"Ev, are you in there? Open the goddamn door."
"Shit it's Bill," Evelyn hissed as she hurriedly jumped up from the bed and began buttoning her top, not noticing in her haste that she was doing it up all skewwhiff. "He's gonna kill me."
"Not before he kills me first," Liebgott muttered as the door rattled louder, the chair looking like it might give way any second.
The two of them smoothed down their clothes and Evelyn tried to tame her hair which had long ago fallen out of its bun. Look innocent Evelyn. Just act casually and not like you were in the middle of getting it on with Liebgott. But even as she gave herself a mental pep talk, she felt dread in the pit of her stomach gnawing away hungrily. Bill would take one look at her face and know what had almost just happened, she knew it.
Suddenly the chair gave way and the door burst open. Bill stormed in first followed swiftly by Joe Toye and Babe hot on his heels. Without even missing a beat Bill clenched his fist and hit Liebgott squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. Evelyn screeched and was on her knees beside him in an instant, while Toye and Babe used all of their combined strength to hold Bill back from doing anything further.
"Joe, are you ok?" Evelyn demanded to know, tenderly touching his jaw which was already a fierce red.
He nodded and allowed her to help him stand back up. All the while she wouldn't let go of his arm, afraid he was going to try and fight Bill, and afraid of what would happen if Toye and Babe were to lose their hold on her brother who was snarling like a rabid animal.
"Get the fuck off me," Bill growled, trying to shrug his oppressors off of him. "If it was one of your sisters, wouldn't you wanna do the same?"
"Probably," Toye agreed. "But the fact of the matter is Bill, we're not home where we can settle this with our fists like we're used to. We're in the middle of a war and we're paratroopers for Christ's sake. You're lucky if you don't get court martialled once that bruise comes up on his face. Do anything else to him and you'll be out of the airborne altogether."
"And it wouldn't hurt you to find out what exactly was going on here before you start throwing anymore punches around," Babe said logically, and Evelyn was glad to see that not all of the men from her neighbourhood thought only with their fists and not their brains. Bill could learn a thing or two from Babe Heffron.
Bill knew Toye and Heffron were right, but he couldn't see past the red veil of rage over his eyes. He was blinded by it. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that his sister had a bit of a thing for Liebgott, and he knew for an absolute fact that they wouldn't have wedged the door closed if they weren't trying to hide whatever it was they were up to. He should know, he'd done it himself more times than he could count. The thought of anyone touching his baby sister drove him insane, especially the thought of Joseph fucking Liebgott. Of all the guys, it just had to be him didn't it? He wondered how long Liebgott had waited for him to be gone before he had made his move on Evelyn, and he wondered how they had managed to go unnoticed by not only Babe but everyone else? He was convinced that none of this was his sister's doing. She was young and naïve, which was why he always felt the need to keep such a watchful eye on her. And the one time that he wasn't there to do that meant that one of his worst fears had come to fruition.
"Toye, Heffron, if he wants to fight me then let him," Liebgott decided, gently removing Evelyn's hand from his arm and stepping forward. He wasn't afraid of Bill Guarnere. He wasn't going to stand down or be bullied by him. In fact, he would quite enjoy the fight.
"No," Evelyn shook her head, stepping in between the two of them just as she had done once before on the way over to England. "Bill, you need to calm down and apologise."
"Don't you fucking tell me what I need to do young lady," he glowered. "You want me to be fucking calm when I find my sister holed up alone in here sleeping around like some fucking whore with the first guy who shows her a bit of attention?"
"Don't fucking talk to her like that," Liebgott snarled. He could take anything Bill threw at him verbally or physically, but he refused to let anything come at Evelyn. He had been the one to instigate it, not her and he would be damned if he would allow Bill to demean her in such a way.
"I don't gotta explain myself to you," Evelyn spat. Rage coursed through her body and the hands either side of her were clenched tightly into fists. "Who do you think you are talking to me like that? You go around sleeping with anything that has a pulse despite the fact that you're getting married when we get home, and you have the cheek to lecture me? I'm a fucking grown woman and you better start getting used to it Bill. For your information, I ain't sleeping around, but if I decided one day that I wanted to sleep with every guy in this entire company then I could, and you wouldn't be able to do or say anything about it. I suggest you get down off your fucking high horse and get outta my face because if you don't I'm gonna punch you. Come on Joe."
"You ain't going anywhere," Bill growled.
"Is that right? I'd like to see you try and stop me," Evelyn hissed. "You know Bill, you've always been hot headed but the way you've just behaved and the way you've spoken to me is out of line even for you. You should be ashamed of yourself. If you know what's good for you, don't bother trying to talk to me anymore because I'm done. And this time I really mean it."
