The two women stood side by side now as they waited for him to finish. Each one praying in their own manner for the proposal to meet with his approval. With every change of his facial expression, Danni could feel her heart either rise or fall in anticipation of his words, while Garrett seemed unscathed by it all. The tall surgeon had pulled out one of her stoic masks from the dark recesses of her heart and used it to cover her emotions as she waited for his reaction.


Turning the last page of the document to show the back cover of the packet, the Ol’ Cutter sat there, his face somewhat expressionless as he thought about the proposal that he had just finished reading. ‘Do I tell them that they’ve done well, that I’m proud of their effort?’ He mulled over the possible effects that it could have on them. ‘No, I think that they need to learn that for themselves...and from each other.’ He closed the cover of the proposal, holding it in his hands in a playful motion. "Well, what are you waiting around in here for? The Board won’t meet until Wednesday, I’ll present it to them then." His lips pressed together tightly for a moment and then as an afterthought he threw out. "It should be enough to do the trick." He waved the proposal at them and then threw it off to the side of his desk. "Don’t you two have work to be doing?"


Garrett’s eyebrow raised in question to their dismissal, her body standing straighter now if that were at all possible. The nurse could sense the impending reaction as she reached out, tugging at the surgeon’s sleeve.


"Why I ought to…" the tall woman leaned forward, to which Danni’s tugging became more exaggerated.


"We ought to go back to work now, Dr. Trivoli. Thank you for your time, Dr. McMurray." She pulled her friend with her as she made her way backwards toward the door. "It was nice meeting you and getting to see your office." She quickly looked around it and smiled wryly. "Very nice. I’ll have to see it a little more closely next time." She pushed the raven-haired woman through the now open door and once outside of it, reached back to draw it shut. "Thanks, again. You have a good day, okay?"


She breathed a sigh of relief when the door finally met its frame and she could hear the clicking sound of the lock as it fell into place. She looked up to see the face of her friend. At first her expression was one of being startled then it gradually changed for the better, showing that trademark lopsided grin of hers. "What?" Danni looked at her for an answer.


"I would have said something stupid in there if it wasn’t for you. Probably would have ruined our chances of ever getting that proposal through to the Board, too."


"Well, let’s just hope that hasn’t already happened." The two looked at each other and started to head out of the waiting room. Once in the hall Danni started to giggle, trying to hide it behind her hand.


"What’s so funny?" Garrett stopped, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.


"I was just thinking." She reached up and cupped the surgeon’s shoulder. "We make a pretty good team. You had to push me into his office, while I had to pull you out of it." Her eyes flickered with the laughter in her voice. "You can’t get any closer to team work than that, now can you?"


The surgeon thought for a moment then answered. "No, I guess you can’t." She nodded in agreement, "Thanks."


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


As fast as the days that they worked together on the proposal had passed by, the days waiting to hear of its approval dragged ever so slowly by. The hospital staff was all caught up in a state of anticipation for the upcoming holiday on Thursday. Even Danni seemed to be excited about it as she prepared her offering for the Thanksgiving feast to come. She had labored with love over the Pumpkin Roll Desert she was preparing for the next day, trying as she might to forget about the Board Meeting that was going on. There was nothing more she could do to get the proposal passed than she had already done. It was all up to the fates now.


She thought about her family and how lucky they were to be able to spend time together. Her siblings would be there and of course, her parents. She had tried to talk her roommate into going with her but sensed her desire not to dampen anyone else’s holiday. Her excuse being that she was working so that Rene could be with his new family. ‘If only I could get her to realize that she’s part of a family too.’ The nurse set about making that idea become a reality. After a few quick phone calls, she was smiling again. Her plan was being put into motion.


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


It was going to be another one of those family holidays that Dr. Trivoli shied away from, always volunteering to work for someone else so that they could enjoy it. The truth of the matter was that she had no one to enjoy it with, let alone be thankful. Her only feeling of belonging was her work and there is where she chose to be as she had for all of her adult life.


‘Why should this year be any different?’ she mused sitting in front of the window overlooking the helipad. She couldn’t even get excited about work, there wasn’t any. Sure, there were still patients on the floors and in the units to take care of, but nothing that would get her mind off the outcome of the Board Meeting the night before. The Ol’ Cutter hadn’t gotten in touch with her yet about the Board’s decision. She had to assume that their proposal had been rejected.


The weather had turned colder now and the small flakes of snow coming down seemed to glisten in the late afternoon sun, the wind swirling them around and around on their way toward the ground. She stared out into nothing, yet her eyes looked at everything that came into view.


There, in the distance was a small figure trudging across the parking area, its form bundled tightly with heavy clothing and its arms laden with boxes and bags. The swirling snow sticking to it as it moved closer. The surgeon’s mind drifted briefly to that small snow globe of her youth as the images outside stirred her memory to life. She tried to place it but there was no larger figure coming into view.


