Work Text:
Bernie awoke to a peaceful home. Jason and Serena had already departed for their shifts at Holby. She reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the toilet to prepare for the day ahead. After using the lavatory and washing her hands, she took the time to brush her hair and teeth before making her way downstairs to the quiet kitchen. As she reached for a cup of tea, she casually glanced at her phone and noticed a message from Serena. Surprisingly, the message had been sent at three in the morning, just an hour into Serena's shift. "Hello, I hope you're doing well. I'll see you when your shift begins. love you." That seemed quite lengthy for Bernie. Her only desire for the day was to cozy up in bed with her wife. "I'm doing well, just feeling your absence. I love you even more now." She replied.
After savoring the last sip of her tea, she gracefully exited the house and effortlessly slipped into her car, ready to embark on her journey to work.
It seems that Serena received the message, as shortly after, the dashboard in Bernie's car illuminated. She pressed the button to respond. "Hello?" she inquired with a clear and confident tone.
"Hey Serena," Bernie replied in a hushed tone.
"Are you alright, darling? You seem quite tired. Nightmare?" she inquired.
"I'm alright, just a bit tired," she said, stifling a yawn. Serena felt a pang of sadness as she heard the weariness in her wife's voice.
"Are you heading to work?"
"Yeah, I'm about 20 minutes out," Bernie replied.
"I have a surgery scheduled in 10 minutes, so when I have the opportunity, I will say hello to you!" "Serena said. Bernie began to speak, but the screen suddenly went black. She let out a sigh and whispered i love yo too to no one and continued driving once the red light turned green.
As a car sped by on the opposite side of the street, Bernie couldn't help but scoff at their lack of awareness. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. She observed the car swiftly speeding up the street, colliding with the oncoming traffic and resulting in the other car overturning onto its roof.
Bernie abruptly hit the brakes and let out a gasp, gripping the steering wheel tightly as vivid memories of overturned cars in Afghanistan rushed back to her and the military in her kicked in. "Wow holy shit!" she exclaimed, examining the scene. As the traffic came to a halt, she swiftly exited her vehicle and hurried towards the overturned car. Bernie effortlessly climbed onto the car, using the car wheel as a makeshift step. From there, she peered through the window, where a woman was seated.
"Please, please, please, you have to help us get out! My daughter is in the backseat!" The woman let out a piercing scream, filled with fear. "Alright, ma'am, my name is Bernie. I work as a trauma surgeon at Holby. May I ask for your name?" Bernie asked in a composed manner.
"A-Abby, my daughter, her name is Lexie." "We really need to find a way to get out of this car." The mother pleaded.
"Alright, I'll handle it. Just give me a moment, please stay put." Bernie quickly returned to her car and opened the trunk to retrieve a tool she kept for emergencies. Bernie effortlessly scaled the car once more. "Cover your face for me," she said, raising her arm in one smooth motion. She knew that later that evening, her back would surely start acting up, as a thousand tiny glass shards scattered into to the car onto the woman. "Could you please release your seat belt?" Bernie asked. The woman nodded and followed the instructions.
"Alright, excellent. Now, I will gently grasp under your arm and carefully pull you out, placing you onto the soft grass just a few feet from the car." Bernie carefully leaned over the exposed broken glass, making sure not to injure herself or the other woman as she pulled. Bernie positioned the woman on her back on the grass and glanced over her shoulder. "Please remain still. I'm going to go help your daughter," Bernie said turning to the man who was watching at the side of the road. "Could you please contact the ambulance?" Bernie gave instructions as the man retrieved his phone. Bernie proceeded to carefully climb the car once more, this time making their way to the back seat where a distressed little girl sat, tilted to the side and in tears. "Hello, sweetheart, what's your name?" Bernie asked, making an effort to maintain the girl's composure.
"Lexie," the girl whispered.
"Hey Lexie, I'm about to break this window. Could you please cover your face with your school bag? Can you do that for me?" The little girl nodded as Bernie forcefully shattered the rear window. "Good girl," she consoled as Lexie screamed, the glass shattering around her. "Alright, Lexie, could you please come over to where I am so that I can pull you out?" The young girl gently shook her head.
