The helicopter turned on its path around the downtown area, changing the view that was outside of their window. The tall spray of illuminated water was in their view as Danni continued on with her private tour from high above the Golden Triangle. "See that." She pointed it out. "That’s the fountain at the Point."


"I’d hate to have to pay that water bill." Garrett teased. She noticed that as long as Danni was thinking about this impromptu tour, the less chance there was for her to zone out. ‘I’m going to learn a heck of a lot tonight.’


"Silly," she nudged her friend. "They don’t pay for that water. It’s kind of fascinating where it comes from though."


"The river?"


"Well, yes and no." Danni started into her explanation. "It’s water from the underground river actually, not one of the three that you see. It’s kind of a subterranean river." She turned to study the surgeon. "You’ll find out that we have a lot of buried treasures around this town. You just need to know what you’re looking for and then go after it." The nurse’s eyes searched into the blue pools of Garrett’s. ‘I guess you could say that still waters run deep.’


The helicopter took another banking turn and the scenery once again changed outside of their window. The glistening metropolis view had become one of vast darkness, with two lines of lights stretching up the hillside, one yellow and green while the other was white. On the top of the hill was an ornately lit yellow-orange brick building that reminded Garrett of a church.


"Okay…now what am I looking at? What are they, lighted pathways?"


Danni shook her head. "No, not exactly. The hillside is known as Mt. Washington, and those lighted pathways are the Monongahela Incline," the nurse pointed out the green and yellow stretch of lights, "while the other is the Duquesne Incline. They used to be the only way to get up to the top. Now they’re kind of like tourist attractions for the city."


"I see. What about that building?"


Danni smiled as she sat back in her seat. "That’s St. Mary of the Mount Church. It’s stands as a landmark for the overlooks on the hillside."


"Okay, I’ll bite. What overlooks?" Garrett chuckled.


Danni once again edged on her seat toward the window until she spotted what she was looking for. "There, that lighted platform with the railing around it. It’s not real easy to see from up here."


"Right across from that church?"


"Yeah, that’s it. The platforms are extended off the hillside to offer the best view of the Point. Supposedly it was the ‘in’ thing to do back in the late forties and fifties to have your picture taken on your wedding day, posed on them with the city skyline as your background. I remember seeing my grandparents wedding photograph."


"Hmmm…must have been nice. I guess that way you could always remember the city that you got married in."


"Somehow, Gar, I think on a special day like that, you’d be able to remember it without the photograph." Her voice trailed off to a whisper. "I know that I would." Danni could feel the heat starting to grow as the blush swept up her neck and to her checks. ‘Thank the gods her attention is out the window and not on me.’


Out of her peripheral vision, the surgeon could see the reserved demeanor come over her teammate. ‘I can’t believe that she’s blushing. I’ve never seen anyone like that. You’d think she’d be….’


The Pilot broke the silence as he informed them of the time. "It’s two minutes to the real new millennium. Doc, could you grab these?" He held out his hand with two fluted wineglasses in it, handing them off. Next the same hand held out a small capped bottle. "You’ll need this, too."


"What’s all this for, Cowboy?" Danni’s brow furrowed with her curiosity

as Garrett handed her a wineglass to hold.


"Well, I got to thinking earlier today that since this is New Year’s Eve and all, we should really offer a toast to the New Year. I mean, you and Doc that is. I’m not allowed to drink while I’m flying."


"Hey, we’re on duty too!" Garrett quickly shoved the bottle back into his hand in refusal.


"Yeah, I know that. Take a look at the label, it’s non-alcoholic. I didn’t know what it was you two liked, so I just got Sparkling Cider. I hope that’s all right."


The surgeon’s eyebrow rose as she accepted the bottle and turned toward the dim background lighting to read the label. "Non-alcoholic…hmm…thanks."


Garrett offered the bottle to Danni for inspection.


The nurse shook her head. "Thanks, Cowboy. I can see that you’re a full service pilot here." Danni chuckled.


