BERNIE WOLFE: JULY 2019-FEBRUARY 2022.
The day after she sends her son an email, Bernie is caught up in an explosion caused by a suicide bomber at the military airport hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. As Serena describes him: some random nutter with an RPG. Bernie isn’t wearing her body armour, instead that’s being worn by a collegue. The collegue dies. Bernie is shot, hence her blood being on the body armour. But she is kidnapped in the ongoing chaos.
Bernie is pronounced MIA on 16th July 2019 and declared officially dead one week later. We find out later that Bernie was captured and held by a militia who wanted a doctor.
She was rescued. Not released. Not set free. Rescued. We can infer from that, and from everything else, that no one was looking for her. Everyone thought she was dead. No ransom was offered as is sometimes usual with militia kidnappings of forgien citizens.
Nope, she was there for her skills as a doctor and was probably forced to use them. At gunpoint. From my minimal research, it’s likely she was moved alot, every few days, forced to sleep outside on mats, under constant watch, and made to practice surgery on her own, under high stakes in unhygenic conditions. No one to talk to. If there was, it was minimal communication. Inadequate food, water, medicine. For over a year.
Bernie didn’t think she’d survive. No dreams about what she’d do when she got free, no thoughts on making it up with Serena or her kids. Because she didn’t think she’d survive.
If no one knew she was there, or alive, or valuable, the rescue must have been a raid, either to capture one of Bernie’s kidnappers as a target, or because they had other prisoners that they knew about. I don’t imagine that the rescue went off without a hitch, not only because of the way Bernie phrases it whilst telling Cameron (it’s possible the rescue could have been equally traumatic) but because those operations are planned to the best they can be, precisely planned with the information they have, and throwing a Bernie Wolfe sized curve-ball into things... not great.
By August 2021, when Bernie comes back to Holby, she has been free for a year, perhaps more. She probably doesn’t know the date due to time being skewed, and her own recovery meaning she didn’t know the precise date of her rescue. That means she was freed August 2020.
So what do we know after that? Not much.
She wasn’t “in a fit state”.
Needed somewhere to “decompress”.
Serena “was the only person [she] could face”.
Charlotte was told. Marcus was told. Cameron was not. So, they were probably told after Cam was imprisoned. After March 2021. That’s 5 months after Bernie was rescued. So, realisitically, they were told early April 2021.
Henrik is the one that asks Bernie to come and see Cameron. From the way his words are phrased, she knew that Cam was sick prior to this, and it was only his involvement in the trial and placement on Holby that really pushed her to be able to go and see him. It’s likely that she was just toying with the idea before that, mentioning that she’d thought about how to reunite with Cam many times when she finally talks to him.
Personal headcanons Bernie’s recovery:
When Bernie and Serena reunite, Bernie flinches from Serena. Touch is a bad thing for Bernie, and despite knowing Serena is “it” for her, it’s an instinctive reaction that sends Serena’s thoguths going into overdrive. Over time, Bernie is okay with initiating touch, till finally, they are as tactile as ever. She’s still hesitant about other people in her personal space though.
Bernie sleeps a lot when she gets to Spain. It’s left over from travelling, surgery, treatment and a lack of security. Now she’s with Serena, she can feel safe and at “home”. She sleeps a full few days, so much that Serena kind of worries. It’s a tough first week.
She sleeps in a converted office. It’s on the ground floor, near a loo. Helpful for her residual physical injuries and lack of strength. She also sleeps with a lamp on.
She suffers night terrors. They manifest after she’s not so completely exhausted. So they take Serena COMPLETELY by surprise.
Disassocaiton is a major issue for Bernie. Internal and external. It’s the fact she can’t quite figure out who she is that makes her opposed to contact anyone but Serena. She also has anxiety issues and occasional flashbacks when her PTSD is triggered. Serena learns to look for signs.
She’s kind of regarded as a recluse for those first few months in Spain. Like, she’s the weird blonde, white lady who lives in a villa and never leaves. The brunette is nice enough though. Eventually, she gets better at being around people, around crowds.