"okay, no need to worry. why don't i come in ?" Bernie smoothly maneuvered herself towards the window and effortlessly slid inside. "Alright, Lexie, you've been incredibly brave so far. Now, I need to reposition you, which might cause some discomfort. Your mother is waiting for you over there, and I promised her that I would help you. So, let's do this together. On the count of three, I will lift you, alright?" Despite feeling frightened and in tears, the little girl bravely clung to Bernie's neck as he tightly gripped the window and successfully pulled them both out of the car.
The young girl gasped in alarm as Bernie swiftly approached the grass and gently guided her to sit down.
"Alright, I need to go over to that other car now. Please stay here with this kind gentleman until I return, alright?" she kindly informed the daughter and mother. After they both agreed, Bernie eagerly dashed towards the other car. She meticulously inspected each window, only to find them all empty. However, her attention was immediately drawn to the window screen, where she discovered a hole large enough for a person to pass through. A wave of unease washed over her as she caught sight of a figure lying motionless on the road, appearing to be a teenager of about seventeen years old.
"Help!" cried the boy, while Bernie quickly knelt down beside him to check his pulse, her concern evident when it was weak and thready. "Hello, what's your name?" She asked of the adolescent.
"Jonathan," he said, his voice filled with agony.
"Alright Jonathan, I'm here to help you." Bernie detected a familiar scent. She didn't have a moment to waste on clearing his neck; her priority was to quickly move him away from the smoking car. "Alright Jonathon, I'm afraid I'll have to make an exception and move you. Prepare yourself for a little pain." She said observing the blood-soaked t-shirt near his stomach.
Without waiting for his approval, the teenager screamed in pain as Bernie lifted him and took each step, finally laying him down on the grass.
As the car behind them transitioned from emitting smoke to bursting into flames. with a loud bang Bernie gracefully lowered herself to the ground, soldier-like.
"Alright, sir, I would appreciate it if you could kindly place this on his stomach," Bernie requested, removing her white over shirt and handing it to the gentleman who had called an ambulance. "Thank you. Now, Abby, I need to relocate that knee without any pain medication, so I must warn you that this will be quite painful," Bernie informed. The woman simply nodded in understanding. Bernie positioned herself in front of the woman and carefully examined the socket. "On the count of three, ready? One, two, three," Bernie swiftly pulled, causing the woman to cry out in pain.
"Great job, great job, now stay right there and don't budge," Bernie remarked as he moved closer to the little girl who showed no indication of any noticeable otter-related harm. "Lexie, are you experiencing any discomfort in addition to the cuts and scrapes?"
Lexie shook her head in disbelief. "Alright, what about Jonathan is he okay sir?"
"I'm fine," she heard himself say as she smiled at him and took over applying pressure to his stomach. "Where are those ambulances?" she said in a calm voice, trying not to alarm the boy who way now pale and clammy.
Shortly after, she heard the sound of sirens and felt a wave of relief as both ambulances and police arrived to ensure the safety of the area.
"Bernie?" Ian remarked, his gaze fixed on the unfolding scene before him. "Are you hurt?"
Bernie shook her head in disbelief. "I have three cases here. One of them has a severe abdominal injury that requires immediate surgery. The mother has a dislocated right shoulder, but I was able to put it back in place. As for the little girl Lexie, I don't believe she has any internal injuries, but I would like her to undergo a thorough examination just to be sure." she told them. "Sure Bernie, I'll take it from here. Would you like a ride to the hospital?" Ian kindly offered.
"Sure, I'll transport them to the location and you can drive. It's your car, after all." She gestured in a particular direction.
"Alright, it seems that the police require a detailed account of the incident." Jane comforted Bernie by gently patting her shoulder, noticing that her adrenaline was starting to fade. "Thank you, I'll see you there," she said as she made her way to her car. As she settled into her seat and prepared to start the engine, while the ambulance's sped away in the distance. Suddenly, a police officer caught Bernie's attention and signalled for her to halt. As she glanced to her left, a van came hurtling towards her. She found herself unable to react in time, and the last sound she heard was a loud crash before everything faded to black.