Rafe knew he had to make a decision.

His enlistment was almost up and he was having second thoughts about going back to Tennessee. He had told Red the day that they had all made it home from their last mission he was going back, but now he wasn't so sure. He was still doing routine flight training as he had done at Mitchell but it wasn't in preparation for anything. As Doolittle had admonished him once after a game of chicken with Danny, he wasn't "honing his skills."

But he loved the Air Corps and being an officer and there was the rub.

If he re-enlisted, there was no guarantee that he would get to stay in Hawaii for the rest of his career and he didn't know that he wanted to subject his family to the rigors of moving from base to base. Evelyn had told him more than once that he couldn't let the fact that he was a husband and a father color the way he did his job. And he couldn't let those two facts influence what it was that he really wanted to do. Flying was as much a part of him as Evelyn and the kids were and somehow those three very important things had to work. But how?

So with his wartime service over and his commitment to the Air Corps coming to an end, Rafe McCawley suddenly had no idea which way to go.

His base commander had pulled him into his office wanting to know what his plans were. "General Doolittle always thought quite highly of you and told me what an exceptional pilot you were. He told me about your service with the Eagle Squadron and that I was very fortunate to have you under my command. Frankly Captain McCawley, the last thing I wanted at the time was another cocky pilot because I already had too damn many. But you proved my doubts to be unfounded and your service to this squadron and this base has been exemplary."

Rafe was standing at attention, his cap tucked under his arm and trying to figure out why his commander was telling him this.

"McCawley, rumor has it you're headed home once your enlistment is up." He commented as he looked up from a file folder lying open on his desk, Rafe's service record.

"That was my plan sir."

"That would be a real shame."

"Sir?"

"Captain, we've been through hell and back these last few years and the one thing the Air Corps can't afford to lose is our veteran combat pilots. You are the boys we need to keep flying and teach the new pilots coming in what combat is all about."

"Sir, are you askin' me to be a flight instructor?"

"You make that sound like a bad thing Captain."

How could he explain it? "I don't know if General Doolittle told you, sir, but he asked me to be a flight instructor a few years ago."

"I know about that. He told me you'd accepted the position and then changed your mind so you could stay here."

Rafe sighed. "Yes sir. My wife was goin' to have a baby and I felt at the time the best place for us was out of harms way. I felt that goin' back to New Jersey was best for my family."

"What changed your mind?"

"My wife. As much as she didn't want me flyin' combat anymore, she knew my goin' back wasn't the right thing to do. She wanted to see out the war here, where we had friends."

"If you don't mind my asking Captain, what's waiting for you when you get home?"

Rafe wasn't sure what he was asking. "My folks are there. It's where I grew up."

His commander sat quietly and listened. "I understand you have two children."

"Yes sir."

"And they're growing up here."

He suddenly understood where his commander was going. "They were both born here."

"This is a pretty special place for kids to grow up, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't argue with that, sir."

"So what's keeping you from staying here?"

Rafe sighed again. "I don't want to have my family movin' all of the time. It's a fact of military life bein' transferred from post to post. At least in Tennessee, they'll get to stay in one place."

"That's a very good point Captain." He said and then continued. "So should I start processing your separation papers?"

"I'd like to talk to my wife about this before you do that, sir. She has a say in what happens as much as I do and I can't make a decision like this without talkin' to her first."

"Take your time Captain, but not too much time."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." And Rafe saluted before he turned around and left the commanders office.

He was walking to his car when he heard Danny call him. "Rafe!"

He stopped and waited for his friend to catch up with him and when he did, he was frowning. "I heard you got pulled into the commander's office, everythin' all right?"

"Everythin' is fine Danny. He just wanted to know what my plans were since my enlistment is almost up."

"You still plannin' on goin' back to Tennessee?"

"I'm gettin' real tired of bein' asked that." Rafe glared at him. " Hell Danny, I don't know. It wasn't anythin' I ever really thought about. It was what I was goin' to do when my enlistment was up and then the Japs bombed us and everythin' changed."

"Would you stay if I told you I was re-enlistin'?" Danny asked.

Rafe looked at him in surprise. "You ain't comin' home?"

"Sandra and I have talked it over and we want to make our life here after we get married. The fact is Rafe, I really like it here and other than you and your folks, there's nothin' for me back there."

That knocked him for a loop. Rafe had just assumed that Danny and Sandra would go back to Tennessee with him and Evelyn and knowing that he wanted to stay in Hawaii left him speechless.

"I'm sorry for springin' it on you like that. It wasn't what I'd planned on doin' when the war was over, but I didn't think I'd be gettin' married either. Rafe, we had it pretty soft here under the circumstances and now I want to stay and start a new life here with Sandra."

"You don't need to explain anythin' to me. I do understand why you want to stay and part of me does too. But a bigger part of me wants to go home and forget there was ever a war. Stayin' here would be a reminder of where the whole damn thing started."

"That's true and nothin' will ever change that but a lot of good things happened to you here too. You married Evelyn, you've had two kids and another one is on the way and you made it through alive. You're a lucky man Rafe."

"I know that Danny, but I still need to talk to Evelyn about this."

They'd walked to Rafe's car and stood facing each other as each was contemplating their own futures. "It'll work out Rafe, one way or another."

"I just wish I knew which was the right way." He sighed as he got into the car and started up the engine. "Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I'm sure. Are you sure you want to go back?"

"Not in the least. That's why I need to talk to Evelyn."

"It'll work out." Danny said again as Rafe said goodbye and drove away. He watched his friend drive through the front gate and sighed to himself as he turned and walked back to the barracks.