" The best things happen unexpectedly."
- unknown
***
After seeing what Chuck had to show, which was a dart board, the men had played with shooting at a picture of Hitler himself, she planned to go back down the mountain in search of Gene so they could fix Oliver up. Charlotte found a few of the trucks pulled up outside but no Gene. She figured he was still in town, working to get the aid station set up before nightfall. She looked around for someone to possibly drive her down to the town again. She found no available jeeps, so she opted for walking. The breeze was lovely, with the sun shining brightly as she carefully went down the mountain. Her feet crunched against the ground lightly and soon she got a hop in her step and began skipping with the bunny still tucked up in her arms. She walked all the way into town and found the banner for the aid station, the wind waving it in the wind as a breeze went through the place. Charlotte slid inside and carefully put the dress where Gene had placed her helmet and medical satchel before searching for her Cajun friend. The aid station was in positively one of the most beautiful locations she'd ever seen. The entrance was a big opening lobby type area with a staircase leading upwards to rooms, but once you walked through the center behind the staircase, it led to a big window filled room with 3 chandeliers hanging from the top. The room looked like a dining area, but now tables and chairs were turned into beds and places for medicinal purposes. She found Gene, helmet off, as well as the medic satchel, sorting through bandages near an open window, that let in the fresh smell of what felt close to summer and a cool breeze, with a beautiful view of the river below.
" Hey Gene." she called as she neared him. He looked up at the mention of his name and gave a small smile as the girl approached him. He noticed the small creature bundled in her arms. Charlotte had a wide smile on her face, youthful again, and beautiful, with the brightness in her eyes as well.
" What's up?" he asked, as he placed the last of the bandages away. " Who's this?"
" This is Oliver." she said and smiled at the little bunny rubbing it's nose.
" I think it's hind legs are injured, I found him one the side of the road on the way up to the Eagles' Nest." she explained.
" Here, let's put him here." Gene said, as Charlotte finally pulled the bunny from her arms and onto the table gently. Her and Gene crouched on the side of the table side by side, eye level with the furry creature as it sat there twitching it's nose. The back legs were limp it seemed, that back of its spine seemingly crushed down a bit. It didn't even try to move. Gene bit his lip.
" Probably paralyzed in the back legs, seems something happened to them, or his spine got crushed." Gene said as he reached forward with two fingers and felt around the crushed end of the spine. Charlotte sighed in defeat.
" We can't even operate on him." she said sadly. Gene looked at the girl, saddened by the poor bunny.
" We can try inserting bolts into it's back leg to heal the broken bones and see if it helps hold the spine together too." Gene said, trying to look for any sign of hope. Charlotte nodded solemnly.
" Will he die?" she asked, reaching forward and petting the bunny's ears softly. Gene looked over at the girl with a sorrowful sigh. He placed a hand gentle on her back and rubbed it in small circles before looking back at the bunny. " If done correctly and healed properly he'll survive." Gene said nodding to her. She nodded back and sighed again.
" What should we do?" she asked.
" We'll probably have to make injections where the spinal cord is, with the metal rods to hold it in place and then wrap him up, feed him, rest him, give him whatever meds we think we can give him and see if he heals up any." Gene explained, petting the bunny gently. " I can make the injection if you don't want to watch. You can gather some carrots or lettuce for him if you'd like." The girl perked up with a wide smile in his direction.
" I can gladly do that." she said, getting to her feet. She looked down at the bunny with a soft smile before leaning down and kissing the little creatures nose gentle as it twitched its nose again.
" Be good for Gene, alright?" she said to the bunny rubbing its head. She stood up and looked to Gene.
