Bernie tried not to groan in frustration as she sank down into her chair, burying her face in her hands as she thought about how much she missed Serena. It had only been six weeks, but they seemed like the longest six weeks of her life, given how badly she and Ric were clashing. And having Ollie on the ward didn't help matters, either, since he was a reminder of the fact that so many things had changed in such a short space of time.

Knowing that she had to get on her paperwork, or else face the wrath of Ric once more, she sat up and began to organize the piles of folders and papers that she had strewn about her desk, knowing that Serena would gently be laughing at her mad scramble to get everything in some semblance of order. But then, she would have held out her hand and taken half of the work from her, easily finishing it before Bernie had the chance to even blink, or so it seemed.

Finally, she got in the groove, her mind's eye continually focusing on her partner and what she would do in this situation, and the gentle encouragement that her memories of Serena gave her sped her onwards. The growling of her stomach startled her a little, and she pushed away from her desk a little to bend and rummage through her bag, pulling out the lunch that she and Jason had made together that morning. It was a routine that they had quickly grown accustomed to, and again, the connection to Serena, even when she was far away, made her heart a bit lighter for the waiting.

Whilst she was eating, Bernie checked her emails, hoping to see something from Serena in her business account. There were just a few from Hanssen and Ric, though she did smile to see a note from Jasmine, giving her a more personal email to use. Copying down that information, Bernie then logged into her personal email and changed the contact details before sending a reply to the young woman. She was about to log out and go back to her work when she caught a familiar name in her inbox.

Bernie, I've finally made it to Italy, and have found myself thoroughly enamored with this country. I wish that you could join me here, even for a short time, but I know that I've left you in an impossible place, having to run AAU and the trauma bay all by yourself. I miss you, and I hope that you're missing me, too, though I understand that you might have wanted to move on from all the drama I brought into your life. Just know that I love you, darling, always. And enjoy the pictures I attached to this email. I hope to hear from you soon! Serena xx

"As if I could ever forget about you," Bernie murmured as she scrolled through the pictures that Serena had sent, smiling to see the numerous selfies she'd taken with bottles of wine and delicious looking food. And a part of her heart twinged painfully to be with her lover.

Just as she was about to settle back into her work, a light knocking came at her office door, and she looked up, expecting to see Ollie or Morven in the doorway. Instead, Hanssen was there, a genial expression on his face. "May I come in, Ms Wolfe?"

"Of course, please, sit." She gestured towards Serena's desk, but he shook his head, pulling up a free chair to sit close to her side. "What brings you here?"

There was a short pause as he looked at her. "How are you doing?"

"It's not fair to answer a question with a question. The conversation goes nowhere."

"I know that, Ms Wolfe. However, in this case, it is pertinent to our conversation."

She tilted her head to one side as she thought about how honest a response she could give the man. Finally, she let her shoulders drop as she took a deep breath and gazed down at her hands. "Fine. I'm not doing the best at the moment. I miss Serena. And things between Ric and myself are more tense than I would have thought."

"Just as I thought. Well, follow me."

She drew in a deep breath as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry?"

"I've been charged with delivering something to you, and I didn't want to draw attention to us by bringing it down to the ward. Please, follow me." She gave a hesitant nod as they both stood, and Bernie gave Fletch a tiny shrug as they passed him and Ric on their way to the lift. Ric just frowned at her, his usual expression these days, and she tried to smile back, knowing that she would have to be the first to offer the olive branch this time.

By the time they reached Hanssen's office, she had managed to thoroughly confuse herself, wondering what she could possibly be doing with the man in his office. Silently, he pointed to the table at the back of his office, and she gawped at the package there. It was from a high-end boutique, and wheels started turning her head, wondering just who had dropped a pretty penny on her. Drifting over to the table, she saw that atop the box was an envelope, the writing wonderfully familiar. "What did she do?" she asked as she turned her head back to look at Hanssen.

"I believe that she has arranged a weekend away for you, Ms Wolfe."

"But, AAU is short staffed as it is. I cannot afford to take a day off, let alone a weekend."

"I owe Serena a favour or two, and it is high time that I repay them. Suffice it to say, I will be ensuring that everything runs smoothly in your short absence, Ms Wolfe, and hopefully by the time you return, things will be less fraught as well."

