Tw: mentions of abortion

28th March, 1945

Liebgott hadn't so much as even looked at Evelyn since their argument a few days prior. Everyone had noticed the obvious tension between the two of them but no one had dared to ask about the cause of it. Eugene and George were the only two people who knew and they were keeping a close eye on the pair. Evelyn had done her usual thing and was trying to pretend that she was fine, while Liebgott was barely able to conceal his foul temper. He was picking fights with anyone over anything. Just the day before, Skinny had left his boots in front of his cot and Liebgott had almost tripped over them. Almost. He had picked up the boots and thrown them angrily across the room before yelling at Skinny about watching where he put his goddamn stuff.

"Liebgott, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Eugene collared him after dinner.

"If it's to try and ask me to speak to Evelyn, then the answer is no," he glared.

"I'm not going to ask you to do anything," Eugene answered, unfazed by Liebgott's sourness. "I just want to talk."

"Fine," Liebgott rolled his eyes. "Talk then."

"How are you?"

"Honestly?" Liebgott raised an eyebrow at him and scowled. "You're really gonna try and do this to me?"

"Do what?" Eugene was genuinely confused. He had only asked the man how he was.

"That whole counselling thing you just love to do on everyone," he answered. "Anyone's got a problem and you're right there dishing out advice and trying to be everyone's best friend. No offense Doc, but I'm really not in the fucking mood."

"And you know what you're doing?" Eugene said. "That snarky thing you always do when you're trying to act like something isn't bothering you half as much as it really is."

Liebgott opened his mouth to retort angrily but a puff of hot air escaped and nothing else.

"I'm guessing Evelyn told you about our conversation?" Liebgott muttered.

Eugene nodded.

"And you probably think I'm the nastiest bastard to have ever graced the planet?"

"Actually no."

Liebgott looked surprised. Eugene led him over to one of the empty tables where they could talk in private. Once Liebgott had lit himself a cigarette and sat comfortably, Eugene began speaking once more.

"I completely understand why you're upset," he began. "If I'm being honest, I know for a fact I would feel the same in your shoes. To me, a child is a life from the time of its conception and the thought of someone taking that child away from me seems unthinkable and cruel. Evelyn told me exactly what she suggested, and I'm being truthful when I say that to hear her say something like that shocked me. But then when I really thought about it, I realised that she's in shock herself."

"So that excuses her behaviour?" Liebgott asked angrily.

"That's not what I'm saying," Eugene said patiently. "But listen to what I'm going to say, will you? We've known Evelyn for years now. We've spent every waking moment with her near enough for the whole of that time. We've seen her at her best and her worst. She's undoubtedly one of the toughest people I've ever met, but even you've got to admit how scary this must be for her."

"It's scary for me too, yet I didn't say those awful things," Liebgott argued. "In fact, the thought never even crossed my mind."

"It's different for you though."

"How so?"

"You're not the one who has to carry the child," Eugene explained. "She's got to deal with the physical realities of being pregnant as well as the emotional ones."

"So she's upset because she's gonna get fat for a few months?"

Eugene closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to encourage himself to be patient with Liebgott. He was either being pedantic or he was just that dumb. Personally, Eugene thought it was the latter.

"That's not exactly what I'm saying," Eugene replied patiently. "I just meant that she's the one who is going to have to carry the baby as well as deliver it. That's a scary enough thought for a woman who was expecting to be in this situation, let alone one who wasn't."

"While I understand that," Liebgott conceded. "I made it perfectly clear to her that she wasn't going to have to go through it on her own. I will be right there by her side for it all. Well, not the birth. But I'll be there for everything else. I'll provide for her. I'll work hard and she'll never have to worry about anything. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather accidentally start a family with. I love her, Doc."

Eugene couldn't help but break out into a small smile at Liebgott's heartfelt declaration. It was a far cry from the moodier side they often saw of him.

"But there's more," Eugene said, getting back to the point at hand. "For as long as I've known Evelyn, she's spoken about all the things she wants to do after the war. She wants to maybe go to college; she wants to travel and see things before she's tied down with a family and responsibilities. But if she has this baby, she won't get to do any of those things."

"Sure she will," Liebgott answered. "She can do anything she wants and I would never stop her."

"And I believe you," Eugene replied. "But once the baby is here, it's not going to be that easy. How many mothers do you know that work or go to college? Truthfully?"