" I'll be back." she said and gave one last glance at the bunny before turning and heading out of the aid station. Gene watched her go and then turned back to the little bunny. He knelt down and pet the creature as it continued to twitch its nose and he smiled fondly at it. The girl had a big heart he knew that, and she shared her love with everyone. He thought it was now time to spread some of his own love and give back to the girl. He was going to save the bunny. Charlotte headed out of the aid station, placing her helmet firmly on her head and shouldering the medic satchel, before making way to where the trucks were beginning to unload some of the food just to cook for tonight. She walked through the streets where soldiers milled about and she looked up to the Eagle's Nest briefly wondering if her friends were still up there possibly getting drunk off of whatever they were drinking. She chuckled to herself as she made way towards the trucks again.
" Hey! Sunshine! Charlotte!" she heard a voice calling and she turned to see Vest with a stack of mail in his hands.
" Hey Vest." she greeted with a small smile, as he fished out a letter from the pile. She sent her last one over a month ago so she was glad to see the quick correspondence.
" Just got this in for you." he said as she read over the front of the letter and her heart missed a beat.
" Thanks." she mumbled.
" Oh wait, here's another. And wait one more sorry, you got some fans." he said with a chuckle as she got the two other letters and thanked him with a smile. She forgot about the carrot, searching for a place to sit down and read the letters. She found a tiny dock nearby, so she sat, letting her feet dangle over the water's edge as a gentle breeze blew in and she heard the birds singing to her. She carefully opened the first letter and smiled at the heading slightly. It was from Joe and Bill.
Sunshine,
We miss you like crazy. The nurses are great, but they're not you. We miss your smile, your laugh, your attitude, when you scrunch up your nose when you laugh. We miss you. But, there's not a day that goes by where we don't see your picture somewhere. They have magazines all about you, and pictures with interviews from Sink and McAuliffe, Winters, Nixon, and Speirs. They say the nicest things, too. We heard you're a Sergeant too! And that you got a Purple Heart from Holland, as well as that Combat Medic Badge. You deserve it, after everything you've done. We're being flown back to the states soon, but when this damn war is finally over, you'll be getting a visit from both of us. We heard about your brother as well Charlotte, and we are sorry. We know how much of a close knit family you were and how much you love your siblings, so our hearts break for you. We hope all the guys are well and especially you, since you were extremely sick the last time we saw you. Stay healthy for us kiddo. And we hope the next time we speak will be in person. We love you, kid.
Love,
Joe Toye and Bill Guarnere
Charlotte wasn't sure how big her smile was, but she couldn't wipe it from her face. She squealed to herself even to try and get some of the energy out, but she was just too excited to have heard from them finally. Charlotte noticed the two other letters seemed to be from her grandparents, and the other from one of the guys she went to high school with. She read her grandparents with wide smiles, they were happy for her, but were extremely upset about Leroy. They didn't go into much detail, but they mentioned how they were upset how he had died overseas while loving a young lady that they had to bring to the house one time and he had no life to live. Then she opened the letter from the boy back home, which written across the time, came from the Pacific, some unknown location. She wondered how the boy had gotten where she was, but if what Bill and Joe said was true, then her face was everywhere.
Dear Charlotte Tarvers,
It's been a while, since High School hasn't it? I'm sorry I never wrote you after I left for the war. I've seen the articles on you, and seeing your bright smiling face in the midst of this hell has helped me a lot. The war's gotten brutal out here in the Pacific. And, it made me write this letter actually. The thought of not seeing you again, or being able to even talk to you, passes my mind day and night. So, I'm saying it. I love you, Charlotte Tarvers. Every picture, every article, everything. I love you. If I survive, I will see you after this war to prove myself. To prove why I love you, and why I deserve you. My friends were always saying stuff about you, and how'd you come to school in your french braids, and how'd you hang out in the science lab and not the cafeteria. But I found it hot actually. You don't know how happy I'd be to see you after the war. Remember the time you outsmarted Mrs. Davis' in biology because you knew she had incorrectly drawn something? I remember that, clear as day, and I thought it was freaking amazing, and that's when I realized I fancied you. And now I love you and will prove it. Once I survive this war, I will see you again. I love you so much.
