Rafe shoved his last tee shirt into his duffel bag and tossed it onto his bed. It was a little over a month after Beth's funeral, the day Danny and Rafe would be leaving for basic training. He hadn't slept at all the entire night and he was out of bed before the rooster crowed. The smell of bacon and eggs was traveling up the stairs from the kitchen and Rafe was the happiest he'd ever been in his life.
"Hey McCawley, are you just about done? Your mama says if you don't get down stairs soon she ain't feedin' ya." Danny was leaning against Rafe's door with his arms folded.
Daniel Walker had been a different person since his wife died. He was quieter, edgier and angrier. Danny was a man looking for a new start and the air corps was just the place for that. Shelby was to painful to stay in. Everything there reminded him of Beth, her face was every where he looked. It killed him to be there. Years of being together and now a lifetime apart ruined the beauty of their childhood home.
"Yeah I'm all set." Rafe answered flinging his bag over his shoulder
"Rosie still driven us?" Danny asked descending to the kitchen
"I reckon."
Noreen and Edward couldn't bring themselves to accompany the boys to the train station, Noreen couldn't bare to watch them leave and Edward thought he maybe tempted to go with them. So Rosie being Rosie she volunteered to drive. Danny and Rafe were driving Edward's truck over to her house to get her and she would be driving the truck to the station, then back to the farm.
Rosie clipped her locket around her neck and smiled in the mirror. Her cheeks were slightly rounder then they used to be but she was still a very pretty girl. The sweater she was wearing hid the small bulge forming at her stomach and she was glowing. She was hiding the fact she was now three months pregnant very well and she refused to tell anyone about it, even Rafe. She knew if she told him he wouldn't go and she wasn't about to stand between him and his dreams. Rosie loved him to much to ask him to give that all up for her. She would tell him and introduce him to his child when he came home on his first leave. She clipped her wavy brown hair back in barrettes and ran down the sitting room to wait for the guys.
"Rafe where are you goin?" Danny wrinkled his brow as the truck passed Rosie's street
"I have a stop to make first." Danny didn't like the tone of Rafe's voice it was icy and a knot formed in Danny's stomach. When the truck stopped he soon saw why.
Rafe had parked the pickup beside the bleachers at the school a few yards away from where the football team was having a fun game off two hand touch.
"Rafe we don't have time for this shit." Danny called watching his best friend charge across the field and tackled Johnny to the ground
"You think you're a big tuff guy huh Johnny? Who the fuck do you think you are putting your hands on my girl?" Rafe had him pinned down by sitting on his chest and his knees on Johnny's hands.
"Get off my McCawley, Rosie ain't nothing but a little slut anyway. And you know what she's one hell pf a kisser too, wish I could've gotten a little further with her." Johnny taunted
Danny in the mean time ran back to the truck to grab the tired iron from the back, he had a feeling he was going to need it. When he got back there was blood splattered across Johnny's face and his nose seemed rather crooked. He returned with weapon in hand just in time, the rest of the team was about pounce on Rafe like a tiger on it's prey.
"Bad idea guys." Danny held up the tire iron for emphasis "Rafe let's go before the sheriff shows up and Rosie has to talk her uncle into not hauling you in.
"If you ever touch her again Potter I will find you and I will kill you." Rafe warned without a bit of dishonesty. He meant every word no one but him was going to put their hands on Rosanna Gadry and nobody was ever going to hurt her as long as he had breath in his lungs.
Danny was never one for goodbyes, especially long drawn out ones, like the one Rafe and Rosie were putting themselves through. So instead of having a front row seat for all the cooing and kissing Rafe and Rosie were doing, he found himself a seat and watched from a distance, and tried to imagine how Beth would've handled this situation. Knowing Beth, she would've refused to come to the station, but if Beth were alive, he wouldn't even be here right now.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slender blonde sit down next to him. The first thought that crossed his mind was, Beth. But then again, that happened every time a blonde girl crossed his path. Even girls he had known since kindergarten who happened to have the same hair color as Beth were suspect.
