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


"Gar, did we do anything wrong lately?"


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


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


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


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


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


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


"What?"


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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



* * *

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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



* * *

Cowboy sat in the cockpit waiting for the arrival of the rest of his team. He watched the seconds tick by on his wristwatch until they would get there. He’d learned it early on, when there was an appointed time to be met; Garrett Trivoli was one punctual lady. The minute clicked over to 0859 and the seconds began ticking away. When exactly 30 seconds had gone by, the pilot let his eyes gaze over to the door at the rear of the emergency room that lead directly to the Trauma Rooms. Within the blink of his eye, there emerged the tall surgeon and her petite nurse, each sporting their flight gear and carrying a small bag with their necessary clothing for the night. A smile came to his lips with the sound of the rear door opening. Cowboy glanced down at his watch. ‘Yep, right on time.’ It was 0900.


"Morning, ladies. I trust you had a good night’s sleep."


Danni became self-conscious now of her appearance. ‘Was it that noticeable that she had trouble sleeping?’ The poor girl’s mind had been full of thoughts of an anticipated night sharing a room with the tall surgeon, reeking havoc with her sleep. The nurse sighed and climbed on board. She could feel the beginnings of the flush that slowly crept up from her chest into the base of her neck and struggled to keep them at bay.


"Thanks for the tip about spending the night." Garrett reached out and cupped Cowboy’s shoulder.


"Huh?" He turned to look back at the woman, puzzlement written on his face. "I didn’t…we’re staying over night?"


"Yeah, I figured that it was you that suggested it to McMurray."


"Sorry, Doc, it wasn’t me. All that I suggested was that we move the departure time up so that we could get back before the storm front was anywhere close."


Now the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together. "I guess it’s his way of rewarding us."


"Doesn’t matter where we are, Doc, once that storm hits we’ll be grounded. I guess he figured why have you stuck at home when all of your friends are going to be up there."


Garrett began to feel bad that Cowboy was not warned in advance of the overnight stay. "I’d feel better if he’d have warned you, too."


"Hey, don’t worry about it, Doc. The women will go wild for the uniform." He tugged at the material of his flight suit. "Besides, I’m an old ‘Nam vet, we always have an extra pair of socks with us." He winked and patted her arm. "Now get on board so we can take off, will you?"


The woman nodded and complied with his request.


Danni could hear the muffled voices of the surgeon and pilot, but she had things on her mind that was distracting enough. Now, she tried to busy herself with the routine of checking their equipment before the flight. She looked over to see Garrett entering the door and then closing it making sure that the lock was engaged. ‘Okay, Danni, you’re a professional…try to act like one. There’s a whole day to get through before you have to worry about the sleeping arrangements.’


The surgeon buckled herself into her seat and donned her helmet, adjusting the strap to keep it on. "What’s left to check?"