The green eyes lifted and looked over to her friend, slightly amused. "What?"


"You know, talk about it." Garrett looked out through the windshield trying hard not to lose her nerve. "The ski trip last year, you and David."


"Oh, that!" Danni let her eyes roll, relieved that it was something else that the surgeon wanted to talk about. "David was one of the Chief Residents last year. We just had a good time trying to learn how to ski, that’s all." A pleasant smile crossed her lips as she reminisced. "Neither one of us were any good, seems that we just kept falling into one another."


Garrett tried to imagine the petite nurse on skis that were probably longer than she was tall. Somehow, a long trailing scarf just seemed to fit the blonde along with a wildly designed knit hat, complete with a yarn tassel at the top. ‘I bet she looked cute.’


"Yeah, if you ask Rosie, she’ll tell you that David had more time with me in his arms trying to get ourselves upright than he did holding on the ski poles." She laughed. "All that I know is that after a while, sitting in that snow can sure get cold."


The surgeon didn’t understand why, but suddenly she had this feeling of jealousy when Danni mentioned being held by David. It caught her off guard, just like the food service worker that was holding out the bag and calling her.


"Ma’am…ma’am your food?"


"Ah…oh, thanks." Garrett took the bags and handed them over to Danni.


The blonde woman had noticed the abrupt change in her friend’s attitude. She wasn’t quite sure what exactly had set it off but she knew that something had changed. The surgeon had resumed her role as chief stoic and chauffeur as the Blazer once again pulled out into traffic. Each one was once again immersed in their own thoughts.


Garrett considered her own skiing ability and how she might be able to teach the woman in the passenger seat how to stay on her feet and out of the cold. It was all a matter of balance and timing. Once that was learned, there was little more to do than enjoy the scenery. It was just like anything else in life, it would take time and a good teacher to get through it. The surgeon stole a glance at Danni. ‘Boy, am I glad that I have a good teacher.’



* * *

The services of Cowboy were enlisted as Garrett plotted her appeal to McMurray. Being in the business for fifteen years, Cowboy had connections in just about every hospital and clinic that the medivac helicopters flew in and out of in the tri-state area. Once the surgeon had mentioned her plan, the pilot took care of the rest. It was easy to get McMurray to allow a PR flight up to Seven Springs under the guise that the Resort itself had requested it to coincide with the big holiday weekend. Besides, if anything were to happen, they were just a short flight away. Now, all that Garrett and Cowboy had to do was to sit back and wait until the pieces were in place.


Through Cowboy’s connections, the two soon learned that the educational PR trip was granted and would be scheduled for early in the afternoon on Saturday, February 10. Each one of them beamed with the excitement of their scheme, and hiding it from the petite blonde was becoming something of a chore.


The blonde had a way of sneaking up on them when they were talking, causing them to suddenly abort their conversation and go off on some military past life that one of them had lived through. Their tight-lipped grimaces seemed to be the only thing that didn’t let them burst right out, telling her of the plan.



* * *

It was Friday afternoon, February ninth when they got the page from McMurray. They had been summoned to his office for a special meeting. Nothing more was said by the secretary, just that they needed to be seen. Once they arrived, Garrett and Danni were ushered into the office and offered a seat. The older woman left without saying another word.


The team members looked at one another and shrugged in response to the questioning look that each one was wearing. Garrett had thought that she knew what the meeting was going to be about, but right now, she wasn’t so sure.


"Gar, did we do anything wrong lately?"


The surgeon racked her mind for a moment, "No, can’t think of anything."


There again was silence as they waited to find out why their presence had been requested. Each one studying another aspect of the room, letting themselves become absorbed into a photograph of the Ol’ Cutter. Danni had always been partial to the one on his desk that he often reached out and touched when talking about his wife. Today, Garrett’s interest had fallen on the one behind his desk, on the wall. It wasn’t big or flashy and by no means impressive. Instead it was just a simple photograph of the McMurray’s standing outside of the hospital, dressed in regular clothing, his arm around her waist and a smile beaming on both of their faces. Garrett wondered what significance the photograph had in the milestones of his life. She made a mental note to ask him one day.


