A/N: So here we are! The last chapter of our tale! I have tried not to leave it on too much of a cliff-hanger, but it's slightly necessary for the next story. (I have decided there will be a third instalment, and I'm already working on it :))
Thanks for all the reads and reviews throughout this, they've been great! I really hope this chapter does these two justice and I'll be seeing you all soon! :)
Chapter 28
Once the speeches were out of the way, the room seemed to take on a more relaxed feeling as the sounds of laughter erupted from various tables. Hanssen had Serena's hand in his own as he sipped his drink and listened to her debating 'high-risk procedures' with Jac Naylor. He had to admit, Serena had a way of explaining something and being so passionate about it that you ended up wondering why you ever opposed it. She was a master at turning people around to her way of thinking, but evidently not with Jac Naylor. The pair continued their good-natured debate until they were interrupted by a surgeon from St James', asking Jac if she wanted a drink. The pair headed towards the bar as Serena turned to Hanssen.
"He's on his own." she said as he looked at her in confusion.
"Who is?" Rolling her eyes, she leant closer and lowered her voice.
"Fredrik." Glancing over her shoulder, Hanssen saw that he was indeed on his own, Betanya obviously having left the room momentarily. "Go on." Keeping hold of her hand, he turned to face her.
"If you come too." She seemed about to argue, before taking a breath and nodding in agreement. If this was the only way he was willing to make an effort then it would have to do for now. Getting to her feet, she led the way over to the table at which Fredrik was sat. As he noticed them approaching, he instantly jumped up and fidgeted nervously. As Serena reached him, he opened his arms and held her close, lightly stroking her back as she pecked him on the cheek.
"How are you?" she asked him as he released her and smiled shyly.
"Very well thank you. How about you?" She smiled back and glanced at Hanssen.
"I'm wonderful thank you." Hanssen caught her gaze and as she raised an eyebrow at him, he held out his hand to Fredrik. His son reciprocated the gesture and they stood awkwardly facing each other.
"How is the residency going?" Hanssen asked as Fredrik's eyes lit up and he animatedly began to tell him about what he was learning. It turned out that while Fredrik loved living in London, Betanya did not. The pair listened to Fredrik's tales of his new surroundings until Betanya returned, a sour look on her face.
"I'm sorry, heartburn." she explained, holding a hand to her chest. "It's been almost constant for the past week or so." Grumbling, she dropped into the chair beside Serena, resting her hand on her expanding abdomen.
"Try ginger tea." Serena smiled, as Hanssen cocked his head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously. When I was pregnant with Eleanor, I had awful heartburn and tried everything to get rid of it, including medication! One afternoon, my husband at the time, Edward, told me he'd read somewhere that some people swore by ginger. I drank a mug of ginger tea and the heartburn eased almost instantly. I don't think I'd ever loved anyone as much as I loved him in that moment!" she laughed as Betanya nodded in understanding. Looking across the table at Fredrik, she smiled sweetly.
"We're stocking up." she said decisively, causing Fredrik to chuckle. Hanssen stared at the table, furrowing his brow before he felt Serena's hand on his knee. Looking up at her, he smiled and leant closer feeling her lips softly graze his.
"Another drink?" Serena asked as she noticed the volume of wine in his wine glass was perilously low and hers was non-existent. Nodding, he pecked her on the cheek as she stood up and asked Fredrik and Betanya what they wanted before she headed to the bar. After ordering the drinks, she turned and leant against the bar, watching the room of people who were becoming louder and merrier by the second. Smiling as she saw Jac dancing with Mo and Elliot, she felt a presence next to her and turned her head to see a rather tall man stood next to her, mirroring her physicality. Removing her gaze from him, she scanned the room hoping to see Hanssen, but there were too many people milling about.
"Serena Campbell?" the man asked as she turned her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Who wants to know?" The man smiled and held out his hand which she shook formally.
"Derek Holmes, CEO and DOS of St Augustines." Serena's demeanour changed as she realised she was speaking to the man who ran the Country's leading teaching hospital near London.
"Pleasure to meet you. I've been hearing good things about the work you've been doing there." she smiled as he shrugged his shoulders and leant one hand on the bar.
"I've been hearing great things about you." he countered, maintaining eye contact. "Your reputation really does precede you, Ms. Campbell. I don't think there's a single member of my staff who haven't heard of you and your accomplishments." Serena felt herself blushing as she turned back to the bar to see the bartender holding out his hand for the money. "No, no...I'll get these." Derek insisted as he handed over the money and removed a card from his pocket, handing it to Serena as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're better than Holby City, should you come to realise that, please give me a call. There will always be a position open for you with us...especially with my retirement coming up." He smiled as she thanked him for the drinks and he moved away, leaving her stood in shock. Shaking herself, she picked up the tray containing the drinks for the table and made her way back across the room. She was unaware of Hanssen stood a matter of mere feet to her left, having heard the interaction between the two and witnessed her reaction.
"Stop being boring!" Serena frowned as she stood behind Hanssen's chair, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Come and dance." Hanssen chuckled as he turned his head to face her and raised an eyebrow.
"I don't dance."
