Chapter Text
Bernie Wolfe hated parties. Hated getting dressed up just to go to somebody else’s house to get drunk on cheap white wine. Marcus always insisted they go, the same party happened every year and somehow, no matter how hard she prayed, she was always home on leave. Always. The CEO of Marcus’s hospital held an annual ‘get to together’ or, “the annual piss up with the boss,” as Marcus and his colleagues liked to call it. He always looked forward to the night, seeing all his doctor friends and dressing up and drinking in his boss’s living room. So Bernie put on a smile, pulled a smart suit on and tried to control her fly away hair.
They called a taxi because Marcus always got horribly drunk at these things and Bernie didn’t see why she shouldn’t be allowed to have a drink too if he was going to have one too many. Maybe he would get lucky tonight. She smiled at herself in the hallway mirror, being away had given her a orangey glow that only made her look more muscular than she already was. She had a little more makeup on than she usually did but it was perfectly applied and made her features stand out. She knew she would be by far the prettiest ‘partner’ there because she always was. Marcus was the only F1 with a wife and the older doctors had even older wives that couldn’t even begin to match her youthful beauty. She painted on some 5 year old red lipstick that had been forgotten at the bottom of her makeup bag as the taxi beeped it’s horn outside signalling it’s arrival. Marcus arrived behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and smiling at her in the mirror.
“You’re gorgeous.” He said.
“Thank you love.”
He kissed her on the cheek before squeezing her waist. The taxi honked it’s horn again. Bernie rolled her eyes and let her husband help her with her coat. She picked up her purse and house keys and turned on the hallway light.
“Tonight’s going to be great.” Marcus said as they left the house, Bernie locking up behind them. “The new doctor on the ward is a great laugh, I can’t wait to introduce you to him.”
When they got to the party it was already in full swing. The house was bursting with light and laughter and the sound of glasses being filled and being toasted. Bernie hated parties and clutched Marcus’s hand tighter as they made their way through to the living room with its pop up bar in the corner to find their host.
Dr Wetherby was ancient. An old tortoise without the shell, wrinkled and pale. He was a bit of a leech but he treated his staff well and everyone loved him like a Grandfather. Tonight he greeted his favourite F1 with arms wide open.
“Marcus!” He all but yelled over the music. “Come come, come on in you’re late! What will you have? What’s your tipple? And what will this pretty little one have eh?”
Bernie held her tongue for her husband’s sake, holding his hand tighter.
“Glad that we could make it Mr Wetherby, you remember my wife Bernie don’t you?” Marcus said, dropping her hand to shake his.
“Of course, of course, looking mighty fine tonight old girl.”
Bernie cringed but was saved from having to say anything by Marcus who spoke again.
“White wine, Bern?” He asked.
“Please.”
“I’ll get them.”
And then Bernie was left. Marcus following Dr Wetherby to get the drinks then disappearing behind a pop up bar. Bernie really hated parties. She looked around for anyone she might know and spotted several people she recognised but didn’t know enough to just swan up and talk to. She could remember a time in the rapidly vanishing past when she would join Marcus and his doctor buddies, had been one of them for a time, for drinks at the pub next to the hospital after a long shift. Remembered when she used to be able to drink like a fish a couple of hours before a shift and be okay for the morning shift a couple of hours later. Now she found she knew nobody. A couple of exercises away and she had lost most of her friends from Holby but gained a bunch of friendly army medics that she suddenly felt she missed very much. The NHS wasn’t her anymore and at these parties she felt that more than ever.
She wanted to go home but she knew that wouldn’t happen so she followed Marcus and made her way to the bar. Marcus beamed up at her and gave her her wine. She sipped it straight away, that’ll take away some of the anxiety at least, she thought. Marcus finished up his conversation with Dr Wetherby while he got distracted by a new arrival and took Bernie’s hand again, leading her away from the crowds and on to the patio through the patio window.
“Sorry, it’s a bit crowded.” He said, knowing she didn’t do crowds, didn’t do parties.
