Danni watched the miles fly by as she made her way home to Pittsburgh and the woman she cared deeply about. Her mind, all the while, mulling over the time that she had spent with David. She had thought it so sweet of him to insist on eating dinner with her, allowing them more time to talk and her more time to tell David exactly how she felt about the woman she wanted to share the rest of her life with.

Quite frankly, David had amazed her with his understanding. Now, if she could only get another surgeon to understand, her worries would be over and she could move on with her life…no their life together.

Finally reaching home, she parked her car and went into the house, relieved that her day was over. Turning on the lights just inside the door, Danni could see the well-used comfort zone that she had made on the couch and smiled. To be honest, she half expected the tall, dark-haired woman to be sprawled out on it, with a magazine still in her hand. Walking over to it, she noticed the orange skins all neatly piled on a Kleenex and the empty glass of water next to it. ‘Well, at least she had more than just the breakfast that I made.’ She picked them up and went to the kitchen.

The room was immaculate except for the lone bottle of juice on the counter with only a mouthful or two left in it. ‘Well, she can find the refrigerator, that’s a good sign.’ The nurse smiled and emptied the bottle in the sink and rinsed it out before throwing it in the trash along with the orange peels. She placed the glass in the sink and turned, noticing the time on the stove’s clock. It read 0038.

She closed her eyes and listened to the quiet of the house, willing her soul and spirit both to follow suit. Danni wound her way through the downstairs rooms and headed for the stairs and the bed waiting for her at the top of them.

Coming down the hallway, she could see the soft rays of light streaming around the slightly ajar door. ‘I wonder if I left…no, I didn’t use any light this morning.’ Her mind thought about the hurried pace that she had set for herself to get out of the house that morning. Suddenly her eyes widened and she realized that she had never taken the journal downstairs to Garrett before she left. "Jeez, Danni!" She whispered. ‘I bet she went in and got it for herself and forgot to turn off the light.’ Resolved as to what happened, Danni stopped at the door and pushed it open.

Her eyes squinted to adjust to the light. Then slowly, the form of a human could be made out on top of her bed. There, with the comforter pulled across her body, was Garrett. Danni couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She had dreamed of the tall woman coming to her bed and here she was with her long graceful arm wrapped tightly around Danni’s pillow, fast asleep with the small bound journal still in her hand.

She ventured in for a closer look at the sleeping woman and found herself wondering what could bring such a relaxed, peaceful look to her face. Then without warning her mind offered up a prayer. ‘Please let that look be on her face because of me.’ Danni looked at the large portion of unused bed and eyed it longingly. Oh, how she’d love to crawl right in and take that pillow’s place. ‘Later Danni girl, there’ll be time for that later.’ She reached out and moved a wayward wisp of hair from the surgeon’s face. "Good night, my love," she whispered and turned out the light.

Retreating in silence to the hallway, she closed the door and stood now at a crossroads. Mentally, she pondered her options. ‘The couch or Garrett’s bed for the night?’ With those as her only options, it wasn’t hard to choose. The petite woman moved several feet down the hallway and opened the door. Even in the dark, she could feel the presence of Garrett in the room. Maybe it was the smell of the leather jacket that she loved or the feel of the raw power that the woman commanded in her daily life. Whatever it was, Danni knew that it was a source of life and love that she needed so desperately.

The dim lighting of the streetlight outside the house gave her enough sight to find her way to the bed, Garrett’s bed. The bed that she wanted to wake up in every morning with the tall woman wrapped around her body, their limbs intertwined and the feel of bare skin upon hers. Yes, this would definitely be more comfortable than the couch in the living room.

Danni took off her shoes and socks then slipped out of her jeans. Next to go was the bra as she unhooked it and slid it over her arms leaving her loose fitting T-shirt in place. It was a make shift sleeping outfit in her bikini underwear and shirt but it would have to do. The nurse lifted the edge of the covers and slipped down into the surgeon’s bed. The coolness of the sheets gave her body new sensations as she sank deeper into them. Her mind wondered if that is what the surgeon felt when she crawled in between them as they glided over her unencumbered body.

The nurse’s heart raced for a moment then slowly came back into its own pace as she nestled into the pillow that smelled so sweetly of her friend’s essence. Gathering up all that her senses could register, Danni logged them away in the memory of her mind, eager for the day that Garrett too, would be there with her. Invigorated but yet exhausted by the day’s events, the petite nurse was soon fast asleep.

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

Morning came all too early for Garrett, as her body woke her with the urgency that only a full bladder can have. Trying to open her eyes, she inhaled deeply and the resources of her brain efficiently detected the closeness of one small blonde. "Danni?" The blue orb popped open searching for her friend only to find the pillow pressed tightly into her body, her arms hugging it to her. She sniffed again and sure enough it was Danni. The surgeon’s head now popped up trying to get her bearing on where she was. The last thing floating through her mind was coming upstairs for the journal. With the haze rising from both her eyes and her mind, Garrett realized where she was and sat up in bed. There, in her left hand was Danni’s journal. She sat the book down on the nightstand and rubbed her eyes. It was now that her bladder once more pleaded its case for emptying. Garrett groggily took her crutches and got up with a quick trip to the bathroom as her only plan.

Emerging from the small room more awake and feeling relief, Garrett headed for her own room to get a change of clothing before she showered. Bracing herself at the door with her crutches under her armpits, the surgeon opened her door. There, to her amazement, was Danni sleeping in her bed.

Garrett stood watching the peaceful expression on the young woman’s face. It was almost angelic in nature as she slept sprawled over the large pillow that the surgeon always used. The petite woman’s arm was thrown over the upper half of the pillow as was her same side leg bent at the knee and covering the very lower half of the soft cushion. ‘I wonder who that lucky pillow is in your dreams, my friend, David or someone you’ve yet to meet?’

The surgeon halted that thought as the journal came to her mind. Garrett’s logical mind kicked into gear as more pieces of the puzzle were fitting into place. ‘It can’t be David, otherwise you would have stayed with him last night. Now that’s my gain and your loss, David.’ She closed her eyes in thanks to a higher being. ‘Why would you not wake me from your bed but instead, come to sleep in mine?’

For some reason, Garrett almost felt jealous of the pillow being held so tightly and with nothing but love written on Danni’s face. Staring at the woman in her bed, the surgeon stood mesmerized by the beauty of the moment.

Like clockwork, the inner workings of Danni’s brain registered the eyes that were staring at her. Slowly her brain summoned her body to wake. The first thoughts of the petite woman were of long strong arms pulling her in tightly until their bodies became one with each other. Trying to focus her thoughts through the cobwebs of distraction, she singled in on the form of one tall, dark-haired surgeon standing over, watching her sleep. Gentle purrs, much like that of a kitten, emulated from her body. Opening her eyes, she could see the distant form of the surgeon in her view. ‘Now, this is the way to dream, no cryptic jumbles and obliterated faces. Just what I know and trust to be real.’

The blonde woman pushed back her tousled hair and focused once more. ‘This couldn’t be real.’ But it was and Danni soon realized it. The crutches were too new to have left that good of an impression in her subconscious mind.

Now Danni felt like she was caught in the act. She could feel the slowly rising heat of a blush coming over her neck as it steadily rose to her face. She moved quickly, knowing that the redness of her embarrassment would soon follow, and moved away from the pillow. Turning over on to her back, she reached for the covers and threw them off as she sat up with her feet dangling over the edge of the bed.

