Hello!
Again, I apologize for the delay, but hope you guys are still with me! I hope everyone had an awesome halloween and is looking forward to the holidays ahead. Please read and review!
Lots of Love,
EllieMayy

Teola's eyes seemed to always be in a state of perpetual squinting. Usually, it was because she preferred to keep her house unlit, and free from sunlight. Daylight reminded her that the sun still rose, even without Tom. The earth still turned- even without Tom. Life continued, even if Teola wished it didn't. She was starting to realize what an uncaring place the world truly was. Tom had his moment of recognition, his moment of silence, his moment of thanks, and it only lasted as long as took to read over his name printed in the deaths column in the paper in mobile. For his service he received in name printed in ink and a folded flag returned to his family. He would receive a resting place, six feet dug into the earth he could forever call his own. And one day, when the war was all over, he might even have his name slapped across a statue, commemorating the fallen.

And if she died? If Essie jo Adams somehow tragically overdosed? There would be a funeral for the millions. There would be headlines in every paper, and pictures for the world to admire, for people to shake their heads at and mourn such a loss of life. She would receive flowers, stuffed animals, cards and candle at her enormous mausoleum they would surely entomb her body in. People in Hollywood would probably dress in black, and her memorial service would probably be broadcast on the radio. But she wouldn't deserve what would come with her death.
Tom did. They all did.

So she squinted down at the letter that lay on her kitchen table, next to the various bottles of pills and liquor.

Teola Adams,
My name is Margie. I'm Tom's mother. After his passing, the marines sent us back Tom's personal belongings, among them was a letter to you. Although we've never met, since my son was only stationed in Mobile for the summer, I wanted to introduce myself. My son seemed very taken with you, but so taken, he seemed intent on proposing marriage. His body was delivered to us, here in Oregon a few days ago. He has been buried out on a small plot of land that overlooks the sound. He used to love that place when he was a boy. I understand that my son must have meant a lot to you, and if you ever want to come visit him, you are always welcome. Enclosed is our address, should you ever want to come find us.
-Margie

Teola shut her eyes, and blindly reached for the bottle.

x.x.x.x

Tallulah's stared out the porthole window at a grey sky, that only got darker the further towards the horizon she looked. The skys looked heavy and bulging, as she felt, as if they needed to release vast amounts of pent up rain. She rolled over, and was surprised to find Sidney beside her. He was lying on his back, hands folded behind his head.

He must have heard her stir, because he shot up instantly, the swift movement interrupting the slowness and quietness of the morning. His eyes flashed, darting from corner to corner of the room. His hands flew to a belt he didn't wear, feeling for a gun he didn't carry. When his fingers found only the soft cotton of his skivvies, he heaved a groan, and shook his head as if to clear it. He looked over at his wife to find she was staring at him with the same sympathetically bewildered expression she always did when he woke in this way.
He heaved a groan, and flopped over onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow.

"I'm sorry." He muttered.
She shook her head, and placed a hand on his back.
"Turn over and look at me."
His head swung from side to side.
"Do it." She prodded him in the ribs, and by the time he had rolled over, both were laughing.

He grabbed her wrists, and pinned her to the bed, carefully easing some of his weight atop her.
She giggled, and wrapped her hands around his neck. "Someone came out of hiding easily."
His eyes narrowed, before he buried his face in her neck, nibbling the flesh there. "Someone's a temptress."
She laughed, jerked on his dogtags, attempting to stop the onslaught of kisses that would leave half her neck purple before going to the ward to work.
His lips were on her chest now, slowly meandering down to places she longed for them to visit during darker hours.
"Sidney, I have to work this morning."
"Maternity leave?"

She rolled her eyes, and settled back into the pillows, enjoying the sensation of his warm breath on her skin.
But when he came to her protruding stomach, he stopped, as he usually did. Tallulah felt himself shift his weight, as he glanced up at her. His blue eyes always seemed bigger after he had been looking at her belly. She smiled down at him, as if giving him permission to continue. "Go on." She prompted. "Say hello." Sid placed a hand atop her stomach, and lowed his head as if he were speaking to the bump.