"You don't mean it at all. You're just being dramatic as usual,'' Bill answered. "Soon enough you'll realise that this chump is only after one thing- that's if he ain't already had it. And when that day arrives, you'll come crying to me just like you always do."
With a final look of disdain and hurt in her brother's direction, she grabbed Liebgott by the hand and all but dragged him from the room and down the corridor. She marched purposefully towards the aid station where she knew Eugene was, all the while trying to ignore the small niggle of doubt in the back of her head. She was so lost in her suddenly confused thoughts that she would have walked right past the medical station if it wasn't for Joe pulling her gently to a stop.
"Ev, are you alright?" he peered down at her.
"Yeah of course," she smiled bravely. "I should be asking you that question. Your jaw is already a beautiful shade of purple. It must be hurting."
"I've had worse," Lieb winked, trying to put her mind at ease. In truth, it really did hurt like a bitch, but he wasn't going to let her know that. It would only make her more upset. "Seriously though, you're alright?"
She nodded and glanced uncomfortably at the ground. With a sigh he lifted her face up so she was looking directly at him.
"Ev, come on, you can tell me whatever it is that's bothering you. Is it Bill?"
"Well yeah," she admitted reluctantly.
"Listen, what he said about you was disgusting but he didn't mean it. He loves you," Lieb tried to comfort her. "He was just shocked and if I was in his shoes, I know for a fact I would be the same with one of my own sisters. Just give him a chance to calm down and everything'll be fine. In fact, don't you feel kind of better now it's out in the open with him at least?"
"I guess," Evelyn shrugged, decidedly feeling the opposite of better. She couldn't get Bill's words out of her head. "You and me…. It's not just a….uh…what I mean is that this is going somewhere right?"
With a small sigh, Lieb glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before clasping one of Evelyn's hands in his and kissing it tenderly.
"I promise you that I don't view what me and you have as just a bit of fun," he implored her to believe him with the sincerity of his gaze. "I swear it to you, Ev. You do believe me, right?"
She nodded but he wasn't convinced that she believed what he was saying to her, and he couldn't say he blamed her after what Bill had just come out with. Deep down, she was always going to favour the opinion of her big brother over someone else.
"I promise you," he repeated. "There's nothing more I can say to make you understand the truth of my words but if I have to tell you every second of every day we're here, I'll do it."
Evelyn smiled, a wide smile revealing her straight white teeth. She felt like an idiot for doubting Lieb, but Bill always knew just how to play on her insecurities. He always had done.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said, leaning forward to hug him quickly. She would have liked to have hugged him for longer but didn't want to risk anyone walking past and seeing them. A quick hug could be easily explained away as that of friendship if need be. "Let's go and get your face sorted, yeah?"
"Only if you'll hold my hand?" Lieb grinned and Evelyn snorted.
"Such a baby."
… … …
Later that night
Liebgott ground his jaw, wincing at the pain there. Doc and Evelyn had given him some aspirin and put a cold compress on his face for an hour or so. It was still hurting though and didn't look particularly eye-catching. So far, Lieutenant Dike hadn't caught sight of it, but he had an excuse ready for when he did. Something about the butt of his rifle accidentally hitting him in the face. A lame excuse, but an excuse nonetheless. Luckily, he was on guard duty for the night so he could hide away from any unwanted questions for now.
When Evelyn had told Doc all about what had transpired with Bill, Eugene was of the same belief as Liebgott. Once Bill calmed down and got used to the idea he would be fine, and it had just been a shock for him. Evelyn wasn't so sure, but they had reassured her that there was no way Bill would be able to stand having her in a mood with him for very long and that would be enough to make him suck it up whether he wanted to or not.
It was the middle of the night when Liebgott heard footsteps approaching. He held up his rifle, waiting to see who it was. When he saw it was Bill he was undecided whether or not to put his weapon back down or not.
"I ain't come here to argue," Bill held up his hands. "I just wanna talk."
Liebgott eyed Bill warily as he sat down on one of the crates that served as a chair when the shift was dragging on. This calm manner didn't belong to the same man that had hit him in the face only hours earlier. Bill pulled out a packet of cigarettes and offered the carton to Liebgott, who shook his head. With a shrug, Bill slowly lit one for himself and took a long drag, his eyes never leaving Liebgott.
"All quiet?" he enquired.
"Bill, cut the politeness and tell me why you're here?" Liebgott snapped. He knew Bill was leading up to something and he would prefer to get it out of the way so he could get on with the rest of the night without waiting for another punch or something to come flying at him.
"Alrighty then," Bill raised an eyebrow. "Excuse a fella for trying to be nice."
"Shame you weren't trying to be nice a few hours ago, eh?"
