Chapter Text
The heels of Serena’s boots made steady clicking noises as she walked through the atrium of Holby Hospital. It was her first day as the hospital’s CEO and she was raring to go.
Dack Juall, the previous CEO, had been caught committing larceny and had been promptly sacked. The board had scrambled to find someone to replace him.
Serena had received the job offer the week prior. She had immediately poured through Juall’s policies, and found that they were highly inefficient. She’d even go as far as to say that they were sloppily thought through. The hospital’s incompetence was shameful, but it put her in an ideal situation. Since the bar was so low, she’d be cast in a positive light when she turned the place around and made it thrive. Which she would.
She was certain that she’d make a leading medical centre out of Holby Hospital.
Serena had been living in Aldera, the planet’s capital, for two decades. However, she’d accepted the job offer without hesitation. A bit of minor relocation was no bother. Holby was where she was born and raised. Now she was back, ready to take the next leap in her career trajectory.
Serena stepped onto a lift, and a porter who was already inside asked her what floor she was going to. “Fifteen, please.” she said. She already knew the entire layout of the hospital, from the wards to the supply closets. She’d prepared herself to the best of her ability.
The doors opened to a more secluded area of the building. It was quiet, compared to the frenzy of foot traffic at the main entrance.
As she walked down the corridor, she mentally counted the doors until she stopped at the fifth one on the left. The screen beside the door that read “Serena Campbell, CEO” confirmed that she was indeed in the right place.
The doors slid open once she entered the punched in the appropriate access code onto the keypad underneath the sign. The room was sparse; there was desk at the far end, three datapads lying on top of it, a chair of her own, and some visitor’s chairs. She sat down, picked up a datapad, and attempted to get herself set up on it, but an “Access Denied” error flashed out. She would just have to wait for her assistant.
In the meantime, Serena walked over to the window. One pane of glass stretched out floor-to-ceiling on the Western side of the office. The hospital was at the outer edge of the city, so she had an uninterrupted view of the natural terrain. It was beautiful out there.
The wind outside had created large dunes of snow, with ripples as far as she could see. In the valley of one of these dunes was a patch of a flax yellow, peaking out from the snow. Treffé flowers. They were native to Alderaan and only grew at the highest points. They were so tall that they peaked out above the snow. Holby was the only city on the planet with a high enough altitude to be surrounded by them.
Serena had gone on a class trip in her youth, out to Ishier Lake on a schoolwide nature appreciation day. She, however, had a mind of her own. There’d been a field of treffé flowers by the lake, and they were much more enticing than whatever the instructor had assigned them to do.
And so she’d strayed away from the pack and into the field. The flower petals drooped far down from the pistil, but they had been way up above her head. Too far for her to reach. She’d jumped up in the air trying to reach them anyway. She’d ran with her arms out, fingertips skimming the sturdy stems on either side of her.
True, she’d gotten lost, had to call for help, was reprimanded by her instructor, and punished by her mother. But those bits weren’t at the forefront of Serena’s memory of the day. It was the haze of yellow and the feeling of ecstasy and freedom that she really remembered.
Her office doors slid open, and she turned towards them.
A silver droid hurried in, saying “Oh, Mistress Campbell, you are remarkably early!”
“Yes, I figured I might as well get myself acclimated. Oh, and Ms Campbell is just fine. What’s your name?”
“Oh me, oh my! I cannot believe I haven’t introduced myself yet, how silly of me! A lowly droid such as myself really can lose its grip in the presence of a most luminous being! I am ‘Four-tee Abra Nine Eight Seven Beebee Kewtee—“
“Ok, yes, alright.” Serena interrupted. “I’ll just call you, erm, Kew-Tee. If that’s alright.”
“I’ll make it my mission fulfill whatever you decree.”
“Ok…,” she said slowly. “And what if my wish is that you be a tad less formal with me?”
The droid lowered its head. “Oh, except for that. I could never.”
What was wrong with this droid’s programming? She didn’t want her executive droid to cause her any embarrassment if it spoke like this about her in front of others. “Are you aware that we are in a hospital and not some far-flung castle on Dathomir?”
“Affirmative. However, you are as radiant as a hundred suns, and simply must be shown the proper level of respect.” The droid paused for a moment. “For clarification's sake, that was a metaphor. I do not actually mean to say that you are like a real star in the sense that we would all burn in an instant if we were at all close to you in proximity.”
She wondered how quickly tech could get this hunk of metal reprogrammed.
“Exactly how long have you been working here?”
“First day on the job!’
