It was several miles before Danni came to a stoplight. Her curiosity was peaked now by the presence of the second bag. ‘Hmmm…I wonder what Brie packed for me?’ The nurse opened the sack revealing a sleeve of crackers, a can of ginger ale, and a sealed baggie with a moist paper towel inside it. The brows of the young woman furrowed deeply. "Huh?" Then she chuckled to herself and opened the sleeve of crackers. Taking a bite out of one, she thought. ‘Well, she’s had enough queasy pregnancies to know what it takes to feel better. I’m sure glad she knows what will sit well on an unsettled stomach.’ She shook her head in disbelief. The light changed to green and Danni pushed her foot down onto the gas pedal, urging the car to carry her back to where it was she wished she never had left.

************

Not feeling that much in a holiday mood, Garrett had brought her tray of food for lunch to her office. There, maybe she could eat in peace. The Cafeteria, although not as crowded today because of the holiday, was just not the place for her with it’s sentimental music. The song that helped her to make her mind up was an old familiar one entitled "I’ll Be Home For Christmas." The hospital and her work had always been her home. Well, that was until she let this town and its friendly inhabitants get to her. Now, when she thought of home, her mind conjured up images of a small, blonde nurse and her passion for life.

Garrett looked down at the tray of food before her. She wasn’t really that hungry but she had felt a need to have more than enough food at her disposal. ‘Well, it didn’t cost me anything.’ Whenever she felt like this before, it was usually her sixth sense telling her that she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near food for a long time. ‘Well, you did say that you missed the O.R., didn’t you?’ Her mind thought about the random lengths of time that she had been in surgery, going from one patient to another on a busy trauma schedule. ‘Let’s just hope that whatever comes my way today, only good comes from it. Yeah, right!’

The surgeon picked up half of the sandwich and bit into it. Her eyes looked for a focus point and found it in the new addition to her desk, the photograph of Luc and her. Letting her mind wander, she almost didn’t hear the soft knocking on the door. Swallowing rather quickly she took a sip of her coffee before she answered. "Come in." The seated woman waited as the door slowly opened, first revealing soft blonde hair.

"Hey, Doc!" It was John. "We’re going to eat…and Nan sent me to…." He looked at the food in front of the surgeon. "Oh, I guess you’re doing that already. Would you like to have some company?" His eyes perked up as he glared at the large desk in the small office.

"I don’t think so, John." Garrett had a dead serious look on her face, knowing how his mind worked. "But tell Nan that I said ‘thanks’."

"Okay, but just remember, I don’t go out of my way for just anybody. Sorry, I won’t bother you then…" He excused himself then left muttering to himself as he closed the door again. ‘Damn, you’d think she’d be grateful for my help in that present. Oh, well.’

The surgeon took another swig of coffee before biting once more into her sandwich. Her mind fell back into its memory and she was again reliving a day with her brother, out fishing on the lake. A few minutes went by before the soft knocking was heard again on her door. Garrett shook her head. ‘When will he learn that I’m just not interested and finally give up?’ She got up and lunged at the door, pulling it open as she began to speak. "John, when are you finally going to…to…Danni?" Her eyes grew wide as she gazed at the petite form of the nurse standing meekly on the other side of the door.

"You told me to let you know when I got in. If it’s a bad time, I’ll go." Danni watched as the ogre that had ripped open the door become dormant, retreating back into its hiding place deep within the surgeon. The stunned face now showed signs of welcome.

"Come on in. Hey, did you eat yet, I’ve got some extra food." She ushered in her friend, closing the door behind her.

The nurse looked down at the array of food on the tray. It was more than she had ever seen the tall woman eat at one sitting. "Were you expecting me or what?" She settled into the chair in front of the desk.

"I don’t think so…but it is a nice surprise. Care to help me with all of that?" She picked up the plate with the other half of the sandwich on it, offering it to Danni. "I’ll share."

The words were too enticing to the younger woman. She smiled and reached for the proffered food. "Thanks! I didn’t feel like eating this morning. I guess that I had other things on my mind." She bit into the sandwich, nodding her approval.

"Yeah, I didn’t feel much like eating earlier, either."

"Oh, Brie wrapped you up a piece of my Stollen." She sat the bag on the desktop. "Dad thought that it might give you a boost of needed energy."

"I wondered if I was ever going to get a taste of that…Stollen, I mean." The surgeon swallowed a bite as she watched the young woman across from her smirk in surprise. ‘But the only boost that I needed was to have you here.’

"Umm…" Danni swallowed, trying to get her thought out. "It looks nice on your desk, Gar." She pointed to her Christmas present that she had given the surgeon. "I’m glad that you liked it."

‘How could I not like it?’ Garrett looked to the frame and then to her friend. "It’s definitely something that I’ll cherish for life. Thank you, again for thinking of it."

There was silence between the two for a few moments when the young blonde looked over and locked the taller woman in her gaze. "Gar, that jacket…it kept me pretty darn warm against even the coldest of chills. Thanks." The image of her mother flicked across her brain as she made her statement.

"I hoped that it would."

The two women were content to spend the remainder of the time eating in each other’s company. The silence shared between them was one of comfort and familiarity, each one realizing that they were finally at home and at ease with the other.

************

What was left of the daylight shift soon came to an end. The E.R. had been slower than usual with everyone enjoying the holiday, even the staff. It was as though sickness and injury had called a truce until the end of the day.

The arrival of the evening shift was a welcome sight for the surgeon. She had been finding herself constantly wanting to hang around the E.R. but kept her visits to a minimum. Aside from Danni, she knew the other nurses by name but didn’t really feel that friendly with the daylight crew. Garrett found her anticipation of the evening shift’s company quite surprising. She rounded on the patients in her care as she waited, giving them a little more time for their exchange of report.

***************

Karen sat at the desk looking over the information on the computer screen. The E.R. basically was empty except for the homeless man that was sleeping in the only occupied room. Dr. Potter didn’t see the need to release him into the cold when the room would have been empty anyway and Karen was in agreement with her. ‘Everyone needs a little warmth and comfort on Christmas.’

Her attention turned to Danni. The nurse sat silently at the computer, reviewing an article on helicopters. Her face serious, lacking any emotion.

"Say, I hear that you and Garrett did one heck of a rescue on Saturday. I bet everyone was excited about that." Karen watched Danni’s face come alive with emotion.

"Mom, excited isn’t even close. I thought that Garrett was going to pulverize Dr. McCormick when he grounded me."

"Grounded? What do you mean…grounded?" Mom sat up straighter, her senses anticipating the story. "That’s not what I heard. McCormick told us that he sent you and Garrett out on that rescue." Karen looked around. "Grab your coat, Danni, we need to talk outside. I’ll meet you out there in a minute."

Danni stood under the awning watching the snowflakes fall slowly to the ground, as she zippered the leather jacket closed. It hadn’t taken Mom long before she was coming through the door to the outside. The blonde nurse turned her body to greet Karen. "Look, Mom, it’s snowing.

"Yeah, I see." She looked around, then settled back on Danni. "Hey, is that a new coat?" Karen pinched the material between her fingers. "Leather, must be nice to get perks like that." She pointed to the embroidery.

"It’s not a perk. Gar, gave it to me for Christmas." Her face brightened at the thought. "I’m just glad that we’re still a team."

Karen shook her head and teased. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Mom, I really flubbed up on Saturday. I froze on the helicopter ride out of here. Garrett had to carry me off it when we landed. That’s when McCormick grounded me. I never thought that Garrett could be so protective of anybody but her patients. I was wrong."

"How were you wrong, Danni?"

"She told McCormick that if he grounded me, he grounded her, too. She told him that we were a team and that she wouldn’t be paired with anyone else." Danni looked self-conscious and speculative. "I’m not sure that I could have been so supportive and understanding."

"You…not supportive?" The older nurse laughed. "Danni, I’ve seen you support what others would have called a hopeless cause and Garrett Trivoli was one of them."

The young nurse wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, I guess you’re right." She pulled the collar of the jacket up to give her face added protection from the cold. "I’m thinking that we really are a team, now."

Mom saw the tall figure standing at the door and motioned with her head towards it. "I’ve been thinking that for a while. What do you say we go back in and have some fun since it’s all nice and quiet?"

"I’d like that…I think we’d all like that." She smiled and waved to the surgeon standing behind the plate glass door. The two nurses walked back into the hospital as they teased and taunted one another about saying the forbidden word… ‘Quiet.’

"Hey, Merry Christmas, Mom!" Garrett greeted the older nurse. "So when is the action going to start?"

Danni laughed as she removed her coat. "Should be anytime soon. Mom just said that "Q" word."

"No! She didn’t!" Rosie was adamant. "You know better than that. I wanted a nice…" she paused, placing her hands out in front of her with her thumbs and forefingers pinched together and drawing them out in a slow, smooth horizontal line, starting at the center and ending opposite one another. "Night." Her last word was little more than a whisper.

Karen just shook her head. "Ain’t going to happen. Nope…no way! Trivoli is on and you know what that means."

Rosie turned to face the Charge Nurse. "We’re doomed. Trauma gravitates to her like iron shavings to a magnet." Her shoulders slumped and her head dropped down. Then her face slowly came back up into sight, with a devilish grin stretched from ear to ear. "At least we got Danni back with us tonight."

Without warning, Rosie began to dance wildly around the petite blonde nurse. "Danni’s Trauma Nurse Number One, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

The somewhat subdued singing from the rest of the staff soon began to snowball as Rosie lead them from one chorus to another.

"Trauma time ‘til Garrett’s done," Rosie sang out to which was met with a growing chorus of, "fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

"Don we now our traum’ apparel," the nurse was beginning to dance around as the rest sang out, "fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

Just as Rosie was about to start the next line, the shrill tone of the Trauma Pager Alert went off causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Trauma Team Page, Trauma Team Page. Medivac Two is inbound with a 22-year-old male victim of electrocution. Contact was made while attempting to unscrew a broken light bulb from an outdoor display with a pair of pliers. Patient has suffered burns of right hand and left foot. ETA five minutes."

"Well, there goes that quiet night, Mom!" Danni laughed at the face the older woman was making at her. "Then again, you just knew that it wouldn’t stay quiet long with both of us here, didn’t you?" She pointed to herself and the tall surgeon standing next to her. "Come on, Gar…let’s go get ready."

Soon the only one left standing there was Karen. She had deserved the harassment for saying the "Q" word but she wasn’t mad. How could she be? She had her girls back, if only for the rest of the night. ‘It feels good having everyone home for the holiday.’ She thought as she made her way down the hall.

At the Trauma Room, everyone was in their places and waiting for the patient. Garrett looked around at her assembled team, studying each one as her eyes circled the room. The last team member she gazed upon was the one opposite her with blonde hair. Their eyes met and if anyone could have seen underneath the masks, they would have found warm, loving smiles. Their gaze lasted for only a moment when Garrett winked at her Trauma Nurse One. Each one now realized that this was indeed their real family and the best way to spend the last hours of Christmas.

The stacks of paperwork were well on their way to becoming mountains ready to avalanche down on her when the dark-haired woman finally let out a scream of anguish. All that Garrett had wanted to do was help those who were now in the same position that she had been in for the last twenty some years, that being a lone survivor. It sounded so easy to do in the proposal that she and Danni had worked on. The surgeon had never realized all of the paperwork that would be involved to even get the program on its way to that first meeting.

"No wonder the Board gave us cart blanche for this program. They knew that the paperwork would be insurmountable." Garrett looked over to her brother’s image that was now perched in its frame on top of the monitor where it could be seen. ‘Luc, I’m not going to let this get me down.’ She was more determined than ever to get the group going. ‘Not after what Danni went through to get us here. I’m not letting this foil me now.’

The surgeon started shifting through the stacks of papers, looking for the necessary forms, in triplicate no less, to reserve the meeting room. She let her mind go about its logical thinking, "First things first, a room to meet in."

Garrett’s mind was so focused that she didn’t hear Rene open the door. The tall, thin man crossed his arms over his chest and stood staring at the mound of white where the empty desk used to be. Shaking his head, the man thought out loud. "First the coffee cups and now all this." He held his arms out to emphasize. "My friend, if you wanted to be buried alive in a snowdrift I could give you the location of several nice ones in Canada. You’d have a better view at least than in here…eh?" Dr. Chabot let his eyes sweep across the small room. "Not much more air to breathe, mind you." He made a comical face as he tipped his head from side to side.

"Sorry, Rene. I didn’t mean to…" Garrett looked around her, "take over the office. I’ll have this all cleared up by the time I leave today."

Her colleague let a low laugh escape his lips.

"What?" Garrett’s eyes riveted back up to him. "What are you laughing at now?"

"You!" Rene shook his head. "I know how you are, Dr. Trivoli. You will get so caught up in everything," he motioned at the mounds of paperwork, "that you could be here for days and not realize it. I don’t even think that you would stop for nourishment. Coffee…" he wiggled his fingers in indecision, "maybe."

Seeing the small blonde figure that was partially hidden by Rene’s taller frame, Garrett commented. "Rene, haven’t you heard, I’m part of a team now? One thing that I’ve learned this last month is that everything is for the good of the team."

The tall Canadian felt a tapping at his shoulder and turned to see who it was. "Nurse Bossard!" Chabot nodded at her with a smile.

"And I’m in charge of keeping this team running with a full tank." Danni held up the take-out bag from the fast food place down the street. "Season’s Greetings to you, Dr. Chabot. Care to join us?" The nurse smiled up at him and dangled the bag out before her in an enticing manner. "I’ve got more than enough." The petite woman moved around him and into the room. Once behind the desk, she looked for a place to set the food down. Finding none, she pulled open a desk drawer and placed the package there.