"What, when I caught you fooling around with my little sister?" Bill glared. "You're lucky Toye and Heffron were there otherwise you'd have more then a fucking bruised jaw right now."
"What the fuck do you want?" Liebgott spat, strangely relieved that Bill was finally showing his true colours again. "If you want round two while no one's here to stop it then I'm more than ready for you."
Bill smirked and let out a small laugh which enraged Liebgott all the more, who was itching to give Bill a bruise to match his own one.
"I already told you I'm not here for a fight. Now pipe down and listen up, will ya?" Bill ordered, not in the least bit fazed that Liebgott was getting more and more wound up. With a scowl, Liebgott reluctantly kept it together. "You and Evelyn. Did you not think I would find out?"
"I didn't care whether you knew or not," Lieb shrugged. "It was Ev who was worried about it. I'm only worried about the brass finding out."
"Which leads me nicely to my next point. What do you think will happen when they do find out? And they will find out. Nothing stays secret around here for long, especially not something like this. I'll tell you what'll happen," Bill continued before Liebgott could form an answer. "They'll more than likely kick you both out of the airborne. Now I couldn't give a flying fuck if you got kicked out. In fact, it would be like Christmas every day not having to see your ugly mug but my sister on the other hand is a different matter. How would she go home to our parents and tell them that she was kicked out because she was sleeping around? Do you know how much shame that would bring on Evie and our whole family?"
"She isn't sleeping around, not even with me, despite what you think," Lieb answered, ignoring the tiny detail that had Bill come a few minutes later they would have been doing exactly that. "And I would hate myself if she got kicked out or thought badly of because of me, but the thing is, I really like her. I like her enough to give up being in the airborne myself if it came down to it."
"You really expect me to believe that?" Bill snorted. "You know, my sister once told me that you and I were pretty similar. At the time I thought it was a ridiculous statement to make, but now I think about it, she was actually right. Guys like me and you don't settle for one girl when we can have as many as we want, which is why I have a hard time believing that whatever you're doing with my sister is nothing more than a bit of fun on your side."
"And what about you and Frannie? Once you get married are you gonna carry on fooling around with any woman you want?"
"Of course I ain't," Bill scoffed. "I wouldn't do that to my wife. But while I'm over here, Frannie's got a good idea of what I'm up to and she understands that I'm just sowing the last of my wild oats."
"Who says I haven't already sewn mine?" Liebgott raised an eyebrow.
Bill frowned for a moment, trying to gauge what Liebgott's point was. When he finally realised, he couldn't help but burst into humourless laughter.
"Is this your way of saying now that my sister's on the scene you've given up your romancing ways and are ready to settle down? Should I expect a proposal any day now? Maybe I should go shopping for a hat? I reckon salmon's just my colour, don't you?" Bill howled.
"Who's to say that's not gonna happen?" Liebgott retorted.
He really liked Evelyn a lot. Like a lot. But still, the thought of marriage was slightly daunting. Even the thought of marriage with Evelyn. He wasn't exactly in love with the girl. Well, not yet. But for someone who had proudly proclaimed never to have been in love with anyone, he thought it would bother him more than it did to say that he knew that he could grow to love her eventually. He didn't care how much of a sap it made him. But marriage? That was still way off yet. Not that Bill needed to know that. Right now, he just needed to make Bill understand how serious he was.
"Here's what's gonna happen," Bill leaned forward and stubbed his cigarette out, blowing the smoke in Lieb's face. "You're gonna end things with Evelyn otherwise I'll go to Sink about you both."
Liebgott was shocked. That was a low move even for Bill. He understood that Bill would have no problem in getting him into trouble if he had to, but why would he do the same to the sister that he adored?
"You would do that to your own sister?"
"I would if it meant keeping her away from you," Bill nodded. "She deserves better than you and I'm not gonna let her make a mistake that she'll regret in the end. You call it off by the end of tomorrow or I'm reporting you both. And you me and both know that there's a good chance you might get let off with a court martial, but it is an absolute certain that Evelyn will be out. So choose wisely won't you?"
With that Bill stood up casually as though they hadn't just had a tense and hostile conversation and left, leaving Liebgott feeling more emotional turmoil than he had ever known in his entire life.
He wanted to believe that Bill was just still angry and that it was an empty threat, but he knew better than that if he was being honest with himself. What was he going to do?
… … …
The next evening
Liebgott wiped his sweaty palms on his uniform before pushing open the door to the medical station. It was quiet and dark, with the only light in the area coming from the small lamp on the desk where Evelyn was hunched over, scribbling furiously on something. He felt bad that everything she had worked so hard for was about to be taken away from her all because he refused to let her go. Which was why he had come. He needed her to hear from him first hand what Bill was going to do so that it wouldn't be such a shock when it happened. All he knew was that the thought of losing her seemed worse than the thought of losing the job he loved so much. He just hoped Evelyn felt the same way.
