It had been at least a month before Serena decided to let Bernie see the children. She just couldn't deal with seeing Bernie while her mind was so messed up. It seemed as though her visit to the lawyer was hasty. She knew she didn't want to leave Bernie, but she didn't want life to continue the way it was. Checking the time, Serena wandered over to the phone and dialled her home number. She knew that Bernie wasn't going to be there, so she figured it was the best time since she didn't have to speak to Bernie in person. Hearing the phone ring out, and then the happy voices of herself and her wife repeating the recorded message of the answering machine made Serena smile softly. They were so happy before. After hearing the beep that allowed her to leave a message, she began to speak, "Umm… Bernie, it's Serena Campbell-Wolfe, your wife. I don't know why I announced that but anyway. Ahh… I want to speak to you face-to-face. I also think that you deserve to see the children. I will bring them around to see you on Saturday. Please make sure the house is in a better condition than last time. I – I love you." She hung up, her hands shaking.
Resting her forehead in her hands, Serena let a solitary tear fall before proclaiming, "Pull yourself together, Campbell!" She made a sudden decision. Almost running into the conservatory, Serena found the papers she was given by the solicitors and ripped them in half, and then in quarters. She didn't need them. She was making a snap decision. She didn't want her marriage to end. She still loved her wife. More than words could say. She loved her so much and that's why this hurt so much. It hurt too much for her to actually put it into words. And that's why she left. She had to leave otherwise she would end up hurting Bernie and the children. Contemplating this, Serena sat on the sofa and began thinking about what she would say to Bernie.
Bernie arrived home from work, exhausted. She stepped over the pile of clothes that had gathered by the living room doorway, before heading towards the kitchen, where the phone was. As habit had it, she pressed the play button on her messages before even checking if there were any. She froze however, when she heard the velvet voice of her wife. She listened intently, hearing Serena say "Ahh… I want to speak to you face-to-face. I also think that you deserve to see the children. I will bring them round to see you on Saturday. Please make sure the house is in a better condition than last time." Bernie looked around panicking, but once again she froze when she heard the words that she most wanted and most dreaded to hear. "I – I love you," Serena had said.
Bernie whispered back, "I love you too, my darling."
Eyeing the stack of dishes in the sink and the overflowing rubbish bin, Bernie ran upstairs and pulled on some old clothes. It was time to do some well-needed cleaning. She cleaned and cleaned for hours. She did at least four loads of washing and scrubbed the dishes until they gleamed. She vacuumed the floor at least twice and polished the floorboards until she could pretty much see her face in them. She cleaned for so long that she missed dinner. She wasn't even hungry or tired, instead powered by her determination to make the house presentable to her wife. Bernie cleaned until 11pm where she flopped down on the couch, physically exhausted, but proud of her efforts. Every surface was clean and every item of clothing was clean. It was time for Bernie to hit the hay.
On Saturday morning, Serena sat Cameron and Charlotte down at breakfast. She began, "So you know how we haven't seen Mama in a while?"
"Yeah," Cameron and Charlotte chorused.
"Well, we're going to go and see her today. Is that okay with you?"
Well, the twins could barely contain their excitement. They jumped off their chairs and ran around the room as if they'd just been told they had won the lottery. It took them at least five minutes to calm down. In that time, Serena had begun to prepare their breakfast, watching them carefully, making sure they didn't hurt themselves.
"Mummy, are we really going to see Mama?" Cameron asked through a mouthful of cereal.
"Yes. I promise. We will go home after we're all ready, where Mama will be waiting," Serena replied, calmly although her heart was hammering in her chest with both nerves and excitement at the thought of seeing her wife.
Cameron and Charlotte wolfed down their breakfast and bounded up the stairs, calling their mother to help them both have a bath before they left. Serena finished up her own breakfast before climbing the stairs and running the bath. The twins asked if they could bathe together to make things go quicker, to which Serena readily agreed. If it would save time and water she was all for it. Although the bath was by no means an easy affair, it was a quick one, allowing both Cameron and Charlotte to get dressed rather quickly.
Serena set the children down to play quietly before she got herself showered. However, she took a little longer since she needed a moment to collect herself. She had shed more than a tear or two at the thought of seeing her wife. In fact, while showering, she had burst into tears which streamed down her face noiselessly, as she reminded herself of what had happened in the past 6 months. She certainly wanted to take her time with getting ready. She was dreading going home. However, stalling the inevitable was only going to work for so long. She knew she had to get ready, so in order to not prolong the agony, she dressed herself and made sure she looked presentable. After doing that, she quickly packed the twins' things in their bags and made sure she had gathered all their possessions before heading downstairs.
Cameron and Charlotte were almost screaming with excitement when they saw their mother coming down the stairs. They really wanted to see their Mama. They loved their Mummy, but they had already spent so many years without their Mama that any more would basically be hell for them. So, when they were buckled into their car seats, they were more than happy when their mother pulled away from the house. Their destination: home.
