Chapter Six - Orders
Danny Jr. was awoken by the sunlight streaming in through his window shutters. He lay in bed for a while, eyes open, gazing outside. It didn't seem like winter, although in other parts of America it was snowing fiercely. Hawaii in December was unusually cool, but that just made the refreshing sea breeze and the gentle sun more enjoyable than ever.
Danny Jr.'s mind drifted back to his meeting with his father the night before. He wished he could have talked longer, spent more time just being with him...but his father had already done more than enough for him by even showing himself. He would be staying on with the Air Force, he'd decided. Flying was his life. It had always been his dream to one day make his father proud of him. This war is merely temporary, he reminded himself as he got out of bed and dressed. It isn't worth abandoning my hopes for.
Tyler, always a late sleeper, was still snoring loudly in his bed. Danny Jr. was used to it by now, though he had rather annoyed Tyler the first few Sundays when he had disturbed his sleep trying to leave the room. Quietly, he pulled on a windbreaker, tiptoed out of the room, and shut the door.
Danny Jr. made his way to the airplane hangars. On lazy Sunday mornings like these he preferred to be tinkering about with the planes and maybe take one out for a spin. Danny Jr. reckoned that other than being on the beach, there was nothing much more relaxing than feeling right at home amongst the assortment of planes, covered in oil and grease, with his trusty toolbox by his side.
He was almost approaching the hangar where he normally worked, when was accosted by a breathless pilot who had obviously been running very fast. "You Danny Walker?" he asked between gasps.
Danny Jr. nodded, mystified. "Yeah, I am. What d'you want?"
The pilot held out an envelope. "From a nurse. She said to get this to you, or she'd knock out my two front teeth." He shuddered. "She sure was pretty, but weird. She had brown hair, long and wavy, and — "
Danny Jr. cut him off. "Save your breath. I know who she is."
He took the envelope, and headed for the quiet of the hangar, where he could read in peace. He sat himself down, leaning against the wall, and skimmed through the note.
Hi Danny!
Well I just know you gotta be having a better day than me. It's so boring here in the hospital. Being a nurse isn't bad really. I never really learnt to fly as well as you, so I don't think I'd have lasted long as a pilot. But today the hospital's all empty and the other girls are gossiping about boys and I'm bored STIFF because YOU happen to be the only boy I know around here!
Anyway just wanted to tell you I really enjoyed supper last night. Catching up on old times was great, but seeing my old friend again was greater. Dinner today? Same place? 7 pm — see ya.
Steph
Danny Jr. smiled as he read Stephanie's unpretentious letter. That's Steph for you, he thought. He'd never met another girl who was as spunky and spirited as she was, but that just made her all the more special.
Humming happily now, he put the letter away carefully and set to work.
***
Rafe anxiously paced the floor of his office. He'd just received new orders from Washington, and he didn't like them one bit. When there were orders at all, they normally pertained to the Vietnam War, and that was bad enough. But this...
Danny Jr. opened the door and came in. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
Rafe waved at him to sit down. "Drop the sir, Danny. This just came in from Washington." He slapped a small white piece of paper down on the table. Danny Jr. leaned over so he could read it.
SELECT ONE PILOT IN SQUADRON TO LEAD NEXT RAID IN JAN STOP ACT AS INSTRUCTOR STOP DO NOT GO STOP REPLY IMMEDIATELY STOP
Rafe sat down and faced Danny Jr. with his hands clasped. "They say it's for training you young folks, but that's bullshit. They think at forty-eight I'm too damn old to go on any more bombings."
"You want to go, Uncle Rafe?" Danny Jr. asked.
Rafe shrugged. "That's not important. But yes, I want to go, if it's only for keepin' an eye on you boys." He smiled.
Danny Jr. smiled too. "So you're going? Great."
Rafe shook his head. He got up and walked to face his window. "I can't go. I can't defy orders from Washington. Anyway, I'll be leaving the squadron in the hands of a pilot who's every bit as good as me."
Danny Jr. looked disbelieving. "You don't mean..."
Rafe turned back and looked squarely at him. "Yes, Danny, you. I'm sure you'll do a great job. If you weren't so young you'd be a flight instructor."
Danny Jr. was silent for a while. "You really think I can do it?" he asked softly.
Rafe nodded firmly. "I know you can."
***
Stephanie sat expectantly at the quaint little cafe they had had supper at last night. When the other nurses had learnt that she was having dinner with Danny Jr., they had tried, unsuccessfully, to make her dress up for the occasion. She smiled, recalling the exact words of one of them.
"Steph, it's Danny Walker you're having dinner with! Not any old pilot, but Danny, the most eligible bachelor in the Air Force! At least put on your good dress! And remember not to show your teeth when you smile!"
She'd adamantly refused, however, to listen. All the joy of seeing Danny Jr. would be gone if she had to be any different from her normal self, she thought. She'd feel terribly uneasy. And when she was uneasy, she never had fun. Part of why she liked spending time with Danny Jr. was because she felt ao at home with him.
"Hi, Steph."
She looked up. There was Danny Jr., smiling slightly, but not looking like his usual happy self. "Hey Danny," she said.
Danny Jr. pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was delayed by Uncle Rafe." He looked down, and Stephanie could see that something was definitely troubling him.
"Is something wrong?" she asked gently.
Danny Jr. hesitated. "I'm going on another bombing."
"North Vietnam?" asked Stephanie.
Danny Jr. nodded.
"Is that all you're upset about?" She was puzzled. Danny Jr. usually had no qualms whatsoever about flying.
"No," he replied. "I'm going to be leading the mission. Uncle Rafe's not going. That's what he had to talk to me about. They think he's too old to fly any more, at forty-eight." Danny Jr. was sitting with his hands clasped and laid on the table. He looked up and met her gaze, and all at once she could see how nervous he was about things. Her heart went out to her childhood playmate.
She reached out and patted his hands reassuringly. "You'll be fine."
He smiled. "I'll try."
"You better!" said Stephanie, and they both laughed. "You come back, okay?"
Danny Jr. grinned. "Yes'm, I will."
***
Author's Note: Chapter Six was so terribly L-O-N-G I had to split it into 2 chapters. I hope nobody minds too much, since I've uploaded them at the same time, so there'll be no more waiting. Hope you liked this! ~HuntressMinerva