“It’s nice out here.” She shrugged, sipping her wine.
Marcus pulled her into his side and she rested her head on his shoulder, it was quieter outside and they listened to the music and chatter from inside while they talked and sipped their wine.
It was the laughter that made them both turn. Girly and twee but with a wicked edge, a delicious wickedness. A tall man, around their age, an F1 she thought and a woman with shoulder length brown hair and the biggest eyes Bernie had ever seen had come through to the patio, red wine in hand. The couple definitely didn’t look like they were the type to shy away from a good party. Though she had never seen them before in her life, Marcus apparently had.
“Eddie, my man!” He boomed, in the way men did when they got together with their friends.
Bernie winced at the noise, noting the woman raise a single eyebrow at the scene of the two men embracing. She couldn’t help but smirk at the woman, who was cute as a button but also hot as hell in a skin tight black bardo dress and matching black heels. Well it appears that she had fallen down the attractive wife list quite significantly…
The two men had apparently forgotten they existed and were happily chatting about all things medical. Bernie took a long sip of her wine, realised she didn’t have any left and then shifted from foot to foot, trying to ignore the other woman’s intense gaze. She looked up though when the brunette cleared her throat loudly, halting the gossiping men. Marcus looked to Serena first and then to his wife.
“Edward Campbell, this is my wife, Bernie Wolfe.”
He put an arm around her waist and moved her forwards a little, stopping her from disappearing in to the night. She shook Edward’s hand, flashing him a quick half smile.
“Nice to meet you Bernie, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Edward said happily. “And this is my wife, Serena, Serena this is Marcus Dunne, he’s on my ward, keeps me on track.”
Serena smiled, a smile so bright that made Bernie frown. This woman was beautiful, stunning even. She instantly felt far too drab, felt stupid for putting on red lipstick…she never wore it, it was probably smudged, her mascara probably was too.
“How are you enjoying the party?” Serena asked the pair.
“Oh it’s great, it always is, right Bern?” Marcus said.
Bernie blushed as she tore her eyes away from the bright light that was Serena Campbell, the woman in question smiling at her kindly. She nodded just in time to show that she was paying attention.
“Yes, great.”
“That pop up bar is quite something.” Serena said then, with a laugh.
It was then when Marcus noticed Bernie’s empty glass, and Serena and Edward’s too. He drained his own.
“Let me get you another glass. White again Bernie?” He said, taking her glass from her. “Serena?”
“Red please.”
“Let me help you.” Edward said.
And Bernie groaned internally. Because of course. Marcus had been banging on about his new best mate Edward for weeks now and how much he wanted her to meet him, how much of a laugh he was, ‘he keeps me sane on that ward Bern.’ So it wasn’t a surprise…now that she thought about it…that they would spend all night together. And now she was left with his wife who looked like the exact opposite of her in every way. She looked like she was very popular, she had that look, like every one who stepped into her sunshine began to crave the light. She was insanely feminine in a way Bernie just hadn’t ever been. Her makeup was perfect and her hair was shiny and styled and she just looked soft.
She also seemed to be staring at her with great interest that made Bernie squirm.
“I didn’t realise our husbands were such bosom buddies.” She said, voice marrying perfectly to the rest of her, her words clipped, her tone almost musical.
“Marcus hasn’t talked about anything else since Edward started.” She smiled, looking back towards the house where she could see the two men standing by the bar.
“Oh well.” Serena said. “He can be very popular, goodness knows why.”
Bernie laughed at this and Serena seemed surprised. She smiled herself and then dropped in to the garden bench that sat a little way in to the dark garden. Bernie hesitated but Serena patted the space next to her.
“Come on.” She said. “We may as well get to know each other.”
With a glance back to the house she did as she was told and joined the woman on the garden bench. All was quiet for a while and Bernie found she quite enjoyed the muted music from the house mixed with the sound of an owl a couple of gardens away. When, eventually, she turned to Serena she found the woman staring back at her.