She pursed her lips as she nodded, picking up the envelope and opening it as she took a seat in one of the chairs. Serena's familiar script stared up at her, and Bernie ran her fingers over the elegant script, memorizing every word. "She's already bought my ticket? But her email said that she hoped to hear from me soon."

"Well, she will hear from you soon, once you arrive in Italy. Your other parcels are awaiting you at home, but this needed to be signed for, seeing as how it cost an indecent amount of money."

"And how would you know that?" she replied sharply as she lifted the lid on the box and sucked in a deep breath. "Oh, my god. This is gorgeous." Reaching out, she brushed her fingers along the fabric, smiling to feel how smooth and silky it felt to her touch.

"And now, to begin my cover for you. I believe that you have one more person to talk to before you leave today."

She nodded absently as she finished reading Serena's letter, smiling when she saw that she was being entrusted to ask Jasmine to stay over at the house and look after Jason whilst she was away on her long holiday. "Is she on today?"

"I know I saw Doctor Burrows taking lunch with Doctor March earlier, so I would assume that she is still here," he called out as he closed the office door. Bernie smirked a little as she lifted the dress out of the box a little, the navy fabric a good complement to her skin tone.

"This is perfect," she breathed as she replaced the dress and then closed the lid before picking it up and tucking it under her arm as she stood and made her way out of the room, making certain the door latched behind her. It didn't take long to get down to Darwin, and she smiled as Essie hurried past, talking anxiously to Rossini, most likely about a transplant that was to occur shortly. Looking at the nurse's station, she saw a few familiar faces, but no sign of Jasmine.

"What are you doing here?"

Turning, she saw Jac appearing in the doorway of her office, the usual look of boredom on her face. Bernie gave her a small smile before patting her box lightly. "I need to see your sister for a moment."

"Yeah, well, my sister doesn't need to see you, especially if you're going to tell her anything about Ms Campbell."

Bernie arched an eyebrow as she cocked her head to one side. "I do believe that that should be her choice. And now, I really need to see her before I head home for the day. I'm off for a weekend in Italy."

"And that involves my sister how…?"

"Oh, Jac, lay off Bernie." Jasmine popped her head out of the office and beckoned her inside. Bernie nodded gratefully as she brushed past the surgeon and closed the door behind her, not wanting to be interrupted. "So, I take it you've heard from Serena?"

The tender smile of anxiety that danced about Jasmine's lips had Bernie nodding as she took a seat next to Jasmine. "I have, and I am being kidnapped for a quick and dirty trip to Rome. I'm assuming that she and Hanssen have been talking, since he was the one who informed me of this all. And Serena bought me a dress."

"It's Stella McCartney, I can tell from the box. Let me see!" Bernie nodded and set it on her lap, tugging the lid off and listening to Jasmine's soft gasp. "Fuck a duck. Do you know how much that dress costs?"

Bernie shook her head. "I take it you do?"

Jasmine nodded slowly. "I won't be able to afford something so dear for years to come. You really are so lucky to have someone who loves you so dearly. But why did you come to tell me about your holiday?"

"Because I have been tasked with a very important mission. Serena would like you to stay at the house and watch after Jason until I return. It's nothing hard, just making certain you make lunch with him in the morning, and that his takeaway is sorted on fish and chips night. She thought it might sound a little better coming from my lips rather than in an email."

Jasmine's happy smile faltered a little, and Bernie instantly knew that the young woman had been wanting some contact with Serena, and she vowed to make certain that would happen at some point that weekend. "I suppose, and of course I'll watch after Jason. We're mates, after all, and that's what mates do."

Bernie nodded before standing once more. "All right then, I'm off to pack and prepare for my flight tomorrow. At least it's not too long."

"Do you have someone to take you to the airport?"

She hadn't thought about that, and she shook her head a little. "I could just take a cab."

"Nonsense, I'll drive you, and pick you up. And that way, I'll get to hear the stories first!" Her smile widened once more, and Bernie nodded a little, knowing it was no use arguing with the young woman. She was just as stubborn as Serena, and Bernie would get nowhere.

"All right, come over tonight, and we can go over the game plan, then." Jasmine squealed a little before hugging her tightly, and Bernie hugged her back a little, the first thrum of excitement coursing through her body as she thought about the coming weekend with her love.