The surgeon pressed the group for their best effort in making the trip to the awaiting helicopter an expedient one.
Danni took off ahead of the group gathering up the bags that they had brought with them. She reached the helicopter easily and motioned for the pilot to get ready. Stowing the bags quickly inside the crew compartment, she emerged just in time to take up her position as tail guard. This would assure that no one would accidentally venture too close to the spinning tail rotor blades. Keeping her body hunched over, she motioned for the rescuers to do likewise.
Once the patient was loaded in and the logging crews were away from the ship, the nurse left her safety position and climbed in, closing the door after her. She scampered hurriedly to belt herself in as Garrett signaled to the pilot that they were ready to lift off.
Danni attended to the patient as Garrett relayed information about the patient’s condition to the awaiting Trauma Center by radio. The commanding voice was precise with her description of the injuries that were sustained. The nurse waited until the surgeon was finished before looking over at her and smiling proudly.
"What?" Garrett looked around the patient and then herself.
The nurse’s voice was soft and loving as she spoke. "Thanks, Gar, for back there. I realize that it could have been a little messy if you hadn’t pulled me in." Her facial features were expressing her sentiment better than her words.
"Hey, we’re a team. Remember?" Then with a look of genuine concern she asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine now." She let her look linger on her friend for only a moment before she went back to caring for her patient.
They landed unceremoniously and whisked their patient into the Trauma Room where the team of Orthopedic Surgeons had been assembled at Garrett’s request. After giving a speedy report, Danni and Garrett both wished the patient a quick recovery from his injuries and turned to leave the room.
"Hey, Doc!" He hoarsely called out. "Thanks for everything. You two are ‘A’ number one in my book." Then he held up his forefinger in an exemplary display of the number and then waved. The two women just smiled in silence and nodded at the acknowledgment as they left the room.
Outside in the hallway, the pair was meet by Nan, the Nursing Manager. "Danni, Dr. Trivoli," she greeted them. "I’ve been asked to inform you that your presence is requested in Dr. McMurray’s office, STAT."
They each took in a deep breath and then let it out, knowing that the excitement was not yet over for the day.
The Surgical Flight Team stood before the desk in the outer office of Dr. McMurray, their clothing rumpled and dirty but their spirits united in their newfound teamwork. The satisfaction of a job well done reflected in their confidence as they waited to be admitted in to see their boss.
Danni leaned in toward the tall surgeon, whispering. "I thought Nan said STAT. I wonder what we’re waiting for?"
"Be careful what you ask for, you may find out sooner than you’d like." Garrett joked back at her, keeping her voice just slightly above a whisper as they took up seats along the wall.
The door to the Ol’ Cutter’s office opened and members of the Board of Directors filed out, each one with a grim look on their face. Bringing up the end of the line was Ian McCormick himself. He cast his eyes down and just kept walking. Obviously he was not getting what he was after. The scowl on his face was pretty evident.
Danni nudged Garrett’s arm with her shoulder. Even sitting, the surgeon was still taller than the nurse. The quick shift of her eyes and the subtle nod of her head were all that was necessary for the surgeon to understand.
Garrett took in a deep cleansing breath as she tried to calm her already edgy nerves. It had been a tough day. Tougher than she had ever imagined that it might be. She had been troubled by the prospects of a Middle East conflict, terrified when her teammate suffered from catatonia, put on display then subjected to the belittling tantrum of Dr. McCormick, and then thrust into a real life rescue that nearly got her team killed. The kicker of it all was that today was only supposed to be a dry run, a test of their preparedness as a team. Well, by the looks of it, her team was prepared for just about anything that life could throw at them. The surgeon closed her eyes to help further instill her calming thoughts.
The feather light touch of the small hand on hers was all that Garrett needed. The soft tingles of electricity coursed through her body, chasing out the last remnants of anger or apprehension for the upcoming meeting with her mentor. As the calmness overtook her body, the beginning hints of that lopsided smile of hers came to the surface. The two women glanced at each other and began to chuckle.
McMurray stood in his doorway observing the subtleties about the interaction between the surgeon and the nurse. He could actually see that the two were now closer than ever, both in mind and body. He reveled in his keen insight and made a mental note to talk to his wife about it when he got home.
The Ol’ Cutter cleared his throat and called out crankily. "Trivoli! Bossard! In my office now!" Then he turned and walked back to his desk.
The two slowly got up from their seats and then filed into the office, Danni taking the lead.
‘Now that’s a switch.’ McMurray sat down and motioned for them to do the same. He watched them closely for a minute and then began to speak. "I understand that you two have had a pretty rough day. Seems to me that all you were supposed to do was go for a little ride in that helicopter of ours and show your faces at an outlying facility." He paused studiously then added. "Isn’t that correct?"
Garrett’s thoughts were in a quandary now. ‘He’s way too calm for all that happened today. I wonder what’s up.’
They both nodded and answered meekly, "Yes."
"You didn’t do that, did you?"
"Sir, if you would allow me to explain…" The surgeon leaned forward to talk.
McMurray threw up his hand in a halting motion. "When it’s your turn to talk, I’ll tell you." The man peered at them over top of his glasses.
The women sat quietly and nodded.
"Let me tell you what you did manage to do today." He looked directly at Danni now. "You, Nurse Bossard, should have told us of your problem with flying. But you didn’t and therefore put the entire helicopter crew in a high-risk situation. The confined space of a ship such as that is no place to lose it and go berserk."
"Yes, sir." Danni answered weakly.
Now, McMurray turned his gaze to the Fellow. "Did you know about that phobia of hers, Trivoli?"
"I suspected she might."
"Don’t you think that it might have been a good idea to let us know about it?" He snorted and then coughed. "I guess not…eh?"
"I was looking out for her." The surgeon stated.
The man looked sternly at the tall woman then cleared his throat. "You are the only two that I know of who could totally botch up a simple little exercise to the point of embarrassment on the part of the entire hospital. McCormick wants your heads on a platter and has the whole Board of Directors in an uproar." The Ol’ Cutter paused to watch their reaction. Watching the uniform slumping of their shoulders told him that they both were taking responsibility for their actions.