Life in Death

Chapter Three - Rebirth

Evelyn was in the late stages of her pregnancy. She had stopped working in the hospital since her eighth month. On Rafe's insistence, she had gone to his home in Tennessee to rest. There, she would be away from the hectic lifestyle at Pearl Harbor, and would be well-looked after by the village women.

She lay in a long couch, and her gaze rested on her rounded belly where her unborn child slept. It would be a boy. She and Rafe had unanimously agreed to name him after his father. Daniel Walker. Danny...

She looked out of the window. The sun was setting. In the distance, she could make out Danny's grave, resplendent in white against the pink and orange sky. It had been months, but the thought of him and the sight of his warm smile in photographs still tugged unmercifully at her heartstrings. She might be engaged to be married to Rafe, but she still loved Danny. She looked around her. Almost anything and everything triggered off some memory of him. The sunset made her think of the beautiful evening Danny had first taken her up in the air. Life hurts, she thought. Life hurts without Danny.

Suddenly, she felt a searing pain in her body. Her muscles began to knot up and ache. She screamed.

The door burst open after a time, and the village midwife, followed by some other women, ran in. The midwife went over to Evelyn. She put a hand on her, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, dear," she said. "You're in labour."

***

Danny didn't usually go down at night to see Evelyn and Rafe, but tonight he'd felt an overwhelming compulsion to go to Rafe's house, where he knew Evelyn was resting up before her delivery. It was almost as if there was some magical force pulling him towards her. Unable to resist any longer, he went.

He arrived outside the house, where his grave was. The house seemed especially noisy. Danny could tell something out of the ordinary was going on. Curiously, he approached the house, unseen, and walked through the door. He found himself in the midst of proceedings he'd never have been admitted into when he was alive. Oh, God! thought Danny. She's giving birth! I'm not sure I ought to be here even if I am dead. He turned back and walked out the wall.

But he couldn't bring himself to return to Paradise yet. The child Evelyn is giving life to right now is mine, he thought excitedly. If I stay, I'll get to see him. So he lingered, waiting.

***

Rafe rushed into General Doolittle's office. He'd just been told to report there right away. "What is it, sir?" he asked the General, gasping for breath.

General Doolittle looked back at him with the slightest hint of a smile. "Congratulations, McCawley. I have good news for you."

Could it be? Rafe wondered. "Sir...?"

"I just received a call from Tennessee from a very excited woman," said Doolittle. "She says..."

Doolittle was interrupted by Rafe. "Oh, God! Evelyn's given birth! I have to go home at once!" Then collecting himself, he added hastily, "Sir."

Doolittle's mouth quirked, and he looked like he was trying not to laugh out loud. "You are granted a leave of absence for three days, McCawley. I suggest you leave immediately. Report back here on July 25 at 0700 hours."

"Yes, sir," said Rafe, grinning infectiously.

Doolittle waved his hand. "You may go now."

Rafe saluted and walked out of Doolittle's office. He waited until he had shut the door quietly before letting out a whoop of joy. He dashed back to his lodgings and began to pack. There was no time to waste. It was fortunate he was a pilot. He could fly there himself.

***

Evelyn held Danny Jr. in her arms and gently brought her lips to his face. "He's beautiful," she murmured.

The midwife nodded, beaming.

Suddenly, the door opened without warning, and Rafe barged into the house. He saw Evelyn, and went over to her. "Evelyn! Are you all right?" he asked.

Evelyn nodded, and held out the small baby in her arms so that Rafe could carry him.

The midwife got up. "Well, Evelyn, if you don't mind, I should be getting home now. Congratulations, Rafe," she added, smiling. Rafe nodded and smiled back. He, of course, was on a first-name basis with everyone in his hometown, and the midwife was no exception.

Rafe took Danny Jr. into his arms and looked at him closely. "He's perfect, Evelyn," he said.

"Seeing as he's Danny's son," said Evelyn softly, "I don't see how it could be otherwise."

He couldn't remember how Danny had looked as a baby, but if anything, thought Rafe, he'd have looked exactly like his son did now. He had deep brown eyes and brown hair. He looked absolutely still and serene, not crying or wailing, but simply looking at Rafe. Rafe had an eerie sense of having come full circle just then. This child...he's Danny's legacy, he thought.

Rafe ran his hand lightly over Danny Jr's hair. "Hello, Danny," he said quietly. "I'm your Uncle Rafe."

Evelyn looked at him, smiling weakly. She was still tired out from the delivery. "Uncle Rafe?" she asked.

Rafe nodded. "Danny Jr.'s only ever going to have one Daddy," he said seriously. "And that's Danny."

***

Danny watched, invisible, as Evelyn and Rafe fell asleep in their bed. Danny Jr. was in a small cot next to them.

He went over to his son, and gently cradled him in his arms. My son! he thought proudly.

Quietly, he left the room. When he was well out of sight, he turned visible, and looked at Danny Jr. He was feeling an unfamiliar emotion rise up in him. He felt warm, and unbelievably happy. He felt as if a part of him that had been empty forever had just been filled in. If this is the feeling a father gets, thought Danny, it's even more amazing than people say.

He tilted his face downwards and kissed Danny Jr. lightly. His son was asleep, the very picture of a dozing cherub. "Hey, Danny," he said very softly, so as not to awaken anyone. "This is your Daddy speaking. I just want to tell you that I love you very much, and I always will, even though I can't be around for you." He paused. "I'm sorry, Danny, for leaving you to grow up without a father. I hope you forgive me."

Suddenly, the baby's eyes fluttered open. They widened.

Oh no, thought Danny. I hope he doesn't start crying.

But no cry came from Danny Jr. Instead, he smiled at Danny. Then he closed his eyes again, and before long Danny felt him settle back into the slow, regular breathing of a sleeping child.

Danny smiled back at his son. He turned invisible, and quietly brought him back to his cot and laid him inside. Then he bent down and kissed him again. "I love you, Danny," he whispered. He was about to turn and leave, but he hesitated. There was something missing.

He took a last look at Rafe, Evelyn and Danny Jr. He missed them so much. Seeing them had made the pain fade a little, and in spending time watching them he had found life in death. "I'll be back," he murmured under his breath, to no one in particular. "I'll watch over you all. I promise."

The feeling of emptiness had vanished. Smiling gently, Danny left.

***

Author's Note:

This is the last chapter for this fic. I hoped you all liked it! Thank you for your patience in reading this, and please review as well! Special thanks must go out to teeny2002 and Tiara for being loyal readers and reviewers of this story as well as "Watching", and to jess-chan for suggesting that Danny come talk to his son at night. I liked the idea, so I used it, as you see - thank you! And of course, thanks to all who have encouraged me. Next up, I think, will be the sequel to "Watching". ~HuntressMinerva