Bernie Wolfe had only met Serena's mother twice. Once when she was well and wasting Serena's time and the other when she was about to die, reluctantly sitting a wheelchair and verbally abusing her daughter.
'She wouldn't.'
Raf shrugged unhappily.
'She's got bruises on her arms, what else can we think?'
'Serena would never hurt her own mother' Bernie stated resolutely. Raf could see the obstinate set of her mouth and said no more. He couldn't count on her to be impartial.
Bernie could sense it coming like breathless air before the thunder. She saw the warning signs; the more agitated the woman in the wheelchair got, the more panicked Serena looked, Bernie caught her breath while the dark cloud gathered momentum and Adrienne lashed out.
The first push knocked Serena to the ground and everyone froze in horror. She got back up straight away and looked like she would have the upper hand in subduing the monster but the next blow was aimed across her stomach and she stumbled. When mother rose out of her chair screaming about the thief, daughter started to back away, hands outstretched, telling her please don't, not here, a slap caught her cheek and she went flying into the wall.
Bernie could have never have credited an old woman with such strength but the reason for the bruising on her arms became apparent. She had to be restrained, kicking and screaming by a porter but even then it was hard to contain her. She'd banged her daughter's head against a wall, scratched painful deep cuts on her neck and across her shoulders and when the porter lost his grip on her, it was Serena who had held her and soothed her while Adrienne had a meltdown. Bernie had run to Serena's side but she'd warned everyone away while she'd made her mother comfortable.
When Adrienne finally been placated and placed back in her wheelchair, Bernie feared for Serena's sanity as she once again knelt in front of her and took her hand to calm her down, dragging her blouse back on to cover the lacerations. There was a rip in it.
'Oh love, look at the state of you. Your hair is a mess' clucked Adrienne, hand smoothing over her daughter's ruffled hair. Bernie opened her mouth to say something but Raf nudged her. Serena would certainly hold a grudge against her if she ruined it now. Fury silently welled up in her as the indomitable Serena Campbell made steady excuses in a voice that trembled here and there. Her mother berated her for all the wrong she'd done in her life, what a disappointment she was and stop sulking child, no one will look at you with such an unattractive trait. Serena gave up and laid her head on their clasped hands to say nothing more. Bernie was now shaking with rage at the cruelty and humiliation heaped upon her colleague in front of her ward. She knew how that felt. She approached and crouched down, gently touching Serena's shoulder to comfort her.
'We'll take her to a private room, she'll be looked after there.'
'Serena, we can't have her threatening anyone. She can't stay here for long' Ric tried to reason with her.
'She doesn't know what she's doing, she's confused.'
'We will help you sort it out. You don't have to cope alone.'
'I'm not letting her out of my sight.'
'We're not leaving you to deal with her alone. I won't let you.'
That was Ric's final word on the matter.
Serena hadn't let go of Adrienne's hand but everyone could hear her quiet desperate sobbing and that was the worst thing of all. When they proposed to take her mother to a private room, Bernie unclasped their hands and made them pull away.
'For goodness sakes girl pull yourself together' was Adrienne's last words to her, switching to a happy chirp of approval when tea was suggested. Not one for being tactile, Bernie nevertheless crushed Serena in a hug right there on a floor. She didn't care who saw her. Nothing else mattered. Serena let her, breaking Bernie's heart to see her so helpless and fragile. She led her to a cubicle and closed the curtains.
Sliding off the blouse and the top underneath, Bernie inspected her injuries and dabbed on a horribly stinging cure from a bottle, placed a patch over each one. She was unnerved when Serena said nothing. She'd never seen her so quiet. Until now she hadn't known how much she relied on Serena's voice to guide her day. Her clever fingers gently soothed the bruise on her temple while she scanned Serena's back, neck and shoulders for anything she might have missed. Her arms bore the bruising of being held in a recent tight grip and Bernie felt guilty even though none of them had ever had reason to suspect. Serena was always covered up and never would have given anything away unless her mother would have forced her hand.
Bernie's fingers stopped their perusal and she noticed something she'd never had the chance to see before. And how could she have? There was a mark on her back, not too far from the current lacerations. It looked like old scar tissue. It had the shape of something she'd seen before. A belt buckle. Bernie remembered the days of being beaten with a belt but the marks had faded. This one had been seared into the skin, a permanent reminder of a childhood misdemeanour. Bernie hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath until Serena sat up with a gasp, blouse clutched across her chest to preserve her modesty. She realised that she must have touched the scar. She reassured her that her injuries would heal quickly because there was nothing more she could do. Serena stayed silent and empty as she redressed with the spare top she kept in her drawer. Her distance worried Bernie but she kept quiet as she watched her stride away to go and check on her mother.
Later on that day, she'd walked into the room to find Serena's head on her mother's lap as Adrienne's subsequent stroke had escalated into the inevitable. Her rapid drop into death had left all of them drained and relieved. But none of them would ever forget the day they saw a side to Serena Campbell they desperately never wanted to see again.