Glad people liked this, thanks for the comments. There is going to be a third chapter because I couldn't fit it all into this without making it waaaay too long.
Serena uncomfortably unbuttoned her blouse and began to slide it back off her shoulders. The tight space in the car meant it got a little stuck and she startled as Hanssen suddenly came to her aid and began to tug it off, his hand grazing her bare shoulder slightly.
'Hey!' Michael suddenly exclaimed, glancing in the rearview mirror. 'Are things getting raunchy back there?'
Mo turned to see what he was talking about and was greeted by equally icy glares from both occupants of the backseat.
'Just concentrate on the road Michael.' Serena replied. She did not need any comments about her attire, or lack thereof, she felt self-conscious enough already in her spaghetti strapped top. She folded her blouse and realised the only place to put it was on top of Hanssen's clothes on the seat between them.
'There now, isn't that better?' Hanssen said with a smirk, imitating her earlier comment and tone. She rolled her eyes.
'Any chance we could have Radio Four on?' she asked, changing the subject.
'None.' Michael replied swiftly.
'M&M?' Mo asked, stretching back with a packet of peanut M&M's in her hand.
Giving the back of Michael's head a brief flick with her fingers in annoyance, Serena proffered her hand for Mo to tilt a few of the sweets into her palm.
'Mr H?' Mo asked.
'No thank you.' Hanssen replied politely.
'I bet you don't eat sweets, do you?' Serena commented. 'No nutritional value and they're bad for your teeth – you'd be far too sensible to indulge in such decadence!' She smirked as she popped one in her mouth.
'You know me so well.' Hanssen replied, his tone and the look on his face dripping with sarcasm. Serena chuckled.
A little while later after much debate, they pulled off the motorway to a small village and stopped at the first café they saw.
Michael groaned and yawned as he stretched his arms over his head when he got out of the car. Serena was the last to get out as she put her blouse back on first.
Inside they ordered their food swiftly, Serena kicking Michael under the table to stop him flirting with the waitress. Mo got a text on her phone and burst into laughter after checking it and mumbled 'Oh Jonny Mac!'
'What's so funny?' Michael, who was sitting next to her, asked curiously. She showed him the photo on her phone. Michael grinned. Another ping announced the arrival of a second photo from Jonny.
On seeing the second photo Mo gasped and Michael grabbed the phone to have a closer look before bursting into laughter.
'Oh that's good!' he said.
Serena began to get suspicious when Mo threw her superiors on the other side of the table a nervous look.
'And frighteningly accurate. Where'd they get the wigs?' Michael continued. 'You should see this!' he said to Serena.
'Um maybe it's…not…that funny.' Mo said hurriedly, taking the phone off Michael.
Now Serena and Hanssen were both suspicious.
'What is it?' Serena asked.
Michael looked at Mo to explain but she shook her head subtly. Michael glanced back the serious faces of Serena and Hanssen. He thought Jonny's joke was funny but maybe they wouldn't see it that way.
The phone pinged again. Michael leaned over to see as Mo checked it and in spite of themselves they both laughed before hurriedly biting their lips again.
'Show me.' Serena said.
'It's nothing.' Mo said.
Serena simply raised an eyebrow. Mo felt like she'd been caught by her teacher sharing notes in class and timidly handed the phone over.
Serena scrolled to the first photo and Hanssen leaned in to take a look. The photo showed Jonny Maconie wearing a tie and glasses and making a ridiculous face at the camera. Serena looked up at Mo and Michael with a look that clearly said she thought they were pathetic for finding that so funny. She went to the next photo which showed Harry Tressler now wearing the tie and glasses with Mary-Clare Carter who was wearing a short brown wig and holding a stack of files under her arm. Tressler seemed to be standing on something as he looked a good foot taller than Mary-Clare. He was standing uncomfortably straight with a grim expression and she looked like she was berating him for something.
Mo glanced nervously at Michael who simply shrugged in amusement. They watched as Serena crinkled her nose in confusion. Hanssen raised an eyebrow, clearly he had already picked up on who Harry and Mary-Clare were supposed to be.
'Are they…' Serena didn't finished the sentence. She looked at Hanssen who twitched his mouth, seemingly more amused by the look on Serena's face than the contents of the photos. Serena looked at Mo and Michael.
