Rescue Me

Whether giving incoming rookies a brutally frank description of the horrors he's seen and heroes he's known during his many years in the department, or working alongside hardened veterans like Lt. Kenny "Lou" Shea, Tommy Gavin is, first and foremost, a New York City firefighter. Under the command of Chief Ron Perrolli, a gruff, by-the-book department veteran, and his hard-gambling polar opposite, Jerry Reilly, Tommy and fellow firefighters Franco Rivera and Sean Garrity rely on their experience to train rookies like Mike Lombardo, a probationary firefighter, or "probie" -- whose very life rests on how fast he can learn from their experience. Like all of his colleagues, Tommy is called upon daily to risk his life, while trying to cope with the haunting memories of his late cousin, Jimmy Keefe, one of the many firemen who died during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Amidst Tommy's recurring nightmares, the men of 62 Truck are taken aback by a newspaper interview in which retiring fireman Bobby Teff announces that he and at least twenty of the men who died on 9/11 are gay. While Jerry cannot keep his anger in check, the men under his command try to come to grips with the fact that there could be gay firemen, perhaps even somebody in their firehouse. Meanwhile, following a chance encounter with Roger, Tommy uses his godson Damian's computer skills to disrupt the life of Janet's new boyfriend. And after promising to check up on his late cousin Jimmy's widow, Sheila, Tommy is stunned when his eavesdropping finds her with another woman.

As Jerry faces an investigation into his beating of gay firefighter Bobby Teff, the annual ice hockey game against the police has put Tommy at odds with his gruff co-captain, Ryan. Though pleased with his campaign of harassment against Janet's boyfriend, when his godson, Damian, threatens to reveal how he infected Roger's computer with a virus, Tommy is forced to pay $500 for his silence. Making matters worse, when he is unable to avoid his late cousin's wife, Sheila, Tommy learns that Ryan has asked her on a date. Meanwhile, as Mike struggles with the attentions of the man whose life he saved, and Lou is asked to read his poetry to a 9/11 survivors support group, Jerry is told to look for eyewitnesses who will back up his claim of self-defense.

As Tommy struggles to remember the name of someone he's been sleeping with, and Jerry balks at accepting a suspension for attacking a gay ex-fireman, a woman who's looking for Franco approaches Sean. Explaining that Nez is a violent alcoholic and drug abuser, Franco asks Sean to send her packing. But after seeing through their ruse and then luring Sean into a date, Nez corners Franco at work to tell him he is the father of her five-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, as Tommy and Janet square off over Colleen's attending a concert with her boyfriend, Mike balks at the apparent sexual interest of Andrew, the man whose life he saved.

As Tommy tries to insure that Colleen won't want to see her boyfriend anymore, and Jerry realizes just how serious the department is about his suspension, Franco lambastes Sean about his dating Nez. But, following a violent encounter with another woman that leaves Nez dead and her daughter, Keela, in the care of her drug-addicted roommate, Sean presses Franco to take responsibility for the girl. And while balking at first, seeing the squalid conditions she's living is all it takes to convince Franco to take her home. Meanwhile, a fight breaks out when Roger asks that Tommy stop coming between him and Janet. And, already unhappy that his union lawyer is homosexual, Jerry's case may have to rely on the testimony of his gay son, Peter.

While plotting to get revenge for the beating he received from Roger's friends, Tommy tricks Sean into making a date with a beautiful woman who is really a transvestite. Much to Tommy's delight, Sean responds by betting that he can get her in bed by the end of the week. And as psychologist Dr. Thompkins presses Lou to read his poetry, Franco asks Tommy for help finding the foster home of his daughter, Keela. Meanwhile, with Johnny's help, Tommy has Roger arrested at Janet's house. And while Janet doubts that Roger could be responsible for the assault, Johnny convinces her that he's about to confess.

