Author's Note: Usual disclaimers apply. I enjoyed writing Stitch so I thought I'd add a second chapter for it from Hanssen's POV of some of the events of the last few days of his tenure at Holby. I'm aware I'm probably mangling the time-line again but hey ho just ignore that tiny detail and it'll be fine :-)
Chapter Two
Hanssen is sat in the business class lounge at Heathrow airport in London, waiting for his flight to Arlanda airport in Stockholm to start boarding. He has his laptop with him in his hand luggage to do some work but it remains in his briefcase, untouched. Slumped back in his chair, Hanssen holds an unopened bottle of water in one hand, watching the condensation collect and drip down the side, every so often tracing the moisture with a finger absent-mindedly.
If anyone who knew him or worked with him saw him now, they would be disconcerted at the very least at the change in him, at his current appearance. However, in the airport lounge he barely garners a reaction, his appearance not dissimilar to the other weary occupants who share the room. He looks like any of the suited businessmen waiting to fly to Sweden.
Hanssen is sat at one side of the room, with his back against the wall - he dismissed the symbolism of his current position as soon as it occurred to him and how it reflected his last fortnight at Holby. He has chosen his current location for having the added benefit of being as far away from the bar as he can so that the likelihood of someone sitting near him by accident is reduced.
The source of his angst is the mobile phone now balanced on his right knee which is currently switched off. It's been turned off almost constantly since he left Holby, not having any desire to imagine or respond to any of the messages which may have been left for him. For some reason, Hanssen decided to turn it on not long after he sat down, nearly thirty minutes ago and since then he has been in this funk, brooding and contemplating recent events.
Staring unseeingly at the room around him and its occupants, Hanssen has been turning memories around, dissecting and replaying them, trying to find some answers. His gaze flickers onto his phone for a moment and he considers it. Although the phone's screen is now blank, Hanssen can still see the information and the message from Ric Griffin which has affected him.
'Serena acting CEO?'
Serena acting CEO. Serena Campbell, acting CEO of Holby General. The woman whose non-referral policy led to the whole disaster, to the death of Richie Mooney; the woman who put him in the unenviable position of having to issue a public apology; the woman who appeared to care and tend for him in the aftermath of the son's attack on him; the woman who he saw speaking to Terrance Cunningham, the chairman of the board on several occasions is the woman who stabbed him in the back and now has his job.
Hanssen feels betrayed and he feels used. She had seen him at his weakest for years and now she has his job. Outwardly, Hanssen sighs a little, his gaze meandering between the other occupants of the airport lounge but inwardly he's seething, the majority of his frustration and anger directed at himself.
He delves again into the memories of the past few weeks, wondering if she had out manipulated him or if he had missed some kind of clue. Heavens knows he'd missed enough clues from Sahira over the years but she would at least let him know (when she'd calmed down) unlike 'Ms. Campbell, acting CEO'. Patiently explaining his error, Sahira's explanations had, at times, been a lifeline. Of course, it didn't hurt that it meant they spent more time together as a result.
Hanssen's thoughts linger on Sahira for a moment; he's been determined not to think of her since she left him in Holby back in April, banishing her to a dark part of him mind in order to function like a normal human being at work and not reveal how those events had affected him.
'just crawl back into your private, little isolated hell and let's pretend that we were never friends'
Since it had occurred to him when Serena Campbell was stitching his wounds, he's turned that memory over in his mind, 'don't email me, don't write to me' but he notes the absence of an instruction not to visit her. Perhaps when he's back in England, after he leaves Sweden, he'll make a long-overdue trip to Nottingham.
Hanssen wasn't sure how to act around Ms. Campbell in the days that followed her treating his injuries. By the time he made it home that night, his mind had changed, twice. In the awkward moment which followed him hastily buttoning his bloodstained shirt, an invitation to dinner had been on the tip of his tongue but he hadn't asked her and since then he'd talked himself out of the invitation. He would have liked the opportunity to speak to her, regarding her actions towards him, to thank her and perhaps use the possible ceasefire in hostilities to his advantage; he'd be a fool to miss the chance of acquiring an ally like her at this moment in time.
