A Soldier's Love

13. Epilogue

Corporal Harrington had claimed more than once that, with Dani in his life, and in his heart, he could survive most anything. Surely many lovers had made such a claim throughout all time, and surely the Corporal's claim had more veracity to it than not, given how much he had endured throughout the war, and even after it, but Marguerite and Mama Bartelle and even Dani de Floss all doubted very much that the Corporal would last much longer that day.

But he did.

When Dani left his side, the Corporal flagged; when Dani was there, he rallied. The pattern became evident and then it was Dani posted by Jack's side with instructions not to move for anything, and one would have been hard-pressed to make Dani leave, besides. The younger man had promised to stay, and stay he would, finally reunited with his beloved after all this time.

Corporal Harrington lived the rest of that day, sleeping more soundly than he had in many weeks. Dani slept in the bed beside him that night, and the next day, Corporal Harrington was not just alive, but improved. Mama Bartelle cautioned everyone that sometimes, strength returned just before death, and they all guarded their hopes closely, for it seemed the unlikeliest and most impossible occurrence that Jack could recover, after coming so very close to death.

But he did.

With Dani by his side, Corporal Harrington clung to life with maniacal stubbornness. Dani's kiss gave him new strength, and with their every embrace-- of which there were many-- he pulled back from the edge.

A few days with Dani did what nothing else could-- not man, not medicine, not even God himself. Marguerite watched in rapturous amazement as Jack not only survived, but also began to heal.
The Bartelles installed themselves as Corporal Harrington's keeper. There was no discussion about it, but happened as a matter of fact. Marguerite was indelibly attached to the man, and Mama Bartelle had come to be, as well. It went without saying that Marguerite would stay and look after the Corporal for as long as he was in such a poor condition, and Mama Bartelle would help, going between Rue Danton and their grocery.

Once he had recovered from the shock of finding his lover nearly dead and missing half his body parts, Dani enlisted himself to Jack's care, too. Mama Bartelle taught the two young people how to care for someone in Jack's condition, taking especial care to ensure that Dani knew what to do for his mate. Dani learned, and he and Marguerite grew close, bonding over their love for Jack, as they escorted him back from the brink of death.

Time passed and the two families became close. Jack was bedridden for months, but deliriously happy with Dani there. Dani moved in, of course, and the two young men set up house right there on Rue Danton. Between the Bartelle women and the young singer, they tidied and decorated the shabby little apartment until it became pleasant, and cozy-- a home to keep, instead of merely a place to stay.

It had been difficult for Dani to find good work in England, but here in Paris, things were much easier for him. He was welcomed in cabarets, and celebrated in respectable nightclubs all over Paris, and he never wanted for work. It was just a few months before Jack was able to go see every single one of Dani's performances. The Corporal had reservations about going out in public, looking the way he did, but Dani assured him that all would be well. If Paris was the sort of town that would welcome a man who sang while dressed in women's clothes, why should they not also embrace a soldier who had sacrificed his body and health to defend their freedom?

And right he was. Though there were plenty of people who were disturbed by Jack's appearance, he was mostly met with understanding, appreciation, and gratitude. People were gentle with him, much to the Corporal's surprise, and he and Dani as an item were almost universally welcomed, too. The couple were beloved by the community and became a fixture on Rue Danton, until they moved to a better neighborhood, nearer the Bartelle grocery.

Marguerite visited the young men very often, and her parents accompanied her occasionally. She fell in love with Dani as she had with Jack, and found them to be the greatest and dearest friends she ever could have asked for. Some years later, they would attend her wedding, and both would be beside her at the altar, and by then Jack had been fitted with a prosthetic leg, and could walk, albeit slowly, with Marguerite as she processed down the aisle.

Dani and Jack were named the godfathers of Marguerite's child, and the baby grew to know the two men like family. Corporal Harrington (and he always retained this moniker) lived on for many years, in delicate health but very much alive, vivacious, and deeply in love with his partner. He proved with every passing day that with Dani, he really could survive anything, and with Jack's love, and Jack needing his care, that Dani could stay sober and be responsible. Together they proved that even for a couple so unlikely as this, who had been tried and battered and scarred by life, much-maligned and even hated, there could be for them, too, a happily ever after.