K Darblyne - Up in the Air

Garrett was nearly to the bed before her eyes opened and she greeted her savior. "Hey, Doc. Thought only those students keep these late hours. You didn’t have someone up in the O.R. did you?"

Garrett shook her head. "No, just came in to check on you." The surgeon fiddled with the I.V. line acting as if it was customary for her to do so. "Besides, I didn’t want anyone else to come in her and disturb you and Marie."

"Hmmm…sounds to me like you got some things weighing on your mind." Chris watched Garrett’s expression as it changed to one of almost startled disbelief. "I guess that just goes with the job, though. Don’t it?"

The surgeon cleared her throat. "Ah…yes, I believe it does." She smiled weakly and then motioned to Chris’s abdomen. "Mind if I take a look while I’m here?"

"Heck, Doc, you know me inside and out." She giggled and looked over to the sleeping form of Marie in the chair next to her. "Almost as good as her, except she’ll tell you that she don’t know me at all sometimes." The thin lips of the patient pressed together and formed into a smile.

"I guess that comes from living so closely with someone. My friend says that she seems to know me better than I know myself, then out of the blue I do something that completely baffles her." Garrett drew in a breath. "Say, Chris, how did you and Marie ever get together? You seem so different from each other."

"I just held my breath and waited her out. I wasn’t the kind to strike up a conversation. I guess she knew it, too. It took her nearly a whole month before she spoke those first words to me."

"What were they, something philosophical?"

Chris looked over at Marie and stroked her hair. "No, she asked me what I was using for bait."

"Bait?" Garrett raised her eyebrow in response. "Was she referring to you cologne or your style of dress?"

"Neither, I was sitting out in the morning sun with my feet dangling over the edge of the wharf with a fishing pole in my hand." They both smiled at each other for a moment while Chris waited for the next question from the surgeon.

"Was it love at first sight or did you have to think about it for a while?"

"Hmm…now that’s a tough one. In my heart, I think it always was love, even before we talked. Now, my head, well let’s just say that I could have known her more closely for a lot longer if I’d listened to my heart."

"You’d choose going with your heart, then?"

"Every time! It has a funny way of knowing what it needs."

"Then you never regretted…"

"Life’s too short for regrets, Doc." The thin woman motioned to her own body. "Look at me. I don’t regret you being here yesterday. Why should you regret something that reaches out and acts like a life preserver?"

"Life preserver? I’m not following you."

"Love, Doc, love. It can get you through the low times and help to keep you grounded when the world keeps pushing you higher." She winked and nodded toward Marie. "She’s my anchor. Keeps me from running aground in high seas, and stands waiting for me like a homing beacon when I’m running off on a tangent."

Garrett cleared her throat as she made an attempt to look at the incision site. "Well, that seems to be healing nicely." The surgeon hoped that Chris would welcome the change of subject. "Maybe in a day or so we might be able to get you two home. What would you say to that?"

"Grateful, that’s what I’d say. Truly grateful."

Garrett smiled and put the bandages back in place. "Thanks, Chris. You’ve been a wonderful patient to take care of. You and Marie, both."

"Well, it wasn’t our doing to be in here but I’m glad that if I had to, it was you and that little blonde nurse…"

"Danni." The surgeon smiled just saying her name.

"Yeah," she smiled, "Danni took care of us. Marie was telling me about how you each stood watch over us last night. I appreciate that."

"I only do it for special patients, you know." Garrett winked and laughed with the older woman. "Thanks for talking to me. I’m going to think about what you said."

"Don’t mention it, Doc. You’re a good woman. I’m sure that you’ll know what’s right if you just follow your heart."

"You," the surgeon pointed directly at Chris, "get some sleep now." Garrett patted her hand. "I’m going to go listen to my heart."

The surgeon stepped away from the bed and out the door leaving the two women to bask in the love that had filled their hearts years ago.

* * *

The chilly air of the predawn hours did wonders to clear Garrett’s head as she got into her Blazer. It was always darkest before the dawn and the surgeon was hoping that with the rise of a new day, her last twenty-four hours would be her darkest for years to come.

Perhaps it was the quiet of the late night hour or the solitude but Garrett could sense that things were going to become easier for her, especially after talking to Chris.

She turned the key in the ignition and put it into gear as she charted her course for home. ‘I’ll call command when I get home and tell them to put us back on as of 0700. Danni needs the rest.’ It amazed her, how many times she thought about the nurse lately. It seemed to be the one thing that she honestly could say was a constant in her life.

"Okay, Trivoli, now all you’ve got to do is listen to your heart. Well, that’s as soon as you find it."

The tall surgeon pulled out into the sparse traffic and headed home, still searching for her pot o’gold.

With the warm weather moving into the area sooner than usually anticipated, the Flight Crew was being utilized more and more. The gentle rains of April had moved into the picture making the roadways hazardous to drivers of all skill levels. There was hardly a day that the helicopters didn’t fly and the number of their call outs was increasing drastically.

Danni found herself pressed for time to even take care of the mandatory things in life like shopping for groceries, house chores, and keeping up with her nursing journals let alone the things that she thought she needed to do. It was playing on her mind, ever since the court case in March that she needed to talk to David. She’d finally made her mind up and wanted to take care of some things before she would feel comfortable to move on in the direction that she had chosen. The several attempts to get in touch with David never seemed to pan out. She’d call him and leave messages at his apartment and the hospital but in like manner, his replies ended up the same way. Talk about playing phone tag with someone, but this was getting down right ridiculous.

With all of the technology present in the year 2001, you’d think that it would be easier. The life style that each party had was a major contributor to their own unavailability. The nurse had often thought of using the computer and sending him E-mail, but never liked the idea of using it for something as delicate an issue as this. Besides, it just wasn’t her style. She was more a "look-you-in-the-eye" kind of person when things of this importance needed to be discussed. It had always been her trademark. Danni would just have to wait for the next time she could get a day off and drive herself down to West Virginia. Once there, she’d let David know exactly where he stood in her life and in her heart. There would be no more time for misconceptions if she were to try to do what her heart was telling her to do. June would be here soon enough and she still wasn’t sure what Garrett was thinking of doing come the first of July when her year of Fellowship would be over.

Danni thought about her tall, raven-haired friend. She seemed more contemplative now than before. It was as if she was weighing a great choice in her mind. Perhaps it was what to do with the next year, or where to go with her career. The only thing that the nurse prayed for was that somehow, someway, she would be a part of it. Most of the Residents and Fellows at the hospital were talking about where they would be working come the first of July, but Garrett hadn’t said a word. She’d never even mentioned it in any way. It was as if she only existed for that day, that Flight, and the rest would take care of itself when it got there.

The nurse looked at the stack of envelopes with Garrett’s name on them. What had started as only one or two in February was now adding up to a large handful. She could only speculate what they were about, since the surgeon had chosen not to even open them and read what they were offering her. Danni fanned through the handful of sealed letters letting the return addresses flash before her eyes. It amazed her that so many large institutions wanted a shot at Dr. Garrett Trivoli.

Now what would it take to entice her to stay? Danni knew what she was willing to throw into the pot, but would that make the surgeon stay on here in Pittsburgh or run like hell to get as far away as possible? The surgeon could name her price anywhere she wanted to go, but could she possibly find what she really needed away from Danni? These were all questions that the nurse knew were soon to be answered, whether she liked it or not.

Putting the stack of envelopes back where they belonged, she climbed the stairs to bed, wondering if they’d even get to sleep until morning before they would once again be summoned with a call for help.