Chapter Text
“Right. I see. Well, thank you for letting us know.”
Serena replaced the telephone handset onto its cradle with a sharp click, making Bernie look up from her paperwork across the desk with a small frown. Serena appeared distracted, a slight frown creasing her forehead and her focus seemingly fixed on a point of empty space.
“Is everything ok Serena?” asked Bernie, curiously.
“What?!” Pulled from her reverie, Serena’s response was clipped. She forced herself back to the present, dragging her thoughts into order, before continuing in a gentler tone.
“Oh, yes, fine! It was just a courtesy call to let us know that, well, that James Fielding is missing!” She watched Bernie for her reaction.
“James Fielding?! Did they overturn his section?” Bernie leaned back in her chair, twiddling her pen and seeming totally unconcerned.
“No, no, technically he's still under section, but somehow he managed to give his nurse the slip. It seems that he succeeded in making his way out of the unit, and currently, no one knows where he is!” Serena pinched her fingers across her brow, massaging her forehead in consternation. “They just called us in case he shows up here because of his, well, his Bernie obsession!”
Bernie chuckled.
“Oh, I hardly think he's obsessed! I can't imagine we need to be concerned, Serena. This all seems to me to be much ado about nothing. I was quite surprised when the duty psych chose to section him in the first place. I mean, I know he was an oddball, but he only had a history of depression, and he wasn't acting any more strangely than half the people who pass through our ward!” she said, blithely.
“Nevertheless, psych clearly saw something there which concerned them - there aren't enough beds to section patients on a whim. And it's you he was focussed on, so I think we should all be vigilant. I'll let the rest of the staff know, but will you promise me that you'll be on the lookout? I couldn't bear it if anything happened to... any of my staff!” Serena looked earnestly at Bernie, trying to communicate a sense of her concern.
Bernie rolled her eyes affectionately, raising her hands in mock surrender.
“OK, ok, I'll keep my eyes open!”
Accepting that this was the best she could expect, Serena gave a satisfied nod.
“Good. Thank you. Now, I'd better go and brief the team, tell them to be on the lookout. Are you coming?”
“No, you're more than capable, Serena. And I still think it's somewhat of an overreaction anyway.” said Bernie, turning back to her computer.
Serena raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, and, narrowing her eyes at Bernie as if daring her to renege on her promise, she gave a brief, despairing shake of her head, before disappearing out of the office to alert the rest of the staff.
Bernie didn’t see Serena for the rest of the morning. Serena had been called up to Keller for a consult, and Bernie herself had ended up in surgery with a stab victim. When she returned to the ward around lunchtime, the atmosphere on the ward felt oddly unsettled.
As she made her way across to the nurses station, she nearly bumped into an uncharacteristically distracted Fletch.
“Everything ok, Nurse Fletcher?” she asked, as she steadied him.
“Yep, yep, everything's tickety-boo, Ms Wolfe. No problem at all!”
Although his words were cheerful enough, Fletch didn’t make eye contact, and his attempt at a smile was more of a grimace, as he hurried away. Bernie watched him leave, eyes narrowed.
The feeling of unease persisted into the afternoon despite Bernie’s attempts to ignore it - even Serena’s reappearance on the ward wasn’t enough to dispel the restless mood.
Bernie was almost grateful when, in the early afternoon, the red phone rang and she found herself escaping the ward and heading back into theatre, this time with Serena by her side.
The surgery was gruelling. The patient, whose car had been in a collision with a lorry, had arrested repeatedly, and despite the extensive vascular damage to the left arm and hand, Serena had been forced to ignore those injuries in order to assist Bernie in her attempts to locate and stop the multiple internal haemorrhages, and thereby save her life.
It was several hours, and many touch and go moments, before the patient was deemed stable enough to close and send up to the ICU.
Serena and Bernie stood side by side, scrubbing out from the surgery. Serena leaned sideways into Bernie, exhausted.
“That poor, poor woman!” she groaned. “Having to adjust to life without her hand.”
“Hmm,” Bernie agreed, trying to ignore the kernel of warmth blossoming inside her at Serena’s proximity. “But at least she’s alive to do it!”
Serena nodded and gave Bernie a tired smile.
“Right, after the shift we've had, I'm off to Albies. And you're coming with me!” she stated, firmly.
“Oh, no, not tonight. I don't think I'm in the mood!” Bernie demurred, shaking her head.
“Well, I'm sorry about that, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight this evening, you've got another think coming, Ms Wolfe! Safety in numbers and all that, the rest of the team will be there, so you're coming where we can all keep an eye on you!” Serena’s tone brooked no arguments.
