Author's note: Hi! I'm back with another chapter. Think the next one is going to be the last chapter. Can't think of much more to write, and anyway, the plot has been dragging on for long enough. ;)
Chapter 11
Ryan and the other injured pilots were sent to hospital immediately when they got back, but the doctor assured them that they would be discharged soon. Ryan had to stay for a longer time than the rest, and Danny agreed to stay and keep him company. This meant that Rafe would be returning to Pearl Harbor first.
The weather was lovely on the day of Rafe's departure, and the sky was clear. Danny accompanied Rafe to the air base, helping to carry one of Rafe's bags. It was almost like that day he saw Rafe off at the train station, and judging from the mildly nostalgic expression on Rafe's face, he was thinking of the same thing as well. Back then, America had not been involved in the war yet. What wouldn't Danny give to have the innocence of that period back, but he knew he had lost it forever.
Before he boarded the plane, Rafe gave Danny a stern look. "No more running off this time, buddy, otherwise you are dead meat."
"Come on Rafe," Danny laughed, clapping him on the back. "A promise is a promise."
Rafe smiled and gave his best friend a hug. "See you when you are back, then."
"I'll be dropping by the Ohio base first, though. There are some matters that I have to settle back there." Danny smiled at the thought of seeing Jeslyn again. He missed her so much, and there were so many things he wanted to tell her.
"If you can, bring her along too." Rafe winked. "Evelyn would love to make another friend."
Nodding, Danny handed Rafe's bag over and gave him a small push towards the plane. "You are going to miss the plane."
"The plane will wait."
"No plane in the world will ever wait for you, Rafe. Get moving."
Ignoring Rafe's protests and his mock look of hurt, Danny steered him into the plane and shut the door firmly. Then he stepped back and waved as the plane turned onto the runway and took off. Evelyn. He was going to see her again. And his son. Suddenly, he was going to meet the family he had missed for so long. He couldn't wait to tell Jeslyn about this sudden change in plans.
Evelyn was there waiting for him when the plane landed. Danny Walker Jr. fidgeted in his mother's arms, craning his neck to look for the familiar figure of Uncle Rafe. "Mummy, you think Daddy came back too?" He asked for the tenth time since he came to the air base.
Evelyn held her son closer. "I honestly don't know, honey, but I hope he did."
Both mother and son held their breaths as people alighted from the plane. Evelyn's spirits rose as she saw Rafe emerging from the door, but she was slightly disappointed when it was a stranger who came out of the plane after Rafe. Danny had not come back this time. Still, it was good enough that Rafe made it back from the mission safely. She can always hope for better news next time.
As Rafe made his way towards her, Danny freed himself from her arms and ran towards him, calling out happily, "Uncle Rafe!" Everytime Uncle Rafe came back from his missions, he would have loads of exciting stories to tell him, and Danny was eager to hear more about the adventures that Uncle Rafe had had.
Rafe laughed and gathered the two year old version of his best friend in his arms. "Hey, little Danny. You know what? I've got a present for you this time."
Danny's eyes widened. "Really? Wow." With sparkling eyes, he started searching Rafe's pockets, and when his efforts proved futile, his face fell, and he looked accusingly at Rafe. "I don't see any presents."
"Three guesses."
Danny's eyes shone again. He loved guessing games. "A model aeroplane?"
"Nope. There wasn't much time to go shopping." Rafe pecked him lovingly on the cheek. "Try again." His smile widened as Evelyn came up to him, and he hugged her. "It's great to be back, Ev. I missed you."
"I missed you too." Evelyn smiled back.
"Mummy, Uncle Rafe says he has got me a present!"
"Actually, it is a present for your mother as well." Rafe said. Danny gave him a puzzled look. "You mean you got two presents?" Rafe shook his head. Evelyn was surprised as well. "What is it, Rafe?" What kind of present could he give when he had been off on a mission?
"Danny's got to guess it first." Rafe's eyes twinkled playfully.
"Ah, I know!" Danny exclaimed. "You're going to take Mummy and me up flying, aren't you?"
"That wasn't what I had in mind, but it can be arranged." Rafe smiled. Danny had definitely inherited the love for flying from his father.
"No?" Danny looked crestfallen. Usually he would have gotten the correct answer by the second guess. Then he seemed to think of something, and his face brightened. "Its Daddy, isn't it? Daddy's my present!" Without waiting for Rafe's confirmation, he squirmed about in his arms, trying to look for his father. "Where? Where?"
Rafe ruffled his hair. "Hey, little guy, don't go all possessive. He's not yours only, you know. You have to share him with me and your mother."
Amid Danny's squeals of joy, Evelyn gaped at Rafe's smiling face. "But how…you never mentioned anything in your letters!"
Rafe put his arm around her shoulders and walked towards the exit. "It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way home."
"Home?"
"We agreed that the wedding ceremony would be in Tennessee, remember?" Rafe grinned at her. "I've found the best man, so we are getting married."
The night was getting cold, and a slight wind brushed the leaves of the palm trees adorning the doorway of the Haluna Pub. Danny and Ryan slowly walked up the pathway, and then they stopped. "I didn't tell her I was coming." Danny said.
"Me too." Ryan tried to tidy his hair. "You think I look presentable?"
Danny laughed. "Probably as presentable as you are ever going to get, if that amounts to much." Ryan breathed in deeply, then he took two steps forward, only to stop when he realized that Danny hadn't followed. "What you doing? Aren't you going in?"
"You go ahead." Danny sat down on a nearby bench. "I'd prefer to surprise her when she goes off her shift. Don't spoil my surprise, alright?"
Ryan shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then he went in.
Danny swung his legs as he waited for Jeslyn to finish her shift. He had purposely forgotten to tell her he was coming back, and it amused him to think of how surprised she would be to see him.
Soon, he saw Ryan and Dania leave the pub. Dania was busy exchanging stories with Ryan, and she didn't notice him. Then, the familiar auburn-haired figure emerged from the pub. Ryan shot a glance at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Danny grinned, but still he waited. He wanted to see Jeslyn's reaction to Ryan's sudden appearance, just so he could tell if she had been thinking of him. It was a selfish little wish on his part, to know if she had missed him as much as he had missed her.
Jeslyn looked at Ryan and Dania's retreating backs, then sighed and turned away. She looked so disappointed that he couldn't bear not letting her know he was there. Springing up from his perch on the bench, Danny jogged over to her, waving. "Jeslyn!"
She froze, and her surprise was evident on her face. "Danny?"
He stopped in front of her, beaming. "It sure is good to see you again."
She stood gaping at him for a moment. Then, an overwhelming sense of relief overcame her, and she threw herself into his arms. "I thought you weren't back yet. I almost thought you weren't…" Then she recovered herself, and glared at him. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Holding her close, Danny breathed in the comforting scent of her hair. "I've got so much to tell you. Come, I'll see you home. " On the way, he told her about how he met Rafe on the mission, and his promise to return to Tennessee. Jeslyn was happy for him, though she felt a slight pang of jealousy when she saw the way Danny's eyes sparkled when he spoke of Evelyn and his son. She knew that they were special to him, and it didn't feel good to know that she couldn't replace them in Danny's heart.
"So, you are leaving again? So soon?"
Danny said, "I was hoping you would come with me." He started fiddling with his jacket. "You know, sort of, show you the place I grew up in, and the people I've been telling you about since we met."
Jeslyn thought for a while, then smiled. "That would be great."
