Danny's Story [What If?]
Chapter 4: Hurting for Your Love
A/N: Hi. I just changed chapter 3. So that's good.
Rafe couldn't sleep that night. It was all too much too soon. Something had saved him in China. And he didn't know what. The memory of Evelyn and him? But why? He knew Evelyn was having Danny's child. He turned and squinted so he could see the little clock. Big hand on the 6. Small hand between the 3 and 4. Now what the hell did that mean? It was the middle of the night, how was he supposed to figure it out when he was half asleep?
Rafe stood up and turned on a light. "Ugh!" he said groggily. He rubbed his eyes. "3:30. So early." He went out on the porch and sat watching the stars. So tranquil and content. Like the way life should be. Nice, peaceful, and quiet. Not for him, though. He was loud. He was a risk taker. He was everything Danny wasn't. And Danny was everything he wasn't. Except for the whole flying thing. Danny and Rafe were great pilots. And now neither of them would be flying for the US Air Force anymore. They couldn't serve their country. They couldn't.
"What you thinking about?" Danny said standing in his hotel room door. He looked up at the pre-morning sky. "Those stars are awesome. Makes you think about life when you see them, you know?"
"No, Danny, you are making no sense. I came out here because I couldn't sleep. Not because I wanted to see stars that 'make me think about life.' They are stars. They don't affect what I do or say," Rafe smirked back.
"It's just...forget it. You wouldn't care," Danny said.
"Tell me," Rafe said back. He seemed intent on what his best friend had to say about something. Even if it was the night sky, Danny knew better than to pass up a personal moment with his friend. His best friend. His brother.
"You stick your thumb up and it covers maybe five or ten stars. To get to even one of those stars, you would have to be faster than light. You'd die trying to reach those stars. But there they are every night. Never ceasing to light up the otherwise pitch black sky. And that, my friend, makes you think about life," Danny said.
Rafe looked at Danny with a mixture of bewilderment and shock. "Well, I never thought of it that way. So I guess they do make you think about life. But not me. I look up and I see stars. Maybe the Big Dipper. And I think that somewhere in Japan, someone is seeing those stars. Maybe not right now, but later on they will. And they will be thinking about some of the stuff a housewife in Tennessee is thinking. How terrible it is that this war is going on. But, how they will never be a part of it. Until the person in Japan learns his school age children were in the wrong place at the wrong time and are now dead by our bombs or the housewife's first born is sent into the war. Then it gets personal. They are both going to see these stars sometime today. And they are going to wonder why them? And there is no real answer," Rafe said. He didn't look Danny in the eye. He looked at the sky or at his shoes the whole time.
"Rafe, you had to do that for your country. They bombed us. They killed people that were close to us. We couldn't give them just a slap on the wrist!" Danny said. He lowered his voice. "Innocent people did die. But innocent people had to die. It wasn't your fault." Rafe didn't answer. He just kept his gaze on the stars. Danny turned around and closed the door behind him.
Rafe heard Evelyn go "uh" when Danny came back into the room. Just to hear her voice was enough for him. He could go to sleep now. He laid on his bed and closed his eyes. He smiled as he reminisced on all the good times he had with Evelyn. When she wasn't in love with Danny. His best friend. His brother. A traitor.
'No, Danny is not a traitor,' he tried to tell himself. Half of his mind pushed this theory. 'They missed you. YOU WERE DEAD!'
The other half was stronger though. 'No matter how lonely you were, he was your brother. Brothers don't stab their siblings in the back. They don't steal your girl as soon as they think you are dead. They have no part in her!"
He told himself the most important thing right now is that he needed sleep. And lots of it.
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The phone woke Danny with a start. He immediately knew who was on the other end. "Hello," he said trying to make his sleep deprived brain say the word with complete professionalism. "Danny Walker speaking."
"Yes, Mr. Walker. My name is Gregory Patterson. This phone call is in response to your inquiry for a job. We have open spaces available. You would have to go through a 3 month training period which you will learn what you need to know about your job. You will soon be able to work. For the first 3 years, you will go to a one month training session each year. After this, you will be finished training," the man on the other end of the line said.
