"I just don't understand what his issue was!" Serena threw her arms up in the air as she stormed to the car, huffing in frustration, only to turn and have to wait for Bernie to stroll behind her to unlock the door. "Ah, I remember!" She sarcastically exclaimed and held a finger up in mock inspiration, leaning against the frosty metal side and glaring into the tired eyes of her girlfriend. "It was because I was a woman! And he just couldn't stand the fact that, heaven forbid, his surgery should be performed without the presence of a Y chromosome!" Serena's rant grew in volume as she continued, until she was practically yelling.
Bernie yanked open the passenger door, "In. Now." She firmly spoke, pointing to the seat and glaring into eyes level with hers, receiving another murmur as she flopped into the car with little care for elegance.
Bernie knew it had been a difficult shift- and a long one at that. Serena had mentioned frequently in the previous days of her growing admin tasks, and had agreed to take the morning as non-clinical to organise her space a bit, although she knew she'd end up sifting through Bernie's paperwork too. That didn't bother Serena; they were a perfect team and had supported one another from day one.
This plan, as ever, had fallen through just 40 minutes after it had begun. The red phone had announced the arrival of an impaled victim and whisked Bernie away to prepare for the emergency. Serena had reluctantly stepped in to manage the floor, but had become tangled in concerns for an elderly patient's welfare and had ended the shift an hour later than expected, due to an internal bleed that had been particularly difficult to control. On top of these trials of her day, Serena had also clashed with a 'stuck-up, sexist sumph'- as she had so graciously put it- who had resisted surgery on the basis that she was female.
Bernie had strode back into AAU triumphantly, after successfully tackling the complex challenges of the surgery she'd rushed away for earlier. Her hand had been hovering on the office door when she'd first heard the sharp, irked voice of her partner.
"Mr. Hasleigh, contrary to your clearly outdated and ludicrous beliefs, I am more than capable of performing your surgery. If you refuse, there is simply nothing we can do about your condition or the pain that will no doubt continue to worsen so-" Serena spun around at the sound of the curtain swishing back, to the blonde standing behind her, arms folded and a curious gaze set in her wide, fatigued eyes.
"Ms. Campbell," She firmly addressed her, trying not to smirk at the heavy exhale and narrowed eyes, clearly at the end of her tether. "Shall we?" Serena followed her, as she retreated to their office, not bothering to look back at the troublesome patient.
"What was that about?" Bernie leant against the door she'd just closed, directing Serena to sit in the chair before her. Like a sulking child, she slumped back into the chair, sighing again.
"Wouldn't you just love to tell some patients what you think- what you actually think?" She replied, exhausted by the day's events. "That delightful pillock won't agree to surgery because I'd be doing it!" A hysterical, short bark of laughter followed from Serena, as she looked up to the confused expression of her girlfriend.
"Don't take it personally, Serena. We all get difficult patients. I'll do it, if you want?"
"Ah," Serena's eyes widened, ignited by the real fuel of the conflict. "That won't make a difference, Major. Because it's not me necessarily. It's the fact that I'm not a bloke!" She leaned forward, and Bernie pursed her lips, acknowledging the problem, and more obviously, Serena's annoyance at the situation. She knew that not only would she have to deal with the character in person, but would also hear of Serena's clear opinions for much longer, when they returned home.
And that's exactly what was happening now. The couple had arrived home a good half an hour ago, though to Bernie it felt like a few hours, and Serena was still charging around the kitchen, rattling off her argument. But Bernie was sure that had been the fourth time she'd heard of his initial comment when she had greeted the patient, and had unintentionally released a deep exhaling of her own in a pause to the continuous raving.
Serena turned around from the counter to meet Bernie's soft smile as she sat at the kitchen table, wine glass in hand. The brunette's figure sagged, releasing the tension she had built up through her ranting and smiled back, her wide brown eyes softening to meet her fatigued gaze.
"Sorry," she whispered in her own exhaled breath.
"It's really got to you, hasn't it?" Bernie put the wine glass down as Serena walked over to her, sitting on her lap, arms wrapped around Bernie's neck gently.
"Yeah, and I don't actually know why. I've come across plenty of bigots in my time. But he- he just hit a nerve on the wrong day!" She chuckled lowly, resting her head against Bernie's shoulder as she felt two strong arms pull her closer around the middle.
"Just don't ever lose that fire, Serena Campbell." She looked up to the surgeon, meeting a quizzical look, searching for an explanation. "That's what I love about you. Your determination to put the world to rights. Granted it can become a tad difficult to control at times, but I love it all the same." She reached up slightly to kiss her, before setting her down and leading into the comfort of the living room.
"Did you manage to get anything done today?" Bernie asked cautiously as she pulled Serena down onto the sofa and into her side, head resting on the blonde's chest.
"Not really. Although I did find that key you'd lost last month. It was under your desk." She mumbled, instantly melting into the comfort and warmth of her partner, who had carefully placed the fuzzy throw over them too.
"What were you doing down there?" She giggled, teasingly.
"Well, some clever soul decided to stack eleven files on top of one another!" She lifted her head slightly to look up to the accused. "What, did you actually think they'd balance there? Anyway, they didn't. And that's what I was doing on the floor." Serena replied, her voice low and tired, snuggling further into her side.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
A mumble came as a reply, and Bernie relaxed back, momentarily closing her eyes and absorbing the content silence.
"Wait, which key?" She leant up slightly "For the office, or for the car?" Bernie smiled, realising how ridiculous it was that she'd had to ask. How many keys could a responsible adult lose in the space of four weeks?!
Silence came as a reply, and Bernie leant over cautiously to find Serena curled up against her, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Her heart swelled at the other woman, so stubborn, so strong-willed, literally to the point of exhaustion.