"No, thanks. I’m still trying to get rid of all the food that my wife stuffed me with on Christmas." Rene patted his stomach. "I take it that you both had a nice holiday?" His eyes went back and forth between the two women searching for any subtle exchanges.

Garrett rolled her eyes. "What is this…everybody needs to have a nice holiday with you? Of course mine was nice, I got to operate for the first time in over a month."

"Gar, I think he meant with friends and family." The petite nurse looked over to Rene.

Rene put his hands up in mock defense. "Hey, coming from her, that’s more than I expected."

"Well, I for one had a nice holiday," Danni nudged the woman next to her, "Unlike some people."

The closeness of the team was evident by the relaxed attitude the two had. Rene could see it in their faces. ‘Perhaps this team is what you needed, my friend.’ He could see the change that had taken place in his colleague and liked it. No one would ever call the tall surgeon cute to her face but that was the only word that Rene could think of to describe how Danni and Garrett were together. There was something about the growing friendship that he could sense was timeless in its nature, as if they had known one another for an eternity.

"Come on, I had fun, too." Garrett reached for the offered burger that was gradually being held just out of her reach. "Okay, so I ate almost all of your sugar cookies."

"Stole is more like it…and from a child too." Danni laughed and then handed her the sought-after prize. "Dr. Chabot, you have two children, would you do that?" Her gaze turned to him.

The smile grew on his face as the thought crossed his mind. "If it were my favorite kind, I might be tempted. I’d better leave now and let you two get back to more important matters…eh?" He looked at the paper-filled desk. "Like finding the desk so that I’ll be able to use it later tonight when I’m on call." He waved and backed out of the doorway, closing the door behind him.

Garrett turned a worried eye toward the petite blonde. "Do you think he’s serious about finding the desk?"

Danni rolled her eyes and smirked, "Yeah, I guess so."

"That’s what I was afraid of." The tall woman bit into her burger and started sorting through the mounds of paperwork.

*****************

Things were finally settling down into a nice routine of preparation for the upcoming programs to be inaugurated. First would be the official flight of the Surgical Team at midnight on New Year’s Eve to kick off the year 2001, followed by the initial meeting of the support group that Saturday. Everything was going as planned until three days before the end of the year.

McMurray paced in his office, worried about the reception he would get from his next meeting with the Board of Directors. They needed proof that the nurse could indeed fly and didn’t care what it took to prove it. As hospital tradition dictated it, the last meeting of the calendar year would be on December 31 at noon. That left him with only a day and half to work miracles. Finally his mind was made up. He had to do it. He walked over to his desk and summoned his secretary informing her to get his Surgical Flight Team, STAT! There was little time left, and he was going to make the most of it.

***********

Without delay, the two curious women found themselves ushered into the Chief of Trauma Services’ office upon their arrival. There on the desk were several large manila envelopes, each one with the name of an outlying hospital on it, and the name of the Head of Emergency Services. The envelopes seemed to hold a special interest to Danni as she craned her neck trying to read the writing that was on them, while Garrett looked around the office for the Ol’ Cutter. The surgeon thought that it was strange to be requested to come to his office and he was nowhere to be found once they had arrived.

"Hey, Gar, take a look at these." The nurse pointed to the envelopes. "It’s all the hospitals that send us trauma patients on a regular basis." She picked one up and turned it over. "Hmmph! It’s sealed."

"I don’t like…" her words were cut off at the sound of the door opening behind them. Slowly she turned to see who had entered the office. It was Dr. McMurray.

The man breezed into his office with another stack of envelopes, like those on the desk, underneath his arm. "Good to see you two here." He crossed behind them and strode to the other side of his desk. "I’ve got a mission for you, Nurse Bossard." McMurray looked up from his desk, a smirk beginning to show on his face. "Seems like you’re the personable one out of the two of you. Sorry, Dr. Trivoli but there was never really any question about this." He chuckled. "You’re a damn good surgeon. Everybody here knows it. What we need is a person who can get right next to someone and open their arms up to them in a loving embrace."

"I don’t understand…" Danni’s brows furrowed.

"He’s saying that I’m not a people person and you are." The dark-haired surgeon matter-of-factly stated. "In other words, Danni, you’re the lead in this next mission and not me."

"Lead! Lead in what? I’m not a doctor or a surgeon." The nurse’s head spun wildly from one to the other. "Will somebody please tell me what’s going on? I thought we were a team."

"You are." His voice was gruff as McMurray made his point. He didn’t want them to think any differently. "We…ah…we need to make sure that this program doesn’t fail. That’s all." The Ol’ Cutter’s tone smoothed out. "I’ve made up a packet of informational material for each of the outlying hospitals that send us patients on a consistent basis."

"What do you want us to do…hand deliver them?" Garrett’s voice was tinged with sarcasm.

McMurray grinned at the perception the Fellow had. "Why, yes! That’s it exactly."

Danni looked at the stack of envelopes that McMurray had piled one atop the other as he spoke to them. "But that would take days."

The man only chuckled.

"Not in the helicopter it won’t." Trivoli watched as the expression on her mentor changed to one of impressiveness at her logic. ‘That’s it, they want us up in that helicopter before Sunday night.’

"What is so important that it has to be hand delivered?" Danni’s eyes glared at the Chief of Trauma Services.

McMurray played with an envelope as he spoke. "Oh, it’s just a lot of information that the physicians will need to know when they utilize our service, besides a few other associated things." His eyes twinkled with delight. "I think that they will meet with your approval."

"And exactly how long are we going to be playing meet ‘n greet?" Garrett did not look enthused.

"I’d say a day…day and a half to be on the safe side. I’ve already requested that same pilot for you from the other day. I figured that you would feel more comfortable with him."

"Cowboy’s going to be our pilot?" The blonde was showing signs of relief.

The tall woman watched and hoped that she was right. ‘Please, let it be him. I think she could be a little more comfortable now.’

"You’ll leave bright and early tomorrow morning. My secretary is already contacting the people that you need to see at each hospital and will have an itinerary ready for you by five this evening. Any questions?"

Danni hesitantly spoke. "Dr. McMurray, what exactly are we supposed to do on these little meet ‘n greets?"

The Ol’ Cutter smiled. "Why, just be yourselves. Let the directors of the Emergency Rooms get to know you. Let them see who will be coming when they yell for help. Okay?"

"That doesn’t sound too bad, does it, Gar?" Danni looked to her teammate for support but was met with only a blank stare instead.

The surgeon never liked being put on display, like a pet retriever that was being sent out to bring back the stick each time. Garrett bit her tongue. She knew that it was another way for the nurse to get comfortable with flying and far be it from her to be the one to stop it. She wanted, no, needed this team to stick together, whatever it took.

Life came back to Garrett’s eyes when, finally after a minute or two, she chose to answer the question. "No, doesn’t sound bad at all." Her eyes came to rest upon her mentor and Trivoli made sure he knew that she was on to his little plan. "When do we start?"

McMurray read her right. She knew what he was up too. He nodded in acceptance of the situation. "Tomorrow morning at eight. I’ll have the pilot waiting for you to go." The Ol’ Cutter picked up an envelope, using it for emphasis. "I’ll even have these all loaded and ready to go, myself."

"Thanks!" Danni was eagerly waiting to get to work. Her hand reached out to touch Garrett’s arm as she turned to leave. The small gesture was caught before she made contact and corrected herself. ‘By the gods, I can’t seem to keep my hands off of her since that last flight. What’s gotten into me?’ Then she remembered what it had felt like in the tall surgeon’s arms when she had been carried out of the helicopter. It was a feeling that she had always craved but never had experienced before. ‘Could this be…? Nah, who are you kidding, she’s just a friend.’

Garrett looked down at the dazed nurse. "Danni are you all right?" She snapped her fingers and waved a hand in front of her face until the petite woman came back to reality.

"Huh?" She shook the thoughts from her head as she tried to clear her mind.

"Yeah, I was…was just thinking of something. I’m okay, really."

It was McMurray who spoke now, "You two should get a good night’s sleep tonight so you look all fresh and alive for tomorrow." The man waved his hands as if to shoo them out of his office. "Now go on, I’ve got work to get done."

The pair turned and walked out of the door, each one feeling as though something had been overlooked or missed completely. Once in the outer office, Danni knew what it was that was missing. "Gar, I wonder why he didn’t show us any photographs this time? I kind of missed hearing a story about one."

"Hmm…Maybe we’ve seen them all."

"Somehow, I doubt that." The blonde thought for a moment. ‘Or maybe… we just haven’t seen it yet.’

************

The next morning started off fairly well with Danni up and ready to do the meet ‘n greets. Her mind was set on making a good impression and promoting her team. McMurray had given her the lead in this mission and she wasn’t about to let him or Garrett down. If she could only keep that foremost in her thoughts, she knew that the helicopter rides wouldn’t get to her.

The tall surgeon, on the other hand, was as much enthused about the mission as she was to having a hernia. Publicity was never what being a doctor was about, at least not to her. It was skill and knowledge along with the conviction to do her best for her patient. Her disdain for the promotional flight was overridden by her feeling of protectiveness where Danni was concerned. If this mission would help the young woman gain her confidence in the air then so be it. Garrett would allow herself to be put on display.

It was with those mind sets that each one had come, prepared to do whatever they could to make the team a success. Cowboy saw the look of determination in both of the women as he watched them transverse the driveway. The smaller of the two moved with more confidence than the last time he had watched her take the same path to his helicopter. Her shoulders were squared and he could see that the nurse was sporting a jacket that was very similar to the surgeon’s. The word ‘team’ immediately popped into his mind as he watched them return his ‘thumbs up’ and climb aboard. The pilot gave them a minute to get settled before he turned to greet them.

"Morning, Ladies." His smooth drawl emphasized the time of day.

"Good morning!" Danni beamed when she recognized the pilot from the other day. "Gar, look! It’s Cowboy!"

The surgeon leaned in to see the pilot. A slight wave of the hand was her only greeting. She quickly donned her helmet and buckled herself into the seat. ‘The faster we get going, the sooner this will be done.’ She never could get excited about meeting people.

"I understand that they want us to drop in and visit a few places." The pilot talked as he looked over his shoulder. "When you’re all buckled in back there, I’ll be ready to lift off."

"Where are we headed to first?" The nurse asked as she adjusted her helmet straps.

"We’re going North, Franklin Regional Hospital will be the first stop. You about ready?" He looked back into the crew area as Danni clicked her seatbelt into place. When she was finished, she thrusted out her right hand with a ‘thumbs up’ signal. His eyes moved to the surgeon, but there was no sign of readiness from her.

Danni noticed the pause in his actions and looked over to Garrett. The woman was a million miles away in her mind. "Gar…" she waited.

"Huh?" The surgeon saw the ready signal that was being displayed by the woman next to her. "Oh…yeah…" She quickly imitated the sign with her hand and smiled weakly at the pilot. "Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention."

Cowboy gave the sign back in acknowledgement. ‘It’s going to be a long day with that one in a stew.’ He turned his gaze to the instrument panel and readied for the flight.

The lift off seemed smoother than the first one or maybe she was just getting used to them. Danni was trying to keep her thoughts on how she was going to greet everyone when she noticed that the building was no longer outside the window. In its place was the city’s skyline. They were already flying and she could hardly decide how to address the first E.R. Attending that she would encounter.

Garrett kept a close watch on her friend, ready to act within a moment’s notice of any sign of trouble.

**********

The routine had all been pretty much the same: disembark, greet, get introduced to the Physicians working in the E.R. and answer any of their questions. Garrett marveled at how casually the nurse was able to joke and laugh with these new faces. At each stop, they would leave the manila envelope that McMurray had given them for that specific hospital before they departed.

The more relaxed that Danni became, the more the tension seemed to also ease out of the surgeon. Without thinking about it, Garrett was even beginning to respond with a smile when she was drawn into the conversations. Her stoic nature gave way to the warming touch of the nurse as she became more human.

By the afternoon, the pilot was seeing the playful banter exhibited between the two. They were as different as night and day, until you put them together, and that was amazing to him. He could sense that they were closer than just workmates. Whoever had put this team together knew what they were doing. It was then and there that Cowboy made up his mind to try to match up with these women as often as he could. There was something special about them and he wanted to be a part of it.

************

Giddy from a day of ups and downs, Danni led the way into the last hospital on their itinerary with the large manila envelope tucked under her arm. Her easy smile and pleasant-sounding voice had gained them a quick response from the clerk at the window. Soon they were being ushered into the Emergency Room and to the office of its Director.

The team stood there only for a moment as they each tried to stretch their legs. It had been a long day with most of it spent seated inside the helicopter. The ability to just stand up and walk was a welcome relief. The sound of the door opening soon got their attention as they turned to view the man standing in the office.

"Well, if it ain’t Ian’s little girls. Come on in. I don’t bite." The physician had obviously been expecting them. "I’ve been waiting to see you in person."

"Excuse me, sir, but we’re the Flight Surgeon Team, not Ian’s little girls." The low contralto voice retorted as the surgeon narrowed her gaze.

Danni looked over to see Garrett raising her eyebrow in contempt of the familiarity with which he spoke. The nurse’s natural ability to mediate took over in light of the growing confrontation. "I believe we had a prearranged meeting with you to answer any questions that you might have about the new assistance that the Trauma Services is offering to you. My name is Nurse Danni Bossard." She stepped up to him and offered her hand. After shaking it, Danni continued. "This is Trauma Fellow Dr. Garrett Trivoli." The nurse looked back to the surgeon and motioned for her to come forward.

Complying, Garrett reached out to shake his hand, her eyes never blinking as she stared directly into his. His eyes moved swiftly over her as he studied her face. The E.R. Director’s smile grew into a smirk, then he let out a laugh. "Ian was right. That pin-up poster doesn’t do you justice." He looked over at Danni for a brief second then added, "Neither of you."

