The nurse looked out the window to see the helicopter just touching down on the pad. The air was full of small bits of debris as the blades slowed down to a stop. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to stir as her mind began chanting a mantra of positive reassurance. ‘You can do this. It’s just a ride…a nice, safe ride. You can do this.’ "You coming with me, Doc, or are you giving up?" Her eyes shown like emeralds, glowing with a deep burning passion as she waited for a reply.
Garrett liked the fire that burned within her friend. She had felt its warmth and knew of its compassion. But now, she was about to see its mettle put to the test. She knew that Danni had to prove this to herself and no one was going to stop her. That’s when the surgeon decided to help her in any way that she could. "Okay, what do you say we go for that ride and put an end to all this talk?"
"Sounds like a plan to me, partner." Danni reached down to pick their jackets up off the chair. Her hand refused to give up the leather flight jacket to the surgeon, holding on until it was gently tugged from her grasp. The softness of the leather was such a contrast to the stoic woman who wore it. ‘Maybe one day, Garrett, I’ll get to see that soft spot in your heart.’
They both quickly donned their coats and turned to look at each other for reassurance, each one giving the other the "thumbs-up" sign.
"Okay! Let’s go kick some butt." The surgeon gave the "thumbs-up" sign through the window to the pilot as he waited for them inside the helicopter, then headed to the door.
Danni gulped hard trying not to let any of her butterflies’ escape. ‘If I’m going for a ride, we’re all going for one together.’ She replicated the signal to the pilot, and moved quickly to catch up with her team.
McMurray stood silently at his window watching the scene below on the helipad. That was one thing that he enjoyed about the placement of his office, he always knew when a helicopter arrived or took off. He thought of it as one of the perks for being Chief of Trauma Services.
The rotor had spun down to a stop before he saw the first figure approach the ship. By the physical attributes he reasoned it to be his Fellow, her long, dark hair being held back by a loose braiding. She paused at the open door, turning back to look for the rest of her team. Only seconds later did the wind-tossed blonde hair emerge into his view. The petite form cautiously reached for a handhold on the ship before attempting to step up into it. The surgeon quickly followed her in and soon the door slid closed.
The Ol’ Cutter knew that it would be a few minutes before the ship lifted off. That would leave him just enough time to pass the news along. He strode over to his desk and pressed down on the ancient call buzzer for his secretary.
"Yes, Dr. McMurray." The intercom crackled to life with the sound of the secretary’s voice.
He cleared his throat and then proceeded to wet his lips before speaking. "Let that pack of glory-seeking revenue hounds know that the Surgical Flight Team is onboard the helicopter and getting ready to take off."
The voice came back rather hesitantly. "Am I correct in assuming that you want the Board notified?"
"You’ve got that right. Then, call Communications and tell them to notify us as soon as they land."
"Yes, Sir. Will there be anything else?"
"No, nothing else for now." McMurray went back to his window and patiently waited for the helicopter to lift off.
The nip of the cold weather had brought some color back to Danni’s cheeks, the rosy blush giving her a healthier appearance. Garrett kept checking on her from time to time as they went through the preflight checklist that was their responsibility. The nurse had eagerly begun the task once she had strapped her helmet in place. The list was small in comparison to the one that she used in the Trauma Rooms for daily stocking. Within several minutes, the chore was done and Garrett gave the thumbs up sign one more time to the pilot. The nurse sat in her assigned seat and fumbled with the seatbelt trying to get it to connect.
"Here, let me." The voice sounded as though it was inside of her head. It was going to take some time to get used to the speaker inside the helmet. Danni held the ends up in offering to the surgeon as the whirring of the engine began to turn the blades overhead.
"Thanks," she yelled into the microphone, trying to be heard over the noise.
Garrett grabbed at the helmet trying to muffle the amplified voice that was screaming in her ear. She grimaced, then smiled sweetly. "Danni, just speak in your normal tone. I’ll be able to hear you."
The nurse grinned apologetically and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She handed over the seatbelt locking mechanisms to the surgeon who deftly worked in her Gore-Tex gloves to secure the small team member into her seat. Garrett pulled at the belt, making the final adjustment to the size of Danni’s lap, then hurriedly secured herself into her own seat.
The pilot’s voice now spoke to them. "We’re cleared for lift off. Everyone secured back there?"
Garrett glanced over at Danni in time to see her tug at the seatbelt trying to make it tighter. "Yeah, we’re in and ready to go."
"You know that we are just going to get up there and land. Then you ladies will go into the hospital and evaluate your mock patient and deem what needs to be done. Then load him up into the medivac and we’re off again for home. Nothing fancy they told me. You got that?"
"Yeah, they mentioned that to us." Garrett nodded her head. She was glad that all Danni had to concentrate on was just getting there and back again. ‘At least this way, I can keep an eye out for her.’ The surgeon looked over to the nurse and smiled pleasantly, trying not to alert the petite woman of her growing concern.
"Okay, I’m going to increase my revolution speed so that we can lift off. It’s going to be a little bumpy at first. Just sit tight." He gave the back passengers "thumbs-up" and then quickly busied himself in his duties.
Danni closed her eyes. The incantation of earlier quickly coming to her mind. ‘You can do this. It’s only a ride…a nice safe ride. You can do this.’
The noise coming from the rotors increased dramatically. Soon afterward the shaking started as the engine whined under the heavy strain to lift the ship off the helipad. What had started as small tremors and vibrations were now escalating into outright shaking of the ship underneath them.
Danni’s hands clasped tightly around the edge of her seat, willing it to stop. Her eyes opened, searching for comfort of any kind to calm her mind from the ravaging effects that were overwhelming her. The mantra in her thoughts being replaced by one of immense terror as her eyes caught site of the buildings around them as they slowly gained height. ‘I’m going to die. Please don’t let me die.’ Then suddenly her mind went blank, as did her gaze. Her body was shutting down any sense that would bring harm to her. She sat still, transfixed on nothing, suspended in time within the realm of her own body. The nurse’s shallow breathing and glazed-over eyes were the only evidence of her being alive.
Garrett was reveling in the adrenaline rush of the moment. During her Naval Career, each time she had set foot into a helicopter it was the beginning of a new experience for her. The surgeon’s mind compared those ascents to the one she was now a part of. It was a much smaller airship then the kind used by the military, with more vibrations emanating through the hull. The bumpiness of the ride was unmistakable, as the extra weight of the helmet on her head seemed to intensify it.