The group was a little relieved to see a familiar face, but they all knew that something had to be up to have this man here on a holiday.


"Oh, nothing really. I just didn’t want you to find out about the Board Meeting last night from someone else."


Danni eyed her friend, both showing disappointment in the eyes. "Oh!" They responded in an unrehearsed unison.


"You two always this cheerful or is it just the holiday?" He was being sarcastic. "I could always go back home and let you wait until Monday." He made a motion towards the door.


"No, Sir. You can tell us now." Garrett shrugged her shoulders as she felt the clasp of the small hand on her elbow. "We’re ready to hear what they decided." Danni nodded in agreement as she tightened her grip on Garrett.


"Well, it took some doing. I had to just about beat it into that knucklehead accountant who sits on that Board that services are needed even if they don’t bring money into the coffers, but the Board finally approved it. In fact, they want it up and running by the first of the new year. Think your team can do that, Trivoli?"


"They approved it?" Garrett’s mouth was now agape. "But I thought when I didn’t hear from you last night…"


Danni began to shake the surgeon’s arm, her face filled with emotion. "They approved it!" She began tugging at the arm of the surgeon.


The Ol’ Cutter smirked and flashed a smile at her. "Hell, I wanted to. It’s the wife who wouldn’t let me. She figured that if you knew, you wouldn’t be able to sleep. Can’t have a tired Trauma Fellow on for a holiday now, can we?" He winked. "So, think you can bring it into being before January first?"


"Yes, yes, sir!" The answer came in complete unison.


"Good! That’s what I told them. I’ll see you two first thing Monday morning and fill you in on all of the details." He listened to the enthusiastic good wishes of their friends as he turned to leave. "Oh, Nurse Bossard, Dr. Trivoli," he turned his head to them, "I’d get some rest if I were you. They have a lot more planned for your team after they took a look at that proposal of yours." He began walking out of the room only to throw out a seasonal greeting as he left. "Happy Thanksgiving."


A hush fell over the group as the petite blonde and the tall surgeon turned to face each other, muttering out loud to themselves, "They have a lot more planned for us?" Danni wrinkled her nose as she watched the lone raised eyebrow reaching high on Garrett’s forehead, each woman trying to think of the vast possibilities of things that the Board could have in mind for them.


The silence of the moment was shattered by the sound of the trauma pager going off. "Trauma Team Page, Trauma Team Page. Inbound via ambulance male approximately 47 years of age. Multiple penetrating wounds and an impaled object in the abdomen believed to have been made by a carving fork. ETA 5 minutes. This is a Level One Trauma Team Page."


The E.R. was awakening once again in the knowledge that life goes on.