'Admit it, it's kinda funny.' Michael said.
Mo hoped Serena would give the phone back before seeing the next photo but no luck.
'Hilarious.' She said sarcastically. Returning her attention to the phone she went to the next photo and her mouth opened slightly as she stared at it.
Harry, bending slightly and with one arm around Mary-Clare's waist whilst with his other hand he appeared to be in the middle of throwing the files into the air, was mid-kiss with the nurse.
'What on earth…' Serena said.
Mo waited for a tirade. Michael was laughing again. Serena turned to see Hanssen's reaction. He was studying the photo intently.
'Why is Nurse Maconie on AAU?' was his only comment.
This made Michael laugh all the harder. The waitress returned with their food and so they made no further comment until she was gone.
'Leave them alone for a few days and the place turns to chaos!' Serena muttered. 'Wait until I get back…'
'Mr Griffin is on AAU today, is he not?' asked Hanssen. 'I am sure he has already dealt with them. He's not exactly known for his humour.'
Serena looked at him in surprise. 'Pot, kettle and black!' she said. 'I'm surprised you even know how to say the word.'
'I can say it in several languages.' Hanssen replied glibly.
'I'm sure they didn't mean any harm by it.' Mo said, feeling as though she should defend her best mate.
'I'm sure they didn't,' Serena agreed, 'but it's still inappropriate behaviour on a busy ward.'
'Mr Griffin's busy ward today.' Hanssen added.
Serena turned to him. 'Why do you keep referring to Mr Griffin?'
Hanssen shrugged. 'He's the consultant in charge of AAU today. If the staff are running amuck it's his problem.'
'I am sure they are not "running amuck".' Serena said defensively. 'Mr Griffin is perfectly capable of running AAU.'
'So why are you worrying?' Hanssen responded smugly.
Serena realised what he had done and sighed irritably. She turned her attention to her food and tried to ignore the looks Mo and Michael were exchanging.
'How is Mr Griffin fairing as your little project?' Hanssen asked conversationally after a minute.
'He is not my "little project".' She said through gritted teeth. She gave a discreet nod towards their companions. She had promised Ric it would be kept quiet about him updating his skills under her supervision.
'Oh I wasn't alluding to that.' Hanssen said cryptically.
Serena wanted to know what he was referring to but couldn't ask without drawing the attention of Michael and Mo. She ignored him and continued her meal instead.
They finished their meal amidst Michael and Mo swapping funny anecdotes and Serena and Hanssen making occasional contributions, mostly in the form of discreet barbs at one another.
Hanssen went to pay for the meal on the hospital's credit card. Mo went to the loo and Michael and Serena waited outside in the sunshine.
'What is going on with you and the Big H?' Michael asked.
'He's being his usual self and I'm reacting as I usually do.' Serena replied.
'No.' Michael shook his head. 'I haven't seen this behaviour before.'
'Oh and what do you think this behaviour is then?' Serena asked in a bored tone.
'Honestly? If it were between any other two people I'd say sexual tension.'
Serena gave a short laugh. 'Oh please!'
'Seriously. He's been watching you like a hawk for the past two days. He couldn't take his eyes of you this morning. He had you stripping in the back seat of the car!'
'I was not stripping!' Serena said. 'And he watches everyone like a hawk.'
'Not with that look in his eyes that he has when he's watching you.' Michael insisted. 'And all that about Mr Griffin? He's jealous, it's as clear as day!'
Serena speechlessly shook her head.
'And you're not innocent either missy so don't even try to deny it!' he continued.
'Missy?' Serena asked.
'You were totally checking him out when he was taking that waistcoat off, I saw you in the mirror.'
'Nice to know how much attention you were giving the road!' Serena retorted.
'Admittedly – not as much attention as you were giving Hanssen's physique!' Michael shot back.
Before Serena could say another word Hanssen and Mo appeared. Serena stormed off in the direction of the car, Hanssen following and Michael signalling for Mo to hang back so he could have a word.
When they reached the car Serena leaned against it waiting for Michael to arrive with the keys. She noticed as Hanssen arrived that the other two were lagging way behind. Probably not by accident, she thought.
Hanssen gave a nervous half smile as he stood beside her. 'Won't be much longer now until home.' He said.
She always found his attempts at small talk amusing. He always adopted the same lofty tone and awkward posture.
