Chapter XVI

"So there we go, 1942! What will you bring us?" Julia wrote in her diary a day before her journey back to London.

"This year, I just hope for the peace in the world. That's all I ever ask God for in my prayers lately, I noticed…

"Well, when it comes to concluding my three weeks' leave in my old Prince Edward Island, I think that I would describe it as very lovely and touching in every possible way. I know I will miss my family greatly but because I came here, I realised that they are all safe, here in Glen, and quite happy, not like people who live, for example, in London.

"I would come back to England with a light heart and an optimistic view on the future if Blythe and Walt wouldn't enlist. Especially Blythe, I must say, because I was prepared for Walt to go but not for him. Walt joined the LFC however Blythe joined the RCAF like his brother, Gilly. Oh, my eyes turn watery whenever I think about it! I feel as if my heart will break into small pieces, too small to put them all together again.

"Blythe, Walt and I talked yesterday for about three hours and I could see that Walt isn't scared of going at all (which I'm very greatful for) and that Blythe seems very much more himself than he was when I came. He said that as soon as he joined up, he felt as if a huge stone which was on his heart for so long dissappeared completely and that he isn't as scared as he thought he would be.

"They are going to Toronto for training just two days after my departure tomorrow. And that's why I'm greatful for coming back; my work will give me no freedom to think about them the whole time.

"And with this I finish writing for today. I still have to pack up! Tomorrow is a new day, and I will welcome it with open arms, no matter how hard things might turn out to be."

And so she did.

Julia's farewell with her family wasn't much different to the last one she had, two years earlier. Faith cried but smiled all the way through, her uncles and aunts kissed her with hopeful eyes, cousins had mixed feelings but wished her all the best in the world, her grandparents were loving and tender in every word they said to their granddaughter, Cee couldn't stop hugging her sister, Lily kissed Julia three times and told her that she hopes for seeing her in England, Walt and Julia shared a long embrace with serious expressions on their faces but parted with smiles.

Blythe however had tears in his grey eyes and this time, he wasn't even trying to hide them. Julia put her arms tightly around his neck and whispered: "I will always wear your necklace, no matter what will happen."

"I'm glad, that's why I bought it for you, to always remind you of "keeping hope" and faith." he whispered back "You'll be brave, Bathsheba, and I'll be brave for you, wherever I'll be."

Julia let out a small cry "And you'll be careful?" she had to ask.

"Yes, I will." he replied softly.

She looked in his eyes sternly "Don't you dare not coming back, Blythe Ford!" she warned him, trying as hard as she could not to sob again.

"I would never disobey you." he answered with a wistful smile.

"All aboard!" the conductor's voice filled up the still air.

Julia stepped on the train, shouting "I love you" to her parents who were holding their hands tightly, while still holding Blythe's hand when the train started moving gently. "Walt!" she shouted fearfully and Walt grabbed her hand ever so quickly, revealing from the crowd "Please come back to us, you dear brother!" she said to him.

"I will, Julia, I will." he promised and crossed his heart like he and Julia always used to do when they were children.

"I love you both!" Julia whispered and chuckled nervously.

"And we love you, Sheba." Blythe responded and for a second Julia thought that she saw this gleam in his eyes she was waiting to see ever since she came back to Glen. However as soon as she thought it appeared, it was gone.

Julia looked at her two friends who would join the horrors of the war very quickly, too quickly, she thought to herself. She looked at them, she wanted to remember their handsome faces, such youthful and optimistic faces! Such wonderful memories the three of them shared, and oh, so many secrets! That's when Julia realised how grown up they all were. Walt was twenty-two, Blythe twenty-one and Julia herself was twenty. They would still be in the souls of children if there wasn't any war around them. But there was war, and each of them were in the very centre of it. Yes, Julia thought, we are not children anymore.

The train was moving faster and faster and their hands separated from each other, leaving Blythe and Walt together at the train station, waving to Julia eagerly. Julia waved back and for one second thought that she will jump off the train and run back, run back to her family and safety and home. But instead, when she couldn't see the station anymore, she took her suitcases in her hands and came inside.

