Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's note: Originally written and published on April 8, 2002 was removed for an unknown reason. So here it is again. Wish I could get all my reviews back...
Unfinished Business
Evelyn tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Mom are you all right?" Danny asked.
Evelyn looked up, "Hm? Yeah, why?"
"You just seem kind of out of it these last few days."
Evelyn shook her head, "No I'm fine. I promise."
"Are you sure, Honey?" Rafe asked, coming into the kitchen.
"Positive. If it's okay with you two I'd like to go visit Sandy for a few days.
She's been bothering me to do it for weeks now."
Rafe nodded, "Yeah. I think a few days in New York will do you good."
Evelyn popped up from her chair, "Thanks." She kissed her husband, "I'm gonna go pack."
Evelyn's flight landed at noon. She looked around the familiar surroundings of Pearl Harbor. It hadn't been the same since the attack nearly twenty years ago.
She took a deep breath. She hadn't been back since Danny's death and this was something she had to do. She couldn't put it off any longer.
She checked into her hotel and then took a walk down the beach.
"Do you ever think this war's gonna catch up with us?"
"Not a whole lot."
"Well every moment we're not together you're up there training for it."
"Yeah well I'm training for moments like these. Cuz I have no idea how I'm gonna get this car out of the sand."
That had happened right here. Right at this very spot. The tears spilled down her cheeks and she dropped to her knees in the sand. "Oh Danny! I miss you!"
She wiped away her tears and pulled herself up. She walked past the building where the café used to be. The café where they had first started their romance. She walked down to the harbor and she spotted the building. It had been the parachute hanger twenty years ago. Now it was a repair garage for cars.
"Quick hide in the parachute hanger."
She pulled Danny's coat around her tighter, "Oh Danny."
"I love YOU, Danny and I'll be waiting here for you when you get back."
"Can I help you Miss?"
Evelyn jumped at the sound of the voice, "Oh sorry. I'm just... Um..."
"You're here because this was a parachute hanger during the Pearl Harbor attack?"
Evelyn shook her head, "Yes. How'd you know?"
"Some guy came around a few days ago. Said you'd be coming around."
"He did?"
"Yeah," The repair guy said.
"Did he say what his name was?" Evelyn asked.
"Yeah he did. Um... Danny... something. Danny Walker! That's it."
Evelyn raised her eyebrows. "Beg pardon?"
"Yeah. I take it that means something to you."
Evelyn dug in her pants pocket for Danny's picture. "Is this him?"
"Yeah. He was a little older looking but yeah."
Evelyn sucked in a breath. "Did he say where he was going?"
The guy shook his head, "Nope." And he walked away.
Evelyn was stunned for a moment. Danny had been here? How? How was that possible?
"I knew you'd come," a voice stated from behind her.
Evelyn was almost afraid to turn around. She knew that voice. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with her dead lover. Only he wasn't as she had remembered her. He was... older. "Danny. Are-are you alive?"
Danny smiled and shook his head, "No. But I needed to talk to you."
Evelyn couldn't move, think, or even breathe. "I don't understand."
Danny took his hand in hers and led her down to the water. They stood there before Danny sat and Evelyn joined him. "You need to move on Evelyn."
Evelyn stared at him and in response she kissed him. Just as she had remembered. When she pulled away she said, "I can't. I meant what I said the last time I saw you."
Danny sighed and threw an arm around her shoulder, "I only have a few more minutes."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, I have a few moments to be out of heaven, on Earth as if I was still alive, and I've chosen to use the moments to talk to you."
Evelyn kissed him again, "I love you."
"And I love you. Tell my son I love him. Tell Rafe I said thanks." Danny paused, "I love you."
Evelyn closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. "Always."
Rafe was busy putting away the clean dishes when the phone rang, "Hello?"
"Hey, Rafe," Sandy said, "Is Ev there?"
"Evelyn?" Rafe's voice jumped a notch and he dropped a plate he was holding, "Evelyn said she was going to New York to visit you. She left yesterday."
Sandy nearly freaked, "No she-she's not here."
Rafe was only beginning to list the possible places where she could be when it hit him, "Sandy. I gotta go. I'll you later, okay?" Rafe hung up and left the house.
Evelyn was sleeping in Danny's arms when he left her for the final time.
Rafe arrived in Pearl Harbor later that same day and immediately went to the hospital, the beach, and the old bases. Nothing. She wasn't here. Rafe jumped when he heard a voice from behind him say, "She's down by the old parachute hanger."
Rafe slowly turned around and gave another jump when he saw Danny standing there. "Danny?"
"I don't have time to explain but no I am not real. I am-well I'm sort of a vision. I had some unfinished business to take care of."
Rafe, who was less shaken by Danny's appearance then his wife, asked, "What business?"
"I had to make Evelyn see that she needs to move on, to tell her to tell our son that I love him, and to thank you for taking care of them."
Rafe flinched as Danny said "our son" but tried to remain calm, "Okay..."
Danny clamped a hand on Rafe's shoulder, "Thanks. You were the best friend a guy could ever have." And then he was gone. As if he had never been there.
After a few seconds of stunned silence Rafe took off for the beach and found Evelyn sleeping in the sand. He ran to her and shook her awake. "Evelyn!"
Evelyn looked up into his eyes, then she kissed his cheek, and said, "I'll always love him." And then she sank back in the sand.
Right then and there Rafe knew why Danny had come back for those brief moments. Not to complete unfinished business but rather to stop Rafe from living in his dream world. Evelyn loved Danny and while she loved Rafe too it wasn't the same. It had never been the same. And it would never be the same.