Serena groaned. That blasted CEO, Juall, must’ve taken the previous executive droid and left her to deal with this abomination.
She did find that the droid functioned satisfactory in most aspects however. Kew-Tee smoothly initiated her onto the data system and relayed all the relevant information that she’d need for her first day. It was just that the droid filled up silences with unnecessary chatter, and had some kind of unnatural reverence for her.
Kew-Tee gave Serena a brand new holowatch, which used the latest technology to keep her updated on the goings-on of the hospital. The droid showed her how to use the broadcast feature, and made a mock announcement. A flickering blue holo of herself protruded from the device, and she watched herself saying “Hello, this is a test broadcast,” for a few loops.
No longer did she have to wear the standard Alderaanian hospital uniforms that she loathed. Instead of the standard issue and its unflattering material, she was wearing a full-body jumpsuit, with a fitted tunic over it. Still all white, of course—she wasn’t a heathen. She felt good in it, felt in charge.
She made her way through a day of meetings and introductions, guided by Kew-Tee. She met with the board, with the lead technician, and she was onto the final item in the day’s itinerary: a meeting with all of the clinical leads.
It was an informal session for her to get to know them, and them her. One of the leads, however, seemed to despise Serena from the second she walked in.
As Serena was discussing a new standard procedure for rotas that she intended to implement, the woman sitting opposite her, who had been typing on her datapad the entire meeting, interrupted. “You have the same specialty as me, yet I haven’t seen your name on any of my rotas for the coming weeks.”
Serena looked down at the doctor’s name tag. “Ms. Naylor, I am not on your list because I will not be performing doctoral shifts.”
“Are you not a capable and skilled surgeon?”
“Of course? However, there are only so many hours in a day.”
“Too good for the rest of us to come down from your tower? Juall was taking doctoral shifts up until last week.”
“Mr. Juall was a terrible CEO, Jac,” said the doctor to Ms. Naylor’s left.
“I’d like to focus my time and attention on bringing this hospital into top form,” said Serena.
“In my many years of observing executives, it’s the ones who still practice who are successful,” said Jac. “They’re the ones who stay in tune with what they’re there for. Those who sit up in their office are the ones who float away from reality. It’s the patients that suffer from that disconnect. But so be it, you’ve made your own educated decision.” Jac started typing again on her datapad.
The other doctors in the room looked visibly uncomfortable. Serena didn’t let her anger show. She would not be belittled, especially not on her first day.
She spoke with a controlled sweetness. “In my decades of experience, I have found that it is best to be assured in one’s environment before taking on a wide varieties of duties. However, I’d be willing to put your mind at ease. Why don’t you hand over a patient to me after this meeting, Ms Naylor?”
“Fine,” Ms Naylor replied.
When the meeting ended, Jac Naylor was the first to exit the room.
The Emergency Department lead said to Serena, “Jac cares, but she’s got an edge to her. You don’t have to get caught in her game.”
“Thank you for the concern, but itt’s more than alright, Ms Anders.”
As Serena exited the room, her holowatch beeped, and displayed an official request from Ms Naylor. She quickly tapped the “accept” option.
Serena waited for the lift, and Kew-Tee said “Mistress, even though your executive duties are over until tomorrow, might I accompany you for the full duration of your day? It would be most enlightening to observe the way you work.”
“Fine.”
Serena made her way onto the ward. Since she didn’t see Ms Naylor anywhere, she spoke with one of the nurses.
“It’s not everyday that somebody new takes Ms Naylor head-on,” said the nurse.
“Goodness, news travels fast around here.”
“It’s all the tech Mr. Juall dumped into this place. Who would’ve thought that spending exorbitant amounts on fancy devices isn’t what makes things run smoothly. It manages to decrease productivity and make gossip travel at lightspeed. Oh look, there she is,” said the nurse, pointing at where Ms Naylor had emerged.
“Ms. Campbell,” acknowledged Jac, as Serena walked towards her. “So you are a woman of your word.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, we have a patient over in bed 12 who—OOF would you watch where you’re going?!”
A young porter had nearly knocked into a hovering gurney into Ms Naylor. He spluttered his apologies, but she wasn’t having it.
“Ms. Campbell, may I suggest looking into more conscious porter recruitment efforts. It’s astounding, the level of buffoonery we’ve allowed into this place.”
The porterr tried apologizing again, but Naylor glowered at him and stuck a finger towards the direction he came from. She then directed her attention towards the patient.
“Right, what have we got here?”
That was indeed a good question. The woman lying down before them was clad head-to-toe in camouflage. She did not look happy.
