14.
~ It seemed to take forever for her shift to finally end. Normally, her work kept her so busy, she lost track of time. Today was different, today she hoped to see Arthur, her Captain at 4 o'clock.
She watched the clock nervously. The time dragging by slowly as she helped Doctor Kikie. As she cleaned wounds and treated the sick. Finally, 4 o'clock came.
"Shift is over." She said to Doctor Kikie as she left her duties as soon as her relief came in. The gentleman looking at her in surprise as she raced out of the ward.
'What if he isn't there?' She thought as she tried to slow her steps and look calm and presentable. Tried to look like a Senior Nurse as her heart was racing in her chest.
'Arthur.' She said in her head. 'Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.'
Like she had invoked some magic spell to bring him to her, he was there. Sitting in the front lobby of the hospital. His hat in one hand, and a bouquet of wild flowers in the other.
He snapped into standing at seeing her.
"Hello." She said. A happy smile on her face as she was so glad to see him again. So happy he had come when he said he would.
"Hi." He said awkwardly. He looked at the flowers in his hand. "I um... I brought these for you." He said handing her the wild flowers that smelled like spring time, grass and earth.
"I'm sorry their not roses. With the war on..." He tried to explain.
"Oh, their lovely. Thank you." She said. "I've never had anyone bring me flowers before."
"Really?" He asked with a laugh of disbelief.
They stood embarrassed for a while as the other patients in the foyer watched the pretty nurse and handsome Captain.
"Um. So there is a showing of Bambi tonight for the officers. It's to help raise moral." He said awkwardly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. I know it's a kid's movie, but-"
"Oh no!" She cut him off. Her heart doing cartwheels. "No, I would love to go."
He looked relived that she accepted his invitation.
"Just, give me a second to change. Alright?" She asked as she backed away from him. Not wanting to break their eye contact. Her feet hitting the stairs and she almost flew up the five flights of stairs to her dorm. Remembering just in time to act dignified and walk.
~ "A movie?" Trixie was saying as she forced Ariadne into the American girl's tight red dress. "That's so cute."
"Trixie, I can't wear this!" Ariadne said as the red dress was too low cut for Ariadne's normal dress code. Her chest swelling out and she could feel the air hitting skin she never exposed.
"Sure you can." Trixie said as she pulled Ariadne's waist tighter and started brushing out her hair. "Now, put your lipstick on and pinch your cheeks."
"Trixie, we are nurses. We are not supposed to wear lipstick!" Ariadne said and Trixie styled her hair to fall in nice curls down her shoulders.
"Your not nursing the sick and wounded right now." Trixie said through a mouth of bobbie pins.
Ariadne looked at her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly, she had curves like Trixie. Her bust was so femininely displayed and her legs looked startling beautiful in the borrowed red heeled sandals. Her lips, seeming to make her face and skin look so much more healthy.
Trixie pinched her cheeks making them redder.
"I think your Captain will approve." She said.
~ Arthur wanted to start biting his nails. A habit he had been broken off when he was a child. His mother's swift slap on his knuckles whenever his hand roamed to his mouth. Telling him only common people bit their nails and it was a disgustingly low habit to partake in.
He couldn't help it. He was nervous. He felt more nervous now then he did when he stormed the beaches of Normandy. At least there, he knew what to expect. He knew what he had to do.
Right now, he had no clue what she, Ariadne, would expect. What she would think of him bringing her flowers he had to pick from some field? He hadn't dated much in his life. Linda being the most frequent girl he took out. She always demanded the go to a nice restaurant where she would be seen by everyone. Where she would order something expensive and not pay any attention to him. Her conversations mainly about fashion and her friends. Never knowing anything about current events or caring about the war except how it would affect her. How could he have married a girl like that?
Arthur shuttered at the memory and hoped Ariadne wouldn't be like Linda.
A flash of red on the stairs caught his eyes and he stood. His breeding and manners telling him to stand when a lady entered the room.
He couldn't take his eyes off her. This girl that was his to take out this evening. She looked so different out of her nurses uniform. Her body so much more suited to the red dress that hugged her figure. Her lips bright and lovely from the red lipstick that had been carefully applied and dark hair that was pinned away form her face, and fell to her shoulders.
"You look..." He started to say and then looked at his hat that was in his hands. His train of thought derailed a he hoped for the right thing to say.
"Is this okay?" She asked him worriedly. "I can go and change if you want."
"No!" He almost shouted and looked back at his hat. "No. You look perfect."