Eugene was right. It just wasn't the done thing. Once a woman was married and a mother, her role was to take care of the child and the home. And while Liebgott wanted Evelyn to pursue her dreams, he also liked the idea of having a traditional family much like the one he had grown up in where his father would come home from work and dinner would be on the table waiting for him. Where his mother spent the day keeping the house presentable and putting every spare minute of time into her children. He sighed. He was a little ashamed to even think such a thing. This was precisely why Evelyn had reacted the way she did. He should have taken the time to think about her feelings and point of view. He should have tried to reason with her calmly that they could work this out. And as much as he wanted the perfect traditional family dynamic, he just wanted the family more. If going to college or working was important to Evelyn then they would find a way to make it happen.

"I'll talk to her," Liebgott swore to both Eugene and himself. "I finish guard duty early in the morning. I'll talk to her when everyone's at breakfast."

He just had to hope that he wasn't too late.

… … …

Later that night

Evelyn eyed the glass bottle in her hands. It hadn't been difficult to get hold of. Now that Lieutenant Welsh had returned from the hospital, there was an unspoken friendship between them. The private moments they had shared with Smokey had created some sort of bond that hadn't been there before. They would never tell anyone else about the promise Smokey had tried to extract from Evelyn; the desperation for her to end his life. They would never even talk about it together. It was there though constantly. They couldn't look at each other without seeing Gordon's broken eyes. When she had gone to Welsh to ask for a bottle of something strong, he had grinned that gap toothed grin of his.

"Of course I'm only giving you this because I'm sure you're using it for purely medicinal purposes," he had teased.

If only he had known.

Taking a breath, Evelyn took the cork from the bottle. The pop sounded so loud to her guilty ears. She glanced around the toilet cubicle, convinced that the noise would alert someone outside to her presence. But there was nothing. Outside in the camp, life continued as normal. As the majority of the men slept soundly, no one had any reason to suspect that on this quiet spring night, one young woman would be about to commit a criminal act.

She brought the bottle to her nose and sniffed delicately. The smell alone burnt the back of her throat and made her eyes water. The label was in French and she had no idea what it was, but she didn't particularly care. She was certain it would do the trick. And if it didn't? Well, she had no answer for that conundrum.

As she put the cold glass to her lips, a face flashed in front of her. She closed her eyes, willing it away, but it was burnt into her irises. He hates you anyway, she told herself. And it was true. Liebgott hated her now and he most likely would forever. But why couldn't he see that this was for the best?

She wanted to curse him. If he had just reacted the way she had expected him to then she wouldn't be feeling such indecision. Such confusion.

Tipping up the bottle, she grimaced as the warm liquid slid down all too easily. She coughed as it caught in the back of her throat, but continued to force herself to gulp it down. Liebgott's face appeared once more behind her closed lids and with an annoyed growl she snatched the bottle away from her mouth. Tears began to spill over her eyes. Why was this so hard? This was what she wanted. Wasn't it?

She unlocked the cubicle door and walked over to the sink. Turning on the tap, she splashed cool water over her face and looked up into the cracked mirror. She had bags under her eyes and she looked pale. She looked like a mess. She glanced once more at the bottle on the sink beside her. It taunted her. Mocked her.

Heavy footsteps bounded in through the open door and she stood up straight, trying to look innocent. Trying to look like she wasn't in the process of murdering her unborn child.

"Ev?" Babe frowned at her. "What the hell are you doing? It's the middle of the night?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Just couldn't sleep."

Babe narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the bottle.

"Having a little night cap are we?" he smirked.

And just like that she burst into tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Babe was beside her in a flash, putting an arm around her comfortingly.

She just sobbed harder, burrowing her face into his chest. Babe pulled her into his embrace and rubbed her back soothingly, just letting her cry it out. Eventually she calmed down and he pulled back to look at her.

"This got something to do with the fact that you and Liebgott are avoiding each other like the plague?" he guessed.

She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Babe tutted and quickly grabbed her some toilet roll to wipe it with instead. She smiled gratefully and blew her nose noisily.

"You gonna tell me?" Babe urged, waiting for her to finish.

