Chapter 3
Elinor watched as Bernie drank a few sips of the whiskey and dropped the glass back down in front of her. She was clearly getting frustrated at Elinor's behaviour, but was doing a pretty good job at keeping it together.
'Rank?' Elinor was being snide now, she couldn't help herself.
'Pardon?' Bernie shot her a look of annoyance.
'You said you were in the army, what rank?'
'Major.' Bernie took the glass in front of her and swirled the liquid around the tumbler, watching the brown liquor swish about inside it.
Elinor let out a giggle. 'I have to admit , I have no idea what that means...' she took another drink. 'I don't really care...I suppose it was high up, must have been at your ag...' she stopped mid flow and laughed again.
'Age?' Bernie quipped finishing the insult. 'Yes it is sort of, more middling, I got injured that's why I left, I could and probably would have gone further up if I stayed.' Bernie winced at the memory of the blast and the back injury she sustained. Elinor could see the pained look on the older women's face and she wasn't sure if she should press any further. It was fun winding her up, but her getting hurt was another story. Seemed a bit harsh to mock her about that. However she was genuinely interested and drunk by this point and she couldn't stop herself, she wanted more answers.
'How badly? I mean hurt?' Elinor shuffled her seat forward and moved closer to the table. She stared at Bernie, 'Please? I won't joke about it, I am seriously interested.' Elinor smiled, and folded her arms over the table, waiting in anticipation to this women's war story.
'I'm not going into the details now Ellie, I might tell you properly one day.' She didn't want to do this now, not in the bar where work colleagues were, she couldn't trust her emotions. 'I was blown up, had a serious back injury.'
'Bloody Hell!' Elinor was genuinely shocked, 'I can't even imagine....it's kinda cool. Sorry, obviously not for you, but oh my god! Blown up! whoa!' She was excited now. 'What happened?'
'Ok calm down. I left, came to Holby. Well to be honest, I was patient first, when I was injured, was flown back, but I liked it here and decided to stay when I heard there was a job going and...'
'and...what?'
'I was trying to make a go of things with my family...but it couldn't work...' Bernie looked sheepish now, uncomfortable.
'Had you met my mum by this point? When you realised it couldn't work?' She sat up straight, waited expectantly for the answer.
'Yes.' Bernie shrugged.
'How many girls, women have you kissed, shagged?' Elinor asked suddenly and abruptly.
'What hang on? Ellie, come on now! I'm your mother's partner, this isn't...'
'I want to know that my mum isn't an experiment for you...' Elinor was smiling now almost with pleasure at how well she was getting to Bernie.
'She isn't and you are trying to make me feel uncomfortable Ellie, trying to make me back off or maybe even leave, maybe even leave your mum because you are being such a...'
'Bitch, cow? what were you going to say?' Elinor squealed with delight now.
'I...bitch...'
Elinor just chuckled, 'It's ok, I am a bitch. Alright, ask me a question.'
Bernie looked at her in confusion. It was like they had come to some kind of mutual understanding and Elinor was actually trying to get to know her, it had happened unexpectedly and it threw Bernie off course but as she watched at Serena's daughter neck another glass of drink. She knew what her first question would be.
'Had enough?'
'No...not stopping until I am having fun...and that hasn't happened yet'
'Why is that?'
'Because...don't know...it's not a night out unless I have a dance...I see no dancing here. So it's not a night out. So not fun.'
'Fair enough.' Bernie laughed. 'You and Serena are more similar than you would like to admit.' She waited for a bad reaction to her comment, there wasn't one. Elinor just smiled, content and carried on with her questioning like before.
'So what's your kid's like? Cameron? Actually...do you mind?' Elinor grabbed Bernie's bag and started to riffle through it. 'Where's your phone?'
'What the hell are you doing?' Bernie gasped, grabbing at her bag now as well.
'Calm down...' Elinor giggled.' This is what I want.' She said pulling it out of her bag. 'You must have a picture of him on your phone?'
Bernie sighed, snatched the phone out of her hand. 'You just had to ask.'
Bernie unlocked her phone and went to the gallery section, sliding through her photos, she stopped. It was one of Cameron taken in Albie's after his first day on AAU. Serena had insisted on taking one. Bernie didn't get all the fuss, but now looking at it, she felt pride at her son for what he had achieved that day. Damn Serena was good. Bernie thought as she grinned at the picture.
'Here.' Bernie thrusted the phone back at her. 'Cam.'
'Wow, he is cute...I mean really cute. I like him already.' Elinor exclaimed excitedly.
'Ellie!' Bernie said in a juvenile tone. It was quite funny watching Elinor get so animated.
'He's actually really hot....is he single?' Elinor was still staring at the phone and then waving it about.
'Yes...'
'Good...' Elinor was laughing.'Don't worry I am joking...you can tell him I told you he was cute though, just saying. Would make our first meeting interesting.'
'I'm sure that would make it a lot easier.' Bernie was actually laughing at this as well. The whiskey was definitely starting to lighten the mood around the table.
'Got one of your daughter?' Elinor started flipping through the pictures. She giggled. 'Is that you in a Christmas jumper? It's hideous?'
'Ser...'
'Mum...haha well welcome to that every year then. Wasn't so bad when I was a kid, but at the age of 16 you really don't want to be wearing Christmas jumpers all festive season.'
'You don't at 51 either!' She smirked. 'But she wouldn't let me say no.' She looked pained at the thought of the jumper she was made to wear on the ward.
Elinor was still laughing as she flipped through more pictures. 'You and Jason? Jase looks quite smart in that suit.' Elinor said warmly
'He does. He really does.' Bernie stated like a proud parent.
'Ah here we go, this must be her. She's cute too...' Elinor had been laughing still and suddenly stopped as she said this. Coughed and moved about uncomfortably on the chair.
Elinor put the phone down on the table. Poured two more drinks and sighed. 'I have no issue with gay people, I really don't...this isn't what the problem is...'
'I never answered your earlier question. I have kissed 4 girls one of them is your mother and before her two were flings when I was young and one was Alex...when I was married. I think I loved Alex. However, it feels different this time. So how many girls have you kissed?' Bernie fired back at her, she was trying to break down her walls. Find out what was really bothering her.
'You got me...3 or 4 haven't been counting, all drunk times, nights out nothing serious. Doesn't mean anything.' She's looking around the room, notices the music more, notices Jasmine trying to get someone to dance. 'I can honestly say that as well. I was at uni, it happens. See told you it isn't the gay stuff...it's mum.' Elinor was lent into the table, her hands clasped between her legs, she looked like a small child suddenly and Bernie felt sorry for her. Perhaps she could get somewhere with her after all.