The night which followed was decidedly uncomfortable, he struggled to find any sleeping position which didn't pull in some way on his injuries and as a result, he'd had little sleep by the time that Hanssen needed to get up. The sleep he did achieve was affected by the painkilling medicine he'd taken in desperation around 3am and the uneasy sleep he fell into was rife with replays of his attack and a variety of outcomes of Serena's actions.
He was sorely tempted to take the day off or work from home, irrelevant of how that looked to other people; he only had to answer to the board officially and if they asked, he had an unfortunate reason which would trump any concern, not that he had any intention of using it. However, by the time he had finished contemplating his options, he'd found himself in his car on the Holby ring road, on his way to work.
To his relief, Serena wasn't working until Sunday, which Hanssen had off and so he had several days to work out how to face her. Although he is almost running on empty in terms of sleep, Hanssen is sufficiently removed from the situation and thinking clearly enough now to know that dinner or anything other than the slightly cool, antagonistic professional relationship they have s out of the question. He has no desire to offer himself up as some kind of sacrifice to her and in a moment of cynicism he compares her to a praying mantis.
Standing in his office, staring out of the window to collect his thoughts, Hanssen finds he is more than a little amused by the amount of relief he feels at the thought that Ms. Campbell and Ms. Beauchamp never worked together. That would almost certainly be one battle too far and he smirks a little as he contemplates that being sacrificed would be a welcome ending in that instance.
The smirk fades a little as he admits to himself that he is currently feeling too old and tired for all the machinations; the attack seems to have hurt more than his body, he is confused and uncertain at the moment. Professionally, he doesn't know his next move and isn't sure of his current position. Personally, Hanssen barely recognises himself in the mirror these days.
The first time he sees Ms. Campbell after she left him sleeping in his office is when they are both on Keller ward. He has turned away from the nurses' station, stalking silently across the ward with his appendectomy list in hand and feeling mocked by Mr. Dawson's efforts at 'creativity' at his expense. Hanssen figures that he isn't certain whether he's more upset at the video being shared on the intranet for everyone to access and view or whether its existence in the first place bothers him more.
"Thank you for your feedback." As he mockingly replies to Ric's offer of verbal support thinking to himself that words are meaningless without action, Hanssen resolves to have a chat with Mr. Dawson at some point soon and he strides away, hating the attention. As his focus returns to the ward, he catches sight of a red flowing shirt and recognises Ms. Campbell as she makes her way to meet him.
Although Hanssen is glad that Serena makes no reference to the incident, her quick glance to the left hand side of his torso doesn't go unnoticed by him and he can't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the reminder.
"Ah, has your firefighter arrived yet?" Hanssen slows to a stop next to her, wondering initially what she was talking about, perhaps he'd misheard her until it clicks.
"As ever, news travels fast. Perhaps you'd care to join us?" His response has multiple layers and he hopes that Serena picks up on what he isn't asking outright. He doesn't meet her gaze, choosing instead to concentrate on the blue folders she has in her arms.
"Why not? I am quite good at this sort of thing." He smiles a little, pleased that she seems to understand his concern and responds in kind, the dual meaning of their conversation hidden to all but the two of them. He keeps looking ahead of him, aware that she's trying to work him out, work out how he is coping. He's fine. He moves a step ahead of her, telling her to assume the role of peace keeper and to take them out to lunch to pacify them before moving off until Serena's words pull him back.
"Yeah, I think it's a tad more serious than that." 'Of course you do' is his initial response but he tempers it, turning around to face her, using his body to issue the challenge.
"I don't think it is." He looks down at her, mask firmly in place, tone casual but his double meaning perfectly clear to her. She sidesteps his challenge by informing him of the Wyvern Post's website.
They travel to Hanssen's office in silence, he manages to sneak the odd glance at her in the lift out of the corner of his eye, wondering what to make of her. He watches the video with her standing over him, relieved by the show of support she offers.