"You mean it? I'll get to fly?" Danny asked joyously.
"Yes, Mr. Walker," the man said laughing, "you'll get to fly. You will be moving to New York this weekend. First training starts on Monday. Any more questions?"
'Rafe, what about Rafe?' Danny thought. "Yes, do you have any more available spots? If so, I know the perfect pilot to take a spot. His name is Rafe McCawley. And he was looking for work around New York, also."
Evelyn looked at Danny. She smiled. He hung the phone up. "Evelyn, we're moving to New York!" he said excitedly. "And I get to fly." She studied him. Yes, exactly like a kid in a candy store with this one. "And Rafe is going to be able to fly, too!"
"That's great, dear. But maybe you should have informed Rafe of this before you volunteered him for the job. Although I'm sure he'll be just as happy as you are," Evelyn said smiling.
Danny knocked on Rafe's door. No answer. He pounded harder. Still no answer. "Rafe! Open the door!" Danny yelled.
"What the hell? Oh, Danny. It's you. Well, hello then," Rafe said opening the door.
"We're going to New York. And we get to fly! And we both have jobs! But, we get to fly!" Danny said.
"Danny, you didn't have enough sleep. We can't fly, remember? We quit our jobs! And we're moving to Minnesota, not New York. And we're leaving Wednesday, not Saturday," Rafe said to his friend.
"But I didn't tell you we were leaving Saturday. You heard my phone conversation, didn't you? Well, it doesn't matter. We both have jobs. And we both get to be by Evelyn. And we both get to fly!" Danny said excitedly.
"Well, then what are we waiting for? Hell's not gonna freeze over anytime soon. Let's go pack," Rafe said with a grin. He couldn't wait to be back in a plane. The excitement, the danger, the exhilaration. Of course, it wouldn't be as great as in their old planes but at least it would be there. Life was going to be great. As soon as he got over Danny and Evelyn. But he could do it, right?
Chapter 4: Hurting for Your Love
A/N: Hi. I just changed chapter 3. So that's good.
Rafe couldn't sleep that night. It was all too much too soon. Something had saved him in China. And he didn't know what. The memory of Evelyn and him? But why? He knew Evelyn was having Danny's child. He turned and squinted so he could see the little clock. Big hand on the 6. Small hand between the 3 and 4. Now what the hell did that mean? It was the middle of the night, how was he supposed to figure it out when he was half asleep?
Rafe stood up and turned on a light. "Ugh!" he said groggily. He rubbed his eyes. "3:30. So early." He went out on the porch and sat watching the stars. So tranquil and content. Like the way life should be. Nice, peaceful, and quiet. Not for him, though. He was loud. He was a risk taker. He was everything Danny wasn't. And Danny was everything he wasn't. Except for the whole flying thing. Danny and Rafe were great pilots. And now neither of them would be flying for the US Air Force anymore. They couldn't serve their country. They couldn't.
"What you thinking about?" Danny said standing in his hotel room door. He looked up at the pre-morning sky. "Those stars are awesome. Makes you think about life when you see them, you know?"
"No, Danny, you are making no sense. I came out here because I couldn't sleep. Not because I wanted to see stars that 'make me think about life.' They are stars. They don't affect what I do or say," Rafe smirked back.
"It's just...forget it. You wouldn't care," Danny said.
"Tell me," Rafe said back. He seemed intent on what his best friend had to say about something. Even if it was the night sky, Danny knew better than to pass up a personal moment with his friend. His best friend. His brother.
"You stick your thumb up and it covers maybe five or ten stars. To get to even one of those stars, you would have to be faster than light. You'd die trying to reach those stars. But there they are every night. Never ceasing to light up the otherwise pitch black sky. And that, my friend, makes you think about life," Danny said.
