Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for being your always awesome selves. You're the best, ladies! Huge thanks to Mari for pitching in again!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
You Never Forget Your First (A McRoll in the REAL World Story by Mari and Ilna)
Big City Diner, Oahu
After adding a generous dollop to Angie's French fries, Joseph passed the ketchup to his daughter and chuckled at her husband's usual grimace when she added it to her eggs. "Thanks, Dad. God, I'm starving."
"Want some?" She offered Steve the bottle for his burger.
"I'm good." He shook his head and took a bite. "Thanks again for meeting us here with the kids," he told his in-laws. They'd both run late. Catherine got caught in bumper to bumper traffic after a meeting on the north shore and the team had a case where Steve and Danny had to interview an inmate at Halawa.
"Our pleasure." Elizabeth smiled. "We got extra time with Angie and DJ. They even had time for a bingo game with Grandma Ang before she and the ladies had their supper gathering so meeting up here for dinner was a great idea. Neither of you had to cook after a long day."
"I'm gonna tell Kaitlyn, Jacob, and Aunt Jenna me and Mommy had breakfast for dinner," Angie said as she took a bite of her scrambled eggs. "These are very very yummy."
"And the burgers are really good here, right, Daddy?" DJ had ordered the same deluxe burger as Steve. "Even though Uncle Danny says Hawaii has 'not-diners that are trying to be like New Jersey.' " He laughed at the phrase he'd heard often from his uncle.
"If you can't finish all your dinner, we'll take it home for a little Smokey and Cammie treat," his grandmother said. "So save room for dessert."
"I remember those exact words from Gram." Catherine grinned. "I'd never feel bad about not finishing the giant portions at the diner because Salty would get a treat."
"Speaking of Salty…" Joseph said. "I spoke to Rick Green yesterday."
"Who's that, Grandpa?" Angie tilted her head and bit into a ketchupy waffle fry.
"A friend we met when your mommy was a little older than DJ."
Catherine nodded when the kids looked over at her. "I don't think I've ever told you that story."
"Tell us now!" Angie said excitedly as DJ nodded his agreement. "Please!"
She smiled. "Well, like Grandpa said, I was a little older than DJ …"
1989
"Oop," an eleven-year-old Catherine said with a chuckle when the leash pulled taut as Salty stopped yet again on their walk to sniff at a patch of foliage. "We're stopping again. As usual."
Joseph grinned. "Yep, walking with Salty isn't so much a walk as a stop 'n' sniff."
She nodded, watching her beloved three-year-old shepherd mix fondly. "Mom says it's like a song we used to do in storytime at the library." She began to sing as Salty started walking again. "And we walk and we walk and we walk and we stop." She laughed when Salty did exactly that.
Joseph joined her laughing and wrapped an arm around her. "At least we're not in any hurry."
Suddenly Salty looked up and Catherine and Joseph followed his gaze to the house across the street.
"Dad, there's a loose dog over there," Catherine said.
"I see him," Joseph said, automatically stepping in front of his daughter and their dog as the other dog approached. It appeared to also be a shepherd mix, black with a tan snout, chest, and feet. It trotted over curiously, not displaying any signs of aggression or threatening behavior. When he reached them, he moved to greet Salty by sniffing his nose and mouth and Salty did the same.
"He doesn't have a collar or any tags," Catherine said, as they watched the interaction carefully and observed what they could about the new dog.
"No …" Joseph said slowly, looking around for any sight of the dog's human. "And I don't see anyone looking for him."
"What do we do? We can't leave him out here."
"Definitely not," Joseph agreed. "He seems very interested in Salty, maybe the three of us can lead him home and we can get him in the yard so we can call the animal services unit."
"Good idea," Catherine said with a nod. "Come on, Salty, let's bring our new friend home so he'll be safe while we find his family."
They started walking down the street and the dog followed along, still sniffing Salty.
"He looks happy," Catherine observed.
"And not very scrawny or disheveled," Joseph added. "I don't think he's been loose for long."
"Come on, pup pup pup," Catherine coaxed when the dog veered off briefly to mark a shrub. Salty then stopped to sniff the spot. "Let's go, sweet boys." She clicked her tongue to encourage them.