Exasperated, yet knowing she wouldn’t win, and not entirely unhappy at the prospect of spending more time with Serena, Bernie shook her head once more, this time in defeat rather than denial, muttering 'OK, ok' under her breath.
Despite Bernie’s reluctance, Albie’s turned out to be just what both women needed. The relaxed environment, surrounded by friends and colleagues helped to lift their spirits, and by the time they’d moved on to their second round, they were sat side by side, smiling and laughing once more. Although the medical stresses of the day had been pushed aside, James Fielding’s whereabouts were still a topic of conversation.
“I still think you should all relax!” said Bernie to the group, looking pointedly at Fletch. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were all checking up on me all day! And what on earth were you saying to that poor agency nurse, Raf?”
“Och, I was just reminding her that it was a matter of staff safety that she should be displaying her ID at all times!” said Raf, with a wink. Morven sniggered.
“This is ridiculous, I feel like I'm being mothered!” protested Bernie.
Serena chuckled, and shrugged. "Well, you're part of the family now. Better get used to it!"
She raised her glass in a mock toast, and was quickly joined by Raf, Fletch and Morven, and then finally, Bernie.
Much later, after finishing a couple of bottles of wine, Bernie decided it was definitely time to call it a night. Intent on seeing her safely home, Serena left with her. Calling out their goodbyes, they left Albie’s together in good spirits, Serena telling Bernie the tail end of a joke. With the ease of friendship, she reached out and lightly grabbed Bernie’s forearm, and as both women walked off laughing, neither noticed the dark figure watching them from the shadows.
_____________
The following morning, Bernie dashed into the office just after half past 8, pulling her scarf from around her neck as she burst through the door. Serena looked up from where she was seated behind her desk, brows raised in amusement.
"Ah, Ms Wolfe. How good of you to come by. I do trust we're not keeping you from something important. A headache, for example?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, ha ha!" said Bernie. "My head, as it happens, is fine. But this morning has still managed to be a nightmare regardless. My car won't start! I didn't have time to try and fix it, so I had to wait for a taxi. And I'm still half an hour late!"
"Oh dear! Let's see, was your engine growling or whining?!" Serena was unable to keep the mirth from her voice.
"You're very witty this morning, Ms Campbell." said Bernie, rolling her eyes. "You can finish mocking me in a minute, I'm just off to change into my scrubs." she turned toward the office door.
"You could always stay in your own clothes, claw back a couple of minutes?" called Serena.
Bernie stopped, one hand on the door.
"I'm already nearly out of clean civvies, I can't risk getting one of my last remaining outfits decorated by a patient!"
"Tut, tut! Perhaps it's time to do some washing!"
Bernie lowered her head, peering at Serena with lips pursed and raised eyebrows.
"I hope you’ll remember that it was your idea when I turn down your next invite to Albie's in favour of laundry!" she warned.
Serena looked horrified.
"Bugger that! Scrubs it is then, definitely! Chop chop, Major - I have a whole mountain of paperwork right here with your name on it!"
Bernie clutched the doorframe, sagging in mock horror.
"I'll be right back."
Bernie was almost as good as her word. Within 10 minutes, she returned to the office clad in trauma scrubs, and carrying two coffees and a pain au chocolat.
"Peace offering." she said, dropping the pastry onto Serena’s desk and handing over one of the coffees.
"How did you manage to change and get these in 10 minutes?!" asked Serena incredulously, sweeping her hand in a broad gesture.
Bernie gave an enigmatic smile and tapped the side of her nose with her finger.
"I'm not sure I should give away all my secrets!" she said, lowering herself into her own chair. "Right. Let’s get started then, hand it over." she said with a sigh, holding out her hand to take a pile of paperwork.
Opening the first file, Bernie turned her attention to the admin, mirroring Serena across the desk, and silence reigned in the office.
*BANG!*
Startled, both Bernie and Serena looked up from their seats as the office door was pushed open without warning, swinging back on its hinges to crash into the cabinet behind it. Serena gave an audible gasp, hand reaching up to clutch at her necklace, and Bernie's eyes widened in shock as they saw James Fielding standing in the open doorway.
Bernie recovered first.
"Mr Fielding! James. What are you doing here?" She asked, in a carefully even tone.
"I had to see you!" he said, breathlessly. I had to make sure you were ok! I had to make sure they hadn't hurt you!" He looked around wildly, taking a step further into the office and pushing the door shut behind him. He looked suspiciously at the door for a moment, before grabbing up the guest chair, and wedging it under the door handle.
