'They are coming back today!' Aisla stood in front of the mirror studying
her growing stomach, she put a hand over it and began to get lost in her
thoughts. 'Today your Daddy finds out about you and Mommy finds out
whether what she had was true love or just a fling. God I hope it was true
love, I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't really love me.'
Aisla grabbed her keys and coat and headed towards where the plane was going to be landing in less then an hour. Everyone's going to be surprised since Aisla hadn't told anyone about the baby, not even Tony. 'God Tony's coming back, my soul brother, I missed him so much.' She climbed in her car and slowly made her way to the airfield. Once she parked she pulled her coat on trying to cover her stomach as best as possible. Trying to hide her bulging stomach, so that it could be a surprise for both Tony and Danny.
She saw a group of people huddled together waiting for whoever was on this mission that they were with or loved. She saw Evelyn and saw the apprehensive look on her face but she knew that even in this time when most came together she just couldn't bare to be near Evelyn, she still felt the betrayal, fresh in her heart. So she stood alone on the outskirts as the plane landed, and as the soldiers began to climb off, somber. Then Red came off and she noticed the look of defeat in his eyes and felt tears well up in her eyes. She made her way to the front of the group pushing people out of her way and ignoring their indignant protests. Once there she saw Rafe climb off and scan the crowd holding Evelyn's eye for a moment and she wondered if he knew about her having a baby.
She stood on her tiptoes trying to see over Rafe's shoulder to find Danny, but all she saw was darkness and then he began to climb down the stairs and she saw what he was carrying. He looked at Aisla and their eyes met briefly and she knew. She knew in her gut that she had just lost the one thing that had mattered at all to her. Losing her father hadn't even been quite this painful. She collapsed onto her knees and began sobbing into her hands, feeling a sense of déjà vu she realized that this was how she had found Red at the memorial.
Aisla stood gathering her last bit of courage and strode to where Rafe and Evelyn stood, Evelyn fisted her hand in a black pilots coat and then let it drop. Aisla gently pushed her away and ran her hand along the wood of the box, no not a box a coffin. Danny's coffin, her love's coffin, she just couldn't grasp the fact that the man she loved was lying in this box because he couldn't breathe and couldn't move and couldn't open his eyes. Because his body no longer held that incredible life force that had somehow drawn Aisla towards him like honey draws a fly. She pulled his coat off of the top of coffin and held it to her chest, not even bothering to hide the bulge that was her stomach. Rafe glanced at it surprised and then understanding dawned on him when he remembered the conversation they had had after the memorial.
"You're pregnant," He whispered, although it was worded as a question she knew it was anything but that, so she just nodded and held the coat tighter, crying silently. Then she looked around and realization dawned on her, Danny wasn't the only one missing from the men who had stepped off that plane.
"Where's Anthony?"
Although she knew the answer, she needed Rafe to be the one to tell her and to tell her exactly what had happened, "He's not coming back Aise, he died out there." Not being able to hear him anymore because of the sound of all of the blood rushing to her head, she just turned and stared out at the horizon where the sun was now setting. Rafe took that as a dismissal and helped carry the crude coffin to a truck to be loaded in there and taken to the church, where there would be a ceremony tomorrow. He then walked back to where Aisla still stood, not having been able to move since he left.
She heard him approaching but didn't bother to turn and acknowledge him, "You know sunset was Danny's favorite time of the day."
He took her hand, "I know, he loved being in the air at this time of the day."
"Yeah he did, didn't he?" She laughed quietly and then Rafe opened his mouth to say something, but Aisla interrupted him. "I told you the kind of mission where they send the medals with your body, you were lucky Rafe. Don't do this again, don't do it to Evelyn, she deserves the type of husband that will always be there for her and her child even if that child isn't his."
Rafe stood silently and studied Aisla for a moment before answering, "That's the type of husband I want to be and you should know that Danny died saving me."
Aisla nodded, "That's always the type of man he was, willing to give more then he would ever take." She sighed and then turned and buried her head in Rafe's chest and let her emotions get the best of her, she let the crying take over. Once all the tears had left her, she looked up at Rafe. "I have to leave this place, Rafe. It just has to many memories of everyone I love and everyone I lost."
He looked at her with wide eyes, "Your going to stay in touch right?"
She nodded and then turned and walked back to her car, knowing that that was one promise she would always keep. Once at the house she packed and drove down to the docks and took the next boat back to the states and back to California, from there she drove to her home and stood outside staring up at it for a moment, before walking up to it and opening the door. Feeling numb because that was what she was just numb.
