…When Rafe died, a part of me died, too. His plane had been shot down in England over the ocean, and no body had been retrieved. I needed Danny then, to make everything better. He wrote me twice a day for the first month after Rafe's death, letters filled with grief and anxiety, and with an air of homesickness that I somehow wished I could cure. I sat around at home for three months, basking in my permanent vigil for Rafe. Then Danny's letter came...
I eagerly rushed it inside the house-- Danny hadn't written in about a week and I needed his words to calm my nerves. My heart hit the floor as I read what he wrote.
"My Little Susie,
I don't know what's happened. Things here are moving so fast, and I'm longing for the comfort of home. But there's something I need to tell you, something I have to tell you because I care about you. I'm falling in love with Evelynn, the same Evelynn that Rafe was in love with. I can't help this, Suze, you have to forgive me. I still want you to come visit me in a month or so, I still love you too. I'm just confused, really really confused-and I need you here with me to help me figure this out. I love you Susie. Please write back.
Yours,
Danny"
My pen had acid for ink as I wrote back, sobbin' the entire time.
"Danny Boy,
You can't love us both, you know. I'm still gonna visit you…but don't expect me to enjoy your company you son of a bitch. I loved you Danny Walker and you promised me you'd love me forever. And now this? Evelynn? RAFE'S Evelynn? What is hell is wrong with you? I think I may hate you Danny. I'm almost sure I do. I'll see you in a few months.
Regards,
Susie"
"Stupid jerk," I muttered, tears streaming down my face as I shoved the letter into the mailbox.
I had two months before I saw Danny again, and that meant two months before I met Evelynn. Hawaii would already be hot, but if I had my way I'd leave it scorched.
…The plane to Hawaii took ages…or maybe it was just the anticipation of seeing Danny again. I did still love him, but I felt so betrayed-what if he didn't love me anymore? My mind kept wanderin to the night we first kissed, the night we first made love. He had made me feel so safe in his arms, and I had wanted it stay that way forever. But now, the future seemed so uncertain…
I gazed out the tiny window at the water. Five minutes until landing, just five minutes until I came face to face with Danny. As we landed, I smoothed my dress out and put on some more lipstick, making sure that everything was in place. As I stepped off the plane, I put on my sunglasses and tried to find Danny through the glare. Suddenly, he was right in front of, picking me up and twirling me around. I couldn't help laughing with joy.
"Oh Susie I missed you!" he exclaimed, setting me down but keeping hold of my arms.
"I'm sure you were preoccupied, Danny," I cooed venomously.
"You hate me, don't you?"
"Well, let me think…hmmm…you only broke my heart and dishonored my brother's memory. Nope, no hate at all. Only love an' happiness here."
"Please don't be so angry. We couldn't help it."
"We? So now you talk for her? Speaking of her, where is that conniving little bitch?"
"Suze, keep it down…I'll take you out for a drink and we'll sit on the beach."
"Fine. But don't expect me to care about anything you have to say."
...I will never forget Hawaii. I'm not sure if it was the beauty of the ocean and the mountains, or if it was the fact that I got Danny and Rafe back at the same time. I was only there for a few days, but it was magical. Sure, it was a little bit awkward between Danny and I when I first got there, but things like that have a way of working themselves' out...
We walked slowly away from the airport, unsure of what to say to eachother. It seemed that once again, thigns had changed. Maybe for good this time-- and I wasn't sure I could handle that.
"Where are we going," I asked dryly, looking straight ahead at the impending shoreline.
"For some drinks, my treat," he shrugged, talking quietly.
"Are they any good down here? Or is it all pina coladas?"
"Nah," he laughed, his eyes crinkling up, "It's actually damned good around here."
"I wanna meet your friends. Might find myself a prospective husband in thre somewhere."
Danny stopped short then. My guess is that he figured I was serious, that I had made it final that our relationship was over. He looked a little scared and even angry, and there were some tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"I'm joking, smarty," I laughed, turning and winking at him. Finally, his mouth cracked a grin and he resumed walking.
