The Way Back Home

Chapter Twenty Two: A Thousand Years

*AN: The poem is courtesy of the website Messages.365greetings.com

CHAPTER SONG: "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

April 8th 1917

Dear William,

I'm finally in a clear state of mind to write to you myself. Joseph told me that he'd already sent a letter assuring you of our safe arrival at the hospital. Lt. Blake will need to return to the Second Devons after tonight once Captain Smith comes back to retrieve him. I thank God that he arrived in time to get us out of that field after that sniper shot at our ambulance and left us stranded.

My leg is still very sore and hard to walk on and my ribs are wrapped, but they're only cracked instead of broken. My nurse, her name is Tallis. She's stern, but still kind, looking after my needs for food and bathing.

Lt. Blake has remained by my side the whole day like you did back at the camp. He reminds me so much of Tom it leaves a huge hole of guilt in my chest that I feel responsible for what happened to him. In the twenty four hours since we met, he and I have become friends. Joseph has that same twinkle in his eye that Tom had whenever he would look at me back at that farmhouse, like he hadn't laid eyes on a woman in such a long time...

But he knows that my heart is only pulled towards you. Before I sleep tonight, I'll pray and beg to God to keep you safe. I've never been very spiritual back where I'm from, but I've come to that point where I've made true connections with people that I care about. For every bomb I hear in the distance, I need to keep myself from going insane with anxiety.

I feel like a complete cliché that I used to hate, the worried woman who constantly cries about her man's wellbeing while he's away risking his life. But being that I never really had anyone to care about back in 2020, I guess it's justified for me to feel this way now. In my nearly 30 years of being alive, I'd never felt safer than when your arms were around me under that tree back at the Devons' camp. The sound of your voice makes me calm, like nothing bad will ever happen to me. Every embrace and kiss you gave me will be imprinted upon my body forever.

Even when we were in that basement back in Ecoust, I wanted you to make love to me, knowing that I'd fallen for you, and you felt the same way, however impossible it sounded. Even with all the death, bloodshed and ash surrounding us, we had that small shelter of sanctuary. From the moment you recited that Chaucer poem to me, I knew that you were the most genuine and truly good man I will ever meet in this era or mine. In this lifetime while my heart beats still because of you...

My noble knight in uniform, you're better than any man of my dreams because you're real. I love you more than anything, William Christopher Schofield.

Before I run out of room on my paper, here's my gift to you in return for your poem:

"Even though you are far from me, my heart feels you near

I find comfort in your arms; you take away all my fear

My one and only, I love you dearly and with all my heart

I pray that we remain together forever, may we never part

When I count the stars that are up in the sky

For as much as they are, is the much my love is

Look into my eyes and you see, love I can't deny