Chapter Text
When Lieutenant Berenice Wolfe of the RAMC returned home from Iraq three days earlier than planned, her children were so engrossed in the game they were playing that they didn’t hear the click of the front door or the thud of her heavy pack hitting the laminate floor in the hallway. They didn’t even notice the squeak of polished boots against the laminate flooring or the figure dressed in camo leaning against the living room door frame, allowing the mother to watch her children play together for a good few minutes until she was finally noticed.
“Mummy!” It was five year old Cameron who noticed her first, leaping to his feet and propelling himself into her arms faster than she’d ever seen a human move before.
Cameron was closely followed by two year old Charlotte, “Mamma, Mamma!”
“Hello” Bernie smiled softly, crouching down to hold both her children closely.
“I’ve missed you Mummy” Cameron clung to her, “I’m so happy you’re back.”
“I’ve missed you too” she kissed his head before kissing Charlotte too, “and I’m only going to go away one more time, I promise.”
“Yay” Cameron grinned, “I don’t like you goin’ ‘way.”
“I know Darling, I know” Bernie smiled, glancing down at Charlotte who’d snuggled into her and began sucking her thumb, “are you okay peanut?”
Charlotte looked up at Bernie through long eyelashes and nodded, “Love Mumma.”
“Mumma loves you too” Bernie smiled before looking at Cameron, “where’s Daddy?” She frowned when she saw Cameron drop his head and begin to bite his lip, “Cam sweetheart…?”
“He’s upstairs, he said we had to be good and not ‘sturb him ‘til he comed down.”
“Well I’m sure he won’t mind me going to surprise him” she smiled, “can you play with Charlotte for 10 minutes? I’ll say hello to Daddy and get changed then we can go to the park for ice cream.”
Cam’s face lit up “two scoops?” he asked hopefully
Bernie laughed and nodded, “two scoops” she told him, “and fish and chips for tea?”
Cam nodded excitedly and hugged Bernie tightly, “you’re the best Mummy.”
“I know” she laughed, kissing Cameron and Charlotte, “you play for 10 minutes and then I’ll be ready to go.”
“Shall I put my shoes on?” Bernie nodded, “I can help Charlie too” he nodded, “we’ll be ready and waiting Mummy, you be quick.”
“Yes soldier” Bernie saluted, kissing her children a final time before heading upstairs in search of her husband.
It hadn’t surprised her when her children had been too busy playing to notice her arrival home, what did surprise her, almost to the point of making her want to vomit, was finding her husband naked in their bed, another woman, at least 10 years younger than herself in a similar state of undress beside him, in the space where she’d always slept.
Like their children, Marcus didn’t notice Bernie stood in the doorway, only flinching when he heard the click of the door, “Cam I thought I…” he sat up, eyes widening in shock, jaw dropping as he realised he hadn’t been interrupted by his son, “Bernie? Fuck.”
Bernie didn’t look at him as she opened the wardrobe, hearing him get out of bed, scrabbling for his clothes, “I said I’d take the kids to the park for ice cream” she told him as she took a pair of jeans and a tshirt from the wardrobe so she could change from her fatigues. “I want you, both of you, gone by the time we get back.”
“Bernie I…” she ignored him as she moved over to the chest of drawers, taking out some clean underwear.
“I don’t want to hear any excuses Marcus, I’ll be leaving in about 10 minutes, we’ll be gone for at least an hour, I don’t want you here when I get back” she said firmly as she left the room, locking herself in the family bathroom to get changed.
“Bernie” Marcus was waiting for her on the landing when she came out of the bathroom, “please, I…”
Bernie ignored him, “I’m nearly ready Cam, have you and Charlie got jackets down there or do I need to bring them down?” she called down the stairs.
“Bring them please Mummy” Cam yelled back, “I want my spiderman one please.”
“Okay Darling” Bernie called back, making her way into her son’s bedroom to get the spiderman hoodie he’d requested.
“Bernie” Marcus followed her.
Bernie stopped and turned to face her husband for the first time since she’d seen him with the other woman, “Marcus, I have just found you in bed with another woman, a woman you’ve been seeing for God knows how long, I’ve just got back from a six month tour of duty in Iraq, I’m exhausted and all I wanted to do was spend the afternoon with my family so that’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to take my children to the park and when I come back, you will be gone.”
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Anywhere Marcus, I don’t care.”
“You don’t care about your husband?”
Bernie laughed sarcastically, “and you were really caring about your wife when you decided to get into bed with another woman.” she said as she pushed past him into Charlotte’s room to get a jacket for her too.
“What about the kids you’ll need me when you go on tour, when…”
“No” Bernie corrected him, “I won’t stop you seeing the kids but If you think I’m going to be asking you to move back in when I go back on tour to look after them then you’re wrong. I’m going out now, I want you gone by the time I get back” she said, not looking back as she headed downstairs to her children.
Bernie spent an enjoyable afternoon with Cameron and Charlotte in the park and didn’t think about Marcus once. They walked around the lake as they ate their ice creams, Charlotte tucked up in her buggy to make it easier to eat, and then Bernie spent a good hour chasing both children around the playground, pushing them on the swings, helping them up the climbing frame and Bernie wasn’t at all surprised when, given the option to walk home, Charlotte instead chose to crawl back into her buggy, “try not to fall asleep” Bernie told her as she strapped her in, “we’re going to get fish and chips on the way home”
Charlotte nodded, “no s’eepy Mumma” she mumbled around the thumb already in her mouth.
“Okay” Bernie smiled, brushing Charlotte’s hair from her face and kissing her forehead before holding out her hand to Cameron, “come on, let’s go home.”
“Mummy” Cameron tugged on her hand as they walked home, “can I sleep in bed with you and Daddy tonight? Charlie too?”
Bernie took a deep breath, she hadn’t thought about how she was going to explain this to the kids, “Daddy’s had to go away Darling, but you and Charlie can sleep in the big bed with me.”
“Oh” Cameron frowned, “will Daddy be gone for long?”
“I don’t know Darling” Bernie said honestly, “I’m sure he’ll see you and Charlie as soon as he can” she promised, “but until then, you’ve got me” she smiled, not wanting her son to worry.
“What if he’s not back before you go ‘way again?”
“Then I’ll make sure someone else is here to look after you” Bernie promised, “I’d never ever go away without someone being here to look after you Darling, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
The three of them sat around the dining table to eat, Cam’s worries about his father leaving seemingly forgotten as he told Bernie story after story about things she’d missed during her latest deployment, “and what about you Peanut?” Bernie asked her daughter, “what have you been doing?”
“I paint” she said quietly.
“Wow” Bernie smiled, “that sounds fun, we could do some painting tomorrow if you like?”
Charlotte nodded as she picked up a chip, “‘kay Mumma.”
Bernie took the kids upstairs once they’d finished eating, letting them play in their bedrooms whilst she changed the sheets on her bed, glad to see that a large number of Marcus’ clothes had gone from the wardrobe and she made a mental note to look into getting the locks changed.
She bathed Charlotte and Cam, changing them into their pyjamas before tucking them into the bed and putting a film on for them to keep them entertained so she could have a quick shower too.
The film was turned off when Bernie came back into the room and it didn’t take much longer, just three short stories and Charlotte and Cam were asleep, Cameron tucked into Bernie’s right side, Charlotte her left, both clutching at her pyjama top. Bernie kissed them both, watching them sleep for a while before her own exhaustion finally overwhelmed her and she too fell into a peaceful sleep.