Her body revolted at the loss of its warm bed and sent her into a shiver when the cool air of the room struck her. Danni stood facing the surgeon in the doorway and tried to explain. "I…I didn’t want to wake you when I got home…I thought that you wouldn’t mind…" Her mind stopped in mid sentence as the sensation of her body took hold. She looked at Garrett who was staring at her from the doorway then down to her own body where the two pointed shapes protruded from the T-shirt at her mid chest. ‘I’m going to die of embarrassment.’

Garrett stood watching the turn of events, and found herself smirking at the sight of the raised points of interest on Danni’s shirt. Hiding it quickly so as not to embarrass the woman more, the surgeon let her eyebrow edge upward without much regard.

The nurse realized that there would be no way for her to hide the signs of her impending blush. She could feel it coming fast and hard as the heat built in her chest getting ready to explode with a red so strong that Rudolph would be envious of it for his nose. Danni had to get out of there before it was too late. She shook her head and made way for the door.

"Excuse me, please!" It was the only thing that she could say when coming face to face with the surgeon. Then, as each did a quick side step at first to one side then the other, she stopped and stared directly into the tall woman’s eyes. The message conveyed was understood and Garrett turned her body sideways in the doorway allowing the woman barely enough room to pass by.

Holding her breath, Garrett waited for the petite woman to push by her. In doing so, Danni’s hardened nipples grazed ever so slightly across the upper abdomen of the surgeon. The sensation stirred something in Garrett and she found her own nipples becoming aroused. The cool air in the room was not the cause. No, it was something else. Garrett looked down the short span of hall to Danni’s room and then back to her own now empty bed. And her mind began questioning what had just happened.

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

Choosing not to talk about the embarrassing encounter, Danni continued on in her daily activity. Garrett followed suit, not wanting to cause any more to come of it than the petite woman already had. And so, the days went by with neither broaching the subject.

Garrett continued to heal and Danni continued to be her nurse until the time finally came that the surgeon could no longer stand to be cooped up in the house. The several days of rest had done wonders for the ankle, letting it almost return to its natural coloring. Her advancing ease at using the crutches helped to lessen the cursing from her mouth, and now it was evident that the surgeon needed to start back into the world. It was with this in mind that Danni agreed to take her into the hospital for a few hours to visit and feel as though she was herself again.

Even though Garrett could not drive, they used her Blazer allowing her the extra room for the maneuvering with the crutches. Danni looked like a child sitting behind the wheel as she pulled into the driveway of the hospital to unload her eager-for-action cargo. With the passenger door opening before she could set the gear selector in park, Garrett was grabbing for her crutches.

"Whoa! Stop right there, young lady." Danni’s voice became loud and clear. "Can’t you even wait until I park?"

Garrett’s eyes flashed with anticipation and laughed. "Yeah, I guess I can wait another minute. I sure don’t want to get hurt again." Her head swung back to the tall building as her mind raced with all the things that she wanted to do and see on this first trip out of the house. The phone call last evening from her colleague Rene had spurred on this episode of cabin fever. She found herself needing to be back in touch with her world of medicine and not as the patient.

"Okay, I’m parked. Remember, I’m only going to be working for a half a shift in the E.R. and I’ll be done at 1530."

Garrett nodded, eager to get out of the vehicle. "Yes, and I have my pager on just in case you feel this need to track me down and make sure that I’m being good."

Danni smiled. "Alright then, if everything goes well today and you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll bring you tomorrow, too."

The surgeon stood on the ground looking back into the Blazer. She stood with her two crutches in one hand and used the other to fish behind the seat for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"Rene, asked me to bring my Flight Suit today. He’s thinking of staying on here and being part of the team."

"And he needs your Flight Suit to make up his mind?" Danni looked at her friend skeptically. "I think you have plans for that suit."

"Honest, he just wants to try it on. See if he feels comfortable working in it. That’s all, I swear."

"I don’t know, Gar…you seemed pretty antsy the last day or two at home."

"Look, no boots, just suit, okay?" The surgeon held up the folded Flight Suit and shoved it under her arm. "You know the rules, steel toed boots are part of the uniform. I couldn’t get that boot on if I tried."

Danni nodded in agreement. "Okay, Gar, go have yourself some fun with Rene. Just don’t forget about going home. Now, get going, while I park this beast." She laughed waiting for Garrett to close the passenger’s door, then put the Blazer into gear, heading for the garage.

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

The surgeon chose to bypass the E.R. and headed right for her office. It felt good to be back in the bustle of the medical world. After the quick elevator ride and the humbling pace of her stroll down the hallway, Garrett arrived at the door to her office. Reaching into the pocket of her Dockers, she produced the key and entered.

Her first sight was that of Lucas’s picture on the shelf above the monitor. A smile came over her face and all was right with her world. She was home. Home to her feelings of family and love, home to her world as she thought it should always be. The events of the last few months, even days, had begun to throw her slightly off kilter. It was here in her office that she knew she thought the best, tucked away from the world around her or so she thought.

Within minutes of her arrival, Dr. Chabot stood smiling broadly in the doorway. "Dr. Trivoli, the rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated, I presume?" He teased her like one would tease a sibling. Her hard stare or growling bark had never scared him off.

"Cut it out, Rene, I’m stir crazy from being at home; don’t lock me in a small pine box, too!" Her face was tense until she could no longer hold the smile in.

"See," he pointed to her face, "I knew that I could get you to smile."

"Yes, you did." She shook her head at his antics of dancing like a puppet on strings. "What makes you so full of life today, Rene?"

He grinned and beamed loudly, clutching onto his heart. "My wife and babies, they come home today from Canada." His face got somber for a minute and he eyed the woman across from him. "You have never experienced love until you cannot touch it at your fingertips where it was just a few days ago. Garrett, can you not say that being away from someone that you love would make you want them all the more?"

Garrett looked at the picture of her brother. Her eyes would not stay focused on it but instead slipped onto the frame itself. Try as she might, her eyes would not see Lucas but substituted the image of Danni in his place, slipped neatly under a young Garrett Trivoli’s arm, fishing gear in hand. The surgeon was stunned, not knowing what to think. "Ah…ah…" she stammered, then quickly changed the subject. "Hey, Rene, here’s that Flight Suit for you to try on."

Sensing her uneasiness, Rene let the subject drop. "Thanks!" He held it up to himself, measuring it for fit. "Would you mind if I wear if for a little while? I mean…to see if I like the feel."

"Sure, go ahead. Just don’t go home with it."

"You are my friend, eh…are you not?" Rene smiled at the prospect of letting her know how he felt.

"Yeah, I guess so. Now, go try it on." She motioned to the door. "I’m going to go check on the units and scare a few nurses." She winked and grabbed for her crutches. "I’ll see you on the floor."

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

Danni walked into the E.R., after changing her clothes and was met by Dr. Jamie Potter. The redhead waved and smiled at the nurse until she was close at hand. "So how is tall, dark and dumped by a pothole doing?"

Danni shook her head and laughed. "Better not let her hear you call her that. She’s still pretty mad at that pothole not to mention you for grounding her on crutches."

Jamie rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Oh, if they were my only problems in life."

"She’s actually doing better. The discoloration is pretty much gone but the swelling is still there. I keep telling her to give it time."

