Hey! Here's a short fic, inspired by a prompt from berniewolf on tumblr. All thoughts are in italics. Enjoy! :)
"Cheers!" Resonated throughout the din of the loud bar, as three doctors and a nurse merrily banged their glasses together. It was the end of a rather hectic shift and relief was evident in the warm atmosphere. Raf and Fletch were both drinking lager, whereas Serena and Bernie were happily sharing a bottle of Shiraz. Bernie was planning to get the train back to her hotel, whereas she knew that Serena was driving home; the blonde had been keeping an eye on how much Serena had been drinking (as always), making sure she was still safe to drive. After all, if there was one thing Serena Campbell loved, it was Shiraz.
"That shift was an absolute nightmare! I thought it'd never end!" Fletch exclaimed, his cockney tone laden with its normal cheekiness alongside exhaustion.
"I have to agree. I never want to see the patient in Bed 4 ever again!" Serena replied, quickly tipping her head back to drain the last of her wine glass. Before the brunette could even work out where the wine bottle had got to, Bernie had already begun pouring her another glass of wine; the army medic had designated herself the boss of the wine bottle. Sharing a knowing smile with the blonde next to her, Serena nodded in thanks and wondered what she had done to deserve her - all she could say was that she was glad Bernie Wolfe had ended up at Holby City hospital. Although being a decisive and independent woman, Serena couldn't help but thank fate for bringing the army medic to her. Turning to look at Bernie, the brunette studied the woman, looking into her eyes. Hazel eyes, swimming like rain that was just begging to be danced in. She liked how (unlike herself) Bernie was thoughtful; words were as precious as gold to her and she spoke with depth and consideration. Often not laden down with heavy emotion, Serena admired how the army medic's words could be trusted to be honest, straight to the point and heartfelt - even if it wasn't always obvious. That was another thing Serena liked about the blonde. Even though they'd now been close friends for months, Bernie still remained a very mysterious and private person. Although Serena often had to work hard to gain insight into what the army medic was thinking or worrying about, she had always found it worthwhile and every little thing she found out about Bernie made the brunette increasingly intrigued and invested in the woman like never before. In fact, it made her something of an enigma, a mystery begging to be solved. And Serena was more than happy to play detective.
"Oh fuck me." Bernie exclaimed, looking down at her cream blouse in despair. A slightly tipsy Morven had accidently bumped into her from behind, sending the last of the army medic's wine tumbling down her front. Crimson blotches of Shiraz began to spread throughout the sheer fabric, rivers of red dripping down the sighing army medic's chest.
"Good grief woman, surely you aren't drunk already?" Serena teased, hazel eyes glinting cheekily. Distractedly, Raf handed the doctor a napkin before continuing his very passionate football discussion with Fletch and a rather bewildered-looking Dom. Delicately, Serena began to blot the growing stain. Tension twisted like a knife; the room suddenly felt like a furnace. Serena was refusing to make eye contact with Bernie, instead intently focusing her gaze on cleaning the army medic's blouse. Obviously Bernie would usually clean herself up, but Serena seemed to be enjoying herself (and the army medic definitely wasn't one to stop her). A smile played Bernie's lips as she met the eye line of the now-blushing doctor below her. "Oh Bern, I don't think it's going to come out any time soon." Serena mumbled apologetically, giving up with trying to remove the scarlet stain.
"I'm meant to be seeing my divorce lawyers in an hour!" Bernie shouted to Serena over the din in the bar. I can't turn up with a huge wine stain down my shirt; this divorce is already not working in my favour, let alone if I turn up looking like a drunk mess!
"Surely you have more blouses?" The brunette questioned, sitting back down on her stool. Her hand remained on the blonde's shoulder, acting as a comforting shield against the exasperation clear in her tone.
"Well yes but..." Bernie grimaced. If there was one thing she hated, it was being predictable; her time in the army had drilled it out of her from day 1. And yet the blonde knew for certain that her inability to keep a place tidy for more than 2 minutes would be very much expected by Serena. "None of them are ironed and they're currently residing in a giant heap in the middle of my hotel room."
"Surprise surprise. I should've put money on your room looking like a bomb site." Serena laughed, earning a sheepish smile from the blonde. "You may as well come back to mine, otherwise you'll end up being late. I'm only 20 minutes away at most, and I'm sure you'll find something you like."
