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Serena groaned in relief as she leaned up against the edge of the bar. Her feet were killing her and she was certain her cheek muscles would definitely be sore in the morning from all the smiling she had had to do. A slight tilt of her head was all the young man in white behind it needed and a fresh glass of ruby red Shiraz appeared just moments later.
She loved medicine. She loved her work and the people she spent her days with at the hospital but she would absolutely not miss the social obligations that came with the heady heights of office.
Thank goodness it was temporary. Just for two weeks while Hanssen was on an annual retreat to a yoga sanctuary just south of his childhood home.
Who’d have thought?
She lifted her glass and took a small sip. The only thing that made this evening even remotely bearable was that it included a plus one in the invite and Bernie had the day off.
Speaking of which.
Serena wriggled her toes, stretching them as far as she could in the confines of her restrictive footwear. She hadn’t seen Bernie since they’d parted, Serena with a grim smile as she was whisked away to speak to some black tie with a cheque book. She eased herself back onto her feet and straightened her back.
Back to the grind.
It was then she spotted Bernie at the far side of the room. Her head was bent forward and the soft light from the chandelier overhead made her hair shine like a halo. Serena’s heart was instantly filled with that familiar mix of love and the desire to touch her wife. She was two steps towards her destination when something made her pause. Or rather, it was someone.
Bernie raised her head and tilted it towards her companion. The brunette leaned forward and, almost instantly, a familiar braying laugh sounded above the music and the chatter. Serena stared for a moment before covering the rest of the room in a few quick strides.
“There you are.”
Bernie turned at the sound of her voice, eyes lighting up with a smile. “Escaped from the hungry mob?”
“For now.” Serena’s mouth crinkled upwards out of reflex more than sentiment. She turned and reached a hand towards the woman sitting, in her opinion, a little too close to her wife. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Serena Campbell.”
The brunette was halfway out of her seat with a smile and an outstretched hand when Serena felt a light grip on her arm. She turned and was greeted by a ruddy face belonging to the chairman of the board. “Ms Campbell, I’ve been looking for you. There’s someone who’s been dying to hear about the work you’ve been doing with the trauma bay.”
Serena managed an apologetic smile at her would-be acquaintance as she was pulled away. It took considerably more effort to avoid looking at Bernie. She was certain that her smile would waver if she did.
****
“I’m going to get another one of these.” Bernie’s companion smiled as she pushed herself out of her chair. “Do you want anything?”
Bernie lifted her tumbler, still half full and shook her head. Her companion turned and started weaving her way towards the bar. Bernie took another sip of her drink, letting her eyes scan the room as they had a dozen times before. She had been watching Serena the entire evening, smiling back at the glances thrown in her direction while Serena was being swept from one handshake to the next. Bernie was glad to be out of the limelight and she had even managed to find company that was neither mundane nor boring. It had been a long time since she’d come across not just pleasant but also intelligent conversation at one of these work outings. Regardless, she would have been happy nursing her drink till it was time to leave had she not been approached by a damsel in need of rescuing from the pushy St James recruiter.
Suddenly she caught Serena’s latest look. This one had a hard edge, bordering on resentment, and Bernie frowned. It wavered, lingering a little longer than usual and Serena looked away the moment their eyes met, almost as if she was guilty to have been caught. Her frown deepened when Serena excused herself from the conversation she was in and headed straight for the patio door.
The evening air was cool and a shiver ran down her spine the moment she closed the glass door behind her. Bernie’s eyes adjusted to the low illumination and soon found what they were looking for.
She closed the few steps between them and what had been a silhouette hardened into focus. Bernie knew the moment she looked at Serena that something wasn’t right. No one else would have picked it up but, then again, they didn’t have the privilege of knowing this precious, fragile woman she was so very lucky to call her wife like she did.
If this were their inexperienced early days, she would have fretted, begged and cajoled until she prised the reason out of Serena. It almost always ended the same way - both exhausted, drained, tears spent and eyes swollen, only to agree what they already knew.
They loved each other.
No ifs, whens, buts. No until someone prettier, smarter, quicker or more exciting came along.
Because it wasn’t possible.
Bernie had gently explained that the first time Serena’s insecurity had reared its head, and had done so numerous times since. It wasn’t a competition. It wasn’t about more or better because there wasn’t such a thing. They fell in love with who the other person was and everything they would ever be. Whatever the future held, they knew they never had to change anything in order to earn the other’s unconditional love. They had both done that in the past with Marcus and Edward: trying to be what they thought they were expected to be; trained to feel inadequate whenever a smile faltered and a back was turned towards them in bed.
Never again.
Bernie tugged at the fabric of Serena’s long shawl, gently turning her round. Her heart lightened when an initial resistance soon dissolved and Serena gave in to her embrace.