Alarmed, Bernie half raised herself from the chair, and Serena pushed back from the desk.
"What are you doing, Mr Fielding?!" asked Serena. “Why don't you open the door?”
James looked at Serena strangely.
“Because then, they might get Major Wolfe !” he spoke slowly, as if he were explaining to a small child.
“I'm here, and I'm quite alright, Mr Fielding,” said Bernie calmly. “I'm quite certain that I'm safe on the ward. Why don't we go out there and find a cup of tea? We can go together?” she asked, cajolingly.
“I can't believe this!” James Fielding shook his head in despair. “After everything you've seen, how can you still pretend you're not in danger? If you're insisting on ignoring it, then it just proves I was right, that I had no choice but to come. I WILL keep you safe!” He put his hand carefully into his pocket, drawing out what appeared to be a large wedge of paper towelling. He carefully peeled back one end, and with a flourish, he withdrew a surgical scalpel, holding it up high in front of him.
“See? I can protect you!” he said, triumphantly.
Bernie stood straighter, tense and alert. She desperately wanted to look over to Serena, to gauge how she was coping, to make sure she was ok, but she didn't dare to take her eyes off James.
“I can see that you've thought about this a lot,” she began, but James’ attention was distracted by an agency nurse, walking past outside the office window.
“Get down!” he hissed, quickly pulling the blinds closed. “We have to stay out of sight, until we can move to somewhere safe!”
When neither Bernie nor Serena made to move, he frowned, raising the scalpel once more.
“Get . Down !” he said in a firmer voice, his body language shifting ominously to a more aggressive pose.
“Over there!” He indicated the corner of the room furthest from the door.
Bernie tried to speak to him again.
“James, I don't think we need…”
“DO IT !” James interrupted with a snarl.
Bernie flinched at the ferocity of his tone, and quickly followed Serena as she moved to the corner as demanded.
“Now sit!”
They sat themselves down side by side on the floor, backs resting against the filing cabinet. Bernie edged her fingers over to Serena's, giving them a quick, reassuring squeeze, before speaking up.
“You know all about my army career, don't you, James?” she asked, in a soft tone.
“I do, Major Wolfe.” he replied, interest piqued. He relaxed his stance slightly.
“So you know that I've served in war zones, in situations where my life has been in danger?” continued Bernie in her soft, placating tone.
“Yes, I'm aware that you've been posted to both Iraq and Afghanistan.” said James.
“I've been trained to both analyse and recognise threats, James. It's not a skill you forget, it's something that's always with you. It's a skill I utilise every day, consciously or not.”
James’ posture changed, and his interest gave way to agitation. He began to shift his weight from foot to foot, tightening his mouth and clenching and unclenching his free hand.
“What are you saying ?” he asked, suspiciously.
“I'm explaining to you that I look out for threats every single day. And even with all the army training and skills at my disposal, I see none. Which tells me one thing, James. And that is, that there is no threat! What you're worrying about just isn't there!”
As she spoke, Bernie began to rise, arms outstretched and fingers splayed wide in pacification.
“NO !” shouted James. “This isn't right.” he shook his head, screwing up his face in thought. “There's only one reason you would be saying that!”
He rubbed at his forehead whilst pacing back and forth, barely taking his eyes from Bernie as he muttered to himself, waving the scalpel in her general direction.
“It's you , isn't it? It's always been you. How did I not see it? It was never them plotting against you , you were always with them. You're the inside man, the traitor. All the time I was trying to protect you, but I should have been fighting against you!”
He took a couple of steps toward Bernie and Serena, holding the scalpel in front of him, menacingly. Bernie sank back to the ground, half beside Serena, half shielding her, ready to throw herself bodily in front of Serena should the need arise. She could feel Serena trembling beside her, could feel Serena draw breath as if she were preparing to speak. Afraid that by speaking, Serena would put herself into the firing line, Bernie nudged her sharply in the ribs with her elbow, before she herself spoke up once more, intending to keep James’ attention away from Serena and on herself.
“No, James. I'm not a traitor. All I ever wanted was to help you to get better. If I did the wrong thing in pursuit of that goal, then it was unintentional. Your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of all the patients in this hospital, has always been my primary concern. Won't you sit down, and tell me your concerns? Explain to me where you feel I went wrong?”
Bernie held her hands out toward James once more, in an open manner.
James began to shake his head violently at Bernie's words, the scalpel waving erratically before him.
“No! No, no, no, NO! You're just trying to trick me! You're like all the others, you think I'm stupid, that I don't see, don't know…”
“I don't think that at all, James. I want to understand, but I need you to help me. I want you and I to sit down together and talk through everything. We don't need Ms Campbell around for that, do we? We can do that, just you and I?!”