In a few minutes we had arrived at the bar on the island. It was virtually empty, save for a few soldiers here and there. A carrot-top came up and patted Danny on the back.
"Th-th-this your sister, W-w-walker?" he asked, smiling sweetly at me.
"Nah, this is my...well...my fiance. From back in Tenn. Suze, this is Red," Danny responded, looking extremely nervous.
Red got an awfully confused look on his face, but recovered in time to introduce himself. He shook my hand readily.
"And wh-wh-what's your name, m-m-ma'am?" he inquired, grinning.
"Susanna McCawley, but call me Susie," I answered shyly.
"Shit Danny, is she Rafe's Susie?" Red asked, pulling Danny a few feet away and preparing to interrogate him. I could easily hear their conversation, though hushed, and the whole ordeal made me even mroe upset.
"Yea she's his baby sister," Danny answered impatiently.
"Does she know? 'Bout Evelynn?"
"She does, and I'm tryin' to work this out."
"Well who do you love more?"
"Susie. I've known her almost all my life. But I can't hurt Evelynn, she's been through too much shit lately, what with Rafe dyin' and all."
"Well think about his sister, don't you think she's felt the most pain of all?"
"I'm thinkin', Red. I can't be rash about it, though, I just can't."
I'd heard enough. Picking up my purse, I stood up and left the bar, not sure if either of them had noticed my departure. So he really did care about me more than her? That was good, I felt relief after hearing that. But still--why couldn't he just end it now? I couldn't bear much more pain, and I needed Danny to be there with me.
I sat down on a bench in a garden and thought. Not really about anything in particular, just Danny and Rafe and our childhood, and what we had thought would be our future. Glancing around, I saw that Red was leaving the bar with a pretty young blonde. He and Danny had finished their little talk.
"Suze?" I heard a deep voice callin' me.
"Over here," I responded quietly.
Danny approached me slowly and sat down next to me on the bench. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.
"I'm sorry about that," he offered shyly, referring to the long discussion in the bar.
"It's okay," I answered, nearly whispering, "I wasn't upset by it."
"If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me?"
"Of course you are. I f you really gave a damn, you'd tell Evelynn about me. You'd end it with her."
"I know, but--"
"Don't give me anymore excuses, I can't take the pain for much longer. I love you more than life itself, but i can't be put through this anymore Danny."
I stood up and faced away from him, my arms folded. I told myself not to cry.
"I love you too, Suze, more than you'll ever know. I just need time to make it easy on Eve. Tonight though, tonight I'll take you walking on the beach." He came up behind me and stood there wth his arms around me. He lay his chin on my shoulder and whispered into my ear. "It'll be like the old days. We'll just sit and watch the stars. Remember that?"
"Yea," I turned around and held his hands, looking him square in the face, "I do. That'd be nice."
"I'll pick you up at 7," he said quietly, pulling me close and kissing me strongly. I returned the kiss and then broke away.
"I love you little Susie," he called as I walked away.
Turning, I smiled and winked.
"Love you too, Danny Boy."
...I spent that afternoon getting ready. I knew that I had to impress him, but I didn't want to act too fake. Instead, I put on a sundress and a litl ebit of makeup, and I sat there at the table for 3 hours (I was ready 3 hours early from excitement), waiting for him to pick me up and take me to the beach, where we'd watch the stars together as we did when we were little...
That night we walked along the water in silence until we got to the rocks overlooking the sunset.
"I love you so much Danny," I blurted out before he could say anything.
"I love you too baby, but I'm so confused right now…"He sighed watching me as I looked at the waves.
"How could you do this to me? To Rafe? You meant everything to the both of us. And now that Rafe is gone, you're leaving me too!"
"I'm always gonna be here for you Suze. You know that."
"Yea, you're always gonna be here for me so I can sit and watch you and your darlin' Evelynn fall madly in love with each other."
"That's not true! I can't tell what's best for me right now. It's always been you in the back of my mind, but if I leave Evelynn she'll lose something else, like she lost Rafe."
"So this is all a charade, huh? All because you want to spare her her feelings?"
"In a way…I mean, I care about her-just not like I care a bout you. She's one of my best friends, but you're my love."