Salty started walking again and the dog immediately followed.
"I think they're friends already," Catherine said, and Joseph smiled.
"Salty is such a good dog, he can make friends with anyone."
"Which is good or we might not be able to get this poor lost pup home." When the dog made another detour into a yard, she again said, "Hey, pup pup pup, come on."
They continued like this for the half mile back to their house and Salty led the dog into the backyard as if he knew that was the plan. They took Salty inside, leaving the other dog safely in the yard.
"What's going on?" Elizabeth said, meeting them at the backdoor and looking out back at the dog now exploring their backyard.
"We found a lost dog!" Catherine exclaimed. "Salty helped us lead him back here so we can call the animal services unit and find his family."
"Well, that certainly deserves a special treat for our sweet hero," Elizabeth said. They headed into the kitchen and while Elizabeth found a yummy treat for Salty, Joseph paged through the base phone book for the number for the animal services unit.
Catherine returned to the backdoor to make sure the dog was okay. "I think we should give him some food," she said as her mother joined her. "If he's been outside all night he might be hungry."
Elizabeth nodded her agreement. "And a bowl of water." She smiled. "Oh. Looks like he's already partaking of Salty's bowl out there."
"I don't think Salty minds," Catherine said.
"Not our good boy. But I do think we should keep Salty inside. We don't know that dog, and while they might have been friendly on their walk here, we don't know how he'll react to being in the yard for however long it takes the animal services unit to arrive."
Catherine nodded her understanding. She leaned down to hug her pup. "I'm sorry, Salty. I know you want to go out there to check on your friend, but we have to keep you both safe. You're such a good boy for helping him get here."
Joseph joined them. "They're sending someone over."
Elizabeth nodded. "We're going to get the pup a little of Salty's food, in case he's hungry. He's already helped himself to the water bowl."
"Can I give him the food?" Catherine asked.
Joseph nodded. "He seems very calm, but I'll go out there with you just in case. He knows both of us now so it should be fine."
Elizabeth put half a cup of dry food in a bowl and poured some chicken broth on top. She handed the bowl to Catherine who followed her father into the backyard. The dog looked at them curiously.
"Hey, pup," Joseph said. "It's just us."
"We thought you might be hungry," Catherine said. She set the bowl of food over by the water and backed up to give him room. He went over to sniff at the food but didn't eat it, again eyeing them.
"Let's go back inside," Joseph suggested.
Catherine nodded. "Maybe he doesn't want to eat with strangers watching."
"Maybe."
They went back inside where Elizabeth stood at the backdoor with Salty. Once the door had closed, the dog approached the food bowl again and began to eat.
"He's eating normally," Elizabeth observed. "Not like you'd expect if he'd been out for a long time."
Joseph nodded. "I don't think he has been. Hopefully that means he lives close by and they're able to find his home."
"How will they find his family?" Catherine asked, looking up at her parents.
Joseph gave a little shrug. "Hopefully they'll call looking for him."
Elizabeth wrapped an arm around her daughter, knowing she was concerned for the animal. "Meanwhile he'll be safe."
Catherine's expression showed she was still worried as her gaze went to the backyard.
A few minutes later a base vehicle arrived and they went to meet the serviceman who approached their door.
"Commander, you've got a lost canine?" the petty officer said after Joseph returned his salute and greeted him.
"We found him about two clicks west. He's very friendly and nice," Catherine offered. "You can help find his family, right, sir?"
"I'll do my best," the young officer, Barnes, replied, smiling at Joseph's nod of appreciation. "Can you show me where he is, sir?"
The three Rollinses lead him around the house to the backyard. "He's really sweet," Catherine told him. "He hasn't barked or acted scary or anything. And he really likes our dog, Salty." She pointed at the backdoor where Salty was up on the ledge of the window looking out.
"A fine looking animal," the petty officer said.
"And Salty helped us lead him back here so he'd be safe while we waited for you to come," she added proudly. Joseph squeezed her shoulder.
"Sounds like it was a very good thing for this fella that you were out walking this morning." He motioned to the leash in his hand. "Now let's see if I can get him to trust me, too." He squatted down, still several feet from the dog who was watching warily from across the yard. "Here, pup," he said gently. "Come on over here, huh?" The dog didn't approach, instead taking a few steps back, his tail now tucked between his legs. "It's okay, buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"He's gonna help you find your family," Catherine said.