As Franco talks Sean into auditioning for the annual firefighter calendar, Jerry sends Tommy to see a department psychiatrist about his talking to dead people. Spotted at headquarters by someone he knows, Tommy claims he's only submitting the paperwork to have a park jogging path named after their late colleague, Vito Costello. But instead of giving him some time off, the doctor prescribes anti-depressants, sleeping pills, and Viagra. After an angry showdown, Tommy is caught eavesdropping on Janet and Roger by their neighbor, psychotherapist Robert Shinsky. When asked about the medication, Shinsky recommends it only as a last resort. So, after learning that his neighbor wants to put a new deck on his house, Tommy offers to do the job.

As Tommy struggles with his recurring nightmares of 9/11, the crew is embroiled in a heated debate over how best to measure their sexual equipment. Once Jerry establishes a definitive standard, only Billy balks at a contest to identify the house's best endowed fireman. Already thrown for a loop after his dad called for help after Uncle Teddy came home with a monkey, Tommy discovers that he is now the caretaker of Katy's new dog. Already arguing about who's responsible for the messy pet, Tommy and Janet square off over Colleen's suspension for kissing a girl at school. And as Tommy finds comfort in the fact that Colleen is having a relationship with a girl, Mike is surprised when his girlfriend's daughter, Nicole, comes to stay for a week.

In the wake of Billy Warren's death, NYPD Detective Timo Gavin reluctantly fuels his brother, Tommy's, quest for vengeance by pointing him to the homeless teens who were saved from the blaze. And after one of them admits that the fire started when she was forced to fend off some unwanted sexual advances, they tell Tommy where the homeless crack addict is staying. Meanwhile, as a bad tip causes Jerry to lose big on a baseball bet, the firefighters learn that a woman is being sent to replace Billy. And as he and Janet continue to disagree over their daughter's lesbian romance, after finally admitting that he feels better about Colleen having sex with girls instead of boys, Tommy encourages her to invite Jennifer over to his house.

Now that he's having sex with Sheila, Tommy cannot shake his visions of her late husband's ghost. On top of dreaming about Jimmy, the shaky finances that have him owing Janet four thousand dollars have also led to some angry and reckless driving that gets him cited by a vengeful cop. At work, female firefighter Laura Miles has made it clear that Jerry is in no position to deny her request for a private bathroom. And as Tommy offers to help reunite Colleen and her girlfriend, Jennifer, Andrew apologizes for the beating he gave Mike following their failed three-way with his fiancée, and then insists that he move in with him now that Geneva has left.

Pressured by his mom into dating a friend's daughter, Mike is disappointed -- but not surprised -- to find that she's overweight. But after forcing him to admit to his ambivalence about their date, Theresa proceeds to give Mike the best sex he's ever had. After insisting that Jerry keep her new bathroom private, Laura watches Tommy defy orders to rescue a dog and wonders how long it will be before his recklessness gets him or someone else...killed. Meanwhile, as Sean frets over how the new firefighter's calendar makes him seem gay, Lou tells his wife, Phyllis, about his affair with Sondra, only to learn she is seeing another fireman.

Already being hounded by Janet for money to replace her air conditioner, Tommy gets a stern warning from Jerry to steer clear of Sheila. And as Jerry complains about a bookie who's forgotten to pay off a big bet, and Franco returns to work with his daughter, Keela, in tow, a trio of rowdy firefighters from Massachusetts ask to stay at the firehouse while they construct a 9/11 memorial. Asking them to keep a low profile, Sean leaves them at the station while he's at a fire where he apologizes to Laura for all the harassment. Meanwhile, after an uncomfortable phone call from Sheila, Tommy learns that Janet is lying about the air conditioner. And when Mike suggests that they consider living together, he's surprised to learn that Theresa is bulimic.

To make the next hockey game with the NYPD a wild affair, Tommy mends fences with his ex-co-captain, Ryan, who offers to enlist a fireman who is on leave for beating up three cops. As Lou's affair with Sondra heats up, and Mike comes to grips with Theresa's eating disorder, Franco counsels Sean on how to dump Carol, a woman he says is a bad kisser. And after another day at the track with Uncle Teddy and Arlo leaves him with plenty of cash for Janet and Sheila, Tommy is startled when Laura questions his motives and his sanity. Then, after she's the only one who can stop an angry man from attacking the firefighters removing his morbidly obese mother's corpse from her apartment, Laura gains some credibility with the crew.