Swing Life Away 10
Author: phobicphurry
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Winters/Roe
Summary: conclusion
"Get the fuck out of here, you fucking queer!" He landed a punch square in the jaw of Eugene Roe. Roe flinched and just stared at the man. The man kicked him in the ribs and left him gasping on the ground. He tired to raise himself onto his hands and knees, but he fell back onto the pavement, his blood staining it with his busted lip. He looked up at the retreated assailant in silence. Damn postmaster must have read something. Dick would be showing up in a few weeks. It almost wasn't safe for him here.
Roe got up on his hands and knees and finally stood, balancing himself of the side of a brick wall. He staggered toward the trolley that was going by and placed the coins in the hand of the driver.
He sat down and looked around, watching the scenery go by as they got closer to the stop where he would hop off and walk the next mile or so to his house.
The low farmlands were a huge contrast to the sights he had seen. There was no artillery, no one shooting at them, and no Richard Winters. He was a bit afraid for his sake. Somehow, half the town knew that he was gay.
He walked past the field of potatoes and turned up the dirt driveway that led up his house. He kicked open the screen door and shuffled to a green chair in the kitchen where he sat, catching his breath from the brawl that ended in his assailant's favor.
"Gene?" It was his mother.
"Ma." Roe looked up at the woman who brought him into this world and she found his eyes wounded and sad.
"Someone's here to see you." She moved out of the way and saw a shock of bright red hair and a small smile that faded away as soon as he saw his ex-medic that was torn apart by hate and violence.
"Doc," he whispered, running up to him with his face serious and wrapping his arms around him. "Gene." Eugene felt a tear hit his shoulder and he slowly returned the hug.
"Dick. What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't stand it any longer without you." Winters released him with a small smile that had a hint of concern and Roe held him at arms length.
"Come for a walk with me," he said quietly, taking his hand and leading him out the door and behind the farmhouse to the barn. Their shoes crunched under the gravel. It had been a year since they had last seen each other, and today of all days he had to show up. It had been a bad week. He was being battered more than usual.
"What's that about?" Winters asked, gently stroking his lover's bottom lip.
"They know," Roe replied quietly, his voice hitching with tears.
"Who knows?" Winters brow was furrowed. How could anyone do that to any man that had served his country with valor and bravery? How could anyone hurt the innocent Doc Roe? What had humanity come to? Was this what they had fought for? For their friends to get hurt and abused because they were in love with members of the same sex? "They hurt you because I love you?"
"And because I love you." Roe didn't meet his eyes. They were behind the barn, now, hidden from all view. Roe knew his parents knew, and that they didn't care.
"Doc," Winters squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened. I should have protected you."
"What could you have done?" Roe's eyes deepened in their sadness. "You were in Pennsylvania. You couldn't drop everything to come and rescue me. They read the letters. They know about you, too."
"Then we need to get you out of here. You don't deserve to be treated this way. You have done nothing wrong."
"I have done everything wrong," Gene said bitterly. "I let myself fall in love with you. I've been wrong since Carentan."
"That was over two years ago!"
"But that doesn't mean that it was right. I'm wrong, Dick. I'm messed up. I shouldn't be in society because all they're going to do is hurt you, and I can't be anybody's medic again. I can't fix anyone anymore."
"Yes, you can."
"What are you talking about?"
"You can fix me."
"Sir?" Roe fell back on what he would call him when he was nervous and scared and didn't know what to do. He shook with the sobs that wanted to explode out of his body. Winters placed a supportive hand on his back.
"Come back with me. You have visited your family. You have caught up with everyone, and they have caught up on you and can't accept it. They don't realize how war changes people. They can't even begin to imagine the things that you have seen. The things we have seen! That is a special bond that will link all of us together forever."
"Alright. Let me get my things together and say goodbye."
Roe returned a few minutes later and they began to walk down the driveway to the trolley stop. They took the ride into town and finally grabbed a train back to Lancaster, PA.
It had been years since Richard Winters came to pick up Eugene Roe. They lived together, worked together, and had loved each other. Winters had on his black suit and was surrounded by Don Malarkey, Bill Guarnere, and Babe Heffron. They stood there in front of the casket, Bill in his chair, and silent tears poured down their cheeks.