"Then kiss me again, like you used to, and maybe I'll believe you."
Danny stood up and pulled me to my feet. As the sun set behind us, he kissed my forehead gently and then, as I had done nearly two years ago, he traced his lips over my face and finally kissed me strongly and deeply. I felt the same warmth that I had felt on Stanley Drive, and I nearly collapsed in his arms. As he held me and continued to kiss me, I felt the tears fall from his eyes onto my face. We lay down on the rock, lips still connected, and stayed there in an unbreakable kiss that lasted for hours. When we pulled apart, Danny pointed to the stars that had filled the sky.
"Suze," he said quietly into my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck, "I'll still hold your hand so you don't have to worry…"
"I'd like that," I whispered a lone tear rolling down my cheek as he grasped for my hand. In the background, the waves crashed roughly against the rocks and the breeze blew softly against my skin.
…I stayed away from Evelynn that week, because I knew I'd hit her if I ever got the chance. But now that I knew Danny's motives, my heart was at ease. He loved me more than anything else and that was what mattered. And then it happened, something that would send all of us into the eye of the storm…
I sat alone on the beach, knowing that in about a day I would be back in Tennessee, alone. There was something in the air that screamed of change; something big was going to happen. A cough behind me startled me.
"Baby girl?" I turned around at this hauntingly familiar voice.
It was Rafe. And he wasn't dead, he was very much alive and well-and standing behind me.
"Rafe!!!" I screamed, jumping up and pouncing on him. I couldn't hold back my tears as I held my big brother tight.
"Suzie Q, it's alright now. I'm ok, and I'm here with you," he sobbed as held me to him. I felt so tiny compared to him. My hero. He was back.
"What happened Rafe? Are you ok? Oh Lord, I thought you were dead!"
"My plane was sunk but I got out alright. I was bruised, but more 'an anything I was freezing. So I held on to some debris and a French ship picked me up, and here I am."
"Just don't go away again, Rafe. I can't lose you again."
He looked at me with big eyes.
"Suze, you look so much bigger. I can't hardly believe my baby girl grew up..."
"I've been real adult lately. Takin' care of the house and myself...it's been hard but I think I'm learnin responsibility."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. So you're a good reformed girl now, huh?"
"Not exactly," I smiled and lit up a smoke.
We sat there for an hour or so, just crying on each other. I told him about Danny, and he said he knew. He saw them sitting together. Rafe was angrier about that than I had ever seen him before.
"He promised me in the beginning that he wouldn't hurt you. Hurtin' me was one thing, hurtin' you is the final straw," Rafe drawled coldly.
Finally, he stood up and walked me back to where I was staying.
"You go to sleep now Suze, you're plane leaves the ground at 7:30 tomorrow morning, don't forget," he said warmly as he tucked me in.
"I love you Rafe. I missed you so much," I yawned gazing up at him through sleep-clouded eyes.
He kissed my forehead and left to go to the bar and have some drinks with his buddies, who had missed him terribly.
The next day, at 7:15, I waited on board my plane. Danny was nowhere to be found, his friends said that he and Rafe had fought and drove off somewhere in the middle of the night. I left him a letter, and one for Rafe, and knew that everything was going to be alright. Evelynn could have Rafe back now, and Danny would be completely mine again. At 7:45 we took off.
It took about eight minutes until we were completely up in the air. As we left the island, two lanes whizzed past us. Only they weren't American planes, they were Japanese. Nervously, I stared out window and was horrified at what I saw. Bombs were being dropped on Pearl Harbor, guns being fired everywhere.
"No!!!!!!" I screamed helplessly, "Danny and Rafe are there! NO!"
I couldn't lose either of them again, yet what could I do? I couldn't get out of the plane, and there was no way the pilot would go back.
Anxiously, I ran off the plane as it landed in Texas and sat at home, listening for news of the attack on the radio. It had lasted only three or four minutes, but we lost thousands. The phone didn't ring, the doorbell didn't buzz. I had no news of Rafe or of Danny and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Finally, the next morning, the phone rang.