"She’ll do okay, as long as she stays off it for a few more days. She’ll be good as new and reigning havoc on the staff before she knows it."

"Ain’t that the truth." Danni’s eyes closed saying a silent prayer for anyone caught in the surgeon’s way today. "So, you got me with you for the next four hours, what can I do to help out?"

They both turned their attention to the assignment board. "Looks like Nan has you assigned to cover Trauma Nurse One." Jamie smiled. "There’s one coming in about 15 minutes from now. Why don’t you go get ready."

"Thanks, Jamie. You guys always know how to make me feel right at home."

Danni went to the Trauma Hallway and checked out her room. Finding nothing to do, she grabbed a lead apron and began dressing for her part in the incoming trauma.

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

The stern-looking woman slipped her car keys into her handbag and quickly shouldered it setting off on her mission. No one, especially a surgeon, was going to slap her in the face with her own daughter’s moral ineptitude. There would be no bastard in the Bossard family line and she was going to make sure of it. Her eldest child had always bucked her guidance in the past but now, it was going to be different. Without Danni knowing it, Mother was going to make things right again.

The woman crossed the street and started down the walkway to the huge building that was Danni’s place of work. Eager to find her man, Mother stopped the first medical looking person she could find and asked the only question on her mind. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where I might find a Dr. Garrett Trivoli?"

The O.R. Nurse looked directly at the woman. "That one’s nothing but trouble lady, do yourself a favor and find somebody else." The nurse thought about her first day with the surgeon and shivered at the arrogance of the demanding surgeon. "Your best bet would be to check the helipad. That surgeon is the only one in a Flight Suit. " The bitter nurse excused herself and continued on her way.

Mother fumed. "Trouble…eh? You have no idea." She altered her course for the Emergency Room driveway and the helipad that was near it.

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

Danni stood at the Trauma door, waiting for her patient. She thought that it was poor planning to have one helicopter on the way in while one was still seated on the pad. Her concern continued to grow as each second ticked by. The sound of the familiar long strides came from around the corner, the clicking of the toe taps sounding out its warning. A slow smile grew on the nurse’s face as the familiar figure of Cowboy came into sight.

"Hey, Cowboy!" She greeted the tall pilot by throwing her arms around his shoulders. To say that she missed him was an understatement.

The tall man leaned in to reach his long arms around the petite nurse. He had his visor flipped up on the helmet and greeted her with a warm smile. "Danni, my lil’ one!" He held her at arm’s length and poofed out the trauma gown. "I can see why you don’t wear these around a helicopter." He teased at the expanse of material that made the small woman look much bigger than she was. "You could hide a small army in there."

Danni let her hands feel the material as it started to settle down into place again. "You should see Garrett in one."

"No, I’d rather see you in those Flight Suits and back in my helicopter. Do you think it will be much longer for her ankle?"

The nurse reached out and pulled him down to her height then laid a gentle kiss on his check. "Soon, Cowboy, real soon."

The man smiled shyly as he fought the blush creeping up his body. "I…I feel like I don’t deserve that."

"But you do, and I just wanted to let you know that we miss you. Though I’m sure that Gar would have just shaken your hand."

Cowboy nodded in agreement. "That woman is going to wake up one day and surprise us all with the size of her heart."

"I’m praying for that more than you could believe. I just hope it happens soon."

"It will. Trust me, it will." The man saw the hope in the nurse’s eye. "Hey, I better get this craft up in the air if you want that pad for a trauma. I’ll talk to you later. Take care, Danni." He turned and walked into the hospital. "I’ll be back in just a minute or two," he chuckled, "got to let that coffee out."

The woman at the end of the driveway had stopped her forward motion and watched the touching display. Looking for a better view of his face, she moved closer to the building once she realized that the small blonde was her daughter. "Okay, Dr. Trivoli, I got you now." She watched with a renewed interest and when the Flight Suited man entered the building, Mother changed her direction and made for the front entrance. There was no way that she wanted Danni to know what she was about to do. "You may have picked him, daughter, but I’ll make sure he accepts his responsibilities to MY family." ‘After all the trouble that you’ve put me through with you not accepting your place in life. You should have been married a long time ago. That’s it! There’s no more time for you to squander away now Danielle.’

Mother was on a rampage now. She’d let her daughter have a say in her life and she could see that it wasn’t a good one. It was time for her to be shown how it was going to be for the rest of her life.

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

Dr. Rob Kreger stood in the hallway waiting for the trauma to arrive when he caught sight of the Flight Suited figure headed his way. He squinted, not believing what his eyes were telling him. "Dr. Chabot?" The Chief Resident took a step forward. "Is that you? Why do you have Trivoli’s Suit on?"

The tall man squared his shoulders and preened his sleeves. "Don’t you think that I do it more justice than her?" He was obviously in a good mood. He tugged at the chest of the suit to show the room that was unused. "I think maybe I need just a little take in up here though."

"Hmm…I think she fills that out better." He looked around to see if the ominous woman was in earshot but the only person he could see was the matronly dressed woman with the handbag on her shoulder. He smiled at her but she didn’t seem to take note of his greeting and turned her back is if she were searching for someone. "Does she know that you’re getting it?"

Dr. Chabot smiled. "And with her blessing, too!" They both laughed at the thought. "I’m not sure she’ll ever let anyone into her pants any other way."

Dr. Kreger shuddered. "Don’t want to go there."

"Speaking of going, I’ve got to get back to the O.R. to schedule my case for tomorrow morning. I’ll see you then, remember you’re assisting me."

"I won’t forget." Rob Kreger waved good-bye to his colleague and watched him head on down the hall toward the elevators.

"Hey, Rob!" Danni waved in his direction. "Have you seen Garrett around?"

"No, but I think Rene is meeting your surgeon in the O.R." He watched the young woman walk toward him. "Anything special that you need Garrett for that I can’t help you out with?"

"No, just checking up on my surgeon. Making sure that there’s no trouble I need to watch out for."

The matronly visitor edged her way toward the elevator trying not to be seen by her own daughter. She needed to get this Garrett Trivoli by himself if she was ever going to set things right. ‘I couldn’t believe that he could be joking about ‘getting it’ with his friends. Has he no couth?’ Finally the doors to an elevator opened and Mother moved to get on it. ‘And that friend, outright lying to my daughter to cover for that cad.’ Her raging temper was going to get the best of her if she didn’t keep it under control. ‘Why, hearing him talk, he even sounds French-Canadian like her grandfather.’ The woman shuddered at the thought. She’d fought long and hard to have her family thought of as French and not French-Canadian.

The woman took one last glimpse of her daughter and ducked into the loaded car.

"Hey, Danni, did you see that creepy old lady?" Rob motioned with his head toward the elevator doors that were just closing.

"Not a good one, why?"

"Nothing, I guess." The Chief Resident thought to himself for a moment than looked at Danni. "You know, if I were a betting man I’d bet that woman was up to no good."

Danni thought back to the brief glimpse that she had gotten of the woman right before the doors closed. ‘Hmmm…no, it couldn’t be. What would she be doing in Pittsburgh?’ The nurse shrugged her shoulders. "The trauma’s going to be landing in two minutes. We better get back there." She grabbed the sleeve of Rob’s white lab coat and tugged at it until he followed her.

