Berena
She entered the infamous Albies, letting the door swing shut behind her. Immediately she spotted her beautiful girlfriend sat of course with a glass of wine in her hand. She gazed adoringly over at her from her position in front of the door. It was good to be back again, she couldn't miss Serena's birthday and she had heard the awful news about Roxanna. The hospital needed her as much as she needed Serena.
A sudden high pitched giggle drew Bernie's attention away from Serena as she turned to spot the owner of the girly childish laugh. That was when she noticed something else. The young woman who was sat beside the doctor's girlfriend had placed a hand over Serena's. She was yet to pull away. But she didn't. Tears filled Ms Wolfe's eyes as she willed herself to look away. But she couldn't. She couldn't drag her eyes away from the painful and heart shattering scene. And then she heard it.
Serena gasped. No, it couldn't be her. Maybe she was just wishfully thinking. Hoping that Bernie had come back for her once more, she looked back towards Leah and then back to the door. Berenice Wolfe was stood in the doorway to Albie's. The pub where they had spent so much time together. The time when everything was perfect. Just the two of them. Serena's ears rang with excitement and shock and she barely noticed that the F1 was still talking to her.
"My flat is just around the corner..." She spoke suggestively to the distracted Consultant. Serena turned back to face Leah when she heard the door bang shut. She spun round in her seat to find Bernie was gone.
"I need to go..." She muttered under her breath and hurriedly collected up her stuff.
"Oh come on, stay for one more drink?" The F1 called after the woman as she made a dash for the door. She watched as she ran out into the night. "I guess not then."
"Bernie? Bernie! Berenice Wolfe where are you?" Serena ran out of the pub in search of her girlfriend, looking in every direction. "Please Bernie...come back..." She sobbed and sat down on the curb of the silent street. She sobbed and sobbed until she realised this was doing nothing but upsetting her more. Ms Campbell wiped her sniffling nose on her coat sleeve and stood up. "Right Ms Wolfe. If you aren't going to come to me, I'll come to you."
The woman marched back across to the familiar hospital, her coat flapping behind her in the wind as she stepped forcefully.
"Bernie? Where are you? Bernie? Bernie?" Serena yelled as she crossed the car park and headed towards the peace garden.
Bernie huddled further down into her coat as she sat on a bench in the cold winter evening. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, in hope that it might keep her a bit more warmer.
"Bernie? Bernie?" Serena's voice was getting closer and closer to her place on the bench with each call of her name. She planned to let her find her but she wasn't going to call back out to her. She didn't think her voice could manage it without cracking under the streaming tears.
"Ah there you! Oh Bernie what's the matter?" Serena cried as she finally found her sat on a bench, alone in the peace garden.
"How could you?" How could you Serena?" Bernie yelled.
"How could I what? Are you not pleased to see me?" Serena asked as she perched on the bench beside her.
"After all that we have been through, after all that we said. You asked me to wait for you. And of course I said yes because I love you." She threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly. "But clearly you don't feel the same anymore...maybe you never did."
"What on earth are you talking about Bernie? Of course I love you! I don't understand why you're saying all of this!" Serena replied, moving closer but the other woman flinched away.
"I saw you...I saw you with that other girl. Holding hands. You didn't pull away. And then she invited you to her flat." The consultants jaw dropped.
"Wait wait. You think something is going on between me and that F1?" She asked in surprise. Bernie shrugged.
"You tell me, you both seemed pretty cosy in there."
"Bernie! Stop it! There's nothing going on! It was her first day for Christ's sake! I was supporting her and she was saying thank you. That's all!" It was now Serena's turn to throw her hands up in the air. She then continued to talk at a more reasonable volume. "I didn't pull my hand away because I saw you. I was too shocked to register what I was doing and how it looked to you. And yes she invited me to her flat but in no world would I have ever even considered saying yes."
"Oh." Bernie replied quietly, her face reddening slightly under the light of the street lamp. "I'm so sorry I overreacted. I was just so scared...scared that I was going to lose you. I love you Serena Campbell."
"I love you too Berenice Wolfe. And I always will. Never doubt that." She whispered back and moved in closer so that their foreheads were resting together.
"How about we start today all over again? Starting with hi I missed you loads and happy birthday." Serena giggled and kissed her lips.
"I missed you too. Now come here and kiss me properly." She pulled Bernie into a tight grasp and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