"You know, that poor girl is going to cry all the way home with this goodbye they're draggin' out. She should've just walked y'all in and walked herself on out." The blonde said knowingly getting Danny's full and immediate attention.
Danny glanced over and nearly choked on air, "Be..th?" He managed, "No…" He said to himself quietly, "I'm sorry, I've confused you with someone else."
"How many times have you been married since I left?" Even Beth the ghost wasn't comfortable with saying, dead.
"I am losing my mind." Danny muttered and turned away.
"You'd think I'd get more of a reception then, 'I'm losing my mind.'" Beth sighed, "Daniel Michael it is me. I'd say, in the flesh but, that just isn't possible, because I'm…"
"Dead?" Danny supplied, still staring at her in disbelief.
"Yes, thank you dead, you said it, I didn't." Beth laughed, and then she became serious "But I just figured since, you know, its goodbye day, I could make an appearance."
"Make an appearance?" Danny replied, not sure of what to make of the situation, he couldn't tell if it was real or it was the lack of sleep he had been getting was making his mind play tricks on him.
"Well, I figured if I would never come here when I was alive, I might as well come now." Beth whispered, and grabbed Danny's hand, noticing he still has his wedding band on, "You're still wearing this…"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Danny at this point didn't care if it was his mind playing tricks on him he missed her so much, that he was open to any Beth interaction at all.
"Danny, I'm not here anymore." Beth forced a smile, "You are. As much as I hate to say this, you have to move on. I don't mean take up with the first nurse that hits on you, just because I said you can move on, but I want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted. Take your time, find someone nice, not nicer than me, but nice."
"Beth…" Danny began but Beth as usual, stopped him.
"You know what? Scratch that, I'm the only girlfriend, fiancé, wife, you've ever had." Beth grasped Danny's hand and slipped his wedding band off, "Have fun."
"Beth…" Danny began, but yet again, Beth cut him off.
"Okay, now that I've said that…" Beth continued, "The money. I was surprised my father actually gave it to you. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to be an incredibly wealthy pilot attracting gold digger nurses who are after you because of your deceased wife's money?"
"Why are you doing this Beth?" Danny finally finished a thought, "Every time I imagined a conversation between us, I didn't picture you ordering me around and demanding information."
"I'm just curious." Beth sighed, "Once you get on that train Danny, I'm going to stop watching you. Seriously, I love you to much to watch you move on, and I know you don't want to right now, but you will, I just don't want to see it. I just want to know things are taken care of."
"Alright…" Danny hesitated for a minute, but than produced a letter from his coat pocket, "I kept a little, but the majority I'm givin' to Rosie, for the baby and all."
"Does Rafe know?" Beth glanced over at the happy couple.
"About the baby?" Danny got comfortable with the idea of Beth next to him and slipped an arm around her, "No."
"Oh…" Beth lamented, "Well, you can't really blame a girl, I mean telling someone your pregnant is a tough thing to do."
"Beth…what are you talking about?" Danny eyed her strangely.
"Not that anything means anything now, but when, you know, I was pregnant." Beth explained quietly.
"WHAT?" Danny screeched, but Beth calmed him down.
"If you don't quit your yelling Danny, you're gonna look awful silly yelling at absolutely nothing, I will disappear so fast." Beth replied through gritted teeth.
"Why didn't you tell me Beth?" Danny said still on edge, but considerably calmer.
"Honestly, what difference would it have made?" Beth rationalized, "I died Danny, died, died, died, I'm dead. You couldn't have changed that, had I not died, you would have known, and I wouldn't have gone to school considering my father wouldn't want to send his pregnant daughter off to college."
Danny sighed and leaned back in his seat, "Okay, I'm not going to fight with, its silly to fight with someone who isn't even alive."
