: : Summary : : After Hamunpatra Rick and Evie have plans to get married and have a wonderful life together. What happens when they get back to Cairo and find the Legion waiting at their door step? Read and find out... I have to give credit to Alex who roleplayed this with me and so she gets credit for helping my creative juices
Several months had passed, and Evelyn was in a deep depression. Jonathan had never seen her so sad, not even when their parents died, and he felt anger, toward the Legion, and in part toward Rick who had caused her such pain. He had tried several times to get her out of the house, to go to the museum, or even to go back to Egypt despite the fact that O�Connell had wanted her away from there during his absence, but she refused to let him in. Now he sat at a little cafe having lunch on his own, when someone called out his name. Jonathan looked up as a older woman walked over to him, and his face immediately brightened up.
�Nanna?� he asked.
�Oh come now Jonathan I can�t have changed that much in six years,� she said as she gave him a warm hug.
�No you haven�t. It�s wonderful to see you again,� he said. Nanna had taken care of he and Evelyn as children, and it had been a while since either of them had seen or heard from her.
�Now tell me how you have been?� she asked as she sat down at his table, putting her purse down on an empty chair.
�I�ve been better,� he said as he took a drink of bourbon. Nanna frowned at him, and Jonathan put his drink down.
�Sorry Nanna.� he said. She smiled and put her hand on his.
�How is Evelyn? I was so worried for her after we received word of your parents death,� she said. Jonathan sighed.
�She�s not doing so good. Do you have time to talk?� he asked hoping she would, and half hoping she would come back to live with them. If anyone could get Evelyn going again, it would be Nanna, and when she agreed to talk to him, the relief on Jonathan�s face was almost tangible
~*~
In her bed Evelyn lay starring up at the ceiling. She got up only when she needed to use the bathroom or on the rare occasion that she actually felt like eating. Having never felt this bad, Evelyn was afraid for herself. Even when their parents had died, she had managed to pull herself up and take care of herself and Jonathan who at that time had decided to take up drinking as a favorite pastime. This time any little thing seemed to send her to tears, and being in bed was the only place she felt any sense of safety.
�Evie my sweet sister, I have a surprise for you,� Jonathan called out. Not wanting to acknowledge him, Evelyn rolled over on her side and pretended to be asleep. Jonathan left and Nanna walked in going to Evelyn�s bed. She leaned down and kissed her forehead and Evelyn opened her eyes.
�OH Nanna,� she said and began to cry. Nanna sat down and held her as she cried, knowing what it was like to lose a man you loved. Before she had become their nanny, Nanna had been engaged to be married. Her husband to be had been killed in the war, and it took months for her to cope with that.
�There There, we will get you through this,� Nanna said. After a few minutes Evelyn managed to pull herself together, and eased away from Nanna
�I�ve never felt this awful before,� she said. Nanna stood and helped Evelyn stand.
�The first thing we need to do is get some food into you, and I will not take no for an answer,� Nanna said sternly which brought a smile to Evie�s face. Once Evelyn was ready, the two of them went down to the kitchen, and when the smell of cooked cabbage and corned beef hit her, Evelyn ran for the bathroom. The other problem she had been having of late was getting sick at the mere sight or smell of food. Nanna had followed her, and held her hair while she retched into the toilet. When her stomach had finally emptied Nanna helped her stand, and got her a wet washcloth for her to wipe her face with as well as a glass of water. Evelyn drank that slowly, and let Nanna help her back upstairs to her bed.
�How long have you been getting sick?� Nanna asked as she sat down beside Evelyn.
�A few weeks now. I think it has to do with me not eating properly,� Evelyn said. Nanna stood up from the bed.
�I�m going to make you some broth, and bring you some toasted bread, you get some rest and don�t worry about anything, I�ll take good care of you,� she said. Evelyn wanted to argue, but knew from years of being raised by Nanna that it was futile, and after a while she did manage to sleep.
~*~
Being back in the Legion was not what Rick had wanted, but he put his heart and soul into it, as if for no other reason than to block out the pain he felt with not being able to see or hold Evelyn in his arms. Very quickly he was promoted to Corporal, and in charge of training young soldiers for their death, or at least that it how he saw it. At night he would lay in his bed and think of the times he had, before he left the Legion to go to Hamanaptra, and grinned as he thought of all the torture they put on Benny. He remembered one such time that they had convinced Benny the large hairy armed woman who served their meals loved him. Benny, not being all that smart, had believed them with little convincing on their part, and one night when he was drunk, he had approached her asking her to give him a kiss. Helga had beat him up, and landed him in the infirmary for a week. Sometimes Rick wondered if the reason Benny had abandoned him at Hamunaptra was to get revenge. Thinking of Hamunaptra made him think of Evelyn, and when his heart began to thud painfully in his chest he got up, and got dressed and decided to take the young men he was in charge of on a practice mid night raid.