"So what do we do?"
"We do not rise to provocation." He isn't as concerned as Serena appears to be after watching the video, the man's claims are untrue and they have documented evidence to support themselves. He meets Serena's confused gaze before turning to face the door and after a moment, it opens.
Hanssen appreciates Serena's outbursts on his behalf, aside from Sahira, he isn't used to anyone defending him. He ignores Serena's sharp look at him when he adjusts his suit jacket, taking a moment to ensure that the stitches, even though he knows they aren't visible, can't be seen.
Eventually they leave the woman from Comms behind and make their way together back to Keller to escape from her. In the lift, Serena puts her hand on his forearm and Hanssen tries to not start at the contact, "how are you?"
"The stitches are healing sufficiently, thank you, Ms. Campbell." His tone is polite and a little reserved.
"You know that wasn't entirely what I meant, Mr. Hanssen." She scolds him lightly, both knowing that he was perfectly aware of what she was referring to. He doesn't answer and she resignedly squeezes his forearm once more before removing her hand as the doors to the lift open onto Keller. Hanssen feels a little comforted by Serena's actions but can't bring himself to tell her.
As they make their way onto the ward, they are approached by one of the nurses. Hanssen tunes out the conversation after he snaps out a comment about 'hilarious new footage of him', looking around the ward instead. As Hanssen's spirits and expression sinks, he briefly meets Serena's eyes and sees his frustration mirrored in her face. He suspects that the day is going to end up becoming worse and worse from this point and he knows that he doesn't require eyes in the back of his head of see Serena's incredulous response as he plucks the file out of her arms and strides over to meet Mr. Tilly and his journalist.
The meeting was dragging on and Hanssen was starting to get a little angsty that none of the senior consultants sitting in the room with him seemed to appreciate the urgency of his plan. If he is honest, he doesn't know what Mr. Cunningham, the chairman of the board has in store for him and he isn't sure if he'll still be here to see the month out let alone the year. Regardless, it is vital that this money is used for the good of the patients rather than frittered away elsewhere or all of the cuts and redundancies that he has been forced to make over the past couple of years are for nought.
He glances around the room at each of the faces, imploring them to understand what it is he is saying as well as what it is that he is not saying, "...and I would like those ideas by the end of the day, please."
"Mr. Hanssen, forgive me, but has this money been ring fenced with the board's approval?" He pauses for a moment and regards Ms. Campbell, the source of the interruption before smoothly replying.
"The board are aware of my intentions, yes."
"But not the speed at which you intend to progress them?" He is relieved that someone has picked up on the urgency of the matter. He takes a moment longer to collect his thoughts, to impress upon them them how important the accelerated timeline is, but before he can reply, Jac Naylor has spoken up.
"Does it matter as long as the money's there?" Hanssen sighs imperceptibly, knowing that isn't the best option to use with the other woman and isn't the most important point.
"Well, we have to be completely transparent and respect the process, so I would like to lodge my objection." He feels a little disappointed that she feels the need to object and doesn't seem willing to admit she understands his urgency. Their black and white meeting in the aftermath of Richie Mooney's son is over and they're back to professional chess and Hanssen supposes that some of that is his fault.
"Duly noted. Anyone else?" He can't help a small smile at the willingness of the others, even if it is only because he has potential funding for them. "Then I won't waste any more of your valuable time." After the meeting has adjourned, Hanssen remains seated, watching Michael Spence et al. leave out of the corner of his eye, quick to escape and return to their wards. From the end of the room to his left, Ms. Campbell takes a few moments longer to gather her belongings to leave and before she can escape the room, he calls her back.
"Ms. Campbell," there are two things he wishes to discuss with her but a quick glance to his left suggests that Mr. Hope shows no inclination to leave and Hanssen will have to seek out Ms. Campbell later, "one more thing. From next week you will be working on AAU."
