Jimmy Doherty, that's me, lived for his son. Joey was the only thing
I had left in the world and I didn't get to see my son as much as I would
like to. That left me with work. I love my job, even if it did mean seeing
my ex-wife Kim Zambrano, and it helps me forget about things for awhile. If
the fire was a five-alarm and there was a risk of losing my "brothers",
there always was, my heart somehow managed to give me the rush of
adrenaline I needed. I found it addicting.
When Officer Maurice Boscorelli walked in with a curly-haired, vibrant-eyed, smiling image of a goddess on his arm, I felt a little bit of that adrenaline race through my veins. I also thought he'd fall of his chair in shock. How did an arrogant putz like Boscorelli get someone like her? I swallowed a piece of my omelette and tried to make it look like I wasn't looking at her.
Too late. The goddess had seen me sneaking a peek at her and had smiled in my direction. For some reason, I couldn't even manage to smile back. Me, Jimmy "Lady Killer" Doherty. Instead I just stared. I bit down to chew, incoherently forgetting I had swallowed, and instead bit down on my tongue.
"Damnit," I hissed. I sucked the drop of blood of my tongue.
"Hey, Doherty," a voice called across the room. I looked up. Bosco and his lady friend were walking my away. Be cool, Jimmy. She's already caught you gawking at her, all you need to do now is say something incredibly mortifying and you can kiss this fantasy goodbye. "This here is my friend, Raeanne. She's a journalist with the Times and she's writing a piece about the officers and firefighters and how 9-11 is effecting their holidays."
"Hi, beautiful," I smiled. Like that. Jesus, Doherty, could you be any more turned on by this girl? Raeanne smiled at me, looking me over once or twice.
Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe she likes being hit on straight out of the gates and that's how Boscorelli scored the catch.
"Hi, yourself handsome," she shot back without hesitation. Bosco glanced quickly at his companion. I couldn't help but grin.
"Anyway," Bosco cleared his throat. He wrapped his arm around her waist, which caused Raeanne to shoot him a confused look. Bosco ignored it, looking back to me.
"What did you need, Boscorelli?" I asked, smug with the thought that maybe she wasn't exactly comfortable with Bosco being so "friendly" with her. Bosco's eyes caught something.
"Never mind, I'll talk to Taylor," he replied. He left Raeanne to go talk with Alex Taylor, one of the only two females in the fire station. Raeanne looked after him.
"Want some omelette?" I offered her. She turned her head toward me, her eyes still lingering on Bosco.
"What?" she asked, finally dragging her pupils off of him.
"Want some omelette?" I repeated.
"No thanks, I ate at Bosco's," she sat down across from me. I felt my heart sink. Maybe they are involved after all. Only one way to find out. Well, two, but I didn't really feel like having Boscorelli fly across the room and try to beat me up.
"How long have you two been a thing?" I smiled politely. She looked like she might pass out with laughter.
"Bosco and I are just good friends. I spent the night at his house last night because he wanted to talk," she giggled. I grinned.
"Bosco wanted to talk? As in sit down and have an in-depth conversation with you?" I questioned. Raeanne nodded. "I'm sorry, I just can't imagine him being the talking type."
"Oh, yea. He's very talkative, you just have to talk about the right subjects to really get him started," she said as if it were the best-known fact in the world.
"I bet your boyfriend gets jealous whenever you spend the night at Bosco's," I winked.
"No boyfriend at all," she shrugged. Jackpot.
"A gorgeous girl like you in a huge city such as this, and you can't find a guy?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she retorted. I shook my head. "Well, why can't a gorgeous guy like you find a girl in a huge city such as this?"
"Because," I said after careful thought. "I'm bad with women."
"That's a lame excuse," she jested.
"It's true. My wife Kim and I had Joey and then we divorced. I was getting married, but I kind of screwed that over with a really bad mistake,"
"Sorry," she blushed.
"Okay, it's all set," Bosco re-joined us. Raeanne and I looked at him. "Faith and I are on-duty, so we're going to get going. We'll get busted for hanging around. I'm going to leave you here, and after you're done you can call a cab."
"What happens if they get called out to a fire?" she asked.
"Well, then you can hang around and wait for us to come back or you could still call a cab," I offered. Raeanne smiled gratefully. Bosco reached in his pocket then gave her a $20 and a $5.
"I really have to hit the road," he apologized. He leaned down and hugged her. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, but before he straightened himself up, he gave her a peck on the check. I could hardly contain myself from rolling my eyes. "I'll call you, okay?"
"Sure," Raeanne smiled. She turned back to me.