"You busy?" he asked, stopping in front of the desk. She didn't look particularly busy. There were no patients to check on or anything.
"See for yourself," Evelyn grinned indicating the thick pile of papers on the desk in front of her. "I swear I didn't become a medic to spend my time filling out copious amounts of paperwork. Then again, it beats what I had to do earlier on in the evening. All I'll say is that it involved George and Frank, and some wooden splinters in some very interesting places."
"I don't think I wanna know any more," Lieb frowned, trying to banish the various mental images his brain was creating.
"Can't say I blame you," she chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I'm scarred for life. Anyway, what you doing here? Shouldn't you be joining in with Grant's poker tournament? I hear the winnings are pretty good. Chuck promised to teach me how to play poker when we were back in Aldbourne but we never got round to it. I told him he better teach me before the next tournament so I can beat everyone and win my fortune. If you're lucky, I might share it with you."
Liebgott looked at Evelyn. Really looked at her. The way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the rest of the men; the way she was around them. So happy and full of life. She loved them all and they loved her right back. She knew instantaneously when one of them wasn't feeling so good and she would do her best to cheer them up, and she knew when to be funny or when to be quiet and serious. It was at that moment Liebgott knew that if Evelyn was sent home that it would be a huge blow to the men. They would be lost without her comforting and warming presence, he was completely sure of it. He couldn't do that to them. He couldn't be the reason that one of the few things that gave them joy in the middle of this stupid war was gone, could he? For once he had to think about the others now and not just himself. He couldn't be selfish, no matter how much he wanted to be. It was an almost pivotal moment in his life, because if he was honest with himself he had always had a fairly selfish nature ever since childhood. He had come in here with every intention of telling her that whatever happened he would stand by her. Hell, he'd even thought to himself that if only Evelyn got kicked out, he would find a way to get kicked out as well. But now, his well-rehearsed speech dissipated into nothing as he realised that he was going to hurt the one person he had ever really cared about in his entire adult life.
"I uh, came because I think you and I need to have a chat?" he started.
"We do? Oh if this is about what happened yesterday with Bill, forget it," Evelyn waved him off shuffling through her paperwork. "He'll get over it in his own time and if he doesn't that's his problem. The more I think about it, the more I think it's actually gonna annoy the hell out of him when he realises that he wasn't right about us. Arrogant asshole that he is. I absolutely cannot wait to see how much it pisses him off when we go to Paris. He's gonna hate it. And speaking of Paris..." Evelyn smiled cheekily, standing up and walking around the desk. Grabbing Lieb by his dog tags, she pulled him towards her and kissed him soundly. "…I was thinking that maybe we could pick up where we left off today when we get to the most romantic city in the world?"
She grinned and kissed him again. Liebgott wanted nothing more than to give himself into the kiss but he wouldn't. He couldn't. Otherwise he knew he was going to change his mind.
"Evelyn, stop," he stepped back abruptly. Evelyn's brow furrowed as she looked at him in confusion.
"It's fine, nobody's here," she reassured him, stepping closer and snaking her arms around his neck.
"I said stop," Liebgott barked, pushing her away. "Fucks sake, why do you have to be so goddamn clingy?"
"What?" Evelyn frowned, completely confused by his sudden change in behaviour.
"You heard me," Lieb glared at her like she was stupid. "Look, I can't do this anymore. This just isn't working out for me. You know, it was a bit of fun while it lasted, but between you clinging to me like a limpet every time you get the chance and your brother using me as a punchbag, I'm done."
"Is this some kind of joke? I don't understand," Evelyn asked, a lump appearing in her throat as she tried not to cry. At this moment in time she wished she had more experience with men because then she would know what to do in a situation like this. Was he being serious? Or was this just some kind of joke? She hoped it was a joke, but at the same time it was rather a cruel thing to do to someone if it was.
"Of course you don't understand," Liebgott scoffed in disdain. "That's why it was so easy."
"Easy?"
"Yeah," Liebgott nodded. "Easy to get into your pants. At least, it would have been had your brother not barged in. But now that aint gonna happen, what's the point in carrying on this pretence any longer? There's plenty of other girls about more than willing to put out and I don't have to spend all my time fucking whispering sweet words and promises to them."
Evelyn felt every single one of Liebgott's words as though they were knives piercing her skin. The hurt and humiliation she felt was unreal. How could this be happening? How was this the man who only the previous day had been telling her that he would remind her every day of just how much she meant to him?
