28. Surprises (2/2)

mother says that there's no pressure on me and she is waiting impatiently to see me back at home. the doctor here said that when my burns, which i got on my face, will get better and i will be quite used to being blinded (if i ever will be 'used' to a thing like that), i will be able to go back home, and he thinks it will be somewhere around early july.

i didn't even get the chance to congratulate you and blythe on getting engaged. i'm thrilled to bits that you finally found a way to one another (i told you this, didn't i?). and i wish you two all the best out there in the world, you dear sister.

thank you, sheba, for keeping your spirits up for me, and for your lovely letter which

ought tears into my unseeing eyes.

take care, sweets,

your loving

other,

commandant meredith blythe

on one evening, in the middle of fe

uary, julia had just finished her duty and was making her way with olive and niall towards the canteen, talking about merry's last letter to julia. she was glad that merry didn't take his blindness as bad as he could have. she knew that he would think of something for a way of making money for himself, and maybe somewhere in the future, for his own family. merry was always so strong, and so carefree, julia thought, but what if he won't be like that anymore? what if the war really touched and changed everyone who had seen its biggest secrets which weren't known to everyone around the world?

julia didn't have much time to think more about those frustrating questions as suddenly, from behind, she heard the most delightful voice which she would recognise even if she would become entirely deaf. "is this my nurse julia una blythe?" a fammiliar laughing voice said. julia's eyes widened and she turned around with a huge smile on her face, not quite believeing in the voice she just heard.

"oh, blythe!" julia gasped and ran towards the man with black curls, sitting in the wheelchair with smiling grey eyes.

"i knew it was you!" he said and kissed julia's lips once again.

"what are you doing here?" julia asked him happily "you are meant to be leaving for canada today!"

"that's true." he replied "and that's why i came here to say some sweet goodbyes to you, my sheba." he grinned at her.

"oh, i'm so happy that you did, blythe!" julia exclaimed and just then she realised that olive and niall were waiting for her to be introduced to her fiancee "oh! i'm sorry! this is my blythe, and these two are my olive and best chum niall." she said warmly.

olive shook blythe's hand energetically "we meet, at last!" she said.

"eventually!" blythe replied and chuckled at the way olive shook his hand.

"it's a pleasure to meet the man who could win over julia's heart." niall said with a funny smirk crossing his face.

"oh, yes, i do get the joke, and i must agree with you on that." blythe said and squeezed julia's hand knowingly. both men smiled at heach other, as the people who know the race of joseph do.

"well, we'll leave you two love-birds alone, then." olive said with a smile "no objections bath, thank you very much! we will meet again, mr ford, i am sure about that!" she bowed in front of them and the four of them laughed together.

"we sure will." blythe agreed and waved to niall and olive as they walked away towards the canteen.

"how are you, dear blythe?" julia asked him and sat on his knees, ready to hear his sweet voice in her ears again.

"oh, everything is just fine." he said joyfully and then looked in her eyes more seriously "i'm more concerned about how your

other, merry, is." he said slowly, with a hint of heart

eak reflecting in his eyes.

julia's smile came off her face at once, and she sighed heavily "he says that he's fine but it's quite hard to believe it, to be honest. the night when i learned the news, i simply couldn't sleep at all." she said and put a hand on her forehead, trying to hold back her tears.

blythe drew her closer and she put her head against his chest "if he's fine now, then he will be fine. and i will make sure of it as soon as he comes back home." he said and grinned to julia who grinned back, feeling that blythe must be right about that.

she nodded gently and put her hand on his chin tenderly, looking in his eyes "yes, and then…" julia gasped suddenly and sat straight up "did you hear the news?" she asked him with shining eyes.

"i did." blythe smiled at her "isn't it wonderful that walt's little julienne and cilia's knox were born on the same day?" he said.

"oh," she gasped again "-it's so thrilling! and walt named his daughter for me… i feel so very honoured." her cheeks flushed with red and she laughed.

"i completely agree with walt on doing so, not mentioning that julienne is a very elegant name itself." he said and poked julia in the arm playfully.

she grinned at him "maybe little julienne and knox will be made for each other one day?" she asked dreamily.

"i hope so, but," blythe replied "-they will never be as perfect for each other as we are right now, my darling." and with that he kissed the woman of his dreams with passion and most importantly… love.

julia said her farewells to blythe two hours later, promising him that she would write to him whenever she would be able to and blythe promising that he will do the same. they parted with no tears or sadness but with smiles on their faces and sweet dreams beggining to appear in their minds.

"julia, when are you two going to get married?" olive asked her when the two of them were getting ready to go to sleep.

julia smiled at her wonderingly "as soon as the war will end." she replied "blythe said today that as soon as he will be back in canada, he will search for a job as an english literature professor and of course, for a home for us." she grinned at the very thought of the house that both she and blythe would be living in, together.

"that's so romantic!" olive gasped and sighed happily "i will come to your wedding, you know. whether you like it or not!" she said, pretending to be serious.

"you better be!" julia said in the same tone as her "someone will have to eat all the food my family is going to prepare!" and the two of them ended up talking till the clock stroked midnight.