The sound of birds chirping floated lightly on the gentle breeze that was coming in through the open window. The nights were not as hot or humid anymore and the thought of sleeping in the fresh air was so stimulating to the surgeon. She had forgotten about the noise of the birds in the early morning, after all, you didn’t get that close to land on a ship or in air-conditioned hotels. Garrett made a mental note about the morning noise and open windows for the next time she had the luxury of sleeping in. But for now, she gathered her pillow and pulled it over her head to drown out the energetic noise, determined to enjoy more time in the land of Morpheus.


Blue haze from the cigarette smoke was creeping out of the doorway to the bar and gliding along the ceiling. The room appeared to be clean and orderly but somewhat aged for the faded posters that covered the walls. The light was focused low from the hanging fixtures that advertised locally brewed alcoholic beverages. Each one strategically placed above a small round table. It was definitely not an upper class establishment but the nurses had assured her that it served some of the best ethnic food in the "Burgh". She followed the group of nurses as they ventured into the backroom of what they had called a typical corner bar. Soon they were seated around one of the tables, their eyes intent on finding a waitress.


"I got one!" Danni exclaimed as she motioned with her hand for the waitress in the far corner to come over to their table. Pleased with herself she settled into her chair and waited. "So, Garrett, what do you think of the place?"


The surgeon looked startled as she was called upon to make a judgement of the atmosphere already. "Ah, I think I’ll defer any comments until after the meal," her eyes wandered around the room and to each of her companions.


"Ah, come on Doc, we know that it’s not the number one pick of the Yuppies across the country, but the food is really the best around." Rosie looked to her co-workers for support.


"I hate to say it, but she’s right." Karen shook her head in approval. "Do you think we’ll see anybody that we know tonight?" she joked.


Rosie smiled, "Gee, Mom, why do you always have to bring up work when we go out?"


"Now, ladies, let’s just have a nice time with good food and pleasant companionship." Danni tried to mediate the conversation, "Let’s just forget about work and have some fun, shall we?"


Mom looked over at the small blonde nurse and let out a laugh, "And how do you propose that I forget work when I look at the motley crew that I’m with? Jeez, Danni, we just spent the last twelve hours together at work."


"Can I take your order?" The waitress impatiently tapped her foot as she looked from patron to patron at the table. Looking for someone in authority, she picked on Garrett, "So, what can I bring you?"


The tall woman was startled. "Ah, ah," and she looked over to Danni pleading with her eyes for help.


"Why don’t we get a sampler platter of pierogies for the table to start off with? The blonde nurse quickly did a visual poll of her friends, "Yes, a sampler platter of pierogies then for the table. I’ll have an IC Lite, too."


"Yeah, IC Lite for me, too," Rosie shook head in agreement.


Karen thought for a moment then slowly shaking her head, "Same for me."


Not wanting to be an odd ball in the group of her new friends, Garrett nonchalantly looked up at the waitress saying, "Make that IC Lite all the way around."


Rosie reached out to grab at the waitress’ arm. "Hey, you have that on draft, right? Then how about a pitcher of IC Lite for the table."


"Okay, let’s make that four glasses with one pitcher of IC Lite and one pierogies sampler." The impatient waitress hastily looked around the table. Hearing no more orders she moved away in the direction of the bar.


"Garrett, we’re glad that you could join us tonight. Maybe you would like to come along when we have our next ladies night out?" The older nurse was trying to help the surgeon adjust to her new city.


"Yeah, Doc, we could go down to the strip district that night and you could get to see the Primanti Brothers up close and personal." Rosie offered enthusiastically as she winked at Danni.


The doctors’ eyebrow steadily rose up into her hairline as she stared at Rosie then at her young friend. She wondered what kind of signals she had been giving for Rosie to suggest that she would enjoy strip clubs and local Chippendales-type shows.


Seeing the look on her new friend’s face, Danni quickly offered, "They have the best sandwiches there at Primante’s. They have everything except the kitchen sink on them. You remember me getting the watermelons for the picnic in the strip district, don’t you, Garrett?"