She looked up at him, her green eyes shimmering like emeralds and tears clung to her long dark eyelashes. Even when she was crying, she was beautiful. His chest clenched as he tried to remind himself that he couldn't have those kinds of thoughts about her anymore. They were friends and nothing more.

"I'm pregnant," she said. It was only the third time she had ever uttered those words, yet this was the easiest of them all. "That's why me and Joe fell out."

Babe took a few seconds to digest the news and she could see his brain ticking over inside his head as he tried to process this new information.

"That fucking piece of shit," Babe hissed angrily. "I'm gonna give him a piece of my fucking mind."

"No Babe, wait," she shook her head, seeing that he had come to completely the wrong conclusion. "It's not what you think."

"There you go defending him as always," Babe found himself getting wound up. "He's a waste of fucking space and a low life. He's basically broken up with you 'cause he got you up the duff. No offence Ev, but it's his problem as much as it is yours."

"I know that but it's-"

"-And if he aint gonna do the right thing by you, then I will," Babe cut her off to continue his rant. "We'll just tell Bill and your family that the baby is mine and no one needs to be any the wiser. And I know that you said you didn't have any romantic feelings towards me but I promise that I would be a good husband to you. I would provide for you and I'd love that baby like it was my own."

Evelyn was taken aback by his bold and feeling declaration. It was one of the sweetest things she had ever heard.

"Babe, that's the kindest thing you could have offered," she took his hand gratefully. "And I genuinely am touched. But Liebgott pretty much said the same thing."

"He did?" Babe frowned. "Then why the heck are you two not talking?"

"For that exact reason," she said. "He wants to do the right thing and get married and be one big happy family."

"Right, I know I aint always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think even Webster would be struggling with this one," Babe scratched his head. "The guy wants to do right by you and the kid, yet you're not happy with that?"

"It's so easy for you men isn't it?" she glared at him. "You get a girl pregnant and you think that by marrying her and 'doing the right thing' that it's all fine. But the truth is that the girl ends up with the shame of people knowing that she got pregnant out of wedlock and that her husband only married her because of said situation. Then the guy gets to go to work every day, go to a bar with his friends, do whatever he wants, while the girl is left at home cooking, cleaning and wiping snotty noses day in and day out. What if a girl wants more than that?"

"I hear what you're saying," Babe answered. "But when the deed is done, it's done. There aint no changing it. And surely being married and having a husband to provide for you is better than the fate that meets some girls? Just at look at Marcie Zimmerman."

"I don't care about Marcie fucking Zimmerman," she growled. "I care about me and what I want. And I don't want this."

"So you think sitting in here, drowning your sorrows in alcohol is gonna make it all go away?"

She looked down at the ground, saying nothing. Afraid her face would give her away just as it always did. Suddenly Babe's own face dawned into realisation.

"Please tell me you're joking?" he shook his head and snatched the bottle angrily. "This is not the way to do it. I can't believe you're even crazy enough to think it is."

"Give it back," she held out her hand.

"No," Babe said. "No fucking way. If this is what you told Liebgott you had planned then no wonder he's so fucking upset."

"I said give it back," she gritted her teeth.

"What? So you can drink yourself into a drunken stupor in the hopes that it'll kill the fucking baby growing inside you? Not only is it illegal but it's immoral as well."

"Stop!" she yelled, covering her ears. She didn't want to hear it. Even if it was true.

She sunk to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest and let herself wallow. Babe was right. It was immoral. She knew that. It had been drummed into her for the entirety of her life. All of those Sundays spent at church listening to Father John harping on about how children are a gift from God. And there she was trying to destroy that very gift. But the problem was that it really didn't feel like a gift. It didn't even feel like a consolation prize. It was even worse. At least it seemed like it was. But at the same time it didn't. She just didn't understand. She had been so certain that this was the route she was adamant she was going down until it had come to actually doing it. Why was this so hard? So confusing? She wished she could just shut off her brain and make it all go away.

"I'm sorry," Babe said, interrupting her tumultuous thoughts. "I didn't mean to yell. I just panicked."

"You panicked?" she frowned. "What have you got to panic about? This aint even got anything to do with you."

"You're my friend," he answered. "And if you've got a problem then so have I. And I'll bet every one of the guys in the company would say the same thing."

"Please don't tell anyone about this," she begged. "George and Gene are the only two that know apart from you, and the last thing I need is for this to become common knowledge."