"Oh for god's sake, don't start with the waterworks," Liebgott rolled his eyes impatiently as tears began to fall down Evelyn's face. It took every ounce of self control he possessed to stop himself from reaching out to her and telling her that he was sorry and that he didn't mean a single word of what he was saying. The look on her face literally felt like a punch in the gut to him.
"Joe, you don't mean that," Evelyn shook her head. "How can you mean that after everything you've said to me?"
"Ev, you're too young and naïve to understand that a guy will say pretty much anything to get what he wants," Joe looked at her in disdain. "And it worked didn't it? It would have had it if it wasn't for your brother anyway. But the truth of the matter is that I can't be dealing with shit like this. It's not worth it. You're not worth it. But hey, maybe we can still be friends? I mean, it would be a shame to let this little thing get in the way of our friendship, don't you think? I actually quite like you as a human being."
As if everything that Liebgott had said didn't hurt enough, for some reason the casualness of his final comment really got to Evelyn more than anything else. Did he really think he could say what he had and then just expect them to be friends? Oh yeah, you made me think you had feelings for me just so you could sleep with me, which you very nearly did and now you're telling me it was all just a bit of fun? But you wanna still be friends? Sure, why not? Without even thinking, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. Lieb's head turned sharply but that was the only reaction he gave.
"Alrighty then, I guess you're still feeling a little bit sensitive about it all," he commented, ignoring his stinging cheek. If he hadn't already known who her brother was, he would have after that slap. Must be some kind of family trait. "Anyways, I'd best be off. Places to go, people to see. You know how it is, right?"
Walking away from her, Liebgott ground his teeth together so hard that he cracked one of his upper molars. It was ironically poetic, he thought to himself, that the pain in his tooth matched the pain in his chest. Just as he reached the door, he allowed himself to turn around one last time to look at her.
"Oh and Ev?" he called out. Her hurt eyes were burning into him as her bottom lip trembled. "It's probably best if you don't mention this to anyone. Don't wanna get into any trouble now, do we? And let's face it, the situation would look worse for you being the only woman wouldn't it?"
The second that door slammed shut behind Liebgott, Evelyn fell to her knees with a sob, feeling like the world had come crashing down around her.
… … …
"Hey Lieb, you playing?" Skinny asked Liebgott when he returned to the barracks.
"Nah," Lieb shook his head. "I'm gonna get some shut eye. It's been a long day."
"Suit yourself," Talbert shrugged. "You always cheat anyway."
If anyone thought it was strange that Liebgott let Tab's teasing comment slide they didn't acknowledge it. Walking past the group to get to his cot, Lieb caught Bill's eye and nodded his head slightly, feeling sick as he remembered the utter hurt and devastation on Evelyn's face. Bill smirked and took a drag of his cigarette before resuming his game as though nothing was amiss. If he could see the state his sister was in at that moment in time, he wouldn't have found it so amusing.
Yanking his boots off and flopping down stomach first onto his cot, Liebgott closed his eyes and tried to ignore the scene flashing through his head. He couldn't believe those words had actually come out of his mouth. He hated himself for doing what Bill had wanted, and he hated himself most of all for hurting the one person who meant the most to him. He had treated girls and other people like shit for most of his adult life, but he had never felt as bad before about it as he did right now. He didn't think he would ever stop feeling bad.
… … …
It was the early hours of the morning when Bill felt someone crawling into his cot next to him. Cracking an eyelid open, he caught sight of black hair tied up into a scruffy bun and his sister's puffy red eyes looking at him.
"You ok, kiddo?" his voice rasped with tiredness.
"Can I sleep in here with you?" she whispered, snuggling up against him.
"Of course you can," Bill answered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "What's the matter? Why have you been crying?"
"I don't wanna talk about it Bill," she sniffed, trying her best not to cry again. "Let's just say that you were right, and I'm sorry for yelling at you when you were just trying to look out for me."
"Don't say sorry," Bill murmured, kissing the top of her head. "Just get some sleep and forget about him. When we get back home we'll find you a real nice guy, but for now just concentrate on making it through this war and getting home, yeah?"
She nodded but he could tell that she was trying her best not to cry still. Bill couldn't deny that he felt bad seeing his sister so upset and knowing that he had been the one to cause it. But he told himself that the alternative was far worse. He would rather see his baby sister cry for a few days now over some schmuck who she was far too good for anyway, then see her get kicked out or worse, get pregnant or something equally as bad. Nope. What he'd done, he'd done for her own good. She would be fine in a few days, and Joseph Liebgott would be all forgotten about he was sure of it.
