Serena sat at her desk and diligently typed away at her computer. She had a million and one reports to write, most of which had to do with her recent suspension and her failure to adopt known hospital policy. Hanssen had already phoned her twice this morning; once was unfortunate, twice and you knew he was more than a little disgruntled.
Fortunately Bernie had kept the routine AAU paperwork under control in her absence and she felt eternally grateful for that small mercy. She really would have to accept that offer of a drink and to clear the air properly. Speaking of whom….
Bernie walked into their shared office with a determined stride. It was only as she perched herself on the corner of Serena's desk that the other woman looked up from the screen in front of her and took notice. She raised her eyebrows at the blonde's obvious excitement.
"Want to know some hot gossip?" Bernie whispered conspiratorially as she leaned very closely into Serena's personal space. She had a look of absolute glee on her face.
"I'd have thought, after everything recently, that hospital gossip would be the last thing you indulged in?"
"Oh, you'll want to hear this." The way Bernie had said it piqued Serena's interest and she knew then that she was hooked in.
"Go on then, but don't make me regret trusting you." There was a brief flicker of that old hurt in Bernie's eyes and Serena knew then that the drink and overdue chat would definitely have to be that evening.
"You have a new beau, apparently." Bernie raised and wiggled her eyebrows at her colleague and there was a definite smirk on her face.
"Oh, now I am intrigued." Serena gave her colleague her full attention then. "Any idea who the lucky fellow is?"
"Well… now…."
Fletch and Raf stood in the corridor opposite Serena's office and looked on in curious excitement.
"I can't tell whether they're yelling at each other or…." Fletch murmured, almost absently.
"Or what?" Raf asked innocently, always the last to know anything exciting that was going on in the hospital.
"You know…" Fletch said in a way that indicated Raf ought to already know what he was talking about.
"I know what?"
"You know…" Fletch did a series of frankly bizarre movements with his head and used his eyebrows to express his point. Finally Raf seemed to catch his drift.
"Are you suggesting that Bernie's turned her?"
"It's not impossible. That woman from the army must have turned Bernie…." Raf coughed loudly at the suggestion, he didn't know much but he was sure that it didn't quite work that way.. "Must have been a free toaster in it for her..." Fletch muttered under his breath and Raf looked at his housemate like he'd grown three heads, completely not understanding the reference.
"I can't see it myself but they're laughing so whatever is going on they're happy about it. I'd rather that than yelling any day!"
Later in Albie's...
"Do you get the feeling we're being talked about?" Serena conspiratorially leaned into Bernie's personal space.
"Welcome to my world!" There was a resigned tone to Bernie's voice; not angry or upset, just the acceptance that she was flavour of the month on the Holby grapevine.
"The gossip mongers still not quietened down?"To give Serena her credit, Bernie couldn't tell if she was being sympathetic or not; however, she suspected there was still a way to go before they could bury the issue completely.
"Unless the 'big macho army surgeon who had a lesbian affair' description fits someone else then no, it's not died down."
"I'm sorry." Serena sounded genuinely sorry but Bernie still raised her eyebrows at her colleague and shrugged her shoulders.
"I deserve it don't I?" She was still very down about the whole debacle, let alone the mess with Alex she still had to somehow sort out.
"I think we're past all that now? Look, I'm not going to stick my nose in your business but I am here if you ever need to talk. However, you have to realise that having been on Marcus's side of the fence, I'm not always going to be entirely sympathetic." They were stern words from her almost friend but Bernie felt she was probably justified.
"That's fair enough I suppose." Bernie did think that she could have tried to explain that it was a very different set of circumstances which led to her relationship with Alex, that perhaps Serena could also be more open to finding out just what those circumstances were, but she knew that now was neither the time nor place for that conversation.
Two young nurses walked past their table, did a double take and went to the bar whispering and giggling. Serena looked from them to Bernie who, to give her credit, didn't show any outward signs of irritation save for the gritting of her teeth and stealing of her jaw. Serena elbowed her companion in the side gently.