“Long day,” Bernie murmured, breathing in the spice of Serena’s perfume.
Her reply was a soft grunt.
“I’ll be glad when Henrik returns and you can go back to your day job.”
Serena lifted her head an inch, waiting for Bernie to elaborate.
“Must be getting old because I’d swap this,” she said, her eyes sweeping slowly across the murky dusk before stopping when the lights of the room they had just left back came into view, “for pyjamas and bed socks any day of the week.”
Her reward was a rumble of laughter and a tight pressure around her ribs.
Bernie smiled and squeezed back. “How much longer do you have to be here Ms Campbell?”
Serena replied with a tired sigh. “At least another half an hour. There are a few more potential donors I am obliged to smile at.” She felt the frustration in Bernie’s groan as it reverberated through her chest. “I thought you were enjoying yourself.”
“Can I be honest?” Bernie whispered when Serena pulled back and answered with a tilt of her head. “I only came along so that I could see you in this.” She sneaked a hand under the thin fabric of the shawl and trailed her fingertips along the dipping neckline of Serena’s dress. The movement paused when she reached the sinfully low point between creamy swells - another reason why Bernie would never have let her leave the house alone in this dress - and she couldn’t resist the temptation to dip beneath the fabric, allowing her fingers to dance lightly across bare skin.
“Behave.” Serena’s admonishment fell short of its desired effect since she couldn’t help pressing her chest forward to meet Bernie’s hand, nor the accompanying moan. The fingers squeezed one final time before retreating reluctantly.
“I’m only human, Ms Campbell,” Bernie breathed into her ear before letting go, sending a shiver up Serena’s spine.
“You’ve scrubbed up pretty well yourself, Ms Wolfe,” Serena murmured as she raked her eyes along the form fitting outline of Bernie’s shirt. The top two buttons were undone and soft satin shifted to reveal a provocative shadow of what she knew lay beneath every time Bernie moved.
Bernie let out a bark of laughter and shook her head. “Only you would think so, and I suspect you might be a touch biased.”
Their eyes met again and this time Serena’s smile faltered a fraction. “I’m quite sure I’m not the only one.”
And there they were, at the crux of the matter. Bernie decided that this was her chance to blow a hole in the metaphorical fence.
“Would it make you feel better if I never spoke to her again?”
The words were soft and gentle but they hit Serena with the weight of a collapsing brick wall. She wasn’t sure whether it was because it sounded so irrational once spoken out loud or that Bernie had managed to dissect an evening’s worth of internal turmoil with one simple question.
Serena shook her head, heat rising in her face. “I’m an old fool,” she finally stammered before turning away.
A strong arm circled her waist and pulled her back in. Bernie pressed her lips against Serena’s temple and murmured, “no.” She paused as her other hand reached for the band of burnished gold hanging just above Serena’s cleavage. “Just a little silly sometimes.”
Her teasing earned her a watery chuckle and Bernie placed another kiss, this time along the angle of her jaw, before tangling their hands together. “Come on, boss. The quicker we get this schmoozing business done, the sooner I can get you home.”
Their fingers tightened as Bernie led them back towards the light and muted sounds of music and voices. “She is an excellent surgeon,” she ventured.
Serena frowned. “Who?”
Bernie rolled her eyes. “The woman you’ve been fretting about for half the night. Would make a fine addition to the ward. And with the additional staffing, we could put some of the pounds and pennies you’ve charmed out of this lot into upgrading the trauma unit.”
Serena tipped her head in agreement, a glint forming in her eyes. “Not to mention how much it would infuriate the CEO of St James’ knowing that we pinched a top trauma surgeon from right under their nose.” The spark grew into a half smile. “I might even get to break the news to him at the NHS meeting on Friday.”
“That’s my girl.” Bernie grinned before pausing, pulling them short of the glass doors. “You may need to work your legendary powers of persuasion and help me convince her that Holby City’s the right place to be.”
Serena frowned, confused. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“She doesn’t know if the NHS is what she wants after working in the RAF for so long. Whether she’d cope with the different rules of engagement. She knew I was in the Army and wanted to ask about my experience. That’s what we’ve been talking about.”
Serena groaned internally and would have crawled under the nearest rock if Bernie gave her half a chance. A reply came in the unwavering grip tightly squeezing her hand. Not hard enough to be painful, but just firm enough that Bernie’s ring dug between her fingers.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“I love you, darling. Always. Even if you need reminding of that once in a while.”
In spite of her embarrassment, Serena refused to let Bernie get away without a gentle nudge to her side.
“Shall we?” Bernie pushed open the door and they stepped back into the warm cocoon of the room, hands weaved together.
They had a trauma surgeon to woo.