Staring absently at the unpacked duffel bag sitting on the middle of his bed, Rafe McCawley's mind drifted away…miles and miles away from the tropical paradise he felt imprisoned in.
Every night I look at the sunset and try to draw its last ounce of heat into my heart, and send it from my heart to yours…
Rafe sighed deeply, and closed his eyes.
"Rafe, you died…" her voice trembled into the night, teardrops falling gently, one by one down her pale cheeks. "So did I."
"No, it's okay. I'm back now," he comforted her, placing his hands on her cheeks protectively, and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "I'm back," he repeated, his own voice trembling with the tears he fought so hard to keep back, "And we're together. We are together, aren't we?"
Evelyn just sobbed, not knowing what to say, and looked down at the bench the two sat upon.
"Rafe!" an excited voice called out through the silence. It was Danny, running towards them with a telegram in his hand. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two of them, his eyes darting back and forth between his love, and his best friend.
Rafe felt an uneasiness creep into his stomach, as he slowly rose from the bench. He glanced down at Evelyn, the tears finally escaping his brown eyes, and looked back up at Danny, who was slowly approaching him.
"Rafe…" he whispered, almost silently, his voice suddenly filled with shame.
"Aw God, no," Rafe begged, locking eyes with Evelyn, and then with Danny, who came forward still, "Stay away!" He ordered, holding up his hand. "Stay away…" he sobbed, and turning, walked away.
There was a soft knock at the open door, bringing Rafe swiftly back to reality. He shook his head, as if to rid his mind of thoughts of her, yet when he opened his eyes, there she was, standing at his doorstep; her long, dark hark hair whisping around her pale face in the warm Hawaiian breeze. She tried to smile.
"Evelyn," he whispered, then quickly began to fill the empty bag in front of him with the clothing folded neatly on the bed.
"Packing?" she asked, though it was plainly obvious what he was doing.
Rafe's heart ached at the sound of her voice, but he never faltered. "Orders," he replied stiffly.
"What kind of orders?" she questioned.
"The secret kind."
"The dangerous kind…" There was an eerie silence that followed.
"We've been assigned to Doolittle…"
Taking a breath she said slowly, "I can't find Danny. Did he get the orders too?"
Rafe's face fell, and his cheeks reddened. "Is that why you're here? Looking for Danny?" He asked between gritted teeth.
Evelyn grabbed a pair of pants from the bed and gently tucked them inside the suitcase, their hands brushing against each others' for an instant. "I wasn't looking for Danny," she said, her voice hushed. His brown eyes looked up into hers, tears stinging the corners. "I couldn't let you go away without you understanding something."
"Yeah, well…" he muttered, blinking away the tears and closing his suitcase. "You don't have to explain anything to me." He grabbed the bag in his right hand and headed out the door.
"But I do! You're acting like I didn't love you."
Rafe stopped suddenly and spun around, his eyes filled with anger. "Loving you kept me alive!" He turned again and rushed out the door, throwing his duffel bag in the open trunk of the waiting taxi.
Evelyn came up behind him, "Rafe…"
"You know what? When I was laying in that cold water all alone, I made a deal with God. I told him I would never ask for anything else, if I could just see your face again." He paused, "I should have died out there." He looked down and the dirt-covered ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well…it was worth it. And now, I'm gonna keep my end of the deal. I'm going to walk away, and not ask you for anything else." He started to walk away from her, but stopped, tears pouring down his face. "I just wanna know one thing. Why, Evelyn? Just tell me why?"
"Rafe…you died…" she said softly, all the color draining from her face. "…and…I love him," she said with certainty. "I love you, but I love him too, so much. And…and I'm pregnant, Rafe."
"Oh God," was all he said, his voice slurred with sadness.
"I wasn't sure until the day you showed up alive…" Evelyn said, her hand unconsciously raising to her stomach. "And then everything happened. Now I can't tell Danny; and neither can you. All he needs to think about is this mission, and getting back alive."
Rafe nodded his head slowly, unable to speak. Evelyn felt the familiar burn of tears as they began to well up in her eyes. She stared at him, his face sick with reality, and his heart sick with love. She gently wrapped her arms around his strong, quivering body and placed a kiss on his tear-covered cheek. "I'll love you my whole life," she whispered into his ear. And with that parting gift, she was gone. He stood there alone, unable to move; unable to breathe; unable to live.