"Ev, I won't say a word," he promised. "Although Luz is another kettle of fish."

"George won't say anything," she said. "Even if it eats him alive from the inside out, he would never do that to me. Also, he threatened O'Keefe for me when that little weasel overheard us talking about my situation."

"So O'Keefe knows too?" Babe exclaimed.

"Well yeah. But like I told you, George threatened him and he won't be opening his mouth any time soon."

"No offence Ev, but the thought of George Luz threatening someone is about as scary as Mickey Mouse doing it."

"Usually I would be inclined to agree with you. But on this occasion, George was terrifying. Trust me on this one."

"Fair enough," Babe shrugged, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaned back against the wall.

Evelyn did the same and he noted that the bottoms of her boots only reached the middle of his calf. He knew she was short, but he hadn't realised just how much shorter than him she was. He shook his head. Now was not the time to be getting distracted by something as menial as heights.

"What am I gonna do Babe?" Evelyn put her head in her hands. "I thought I had this all figured out. And then it came to doing it and I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"And that's a bad thing why?" Babe wondered aloud. "Surely it just proves to you that what you were planning on doing aint right."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "But I don't think so, you know. I still feel that I don't want this baby. I don't want my life to be over before it's even begun."

"Who says your life is gonna be over? Having a kid aint a death sentence. You're actin' like it is," Babe said.

Evelyn glared at him and physically bit her lip to refrain from snapping at him. But then a tiny part of her listened to his words and thought he might be right. She was acting like it was a death sentence. It felt like it was, but in truth there were far worse fates in life.

"Babe, will you tell me a story?" she asked him suddenly.

"Huh?" Babe frowned. "A story?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's something Bill used to do for me as a kid and even when he was here. If I couldn't settle for one reason or another, he'd tell me a story to cheer me up or take my mind off of whatever was bothering me."

"Oh, ok," Babe nodded, understanding the random request. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Just a story," she shrugged. "It can be anything."

"Hmm," Babe thought for a minute. "Alright I got one."

Evelyn leant her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, waiting for Babe to begin.

"Ok," Babe cleared his throat, feeling slightly awkward. "Right. Are you ready?"

"Yep."

"Ok then. Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in the best city in the entire world. And everything in the little girl's life was perfect. She had a loving family and some great friends. She didn't have a care in the world. Until one day. The little girl's most prized possession was stolen in a vicious act of thievery by the most villainous girl in all the land."

Evelyn let out a chuckle as she realised that Babe was talking about the time Marcie Zimmerman had stolen her hair ribbon. For a few minutes she would allow herself to be transported back to a time that was much simpler. Back to a time when a red hair ribbon seemed like the biggest deal in the world.

… … …

The next morning

Luckily for Liebgott, he was easily able to catch Evelyn alone. She couldn't find one of her boots and so had remained behind in the field tent when the others went for breakfast. Liebgott had lingered behind until everyone had gone and he then seized his moment.

At first, she had been so busy on the hunt for the missing boot that she hadn't even realised he was there. However, when Liebgott found said boot under Malarkey's cot, he picked it up and handed it to her and she looked at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Thanks," she mumbled begrudgingly, unsure of how to behave with him. The last time they had spoken, it hadn't ended well, and she was rather apprehensive about having a repeat of it.

She sat down at the end of her cot to put on her boot, trying to ignore Liebgott whose eyes she could feel burning into her. When he sat down on the bed beside her and she felt it dip underneath his weight, she glanced up at him questioningly.

"What are you doing?" she frowned.

"Sitting here," he shrugged.

"Yeah but why?" she asked him.

"It's a free country isn't it?" he said.

"I guess," she agreed.

With nothing else to say she got up to leave for the mess hall.

"Wait," Liebgott grabbed her wrist gently yet firmly at the same time. She allowed herself to be pulled back to the cot where she sat and waited for him to speak. He didn't say anything for a moment. He just stared at the floor and picked absentmindedly at his fingernail. When he finally looked up and his eyes met her own, there was so much emotion there that it made her heart clench. "Listen, we need to talk about the…well, about our situation."

"I can't be doing with another argument right now," Evelyn sighed, feeling tears brimming already. God, she was nothing but an emotional wreck at the moment. She was starting to get on her own nerves.

