Slowly, looking from side to side, she realized that she had not invaded the young woman’s area, but rather met in the middle, each one acting as a bridge to the other’s side. Thoughts of staying there, in that world of comfort soon drifted by as Garrett dutifully slipped out from under the young blonde’s leg. Sliding out from under the covers, Garrett wiped her face with her hand as she got out of bed to answer the needs of her body.



* * *

The first real rays of light drifted in around the drawn window coverings, as Cowboy got rolled up on one elbow and looked over to the lump of human flesh that was on the far side of the huge bed. Smiling to himself, the pilot had to give the Doc credit for her idea. ‘He’s never going to realize that he slept with me instead of her. Hmmm…that gives me an idea of my own.’ The skivvies-clad man crawled out of bed, put on his boots and headed into the bathroom with his shave kit in hand.


It wasn’t long after the door closed that Ian’s sleepy form rolled over to face the now empty half of the bed. Feeling for the warmth of a long sensuous body, his hand came up empty. His blood-shot eye opened, revealing the thrown back covers and rumpled sheeting where the warm body had been only moments before.


The sound of water running in the shower now trickled through Ian McCormick’s mind. He imagined himself a drop of water rolling over the soft skin and ample curves of Garrett Trivoli. His eyes darted to the chair that he remembered the Flight Suit had been on. Seeing it still there, Ian sighed. Yes, she’d have to come out to get dressed and he’d be able to view what he dreamt of often. Ah! Life was good.


The physician rolled on to his back, the thought of nights to remember flirting with his mind, and drifted off into a world of dreams.


Cowboy emerged from the bathroom, quickly dressed and grabbed his flight case from under the desk in the sitting room of the suite. Setting the case down on the chair, he pulled open the drawer and removed a piece of the complimentary stationary and penned a brief note. Folding the paper in half, the pilot scribbled ‘McDoc’ on the front and left it there with the room key for Ian to find. Being careful not to make too much noise, Cowboy picked up his case and exited, pulling the door shut as he left.



* * *

The dream came to her only seconds before she woke. Its snippet of vision was not a vision at all but rather a feeling that her world was as it should be…or was that as it used to be? The strong arms that held her tightly in her dream were like vigilant sentinels standing guard over her heart while the lush green of the forest that surrounded, cradled them both with its moss covered ground, acting like a velvet blanket for them to lay on. Her world seemed complete with the soft refrain of the birds’ overhead and the antics of the small creatures that watched over them. They were alone with each other, sheltered from any that would do them harm.


Her thoughts were a jumble of confusion as she fought to stay with the dream for as long as she could, never wanting it to end. Perhaps that is why Danni couldn’t believe she was lying there awake. The same feeling that she had in the dream, she was feeling now. It was like all the love in the world was being self-contained in her very own soul. ‘By the Gods, what I would give to have this all the time. I’ve got to remember this one.’ She sighed, thinking that it had been quite a while since that last journal entry of hers. The nurse could picture the worn book, still on her nightstand next to her bed at home. ‘Who would have thought that I’d have a dream after all this time.’


The lone blue orb peered out into the morning’s dim light. The soft blurring of blonde hair was in front of her face. Slowly Garrett began taking stock of the wonderfully restful sensation that she was a part of, her body spooned up against the petite woman lying next to her. Each body seemingly fit like a piece of a puzzle, one to the other with no areas left untouched.


The surgeon could feel the gentle stirring of Danni as she came out of her world of dreams. Garrett’s hazed state made her slow to react, knowing that her arm now encircled the nurse and held her tightly, denying any thought of letting her go.


Each woman laid there, basking in the warmth of human contact, not wanting to draw the other’s attention to the fact that they were enjoying the moment. The seconds grew to a minute, then lingered even longer letting time be a measure unto itself.


The sound of the ringing phone in the room had startled both into a frenzied separation of their bodies. Their eyes avoided each other for fear of their friend’s embarrassment. Danni, rolling off to her edge of the mattress while Garrett moved to put a stop to the ringing of the phone.