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

Mrs. Bossard got off the elevator and looked around. There, at the end of the corridor was a sign pointing out her way. "O.R., Hmmm…let’s see if I can’t catch up to you now." She was a woman on a mission and no one had better get in her way. That was until she turned the corner and saw the huge signs hung on the doors. "Authorized Personnel Only! Damn it!"

The staff coming out of the door could hear the mutterings and one nurse quickly came to the woman’s aid. "Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

Mother looked up at the woman with fire in her eyes, "Yes! I need to find Dr. Garrett Trivoli."

The intense look on the woman’s face gave the nurse a fright. She sure wouldn’t want this woman tracking her down. "You’re looking for the Trauma Fellows. Why I just saw both Garrett and Rene Chabot outside of the doctor’s lounge just a moment ago."

"Where?" She was no longer asking but demanding. "Which way to that lounge?"

"Down the hall and to your left." The nurse watched her with a wary eye as the woman turned around and stormed off down the hall, her hands acting like excited robots as they opened and closed around the shoulder strap of her handbag.

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

"Oh, there you are, I’ve been looking for you all over. I thought we were going to make the rounds together." The Flight Suited surgeon held open the door for the woman on crutches.

Garrett had finally met up with Rene when she came out of the Doctor’s Lounge outside of the O.R. She stood casually leaning on her crutches with her back against the wall as Dr. Chabot stood in front of her. "What…no greeting, you just want to get right down to business?"

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Oh, but you are lovely this fine day."

Garrett shook her head and chuckled. "You’ll never give up will you? What would your wife say if she saw that?"

"But how could she see it, if she is nowhere around." He wiggled his eyes and smiled broadly at her. "Wife? Do I have a wife?"

"Well, whatever you want to call her then."

"Ah, yes! The mistress of my nights," his eyes grew wide, "well, at least when I’m not on call."

"You’re never going to change, are you?"

"And why should I…eh? I’m having way too much fun." He winked at the dark-haired woman and leaned against the wall next to her with one arm. "If you would listen to me, you’d be having some fun, too!" He cast his eyes down to the placement of her heart. "Open you heart and let the love find you."

"You keep telling me that. So, any news as to when the babies are coming?"

"OH! It will be so good to have the twins here, safe and in my arms finally. I can’t wait to see them. They’re changing everyday, getting bigger and bigger now. Why just the other day, one kicked me while we were playing…what is that game? Hard to get…no, hide and seek."

Garrett opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the sound of a commotion just a little piece down the hall. "Rene, did you see what happened?" She motioned to the matronly looking woman being attended to by several Staff Physicians and nurses.

Dr. Chabot studied the scene and shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know, maybe she got some unexpected news that she wasn’t prepared for. Come on, let’s go back to the office and I’ll give you this Flight Suit back." He dramatically motioned for her to lead the way, saying, "After you, my friend."

The two colleagues made their way past the group of people attending to the dazed woman. The Flight Suited man stopped and gathered up the belongings that had spilled from the handbag, then set it down next to the woman. "Nothing surgical looking for us to worry about. She must have a bad heart," Rene said in passing, and headed for the elevator.

Chapter 11

Garrett sat deep in thought, her foot resting on the chair across from her. Even though it was now several weeks out from her injury, the ankle gave her pain at times. The act of elevating her foot during the day was now in her subconscious rather than an afterthought. She looked at her ankle as she tested its range of motion, wincing when she'd gone too far. 'Yeah, Trivoli, that pothole got you good.' Her mind drifted slightly to the image of a petite blonde nurse. 'Just like she did.' The surgeon closed her eyes and sighed.

The end of May was fast approaching and here she was with a stack of letters in her hand, all of them with offers of jobs trying to win her skills for their very own purposes. They all seemed to enjoy boasting that they had the best and brightest of the new rising stars on their payroll. It was their plan to entice the surgeon with offers of money, stock options, cars, houses, and even computer dating arrangements to name a few. She had to laugh at that one and wondered just how much they knew about her, probably more than she knew about herself. 'What do I know about myself?'

It was a puzzle that Garrett had been working on for the past month or two. Each time that she thought she had it all figured out, something else would happen to make her reevaluate what she had deliberated. Her life seemed to be constantly up in the air, as did the people that surrounded her. Each one always looking at her as if this great enlightenment should be taking place any minute. Some even more than others, like Danni. How often had she seen that hopeful look in the blonde's eyes? The surgeon's heart went out to her friend but she wasn't quite sure what it was that woman wanted from her. She was trying hard at this friendship but perhaps there was something more, something that she just wasn’t getting.

The dark-haired woman was finding that her responses to some situations were even more up in the air than anything. She often wondered why Danni’s touch sent shock waves through her as if she’d touched a live wire. No one’s touch had ever done anything to her before. Then there was the time the petite nurse had squeezed by her in the doorway to her room and suddenly Garrett had felt a stimulation surging through her body that to this day just thinking about it still took her breath away. These were all feelings that she’d never had before.

It all made Garrett wonder if there wasn’t some plan that was being put in motion without her knowing about it. Fate had brought her here to Pittsburgh, obviously, for some reason. Now, somewhere in her hands was the fate for the rest of her life. She stared down at the handful of letters and wondered how and when the fates would interact with her again.

"Maybe I should cast my fate to the wind. What do you think, Danni?" She mused aloud unaware that the nurse was standing at the bottom of the stairs within earshot.

Danni noticed the letters in Garrett’s hand and her brow furrowed with consternation. She closed her eyes to stave off the tears. She’d looked at the return addresses on the corners of the envelopes as each one had been delivered to the house with Garrett’s name on them and committed them to memory. Most had been from the West Coast, big name facilities, but several were also from the South. Heck, she’d even received a letter from Hawaii. The nurse bit her lip at the thought of Garrett leaving, being so many miles away. The pain was almost unbearable.

‘A little over a month to go and I could lose her forever. I can’t lay my feelings out on the line now, she’s got too much think about as it is. I pushed her into this friendship. I want her to make this decision on her own. If she loves me, she’ll stay, we’ll work something out.’ Danni was still concerned for her friend’s career. How would her peers, patients and the power structure of the hospital that she’d work in treat a gay surgeon? These were all concerns of the nurse’s in regard to her friend. Danni knew how she would treat her, lovingly, tenderly, with kindness and consideration. The nurse would downright cherish the day that the spark of love ignited into the flame of passion between them, if only it would.

Danni pulled herself together before she spoke. The words were soft and reverent in nature. "I’d rather you let your heart rule your fate than the wind."

Garrett sat up, startled by the voice. Turning her head, she could see that same hopeful look on Danni’s face that had been haunting her for sometime now. "I…I didn’t know that you were up yet."

"I’m sorry, Gar, but I thought you were asking me a question. I didn’t mean to disturb you."

The blonde crossed the room toward the kitchen. The entire time blue eyes were on her, watching each step and savoring it. The surgeon could feel her own pulse quicken when she focused in on the gentle swaying movement of the nurse’s anatomy from side to side with each stride. Garrett closed her eyes as Danni turned the corner into the other room. ‘Was that lawyer right? Gosh, what would Danni say if she knew I was looking at her like that?’

The surgeon hung her head in disbelief. ‘Face it, Trivoli, you’re gay. You always thought that you might be. Hell, you even tried having sex with women when you were in college.’ She breathed in a cleansing breath and opened her eyes. ‘Now what do you do?’

