Evelyn's Tale

-Forty Five-

14th August, 1945

Evelyn was coming out of the bathroom when a familiar voice shouted her name. Her surprised frown quickly turned into an expression of elation when she allowed herself a minute to take in Buck Compton. He looked a darned sight better than the last time she had seen him. His blue eyes were once again alive with that infectious twinkle and his very being was radiating happiness and warmth. The old Buck looked to be well and truly back and she couldn't have been happier about it.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Nice to see you again too, Corporal Guarnere," Buck grinned. "Sorry, I mean Sergeant Liebgott. I can't lie, I was somewhat devastated to find out you'd gone and married someone else while I was gone."

"Well, I couldn't hang around waiting forever for you, Buck," she teased, her heart soaring at just how much better he seemed to be. "You look real good, Buck. You look..."

"I know," he winked, pulling her in for a hug, holding her to him tightly and resting his cheek on top of her head. "I feel it too."

"We missed you around here," Evelyn told him when he pulled back to look at her.

"You were too busy to miss me," he joked, lifting her hand and eyeing her wedding ring. "That husband of yours better get you the most extravagant diamond when we get home because that's pitiful."

"Hey," she smacked his arm. "I love it, thank you very much. I don't want him to spend money on a diamond when he can just buy me a nice big house instead."

"Good to see you've got your priorities right," Buck laughed, his face growing serious for a moment before he spoke again. "I saw Don a few days ago on his way to Paris and he, uh, he told me about what happened to you and Liebgott. About the, uh-"

"Baby?" she finished for him, forcing herself to smile. "It's alright, you can say it, Buck. I won't crumble to the floor in a blubbering mess or anything. It was shit, still is, but we'll get through it. We can get through anything with you guys, right?"

"Hate to break up the love fest here but we're starting up a game of baseball," Welsh popped his head around the doorframe.

"We are?" Evelyn frowned.

"Well, the rest of them are. You can watch with me and Lipton or whoever because we all know your aim is shit," Welsh smirked.

"That's not a nice way to talk about Buck when he's just come back," Evelyn tutted.

"Idiot," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Won't be calling me that when I score the winning touchdown for whichever team I'm on," Evelyn made for the door and stepped out into the open air just as Buck and Welsh eyed each other with laughing eyes.

"She's definitely not going on my team," Buck muttered.

... ... ...

As it turned out, Evelyn was on nobody's team seeing as they didn't want her. Even her own husband had risked her wrath by declaring out loud in front of all of their friends that he didn't want her on his team. Babe had completely avoided so much as looking at her when she tried to look to him for support. So in the end, Speirs had taken pity on her and let her sit with him; solely on the condition that she didn't complain about being left out.

"...And Gene, he just shrugged at me."

"I'm aware, I saw," Speirs muttered.

"I'm not a fan of this new attitude he's developed," Evelyn continued, oblivious to Speirs clenched jaw and glare. "Especially not because he-"