It wasn’t long after that thought that McMurray bustled into the room, striding briskly until he was positioned behind his desk.


"Good, I’m glad that you’re here." He was shuffling two envelopes in his hand. "Seems that these are for the two of you." He handed them over to the person whose name was typed on the front.


Garrett accepted it and looked at the return address in the upper left-hand corner. The name and address was unfamiliar to her. She looked over to Danni’s, only to find it a carbon copy of hers, but with the nurse’s name on the front. ‘What’s this about?"


Danni commenced opening her own and taking out the enclosed paper, unfolding it to read. "Gar, these are summons."


"What?"


"We’ve been subpoenaed for material witnesses to a court in Fayette County."


The surgeon quickly ripped open her envelope and read through the verbiage, stopping at the name. "I don’t remember treating any Leza McCoy." Her eyebrow shot up as she looked directly at her mentor. "Somebody has to be mistaken here."


The Chief of Trauma Services picked up a folder and flipped it open. "Do you remember working on a…Sunshine Doe?"


Danni’s head popped up from her own letter. "Gar, that was the woman that was assaulted and raped. The one that Jam…er…Dr. Potter had to intubate on the helipad."


Garrett thought back for a moment, that night had seemed like a million years ago.


"Let me help you, Dr. Trivoli. It was the night you chose to banish a medical student and throw Nurse Bossard out of your trauma rooms. Does that help you any better?"


‘Damn, I’ve tried to put that night out of my mind. I was such a fool then.’ "Yes, Dr. McMurray, I remember it now." She hung her head in disgrace. She’d learned a lot from that night, and by the looks of things, she was going to learn even more.


"You’ll have to be present at the Fayette County court house next month, starting on that date, March 6, a Tuesday. Seems that they’ve subpoenaed the whole lot of you that gathered evidence that night for the rape kit."


"You mean Rosie and Karen, too?" Danni eyes darted back and forth from surgeon to surgeon.


"Yeah, can’t see the reason for it but they want the whole bunch." He sighed deeply. "Keep me posted on what happens so we know whether or not you both will be available for flights."


"Yes, sir." Garrett turned to leave but was stopped by the burly man’s laughter.


"I almost forgot. I’ve got a special request for you two to do a little PR show up at Seven Springs Ski Resort tomorrow. I thought that it was rather funny coming on the exact same day as the E.R.’s outing but who am I to question coincidence." The Ol’ Cutter looked from one crewmember to the other, deciding who it was that pulled the strings. It didn’t matter; they had done a good job so far, and as far as he was concerned, needed a little reward.


Garrett blushed slightly at his insistent stare while Danni’s face beamed with a knowing smile as she eyed her tall friend.


"If I where you two, I’d pack a small bag and take it with you." He winked. "You never know what storms sweep through this time of year and ground your helicopter for the night. I mean…just to be on the safe side."


"Yes, sir!" Danni was exuberant, her eyes flashing wildly at the opportunity to spend some time with her old friends. "We’ll do that."


"Thanks, sir." Garrett remained reserved and professional. Her plan had worked even better than she had hoped for. Then the thought hit her, ‘I wonder if Cowboy had anything to do with this? Somehow, she knew it was a good possibility.’


"Now, go on. You got things to do and bags to pack." He waved them out of his office and watched until they hit the door. "Just remember, don’t come back with any broken bones on either one of you."


With that thought, they shook their heads and went out the door.



* * *

Garrett sat watching the television, her eyes glued to the screen. She’d been waiting now for the local forecast of the weather channel. She trusted Cowboy’s judgment but somehow she just needed to see that advancing cloud pattern for herself. She wasn’t even cognizant of Danni as she breezed through the room with her small overnight bag in hand.


"Hey, aren’t you going to pack anything?" The nurse wasn’t used to seeing the tall woman so engrossed in television programming of any sort. "Garrett…you listening?" Danni shrugged at the undisturbed woman and went back to her packing.