"How about we really give them something to talk about?" There was a dangerous tone to Serena's voice and Bernie's eyes went wide at the suggestion, prompting Serena to blush with slight embarrassment. Bernie wasn't really sure how she felt about it. The last person she'd kissed had been Alex and she wanted to keep that memory alive for as long as she could. She wasn't entirely sure when or if she'd ever have the chance to kiss her again. But she was game for a laugh and if it helped to repair some of her fractured relationship with Serena, then she was up for it.
Fletch and Raf stood at the bar and looked around for their fellow AAU colleagues. They spotted Serena and Bernie sat off to one side, very close together and deep in conversation.
"What did I tell you mate? They're at it, I swear!" Raf shook his head at Fletch and gave his drinks order to the barman.
"I really can't see Serena suddenly batting for the other team." Raf also knew how gutted she still felt after her relationship with Robbie the Bobby had ended. She'd been pretty darn smitten and he knew it would take quite some time for her to get her confidence back.
"What about Bernie, you didn't see that one coming?" Raf conceded that he had been more than a little surprised by the recent revelations regarding the ex-army medic, but he was also not particularly bothered by it either.
"Yeah but to be fair Fletch, we hardly knew anything about her, still don't really." Whereas he knew Serena pretty well by now and there were few surprises left where she was concerned.
"I think we're seriously underestimating Serena. I think she'd be up for it, if the right woman came along."
"And what about the woman Bernie had the affair with? By all indications it was pretty intense and you don't get over that sort of thing easily." They picked up their respective drinks and headed over to where the subjects of their discussion were sat. However, they were stopped in their tracks when Serena suddenly dumped a glass of what appeared to be gin and tonic, directly over Bernie's head. A deathly silence fell over Albie's as Bernie could be heard spluttering and gasping from the shock.
"What on earth did you do that for?!" Bernie yelled at Serena in the car park of the hospital, clearly not happy.
"I thought if I created a bit of conflict between us it would give people something else to gossip about?" Serena couldn't quite grasp what the issue with her colleague was and looked as confused as she felt.
"I thought you were going to kiss me, not throw your G&T over my head!" Bernie shook her head vigorously in exasperation, her damp curls flicking her cheeks as she did so. "Thank goodness it wasn't red wine, what were you thinking?" They stared at each other for a few moments, breaths coming in short bursts after expending some effort during their row, having also hastily removed themselves from Albie's before been thrown out.
"Were you... disappointed? " Bernie shot Serena a confused look. "That I didn't…?" She waited a moment and when Bernie didn't follow she spelt it out for her. "Kiss you, I mean?" Bernie chuckled heartily in spite of herself.
"Serena, I hate to break it to you…. " Bernie started to joke but then paused and decided to go for the honest approach. "I'm still very much in love with Alex, however that's going to sort itself out."
"Ah, yes… well. Best be off, Jason will be wondering where I've got to." They still hadn't had a proper conversation about everything and Serena felt a little awkward upon hearing Alex's name.
"Yes, I suppose you must." Bernie didn't add that she hadn't anything or anyone waiting for her in her tiny and sparse flat but her dispassionate voice gave her away.
"I am sorry for that…." Serena gestured to her colleague's damp hair and top. "Slight ill-judgement on my part. Thought it would be a good idea at the time." There was an apologetic grin on the brunette's face and Bernie decided it was no longer an issue.
"Don't worry about it. Tomorrow's another day?" Bernie turned and took a half-step in the direction of her car.
"Yes, see you in the morning." Serena called out and pressed the electronic button on her car keys.
"Oh and Serena?" Bernie called out from several yards away, as though she'd just had a thought.
"Yes?"
"Sorry, but you're really not my type." Bernie laughed all the rest of the way to her car as she left Serena standing stock still with a part-relieved and part dejected look on her face.