The surgeon broke out of the handshake. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes flashed to Danni and then back to the man.

"Why, the one that he sent me the other day. He said I’d be getting another one of them," He pointed to the large envelope in Danni’s hand. "I figured that’s what’s in there." He looked at them rather eagerly. "Do you think that I could get you to sign this one for me? I mean…since you’re here and all."

The nurse undid the clasp of the envelope and looked inside of it. Besides several small brochures and few sheets of papers there was a heavier-weighted paper that was folded over. She removed it from the envelope and began to spread it out.

There, before her eyes was a large two-foot by three-foot poster of Garrett and herself in their flight suits. It was a quarter view of them showing the upper portion of their flight suits with all of the insignias on it and their faces.

Danni’s face grew intense as she studied her own likeness in the photographed image. The gentle blush of embarrassment started to rise on her neck and face. ‘This must have been when that photographer asked us to think about what we wanted for Christmas.’ Her mind remembered that it was when she had thought of Garrett’s gift. ‘And I had only thought of it then. I’m glad that she liked it.’

By now the surgeon had moved behind the petite nurse to see for herself what was on the large piece of paper. The stoic face remained unchanged as Garrett looked at her image on the poster. She was captivated by the beguiling smile on her face. The gentle upturned corner of her mouth in the picture reminded her of Danni. She had noticed that lately the right side of her mouth turned upward when she would think about the young woman standing in front of her. ‘That’s when I thought about getting Danni that leather jacket for Christmas.’ Her hand came forward to touch the young woman’s leather garment. ‘I’m sure that she was pleased with it.’

Without a word, they each cast an eye to the image of their team member and wondered what had been on the other one’s mind when the photograph was snapped. Obviously it had been something that meant a lot to them by the candid looks on their faces. Each one wondered if the other even could remember.

The anxious voice of the E.R. Director broke the spell that held them to the poster. "I said…are you gonna sign that for me now?" He repeated himself louder this time as he held out his pen.

Danni was the first to break her trance, remembering their mission. She smiled kindly at him as she accepted the proffered pen. "I’d be happy to. How about you Dr. Trivoli, would you like to autograph this for him?" The nurse nudged Garrett for a response, her green eyes flashing mischievously. Under Danni’s breath, she whispered through her fake smile. "Meet ‘n greet, not kill ‘n eat." Then she looked over her shoulder to the woman behind her, handing her the pen. The nurse knew what was going through Garrett’s mind but this was neither the time nor the person to allow her anger to be vented at. ‘Ian, you deserve every bit of hell that she brings your way.’

Accepting the pen from Danni, the surgeon rolled her tongue over her teeth, then smiled pleasantly, nodding to the physician in front of them. She leaned over slightly to scroll her signature across the poster. "There you go. It’s a one of a kind now." She stood back up and winked at him as she handed back the pen. ‘McCormick, sometimes you can be worse than John.’ "I can guarantee you that nobody else will have one like that."

"She’s right, you know." Danni smiled graciously as she handed the poster and the manila envelope to him. "I’m sorry, but we have another appointment this afternoon so we’ll need to forego the tour of your E.R. I hope that you don’t mind."

"But…" he paused for a moment, then continued, "if you’re running late I guess that will have to be."

I’m sure that when we come back next time, your staff will make us feel right at home."

He nodded vigorously. "I’ll make sure of it." He held up the poster as Danni and Garrett walked out the door and called after them, "Thanks!"

They made their way out of the E.R. in silence with only nods and waves used as greetings to the passing staff. Each one was afraid of what would happen if words were to form in their mouth right now.

Cowboy stood by the door with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands when the two women burst through the swinging door. He looked up to see the tall surgeon in the lead, her strides lengthening to distance herself from where she came. Pulling the cup out of her way, he saw the determined look on her face, her eyes casting a steely glow. In an instant, she was out the door and headed to the aircraft. The young blonde slowed only for a second and looked him in the face. "It’s time for us to go home," she announced and proceeded to follow the path already being forged by her teammate.

The pilot gulped and swallowed his last mouthful of coffee. Something was wrong, very wrong. He looked back into the E.R. and then to his helicopter.

The two women were almost at the ship when he hurriedly sat the cup down and took off after them. Something told him that it was not going to be a pleasant ride back home.

***********

The surgeon could barely wait to get out of the helicopter when it touched down. She didn’t even allow the rotors to slow before she was out of her seat and sliding the door open. The petite nurse hurried to keep up with her, fearing that she might do a certain Attending Physician, namely Ian McCormick, physical harm. Garrett hunched over into the ‘hot’ unloading position and made her way towards the door of the E.R., Danni closely following at her heels.

It wasn’t until they were inside that they began to pull at their helmets. Taking her helmet off, Garrett shook her head, trying to release her hair. The raven darkness cascaded out of the loose braiding and fell across her shoulders, giving her a rather wild appearance as she strode in through the waiting room and up to the triage desk were she demanded, "Is McCormick in?"

Nan, the Nursing Manager had been walking by when she heard the loud voice. "Dr. Trivoli, is there something wrong?" She came to the aid of her nurse sitting behind the desk.

"Wrong, I’ll say wrong!" Garrett’s voice dropped an octave. "Tell that…that…man I’m waiting for him in his office." She pushed her way past Nan, heading for McCormick’s lair.

"What the heck’s wrong with her?" Nan looked to the blonde nurse for an answer.

Danni just shook her head. "I’d stay out of it if I were you, Nan. You don’t even want to know." She looked at the Manager, her green eyes churning with the violence of a storm at sea. Once the silent message had been sent, the young nurse continued in her pursuit. "She’s not letting this one drop, and neither am I."

*********

Garrett paced back and forth in McCormick’s office, waiting for him to arrive. Her mind raced with thoughts and feelings that she had been holding in. Danni stood back out of the way, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire when he arrived. It had been several minutes before the sound of someone turning the doorknob grabbed their attention. They turned and waited to see who it was.

In sauntered Ian, the smile being quick to leave his face when he was met by the fury in the surgeon’s eyes. His reflexes reacted to the waving of the tall woman’s arms. He only had time to look from one woman to the next before the barrage of words battered his ears.

Garrett spun around to her teammate and tossed the helmet from her hands. Danni juggled the thrown piece of equipment, deflecting the helmet and causing it to bounce off the desk, then a chair, rolling onto the floor. The nurse quickly bent over, trying to stop the helmet, her fingers grabbing at it as she picked it up.

"What the hell is it with you that you think every woman is your ‘little girl’?" Garrett drew her shoulders up as she placed her hands on her hips, creating a foreboding image. "The only little girl that I’ll ever be is my father’s and even he knew better than to call me that."

McCormick moved behind his desk in fear. "But I…"

"Men like you are all the same. You think that every female is nothing unless they belong to you. Ian, not every woman wants to be branded as your little girl." She turned and walked away toward the door. Stopping short, she reversed her direction and strode right back towards his desk. "If I ever hear of that term used in reference to me, my team, or any female in this hospital, I’ll go directly to the Board of Directors with a charge of sexual harassment and you’ll be one sorry excuse for a mobile sperm bank if I ever saw one!"

Ian watched as the tall woman pulled open the door and left. His eyes looked over to the nurse in the corner, waiting to see her reaction. "Well, what do you have to say?" He felt braver without the surgeon’s presence.

Danni looked him over then folded her arms tight against her chest. Her voice was calm and reserved. "Nothing! I believe my teammate said it all for the both of us." The nurse turned on her heels and left.

McCormick dropped to his chair and, with a shaking hand, wiped his balding head. ‘That woman is going to drive me crazy,’ he looked up into the empty doorway, ‘one way or another.’ His eyes sparkled with delight, amazed that a strong woman could turn him on.

*********

The tensions of the day before had eased some when Garrett bumped into Dr. McCormick on his way into the E.R. The narrowed glare that emanated from her was warning enough as Ian stepped back to allow her free passage as he waited his turn. After the Flight Surgeon Team member had passed, McCormick followed the tall woman with his eyes. Ian’s torquing of his emotional well being was demonstrated by the seething look that followed her as she met up with the rest of her team.

As Ian watched her move away, his mind conjured up images of one very scantily clad, tall surgeon walking from his bed in the dim morning light. Lost in the daydream for a moment, McCormick pulled himself out with the sound of a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He reminded himself to steer clear of the tall surgeon, at least for a little while. There would be time enough to play later, if he just waited. ‘She’ll come around. They all do.’

Danni’s brow furrowed as she watched her teammate approach her. "By the gods, I hope they didn’t get into it, again."

The pilot looked with some concern from one crewmember to the other as he remembered the hasty departure after their last stop yesterday. All that he was looking for today was a pleasant morning, enjoying the scenery from above. They only had a few stops to make and then the rest of the day was his. Well, until 2300 tonight when he’d check over the ship for their flight at midnight and the dawning of the year 2001.

In a voice filled with ancient wisdom, Cowboy spoke softly. "It’s a new day in an almost finished year, time to look to the future and not back."

Danni listened to his comment and mulled it over in her head. The more she thought about it, the bigger her smile got. "I like that. I just wish we could get her to live by that one." The nurse’s eyes sparkled at the thought as she tilted her head in the surgeon’s direction.

The pilot nodded in agreement. Then leaning forward, he whispered, "We’ll see what we can do," and winked. Straightening up, he greeted the surgeon as she grew near. "Morning, Doc! We all ready to leave?"

The tall woman rolled her eyes, "I’m not the one in charge today. I’m just coming along for the ride." She looked over to the woman next to him. "Okay, boss," Garrett smirked, "What’s our plan for today?"

Danni let out the breath that she was holding when the lopsided grin emerged on her friend. ‘Thank you!’ Even though she shared the same house with the woman, there were times when she just couldn’t read her moods. Today had been one of them. Garrett had been quiet and withdrawn on their ride to work, and it had worried the nurse that a storm, bigger than the one she was witness to yesterday, was out there lurking on the horizon.

"Hmmm…Let me see." Danni teased as she squinted and tapped on her chin with one finger trying to remember. "Oh, yeah! More meet n’ greets today." The sound of laughter rose from the trio, as did the steam from their breaths as the cold morning air surrounded them.

The pilot shivered and rubbed his coat-covered arms with his hands trying to stimulate some warmth. "Well, it’s too cold out here for me. What do you say we get these under our belts and stay warm for the rest of the day."

Garrett jumped up into the open door of the helicopter then extended her hand out to Danni. "Sounds like a plan to me."

***********

The morning had been pleasant with only a handful of stops to make. Each E.R. Director that they had met with today seemed eager to bring the new service to the attention of their staff, often taking them personally on the tour of the department. The staff would first show signs of hesitancy for fear of their jobs, but once it was explained that this was a specialized team for only the worst of traumas, they soon became friendlier. Nobody wanted to see a traumatized patient die, and if there was some way to prevent it, they wanted to know.

The rides to and from each stop were filled with small talk and teasing as the trio settled into a nice pattern of friendly bantering, each one in turn being teased. The mixture of personalities hadn’t surprised the nurse, but what did was the ease with which Garrett had taken Cowboy into her small circle of friends. Danni supposed that it may have been the shared experience of the military service that bonded them together, but she was happy that her friend was showing signs of her humanity. The cold aloofness that Garrett had exhibited the day before had Danni worried that all of her groundbreaking strides would be reversed. But it hadn’t, and the petite nurse was grateful for it. Before any of them realized it, the helicopter was touching down on their home base. Danni’s mission was over and she had proven herself to everyone, including herself.

**************

Danni made the last of her phone calls before she slumped back into the chair, her sigh loud enough for the surgeon to hear.

"You’re done?" The monotone voice came complete with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep! All ten of the lone survivors that we needed to talk to have been contacted. I think it’s going to be a pretty good turnout on Saturday." Danni sat up straighter. "You getting nervous about it yet?"

"It’s not like I’m going to run the meeting. What should I be nervous about?"

Danni shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t know. Maybe ‘cause it’s your project?"

"Our project, Danni." Garrett corrected her. "You’re as much a part of this as I am." The surgeon studied her friend. "You getting nervous about tonight?"

The nurse wrinkled her nose. "Well, maybe. I mean…I’ve never been up in the helicopter at night. How does he see to land in the dark?"

Garrett smiled at Danni’s honesty. "It’s all by radar. You don’t have to see anymore. Don’t worry, Danni, I’ll be right there with you."

"That’s what I was hoping for." The nurse’s eyes twinkled in delight. "Who wants to be alone at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve?"

"Well, you’ll have me and Cowboy for company." Garrett thought for a moment. "If that’s alright with you?"

The blonde nodded and smiled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Danni thought about all of the years that she had spent on duty as a nurse when the stroke of midnight changed the date from one year to the next. The toasting with ginger ale that was done between staff members had always been her signal that another year had come and gone. The handshakes and pecks on the cheek were nice, but there had never been anything special about them at all. In fact from one year to the next, the nurse couldn’t even remember to whom it was that she first wished a Happy New Year. All of the faces and names of the people seemed to blur in her mind. There was never anything that stuck out as memorable. That was until this year, and she could just feel that things were going to be different.

Garrett logged off of the computer and opened the drawer where her valuables were stowed. Reaching in she gathered them all with a single hand: one wallet, a daily planner and her set of keys. She grabbed her leather jacket from the hook on the door and shoved the valuables into its pockets.

"Well, how about we stop in to see Dr. McMurray and then go home. Not much that we can do around here until later tonight." She looked to Danni all comfy in the chair. "Besides…we both should get some sleep before we actually are on-call for the next six months." She chuckled knowing that the few hours of sleep would never be enough to last that long.