Rafe looked at Danny with a mixture of bewilderment and shock. "Well, I never thought of it that way. So I guess they do make you think about life. But not me. I look up and I see stars. Maybe the Big Dipper. And I think that somewhere in Japan, someone is seeing those stars. Maybe not right now, but later on they will. And they will be thinking about some of the stuff a housewife in Tennessee is thinking. How terrible it is that this war is going on. But, how they will never be a part of it. Until the person in Japan learns his school age children were in the wrong place at the wrong time and are now dead by our bombs or the housewife's first born is sent into the war. Then it gets personal. They are both going to see these stars sometime today. And they are going to wonder why them? And there is no real answer," Rafe said. He didn't look Danny in the eye. He looked at the sky or at his shoes the whole time.
"Rafe, you had to do that for your country. They bombed us. They killed people that were close to us. We couldn't give them just a slap on the wrist!" Danny said. He lowered his voice. "Innocent people did die. But innocent people had to die. It wasn't your fault." Rafe didn't answer. He just kept his gaze on the stars. Danny turned around and closed the door behind him.
Rafe heard Evelyn go "uh" when Danny came back into the room. Just to hear her voice was enough for him. He could go to sleep now. He laid on his bed and closed his eyes. He smiled as he reminisced on all the good times he had with Evelyn. When she wasn't in love with Danny. His best friend. His brother. A traitor.
'No, Danny is not a traitor,' he tried to tell himself. Half of his mind pushed this theory. 'They missed you. YOU WERE DEAD!'
The other half was stronger though. 'No matter how lonely you were, he was your brother. Brothers don't stab their siblings in the back. They don't steal your girl as soon as they think you are dead. They have no part in her!"
He told himself the most important thing right now is that he needed sleep. And lots of it.
******************************************************************************
The phone woke Danny with a start. He immediately knew who was on the other end. "Hello," he said trying to make his sleep deprived brain say the word with complete professionalism. "Danny Walker speaking."
"Yes, Mr. Walker. My name is Gregory Patterson. This phone call is in response to your inquiry for a job. We have open spaces available. You would have to go through a 3 month training period which you will learn what you need to know about your job. You will soon be able to work. For the first 3 years, you will go to a one month training session each year. After this, you will be finished training," the man on the other end of the line said.
"You mean it? I'll get to fly?" Danny asked joyously.
"Yes, Mr. Walker," the man said laughing, "you'll get to fly. You will be moving to New York this weekend. First training starts on Monday. Any more questions?"
'Rafe, what about Rafe?' Danny thought. "Yes, do you have any more available spots? If so, I know the perfect pilot to take a spot. His name is Rafe McCawley. And he was looking for work around New York, also."
Evelyn looked at Danny. She smiled. He hung the phone up. "Evelyn, we're moving to New York!" he said excitedly. "And I get to fly." She studied him. Yes, exactly like a kid in a candy store with this one. "And Rafe is going to be able to fly, too!"
"That's great, dear. But maybe you should have informed Rafe of this before you volunteered him for the job. Although I'm sure he'll be just as happy as you are," Evelyn said smiling.
Danny knocked on Rafe's door. No answer. He pounded harder. Still no answer. "Rafe! Open the door!" Danny yelled.
"What the hell? Oh, Danny. It's you. Well, hello then," Rafe said opening the door.
"We're going to New York. And we get to fly! And we both have jobs! But, we get to fly!" Danny said.
"Danny, you didn't have enough sleep. We can't fly, remember? We quit our jobs! And we're moving to Minnesota, not New York. And we're leaving Wednesday, not Saturday," Rafe said to his friend.
"But I didn't tell you we were leaving Saturday. You heard my phone conversation, didn't you? Well, it doesn't matter. We both have jobs. And we both get to be by Evelyn. And we both get to fly!" Danny said excitedly.
"Well, then what are we waiting for? Hell's not gonna freeze over anytime soon. Let's go pack," Rafe said with a grin. He couldn't wait to be back in a plane. The excitement, the danger, the exhilaration. Of course, it wouldn't be as great as in their old planes but at least it would be there. Life was going to be great. As soon as he got over Danny and Evelyn. But he could do it, right?