She ran her hand through her hair as her mind brought forth scenarios of Danni interacting with the surgeon, one of denial, one of rejection, one of acceptance and one of avoiding the issue all together. The surgeon looked back down to the handful of job offers. The thought of what being involved in a gay relationship might mean to the nurse with her career and family came running through her mind until it smacked her in the face. ‘Then again, I could always just run.’

The sound of the beeper put an end to the thoughts as Garrett reached for her pager. The message scrolled across the screen, "Call command immediately." And she did.

Coming into the kitchen, Garrett looked sheepishly at the blonde woman as she was coming away from the refrigerator. "Danni, we’ll be driving in separately this morning."

"Huh?" The confusion was evident on her face. "W…why?"

"That was the Command Desk calling for Dr. McMurray. Seems like he has plans for me today. I’m not sure of what it’s all about but he wanted to make sure that you had a way home tonight."

"You don’t think something happened to Nathan or Rene do you?" Danni’s heart was quick to show its concern.

"They didn’t say." Garrett bit at her lip, "I hope not. They just told me to report to McMurray’s office as soon as I can get in."

Danni nodded her head. "I’ll drive myself in. You’d better go get your shower."

"Thanks, I’m kind of curious as to what’s up." She turned and started for the doorway into the living room.

"Gar…" Danni’s voice was soft and quivering, "you’ll let me know what’s up, won’t you?" She watched the surgeon nod in agreement then head toward the shower.

***********

Garrett stood in the outer office waiting to be seen by Dr. McMurray. It was his summons that had brought her here. Waiting patiently, she moved along from one wall to the other gazing at the photographs of the man’s life and career. It always intrigued her how he had managed to have some pictorial archive from every aspect of his illustrious tenure in the capacity of Chief of Trauma Services. Even the fact that most of the photographs were also taken with his wife in them, kept her more in awe than she cared to openly admit.

‘I bet it’s wonderful to know that someone stands by you no matter what. I can see why he loves his wife so much.’ Garrett moved on to study the next picture in the line up and stood tilting her head from side to side, deciding just what it was about the picture that caught her eye. Absorbed in it, the surgeon hadn’t noticed the opening of the door or the advancement of her mentor into the reception area.

"I was a young snipper when that one was taken." The Ol’ Cutter stood next to her and studied the picture for the zillionth time in his life. "I was fresh out of my transitional year and ready to take on the world of surgery." He chuckled slightly. "I had a new shiny scalpel in my bag, back then we still carried them, and two dollars in my pocket. You would have thought I was a king." McMurray leaned in toward her. "Do you see anything out of place about that picture? Go on," he nudged her, "take a good look at it."

Garrett stepped closer and studied it intently. "Why, isn’t that your wife in the background?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, technically not. I hadn’t even met her yet, let alone married to her. She just happened to be there, like she was in all of the rest of the pictures. It was like fate had dictated that we would meet and spend the rest of our lives together."

The tall woman stepped back slightly, shaken at what he had said. The surgeon’s mind jumped to the loop of her memory where she had come barreling through the front E.R. doors at the beginning of her shift on that first day, nearly running smack into Danni.

"Do you believe in fate, Dr. Trivoli?"

"I’m beginning to think so, sir. Why do you ask?"

"I think that our fates are planned out for us even before we are born. They write our story in the sands of time and it’s our obligation to live them out here on earth."

"Excuse me, Dr. McMurray," his secretary spoke up. "You have that Board Meeting at eight o’clock, remember?"

"Yes, the Board. Thank you, Stella, for reminding me." His voice was now more business-like than mystical. "Come on into the office Garrett and I’ll tell you why I asked you to stop by."

Garrett followed him in and sat in the chair that he offered to her. She didn’t know why she was there and right now she didn’t really care. All that kept running through her mind was the young "snipper" photograph and the thought of someone else being in control of her life.

The Ol' Cutter rounded his desk and sat down. Leaning forward, he began to speak. "I won't beat around the bush, Trivoli. I don't have time for that. I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, sir, just ask." Garrett respected her mentor and would do anything to help him out. "I’m getting kind of bored, not being able to fly and all."

"Good, I was hoping that you would be eager to help. I figured that you’d be pretty tired of doing rounds and the clinic by now. You having any trouble with that ankle…I mean…standing on it for a while?"

"I’m not using the crutches if that’s what you mean." She tested her ankle and smiled. "I think that I could manage a round of surgery or two a day. Of course, that’s without jumping up and down." She teased him to make her point.

"That’s good then. One of our former Chief Resident's is in a bind and needs some surgical bail out." He looked at her coyly. "You wouldn’t mind doing a few emergent appendectomies or anything like that, would you? I mean that if you would, I could always send somebody else…"

The woman's eyes lit up as thoughts of O.R. time was being dangled in front of her. "Me, mind a few appy’s? Never, just tell me where to go and who to talk to. I’m on my way."

"I believe you know him, too. It's David Beckman." McMurray watched the expression on her face turn cold. "Is there some problem between you and he that I'm not aware of?"

"No, sir. No problem professionally." The woman's body tensed, as she was becoming more defensive.

"Personally, then?" He eyed her suspiciously as he watched her eyebrow raise in challenge. "Did something happen the night of the dinner that I don’t know about?"

"No! I…I…it’s nothing. I assure you that nothing will get in my way of treating the patients."

"Alright then, I made arrangements for you to stay at the hospital in a call room of your own. While you are there, all of your meals will be covered by the Department of Surgery."

She nodded. "When do I start and for how long?"

The Ol’ Cutter smiled at her, pleased that he could count on the talented surgeon. "I told them you’d be there by noon." He winked and nodded. "Stella will have the directions for you and anything else that you might need. Who knows, maybe this is something that the fates have had in store for you all along." He teased.

She smiled wryly at his remark. "If that’s all, I’ll get my things, along with a few changes of clothing and be on my way." She watched him, nodded, and rose from the chair to leave.

"Trivoli," he called out as she came to the door.

Turning back to him she answered. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

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

There was no need to leave the house, not just yet anyway. Garrett had taken her own car and Danni really did want to address the pile of mail that was left on the desk in her slot. She hadn’t had time to do any of the normal things that her life used to consist of since the tall, raven-haired woman came into her life. ‘Normal? How can anything be normal when I’m gay?’

The petite blonde thought about the topsy-turvy way that her life was spinning out of the realm of control. ‘I can hear it now when Mother finds out that I’m gay. She’s going to have a stroke.’ Danni shook her head as she sorted through the mail. ‘She’ll disown me and throw me right out of the…’

Danni put the rest of the mail down and hastily opened the one with the familiar writing. The delicate paper from some rich looking stationery set fell neatly open with little help from her. The nurse’s eyes quickly skimmed down the page until she came to the last line. It was now that she began coughing and hitting her chest with her empty, open hand. The nurse’s eyes got bigger, "Mother," she sighed. "How did you find out already when the woman of my dreams shares a house with me, works with me, and she still doesn’t know it yet?"

"What the hell is she talking about?" Danni turned the page over and looked at the back of it. It was blank. The petite woman picked up the envelope and stared into the gaping hole as she held it opened and then reread the name on the front of the envelope. It was for her all right, only Danni had no idea what in the world her mother was talking about with the phrase, ‘Take care of my Grandbabies.’

