Gerald was – miserable!

  The lights in the ballroom flickered again and the applause began at the front of the room and worked its way back ‘til everyone was on their feet clapping for the man who stood at the podium. Beth recognized him as the star of the new action film that had just opened to rave reviews and a record setting box office take in its first weekend. He waited for everyone to sit and then told his story, with photos behind him on the big screen, of his three dogs that he’d adopted from a local shelter in Los Angeles. There were pictures of them all in bed together, of them playing on the beach, and of them swimming in his pool. It was very sweet.

  Next up was a man who the program claimed to be a rapper. Beth didn’t recognize him as she never listened to rap music. His mouth was full of gold teeth and he had more tattoos than Beth had ever seen on one person. She wondered if he’d borrowed some clothes from a homeless man because his jeans were too big and falling off his ass and his shirt had holes in it. His very white high-top sneakers didn’t have any laces in them either. She snickered at the thought of a homeless man behind the hotel in a tux.

  What little of his speech she could understand, she’d surmised that he’d rescued some pit bulls from a friend who was going to use them for fighting and had credited the dogs with keeping him sober for the past three weeks.

  “Hmm,” she sighed. It would be a lovely story if only, she thought. If only his jeans weren’t almost to his knees. Just as well his t-shirt is too big and he’s standing behind a podium, she snickered to herself.

  The crowd clapped politely as he left the stage and a montage of celebrities with their cats and dogs was shown on the screen as a Harry Connick, Jr. wannabe sang a song he’d written entitled Furry Kisses. If you could overlook the title, it was a pleasant tune and his voice was pretty good. However without the cute photos, it would have bombed.

  Beth looked over at Emma. She was playing with Evan’s tie with one hand and rubbing his thigh with the other. She shook her head and glanced at Gerald. His eyes were closed. She waited for him to snore but at least he had the good sense not to.

  12.

  Tim stood off to the side of the stage behind a large spray of flowers with Rob Wheeler.

  �
��I don’t think I can do this,’ Rob stuttered out.

  “Of course you can,” Tim encouraged. “You’re going to be the highlight of the night. You’ve got your speech right?”

  Rob nodded and pulled the papers from his pocket. Unfolding them, he scanned the words and sighed.

  Tim patted his upper arm. “Just read what you wrote and it will all be great.”

  The Executive Director was back at the podium announcing the next speaker…Rob. The room clapped and Rob hesitantly placed his foot on the first step and looked back at Tim.

  “You’ll do great,” Tim smiled.

  Rob nodded and took the three steps up to the stage and slowly walked to the podium. Laying his papers in front of him, he took a deep breath.

  “In October of last year, I responded with my unit to a fire in Greenwich Village. By the time we got there, the blaze was clearly out of control and I knew in my gut we would lose the building. But doing what any firefighters would do, Daniel Welch and I entered the structure to make sure that all civilians had made it out. The smoke was so thick and so black that our flashlights only illuminated about eighteen inches in front of us, and even with radio communication, we quickly became disoriented. As we tried to find our way back out, a large beam overhead fell and knocked us to the ground, leaving us both unconscious. I don’t know how long I was out for, but when I came to, the fire was all around us and I knew if we didn’t move we would die then and there.”

  The room was still…silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Rob took another deep breath and continued.

  “I dragged Daniel in the direction I thought was an exit, only to find the way out engulfed in flames, so I felt my way along the wall until we came to another door and was able to break it down and escape the flames. But Daniel wasn’t as lucky as me.” Rob gulped and wiped his eye. “I got him out but not soon enough. Daniel didn’t make it.”

  Audible gasps were heard all around the ballroom. Tim, still off to the side of the stage, closed his eyes and lowered his head.

  “Physically, the doctors said I was fine, so I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning and the thought of going back to work made me physically sick. There was other stuff too but I won’t bore you with it all. My Captain said I needed to meet with a therapist and that’s when I met Dr. Jenna Francis. She diagnosed me with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, right away and I began therapy sessions with her regularly. I don’t want to say that they weren’t helping, but I wasn’t feeling any better. She kept telling me that it would take time and I knew that my marriage wouldn’t survive if it took too long.”

  Tim looked up to see his mother and his sisters-in-law wiping at that eyes. They weren’t the only ones deeply touched by Rob’s story. Rob’s wife sat at a nearby table and Tim could see how difficult it was for her to keep her emotions in control. It must have been a terrible few months for her too. He looked back up at the stage. He couldn’t have been any prouder of Rob. He was doing a fantastic job.

  “And then one day I met a friend in the park and after that day my life changed. This is Izzy,” Rob said looking behind him at the large screen and a photo of him and Izzy sitting on the same park bench where Tim had met him several months ago. The crowd sighed collectively and Rob smiled.

  “Izzy has saved my life, saved my job, and saved my marriage,” Rob continued. “Through the efforts of my doctor, this organization, and my friend,” Rob turned and smiled at Tim, “I have my life back. Now, I’m not saying I’m all better, but I’m well on my way and I will be forever grateful. Thank you.”

  Every person in the room stood and clapped loudly.

  *****

  Every person in the room stood and clapped loudly. Every person except Gerald.

  “This is boring,” he muttered.

  As Beth sat down tears were streaming down her face, the result of the poignant story and heartfelt words of the fireman.

