“I wish they were sending you back there,” her mother said mournfully. And shortly after, they left the dining room and retired to their rooms.

It was nice to be home, in the luxury of their apartment with all the comforts her parents provided for her, but there was a sense of unreality to it now too, as though all the bad things happening in the world beyond these walls didn’t exist. Alex used her three-day leave to do errands and pick up things she’d need on the trip. She had the feeling that she might not have a chance like this again. She didn’t know how much time off they would get once they were in England, or how close together their missions would be.

It felt odd walking around New York in her olive uniform and khaki blouse. She saw people looking at her, wondering what branch of the service she was in. There were little gold wings on her lapel, with a maroon “N” on them, which identified her as a flight nurse, which most people didn’t recognize.

She had dinner with her parents on the last night and said goodbye to them after dinner. She would be leaving at six the next morning and didn’t want to wake them. She had to report to the troop ship that would take them to England. It was hard to find the words to say goodbye, knowing that there was always the possibility that they might not see each other again. Her parents were acutely aware of it, and Alex tried not to be. On the whole, the three days had gone smoothly, and Charlotte had come to have dinner with them on the last night to say goodbye too. And for once, she was warm when she hugged Alex.

“I wish you weren’t doing this,” she said in an emotional tone.

“I wish I didn’t have to. Hopefully, the war will end soon.”

“Maybe I should have been nicer to you,” she said, looking guilty. “Then you wouldn’t have run away and joined the circus.”

“I probably would have anyway. And the Army Air Forces needs nurses desperately.”

“Just come home, Allie. I promise I’ll be nicer when you do.” Alex doubted that but appreciated her sister saying it.

“I’ll be back soon, Char. Take care of your babies. Maybe you’ll have a boy next time,” Alex teased her, and Charlotte shook her head.

“Oh no, I’m done. Four girls are enough for me. I’ll be ready to kill myself fifteen years from now with four teenage girls fighting with me.”

“I admit, it’s a frightening thought.” Alex hugged her tight then, and Charlotte left shortly after, with tears running down her cheeks. Her parents hugged Alex again and went to bed. When she went to her room that night, Alex sat smoking quietly by the window and realized that, whatever their failings and no matter how different she was from them, her family loved her to the best of their limited abilities. It was a comforting thought as she prepared to leave them. For once, she was sad to leave, but she wasn’t afraid of what lay ahead. She couldn’t wait to get to England and start flying missions.