Chapter 10
April 18, 1942

As Rafe looked on while Captain Berenger took off, his heart was in his throat, gasping for air. If something were to happen to her, he wouldn't be able to live, not after losing two loves.

At that same moment, Danny loaded the picnic basket, helped Evelyn into his Ford, and drove toward Memphis. He and his friends would meet just outside of the town, go on a quick hike, and settle down for a picnic. Danny chatted the whole way about how he couldn't wait to see his friends again. The whole time, Evelyn thought about her old friends, mostly Betty. Sandra, Barbara, and Martha were still stationed at Pearl Harbor, helping the injured soldiers to recover.

After knowing that Berry was alright, Rafe went to full power, and followed his friend and girl to Tokyo. It was about noon when they reached their destination, and they began to drop their bombs. Rafe noticed Berry's voice becoming more feminine as she shouted to her men. In a fighting situation such as this, it was no time to worry about sounding like a man. After they hit their targets, Rafe noticed flak being shot at them. "Get into the clouds, Dev, now!"

They had cut the hike short due to three pregnant women with them. Danny's girl was not the only one expecting. Shane's wife, Theresa, was six months along, and Tim's wife, Janice, was four. There were five schoolmate couples there. All were married, except Danny and Evelyn. Danny's friends didn't really question them about it, realizing it was his own life, but, by now, the whole town knew, and rumors were floating around. While they were eating, they began reminiscing on old times. Of course Rafe was brought up. "So where is the old flyboy?" Tim asked.

"We're not sure. Somewhere in the Pacific. He's doing something for Colonel Doolittle." Danny told them, taking a sip of his lemonade.

"Is it dangerous?" Rafe's good friend, Janice asked, worried.

"If you know Rafe it probably is." Shane replied for Danny. Danny was relieved not to have to talk about it. He knew more than most people did, but it was still unacceptable to talk about it.

"So, how did you two meet?" Theresa asked, changing the subject.

"We met through Rafe. When we thought he died, we sort of comforted each other." Evelyn told them.

"Oh, I see. So when did this little miracle happen?" Janice asked, gesturing to the unborn child.

"About a week or so before the attack." Danny replied.

"You were at Pearl Harbor then, too, Evelyn?" Shane asked.

"Yes. I was a nurse." Evelyn replied, wiping her mouth with a napkin, and leaning on her fiancée, who began to hold her.

"Well, then it seems like I'm going to have to interview you too then. If that's alright."

"Perfectly fine." Evelyn replied, weakly, her head was beginning to pound, and the light from the sun wasn't helping.

Danny planted a peck on her forehead, and took a bite of his sandwich. "How did you know Rafe, Evelyn?"

"We met just four weeks before he left for England."

"We all know about Rafe's dyslexia, right? Well, Nurse Johnson, here, was kind enough to pass him on an eye exam." Danny told them.

"We became good friends after that, and then he left." Evelyn explained, "That's when Danny and I left for Hawaii."

"Berry, you've got to get out of here." Rafe thought, as if she could hear him. Just then a broadcast came over the once dead radio, "You're all brave souls. We're on our own." Doolittle's voice transmitted over the radio.

"This really was a suicide mission." Rafe said aloud. Red looked away from Rafe. He knew exactly what he was thinking, for he had heard the conversation in the bathroom. He and Goose both knew. They knew that Berry was in fact a girl, and that Rafe had feelings for her, but they didn't know how she felt about him. That was alright, because, they realized Rafe didn't know either.

Red moved to the back of the cockpit, Rafe noticed this, and asked, "How much fuel we got left?"

Ripley handed Red one can, "This all we got?" Red demanded.

"That's all we got, Red!"

"Rafe," Rafe heard from behind, he turned to look at Red, "You better pray for land!"

Rafe's eyes absent-mindedly drifted to Berenger's plane, where Goose sat, talking to Berenger. Rafe knew it was about fuel. Then he looked ahead, and suddenly, he no longer saw the sea, but the coast. "I see the coast! I see the coast!" Red hurried to the seat beside Rafe to get ready for landing.

Rafe got on the radio, "I see the coast! It's just a few miles out, we can make it, Dev, just follow me!"

"I'm following you, Rafe!" Was the reply he received.

"Do you remember when Rafe threw that huge party when his parents weren't home?" Tim asked Danny.

"How could I forget? That was the night Rafe's dad treated me like his son."

"What do you mean?"

"He gave me the same beatings he gave Rafe. I got to tell you, after that, the McCawley house was just like my own."

Evelyn smiled, and looked across the plains. The sunset was beautiful, of course, not as pretty as the ones at Pearl Harbor, but still they were gorgeous. Instantly Rafe's face replaced that sun, and she remembered the last time she spoke to him, the last time she heard his voice. He was so heartbroken. It was the first time Evelyn had ever seen him cry. "I'll never look at another sunset without thinking of you." That promise was not broken yet.

Rafe had made an emergency landing after telling Berenger to leave. There were Japanese patrols all over the place. They had attempted to protect themselves, but the Japanese were still pulling through. "We've got to get up in those hills, find the Chinese!"

Just then the howling of an airplane engine was upon them, Rafe looked up, it was Devon Berenger. Suddenly her bullets were strafing the Japanese from their posts, and, as she turned to make another passing, she crashed. "Devon!" Rafe screamed, and instantly jumped up to go to her rescue. After rushing through weeds, and shooting down a couple enemy soldiers, Rafe found Berry. She was laying on the ground next to her plane with a piece of sharp metal gouged into her neck. "Dev!"

Rafe attempted to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge, he even gave himself a wound trying to pry it away from her. "I'm fine, Rafe. Make sure there aren't anymore soldiers." She managed to say.

Rafe, without knowing why, obeyed her orders, and, with the help of the other men, Goose and Red in particular, they won over them. After which, Rafe rushed to her side again. "Goose, Red, look for the Chinese." Rafe then looked into Berry's piercing eyes. "You're gonna be alright, Devon."

"Devonny." Came the hoarse reply.

"What?"

"My name's Devonny."

Rafe smiled. He felt her hand on his back, as she pulled him close to her, she kissed him.

To Be Continued...

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