"Neither can I," Liebgott said quickly. "That's the last thing I want. In fact, I think I owe you an apology. The way I spoke to you the other night was pretty out of order."

"It wasn't," she shook her head. "You have every right to be mad. It's your baby too, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but you're the one that's carrying it, and so I should have been a little more supportive and tried to see your point of view."

"So what are you saying?" Evelyn asked him. "That you don't wanna keep it either?"

"Well no," Liebgott admitted. "I still want the baby. But I want you more. Which means that we'll work this out together. No arguments and no nastiness. Evelyn, I am crazily in love with you and I want this baby so much. But not at the risk of ruining what we have. If you decide that you really can't go through with this then we'll find a way out of it together. If by some miracle though you change your mind, then I want you to know that I will never stop you from achieving everything you want in life. If you wanna go to college then I'll work nights driving my cab and I'll take care of the little one during the day. If you wanna travel then we'll pack up our cases and go as a family. I mean it. Anything you wanna do, you can do."

Evelyn bit her wobbling bottom lip. She hadn't expected to hear anything like this and her heart felt so full. And confused. Even more confused than after her talk in the toilets with Babe. Although she hadn't been able to bring herself to try and get rid of the baby, she still wasn't certain that she was ready to be a mother yet either. While Liebgott's promises tipped the scales in favour of keeping the baby, there was still an overwhelming niggling doubt in the back of her head.

"I don't really know what to say. Well I know one thing I wanna say. I really love you too. A lot," she admitted with a small smile. "But I'm just so confused about everything. I was so certain that I couldn't have this baby and now I'm not so sure. I know that while I don't particularly want to be a mom right now, I just don't know if I can live with the fact that one day I might regret my choice and there's no taking it back. But equally what if we have this baby and I regret it? There's no takin' that back either."

"Well it seems we're at a bit of a stalemate then," Liebgott sighed.

"Indeed," she agreed. "So what do we do?"

"Now you're asking," Liebgott smirked. "First things first, can we promise not to argue about this anymore? I love you so much and that's what I wanna focus on right now."

"Yeah but in a few months or maybe even weeks, I'm gonna start showing and we won't be able to hide it from anyone," she said. "So really we should focus on that."

"You're right," he decided. "But not at the risk of ruining our relationship. I think that maybe we really need to take a few days to think calmly and rationally. And let's try and come to a decision together. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds good," she answered.

Liebgott smiled and she couldn't help but smile back. Even though it didn't quite reach her eyes. While she was happy that they were on good terms once again, she still felt so much emotional turmoil rolling around inside her that it was threatening to overshadow the joy she felt at their reconciliation.

"What's wrong?" Lieb asked, seeing the look in her eyes.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. She sighed. "It's just that… What if after a few days when we have this discussion again, we both still can't agree. What do we do then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Liebgott reassured her.

"That doesn't exactly fill me with faith," she argued. "What if in three days I still wanna get rid of the baby and you really don't. What happens then? With us? With all of it? Because I should be truthful and tell you that I already tried to get rid of it."

She felt awful when she heard his sharp intake of breath. But what else did she expect?

"When you say you tried…?" he began.

"Last night," she whispered, feeling ashamed of herself uttering the words out loud. "I, uh, got a bottle of alcohol. I don't know what it was, but it smelled and tasted like petroleum so it was pretty strong. I, um, planned on drinking the whole thing. I thought it would…well, you know…Anyway, I took one sip and I just couldn't do it. And I was annoyed at myself because I was doing what I wanted. At least, what I thought I wanted. But I just couldn't do it."

"Do you not think that says something?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "I mean it didn't help that Babe appeared and when he figured out what I was doing, he went crazy at me. But if I'm being honest, even if he hadn't appeared, I don't think I would have been able to go through with it. There was something stopping me."

"What do you think that something was?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she said truthfully. "I mean you were part of it. I just kept seeing your face in front of me and I felt so guilty."

"Do you not think that you also felt guilty because deep down you might wanna have this baby?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I don't think so. Then again, I don't know anything at the moment. It's all so confusing."

Suddenly her stomach gurgled loudly and they both let out a grin.

"Although, I do know that if I don't eat something soon I'm gonna puke everywhere," she said. "Not that I can still eat much more than bread. Everything else makes me feel sick."

"I've noticed it's not such a problem at dinner time though," Liebgott chuckled.