“So what…what do you do, Serena Campbell?” She found herself asking.
Serena’s face lit up again but the smile didn’t come, just a smirk. Bernie took a deep breath and thought that maybe she was shaking because it was cold.
“I’m a Doctor. Training to be a surgeon actually.”
This surprised Bernie as the woman sitting beside her looked nothing like a Doctor. Still…she would bet anyone that Serena was going to be an excellent surgeon.
“What about you?” The woman asked.
“Same. Well, I’m in the RAMC. Trauma surgery.” Bernie told her.
“Really? Fascinating.”
“Marcus thinks I’m away too much, but it’s good training.” Bernie shrugged.
“You don’t see a lot of trauma facilities in hospitals.” Serena said. “Trauma surgeons with expertise like you’re getting will be invaluable.”
Bernie felt her smile grow, despite herself. Marcus didn’t understand why she couldn’t just be a doctor who wanted to work in a hospital and help the sick people in that hospital and that was that. She loved her job, she loved going away and coming back having learnt on the job, having learnt so much that she couldn’t have learnt in a hospital. Serena smiled back and Bernie felt like maybe she could be friends with this woman after all, like maybe they weren’t too dissimilar.
“I think so.” She said.
Serena nodded then shivered slightly against the chill of the night. Bernie leant forward, tugging her thin wool coat off and draping it round Serena’s shoulders. Serena looked at her slightly puzzled but clutched on to the coat nevertheless.
“Thank you Bernie.” Her voice low and quiet and slightly shy.
And Bernie suddenly had butterflies. Hadn’t heard her name spoken quite like Serena had said it. Wanted to hear it again.
“You’re welcome.”
They had shifted closer, neither one quite knowing how and if Bernie hadn’t have known any better she would had thought that she was slightly tipsy. Her head buzzed pleasantly and her stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies. She didn’t miss her coat because the warmth between the two of them was already making her cheeks burn a sweet pink. They were practically thigh to thigh when the sound of their husbands coming back over made them jump and widen the gap they hadn’t realised had closed.
Serena’s bright smile that Bernie found the image of already seared into her brain returned at the sight of her husband and Bernie had to fight to hold down a disappointed feeling that she didn’t really understand. Of course Serena would smile like that at her husband, so full of love and attention, she found that she craved a smile like that, vaguely wondered if she smiled at Marcus like that.
“You’re missing the party, darling.” Edward chirped happily, passing off a red wine to his wife.
“Bernie and I were just getting to know each other.” Serena looked to her, looked like she wanted to say something to her, didn’t.
Marcus noticed Bernie’s coat around Serena.
“It’s a bit cold out here isn’t it?” He said. “We should head in, there’s people I want you to meet Bern.”
Bernie nodded and stood up, Marcus held out her wine.
“Come and find me when they start the beer pong.” Marcus said to Edward, earning a loud laugh from the man.
“A northern game is it? You won’t find a beer out here.”
“I’ll take you to Yorkshire one day, down the local pub, you’ll love it.”
They laughed like this was the funniest thing in the world and then Bernie let herself get dragged away back up to the house. She looked back and Edward had taken her spot on the bench, Serena’s head resting on his shoulder.
Bernie had a decent evening in the end. It was boring but she drank plenty of wine and she was now suitably buzzed and probably not far from Marcus’s rapidly drunken state. She had spotted Serena at random times but tried not to stare. But of course now she was seeing things through heavily alcohol induced vision she was staring harder and for longer and letting herself notice things about her that she had purposely ignored earlier on.
Like how good her legs looked in those heels. How pretty her lips were. How the arch of her eyebrows made her want to get in trouble with the woman just to see how her eyes darkened when she was angry. She noticed her curves and her bare shoulders and her hands that grasped red wine, always red. And she noticed that Serena had been looking too, had even unbuttoned the top of her already see through blouse by pure “accident” just to give her a little show.