"Susie? It's Danny."
"Danny!" I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God you're okay! Is Rafe alright?"
"He's fine, darlin', but I've got somewhat bad news. Doolittle wants us to go with him on some sort of secret mission. I think we're striking back."
"But you can't! Danny, please don't go!"
"I don't want to go Suze, but it's my duty. Now, if anythin' happens to me…"
"Stop it! I don't want to hear this…"
"You have to, because I love you. If anything happens I want you to remember me always. I want you to go on with your life, okay?"
"Danny, I can't…"
"Promise me!"
"I promise. I love you so much, Danny! Is Rafe there?"
"He couldn't talk over the phone, got too choked up. So he wrote to you instead, about 5 pages, haha. He loves you little Susie, a whole ton."
"Tell him I love him too, tell him I'll be waiting for you both when you get home."
"Bye baby, I love you."
"I love you too, be careful!"
…The Doolittle Raid was a disaster. At first, the US reined victorious and bombed Tokyo with merciless force. However, when they landed in China they were ambushed by a group of Japanese soldiers. Rafe almost died but Danny saved him. My Danny came through for Rafe and saved him. Then, when everything seemed to be okay again, the Japanese captured Danny and tied him up, leaving Rafe for dead. Rafe tried to save Danny, but the Japanese saw his plan. They killed my Danny, killed him right there. He had no chance to fight back, he was tied up. When Rafe got home he tried to hide the fact that Danny was gone from me. This succeed'. But only for five minutes. I saw it in his eyes. Rafe and Evelynn got married, and had a baby, Danny's with Evelynn. They named him Danny Jr., and buried Danny in our backyard in Tennessee. I never did fall in love again the same way that I loved Danny. Evelynn tried to find me someone, and eventually it worked. I got married an' tried to move on. But Danny will always be my truest love. And even now, as I remember that fateful July night on Stanley Drive, I know that he's still holdin' my hand so I don't have to worry.Danny's funeral was the most painful experience I ever went through. I had felt this kind of pain before, when Rafe had supposedly "died", but now I faced a future without a love, without a husband, and without a child. Things couldn'ta been more harrowin' for me than they were that year. But I had a friend to help me through it, and I found that friend to be the person whom I least expected to even care...
I eagerly rushed it inside the house-- Danny hadn't written in about a week and I needed his words to calm my nerves. My heart hit the floor as I read what he wrote.
"My Little Susie,
I don't know what's happened. Things here are moving so fast, and I'm longing for the comfort of home. But there's something I need to tell you, something I have to tell you because I care about you. I'm falling in love with Evelynn, the same Evelynn that Rafe was in love with. I can't help this, Suze, you have to forgive me. I still want you to come visit me in a month or so, I still love you too. I'm just confused, really really confused-and I need you here with me to help me figure this out. I love you Susie. Please write back.
Yours,
Danny"
My pen had acid for ink as I wrote back, sobbin' the entire time.
"Danny Boy,
You can't love us both, you know. I'm still gonna visit you…but don't expect me to enjoy your company you son of a bitch. I loved you Danny Walker and you promised me you'd love me forever. And now this? Evelynn? RAFE'S Evelynn? What is hell is wrong with you? I think I may hate you Danny. I'm almost sure I do. I'll see you in a few months.
Regards,
Susie"
"Stupid jerk," I muttered, tears streaming down my face as I shoved the letter into the mailbox.
I had two months before I saw Danny again, and that meant two months before I met Evelynn. Hawaii would already be hot, but if I had my way I'd leave it scorched.
…The plane to Hawaii took ages…or maybe it was just the anticipation of seeing Danny again. I did still love him, but I felt so betrayed-what if he didn't love me anymore? My mind kept wanderin to the night we first kissed, the night we first made love. He had made me feel so safe in his arms, and I had wanted it stay that way forever. But now, the future seemed so uncertain…
I gazed out the tiny window at the water. Five minutes until landing, just five minutes until I came face to face with Danny. As we landed, I smoothed my dress out and put on some more lipstick, making sure that everything was in place. As I stepped off the plane, I put on my sunglasses and tried to find Danny through the glare. Suddenly, he was right in front of, picking me up and twirling me around. I couldn't help laughing with joy.
