Wartime Romance (Snowbarry)

May 8th, 1945

Many months had passed and Barry had quickly healed and returned to service even more hopeful than ever after seeing his beloved wife once again.

Meanwhile, Caitlin had been busy tending to the sick and wounded while her husband was fighting as the allied forces battled through France meet the Russians to lay the final assault on Germany, primarily in Berlin.

And she had just finished her morning rounds when an emergency broadcast started to play and everyone went silent to hear the news of the attack on Berlin.

"The final assault on Berlin has been a success. The Germans have been defeated and Hitler has taken his own life. The war has been won!" the broadcast said and carried on more in detail but everyone seemed to zone out in shock of the fantastic news that they had just heard. The fighting was over. And although the treaties and official documents hadn't been signed yet, unofficially the war was essentially over and currently, Caitlin did not know whether Barry was alive or dead but she thought that if he was dead she would know and she would feel something in her heart. She just knew that her dearest husband was alive.

Over the next few days, many more patients came in. She had been informed that Barry was indeed alive and well and soldiers would not be dismissed from service until June and the order of the soldiers going home first worked on a points system.

But on a happier note, she had also received many letters from Barry which described the three medals he had been awarded, more accurately when he returned home, including the medal of honour. The highest medal a soldier could possibly be awarded for bravery. 

These three medals, the amount of time he'd spent in service in France and the injuries sustained put him at a position where he would be one of the first to be sent home, not to mention as a hero. 

And as the fighting had ended fewer patients were being admitted meaning that slowly nurses and doctors of the various war hospitals dotted around France, including the one Caitlin was working at, were being sent back to their home countries. 

And with a perfect reference for a job back home, Caitlin was dismissed on the 25th of May, 1945. She quickly boarded the boat, being careful that she had brought all of her personal possessions and waited for the boat to dock back in the USA. 

Back home, which she had certainly missed. But as she opened the door and placed her suitcase on the wooden floor to her and Barry's home it felt rather empty and cold. Perhaps, the lack of inhabitants made it this way. Or perhaps, the house reminded Caitlin of Barry and that they were apart/ But it warmed her heart to know that she was here because the war was finally over and they had won and that soon her husband would be back within her reach and in her arms once again.

And for the next few weeks, she felt like a broken record in her own mind, constantly telling herself this fact. She found herself a wonderful job as a nurse at the local hospital and was making good money from it. The economy had taken a few painful blows from the war so the government was trying to build it up again and this job was keeping her and Barry in a very good financial position as well as the pay cheques that were coming through the door from Barry being a soldier.

In her spare time, Caitlin was spending a great deal of it with her mother-in-law, Nora Allen, as they were both waiting in anticipation for Barry's swift return, which seemed to be taking forever. Or maybe, they only seemed that way because she missed him so.

Finally, June 3rd came around, which allowed Caitlin to receive and read the best letter she had ever read in her whole life. On June 4th, the next day, Barry would arrive back in the USA. He had sent the letter himself, assuring her that this was actually happening and it wasn't a dream or hallucination of tiredness. It was true and real. He was back for good and she knew that she wasn't going to let go of him ever again. Not for some stupid war or any other devastating act that could bring them apart. Never again.

It arrived early in the morning so everyone else was still fast asleep. However, Caitlin had a very early shift at the hospital so was completely awake and quickly forgot that she was the only one and ran all the way across the street to Nora Allen's door which she opened looking tired and groggy however her face lit up with joy when Caitlin excitedly exclaimed the joyous news and before the woman could react, Caitlin was already running towards her own mother's door to spread the news.

Nora had not seen her daughter-in-law so happy and alive for a while. Not since she and Barry had been together. Truly, she loved Caitlin and knew perfectly why Barry adored her so much. There was no end to her optimism and it had fed Barry with optimism of his own which made their relationship something Nora had rooted for since they had begun to see each other about two years ago. They brought her hope and gave her only son something to love and fight for, considering other than his wife he only had his mother. 

And Nora knew she wouldn't be around forever and it brought her a special kind of mother's happiness to know that her child was happy with someone he loved.

The woman giggled slightly when she heard in the distance, Caitlin telling anyone and everyone she could see and practically screaming in joy to the whole street.

"That girl has some spirit," she chuckled then walked back inside to go back to sleep, much happier than she was a few hours earlier.