Healing the Breach
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.
It had been a beautiful wedding in Sandra's opinion. Small and a bit rushed but beautiful
nonetheless. Rafe, and all the pilots who had served as ushers, looked dashingly
handsome in their uniforms. Evelyn played the part of the beautiful bride flawlessly. Her
father, who had not been able to attend the wedding because he couldn't get out of
Boston in time, had sent her her mother's wedding dress. The simple beaded white dress
and veil had fit Evelyn's newly petite form wonderfully. All the nurses were Evelyn's
bridesmaids and wore gowns of a pale, icy blue. Sandra, according to Anthony, bid to
upstage the bride.
Their reception was held at the beach near the nurse's quarters. The wedding had been
small but those that were there were friends, colleagues and family. That mix of people
made for an interesting and joyous celebration. Colonel Doolittle, who had opted to stay
in Hawaii and open a new training facility for new pilots on the West Coast at Hickam
field, had flown in his wife Marjorie. She was quite popular with all of the nurses, even
thought they had just met her. "We need another woman around here," Sandra murmured
to no one in particular.
"What was that?" Anthony asked, coming up behind her and speaking directly in her ear.
"I was just saying that I was glad there was another woman around to help us girls keep
you men in check," Sandra laughed. She knew that Marjorie Doolittle was already a sort
of mother figure to the pilots, helping them with their ties, making sure that they got
enough to eat, and trying to talk Rafe out of his nerves this morning.
"Marjorie?" Anthony said, enjoying the shiver he saw run up Sandra's spine. "Yeah
she's great. It's hard to picture Doolittle married, though." None of the men had ever
thought that the seemingly hard, stubborn, and determined colonel would ever had found
a woman that would tolerate him. But Marjorie Doolittle gave it right back to her
husband of twenty-three years.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the yard, Rafe was enjoying a quiet moment with is new
family. The adoption papers about Danny had come through and legally he was his son.
Evelyn and he had been to the town hall earlier in the week and now, with their marriage
license, they belonged to each other. They had come a long way in the two months since
Rafe had returned. They could be together without that underlying feeling of guilt.
They had one last hurdle though. It was time to bring Danny's body home. Rafe wasn't
sure what would happen when they went back home to Tennessee. He would be
surrounded by memories of Danny. "Evelyn," he asked, "Do you want to stay and live in
Tennessee or do you want to come back here to Pearl?"
"I don't know," she replied, shifting Danny to her other hip. He had been so quiet during
the ceremony, he was such a good baby, sitting on Mrs. Doolittle's lap. "Why?" Evelyn
was confused. They had never talked about staying in Tennessee. She knew that they
would have to go there to bury Danny at the boy's farm but she had never considered
staying there as an option. She loved Hawaii and had never thought of leaving. If they
moved back to Tennessee, would Rafe still stay in the military? "Would you have to stop
flying?" she asked, "Is there a military base there?"
Evelyn loved everything about Hawaii. She loved the tiger lilies that surrounded their
house, the smell of plumeria, and the fact that the sun could have set but there was still
heat left over. She loved the slow-paced life of the locals and she loved the base at Pearl.
Leaving the island would be letting the Japanese win. She had seen so many families
leave, thinking that Hawaii wasn't safe anymore. She wanted to raise her son here, she
wanted him to be surrounded by history. She wanted to live here with Rafe. To have a
home and grow old together.
"We have a plane at home but yeah, I'd have to stop flying for the army," Rafe answered.
He didn't want to stop being an army pilot but if Evelyn wanted to stay Tennessee than
he was prepared to give that up for her. "I'm only asking because Doolittle asked me to
help train pilots at Hickam."
Evelyn snaked an arm around Rafe's waist as she looked up at his face. "You wouldn't
be combat fighting?" she asked, the smile on her face giving Rafe the only answer he
needed, "You'd be here at Pearl all the time?"
"For the time being," Rafe answered, "Doolittle says that there isn't any use killing all
the good pilots because then there wouldn't be anyone to teach the new guys." Rafe lived
to fly but he had seen how his career as a combat fighter had effected the people he
loved. He knew that he didn't honestly want to "teach loops and barrel rolls" for the rest
of his life but he had had his shot. He had seen combat and he had seen enough of it.
"Rafe," Evelyn whispered, standing on her tiptoes so that her lips were an inch away
from his ear, "Why don't we see if one of the girls will watch Danny tonight before we
leave tomorrow morning for Tennessee?" She felt the pit of her stomach drop as she saw
the color rise in Rafe's cheeks. She knew what he was thinking because she was thinking
the same exact thing.
"I think that's a very good idea, Mrs. McCawley," he said.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.