"Oh Susie I missed you!" he exclaimed, setting me down but keeping hold of my arms.
"I'm sure you were preoccupied, Danny," I cooed venomously.
"You hate me, don't you?"
"Well, let me think…hmmm…you only broke my heart and dishonored my brother's memory. Nope, no hate at all. Only love an' happiness here."
"Please don't be so angry. We couldn't help it."
"We? So now you talk for her? Speaking of her, where is that conniving little bitch?"
"Suze, keep it down…I'll take you out for a drink and we'll sit on the beach."
"Fine. But don't expect me to care about anything you have to say."
...I will never forget Hawaii. I'm not sure if it was the beauty of the ocean and the mountains, or if it was the fact that I got Danny and Rafe back at the same time. I was only there for a few days, but it was magical. Sure, it was a little bit awkward between Danny and I when I first got there, but things like that have a way of working themselves' out...
We walked slowly away from the airport, unsure of what to say to eachother. It seemed that once again, thigns had changed. Maybe for good this time-- and I wasn't sure I could handle that.
"Where are we going," I asked dryly, looking straight ahead at the impending shoreline.
"For some drinks, my treat," he shrugged, talking quietly.
"Are they any good down here? Or is it all pina coladas?"
"Nah," he laughed, his eyes crinkling up, "It's actually damned good around here."
"I wanna meet your friends. Might find myself a prospective husband in thre somewhere."
Danny stopped short then. My guess is that he figured I was serious, that I had made it final that our relationship was over. He looked a little scared and even angry, and there were some tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"I'm joking, smarty," I laughed, turning and winking at him. Finally, his mouth cracked a grin and he resumed walking.
In a few minutes we had arrived at the bar on the island. It was virtually empty, save for a few soldiers here and there. A carrot-top came up and patted Danny on the back.
"Th-th-this your sister, W-w-walker?" he asked, smiling sweetly at me.
"Nah, this is my...well...my fiance. From back in Tenn. Suze, this is Red," Danny responded, looking extremely nervous.
Red got an awfully confused look on his face, but recovered in time to introduce himself. He shook my hand readily.
"And wh-wh-what's your name, m-m-ma'am?" he inquired, grinning.
"Susanna McCawley, but call me Susie," I answered shyly.
"Shit Danny, is she Rafe's Susie?" Red asked, pulling Danny a few feet away and preparing to interrogate him. I could easily hear their conversation, though hushed, and the whole ordeal made me even mroe upset.
"Yea she's his baby sister," Danny answered impatiently.
"Does she know? 'Bout Evelynn?"
"She does, and I'm tryin' to work this out."
"Well who do you love more?"
"Susie. I've known her almost all my life. But I can't hurt Evelynn, she's been through too much shit lately, what with Rafe dyin' and all."
"Well think about his sister, don't you think she's felt the most pain of all?"
"I'm thinkin', Red. I can't be rash about it, though, I just can't."
I'd heard enough. Picking up my purse, I stood up and left the bar, not sure if either of them had noticed my departure. So he really did care about me more than her? That was good, I felt relief after hearing that. But still--why couldn't he just end it now? I couldn't bear much more pain, and I needed Danny to be there with me.
I sat down on a bench in a garden and thought. Not really about anything in particular, just Danny and Rafe and our childhood, and what we had thought would be our future. Glancing around, I saw that Red was leaving the bar with a pretty young blonde. He and Danny had finished their little talk.
"Suze?" I heard a deep voice callin' me.
"Over here," I responded quietly.
Danny approached me slowly and sat down next to me on the bench. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.
"I'm sorry about that," he offered shyly, referring to the long discussion in the bar.
"It's okay," I answered, nearly whispering, "I wasn't upset by it."
"If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me?"
"Of course you are. I f you really gave a damn, you'd tell Evelynn about me. You'd end it with her."
"I know, but--"
"Don't give me anymore excuses, I can't take the pain for much longer. I love you more than life itself, but i can't be put through this anymore Danny."