"You want some time with him, Dick?" Asked Bill as he looked up a him.
"I'll only be a few minutes," he said nodding. The three left him alone in the chapel and Winters pulled something out of his pocket.
"It took you too soon, Gene. You could have lived to be a thousand years old and it still would have been too soon." Dick brushed the tears out of his eyes. He looked down at the man that he knew to be dead, but only looked like he was sleeping. The service was over and they were going to take him back to Louisiana soon. "I loved you with all my mind, heart, and soul. There was nothing that I could say about you that I didn't like. You were so selfless, and they manipulated you. They hurt you. I would have killed one last time because they hurt you." Winters pulled out something from his pocket that he had been keeping for over fifty years. He took out the old dress uniform had and placed it in the cold hands. He kissed his chilled blue lips and saluted him. "May angels lead you in, my love. May angels lead you in."
They were right. They really were golden roads and pearly gates. Saint Peter smiled at him as he entered the city. Everyone was happy. He looked like he did before they had jumped into Normandy: eager and ready and so beautifully fit.
"Dick!" Called a voice that was so familiar, he would have hurt if it were at all possible in Heaven. He turned around and there came the Cajun accent, the long body, the hair that was more black than the trees silhouetted against the snow, and the bright red cross on his arm. Winters smiled and took the medic in his arms.
"Gene." He said his name over and over, knowing, but hardly believing.
"I heard what you said about me. It made the angels cry. Really, it did." His smile was matched as they held each other for a few more minutes. Then, Roe pressed his lips to Winters gently, relishing in the moment.
"I've had to admit the seconds before you showed up were great, but this tops them all."
"It's been years on Earth."
"I know. They needed to bring you to me sometime. I couldn't see you suffering. You were right. I could fix you. I fixed you, Dick."
"I never realized how long I've needed a medic...how long I've needed just to see you smile. It's healed me."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
And then, their lips met and the years they had spent without each other were fulfilled in a second. They didn't have to hide. Their slaving for love had ended. Their scars were wiped away, and they were free to love forever.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Winters/Roe
Summary: conclusion
"Get the fuck out of here, you fucking queer!" He landed a punch square in the jaw of Eugene Roe. Roe flinched and just stared at the man. The man kicked him in the ribs and left him gasping on the ground. He tired to raise himself onto his hands and knees, but he fell back onto the pavement, his blood staining it with his busted lip. He looked up at the retreated assailant in silence. Damn postmaster must have read something. Dick would be showing up in a few weeks. It almost wasn't safe for him here.
Roe got up on his hands and knees and finally stood, balancing himself of the side of a brick wall. He staggered toward the trolley that was going by and placed the coins in the hand of the driver.
He sat down and looked around, watching the scenery go by as they got closer to the stop where he would hop off and walk the next mile or so to his house.
The low farmlands were a huge contrast to the sights he had seen. There was no artillery, no one shooting at them, and no Richard Winters. He was a bit afraid for his sake. Somehow, half the town knew that he was gay.
He walked past the field of potatoes and turned up the dirt driveway that led up his house. He kicked open the screen door and shuffled to a green chair in the kitchen where he sat, catching his breath from the brawl that ended in his assailant's favor.
"Gene?" It was his mother.
"Ma." Roe looked up at the woman who brought him into this world and she found his eyes wounded and sad.
"Someone's here to see you." She moved out of the way and saw a shock of bright red hair and a small smile that faded away as soon as he saw his ex-medic that was torn apart by hate and violence.
"Doc," he whispered, running up to him with his face serious and wrapping his arms around him. "Gene." Eugene felt a tear hit his shoulder and he slowly returned the hug.
"Dick. What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't stand it any longer without you." Winters released him with a small smile that had a hint of concern and Roe held him at arms length.
"Come for a walk with me," he said quietly, taking his hand and leading him out the door and behind the farmhouse to the barn. Their shoes crunched under the gravel. It had been a year since they had last seen each other, and today of all days he had to show up. It had been a bad week. He was being battered more than usual.
"What's that about?" Winters asked, gently stroking his lover's bottom lip.
