Stopping at the door, Garrett inserted the key and opened it. To Danni’s relief, the room was dark and without any human inhabitants. Now, came the hard part, where to start the conversation. The nurse closed the door after herself and got comfortable on the only other chair in the room, while the surgeon sat across the desk from her, trying not to fidget. The silence in the room was louder than a summer thunderstorm, each one dreading what the conversation could bring about.
Finally Danni rallied enough strength to show her cards. Whether she would win the pot of gold or come away the empty-handed one was dependent on the woman seated across from her. ‘By the gods, let me say this the right way without making her repulsed by it.’ The petite woman gritted her teeth and slowly started. "Gar, there’s something that I have to say about me and…"
That was all she could get out before the sound of the Flight Team pagers drowned out her voice. The cacophony of tones sliced through the air in the small room with a nerve-racking sound, interrupting anything that was within earshot of them.
The surgeon winced at the noise on her sensitive ears as she grabbed for her pager to silence it. She pressed the button and listened to the voice page.
"Dr. Trivoli and Nurse Bossard please call the Command Desk by phone."
They looked at each other for a second, each one questioning the reason for the page. Garrett reached for the phone on her desk and made the call. She listened intently to the message that was relayed to her, then hung up.
"What?" Danni was interested in where they were off to next. "Where are we headed to?"
"McMurray’s office." The surgeon’s voice sounded ominous. "He wants us there for some kind of meeting."
Danni’s brow wrinkled with thought. "When?"
Garrett got up and headed for the door. "Now! You coming?"
"Right behind you, Gar." She rose and followed the surgeon. All thoughts of her needing to talk were pushed back to the far corners of her mind for another time.
The Ol’ Cutter hung up the phone and thought about the proposal that had been presented to him. He loved the idea of getting recognition for the services that his staff provided but found himself being a little more than concerned with how a particular staff member would take it, namely, one Dr. Garrett Trivoli. There were some areas of that Fellow he just could not quite put his finger on. He thought about the effect that the other member of the Flight Team, Nurse Bossard, had on the surgeon and was glad that she would be a part of this, too. Perhaps she could help.
‘Trivoli has a long career ahead of her, it might as well start now. She’s going to have to learn to accept the honors that go along with it.’ The swivel of his chair allowed him to shift from his desk to the large expanse of windows behind him. It always helped to calm his nerves to look out at the city he called home. With a little luck, he might even be able to persuade another talented surgeon to call it home, too. If only there was something that could anchor her in this port. His mind drifted off to his wife and how his own anchoring had brought him the needed satisfaction in his life that he had only dreamed of in his younger days. He sat, staring out the window, lost in his own memories.
After a pleasant smile and greeting, McMurray’s secretary ushered Garrett and Danni into his office. Her only words to the man behind the desk were both businesslike and polite. "Dr. McMurray, the Flight Team is here to see you." The older woman motioned for them to go in and then left, closing the door after her.
Each one stood just inside the door and looked around the office until their gazes met with each other’s. The absence of the man from their view and the silence that surrounded them only added to the suspense as to why they were here in the first place. Shrugging to each other, they then turned their attention back toward the desk in time to see movement as the chair swiveled back to face the room.
The contemplative look on his face gave them no clue as to why they had been summoned. Garrett searched her mind for any reason that could have brought them here. All of their flights had been without problems and she knew that Ian had never realized the switch that she had pulled on him. She resigned herself to the fact that she had no clue.
McMurray stopped his chair as it came into his favorite position at the desk. He leaned forward to rest his arms on the desktop and greeted them. "Nurse Bossard, Dr Trivoli! I’m glad that you could come so quickly when I paged."
"That’s part of our job sir, a quick response to any call." Garrett raised her eyebrow as if to challenge her mentor for the reason that they were summoned.
"Gar!" The word was only a whisper but Danni knew that her friend heard it. The swift glance in her direction by the tall woman confirmed it.
"Ease up, Trivoli. You would think that I called you in on the carpet for something or other. Nothing of the kind." He rose slightly and motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, will you?"
Danni rolled her eyes and thanked every god that she could think of. "Thanks, Dr. McMurray." Nudging her team member to do the same.
The eyebrow receded to its normal position. "Sir." Garrett tipped her head to him, remembering her military days and stifling the salute that she had grown accustomed to.
The women sat down, positioning themselves attentively, waiting for the man in front of them to continue.
The Ol’ Cutter eyed his guests and let the corners of his mouth turn upward in a smile. "Relax, ladies. It’s nothing bad. In fact, it’s something very good for both of your careers."
The Fellow eyed McMurray suspiciously. She’d been pushed into more things in the last eight months for her career by this man then she cared to think about. What was she going to have to do now?
Garrett felt the gentle touch of the small hand on her arm. It acted better than any drug she could have taken. Her anxiety seemed to fade as she let her eyes take the gesture into view. ‘Well, maybe not everything in this Fellowship year was bad.’
"I’m sorry, but you’ve got us at a loss." Danni tried to take the attention away from her friend. She flashed a smile first at Garrett then to the man behind the desk. "What is it?"
‘Teamwork, that’s what makes them so good together. Each one looking out for the other.’ "The Board of Directors would like you to honor them with you presence at the Dinner they are hosting on Friday evening." He looked at the women, hoping for some kind of response. "I know that there’s not much time between now and then but they’d like you there all the same."
Danni was the one looking concerned now. "This Friday? I already have a date…" She trailed off on the last word, sensing that Garrett was a little more attentive now, noticing that the surgeon’s head had turned toward her on that revelation. ‘I can’t believe I said that.’
"Good! Then you’ll have an escort. Bring your date along." He winked in approval. "Anyone we know Nurse Bossard?" McMurray turned a wayward eye to the tall surgeon. He noticed that her eyes were a little larger than normal as she digested that last exchange.