I stood up and faced away from him, my arms folded. I told myself not to cry.
"I love you too, Suze, more than you'll ever know. I just need time to make it easy on Eve. Tonight though, tonight I'll take you walking on the beach." He came up behind me and stood there wth his arms around me. He lay his chin on my shoulder and whispered into my ear. "It'll be like the old days. We'll just sit and watch the stars. Remember that?"
"Yea," I turned around and held his hands, looking him square in the face, "I do. That'd be nice."
"I'll pick you up at 7," he said quietly, pulling me close and kissing me strongly. I returned the kiss and then broke away.
"I love you little Susie," he called as I walked away.
Turning, I smiled and winked.
"Love you too, Danny Boy."
...I spent that afternoon getting ready. I knew that I had to impress him, but I didn't want to act too fake. Instead, I put on a sundress and a litl ebit of makeup, and I sat there at the table for 3 hours (I was ready 3 hours early from excitement), waiting for him to pick me up and take me to the beach, where we'd watch the stars together as we did when we were little...
That night we walked along the water in silence until we got to the rocks overlooking the sunset.
"I love you so much Danny," I blurted out before he could say anything.
"I love you too baby, but I'm so confused right now…"He sighed watching me as I looked at the waves.
"How could you do this to me? To Rafe? You meant everything to the both of us. And now that Rafe is gone, you're leaving me too!"
"I'm always gonna be here for you Suze. You know that."
"Yea, you're always gonna be here for me so I can sit and watch you and your darlin' Evelynn fall madly in love with each other."
"That's not true! I can't tell what's best for me right now. It's always been you in the back of my mind, but if I leave Evelynn she'll lose something else, like she lost Rafe."
"So this is all a charade, huh? All because you want to spare her her feelings?"
"In a way…I mean, I care about her-just not like I care a bout you. She's one of my best friends, but you're my love."
"Then kiss me again, like you used to, and maybe I'll believe you."
Danny stood up and pulled me to my feet. As the sun set behind us, he kissed my forehead gently and then, as I had done nearly two years ago, he traced his lips over my face and finally kissed me strongly and deeply. I felt the same warmth that I had felt on Stanley Drive, and I nearly collapsed in his arms. As he held me and continued to kiss me, I felt the tears fall from his eyes onto my face. We lay down on the rock, lips still connected, and stayed there in an unbreakable kiss that lasted for hours. When we pulled apart, Danny pointed to the stars that had filled the sky.
"Suze," he said quietly into my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck, "I'll still hold your hand so you don't have to worry…"
"I'd like that," I whispered a lone tear rolling down my cheek as he grasped for my hand. In the background, the waves crashed roughly against the rocks and the breeze blew softly against my skin.
…I stayed away from Evelynn that week, because I knew I'd hit her if I ever got the chance. But now that I knew Danny's motives, my heart was at ease. He loved me more than anything else and that was what mattered. And then it happened, something that would send all of us into the eye of the storm…
I sat alone on the beach, knowing that in about a day I would be back in Tennessee, alone. There was something in the air that screamed of change; something big was going to happen. A cough behind me startled me.
"Baby girl?" I turned around at this hauntingly familiar voice.
It was Rafe. And he wasn't dead, he was very much alive and well-and standing behind me.
"Rafe!!!" I screamed, jumping up and pouncing on him. I couldn't hold back my tears as I held my big brother tight.
"Suzie Q, it's alright now. I'm ok, and I'm here with you," he sobbed as held me to him. I felt so tiny compared to him. My hero. He was back.
"What happened Rafe? Are you ok? Oh Lord, I thought you were dead!"
"My plane was sunk but I got out alright. I was bruised, but more 'an anything I was freezing. So I held on to some debris and a French ship picked me up, and here I am."
"Just don't go away again, Rafe. I can't lose you again."
He looked at me with big eyes.
"Suze, you look so much bigger. I can't hardly believe my baby girl grew up..."
"I've been real adult lately. Takin' care of the house and myself...it's been hard but I think I'm learnin responsibility."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. So you're a good reformed girl now, huh?"
