Bernie gazed at the ceiling in frustration. If only someone would do something. She was stuck in limbo, encased in a stiff shell she wasn't getting out of anytime soon. Manoeuvring her arm, she managed to grasp the cup and threw it at the door.
The voices outside her room stopped as she waited for someone to come and rescue her. A clip clopping of heels announced someone new as they threw open the door and surveyed the scene. A very different pair of hands picked up the cup and plonked it back on the table.
A brisk voice punctured her thoughts.
'It's not often I get to play nursemaid to someone who throws their toys out of the pram. I hope it won't become a habit.'
Bernie stared ahead of her, savouring the sharp low timbre, undeniably feminine this time. She was getting fed up of indecisive men. She could have done this operation herself if she could. She said as much to the owner of the mysterious voice.
'I've no doubt you can run rings around the boys' club but for now, you're at their mercy. Trust me, I know how that feels.'
Bernie supposed that she did. Glimpsing leopard print from the corner of her eye, she knew this was no nurse. The woman didn't peer at her or coddle her, she just filled up the glass, placed the straw to Bernie's mouth and let her drink at her own pace. Bernie barely glanced at her, she wasn't in the mood.
'Get those clowns out there to start doing something before I spontaneously combust' she growled.
Serena permitted herself a smile.
'Right on it, Major.'
A coincidence? The tip tap of her heels faded into the distance as she threw out a comment about getting in there before the patient combusted. The boys filed in to get a berating from Major Wolfe.
Bernie hadn't forgotten the voice. When she next heard it, it was a long time later in the carpark and the voice could be heard berating a mechanic on her phone. Even with her back turned, Bernie recognised the timbre straight away. She sauntered up, wondering how it was she found that voice of sanity again. The flicker of recognition in Serena's eyes along with that delightful smile made Bernie think that working at Holby wasn't going to be so bad after all.