THE END
Author's note: Originally written and published on April 8, 2002 was removed for an unknown reason. So here it is again. Wish I could get all my reviews back...
Unfinished Business
Evelyn tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Mom are you all right?" Danny asked.
Evelyn looked up, "Hm? Yeah, why?"
"You just seem kind of out of it these last few days."
Evelyn shook her head, "No I'm fine. I promise."
"Are you sure, Honey?" Rafe asked, coming into the kitchen.
"Positive. If it's okay with you two I'd like to go visit Sandy for a few days.
She's been bothering me to do it for weeks now."
Rafe nodded, "Yeah. I think a few days in New York will do you good."
Evelyn popped up from her chair, "Thanks." She kissed her husband, "I'm gonna go pack."
Evelyn's flight landed at noon. She looked around the familiar surroundings of Pearl Harbor. It hadn't been the same since the attack nearly twenty years ago.
She took a deep breath. She hadn't been back since Danny's death and this was something she had to do. She couldn't put it off any longer.
She checked into her hotel and then took a walk down the beach.
"Do you ever think this war's gonna catch up with us?"
"Not a whole lot."
"Well every moment we're not together you're up there training for it."
"Yeah well I'm training for moments like these. Cuz I have no idea how I'm gonna get this car out of the sand."
That had happened right here. Right at this very spot. The tears spilled down her cheeks and she dropped to her knees in the sand. "Oh Danny! I miss you!"
She wiped away her tears and pulled herself up. She walked past the building where the café used to be. The café where they had first started their romance. She walked down to the harbor and she spotted the building. It had been the parachute hanger twenty years ago. Now it was a repair garage for cars.
"Quick hide in the parachute hanger."
She pulled Danny's coat around her tighter, "Oh Danny."
"I love YOU, Danny and I'll be waiting here for you when you get back."
"Can I help you Miss?"
Evelyn jumped at the sound of the voice, "Oh sorry. I'm just... Um..."
"You're here because this was a parachute hanger during the Pearl Harbor attack?"
Evelyn shook her head, "Yes. How'd you know?"
"Some guy came around a few days ago. Said you'd be coming around."
"He did?"
"Yeah," The repair guy said.
"Did he say what his name was?" Evelyn asked.
"Yeah he did. Um... Danny... something. Danny Walker! That's it."
Evelyn raised her eyebrows. "Beg pardon?"
"Yeah. I take it that means something to you."
Evelyn dug in her pants pocket for Danny's picture. "Is this him?"
"Yeah. He was a little older looking but yeah."
Evelyn sucked in a breath. "Did he say where he was going?"
The guy shook his head, "Nope." And he walked away.
Evelyn was stunned for a moment. Danny had been here? How? How was that possible?
"I knew you'd come," a voice stated from behind her.
Evelyn was almost afraid to turn around. She knew that voice. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with her dead lover. Only he wasn't as she had remembered her. He was... older. "Danny. Are-are you alive?"
Danny smiled and shook his head, "No. But I needed to talk to you."
Evelyn couldn't move, think, or even breathe. "I don't understand."
Danny took his hand in hers and led her down to the water. They stood there before Danny sat and Evelyn joined him. "You need to move on Evelyn."
Evelyn stared at him and in response she kissed him. Just as she had remembered. When she pulled away she said, "I can't. I meant what I said the last time I saw you."
Danny sighed and threw an arm around her shoulder, "I only have a few more minutes."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, I have a few moments to be out of heaven, on Earth as if I was still alive, and I've chosen to use the moments to talk to you."
Evelyn kissed him again, "I love you."
"And I love you. Tell my son I love him. Tell Rafe I said thanks." Danny paused, "I love you."
Evelyn closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. "Always."
Rafe was busy putting away the clean dishes when the phone rang, "Hello?"
"Hey, Rafe," Sandy said, "Is Ev there?"
"Evelyn?" Rafe's voice jumped a notch and he dropped a plate he was holding, "Evelyn said she was going to New York to visit you. She left yesterday."
Sandy nearly freaked, "No she-she's not here."
Rafe was only beginning to list the possible places where she could be when it hit him, "Sandy. I gotta go. I'll you later, okay?" Rafe hung up and left the house.
Evelyn was sleeping in Danny's arms when he left her for the final time.
Rafe arrived in Pearl Harbor later that same day and immediately went to the hospital, the beach, and the old bases. Nothing. She wasn't here. Rafe jumped when he heard a voice from behind him say, "She's down by the old parachute hanger."
Rafe slowly turned around and gave another jump when he saw Danny standing there. "Danny?"
"I don't have time to explain but no I am not real. I am-well I'm sort of a vision. I had some unfinished business to take care of."
Rafe, who was less shaken by Danny's appearance then his wife, asked, "What business?"
"I had to make Evelyn see that she needs to move on, to tell her to tell our son that I love him, and to thank you for taking care of them."
Rafe flinched as Danny said "our son" but tried to remain calm, "Okay..."
Danny clamped a hand on Rafe's shoulder, "Thanks. You were the best friend a guy could ever have." And then he was gone. As if he had never been there.
After a few seconds of stunned silence Rafe took off for the beach and found Evelyn sleeping in the sand. He ran to her and shook her awake. "Evelyn!"
Evelyn looked up into his eyes, then she kissed his cheek, and said, "I'll always love him." And then she sank back in the sand.
Right then and there Rafe knew why Danny had come back for those brief moments. Not to complete unfinished business but rather to stop Rafe from living in his dream world. Evelyn loved Danny and while she loved Rafe too it wasn't the same. It had never been the same. And it would never be the same.
THE END