[The End of Innocence]
[Chapter 1: Remembering Danny]
[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pearl Harbor characters. The story belongs to Randall Wallace, and I'm simply borrowing the characters for my story.]
A/N: I was sitting around today enjoying Spring Break and this idea just popped into my head. Just some things that'll help you out with the plot: a) Danny does die in China; b) Rafe and Evelyn are together, but it's not a happy-everything-is-ok togetherness, until later (lol, I can't explain it any better than that) and c) Little Danny is Danny's son. Ok, so I hope you all like what I have so far and don't forget to review! This chapter is sort of a flashback/ intro and is done in Evelyn's POV.
XoXo: Courtney
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~
I lifted my eyes toward the plane, the plane that held Danny and Rafe. All I wanted most at that moment was to see them both alive and for all of us to be happy again.
"Happy," I carelessly muttered to myself as I placed a hand on my stomach, gently stroking the child that was growing in there. Danny's child.
*Flashback*
I knocked at Rafe's door, shifting uncomfortably from side to side as I waited for him to open it. He flung it open and stared at me, unsure of why I was here and what I wanted.
"May I come in?" I asked. He stepped back and I slowly entered the room.
"Packing?" I questioned him as he tried to ignore my presence.
"Orders," he mumbled quickly.
"What kind of orders?" I questioned him.
"The secret kind," he answered with no emotion whatsoever.
"The dangerous kind," I said softly. "I can't find Danny, did he get orders too?" I questioned him. Rafe nodded.
"He's probably saying goodbye to his squadron," he said willingly.
I was tired of this. I was tired of him acting this way. I decided that it was now or never, and that I'd better speak up before I ended up leaving.
"I couldn't have you go away without you understanding something," I said quietly as I glanced towards him. He turned away from me instead. 'Dammit Rafe,' I silently cursed in my head.
"You don't need to explain," he said angrily with his back facing me.
I sighed, frustrated with him and everything.
"Yes I do, because you're acting like I didn't love you. You've got to get over that," I said hastily. He spun around, his face obviously red with anger.
"Get over that? Loving you kept me alive, don't you understand?" he said to me.
"Don't say that," I whispered.
"That's what you don't want to hear! You and Danny want to forget that we ever happened, but it's not that easy for me to forget! I believed your letters, I believed you loved me, and that gave me a reason to come back," he finished angrily. "Now I feel dead. I just don't understand. Why Evelyn? Why?" he questioned me. I glanced at him, shocked.
"Rafe, I don't know any other way to say this, but just to say it. I'm pregnant," I said quietly. I turned away from him then, to ashamed to confront him or even look at him anymore.
"I wasn't really sure until the day you showed up alive, and then everything happened. I can't tell Danny, and neither can you. All he needs to think about is how to do this mission and get home alive," I said quickly.
"I'm going to give Danny my whole heart, but I'll never write a letter, or look at a sunset without thinking of you. I'll love you my whole life," I stated, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to cascade down my cheeks. I ran past him and out the door, as he stood there, trying to comprehend what I just told him.
*End Flashback*
The door to the plane opened just in time for me to snap out of my daydream. I stared at the entry door, daring someone, anyone to come out of it. Those wives whose husbands had not returned were hysterically sobbing into one another, and my heart went out for them. And then I saw him. Rafe. He was alive. His arm was in a sling, and he had various cuts and bruises on his forehead, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered. 'If he made it, then Danny must have too!' I said to myself as my heart fluttered in my chest. He glanced at me and I smiled at him. Instead he turned around and led a coffin down the stairs.
"No," I said quietly as a single tear rolled down my cheek.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Danny was supposed to be here, he was supposed to be here for our child. I stood with my feet firmly planted to the ground, unable to move. Rafe made his way over to me soon after and took me into his arms and escorted me to my car as I sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.
*~*~*
The ride home was quiet. Neither of us had the ability to say anything to each other. I placed a hand on my belly and stroked it, singing some lullaby that my mother used to sing to me, unknowingly. My mascara had left streaks on my cheeks, but I didn't care. My lips whispered the lullaby as I glanced out the car window, unable to face Rafe. I knew he was looking at me; he had been the whole time I was in the car. Danny was gone, he wouldn't be coming back. My baby was fatherless. I was alone. The car slowed to a stop, and I realized that we reached the nurses' home. Rafe exited the car and made his way towards my side and opened the door. I got out, a hard thing to do when you're six months pregnant, and walked towards the door, numb to everything and everyone around me. Rafe trailed behind me, unsure of what to say or do to make me feel better. I opened the door and made my way to the stairs.
