Chapter 6
Kate was exhausted. She couldn't remember ever being this tired, even after Grace had been born. At least then she had been at the Emabssy and there had been servants and other wives to help out. Now there was only her - to do the cooking, cleaning, to fetch water and wood, to walk the mile into the main village to get what few supplies were available, along with taking care of Grace and Danny, which wasn't easy. In the past few days Grace had started teething and nothing seemed to make her happy. Kate spent half the night pacing the small kitchen trying to get her to sleep.
Then there was the flyboy. When he had finally woke up and was alert last week she had been excited on several levels. First of all was just the fact that he was alive. He was her first patient and his wounds had been so severe she had had doubts that he woud make it. He had almost bled to death in front of her. Most nights since she would wake up from a nightmare and swear that she could smell his blood. And then there was the fever that had almost claimed him. She had never prayed so hard in her life.
'Please let him live. Don't let him die. He's a hero! He saved his friends' lives knowing that it would probably cost him his own, but he did it anyways. Please, please, don't let him die!'
Danny was unlike any man she had ever known. Better than her father, who was so caught up in his struggle for power in the business world that he barely knew her. Better than any of the rich socialites her mother insisted on introducing her to who only wanted her father's money. Better, by far, than her own husband who had left her here on her own to begin with. If there was any good in the world then Danny had to live.
But aside from wanting to see a good man overcome the odds, Kate was so lonely she also wanted him to live just so she would have someone to talk to finally. Michael had left her here without a backward glance. Not that she missed him or her life with him, but at least at the embassy there were other wives and daughters to socialize with. Most of them pitied her, she knew, but at least they were friendly.
As a survival relflex Kate had begun talking to Danny while he lay recovering. He never responded, but it made her feel less lonely. After the second week she began to wonder if she was going crazy. It was decidedly odd that she found an unconscious man and a 5 month old baby better company than most of her family.
Since she only had time, Kate began to wonder about Danny. There was nothing else for her to do. She played a game with herself trying to decide what he was really like. He was obviously a good looking young man with friends who loved him. That had to say something about his character. Was he a farm boy like his friend Captain McCawley? Or from the city? Were they childhood friends or did they meet in the army? Kate guessed that they had grown up together, but she could never be sure until he woke up. There was so much she wanted to know about him. He was her mystery man. Someone who, even though he didn't talk, kept her mind working, making up one story after another about his life and background.
Some things she did know about him. Captain Daniel J. Walker. Born July 12 1915. Blood type O+. Religion: Baptist. A pilot in the US Army. Obviously a very good pilot if he was chosen for such a dangerous mission.
She also knew things about him physically that came from weeks of nursing and observation. He was very tall, with shaggy brown hair that was silky to the touch and expressive brown eyes that made her want to hold him and protect him. He had a mole on his neck, a birthmark on his lower back and four scars ranging from a small one on his left rigcage to a 8 inch gash on his right thigh. He had big skinny feet and long fingers that were calloused but not overly rough. All this, and much more, she had learned over the past weeks.
Once he woke up she found that most of her guesses about him were pretty much on target. He was definitly a farm boy - polite, reserved and shy. His voice, when not racked with pain, was smooth and deep. Like warm honey over sandpaper. And he showed himself to be a very thoughtful and caring man. She remembered his embarrassment while she nursed Grace and his quiet sobs as he lay in her arms. He had cried for hours, not loud heart rending sobs, but quiet tears of someone who had lost everything and had no hope.
It was strange how quickly things changed. She had had hope of companionship when he finally woke up. Things were a bit awkward at first, but he was friendly and polite. After eight days he was still awake, but totally unresponsive. He ate, he sat in the rocking chair occasionally, but he didn't talk and honestly, Kate was getting tired of it. Nothing she said or did had any affect on him. He had just retreated into himself.
It was selfish and irrational of her to be so angry at him, he had been through a severe trauma, but she couldn't help it. Yes, his friends were far away and thought he was dead. Yes, some of them had died. And there was also the mysterious Evelyn. Her name had come up a few times while he was crying and Kate still had no idea who she was or what see meant to him. But he was alive. Wasn't that something? Wasn't there always hope?