She had drank mostly that night to stop these kind of thoughts and to a degree it was working. The more she drank the more she reasoned with herself that these thoughts were just the drink and that really, she was just desperate for a shag. She had worn her matching underwear and drunk sex with her husband as soon as they fell through the door was a sure thing.
Still, Serena Campbell had been gravitating towards her for the full night until somehow she found herself back on the patio in the shadowy darkness of the side of the house. Serena standing inches away from her, Bernie’s back against the red brick of the house. She had no idea where Marcus was, no idea where Edward was, she just knew that Serena was standing incredibly close and that her perfume was as intoxicating as the wine she had lost along the way. She closed her eyes as Serena’s nose nudged her own, their foreheads touching, their breathing falling into sync.
And she wanted so much to kiss her. So much it physically hurt to breathe and to swallow and to move even. This beautiful woman she had barely even spoken to, had just met, she wanted to kiss her and kiss her and kiss her until they could no longer breathe.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.” Serena whispered.
“I want to kiss you so much.” She said, voice husky barely loud enough to be heard over the music from inside that was considerably quieter now than earlier in the evening.
“I know.”
Somehow her hand was in Serena’s hair and Serena’s finger tips were moving along the hem of her shirt and she couldn’t stop herself from pushing her lips to the corner of Serena’s mouth. Serena moved her body flush against Bernie’s and they both drew deep shuddering breaths.
Because this was crazy really. The attraction was too strong for them both to handle, the want and the need to be this close, was…unreal, like nothing either women had ever experienced before.
Serena pulled away slightly and Bernie searched her face for some clue that she was feeling the same rush of thrill and lust and need and an almighty pull towards the other woman that Bernie had felt the first moment she had set eyes on her. She found it all.
“What is this?” Serena asked, a small sort of wet laugh following.
Bernie smiled too and shook her head, her fingers playing with chestnut hair. She drew a breath.
“I don’t---.”
“Serena? Are you out here?”
They sprung apart and straightened themselves out. Serena took a step backwards and the light over the backdoor came on and suddenly they were bathed in a bright yellow light, showing them off to all who bothered to look over. Lucky for Edward.
“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“I’m…er…I’ve been talking to Bernie.”
Bernie gave him a weak smile.
“In the dark?” He asked, a slight frown on his face.
“What is it Edward?” Serena asked rather impatiently, stepping back once more, falling right in front of her husband.
“The taxi’s here.” He said.
“Right. Yes. I’m coming.”
Neither of them moved so Bernie did, she felt trapped by the wall, needed air, needed to be drunker, where had she put her wine glass? Maybe Dr Wetherby had broken out the spirits by now.
“Goodnight.” She walked past them but stopped short when Marcus appeared in the patio window.
“Everyone’s leaving Bern, taxi’s here.” He said, swaying slightly.
He spotted his mate and another conversation started up.
“Eddie, mate, I’ll see you tomorrow, or today rather, bright and early.” He said, loudly, gleefully, leaving Bernie’s side and meeting Edward in the middle.
“Fresh as a daisy old boy.” Edward boomed. “Don’t be calling in sick.”
“Ha!”
Bernie glanced over at Serena who was staring at her and that desperate rush to be close to her swelled in her stomach. She watched as Serena took Bernie’s coat off her shoulders and stepped around the men. She handed it over and they had to force themselves to not make actual skin contact.
“Thank you.” Serena said, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth as she moved backwards into Edward’s arms.
Marcus’s hand slipped in to hers and suddenly they were all saying their goodbyes and loading in to two different taxi’s. Marcus talked none stop about the party on the drive back and Bernie was all too happy to just sit and pretend to listen, lost in wonderful thoughts of Serena.
They got home quickly and before she knew it she was being pushed up against the front door, rough doctor’s hands under her shirt and on her bra, lips on her neck, on her cleavage, on her lips. She kissed back hard when an almost feral need to be taken there and then came over her in a wave. She fought his attempts to get her upstairs and instead he came into her 5 minutes later, up against the cold front door.