Evelyn's Tale

-Forty Four-

The early summer heat was almost unbearable. Evelyn wondered how she could still see snow atop some of the mountains in the distance when the sun was dancing high up in the sky, blanketing them all in a warmth that somehow seemed inconceivable for the time of year.

"I didn't know Austria could be so warm."

"Neither did I," Evelyn turned away from the window and smiled at her patient. "I'd take this over Bastogne any day though."

"I do so wish you all hadn't had to go through that," her patient murmured sadly.

"I wish we hadn't either," Evelyn nodded, the sounds and smells and sights of that place flashing through her mind just like they did numerous other times during the day. Forcing a smile onto her face, she looked at the clock on the wall. "Eugene should be here any second now. He's always at least ten minutes early, but more often than not twenty."

"That sounds like Eugene," her patient chuckled. "That man is a real stickler for time keeping and organisation."

At that moment, the man who was a stickler for time keeping and organisation pushed open the door to the aid station, and Evelyn hurried out from behind the privacy screen that separated her patient from the rest of the ward, which was currently devoid of patients.

"Hey Gene," she greeted him.

"What have you done?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What? Nothing," she frowned.

"You're lying," Eugene didn't believe her. "You're bouncing up and down like a puppy and that smile you gave me just now was almost serial killer like."

"Wow, that's rude," Evelyn scoffed, trying her hardest to act normally. "And just for that I'm going to leave early and let you deal with the monstrously disgusting rotting toenail of the patient in the bay by the window."

"I don't think so," Gene told her firmly. "You have twenty one minutes left of your shift, and I'm only here to make sure I'm all set and ready for mine."

"Well you can make sure you're ready by giving me your opinion on the rotting toenail then," she smiled sweetly, motioning for Eugene to follow her.

A quiet mutter of something in French that sounded like annoyance made Evelyn grin to herself even as she heard his footsteps following her.

"Why is there a divide when there isn't even anyone else in here?" Eugene questioned when they reached the room divider.

"This patient is fussy, what can I say?" Evelyn shrugged and motioned for him to go ahead of her. "Ladies first."

"Very funny," Eugene rolled his eyes and moved the divide aside. "Vera?! What the-"

"Surprise!" Vera and Evelyn shouted at the same time.

Beaming with delight at Eugene's dumbfounded expression, Evelyn watched Vera jump up from the bed she had been sitting on and throw herself at Eugene who caught her reflexively before realising that she really was there.

"What are you doing here?" his voice was tight.

"They were looking for more Red Cross nurses to help out here so I came," Vera was crying unashamedly as Eugene set her back down on her feet and kissed her once, aware that they had an audience. Even if said audience was his closest friend, that didn't mean he was comfortable with such an overly public display of affection. "Evelyn helped me to plan the surprise. You're not mad, are you?"

"No, of course not," Eugene was quick to reassure her, his brow furrowed as though he was still having difficulty processing what was happening. "I can't believe you kept this a secret, Evelyn."