"Okay, but what should I tell her?"


"You’ll know what to say, you always do." Garrett let the lopsided smile come forth for the first time all day, then went about her duties, leaving Danni standing alone at Marie’s door.


Knocking gently first, Danni entered. "Hey!" She smiled at the woman sitting in the bed. "Care for a little company this evening?"


Marie’s face brightened immediately, seeing who it was. "Nurse Danni, come on in." She looked past the blonde and waited for a moment before speaking again. "You didn’t bring anyone with you? I was hoping you might."


"If you’re talking about Gar, I did. She’ll be in after she gets your discharge papers going."


"Discharge? I’m being let go?"


"Yeah, this is only a 23 hour observation unit. We kept you here just to make sure that nothing was missed last night. Besides, with the blood that you lost it was a good idea to keep an eye on you for a while." Danni studied the face of the older woman. Her hazel eyes darted back and forth in a worried motion. "Marie, is something wrong?"


"Nothing, really. It’s just that I didn’t want to be at home without Chris."


"Hmmm…I think that we might be able to get you in to see her. How’s that?"


"You could? That would be great." Her mood definitely perked up at the possibility of seeing her lover. "Will it be alright?"


"Gar, will make it alright." Danni winked and walked over to the closet in the room. "Let’s see about getting you dressed to leave. What do you say?"


The nurse opened the closet door revealing nothing but empty hangers. "Well, looks like you might just have to stay here until morning with nothing to wear but that "air-conditioned" gown."


"Okay, Marie. You’re all set to get out of here." Garrett came bounding into the room. She was excited about getting the two women back together. "I’ve taken care of the paperwork and all you’ll have to do is sign them."


"Thank you, when can I see Chris?" Marie got up off the bed in anticipation of leaving.


"Whoa, wait a minute. Let me get a wheelchair first." The surgeon motioned her to sit back down. "You lost a lot of blood yesterday, don’t go getting up that fast."


"I’ll be fine once I see Chris."


"Gar, we got a little problem here." Danni motioned toward the empty closet.


"Hmmm…I see." She thought for a moment then held up an index finger. "I’ll be right back." Then as fast as she said it, she was gone.


The nurse just shook her head in total amazement of her friend as a smile slowly stretched across her face.


"She is a beautiful woman. You’re very lucky to have her as a friend." Marie sat watching Danni begin to blush.


"Well, she is fun to be around when there’s nothing pressing that needs her attention."


"I can see that. Well, speak of the devil."


Garrett entered the room with a set of O.R. Scrubs in her hand. "Well, they’re not a brand name, but at least you won’t feel a draft." She handed them over to Marie. "I took a guess on the size. If they don’t fit, I’ll…"


"Thank you, I’m sure that they will be fine." She held them up and measured them against her body. "Yep, couldn’t have picked better if I did it myself." Marie headed toward the bathroom. "I’ll go change."


Danni waited until Marie had closed the door before she pulled Garrett toward the hall. "Gar, I think she really doesn’t want to leave without Chris."


The surgeon puckered her lips and thought for a moment with her index finger tapping on them. "I have an idea. Let me go check out Chris myself. I’ll meet you two up there."


"Okay, but what are you going to do?"


"You’ll see." The tall surgeon winked and took off down the hall.



* * *

By the time that Danni had wheeled Marie to the ICU, a good twenty minutes had passed since she last set eyes on the surgeon. Stopping at the entrance to the ICU, the nurse picked up the courtesy phone and spoke to the nurse at the desk. Marie watched as Danni’s brow crinkled with lines as she listened to the voice over the receiver.


Starting to worry, the newly released patient fidgeted in her seat. "What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Chris?" The woman’s voice was full of concern.


"No, it seems that Dr. Trivoli thinks that it’s time to move Chris out of the ICU." Danni hung up the phone. "She’s in there ordering everybody around to get your friend moved. They want us to wait and accompany Chris to her new room."


"That’s good isn’t it?"


"Very good." Danni smiled and patted the woman’s shoulder.


