Chapter 7

The week passed quickly, too quickly for Serena's liking. She sat at the Nurses' Station with Chantelle, drinking her coffee.

"Oh I don't know, what if I hurt his feelings?" Chantelle asked, a look of horror on her face.

"Look, you can't give him any false hope. If he has no chance with you, you need to make that clear to him." she said, wondering if she was being hypocritical.

"Yes, you're right. I'm just so bad at things like this and Arthur is such a lovely guy." She smiled sadly as she sighed and stood up, patting Serena on the shoulder on her way past. "Thanks Ms. Campbell." She raised her coffee mug in reply and watched the young nurse speed down the ward towards a patient. She smiled as she slowly sipped her coffee, thanking the Gods that today was a very quiet day on Keller. They'd had 4 last-minute cancellations from their electives list, freeing her up to see to other patients all morning. She checked her watch and saw she was on schedule, she finished her drink and returned the mug to the staffroom before heading to her office to grab her belongings. She headed down to the main reception and, as promised, there was Hanssen stood waiting. She smiled awkwardly as she reached him and they left the building together in silence. She'd only seen him once during the week and they'd both been too busy to discuss anything on a personal level. As the week had worn on, the thought of seeing each other had become more and more awkward. As she climbed into his car, she waited for him to put his belongings in the boot and then join her. As he turned on the engine, music began to play and she realised it was something she hadn't heard before.

"New CD?" she asked him as he pulled out of the parking space.

"No, it is an old one of mine, but most probably new to your ears." he replied. "I thought I'd put it in the car today, you'll like it." he said simply as she turned and smiled at him.

"Thank you." She felt nervous in his presence, after feeling his lips against hers, his hands on her body. She shook herself as she thought about it and returned her gaze out the window. Hanssen glanced at her and saw she was listening closely to the music, allowing herself to feel it. He felt proud of the fact he had managed to get her to listen to music, and not just any music, Swedish music. They reached St. James's in good time and chose to sit in the car a while longer, listening to the end of the song. "That was...wow." she breathed as he switched off the ignition and unclipped his belt.

"That was Symphony No2. One of my favourites." he said fondly as he climbed from the car. She shook her head in wonderment as she followed him and they ambled into the Hospital together. She knew she should probably say something about the previous week, but she didn't know how.

"Mr. Hanssen..." she began but he cut her off.

"Ahh, now now Ms. Campbell, you got to choose the restaurant last week...it's my choice tonight." he smiled devilishly and she could only open and close her mouth in response as they entered the building. Reaching the Boardroom, Cunningham immediately made a beeline for them.

"Good afternoon. We have apologies from two of the Board members who have gone down with the Flu, just to let you know." He leered at Serena before moving away. She shuddered as she headed towards her seat with Hanssen.

"Does it bother you?... The way he looks at you." he elaborated as she looked at him blankly.

"Yes it bothers me, but he's harmless enough." she said, brushing away his concerns and taking out her pen and notepad ready for the meeting to begin. She turned to face him, leaning closer. "Why, does it bother you?" she asked him and he gazed into her eyes, frowning slightly.

"It bothers me more than it should." he admitted quietly and she felt her breath hitch slightly at his admission. Turning their attention to Cunningham, who had begun speaking, they forced their concentration on him for the rest of the meeting.

As he brought the meeting to a close, Cunningham motioned for her to stay where she was.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." she grumbled as he made his way around the desk to her.

"Serena..."

"It's Ms. Campbell to you, Mr. Cunningham." she stated as he was taken slightly aback.

"Sorry, Ms. Campbell...I don't suppose you happen to be at a loose end this evening?" he asked as Serena turned to Hanssen who was over speaking to another Board member, pleading with her eyes for him to save her.

"I am busy this evening, Mr. Cunningham. Dreadfully sorry." He stepped closer to her and reached for her arm, leaning in to her ear.

"One of these days, I'll get you to go to dinner with me, and when you do, I'll have you right where I want you." he snarled as she tried to lean away from him. Hanssen suddenly appeared at her side, removing Cunningham's hand from her person.

"Everything alright, Ms. Campbell?" he asked her, ignoring Cunningham's look of outrage.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Hanssen. Goodbye Mr. Cunningham." She said coldly as she stepped around him and they left, Hanssen glaring at Cunningham. As they made their way down the corridor, Hanssen realised that this was becoming a problem and vowed to do something to change matters. Serena was quiet until they reached the car, then she really let rip. "How dare he touch me like that, the egomaniac! He truly thinks he is that irresistible and important that he can blackmail people into having dinner with him!?" She was fuming and Hanssen didn't blame her.