Danni nodded in agreement. "Okay, let’s go see McMurray." She pulled herself into a standing position and took the leather jacket that Garrett was holding out to her. "I guess since I was in charge on this mission I’ll have to give the report." She wondered if any word had gotten out about the confrontation yesterday and decided not to say anything unless McMurray brought it up to her.

They left the small office of the Trauma Fellow and headed for the Chief of Trauma Services. The hallways showed little signs of life as the evening hours were approaching. The holiday atmosphere seemed subdued in the working staff tonight. The skeleton crew that staffed the holidays had more than enough work to keep their minds off the gaiety that would embark on the rest of the world at the stroke of midnight.

The echo of their footsteps down the corridor to the Ol’ Cutters office seemed out of place in the usually busy hallway. Upon reaching the office, they noticed that the secretary was getting ready to leave for the day, with her boss doing the same.

"Excuse me, but is Dr. McMurray able to see us?" Danni was polite and soft-spoken.

The older woman looked in through the open door. "Well, he hasn’t left yet. I think he might be able to for a few minutes." She reached over and pressed one of the buttons on the intercom. "Dr. McMurray, there is someone here to see you."

He stopped what he was doing and leaned across the desk to enable himself to reach the button on the intercom. "Who is it?"

"It’s Nurse Bossard and Dr. Trivoli."

"Bossard…Trivoli…send them in." He looked up and there they were, standing in his doorway. "Come on, you don’t have to stand out there." He motioned for them to come in. "How did the meet n’ greets go? Do they sound receptive?" McMurray looked directly at the surgeon. "Anything that you couldn’t handle?" His eyes searched into her crystal orbs for an answer. The slight shake of the surgeon’s head was all that he really needed to know. That had been the answer that he was hoping for. The rest, he didn’t really care about.

"They all seemed to welcome us, once they realized we weren’t there to steal patients from them. I think we made some fine contacts and hopefully they’ll think of us before they’re in over their heads." Danni was proud that her mission could be considered a success.

"Good! That sounds very good." He turned and walked over to the window. "Looks like a nice night for being out under the stars. I guess you two will have a front row seat on that one." The Ol’ Cutter turned back to them and smiled. "It’s times like these that make me wish that I was twenty years younger."

"I think we could squeeze you in for a fly-along tonight. That’s if you really want to go." Garrett offered her mentor.

Chuckling, he shook his head, "Don’t think that the wife would be too happy with me. She’d be entertaining a whole slew of people by herself. No, that’s not the way that I want to start off a New Year." He reached out his hand to touch the picture of her on his desk. "Maybe some other time. Tonight is just for you young people. Enjoy it."

"Thanks, sir," came in stereo from the two women, then Danni continued, "We will."

McMurray picked up his coat and walked toward the door. "Oh, and Dr. Trivoli, just remember that the next time you have a need to use your helmet for something other than what it’s intended for…"

Garrett gulped, "Yes, sir…" ‘Here it comes. I can feel it, reamed out because of that asshole McCormick.’

"Make sure that your mike is turned off. It does a number on the ear drums when it bounces across the furniture like that." He looked her in the eye. "Never thought that they picked up quite that well, ‘til yesterday. Seems that dispatcher was quite upset with you. He even wanted to file a report against your rough usage of their equipment." He raised his hand. "No! Not a single word." McMurray turned to each one, tipping his head as he spoke. "Happy New Year, Ladies." Then he winked at Garrett. "I’ll see you next year." With that, he went out of the door and down to the elevators without another word.

They stood looking at one another for a moment, then slowly turned and followed suit.

*************

The few hours spent relaxing at home gave Danni the courage to do what she thought a good daughter should. She picked up the phone and made the required connection to speak to her parents. Hearing the ringing on the other end, she secretly hoped that no one would answer it. ‘Maybe I won’t have to speak with them this NewYear’s Eve.’ The rhythmic pattern of the ringing giving her a false sense of security. Abruptly it stopped and she heard the voice on the other end.

"Bossard residence, Mrs. Bossard speaking."

Danni sighed, ‘It’s her, why couldn’t it have been dad?’ "Hi, Mother."

"I thought that you would have been here by now, Danni. It is a holiday. You are aware of that, aren’t you?"

Danni nodded to herself, "Yes, Mother, that’s why I’m calling to wish you and Daddy a Happy New Year."

"When are you going to learn that holidays are meant to be with loved ones?" The tone of her mother’s voice left a sting in her ears. "I don’t understand why you insist on working under these conditions. I really think that it’s time you give some thought to your future and settle down. Your sister Breanna understood that early on. I don’t know why you can’t."

There was silence on Danni’s part, and she wished now that she had never felt compelled to call in the first place.

"A young woman like you shouldn’t have to be around all those drunkards tonight."

"But I won’t be, I’ll be spending my night with Garrett and we should be flying pretty high by midnight," her words came out in a rush, "that’s why I was calling now instead of later. I may be a little too busy to get to a phone."

"Well, there’s nothing that I can do about that now. I suppose your mind is already set on it. I just hope that you know what you’re doing with this Garrett before it gets too late."

"I’m a trained nurse, of course I know what I’m doing." Danni was confident in her own knowledge.

"I hope that you’re right, dear. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt." Her mother hesitated and thought about what her daughter had meant. ‘Trapped men don’t stick around in today’s society like they did in my day. That’s all I need is for her to saddle me with a bastard grandchild. What would everyone think?’ Then she continued, "You…you will take all the necessary precautions, won’t you, Danielle?"

The nurse thought of all those hours spent learning safety procedures and rehearsing them. "Yes, Mother, I know how to watch out for a spinning tail rotor." Danni chuckled slightly. "And Gar is pretty good at keeping that head down and protected when the lower hatch opens. See, you won’t have to worry, we’ve already practiced it to the point that we could do it in our sleep."

The shock of what her daughter had just told her registered. ‘I guess that’s what they’re calling it today with that high tech language. Thank God she has the decency not to say that word to me…Pe...pen…I don’t even want to think it.’ Mrs. Bossard closed her eyes and made a horrible face at the thought. She couldn’t believe that her daughter would be so open and cavalier about it, especially to her own mother. ‘It’s time to put an end to this conversation before she gets into any more details.’ "Happy New Year then Danni, from all of us." Her tone was sharply final sounding.

"I’ll pass that on to Garrett for you and Daddy. Bye." Danni didn’t wait for an answer. She pulled the receiver from her ear and laid it on its cradle. ‘Well, it wasn’t the conversation that I was hoping for but at least it’s over with now, for another year.’

The sight of the advancing figure coming down the stairs sidetracked Danni’s thoughts. "Hey, Gar! Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah, a little. I think I’m getting kind of excited…about being on-call for the next six months. How about you?" The surgeon rubbed at the back of her neck as she tried to work the kinks out.

"Me, too, I guess." The petite woman’s brow furrowed with thought.

"Something the matter, Danni?" Garrett stood in front of her, letting her doctor-mode assess her friend. "You look a little worried."

"It’s probably nothing." She shook her head in denial. "Did you ever have a conversation with someone and after it was over think that you both weren’t talking about the same thing?"

"Hmm…can’t say that I have." Garrett thought for a moment longer. "No, not that I’m aware of. Why do you ask?"

"It doesn’t matter." She looked at her watch. It was 2230. "Gar, look at the time, we’d better be on our way back to the hospital."

The surgeon nodded and reached for the jackets that they had left on the couch. "If we’re lucky, we’ll be back home by 0030."

Danni nodded as she put on her jacket. "Hey, I gotta get lucky sometime. Maybe it will happen this New Year." The young woman sighed as she headed for the door. ‘Don’t I wish!’

**********

The pilot had been laboring long and hard over the mandatory pre-flight safety checklist. His painstakingly intense attention to every aspect of the aircraft was obvious in his diligent double-checking of every detail. Nothing would slip by him. After all, it could be the possible downfall of the craft and those onboard if it did. He was never ready to accept that form of defeat.

Cowboy was making his last pass around the tail section when he saw the rest of his team approaching. He held out a lone arm raised high in the air and waved his hand. The pilot made the last check mark on his clipboard full of paper work when they were close enough to exchange greetings. "Good evening, ladies. Looks like one fine night for a little fly by of the town. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Danni was eager to get it over with. "You sure it’s not too dark for you to fly?"

"Little lady, you could paint my windows black and I could still fly this machine. Just like bats, we got us some good radar here." He winked at her, "Now don’t you go worrying, I’ve got everything covered.

"Great! That’s all she needs to hear. You better show her that your window glass is spotlessly clean." Garrett chuckled as the petite woman next to her pushed her in playful retaliation. "How you doing tonight, Cowboy?"

"A little cold right now, but otherwise, just fine." He slid the pen back into his outer jacket pocket. "Just as soon as you’re ready with your checklists, we’ll be on our way."

Garrett slid the hatched door open. "Just give us a few minutes and we’ll get to work." The tall surgeon waited for Danni to climb into the craft ahead of her, then followed swiftly, closing the door behind her.

The pilot shook his head. ‘Those two are just like kids, the way they tease each other. I wonder if they know…’ He stomped the snow off his boots before reaching for the door to his own compartment. ‘Nah, that would be too easy to tell them. Just have to see what happens tonight.’ Cowboy pushed back the cloth on the basket wedged next to his seat, checking to make sure that everything was as he planned it. Yep, this ride should be real interesting come midnight.’ The broad toothy smile lit up his face and set a twinkle to his eyes as he covered the contents of the basket then settled into his seat.

***********

Garrett watched her friend as the lift-off started. This nighttime flying was a little unnerving to her team member and she knew it. The young nurse wouldn’t come out and say that it bothered her but at the same time she wouldn’t say that it didn’t. The pensive eyes and the subdued mannerism were an indication that a total zone-out was a good possibility.

The surgeon thought about ways to keep Danni’s mind from taking that first step off the deep end. She’d had no problem when there was something to keep her busy and her mind occupied. There wasn’t much that they could do here in the confined space of the helicopter. They’d already done all of their checklists and equipment preparation, leaving nothing but conversation and the scenery of the nighttime skyline of the city of Pittsburgh.

"It’s a couple of minutes before midnight. They wanted us high overtop of the Golden Triangle when it comes time for the New Year." Cowboy informed them of his instructions. "I’m going to buzz around the Point, it sure is a pretty picture down there." His right hand pointed down to the land below them as he watched the airspace they were moving into.

"The Point?" Garrett made a funny face as she craned her neck to see what it was he was referring to. "I don’t see no golden triangles. Well, maybe one, atop of that building over there with the red light at the tip."

Danni shook her head. She had forgotten that Garrett was relatively new to the area. The nurse loved her hometown and was proud of it. Smiling, she commenced to educate the woman from the West Coast.

"That golden-looking, illuminated, triangular-topped building is the old Gulf Building. It used to be their corporate headquarters. That little red light is a weather forecaster meaning fair tonight. If it’s blue, that means rain and if it’s blue and flashing that would be indicative of snow."

"Oh, I get it, that’s the point."

"Not really. The Point is the very tip of the land where the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers meet to form the beginning of the Ohio River. That’s why Pittsburgh is noted for its three rivers."

"Oh! So that’s where the name Three Rivers Stadium came from." Garrett nodded. "I remember that one from the football games during the seventies when the Steeler’s where the championship team."

"You remember back that far, do you?" Danni teased the surgeon.

"Yeah, my dad was a big football fan." Garrett rolled her eyes until something dark and lumbering in the shadows on the opposite shore caught her eye. "Hey, what’s that?" She pointed to a semi-constructed building.

Danni stretched to view the designated area. Pausing for a minute to get her bearings, she then began, "That’s the new football stadium next to the old Three Rivers Stadium, which will be torn down early in 2001." She pointed to an area just past it with a large sign that was lit. "And that’s the new PNC Park for baseball. I’ll have to take you to a game this summer."

The helicopter turned on its path around the downtown area, changing the view that was outside of their window. The tall spray of illuminated water was in their view as Danni continued on with her private tour from high above the Golden Triangle. "See that." She pointed it out. "That’s the fountain at the Point."

"I’d hate to have to pay that water bill." Garrett teased. She noticed that as long as Danni was thinking about this impromptu tour, the less chance there was for her to zone out. ‘I’m going to learn a heck of a lot tonight.’

"Silly," she nudged her friend. "They don’t pay for that water. It’s kind of fascinating where it comes from though."

"The river?"

"Well, yes and no." Danni started into her explanation. "It’s water from the underground river actually, not one of the three that you see. It’s kind of a subterranean river." She turned to study the surgeon. "You’ll find out that we have a lot of buried treasures around this town. You just need to know what you’re looking for and then go after it." The nurse’s eyes searched into the blue pools of Garrett’s. ‘I guess you could say that still waters run deep.’

The helicopter took another banking turn and the scenery once again changed outside of their window. The glistening metropolis view had become one of vast darkness, with two lines of lights stretching up the hillside, one yellow and green while the other was white. On the top of the hill was an ornately lit yellow-orange brick building that reminded Garrett of a church.

"Okay…now what am I looking at? What are they, lighted pathways?"

Danni shook her head. "No, not exactly. The hillside is known as Mt. Washington, and those lighted pathways are the Monongahela Incline," the nurse pointed out the green and yellow stretch of lights, "while the other is the Duquesne Incline. They used to be the only way to get up to the top. Now they’re kind of like tourist attractions for the city."

"I see. What about that building?"

Danni smiled as she sat back in her seat. "That’s St. Mary of the Mount Church. It’s stands as a landmark for the overlooks on the hillside."

"Okay, I’ll bite. What overlooks?" Garrett chuckled.