“DO YOU THINK I’M STUPID ?! You're one of them , just like her , and you're just trying to make me let your co-conspirator go! No, you both stay here, until I know what I have to do with you. I just need to think !”
He began pacing again, banging his forehead against his hand as he walked, still muttering beneath his breath. For the first time, Bernie allowed herself to look at Serena, taking in her pale, drawn face, the tension lines marked around her mouth. Not wanting to attract James' attention, Bernie slowly crossed her arms across her stomach, wrapping her hidden hand around Serena’s upper arm and squeezing reassuringly. Checking that James remained distracted in his pacing, Serena chanced a quick glance at Bernie, giving her a tight smile and small nod, her way of confirming that she was holding up.
All three of them jumped as the door handle to the office rattled suddenly. Bernie and Serena both fixed their attention onto James, who had stopped his pacing and swung the scalpel around to point toward the door. The handle gave another rattle, then Fletch's voice could be heard outside.
“Ms Campbell? Are you about? We've got a bit of a situation out here, and I need you or Ms Wolfe. Mr Brookes is deteriorating and Morven’s a bit out of her depth. Also, we've had a piece of equipment go missing, sure it’s nothing to worry about and we're trying to locate it now, but it might need to be written up. We could really do with you out here…”
The handle rattled again.
With James' attention diverted toward the door, Bernie threw a fierce warning glance at Serena, before taking the opportunity of his distraction to very slowly shift her weight forward until she was able to pull her feet underneath her, and carefully push forward until she was on her haunches. Seeing what she was doing, Serena gave her a hard dig, eyes wild as she shook her head almost imperceptibly, yet forcefully all the same. Bernie rolled her eyes in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, before bracing her back against the filing cabinet behind her, and slowly pushing her weight forward a little more until she was fully balanced on the balls of her feet, still crouched, yet ready to spring.
Fletch had clearly given up and gone elsewhere in his search for assistance, and he could be heard through the door telling Morven that there was no one in the office.
James suddenly swung round to face them again. Bernie dropped her centre of gravity as low as she could whilst remaining balanced on her feet, wrapping her arms around her legs and leaning forward slightly to hide her change in posture. James took a step forward, eyes fixed on Bernie, yet seeming not to notice her awkwardness.
“You!” he began again. “You were a Major in the army. People like you don't just defect!”
He froze suddenly, eyes widening as if in revelation.
“How did I not see it before?! I've had it all wrong! I see now, it's all suddenly clear!”
He took another step forward, scalpel outstretched before him, eyes still locked onto Bernie's face. In a sudden movement which caused both women to jump, James swung his attention over to Serena, the scalpel following the direction of his gaze.
“It was YOU all along!” he spat, eyes wild. “YOU, YOU, YOU! YOU turned her, YOU changed her, YOU caused ALL of this!”
The hand clutching the scalpel was trembling with tension and insanity, and flecks of spittle had collected at the corners of his mouth as he spat out his accusations to Serena. Serena shrank back further against the filing cabinet, afraid to take her eyes off James, yet mentally trying to calculate how she might move fast enough to at least put the desk between them. Despite the ice cold pit of terror threatening to overwhelm her, she spoke as calmly as she could.
“Now, Mr Fielding. Nobody has turned Major Wolfe, nobody is trying to hurt you…”
“SHUT UP !” shouted James, interrupting Serena and causing her to recoil once more. Bernie edged forward a fraction, trying to bring James’ attention back to herself.
“James! James, listen to me!” Keeping one arm locked firmly around her knees, Bernie stretched the other hand out towards him, drawing his eyes to her.
“My only objective is to help you, to help any patient in this hospital. I’ve seen that you’re limping. It seems like your previous injuries are still giving you some problems. Would you like me to take a look for you? We've patched you up before, you know we can do it again!”
Serena could feel the coiled tension in Bernie's frame as she spoke, could see the bunched muscles beneath the fabric of her scrubs, knew she was ready for action despite her apparent stillness.
James' glance flickered briefly back and forth between Serena and Bernie.
“Stop distracting me!” he muttered. “I have to sort this out first. I have to. I always knew they were after you, I just didn't realise in what way. But now I do, and I have to stop it!” He curled his lip in reignited fury at Serena. “I won't let them continue, I won't let her continue!” he shouted.
In a sudden burst of movement, he lunged forward at Serena, scalpel outstretched for a stabbing blow.