"We need to do something about it." he told her as she laughed and turned to face him.

"We do that, we get fired." He thought about it and started the engine.

"Where there's a will, Ms. Campbell." he smiled slyly as they pulled away from the Hospital. This week, Hanssen didn't even stop at the Hospital for the day's report...he knew they wouldn't get around to reading it. Instead he drove straight to a place he had in mind. He pulled off the dual carriageway and away from the City, travelling along winding roads climbing higher and higher. Serena looked out of the window, curious, wondering where on earth he was taking them.

"You're not secretly a mass-murderer are you?" she asked him feigning seriousness. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I'm not a mass-murderer, Ms. Campbell." She nodded her head, pleased with his answer as he slowed the car to a crawl and pulled over in a lay-by. Her eyebrows shot up as she turned to face him and he rolled his eyes. "Come on." he said opening the door and climbing out. She followed him, warily as he retrieved a bag from the boot and headed across the road to the barrier, stepping over it and turning to help her do the same. Serena looked down at the drop below them and grabbed hold of his coat, tightly. "Just relax...trust me." He echoed her words from the previous week and she mimicked him. He led them along a narrow path cut into the side of the mountain until they were stood on a ridge, high up on the mountain, looking out across the City.

"Wow..." Serena breathed as she gazed out across Holby, glowing in the darkness. Hanssen smiled and put down the bag, reaching inside for a blanket which he shook out and lay on the ground. She laughed when she saw him remove a Tupperware box from the bag, followed by a bottle of wine and two plastic cups.

"I'm afraid the food won't be as good as your choice last week..." he said forlornly as she stepped towards him and took him by the hands.

"I don't care." she told him sternly as she leant towards him and kissed him, feeling him respond and pulling her close, wrapping his arms around her protectively. After a while, he pulled back and moved to pour them both a cup of wine. Serena took a seat and watched him deftly pour the wine, coming to sit beside her, carrying the box of sandwiches too. Serena was rather endeared that he'd gone to this much effort for her and she smiled as she took a cup from him. They ate in silence as they stared out at the vast City below them, the hustle and bustle a distant memory up here. She suddenly turned to him and found she had to know. "Why did you do this?" she asked him as he perused the question, gazing into his cup of wine.

"I wanted to share this with you." he gestured to the view in front of them and she felt her heart constrict.

"Well I'm glad you did." she whispered, then sighed. "But on a serious note, you do realise we still have that bloody report to go through another day now."

"We could do what we did last week, meet early Monday morning?" he suggested as she snorted.

"The whole point of these Friday evening meetings was to save time elsewhere and get the work done in 'one fell swoop'." she said, using his own words against him. He sighed heavily and nodded his head.

"I know, you're right of course." He fiddled with the plastic cup as she finished her wine and leant back on her elbows, her eyes taking in the view in front of her.

"Maybe we could get it done Monday morning..." she mused as she looked over at him. "...I don't think I have any Procedures until later in the day." He nodded in understanding, his eyes moving to her lips as he shifted closer to her and leant on his side next to her. He ran a hand down her cheek and kissed her lips gently, moving to her chin and her neck as she reached her available hand into his hair, caressing him. He stopped and looked into her eyes as she held still, not wanting to break the moment. Leaning down again, he pushed his lips to hers and she allowed herself to lie back fully on the ground, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed passionately and urgently, Hanssen's hands roaming her body, spending most of their time on her hips. As he felt them reaching the point of no return, he pulled away and sat up, facing away from her. He could hear her breathing heavily behind him as she sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him, worry in her voice.

"I'm sorry. It's just, you made me feel like a teenager again and I quite forgot where we were." he laughed as she leant her head against his arm, chuckling.

"I can't picture you as a teenager...what were you like?" she asked him quietly, a hint of humour in her voice.

"I was shorter." He joked and she laughed.

"Shall we head back?" she asked, feeling the cold seeping through her coat. Turning to look at her he nodded.

"I think that would be wise." They packed everything away and carefully ascended the mountain-side, returning to the car and heading back to Holby. As Hanssen pulled up outside her house, he turned off the engine and got out, walking around to the passenger side and helping her out.

"Thank you." she smiled as she stood in front of him, wondering what to say. "Thank you for tonight, it was wonderful." She leant forward and kissed him on the cheek as he looked down, blushing slightly in the darkness.

"Goodnight Ms. Campbell." he said as she made her way up the path. Turning, she frowned in mock-disapproval.

"I think, all things considered, you could call me Serena." she said as she smiled and continued up the path, unlocking the door and heading inside.

"Serena." he said quietly, smiling as he hopped back in his car and drove home.