Aisla grabbed her keys and coat and headed towards where the plane was going to be landing in less then an hour. Everyone's going to be surprised since Aisla hadn't told anyone about the baby, not even Tony. 'God Tony's coming back, my soul brother, I missed him so much.' She climbed in her car and slowly made her way to the airfield. Once she parked she pulled her coat on trying to cover her stomach as best as possible. Trying to hide her bulging stomach, so that it could be a surprise for both Tony and Danny.
She saw a group of people huddled together waiting for whoever was on this mission that they were with or loved. She saw Evelyn and saw the apprehensive look on her face but she knew that even in this time when most came together she just couldn't bare to be near Evelyn, she still felt the betrayal, fresh in her heart. So she stood alone on the outskirts as the plane landed, and as the soldiers began to climb off, somber. Then Red came off and she noticed the look of defeat in his eyes and felt tears well up in her eyes. She made her way to the front of the group pushing people out of her way and ignoring their indignant protests. Once there she saw Rafe climb off and scan the crowd holding Evelyn's eye for a moment and she wondered if he knew about her having a baby.
She stood on her tiptoes trying to see over Rafe's shoulder to find Danny, but all she saw was darkness and then he began to climb down the stairs and she saw what he was carrying. He looked at Aisla and their eyes met briefly and she knew. She knew in her gut that she had just lost the one thing that had mattered at all to her. Losing her father hadn't even been quite this painful. She collapsed onto her knees and began sobbing into her hands, feeling a sense of déjà vu she realized that this was how she had found Red at the memorial.
Aisla stood gathering her last bit of courage and strode to where Rafe and Evelyn stood, Evelyn fisted her hand in a black pilots coat and then let it drop. Aisla gently pushed her away and ran her hand along the wood of the box, no not a box a coffin. Danny's coffin, her love's coffin, she just couldn't grasp the fact that the man she loved was lying in this box because he couldn't breathe and couldn't move and couldn't open his eyes. Because his body no longer held that incredible life force that had somehow drawn Aisla towards him like honey draws a fly. She pulled his coat off of the top of coffin and held it to her chest, not even bothering to hide the bulge that was her stomach. Rafe glanced at it surprised and then understanding dawned on him when he remembered the conversation they had had after the memorial.
"You're pregnant," He whispered, although it was worded as a question she knew it was anything but that, so she just nodded and held the coat tighter, crying silently. Then she looked around and realization dawned on her, Danny wasn't the only one missing from the men who had stepped off that plane.
"Where's Anthony?"
Although she knew the answer, she needed Rafe to be the one to tell her and to tell her exactly what had happened, "He's not coming back Aise, he died out there." Not being able to hear him anymore because of the sound of all of the blood rushing to her head, she just turned and stared out at the horizon where the sun was now setting. Rafe took that as a dismissal and helped carry the crude coffin to a truck to be loaded in there and taken to the church, where there would be a ceremony tomorrow. He then walked back to where Aisla still stood, not having been able to move since he left.
She heard him approaching but didn't bother to turn and acknowledge him, "You know sunset was Danny's favorite time of the day."
He took her hand, "I know, he loved being in the air at this time of the day."
"Yeah he did, didn't he?" She laughed quietly and then Rafe opened his mouth to say something, but Aisla interrupted him. "I told you the kind of mission where they send the medals with your body, you were lucky Rafe. Don't do this again, don't do it to Evelyn, she deserves the type of husband that will always be there for her and her child even if that child isn't his."
Rafe stood silently and studied Aisla for a moment before answering, "That's the type of husband I want to be and you should know that Danny died saving me."
Aisla nodded, "That's always the type of man he was, willing to give more then he would ever take." She sighed and then turned and buried her head in Rafe's chest and let her emotions get the best of her, she let the crying take over. Once all the tears had left her, she looked up at Rafe. "I have to leave this place, Rafe. It just has to many memories of everyone I love and everyone I lost."
He looked at her with wide eyes, "Your going to stay in touch right?"
She nodded and then turned and walked back to her car, knowing that that was one promise she would always keep. Once at the house she packed and drove down to the docks and took the next boat back to the states and back to California, from there she drove to her home and stood outside staring up at it for a moment, before walking up to it and opening the door. Feeling numb because that was what she was just numb.