In A Time of War: An imperial Love Prequel (1)

Chapter Six

Violet had spent a lot of time in France with the men. And she had a hard time trying to adjust to her new life in France. It was a lot different than it was in Germany and it was a lot more difficult for sure. And Violet didn't realize how difficult it was getting. 

More men were dying each day from diseases and from wounds in training. And there were some men that were dying from illnesses from when they were in the trenches in earlier battles before Americans got themselves into the war, and there were some men that were so traumatized from the war that they shot themselves in the head.

Violet didn't know what to do, and she was lucky that she had John to confide in. John definitely could understand her however, he just had to listen to her, and he did exactly that. There were times that he would invite her to his tent to just talk to her and help her clear her head, which was something she desperately needed. And John knew exactly how to help, she went to him the most out of anyone. Sometimes they would talk about things that were totally off topic and things that weren't involving war, such as music and fashion. Things that Violet was interested in and things that would definitely catch her eye. Things that would have her engage into conversations.

And John also just wanted to make her smile, and keep both of their minds off of everything.

But they were still in the war, no matter what it was and no matter how much they wanted to pretend. 

Each day was proving to be more and more difficult as they were spending their time in France, and it was taking a toll on Violet. John was feeling more distressed by the moment and didn't even think about asking the rest of his friends. Jamie was too busy spending time with Ciera, so he didn't want to bother him. And then Benedict and Simon were helping Wesley recover from his wound. Meanwhile, Benedict still had to recover his leg. 

He still had Violet and she was the one person he wanted to spend time with. On the nights that were late in their tents, they didn't focus too much on everyone else, they wanted to spend time together because John was the only one that helped her clear her head. But there was never a time when the war wasn't still in place. There wasn't a time when people weren't getting hurt or dying everywhere they went. 

The more people that died, the more Violet was starting to lose hope in herself, and so was John during the process.

Most days where she was treating men's wounds in the tents, and all she ever thought about was whose lives she could have saved but couldn't. But John was lucky to be alive, she didn't how he survived, but she was grateful that he was still alive.

But John was lucky to be alive, she didn't how he survived, but she was grateful that he was still alive. He survived something terrible, he survived something terrible in Germany and it wasn't the easiest thing to move past. John knew that, and Violet knew that.  She didn't know how she got this far, and she didn't know how John did as well given how shell shock was getting the best of him, perhaps it was the thought of seeing his family again when the war was over. But John also didn't know how long the war was going to be, but then he reminded himself that wars don't last forever and the war was going to be over before he knew it.

One of the nights when John and Violet were talking and they talked about how they didn't think the United States was going to wind up in the war thinking it was just going to involve the Europeans. Violet always knew she wanted to be a nurse, she wanted to help in the war and most women never got opportunities so she wanted to prove the world and the men wrong, John told Violet that he wasn't planning on enlisting at first. He didn't want to put himself through it, but then he thought to himself how cowardly of him it would be because then his father would look on him for not enlisting because his father did the same. Violet then mentioned how her father was a doctor in a war, and he influenced her to do the same.

"It seems like our fathers influenced us in different ways." Violet said, "It seems like I followed in his footsteps because I wanted to and you did the same thing out of fear..."

John heard that and had the feeling that Violet was possibly right, given how much a man suffers after the war. He saw what happened to his father and Violet knew the same, which was one of the main reasons she wanted to help John so much. The two of them had developed a good friendship and she wanted him to live a healthy life after the war. 

And even if she wasn't a part of his life after the war, she knew that he deserved to be happy. 

"John..." Violet started to say, "Do you think you'll get that happiness that you want?"

"Like what?" John asked,

"Like, a family..." Violet started to say, and John stopped her there.

"That's all I want in my life." John said, "I want a son so badly... and I want to teach him everything I learned, everything my father learned, all of it..." 

"I can see you having a son or two." Violet said, "I can see it well.."

John chuckled as he heard that from her. It was his dream to have a son for as long as he could remember. It was sons and sons for generations in the Kelly family of course there had been daughters, but every family had at least one son.  

"What about you?" John asked, "Do you want children?"

"Of course I do..." Violet responded, "But...I would want to wait until after the war. When lives are easier."

"I can understand that," John said,

"I just don't want to have a child, and not have their father be around, and fear for his life," Violet added, "My mother went through that during the war in Cuba, I was only four years old, and I remember I was afraid and crying all night wondering when he was going to return home, I was lucky he made it out alive."

"I'm sure you were terrified not knowing what was happening," John said, 

"I was... I was... I was always a daddy's girl, and when he was going through Shell Shock, I was so scared for him... he hasn't had an episode since I was fourteen... and I guess that was why I was committed to helping men with Shell Shock."

"And you're doing incredible..." John added and he took her hand, "You certainly been helping a lot of men in France. And you certainly have been helping me."

Violet smiled as she heard those words, she felt relieved in a way that she could help someone out. She felt relieved as if her purpose for enlisting as a nurse in the first place had a purpose.  And all of it was proving to be worth it. She didn't know what she would be doing if she didn't become a nurse, she didn't imagine herself doing anything else. Given being a nurse was what all she talked about since she was a girl and she mentioned that to John as well.

"You know being in the army was all I ever talked about..." John said, "But I was always too scared to enlist so then when President Wilson declared war with Germany I enlisted instantly without even thinking."

"So you took a risk?"

"I took a risk."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"No."

Violet smiled and looked at the smirk on John's face, she noticed how cocky he was starting to get, she could tell by the face that he was making.  But Violet wasn't going to give into it, because she was too smart to fall for any man's games. Because it was also something she didn't really need right now, especially In a Time of War, where anyone can die.