At the first red light away from his sister’s house, Matt opened up his cell phone and hit the key for his mother’s phone. He waited the customary rings and then the answering machine picked up for the leaving of a message. At the sound of the beep, he started. "Mother, I’ve cleared up that situation with Danni. There will be no bastards for you to worry about since Danni was never really pregnant. I’ve talked at great length with Garrett and I’m assured that the surgeon has nothing but the best at heart for your daughter." He thought for a moment, then closed his cell phone, terminating the call.


"There you go Danni. That should give you some more time to reel that surgeon in." Matt smiled at the thought of his sister happy at last as he pulled away from the changing light.


Chapter 12

The petite blonde marveled at how warm the days were becoming. The golden rays of the soon to be summer sun bathed everything in its path with its gentle warmth. Danni was even wondering if it wasn’t having some kind of effect on the Flight Surgeon as well. Ever since their time spent apart, she noticed that Garrett was warmer, and friendlier than before, at least to her. It wasn’t by any great leaps or bounds but by the simple, little things that she did that made her almost like a new person, one that truly loved and was ready to be loved.


The nurse had noticed it first in the often-lingering touch whenever their hands would reach for the same thing. The tenacious touch of their flesh was like a burning ember searing across their hearts. The excitement of their souls stimulated the flesh like nothing else could on earth. More and more it seemed that there was reason to touch or look at one another. Was it that they each knew what was in the other’s heart, or was it some long forgotten feelings that lured them to be together? Danni wished that she knew for sure.


Each time that a new day dawned, the nurse felt more love and contentment than she ever imagined existed. It was becoming a little overwhelming, even to her. She never looked for love in the people she'd come in contact with each new staff year; she just wanted to extend a hand of friendship to them for the time that they were here. What happened with this one?


Danni closed her eyes and let her memory relive the time that she had first seen the tall, raven-haired woman come barreling in through those E.R. front doors. 'I thought she was a Medical Student off on her first Trauma page. Boy, was I ever wrong.'


The nurse opened her eyes to see the profile of the woman in question across from her as they readied to take off on another flight. It was time to get her mind back to work and the job that they would soon be doing, together as a team.


The surgeon leaned back in her seat and looked at the nurse as she finished her last checklist. She would miss being this close to the woman who had opened her eyes to the world around her. There would never be anyone who could take her place, whether it be next to her, or deep in her heart. Garrett was glad that she was making every effort to enjoy Danni’s company until their time was up. She’d have to live on those memories for God knows how long. ‘Who knows, maybe if the job in Arizona isn’t as good as I’d like it to be…’ The surgeon sighed, closing her eyes to the pain. ‘Who’s to say that she’d want to give it a try. I wasn’t that easy to get along with this time around.’ Somehow, Garrett knew that she would survive. She’d just throw herself into the job like she did with everything else. ‘Too bad Danni wasn’t the job.’


It was time to get back to the present. The surgeon reasoned that she would have the rest of her life to think about Danni. She noticed the small blonde looking at her. "What?"


"Are you ready?" Danni teased her with a beguiling smile.


‘Oh, Danni, if you only knew what that smile of yours does to me.’ "Yeah," the surgeon stuck her thumb up as she made a fist, "I’m ready for whatever comes my way today."


Danni raised her fist with the thumb extended and side by side, they gave the signal. Cowboy turned to look over his right shoulder and smiled cordially as he mimicked them with his own thumbs up sign.



* * *

It was a short flight, but a flight none the less, as they landed outside the series of two story buildings. The landing zone had been prearranged and within close proximity to the drill site on the athletic field for the scheduled afternoon display of modern rescue practices. The publicity was always good for the program, not to mention driving home the idea of summer safety to the masses of teens, all in the possession of a new driver’s license. The idea had been Danni’s, and the surgeon was glad that McMurray had gone along with it. She’d rather meet these teens this way than on some lonely stretch of road, traumatized to no end. If it made a difference in saving even one life it would be worth the time and effort.


This was the first of several live demos that the Flight Team would be involved in, and the nervous jitters were evident on Danni. Her constant talking and fiddling with the equipment was finally starting to get to Garrett when the ship touched down. The surgeon watched the woman next to her go from nervous to self-confident in less than a minute. It was show time and Danni was prepared to drive her message home about safety to the gathered assembly of teens.


"You ready for this?" Danni looked at the Flight Surgeon.


"Yeah, just like any other flight we’ve had." That settling lopsided smile crossed her face. "It’s simply a meet and greet for me." Garrett winked at Danni.


"Well, ladies, its show time." Cowboy announced as he let the rotors spin down. "Just go out there and have some fun." He winked and gave them a thumbs-up sign. It was clear to go.


With a quick tug of her safety belt, the surgeon was out of her seat and unlocking the door. Danni took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was all up to her, now. This was her show and Gar was just the icing on the cake. The young woman pushed off, out of her seat and stood next to the surgeon. With the ease of her strong arms, Garrett had opened the door, stepped down onto the ground, and held out her hand for Danni to join her.