Serena threw her hands up in an instinctive move to protect herself, but before the blow could even reach her, Bernie had uncoiled from her waiting pose, springing forward from the balls of her feet, throwing herself at James, tackling him to the ground. They struggled for long moments, Bernie’s strength and training matched by the adrenaline racing through James’ body from the ferocity of his convictions.
Although her brain screamed at her to move, to help, Serena stayed frozen on the floor, paralysed by shock and her fear for Bernie, eyes locked on the struggle before her as Bernie worked to keep the scalpel away from her body. Finally, Bernie managed to pin James to the floor, disarming him by banging his wrist sharply against the edge of the desk. Although she kept her weight fully upon him, the fight had gone out of him, and he just lay there limp, whimpering in defeat about how he'd failed to save her. Bernie looked up, trying to see Serena through the fall of her hair as she called out to her.
“Serena! Are you ok?!”
It took Serena several heartbeats before she was even able to respond, finally pulling herself to her feet as she assured Bernie in a shaky voice that she was fine. Her legs felt as though they wouldn't hold her weight as she staggered across to the office door, unwedging the chair from beneath the handle and, opening the door, she shouted out for help and security, before grabbing up the phone and calling the police, eyes fixed on Bernie all the time.
Raf came running through the door whilst Serena was speaking on the phone, swiftly followed by Fletch. Taking in the scene before them with muttered expletives, they rushed over to Bernie’s assistance, taking over James’ restraint to allow Bernie to get up.
Bernie released James’ wrists to Raf and Fletch, and as she sat upright with a groan, straightening from her nearly prone position over James’ body, Serena saw for the first time a large spread of blood across the front of Bernie’s scrub top.
The phone dropped from Serena’s suddenly nerveless fingers with a clatter, and she gasped audibly. She heard Raf ask Bernie if she was hurt, but Raf’s voice sounded muffled, as though it was coming through water, the rest of the room fading from her awareness as she finally found her feet again to race over to Bernie’s side, brushing Raf’s hands away from where he was trying to assess her.
“Bernie!” she gulped, lifting a hand to Bernie’s face, stopping short just before she made contact. Forcibly pulling herself together, she turned to Raf. “I’ve got her. Just keep him restrained.” she indicated downward with her eyes to James, still lying pinned beneath Bernie. ”The police are on their way!”
Serena helped Bernie to her feet, straightening the fabric of her scrub top, and paling as she saw the rip in the fabric where the scalpel had sliced through.
“It’s ok, Serena, it’s only a flesh wound. I’m ok.” gasped Bernie, seeing Serena’s reaction and trying to hide the pain as Serena helped her down into a chair.
“Well, it’s rather apparent you’re not!” said Serena with a brief flash of her customary sarcasm. “I’ll get a wheelchair.” she decided.
Bernie smiled through her discomfort, happy to see that Serena seemed to be coping in the aftermath of their shared trauma.
“You will not!” she declared. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll come out under my own steam!”
“Ah, yes, I forgot. You’re a big, macho, army medic, aren’t you?!” Serena’s eyes were only for Bernie, and her unthinking words triggered a wail of distress from James, from where he was still restrained on the floor.
Serena’s eyes snapped over to him, widening slightly as a brief resurgence fear rushed through her once more. Seeing her reaction, Bernie reached up, gripping her wrist with a cool hand, offering reassurance.
“It’s ok, Serena, it’s all over now. Come on, help me up - let’s get out of here. I think the adrenaline is well and truly wearing off now!” she gestured to her stomach with her free hand, grimacing with the pain.
Instantly forgetting James again, Serena refocused all her attention on Bernie, sliding an arm around her shoulders as she helped her out of her seat, ushering her out onto the ward and across to a free bed. From the corner of her eye, Serena could see the police arrive onto the ward, let through the doors by hospital security who had finally arrived on the scene. Snapping on a pair of surgical gloves, Serena gently lifted the fabric of Bernie’s top, sucking air through her pursed lips in empathy as she revealed the wound beneath.
“This is a little more than a flesh wound, Bernie!” she exclaimed, worriedly. “It’s quite deep, at best you’ll have an impressive number of stitches!”
Serena glanced up as Fletch approached.
“The police ‘ave him now.” he confirmed. “Raf is just telling them what he can, but they want to speak to you.”
“Yes, well, they’re going to have to wait, Mr Fletcher. We’re a little busy right now!” said Serena. “Since you’re here, you can lend a hand. I want a portable ultrasound, I think we need to double check for free fluid in the abdomen, to make sure this wound hasn’t gone deeper than we think. Also, can you please ask Lou to bring me a suture kit and 10ml of 0.5% Bupivacaine?”
