* * *

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.