𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙀𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏
—𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵—

𝙄𝙏 𝙎𝙀𝙀𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝘼𝙎 though the day went by faster than Bryce Dylan thought possible. But perhaps it was just because Danny was with her, his arm wrapped around her waist and encouraging her to go a little further into the water every time a new ten minute interval rolled by. And when the waves finally reached her neck, his hands grew firm on her hips and he lifted her into his strong arms. At first Bryce was caught off guard, then she relaxed. But it was the sight of Evelyn, perched on a faraway rock with her eyes focused on something in the distance, that made her move back to her feet.

"I'll be right back," Bryce says to Danny, holding onto his hand for a short moment before trailing off to the shore. Danny watched carefully as she moved towards Evelyn, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. And yet he didn't question it.

"Why did you leave Danny?" Evelyn asks as Bryce comes into view. "Today is the day for the two of you, don't you think you should be with him instead of being over here with me?"

"Friendship is important to me, Evelyn," the brunette replies, perching herself on the beach towel next to her. "You are important to me. And that means your problems are mine. So what's going on, Evelyn? Why are you up here all alone when you could come with us?"

"I sent Rafe a letter quite a few days ago, and he hasn't responded yet," she sighs, shaking her head. "It just makes me think that something bad had happened to him, you know? Things like that worry me, and I can't seem to get it out of my head. I didn't want to ruin your time with Danny by fretting over Rafe the whole time."

"You have every right in the world to worry about him," Bryce places a soothing hand on her shoulder. "But I want you to be happy; to have at least a single day when you aren't running to the post office to see if he's responded. You deserve an afternoon of relaxation. You work too long and too hard to be doing anything else."

"What if he doesn't write back, Bryce?" Evelyn drops her head to her hands. "I can't stand not knowing what's going on with him. I have no idea what I'd do if he didn't come back . . . do you think he'll come home soon?"

"One can only hope that he'll come back safe," the woman averts her eyes to Danny, watching closely as he darts forward to try and catch a fish. "If I was in your position and Danny was gone, let's just say that I wouldn't be able to keep as much composure. You're very strong. And so is Rafe. Now get down there Evelyn Johnson, and find some happiness in your day at the beach."

With a short chuckle, Evelyn and Bryce move to their feet, both of them retreating to the water. Just as Bryce merges into the cold waves, Danny pulls her forward into his arms. "I found you something," he says, flashing his dimples as he opens up a gray clam. "I heard that these things carry around pearls, so I decided to experiment for myself. Do you like it?"

Inside the clam rests a coral-colored pearl. Danny picks it out, tossing the mollusk over his shoulder before placing the pearl in her palm. "I was thinking I could find a couple more and we could get them put onto matching woven bracelets."

"Danny, where would I be without you?" Bryce laughs, tossing her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a tight embrace. "You're truly the purest human being I've ever met."

From her spot in the water, watching from afar, Evelyn smiles to herself. She knew that Danny would find the love of his life one day.

She just didn't think it would be one of her best friends.

---

When arriving to her new office early the next morning with a slight tan, Bryce Dylan wasn't expecting to hear that she had the day off to join Evelyn with her work at the dispensary. But instead of arguing with the general, she simply left the grounds. On her way out, Danny furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at her actions, only getting a sweet smile in response from Bryce. Rose trails along beside the brunette as they make their way off of the street and into the building.

"Are the two of you going steady yet?" Rose teases, bumping Bryce's shoulder with her own. "You'd make an awful cute pair, if I do say so myself. The girls have been making bets on when it'll finally happen."

"We've only been seeing each other for a few days," the woman scoffs, nudging her with her elbow. "You don't expect us to be together already, do you? I'd hope not, at least. Maybe sometime down the road . . . I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision. What if he goes off to war one day, Rose?"

"I presume you'd do just about the same as Evelyn," she shrugs. "They seem to be a lovely couple despite the miles apart. But you wouldn't think of that; you'd only think of how you'd react when he gets home. Write him letters."

"I'm not as strong as Evelyn," Bryce tells her. "I just don't know how I'd cope if I ever were to lose him. I might just lose myself along with him."

"Don't say that, you'll ruin the mood for the day!" Rose swats her arm. "Now lets go help Evelyn. I'm sure there's plenty to do and it'll take your mind right off of that gibberish that fills your mind."

When stepping inside, Bryce could focus on nothing but the single smell of a cinnamon candle that burned brightly somewhere. The two of them found Evelyn at her desk in the back, writing and typing away on medical charts that had yet to be examined by an actual doctor. When looking up at the sound of footsteps, Evelyn seemed surprised to see them there. She immediately began to ask questions; weren't they supposed to be at work? and why would they waste their free time there when the could be doing something fun?

"Evelyn, darling, things will move quicker around here if there's more than one nurse to help," Rose chuckles. "Now, I'm heading straight for the supplies house around back to restock your medication drawer because I know for a fact that you haven't checked them since we moved down here."

Evelyn almost retorts, but scrunches up her nose as Rose opens the cabinets to her left to prove a point. The glass drawers inside were almost empty, holding only a few unopened medications in their bottles. With a wink, the nurse heads off to the small, added-on building that rests just behind the dispensary. Evelyn sighs to herself, placing an exhausted hand on her face. "Why didn't I think to do that, Bryce?"

"Sometimes we all have our forgetful spells," the brunette shrugs. "I have mine a little bit too often, if I do say so myself. I wouldn't consider this to be bad, everyone can't remember something every now and again. Just don't stress yourself over it, okay?"

"I just need to finish up these papers, and‒" the raven-haired girl stops abruptly, her eyes landing on someone in the doorway. "Oh dear. Bryce, could you attempt to finish up some of this stack? It'll only be a few minutes, I promise."

A dark-skinned man stands in the doorway, a gash running down the side of his face. Bryce doesn't hesitate to take her friend's spot behind the desk, working away as if it were her own work. As Evelyn begins to exchange greetings with the man, she listens in to find out what happened to him.

"I work on a ship, just below the sailors on the bottom deck," the man‒ now known as Doris Miller‒ says, his eyes on the nurse in front of him. "I wanted to become an officer of the water, but it's hard to be a colored man and get anywhere in general without being judged. No one seems to want me in the Navy."

"And why do you get into these fights?" Evelyn raises an eyebrow. "For fun? Money?"

"For respect." He states kindly, giving her a smile. "That seems to be just about the lot of it. I didn't train my whole life to be turned down by the Navy. I'll have a higher rank one day to prove everyone wrong. To make my mama proud."

"And I believe you'll do just that," the woman replies, tossing some gauze into the trash. "Well, Mr. Miller, you only needed a couple stitches. Try not to get hurt again, alright? They'll respect you one day."

"Have a good day, ma'am," he places on his white hat, giving her a thankful nod before leaving the dispensary. Evelyn stands at the doorway, waving at him with a grin, before turning back to Bryce. But she's caught off guard by a car that pulls up; one issued with a U.S. Air-force seal. It's in that moment that Danny Walker steps out, revealing himself in his official uniform.

"Bryce, Danny is here," Evelyn says in confusion, gesturing outside. "But he's wearing his formal attire . . . I'm not too sure what's going on."

Bryce rushes outside to see him, stopping firmly in her spot when Danny frowns. She furrows her eyebrows, wondering why he had barely paid any attention to her. His eyes had moved from Bryce to Evelyn in a solemn second.

And that's when he removes his cap and proceeds forward to tell Evelyn the very thing that ruins the next few months of her life.

_______