"Hello!" The surgeon voice was crisp and clear, meaning nothing but business.


Danni sat on the bed, her heart racing like a wild animal. ‘She’s going to know for sure now.’ The nurse stole a glance over her shoulder. ‘I can’t believe that I…she…’ Her eyes got bigger. ‘That we were laying there like that.’


The nurse could hear words but nothing was making sense to her. Just the thoughts running through her mind and the pressing need to write down her dreams that seemed to be grasped by her mind. Danni’s eyes roamed the room in search of something, anything that she could use. ‘The desk! There has to be something there.’ The petite woman got up and went to it.


Within the time it took Garrett to complete her phone call, Danni had finished recording her dreams. ‘One day, I know these will make sense to somebody.’ Danni kept her back turned when she heard Garrett hanging up the phone. She wasn’t ready to see the look on Garrett’s face.


"That was Cowboy!"


The nurse kept her pen going in a mock writing motion while she answered. "Hmmm?"


"He wants us to get ready to leave. Seems like there is going to be a brief window of opportunity to fly in about 30 minutes."


"Okay, I’ll take the bathroom first." Danni rose from the chair and grabbed her Flight Suit off of the hanger. "I’ll be done in just a few." She entered the bathroom and closed the door.


Garrett got out of the bed and paced the room briefly, not knowing whether to be the first to say something or not. She could see that Danni was obviously upset by the situation. "Damn, I don’t want to lose this friendship," she muttered under her breath and she knew what she had to do.


Danni vacated the bathroom to see Garrett’s duffel bag packed except for her toiletry bag, and the woman herself already dressed in her Flight Suit. The surgeon brushed past her as she grabbed her small bag and entered the empty room. The sound of the door locking behind her made the nurse feel as though she was having an important part of her life taken away. She felt herself being closed off, her lungs crying out for air, her heart ripping in two. ‘If only she would have left me sleep on the love seat or floor. I’d be sore but at least I wouldn’t hurt like this.’ Danni hung her head and slowly packed her bag, her eyes stealing glances at the king-size bed that they had shared.


The tall woman had been silent in her entry to the room. She stood there, watching the sullen nurse finish her packing. Stuffing her toiletry bag into the duffel and tying it shut, Garrett spoke softly. "Danni, I’m sorry for what happened earlier." She paused but the petite woman did not turn around or slow her efforts in packing. "I must have been dreaming. Honest, I didn’t mean anything by it."


The words echoed in Danni’s head, ‘Didn’t mean anything by it.’ It felt like a stake going through her heart each time it repeated itself. She closed her eyes and held onto the overnight bag, fighting the tears back. "Don’t worry about it." She picked up her bag and turned around to face her team member. The eye contact was only for a second but it hurt more than she thought. Hurriedly casting her eyes to the floor, she started for the door, "I’ll meet you at the helicopter," and was gone.


Garrett picked up her bag and followed the nurse, pausing at the open door to turn and gaze one last time at the rumpled blanket covered bed, then stepped out, closing the door behind her.



* * *

Ian McCormick walked out into the setting room when he spied the folded over paper on the desk. Picking it up, he studied the handwriting. "Gosh, you’d think for as well educated as we are, doctors would be able to write more legibly." The only word on the front was a strange one at that. "McDoc," he muttered then let the corners of his mouth edge into a smile. "Must be her pet name for me." He opened the sheet and began to read aloud, wanting to hear the words as if she were saying them. "Thanks for letting me rest before taking off to new heights." That was all there was, nothing more.


The sound of blades spinning in the thin mountain air as the helicopter readied for take off drew him to the window. Ian stood with the note still in his hand, watching the lift off begin. The slow motion of his waving hand was like a metronome to the song of the rotors as the ship flew out of sight.



* * *

Danni sat, buckled into her seat. Her close proximity to the surgeon was not an easy one to maintain but in the cramped quarters of the helicopter it was as far as she could get. The nurse could tell by the quietness of her team member that her time up in the air was going to be filled with lots of thought about what had happened between the two friends.