Cannonball

Chapter Seventeen: Tunnel Shooting

"Why would you do that?" Thomas exclaimed not understanding why Freddie had saved his life and taken that bullet for him; he pressed at the wound to try and stop the bleeding. 

He could hear the medics coming and he prayed that Freddie was going to be alright; he would never forgive himself if his friend died for him here in this nightmare. 

The medics quickly arrived and loaded Freddie onto a stretcher to take him away to be treated; they seemed sure that the wound would not be too bad since he had been hit in the shoulder. 

Looking down at the blood on his hands, Thomas doubted that this was the last time he would see a sight like that in his lifetime.

***

Staring down at the latest letter that she had received from her husband, Rosemary swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that what had happened to Freddie was not something that he would ever forget. 

She thanked God that Thomas was okay and she prayed that Freddie would recover swiftly after what he had done to save her husband; it had been a year since her own father's death and she did not want that for Kathleen. 

Even now, Rosemary knew that she would give anything to go back to the train platform that day and say her goodbyes even if he did not wish for her to do so. 

What she would give for one last chance to hug him, to hear him say that it was all going to be okay; he had died before he had truly gotten the chance to be a grandfather, before he could come home and meet Robert and Kathleen for the first time. 

"How is Tommy?" Victoria asked setting down a cup of tea for her, she was dressed in black just as she had done since the news of her husband's death. 

It was still hard to believe and she was ever so grateful that she had been able to find a job that supported her and the two children that still lived under her roof. 

Victoria had been relieved when Colleen had made the announcement that she and Peter would be moving in with his parents since there was more room there. 

It had been a great relief since it meant that there were three less mouths to feed with two pay-checks coming into the house; she was sure that it would be much easier for them to survive. 

Colleen had never pulled her weight at home and always expected someone else to watch her son while Peter struggled to find work since he was seen as a coward by all. 

"Freddie saved his life," Rosemary stated folding the letter and setting it on the table, she was grateful for the fact that things had slowly worked themselves out for her family. 

Things were not easy in Small Heath and they just about managed to make sure that they put food on their tables; each of them doing their part so that they would not starve. 

Victoria's stomach turned at the news, she went to church often to pray for the safe return of Rosemary's husband; she did not want her daughter becoming a young widow.

"I shall pray for Freddie," Victoria said, there had been many men lost to this war and she doubted many would be returning to Small Heath should the war last very much longer. 

No one had expected it to last three years, it had been long and many just wanted their husbands, brothers, fathers, and sons to come home; it was never meant to come to this yet here they were and now they had to live with it. 

"With the Americans involved, the war shouldn't last much longer," Yvette piped in, she nibbled on her lunch and she was starving; she had come to visit her sister and niece on her lunchbreak like she did most days. 

She was certain that now that they were getting the extra forces that they needed that it should not be too much longer before this war came to an end. 

They were already saying it was like no other war that they had ever experienced in history; it was something that would be remembered and they could only hope that it would never be repeated again. 

"They said it would be over by Christmas... that was three years ago," Victoria replied with a shake of her head, she cared not for what the politicians were saying. 

They would say whatever they needed to and she was sure that it was all lies, there was no end in sight and things did not seem to be getting any better. 

What did they care for the families ripped apart by this war that never seemed to end, there was no end in sight and there seemed to be no answers anymore on when this war would be done. 

Yvette was silent at that, if the war had only lasted those three-four months then her father would still be alive and they would not have struggled as they had done in the past three years. 

Reaching across the table, Rosemary took her sister's hand and offered it a reassuring squeeze; there was no harm in hoping for an end to this war, it was the best they could hope for now. 

"I believe that we might be closer to an end than we know," Rosemary told her, she honestly believed that this might be a sign that the war was coming to an end and that Thomas would be home soon. 

It might not be as soon as she would like but she did believe that the war was coming to an end.