"Do you want me to stay Evelyn? Do you want to talk?" Rafe uncertainly questioned me.
At that moment, I didn't know what I wanted. All I wanted was for Danny to be here with me, but he wasn't, and I would have to face that. But I did know one thing, that Rafe would be right there by my side.
"I don't care. Stay if you want to. Just stay," I answered him as I made my way to my room. I reached my bed and flung myself upon it, sobbing uncontrollably into my pillow. I cried for everyone that day; I cried for Danny, I cried for Betty, and I cried for those innocent people that lost their lives on December 7th.
*~*~*
My eyes flung open the next morning as I rolled over to read the clock. It read 5:30 AM. Sighing, I threw the covers off and pulled my robe on. I picked up the tissues that were hastily thrown about and discarded them in the trash bin by the door. I walked out into the hallway, listening for the sounds of anyone up at this hour. I heard Sandra's and Barbara's steady breathing in the other room. I walked down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen in an attempt to make coffee, which I desperately needed. I stopped in my tracks however when I saw Rafe sitting on the couch in the living room, awake with silent tears rolling down his cheeks. I cautiously made my way towards him.
"Rafe?" I questioned quietly as I kneeled down next to him. He didn't move, but I noticed that his eyes were now focused on me. I took his hand in my own and racked my brain, trying to think of things to say to make him feel better.
"It's my fault," he said, taking me by surprise. I shook my head.
"No Rafe, don't say that, it's not your fault. It was his time to go," I said to him.
"Yes it was! I should have taken that bullet, not him," he shouted. I shook my head again as this time as my own tears started again.
"No Rafe," I sobbed, unsure of what to say to him. He noticed I was crying and kneeled down in front of me and hugged me like he used to hug me before Danny, when everything was fine between us. I cried, he cried, we cried together. From then on, I knew that we would survive together. I wasn't alone anymore and I had Rafe to thank for that.
*~*~*
[Chapter 1: Remembering Danny]
[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pearl Harbor characters. The story belongs to Randall Wallace, and I'm simply borrowing the characters for my story.]
A/N: I was sitting around today enjoying Spring Break and this idea just popped into my head. Just some things that'll help you out with the plot: a) Danny does die in China; b) Rafe and Evelyn are together, but it's not a happy-everything-is-ok togetherness, until later (lol, I can't explain it any better than that) and c) Little Danny is Danny's son. Ok, so I hope you all like what I have so far and don't forget to review! This chapter is sort of a flashback/ intro and is done in Evelyn's POV.
XoXo: Courtney
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~
I lifted my eyes toward the plane, the plane that held Danny and Rafe. All I wanted most at that moment was to see them both alive and for all of us to be happy again.
"Happy," I carelessly muttered to myself as I placed a hand on my stomach, gently stroking the child that was growing in there. Danny's child.
*Flashback*
I knocked at Rafe's door, shifting uncomfortably from side to side as I waited for him to open it. He flung it open and stared at me, unsure of why I was here and what I wanted.
"May I come in?" I asked. He stepped back and I slowly entered the room.
"Packing?" I questioned him as he tried to ignore my presence.
"Orders," he mumbled quickly.
"What kind of orders?" I questioned him.
"The secret kind," he answered with no emotion whatsoever.
"The dangerous kind," I said softly. "I can't find Danny, did he get orders too?" I questioned him. Rafe nodded.
"He's probably saying goodbye to his squadron," he said willingly.
I was tired of this. I was tired of him acting this way. I decided that it was now or never, and that I'd better speak up before I ended up leaving.
"I couldn't have you go away without you understanding something," I said quietly as I glanced towards him. He turned away from me instead. 'Dammit Rafe,' I silently cursed in my head.
"You don't need to explain," he said angrily with his back facing me.
I sighed, frustrated with him and everything.
"Yes I do, because you're acting like I didn't love you. You've got to get over that," I said hastily. He spun around, his face obviously red with anger.
"Get over that? Loving you kept me alive, don't you understand?" he said to me.
"Don't say that," I whispered.