“On it, Boss.” said Fletch, heading off.
Serena looked down at Bernie, a small smile on her face.
“Don’t worry, we’ll soon get you sorted.” she said.
“I’m not worried, Serena. I know you’ve got my back.” assured Bernie, returning the smile. A moment of lingering eye contact was broken by the sounds of a kerfuffle over by the office. They both looked over, to see James Fielding being led away by police, still muttering about his mission. He was followed from the office by Raf, who immediately made his way over to them.
“They’re transferring him back into psychiatric care,” he began without preamble, “but he’s going to be sent to a more secure unit, and he’ll be monitored around the clock. This won’t be allowed to happen again! I’ve headed them off for now, but they will be back soon, and of course they’ll need full statements from you both!”
“Thanks, Raf.” said Bernie, pre-empting Serena. “I’m happy to speak to them as soon as they return.”
“Well, I’m not!” interjected Serena. “As far as I’m concerned, neither of us will be speaking to them, until I’ve finished assessing and treating you!” she said, looking sternly down at Bernie.
Raf looked at Serena for a moment, taking in her pallor.
“I can see Bernie is in good hands. But are you ok, Serena?” he asked in his lilting brogue. “Did you want me to take over for you?”
“No, thank you, Mr Di Lucca. I’m quite unharmed, and more than capable of dealing with a little suturing!” said Serena, drily.
“Ok, well I’m about if you need me. We’ve got Dr Hardy coming up from the ED to help out since you’re both out of action, but I can be spared if you change your mind.” he assured.
Serena dismissed him with a nod, and he left, passing Lou, who was approaching the bed with a small trolley laid out with the suture kit and local anaesthetic.
Serena smiled her thanks to Lou.
“Right, Ms Wolfe. Let’s get you cleaned up, then as soon as Fletch appears with that ultrasound, we can hopefully get straight on with getting the wound closed.”
Serena picked up the Bupivacaine, and began to inject the local anaesthetic at various points around the wound. Wincing at the new, stinging sensation, Bernie scrunched her eyes up, peering down to watch Serena as she worked. Noticing Serena’s hand shaking slightly, Bernie spoke up.
“Are you really alright, Serena? I mean, no one would think less of you… After what happened… It was rather terrifying.”
“Let’s just focus on getting you sorted now, shall we? Plenty of time for reflection later, when we’ve done the medicine, hmm?” said Serena, briskly.
Bernie gave Serena an assessing look, instinctively understanding that Serena needed the familiarity and routine of her work to keep herself together. Fletch’s arrival with the portable ultrasound gave Serena a new focus, and her hand steadied once more as she passed the wand across Bernie’s stomach, both she and Fletch peering intently at the screen, assessing how much, if any, damage had been done by the blade.
Finally, Serena looked away, satisfied.
“Good news, no signs of internal bleeding, so although it’s deep, the laceration doesn’t seem to have done any major damage. I think we’re free to stitch you up now, Bernie. Can you feel this?” asked Serena, probing gently near the edge of the wound.
“No, can’t feel a thing.” said Bernie.
“Great. Here we go, then.”
Serena immediately got to work on the sutures, whilst Fletch packed away the ultrasound. Utterly focussed on her work, Serena left Bernie free to watch her unguarded, and Bernie found herself unable to look away from the intense concentration on Serena’s face, her brow creased in a tiny furrow, a small sliver of the bottom of her slightly pursed lips caught between her teeth as she placed each small, neat stitch in a perfectly straight line. Finally, after placing the final one, and cutting the vicryl suture, she raised her hands in a flourish, exhaling hard as if she had been holding her breath. Serena smiled down at Bernie, the colour back in her cheeks, and seeming like her old self again.
“All done!” she announced.
Bernie couldn’t help but smile back. She looked down at her stomach, eyes widening in appreciation at the neat work that Serena had managed.
“Wow, Serena! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such impressively neat sutures!” she exclaimed.
Serena flushed slightly in pleasure.
“Only the best for you, Ms Wolfe!” she said. “After all, I think it’s fair to say that you saved my life!”
Uttering those words aloud seemed to drag Serena crashing back to reality, and she paled once more, appearing to fold in upon herself a little.
“Here, sit down!” Bernie tugged at Serena’s wrist, pulling her down to perch on the bed beside her. “We’re here, and we’re both fine. James Fielding has gone, and he won’t be given the chance to do something like this again. It’s over, Serena.” she stroked her fingers lightly over Serena’s wrist as she spoke.