Kate used to think so. She had vowed never to let life get her down. Not her manipulative father, or her socialite mother, or her sick, twisted husband. She had survived four years of a horrible marriage, most of which was spent in a foreign country without friends and family and also three miscarriages, but she was getting tired of always fighting, of getting by, but never really living. Life was just becoming too hard. She needed someone to give her a break. Nothing had gone right since she agreed to marry Michael; the absolute worst mistake of her life. The only good thing that had ever come from their marriage was Grace. And now Danny's life. Were they the reason for her suffering? Was her purpose in life to see that Grace and Danny lived? Was she being punished for something in a previous life? Or in this life? Was she being tested?
If it was a test, it was certainly a doozy, that was for sure. Some how she had to get herself, Danny and Grace to the embassy, then out of the country and to Tennessee as she had promised Captain McCawley before all hell broke loose in China like it had been threatening to for years. And let's not forget the fact that the Japanese had invaded China already and the whole damn world was at war. It was hardly a simple task. Hercules had it easier.
The only thing Kate wanted right now was to sleep for a week, but she could feel that time was running out. They had to leave soon whether Danny was ready or not. But despite this feeling of urgency sleep still called her. She hadn't had a decent night since he had woken up. She had actually slept more when he was sick. Then it had been easy. There was only one bed in the cabin, barely big enough for two, but each night she had curled up beside him. It had been necessary for her to be close to him in case he took a turn for the worse, but it was also practical. Since he woke up she'd be napping fitfully in the rocking chair or slouched over the kitchen table - when she wasn't pacing with a fussy Grace.
Things were much simpler when he was sick. He had needed her and she had a definite purpose: keep him alive Now she was floating through the days and nights both mentally and physically exhausted, unsure of what to do and with no one to talk to about it. She was so desperate that even Micheal would be a welcome relief. Well, she thought honestly, maybe not welcome, but at least she could find out what was going on in the world.
Suddenly the outside door slammed open causing Kate to knock over her tea.
Defensively she stood up. Micheal. "Well, speak of the devil," she said, a feeling of dread in her stomach. It was amazing what a person could forget in six weeks, but being alone with Michael had always caused her stomach to knot.
Kate was exhausted. She couldn't remember ever being this tired, even after Grace had been born. At least then she had been at the Emabssy and there had been servants and other wives to help out. Now there was only her - to do the cooking, cleaning, to fetch water and wood, to walk the mile into the main village to get what few supplies were available, along with taking care of Grace and Danny, which wasn't easy. In the past few days Grace had started teething and nothing seemed to make her happy. Kate spent half the night pacing the small kitchen trying to get her to sleep.
Then there was the flyboy. When he had finally woke up and was alert last week she had been excited on several levels. First of all was just the fact that he was alive. He was her first patient and his wounds had been so severe she had had doubts that he woud make it. He had almost bled to death in front of her. Most nights since she would wake up from a nightmare and swear that she could smell his blood. And then there was the fever that had almost claimed him. She had never prayed so hard in her life.
'Please let him live. Don't let him die. He's a hero! He saved his friends' lives knowing that it would probably cost him his own, but he did it anyways. Please, please, don't let him die!'
Danny was unlike any man she had ever known. Better than her father, who was so caught up in his struggle for power in the business world that he barely knew her. Better than any of the rich socialites her mother insisted on introducing her to who only wanted her father's money. Better, by far, than her own husband who had left her here on her own to begin with. If there was any good in the world then Danny had to live.
But aside from wanting to see a good man overcome the odds, Kate was so lonely she also wanted him to live just so she would have someone to talk to finally. Michael had left her here without a backward glance. Not that she missed him or her life with him, but at least at the embassy there were other wives and daughters to socialize with. Most of them pitied her, she knew, but at least they were friendly.
As a survival relflex Kate had begun talking to Danny while he lay recovering. He never responded, but it made her feel less lonely. After the second week she began to wonder if she was going crazy. It was decidedly odd that she found an unconscious man and a 5 month old baby better company than most of her family.
