"Gar, I know how you like your space, and one less in that room will help."
"What are you saying, Danni?"
"David offered to let me share his room tonight. I just figured that you and…"
"Whoa, wait a minute." Garrett’s face turned serious. "The only one I’m sharing a room with tonight is you. Cowboy’s sharing a suite with Ian." She glanced down at her watch. "Although McCormick doesn’t know that yet." Blue eyes looked deep into green as she conveyed her sentiment.
"I thought you and Ian…"
"Yeah, well, so did he. Let me tell you, you’re both mistaken." The surgeon smiled. "Now what do you say we go sack out. Never know when we might be called upon with that storm out there."
The nurse pushed her drink away and rose from her chair. "Yeah, well, I hope you got a dog sled and a team of dogs, cause their ain’t nothing else getting through out there tonight."
"Ah…sorry, they’re in my other duffel bag." Garrett teased. "You want to let David know where you’re going?"
Danni looked over to the bar where David was conversing to someone he knew as he waited on another drink. "I guess, maybe I should."
"What are you going to tell him?"
Danni thought for a moment then let the one side of her mouth edge upward into a smile. "I’ll tell him the truth." She shrugged her shoulders. "You go home with the one that brought you." She teased.
Ian tiptoed into the dimly lit room. There, over the back of a chair was laid the Flight suit. It’s reflective tape showing in the dark. The long form in the bed caused the physician’s mind to race with anticipation. ‘Hmm…she’s resting up for the long night ahead.’ He eased himself down on the bed, being just a tad unsteady from an evening of drinking and started to take off his shoes when the sound of snoring became quit evident. ‘I guess she’s a snorer.’ He shrugged his shoulders, ‘I wonder if she’s as vocal in the heat of passion?’ Then continued with his disrobing.
Ian could feel the perspiration building up on his brow and took the shirt that he had just removed and wiped his forehead, stretching up onto his head. ‘Maybe I should catch a little sleep first before we get down to business. I think that alcohol is getting to me.’ And with that thought, the physician slipped under the covers and fell fast asleep, adding his own harmony to the music of the night.
The elevator door opened and the two women stepped off in mid conversation.
"Gar, I said that I could sleep on the love seat."
"Nope, you’re small but not that small. You’ll never be able to stretch out and relax."
"Well, I’ll sleep on the floor then. You can have the bed."
Garrett slid the key into the lock and turned it. "Danni, there’s more than enough room in a king size bed for the two of us. End of discussion." She opened the door and stepped inside, waiting for her friend to follow her.
Danni knew that she had nothing left to argue with. "Okay, but you pick which side you want then." She walked over to her overnight bag and started to rummage through it for her bedclothes.
The surgeon closed the door and locked it, making sure the security latch was in place. ‘I wonder if McCormick’s figured out that I’m not in bed with him yet?’ "Danni, why don’t you take the bathroom first."
"Okay." The nurse gathered up her things and headed into the small room. "Don’t worry, it won’t take me long." She turned on the light and pulled the door closed.
The tall woman looked at the bed. ‘Does it really matter what side?’ Her eyes traveled to the far side of the bed where all of Danni’s things were laid out. "I guess that’s her favorite side." The lopsided smile shone brightly as she went to the left side of the bed and pulled down the covers. ‘And this is my favorite side. What a team.’
With the precision of the Navy behind her, not to mention many nights on call, Garrett efficiently stripped off her jeans and sweater, laying them out for quick access. She reached into her duffel bag and pulled out her clothing for the night, one pair of silk boxers and a thin strapped tank top and proceeded to dress for bed.
The nurse emerged from the bathroom with her jeans and sweater tucked neatly under her arm. As she turned the corner into the larger part of the room she caught a glimpse of long legs slipping under the covers. Trying to steady her mind, Danni clutched at her clothing a little harder as her head turned to see the rest of the body that was attached to the legs. The large expanses of flesh caught her eyes immediately and stuck in her head.
It took her a minute, but finally she was able to get the words out. "I’m…I’m…" she stuttered, "ah…done. Yeah, I’m…ah…done in the bathroom, if you need it." ‘Great, Danni, you sound like an idiot.’ The blonde rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, but I won’t need it." Garrett snuggled down under the covers then looked back over to Danni. "You’d better get some rest, who knows what could happen during the night."
"Yeah, who knows?" Danni shook her head in disbelief. ‘Does she realize what this is doing to me or is she just teasing me, unmercifully?’ The nurse made her way to the other side of the large bed, then put her clothing away before she sat down on the turned down covers for a restful night. She sat there for a moment before she proceeded to remove her shoes and got in under the covers, clinging desperately to the very edge of her allotted side of the bed. ‘Rest? How can I rest with her just a few feet away from me and under the same covers, too?’
Garrett reached out from the covers and turned off the light next to her side of the bed. "Night, Danni." She nestled down into the pillow, waiting for sleep to overcome her.
Sighing, Danni picked up her feet and carefully pulled the covers over them as she lay back on the bed. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling for a moment until it registered with her brain that she needed to turn off the light. Rolling over, she stretched out just enough to flip the lever on the light switch and then the room was black. Sinking down into the bed, Danni rolled up on her side and grabbed onto the edge of the mattress like a ship moored at a dock. It wasn’t long before the events of the day had brought her sleep with a welcoming grin.
The dream was becoming more and more real with each minute that went by. The young woman was trying desperately to free herself of the burden that had been placed upon her. It was as though she was in a small box with the walls closing in on her. Given a chance, Danni swore that they had arms and legs that reached out and grabbed on to her in a vice-like grip.
Gradually the walls of the box cleared and she was able to call out, but no one was listening to her pleas for help. Each passer-by only took whatever he wanted from around her and continued on without a single word. They acted as though it wasn’t her time yet to be noticed.
Danni struggled to wake up and as she did, her imagination gave way to reality. She was, indeed, being held down by arms and legs cast over and around her body. At one point in her foggy mind, she imagined herself with more than her allotted amount of appendages. Cold sweat broke out on the young woman’s forehead. She was working hard to rid herself of the weighty problem when she finally realized that her dream had been brought on by the tall surgeon who was sharing the bed with her. Only then did her wild and strained movements stop for fear of waking the woman wrapped around her.