The surgeon thought a moment then slowly smiled as she began to understand the true meaning of Rosie’s statement. "Yeah, I think that would be fun." She stole a quick look at the blonde and thanked any god that would listen to her for such a compassionate and caring friend. The surgeon thought for a moment and realized that the word was creeping more often into her thoughts and vocabulary since she had arrived in town. It felt good to be able to call someone friend. She marveled at her circumstance and for the first time believed that it was fate that brought her to this place in time and with these people, no co-workers. No, they were more than that to her for she was slowly being accepted into their extended families. That was a funny sensation for her, she hadn’t had a feeling of family for many years. It was something that she never thought she would feel again. She was beginning to see that they had accepted her for herself without needing to pry into her past life. That feeling of acceptance was not lost on the raven-haired woman.


"So, have you ever eaten pierogies before?" Danni offered the first choice to Garrett. "These are potato and onion, sauerkraut, and potato and cheese," she pointed to each group in the assortment on the platter. "Help yourself."


The lopsided smile spread quickly across her face as she came out of her thoughts into the presence of her companions, "Thanks, they look and smell good." She chose one of each and began tasting as the others helped themselves to the pierogies. "Hey, these are really good." Her eyes were looking from one member to the other of the group and back to the stuffed dough pockets on her plate.


The friendly chuckling of the group at her comment was only emphasized by the young blonde’s toast. "Here’s to Garrett," she raised her glass filled with the white-headed foamed beverage. "May she find Pittsburgh and all that it holds, to be to her liking."


The group followed suit each raising their glass in acknowledgement to the tall surgeon in their midst and saying, "To Garrett!"


Her golden complexion was now showing signs of blush as she accepted the toast. She nodded and raised her glass touching each of theirs lightly and then the group sipped their drinks. Garrett raised her glass again, "To Pittsburgh, May I come to know all that it holds with the help of my friends." The glasses were raised and clinked. The drinking of the golden liquid ended the toast and brought about the conversation that was so much a part of human nature among the small group of friends.


She could feel her facial muscles being stretched into a smile as the haze of sleep slowly eroded from her mind. The calming memory of joyous camaraderie was the last thing that she could remember about her dream.


Blue eyes slowly opened and began to focus on her surroundings. She allowed herself to fill her mind with the atmosphere that was present in the room. The soft rays of sunlight filtered in through the edges of the blinds, straining to give the room a golden glow. It brought a rich appearance to the sparse furnishings. A bed, dresser, and nightstand with a lamp on it was the contents of the room in its entirety. It wasn’t much, but she could call it home. It had been several years since she had thought of any place as home. She pondered about the last three years that she had lived from one assigned bunk to another and her clothing that was stored in metal lockers on board ship or the duffel bag that carried them between duty stations. The woman’s time spent in the Navy was just a way to pay off her debts from medical school. She had realized that it was a temporary life, a means to the end of getting herself through the necessary schooling to become the doctor that she was today.


She rolled over, staring at the ceiling. Her senses were awakening and she could vaguely make out the aroma of bacon and coffee in the air. For the first time in many years she could actually smell food being made as she climbed the stairs out of Morpheus’ realm. It was a pleasant sensation that stirred her memory with thoughts of home, family and belonging. Her mind went off on a tangent as she thought about the events that had led her to this place.


"So, I guess that you haven’t be able to find anything yet."


She turned in recognition of the soft voice that seemed to come from behind her. "No," shaking her head in disappointment. "I’m going to have to do something soon, I’ve only got a week to find someplace."


The small blonde stood next to her balancing a tray of breakfast foods in her hands. "Mind if I join you?" She motioned to the empty seat across form the surgeon.


"Ah…no," she was clearing the table for her friend. "I’d enjoy the company." Garrett looked up at the woman who was slowly creeping into her life. "You just getting done for the night?"