The woman looked down at her compact but shapely body, even going as far as to lift her T-shirt and gaze at her own flat stomach. "Mother, you are really losing it now if you think I’m…I’m pregnant."

The tall dark-haired woman froze in mid step as she came in the front door, her cool blue eyes flashing in total amazement of what she had just heard. The instant replay of her mind spinning backwards then forward again. Each and every time it did, the same phrase rang true. ‘I’m pregnant.’ The pained blue eyes slowly looked over Danni’s taunt exposed abdomen. Garrett felt the anger grow deep inside her when she realized who it must have been by. David, no doubt.

If she thought that she had personal issues with Dr. Beckman before, well, this just put the icing on the cake. ‘And you thought everything was fine when you found her asleep in your bed that morning, didn’t you? Well, I guess it didn’t take all night to give her that present.’ The surgeon breathed deeply trying to calm her body from the out crying of rage that she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Feeling the reigns of control take over her body, Garrett focused on controlling her mind.

It was not what the surgeon had in mind for the way things should be, not after her body had given her the idea that Danni may be as interested in her, as she was becoming in the petite woman herself. But she was certain of things now and that was that the nurse would prefer males, with that one particular male being none other than Dr. David Beckman.

The blonde woman released her shirt as she clutched tighter onto the letter. The sound of the opening door had startled her and she stood staring at the tall figure as if she were a deer caught in the headlights of some fast moving vehicle. Finally, she was able to speak. "Gar? What are you doing home?"

"I came home to pack a bag. McMurray is sending me down to help out at…" Garrett thought before she finished, "another hospital."

Danni shoved the letter into her pocket. "Where are we going and for how long? What am I supposed to pack for, flying or inside hospital work?" The nurse was eager to get underway. She loved working with the surgeon.

"Ah, Danni, Dr. McMurray didn’t say anything about you coming along." Blue eyes looked directly into green and could see the pained look of separation hidden there. "I…I guess that I could call him and see if it was an oversight on his part." The surgeon slipped her phone from her pocket, hitting the speed dial as she brought it up to her ear.

The nurse stood looking hopeful while she waited for Garrett to get her the answer.

"Stella, is Dr. McMurray still in the office?" She paused than nodded her head. "I just wanted to ask him a quick question."

Danni stepped close to the tall woman, her head leaning towards the phone.

"Oh, good. I caught you before you left. I don’t remember you saying anything about Dan…ah…Nurse Bossard. Is she to go with me?"

Danni strained on tiptoe to get closer until she was practically leaning on Garrett’s shoulder. She could hear the gruff voice coming across the airwaves. "No, she’ll work in the E.R. for the time that you’re gone. They just need a surgeon to cover their emergencies for now."

Garrett turned to observe Danni’s face and saw the start of tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, sir. I’m sorry if I wasted your time." The surgeon was glad that she didn’t have to tell the young woman next to her that she was not going along. It would be hard enough to not have her around but to have to be the one to tell her that she wasn’t needed would have been even worse. ‘You better get used to it, Trivoli. She’s not going to be in your life for much longer, at least, not how you’d like it to be.’

She brought the phone away from her head. The look on her face said it all. She was disappointed at both McMurray and David for taking the one thing that she had come to rely on in her life out of the picture, Danni.

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

Thrown back into her world of self sufficiency, Garrett drove along the highway until she reached her destination, a rather moderately sized brick building that was the work place of Danni’s baby’s father, Dr. David Beckman. Oh, would she love to do a few things to him. Leaving her emotions for the man and the situation in which she found herself in the car, she gathered her duffel bag up and walked into the hospital ready to accept her new assignment.

"I’m here to meet with Dr. Beckman, I’m Dr. Trivoli. Could you page him for me?" Garrett let her eyes drift over the lobby. It wasn’t the kind of hospital that she had been used to working at. Her career had always driven her to choose the larger, more cutting edge kind.

"Yes, Doctor." The receptionist was polite.

Garrett turned her back to the desk and took in the feel of the entire room. Her mind sent images of Danni in every corner as she imagined the petite blonde moving down to West Virginia to live with David and raise her family. She could see Danni sacrificing herself for the good of the baby and David’s career. ‘Good gosh, she’s so good at doing that. Giving it all up for everyone else and grabbing on to nothing for herself.’

It was now that Garrett Trivoli wondered if she could ever be like that, giving it all up for the sake of someone else. But wasn’t she doing just that now? Giving up exploring a remote chance with Danni because she thought her friend wanted something…no, someone else. Well, wasn’t it? The surgeon’s mind questioned her own motives and that was when she realized that the young woman behind the desk was talking to her.

"Huh?" Garrett turned back to the woman. "I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention."

The woman had noticed, but it wasn’t her job to point this out. "He’ll meet you on the second floor, right outside of the Operating Room." She stated for a third time.

"Thank you." Garrett said reluctantly and reached down into her depths to put that old mask of stoicism back into place.

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

Danni had reported into the E.R. for work. She would be an extra pair of hands in an already short-staffed emergency area. The nurse welcomed the chance to keep busy and willingly jumped into her duties. She thought positively. The more that she worked, the faster the time would pass and her raven-haired friend would be back in her world.

The nurse stood waiting for an elevator, after having transported a patient to the floor, when the familiar voice startled her.

"Nurse Bossard." The older gentleman nodded toward her in greeting. "I’m glad to see that you’re keeping busy without a certain surgeon to look after."

Danni turned on her heels, ready to meet the challenge, only to see the Ol’ Cutter standing just a few feet away. "I…ah…good morning, sir," her voice having a bit of an edge to it.

"Hmmm…mad at me are you for breaking up the team?"

The petite blonde just glared at him. "You’re the boss."

"Trivoli needed a little time to herself, O.R. time." He grunted. "Besides, who else could I send and not worry about doing their best. In fact, I was kind of glad when Dr. Beckman called me with the request."

"David asked…"

"For a surgeon to help out in a sticky situation. Seems some of their surgeons were at a conference and got stuck without transportation for a couple of days and just yesterday, another one of their surgeons fell and broke his arm. They seemed to be in a bit of a bind for a few days."

"He didn’t ask for her specifically did he?" ‘David if you did, I’ll kill you.’

"Why no. He just asked for someone to cover their emergency surgeries." He thought about that for a moment. "David said that he wouldn’t need someone for more than two or three days."

Now Danni really had something to think about while she waited for Garrett to come home. ‘I wonder if I’ll be one of the subjects that come up when he talks to her?’

The sound of the ding for the elevator was heard and grabbed both of their attentions. The arrow pointed up as the doors began to open.

"That’s for me." Dr. McMurray advanced onto the car and turned to face forward. "She’ll be home before you know it." He nodded reassuringly just as the doors closed.

Danni stood there wide-eyed and wondering. ‘Home before I know it. Now if I only knew what David's going to do, now that he has her all to himself? As if I don’t already know.’

Garrett waited outside of the swinging double doors to the Operating Room, her fingers nervously playing with the change in her pocket as she thought about how it would feel to be back in surgery. How she loved to be in the thick of things, the leader in a well-orchestrated symphony of surgical skills. She let her thoughts drift as she turned and stared out the window overlooking the small rural area.