Danni once again edged on her seat toward the window until she spotted what she was looking for. "There, that lighted platform with the railing around it. It’s not real easy to see from up here."

"Right across from that church?"

"Yeah, that’s it. The platforms are extended off the hillside to offer the best view of the Point. Supposedly it was the ‘in’ thing to do back in the late forties and fifties to have your picture taken on your wedding day, posed on them with the city skyline as your background. I remember seeing my grandparents wedding photograph."

"Hmmm…must have been nice. I guess that way you could always remember the city that you got married in."

"Somehow, Gar, I think on a special day like that, you’d be able to remember it without the photograph." Her voice trailed off to a whisper. "I know that I would." Danni could feel the heat starting to grow as the blush swept up her neck and to her checks. ‘Thank the gods her attention is out the window and not on me.’

Out of her peripheral vision, the surgeon could see the reserved demeanor come over her teammate. ‘I can’t believe that she’s blushing. I’ve never seen anyone like that. You’d think she’d be….’

The Pilot broke the silence as he informed them of the time. "It’s two minutes to the real new millennium. Doc, could you grab these?" He held out his hand with two fluted wineglasses in it, handing them off. Next the same hand held out a small capped bottle. "You’ll need this, too."

"What’s all this for, Cowboy?" Danni’s brow furrowed with her curiosity
as Garrett handed her a wineglass to hold.

"Well, I got to thinking earlier today that since this is New Year’s Eve and all, we should really offer a toast to the New Year. I mean, you and Doc that is. I’m not allowed to drink while I’m flying."

"Hey, we’re on duty too!" Garrett quickly shoved the bottle back into his hand in refusal.

"Yeah, I know that. Take a look at the label, it’s non-alcoholic. I didn’t know what it was you two liked, so I just got Sparkling Cider. I hope that’s all right."

The surgeon’s eyebrow rose as she accepted the bottle and turned toward the dim background lighting to read the label. "Non-alcoholic…hmm…thanks."

Garrett offered the bottle to Danni for inspection.

The nurse shook her head. "Thanks, Cowboy. I can see that you’re a full service pilot here." Danni chuckled.

"I figured that the Doc might want to make a toast to new beginnings at the stroke of midnight. It would only seem proper since it was the first official flight and all." The pilot looked back long enough to catch Danni’s attention and wink. "I’d hurry up and pour that if I were you, there’s about a minute to go."

"How will we know when it’s time?" The surgeon was twisting off the cap on the bottle.

"Hey, I know!" Danni turned and looked out of the window. There on the hillside was a lighted advertisement board. "The Bayer sign, see the readout on it. It’s 11:58:55 right now."

Garrett leaned forward to view the sign. "Yeah, there it is. Here, give me your glass and take this one." She poured the bubbly liquid into the glass that she was holding. "Careful. Got it?"

The two women exchanged glasses and Garrett poured one now for herself. Danni smiled coyly as she watched the surgeon allow the last drop of the sweet sparkling beverage roll down the long neck into her glass. The small bottle had held only enough for the two glasses. ‘Why, Cowboy…’ the petite woman glanced over in his direction, ‘it’s as though you meant for only the two of us to share in this toast.’ She watched as he took the empty bottle back from the surgeon, placing it down beside the pilot’s seat. ‘I wonder what you are up to?’

The man was keeping an eye on the changing numbers of the digital billboard-size clock as he steadied the helicopter in mid air, hovering high over the city of Pittsburgh. Slowly he began counting the seconds down right along with the timepiece. "Ten, nine, eight," the two women looked out the window to the clock, "seven, six," Danni turned to look at the strong featured woman next to her, "five, four, three," Garrett turned, raising her glass to the nurse, "two, one, Happy New Year!" The pilot became silent as he waited to hear the toast.

Garrett eyed the amber liquid in her glass as she began her toast. "Here’s to dedication and team work, it’s what brought us to where we are now and will carry us into the future. May the year 2001 be the turning point in our lives, showing us nothing but the happiness that we all deserve."

The fluted glasses clinked in honor of the toast. Each woman watching the other as their hands guided the wineglasses to their lips. The upward tilting of the glass was causing the cider to wash down over their tongues. The vivacious nectar was sweet to taste. Their eyes gazed at one another as though studying each other’s response to the lively liquid as the emptied glasses were lowered from lips that craved for more.

Danni watched as an errant drop lingered on the lower lip of the surgeon. Willing her body to stay where it was, she could feel the attraction of the woman in front of her reaching out and pulling her closer with each second of time that passed by. The nurse wondered how long her will power would hold out when she noticed that her upper torso was beginning to lean into the woman already. Her attention only heightened as the lips she adored parted. Her sudden intake of breath was unnoticed as Garrett’s tongue reached out to catch the wayward drop before it cascaded down over the fullness of her lip.

The electric blue of Garrett’s eyes danced as she watched the green pools shimmer and dazzle with delight. It was as though a trance had befallen each of them, sealing them off from the rest of the world. There was no sound or thought that was heard in this silent world of communication. It was simply the language of the heart that was compelling them to react to each other. The surgeon found herself taken in by the heartfelt warmth that was evident in the eyes of her friend. Reflexively, Garrett wet her lips, trying to stave off her parched feelings.

That action alone set off what seemed to be a cataclysmic event of major proportion throughout the blonde’s body. Danni’s skin tingled with excitement in anticipation of the touch she was longing for while other parts of her body, long thought to be dead, came to life. ‘By the gods, it’s going to happen and I’m not even sure how it will be met.’ The nurse’s heart beat wildly inside her chest. The distance dwindled down to only inches when something felt different. The force that had been drawing her close was being met with resistance.

Without warning, the helicopter was shifting and causing the blonde to settle backward into her seat once again. What had been so close for the taking, now seemed miles away. "Hey…"

The surgeon shook her head and turned abruptly to the pilot. "What the…" her voice was gruff and demanding.

"Sorry! I should have warned you." The pilot was astutely aware of the ship and airspace around him. "They’re requesting us for a scene run. I thought you heard that." He tapped his helmet motioning to the speaker each one had.

Danni grew warm as the blush started up her neck. She had been so engrossed in those lips that she had lost all sense of where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. Drawing in her breath in short gasping spurts, the young woman tried to calm her raging soul. ‘I was so close…I wonder if…’ the petite woman looked up into the sky searching for the answer, ‘just maybe she feels the same.’

Closing her eyes and nodding in acknowledgement, the surgeon let out a long breath. She blinked trying to fight to control these strange feelings she was experiencing. She wasn’t sure where the earlier effort was leading but something deep within her seemed caught up in that moment. She stole a glance in Danni’s direction only to find the nurse just as confused looking as she herself felt. ‘I could have really blown this whole friendship right out of the water.’ Then letting her eyes drift to the stars that could be seen from the window, ‘That’s all that it was…just caught up in that whole New Year’s moment. But could it be…could she have felt just like I did?’ "Okay, what are we going to and how long before we get there?" The professional in her once again emerging.

Cowboy watched as his two new friends each refused to admit the feelings that he knew they had for each other. He had prayed that he would have been able to ease them along their path. Now he was angered not only at himself but at the world of trauma that robbed these two of such a grand and special moment. It wasn’t often that two people were so right for each other, each one pushing and pulling the other to new levels of achievement. They belonged together for the rest of all time. It was evident to him and with renewed resolve, Cowboy vowed that it would never happen again. At least, not if he could help it. "MVA with an entrapment, north of the city on I-79, ETA approximately ten minutes."

"What’s so special about this one that would require our team?" The nurse was trying to get back into her professional manner.

"The entrapped woman is in hard labor with contractions four minutes apart." The pilot looked into the mirror that reflected the figures in the rear compartment. It was then that he saw the stoic mask of the surgeon slide into place as Garrett prepared for the job that she would have to undertake. Cowboy thought, ‘Now how does that line go…ringing out the old and in with the new? I sure hope not.’

************

The shock of blonde hair that could be seen as they approached the wreckage made Danni stop dead in her tracks. She gasped and blinked, trying to steady her pounding heart that was now gripped with terror. "Brie?" ‘By the gods, not this way!’ The nurse was losing her fight to remain the professional that she was. The panic-filled eyes riveted to the figure next to her. "Gar…" Her small hand clutched at the surgeon’s leather clad arm.

Garrett saw the consternation in Danni’s eyes. Looking at the wreckage and then back to her young friend’s hair, she could see the resemblance in the color. The surgeon held on to the nurse’s upper arms and bent over to look her directly in the eyes. "Danni, it could just be somebody that looks like her. Stay here! I’ll go see if they know who it is." She paused, only for a moment, letting her silent gaze express her concern. Then she turned to leave, but was stopped short by the grasp of a small hand on her sleeve.

"I’m going with you. I’m a professional and even if that turns out to be my sister, she’s going to need the both of us." Her eyes were filled with determination. "Remember, we are a team."

The surgeon nodded slowly, letting only the corners of her mouth edge upward. She was pleased that Danni would be at her side.

The closer that they got to the wreckage, the severity of it became more evident. The dark colored car could barely be recognized as such with all of the distortion and twisting of the metal. The bustle of rescue workers on the passenger side of the vehicle was almost deafening. The whining hum of their hard-pressed hydraulic tools straining with force as they tried to free the entrapped woman laden with child.

The surgeon made her way around the scene to the other side where the ambulance stood; its flashing strobe lights acting like a sentinel to the grizzly scene. The lone attendant’s attention was glued to the activity as she stood by the stretcher waiting to be called into action.

The appearance of the tall surgeon went unnoticed until she spoke. "Do you know who that is?"

The resounding voice caused the woman dressed in regular clothing in a heavy parka with the letters ‘E.M.S.’ on the back of it to turn quickly in surprise. "Huh?" The woman’s eyes roamed the tall figure trying to recognize the form.

"Dr. Trivoli, Fight Surgeon. They requested my team. This is Nurse Danni Bossard." Garrett held out her hand in greeting. "Do you know the woman’s name?" She looked over to the wreckage and then settled back on the attendant.

"Oh, …sorry, Doc." She clasped the offered hand in greeting, not wanting to be rude. "Yeah, it’s Bre…"

Garrett’s heart jumped at the sound that the medic was emitting, her eyes glancing over at her nurse. ‘Please, don’t let it be her.’

"Bre…" She was obviously racking her memory, "…nda…Brenda Connors."

Danni closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "Thank you!" Danni hung her head realizing that it was someone else’s loved one instead. ‘What would I have told Mother and Dad or Matt? I can’t let anyone else have to do that.’

The surgeon quickly regained her composure and delved right into business now that her question was answered. "What do we know about her. When is her due date? Who’s her Obstetrician?" Garrett began eyeing the back of the ambulance thinking that in a pinch it may have to do for an operating room.

"Hey, Doc, I ain’t no medic or nothing. They all left with the people in that other car. They were hurt pretty bad. It’s just Ed over there and me."

"What exactly are you and Ed?" Danni finally spoke up.

"Ed’s in EMT class right now and I’m just a driver." She gulped at the look that she was receiving from the taller woman. "Heck, we ain’t got but two medics in the whole town. Our two EMTs went with the other ambulance. They said that they’d send help." She looked over at the helicopter in the distance. " I guess you’re it."

Garrett took off in the direction of the wreckage in search of Ed, while Danni thanked the woman for her help.

"Hey, Are you Ed?" The surgeon yelled over the noise of the tools.

"Yeah, you here to help?" The young man turned to face the approaching woman. "Gosh, I sure hope you’re a paramedic."

Garrett smirked, "I think I’ll do. I’m Dr. Trivoli, and the other one dressed just like me is my nurse, Danni Bossard." The surgeon pointed to the entrapped woman. "How’s she doing?"

Ed started rattling off the information that he knew. "She’s full term and was on her way to the hospital in labor when the accident happened. She said her due date was about a week ago and that this is her first pregnancy. They were meeting Dr. Jenkins at hospital. We checked in with him and he’s already delivering a baby as we speak. They figured your team might be a good choice."

Garrett’s eyebrow edged upward at that last comment. "Thanks, for thinking of us. Let me get the other half of my team." She started to walk away.

Reaching out and grabbing at the surgeon’s coat, the boy called out, "Hey, Doc!" Trivoli’s body stopped and turned to look at him. "I forgot to tell you something."

"What?" The concern was written across her face.

The boy pointed to the tarp-covered mass on the ground not far from the wreckage. "That’s her husband."

Garrett gulped down hard as she tasted the bile at the back of her throat. Her eyes darted back to the woman in the wreckage. ‘Not another lone survivor! I won’t let either one of them become that.’ Her mind thought of the unborn child, never knowing either of its parents. She made her mind up to do everything she could not to let another person join her elite club.

She went back to where Danni was standing, waiting to hear the worst.

"Do you know what you’re going to do yet?"

Garrett looked back over to the wreckage. "No…no, I don’t."

**********

There was little that Garrett or Danni could do while the woman was still trapped. The biggest part of the care that they could administer was to keep track of the contractions, timing them as they came. After giving the pregnant woman their attention and bolstering her will to survive, all they could do was wait. The only exposed areas of the woman was her head, shoulders and left arm and that gave them no access to the baby at all. What they had done already was to quickly assess the patient and establish a large bore I.V. line of warmed Ringer’s Lactate Solution. The night was cold and crisp out here in the country and the team worried about hypothermia in their patient.

Danni stayed with the patient, giving her words of encouragement, while she timed the contractions as they came and went. Her close proximity to the woman helped to keep her warm, as she sheltered her from the wind on her only exposed side. The time of the contractions had slipped to almost three minutes apart now, and the nurse was beginning to be concerned.

The surgeon had thought about all of her options and set them out for the pilot to consider. She needed to know just how long it would take to transport the patient to the list of facilities that she had given him. If none of them were acceptable, she’d have to consider doing the delivery herself.

