Danni had grown to love this playfulness that the surgeon was exhibiting. It was something that she knew only her eyes were privy to, making her feel especially close to the once aloof woman. "I’ll pop the corn for you in a minute, just let me finish this last pan of cookies so that I have some to take with me tonight."


"Gotcha!" The surgeon retreated back into the Dinning room.


"Hey, Gar! Out on the hall stand, you’ll find the decorations for the tree. Maybe you could put the lights on, while I make the popcorn."


"Sure, okay." Garrett’s mind conjured up images of her family’s Christmas decorating rituals. They had always spent the better part of the afternoon unearthing the hordes of boxes from deep within the recesses of the attic and carrying them down to the area next to the tree. A tree, that took up every inch of space from floor to ceiling.


The surgeon walked out in the hallway and looked at the lone box resting on the hall stand. It couldn’t have been much bigger than a box used for a pair of the petite woman’s boots. Opening the lid, she marveled at the treasures that were held within. ‘I bet she picks out the same kind of tree every year.’ The large hands picked up one of the fragile looking tiny balls. Cautiously Garrett held it between her fingertips. Putting the ball down, her eyes were drawn to the tiniest of lights that she had ever seen. Nothing at all like the large ones that had so boldly and brightly graced her childhood trees.


The corners of her mouth edged higher into a smile as she thought about the habits of this wonderfully compassionate person that she had allowed into her life. Garrett shook her head in amazement. She was beginning to understand the true nature of the woman a little more each day that they were together.


The surgeon carefully carried the opened box into the living room and placed it on the end table next to the tree. Her agile fingers took special care as she unpacked the bound string of lights, checking to see that none of the bulbs had become loose in storage. Once plugged into the nearby electrical outlet, the multicolored flashes of light soon mesmerized her. She was lost in thoughts of enchanting moments where the glittering of lights had played a part of the mystic. Garrett quickly cleared her thoughts then set about to the task of illuminating the barren looking tree.



* * *

Danni stood there, turning her head from side to side as she thought about where to place the last of the ornamental balls that she held in her hand. It had been so easy to place the other balls, but this one was special. Her gaze settled back onto the crystal blue ball and she thought how much it was like the eyes of her new friend. The nurse hesitantly looked over at Garrett who was storing the last of the packing cushions back into the small box. ‘It’s her! No one else has ever come to my mind when I’ve looked at this ball before.’ She nodded to herself and moved closer to the tree with her eyes searching for the right spot to hang the ball that would forever remind her of the tall surgeon.


Garrett watched as the delicate hands of the nurse tenderly placed that last remaining ball before she whispered. "Is there a reason why you placed that one there? I mean…I noticed that the others went up fairly fast, as if they had a designated place from year to year."


The petite woman could still feel the warm sensation still coursing through her body when she heard the question. ‘Do I tell her that each ball is someone that I hold dear? Better yet, do I tell her that was her ball that I’ve just given the spot next to my heart?’


Danni had always thought of herself as the tree extending her branches in friendship and love to the people that she invited into her menagerie. Each ball on the tree was a representation of some member of her collection, no two balls ever being the same in color, shape, or size. Each year, she had tried to use the ball but somehow it just never fit the person that she had added to her group. It had always made her a little disheartened to know that the beautiful ball would again stay locked away out of sight. Now, the ball that had always intrigued her with its unique hue had finally found its way onto her tree and there it would stay for the rest of her life.


Standing back to eyeball the tree, the young woman took a few strands of silver colored tinsel and carefully placed them on the branches. "Each one is someone that I think of as a friend." Danni smiled and looked up at the tall woman next to her. "I remember them as I place their ball on the tree, that way each year I think about them and how I helped along their way."


"But I don’t see any names on them."


"There here," she pointed to her chest. "Written in my heart for the rest of my life." Her speech was barely a whisper.


