The ten minutes that it took for the paramedics to arrive were the longest 10 minutes of anyone's lives. It felt like they took forever. When they finally arrived, Serena was in quite the flap. She was so worried that she had gone pale as a ghost, while Bernie was trying to comfort everyone, even herself in order for them to remain calm. She hugged Cameron tight to her left side as she held Serena to her right. They simply stared at Charlotte, knowing that they couldn't move her lest they do anymore damage to her. Although Bernie longed to gather Charlotte up and protect her from any pain she was feeling at that moment, she knew that she couldn't.

Just before they all went mad with worry and wait, the paramedics arrived rushing through the house, attending to Charlotte quickly because it was Major Wolfe's daughter. As soon as they had done the necessary tests and observations, the paramedics loaded Charlotte into the back of the ambulance. "I'm sorry but there's only space for one of you," one of the paramedics said forlornly.

Bernie and Serena looked at each other for a moment, before coming to a unanimous decision. Serena jumped into the ambulance beside her daughter, grabbing her tiny hand and holding it close to her heart. Bernie watched as the doors closed, holding Cameron close to her as he sobbed.

Bending down, Bernie whispered, "Hey, she will be fine. She may be a little sick for a while but she will recover and you will be running around again in no time."
Sniffling, Cameron replied, "But, it's my fault."

"I doubt that."

"I told Lottie to climb the tree and then she falled. And then she did not wake up." He burst into tears again.

Gathering Cameron back into her arms, Bernie picked him up and carried him to the car. After buckling him in, Bernie ran back into the house to get her licence and a few clothes for everyone before running back out and clambering into the driver's seat. Driving quickly but cautiously, Bernie drove to the hospital, unbuckled Cameron and carried him to the reception.

"I need to see my daughter. Her name is Charlotte Campbell-Wolfe. She would have arrived a short while ago, with her mother, Serena Campbell-Wolfe," Bernie rambled urgently.

"I can only tell you that she was put into room 142," the receptionist answered, almost bored.

"Thank you!"

Bernie ran off into the direction of the lifts. She read the sign and saw that room 142 was to the left and down the corridor. She hustled down there, taking care not to hurt Cameron who was clinging to her for dear life.

"139…140…141…142!" Bernie mumbled as she arrived. When she burst into the room, however the only thing she saw was Serena hunched over on the chair in an otherwise empty room. Setting Cameron down carefully, she stepped towards her wife. Crouching down, she asked quietly, "What's happened to Charlotte? Where is she?"

Without answering, Serena burst into tears. Inconsolable, she didn't respond to any of Bernie and Cameron's comforting words. Cameron crawled onto her lap and curled up, offering comfort to his mother, while Bernie enveloped both of them in her strong arms. They remained that way for a while, until Serena's tears ceased.

When Serena stopped crying, Bernie asked again, "What's happened to Charlotte? Where is she?"

"They took her for a CT scan and then straight to theatre. They suspected spinal damage and since she was bleeding from the head. They also wanted to rule out broken ribs, arms and legs," Serena replied in a monotone.

"What?! Have you heard anything at all since then?"

"No."

For the next four hours, Bernie, Serena and Cameron sat in room 142 with bated breath. Every time they heard the wheels of a hospital bed or the steps of a doctor or nurse, they stared at the door hopeful even as the sound of the steps receded. It seemed to no avail though until one time, it really was Charlotte. As they stared hopefully at the opening doors, they watched as Charlotte's heavily bandaged body was wheeled in. Every second was agony as their daughter was hooked up to various machines and monitors, each starting a rhythmic beeping as it was connected.

Through the beeping, the doctor began, "Charlotte suffered trauma to her head with two fractured ribs and a broken arm. Fortunately, her spine remains uninjured. We checked for everything and set the ribs in place as best we could. She should make a slow but steady recovery."

"Oh, thank God!" Serena exclaimed, collapsing into Bernie's arms.

"Thank you," Bernie mouthed to the doctor who responded with a gracious nod of the head. She returned to comforting her wife as she placed her in the chair beside Charlotte's bed moving herself and Cameron around to the other chair. They all grasped Charlotte's hands, Cameron's encased by her own mother's.

They remained like that for hours, hoping and praying that she would wake up soon. By this time, Cameron had gotten tired, choosing to climb onto the bed gingerly, curling up next to his sister as she recovered. Soon they were both fast asleep between their parents, who although were hoping that their daughter would wake, were just glad that they were together again.

Clasping hands over their sleeping children, Bernie smiled at Serena, the first true smile that had been shared in over 6 months. It gave Serena some hope for the future. Well, the future that came after this dastardly affair.

However, when their eyes met, they both looked away immediately. Diverting her eyes to her lap, Bernie saw the rings adorning her left hand and began considering what they meant to her. She had vowed 'for better or for worse'. During the better times, she'd been on tour mainly and during the worse times, although she was there, in spirit she was not. What did her vows mean to her? How gad she been able to break them so easily? She could only be grateful that she hadn't cheated on Serena. Why had Serena stayed with her? She had been horrible.

"Serena?" Bernie began quietly.

"Yes, Berenice," Serena replied, warily.

"Why didn't you divorce me?"

"Well, I love you too much. Even through everything, I knew I loved you. And although you treated me like absolute dirt, I forgave you because I knew you were just grieving. I knew you still loved me even through all that."

"Serena Campbell-Wolfe I don't just love you. I completely adore and want to make everything up to you. I will work until I'm wrinkly and we have great-grandchildren and even then I shall work some more to gain your forgiveness again."

Things fell silent again, as Bernie noticed that Serena's head had fallen back, eyes closed and mouth agape. Chuckling, Bernie rubbed her thumb over the silky skin as her wife slept. Soon, she too rested her head against the edge of the bed, falling into a light rest as the moon hung high in the ink-coloured sky.

The beeping of the machines hastened as Charlotte roused from her slumber. Fighting against the many wires protruding from her tiny, tired body, Charlotte woke her brother. Upon waking up, Cameron struggled to hold his sister still. As he was struggling, he accidentally kicked out, hitting his mother in the head which ultimately woke her up. Rubbing her face, Bernie thought 'Well that's going to leave a bruise'. Seeing that Charlotte was awake made Bernie spring into action. She immediately pressed the nurse's button, before attempting to soothe her restless daughter.

Bursting into the room, the nurse asked, "What's happened?"

"She's woken up!" Bernie exclaimed as her daughter hit her in the exact same place as her brother had…

A/N: Okay Guys, first of all, I need to apologise for how long it has been since I have last posted! So Sorry! It's just that school and life have been extremely busy.

But, I hope you enjoy this and I will write the rest of it as soon as I can.

Please review.

Love you guys,

ClosetMisfit xx