  “May I have your handkerchief?” Beth sniffed, reaching for Gerald’s breast pocket.

  “NO!” he snapped. “You’ll ruin the ensemble.”

  “You are a bloody wanker, you know that?” Beth shoved her chair back and stomped towards the back of the ballroom and out to the ladies room.

  Gerald shook his head and turned back to the table. Evan and Emma looked as though they were about to make-out at any moment, so he looked at the stage to the Executive Director who was announcing the next speaker. “This is really going to go on forever,” he muttered.

  Beth snuck back in as the crowd was clapping. She slipped back into her seat, a wad of toilet paper in her hand.

  “Classy,” he frowned.

  “Sod off!” She blew her nose again and froze. His voice!

  Beth lifted her eyes and peered over the heads in front of her to see the tall, dark-haired fireman dressed in a tux standing at the podium. His voice was like hot chocolate warming her from the inside out. After all these months to see him now! She tried to concentrate on what he was saying.

  “The FDNY is grateful to be working with the humane society to provide companions to those in our department who are suffering from PTSD. Here is just a sample of what we are doing.”

  Tim stepped back from the microphone as a video started to play.

  “This is my daddy and this is Aggie,” a young blue-eyed girl said into the camera. “Daddy was sad before Aggie came to live with us, but now he’s not sad anymore and he loves us again.”

  The crowd sighed once more.

  “Hi, my name is Lieutenant Grayson and I was diagnosed with PTSD a couple of years ago. My family and I have had a rough go of it, but with the addition of Clay, here,” he patted the Rottweiler beside him, “well, things are getting better. And I only see it continuing to get better.”

  More sighs and people blowing their noses, Beth included. The video had a couple more short stories of the amazing results seen by firemen using therapy dogs. As the screen went black, Tim returned to the podium.

  “Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity of working with many of these fine men and these incredible animals. It has truly been a privilege to be a part of this…this effort. On a personal level, I want to give my mom a shout out for encouraging me to get out and do something for someone else and for my sister-in-law Janie for dragging me to the shelter the first time I volunteered. It was exactly what I needed to pull myself out of the depression I was in after I was dumped by a girl.” He smiled and chuckles could be heard throughout the ballroom.

  Beth gasped.

  “So I guess you don’t have to have PTSD to reap the benefits of a shelter dog,” he grinned. “A broken heart will also qualify you.”

  More chuckles. Beth gulped, fighting back the tears that were quickly filling her eyes.

  “But back to the business at hand,” Tim continued.

  Beth couldn’t control it. The tears spilled quickly and she tried to swallow the sob that bubbled up. She attempted to stand but the chair leg was snagging on the carpet and wouldn’t push back.

  “Bloody hell!” she muttered as she shoved the chair a little harder than necessary and it tipped over backwards, hitting the chair behind hers. All eyes swung towards her and the tears continued to fall. She turned and ran.

  Tim looked up to see the woman on his left. “Beth?” he whispered.

  *****

  After the woman had run from the ballroom, all eyes were back on Tim. Tim, however, was unable to focus on anything but the sight of Beth zigzagging through the tables, running through the rear doors and out of sight. He didn’t know how many seconds or minutes had passed before he felt a warm hand cover his.

  “Let’s finish this shall we?” Janie whispered in his ear.

  Tim turned to look at his sister-in-law. “It was Beth,” he whispered.

  Janie nodded and pulled the plaque from the shelf under the podium and handed it to Tim.

  “The FDNY… would like…to present this…plaque…to the humane society for…for
their donations and…and cooperation in the pilot program, Doctor Dogs.”

  The Director accepted the award. They shook hands and Tim and Janie exited the stage.

  “Who’s Beth?” Janie asked as the music began.

  “I’ve gotta go,” Tim said and ran from her. He stopped for a brief moment and hugged Rob and then disappeared through the double doors.

  Out on the sidewalk he searched left and right. He asked the doorman if he’d seen Beth and he crossed the street and continued to look. She was nowhere to be seen.

  “Shit!” he yelled and got an odd look from the couple walking past him at that exact moment.

  “Sorry,” he frowned and dodged the cars as he crossed the street again. He stood at the front door of the hotel and looked inside. He couldn’t go back in.

  13.

  “What is wrong with you?” Emma banged on Beth’s bedroom door. “Let me in.”

  Beth pulled the blanket over her head and tried to hide. Eventually she’d have to get up and face the world. Emma was going home today and she should say goodbye.

  When Beth had run from the ballroom the night before, she’d run to the ladies room and stayed there ‘til it was time to leave. Emma had texted her and told her they were in the lobby waiting to go so Beth had crept out of the bathroom, all but sprinted to the sidewalk and slid into the limo. She was a sight - her makeup was ruined from crying. Mascara streaks stained her cheeks, her eyes were puffy and her nose was red. Gerald didn’t say much on the ride back to their apartment, but she assumed that he figured there was no chance of a relationship between them. For that small mercy she was grateful.

  She’d collected Cleo from across the hall and then hidden in her bedroom all night. Emma pounded again.

  “Fine!” Beth grumbled and climbed from her bed, unlocked her door and then crawled back under the covers.

  “So that was Tim last night? The guy we went to dinner with last year?”

  Beth grunted in the affirmative.