Personal headcanons about the timeline:
Bernie and Serena don’t get together straight away. I know, I know! They’ve wasted enough time. But Serena still has her doubts and insecurities and Bernie is in no way able to make a rational relationship choice other than: I want Serena. They need to establish a new status quo first, and get Bernie to a healthy point. So, give them both six months. They still love each other though.
Henrik is actually the first person told back in England, that Bernie is alive. Third overall, though Ric was a sort-of accident. Henrik’s told in early April 2021, in order to explain and be a support to Jason, who needs to be told ASAP as Serena is increasingly uncomfortable about keeping it from Jason. Once the initial business of Bernie’s recovery has settled, she asks Bernie if it would be okay, knowing that as soon as Serena opens the can of worms, Jason will want to see Bernie and have proof. So, Serena calls Henrik, explains. Henrik, in turn, calls Jason up to his office (on Keller) a few days later, for a video call with Serena. Jason gets upset and overwhelmed, as this doesn’t fit into his previous experience of death (his Mum, Elinor, Xav) and closes the laptop. He goes to the Peace Garden. Henrik follows and answers all his questions, enough for him to calm down and feel okay with talking on the phone. That’s how he and Bernie talk again. He still calls her “Auntie”.
Henrik was used as a test run for Jason, Jason was used as a test run for Charlotte and Marcus. Marcus first, so he can support Charlotte, but also get his questions out of the way and any negative reaction.
I WANT A RIC VISIT. So, stuff it. Let’s say that Ric decides to ambush Serena for New Years 2021. He’s got a mate with a villa in Spain, and they’ve not seen each other for nearly a year. You betcha he’s going to drop by. He gets Sangria with a side of “Bernie’s not dead” and gets to see first hand that these two lovebirds being idiots because they are not together (at this point) despite being totally in love. Bernie copes... admirably, with an invasion into her space, but not great. She mainly avoids Ric. Serena is just glad for the support. Feels okay leaving Ric with Bernie. Ric and Bernie take a walk at one point. Much truth is spilled, much wine is drunk when Serena comes back from the town. Serena feels so much lighter having someone to talk to about this after a couple of months on her own.
So, to summarise (indented bullet points are personal headcanons):
July 2019: Bernie taken hostage.
January 2020: Serena leaves Holby City.
August 2020: Bernie rescued after 13 months imprisonment.
November 2020: Ric Griffin leaves Holby City.
Late 2020: Bernie reunited with Serena. They go to live in Spain.
January 2021: Surprise Ric Griffin! He sees both women. He knows they both still love each other. He parts, promising to keep it a secret that Bernie is alive until her family is told, and also gives each woman food for thought. He’ll ultimately give Serena a bit more of support, other than her therapist.
February 2021: Nicky McKendrick tells Cameron she is pregnant.
Early March 2021: #Berena??
Late March 2021: Cameron arrested for his crimes.
Early April 2021: Henrik Hanssen and Jason informed that Bernie is alive. Marcus and Charlotte informed that Bernie is alive. Bernie finds out that Cam is in prison and decides not to go and see him.
July/August 2021: Nicky gives birth to Juliet. Bernie is made aware that she has a granddaughter before she sees Cam again.
August/September 2021: Bernie returns to Holby. Cam is killed in the fallout from an explosive device that he rigged in the hospital. This is when the rest of Holby City, specifically Sacha and Donna, also find out that Bernie is alive. Bernie departs swiftly afterwards, back home, to Serena.
December 2021: Nicky McKendrick returns to Holby City.
At some point, Bernie and Serena get engaged under the pretext of it helping with paperwork. There is no grand gesture so get your heads away from a cute Christmas proposal. She asked it to help with a mortgage.
February 2022: Bernie and Serena return to Holby City following Jason’s car crash, to help with his recovery, as well as his wife Greta, and look after Serena’s great-niece Guinevere. Bernie and Serena are looking at houses in the UK. Bernie makes attempted efforts to contact Nicky and organise meeting her granddaughter. Bernie and Serena are also engaged. They leave the hospital and get their happy ending.