The pre-arranged drill was to be a simple one. The local Fire and EMS Services would provide the actual rescue scenario reenactment and the Flight Team would land, accept hand-off of the patient, load and take off for a brief spin of the athletic field. After the fly by, the helicopter would once again land, allowing the mock patient to get back to his or her everyday life and then it was Danni’s turn to address the student body seated in the stands. All told, they should be on the ground for no more than thirty to forty minutes. It was a well-planned program.


Everything had clicked and ran smoothly as planned. The person who had been the mock patient was thrilled by his flight in the helicopter, not to mention being attended to by the likes of two beautiful women. The heart of a seventeen-year-old male was easy to win, especially in such close quarters. They had landed and now the young man was the hero of his class as he paraded triumphantly off the field and into their ranks. All three members of the crew stood watching as he was met by whooping and hollering, each one thinking how excited the young man was over something that they did every day. Oh, the pleasures of youth.


As the revelry in the stands was meeting its crescendo, the odd procession of nurse, surgeon, and pilot made their way to the small stage that had been constructed on the field. It was planned that they all would be introduced to the students in an effort to show that although not all of them were medically trained, they worked as a team to deliver the patient the best of their care. It was the dream of every Guidance Counselor to show that people in everyday walks of life could make a difference to more than just themselves. The Flight Team stood on stage and waited for their names to be called as they watched the group of cheering students in the stands.


Garrett looked around the field and the days of her youth soon flooded her mind. She’d only played soccer for one season but she could still remember how it felt to come running onto the field with her parents and brother in the open-ended stands, cheering her on. 'God, what I wouldn't give for just one more day with them?'


Her attention was grabbed by the nudge she received, and the whispered command to wave as her name had just been announced. The surgeon stepped forward and obliged, then turning her attention to Danni, she waited for the young woman to deliver her speech.


The petite blonde stepped up to the microphone; she let her eyes scan over the students and teachers who were assembled there. All eyes were on her as she began. "I’m happy to say that our services were not needed here today but that doesn’t mean that safety is something to be taken for granted. Each time that any of you slide in behind that steering wheel, you hold more than just your own life in your hands."


Garrett watched the nurse intently, letting her senses drink in all that they could. She loved the way Danni could speak to the whole-assembled group but yet make each one feel as though they were the only one she was talking to. It was as if they had suddenly all become part of her menagerie. She was concerned about them and it showed. Now, it was the surgeon who was proud to be on the nurse’s team. This she could tell by the smile stretching across her face, the likes of which she’d never felt before.


Lost in a dream world of what might have been, Garrett stood mesmerized by the young woman. It was then that Cowboy leaned in and whispered in the tall woman’s ear. "Wonder what she’s looking at?"


The surgeon’s thought pattern was broken and she now studied the face of her friend. Danni’s furrowed brow showed more concern than Garrett thought necessary and she began looking up in the direction of Danni’s gaze. It was at that precise moment the mock patient of just a few minutes ago fell from the side of the stands, landing with a thud; followed by the gasps followed by the students around him. Before Garrett could react, Danni was asking in the most calm and reassuring voice for Cowboy to step up to the microphone and tell the group a little about the helicopter.


The pilot stood there, wide-eyed and in shock. ‘Hey, that’s not part of the routine,’ he thought as he watched both of his team members step off the stage and break into a run toward the bleachers. ‘What the heck?’ Then Cowboy saw the commotion to the left of the bleachers and realized that he had been handed the most important part: to keep everyone calm and out of the way of the medical personnel. He hurriedly stepped up to the microphone and began to speak. "Well, let me tell you what this little baby can do if you really need to get somewhere in a hurry." He laughed and pulled out from his memory any story that he could think of to hold the students’ attention.


The Flight suited pair came up to the victim within seconds. The commanding tones of the surgeon parted the crowd of onlookers as they made their way to the young man who was being attended to by several of his instructors. The angle of his arm and the spattering of blood on the ground about his head were enough for the surgeon to know the severity of the fall. She determined his point of impact to be first the arm and that fractured under the stress. His head then took the remainder of the force associated with the fall.


"Okay, everybody step back. Please, give us some room to work." Garrett announced as she made the final steps to her now-real patient. "Danni, you’ve got the head until someone from EMS gets here." She glanced at his chest and watched for the rise and fall of it. "He's still breathing on his own."


The nurse slipped in behind her and steadied the patient's head with her gloved hands, protecting him from any further injury due to a traumatized spine. "Has someone called for EMS?"


One teacher stepped forward in answer to her question. "Yes, I sent one of the student's over to their vehicle. Is Richie going to be alright?"


Blue eyes met with green and the exchange of thoughts was done. Danni spoke calmly as the surgeon continued with her assessment of the patient. "We're going to do the best we can for him."