Serena peeled her gloves off, and twisted round to drop them on the trolley.
“It’s just, what you did, what could have happened - it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
“Then don’t!” said Bernie quietly. “Let’s give our statements, and then I think you should go home.”
Serena nodded. Seeing Raf hovering by the nurses station, she beckoned him over.
“Raf, can you please find out where the police are? We’re ready to give our statements.”
Raf nodded in agreement, picking up the phone.
Within the hour, the interviews had been completed, and the police were happy for the women to go. Bernie watched Serena pause to exchange a few words with the police officer, nodding her head and offering a tight smile, before turning back and hurrying straight back over to Bernie’s side.
“Ok?” asked Bernie, redundantly.
“Yes. No… Just thank god it’s over!” breathed Serena.
“I think it's time for you to go home now,” said Bernie. “Would, would you like some company?” she asked quietly.
Although she knew that Jason would be at home waiting for Serena, Bernie was worried about how the incident may have affected Serena, and although Jason’s very logical arguments might ultimately be exactly the right thing to help Serena get past what had happened, in the immediacy of of the trauma, he might not be the best person to support her through any emotional reactions.
“That’s a good idea,” said Serena, gratefully. “You can come home with me, that way I can keep an eye on you, make sure you’re ok.”
Serena and Bernie made their way together outside of the hospital. It was slow going, Bernie's local was wearing off, and without the adrenaline, her stomach laceration was beginning to throb. And Serena, despite her protestations, was clearly still shaken by what had happened, her face pale, skin clammy. They leaned against each other, drawing both physical and emotional support from each other as they went.
When they reached the car park, Serena's feet automatically started to take her in the direction of her car. Bernie stopped her with a gentle hand curled around her upper arm.
“Serena, I don't think you should drive. We've had quite a shock, I really think it would be best to leave your car here tonight.”
“Well, how are we supposed to get back, then? It's hardly like you can drive, not after being all stitched up!”
“I think we should call for a taxi. Here, let's sit down for a bit until it arrives.” Bernie guided Serena back to the cold plastic bench near the hospital entrance, finding her phone and making the call.
They sat there in silence whilst they waited, still leaning into each other. Serena began to shiver.
“It's getting cold!” she complained.
Bernie chose not to reply. Instead, she just slid her arm around Serena's shoulders, giving her an awkward hug and rubbing her arm briskly.
Fortunately, they didn't have long to wait before their taxi arrived, and only a short time later, they were stepping through Serena's front door. They were greeted by a very confused Jason.
“Auntie Serena? Bernie? What are you doing here? You're not supposed to finish work for another 2 hours and 38 minutes, Auntie Serena. Why have you come home before your shift is finished? And you didn't tell me that you were going to bring Bernie home with you?”
“I'm sorry, Jason.” Serena looked at her nephew, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly as she tried to think of where to begin her explanation. “I... I'm sorry.” she repeated, finally, giving up.
Bernie watched Serena in concern, before taking pity on her, and beginning to explain the situation to Jason.
“There was someone bad at the hospital today. He scared your Auntie Serena and I, and we thought he was going to hurt us. We're OK, and the police have taken him away now, but because we have been feeling a bit scared and shaken up, our colleagues thought it best if we came back here together to recover, and make each other feel better.”
“Because you're both doctors!” said Jason triumphantly, after thinking for a moment.
“Well, yes, and also because we're friends,” said Bernie. “And because we were both there together for the incident, we can each understand how the other is feeling, so we can support each other.”
Jason pondered for a moment.
“That makes sense,” he said, finally. “But I don't think they should let bad people into the hospital any more. Then you won't have to be scared, and come home early again.”
“I wish it were that easy, Jason. But often, bad people look just the same as everyone else. And regardless of what someone has done, everyone has the right to be looked after by doctors when they're ill.”
Jason looked slightly perplexed.
“I need to think about that.” he said.
“That’s ok. We can talk about it another time, when you’re ready. I think today, we need to make sure your aunt is ok, so it’s a very good idea to wait a bit before we talk things through anyway.” said Bernie, reassuringly.
“If you're both here together, you won't need me to look after Auntie Serena, so I'm going to my room to play on my computer.” said Jason, turning and heading up the stairs.
Bernie smiled and nodded acquiescence, turning her attention back to Serena, stood silently by her side.
“Thank you.” said Serena.
“For what?” asked Bernie.
“For explaining things to Jason. My head is all over the place. I didn’t know what to say!”
“Happy to help.” assured Bernie. “How are you feeling?” she asked, solicitously.