"I'm taking offence to that Danny." Beth replied quietly, "I just came to say goodbye, and now we're fighting. Okay, well…I love you and good luck, and I'm sorry it had to end like this." Beth stood up and began to walk away, knowing Danny would follow her.
"Beth…wait." Danny got up and walked a few feet to where Beth was standing, "I'm sorry."
Beth smiled and brushed a stray hair off of Danny's forehead, "I know." And then kissed him gently, "I love you."
"I love you." Danny replied as Beth smiled and disappeared into the crowd of people in the train station.
"Danny…wake up." Rafe gave his friend a slight nudge, "You must've dozed off on us."
"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well…" Danny replied with a yawn, and then looked up at Rosie and Rafe, "Was I talking to anyone?"
"I don't think so." Rosie said slowly, "You sat down and just kinda fell asleep."
"Oh…" Danny mumbled, but when he looked down at his left hand, his wedding band was gone, and he didn't take it off.
"Its almost time to board." Rafe said, "Danny, would you mind giving my bag to the porter? I want to have a minute alone with Rosie."
Danny obliged, even though they'd been having about 15 minutes prior alone. Danny gave Rosie a hug goodbye and slipped her the envelope and got on the train.
"I guess this is it." Rosie said quietly, tapping her foot out of nervous habit.
Rafe nodded and looked Rosie in the eye, "I love you, and you know that, right?"
"I do." Rosie nodded, fighting back the tears.
"And, you love me too right?" Rafe tried to lighten the situation, and engulfed Rosie in a hug.
"Of course I love you." Rosie replied, as she began to sob into Rafe's coat.
"This is just a small separation, I'll be back before you know it." Rafe ran his fingers through her hair, "And if we can't make it through this, then you know…it wasn't meant to be."
"But we will make it through this, because we are meant to be." Rosie replied sternly, thinking of her baby.
"Yeah…" Rafe pulled Rosie into a passionate kiss, which was interrupted by the conductor.
"Track 36, all aboard!"
"I love you." Rafe pulled away, and couldn't bear to look Rosie in the eye, and walked straight on to the train.
"I love you too." Rosie whispered and ran off before the train left the station.
"Hey McCawley, are you just about done? Your mama says if you don't get down stairs soon she ain't feedin' ya." Danny was leaning against Rafe's door with his arms folded.
Daniel Walker had been a different person since his wife died. He was quieter, edgier and angrier. Danny was a man looking for a new start and the air corps was just the place for that. Shelby was to painful to stay in. Everything there reminded him of Beth, her face was every where he looked. It killed him to be there. Years of being together and now a lifetime apart ruined the beauty of their childhood home.
"Yeah I'm all set." Rafe answered flinging his bag over his shoulder
"Rosie still driven us?" Danny asked descending to the kitchen
"I reckon."
Noreen and Edward couldn't bring themselves to accompany the boys to the train station, Noreen couldn't bare to watch them leave and Edward thought he maybe tempted to go with them. So Rosie being Rosie she volunteered to drive. Danny and Rafe were driving Edward's truck over to her house to get her and she would be driving the truck to the station, then back to the farm.
Rosie clipped her locket around her neck and smiled in the mirror. Her cheeks were slightly rounder then they used to be but she was still a very pretty girl. The sweater she was wearing hid the small bulge forming at her stomach and she was glowing. She was hiding the fact she was now three months pregnant very well and she refused to tell anyone about it, even Rafe. She knew if she told him he wouldn't go and she wasn't about to stand between him and his dreams. Rosie loved him to much to ask him to give that all up for her. She would tell him and introduce him to his child when he came home on his first leave. She clipped her wavy brown hair back in barrettes and ran down the sitting room to wait for the guys.
"Rafe where are you goin?" Danny wrinkled his brow as the truck passed Rosie's street
"I have a stop to make first." Danny didn't like the tone of Rafe's voice it was icy and a knot formed in Danny's stomach. When the truck stopped he soon saw why.
