To Be Loved // Masters of the Air

15: Back With Them

It'd been months since you left to heal at a legitimate hospital, the next few months that had been hell for the 100th Bomb Group, including yourself. The time spent in an actual hospital was one of the worst nightmares you'd experienced, worse than getting shot in the stomach which felt like an eternity ago.

It got to the point during the beginning of August where you couldn't stand laying in bed all day, not having the need to puke anymore. Couldn't spend another moment at the hospital, the urging need to leave. It's not because you hadn't been missing your boyfriends, because while you had, you just wanted to take the chance to go AWOL and brag about it afterwards.

Who knew that once you'd made it back to East Anglia that you'd be bombarded with stories, not only from Cleven and Egan, to which you had hugged tightly upon arriving back, but from Biddick, Crosby, Brady, and a few new faces that had begun to squash together as a group.

With an exhausted face on Crosby, he'd explained to you during dinner at the mess-hall that they had needed to travel all the way through North Africa, ending up in Telergma, Algeria. They'd lost crew and aircrafts on the way there because of the Regensburg-Schweinfurt mission which was the reason they'd been led to Africa, and it was one of the costliest battles too.

You couldn't believe your ears when you first heard the story, and you simply shook your head, not believing that the army was stupid enough to make that decision. You'd been told multiple stories about punching Brits though, which got a bark of laughter out of you. Basking in the moments of being back with everyone once again.

~

September 16th.

The rumbling engine of a military car had carried its way down the paved road, Egan being the one to drive it with Cleven as his passenger princess, his aviator glasses falling over his eyes and crusher hats covering their hair.

You'd been sitting on the back trunk of the vehicle, bathing in Europe's heat as you leaned your head back against Cleven's shoulder. He'd been too busy enjoying the view in the mirror, watching you through it as you shut your eyes to the sunlights beams. They had finally gotten their sweet, beautiful girl back with them once again.

You'd still been recovering, but the thought alone of you made his heart jump from the sight of you in one peaceful moment. When he felt your head lean against the top of his shoulder, his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror before he spoke up in a soft, yet adoring tone with a smile.

"You really enjoy the heat, don't you, love?"

You could only smirk as you rolled your eyes and plucked the glasses right from his face to put them on yours instead before he could snatch them back, blowing a raspberry. "After spending countless depressing hours in an English hospital? Yeah, I'm enjoying the heat."

A chuckle left his lips at the sudden act of theft as you snatched the glasses from his face. Shifting his eyes away from the road and onto the side mirror where you'd been sitting, his smile only grew larger as he teased you. "You're lucky I love you."

"You're lucky to have me." Your voice had a slight teasing edge to it when you responded back, Egan rolling his eyes overhearing the bickering as he kept his focus on the road. Driving closer to a group of boys who'd been sitting on the sidelines.

Peering from over the glasses, you caught one being Sergeant Lemmons with the rest being younger kids. Lemmons was a part of the ground crew, but one of the sweetest guys you'd ever met even after not having interacted with him as much.

"Boys," Egan had announced with high-spirits as he stopped the car, looking to Lemmons, a man named Tommy, and the rest of the other kiddos that had been sitting on a few boxes. Lemmons had replied to them both by saying 'Major' as the form of greeting, and you waved to him from the back. Lemmons returned the wave with a bright smile, eyes peering at you.