"Not exactly," I smiled and lit up a smoke.
We sat there for an hour or so, just crying on each other. I told him about Danny, and he said he knew. He saw them sitting together. Rafe was angrier about that than I had ever seen him before.
"He promised me in the beginning that he wouldn't hurt you. Hurtin' me was one thing, hurtin' you is the final straw," Rafe drawled coldly.
Finally, he stood up and walked me back to where I was staying.
"You go to sleep now Suze, you're plane leaves the ground at 7:30 tomorrow morning, don't forget," he said warmly as he tucked me in.
"I love you Rafe. I missed you so much," I yawned gazing up at him through sleep-clouded eyes.
He kissed my forehead and left to go to the bar and have some drinks with his buddies, who had missed him terribly.
The next day, at 7:15, I waited on board my plane. Danny was nowhere to be found, his friends said that he and Rafe had fought and drove off somewhere in the middle of the night. I left him a letter, and one for Rafe, and knew that everything was going to be alright. Evelynn could have Rafe back now, and Danny would be completely mine again. At 7:45 we took off.
It took about eight minutes until we were completely up in the air. As we left the island, two lanes whizzed past us. Only they weren't American planes, they were Japanese. Nervously, I stared out window and was horrified at what I saw. Bombs were being dropped on Pearl Harbor, guns being fired everywhere.
"No!!!!!!" I screamed helplessly, "Danny and Rafe are there! NO!"
I couldn't lose either of them again, yet what could I do? I couldn't get out of the plane, and there was no way the pilot would go back.
Anxiously, I ran off the plane as it landed in Texas and sat at home, listening for news of the attack on the radio. It had lasted only three or four minutes, but we lost thousands. The phone didn't ring, the doorbell didn't buzz. I had no news of Rafe or of Danny and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Finally, the next morning, the phone rang.
"Susie? It's Danny."
"Danny!" I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God you're okay! Is Rafe alright?"
"He's fine, darlin', but I've got somewhat bad news. Doolittle wants us to go with him on some sort of secret mission. I think we're striking back."
"But you can't! Danny, please don't go!"
"I don't want to go Suze, but it's my duty. Now, if anythin' happens to me…"
"Stop it! I don't want to hear this…"
"You have to, because I love you. If anything happens I want you to remember me always. I want you to go on with your life, okay?"
"Danny, I can't…"
"Promise me!"
"I promise. I love you so much, Danny! Is Rafe there?"
"He couldn't talk over the phone, got too choked up. So he wrote to you instead, about 5 pages, haha. He loves you little Susie, a whole ton."
"Tell him I love him too, tell him I'll be waiting for you both when you get home."
"Bye baby, I love you."
"I love you too, be careful!"
…The Doolittle Raid was a disaster. At first, the US reined victorious and bombed Tokyo with merciless force. However, when they landed in China they were ambushed by a group of Japanese soldiers. Rafe almost died but Danny saved him. My Danny came through for Rafe and saved him. Then, when everything seemed to be okay again, the Japanese captured Danny and tied him up, leaving Rafe for dead. Rafe tried to save Danny, but the Japanese saw his plan. They killed my Danny, killed him right there. He had no chance to fight back, he was tied up. When Rafe got home he tried to hide the fact that Danny was gone from me. This succeed'. But only for five minutes. I saw it in his eyes. Rafe and Evelynn got married, and had a baby, Danny's with Evelynn. They named him Danny Jr., and buried Danny in our backyard in Tennessee. I never did fall in love again the same way that I loved Danny. Evelynn tried to find me someone, and eventually it worked. I got married an' tried to move on. But Danny will always be my truest love. And even now, as I remember that fateful July night on Stanley Drive, I know that he's still holdin' my hand so I don't have to worry.Danny's funeral was the most painful experience I ever went through. I had felt this kind of pain before, when Rafe had supposedly "died", but now I faced a future without a love, without a husband, and without a child. Things couldn'ta been more harrowin' for me than they were that year. But I had a friend to help me through it, and I found that friend to be the person whom I least expected to even care...