The holo of a paramedic popped up from the foot of the bed, saying. “Major Wolfe. Human, 49, on the receiving end of a blast,” and then started listing out her stats.
“Why hadn’t we received word about her before?!” asked Jac.
“I refused to have them alert you prior to my arrival within the hospital,” said Major Wolfe, with a gruff voice.
“Why not?” asked Ms. Naylor.
“Just patch me up,” replied Major Wolfe, who didn’t answer the question.
Ms. Naylor pursed her lips in displeasure and then told the nearest nurse “Bay 4.”
“I’ll treat her,” said Serena.
“This patient has been assigned to me.”
“Allow me to put your qualms about my leadership to rest.”
“Fine. Don’t mess it up, Campbell.”
Serena walked over to the bed the patient had been transferred to.
“She doesn’t seem to like you,” observed Major Wolfe.
“Yes, well, that’s neither here nor there. I’m Ms. Campbell, I’ll be treating you today. Care to provide any more information on what happened to you?”
“Thermal detonator. Long story.”
“Yes, I’m sure of that, but can you please elaborate on how you were injured.”
“The device was about 10 feet away, launched me the air. Somehow, I lived. Ta da! One of my more risqué party tricks,” she deadpanned.
Serena laughed, despite herself.
Tests were quickly done on Major Wolfe, and Serena made her decision about what treatment to go through with. However, when she started relaying information about the procedure, Major Wolfe looked more displeased than when Serena had first met her.
“…and then we shall do a—“
Major Wolfe put up her hand to indicate that Serena stop speaking. “Do a cygo,” she said.
“Pardon?”
“A cygo.”
Serena should’ve known that this stoic army woman would be one of those patients. The ones who hear some nonsense in the news and think they’re more qualified than years of expertise.
“Apologies, but we haven’t the time to argue about—“
“As I’m well aware,” said the major. She then described how Serena should proceed in great detail. It was a most ingenious plan, and Serena was slightly stunned.
Serena looked down at her datapad and expanded the details section of the patient notes. The name that she saw confirmed why the patient knew so much about an advanced surgical procedure.
“Berenice Wolfe,” she read out loud.
“That’s me,” Ms. Wolfe said matter-of-factly.
Kew-Tee overheard this exchange, rushed forward, and exclaimed “Why, Berenice Wolfe! A droid such as myself can only bask in the ethereal auras you protrude.”
A few doctors nearby stopped what they were doing to observe the commotion.
“Mistress Campbell, Berenice Wolfe greatly advanced human medicine when—“
“Yes, yes, I’m well aware of how she’s contributed to the field, thanks.” She directed her attention back to her patient. “Well I am most embarrassed. I never would have thought—and you’re a major now?!”
Ms Wolfe shook her head. “Can we just get on with the procedure?”
“Yes, right. Ms. Wolfe, your reputation precedes you, but however clever what you’ve recommended is, there are risks—“
“Please, just call me Bernie. And yes, I know the risks that are involved in this procedure.”
“If you’re entirely sure that this is the course of action you wish for—“
“I am.”
“Then we shall proceed.”
The surgery was tricky. Serena kept a level head, even when the odds of success were looking slimmer and slimmer. She never would have considered this type of procedure if it hadn’t come straight from the mouth of Berenice Wolfe. But it worked. Just barely, but she made it out to the other side alive.
Ms. Wolfe was to be fully submerged in bacta for five days, with meddroids keeping tabs on her vitals.
Serena decontaminated herself and emerged back onto the ward, not missing Ms. Naylor’s icy glare. Those in the vicinity of Kew-Tee’s earlier outburst had most certainly spread the news about the patient’s identity.
Ms. Naylor would have wanted to be the one to have administered the procedure, had she known who the patient was. Therefore, Serena’s efforts to appease her that day had been a bust. However, she was still confident that she’d get on her good side in due time.
*****
On her way home, her thoughts lingered not on the board, or her staff, but on her patient. She had so many questions about Berenice Wolfe. Like everyone else in the field, she knew all about Ms. Wolfe’s countless achievements. However, there hadn’t been any news about her in a while. Now she had some idea of why. She was a soldier. But of what army? Her homeworld did not have any current disputes.
Serena got back to her tiny flat, and poured herself a generous amount of red wine. She was only staying there as a temporary measure, since she had to move to Holby with such short notice. She’d upgrade as soon as she found somewhere more suitable.
She sat down on her couch, glass in hand, when her mother comm’d her. They had not spoken since she’d first got back in Holby.