Bernie barely slept that night. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. She hoped that Cameron and Charlotte would still love her. She hoped that her own wife would. Staring at the ceiling, Bernie knew that she would not get back to sleep any time soon. Rolling over to check the time, Bernie groaned when she saw that her alarm clock read 4 o'clock in the morning. She wanted to see her wife and children so desperately. No… she needed to see them.
For the next hour, she thought about her wife and children, especially Elinor. Whenever she couldn't sleep, her mind would always drift to Elinor and of the life they all could have had together. When she finally had enough of not sleeping, Bernie got out of bed and started cleaning the house again. Even though it was already clean, Bernie needed something to do to keep her mind off of the approaching visit. She spent the next two hours cleaning, making sure that every single surface gleamed and there wasn't a speck of dust lying around anywhere. She fingered the chain around her neck absentmindedly. When her fingers reached the gold bands that she kept there since they were given back a month ago. She didn't want to lose them. They were so precious to her. Touching them one last time, Bernie reached around her neck to unclasp the chain. Removing the rings from the chain, she placed them on the dining table, almost certain that Serena would want them back.
After breakfast, Bernie had a very long shower. The jet of water seemed to wash away her problems for a while. Her hair still limp with water, Bernie went to the bedroom to find a suitable outfit that looked like everyday wear, but looked like she had made an effort. Once she had found it, she returned to the bathroom to dry her hair properly. Honestly, after about 10 minutes, she gave up completely. Her hair just wasn't drying properly.
After getting dressed, Bernie returned to the living room and simply sat. She didn't have anything else left to do. She had gotten herself and the house ready and had no idea when Serena, Cameron and Charlotte were supposed to arrive. Serena's message left no specific time, only that she would be around on Saturday. But, she was pulled from her thoughts by that ringing of the doorbell. Jumping to her feet, Bernie was sure it was Serena with Cameron and Charlotte.
Surely, when Bernie opened the door, she almost wasn't able to stand because the twins launched themselves at her. They clutched at her legs as though she was the only person in their short lives. Bernie reached down and hugged them as best she could. She gently unlatched them before crouching down and hugging them both tightly, picking them up and carrying them into the dining room.
Serena followed along, watching the scene unfold. She watched as Bernie gasped at Charlotte and Cameron's stories and marvelling at the pictures they had each drawn and decided to bring along today. She rested her head and shoulder against the doorframe, sighing at the sight before her. She had spent the last 6 months daydreaming about a view like this and to finally get it was definitely a dream come true. Smiling softly, she didn't interrupt just choosing to watch the pleasant exchange between her wife and children. However, her reverie was broken when Bernie sent Cameron and Charlotte into the yard to play.
Shaking herself away from her thoughts, Serena approached the kitchen busying herself with making some tea while Bernie stood at the back door, watching Cameron and Charlotte run around and play. After she finished, Serena moved to the dining table, noticing her rings perched atop the mahogany surface. After hearing the chair scraping on the floorboards, Bernie returned to the table and groaned slightly as she sat down. Before Serena could say anything, Bernie pushed the rings towards her. She picked them up, rotating them around her index finger. But, Bernie made sure to softly take them back and instead of letting Serena put them on herself, slid them onto Serena's ring finger, concreting their love forever, hopefully.
"Bernie – " Serena began, however she was cut off by a short, high-pitched scream and the scuffling of her son's hurried footsteps.
"Mummy! Mama! It's Lottie! She fell out of the tree when we were playing!" Cameron exclaimed, almost in hysterics.
"What?!" both women exclaimed. They rushed from the dining table to outside, where their daughter was lying motionless on the ground. She had never looked so tiny, so vulnerable, so helpless. Suddenly, all the medical knowledge that Serena and Bernie had in their minds suddenly disappeared. The only thing that Serena could do was gently stroke her daughter's forehead.
Bernie suddenly shouted, "Call 999!"
"What?" Serena replied, absentmindedly.
"Never mind. I'll do it." Bernie ran back inside the house and picked up the phone. She dialled as quickly as she could and bounced on the balls of her feet with bated breath as the phone continued to ring.
When someone finally picked up, Bernie almost screamed down the line, "I need an ambulance! My daughter fell out of a tree and she's not moving!"
The operator replied, "Okay, can I get your name."
"Major Berenice Wolfe and Serena Campbell-Wolfe."
"Okay. We know where you are. We'll send the paramedics over as soon as possible. It seems it will arrive in about 10 minutes."
"Thank you!"
Bernie slammed the phone down before running back out to her family, gasping when the situation truly set in. Her daughter had fallen out of a tree. She could lose another child. Whatever happened she could not lose another daughter. She just couldn't. And that was the plain and utter truth. She needed to be with her family. And she hoped that the paramedics would arrive soon. Anything could happen between now and then. She just hoped that her daughter would pull through. But, she knew this time, her wife was right beside her and she was right beside her wife.
A/N: Okay, I have to apologise for the last chapter. I didn't mean to put you guys through that. But, I hope that this chapter makes up for it. Berena don't break up and also the end is in sight. And I promise you, it will be a happy one.
Please leave a review.
Love you guys,
ClosetMisfit xx
P.S. I know that the ending is also a bit depressing, but it will get more positive. I PROMISE
