"Have you seen Doctor Copeland?" Bernie asked as she stopped Essie on Keller. They were supposed to be grabbing a coffee from Pulses, and she had waited there for ten minutes before she had decided to go looking for him.

"He and Doctor Mayfield had words, and then he disappeared on us. I always cover for him when things get like this. But, Ms. Wolfe, how is Ms. Campbell? Are things any easier for her? Or for you?" The nurse tenderly rested her hand on Bernie's upper arm, concern filling her face.

It took everything in Bernie not to tear up at the kindness she was being shown, and she shrugged a little, her lips twitching a little at the sudden scrutiny. "We're muddling through the days, and whilst I don't know what things will look like in six months, right now, we're treading water, and that's really all you can ask for at this point."

Essie nodded as she pursed her lips together, her hands ghosting over her stomach as she glanced down at the floor. "It is." It was Bernie's turn to be tender, and she gently rubbed the woman's arm as she watched her regain control over her emotions. She drew in a deep breath before looking back at Bernie. "Well, I have rounds to attend to, and you need to find Dom. Give my regards to Ms. Campbell, yeah?"

"Will do," she replied as she watched Essie turn on her heel and disappear onto the ward. Knowing that Dom would most likely be on the roof, she went over to the stairwell and started to up them, using the solitary climb to think about everything that was going on in their lives right now. She knew that something was bothering Dom, though he wasn't saying what. A part of her thought that was most likely because he didn't want to add to her burden, but it rankled her a bit, too, knowing that he thought she wouldn't be able to care about someone other than Serena at that moment.

It was cold on the roof, and she tugged the halves of her hoodie closer together as she stalked over to their usual meeting spot. Dom was sitting closest to the edge of the roof, staring out at the landscape and not acknowledging her presence as she sat down next to him, nudging his shoulder with hers. A part of her knew, however, that he would speak when he wanted to, and that sometimes it was for the best to just wait him out.

Rather than a verbal confirmation of her there, Dom pulled up his hoodie and scrub top, revealing a nasty looking laceration. "What happened?" she breathed out as she leaned in, running her fingers over what she soon realized was a vicious burn on the wing of his ribs.

"Isaac. He accidentally pushed me against the oven door while it was open."

There was a lie in his words, and she didn't know where it was. All she knew is that she was seeing red at the thought of Doctor Mayfield hurting her friend and colleague. And that anger was burning off some of the sorrow that lingered about her person, which was a welcome feeling. Here was something she could work with, was something she could fix, unlike her lover, who was floundering in her grief, who didn't know how to let her in some days other than to clasp her hand at random times. She could focus on Dom and do, be, act, and that changed everything. "I'd rather you tell me the truth, Doctor Copeland."

"Maybe that is the truth."

"And maybe I'm going to marry Prince Harry. Which do you think is more likely?"

A low chortle slipped from Dom's lips as he finally turned his head to look at her. "You have been hanging around Ms. Campbell for far too long. Obviously you need to hang out on the roof with me more. Maybe then we could…"

"Yes?" she prompted after a few beats of silence.

"Maybe I need to grow up. Isaac says I'm too thin skinned, that I read more into situations than is really there." His eyes were sad, something Bernie hadn't seen from him in so long, and she sighed a little as she reached out and ruffled his hair. "Bernie?"

"You remind me of Cam when you look at me like that. Sorry." He shook his head, giving her a tiny smile. "And you do not need to grow up or put on a thicker skin. Who you are is who you are. And I am still learning that, even as I deepen my relationship with Serena. Please, Dominic, tell me the truth. Is Doctor Mayfield hurting you?"

Dom seemed to shrink in on himself as he continued to gaze at her. To her shock, his eyes filled with tears as he gave her a small nod. "I didn't want to put a name to it, you know? He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I was so happy in the beginning. I don't know how this happened. And I don't know how to get out. Or if I want to get out."

A white-hot brand of anger flared up in her breast and Bernie struggled not to let that particular emotion to show on her face, since she knew that he didn't need that emotion coming out at that moment. "You need to, though. I don't want to lose my friend because of this." Dom shrugged a little glancing down at the ground once more. "All right, you do what you have to do, but just know that I'll be here to support you, no matter what. Because we are friends, and I protect my friends with ever fibre in my being."

"I know. It's one of the things that I admire about you."

She smiled at him before nudging their elbows together once more. "And I need our time on the roof, more than ever."

A few tears splashed down onto the ground as he raised his head to look into her eyes. "Which is why I didn't want to burden you with this right now. You have so much on your plate, and you don't need my drama added on top of what you're dealing with. I don't know if I could be as strong as Ms. Campbell is, Bernie."

"You find out a lot about yourself when you're faced with a situation like this. And you figure out who your true friends are." He nodded before reaching out for her hand, clasping it tightly. "However, just because we are facing this crisis does not mean that I want to suddenly stop being a part of your life. You're my friend, and I care about you."

"Thanks," he replied softly, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go and stuffing his hands in his pockets, shivering a little. "I just, I didn't think that my life would end up like this. And I know that Carole knows something is up."

"Of course she knows, mothers do. It's what we're good at. It's one of the things that is eating Serena up inside. She thinks that she should have seen this coming."

"No one could have foreseen that accident."

"No, but we could have handled things differently. I could have handled things differently."

"Stop. No. You can't give in to that guilt. I have enough of that for the both of us." She let out a strangled giggle, hating that it sounded more like her usual honking laugh, but then Dom started laughing as well. The mirth that rolled off him helped put her at ease, and she vowed to do whatever possible to get him out of this situation.