Evelyn finished setting the table with her grandmother's china that her mother had shipped to her just a week before. She could smell the turkey in the oven and hoped Rafe was keeping an eye on it. This was the first Thanksgiving he'd been home since they'd been married and they were having everyone over for dinner.
Since their last mission had been longer than usual the pilots were off rotation and by a bit of good luck, the nurses were off duty as well so no one would have to miss the holiday meal.
Danny and Sandra were the first to show up and it was not lost on Evelyn that they had come together. Rafe had come out from the kitchen to say hello to the pair and then looked at his friend. "Come on Danny, you have to help me with this bird. If I burn it Evelyn's goin' to kill me." He grinned at her and headed back to the kitchen with Danny right behind him.
"Come in and make yourself at home." Evelyn said and tucked her arm through Sandra's. "It's been so long since you've been here."
"I'm sorry Ev. You've been so busy with the new baby, I didn't want to bother you."
"Sandra it would never be a bother, you should know that."
They followed the boys out to the kitchen and to Evelyn's great amusement her husband and his best friend were making absolute fools of themselves trying to make the children laugh. Sarah for her part seemed to enjoy it from her baby seat on the kitchen table. She was just a month and a half old and her big brother Danny, at nearly fourteen months, was sitting in his high chair and clapping at the antics of his father and godfather.
Evelyn looked at Sandra and shook her head. "I often wonder who the bigger kid is." And she said it loud enough to be sure Rafe heard.
He turned and grinned at her. "The kids were gettin' fussy."
To that, she smiled at him. "Sarah was sleeping."
"Don't blame him Evelyn." Danny defended his friend. "I woke her up to say hi."
"Well if she doesn't sleep tonight, I will personally call you at the barracks in the middle of the night and wake you out of a sound sleep."
"You wouldn't really do that would you?" He asked with a smile.
"If she doesn't, I will." Sandra told him.
Danny looked at her and a light flush crossed his face. "Now that I wouldn't mind."
Rafe and Evelyn looked at each other and tried not to smile because Danny seemed absolutely smitten. Sandra for her part was adjusting her glasses, a sure sign to Evelyn that she was nervous. So to help she tried to draw the attention away from her bashful friend. "All right Captain, how is that turkey coming?" She asked her husband.
"Almost done Mrs. McCawley. I'd give in another half-hour." Rafe reported to her like a drill sergeant.
She swatted him with the nearest available dishtowel and laughed. "Smart aleck."
"I love you too, honey." And he flashed her a cocky grin before he turned back to the oven to open the door and check on the turkey.
Evelyn heard a knock at the front door and handed Sandra the dishtowel. "Use this if you have to." And she headed out to the living room. When she opened the door Barbara and Martha were there. Martha held out a pumpkin pie and Barbara, mincemeat. "Two pies for dessert as requested." Martha said.
Barbara asked her, "Has Sandra showed up yet?"
Evelyn motioned to her to lower her voice. "She and Danny came together and they're out in the kitchen."
"She's being as mysterious as you and Rafe were." Martha commented quietly. "They must be pretty serious."
Evelyn wondered if she should tell them what she'd seen in the kitchen and decided against it. Sandra hadn't told her anything and she obviously did not want to talk to anyone, including her roommates. She remembered how she'd talked to Barbara during her courtship and how her friend had not told the other girls what they'd discussed. She felt it was only fair to Sandra to keep her observations to herself. "When they're ready to say something, they will." Was all she told them.
Barbara looked completely exasperated. "Ev, this has been going on since we came to Pearl Harbor. It's been over two years and their still not talking."
"They'll tell us when they're ready." She said.
They walked out to the kitchen and when Rafe saw the nurses standing there he joked, "The cockpit of my plane can only hold one person," and that got Evelyn to raise her eyebrows and smile. "Well, usually only one." And he had the grace to flush, which made Evelyn and Danny laugh. They were the only one's who knew about Rafe's Christmas present to Evelyn when they were still stationed in New York. He'd taken her up for a ride in his P-40 when she'd returned after a week at home. "My point is, there are too many people in this small kitchen so ya'll have to move into the livin' room. Danny you can stay."