"Hello there little one." He whispered, reaching for Tallulah's hand and squeezing it. She smiled, feeling her eyelashes tickle the skin under her eyes, as Sid continued murmuring unintelligible things to her stomach. He placed his hands on either side of her belly, and gave it a kiss in the middle before looking up at her.

"What do you want to name it?"
Her fingers stopped running though his blonde curls lifted a nail to her mouth to chew on as she always did when she was thinking. "I don't know." She answered, feeling ashamed that she hadn't thought of it before. "Sidney?"
He scoffed and shook his head. "No. I want to name it something new. Something for just the two of us."
"Our families will want something with tradition."
He grinned up at her, shamelessly. "Aren't we already breaking tradition by emerging from the pacific without a marriage license, but with a baby?"
Tallulah admired her whalebone ring in the morning light. "I've all the license I need." He smiled up at her, and his hands on her knees, attempting to pull them apart.
She laughed her protest, which only urged him on.
"I have to go to-"
"Hush." He breathed, his hands gripping her ankles as his lips grazed up her thighs.

There was a knock at the door, which made Tallulah jump.
"Sidney?"

Two pairs of eyebrows shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. Sidney groaned his displeasure, but his hands remained wrapped around his wife's legs. "What is it Eugene?"
"I'm sorry. I was told to come look for you up here."
Tallulah felt and uncomfortable pressure on her ankles, as Sid's grasp tightened to the point of discomfort.
"What do you want?" Sid growled. "It can't wait?"
"No. We're steaming now, before the storm hits. You have fifteen minutes to get back down to the troop ship."

The desire drained from Tallulah's heavy gaze, and her eyes flew open, brimming with fear.
Sid's released his hold on his wife, and stood up immediately. He threw on his stained shirt, wriggled into his dungarees. Tallulah forced herself up from the bed, sadness making all of her motions slower. She felt it now, the swelling in her feet, the soreness in her back, a panging in her temple. And it was all because he was going. He wrapped his hands around her waist, and rested his head over her shoulder, as she placed hers to his chest.

They stood there, savoring every last second of quiet stillness. She could feel his breathing, the rise and fall of his inhale and exhale. And then she felt it. A kick. A stirring from deep inside her, that made her jump back in surprise. She'd felt it before, in the late hours of the night when she was in her bunk alone. But never with him. She grabbed his hand, and placed it on her stomach, hoping he would feel the same thing.

He drew in a sharp breath, and his eyes lifted from her stomach to meet her gaze, while his hand stayed compressed on the spot he had felt the movement. His mouth opened, as if he were going to begin speaking, but she didn't want to hear his goodbye.
She wrapped her hands around his neck, and drew him into a slow kiss. But he pulled away.

"You have to get out of here."
She stared up at him, trying to move closer, but he place a hand on each shoulder and held her away, as if the distance would make her focus.
"You have to go home Tallulah." He told her, his eyes darting from her face to her abdomen. "You have to go soon. You can't be out here anymore. It's too damn dangerous."
She didn't want to argue with him in their last few moments together. So she nodded, as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Promise me, I won't see you out here again. Promise me the next time I see you- it will be back in Mobile."
She swallowed back the metallic taste that had been building in her mouth. She felt as sick as she had in the earliest days of her pregnancy.
"Then promise me you'll come home!"
He gathered her into a tight hug, and moved his lips to her ear. "I love you Tallulah." He whispered, his hands cupping her cheeks. "I promise you that."
There was another rapid knock at the door. Sid pulled away, giving Tallulah's hand a final squeeze, before jogging out into the hallway where Eugene waited.

x.x.x.x

Eugene watched his friend dart out of the room, and down the hallway. He was about to do the same when he heard an explosion of sobbing from behind the door. He glanced back up the dark passageway of the ship- Sidney was already out of sight, attempting not to be late for what could have surely been the final time of military career. Eugene should have done the same, but he couldn't just leave her like that. So he opened the door and stepped in the room, knowing the scene long before he saw it. She was sitting in a ball on the floor. Her knees were pressed to her heaving chest, and her face was buried in her hands. She glanced up at the sound of the door opening, and blinked away tears to stare at him.

"Eugene?"

