Wonderful World (Bernie/Serena)

Prologue

No parent should ever be in the position that Serena Campbell was currently in. She gripped her daughters hand tighter as she listened to her ex husband sob on the other side of the bed. Turning around, she caught glimpse of her lover through the door window and offered her a sad smile and a small nod.

Bernie entered the room with two of the ICU based doctors that Serena has absolutely no interest of learning the names of. "Have you come to a decision?" The taller one of the two men asked, as Bernie positioned herself impossibly close to Serena at Elinor's left side. The eye contact that she made with Edward for those few seconds conveyed far more emotion than what the two of them had ever shared before. Now they shared love for their daughter, pain for her suffering and... grief.

Unable to form the words herself, Serena merely nodded and let Edward take the lead. "We have," he paused to clear his throat and wipe a stray tear from his face, "and Serena assures me that you really have done everything you can do." Bernie's hand found it's way to her lovers shoulder and it gave a gentle squeeze. She just knew that the next question was all it would take for Serena to break.

"Mr Campbell, Ms Campbell... are you prepared to turn off the life support?" The other doctor prompted a response. Serena took a deep breath. On a few occasions she had been in the position of having to ask that question and every single time it broke her heart but hearing it said to her? The pain she felt was like nothing she could have ever imagined.

Taking one last look at each other from opposite sides of the bed, the parents simply nodded their agreement as silence entered the room and remained. They had lost their little girl...