"And thank God for that," she smirked. "I need to be able to get some sort of nourishment otherwise I'd waste away."

"No comment," Liebgott snorted and Evelyn nudged him in the side.

"Correct answer," she chuckled, before her smile disappeared as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"I love you," he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his own.

"I love you too," she smiled, kissing him softly on the lips. "Promise we can work this out?"

"I promise," Liebgott assured her, kissing her back. For once, the kiss didn't go anywhere else. It wasn't intended to. It was a tender moment between two people who loved one another and despite the adversity they faced, they wanted to show that love.

… … …

After breakfast Major Winters had cornered Eugene to ask him if he minded assisting one of the doctors in town for a few days. Evelyn had begged to go as well. She was desperate to get away from everyone and have a change of scenery while she tried to decide what she was going to do about the baby. She thought that this might be a good opportunity. Although she and Liebgott were now on good terms once again, she couldn't help but feel a slight pressure knowing that he was waiting for her to make a decision. And knowing that he wanted her to make the same decision as him even if he hadn't said so. Winters had pointed out that Evelyn might not be of much use in the doctor's surgery given that she didn't speak any French but she convinced him that she could still be of some use. With no other need for her, Winters agreed.

When Evelyn first met Dr Claude Chopain, she took in his rather colourful waistcoat and his half moon spectacles and immediately decided that he was rather formal and stiff. He had the looks of a man who was better suited to reading dusty old books than dealing with sick people. But when a young mother brought in her poorly baby only hours after their arrival, claiming she had no way to pay for treatment, the doctor didn't even bat an eyelid. Nor had he when the child had expelled the contents of its napkin all over his clothes. And now, two days later, as he sat in a chair bouncing the smiling infant on his knee, Evelyn realised she had completely misjudged the man.

He was kind and caring. He treated his patients like honoured guests. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he was insistent that anyone assisting him treated the patients in the same manner he did. It was obvious that he was very well thought of as well, because in the couple of days that they had been staying in his surgery, he had been inundated with various gifts. Some were as simple as flowers from a field, while other people brought him food. Very few paid with money, but Dr Chopain didn't seem to care.

"Doctor, there's a woman outside who would like you," Evelyn announced, knocking quietly on the open study door.

"What does she want?" he asked, looking up from the medical journal he had been reading to the baby.

"I don't know," Evelyn shrugged. "I can't understand a word she's saying. All I heard was your name which is why I just about managed to put two and two together."

"I see," he nodded, looking down at the baby who stared back at him with big blue eyes. "Well my little friend, I am needed elsewhere. You will have to hope your new friend is as fun as I am."

And without much ceremony, he thrust the baby girl into Evelyn's arms and scarpered off before she could stop him. The baby watched her curiously and she was convinced it could smell her fear. She looked around the small study, desperately hoping that the baby's mother might suddenly appear from somewhere, but then she remembered that the woman was at home tending to her other three children. She looked at the baby and smiled. What else was she supposed to do? She hadn't really spent all that much time around infants. The baby's bottom lip began to wobble and suddenly the little mite burst into tears.

"Oh no, don't cry," Evelyn panicked, bouncing her up and down gently. The baby let out a high- pitched squeal and mucus began to pour out of her nose.

"What have you done?" Eugene walked in the room and frowned.

"I haven't done anything," Evelyn told him curtly. "Dr Chopain left me with the baby and now it won't stop crying. I don't know what the hell to do."

"First of all it is a she," Eugene said, holding out his hands and taking the crying baby. "And second of all, she's probably just unsettled because her mom isn't here."

Evelyn watched as Eugene lay the baby in his arms and rocked her backwards and forwards. He opened his mouth and Evelyn was pleasantly surprised at the quiet yet tuneful tone that escaped.

"Dodo, l'enfant do,

L'enfant dormira bien vite

Dodo, l'enfant do

L'enfant dormira bientôt.

Une poule blanche

Est là dans la grange.

Qui va faire un petit coco

Pour l'enfant qui va fair' dodo."

"How did you learn to be so good with babies?" Evelyn asked, slightly in awe at how easily he had gotten the baby to calm down. Her lids were growing heavy and it was obvious that she was about to fall asleep any minute.