"I figured that the Doc might want to make a toast to new beginnings at the stroke of midnight. It would only seem proper since it was the first official flight and all." The pilot looked back long enough to catch Danni’s attention and wink. "I’d hurry up and pour that if I were you, there’s about a minute to go."


"How will we know when it’s time?" The surgeon was twisting off the cap on the bottle.


"Hey, I know!" Danni turned and looked out of the window. There on the hillside was a lighted advertisement board. "The Bayer sign, see the readout on it. It’s 11:58:55 right now."


Garrett leaned forward to view the sign. "Yeah, there it is. Here, give me your glass and take this one." She poured the bubbly liquid into the glass that she was holding. "Careful. Got it?"


The two women exchanged glasses and Garrett poured one now for herself. Danni smiled coyly as she watched the surgeon allow the last drop of the sweet sparkling beverage roll down the long neck into her glass. The small bottle had held only enough for the two glasses. ‘Why, Cowboy…’ the petite woman glanced over in his direction, ‘it’s as though you meant for only the two of us to share in this toast.’ She watched as he took the empty bottle back from the surgeon, placing it down beside the pilot’s seat. ‘I wonder what you are up to?’


The man was keeping an eye on the changing numbers of the digital billboard-size clock as he steadied the helicopter in mid air, hovering high over the city of Pittsburgh. Slowly he began counting the seconds down right along with the timepiece. "Ten, nine, eight," the two women looked out the window to the clock, "seven, six," Danni turned to look at the strong featured woman next to her, "five, four, three," Garrett turned, raising her glass to the nurse, "two, one, Happy New Year!" The pilot became silent as he waited to hear the toast.


Garrett eyed the amber liquid in her glass as she began her toast. "Here’s to dedication and team work, it’s what brought us to where we are now and will carry us into the future. May the year 2001 be the turning point in our lives, showing us nothing but the happiness that we all deserve."


The fluted glasses clinked in honor of the toast. Each woman watching the other as their hands guided the wineglasses to their lips. The upward tilting of the glass was causing the cider to wash down over their tongues. The vivacious nectar was sweet to taste. Their eyes gazed at one another as though studying each other’s response to the lively liquid as the emptied glasses were lowered from lips that craved for more.


Danni watched as an errant drop lingered on the lower lip of the surgeon. Willing her body to stay where it was, she could feel the attraction of the woman in front of her reaching out and pulling her closer with each second of time that passed by. The nurse wondered how long her will power would hold out when she noticed that her upper torso was beginning to lean into the woman already. Her attention only heightened as the lips she adored parted. Her sudden intake of breath was unnoticed as Garrett’s tongue reached out to catch the wayward drop before it cascaded down over the fullness of her lip.


The electric blue of Garrett’s eyes danced as she watched the green pools shimmer and dazzle with delight. It was as though a trance had befallen each of them, sealing them off from the rest of the world. There was no sound or thought that was heard in this silent world of communication. It was simply the language of the heart that was compelling them to react to each other. The surgeon found herself taken in by the heartfelt warmth that was evident in the eyes of her friend. Reflexively, Garrett wet her lips, trying to stave off her parched feelings.


That action alone set off what seemed to be a cataclysmic event of major proportion throughout the blonde’s body. Danni’s skin tingled with excitement in anticipation of the touch she was longing for while other parts of her body, long thought to be dead, came to life. ‘By the gods, it’s going to happen and I’m not even sure how it will be met.’ The nurse’s heart beat wildly inside her chest. The distance dwindled down to only inches when something felt different. The force that had been drawing her close was being met with resistance.


Without warning, the helicopter was shifting and causing the blonde to settle backward into her seat once again. What had been so close for the taking, now seemed miles away. "Hey…"


The surgeon shook her head and turned abruptly to the pilot. "What the…" her voice was gruff and demanding.


"Sorry! I should have warned you." The pilot was astutely aware of the ship and airspace around him. "They’re requesting us for a scene run. I thought you heard that." He tapped his helmet motioning to the speaker each one had.