'Hey!' Michael shouted at them from the other end of the car park. 'Mom! Dad! Can we go get ice-cream? Please?' he pointed at a shop across the road. Even from that distance Michael could see the dirty look Serena was giving him and grinned.
'Give us the car keys first!' Serena shouted back but Michael pretended not to hear and he and Mo kept going. Serena sighed in frustration.
Hanssen checked his watch.
'Oh dear, an unscheduled ice-cream delay – how will you cope!' Serena commented snidely.
'You were the one rushing home.' He said.
'It's not the delay that's bothering you though is it? Just like it wasn't the car breaking down last night, per se that bothered you. It's the unexpected. The unscheduled. That's why you couldn't have another mechanic look at your car last night, you have to send it to the same garage you always do.'
'An interesting observation from a woman who is so fond of lists and schedules.' Hanssen retorted.
'I'm fond of efficiency. But I'm perfectly willing – and capable of dealing with change.'
Hanssen smirked. 'Is that why you arrive everyday an hour before your shift and leave an hour late? You send all of your emails either at 8.20am or 7pm. Sometimes 11pm – which clearly indicates you never quite switch off from work. You have one of those awful healthy salad concoctions from the café for lunch on those days that you do take a lunch break or on the days when you don't you simply snack on biscuits or a pastry which you send some terrified F1 to fetch for you? You visit your mother every Wednesday. You usually wear that red blouse on Tuesdays and your brown one on Thursdays, because they are obviously your favourites and you have a laundry schedule.'
Hanssen paused for breath. 'Oh yes – you're very fond of change Ms Campbell.'
Serena was gobsmacked.
'What have you been doing stalking me?' she asked.
'It's remarkable what one can learn merely from taking the time to observe.' He replied.
'Everyone has a routine.' She said defensively. 'At least I don't have a panic attack if someone accidently moves an ornament on my desk!'
Hanssen's jaw clenched.
'When was the last time you did something without thinking about it over and over first?' Serena asked.
'Acting without thinking isn't something that's recommended for surgeons.' He replied.
'I don't mean acting off the cuff in the middle of surgery.' She said. 'I mean personally, in everyday ordinary life. When did you last go for a coffee outside of your scheduled coffee break or…' Serena waved her arms, 'eaten M&M's just because you felt like it!'
'I don't like M&M's.' he replied.
Serena groaned and rolled her eyes. He was impossible.
'Have you ever done anything without preplanning it?'
'I try to avoid doing so.' He admitted.
'Why?' she asked in exasperation.
'It rarely ends well when I do.' He said quietly.
Serena suddenly felt sympathy for him. 'Well maybe you need to try it more often. Law of averages – it's bound to work out sometimes!'
Suddenly she saw a spark of something in his eyes and he stepped closer to her, forcing her back against the car. Swiftly he placed one hand on her hip and his other against her cheek. His lips crashed against hers as his body pressed her against the car and she let out a surprised whimper.
Her hands rested on his upper arms as her mind whirred busily trying to contemplate what was happening. Breathless he pulled away for a second but as she opened her mouth to speak his mouth returned and he gently slid his tongue between lips, deepening the kiss. Serena moaned again.
When Hanssen felt her hands travel from his arms to his shoulders and felt the pressure of her pulling him tighter and her tongue softly begin to respond to his, he felt a wave of relief. He allowed himself to straighten his posture slightly so that she had to stretch a little and stand on her toes. He wrapped both arms around her waist pulling her upwards and simultaneously pressing against her more firmly.
Eventually they needed to break for air. Hanssen nervously watched Serena's face for her reaction.
'What on earth was that?'
'Spontaneity.' He replied.
'Bloody hell.' She said, still stunned. She took a deep breath. 'Wh… why?'
'Because I felt like it. Have done for a long time.' He confessed.
Serena didn't know what to say. She looked around them and stiffened when she caught sight of Michael and Mo standing, open mouthed and stunned, nearby. Michael's ice-cream was dripping over his fingers but he didn't seem to notice. Hanssen jumped away from her when he realised they were there.
'Um… we're gonna give you a moment.' Mo said, grabbing Michael by the arm and dragging him away.
Serena turned to Hanssen. 'Great.' She said sarcastically. 'Just bloody brilliant.'