~ Ariadne breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the red dress was too tight. Her shoes too hard to walk in. She had been worried at first her new look was too garish and racy for a night at the movies. Especially when Arthur turned so red and looked at his hat. But then she saw the appreciative light in his eyes as he looked back at her. His warm hand taking hers as they strolled out of the hospital.
~ "Your the Captain, aren't you?" A man said stealing the couples thoughts away from each other.
Ariadne looked over to see a half staved and sickly looking man sitting on the front steps of the hospital. He was one of the men she and Doctor Kikie had found in the bombed out chapel. One of the men, she now knew, had been rescued by Arthur.
"Yes, Soldier." Arthur said regrettably letting Ariadne's hand go so he could shake the sickly looking man's hand. "Um, I guess I am."
"I remember you. You save my life. I thought I was going to die in that place. Then I saw you and your men. You pulled me out of the barrack and put me in the back of that truck." The thin man said. A heartfelt look in his sunken face.
"You would have done the same, Soldier." Arthur said looking embarrassed.
The thin man looked at Ariadne.
"Ma'am, you have yourself a fine gentleman here. A very fine gentleman." He said.
Ariadne felt Arthur's embarrassment spread to her. Her Captain looking uncomfortable.
"I know." She said kindly to him.
~ "Arthur! Wait!" She laughed as she slipped off her shoes and tried to run after her Captain. Arthur was laughing and keeping slightly ahead of her.
"I can't run in these shoes!" She shouted as she nimbly skipped after him in her bare feet. Not caring about broken glass or rocks that might have been hiding in the streets.
"Were going to be late!" He told her as he took her hand in his. That wonderful contact of his calloused palm in hers flooding her senses. Making her heart beat with a joyful noise.
They almost ran to the theater. The lovely ornate showplace that was lavishly decorated and only meant to be patronized by a better class of people. Ariadne slipped her heeled sandals back on as Arthur's body concealed her from the other officer's view.
~ "Captain." Dax said as he held fast to a pretty girl's hand. His Lieutenant spotting him and approaching them.
"Ariadne, right?" Dax said as if she were just another date Arthur had brought to the movie.
"Yes." Ariadne said stiffly. Her body standing straighter after putting her shoes back on. Arthur noticed she looked uncomfortable around Dax.
"Right. The girl who walked out of France with bleeding feet." Dax said almost mockingly.
Ariadne's face fell. She looked embaressed and hurt by the comment.
"Have a nice evening, Lieutenant." Arthur said to him. He suddenly didn't like Dax's casual attitude towards Ariadne's sufferings. Like what she had been through had been some kind of joke. An amusing story that was his to tell to anyone he wanted.
Dax didn't seem to care that he had offend anyone and pulled his date inside the theater.
Arthur turned back to Ariadne.
"I'm sorry about that." He said holding her hand a little tighter.
"It's okay." She said looking at her shoes. Her cheeks pinking with embarrassment.
"No, it's not." Arthur said sternly. "I'll speak with him. He had no right to talk to you like that."
"Let's just go inside." Ariadne said shifting uncomfortably.
~ She had only been to the theaters in Paris a few times before the war started. Never to the more opulent theaters that catered to the wealthy. In London, going to the movies was a way of life. There was always some war related movie out. One that was proceeded by the news of the world. Something that was their duty to see.
But the theaters in London were not nearly as nice as this one. Not so heavily decorated.
"This is nice." Arthur said. Still holding her hand.
A delicious smell caught her attention. She looked over to the concession stand and saw popcorn and candy being sold.
Her stomach growling to life and her mouth watering at the idea of popcorn, chocolate bars and lemonade that was being sold.
She said nothing as she tried to remember the last time she had eaten chocolate. The war had thrown such luxuries out of reach and like a dutiful nurse, a pillar of strength against the war, she never complained about how she longed for and missed sweets.
"Would you like something?" Arthur had asked as she felt ready to race to the concession stand and grab the first bar of chocolate there.
She suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She didn't want Arthur to think she was so selfish as to want candy. Not when there was a war on.
"Oh, no." She said as her eyes stayed locked onto the brightly colored treats.
"Are you sure?" He asked. His eyes looking at her in concern.
"Yes. I'm fine." She said. Ready to cry from want.
~ The movie had been wonderful. She had sat by Arthur's side the whole time. Their seats were in the balcony and they had a prime view of the movie.
She had never seen a movie in color before. She whispered that fact to him which made him laugh softly. His arm curling around her shoulders.