"I don't really know," Eugene shrugged, his gaze not leaving the little girl in his arms. He continued to stare adoringly at her, and when she stuck one of her fingers near to his mouth he pretended to bite it, causing her to giggle. It was a sweet sound. Endearing actually. Nothing at all like the noise that had escaped the baby when Evelyn had been holding her. "I've got a lot of younger cousins. I always got left with them at family events."

Evelyn couldn't help but smile at the two of them.

"It suits you," she said. "You'll make a good dad one day, Gene. I mean, look at her. She loves you. I guarantee that if you put her near me right now she'll scream again. You've obviously got the magic touch."

"I don't think so," he shook his head and smirked. "Just lots of practice. What about you? You must have been around a lot of little ones with such a big family like yours?"

"Me?" she pointed to herself before shaking her head. "Oh no. I'm awful with children, as you've just witnessed. Bill was always the one who looked after the kids. He'd pretend he hated it, but he was in his element. Whenever there's a family gathering, the children follow him around like he's the pied piper. If I'm being honest, I'm a little scared of them, especially when they're like this and they can't talk. They just scream and you're supposed to know what they want."

"You're seriously telling me that you're afraid of this little thing?"

Evelyn peered at the baby now asleep in Eugene's arms. Funny that she didn't seem so scary now. In fact, she was rather sweet. Her chubby fist was tucked under her chin and her long blonde eyelashes fluttered as she dozed.

"Well maybe not right now," Evelyn admitted begrudgingly. "She's quite cute actually, isn't she?"

"She is," Eugene smiled. "Why don't you try holding her again?"

Evelyn just looked at him like he was mad and raised an eyebrow. Her face sobered somewhat when she realised that he was being deadly serious.

"No," she shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Do you not remember the noise she made the last time I held her?" she said. "We do not need a repeat of that, thank you very much."

"Oh for goodness sakes, you're being ridiculous," Eugene rolled his eyes. "She's fast asleep. I guarantee you she won't even stir."

"Fine," she pouted. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

She took a deep breath and tried not to grimace as Eugene gently placed the sleeping infant into her reluctantly waiting arms. With bated breath she waited for the baby to start screaming, but when it did nothing more than nestle into her chest comfortably she was pleasantly surprised. Eugene grinned like the cat who had got the cream. Evelyn picked up a bandage and threw it at his head.

"You don't have to look so smug," she glowered at him.

"Sorry," he smirked, looking anything but sorry.

Evelyn looked down at the baby and couldn't help but soften. Now that she wasn't screaming, it was a rather pleasant experience. She was so tiny and vulnerable yet in her slumber, she had given Evelyn her complete trust. It was strangely moving to know that while she held this tiny baby, she was responsible for her. Her rosebud lips pouted and she made a noise that sounded like she was sucking on an invisible bottle. She was the sweetest little thing. She stirred and Evelyn panicked, her eyes widening as she looked to Eugene for help. He just folded his arms, refusing to have anything to do with it.

"Ssh," Evelyn whispered, rocking the baby slowly just like Eugene had done. She let out a sigh of relief when the baby quieted once more.

Holding the baby couldn't help but make Evelyn think of the life growing inside her at that very moment. Something seemed to stir inside her and she was overcome with an emotion that she hadn't felt since finding out that she was expecting. It wasn't joy exactly, but it wasn't dread either. It was a feeling of protectiveness and the need to nurture. She felt tears prick her eyes and she realised that she had come to her decision. While she felt sad that she was going to have to leave the men, and she was apprehensive about what would happen when she got back home, she knew that she was making the right decision.

"So, when this is all done do you swear that you're gonna come to Philly and meet your god child?" She looked up at Eugene and gave him a shaky smile.

"You mean...?" Eugene didn't even finish the sentence. He was beaming widely.

"Yeah," she laughed, tears rolling down her face. "I'm terrified but I think I can do this, Gene. I'm gonna be a mom."

… … …

1stApril, 1945

Evelyn had been on pins since the very minute she and Eugene had returned to the field camp. She was eagerly anticipating the moment she could speak to Liebgott alone and tell him of her decision. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face. Unfortunately, she had to test her own patience to the limit because they had training and then Liebgott was on guard duty again. She had been back for almost fifteen excruciating hours before she finally got to speak to him alone.

"I missed you," Liebgott wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her neck.

"I've only been gone a couple of days," she chuckled.

