"Land of the freeā¦"Rafe said not looking at her just keeping his eyes over the water.
"Home of the brave." She finished for him her eyes staring at the water.
Rafe looked at her then watching as the last few tears fell silently down her face. "Do you remember the last time we were here?"
"The night before you left. You promised you would come back and we would start a business."
"McCawley and Walker" Rafe said with a grin remembering the fight they had over that.
"Rafe what happened?"
"How much do you know?"
"More then I should. I was like a diary to Danny, his letters were so detailed. I know about Pearl and the planes you flew. How you played chicken with the Japanese pilots. I know about preparing for the mission everything that happened until the day you left on the mission."
"Well the raid itself went extremely well. We got in and out with relatively few problems. The problems came later. We didn't have the fuel to make to China so most of us thought. We barely made it at that. Danny wanted to bail but I told him no. I couldn't go back into that water not after England." Rafe had started shaking with remembered cold as he told her that.
Moving closer she put her arms around his back and laid her head on his shoulder. "You can stop if you want Rafe, you don't have to tell me."
He continued as if he hadn't heard her he put his arm around her in a sign that he had. "There was a Japanese patrol on the ground as we landed I radioed Danny to go somewhere else as we crashed down. He did an outside loop to save gas and came back to shoot them as they came at us. Then his plane crashed." Tears were now flowing down their faces again. "I never ran that fast as I did towards his plane. He had a piece of metal stuck in his neck. I pulled it out and then I was hit in the head with a rifle butt. They had found us. They tied him to a yoke and were dragging him away. He was choking so bad I found the gun I had tossed aside and shot them. My gun jammed and Danny knocked the one solder aside when he tried to shoot me but he was hit. Iz, I tried so hard to make it ok. I told him he was going to have a baby and that didn't keep him here. He was so cold and I couldn't warm him up."
They were both sobbing now and Rafe was shaking the tears were coming that fast. She leaned over and wrapped her other arm around his waist drawing him closer to her. He laid his head in her lap and cried as she ran her finger through his hair. Rafe cried like he had never been able to with Evelyn for Danny and what he lost.
"Just like old times isn't it Rafe," she finally said. "The night you and your father got into that fight and you came here. Crying into my skirt for an hour swearing you would never be able to look at you father in the face again."
"I will never see Danny again."
"Oh Rafe you will. Look at Danny he is the spitting image of his father. He even called me Izzy-Bell remember. I never thought I would hear that name again. Rafe, Danny is here in everything we do. You told me that Rafe before you left. You told me as long as I carry someone in my heart they are there. Danny isn't leaving our hearts ever Rafe." Leaning down she kissed the top of his head. He had stopped crying and was just looking across the water. "Lets go back Rafe. I am sure Evelyn is wondering where you are."
"Come swimming with me."
"Now it's late and dark."
"No tomorrow all of us. Evelyn won't swim hasn't since Pearl and I am sure the boys would love it."
"I am sure they would to, but can we go now it is getting a bit cold and I am wet."
"Here," Rafe shrugged off his flight jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. They headed back to the house holding hands and remembering the childhood they both wanted back so badly.
Please R&R no flames please.