Dear Mother, Father and Cee,

My journey went much faster than I expected it to go. I was writing in my diary for the whole time while listening to the orchestra playing on the ship. Claire and Olive surpirsed me by coming to the Victoria Station to greet me and I really felt glad of coming back (although I had my doubts during those four days in travel, you must know). Even Mrs Ashby welcomed me with a smile and a she said quietly, so that nobody apart from me could hear her: "It was very hard here without your high spirits, Nurse Blythe." And so I came back to my old optimistic way of living, which is actually not so hard to come back to when I have Olive next to me, with a constant smile on her freckled face.

I got two short letters from Walt and Blythe today and I'm so relieved that they're trying to enjoy their training in Toronto. Blythe says that he really loved the first flying lesson he had but would never quite comapre it to the way the birds can fly. Don't worry Mother-dear, Walt will be as fine as Merry has been for the past three years, and I have a feeling that our boys-twins will meet up in the trenches after all.

Cee, your drawings are so detailed, it's hard to imagine that you are just eleven years old! You really should think about becoming an artist one day.

Daddy, as much as you want me to describe my work from the medical point of view, I won't describe it to you in this letter because I suppose that Mother and Cee don't want to hear about the "bloody business" as Olive and I call it and I simply don't have time to describe it in a separate letter! But I promise I will, one day!

I have to go now, my night-duty starts in half an hour and I still have to change into my uniform!

The best of all the wishes,

Your loving daughter and a sister,

Nurse Julia Una Blythe

"Merry and Jake are going to be moved to France next week." Julia declared in the middle of February just after finishing her night-duty.

"Do you know where exactly?" Claire asked while lying on her bed and watching the ceiling with tired eyes.

"No… I think they don't know themselves yet." she replied and sighed.

"And did you hear anything from Blythe or Walt?" Olive questioned and sat down by Julia on her bed.

"Yes, I did." Julia said slowly "Walt has just arrived in Paris and will be sent to the front in a few days time, and Blythe is flying over to Italy… tomorrow!" Julia sounded horrified by the every thought of it.

"Don't worry, Bath." Olive put her hand on Julia's shoulder "He'll be fine."

Julia simply nodded, trying not to let her imagination come over her mind.

"When do you think this war will end?" Claire asked suddenly.

"I don't know but I heard that because the Americans joined us in December, it should end by the end of the year." Olive replied with a smile on her face.

"I don't think it will." Claire said in her very "optimistic" way.

Julia rolled her eyes "Claire, do you allow yourself to hope and believe, once in a while?" she asked her with raised brows.

"Oh!" she said in a voice which didn't sound like her at all "Lewis asked me to marry him!" Claire bursted out eventually.

Julia and Olive looked at each other with wide eyes "What did you just say?" Julia inquired in a low voice.

"He will be sent to the front in four days and he wants me to marry him tomorrow morning." she replied hurriedly as she stood up and looked at Julia and Olive with concern spread upon her face "What shall I do?" she asked helplessly.

"Well, um…" Olive started and looked at Julia for a second "I think that if you truly love him, then maybe you should go and marry him tomorrow." she said.

"Oh, I do love him!" Claire exclaimed "But I always dreamed of having a big ceremony with white dress, my grandmama beside me, honeymoon in Italy…" she started but Julia interrupted her.

"Claire, the war is happening!" she said passionately "You said yourself that you don't think it will end soon. So what is stopping you from marrying him? Who knows what will happen to him at the front?" she put her hands on Claire's shoulders "How I wish I could decide to marry Blythe tomorrow like you can decide to marry your Lewis." she whispered with sadness in her eyes, small tears slowly forming.

Claire kissed Julia's cheek "Do you think that Mrs Ashby would allow me to take a three days leave?"

"I suppose, we don't have as much work as we had before Christmas." Olive replied and before she finished the sentance, Claire stood up immediately and turned towards the door.

