"Mama?"

She heard the voice of a young boy.

"Mama?" She heard it again and opened her eyes.

A boy who was the spitting image of his father with sandy hair and brown eyes looked to be about eight. He was standing at the foot of her bed and seemed to be a little scared because Evelyn didn't recognize him.

"What's your name?"

"Danny." She was going to have a boy.

"You have a nice name Danny."

He looked at her in confusion. "You and Daddy named me after Uncle Danny remember?"

"How old are you Danny?"

"Seven and a half, almost eight." He told her proudly.

"When is your birthday?" Evelyn asked him, wondering how soon it would be before he was born.

"Mama, are you okay? You know all this stuff." When she didn't answer he replied. "In two weeks, on September tenth."

"I'm sorry Danny, I guess I forgot for a minute."

"I wish Daddy could be here." The boy told her and sat down on the foot of the bed. "But you'll be here."

"There's no other place I'd rather be Danny and I know Daddy wants to be here too. So we'll just have to wait and see."

She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep because she suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. When she looked around the room she realized that she was in her bedroom lying on the bed, as it had been in her dream.

Or was it? It seemed so real.

She sat up and leaned up against the headboard, trying to figure out if what just happened was indeed a dream or if she'd gotten a glimpse of what her child was going to be. If that was true, Rafe wasn't going to make it home and her heart sank. She didn't want to have this baby without him there, but it was out of her hands and his.

She ran a shaky hand across her forehead and took a deep breath before she sat on the edge of the bed and pushed herself up. It was so much easier with Rafe there.

She walked down the hall to the baby's room and stood in the doorway. Everything was ready as it had been for the last month because while Rafe had been off rotation, he wanted to be sure everything was ready to go just in case he could not be there. She really loved that man.

She walked into the room to look around. She smiled to herself at the mobile Gooz had made that hung over the baby's bassinette. If it really were a boy, would he be a pilot like his father? And would he look like him?

It was at that moment that the baby kicked her and she smiled as she ran a hand over...him? "You like the idea of being a pilot do you? Well you'll have to have a long talk with your daddy and I about that."

She shook her head in amusement because the closer her due date came, she found that she talked to the baby a lot. Rafe had teased her about it not long ago but she didn't mind.

She looked at her wristwatch and it was nearly six. My goodness, she'd slept the afternoon away and it was time to go over to the nurse's bungalow for dinner.

It wasn't until the girls were done eating and Sandra and Martha were in the kitchen cleaning up that Evelyn was able to talk to Barbara. They sat out on the veranda facing the water and Evelyn told Barbara about the dream.

"Are you sure it was a dream Ev?"

"What else could it have been? Of course it was a dream." Evelyn looked at her friend in puzzlement.

"Don't you find it interesting that he shows up now, just before you're supposed to have him? And now you know that Rafe isn't going to be here."

"That's a bit of a stretch Barbara."

"Come on Ev, think about it. The two things that have been most on your mind were answered. I think that's more than a dream."

Evelyn looked at her friend and smiled. "I remember when Rafe came back from England. We thought he was dead and I saw him in the window of the hospital and thought he was a ghost. The only thing is, I don't believe in ghosts. What happened this afternoon was a dream and nothing more."

Barbara knew it was useless to press the issue so she took Evelyn's hand in a gesture of comfort. "I'm sorry for being such a bully, I just worry about you."

"I know that and I appreciate what you're trying to do."

Martha came out with a tray loaded with coffee cups, cream and sugar. "Sandra and I have early call tomorrow so we're calling it an evening." And she put it down on the side table. "Call us if you need anything Ev."

"I will Martha. Thanks again for dinner."

"You're welcome. While Rafe is away, you should come over more often." She smiled.

"You may not say that after I have this little one here." She laughed softly.

"My offer stands. Besides, think of all the free babysitting when Rafe gets back." And she went back into the house.

"I really miss you girls sometimes."

"We miss you too Ev. But we also know that you're a lot happier with that pilot of yours." Barbara grinned at her.

"I can't argue with you there." Evelyn smiled back before she sighed. "Do you think it really was more than a dream?"

"It does seem a little coincidental that you dreamed it now, doesn't it?"

She nodded. "It does seem that way. But at least I don't feel as scared that Rafe may not be here. I guess that 's something."

"Everything is going to be all right Ev. We're not as good as having your husband here, but you're not alone."

She took Barbara's hand. "If I've ever made you and the girls feel that having you here hasn't meant the world to me, I am sorry."

"You've never made us feel that way. We're just glad to be here to help."

"So am I." And they laughed together as they had a cup of Martha's coffee in the late August evening.