She watched as each step brought it nearer to the hospital and her. When the figure had reached the illuminated helipad, Garrett sensed that she was familiar with the form. Straining her eyes against the falling snow she tried to make out who the person was. ‘I swear that looks like Danni.’ She blinked and looked again, seeing a tassel of blonde hair coming out from underneath the knit cap and for a brief second their eyes met. ‘It is Danni!’


Garrett was up in a flash, making her way to the trauma bay doors leading to the helipad. Without any concern for the cold and snow, the surgeon went outside, meeting her friend halfway. Relieving her of some of the packages, the surgeon was puzzled by her presence. "Why are you here? You’re supposed to be at a family dinner."


Danni pulled at the scarf that was covering her mouth, "I decided to be with my real family. The ones that accept me for who I am, not just because I share their blood." She smiled and nodded toward the door. "Besides, who else was going to bring dinner."


The surgeon shivered as the wind swept the clinging snow into her thin scrub attire, the white lab coat acting like a magnet for the snow. "Jeez, it’s colder out here then I thought. Let’s get inside."


The several minutes that it had taken for them to get to the door was more than enough to cover the two women with snow, causing them to look very much like two snow people, one small snow-covered figure with a larger one right beside it matching step for step. Mom stood at the door, watching as they came nearer. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say that might make a nice snow globe scene.’ She mused, ‘Wonder if I should mention it to them?’ When they were a few steps away, Karen triggered the automatic door to open.


The two snow-covered forms stepped inside trying to shed the remnants of the snow squall from their bodies. Karen watched with awe her two pseudo-daughters, as they slowly warmed up not only to the temperature inside but to each other with their quiet bantering.


"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" The older nurse was blessing herself. "What are you trying to do, give our Trauma Fellow a death of a cold?" She shook her head with her hands perched on top of her hips, her right foot tapping to some unknown melody. "You’d think you two were some little street urchins the way you get into trouble." Her voice was now strained as she tried to keep from laughing. "Hey, Rosie!" She called out. "Look what the wind just blew into our midst."


"Yeah, I see that." Rosie had just turned the corner, coming down from the trauma hallway. "Its about time, I’m starved. One of those boxes better have a turkey in it."


"Come on, let’s get dinner set up." Danni shook her clothing one last time before she started down the hall. "If we’re lucky, it should still be warm enough to eat." She looked behind her at the surprised surgeon.


"You had this planned, didn’t you?" Garrett let Rosie slide some of the bags from out of her arms, then stepped lively to follow behind the spirited blonde.


"Yep! From nuts to desert." Danni led the way into the already prepared secluded exam room. "We’re a family here. Whether you like it or not, you’re now part of it."


"But…but…" Garrett stammered.


"No buts about it, Doc. I’ve…er…we’ve adopted you, just like everyone else in our little family here."


Karen looked at the surgeon challengingly. "You better learn to accept it. We’re even worse come the real family holidays. Don’t even think about trying to get out of those celebrations." She winked at the surgeon just to prove that her bark was worse than her bite.


"All right, but you could have at least let me contribute something to this meal." Garrett was slowly resigning herself to the idea of this adoptive family.


"Oh, but you are contributing, Doc. Who do you think is going to carve up this wonderful bird?" Mom stepped back from the table with a large carving knife in her hand, presenting it to the surgeon. "Since you’re the newest member of our family here," she looked at the motley crew of the E.R. staff, "it’s your honor to offer up a prayer in our behalf and then use those surgical skills of yours and carve away."


A look of panic flashed across the surgeon’s face. Sure, she would have no problem slicing up the turkey, but she wasn’t accustomed to praying. How was she going to do it now, in front of everyone assembled there? She could feel the spittle in her mouth turning to paste. ‘Why me? Why not…’ She looked up into Danni’s gaze like a deer that was caught in headlights.


"Mom, I wouldn’t mind doing the prayer for Garrett." Danni’s voice was strong. "I’m sure that I’ve had more practice than the good doctor here."


"Next holiday, Garrett." Mom warned her, shaking her finger. "You’re not getting off the hook that easy." Then she turned to the petite nurse. "Okay, Danni, let’s get this going before everybody else’s dinner is over."


Danni looked around the assembled group of doctors, nurses, aides, technologists, housekeepers, and security personnel. One thing drew her attention as all the different shades of skin hues had come together on this holiday to give medical coverage to the rest of the world as they celebrated at home with their families. ‘Medicine truly is a diversified field! No one country or ethnic group or gender is in control of it.’


The petite nurse bowed her head and the group followed suit, anxious to move on to the food. After collecting her thoughts for a moment, Danni began her prayer of thanksgiving for all of those gathered.


"Lord, look down upon us, your servants. Whether we are here to learn or to teach, it is in your name that we serve the sick and injured. In this time of global communication, we are thankful that you have chosen us to learn from one another, to act in friendship and fellowship. Both technology and our strong will to reach out to each other have breached the barriers that have kept us distant from one another in the past, isolated in a world of our own. For this, we are truly thankful."


Garrett let the words sink in, knowing that they were especially meant for her. She raised her eyes to view the tiny blonde that was making landmark changes in her life.