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Chapter 14

"Can I at least help in some way?" Serena asked as she watched Hanssen move about her kitchen, pulling open various drawers, before finding what he was looking for.

"You can help by sitting down and having a glass of wine." he replied as she sighed dramatically.

"Oh, if I must!" she smiled as she headed to the fridge, reaching for the bottle of rather expensive-looking white wine. She grabbed two glasses and poured one for him before leaving and returning to the living room and pouring one for herself. She sat back on the sofa, Hanssen's piles of paperwork staring at her. She looked sneakily over her shoulder before leaning forward and grabbing for one, opening it and nestling down to work.

Hanssen emerged from the kitchen a while later, heading for the living room. He poked his head under the archway and noticed Serena was hunched over, scribbling away in one of his files. He cleared his throat as she jumped, shutting the file quickly.

"Serena..."

"Before you say anything...I felt bad for the lack of work you did last night...now you're all caught up." she smiled triumphantly as he sighed in exasperation.

"You're meant to be resting." he said as he perched on the arm of the sofa.

"This is rest for me!" she pleaded, looking up at him, batting her eyelashes. Hanssen laughed, shaking his head as she stood up and walked over to him. "I'm sorry...I was trying to help." she said, pouting slightly.

"You have helped. However, you must understand that I am trying to help you." he said as she registered what he was getting at.

"Okay, point taken. You look after me, I look after you?" Hanssen smiled reaching for her waist and holding her tight.

"Deal. Now come and eat." he said as he stood up, taking her hand in his and leading her to the kitchen. Serena looked down at their plates as she entered and was pleasantly surprised. He had cooked them a Bacon Carbonara, complete with a bowl of salad in the middle of the table. She turned to him and smiled as she took her seat.

"You look surprised." he commented "What were you expecting...a Smorgasbord?" Serena raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"I suppose I was expecting a Swedish delicacy...but I do love Carbonara." she said as she picked up her fork. Hanssen felt his heart lift as he watched her enthusiastically tuck into her food. He followed suit and soon their plates were empty, both leaning back in their chairs appreciative of what they had just eaten. She looked up at him and smiled lazily as she reached for her wine glass along with the bottle. "Living room?" Hanssen nodded as he picked up their plates and headed for the sink.

"Leave that!" she said authoritatively as he placed them gently in the sink and turned to follow her. She sat on the sofa and he instantly sat next to her. They were silent for a few moments before she spoke. "Thanks for the meal...it was lovely." she reached for his arm and stroked his wrist as she took a sip of drink.

"It was no trouble." he replied as he sipped his own drink. Suddenly, Serena turned to him, an inquisitive look on her face.

"What did you do...when you were in Sweden?" Hanssen stared at his glass, slightly taken aback and refusing to look at her.

"It was a personal retreat, Serena." he answered as she rolled her eyes and sipped her drink. Hanssen stayed silent, refusing to open up. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he simply didn't know how to explain everything. He saw Serena close her eyes as she leant back into the sofa and he found himself staring at her. He saw the softness of her face, her strong jaw bone, her neck, her clavicle and down to her chest, watching her breathing.

Serena had her eyes closed, simply enjoying the feeling of being with someone. She reached out her hand and grasped his, holding it gently. She understood that whatever happened in Sweden was clearly painful for him and she wasn't about to push him into divulging his darkest secrets. She was thinking about giving Eleanor a call when he spoke.

"I went to see my father." Serena's eyes flicked open as she tilted her head to look at him...he was staring at the glass in his hands. "The deal with Scandicor...it was his Company." he stated as she remained silent. "Once I arrived, I met an old friend who told me my father was ill. Within days he had died and it was up to me to sort out his estate." Serena hadn't realised he'd been dealing with grief this entire time, she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles as he turned to her. "My father owned Scandicor and tried to get my attention by pledging us £40,000,000." He could see the look of disbelief on Serena's face and he leant towards her, taking her hands in his. "That's why I blocked the deal. He was attempting to get to me through the Hospital and I couldn't allow that." Serena looked at him and saw how fragile and vulnerable he was, but she also saw that he'd chosen to confide in her and she felt compelled to do the same.

