With their infamous juddering, the main doors to Holby City Hospital reception opened, letting out an outpatient. Gusts of warm, evening air blew in through the hospital, splaying Bernie Wolfe's halo of golden hair in every direction as she waited in the Pulses coffee line. In her arms was a large, shining tin. The army medic kept tapping her foot impatiently and checking her black leather watch; she was completely bored of waiting in the seemingly infinite coffee line. Every minute spent waiting for coffee is a minute not spent with Serena.
"Oh come on people...I've got somewhere to be!" Bernie growled irritably. Her moans garnered a few glances from other people in the queue, presumably relatives visiting patients in Holby. Shifting her legs and repeatedly crossing and uncrossing her arms over her large tin, the blonde was relieved when she finally reached the front of the queue.
"Hello, yes. Two black coffees, one with no foam please." Having repeated that exact coffee order many times in the past, Bernie said it easily and without thinking. Thanking the barista, she placed the two cups of steaming coffee on top of her tin and made her way to the lift, grabbing two sachets of brown sugar and a stirrer on the way.
Serena Campbell had experienced a quiet evening so far. The general surgeon was an hour into her night shift and had done the rounds for the hour; she was currently sitting in her dimly lit office, completing some left over paperwork and basking in the very enjoyable (and rare) silence on AAU. Three sharp knocks at the door caused Serena to look up to the entrance of her office. A wide smile played on her lips as she saw the person entering. Serena couldn't help but notice how the amber evening light lit up Bernie Wolfe's figure and made it look like she was positively shining.
"Bernie! What a surprise. Here, let me help you." Serena exclaimed, getting up and quickly removing the coffee cups that were balancing precariously on Bernie's tin.
"Thanks. The one on the right is yours – just how you like it. Think fast." Bernie said, her baritone voice resonating through the office. Closing the door, she threw two sachets of brown sugar and a wooden stirrer to Serena, of which she caught with ease.
"Black with no foam. As always, you remembered. Thank you Bern." Serena mumbled, busy mixing brown sugar into her steaming cup of coffee. But the compliment wasn't missed on the army medic and she a faint blush danced across her cheeks.
"No problem! Anything for the mighty Ms. Campbell." Bernie quipped, a smile playing on her lips as she sat down in her desk chair. The two women were currently sharing an office in AAU, with their desks facing each other. Serena was glad of Bernie's company and unwavering kindness, whereas Bernie was glad for the very attractive view Serena provided.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Bernie suddenly lifted her head up from behind her coffee cup.
"I almost forgot! I made us a cake." Getting up, Bernie opened the tin on the desk and offered it to the brunette doctor. The word 'us' made Serena's heart swell and her stomach quickened in its back flips.
Peering into the tin, Serena took out a slice of fruit cake. It was slightly blackened and felt very dry, but Serena couldn't help but be very grateful for the effort the army medic had made.
Bernie cleared her throat. With a slight blush lingering on her cheeks, the blonde watched as Serena examined her slice of cake – she couldn't help but notice how hesitant the brunette looked.
"I made it last night. I remembered that you hate sultanas but love walnuts so I changed the recipe slightly. I also added extra glacé cherries." Bernie murmured, grabbing herself a slice of cake as well.
"Oh Bern you are too sweet. Thank you!" Serena replied, smiling her biggest grin at the bashful army medic. The brunette couldn't believe how thoughtful and kind Bernie was; the fact that she remembered all these small things about her made Serena feel loved and even more thankful for Bernie's presence. No one cared about Serena like Bernie did. To be honest, the cake was absolutely disgusting. It tasted like charcoal and the texture was drier than the Sahara desert. Both the huge lumps of walnut and sticky glacé cherries didn't help add to the cake's appeal. But, with a smile on her lips, Serena continued to eat the cake purely to save Bernie's feelings from being hurt, even as it concreted itself to the roof of her mouth.
"Serena stop already!" Bernie laughed, a mischievous glint in her hazel eyes. She shook her head – one bite of the cake had told her how revolting it was, and she had put it down a long time ago. Ever since, she'd watched the brunette opposite her eating the cake and trying to keep the grimace of her attractive face.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad-"
"My God, that is an understatement. It is terrible, although I love that you're trying to pretend it's nice!" Bernie responded, a smile lighting up her face.
"Fair point. Nevertheless, I appreciate the sentiment."
"And it was my pleasure to bake it for you." Tilting her head slightly to the side, Bernie reconsidered her statement. "Well actually it wasn't a pleasure. More of a nightmare if I'm being truthful; I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a domestic goddess!"
"I think you'd better leave the baking to Nigella and stick to trauma surgeries and operating tanks from now on!" Serena quipped cheekily, smiling at the already laughing army medic.