"I’ve had a good time. Perhaps we can do this again." She was sincere and rose from her seat.
"Yeah, I think I’d like that. Well, if it fits in with my schedule." She caught herself before it could go any further. "Front door of the hospital at 1130 sharp on Saturday. I’ll be ready." Garrett confirmed the arrangements. "Should I bring anything?"
"Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything." Danni let her hand rest on Garrett’s shoulder then leaned in towards her ear, "It’s been a real pleasure to make your acquaintance, Garrett. I’ll see you on Saturday."
"Ah…Danni, it’s Dr. Trivoli, please. At least inside the hospital."
The young woman’s eyes bugged out for a brief second at the recognition of the condescending tone that had just been used toward her. ‘Now that hurt! I can’t believe after all that I’ve tried to help…’ "Alright then, see you on Saturday, Doctor Trivoli," she drew out the title. Danni nodded in agreement and walked away from the table.
"Thanks for the company and the invitation." She gave the nurse a lopsided grin and admitted, "I’m actually looking forward to this outing." She called out to the retreating figure. ‘Anything that will get McMurray off my back.’
Garrett watched as the petite form withdrew. The chipper nurse now seemed upset with something or other. The surgeon shrugged and began to leave the table with her tray in hand. What had changed in just a minute or two? ‘Nurses, who could understand them?’ She quickly and analytically ran over the last few verbal exchanges between them and tried to find a reason. A little voice deep inside of her kept saying ‘you know why she changed.’ Then she admonished herself by reasoning out that nurses were used to calling physicians "Doctor" all the time. After all, it was a sign of respect. The scientific mind of the surgeon tried using logic to come to an answer. Her mind ran down a list of things that were logical of a nurse. ‘They were craving to give aid and comfort to those in need, working long hours and taking verbal abuse from those who were in their care. Basically it all boils down to the ability to care deeply and feel the pain…’ Garrett halted her forward motion abruptly. ‘Nah, she wouldn’t be upset with that, would she?’ Her eyes darted from one face to another as she watched the people around her, carefully sorting out those of the nursing staff. There was one over there who was laughing at something that had just been said. Then off to the side was another with a look of concern, her arm now encompassed the woman next to her. Wherever she looked, the surgeon saw the emotions of human frailty and strengths etched into the beings of the nurses.
The more she looked into the nameless faces, her words came racing back through her mind. ‘It’s Dr. Trivoli, to you.’ Garrett exhaled out of her mouth, cursing at the same time. ‘What that must have sounded like to that congenial nurse?’ "It must have felt like a slap in the face." Feeling the need to say something, anything, to the nurse to try to soften the blow the surgeon searched the crowded dinning room for Danni. Unable to find her, the depressed woman allowed her shoulders to gently slump in defeat.
Danni had made her way hastily away from the source of her hurt placing her tray on the conveyor belt area, she turned to look back at the table with the raven-haired surgeon. There was so much she could see that was hiding just under the surface of this woman and it made her want to cry. She would have to find a way to break through that tough exterior. ‘There is an alive and viable person, a real person locked up deep inside. I know that there is.’ With that thought, the young nurse mustered up a weak smile focusing on the positive as always. Somehow the night had turned out to be good and breakfast wasn’t that bad either. The nurse sighed, letting a smile slowly come across her face. ‘Yep, adding one ‘amazon’ to that menagerie of mine.’
Chapter 6
Cool crisp air was gently blowing over the tense white knuckles wrapped securely around the steering wheel as Danni was caught in the snarled traffic of the busy Saturday morning shopping area. ‘Why did I have to volunteer to get those watermelons in the Strip District?’ She shook her head and glanced at her wristwatch. It was a little after 11 A.M. and a growing concern at the stalled traffic in front of her made her contemplate the option of an alternate route to the hospital. Her eyes could barely make out the street sign down the block through the wavy lines of heat rising up from the asphalt of the road surface. The cars in front of her began to slowly inch forward. The young woman thought for a moment and as her car came closer to the cross street, she gently tugged at the steering wheel, cautiously maneuvering her small vehicle through the gap of pedestrians. She was now only a short block away from all this time-consuming congestion of both automobiles and humanity. Waiting for the traffic light to change, she again noted the time. ‘I’ll just make it, if nothing else comes up.’
She looked around at the gathering crowd on the corner and thought about the snippet of a dream she had that morning. It was cryptic as usual. It played again through her mind. There, in slow motion, was the sensation of being pushed from behind that ended in a whirling motion and a view of a rough stick against the outline of clouds. It was, of course, like the rest, making no sense whatsoever. ‘Maybe someday I’ll understand,’ she thought, sighing to herself.
The light changed to green allowing movement again to her lane of traffic. The smile on her face began to widen as she anticipated her next destination. For some reason her mind had conjured up the idea of her new friend dressed as a sailor looking out on the horizon waiting for her ship to come into port. The young blonde blinked her eyes and quickly dismissed the idea of Garrett Trivoli in dress whites. ‘An officer, yes, but a gentleman?’ Danni chuckled to herself and thought of Garrett’s womanly attributes. ‘No, no gentleman there!’ She carefully drove on to the hospital.
************
With the preciseness of a military operation, Dr. Trivoli emerged from the doorway of the hospital at exactly 1130 military time. She carried a small duffel bag filled with: her clothes from rounding on her patients, a large towel, and a bathing suit just in case the opportunity presented itself. She had forgotten to ask the young nurse if a pool was available near the picnic area. She looked down at the bag, ‘Well, at least I won’t have to skinny dip if there is a pool.’
The sun felt good out here on the driveway. It reminded Garrett of the warm tropical weather in Hawaii. After three years in the South Pacific, she was accustomed to the intense rays of the sun. It brought back memories of lush green foliage and wonderfully colored exotic flowers. She smiled as she remembered her favorite spot. It was on private property, tucked away from the view of the tourist population. She had found it by accident while horseback riding. When she closed her eyes, she could see the waterfall running into the secluded pool. If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear the sounds of the water gently lapping on to the shore. This was a place that made her feel at peace with herself. It was a place that was special to her and she held it dearly in her heart. No words of love were spoken to her there, but if ever there was the possibility, that would be the perfect place to express one’s commitment to a life together. The bronzed skin woman sighed, ‘Whom am I kidding? Love? Me? I can’t even let anyone get close.’