… … …
When Evelyn awoke from her fitful slumber it was past lunchtime and she was more than a little thankful to see that the barracks were empty. She didn't feel up to facing anyone right now. No, that was a lie. There was only one person she didn't feel up to seeing right now. Tears filled up in her eyes as she remembered the night before. Hurriedly, she blinked them away. She refused to cry again. She had never felt such hurt in her entire life but she didn't want Liebgott to see that. She wanted to retain what small bit of dignity she had left. But at the same time she wanted to lie in bed for the rest of the day and just hide from the world. But that wasn't to be. When the door squeaked open, trepidation filled her chest only to ease somewhat when she saw Eugene's sympathetic face. Before she could stop them, the dam burst and the tears flowed. Eugene was beside her in a flash. Sitting down beside her, he pulled her close, holding her as she cried.
"Sssh, it's alright cherie," he soothed into her hair. "Let it out."
And she did. Finally when the sobs subsided, she looked up and sniffed.
"How did you know?" she asked, wiping her running nose with the back of her hand.
"Bill," Eugene answered, grimacing at her unladylike action and handing her his handkerchief.
"He can't hold his own water, that guy," she mumbled, blowing her nose.
"He's just worried about you," Eugene said. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Like shit," she answered truthfully, holding Eugene's handkerchief back out to him. He shook his head and motioned for her to keep it.
"Yeah, you look like it," Eugene teased and despite herself, Evelyn gave him a small smile. "So do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really, but I think I need to tell someone, and I'm pretty sure that if I told my brother he would go after Liebgott again," Evelyn decided.
As Evelyn reluctantly told the entire story to Eugene, she had to pause every minute or so to take a deep breath to stop herself from crying. Speaking the words out loud hurt even more than they did as they whizzed around her head time and time again. When she was finished, she was shocked to see that Eugene had his jaw clenched tightly with rage. The only other time she had ever seen that expression upon his usually indifferent face was when Moose had been shot back in Holland.
"What an absolute fucking bastard," Eugene spat through gritted teeth.
"Eugene!" Evelyn exclaimed at his uncharacteristic outburst.
"What?" Eugene shrugged with a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Just because I choose not to swear most of the time doesn't mean that I don't know how to when the occasion calls for it. And I can safely say, this occasion more than calls for it. Whatever you do, never ever tell Bill the details of this because I know for certain that we would be sending Liebgott home in a wooden box. And if I'm being honest, I can't say he wouldn't deserve it."
Eugene was genuinely shocked. This was not the Liebgott that he had seen taking care of Evelyn time after time, seeking her out for conversations, watching her when he thought no one was looking. If he had been a betting man, he would have wagered every cent he owned on the fact that Liebgott's feelings for Evelyn were more than that of a man who just wanted to have his way with a girl. It was truly puzzling. But he supposed that it just went to show that no matter how well you think you know a person, they can always surprise you. Sometimes that turns out to be a good thing, but in this case it was the opposite.
"Do you want me to speak to him?" Eugene suggested. Perhaps it wasn't all as clear as it seemed? Perhaps he could get to the bottom of the whole thing?
"Absolutely not," Evelyn shook her head vehemently. "I just want to forget about the whole thing. I need to forget about the whole thing before people start asking questions that I can't answer without getting myself into trouble. I've worked too damn hard to be here and I refuse to get kicked out now. Not when the war will be over by Christmas. Well, according to Malarkey and Frank anyway."
"And just how do you plan on forgetting about it when you're going to see him pretty much all day, every day? And what are you going to tell everyone else when they ask why you two suddenly won't talk to each other?"
"I don't know, but I have to try, " Evelyn sighed. She didn't know how she was going to see him every day and not feel her heart hurt with every beat. "And as for everyone else. Well, it won't be the first time Liebgott and I have fallen out so I'll probably just make up some lame excuse. You never know, I might get lucky and he might make one up first then I don't have to."
Eugene sighed. He knew Ev was putting on a brave face. It was what she was good at. Personally, he didn't think her façade would last very long, but who was he to tell her that? All he could do was be there for her in any way she needed.
"Well, I've got to get a move on. It's my turn in the medical station and I don't think Ralph will be too happy with me if I'm late," Eugene said, although he was hesitant to leave her. "What are you gonna do? Are you gonna be alright? I don't really want to leave you."
"I'll be fine," Evelyn reassured him, even managing a smile. He narrowed his eyes, not entirely sure he believed her. "Gene, I promise I'm gonna be fine. I'm gonna get dressed, get some food and then get my ass to training before Dike gets on my case."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," she answered. "Besides if you're late because of me then I'm gonna be on the receiving end of Spina's backlash and I aint really in the mood for that today."
"Fair point," Eugene conceded. "Can I do anything before I go?"
"Uh, stop fussing like an old nursemaid?" Evelyn grinned. "Now get gone, will you?"
"Yes Ma'am."