Rafe had parked the pickup beside the bleachers at the school a few yards away from where the football team was having a fun game off two hand touch.
"Rafe we don't have time for this shit." Danny called watching his best friend charge across the field and tackled Johnny to the ground
"You think you're a big tuff guy huh Johnny? Who the fuck do you think you are putting your hands on my girl?" Rafe had him pinned down by sitting on his chest and his knees on Johnny's hands.
"Get off my McCawley, Rosie ain't nothing but a little slut anyway. And you know what she's one hell pf a kisser too, wish I could've gotten a little further with her." Johnny taunted
Danny in the mean time ran back to the truck to grab the tired iron from the back, he had a feeling he was going to need it. When he got back there was blood splattered across Johnny's face and his nose seemed rather crooked. He returned with weapon in hand just in time, the rest of the team was about pounce on Rafe like a tiger on it's prey.
"Bad idea guys." Danny held up the tire iron for emphasis "Rafe let's go before the sheriff shows up and Rosie has to talk her uncle into not hauling you in.
"If you ever touch her again Potter I will find you and I will kill you." Rafe warned without a bit of dishonesty. He meant every word no one but him was going to put their hands on Rosanna Gadry and nobody was ever going to hurt her as long as he had breath in his lungs.
Danny was never one for goodbyes, especially long drawn out ones, like the one Rafe and Rosie were putting themselves through. So instead of having a front row seat for all the cooing and kissing Rafe and Rosie were doing, he found himself a seat and watched from a distance, and tried to imagine how Beth would've handled this situation. Knowing Beth, she would've refused to come to the station, but if Beth were alive, he wouldn't even be here right now.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slender blonde sit down next to him. The first thought that crossed his mind was, Beth. But then again, that happened every time a blonde girl crossed his path. Even girls he had known since kindergarten who happened to have the same hair color as Beth were suspect.
"You know, that poor girl is going to cry all the way home with this goodbye they're draggin' out. She should've just walked y'all in and walked herself on out." The blonde said knowingly getting Danny's full and immediate attention.
Danny glanced over and nearly choked on air, "Be..th?" He managed, "No…" He said to himself quietly, "I'm sorry, I've confused you with someone else."
"How many times have you been married since I left?" Even Beth the ghost wasn't comfortable with saying, dead.
"I am losing my mind." Danny muttered and turned away.
"You'd think I'd get more of a reception then, 'I'm losing my mind.'" Beth sighed, "Daniel Michael it is me. I'd say, in the flesh but, that just isn't possible, because I'm…"
"Dead?" Danny supplied, still staring at her in disbelief.
"Yes, thank you dead, you said it, I didn't." Beth laughed, and then she became serious "But I just figured since, you know, its goodbye day, I could make an appearance."
"Make an appearance?" Danny replied, not sure of what to make of the situation, he couldn't tell if it was real or it was the lack of sleep he had been getting was making his mind play tricks on him.
"Well, I figured if I would never come here when I was alive, I might as well come now." Beth whispered, and grabbed Danny's hand, noticing he still has his wedding band on, "You're still wearing this…"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Danny at this point didn't care if it was his mind playing tricks on him he missed her so much, that he was open to any Beth interaction at all.
"Danny, I'm not here anymore." Beth forced a smile, "You are. As much as I hate to say this, you have to move on. I don't mean take up with the first nurse that hits on you, just because I said you can move on, but I want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted. Take your time, find someone nice, not nicer than me, but nice."
"Beth…" Danny began but Beth as usual, stopped him.
"You know what? Scratch that, I'm the only girlfriend, fiancé, wife, you've ever had." Beth grasped Danny's hand and slipped his wedding band off, "Have fun."
"Beth…" Danny began, but yet again, Beth cut him off.
"Okay, now that I've said that…" Beth continued, "The money. I was surprised my father actually gave it to you. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to be an incredibly wealthy pilot attracting gold digger nurses who are after you because of your deceased wife's money?"