"That's just a couple of days too many," he murmured, kissing neck and sending shivers up and down her body.

"But it gave me plenty of time to think about things," she told him.

Lieb suddenly stopped kissing her and stood up straight, his eyes boring into her own.

"Have you made a decision?" he asked her. Although if he was being honest, he wasn't entirely sure that he was ready for the answer. He felt his legs begin to shake with nerves.

"You best hope that this war is finished sooner rather than later," Evelyn began. "Because I sure as hell don't wanna be changing dirty diapers all by myself. Baby Liebgott needs their dad just as much as they need their mom."

Liebgott opened his mouth as his eyes bugged almost out of his head. A surge of pure emotion went right through him and he could have cried with joy. And crying was not an emotion he was well acquainted with normally.

"You mean this?" he wanted her confirmation. "And you're not just agreeing to this for my sake?"

"I mean it," she smiled. "I'm absolutely petrified, but I know that I can't get rid of it. This wasn't the plan I had for my life, but sometimes the biggest surprises turn out to be the best things that ever happen."

"We're having a baby," Liebgott laughed to himself.

He picked her up and spun her around, before panicking that he might hurt the baby growing inside her. He placed his hand on her flat stomach and looked in awe.

"We're really gonna do this?" he said. "We're gonna be a family."

"We sure are," Evelyn nodded, letting him pull her close.

"You're not gonna regret this, I swear," Liebgott kissed her soundly on the lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she smiled. She loved hearing him say those three little words and she loved saying them back. They left such a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.

She snaked her arms around his neck before standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Well what do you know," she smirked against his lips. "We have a whole tent to ourselves."

"Your point being?" Liebgott frowned.

"You need me to spell it out for you?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"We can't," Liebgott shook his head.

"Oh relax, the guys won't be back for ages," Evelyn said. "Eugene said he would keep them all distracted so we had some time to ourselves."

"Well we still can't," Liebgott looked at her like she was crazy. "It might hurt the baby."

"You're being serious? Oh my good God, you are being serious!" Evelyn snorted. "The baby is like the size of a dot. I know you guys all like to think that you have the biggest you-know-what, but it aint that big, Joe."

"Oh is that right?" It was Liebgott's turn to raise an eyebrow this time. "I've not heard you complain before."

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," she teased.

Without warning, he picked Evelyn up and flung her over his shoulder, before dropping her gently on his cot. He climbed over her being careful not to put any of his weight on her and practically ripped open her OD's before yanking up her white t-shirt. Through the thin material of her bra he grazed at her nipple with his teeth making her squirm underneath him. When his hand reached underneath her trousers and found her warm, wet centre, she bit her lip to keep from moaning out loud. With a grin, Liebgott bit at her lip and yanked off her OD's. Her boots thudded somewhere across the room but she didn't really care where.

"Turn around and get on your knees?" Liebgott ordered, his lips sucking hungrily at her neck.

"What?" Evelyn frowned.

"Just do it," he said, biting at her skin. "Trust me."

Feeling more than a little self conscious, she did as she was told. However, the second that she felt Liebgott's hand in between her legs, any unease quickly disappeared. He ran his finger through her folds and groaned when he felt how wet she was. He pushed a finger inside Evelyn and she gasped, clutching at the sides of the cot. When he took his hand away from her, she whimpered but then moaned when she felt him enter her from behind. Leaning over her as he thrust gently, Liebgott nipped at her shoulder while one of his hands snaked around the front of her body to play with a hardened nipple.

Evelyn couldn't concentrate on anything other than the exquisite feelings coursing through her body. This was beyond anything she had ever felt before.

"Joe," she moaned as he squeezed her nipple to the point where it almost hurt.

"I love you," he murmured, moving his hand down to tease the small nub in between her legs.

When his fingers began to manipulate that point at the same time as his thrusts became slower and even more gentle, she felt herself come undone almost immediately. Liebgott groaned and it wasn't long before he had reached his own climax.

"I really love you," he whispered, turning her around gently so he could peer into her face. He leant down and kissed her stomach before looking back up at her. "And I love this little one too."

"And we love you," she grinned.

Allowing herself to relax in his embrace for a few minutes before they had to get dressed, Evelyn smiled when she realised that as long as she had the support of Lieb and her family, she would be able to do this. She had a feeling that everything was going to work out alright.