He sat down on the floor beside her, unsure of what to do or say. He knew the way he used to comfort her when she would cry, to pick her up and place her in his lap, and wrap his arms around her and whisper to her until the sobs would subside. But those methods were no longer applicable. But he couldn't stand the sight of her tear-streaked face, her bloodshot eyes, and her shaking frame. So he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would be just enough. She didn't anything. She didn't even look at him, but she let his hand stay. And after a few moments, she stopped crying. She turned around to look at him, the redness of her eyes only accentuating her green irises.

"Please don't let him die out there."
Eugene stared down at the cement floor. "He's the one that saved my life Tallulah." He attempted to smile, to force his lips upward in an attempt to make hers do the same. "But I owe him one."
She ran a hand though her hair, that was frizzy from the humidity and the friction of rubbing against the sheets.
"Don't let yourself die out there either."
He gave a little chuckle. "So you don't want me dead?"
She whirled around to face him, her curls whipping around behind her. Her face was set in a taut expression, her eyes narrowed, mouth drawn, her teeth grit together. Eugene was afraid he was about to feel the backside of her hand, before he noticed how her facial features shook, and her hands trembled.
"How dare you say that Eugene!" She rasped, as she glared at him. "I'm a nurse. I don't want anyone to die out there."
He felt the immediate need to shuffle his feet or stick his hands in his pockets, but from a sitting position it was hard to do either. "Thought it might be different for me."

She stared out the porthole window, noting how much further the sun had already risen in the morning sky. She could see soldiers filing onto the troop ship from the island and from the Solace. She watched the unidentified silhouettes, wondering which ones she would see again, and which ones would remain in a perpetual shadow. She placed a hand on the bed, as she attempted to rise from the floor. Noting her movement, Eugene quickly, jumped up, and offered her a hand. She took it. Her hand sliding into his, a place it used to be so frequently found. When she was on her feet, instead of letting go of his hand, she continued to hold it.

"I don't want you to die Eugene." She whispered, somehow finding the courage to look him in the eye, and touch him at the same time. "I want this war to end. And I want you to go home, or go to wherever you feel like, and find someone who loves you as much as I did."
He let a deep sigh, as his eyes drifted from the ring around her finger to the bulge in her stomach.
"I want this war to end too." He replied. "And I want you to go home and be as happy as you possibly can."
Finally, her pale lips parted, unsheathing a smile he instantly admitted to himself he would always miss.
"You have yourself a deal, Private Sledge."
He turned to leave, but paused in the doorframe. "Take care of yourself Lieutenant Phillips."

He raised a hand to his forehead, but before she had time to give him a salute back, the doorway was empty.

x.x.x.x

Teola crept into the room, and shut the door behind her. She bolted it too, sliding the little metal lock into it's socket. The room was dark, but she could not turn on the light, otherwise Franks's secretary might notice what she miraculously had not - that Frank was not in his office, but someone else was. She stared around the room, for a moment taking in the place where the man she hated most did his bidding. It was as she had expected it to be.

There was a large chair made of Italian leather sitting behind a huge desk that surely never paperwork, simply drinks and the asses of waitresses to stupid to pull down their skirts. He had an elaborate light fixture hanging from the ceiling, something that looked more like it belonged in a château or place instead of esquires main offices. The carpet was rich and red, and only served to remind visitors that the owner of the office was rich enough to walk all over something so expensive. At the corner of the room there was a marble topped table, decorated will all forms of alcohol. Wincing, as she felt her tongue begin to tingle, Teola turned away from it, and stared at the pictures all over the wall.

There were posters of various esquire models hung all over the walls, their bodies, clothed in evening dresses, or exposed in small swimsuits, mounted on the walls like deer heads in a hunting lodge. Right behind Frank's desk was a picture of her sister. She was laying on her stomach on a beach somewhere, in a polka dotted bikini that was a convenient two sizes to small. Her breasts toppled over the confines of the bating suit top, and the bottoms exposed a decent amount of her ass. She was grinning at the camera with some girlish glee, as if the picture were not taken by Esquire, and as if wouldn't be posted in every barrack in every army base, splattered with semen. She was smiling at the ridiculousness of how small the pieces of her bikini as if to an adoring boyfriend who held the camera, soaking in the sight of his usually modest girl in such a revealing outfit. A blue pacific sparkled in the background, but it was the last thing anyone staring at the picture would look it. It was almost impossible to stop looking at the effervescent blond on the beach.

