An almost inaudible, "Me, too!" was heard coming from each of the nurses as they all stared off into space with the same thought, attesting to the skills of the capable surgeon.
Making the sign of the cross, Rosie offered a small prayer to any god that may be listening. "From our lips to your ears, please don’t let any one of us ever need her skills in such a manner."
"I don’t know, Rosie. I’ve seen your driving." The blonde nurse chuckled as she grabbed for the phone that had begun ringing. "E.R., Danni speaking."
"Hey, Danni. What can I do for you?" The familiar voice on the other end of the receiver asked.
Her eyes smiled at the recognition of the voice. It was Garrett. "Don’t forget that I brought in that duffel bag for you. Any word on the Chabot baby yet?"
"No, nothing yet, but I think that she’s getting close. I’m betting that she has it before the end of your shift."
"Well, thanks for that non-committal update on her condition," the roommate chided.
"Hey, I don’t have the stork listed as one of my office partners." The surgeon cleared her throat; "I’m into saving lives not bringing new ones into the world."
Her gentle laughter sounded good to the nurse’s ear. "Okay, Trauma Fellow Trivoli, I guess you are right. So, when are you going to pick up the duffel that you forgot at home this morning?"
The surgeon sighed. She had forgotten all about the duffel and the request of her roommate to bring it in with her this evening. "I’ll be down in a few minutes for it. Where will I find you?"
"I’m at the front desk right now. If I’m not there, I’ll be in the trauma rooms getting them ready for some action with you later."
"Okay, see you in a bit," the surgeon ended the conversation wondering why she had never allowed herself to have friends before. It was so nice to be able to rely on someone to be there when you needed a hand. She smiled silently to herself feeling an inner peace, one that she had not felt for most of her life.
The night was going to be a long one at the rate that patients trickled into the emergency room for treatment. Most of the injuries were scholastic sports related, the running injuries associated with Soccer, Football, Track and Field events. The ages and genders of the participants varied, as did the degree with which they dealt with the injuries.
The surgeon cast an eye of scrutiny over the waiting room as she made her way to the entrance of the Emergency Department. Satisfied that none of the waiting patients looked to be of a surgical nature, she breathed a sigh of relief as she thanked the gods that she had decided against a career in the practice of orthopedic medicine. One of her professors in medical school had tried to push her in that direction because of her physical stature. It was times like this she was glad that she had been so driven to achieve her goal and not so easily dissuaded.
Opening the door to the department, she noticed the large round clock hanging on the wall. It was 2000 hours and her thoughts drifted off to her colleague Rene and his wife. ‘That baby has got to be a girl," she mused, ‘or at least a procrastinator.’ The tall woman offered a prayer for the safe delivery and good health of the baby and mother as she let her gaze wander over the nurse’s station.
Sauntering up behind Rosie, Garrett lowered her voice and spoke directly into her ear. "What’s the matter? Didn’t you find anyone to latch onto during your vacation?"
The tall nurse’s eyes widened with each word as she tried to imagine who could be so bold as to tease her. She spun in the direction of the voice ready to give a verbal ear beating to the culprit. Seeing Garrett standing there with a lopsided grin, her eyes twinkling mischievously, the nurse gulped and quickly changed her mind. "I should have known it would be you." She accused as she gave the surgeon’s shoulder a tap.
"Hey, careful where you go tapping," the raven-haired woman raised her arms in caution. "These are the arms of a surgeon. Can’t afford any injuries, you know."
Both broke into gentle laughter as the nurse shook her head in disbelief of the easy nature the surgeon was allowing her to see. It was only a few months ago on their first meeting, that the nurse was ready to throttle her for her rude and arrogant nature. Rosie made a mental note to thank Danni for not letting her do that. The "Amazon" label that the tall nurse had given her that first day now seemed so inappropriate.
"Seriously, Rosie, it’s good to have you back." Looking around quickly, Garrett asked, "Have you seen Danni? I need to get my duffel bag from her."
As if on cue, the loud shrill tones of the Trauma Team pager went off.
"Trauma Team Page, Trauma Team Page" the crackling sound of the voice being emitted sounded of urgency. "Multiple vehicle accident, three possibly four victims transporting via helicopters with an eight minute ETA. This is a Level One Trauma Team Page."
"Guess you’ll find her in the trauma room, Doc."
Garrett nodded her head, "But I won’t need that duffel bag now. Looks like I’m not going to get any sleep tonight."
In unison the pair turned and headed toward the trauma rooms in the back hallway. The calm, cool demeanor of the professionals that they were was now replacing the laughter they had shared only a few minutes ago. Reaching the hallway, they quickly donned the lead aprons and trauma gowns, each mentally preparing themselves for the worse case scenario before the patient’s arrival. Garrett watched from the hall as Rosie strode off into the second trauma room, the first trauma room being already manned by the petite blonde nurse.
Scanning over the rooms, Garrett allowed her gaze to settle on Danni. The young nurse, sensing the attention, turned to look at the surgeon. The brief visual exchange between the two roommates as they acknowledged each other, brought the slightest hint of a smile under their protective masks. It was as if they had spoken volumes of words of encouragement as the green eyes locked on to blue.
The scurry of activity in the hallway increased as the other members of the Trauma Team arrived. Quickly, Garrett sized up the available resources and began plotting a course of action. It was hectic enough when one severely traumatized patient arrived, but now she had the possibility of three or four arriving within minutes of each other. Her chief resident for the night was Kreger, whom she knew to be capable in the trauma setting. He was eager to learn and had demonstrated that to her time and again.
"Rob," the surgeon called out. "You take the first one, use room # 2."
Kreger nodded in approval as he moved into the second trauma room where he positioned himself opposite Rosie. He waited patiently for the first trauma to arrive.
The Trauma Fellow thought about her next move in this game of chess. Her team tonight was not as deep as she would have liked it to be. The experience of the members was not of a surgical nature, and she pondered over the choice of team leader for the next patient. The surgeon thought of Dr. Rene Chabot up in the delivery suite, resigning herself to call upon the impending father-to-be as a very last resort. She viewed members of her team again. The sight of a lone red-haired bespectacled figure came into her view. ‘There’s my answer!’ she thought. The young E.R. attending physician would be able to handle any life threatening emergency until one of the surgeons could break away from their own patient.