Since she only had time, Kate began to wonder about Danny. There was nothing else for her to do. She played a game with herself trying to decide what he was really like. He was obviously a good looking young man with friends who loved him. That had to say something about his character. Was he a farm boy like his friend Captain McCawley? Or from the city? Were they childhood friends or did they meet in the army? Kate guessed that they had grown up together, but she could never be sure until he woke up. There was so much she wanted to know about him. He was her mystery man. Someone who, even though he didn't talk, kept her mind working, making up one story after another about his life and background.
Some things she did know about him. Captain Daniel J. Walker. Born July 12 1915. Blood type O+. Religion: Baptist. A pilot in the US Army. Obviously a very good pilot if he was chosen for such a dangerous mission.
She also knew things about him physically that came from weeks of nursing and observation. He was very tall, with shaggy brown hair that was silky to the touch and expressive brown eyes that made her want to hold him and protect him. He had a mole on his neck, a birthmark on his lower back and four scars ranging from a small one on his left rigcage to a 8 inch gash on his right thigh. He had big skinny feet and long fingers that were calloused but not overly rough. All this, and much more, she had learned over the past weeks.
Once he woke up she found that most of her guesses about him were pretty much on target. He was definitly a farm boy - polite, reserved and shy. His voice, when not racked with pain, was smooth and deep. Like warm honey over sandpaper. And he showed himself to be a very thoughtful and caring man. She remembered his embarrassment while she nursed Grace and his quiet sobs as he lay in her arms. He had cried for hours, not loud heart rending sobs, but quiet tears of someone who had lost everything and had no hope.
It was strange how quickly things changed. She had had hope of companionship when he finally woke up. Things were a bit awkward at first, but he was friendly and polite. After eight days he was still awake, but totally unresponsive. He ate, he sat in the rocking chair occasionally, but he didn't talk and honestly, Kate was getting tired of it. Nothing she said or did had any affect on him. He had just retreated into himself.
It was selfish and irrational of her to be so angry at him, he had been through a severe trauma, but she couldn't help it. Yes, his friends were far away and thought he was dead. Yes, some of them had died. And there was also the mysterious Evelyn. Her name had come up a few times while he was crying and Kate still had no idea who she was or what see meant to him. But he was alive. Wasn't that something? Wasn't there always hope?
Kate used to think so. She had vowed never to let life get her down. Not her manipulative father, or her socialite mother, or her sick, twisted husband. She had survived four years of a horrible marriage, most of which was spent in a foreign country without friends and family and also three miscarriages, but she was getting tired of always fighting, of getting by, but never really living. Life was just becoming too hard. She needed someone to give her a break. Nothing had gone right since she agreed to marry Michael; the absolute worst mistake of her life. The only good thing that had ever come from their marriage was Grace. And now Danny's life. Were they the reason for her suffering? Was her purpose in life to see that Grace and Danny lived? Was she being punished for something in a previous life? Or in this life? Was she being tested?
If it was a test, it was certainly a doozy, that was for sure. Some how she had to get herself, Danny and Grace to the embassy, then out of the country and to Tennessee as she had promised Captain McCawley before all hell broke loose in China like it had been threatening to for years. And let's not forget the fact that the Japanese had invaded China already and the whole damn world was at war. It was hardly a simple task. Hercules had it easier.
The only thing Kate wanted right now was to sleep for a week, but she could feel that time was running out. They had to leave soon whether Danny was ready or not. But despite this feeling of urgency sleep still called her. She hadn't had a decent night since he had woken up. She had actually slept more when he was sick. Then it had been easy. There was only one bed in the cabin, barely big enough for two, but each night she had curled up beside him. It had been necessary for her to be close to him in case he took a turn for the worse, but it was also practical. Since he woke up she'd be napping fitfully in the rocking chair or slouched over the kitchen table - when she wasn't pacing with a fussy Grace.
Things were much simpler when he was sick. He had needed her and she had a definite purpose: keep him alive Now she was floating through the days and nights both mentally and physically exhausted, unsure of what to do and with no one to talk to about it. She was so desperate that even Micheal would be a welcome relief. Well, she thought honestly, maybe not welcome, but at least she could find out what was going on in the world.
Suddenly the outside door slammed open causing Kate to knock over her tea.
Defensively she stood up. Micheal. "Well, speak of the devil," she said, a feeling of dread in her stomach. It was amazing what a person could forget in six weeks, but being alone with Michael had always caused her stomach to knot.