And with that Eugene was gone. Evelyn barely waited for the door to close before she flung herself backwards on her cot and shoved the pillow over her face as tears dribbled out of the corners of her eyes. There was no way in hell she was going anywhere near that mess hall. It was going to be hard enough facing Liebgott in training, she wasn't going to sit at lunch pretending that everything was peachy. At least in training she could avoid him somewhat. For now, while she was alone she was going to wallow until she had to put on her indifferent face.
… … …
It had been three days since Evelyn and Liebgott had broken up. By now, everyone knew that they weren't talking to one another. Apparently, Bill and Liebgott had gotten into some sort of fight over who knew what, and on this occasion, Evelyn had agreed with her brother. As awkward as it was, the guys were thankful that neither of them were making the situation worse and had instead decided to ignore or avoid each other at all costs. Anyway, everyone was sure they would be friends again soon.
If Evelyn had any doubts about what career path she should take after the war, she was pretty sure that acting might be a good route to go in. After all, her performance of late was worthy of an Academy Award. Move over, Marlene Dietrich.
Once she was alone or once everyone was asleep, she could let the mask crack for a short time. Like now. She was reading a book on her cot while everyone else was gathering to watch a movie, or off playing craps. Well, she wasn't actually reading the book. Instead she had zoned out and was replaying the scene with Liebgott over and over in her head. Engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't hear Luz creeping up beside her.
"Whatcha doing?" he whispered right into her ear.
"Christ almighty George, did you have to scare me like that?" Evelyn gasped as she sat up, clasping her hand to her chest where her heart was beating ten to the dozen. Apart from Bill and Gene, George was the only other person who knew what had happened between her and Liebgott. She suspected that Toye and Babe probably knew as well, given that they had witnessed Bill's altercation with Liebgott, and she was almost certain Bill would have told them. Even so, neither of them had mentioned it to her.
"Sorry," George grinned, looking the least bit remorseful. Lying down on his back, he put his hands under his head and sighed contentedly.
"Comfy?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow at him? "Can I get you an extra pillow? Or maybe some room service?"
"What kind of room service are we talking about here?" George wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Who needs to pay for one of those fancy French maids when you're willing to do it for free."
"Is that what you think of me George?" Evelyn suddenly snapped. "Huh? Is that what you all think? That I'm eager to jump into bed with anyone who asks? That I've got no morals? You men are all the same. You're all fucking pigs and you make me sick."
As Evelyn went to storm off, George jumped up and grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Ev, don't go. Listen, I didn't think about what I was saying. I'm an idiot. You know that. Me and my big mouth just have a tendency to run off together without thinking through what it is they're about to say," he said, feeling like a complete and utter ass. You fucking idiot, Luz. When will you ever learn to use your brain first before you speak?
"Yeah you're telling me," Evelyn muttered. She knew that George hadn't meant to offend her in anyway or imply anything, but she was just still so upset and hurt inside that she had completely managed to take his humorous jest the wrong way.
"Do you forgive me?" George asked, sticking his lips out into a pout and fluttering his eyelashes. "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"Maybe," she smirked.
"What about if I get down on my knees and beg?" George tried.
"Yeah that'll probably help."
With a frown George got down onto his knees and clasped his hands together dramatically.
"Evelina Peccorina, the most beautiful and gracious woman to ever walk this planet," he began. "As your most humble servant, I beg forgiveness for my careless words that did cause you such pain and anguish."
"Ok get up you drama queen," Evelyn snorted at Luz's theatrics. "You're forgiven, you dolt."
With a grin, George stood up and picked Evelyn up, swinging her around.
"Get off," she hit his shoulder but he only squeezed her tighter. "George, I mean it."
"In a minute," he mumbled into her hair. "Can a guy not hug his best friend when she's going through a shitty time?"
"No," Evelyn shook her head, pushing him away. "Not when a guy hugging his best friend means he's gonna make her cry about said shitty time."
George sighed as he wiped away the tear rolling down Evelyn's cheek. He hated seeing her so hurt and upset. God, what he wouldn't give to punch Liebgott in the face.
"You know, there's one thing I still don't get," George said. "How come you've let everyone believe this cock and bull story about why you and Lieb have fallen out? If I was in your shoes, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops to everyone about what a dick he is."
"Oh George, trust me I really want to," she sniffed. "But there's two things stopping me. Firstly, if Dike or Winters catches wind of what really happened, I'm gonna be back in Philly faster than Dorothy can click her pretty red shoes together three times. And secondly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that I let somebody use me the way Lieb did. And if everyone found out, I'd be so ashamed about what they would think of me."
"They would think that you're a sweet, sensitive person who had feelings for someone who turned out to be a complete and utter asshole," George patted her cheek affectionately. "But I understand. Honestly, I do. Now, I hear that Seven Sinners is playing again in about ten minutes, so if we're quick we can get over there and we should catch the beginning."