It was funny how her mind evolved from the thick of surgery to one petite blonde, but it did. Everywhere she looked, the surgeon saw Danni in different stages of her pregnancy and with David not far behind. Garrett closed her eyes tightly trying to will the images away from her view. ‘Well, McMurray, I guess this is my fate now, isn’t it?’ She turned and opened her eyes to see David emerge from the doorway. ‘Why did you have to send me?’

"Ah, Dr. Trivoli. I see that you made it a little earlier than I planned."

The surgeon swallowed the bile that was gathering in the back of her throat. "Yes, it seems that I’m a little earlier than planned for all around today." Garrett thought of the earlier surprise that made her aware of Danni’s condition. "I hope I’m not too early for you now."

"No, in fact, now is a good time. I just finished a case and I can show you around."

Garrett reached for her duffel bag and shouldered it. "Lead on," she said dryly and waited to follow him.

"First, let’s get you settled in." He motioned for her to follow and after a few quick turns down the hallway, they stood in front of a door. Producing a key, he opened the door and ushered her into the room. "This is my call room. I’ll let you put your things in here and this will be where you’ll sleep when you need to. I’ll use my office for the nights that I’m on call." He held out the key for her to take.

"Thanks," she took the key and then eyed the mattress as she laid her bag down on it. ‘I wonder if this was where…NO, I don’t want to go there now.’ "I won’t be spending much time in here, but thanks. Now, can you show me to the Emergency Department? That’s what you want me to cover, right?"

"Yeah," David noticed the changed expression in her eyes when she looked at the bed, "I’ll show you the way right now." He motioned for her to go through the doorway ahead of him. As she did, the man looked back at the single, made up bed and wondered just what Danni saw in this woman. She just seemed so cold and aloof to have someone like the blonde nurse be interested in her. He exited the room and closed the door behind him, hearing the click of the lock as it set in place.

"I’ll need to see the E.R., the O.R., and the Recovery Room." Her voice was all business as she followed him down the hall. "Maybe the Cafeteria, too." She added with the thought of Danni running through her head.

"I can do that." David chuckled. "I didn’t think that you were a big eater like Danni." He watched the expression on her face soften at the mention of the woman’s name. Yes, she had a soft spot for the nurse somewhere in that stoic heart.

"I’m not. I’m just used to asking, for her sake." She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

David smiled and nodded his head. "She grows on you after a while, doesn’t she?"

‘And I’m sure that you’re going to get first hand evidence of that in just a very short time.’ Garrett bit at her lip not wanting her thoughts to slip out. After all, it wasn’t her place to tell him he was a father in the making. No, that was strictly between Danni and him. The tall woman continued to follow his lead without commenting on his question, hoping to put an end to the small talk.

They rounded the corner and came to a door marked Stairwell No. 3. Opening it, David started on his rehearsed speech. "We’re headed down to the first floor now and the area right outside of the Trauma Room. The hospital is only providing services on a Level Three accreditation, that means we only receive and keep traumas during the hours of 7 in the morning until 7 at night when the full compliment of services are available."

"And what of the other twelve hours?"

"We stabilize and transport to a Level One facility, such as the one that you are on loan to us from."

Garrett wasn’t quite sure that she liked that thought, but it was one that she would have to live with for the next few days.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, David’s pager beeped as he reached for the door.

"Trauma Team Page Level One, Male mid to late 20’s with a single gunshot to chest, agonal breathing noted. ETA 2 minutes. This is a Level One Trauma Team Page."

David stopped short. He turned to the tall woman, his eyes pleading silently for help.

"Care if I scrub in with you, doctor? I’ll be able to get a first hand look at how your department runs that way." Her eyebrow arched as she waited for his acceptance of her help.

With a smile breaking at the corners of his mouth, he silenced the beeper. "Right this way, Dr. Trivoli. I’d be happy to have your assistance."

With a few twist and turns down the hallway, they soon found themselves in the newly arranged trauma room. The gathered nursing staff was dressing quickly in lead aprons, gowns and masks. The two surgeons followed suit, finishing as the medics wheeled the patient into the room.

Gasping, intermittent, labored breath sounds of the patient were noted as the stretcher passed in front of Garrett, alerting her of his dire straights. His skin was cool and clammy to touch while looking to be a pasty color of white.

"Can someone page Anesthesia to this room, STAT," her voice rose above the din of the room. Her ever-observant eyes caught sight of small pool of blood on the left side of the stretcher sheet. "Cut his shirt off on the right side of his body and across the left shoulder and sleeve, we’ll need to keep that left side intact for the police."

David pressed his finger deep into the nail bed of the patient’s thumb then released it. The poor blood return allowed the whitened nail to remain that way for a lengthy period of time. "Let’s hang two units of blood." Looking up to the heart monitor he could see the slowing complexes signifying the outcome of a dying man. "Let’s check for pulses," he directed his staff.

Both surgeons felt for pulses, Garrett at the neck and David at the groin. After several seconds had passed by, they met each other’s gaze. The look in their eyes became cold and steely, as each of the surgeons knew what had to be done.

"Set up for a thoracotomy tray, we’re going to open his chest." David gulped. This wasn’t something that he had done on an almost daily basis anymore. The last time had been in his last week of residency back in Pittsburgh with Danni at his side. His thoughts drifted to the petite blonde nurse that he had come to adore but were quickly turned back on the task at hand when he saw the orange-brown splash of Betadine across the now bared chest to prep the area. ‘Thanks, Danni, for telling me that Dr. Trivoli was the one to steal your heart. And for her being here at this moment.’ He thought as he looked at the intensity on the face of the woman surgeon across the table from him. It gave him a newfound confidence as he forged on. "Let’s give a dose of Epinephrine."

The crash cart was pulled into place and opened, revealing the drugs necessary to work a cardiac arrest with ease. The expertise of the dark, curly-haired nurse betrayed her look of youth. This was something that she was evidently deft and well rehearsed at over the years. With a calm air about her, she readied the prefilled syringes, giving each one in succession as she called out the drug and time that it was administered as well as location of intravenous line used.

With a flurry of feet a new person entered the arena. "I’m here now, what is it that you…" the anesthesiologist suddenly realized that his skills were indeed needed immediately. "Let me through, I’ll need a curved blade on that laryngoscope and set up a size 8 endotracheal tube." He called out his orders, making his way to the head of the patient. Grabbing a set of gloves from out of his pocket, he readied himself to intubate the hardly breathing patient. With skilled hands that had a lifetime of practice, the physician started to place the tube. "Damn! I need suction, he’s got vomit blocking the airway." A suction catheter appeared in the hand of the male nurse standing by his side. After a few quick passes to remove the obstruction, the vocal cords could be visualized, allowing the intubation to be completed successfully. He remained at the head of the patient, manually breathing for him with the large oxygen-filled bag attached to the endotube, holding it in place while the nurse secured the tube from dislodging. The anesthesiologist watched as both sides of the patient’s chest rose as he squeezed the oxygen into the patient’s lungs. Convinced that the tube was properly positioned, he gave a nod to the surgeons to begin.

Garrett stood poised and ready with a scalpel in her hand; after all, it was her side of the chest that had been penetrated by the bullet. "Okay, everybody ready?" She began to make the incision down the length of the ribs cutting hastily through the tissue to bring the contents of the chest cavity into view.

"Rib spreaders," David commanded, his hand held out ready to accept them.

The nurse held up two pieces, looking at him with horror in her eyes. "I don’t think these are going to do anything, Doc."