“Ready to dive fully clothed into a vat of Shiraz! Join me?” asked Serena over her shoulder, as she headed into the kitchen to select a bottle from her wine rack, Bernie trailing behind.
Suddenly, she stopped, bottle in hand, and turned toward Bernie.
“My god! I’m so sorry. How are you feeling? You’re the one who got hurt, and I’m acting like it was all about me!”
“No, Serena! Don’t! I’m fine, honestly. Believe me, I’ve had worse.”
“How are you not more shaken? I feel like I’m a complete mess, and you seem so calm!” Serena turned away from Bernie in shame, attempting to open the wine with trembling hands.
Bernie stepped forward, putting her hands lightly over Serena’s and guiding them away from the bottle. She took the corkscrew, and swiftly uncorked the wine, pouring in into the two glasses Serena had collected and put on the side.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been in that sort of situation.” she said, softly.
Serena’s eyes snapped back to Bernie’s face.
“What ?” she asked, shocked.
“When I was on tour, in Iraq. The field hospital I was working in was attacked by insurgents. I was taken hostage, along with two other members of my theatre team. They kept us for two days, made us perform surgery on several of their soldiers. They threatened us endlessly with knives, and guns to make sure we obeyed. My colleague was shot. He survived, but it was a difficult time.” Bernie words were concise, her tone matter-of-fact, but Serena could see from the tightening of the muscles in her jaw how much the memory was affecting her.
“Oh, god, Bernie!” Serena’s already pale face lost the last of it’s colour, and she clutched at the counter as she swayed on her feet.
“It’s in the past now,” said Bernie, reaching out to touch Serena’s hand. “We got through it then, just as you and I have come through today. Come on, let’s go and sit down.”
Bernie picked up the two wine glasses from the side and carried them through to the living room, leaving Serena to follow with the half empty bottle. They settled side by side on the sofa, sipping at their wine in silence.
Serena spoke first.
“Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I, I should have handled it better. I shouldn’t have just sat there in silence, I should have done more. I’m sorry!”
Bernie turned her body to face Serena, staring at her incredulously.
“You did nothing wrong!” she stressed. “You stayed calm, and did exactly what you had to, to get through the situation. If you had challenged him, who knows what might have happened?!”
“But I could have done more, should have helped you more…”
The emotion of the day overwhelmed Serena, and at last, the tears began to fall. Bernie shifted closer to her on the sofa, and awkwardly put her arm around Serena, stroking her back.
“It’s ok, Serena, you were scared. It was an impossible situation, there was no right or wrong action. You were fine, you were just scared…”
Serena sniffled for a moment, before pulling away slightly and wiping her face.
“I was afraid, of course I was.” she said, meeting Bernie’s gaze. “It would have been impossible not to be when confronted with a knife wielding patient!” She paused, before continuing.
“But I didn’t feel truly scared until I thought you were going to do something stupid! When you threw yourself at James Fielding, when you put your life at risk…”
Serena hit Bernie lightly on the shoulder in rebuke.
“Don’t you ever do anything so stupid again!” she said, sternly.
Bernie’s lips twitched in the smallest hint of a smile.
“I was hardly going to sit back and let that man hurt you!” she said, unable to look away from Serena.
Serena’s eyes darkened with intensity, and she swayed toward Bernie a fraction.
“You!” she began huskily, voice barely above a whisper. “You are the most fantastic, fearless doctor in this entire hospital…” Serena smiled, and to Bernie, with her tear stained cheeks and face almost devoid of makeup, she had never looked more beautiful.
Unable to look away, Bernie watched Serena’s eyes involuntarily flicker to her lips. She felt a huge upwelling in her chest, the heightened intensity of their shared nightmare breaking through her emotional barriers. All at once, she was unable to deny her growing feelings any longer, and she couldn’t stop herself from leaning over and pressing her lips against Serena’s, her hand coming up to lightly rest on Serena’s jaw.
Although reasonably chaste, the kiss was more than Bernie could have ever dreamed. Serena’s lips were so soft, and the rush of desire and emotion triggered by this simple act shook Bernie to the core. She pulled back in amazement, searching Serena’s face for her reaction. Serena’s lips were parted, brow drawn in a frown, and she looked as startled as Bernie felt. Bernie experienced a moment of panic, mentally preparing herself for Serena’s rejection, but then Serena’s hands, which had come to rest on Bernie’s upper arms, gripped tighter and pulled Bernie frantically in to meet Serena’s willing lips. This time, the kiss was harder, deeper, more searching, and as their arms slid around each other bringing their bodies flush together, both women instinctively knew that their relationship would never be the same again.