"That's what you don't want to hear! You and Danny want to forget that we ever happened, but it's not that easy for me to forget! I believed your letters, I believed you loved me, and that gave me a reason to come back," he finished angrily. "Now I feel dead. I just don't understand. Why Evelyn? Why?" he questioned me. I glanced at him, shocked.
"Rafe, I don't know any other way to say this, but just to say it. I'm pregnant," I said quietly. I turned away from him then, to ashamed to confront him or even look at him anymore.
"I wasn't really sure until the day you showed up alive, and then everything happened. I can't tell Danny, and neither can you. All he needs to think about is how to do this mission and get home alive," I said quickly.
"I'm going to give Danny my whole heart, but I'll never write a letter, or look at a sunset without thinking of you. I'll love you my whole life," I stated, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to cascade down my cheeks. I ran past him and out the door, as he stood there, trying to comprehend what I just told him.
*End Flashback*
The door to the plane opened just in time for me to snap out of my daydream. I stared at the entry door, daring someone, anyone to come out of it. Those wives whose husbands had not returned were hysterically sobbing into one another, and my heart went out for them. And then I saw him. Rafe. He was alive. His arm was in a sling, and he had various cuts and bruises on his forehead, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered. 'If he made it, then Danny must have too!' I said to myself as my heart fluttered in my chest. He glanced at me and I smiled at him. Instead he turned around and led a coffin down the stairs.
"No," I said quietly as a single tear rolled down my cheek.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Danny was supposed to be here, he was supposed to be here for our child. I stood with my feet firmly planted to the ground, unable to move. Rafe made his way over to me soon after and took me into his arms and escorted me to my car as I sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.
*~*~*
The ride home was quiet. Neither of us had the ability to say anything to each other. I placed a hand on my belly and stroked it, singing some lullaby that my mother used to sing to me, unknowingly. My mascara had left streaks on my cheeks, but I didn't care. My lips whispered the lullaby as I glanced out the car window, unable to face Rafe. I knew he was looking at me; he had been the whole time I was in the car. Danny was gone, he wouldn't be coming back. My baby was fatherless. I was alone. The car slowed to a stop, and I realized that we reached the nurses' home. Rafe exited the car and made his way towards my side and opened the door. I got out, a hard thing to do when you're six months pregnant, and walked towards the door, numb to everything and everyone around me. Rafe trailed behind me, unsure of what to say or do to make me feel better. I opened the door and made my way to the stairs.
"Do you want me to stay Evelyn? Do you want to talk?" Rafe uncertainly questioned me.
At that moment, I didn't know what I wanted. All I wanted was for Danny to be here with me, but he wasn't, and I would have to face that. But I did know one thing, that Rafe would be right there by my side.
"I don't care. Stay if you want to. Just stay," I answered him as I made my way to my room. I reached my bed and flung myself upon it, sobbing uncontrollably into my pillow. I cried for everyone that day; I cried for Danny, I cried for Betty, and I cried for those innocent people that lost their lives on December 7th.
*~*~*
My eyes flung open the next morning as I rolled over to read the clock. It read 5:30 AM. Sighing, I threw the covers off and pulled my robe on. I picked up the tissues that were hastily thrown about and discarded them in the trash bin by the door. I walked out into the hallway, listening for the sounds of anyone up at this hour. I heard Sandra's and Barbara's steady breathing in the other room. I walked down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen in an attempt to make coffee, which I desperately needed. I stopped in my tracks however when I saw Rafe sitting on the couch in the living room, awake with silent tears rolling down his cheeks. I cautiously made my way towards him.
"Rafe?" I questioned quietly as I kneeled down next to him. He didn't move, but I noticed that his eyes were now focused on me. I took his hand in my own and racked my brain, trying to think of things to say to make him feel better.
"It's my fault," he said, taking me by surprise. I shook my head.
"No Rafe, don't say that, it's not your fault. It was his time to go," I said to him.
"Yes it was! I should have taken that bullet, not him," he shouted. I shook my head again as this time as my own tears started again.
"No Rafe," I sobbed, unsure of what to say to him. He noticed I was crying and kneeled down in front of me and hugged me like he used to hug me before Danny, when everything was fine between us. I cried, he cried, we cried together. From then on, I knew that we would survive together. I wasn't alone anymore and I had Rafe to thank for that.
*~*~*