For those of you who are not familiar with my stories, they differ from the movie plot. In my stories Danny and Evelyn never become involved, Evelyn does get pregnant but the baby is Rafe's and Danny does not die in China.
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Two of my stories have been about the birth of Rafe and Evelyn's two younger children but it occurred to me that I'd never done a story about Danny, even though I had made references to his birth in several stories. Here's what happened.
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She heard him moving around the bedroom, trying to be quiet and not wake her. But at eight and a half months pregnant, Evelyn wasn't sleeping and she knew Rafe was leaving. The boys were back on rotation and had been scheduled to fly out early that morning.
She wished he could stay, but Rafe didn't have a lot of say with the scheduling of missions. She was still two weeks away from her due date and Rafe had told her that he would do his very best to be home before the baby came. When she opened her eyes, he was packing his travel bag and she struggled to sit up.
"Honey, you should be sleepin'." He said as he came around to her side of the bed, sat down and took her hand.
"Well, this little one here woke me before you got up and refused to let me go back to sleep." She answered as she put her other hand on her large form. "Have you eaten anything?"
He grinned. "I had some burnt toast and mud that tried to pass as coffee."
"Do you still have time to eat? I can't let you leave without having something. What sort of wife would I be if I let that happen?"
"The truth is honey, I ain't really that hungry." He'd never told her about the pre-mission jitters that always killed his appetite.
"At least let me make you some fresh coffee and toast."
He realized that she wasn't going to give up so he nodded and got up as she threw the blankets back and helped her get up. She put on her bathrobe and Rafe put his arm around her as they walked out to the kitchen.
He sat at the table while Evelyn made a fresh pot of coffee and toast just the way he liked it.
She'd just poured a second cup for him when a knock at the door got her up. She laid a hand on Rafe's shoulder as he started to get up. "You finish that, I'll get it." And walked to the door.
Danny was on the other side and she smiled. "Come on in. Would you like some coffee?"
"No thanks Evelyn. If I have one more cup I'll have the jitters for the rest of the day."
"And we can't have that, can we?" Rafe replied as he came out to meet Danny. "You ready for this?"
Danny nodded. "Let's do this and get home."
"Amen." Was all that Evelyn said before she went to get her husband's travel bag from the bedroom.
Danny looked at his friend. "How's she doin'?"
Rafe sighed. "She don't say much. But after we were put back on rotation, she started to get real quiet and that worries me."
"She's scared." He stated.
"Hell Danny I know that, so am I. What scares me even worse is that the baby's goin' to come while we're gone."
He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "There ain't nothin' you can do about that Rafe. And I know that's part of what's scarin' you."
Rafe sighed again. "It ain't just that though. What if somethin' happens and she'd left by herself. We talk about doin' this mission and comin' home without really considerin' that we might not come back."
"Come on Rafe, you know as well as I do that we can't think that way. If we do, we might as well send our dog tags home to your parents."
"And we can't have that Rafe McCawley. So stop worrying about me and do what you need to do to come home." Neither had heard Evelyn come back and turned to her. Rafe took his bag from her and put it by the front door.
When he came back, put his arm around her. "Tell this little one here to wait until his daddy comes home." He asked as he kissed her.
"Just be careful." And she put her arms around his neck.
"I will honey, I promise." And he held her as close as he could.
Danny cleared his throat. "Come on Daddy, we got to get movin'. We don't want to keep that transport waitin' on us."
He nodded as he held his wife.
Rafe could feel her trembling and knew she was trying not to cry. He ran his hands up and down her back to comfort her in some way. "We have to go now Evelyn."
"I know." She told him and reluctantly let him go. She gave Danny a hug and asked him to look after her husband.
"I'll do my best Evelyn." He said before opening the door. Rafe picked up his travel bag and stood in the doorway.
Evelyn was puzzled as to why he was still there. "What is it?"
"I was just thinkin' that the next time I see you, you might not look like that anymore." Referring to her girth.
She flushed. "I'll look better."
"Evelyn, you're beautiful no matter how you look." And he kissed her one last time before he and Danny walked out the front door.
As was his habit, once Rafe was out the door he never looked back and he did not on this occasion either. He'd told Evelyn once that if he did he wouldn't ever leave.
She closed the front door and headed back to the kitchen to pour herself another cup of coffee and go out to the back porch.
That was where Barbara found her an hour later. "How you doing sweetie?"
"Rafe's gone."
"Are you all right?"
She nodded. "I wish he didn't have to go though. I know he's got a job to do, but I'm afraid I'm going to have the baby and he won't be here."
"He'll do his best to be home before you do, you know that. But whatever the Air Corps has in mind for them it may keep him away for awhile."
Evelyn sighed. "I suppose that when I'm having my second or third child, this won't be such a big deal."
"But it's a big deal now Ev and we'll be here for you." Barbara told her and took her hand.
"Thanks Barbara."
"I wish I could stay, but I've got to get to the hospital. Walk me to the door?"
"Sure." Barbara helped her to stand up and Evelyn walked her out to the front porch.
"Come over to the house for dinner. It won't be anything fancy of course, but it'll be like old times."
"I'd like that. What time should I be there?"
"Six o'clock?"
Evelyn nodded. "That's fine Barbara. I'll see you then." And she waved as her friend walked to her car and waved back.
She turned and went back into the house to get dressed and face the day ahead without her husband.