"Yes you do." she whispered in his ear, kissing his neck softly. Hanssen could smell the wine on her breath and saw the rosy glow on her cheeks. He knew from experience that she was well on her way to being drunk.
"I dance with you and only you...in private...not here." he said sternly as she sighed and moved into the seat beside him. It was almost midnight and Hanssen was tired. The day had been a long one with one thing and another and all he wanted to do was go home and cuddle up in bed with Serena. Seemingly reading his thoughts, she leant closer and took hold of his hand.
"If we go home, will you dance with me there?" she asked, a mischievous glint entering her eyes.
"Absolutely." he replied as she smiled and kissed him softly.
"Then lead the way." Hanssen stood up, collecting his coat and her bag and reaching his hand out to help her up. Fredrik and Betanya had left long ago, wanting to catch the supermarket before it closed, on the hunt for ginger tea. Wrapping an arm protectively around her waist, Hanssen led them out of the hall and through the hotel lobby until they were hit by the fresh air. Standing on the pavement, Hanssen wrapped his coat around Serena's shoulders and led her over to an awaiting taxi. The drive home was very quiet with Serena cuddled up to his side, her eyes drooping as he stared out of the window in deep thought. Paying for the taxi and helping Serena up the path, he unlocked the door and they stepped into the house.
"You go up, I'll get you some water." Kissing her softly, Hanssen watched as she made her way, unsteadily, up the stairs before he went to the kitchen. Pouring two glasses of water, he carefully made his way upstairs and found Serena lying in bed, her dress discarded in the middle of the floor. He put the water next to the bed and picked up the garment, hanging it up carefully before undressing himself. Climbing into bed, he held his arms open as Serena turned over and draped herself over him, holding him close.
"I'm not even drunk, I'm just tired." she mumbled as Hanssen smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Are you okay? Did you have a good time?" She looked up at him and he nodded.
"It was much better than I originally thought. Everyone was in good spirits." he said thoughtfully as she hummed in response. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked as she leant up on her elbow, looking down at him.
"I did. I would have enjoyed it more had you danced with me." she suddenly remembered his promise to her and narrowed her eyes.
"Maybe we can take a rain-check?" he asked hopefully as she nodded in agreement. Settling back down, her head on his shoulder, he couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him all night. "Why were you talking to Derek Holmes?" He felt Serena stiffen momentarily at the name but then she shifted herself and hugged him tighter.
"Can we talk about it tomorrow?" she asked sleepily as Hanssen nodded.
"Yes, of course." Kissing her head gently he listened to her breathing as she drifted off to sleep, leaving him with his imagination.
As Hanssen opened his eyes, he became aware that he was alone in the bed. Blinking a few times and rubbing a hand over his face, he looked around the room and saw that his clothes had been tidied away and the window had been opened slightly. Breathing in the morning air, he threw back the duvet and headed into the en-suite, splashing his face with water and brushing his teeth. Changing into his 'weekend' clothes, he went downstairs in search of Serena. He found her in the kitchen, the radio on in the background as she sang along, badly, with a chart song he'd never heard of. Watching her moving to the music as she made breakfast, he couldn't help but smile at the feeling of love that soared through his heart.
"Good morning." he said as she spun around and smiled shyly.
"Good morning. Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked nervously, glancing at the radio.
"Not at all." Heading over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her tenderly as she stroked his face. "Feeling alright today?" he asked her as she frowned.
"I told you, I was tired, not drunk." Pecking him on the lips, she turned her attention back to the breakfast. Her and Hanssen had begun indulging in Saturday morning breakfasts together while they planned the rest of the weekend. On a weekday morning, they very rarely left at the same time and even more rarely had time for breakfast. He went to the fridge and fetched some juice and sauces as Serena dished up the food and put the plates on the small kitchen table. As she began talking about what they could do with their day, Hanssen couldn't help but keep thinking about Serena meeting Derek last night. He knew she was purposely avoiding the subject but he wasn't sure why.
"Serena, can we please stop avoiding it." he said suddenly, a little sharper than he had intended which caused her to jump slightly. "Sorry." He watched as she put down her knife and fork and leant back in her chair.
"I don't know what you want me to say." she mumbled quietly, looking up at him. "He approached me about the position of CEO...evidently he's retiring soon." She lowered her voice at the last part, staring at her plate. This was it, her dream job had been offered to her on a plate and not just at any hospital, at the hospital. Hanssen watched her as she ran a hand through her hair and stood up, taking her plate to the sink. Keeping her back to him, she busied herself until Hanssen stood up and made his way over to her. Taking her gently by the shoulders, he turned her to face him. Resting her hands on his waist, she exhaled and knew what her decision would be. She had worked her fingers to the bone every single day of her life to get to the position of CEO, it's what her entire career had been heading towards. Hanssen swallowed stiffly and asked the question he really didn't want to, but knew he must.
"Is it something you're considering?" She paused for a moment before looking up at him, biting her lip, her eyes locking with his as she reached for his hand.
A/N: Well there we go! Sorry for leaving it in such a place but I think it works and will link in well with the next part of our story :) What will Serena's decision be and will Hanssen be able to stand by her? Keep a look out for the next story to find out! :)