"Come on, buddy," Petty Officer Barnes repeated, still speaking gently.
"Would it help to get a treat for him?" Elizabeth asked.
He nodded. "It might, ma'am. I don't like to use the pole except as a last resort."
"I'll go get Salty's favorite!" Catherine offered. She hurried inside and returned a moment later with a bag of soft treats.
"Perfect," Barnes said when she handed him one. "I like these because you can break them easily into pieces. The dogs don't know they're not getting a full treat." He tossed a small piece so that it landed a foot or so in front of the dog who came forward to investigate. He gobbled it down but backed up again after he'd finished.
The petty officer continued to throw bits of the treats, trying to coax the dog closer, but he wasn't able to get the leash around him.
"He's smart," Joseph observed when the dog moved around the large loop the petty officer had made with the leash, hoping that he would stick his head through to get the treats he'd placed on the ground.
"Yes, he is, sir," Barnes agreed.
"Maybe we can give him other options," Joseph suggested. He nodded to himself and his family. "We have a couple of leashes for Salty, maybe he'd come to one of us."
Barnes nodded. "We can try, sir."
Elizabeth went into the house and retrieved the extra leashes. They made similar loops to what Barnes had done, and they took turns trying to get the dog to come over to them. They got close a few times, but no one was able to successfully put a leash on him.
When the petty officer looked back toward his vehicle, reluctantly contemplating getting the pole, Catherine said, "Daddy?"
Joseph looked at her. She rarely called him "Daddy" anymore. "What are you thinking, honey?"
"Why can't he stay here while we try to find his family?" she asked.
Joseph and Elizabeth exchanged a look. Elizabeth shrugged. "The crate is empty. Salty doesn't sleep in it anymore. You said they seemed to get along fine."
"We have plenty of food and I'm sure Salty won't mind sharing his toys," Catherine continued.
Joseph looked to Petty Officer Barnes. "Any reason why he couldn't stay here while we get the word out that he's lost?"
"No, sir," Barnes replied. "He'd probably like it much more than the K-9 kennel."
Catherine's eyes widened. "Posters! We can make posters that he's lost and we can hang them up so his family will see them and they'll come to take him home."
Joseph wrapped an arm around her. "Excellent plan," he said. "I think that's settled. Petty Officer, thank you for your help."
"Of course, sir. Let us know if you need anything."
"Let's get started!" Catherine said. She looked at the dog and smiled brightly. "The sooner we're done with the posters, the sooner we'll find your family."
"Did you find them?" DJ held his breath until Joseph answered.
"We did, thanks to your mother and her excellent posters."
His response of, "Oh, good, I'm happy he got to be with his family," had his mother and grandmother sharing a soft smile at his ever present thoughtfulness.
"I even ran into Lieutenant Commander Green on a deployment," Catherine added. "Right before he rotated out to retire."
"What was his name?" Angie asked.
"Lieutenant Commander Green?" Catherine asked. "Well, he was Lieutenant Green at the time."
Angie shook her head. "The doggy's name."
"Ohhh," Catherine said and smiled. "Hamilton."
DJ's eyes widened. "Like the play?"
"Well, the play wasn't written then, but he was named after the historical figure that the play is about: Alexander Hamilton."
Joseph chuckled. "Lieutenant Commander Green was a history buff."
"Well, I remember that Salty and Hamilton were best buddies after that," Elizabeth said. "They had lots of play dates."
"They did," Catherine said, smiling fondly at the memory.
"Another rescued animal?" Steve grinned and grabbed one of the extra napkins to pass to Angie. "You may have missed your calling. Catherine Rollins, lost pet finder."
"Yeah, well, there's been a few." She shrugged and helped herself to a forkful of his coleslaw, shrugging at Elizabeth's amused look when she followed it with a bite of peanut butter toast. "But that dog was the first… and you never forget your first."
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: Inspired by my morning walk on Tuesday with cheers for my own superdog who helped lead a lost dog to our yard so Animal Services could retrieve him. I hope the pup is reunited with his family soon!
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