"Why are you doing this Beth?" Danny finally finished a thought, "Every time I imagined a conversation between us, I didn't picture you ordering me around and demanding information."
"I'm just curious." Beth sighed, "Once you get on that train Danny, I'm going to stop watching you. Seriously, I love you to much to watch you move on, and I know you don't want to right now, but you will, I just don't want to see it. I just want to know things are taken care of."
"Alright…" Danny hesitated for a minute, but than produced a letter from his coat pocket, "I kept a little, but the majority I'm givin' to Rosie, for the baby and all."
"Does Rafe know?" Beth glanced over at the happy couple.
"About the baby?" Danny got comfortable with the idea of Beth next to him and slipped an arm around her, "No."
"Oh…" Beth lamented, "Well, you can't really blame a girl, I mean telling someone your pregnant is a tough thing to do."
"Beth…what are you talking about?" Danny eyed her strangely.
"Not that anything means anything now, but when, you know, I was pregnant." Beth explained quietly.
"WHAT?" Danny screeched, but Beth calmed him down.
"If you don't quit your yelling Danny, you're gonna look awful silly yelling at absolutely nothing, I will disappear so fast." Beth replied through gritted teeth.
"Why didn't you tell me Beth?" Danny said still on edge, but considerably calmer.
"Honestly, what difference would it have made?" Beth rationalized, "I died Danny, died, died, died, I'm dead. You couldn't have changed that, had I not died, you would have known, and I wouldn't have gone to school considering my father wouldn't want to send his pregnant daughter off to college."
Danny sighed and leaned back in his seat, "Okay, I'm not going to fight with, its silly to fight with someone who isn't even alive."
"I'm taking offence to that Danny." Beth replied quietly, "I just came to say goodbye, and now we're fighting. Okay, well…I love you and good luck, and I'm sorry it had to end like this." Beth stood up and began to walk away, knowing Danny would follow her.
"Beth…wait." Danny got up and walked a few feet to where Beth was standing, "I'm sorry."
Beth smiled and brushed a stray hair off of Danny's forehead, "I know." And then kissed him gently, "I love you."
"I love you." Danny replied as Beth smiled and disappeared into the crowd of people in the train station.
"Danny…wake up." Rafe gave his friend a slight nudge, "You must've dozed off on us."
"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well…" Danny replied with a yawn, and then looked up at Rosie and Rafe, "Was I talking to anyone?"
"I don't think so." Rosie said slowly, "You sat down and just kinda fell asleep."
"Oh…" Danny mumbled, but when he looked down at his left hand, his wedding band was gone, and he didn't take it off.
"Its almost time to board." Rafe said, "Danny, would you mind giving my bag to the porter? I want to have a minute alone with Rosie."
Danny obliged, even though they'd been having about 15 minutes prior alone. Danny gave Rosie a hug goodbye and slipped her the envelope and got on the train.
"I guess this is it." Rosie said quietly, tapping her foot out of nervous habit.
Rafe nodded and looked Rosie in the eye, "I love you, and you know that, right?"
"I do." Rosie nodded, fighting back the tears.
"And, you love me too right?" Rafe tried to lighten the situation, and engulfed Rosie in a hug.
"Of course I love you." Rosie replied, as she began to sob into Rafe's coat.
"This is just a small separation, I'll be back before you know it." Rafe ran his fingers through her hair, "And if we can't make it through this, then you know…it wasn't meant to be."
"But we will make it through this, because we are meant to be." Rosie replied sternly, thinking of her baby.
"Yeah…" Rafe pulled Rosie into a passionate kiss, which was interrupted by the conductor.
"Track 36, all aboard!"
"I love you." Rafe pulled away, and couldn't bear to look Rosie in the eye, and walked straight on to the train.
"I love you too." Rosie whispered and ran off before the train left the station.