"Henrik, I am so sorry. You could have told me, sooner." she said softly as he nodded his head slightly. "While we are on the subject of 'coming clean', I have a slight confession to make." Hanssen raised his eyes to hers and she swallowed hard, wishing she wasn't about to say this. "I spoke with Cunningham." she stated, noticing him freeze slightly. "It was right when we had begun working together and I was frustrated, thinking that you were never going to accept me." He stared at her, slowly removing his hands from hers.

"You told him you thought I should leave." he said suddenly as she sighed and put her glass down.

"No, I never said that. All I said was I didn't think we were going to be able to work together and I didn't agree with certain ideas you were mulling over..." Hanssen stood up abruptly, running his hand through his hair as he stood with his back to her. "I'm so sorry." she whispered as Hanssen turned around.

"You betrayed me. All this time you promised me you had nothing to do with all of this, when in all likeliness you started it!" Serena stood up and went towards him, stopping in front of him.

"No. It wasn't anything like that! You and I had gotten off to a bad start and I didn't know you." she explained, desperation in her voice. She grabbed his hands as he snatched them away and headed for the hallway. "Where are you going?" she asked in a panicked voice as he threw on his coat and shoes.

"I need some air."

"Don't go, please...I'm sorry." she pushed as she moved to stand in front of the door.

"Serena, move." he said as he stood facing her.

"No. Can't we talk about this!?" she pleaded, but his eyes had turned icy and she knew she'd lost him.

"Let me go." he said coldly as he reached past her for the door handle and left the house. Serena stood still, breathing heavily as she tried to register what had just happened. She wandered to the living room and looked around at the emptiness. This was her life now...an empty shell. She had nothing and nobody. The tears began to fall and she couldn't stop them, the feeling of uselessness washing over her. She flicked off the lights as she headed up to bed, leaving the door unlocked, hoping Hanssen would return.

She was lying on her side, facing away from the bedroom door, attempting to calm her wracking sobs. She inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to calm herself when she felt the bed move behind her. She turned around quickly to see Hanssen kneeling on the bed, looking at her. She lay still, waiting for him to say something...anything. He slowly took off his jacket, followed by his shirt and tie before reaching for his trousers. Once he had undressed, he climbed beneath the covers and lay on his back away from her. She didn't dare move towards him, afraid he was still upset with her. She sniffed as she rolled back onto her side, facing away from him. After a few moments, she felt him shift and an arm wrapped itself around her abdomen. She let out a fresh torrent of tears as she felt him pull her close and kiss the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry." was all he said as she shifted around to face him. He was looking down as she reached her hand out towards his face, stroking his cheek and leaning in to kiss him. As she pulled away, he began to caress her back, looking into her eyes.

"I didn't mean it." she whispered as he reached up a hand to play with her hair. "I told him nothing really, all I did was vent a frustration...once."

"I know. I'm sorry for the way I acted." he replied as he smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, followed by her nose and finally her lips. She moaned as his arms wrapped themselves tightly around her, holding her close to him. When he pulled back, he reached up a hand and wiped her tears. "I hate seeing you sad." he said quietly as he kissed each cheek gently. Serena smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm glad you came back." she said as he leant his forehead on hers.

"I didn't know if you'd want me to, but I knew I had to try..."

"Henrik...stop talking." she demanded as she pushed herself towards him.

"Good morning Mr. Griffin!" Chantelle smiled warmly as Ric entered Keller, heading towards his office.

"Good morning Chantelle. Who have we got here today?" he asked, wondering who was going to be covering for Serena.

"Haven't you heard? Ms. Campbell is already here." She smiled knowingly at the look on Ric's face. "She's in the office." she finished as she gave him a 'good luck' stare and headed towards the Nurses' Station. Ric walked briskly to his office and opened the door cautiously, Serena's eyes greeting him.

"So it's true." he said as he closed the door behind him.

"If, by that small statement you are referring to my presence here, then yes it's true." She smiled sweetly at him as she continued composing her e-mail.

"You've only been gone two days!" he exclaimed. "What happened, miss me?" he laughed as she threw him a withering look.

"Absolutely, I just couldn't cope without seeing your charming face every day." Ric chuckled as he hung up his coat and headed for his desk.

"So how did you persuade our Great Leader to allow you back early? Or do I not want to know..." he teased as she scowled at him.

"Mr. Hanssen decided to do what was best for him...listening to me. I told him I was fine to return to work and he agreed."