"Well then, I will become Mrs Lewis Andrews tomorrow morning!" she said decidedly and made her way to Mrs Ashby's office.

On the next day, Claire became Lewis Anderson's wife in a quiet yet very beautiful ceremony. Julia and Olive were present at the ceremony and couldn't hide the tears of happiness coming to their eyes. Claire looked positively wonderful in her dark-blue dress with white collar and flowers in her hair. Lewis was certainly very proud and almost ecstatic after the priest called them a husband and wife.

Julia's eyes were shining and so were Olive's eyes. The two friends watched their Claire having one of the best days of her life. As Julia watched the ceremony, her heart was beating faster as her imagination was coming over her. She imagined her own wedding, and imagined how delightful it must feel to be a bride. Maybe at her own wedding, she will look at least half as beautiful as Claire did on her wedding day? Julia imagined Blythe standing next to her at the altar, so tall and wearing a beautiful formal suit… There, her face went pale and she pushed the thought away, so that she could stop the dark thoughts from entering her mind.

After the ceremony, Julia and Olive came back to the hospital and went immediately to bed for they were starting their regular duty seven hours later. Whereas Claire and Lewis rented out a room in the hotel at Covent Garden and decided on spending their three-days-long honeymoon there.

"It is very romantic isn't it, Bath?" Olive asked Julia when both of them started dressing in their uniforms.

"The war wedding, you mean? Yes, it really is." Julia said dreamily "Especially when the newly weds really love each other."

"And Claire and Lewis do love each other, I'm sure." Olive agreed and winked at Julia.

"Their eyes were twinkling with love today." Julia added and smiled at the memory.

"I would say burning not twinkling." Olive chuckled and so did her friend.

"I wonder when your war wedding with a mysterious officer or a captain will be." Julia joked looking at her companion with raised funny brows and Olive hit her in the arm but she laughed as well.

"Who knows, Julia." she replied "Who knows."

Dear Julia,

I can't believe that Claire whom you described to me in details just two months ago, happened to be capable of such a romantic and sudden move! Well either ways, I would like you to tell her "Congartulations" from me.

It's been a week since I arrived in Italy and I can truly say that I have no idea where I've been today for I've been on a plane for the whole day, flying, I suppose, all over the place. I'm very glad that I chose joining up in the air force rather than the land army. I don't at least have to actually run up to a person and kill them… I hope that maybe I will meet Gil somewhere in the near future but I think that it's just my silly hoping.

You don't have to worry about me, dearest. For now, I am completely fine and I don't regret enlisting at all. Tell me more about you and how are you feeling in the dear London? Maybe one day, I will surprise you by landing on the top of your hospital's roof and suggesting on the fly over to Paris? How fun this would be?

I have to go now, I feel as if my eyes will shut in any second.

Take care,

Your cousin-pilot,

Flying Officer Blythe Ford

Dear sister,

You won't believe in what I will tell you, but you really should because it's absolutely true: today my twin-brother Walt (I suppose you know him) and I reunited after the long three years of not seeing each other.

Jake, Marshall and I were in the trenches together when we heard that the new men arrived and will join us soon. The three of us laughed at the newly arrivals because they all looked so frightened and pale compared to us who are tanned and not scared at all. And in a blink of an eye, I saw Walt's smiling face (as the only one who didn't look scared at all) and I couldn't believe my own eyes and for a second I thought it was someone different. But when Jake and Marshall shouted: "Walt?! Walt!" and this person came running to us, I knew it was him. Jules, I swear, I couldn't be happier! We hugged for at least ten minutes and I could feel the looks of other soldiers watching us but I didn't care. We cried together and then laughed together for the rest of the evening.

Now everyone, Walt as well, are asleep but I felt that I must write to you and tell you this happy miracle that happened to me.

Now that I did, I have to go and have a rest like all the others around me.

Goodnight dear sister o'mine,

Your happy brother,

Captain Meredith Blythe