Evelyn's Tale

-Forty Two-

7th May, 1945

Evelyn growled when the rubber band holding her hair back from her face snapped and her dark knotted curls decided to block her vision, causing her to trip over a loose floorboard and send the full bed pan in her hands spilling all down the front of her uniform. Cursing angrily, she stamped her foot like a little child and Eugene snorted, appearing behind her with another band and he swept her hair up messily and tied the band around the unruly mass.

"I'll clean that up off the floor while you get changed," he offered kindly. "Not that there's very much actually on the floor considering it's all over you instead."

"Oh wipe that smug little look off your face, Gene," Evelyn scowled at him, plucking at her shirt and retching when she could feel the urine stained fabric sticking to her skin. "This is fucking disgusting. I swear to God these stupid little fucking replacements are ignoring the no fraternising policy and just sticking their you know whats in anythig that moves and I'm the one stuck emptying their fuckig' diseased urine bed pans."

"Hey, Spina and I have emptied our fair share too," Eugene frowned.

"Yeah but neither of you have ended up like this," Evelyn muttered.

"That's because we both know how to walk like grown ups."

"Well I wonder if you know how to take a punch in the face like a grown up?"

"Evelyn Liebgott, has anyone ever told you you're too violent for your own good?" Eugene smirked, only serving to infuriate Evelyn further. But before she could make a snippy quip back to him, the door was thrown open so hard that it almost came off of its hinges and Babe's red face came into view.

"What's wrong?" Evelyn demanded, dread immediately gnawing at her stomach because of the look on Heffron's face and the fact that he had clearly ran as quickly as he could to reach them. "Has something happened? Is it Joe?"

"No, no, he's fine; everyone's fine," Heffron shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "I came to tell you both the good news. German army just surrendered."

"The whole German army?" Eugene frowned in disbelief.

"Whole goddamn fucking thing," Babe grinned. "Happy Victory in Europe Day folks."

Eugene and Evelyn looked at Babe and then at each other with varying degrees of shock and awe, unable to comprehend what they were hearing. The thing that had been on the cusp of happening for weeks was finally here and it seemed neither of them knew how to react.

"The two of you could look a little fucking happier," Babe eyeballed the pair of them. "The Krauts have surrendered. It's done. All of it. Now would one of you guys get over here and give me a hug? You should be celebrating, not looking like you're at a funeral."

Choking out a laugh that stuck in the back of her throat with so many varying emotions, she ran and threw herself at Babe, wrapping her arms around his neck and giggling when he spun her around in a circle chanting that they were going home. Neither of them cared to think about the fact that by all accounts the war in the Pacific was still as fierce as ever because at that moment the war they had been fighting in Europe – the one that had taken their friends and their lives- was finally over. It hadn't all been for nothing.

"Oh shit, Babe," Evelyn gasped, wriggling out of his grasp and grimacing. "I'm covered in piss."

"You're what?" Babe pulled a face at the dark stain on Evelyn's uniform; the stain that was now on him too and he looked horrified.

"It's a long story," she waved him off, turning to Eugene and smiling. "Come here, Gene."

"Not a chance," Eugene shook his head, backing off as Evelyn approached with open arms. "You get away from me right now."