"Thank you. You always look lovely so I'm sure I'll find something to make myself look at least half-presentable." Bernie smiled as she complimented the slightly blushing brunette, before draining the last swirling dregs in her glass.
Serena stood up, followed by Bernie. Walking out of the bar, arms linked, they waved goodbye to their colleagues.
"Tally-ho boys! See you bright and early tomorrow!" The blonde threw the general goodbye behind her shoulder, as the pair left Albie's. Even though I have another dreadfully boring meeting tonight, all I can think about is spending more time with her. Jesus Christ! Pull yourself together woman! You've kept your emotions in check your whole life; now is not the time to let them get the better of you.
Comfortable silence enveloped the two woman during the short car journey. Dark, bitter night air threatened their warmth; a rather inept heater lamely circulated small amounts of lukewarm air around the car.
"Serena, your heater is absolutely shit. Would you like me to fix it?" Bernie murmured, shaking her head slightly as she waved her hand in front of the poor excuse for a heater.
Laughing, Serena pulled into her driveway. "To be frank, there isn't anything about this bloody car that isn't shit - my twat of an ex-husband left me with the responsibility over this rusting heap of metal. I'd be very grateful if you could figure out how to get my heater running again; honest to God, last December I developed frostbite just driving to work every morning." Serena's light giggle, accompanied now by Bernie's husky laugh, lingered in the crisp evening air as they got out of the groaning car and walked towards Serena's house.
A rush of hot air welcomed both into the dimly lit household. Content silence filled the house; Jason was out at chess club and wasn't expected back until much later on in the evening.
"Would you like another glass of red?" Serena asked, gliding into the kitchen and heading straight for the wine cupboard. Only Serena Campbell would have a whole cupboard dedicated to wine...
"No, I can't I'm afraid. The lawyers already think I'm a fool; I can't turn up as an incoherent drunk!"
"Fair point." Serena nodded, slowly putting down her corkscrew. "Anyways, you're no fool. Show Marcus who's boss; heaven knows he's put you through the wringer so far." Although Serena in no way condoned Bernie's cheating on Marcus, it was clear that the army medic had fallen out of love with her (soon to be ex) husband a long time ago, and Marcus was most certainly not taking the divorce graciously. Relationships were sometimes irreparable. But that's not to say he was given a free pass on being unnecessarily unpleasant towards the blonde medic. He had taken away everything Bernie had; her home, her possessions - he had even turned her own children against her. Serena knew from her own experience that divorces could be nasty - in fact, it was a blessing to have a relatively smooth divorce. And Bernie was most certainly not blessed at the moment.
Eyes creased in a smile, Bernie nodded. Somehow, she always knows exactly what to say. "So...where are my wardrobe choices?" The blonde quipped cheekily, stepping closer to Serena.
"Follow me Ms Wolfe." The brunette smiled before quickly turning away, walking out the room and up the carpeted staircase. She was closely followed by Bernie who, as they were climbing the staircase, was trying very hard to avert her gaze from the brunette's well-endowed backside. Unfortunately, she was failing miserably.
Upon walking through the wooden doorframe, Bernie's cheeks reddened with an amber blush. Her heart was fluttering and her stomach was doing somersaults; it felt strange yet very exciting to be in the doctor's bedroom. Although the army medic had imagined this room several times in various daydreams, she was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps she was expecting the room to be darker and more glamorous - she had fully pictured at least a few diamonds around the room, but it was in contrast quite sparsely decorated. Bernie surveyed the space around her; she smiled slightly as she noticed how perfectly Serena's bed was made, and how every little detail was both precise and perfect. Even the towering piles of books on Serena's bedside table seemed purposeful. There was nothing out of place and the room was a stark contrast to Bernie's living space; there was not a single ounce of mess, rubbish or half-eaten food to be found anywhere. Now this is definitely what a good influence looks like. Finally turning her attention to the brunette next to her, Bernie nodded encouragingly. A proud, happy grin lit up Serena's face as she opened the double doors to her wardrobe. Tentatively, Bernie stepped forwards towards the extra-ordinarily large collection of clothing.
"Well?"
"I knew you liked clothes." Bernie grinned, eyes wide in astonishment. "But I didn't think it possible for someone to own this much!"
"It is shameful. Clothes and bags; my two weaknesses." Apart from you. "For some time now I've had the intention to give away a lot of my unused possessions to charity, although I've never had the time to get round to doing it."