"Thanks old man." Danny used a long ago name from childhood.
"Do you want me to take the kids?" Evelyn asked as she put the two pies on the counter.
"They can stay. Relax for awhile, you've been on your feet all day." Rafe told her. "Besides, everything is ready to go. We're just waitin' for the guest of honor to finish cookin'."
She smiled at him and kissed him squarely on the mouth. "Thank you." And she went into the living room without a backward glance.
After she'd left Danny looked at his friend who stood there with a bemused look on his face. "You are one lucky guy, Rafe McCawley."
"Don't I know it." He debated for a moment. "How 'bout you? Are you a lucky guy?" When Danny hesitated, Rafe shook his head. "Never mind it's none of my business."
Danny sighed. "Do you think we're takin' it too slow Rafe?"
"You have to do what's right for you. If this is what you want to do then do it, don't let any of us push you into anything."
"I feel like such an idiot sometimes. What girl would put up with this?"
Rafe put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Someone who thinks you're worth it. There were so many things I did wrong when it came to Evelyn but somehow it all seemed to work out. Twice she thought she lost me and every time we go out on a mission there's a damn good chance she might. You said yourself you wanted to do this right and if spendin' time with her without feelin' like you have to tell us everything, then that's what you do. All right?"
Danny grinned at his bluntness. "Thanks Rafe. We've both been feelin' like we've been keepin' a secret from ya'll."
Rafe opened the oven door again to check on the progress of the bird. "Tell us whatever you want when you're ready and not before. Evelyn and I understand that you know."
"I know you do."
There was a knock at the front door. Evelyn got up to answer it and Red and Gooz were there. "We were beginning to wonder if you boys were going to show up, come on in."
She directed them into the living room while she hung their jackets in the closet. "Rafe and Danny are in the kitchen."
Gooz looked at Red. "They're in the kitchen." He shook his head at the thought of a man in the kitchen, doing women's work.
"Come on Gooz that's the way Rafe and Evelyn do things."
"It's not natural, not natural at all." He mumbled as they went out to the kitchen.
Evelyn had heard the exchange and smiled. She and Rafe were only doing what his parents did. There was so much work to do in running a farm, couples had to work together to get everything done. Rafe had told her how he had seen his father help his mother in the kitchen and how she would help him in the field if he needed her because they were a team. That's the way it was with Rafe and Evelyn.
Rafe called her from the kitchen. "Evelyn, this bird is ready to go, are you?" Danny, Red and Gooz came out from the kitchen each carrying something to put on the table, all the while Gooz mumbled, "Women's work."
She smiled. "Everyone take your seats. We'll be ready to eat in a minute." And she went into the kitchen to see what she needed to do.
"Everything's on the table, but you'll have to get the kids." He told her as he put the turkey on the platter and took it out to the dining room. She looked at her daughter who looked so much like herself with her dark hair and eyes. Rafe had been really happy about that. She picked up Sarah in the baby seat and took it out to the dining room and put it on the table next to her chair. "I'll get Danny." Rafe told her and he went to the kitchen.
When he came back he was holding Danny in one arm and had the highchair in his other hand. He settled the boy in his chair and sat down. He looked around the table to see good friends sitting there all talking to each other and laughing. He looked down at the other end of the table to see his wife talking to Sarah. What more could a man ask for?
"Rafe, you never did tell me what your mama thought about you and Evelyn naming the baby after her." Danny's voice broke into his reverie. "What did she say?"
"She was honored and embarrassed, just like you'd expect Mama to be."
"Why didn't you name her after Evelyn's mother?" Sandra asked.
Rafe looked at Evelyn. "You want to take this?"
She grinned at him. "When we told my mother we were thinking about her name, she asked us not to."
"Why not?" Barbara wanted to know.
"Mother's name is Lucinda and she always resented it. I always wondered why Dad called her Lucy until she explained why."
They all looked at each other and smiled and silently gave thanks that Sarah had the name she did.
After a short prayer and remembering lost friends, Rafe stood up and began to carve the turkey. "Okay everybody, white meat or dark?" And the guests began to pass their plates forward.