Cowboy studied his charts and weather patterns hoping to give the best route to the surgeon. He mulled over the calculations in his head before coming to a decision. ‘I hope she knows what she’s doing. Helicopters don’t make good delivery rooms.’ The pilot straightened up and went back to where his team was standing and waiting.

"Any progress yet?" He stood next to Garrett and leaned in toward her.

The surgeon shook her head. "No! How about you?"

"Yeah, I got the answers that you were looking for." He handed her his scribbling on a piece of paper. "But that’s only if we are able to lift off in the next thirty minutes. There’s a change coming in the weather pattern."

Garrett looked at the paper and started planning her method of care. "Thanks, Cowboy."

Suddenly the sound of elated human voices crying out into the night overpowered the deafening drone of the engines and hydraulic tools. The members of the Flight Surgeon Team looked over to see the mass of metal being peeled back away from the entrapped victim, while sidelined firefighters and ambulance personnel whooped and hollered in a victory cry. They had been challenged, and won, the battle to free the woman and her unborn child. The wreckage and carnage would not take them without a fight.

"Cowboy, get the ‘copter ready for lift off." The surgeon directed, then pushed off, heading at a brisk run toward the released hostage.

Danni was helping to stabilize the patient as she was placed onto the long backboard to immobilize her spine. The removal of the wreckage from her body allowed the nurse to finally visualize and assess the woman. The odd angle that her arm was positioned meant only one thing to Danni, a fracture. With swift movements, the nurse quickly directed the splinting of the deformed right lower arm, as Garrett was already examining the woman with her hands on her abdomen, checking for the baby’s positioning. It wouldn’t really matter if she had to take it but it, was always good to know.

The nurse slipped in next to Garrett and handed her the stethoscope from out of her jacket where it had been kept nice and warm with the heat of her body. Danni noticed the pained look on the woman’s face and the rushed short exchanges of air from her mouth.

"Contraction?" The nurse picked up the patient’s left hand and held it. "Go ahead and squeeze my hand if you have to." The nurse’s eyes moved along the exposed areas of the pained woman’s body, searching for any obvious injuries or indications of potential blood loss. Seeing none, Danni looked to see what progress her team member was making.

The patient looked to her and the message was given in grunts, "Ye…ye...yeah."

Danni looked down at the woman’s abdomen to see the stethoscope being moved from area to area as the tall surgeon listened intently. Within a few seconds the spasm lessened and the woman began to relax. The nurse looked into her eyes and began to introduce herself and Garrett but the only concern of the woman was that of her unborn child.

"My baby, don’t let anything happen to my baby." She was sobbing now for the life of her child. Her hand clutched at Garrett’s, drawing her attention. "Take the child if you have to save only one of us." Her eyes pleading what her words could not.

"I’m going to do everything that I can to keep you both safe and alive. Just trust me." Garrett broke her gaze at the woman and demanded of those around her, "I need a flashlight and another blanket. NOW!"

Within seconds, the items were produced and the surgeon undertook the task of assessing the promptness of her impending delivery. Danni quickly draped the lower half of the woman with the blanket as Garrett positioned her legs. Under the privacy of the blanket, the surgeon used the flashlight to illuminate the opening to the birth canal. ‘There’s no crowning yet. We’ve got a little time to go.’

Danni’s hand was clamped down on by the woman’s with such strength that the nurse feared for broken bones. "Gar, it’s another contraction."

"I got to PUSH!!! It’s coming. I can’t hold it." The voice was ragged and loud. "Help me, please." She started to whimper.

It was too late; the baby was now in the birth canal, its buttocks presenting for delivery. Garrett quickly made her decision, based on Cowboys calculations. She emerged from under the blanket and locked eyes for a second with her nurse. "She’s delivering. Let’s get her into that ambulance and out of the cold."

It was all that Danni needed to know. Right away she knew that they were going to need an expedient flight, once the baby was born. Spouting off orders as she handed the flashlight to the person next to her, they hustled the group to the waiting rig. Danni and the rescue workers loaded the patient into the ambulance as Garrett prepared for the birth.

"Danni, change places with Ed. I need you down here with me." The surgeon was pulling on her gloves as she kneeled at the foot of the stretcher.

"Turn the heat up to high and get us some blankets to warm up."

The nurse knelt down on the side of the stretcher. Grabbing gloves, she quickly pulled them on as the surgeon gently positioned the woman’s legs for the impending birth. It was then that Danni noticed the small bottom protruding from the woman’s perineal area. ‘I guess nothing is going to be easy.’

Garrett slid her gloved fingers gently along the small body as she tried to gain access through the birth canal and up into the dilated cervix itself. She had to find out whether or not the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. Her long sinewy fingers finally felt the cord. The surgeon worked to loosen it with little effort. Now with her hand still in place, she could feel the beginnings of the next round of contractions starting.

"Okay, when the contraction comes, I want you to push and push hard." Garrett looked over to Danni. "You ready?"

The nurse nodded her head.

"Here it comes!"

"GRRRRRaugh!!!!" The scream was frightening to the boy clenched in the death grip of the delivering mother. His face turned white and his knees buckled underneath him. He plopped down onto the bench seat.

"Ed…Ed! Lean forward and put your head between you knees. You’ll feel better in a minute or two." Danni shot glances in his direction as she waited to receive the baby from Garrett.

"Okay, just one more push and you’re done." Garrett was encouraging her. "Just let the contraction wave roll around once more and it’s all over."

The tears were streaming down her face as the injured woman could feel the wave rushing like a wild ocean tide from the sea. Within seconds it was here and she could feel her body releasing the form that it had nourished for the last nine months. "AAAAAAUUUUUURRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Garrett had emerged with the baby in her hands. Hastily, Danni worked to wipe the face with gauze, trying to clean out its airway in preparation of that first gasp for air. A small soft rubber bulb was used to suction out any additional fluids that may have blocked the airway.

The piercing screech of a baby’s first cry broke through the air. Garrett and Danni both saw the small newborn as it sucked in its first taste of fresh air. Anything that they could do to withstand the finality of death in another human being, they knew it had been worth it at that moment.

Working quickly, they clamped off the cord and cut it. The baby was wrapped in a towel and then bundled into a warm blanket. The nurse held on to the baby as she moved up closer to the head of the stretcher.

"He’s beautiful. You have a baby boy." The nurse’s eyes shone lovingly as she positioned the infant so that the mother could see.

Tears of joy began streaming from the woman’s eyes. "Thank you," she mouthed as she reached out to touch the soft skin of her son with her left hand.

Danni moved in closer. "Careful of the I.V.," she cautioned. The nurse watched the tender scene as mother met son for the first time, their touch bonding them in a way that only mothers know.

Within a few minutes, they were ready to go. Danni cradled the baby in her arms as Garrett oversaw the movement of the woman up to the waiting helicopter. They were headed for home, the trauma hospital that would give both mother and child the best chance that they could have.

*******

The quick response of the helicopter was welcomed and the skilled hand of the seasoned pilot was evident. The ride had been smooth and uneventful from that standpoint. The swiftness with which they had transversed the countryside was recorded in the shorter than estimated arrival time. Garrett chose to save as much time as possible by utilizing the dangerous hot unload procedure where the blades are still spinning at full revolution. The team carried out the maneuver as if it had been done thousands of times before.

Within minutes they were wheeling their patient down the short hallway and into the room where the combined team of trauma and obstetrics personnel waited. The exchange was made and Danni and Garrett left the crowded room knowing that they had made the right decision.

"Feels a little funny, huh?" The petite nurse slumped up against a wall where her tall friend was standing.

Garrett’s eyes never left the action in the Trauma Room. "Yeah, it does."

"Think that we’ll ever get used to this…I mean…not being the ones in there?"

"Hmm…I’m sure that we’ll have our moments, again."

"I hope so." Danni thought about what had almost transpired between the two of them when the call for assistance had come in. She had felt cheated at that instant, but not, after she watched the woman straining to bring a new life to the world.

Dr. Ian McCormick was the attending on duty this night and much to Garrett’s surprise he walked over to the pair with a huge smile on his face. She nudged her team member to get Danni’s attention. The surgeon kept her voice to a low whisper. "Wonder what words he’ll use to describe us now."

Danni smiled back at him. "Dr. McCormick, nice to see you again."

"Danni, Garrett, how’s my…" he caught himself before it could slip out. "How’s the team doing? Look’s like it got off with a quick start. What was that…two, three minutes into the New Year?"

Garrett smiled. She was glad that her threat was taken seriously. "Yes, that’s about what it was…two or three minutes."

"Good work you two. Now, go on home and get some rest. We’ll take it from here." He chuckled to himself. "You know, you’re both on call until the end of June." He turned and walked away, feeling as though he had won some kind of quest.

With a raised eyebrow, Garrett followed his form down the hall until he was no longer in view. "What was that all about?"

Danni shrugged her shoulders, "I’m not sure."

The surgeon smiled as she heard the sound of the baby’s cry. It was somewhat infectious as Danni also broke into a wide glowing smile as she looked up to her friend. Garrett Trivoli may not have been the Trauma Surgeon on duty, but she had met her goal of keeping another person from her own fate of being a lone survivor. For this they were both happy.

The petite blonde stood silently off to the side of the room watching the interaction between the people that had attended the meeting of The Lone Survivors. They seemed to be from all walks of life, some well educated, some very much the blue collar workers of society and even a few that were trying to pull themselves up by their boot straps.

Gender didn’t seem to matter when it came to trauma. It chose at random from all age groups, well, that was after the age of twenty-five. Before, it was predominately males that were the victims. It was a fact of our society. The young males had a much greater chance to be cut down in the prime of their lives by some traumatic occurrence.

The first meeting of the lone survivors had been nothing more than a get-acquainted social with several of the Department Heads outlining the services that they would provide to the group. Now, as the second meeting was starting, they were about to get down to the business of the group: realization and recovery.

Danni looked over the gathering until she found the person that she was concerned most about, her friend Garrett. The nurse knew how much this endeavor meant to her. It had pained her greatly to learn that the strong surgeon was a lone surviving member of her family.

Aside from helping to write the proposal and organize the gatherings, Danni felt out of place knowing that her family was intact. She had offered to leave, once the meeting had begun, but the strong willed surgeon refused to allow it. The nurse had learned a lot from the woman in the almost seven months that she had come to know her. Danni respected her judgement and therefore agreed to stay. She had noticed by doing just that, Garrett had seemed more at ease than before.

Over the months, Danni had learned to pick up on small habits and speech patterns that denoted special moods about the raven-haired woman. She watched the tall surgeon standing off to the side as the meeting was being called to order. Her hands were hidden in her lab coat pockets, but Danni could tell what they were doing. The surgeon had this habit of fumbling with small items, such as change or paper clips, when she was nervous. Danni smiled as she took a seat at the rear of the room, watching the gentle motion that emulated from those pockets. The nurse knew that Garrett had a calming affect on her when they were airborne; perhaps it was her time to return the favor now.

The man at the podium was motioning for silence. Finally receiving it, he began. "Good evening, my name is Dr. Jaffers and I’ve been asked to moderate tonight’s meeting. I’m sure that you remember me from the last meeting." He looked around, watching for signs of familiarity. "For those of you who may not know, I’m a psychiatric counselor for the Trauma Services workers. Yes, even the rescuers need somebody to talk to sometimes."

Danni’s mind flashed back to several of the scene runs that she and Garrett had made in the hopes of saving someone, only to find an almost lifeless body that they could do nothing to help. It could be so depressing at times. ‘I’ll never understand why the rescuers do it day after day after day, especially the ones who volunteer.’ She was lost in her thoughts until she heard the name of her friend being announced. Focusing back on the here and now, she watched the tall woman walk slowly over to the microphone.

Garrett paused before stepping up to the podium. Once there, she let her eyes sweep the room until she found what she was looking for, blonde hair and pools of deep green. Locking gazes like this had always given her a sense of inner peace that she had never known before. Garrett was thankful that Danni had agreed to stay. The surgeon knew that what she was about to say would come out only once. If anyone was going to be witness to it, it was going to be her friend. The surgeon blinked and let her eyes look up to the heavens. ‘Okay, Luc, don’t let me fall on my face.’ She took in a breath and then began.

"My name is Garrett Trivoli, and before I became a surgeon I was just a normal everyday child growing up in a typical family. That is, until one day when my sense of belonging and my family were shattered. You see, I too, am a lone survivor just like you."

"Dr. Jaffers thought that it might be a good thing to have someone talk about his or her experience tonight and I thought that it would only be right for me to be the first. I’ve asked you to attend these meetings but I wasn’t about to ask one of you to share your experiences with the rest of the group just yet. I know that each one of us has to do that in his or her own time. Some will take longer and some will be willing to share their experiences sooner. I only ask that when you feel ready to do so, you let us know."

Garrett paused as she looked out over the group. Many were nodding in agreement while some others were showing no signs of any emotion at all. She remembered her days of that stoic mask and how she had hidden behind it. But now, she was finding it easier to let the mask only come out every so often, when the situation was just a little to close to home, instead of all the time. The last person the surgeon looked to was her team member and friend. She owed thanks to her for standing by her and now she just hoped that Danni would continue to do so after she heard her story, the full story.

"It was a normal Saturday evening for any seventeen year old. I was out with a group of friends at a movie while my parents and younger brother were together at one of his baseball games. I came home afterward to find the house dark and empty. I didn’t think anything unusual by it, except that I remember being envious that I was not sharing in the victory celebration that always occurred after one of his games. Win or lose, they would always stop for ice cream and discuss the game. On their way back home that night, the car they were in was broadsided and pushed into a telephone pole."