Somehow, Garrett knew that a ball had been added to the tree this year with her name etched into Danni’s heart. The surgeon couldn’t help but feel honored that she would be a part of this woman’s Christmas ritual for a long, long time.


The blonde turned to face her friend. "You think I’m silly, don’t you?" Her eyes were sincere and searched for an answer.


"No, not silly at all." Garrett offered her more tinsel. "Just very caring and filled with more love than you know what to do with, that’s all."


Their gazes lingered, neither wanting to be the first to look away. The moment seemed almost magical in nature, with the twinkling lights giving the periphery of their vision an illusion of the season that they were in, while their full focus was on each other.


Garrett could feel a wave of embarrassment coming over her, not understanding at all why she was so mesmerized by this moment. She let her gaze drift off to the colored lights, trying to reason what had just taken place. There was no reason why this woman held her attention, she just did.


"So…ah…what time are you going to leave for your parents’ house?" It was a weak attempt to cover her feelings and the surgeon cursed herself for her feeling of inadequacy. It had been years since she allowed anyone close to her and now, here with Danni, things were just coming about all too fast.


Looking over to the small clock that rested on the mantel, Danni sighed. "I guess I’ll have to be leaving in about an hour or so." The nurse put the last of the tinsel on the tree and stood back to admire the symbol of her life. "I’m pretty sure that will do it for this year. What do you think?"


They both looked at the tree, which had started out barren, to see it filled with decorations and the popcorn/cranberry garland. The twinkling lights seemed to multiply as their shimmering reflections were mirrored off the metallic tinsel. To look at it, one would have never known that it was an ugly tree. It had come to new life, just like all the members of Danni’s menagerie did when placed in her loving care.


"Yeah, I guess that does it." The surgeon’s voice reflected her growing sadness of their lessening time together. She turned to speak to Danni, but she was gone. Garrett looked puzzled at the spot where the young woman had been. ‘She was just here a minute ago. Where’d she…’ The tall woman searched the room with her eyes. Then her gaze stopped and fixed on the young blonde coming down the stairway from the second floor.


Danni looked somewhat pensive as she made her way over to Garrett. She was carrying a bright red foil wrapped box with complimentary green ribbons edging the corners. "Gar, Merry Christmas!" Danni held out the box for her friend to take. "I know that you like to travel light so…I…well, just open and see." She waited patiently for the surgeon to respond.


The long sinewy fingers of the surgeon drew across Danni’s hand as she accepted the present. Garrett let her eyes meet the shimmering pools of green that looked back at her. The word was spoken out of courtesy but with more meaning than the simple syllable indicated, "Thanks."


Danni nodded. "Go on now, open it up. I want to see if you like it."


Garrett set to work undoing the ribbons and stripping the foil from around the box. Her fingers trembled in anticipation as they lifted the lid. ‘I wonder what it is that she could have found to give me?’ The surgeon stared down into the thin veil of tissue paper that separated her from Danni’s gift. Her eyes flicked to the petite woman and then back down to the box. ‘I don’t understand. What would I need a picture frame for? The only picture that I…’ Her fingers pulled back the tissue paper to reveal the gift.


The furrows grew a little more pronounced in Danni’s forehead as she waited to see how her gift was going to be received. It wasn’t normal for her to worry, but this gift was different and she hoped that it was not misconstrued. The nurse let out the breath she hadn’t realized that she was holding, when she heard the gasp from the tall woman.


"I hope that you like it. I got the idea the other week when that man went down on us in the E.R."


The surgeon searched her face, puzzled by the comment. "But how…"


"When you tossed your wallet at Karen, things sort of…fell out."


"But Danni, you gave me everything back intact an hour later. I don’t know how you got this." Garrett’s eyes were glued to the image of her brother, her fingers moving slowly over the scrolling pattern that ran along the wood of the frame. ‘If ever there was a gift that could touch my heart, this has to be it.’ "This is way to clear to be a Xerox of that wallet size photograph."