Sorcha Devlin never planned to find herself across the Pond stationed at the Thorpe Abbotts base, but as a promise to be close to her younger brother, she landed in this position. Cormack Devlin, younger by 2 years, was training to become a fighter...
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The first mission for the new crew's came after a couple of days, giving them time to settle in, but not enough to keep the nerves away. Sorcha could feel the anticipation radiating off of each new face she passed, as the men were eager, or terrified, to go up in the air. She gave each man a small smile in a feeble attempt to ease their anxieties, but there was only so much a pretty face could do.
Bremen was the target of the men's first mission, which made Sorcha extremely anxious. She was privy to what the plans for the mission were, as the men in the tower talked freely, nearly forgetting the women were there. Each person working in the tower offices agreed to keep quiet about anything they overheard, as it was to be confidential until the crews were told. However, that didn't stop Sorcha and her bunkmates from discussing their fears quietly into the night. Eventually, the mission day came, and what the new men had been waiting for became real.
Once all the meetings had been finished, Sorcha stood outside the tower alongside Aileen, Lilibet, Anika, and Siobhan. They had been dubbed 'The Tower Girls' since they all worked within the tower offices, and were the closest group out of all their bunkmates. As they did with every mission, the girls stood beside the tower, gazing at the crews getting ready to take off. No one ever got on them for leaving the office, since paperwork could be filed at any time, and everyone at the base often left their desks to see the men off.
Siobhan was the first to break the group's contemplative silence, "Do you think they'll make it?"
"They have to, Shiv. They just have to," Aileen stated in a matter-of-fact tone. She was the optimist of the group, always believing in the best-case scenario no matter what. Sorcha admired her for it, given that optimism ran low during these times.
"All we can do is hope and pray," Sorcha comforted Aileen as she squeezed her hand, "They're some of the best pilots up there, all they can do is stick to their training."
The girls went silent again as the first fort took off, watching the line of planes exit the tarmac and head into the sky. Even though Sorcha had seen many crews come and go, the pit of anxiety in her chest never left as she saw them take off. She didn't know every man personally but felt a sense of care for them. Maybe it was because she couldn't be there for Cormack, not knowing if he had someone to care for him at Kings Cliffe, so she took it upon herself to pray for every crew at Thorpe Abbotts, not wanting them to feel alone.
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Once all of the forts had gone, the rest of Sorcha's friends had gone inside, but she had opted to stay out for a few minutes. This mission felt different than the others she had witnessed, now having friendships with the men going up. She and Buck had become fast friends over the weeks, chatting at the officer's club when Bucky had become too much for them, (though they loved him all the same). Benny had a growing interest in Anika, and turned to Sorcha for advice on how to handle it, taking long walks with Meatball as she gave him tips. She felt that so much was at stake for this mission, needing a few moments to herself to control her spiraling thoughts.