"Give me a call and I'll help you if you like." Bernie offered, absent-mindedly running her hand through the rack of fabrics. Suddenly, her eye line was caught by a bright leopard print shirt. Classic Serena attire. Then past some kitten heels, quickly followed by a handbag. And another handbag, hiding behind two more leopard print blouses and a matching scarf. In the corner of the wardrobe, Bernie's observant eyes spotted two more leopard print blouses sitting alongside a printed skirt. The wardrobe was filled with leopard print, leopard print…and more leopard print! Without warning, the blonde burst into laughter. Deep, rumbling guffaws vibrated in the air, shaking the whole of the army medic's thin frame. Shakes of her head splayed Bernie's blonde curls in every direction. Still laughing, she raised her head, wiped the tears from her joy-filled eyes and looked up at a rather confused Serena.
"Something funny, Ms Wolfe?" The brunette asked, eyebrows raised in expectation.
"H-how much-" Bernie paused to take another glance at the overflowing wardrobe, which set off another fit of laughter. "-leopard print d-does one woman need? I've never seen so much in my life!"
Smiling, Serena stepped towards the wardrobe and picked out a very bright leopard print blouse.
"My motto; a woman can never have too much Shiraz or too much leopard print." Assertively, Serena handed the blouse to the still-giggling army medic. "Put this on."
Bernie's smile fell like a ton of bricks. "There is no way in hell I am wearing-" Suddenly the army medic stopped in her tracks. Looking down at the fabric in her hands, she supposed that even the most garish of blouses was better than the wine-stained garment she was wearing right now. Now gazing up into Serena's hazel eyes, Bernie decided she couldn't offend nor let down the brunette. "Actually, I may as well give it a go." Graciously accepting the blouse, the unflappable army medic turned around, unbuttoned her damp shirt and slipped on the crisp garment. Meanwhile, Serena had determinedly fixed her interest on a bird outside the window, desperate not to catch sight of an undressed Bernie. For some reason, her heart wanted nothing more than to see the army medic. To inspect what was under all the armour, see what lay beneath. But, with her brow set straight and willpower most certainly tested, Serena kept her eye line firmly outside until Bernie was ready; she sensed that catching a peek at Bernie would bring her more problems in the long run (even if she wanted nothing more than to see the army medic topless).
"Okay...what do you think?" Bernie was desperately pulling at the closely-fitting fabric, trying to find some space. Serena looked at the army medic and couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful she looked. Eye line following Bernie's pleasant curves, the brunette caught sight of her hands trying to stretch the blouse.
"Stop tugging at it! You look perfect-" Serena winced internally at how unbelievably ludicrous she sounded. "-I mean the blouse looks good."
Averting her gaze from how well the blouse complimented Bernie's chest, Serena looked at her leather watch.
"Oh! It's almost 7, we'd better go."
"We?" Bernie questioned, eyebrows raised quizzically as she followed the brunette downstairs, grabbed her bag on her way.
"Yes! Of course I'll drive you there; it's freezing outside and I'd much prefer to drive you than leave you to walk alone in the dark." Serena replied, almost exasperated - she wouldn't dream of leaving Bernie to go alone. Car keys tinkling, Serena headed out of the front door, Bernie at her side.
"Thank you Serena. For everything."
"You're welcome. Anytime you need a something in leopard print, you know exactly who to come to!"
"Indeed I do." Bernie laughed, shutting the front door behind her and heading for the rusty car sitting in the driveway.
Having arrived at the lawyers, the blonde suddenly turned to Serena in the driving seat.
"Are you sure I look okay?" Bernie asked quietly, still feeling insecure. The material was rather tight; it's fine for someone who looks as good as Serena, but not for someone like me! The army medic's elegant hands continued to smooth down the blouse around her stomach. Quickly, Serena placed her hands over Bernie's, in order to get her to stop fidgeting.
"Yes! You look-" Serena hesitated. You look absolutely fucking perfect. "-good. Really good."
Bernie nodded, sitting up straight and reaching down for her handbag. But Serena could still see the uneasiness in her eyes. "Trust me Bern, nobody messes with a woman in leopard print. Even lawyers." Serena murmured, earning a hearty laugh off the woman next to her.
"Serena Campbell, you'll be the death of me." With that, a smirking Bernie left the car, her head still shaking in amusement as she walked into the lawyer's office.