Timeless

Chapter 14

A/N: It's all downhill from here babes...you know what's coming.

October 1943

Kathryn had never much interacted with Glenn Dye. She had heard nice things about him from pretty much everyone on the base—even her brother, and Dye had stolen the girl that her brother had been messing around with. Still, for anyone to be completing 25 missions was a big deal. There was a certain buzz around the camp that no one could quite describe—Kathryn recognized it vaguely as hope.

Because if Dye could do it, then the rest of the men could do it too.

She would never admit it, but she kept careful count of her brother and Buck's mission count. With her brother at 20 and Buck at 21, they were just a few missions away from being able to go home for a little bit. To have a break from the harsh realities of the war. That was what she was hoping for and it was what she was praying for, too.

The afternoon that Dye was set to make his return for 25 was an afternoon never to be forgotten. Everyone all the way up to the top brass was preparing for what was either going to be the best party that anyone had ever seen (including her brother's birthday, which had ended in near-fireworks literally), or it was going to be the most disrespectful wake that Kathryn had ever been to.

It was also a strange afternoon for the nurses. Because it was such an occasion, Doctor Adler had invited them to come down to the airfield and to wait for Captain Dye to make his return. She had never known Doctor Adler to be a particularly hopeful man in any way, shape, or form, but this would do for now.

Barbara, ever the stickler for the rules, determined that she would stay back at the hospital wing just in case something went wrong. But for the rest of them who had already been there for a while, they weren't going to miss out on something like this. It was a rare day when the nurses got invited down to the airfield and it wasn't a Sunday game of hopscotch.

The girls had turned up in full force, along with most of the civilians on the base. The kids seemed just as excited about the potential return as the rest of the pilots did. Kathryn had gathered with Poppy and one of the kids—who was bound and determined to meet a few of the actual pilots.

So there they were, a large crowd gathered at the base and awaiting the fate of one Captain Glenn Dye. "Your 8'o clock," Poppy mumbled, gaze falling on the approaching jeep with a stupid smile.

Kathryn couldn't say she could blame her—her brother and Buck looked absolutely stupid and formal—and charming—in their uniforms and shades. Bucky, ever the chauffeur, gave a honk as he placed the jeep into park and hopped out.

"It's somethin' straight out of a war bonds poster!" Poppy blurted, causing the pilots to hoot and holler and the comment.

Bucky and Buck grinned and Kathryn just rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your heads," she insisted as they approached the group.

"I would never, Kath!" Bucky promised, dramatically placing a hand over his chest. They took their time greeting the guys before falling in line with Kathryn.

Truth be told, Kathryn didn't get much time with her brother or with Buck anymore. They were busy all the time and besides the dancing or the parties (which had become more and more infrequent), Barbara seemed to keep all of the nurses on a short leash. Which meant that if it wasn't official business, they weren't to be seen consorting.

And then there was also Colonel Harding's stupid rule about nurses and pilots dating or fraternizing, as he had so delicately put it. One pregnant nurse being kicked off the base was enough for him to establish a plethora of rules concerning the topic.