"When the phone rang, I answered it hoping it was my father asking me what flavor ice cream cone I wanted him to bring home for me. It wasn’t. Instead of that familiar voice, there was a monotone female informing me that I needed to come to the hospital. I remember hearing the word accident and the name of the hospital but nothing more than that. I don’t remember leaving the house or even hanging up the phone. The only thing that I remember was the look of terror on our next-door neighbor’s face right before he reached out to hold me in his arms. Within minutes, he and his wife had brought me to the hospital that had requested my presence. It was then that I was told my parents had been killed in the accident."

Danni could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to Garrett talk. It hurt her to think of that young girl being thrust into an adult world with little sympathy by the medical community that she was now a part of. The nurse thought about how concerned her friend was over telling Diana Morgan about the outcome of her family’s accident. She could see now that the surgeon hadn’t wanted to make the same mistakes.

Garrett paused, biting at her lip. ‘Even after all these years, it still hurts.’ She cleared her throat then continued. "If that wasn’t enough, the doctor informed me that my brother was hurt beyond help. I was taken to his room and shown the array of machines and tubes that were connected to him. I was told that there was no way I would be able to care for him now or in the future. They then produced a paper and asked for my signature, explaining that it was a release for the funeral home to remove the bodies." There was a gasp that came from the audience as one woman brought out a tissue to dab at her eyes.

"By the gods!" The words escaped Danni’s mouth in a hushed toned.

"I found out a few years later, when I was in college, that I had signed for my brother to be taken off of life support." ‘I’m sorry, Luc, I didn’t know.’

Danni could see the guilt that the woman in front of the room had been carrying for the first time. Her heart went out to not only the woman that she knew, but also the child that she had been when it happened. ‘She must have felt that his death was of her doing.’ Danni could see the clouded color of Garrett’s eyes turning the blue into a dismal gray.

"I can’t tell you the torment and wondering that I experienced from that knowledge. I second-guessed myself over and over. If I had known, would I have done it?" Garrett paused, looking down to the ground. "I do know that I felt isolated and always wondering what would have happened if I had been with the rest of my family that night. Would that extra few minutes to wait for my ice cream cone make any difference in their outcome? Or was it fate that I live a life without them? I can admit to you now that thoughts of ending the pain did cross my mind. I had no one to really miss me if I were to commit suicide and the memory of my family would all but be wiped out from the face of this earth."

Danni’s eyes grew wide at this revelation. She had often wanted to ask but didn’t want to scare the surgeon off. Friendship was a new and fragile thing when Garrett had first told her of her youth that night at the cabin. Now, she could see first hand the torment that the woman held inside for all those years.

The petite woman fought back the urge to leave her seat and wrap her tall friend in her arms. ‘This…this is why she wanted me to stay.’ The nurse finally realized the strength of the surgeon. ‘She had learned to rely on nobody but herself and demanded more of herself than anybody could.’ Danni struggled to concentrate on what Garrett was saying, letting only a few tears roll down her cheeks.

"So, you see, I’ve been where you are. Desolate…alone…isolated from the rest of the world at times that should be filled with happiness and family. It wasn’t until I came here to Pittsburgh that I found that it did not have to stay that way. There are people out there that can be just as much a family member to you as the ones that are no longer with you physically. It’s up to you whether you open up your eyes and your heart to them or not. I strongly suggest that you do." Garrett’s hand sank down into her pocket as her fingers fumbled with the coins that were there. ‘Okay, Danni, I hope you’re listening.’ "I have and it’s made a world of difference to me."

The sound of polite clapping was heard as Garrett left the podium. She wasn’t sure whether she was more nervous now or before she had begun her talk. The surgeon found herself shaking hands that had been thrust at her only half hearing the words that accompanied the action. Her mind was concerned with only one thing, what Danni thought of her now? The tall woman scanned the crowd that was gathering around her, looking for the blonde hair of her friend.

Several minutes passed until blue eyes meet with green, the draw was like that of a magnet on iron shavings. Garrett found it impossible to remain where she was. Without breaking her gaze for more that a second or two, she excused herself and headed to the rear of the room where Danni was standing.

Danni watched as Garrett pushed through the crowd. She was so glad that her offering of friendship had been taken. Now, to hear what it meant to Garrett was even more heartwarming than she could believe.

"Hey…nice talk." Danni tried to downplay her excitement.

"Well…" Garrett looked back at the gathering as they mingled together, "I hope that they liked it. I’m not sure I could do it again."

"I think it struck a lot of them very close to home."

The surgeon sighed. "I hope so. Danni thanks for helping me…" The tall woman’s lips were met with a finger hushing them.

"Not here, Gar." The blonde took her friend’s hand and led her out of the room and down the hall. They traveled the corridors in silence until they found themselves in front of Garrett’s office. Taking out her keys, the surgeon opened the door.

Danni waited until they were inside and the door was closed. She didn’t see the need for the woman to air her guilt in the witness of others. "There’s no need to thank me. I did what any friend would do. I just wish that I had been able to do more." Danni paused. "Gar…why didn’t you mention…"

"What? That I was so upset about what I had done to my brother that I wanted to end it all. That I had even gone as far as to plan it all out." Garrett looked away.

"Gar, you didn’t know." Danni let her hand lay upon her friend’s arm, trying to get her attention. "Besides, you didn’t go through with it. Your nature is to preserve life, not end it."

"Danni, it took me a long time before I could stop thinking of myself as a murderer." She looked down at the nurse. "Yes, I’m no better than any of those criminals on death row. I killed my own brother. I was the one that let them take him off the machines, not someone else." Her eyes were clouded with the storm that she held inside. An irate tear ran down from her right eye as she fought back the deluge.

"No! Don’t even think that." There was genuine concern in the nurse’s eyes for her friend. "You’ve saved more patients in your lifetime already. I don’t ever want to hear you think like that. Where would all of those patients be today if it weren’t for you? Can you tell me that?" Her small hand traveled up to the taller woman’s face, where it captured the tear that was languidly rolling down over Garrett’s cheek.

The surgeon sniffed back her emotions and thought about her career, with all the saves she had been a part of. "I guess maybe you’re right." Garrett swallowed hard as her eyes fell on the framed photograph of her brother. "Thanks, Danni."

"Gar, I didn’t do those saves. You did. So what are you thanking me for? I’m your friend and I can only point these things out to you."

"Yeah. Well, I’m thanking you for sticking around long enough to be a friend. I know that I’m a pretty arrogant person and demand a lot out of those around me."

"Well, then, I see that half the battle is already won." The nurse laughed. "Come here." She reached out and wrapped her arms around the tall woman’s waist. "Thank you for asking me to stay."

Garrett let her arms embrace the shorter woman. Then leaning down, she whispered, "Thank you for not leaving…and for taking me away from the group just now." The surgeon was feeling a little lackluster by her recent revelation.

"I just wish that I could’ve been there for you then." The words were soft and heartfelt in nature.

The surgeon brushed the golden hair with her lips and let the scent of the person in her arms fill her nose. Garrett wanted everything that she possibly could to help her remember this night. It was the first time that she had ever told anyone of her dark secret, but somehow she knew that Danni would listen no matter how black it was.

***********

After the meeting of the support group, Danni noticed that the behavior of the tall surgeon seemed to be somewhat unguarded, especially around her. It was as if letting that deeply hidden secret of hers come to light had allowed her to move on with her life. Each time that Garrett told of some hint of adventure that she and her brother had shared, the nurse knew that she was being allowed to see what her friend held dear. It was at these times that Danni wondered if she, too, would be thought of in such a fashion.

The only thing that she knew for sure now was that at times the friendship between them was shrouded in both her and Garrett’s inexperience. Nothing that was planned or contrived, but just a feeling that something more was to happen, only it never did. Friendship was still a concept that the surgeon needed to grasp more fully and Danni was only too eager to help. The nurse, on the other hand, had no idea of how to deal with her own lack of inexperience, advancing relationships to the next level, deepening the emotional tie while bringing it into the realm of the physical. That is what made this friendship so different from the rest, the need to advance.

The young woman thought about all the times that they had shared in their day-to-day lives now that they were a team. They could be anywhere, doing anything and they each felt as though they were at home, as long as the other was there. It didn’t matter how serious or remotely insane the situation was. Just knowing that they were there, together, was enough. Danni knew what it felt like on her part, she wandered if Garrett was feeling the same.

There was a peace that would take over her soul, especially when she found herself locked in a gaze with the raven-haired woman. It could be only a few seconds or lasting much longer with the intent to convey some deep seated knowledge between the two, but nonetheless, it was there.

Danni felt at a loss. Her youth had not been one shared with friends, perhaps that was where this awkwardness was dealt with in relationships. The petite woman looked no more than a child did even though her age was thirty-two. At times like this, she wondered if emotionally she wasn’t still locked into those teenage years where the passions of life and love are learned.

The nurse stared out of the window as she waited for her team member.

Danni’s thoughts turned to Garrett, who at the age of seventeen, was thrust into an adult world. There was such a difference between her life and that of the surgeon’s. Garrett had been forced to delve whole-heartedly into life with little or no help from those around her. Danni questioned in her own mind if she would have had the courage to do it if their roles were reversed. ‘Maybe that is what makes her so sure of herself now? I only wish that I could know my mind like she does hers, then maybe I wouldn’t feel so lost now.’ She sighed and turned to the sound of footsteps coming down the hall toward her. She thought about all her feelings that were rushing to a head, all centering on her emerging emotions of love.

"Hey, Mom!" Her greeting reflected her mood.

"What’s wrong, Danni, no flights today?" The Charge nurse for evening shift was making her customary rounds of the department to assure that everything was as it should be.

"No, just thinking, that’s all."

"If you ask me, it looks like some heavy duty thinking." Karen stopped next to her and reached out her hand to rub across Danni’s back in a comforting manner. "Come on, you can tell me. Can’t be anything that I haven’t heard already with my own brood when they were growing up."

The petite nurse looked up into Karen’s face. The older woman’s eyes were kind and loving in such a way that Danni wondered if her own mother had ever once looked at her in the same manner. Without hesitation, she knew the answer. No! Not once could she ever remember seeing anything but the demanding look that was so characteristic of her mother. Well, to be truthful, there was another look. It was the look of disappointment that she remembered best on her mother’s face. That was what she had always thought of herself as to her mother’s belief in the way things were meant to be. "It’s nothing really, Mom." Danni shrugged her shoulders. ‘How do I tell her that I think I’m gay?’

"Nothing?" Mom looked wide-eyed at the woman next to her. "Must be a pretty important nothing, your back muscles are as tight as a knot."

There was silence for a moment before Danni slowly began to talk. "I’ve been thinking a lot about…relationships." The last word was just more than a whisper. "Why can’t things be simple whenever two people are involved?" ‘Especially if they are the same sex.’

"Hmmm…sounds like you’ve gotten an early hit by one of Cupid’s arrows." Karen’s voice teased.

"I wouldn’t exactly say that I was the one he was aiming for, Mom." Danni hung her head. "I’m not sure that I’m ready for this. Even if I were, I’m sure that this arrow wouldn’t be for me." ‘Hell! I don’t even know what Garrett’s preference is.’

Mom’s eyes showed nothing but concern. "Danni, sometimes we don’t get to choose who it is that we fall in love with. It just happens without any rhyme or reason. There’s nothing scientific or mathematical about it. One day out of the blue, our heart just tells us, this is the one for you."

‘I can’t believe my heart couldn’t give me an inkling any sooner than now. I’m going to be thirty-two and still don’t know what I like.’ "That’s all well and good, Mom, but what if the other person isn’t feeling the same thing?" Danni looked up to Karen, her eyes pleading for understanding. "Could it…" she bit her lip as she let her gaze drop to the floor. "I mean…what if the other person thought it wasn’t right and walked away?"

"Not right? Danni, love is always right. It’s the most natural thing on this earth. A person would have to be a fool to walk away from love that was honest and pure, especially from someone like you." Karen watched the subdued demeanor of the usually vivacious blonde. Her heart ached for the petite nurse. Danni was at a crossroads in her life and both Mom and she knew it. ‘Do I tell her to forge ahead and let her feelings be known or do I just tell her to sit tight and wait for a sign? God, why does life have to be so hard?’

It was then that the elevator doors at the opposite end of the hallway opened. The tall, dark-haired figure stepped off with confidence and was making her way toward them. Karen noticed the look in Danni’s eye as the young nurse watched her team member advance. It was a mixture of pure love and agony. Mom had often thought they had shared a friendship that was closer then most, but now, she could see what Danni was really referring too.

"Garrett?" The word escaped from Karen’s mouth before she could stop it.

Danni looked up to Karen with deep furrows forming in her brow. The young woman waited to see that same look that she’d expect her real mother to have if she were here. Instead of disappointment, the look on Karen’s face surprised her.

The upturned corners of the Charge Nurse’s mouth were evident as she glanced from Garrett to Danni. "I’d give her some time," Karen whispered, "she’s just learning what it’s like to have a friend." Mom squeezed her pseudo-daughter’s shoulders.

Danni was shocked. There was no repulsion or attempts to correct her statements, just unconditional love. The petite nurse didn’t realize that she was even speaking until she heard her own voice. "Thanks, Mom."

Garrett could feel the lop-sided grin as it began to show. She thought it was funny that the only time she felt like smiling was in the presence of her friend. Long legs carried the surgeon down the last section of the hall to the two women standing side by side. "Hey, Mom, haven’t seen you in a while." Garrett’s eyes initially looked at Karen but drifted down to settle on Danni. "When is the next outing?"

Danni’s back tightened and she could feel the breath escape her as though she was punched in the gut. ‘I’ve never thought of myself as gay…I guess maybe I am.’ Her eyes grew big in the realization. ‘ Well, there’s your answer. I can’t tell her now, I’ll lose her friendship for sure.’