“Serena, I need you to come round immediately.”
“Mum? It’s the end of the day. My first day as CEO. I’ve been up since very early this morning.”
“This cannot be put off.”
Serena was wary, but also slightly worried. “Are you alright?”
“Just come.”
She set down her glass, went outside to her airspeeder, and headed towards her childhood neighborhood.
Her mother answered the door, and Serena greeted her and kissed her on the cheek. She then walked through the living room and into the kitchen, calling out “Have you got any wine? I just had to dump some when you summoned me over here.”
“No, I do not! Come back over here and say hello! Did I raise you to be this rude?”
“What?! I just said hello to you!” She returned to the living room and was startled to find that there was a young man sitting on the couch. She had breezed by without even noticing.
“Oh gosh, I’m terribly sorry, I just walked right by you, it’s been a long day. Mum didn’t tell me she was having a guest over.” She held out her hand “I’m Serena.”
He didn’t shake it. “Yes, I know,” he said. “I’m Jason.”
“So, how do you know my mum?” she asked, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
“My mother told me about her.”
“Oh. Alright. And how does you mum mine?”
“She was her daughter.”
“Pardon?!”
Serena’s mother then grabbed her arm, and pulled her towards the kitchen, saying “Jason, dear, let me get my daughter up-to-speed. We’ll only be a couple minutes.”
The kitchen doors slid closed, and Serena said “Is he alright? He thinks you’re a relative?”
“He is.”
“What? We don’t have any other relatives.”
“It’s just as he said: he’s my grandson.”
“Don’t wind me up. Who is he?”
Her mother moved to sit down on a stool. “I had a child before you, with another man, before I met Dad. I was away at university. As you know, my mother was from Fornax. I would have had everything taken away from me by her if she knew I had a child as an unmarried woman. And so I gave her up and she lived with her dad. I never spoke to her dad again.
Well, the girl and her father have both passed away now. Jason is her son. I didn’t know about his existence until this morning. Apparently his father had told him my name years ago. He didn’t have any other family to turn to, and he knew of my existence, and he just showed at my front door.”
Serena couldn’t even look at her. She could scarcely believe her ears. Her voice was a growl when she spoke. “And what was the name of this child?”
“His name is Jason, as he’s just told you.”
“No.” She looked up at her mother. “What was his mother’s name.”
“She was called Marjorie.”
Serena’s face grew hot, her blood boiled. “A sister. I had a sister.”
“Half-sister,” her mother corrected.
“I had a sister, and you kept that from me.”
“Yes, well, there would have been no point in bringing it up whilst my mother was still alive. And by then it was too late to tell you or get into contact with Marjorie.”
Serena opened her mouth to argue back, but her mother continued: “Now, as you are well aware, I do not have my former agility. Jason needs extra help, and I can’t provide him with the mobility or the financial backing he needs. I suspect you won’t have all that much trouble moving your things into here, since you haven’t yet settled into a place.”
“What. What?! Mother, what are you insinuating?”
“Why, that you live with us.”
“Excuse me? You’ve just told me that you’ve been lying to me my entire life. As if it were nothing!”
“My mother would have disowned me if she knew. There is no use having a go at me!”
“How is that an excuse for your actions after your mother died? This is kriffing unbelievable!”
“Watch your language!”
“I just—gods, I really can’t believe you. That you have the audacity to—I just can’t.”
Serena moved towards the kitchen doors, which automatically opened. “Serena, if you would just calm down,” her mother started to say, but the doors slid shut behind her, and her voice was muffled.
“I have to go,” she told Jason, as her feet carried her to the front door. She pressed the button for that set of doors to open, and then she turned back to him. “Sorry,” she added. “Really.”
“Damnit,” she muttered when she stepped outside, because she forgot to grab her coat. The freezing air enveloped her and she started to shiver, but there was no way she was going back inside. She wrapped her arms around her core, and walked to her airspeeder as fast as she could. Her fury wore off by the time she got to her flat, and was replaced by a certain despair that only her mother could make her feel.
The two of them had always argued about absolutely everything. But this was a whole other level of unbearable.
Serena had thought that her mother was her only remaining relative when her father had passed away. But she’d had a real-life half sister, living on the same planet as her.
When she was younger, she was jealous of those with large large families.
She wished that she could have a group of people who stuck by her for life and didn’t fade into oblivion over time.
She should’ve been thrilled about the fact that she had a nephew. Instead, she felt shell-shocked.
Serena laid in bed that night wondering what else she’d been lied to about.