Danni paged through the cookbook one last time. She had overlooked it on her first pass of the category but found it this time. It was a festive Stollen recipe that she had come across several months ago in a seldom-used book on her shelf. The dough was raised and the braiding of the layers gave it a very ornate appearance. ‘Now with just a little creative liberty for the filling, I’ll have something that looks and tastes like Christmas, as much as Santa himself.’ She chuckled and then tried to imitate the deep belly laugh of the old elf.


Moving quickly around the kitchen, the young woman set to work making her Christmas creation. The dough would need time to rise and that would allow her to pull together the rich nut and cranberry filling that would be used in conjunction with it. Danni was in her element with the soft music of Christmas carols and the smells of the holiday baking.


The time was passing quickly when she finally put the neatly braided Stollen into the oven. It was approaching 0700 and Garrett still hadn’t come out of her room. ‘I guess she was really tired.’ Danni set the timer on the stove and decided that now was as a good time to go wrap the few remaining presents in her room. There was one gift in particular that needed to be wrapped and soon. The small blonde thought about it and a sly smile came over her face. ‘I hope she’ll like it.’



* * *

The soft strains of seasonal music were filtering in under the door as the long limbs began to stir under the covers. Slowly, the woman became more in tune with the world around her as each of her senses began to come to life. The smooth, silky touch of the sheets stimulated parts of her body as they brushed against it, causing her to moan in a low throaty tone. She turned over and nestled her head into the pillow, a slight smile gracing her face. Garrett’s nosed twitched, trying to distinguish the scent that was wafting in around the door. The sweet smell of nuts and berries was causing her mouth to water.


One eyelid opened as her mind struggled to gain a foothold on waking up. The lone orb surveying the room as it tried to establish some sense of time. The muted light coming from around her blinds gave a soft appearance to the furniture in the room. ‘Damn!’


By the look of the day breaking outside, she knew that she had slept in. The surgeon was used to rising early, long before the first rays of daylight ever came on the horizon.


Garrett rolled onto her back, bringing both her hands up to scrub her face free of any last lingering remnants of sleep. Stifling a yawn, she momentarily drifted to the events of yesterday. Lost in her thoughts now, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the facial expression that Danni had shown her. The agony of seeing that emotionless face was making Garrett feel like her heart was being torn from her chest. It was as though the bubbly nurse had never existed except in statue form. The surgeon’s heart began to race with fear of never again experiencing the warmth and laughter that the young woman brought to her being.


Suddenly she felt short of breath, like the life was being drained out of her body. Her strong arms pushed her upper torso off the bed, her elbows locking to hold her steady. Before she knew what was happening, she could hear her own loud gasping for breath. Her mind flashed with the dump truck bed crashing down toward the small blonde nurse. Garrett’s eyes widened with terror. Then she realized just how close they had come.


‘Jeez, I nearly lost her yesterday.’


"Gar…are you awake?" The soft voice was coming from the other side of the door.


The surgeon’s eyes flashed with awareness at the sound of the voice. ‘By the gods, if this is hell, they really know how to torture me.’ Garrett tried to slow her breathing as she leaned forward, clutching the covers to her supple form. She took a deep breath in and out before she cleared her throat to answer. "Yeah…I’m up. I must have overslept." She could feel the surge of adrenaline that her system had been given dissipating.


"Well, when you’re ready, come on down and I’ll fix us both a good hot breakfast."


"Sounds like a plan to me. I think I’ll take a shower first and get dressed."


Garrett threw back the covers and let her long muscular legs gracefully drop over the side of the bed. She looked at her digital clock at the bedside. It was 0715. The surgeon sat on the edge of the bed trying to sort out her feelings or at least what day it was. Then she remembered. It was December 24, Christmas Eve. ‘I’d better get a move on, Danni will be headed out to her parents this afternoon.’ She thought about the large garment box that was so neatly wrapped in shiny gold paper and wondered about when to give it to her friend. "I bet she’ll never guess what it is."