"Excuse me?" The response is immediate and Hanssen, aware of Mr. Hope lurking behind, searches for something to say, to placate her immediate concerns and reassure her that he will explain his reasoning; after her actions previously in his office, she deserves that much from him.
He can't miss the flicker of hurt in Serena's eyes as she misinterprets his decision. 'Can't you see?' he wants to ask her, 'or won't you see how this move is currently advantageous for you, a move away from the spotlight?'
"Oh, I think when you see the figures, you will agree that this is the most cost-effective approach and I know that that is most important to you." He speaks indifferently deliberately and is waiting for the inevitable disagreement so Hanssen can suggest a meeting in his office.
It would be a transparent attempt to get her alone but he doesn't believe that Mr. Hope would pick up on it. Apparently not in the mood to play along, Serena leaves, throwing him a look of disgust as she exits. Hanssen exhales softly, annoyed he hadn't had the opportunity to explain to her and wondering what damage he's done to their tentative alliance as a result.
He is still looking at the door when Mr. Hope finally speaks, asking him if everything is alright. Hanssen can't help but smile self-deprecatingly at Elliott's question, 'no, everything is not alright'.
On the day that Mr. Cunningham's daughter is admitted to Darwin ward, Hanssen finds he has a hundred things which require his attention on top of the daily demands from being a senior consultant, CEO and Director of Surgery of a Foundation Trust hospital the size of Holby General. He is therefore utterly unprepared for Ms. Campbell's ambush when he walks along the corridor by AAU.
"Ah, Mr. Hanssen, I'm awfully glad to see you." He had been meaning to schedule a meeting with her, to explain his decision about the transfer to AAU but with each passing hour, new issues seem to arise which conspire to divert his attention from her. "I'm afraid I don't think it's going to work for me down here."
"What isn't?" Her opening statement doesn't make sense to him and he seeks clarification.
"Me and Michael Spence, we're oil and water, we don't mesh."
"Really?" It's been less than a day and Hanssen doesn't have the time.
"Really. He's already suspended our new CT1." That captures his attention momentarily, wondering what has happened on AAU and then questioning whether he actually wants to know.
"Dr. Birdwood?"
"Yes. First day and he came down on her like a ton of bricks."
"I read her commonwealth scholarship application myself, very impressive..."
"Yes, very strong candidate, I agree." 'and your point?' he wonders.
"So, I think that if she can deal with alcohol-crazed Australian men in pain, then she can cope with our Mr. Spence, don't you?" He's about to ask her if they can continue this conversation later when his phone rings and he cancels the incoming call with a sigh. "The press. I'm still rather popular with a few of them, it seems." He explains to her
"Yes, I sympathise, but this friction between us..."
"I thought, you see, that you of all people, Ms. Campbell, would be the best person to help marshal and finely tune the resources here," 'and keep your head down until the trouble passes' he adds silently.
"Yes and I will, but..." Hanssen is surprised by the reactions Serena herself and this conversation have generated in him and to hide his confusion he acts as if he is losing his temper. Part of him wants to distance himself from her and her grievances until this storm has passed.
"So how you and Mr. Spence mesh is of no interest to me whatsoever." He tries not to react when he catches sight of a small wince from her. "I do hope I've made myself clear."
As he strides away, Hanssen regrets his excessively sharp tone but he doesn't want to be seen to be caving in. He'll find Serena later, apologise if he has to and finally get round to explaining his motivations for the transfer. It is vital that the senior staff present a united front for Mr. Cunningham.
"Mr. Hanssen?" Nurse Lane interrupts his scrutiny of the young boy in the bed in front of him and he looks up. "Ms. Campbell's outside, she says it's important." 'Important is never good', Hanssen thinks to himself but he can't avoid her.
"Alright," he confirms to the nurse and turns to Dr. Birdwood, "one moment please." He strides out of the side room and finds Ms. Campbell glaring at him, his spirits sink as he realises that she is somehow aware of Dylan's mum back in the hospital after being thrown out.