"Shall we begin with the interrogation?" I smiled.
"Where do you want to start?" she asked. She slid a legal pad across the table. I caught it, glanced over it, and returned my gaze to her. Here goes nothing.
"How about this question? What's your phone number?"
When Officer Maurice Boscorelli walked in with a curly-haired, vibrant-eyed, smiling image of a goddess on his arm, I felt a little bit of that adrenaline race through my veins. I also thought he'd fall of his chair in shock. How did an arrogant putz like Boscorelli get someone like her? I swallowed a piece of my omelette and tried to make it look like I wasn't looking at her.
Too late. The goddess had seen me sneaking a peek at her and had smiled in my direction. For some reason, I couldn't even manage to smile back. Me, Jimmy "Lady Killer" Doherty. Instead I just stared. I bit down to chew, incoherently forgetting I had swallowed, and instead bit down on my tongue.
"Damnit," I hissed. I sucked the drop of blood of my tongue.
"Hey, Doherty," a voice called across the room. I looked up. Bosco and his lady friend were walking my away. Be cool, Jimmy. She's already caught you gawking at her, all you need to do now is say something incredibly mortifying and you can kiss this fantasy goodbye. "This here is my friend, Raeanne. She's a journalist with the Times and she's writing a piece about the officers and firefighters and how 9-11 is effecting their holidays."
"Hi, beautiful," I smiled. Like that. Jesus, Doherty, could you be any more turned on by this girl? Raeanne smiled at me, looking me over once or twice.
Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe she likes being hit on straight out of the gates and that's how Boscorelli scored the catch.
"Hi, yourself handsome," she shot back without hesitation. Bosco glanced quickly at his companion. I couldn't help but grin.
"Anyway," Bosco cleared his throat. He wrapped his arm around her waist, which caused Raeanne to shoot him a confused look. Bosco ignored it, looking back to me.
"What did you need, Boscorelli?" I asked, smug with the thought that maybe she wasn't exactly comfortable with Bosco being so "friendly" with her. Bosco's eyes caught something.
"Never mind, I'll talk to Taylor," he replied. He left Raeanne to go talk with Alex Taylor, one of the only two females in the fire station. Raeanne looked after him.
"Want some omelette?" I offered her. She turned her head toward me, her eyes still lingering on Bosco.
"What?" she asked, finally dragging her pupils off of him.
"Want some omelette?" I repeated.
"No thanks, I ate at Bosco's," she sat down across from me. I felt my heart sink. Maybe they are involved after all. Only one way to find out. Well, two, but I didn't really feel like having Boscorelli fly across the room and try to beat me up.
"How long have you two been a thing?" I smiled politely. She looked like she might pass out with laughter.
"Bosco and I are just good friends. I spent the night at his house last night because he wanted to talk," she giggled. I grinned.
"Bosco wanted to talk? As in sit down and have an in-depth conversation with you?" I questioned. Raeanne nodded. "I'm sorry, I just can't imagine him being the talking type."
"Oh, yea. He's very talkative, you just have to talk about the right subjects to really get him started," she said as if it were the best-known fact in the world.
"I bet your boyfriend gets jealous whenever you spend the night at Bosco's," I winked.
"No boyfriend at all," she shrugged. Jackpot.
"A gorgeous girl like you in a huge city such as this, and you can't find a guy?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she retorted. I shook my head. "Well, why can't a gorgeous guy like you find a girl in a huge city such as this?"
"Because," I said after careful thought. "I'm bad with women."
"That's a lame excuse," she jested.
"It's true. My wife Kim and I had Joey and then we divorced. I was getting married, but I kind of screwed that over with a really bad mistake,"
"Sorry," she blushed.
"Okay, it's all set," Bosco re-joined us. Raeanne and I looked at him. "Faith and I are on-duty, so we're going to get going. We'll get busted for hanging around. I'm going to leave you here, and after you're done you can call a cab."
"What happens if they get called out to a fire?" she asked.
"Well, then you can hang around and wait for us to come back or you could still call a cab," I offered. Raeanne smiled gratefully. Bosco reached in his pocket then gave her a $20 and a $5.
"I really have to hit the road," he apologized. He leaned down and hugged her. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, but before he straightened himself up, he gave her a peck on the check. I could hardly contain myself from rolling my eyes. "I'll call you, okay?"
"Sure," Raeanne smiled. She turned back to me.
"Shall we begin with the interrogation?" I smiled.
"Where do you want to start?" she asked. She slid a legal pad across the table. I caught it, glanced over it, and returned my gaze to her. Here goes nothing.
"How about this question? What's your phone number?"