"Shit! What the hell…" his mind raced with thought. "Get me another rib spreader."

Garrett acting in her normally cool, in control manner didn’t let the moment of failed equipment stop her from obtaining her goal. She would just use what she had at hand. "You and you," she motioned with her head to the two people on either side of her. "Each one of you grab on a rib and separate them until the rib spreader comes."

The two nurses jumped at the command, not knowing what else to do as the aide took off down the hall for the spare set of rib spreaders. When enough space was gained, the sinewy, gloved fingers of the surgeon gently pushed aside the expanding lobes of lung, revealing the inner contents of the cavity.

The nurses peered down into the chest, realizing that their own hands were literally now a part of the procedure.

David adjusted the large surgical spotlight above them as they looked to see the extent of the damage caused by the small 22mm bullet.

"I have the rib spreaders!" The aide came dashing back into the room as she tore open the sterile packaging.

Taking the intact spreaders, David worked to put them in place. "Okay, you can let go now, thanks." He watched as the hands of the nurses withdrew, making sure that the hands of the other surgeon were not encumbered in any way.

"Get an abdominal X-ray, there seems to be hardly any blood in this chest cavity. She looked over the muscle that pumped the blood throughout the body. Instead of a full, well-rounded and beating heart, there was a contracted and non-moving mass. "We’ve got to expand his volume. Give him two more units of blood and open up the other lines with Lactated Ringers’ going." She began to gently massage the firm muscle, trying to get the chambers to open up and accept the newly replenished volume of life giving fluid. A moment or two passed by until she could feel the muscle begin to beat of its own accord. She withdrew her hands as both surgeons bent over the opening, looking for any source of bleeding and injury.

"Here! It looks like a hole in the diaphragm." David saw it first.

"Suture, please." She responded immediately to his words. "Call the O.R. and tell them that we need a room, we’re coming up." The words rolled out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. Her eyes flashed over to David, in hoping that he realized the critical nature of the patient. "Don’t you think, Dr. Beckman?"

"Yes, definitely." He hurried to assist her with clipping the suturing thread after it was knotted. "Get us an elevator to the O.R. Pack up, we’re moving in a minute." He threw down the surgical scissors onto the pile of utensils that they had used and draped a sterile blue towel over the still exposed chest.

He stepped back long enough for the nursing staff to attach the patient to a portable monitor and accumulate the bags of hanging intravenous fluids onto the one-wheeled pole that the blood infuser was on. The quantity of activity in the room was mind boggling as every person readied the patient for the trip to the operating theater.

"The elevator’s here," someone announced.

Garrett motioned to the surgeon across from her, "Lead on, I’m right behind you." She ripped off her gloves and grabbed a fresh pair as they left the room, David in the lead. She stopped momentarily as the X-ray of the patient’s abdomen was being hung on the view box. She sighed deeply, knowing all too well that the extent of the patient’s injuries lay within that area. She fell instep behind the entourage as it started into the elevator.

"Who else would end up in the O.R. assisting on a Trauma Case during an orientation?" She shook her head in disbelief, making a mental note to tell her roommate of her adventure. She could see her already, her mouth open and wanting to know why she wasn't along for the ride. A smile hid itself under her masked face as thoughts of the blonde nurse danced through her mind. She found that happening more and more. ‘Better learn to squelch that now, before it becomes a habit, Trivoli. She’ll be his dreams now.’ The tall woman looked ahead to David, slowly resigning herself to that fate.

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

Danni sat at the kitchen table without a single light on in the house. It was getting to be dusk and the light was fading from the day. So much like her life. Without the surgeon there with her, the nurse’s life seemed to pale in spirit. The petite woman didn’t like the feeling of loneliness that was creeping over her, nor did she enjoy the emptiness of the house around her.

And so she sat there, waiting for the dark to overshadow her, while that ill- begotten letter kept coming to the front of her mind. What the hell was her mother talking about? She took it out and read it once more in the fading light. Her mind searching for answers, she thought to call Brie then quickly decided against it. To call Brie would be like talking directly to Mother and Danni didn’t need that right now, not when her mind was on Garrett. Besides, wasn’t that what was making the whole letter of Mother’s a little confusing anyway? Why would Mother say that Garrett was flirting with a woman unless…did she know that Danni had feelings for her?

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

Tight-lipped and calculating, Mrs. Bossard sat waiting for her son to return her phone call. It had taken her several days if not almost a full week to come to terms with the idea of having her oldest daughter impregnated with twins, bastards as they were. Now, she was ready to deal with the fact and, after some drastic planning, she considered the legal issues to be her best bet here. Matt was a lawyer and would, of course, know just how to go about it. The matriarch was pleased with herself for pushing him in that direction. It was one part of her blueprints for her children’s lives that had seemed to be working as planned. Now, if she could only get Danni’s life on track like she wanted it to be, then life would be good again.

The phone rang and she hurriedly picked it up, caring to not waste another second in time before her daughter and the family’s good name would be vindicated. "Hello, Mrs. Bossard speaking."

"Hello, Mother."

"Matthew, I’ve been waiting for your call. What took so long for you to find time to return it?" The sternness of her voice was evident.

"Mother, I was in court when you called."

"I bet if that Judge knew that it was your mother, he’d…"

"Well, I’m here now, what do you need?" He tried to corral her assault on his ears.

Her eyes flashed red at being directed in her thoughts by her son, but he was a good lawyer and she knew it. "Matt, your sister Danielle has gotten herself into a bit of trouble. I need you to take care of it without dragging the family name through the mud."

"Danni?" He thought of his gentle sister. "What could Danni have possibly done to get in trouble?"

"I prefer to think that it was not her fault at all."

"Mother, if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, I can’t help her," Matt pleaded his case.

"Alright, but this is strictly between you and me." The matriarch continued on in a hushed tone so as not to be heard by anyone but her son. "That surgeon that your sister has been seeing has gotten her pregnant and with twins, no doubt."

"Danni’s pregnant? Why I…"

"Oh, it gets better, too. Dr. Garrett Trivoli is also referring to her as his mistress and laughing about it to all his friends at the hospital. Then, if that’s not enough, I saw him proposition a lovely young woman right before my eyes to have…" she paused momentarily, "to have ‘IT’ in his office." Her face became red with anger and her lips tightened to thin little lines.

Matt was shocked at what he’d just heard. Quite frankly, being a lawyer and all, it took a lot for him to be speechless and he was indeed.

"His friends are even lying to Danni about his activities with other women. Trying to cover for him. Matt are you still there?"

The question startled him. "Yes, Mother, I’m here. What is it that you want me to do?"

"I won’t stand for any bastards in this family. Do whatever you can to correct this situation and do it soon. Why, to see your sister, she’ll be ready to deliver those babies before the summer is over. I want the name on those birth certificates to be Trivoli and not Bossard." She sniffed, trying to once again establish her dignity. "Do I make myself understood?"

"Yes, Mother. I’ll get on that right away." He heard the click on the other end and slowly lowered the phone from his ear. "Danni, what do you have yourself into now?"

He sat down at his desk and thought about the sister that he had always looked up to. She’d always been a freer spirit than Brie or he when it came to Mother’s law. Now, look at where she was, unmarried, pregnant and with a man that didn’t respect women in the least. He closed his eyes and prayed for guidance.

***********