Salty tears rolled down Zosia's pale cheeks. Huddled in the corner of Serena's bathroom, her whole body trembled as she tried to keep her sobs under control. Her partner's home was the only place she could think of; her own home contained too many reminders. Rocking back and forth, the junior doctor continued to silently weep; attempting to stand up, she steadied herself on Serena's bath tub, before promptly collapsing into a heap once again. Too weak to even sit up, the brunette whimpered into the turquoise bath mat. 364 days a year, Zosia was always in charge of her outward emotions. Today was the only day where she couldn't help but give in to the agonising sadness that threatened to break apart her heart into a million tiny pieces.
Serena fumbled around in her bag for her door key, before realising that her door was already unlocked. Curiously, she entered her house and dropped her bag on the floor absent-mindedly, concerned with only one thing - seeing Zosia. Hearing noises from the bathroom, Serena quickly headed upstairs.
"Zosia? Sweetie are you in there?" Suddenly panicked, Serena urgently knocked on the bathroom door. The consultant's hands were shaking with fear.
"Babe I'm coming in, okay?" A small whimper from inside the room acknowledged Serena's request.
Forcefully, Serena opened her bathroom door. As her eyes fell on Zosia's small, curled body, her heart broke. Noticing several puddles of tears, Serena dropped to her knees beside Zosia. Naturally, she took Zosia's icy hand in hers and began warming it up. The F2, still sobbing, sat up and pressed her body against Serena's. As soon as Zosia came into contact with the older woman's body, she began to completely cry her eyes out, whilst her body shivered uncontrollably. The two woman stayed there for a few minutes; Serena was patiently waiting for Zosia to calm down before trying to approach her about what had made her cry so much. Silently stroking her partner's back, Serena slowly rose and supported Zosia to her bed. There, she unclothed Zosia, instead covering the F2 with the warmest clothes Serena could find in her plentiful wardrobe. Afterwards, Serena undressed and climbed into her bed. For the next hour or so, Serena soothed Zosia. The consultant decided to allow Zosia to recover from her bout of crying before attempting to question her about the cause. Only when the junior doctor was both warm and asleep did Serena finally let herself rest.
Silhouettes of the two woman were highlighted by the early morning sunrise. They were both standing next to Serena's kitchen counter, looking out of the window in silence. Boats lazily sailed across the nearby river. Without warning, Serena turned to face Zosia. She couldn't bear the silence any longer.
"Why were you so upset last night? I don't mean the pry but-"
"Don't! You aren't prying. You deserve to know. Yesterday was the a-anniversary of my mother's death." Finally admitting what had made her so upset took a huge weight off Zosia's shoulders. Even though Zosia whispered it so quietly that it was barely audible, to Serena it felt louder than a thunderstorm. Everyone in the hospital knew about what had happened to Zosia's mother. Serena didn't say anything. She simply stood next to the F2, and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. Leaning into her brunette hair, Serena remained silent. By now she knew that Zosia didn't want words of advice - she just needed someone to comfort her. Serena would happily do just that.
Zosia scrutinised herself in Serena's hallway mirror. Her porcelain skin was tinted with a faint natural blush, and her eyes glimmered with happiness. Out of no-where, her girlfriend came up from behind her and wrapped long arms around Zosia's slender waist. Grinning, the F2 turned around to face Serena, so they were eye to eye. For her whole life, Zosia had been a resoundingly private person through no choice of her own; she never felt close enough to anyone to confide in them - not even Guy. Finally, she had found someone who was not only her soulmate, but also her confidante and supporter in everything she did. Zosia felt complete with Serena by her side. When Serena looked into the young F2's eyes, her breath hitched. She saw past the façade; instead, she saw the intelligence, compassion, ambition, love and kindness that many failed to notice. Standing there in the hallway, both women realised just how much they not only loved, but needed each other.
Once again, Zosia purposefully arrived at work ten minutes after Serena. Unbeknownst to the two women, after three weeks of the exact same charade every day, suspicions had started to grow. Digby and Dom had both noticed now that Zosia would barely, if ever, spend the night in her own room if they were at the apartment. Likewise, Raf and Fletch had both noticed how Serena would never drink alone in her office anymore, and she would always be going to 'meet someone' after work. Even Jac had noticed something off with Zosia – but that's not to say she cared at all. Rumours had started to fly around the hospital, somehow remaining secret to both Zosia and Serena, that the two women had been seeing each other behind their friend's backs. Of course Dom was the one who started this rumour, but by now most believed it.