No more than ten minutes passed by when the automatic doors of the ICU sprang into action. Danni instinctively pulled Marie’s wheelchair out of the way, knowing what to expect from the demanding surgeon. Marie’s mouth dropped open at the sight. There, pushing the bed herself was Garrett Trivoli. Her mouth spouted off orders as she moved ever-forward stopping for nothing and no one in her path. Danni hid her eyes and chuckled at the sight of the Charge Nurse from the ICU running after her, demanding to know want kind of medicine couldn’t be given in her ICU. The blonde nurse just shook her head as she listened to the surgeon’s reply.


"I told you before," Garrett’s strong voice bellowed, "it can’t be given in your ICU and I’m taking her to someplace that it can."


"I’ll…I’ll…" the flustered nurse was becoming winded.


"You seem to forget who the doctor is here. It’s me and I’m doing what is best for my patient. End of story." Garrett stopped only long enough to cast an evil eye at the ensuing nurse. "Do I make myself clear?" The surgeon’s eyebrow rose nearly into her hairline.


The Charge Nurse skidded to a stop. "Clear, yes, perfectly clear, Doctor Trivoli." She turned around and headed back into the unit, muttering as she did.


"I heard that, Nurse." The surgeon yelled over her shoulder. "The "R" for my middle initial does not stand for Royalpainintheass."


Danni and Marie could hear a muffled scream coming from the unit as the doors closed sealing the unit off from the outside world and found it impossible to keep from laughing.


"She is a card, I’ll say that."


Danni smiled, nodding her head as she started to follow the surgeon and bed ahead of her. "That, she is."



* * *

The reuniting of the couple was a tender scene to watch as each one greeted the other with whispered words and loving touches. Marie stood, bending over to give a gentle kiss to Chris’s forehead then sat back down letting her hand nestle into her lover’s hand. Just the idea of them being together was the best medicine of all for the both of them. Their faces brightened and the worry lines eased from around Marie’s eyes. They were home with each other and that was exactly what they both needed.


"Chris, you look so pale, I…"


"Now, Marie, you start that babying me and I’ll get Dr. Trivoli to take me back to that ICU." The skinny woman in the bed winked at her lover. "I understand that it was your fault that I got the best damn surgeon in the building to work on me. Thanks, Marie." Her voice softened and she brought Marie’s hand to her mouth and placed a gentle kiss upon it. "I love you."


Marie stood there like a schoolgirl and blushed at the blatant display of affection. The words were as welcome as the touch of her lover.


Garrett and Danni stood by the door mesmerized by the scene that they had brought about. Finally, Danni whispered, "Chris seems to be looking better already."


"Yeah, I guess that handholding is the best medicine that I could have ordered for her." Garrett moved her hand to Danni’s and squeezed it gently. "Providing that it’s with the right person, of course."


The nurse looked up at the tall surgeon and smiled. "You’ve got that right." Danni returned the squeeze with one of her own and turned for the door. "Let’s give them their privacy."


Garrett nodded and followed the blonde, closing the door after they were out. "I’ll just tell the nurses that if Chris needs anything, she’ll ask for it."


"Good idea." Danni winked. "I’ll meet you at the elevator."


The nurse couldn’t believe what she had felt. ‘Was that Garrett who just squeezed my hand or was I just imagining it?’ Either way, it sure felt nice.



* * *

Danni followed Garrett as they each drove their own cars home. Between the rush hour traffic and the events of earlier that day, sleep was a much-needed thing. The nurse noticed the tired look on the surgeon’s face as she opened the front door of the house to enter.


"Gar, you’re looking really tired. Why don’t you get some sleep? You know, you didn’t get more than a couple of minutes last night at the hospital."


The tall woman smirked then nodded. "You going to tuck me in, too?" It was a feeble attempt at humor.


"Yeah, I might just do that." She feigned swatting the surgeon’s behind stating, "Now off to bed with you. I’ll be up in a minute to tuck you in."


"Yes, mom." The tired surgeon pulled her body up the stairs one at a time using the railing to help her. "I’ll brush my teeth, too!" She teased.