"Oh, there you are," Garrett said. "I thought I may have missed you."
She had just gotten off the elevator and was walking across the hall, hoping that she had.
"I needed to get some money for the weekend, you know, with the holiday and all." Danni stuffed the money into her lab jacket pocket. "So, hot or cold?"
The raven-haired woman looked at her perplexed, thinking about the nerve of McMurray to want her to become friends with this non-stop talking machine. "Huh…oh, I don’t know what’s the best choice?"
"Well, if you are really hungry, hot is always the best." Danni motioned toward the line that started at the door. It was long but she knew that it would moved quickly.
They stood in line, in silence. Garrett thought about the events of the night, letting her mind slowly wind down to the more relaxed atmosphere. Her first night here in a new hospital, not to mention new city, was over and all in all she was feeling pretty good about it. It just might be what she had needed all along and for the first time in a number of years, she felt good about her life and the direction it was taking. What she had worked for all those long lonely years was finally coming to be a realization of her dream, even if she had to do it under McMurray.
Within a few minutes the line had slowly moved to where the available food was displayed behind the glass shields. Steam was coming off of the counter as empty pans were exchanged for freshly made full ones. The aromas mingled together so that no selection could be singled out to tempt the taste buds. The food smelled similar but yet different than Garrett had been used to in the Navy. Danni picked up a tray and some utensils handing them to Garrett, then repeating the procedure for herself.
"Thanks," an embarrassed grin coming to alight on the surgeon’s face and quickly turning into a scowl. "Any suggestions?"
Danni surveyed the selection of hot foods and coming to a decision stated, "Your best bet for flavor is to stay away from the scrambled eggs. The French toast or pancakes are always tasty. The sausage patties are better than the bacon."
Garrett was amazed; the small woman was filling her plate as she commented on the food with the expertise of a food critic. This young woman was definitely more than she appeared. The surgeon was finding this new acquaintance to be quite intriguing if not entertaining. She had never met anyone like this in her life. She followed the young nurse cautiously choosing the French Toast and several patties of sausage from the hot food line. The girl now walked over to the chilled food buffet area and began commentary on the different offerings of seasonal fruit. The surgeon listened intently and watched with awe as Danni placed several choices on her tray. Not being one to enjoy fruit, Garrett just followed along. Next the nurse turned and walked over to the beverage area. "Coffee or Tea?"
"Ah, Tea will be fine."
"I like the herbal teas the best," the young nurse picked up several packets of different teas and shuffled through them rather quickly finally deciding upon a lemon flavored one. Then offered the remainder to the taller woman. "They are all quite good, it just depends on your mood."
The surgeon choose a cinnamon flavored tea and poured hot water into her cup. The nurse slowly walked over to the pastry area and with eyes as big as saucers, considered which one would end her breakfast appropriately. Having acquired her necessary quantity of food she waited patiently for the surgeon to make her choice. The surgeon placed a small nut filled roll on her plate and turned to see the petite nurse carrying what appeared to be enough food to feed a small army. Garrett shook her head and considered her own tray of food. It was nothing compared to the nurse’s. ‘Where does she put it all? She can’t possibly eat that entire tray of food.’
They passed through to the cashier line and were looking for a quiet place to eat and share some conversation. They soon found a small table at the rear of the main dining room and made themselves comfortable. The young blonde systematically ate starting with the hot dishes, pressing onto the chilled fruit choices and lastly the sweet roll which was filled with fruit and dripping with icing. The entire time Garrett just watched. The blonde was still talking about the culinary efforts of the kitchen staff and the numerous selections to definitely choose and those to absolutely bypass. The surgeon was sipping her tea and finishing the last few bites of nut roll when Danni finally swallowed her last mouthful.
"Well, what do you think?"
Garrett looked blankly at the small nurse, ‘Where did she put it all? I can’t believe that she ate every morsel of food.’ "Ah…about what?"
"About Saturday, you know, the picnic." Danni was looking intently across the table at the surgeon. "You are going to come? It will be fun to get to know some of the E.R. staff, that way they’ll get to know you too."
"I said that I would come." Her tone had an air of misgiving in it, then as if to cover it up she added. "It will give me something to do."
"So, what time and where do you want me to pick you up?"
"What time do you want to go? I mean, after all, you’re the one driving. Mind you now, I do still have to make rounds on my patients."
Danni thought for a moment and offered, "How about 11:30, that way we can be there before the start of the softball game."
"O.K., you can pick me up here at the hospital, outside the front door at 1130 hours sharp." Her voice was good at giving out orders, especially with military time involved. "That way, I will be able to check in on my patients."
"That sounds good to me. Do you play softball?"
"Well, I played in college. Why?"
"It’s just that we have this annual game between the doctors and the E.R. staff every year and I thought that maybe you might enjoy playing."
Garrett raised an eyebrow slightly saying, "It’s been a long time since I played on a team. I’m afraid I’d be a little rusty."
"That’s alright. It’s strictly for fun and nothing else." Danni tilted her head to the side and squinted. "We do use it to gloat for the rest of the year. Well, that is if we win."
The two women chuckled softly as friends often do when sharing good times. This was definitely a different feeling from the many shared breakfasts onboard ship for the surgeon. There, friendship was just telling each other about loved ones and that most definitely left Garrett out of the picture. She could not share because she had none. No, all she had to share was pain, suffering, and yes, guilt. Not what anyone would willingly want to share or even listen to. This is why Garrett was so used to her own forced solitude. But this nurse somehow was getting past all of her defenses. Slowly she was worming her way into that lonely world of isolation that Garrett had known for the last nineteen years. A world made up of nothing but her intense focus on caring for the traumatized patient who was entrusted into her care. There, she made little time for herself so as not to allow the torture of her past to haunt her day to day life.
The young blonde watched the surgeon as she became distanced in thought. Her heart ached in the worst way to reach out and comfort her newfound friend. It was always so hard to judge what response would kindle the growth of a relationship and which would send it dashing hopelessly to the realms of seclusion. Deciding that it was too soon for Garrett to let her get close, Danni thought that it was best for her to take her leave.