Karen felt the tension overtake Danni, her own head snapping from Garrett to Danni and back again. ‘Surely she couldn’t have heard us.’ "Out…outing?" Her voice was strained and raw.

"Yeah, who’s it going to be…Danni…me…"

"Whoa, whatever you heard, it wasn’t meant like that." Karen felt like she was backpedaling in a plot of quagmire. She’d seen the wrath of the surgeon first hand and wanted no parts of it. "I…we…"

"Hey, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you." Rosie turned the corner in the hall and stood next to Garrett. "Did you to hear about the ski trip?" She looked directly at Danni. "I know how much fun you had on that outing last year with David," she teased.

Whew! Karen breathed a sigh of relief. ‘That’s what she meant by an outing.’

The tall woman noticed the slightly upturned corners to Danni’s mouth as her eyes began to twinkle. Garrett’s mind thought back to the look on Danni’s face when she had walked in on her reading that card the night she made dinner for the two of them. ‘Wasn’t that Christmas card from someone by the same name…David?’

"We’re booking the lodge for the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, February tenth to be exact." Rosie looked hopefully from Danni to Garrett. "You, two will be able to come, won’t you?"

The petite nurse’s face became sullen as she slowly shook her head. "Sorry Rosie, but we’re on call every weekend. I don’t think you’ll see us there."

Rosie turned to the surgeon. The thoughtful look in Garrett’s eye seemed disjointed from her speech. "She’s right, Rosie. I guess you’ll just have to have this outing without us." ‘But maybe there’s something that we can do about that. McMurray, I think you owe us a little R & R.’

**********

It was back to the usual day-to-day activities for the two women. As they waited to respond to calls for the Flight Surgeon Team, they pushed the Lone Survivor Group along, and kept plugging along at a thing called friendship, each one taking turns at being either teacher or student.

The ride home that evening was uneventful, with each of the women lost in their own worlds of thought. Garrett had stolen glimpses of her friend whenever she could. The young blonde seemed pensive. The only discussion that the two held was a brief decision on what to have for dinner. Once that was made, they each became bastions of their own making.

Garrett thought of how she could approach the Ol’ Cutter to let them join in the much needed fun and socialization that she knew Danni craved. She hated to see the lively woman looking so forlorn and withdrawn. The surgeon’s mind raced with ideas and possibilities until she finally devised a plan of action. As she maneuvered the Blazer to the drive-thru window, a smile came to her face. ‘I’ve got it. He’ll never refuse a good PR run…now would he?’ Her mind was made up. She’d talk to McMurray in the morning, without Danni present.

Garrett quickly ordered and waited for the food to be packaged up. She found it hard to keep from smiling as she turned to face her friend. The surgeon was new at this side of the conversation, but heck, Danni was her friend and she’d try to do what she thought was right. "You…you want to talk about it?" Her heart skipped a beat as the words came out of her mouth. ‘I hope I know what I’m doing here.’ The tall woman gulped hoping that maybe Danni hadn’t heard her.

The green eyes lifted and looked over to her friend, slightly amused. "What?"

"You know, talk about it." Garrett looked out through the windshield trying hard not to lose her nerve. "The ski trip last year, you and David."

"Oh, that!" Danni let her eyes roll, relieved that it was something else that the surgeon wanted to talk about. "David was one of the Chief Residents last year. We just had a good time trying to learn how to ski, that’s all." A pleasant smile crossed her lips as she reminisced. "Neither one of us were any good, seems that we just kept falling into one another."

Garrett tried to imagine the petite nurse on skis that were probably longer than she was tall. Somehow, a long trailing scarf just seemed to fit the blonde along with a wildly designed knit hat, complete with a yarn tassel at the top. ‘I bet she looked cute.’

"Yeah, if you ask Rosie, she’ll tell you that David had more time with me in his arms trying to get ourselves upright than he did holding on the ski poles." She laughed. "All that I know is that after a while, sitting in that snow can sure get cold."

The surgeon didn’t understand why, but suddenly she had this feeling of jealousy when Danni mentioned being held by David. It caught her off guard, just like the food service worker that was holding out the bag and calling her.

"Ma’am…ma’am your food?"

"Ah…oh, thanks." Garrett took the bags and handed them over to Danni.

The blonde woman had noticed the abrupt change in her friend’s attitude. She wasn’t quite sure what exactly had set it off but she knew that something had changed. The surgeon had resumed her role as chief stoic and chauffeur as the Blazer once again pulled out into traffic. Each one was once again immersed in their own thoughts.

Garrett considered her own skiing ability and how she might be able to teach the woman in the passenger seat how to stay on her feet and out of the cold. It was all a matter of balance and timing. Once that was learned, there was little more to do than enjoy the scenery. It was just like anything else in life, it would take time and a good teacher to get through it. The surgeon stole a glance at Danni. ‘Boy, am I glad that I have a good teacher.’

The services of Cowboy were enlisted as Garrett plotted her appeal to McMurray. Being in the business for fifteen years, Cowboy had connections in just about every hospital and clinic that the medivac helicopters flew in and out of in the tri-state area. Once the surgeon had mentioned her plan, the pilot took care of the rest. It was easy to get McMurray to allow a PR flight up to Seven Springs under the guise that the Resort itself had requested it to coincide with the big holiday weekend. Besides, if anything were to happen, they were just a short flight away. Now, all that Garrett and Cowboy had to do was to sit back and wait until the pieces were in place.

Through Cowboy’s connections, the two soon learned that the educational PR trip was granted and would be scheduled for early in the afternoon on Saturday, February 10. Each one of them beamed with the excitement of their scheme, and hiding it from the petite blonde was becoming something of a chore.

The blonde had a way of sneaking up on them when they were talking, causing them to suddenly abort their conversation and go off on some military past life that one of them had lived through. Their tight-lipped grimaces seemed to be the only thing that didn’t let them burst right out, telling her of the plan.

************

It was Friday afternoon, February ninth when they got the page from McMurray. They had been summoned to his office for a special meeting. Nothing more was said by the secretary, just that they needed to be seen. Once they arrived, Garrett and Danni were ushered into the office and offered a seat. The older woman left without saying another word.

The team members looked at one another and shrugged in response to the questioning look that each one was wearing. Garrett had thought that she knew what the meeting was going to be about, but right now, she wasn’t so sure.

"Gar, did we do anything wrong lately?"

The surgeon racked her mind for a moment, "No, can’t think of anything."

There again was silence as they waited to find out why their presence had been requested. Each one studying another aspect of the room, letting themselves become absorbed into a photograph of the Ol’ Cutter. Danni had always been partial to the one on his desk that he often reached out and touched when talking about his wife. Today, Garrett’s interest had fallen on the one behind his desk, on the wall. It wasn’t big or flashy and by no means impressive. Instead it was just a simple photograph of the McMurray’s standing outside of the hospital, dressed in regular clothing, his arm around her waist and a smile beaming on both of their faces. Garrett wondered what significance the photograph had in the milestones of his life. She made a mental note to ask him one day.

It wasn’t long after that thought that McMurray bustled into the room, striding briskly until he was positioned behind his desk.

"Good, I’m glad that you’re here." He was shuffling two envelopes in his hand. "Seems that these are for the two of you." He handed them over to the person whose name was typed on the front.

Garrett accepted it and looked at the return address in the upper left-hand corner. The name and address was unfamiliar to her. She looked over to Danni’s, only to find it a carbon copy of hers, but with the nurse’s name on the front. ‘What’s this about?"

Danni commenced opening her own and taking out the enclosed paper, unfolding it to read. "Gar, these are summons."

"What?"

"We’ve been subpoenaed for material witnesses to a court in Fayette County."

The surgeon quickly ripped open her envelope and read through the verbiage, stopping at the name. "I don’t remember treating any Leza McCoy." Her eyebrow shot up as she looked directly at her mentor. "Somebody has to be mistaken here."

The Chief of Trauma Services picked up a folder and flipped it open. "Do you remember working on a…Sunshine Doe?"

Danni’s head popped up from her own letter. "Gar, that was the woman that was assaulted and raped. The one that Jam…er…Dr. Potter had to intubate on the helipad."

Garrett thought back for a moment, that night had seemed like a million years ago.

"Let me help you, Dr. Trivoli. It was the night you chose to banish a medical student and throw Nurse Bossard out of your trauma rooms. Does that help you any better?"

‘Damn, I’ve tried to put that night out of my mind. I was such a fool then.’ "Yes, Dr. McMurray, I remember it now." She hung her head in disgrace. She’d learned a lot from that night, and by the looks of things, she was going to learn even more.

"You’ll have to be present at the Fayette County court house next month, starting on that date, March 6, a Tuesday. Seems that they’ve subpoenaed the whole lot of you that gathered evidence that night for the rape kit."

"You mean Rosie and Karen, too?" Danni eyes darted back and forth from surgeon to surgeon.

"Yeah, can’t see the reason for it but they want the whole bunch." He sighed deeply. "Keep me posted on what happens so we know whether or not you both will be available for flights."

"Yes, sir." Garrett turned to leave but was stopped by the burly man’s laughter.

"I almost forgot. I’ve got a special request for you two to do a little PR show up at Seven Springs Ski Resort tomorrow. I thought that it was rather funny coming on the exact same day as the E.R.’s outing but who am I to question coincidence." The Ol’ Cutter looked from one crewmember to the other, deciding who it was that pulled the strings. It didn’t matter; they had done a good job so far, and as far as he was concerned, needed a little reward.

Garrett blushed slightly at his insistent stare while Danni’s face beamed with a knowing smile as she eyed her tall friend.

"If I where you two, I’d pack a small bag and take it with you." He winked. "You never know what storms sweep through this time of year and ground your helicopter for the night. I mean…just to be on the safe side."

"Yes, sir!" Danni was exuberant, her eyes flashing wildly at the opportunity to spend some time with her old friends. "We’ll do that."

"Thanks, sir." Garrett remained reserved and professional. Her plan had worked even better than she had hoped for. Then the thought hit her, ‘I wonder if Cowboy had anything to do with this? Somehow, she knew it was a good possibility.’

"Now, go on. You got things to do and bags to pack." He waved them out of his office and watched until they hit the door. "Just remember, don’t come back with any broken bones on either one of you."

With that thought, they shook their heads and went out the door.

*************

Garrett sat watching the television, her eyes glued to the screen. She’d been waiting now for the local forecast of the weather channel. She trusted Cowboy’s judgment but somehow she just needed to see that advancing cloud pattern for herself. She wasn’t even cognizant of Danni as she breezed through the room with her small overnight bag in hand.

"Hey, aren’t you going to pack anything?" The nurse wasn’t used to seeing the tall woman so engrossed in television programming of any sort. "Garrett…you listening?" Danni shrugged at the undisturbed woman and went back to her packing.

The surgeon waited patiently until the commercial was over and the catchy jingle started to alert the viewers that their forecast was next. The screen swiftly changed to a map of the Northeastern United States. The voice of the announcer read off the weather patterns as they crossed the area. There, outside of Detroit was a storm front that was guaranteed to come across the Lake Michigan and Lake Erie as it swooped down into the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. It was promising to bring snow in lake effect squalls with winds that could create a near whiteout effect in some areas.

The tall surgeon smirked as she turned off the television. She’d seen enough. ‘Well, Cowboy, looks like we’re spending the night tomorrow. I’ve got to remember to thank him for the heads up, otherwise, we’d be in our flight suits all day and sleeping… in our undies.’ Garrett got up and started for the stairs. The surgeon thought Danni in her normal flannel sleeping attire complete with woolen socks. ‘No wonder he wanted us there at 0900.’

Garrett peeked in Danni’s open door as she passed by. There, on the bed sat the blonde woman, her hands filled with bras and underwear. The surgeon watched for a moment as the petite nurse took turns tossing out a bra or bikini bottom on to a pile at the end of the bed, before she shook her head and continued on to her own room. ‘You would think she was packing to meet someone special.’

Danni had mixed emotions at this point on whether to be practical or not as to packing. On one hand she knew for a fact that sitting in snow was darn cold. She’d learned that fact last year. But on the other hand, the nurse figured that she’d end up sharing a room with Garrett, and that brought all kinds of possibilities through her mind. Some of which, were causing her to blush just thinking about them.

Danni could feel the heat rising up her neck and across her cheeks to the tip of her ears. She’d never gotten this way around anyone before. That fact alone made her stop and wonder about what exactly was causing her reaction. ‘Is it the idea for being able to be with the rest of my friends for the weekend or is it the idea of being alone with Garrett in the same bedroom that has me all in a tizzy?’ Her mind kept adding more favorable conditions to the scenario with every second that ticked by. ‘And grounded for the night…in a snow storm…in a ski lodge…’ Then her eyebrows wiggled with delight. ‘Or maybe even a cabin with a fireplace.’

Danni’s hand brushed across the delicate lace on a pair of thongs that she had added to her collection when she came across them last summer right before her customary end of June vacation. She had no idea then why she wanted them but now it seemed to be just the right thing to throw into her bag. ‘They’re small enough, they won’t take up that much room. Besides, didn’t Gar say that I should pack light?’

The woman could feel her face once again turn into a blazing showcase for her emotions when the voice of her friend came lilting across the hall.

"Hey, Danni, don’t forget to take something to keep you warm at night."

The petite woman’s eyes bugged out as images of a tall, raven-haired woman with her arms wrapped tightly around her danced across her mind. It was too late. The fire had been turned up another ten degrees and beads of perspiration were building on her forehead. Silently she fell back upon her bed, her mind screaming at the top of its imaginary lungs, ‘Auurrggghhh!!’

*********