* * *

Danni stood back and looked at the small flat box. It was the last of the presents to be wrapped but in her mind, the most important. Her fingers reached out and toyed with the lid as she made her mind up to look at it one last time. She quickly removed the lid and folded back the tissue paper that was obscuring her view. The antique brass corners set off the rich mahogany of the wood as her eyes focused on the frame. Slowly Danni allowed her finger to run over the row of carved scrolling pattern that interlocked running along the border of it. ‘I only hope that we get to be that close.’ Her eyes shifted to focus on the photograph that was the purpose of the gift. ‘She’ll never guess this.’


The nurse reluctantly put the box lid back in place. She felt good about this gift and the joy that she knew it would bring. Thinking for only a moment, she made her choice of wrapping paper and set off to finish her task.



* * *

With the Stollen cooling off on the counter, Danni gathered the needed ingredients for the batch of cut-out cookies that was a tradition for her nephew, as Garrett cleared off the table of their used breakfast plates, putting them into the dishwasher.


The morning hours were already slipping by faster than either woman cared to admit. Danni was trying to think of a way to get everything she needed to get done, and still have time to spend with her friend. Finally, she just broke down and asked for help, to which Garrett was eager to lend a hand. Soon the surgeon was pitching right in, her sleeves rolled up and in the middle of decorating the unbaked cookies with colored coarse sugar. The two of them were like little kids left alone for the first time to bake by themselves.


The joy of the moment was priceless to Danni. Here was the friend that she had always longed for growing up. ‘Well, better late then never.’ The nurse smiled as she watched the meticulous care that the surgeon gave to covering each cookie with the colored sugar. She couldn’t believe that they were actually enjoying this time together, she’d never have imagined that at their first meeting. ‘By the gods, what six months can do.’


Then she thought about the time that Garrett had left to her Fellowship. It was only six months more that the tall surgeon would be here for sure. Danni closed her eyes and took a deep breath at that thought. It was too much to think about, at least right now. She only wanted to enjoy the time that she had left with Garrett, not pine it away in a melancholy mood. Danni opened her eyes to see the surgeon watching her carefully.


The dark-haired woman sensed her friend’s reserved attitude. "Something wrong, Danni?"


The blonde shook her head. "Nothing…nothing’s wrong." She shrugged her shoulders. "It’s Christmas Eve, what could be wrong?"



* * *

It was nearly noon when Garrett was banished from the kitchen for pilfering cookies. The surgeon rubbed the back of her left hand as she walked out into the Dinning Room. ‘Damn, that woman has eyes in the back of her head.’ Then she smirked as she thought of the petite nurse standing her ground when she had figured out where all the cookies were disappearing. ‘Yep, she’ll make one darn good mother someday.’


"Do you think that I could trust you with some popcorn and cranberries to string for the tree?" Danni yelled out to the surgeon. "I figure it will be easy for you. It’s just needle and thread and you could probably use the practice for later tonight." The nurse was making reference to Garrett’s forced absence from hands-on medicine.


Garrett looked through the doorway into the Living Room. There, in front of the window was the Norfolk Pine that they had purchased last evening on their way home from the hospital. If ever there was an official Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, this was it. The scantily branched tree stood with its roots planted firmly in the soil-filled pot, looking like something out of a low budget movie. The surgeon thought that Danni was joking when she picked out the little tree, declaring that this was just what she was looking for. Only her friend could see the beauty in the wanton tree. There were a hundred trees to pick from ranging in height and price, all different in shape and color, not to mention needle length and degree of softness. It surely wasn’t what Garrett had remembered as the perfect tree from her childhood, but it made the nurse happy and that was all that mattered.


"Yeah, I think that the popcorn and cranberries will be safe. I’m full now anyway." The surgeon teased her as she stuck her head back into the kitchen. "So where’s the stuff?" Garrett wiggled her eyebrows and licked at her lips.