"They know," Roe replied quietly, his voice hitching with tears.
"Who knows?" Winters brow was furrowed. How could anyone do that to any man that had served his country with valor and bravery? How could anyone hurt the innocent Doc Roe? What had humanity come to? Was this what they had fought for? For their friends to get hurt and abused because they were in love with members of the same sex? "They hurt you because I love you?"
"And because I love you." Roe didn't meet his eyes. They were behind the barn, now, hidden from all view. Roe knew his parents knew, and that they didn't care.
"Doc," Winters squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened. I should have protected you."
"What could you have done?" Roe's eyes deepened in their sadness. "You were in Pennsylvania. You couldn't drop everything to come and rescue me. They read the letters. They know about you, too."
"Then we need to get you out of here. You don't deserve to be treated this way. You have done nothing wrong."
"I have done everything wrong," Gene said bitterly. "I let myself fall in love with you. I've been wrong since Carentan."
"That was over two years ago!"
"But that doesn't mean that it was right. I'm wrong, Dick. I'm messed up. I shouldn't be in society because all they're going to do is hurt you, and I can't be anybody's medic again. I can't fix anyone anymore."
"Yes, you can."
"What are you talking about?"
"You can fix me."
"Sir?" Roe fell back on what he would call him when he was nervous and scared and didn't know what to do. He shook with the sobs that wanted to explode out of his body. Winters placed a supportive hand on his back.
"Come back with me. You have visited your family. You have caught up with everyone, and they have caught up on you and can't accept it. They don't realize how war changes people. They can't even begin to imagine the things that you have seen. The things we have seen! That is a special bond that will link all of us together forever."
"Alright. Let me get my things together and say goodbye."
Roe returned a few minutes later and they began to walk down the driveway to the trolley stop. They took the ride into town and finally grabbed a train back to Lancaster, PA.
It had been years since Richard Winters came to pick up Eugene Roe. They lived together, worked together, and had loved each other. Winters had on his black suit and was surrounded by Don Malarkey, Bill Guarnere, and Babe Heffron. They stood there in front of the casket, Bill in his chair, and silent tears poured down their cheeks.
"You want some time with him, Dick?" Asked Bill as he looked up a him.
"I'll only be a few minutes," he said nodding. The three left him alone in the chapel and Winters pulled something out of his pocket.
"It took you too soon, Gene. You could have lived to be a thousand years old and it still would have been too soon." Dick brushed the tears out of his eyes. He looked down at the man that he knew to be dead, but only looked like he was sleeping. The service was over and they were going to take him back to Louisiana soon. "I loved you with all my mind, heart, and soul. There was nothing that I could say about you that I didn't like. You were so selfless, and they manipulated you. They hurt you. I would have killed one last time because they hurt you." Winters pulled out something from his pocket that he had been keeping for over fifty years. He took out the old dress uniform had and placed it in the cold hands. He kissed his chilled blue lips and saluted him. "May angels lead you in, my love. May angels lead you in."
They were right. They really were golden roads and pearly gates. Saint Peter smiled at him as he entered the city. Everyone was happy. He looked like he did before they had jumped into Normandy: eager and ready and so beautifully fit.
"Dick!" Called a voice that was so familiar, he would have hurt if it were at all possible in Heaven. He turned around and there came the Cajun accent, the long body, the hair that was more black than the trees silhouetted against the snow, and the bright red cross on his arm. Winters smiled and took the medic in his arms.
"Gene." He said his name over and over, knowing, but hardly believing.
"I heard what you said about me. It made the angels cry. Really, it did." His smile was matched as they held each other for a few more minutes. Then, Roe pressed his lips to Winters gently, relishing in the moment.
"I've had to admit the seconds before you showed up were great, but this tops them all."
"It's been years on Earth."
"I know. They needed to bring you to me sometime. I couldn't see you suffering. You were right. I could fix you. I fixed you, Dick."
"I never realized how long I've needed a medic...how long I've needed just to see you smile. It's healed me."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
And then, their lips met and the years they had spent without each other were fulfilled in a second. They didn't have to hide. Their slaving for love had ended. Their scars were wiped away, and they were free to love forever.