"George, do you not think you've seen that film enough times?"
"Excuse me?" George feigned outrage. "You can never ever see a film enough times. Especially not when a film has John Wayne in it. He's one of my best impressions, I'll have you know."
"Yeah I know," she sighed. "And that's the problem. Remember back in Aldbourne when we watched Three Faces West and you almost got a punch in the face from Joe Toye? I do not want a repeat of that, thank you very much, so if it's all the same, I'm gonna give it a miss."
"Ok first of all, it's not my fault that Toye is jealous of my astounding ability to impersonate whoever I want. In fact, maybe he's more jealous of the fact that I've never tried to impersonate him yet. But let's face it, the guy just ain't that interesting," George declared. "Second of all, you are my best friend and therefore required to accompany me on any and all possibly dangerous outings. And thirdly, I don't wanna go on my own and look like a loser."
"Fine," Evelyn sighed. George could always wrap her around his little finger. In fact, his gift of the gab could wrap most people around his little finger. "But I'm warning you now, even as your best friend, if Toye makes any violent move against you I'm not intervening."
"Some best friend you are."
… … …
When Evelyn and George reached the mess hall turned movie theatre, they had missed the first few minutes and much to Evelyn's chagrin the only few vacant seats were right behind Toye and Lipton.
"Behave yourself," Evelyn warned George quietly as they sat down without being noticed by the one person they really didn't want to notice them. She gave it approximately ten minutes before George started misbehaving.
Ever full of surprises, it was almost sixteen minutes before George opened his mouth. A new record for him.
"Look at me, I'm John Wayne. The costume department set me up with these great navy whites. What do ya think?"
Evelyn had to give it to the guy. His impression really was rather amazing.
"Luz, shut up," Toye hissed, turning around to glare at him.
"I'm trying to watch this," Lipton did not look amused.
"I've seen this movie thirteen times, okay?" George answered as though that gave him the right to ruin it for everyone else.
"Well I haven't so shut up," Toye eyeballed him. "Ev, can you try and keep him under control?"
"I warned him before we came," Evelyn apologised with a shrug. "You know what he's like though."
"Well if he won't listen to your warning, maybe he'll listen when my fists give him one?"
"Sure thing Joe," she nodded, elbowing Luz the second Toye turned back around to face the screen.
She fixed him with the exact same look her mom used to give her as a kid to let her know she was skating on very thin ice. Who was she kidding? Her mom still gave her that look now. But apparently, Evelyn hadn't mastered the ability to frighten someone to their very core with such a look because George remained completely unperturbed.
"Lip, favourite part," George kicked the back of Lipton's chair and Evelyn shook her head in exasperation. Would he never learn? "Got a penny?... Got a penny? Got…a… penny?"
When Marlene Dietrich finally said the exact same line, George giggled like a child as Lipton and Toye turned around and glared at George so hard that Evelyn thought it might be the first time in history that a look would actually kill someone. As usual though, George was oblivious to their annoyance.
With all of her concentration on trying to keep Luz from getting into more trouble, Evelyn didn't notice the person a few rows behind whose eyes were riveted to her every head bob or hand movement. From the very second Liebgott had seen Evelyn sit down with Luz, any desire or notion he had of watching the movie completely disappeared. All he cared about was her. He wished he were the one who sat with her. He wished he could take back what he had said. He wished he could explain the whole thing to her so that she would know he didn't mean a single word of it. But, as his mom would say, he'd made his bed and now he had to lie in it, no matter how messy it was. He wasn't sure whether or not to be thankful when he was interrupted abruptly from his thoughts when the lights were suddenly switched on.
"Quiet!" voices shouted as MPs burst through the door. "Quiet!"
There were general rumblings of discord and annoyance from the men who were only part through their movie. Apparently the 1st and 6th SS Panzer Divisions had broken through the Ardennes forest, completely overrunning the 28th Infantry and the 4th.
"All passes are cancelled."
This brought enraged shouts and groans from many of the men. And when they were told to report to their barracks and platoon leaders, they knew what was coming. Their rest and reprieve was over. They were going back to fight.
"Not to worry guys," George piped up as the four of them stood to leave. "I can act out the rest of the film for you guys on the way back to barracks. And let's face it, my impressions are so good you won't feel like you've missed out at all."
Toye raised his eyebrows at Evelyn who, with a weary sigh, nodded. As she watched Toye chase George all the way back to barracks, she laughed and laughed until her stomach hurt. If she knew what fresh hell awaited them in the next few weeks, she might not have been laughing so much. But the old saying was true; ignorance really is bliss.
