Chapter Text
Her life had been what she could term normal. Serena had been working as a locum consultant at a large hospital near where she had moved to in Cornwall. Her colleagues were friendly – a good team – and her boss kept asking if she would consider applying for a permanent senior role. However, her experiences in Lockdown and the horrors she had witnessed working at the coalface during the height of Covid had made her reluctant to commit. If she was honest with herself, so did the idea of working somewhere permanently again without Bernie by her side.
She kept mostly to her small cottage near the sea, tending the garden she had based on the plan in Bernie’s journal. She lived quietly, drank only a little wine, gently refused invitations from colleagues who might become friends, and only kept some contact with her old Holby friends, particularly Fleur, Ric and Henrik – plus of course Jason and his family. Anything more was too painful.
It was in the autumn after the first Lockdown when she received several calls – which she declined – then a series of texts from Alex Dawson, asking to speak with her. They had parted amicably, but Serena had no inclination to speak with her, the prospect of inevitably speaking about Bernie feeling like a plaster being ripped from a fresh wound. However, Alex persisted. Serena sighed and pressed ‘call’ on her phone.
The first few minutes were stunted and awkward, with Alex sounding emotional and hesitant as she asked after Serena’s health and life. “Alex, I don’t mean to sound rude, but why are you interested to know whether I’m working at the moment? Are you offering me a job, because you should know I’m not….”
“No, Serena, it’s not like that. And are you still, um, free…not with anyone?”
Serena gave a sharp laugh.
“Is this some kind of come on? We will always be friends, Alex, but…”
“No, I need your help. And I need to know you’re healthy and not at risk of having the virus.”
Serena sighed. “No, I’m testing regularly both at work and home, and I’ve actually been having some time off in the last few weeks. I was shattered after working pretty much all the way through from the first Lockdown. Look, what is all this about?”
Alex took a long breath. “There’s something I need to tell you. Please, this isn’t a joke but you won’t believe what I’m about to say.”
A shiver went down Serena’s spine, fear but also something else, something… hopeful.
“They found her.”