~*~
A week passed since Nanna�a arrival, and while Evie was doing better in spirit, physically she was not doing well. Anything other than broth and toasted bread made her sick, and at Nanna�s request she finally made an appointment to see Dr. Brigman, who had drawn a sample of her blood, and who had called her back to his office a few days later wanting to tell her what he had found. Now Evelyn waited in a small office, looking at various charts he had up on his wall. One was for testing a persons eyes for vision. There was a detailed diagram of the ear, and on another wall was a picture of a skeleton. Evelyn sighed wondering what was taking such a long time, when finally the door opened and the good doctor walked in.
�I�m sorry it took such a long time, I just finished delivering twins into the world,� he said. Evie nodded not feeling so good, something that did not go unnoticed by the doctor.
�Have you been getting rest like I asked?�
�As much as I can. The museum has put a lot of responsibility on me,� she said. A few days after Nanna had arrived, they had called her and hired her on as head of the Egyptian department, a big honor for her.
�Evelyn it is imperative that you rest. The reason you have been getting sick, and the reason you have been so depressed is due to your condition. Your with child,� he said. Evelyn had been about to protest resting, about to tell him that her work at the museum helped her not be sad all of the time, but froze at his last words.
�I�m with child?� she asked hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
�Yes, I would say at least three to four months along,� he replied.
�Three and a half,� Evelyn said in monotone, knowing the exact time, the only time that this child could have been created.
�You need to rest honey, and let your body have time to adjust to the changes that are happening,� he said. Getting home from the doctors office was a blur, and Evelyn was glad Nanna was waiting. When she told her the news Nanna hugged her and reassured her all would be all right, but Evelyn wasn�t sure. Having children had never been anything she had thought of, and having a baby without Rick there to see her through, was more terrifying than anything else. Once she was feeling better, over the next few days, Evelyn began to write letters to the Legion requesting to see Rick, telling them what was happening, hoping in vain that they would listen to her. Note after note she sent without reply, and her spirits began to fall as she wondered if he had been killed.
~*~
What Evelyn did not know was that the Legion had seen her letters as a threat. Right now Rick O�Connell was taking pride in training their new recruits, and what she had told them, and what she wanted him to know, would take him away from the goal they wanted, which was complete dedication to their cause. It was decided by the superior officers to fix the problem of Evelyn Carhnahan. A young solider named Luc Dupree was sent to England with a package for a Miss Evelyn Carnahan. Now he waited at the large Manor home for someone to open the door, and was greeted by Evelyn herself who recognized his uniform. She paled as he handed her the package.
�I need you to sign for that,� he said coldly. She did, and once he had gone she sat down hard shaking as she held the package in her hands.
�Evelyn who was at the door?� Nanna asked as she came in from the Parlor. When she saw Evelyn sitting on the floor she ran to her and knelt down.
�A Legionnaire brought me this package,� she said looking up at Nanna with a fresh set of tears in her eyes. Nanna took the package from her, and the letter and helped her stand. In her fifth month of pregnancy, Evelyn was just beginning to show, and Nanna worried about what was about to happen, remembering too well when the British comand sent her a similar package. Once she had Evelyn settled on the couch she open the letter and what she read confirmed her worst fears. Nanna gave her the letter as Jonathan walked in, and both were there for her as she began to cry and then scream. Nanna sent Jonathan for the Doctor when Evelyn passed out, and got her up to her room with his help before he left. It was the stinging smell of smelling salt which brought Evelyn too, and for a moment she had forgotten what had happened. Then realation hit and she began to cry holding a hand over her stomach. No words of Dr. Brigmans could soothe her, and he instructed Nanna to keep her busy, and make sure she ate and got plenty of rest. Once he was gone, Evelyn had calmed down, and asked for the package. Its contents were the leather wrist brace Rick wore, and his watch, both items they had stolen from his bunk when he had been gone on a mission.
�Nanna how do I do this on my own?� Nanna settled beside her.
�You are far from being alone child. It won�t be easy, but you need to be strong for your baby,� she said. Evelyn knew she was right but it still hurt her worse than the day he had left for France.