All she wished was that Danny would suddenly stop loving her. Then the choice would be made for her. It would save all the pain; all the tears and heartache that would come when she'd have to open the floodgates and let the storm of emotion come threw.

Danny was bothered by her silence. His heart was already beating at an irregular pace and this was not helping.

"She's not answering you Danny. She's imagining you're someone else. She wishes you were Rafe. No damn it Danny stop doing this to yourself. Evelyn is the mother of you're child." He fought himself.

"Danny." Evelyn's voice was lifted by the hot Hawaiian wind.

"Yes?"

"Never mind it's not important." She forced a smile.

Danny wrapped his strong arms around her swollen waist. They walked a little longer going back to the silence that blanket Evelyn like a warm quilt in mid January. While it comforted her being wrapped in it Danny was getting chills. He walked her to the front door, part of him knew she wouldn't ask him in, the other half held out hope she would.

"Danny I'd invite you but I'm really tired and I'm afraid I wouldn't be much company. I do want to do something special tonight to celebrate your return. Are you up to dinner?" Evelyn held Danny's hand tightly a whirlwind of emotion tumbling around inside her. Every night she had prayed for this. For him to be right in front of her where she could, kiss him, hold him, feel his warm breath oh her neck. And yet there she was thinking of no one but Rafe.

"I'll be back to get you later." He wrapped her in his arms once more and descended down the steps.

"Danny, I missed." That was the first thing she had said to him that was completely honest.

"I'll never leave you again. Well except for right now." Danny smiled his shy toothless grin.

"I'll hold you to that." Evelyn sniffled closing the screen door between them.

Danny jammed his hands in his pockets and set of f down the dust road toward the center of Pearl.

Meanwhile Evelyn was curling up on the couch. She scooted backwards into the crevasse between the arm and back of the chair. She pulled an afghan up around her skirt-clad legs and cuddled a pillow. She could feel her baby moving around inside her most likely trying to find a comfortable position as she had.

"Don't worry baby your mommy and daddy will take good care of you." And she drifted to sleep