"I'm sure he did." Ric commented as Serena pushed back her chair and headed for the door. "Where are you going?"

"I am not about to sit here and be insulted by you all morning. I am back at work because I am ready to be back. If you have a problem with that I am sure you know what you can do." She shot him a dangerous look as she left the room. Ric sighed as he set off after her.

"Serena...Serena!" he said louder as she stopped and turned slowly to look at him. She crossed her arms and stood with an expectant expression on her face. "You know I didn't mean anything back there. I made a bad joke and I'm sorry." She scrutinised him for a moment before dropping her arms and taking a breath.

"Okay, let's get on with it then shall we?" she said happily as she headed towards Chantelle.

By the end of the day, Serena was completely worn out. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but maybe she had been a little hasty in returning and expecting to simply pick up where she left off. She leaned back in her chair at the Nurses' Station as she waited for Ric to finish up in Theatre. She began to swivel idly in her chair as she saw Hanssen heading towards her, a look of amusement on his face. As he reached the Station, he rested his hands on the counter and tilted his head.

"Tired, Ms. Campbell?" She sat up straight, crossing her legs.

"Not at all Mr. Hanssen. Pleased to be back." she smiled as she watched him walk around to stand in front of her.

"In that case, I wanted to inquire whether you had any previous engagements this evening?" he asked quietly, as she felt herself looking around for anyone within earshot.

"I do not." she informed him as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't suppose you'd like to have dinner with me?" he asked nervously, his eyes locking with hers. She took a deep breath as she pretended to have to think about it before she answered him.

"I'd like that." Hanssen smiled at her as he straightened himself up.

"6pm, at the entrance Ms. Campbell." he said stiffly as he walked away, towards the lifts. Serena smiled to herself as she sat back in the chair, closing her eyes. She instantly opened them again when she heard Ric saying hello to Hanssen on his way past.

"Ah, I was just about giving up on you! How was surgery?" she asked, standing up and following him to their office.

"Slight complication, nothing serious." he replied, heading to his desk and sitting down.

"Good. Listen, my bed 5...he refuses to be examined by a woman so when you get a chance, could you do it?" she grumbled, looking at her watch...5.45pm. Ric exhaled as he stood up and headed over to her.

"No problem. You okay? You look ready to drop." he commented as she yawned and smiled at him.

"I'm fine, first day back and it's taking me longer to find my feet than I thought, to be honest." Ric put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the head.

"If you need more time, all you have to do is say." She turned her head sharply and gave him a condescending look.

"I do not need more time, I will be perfectly fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off home!" she said airily as she moved to switch off her computer and shrug on her coat.

"It's alright for some! I'll go and see that patient of yours...notes?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, right...here." she said, hunting through the mess on her desk and handing him the file.

"Have a good night." he smiled as he left the room. Serena picked up her bag and headed for the door. Walking slowly down the stairwell, checking her phone for any messages, she didn't notice the solitary figure sat huddled at the foot of the stairs until she was almost right on top of them.

"Are you alright?" she said to the figure who was sat with their hood up. Slowly, the face turned towards her and she gasped. "What on earth..." Edward turned his face to her, blood covering his cheek and one eye closed. "What happened, where's Eleanor!?" she asked suddenly as she moved towards him, dropping her bag at his feet and kneeling in front of him.

"She's back at mine, she's fine." he answered as Serena reached out to lower his hood and take a proper look at his face.

"What happened?" she asked, examining his wound and looking into his eyes.

"I got into a bit of a fight...but you should see the other guy." he joked, wincing as she touched his cheek.

"Come on, you'll need that properly cleaned." She stood up, holding her hand out to him as she picked up her handbag. "Oh, wait just a minute." She hurried through the door and saw Hanssen was stood waiting for her, he turned when he heard her approaching.

"Good evening." he smiled politely as she held her hands up in front of her.

"I am so sorry, can we reschedule? Edward has turned up and he's in a bit of a state..." Hanssen held up his hand and nodded.

"Of course, don't worry, it was only a meal." he said quietly, heading for the door. "Good night Ms. Campbell." he said over his shoulder, exiting the building. Serena turned and saw Edward stood in the doorway to the stairwell, smirking.

"You can wipe that smile off your face for a start!" she snapped, returning to him and heading back up the stairs.