Love You Till The End (Robert Zussman x Reader)

13 - Y/N L/N

November of 1943
A week later

It's been a nerve-wracking couple of days. I had received my first note from Sergeant Johnson a week ago. He had told me that the idea of putting a woman in the Infantry Division of the Army was on its way to a General. All I had to do now was sit and wait.

I found it very difficult to be patient especially since I had to watch my father come home from work every day looking more and more anxious. He wasn't going to be shipped off for at least a few more weeks. I hoped the news would arrive very soon so my father could relax.

I wasn't excited to possibly be shipped off to war. That's nothing to be excited about. I was just anxious to know if my father was going to have to experience combat again or not.

If I'm able to join the Army, I hoped to be shipped off before Christmas. With Christmas being so close to the end of the year, I found it hard to want to celebrate with my family during that time not knowing if I would ever come back home. I look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving since it's only a week away even though it just might be the last holiday I'll spend with my family.

It was early in the morning and I quickly headed outside to see if there was anything in the mailbox from Sergeant Johnson. Thankfully, my parents haven't noticed me checking the mailbox every day.

When I opened the mailbox, I was very surprised to finally find a note inside. I quickly grabbed the note and quietly went back to my bedroom. I opened it up and began to read.

"I finally have that news you've been waiting for. I'd rather speak to you than write about it. Meet me at the park near the recruitment office at 3 o'clock today."

It frustrated me that Sergeant Johnson couldn't just tell me the news in his message, but I reminded myself that I needed to be patient. After all, there was still the chance that he had bad news.

When 3 o'clock finally arrived, I let my mother know that I needed to run a few errands and headed towards the park. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I clutched the handle of my purse tightly as I approached Sergeant Johnson who was sitting on a park bench.

"Hello, sir," I said.

"Hello there, future Private," he said as he stood up and saluted me. He had a smirk on his face.

"Holy mackerel! Are you serious?" I asked, my mouth wide open.

"Yup! I can't believe how fast it got approved. I expected it to take at least a few more weeks. That's how I know the Generals must really need soldiers for them to approve something like this," he said with confidence.

I was so shocked. I sat down on the bench so I could collect my thoughts. I then looked up at him.

"Well, don't just stand there! Tell me more!" I exclaimed as I patted the seat next to me on the bench.

"The rest of the sergeants and I received the letter with the news yesterday. When we opened it up and read it, we stood there looking at each other with our mouths wide open, exactly like you were," Sergeant Johnson said with a chuckle, "Anyways, the Army has already assigned you to a regiment!"

"Who will I be joining?"

"You'll be training and fighting with the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. You'll get assigned to a platoon and meet your comrades when you head out for training. You won't be leaving for training just yet though. You aren't set to leave until December 20th. Hopefully, that's okay with you. I know it's before Christmas and all," he said.

"No, it's fine. I wanted to be gone before Christmas. I didn't want to be held back," I explained to him and he simply nodded.

"Do you know where I'll be heading for training, sir?" I asked.

"Yes, it's somewhere in the letter. Let me take a look," he said and took out the letter. He scanned it very quickly.

"Aha! Here it is. You'll be in training at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. Ayer, Massachusetts."

"Wow, that's going to be a long trip," I told him. He told me to enjoy it and to take in the sights which I felt was good advice for the long road I was going to be on once I arrived for training. I was definitely going to cherish California during the few weeks I had left here.

Sergeant Johnson pretty much told me everything I needed to know. I felt thankful to have met him. He was such a big help and very respectful. I still had one question left for him. It was the most important one I had to ask.

"What does this all mean for my father?" I asked him.

"Well, Y/N, your father should be getting a letter soon about not needing to be shipped off to war. I made sure it got sent out as soon as we got the news. Since you'll be taking his place and he's the biggest source of income for your family, he'll be able to stay home," he told me with a smile. I lit up with happiness and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, sir. For everything."

"No problem, kid. Now that you have all the information you need, I probably won't need to meet with you until it's time for you to leave. I'll make sure you get to where you need to go. Don't worry so much and enjoy every moment with your family, alright?" he said and I nodded.

We both got up from the bench and said our goodbyes. As I walked off, I suddenly heard a, "Wait, kid!"

I turned around to see Sergeant Johnson walking towards me with a letter which he then handed to me.

"Forgot to give this to you. I'm still in shock that I'm witnessing the very first time this letter has been sent to a woman," he told me as he waited for me to start opening the letter. I quickly opened it, feeling anxious.

"To Y/N L/N...you are hereby notified that you have been selected for training in the Army."