Love,
John Henderson
Charlotte stared at the letter wide eyed. John Henderson. The boy that never wrote her in all her training time and war time, who promised all the same. And now sitting by this lake, she didn't know what to feel. So she figured Gene was still with Oliver, and she told herself to calm down and relax. So, she closed the letter, placed it with the others in a neat pile and carefully undid her shoes, then pulling off her socks, before pulling down her pants, and then her OD top and undershirt. The girl then rightfully pulled her raybands from her front pocket placed them over her eyes and laid back on the deck, sunning herself, finally alone in the peace and quiet. She was rather exposed, but she didn't give one single shit at the moment. She didn't know what to feel about the letter, she didn't know really how to react to it. The sun was so warm against her skin in this moment in time and she felt she deserved some time alone to sunbath, even if it was in just underwear and a bra. She was freaking pale though. The girl let herself relax for about an hour, and then finally after she thought she wouldn't get burnt by the blazing sun, she pulled her clothes back on and tied up her boots before grabbing the letters and heading back up to find Gene and Oliver. She passed a few friends along the road, stopping to chat a few times or have a good laugh like she always did. Charlotte managed however, as night was slowly falling to slip into the aid station again, with a stolen carrot to see how he was doing with Oliver. She got in and walked to the window room, now dark outside and illuminated by some light and candles to see Gene holding the bunny in his arms, a large cast wrapped around it's hind legs as its eyes were shut, nestled into Gene's arm. She found it absolutely adorable. She slowly walked in and noticed how Gene looked up at her with a small smile on his face, which was rather rare. The bunny, seemingly having smelled the carrot, slowly sat up at the smell and moved a bit towards the scent.
" You want the carrot?" she asked in a childish voice to the bunny as she fully stood in front of Gene now, gently feeding the bunny the carrot in her hands. She looked up at Gene from the bunny and smiled.
" Thank you." she whispered. Gene smiled wider. Gene turned and gently placed the bunny down onto a fluffy towel, as it continued to nibble on the character the young medic had brought. Charlotte gently rubbed in between the bunny's ears as its nose twitched and continued eating. She turned to Gene and then wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.
" Merci Gene." she whispered softly in his ear. Not being the most affectionate person, but still loving all the same, wrapped his arms around the girl and held her tight against him as she stood on her tippy toes.
" You're welcome." he whispered back in the dimly lit room. She pulled back and smiled again at him and then the bunny.
" How should we care for him? I'm thinking cast on for 6-8 weeks, minimal movement, feeding and resting him." she said, petting it's little head again.
" Whatever you say, Doc." Gene said, crossing his arms and staring at the small creature.
" You can probably take him to your billet tomorrow, but he should probably stay here tonight, remember minimal movement." Gene said looking at the girl.
" I'll stay with Oliver." she said.
" You sure?" Gene asked. The girl seemed exhausted and he rather wanted her in an actual bed.
" Yeah." she said. She noticed the cot to the left of the table. " I'll sleep there."
" Ok, Charlie." he said, and began cleaning up his medical equipment that he had.
" You need anything else?" he asked her. She shook her head as she pulled off her boots and lied back on the cot with the fluffy pillow.
" You'll be alright in here alone?" he asked, and she knew it was just the worry of the last time he had left her alone over taking him, but she knew she'd be fine. She nodded.
" If it'll make you sleep at night, you can stay if you want." she said a small smile on her face. Gene sighed, in what seemed to be relief and settled in the cot next to her. The two stared at the ceiling and enjoyed each other's company.
" I just didn't want to leave you alone like last time." Gene said to her.
" Thanks Gene. I know it means a lot to you." she said, a small smile on her face. " 'Night."
" Goodnight." Gene answered, as he watched the girl snuggle under the light blanket into her pillow, hair fanned out behind her as she did so. She turned on her side to face the tiny bunny which was slowly falling asleep under the blanket it had as well. Gene smiled to himself, as light snores slowly emerged from the girl.
___
thanks for reading!