Page 116 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
‘Are you sure Poppy wouldn’t hate us?’ she asked, needing to see his face when she asked him the question. ‘I’ve felt so guilty ever since the day she died, that it was me you saved, that it was me in your arms instead of her.’
Teddy found her hand and linked her fingers with his. ‘Poppy was your best friend, Grace. She would have wanted you to live, and I know she would have wanted you to be happy.’
Grace bent low, her forehead to Teddy’s as she breathed deep and let his words wash over her.
‘Can you see me properly?’ she asked.
‘Almost,’ he whispered. ‘But you could be any pretty nurse, for all I know.’
Grace swatted at him, but even half-blind he still managed to catch her hand and pull her down for another kiss as the beds around them erupted into laughter and clapping.
‘Grace!’ she heard, recognizing her sister’s sharp scold. ‘Get off that bed right now!’
She slowly turned, red faced as she found her sister standing with her arms full of equipment and a horrified look on her face.
But then she looked down at Teddy, and they both burst out laughing, not caring who saw them. And instead of obeying her sister, she just shrugged and dropped a final kiss to Teddy’s lips before slowly extracting herself from his bed. She didn’t care who told her off or what kind of trouble she got into; she’d almost sacrificed her life that day on the beach, on the front line, and whoever decided to scold her would be reminded of exactly how dedicated to the cause she’d been.
She glanced at Teddy, seeing the full-of-life man he usually was, not the man in a hospital bed who’d had his eyes bandaged for a week, whose eyes had been so full of debris that the doctors had told her not to bother trying to remove it all.
She’d saved him, and right now, that was all she cared about. She’d always loved Teddy, from the moment she’d first laid eyes on him, and she wasn’t going to feel guilty about it for a day longer, not after everything they’d been through.
Not bad for a girl who was reduced to tears at the sight of blood on her first week on the job.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
EVA
‘Look what Harry managed to find for us,’ April said as she passed out Hershey’s chocolate, then winked as she slid Eva an extra piece. ‘It’s his wedding present to you both, but I’ve just given you Art’s piece too!’
Eva took the chocolate and opened it, grinning at April. ‘What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I love the man, but I’m not sharing this with him!’
She popped the chocolate onto her tongue and savored the taste, even though it wasn’t quite as delicious as she’d expected. Eva sighed. Since the war, nothing had tasted the same, but still it was nice.
‘I can’t believe it’s your wedding day,’ Grace said, opening her own chocolate and sitting down beside Eva.
They were gathered near the hospital, in a clearing that had been deemed safe enough for them to meet for the ceremony. Art had insisted he make his own way despite her protests, so she’d walked with the girls, trying to quell her nerves.
‘I can’t believe it either,’ she whispered. ‘All I keep thinking is that he’ll change his mind. That he’ll realize what a mistake he’s making.’
‘Mistake?’ Grace laughed and pushed Eva’s hand toward her. ‘Eat the rest of the chocolate, and stop thinking silly thoughts.’
‘She’s right,’ April said. ‘He’d be a fool not to marry you.’
Eva unwrapped the second piece of chocolate and took it out. ‘There’s another reason I think he might not want to marry me,’ she said, taking a deep breath before bravely looking up at her friends.
They both sat silently and looked back at her.
‘I’m not going home with him.’
Grace spluttered on her chocolate. ‘You’re notwhat?’
April nodded as if she understood, and Eva cleared her throat, raising her voice this time. ‘I’m not going home with Art,’ she repeated. ‘I lost my way after Charlie—it was like I forgot who I was and what was important to me—but I can’t go back with him.’
‘Why not?’ Grace asked.
‘Because I’m a nurse, and I’m a damn good one,’ Eva said, wadding up the chocolate wrapper. ‘I don’t want to go home when there are so many men on the front line who need me. It’s just not right.’
Grace’s face changed, her smile fading. ‘So you think I’m a coward for choosing to go home, then?’