Teola shook her head, and stopped staring at the picture. She'd fallen for Frank's trick and she wasn't even one of his customers. Mesmerize them with Essie jo from the moment they walk in the door. It had worked well on her, she dared to wonder how effective it was on men.

She took a seat in the large chair, and opened a drawer in the desk. She peered inside, and to her surprise saw exactly what she was looking for. Her contract. And on top of that, the notorious contract extension she has been made aware of on the phone by some bumbling executive. It was signed in her name, and dated, it was even stamped with some seal that managed to look official although Teola doubted that it was. She stared down at it for a few moments, making sure she truly saw it, that it truly existed. She smiled to herself, and shut the drawer. She made her way to a side window, which she easily opened and slipped though. All that sneaking out on late summer nights in Mobile had severed her well.

She hopped into an awaiting car, with Thomas at the wheel.
"Where to Miss Adams?"
She stared out for a moment at the offices of Esquire, and couldn't help but feel her lips turn upward at the thought of Frank's undoing in what would surely be legal shit storm.

"You don't happen to know where the nearest law firm is, do you?"

x.x.x.x

Tallulah scrubbed her hands in the sink, trying to wash away the orange stain that antiseptic iodine always left behind. She stared out at the remnants of sunlight that were fading off behind the breakers, making them look dark and tall. She could see the storm everyone had been talking about off in the distance, yet closer than it had been this morning. The water underneath it was rougher, and the skies above it more ominous. Grey fingerlike clouds reached out to touch the feeble sunset, as if to drag it away.

She was tired. The day had been long, and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Each week she felt that the child sapped more of her stamina, and each week it seemed there was more and more to do. She was reaching for a towel when Hisako rounded her corner, and peeked her head behind Tallulah's curtain.

"Emmeraudo."
Tallulah smiled at the voice, steady, low, and comforting.
She sat the cloth on the table, and turned to face her friend. "What can I do for you?"
It was then that Hiskao's eyes widened just a little, and she ran a hand across her face. "I meant to get you out of here earlier in the week."
Tallulah stared down at her stomach, wondering if it was now to the point where it could not be attributed to any other excuse, like weight gain. She wondered how it was even possible to gain weight during a war.

"I'm fine." She told the other nurse. "I'm holding up really well."
Hisako peered at her for a moment, her eyes narrowing and her eyebrows furrowing. "you don't want to leave do you?"
Tallulah blinked down at the floor, unsure of why she felt the way she did, why she felt so called to stay in this hellish hemisphere. "Not really."

Hisako gave a little groan, and then shook her head. "Look, I've got a surgery that I have to do before the storm hits. But I have one that didn't make it. Dead when he got to the boat."
There was a time when Tallulah would have felt her face fall, her mouth downturn, her eyes lower, and brow fall. But not anymore. It happened so many times, it was as if she'd grown emotionally stiff.
She nodded. "Does he just need to be-"
The word "processed" sounded so mechanical. The phrase bagged and tagged sounded so casual.
"Cleaned up." Hisako told her, giving her a pat on the slumping shoulder. "I head he was a very brave one. He's being awarded the Naval cross."
Tallulah placed a hand on her friends and squeezed it.
"Bed 17." Hiskao told her, as Tallulah nodded, and turned to make her way to the ward.

x.x.x.x

The ward was quiet this evening, as most of the casualties had been flown out this morning, while the weather was still expected to be hospitable to the planes. There were only a few nurses quietly working on a handful of patients who were not yet well enough for a flight stateside.

Tallulah walked up to the bed, and stared down at the body which was still covered with a sheet. He still had his boots on. She picked up a rag that had been soaking in a basin of soapy water, and flung back the sheet.

His jawline was strong and angular as if cut with a razor into the perfect shape, and he had thick dark hair that was mattered with blood and mud. But it was his eyes that gave him away, so dark, pupil couldn't be separated from iris.
A look down at his nametag only confirmed what Tallulah already knew. Basilone.

The soapy rag fell from her grasp, as her hands flew to her mouth.
"John." She breathed.

There was a crack of thunder in the distance.