He approaches her, not wanting to fight this battle now but Serena beats him to the punch, she turns, still glaring at him and heads off the ward. Hanssen sighs to himself and he follows her to the stairwell, just off Keller. He waits patiently while Serena berates him for his stupid decision to allow the woman back into the hospital after her actions.
Seemingly aware that her angered approach isn't having any effect, the fight appears to leave her and she sounds concerned; Hanssen doesn't meet her eyes, reminding himself that this is likely to be a manipulation attempt. He hopes she doesn't draw a parallel between his own attack and that of Dr. Birdwood and the subsequent treatment of their attackers.
"Add that to the media stunts you've pulled recently and you can see why I'm concerned about your decision making. I think you need a break." Hanssen turns back to look at Serena before resuming his glare at the floor.
"May I remind you, until such time I am informed otherwise, I am still your boss." He can see her exasperated actions out of the corner of his eye and he wonders if he misread her concern. She looks as if she wants to bash his head against the wall but he isn't certain whether it is to knock some sense into him or hard enough to get him out of the picture. He sighs imperceptibly, forcing himself not to respond any further, Hanssen suspects that the 'advice' from Ms. Campbell is just as much for her benefit as it is for his. Manoeuvring him out of the way so that Serena can take a stab at replacing him as CEO and Director of Surgery. He is glad he didn't say that out loud to her, considering his attack and her role in his recovery, it would have been a most unfortunate turn of phrase.
"I'm only looking out for your and frankly the hospital's best interests." He is glad that his phone has started to ring, it allows him to sidestep her comment and not respond with something they'll both regret or react to.
"Excuse me, I have to take this," Hanssen states, glad for the opportunity it allows him to turn away from Serena, hoping that she will take a hint and leave but is not surprised when she plants her heels and stands her ground. "Henrik Hanssen." He answers, not recognising the number on his phone's display but glad for the respite from Serena's interfering.
He listens carefully to his caller's voice; their words in a language he hasn't spoken properly for too long but he automatically and effortlessly slips back into thinking in his mother tongue. He is vaguely aware that Serena is stood behind him but in light of the information he is hearing, she barely registers.
The call itself lasted less than a minute and Hanssen finds himself confirming that he has understood the message. "Jag forstord."
He's a doctor, a damn good one and he knows what the call means; it both complicates and simplifies matters. He feels no regret at missing the board's summons in a few hours – he has more important matters to attend to. "Jag komme sofort jag kann," he informs the lady on the other end of the line, his voice barely louder than a whisper, ignoring her thanks as he hangs up, returning his phone to the pocket it came from.
"Everything ok?" Although he gives no outward response, Serena's gentle inquiry brings him suddenly back to his current location. He takes a moment more to compose himself, trying not to allow the maelstrom of emotions overrun his mask. He is still considering his answer when a hand, he presumes it's Serena's, makes its way gently to his shoulder blade and comes to rest on the same places as before. He tries to suppress his inevitable flinch and is only partially successful.
He takes a moment to savour the warmth of the physical contact, accepting a modicum of comfort, taking the opportunity to reorientate himself, currently requiring the stability more than anything else. "I should go."
If he wasn't so dazed, Hanssen would have laughed at himself, his whispered words sound pitiful to his own ears and he doesn't wish to contemplate how he sounds to Ms. Campbell. He steps away from his colleague and moves silently up the stairs without looking at her, his initial destination uncertain.
"Henrik." He hears Serena call after him but doesn't respond and is relieved when she lets him go and doesn't follow or press him for an answer. As before, in his office after his attack, he is likely to reveal much more than he wants to.
His focus is broken by the voice announcing that his flight to Stockholm is ready to begin boarding and along with the other occupants of the airport lounge he mechanically gathers his belongings. Hanssen knows that Serena will contact him and he hopes that it will be to apologise for her actions. Until he received Ric's text this morning he would have instantly answered her call, now however, he feels inclined to let her stew and make her work for his forgiveness. He puts his still unopened bottle of water into his bag and rises, heading towards the gate with his passport and boarding pass in one hand.