It had been a beautiful wedding in Sandra's opinion. Small and a bit rushed but beautiful
nonetheless. Rafe, and all the pilots who had served as ushers, looked dashingly
handsome in their uniforms. Evelyn played the part of the beautiful bride flawlessly. Her
father, who had not been able to attend the wedding because he couldn't get out of
Boston in time, had sent her her mother's wedding dress. The simple beaded white dress
and veil had fit Evelyn's newly petite form wonderfully. All the nurses were Evelyn's
bridesmaids and wore gowns of a pale, icy blue. Sandra, according to Anthony, bid to
upstage the bride.
Their reception was held at the beach near the nurse's quarters. The wedding had been
small but those that were there were friends, colleagues and family. That mix of people
made for an interesting and joyous celebration. Colonel Doolittle, who had opted to stay
in Hawaii and open a new training facility for new pilots on the West Coast at Hickam
field, had flown in his wife Marjorie. She was quite popular with all of the nurses, even
thought they had just met her. "We need another woman around here," Sandra murmured
to no one in particular.
"What was that?" Anthony asked, coming up behind her and speaking directly in her ear.
"I was just saying that I was glad there was another woman around to help us girls keep
you men in check," Sandra laughed. She knew that Marjorie Doolittle was already a sort
of mother figure to the pilots, helping them with their ties, making sure that they got
enough to eat, and trying to talk Rafe out of his nerves this morning.
"Marjorie?" Anthony said, enjoying the shiver he saw run up Sandra's spine. "Yeah
she's great. It's hard to picture Doolittle married, though." None of the men had ever
thought that the seemingly hard, stubborn, and determined colonel would ever had found
a woman that would tolerate him. But Marjorie Doolittle gave it right back to her
husband of twenty-three years.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the yard, Rafe was enjoying a quiet moment with is new
family. The adoption papers about Danny had come through and legally he was his son.
Evelyn and he had been to the town hall earlier in the week and now, with their marriage
license, they belonged to each other. They had come a long way in the two months since
Rafe had returned. They could be together without that underlying feeling of guilt.
They had one last hurdle though. It was time to bring Danny's body home. Rafe wasn't
sure what would happen when they went back home to Tennessee. He would be
surrounded by memories of Danny. "Evelyn," he asked, "Do you want to stay and live in
Tennessee or do you want to come back here to Pearl?"
"I don't know," she replied, shifting Danny to her other hip. He had been so quiet during
the ceremony, he was such a good baby, sitting on Mrs. Doolittle's lap. "Why?" Evelyn
was confused. They had never talked about staying in Tennessee. She knew that they
would have to go there to bury Danny at the boy's farm but she had never considered
staying there as an option. She loved Hawaii and had never thought of leaving. If they
moved back to Tennessee, would Rafe still stay in the military? "Would you have to stop
flying?" she asked, "Is there a military base there?"
Evelyn loved everything about Hawaii. She loved the tiger lilies that surrounded their
house, the smell of plumeria, and the fact that the sun could have set but there was still
heat left over. She loved the slow-paced life of the locals and she loved the base at Pearl.
Leaving the island would be letting the Japanese win. She had seen so many families
leave, thinking that Hawaii wasn't safe anymore. She wanted to raise her son here, she
wanted him to be surrounded by history. She wanted to live here with Rafe. To have a
home and grow old together.
"We have a plane at home but yeah, I'd have to stop flying for the army," Rafe answered.
He didn't want to stop being an army pilot but if Evelyn wanted to stay Tennessee than
he was prepared to give that up for her. "I'm only asking because Doolittle asked me to
help train pilots at Hickam."
Evelyn snaked an arm around Rafe's waist as she looked up at his face. "You wouldn't
be combat fighting?" she asked, the smile on her face giving Rafe the only answer he
needed, "You'd be here at Pearl all the time?"
"For the time being," Rafe answered, "Doolittle says that there isn't any use killing all
the good pilots because then there wouldn't be anyone to teach the new guys." Rafe lived
to fly but he had seen how his career as a combat fighter had effected the people he
loved. He knew that he didn't honestly want to "teach loops and barrel rolls" for the rest
of his life but he had had his shot. He had seen combat and he had seen enough of it.
"Rafe," Evelyn whispered, standing on her tiptoes so that her lips were an inch away
from his ear, "Why don't we see if one of the girls will watch Danny tonight before we
leave tomorrow morning for Tennessee?" She felt the pit of her stomach drop as she saw
the color rise in Rafe's cheeks. She knew what he was thinking because she was thinking
the same exact thing.
"I think that's a very good idea, Mrs. McCawley," he said.