Danny slowly opened his eyes, yawning. Sunlight came through the window
shades in the bedroom, stretching rays across the length of the floor.
Danny sighed tiredly, and leaned over the edge of the bed, looking at the
clock that lay on the nightstand.
"One thirty?" He asked, sitting up, looking around. It was day time out, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes. Evelyn could be heard talking to Josh from downstairs, and he smiled at that. He hadn't been home in a few months, and missed the sound of his son's laugh. He kicked the blanket back, and swung his legs to the edge of the bed. Slowly Danny stood up, and stretched. He wore a white wife beater and blue pajama bottoms. His feet padded across the carpeted floor, soft beneath his bare feet. Quietly he opened the door, and stepped into the long hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. It wasn't the biggest house, but he bought it on his own, his home for Josh and Evelyn. Evelyn's back was to him, and Josh was sitting on a chair eating breakfast. Danny sighed and put his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Good mornin'. well, afternoon. Now what smells so good?" He asked, kissing her cheek. She grinned and picked up the bowl and poured the batter onto a pan on the stove.
"Pancakes." Evelyn said, grabbing a spatula in one hand and a bowl of blueberries in the other. Danny pulled up a chair next to Josh and watched him eat his lunch, laughing.
"Pancakes for lunch?" Josh nodded his head, chewing. Once he finally swallowed he looked at his father. "Want some?" Josh asked, pointing to his plate.
"No thanks buddy. I hope mommy's cooking some for me too." He looked at Evelyn who was flipping the pancakes into a plate.
"These aren't all for you." She smiled, forking a few into a separate dish and placing it on the table in front of Danny.
"Blueberry!! My favorite. Thanks Ev." He said as he shoved the pancake into his mouth. Evelyn watched and shook her head.
"At least cut them up Danny. You have worse manners than Joshua." She sighed and returned to the stove, pouring more batter onto the pan. Rafe entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, and pulled up a chair beside Danny.
"Hey."
"Hey Rufe. Sheep ell?" Danny asked him with a mouthful of pancakes. Rafe stared at him for a few seconds and laughed.
"Yea. I was tired. Morning Ev. Can I have breakfast too?" Rafe asked, turning in his seat to see her. She placed a plate in front of him and smiled.
"Way ahead of you. Josh, you all done? You just sat down," Evelyn asked, watching as Josh scrambled down from his seat and ran off towards his bedroom.
"Yes!!" He yelled, his footsteps echoed through the halls. Evelyn sighed and sat down at the table, watching Danny and Rafe eat. Danny finished eating his lunch and after a few minutes looked over at Rafe.
"Something has been bothering me forever....Why did you volunteer to go to the Eagle Squadron Rafe?" Danny asked, staring at his plate. Rafe was caught off guard, and looked over at Evelyn, who sat quietly. He thought for a minute, then sighed.
"I don't know, I thought I could help out." He shrugged.
"You were almost killed."
"Danny, that was years ago. Don't-"
"We still need to talk about it. I mean, when we were flying to Tokyo, something could've happened to us. You wanted me to go the other way when you saw the Japs. What if I did Rafe?" Evelyn looked at Rafe, then to Danny, but both men were looking down, not sure what to say. Danny took a deep breath.
"What if I listened to you, and one of us ended up dying?"
"What do you want me to say to you Danny? Damn it, I know what happened, okay? You're fine, I'm fine, we're all okay because you risked your life to save us." Rafe said.
"I know that Rafe, I just am afraid every time I get into a plane because it reminds me so much of Pearl, and of China. Isn't it the same for you?"
"...Yea. Its scary, only because we lived through it. We're the lucky ones." Rafe said, finally looking over at Danny.
"In a way." Danny sighed, picking at a string on his pants. Rafe looked down, realizing what Danny was talking about.
"I owe my life to you Danny." Rafe said softly, and Danny glanced a him.
"What the hell are you talking about-"
"What you said before. You did save my life, more than once. If you had listened to me in China, my plane would've crashed. Maybe killing me or the crew. You were the one who wanted us to bail out. You were the one who was shot. Not any of us."
"Rafe.." Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. Evelyn stood up and walked away from the table, and left them alone.
"I mean it. You saved my life, and I want to thank you." Rafe said, his voice cracked when he said that.
"You saved mine too. You always did Rafe. You were always trying to protect me from the rest of the damned world. I have a beautiful wife and wonderful son thanks to you.. You didn't take her away from me, which you could have. I wouldn't have blamed you either. I owe you all I've got Rafe." Danny said. Rafe looked at him again and Danny smiled helpfully.
"You're my best friend Rafe. Nothing will change that." Danny said. Rafe pulled him for a hug and patted him on the back.
"Nothing." Rafe repeated. Joshua ran back into the room, holding a toy plane, spinning in circles. Danny laughed when he saw his son and turned to Rafe.
"I'm glad we're still okay. I wouldn't trust anyone else to teach him to fly." Danny said, not taking his eyes off Josh. Rafe saw the pride in Danny's eyes and grinned at that. Never before had he seen his best friend so happy.
"Remember when we first flew?" Rafe asked, an evil gleam in his eyes.
"Yea... boy, you're dad was sure mad at us." Danny laughed, remembering when they were ten, and turned Rafe's father's crop duster on, and the plane flew. Maybe only a few feet off the ground, but it didn't matter to them.
"I'm glad we can teach Josh. It'll be fun." Rafe said.
"Hell, maybe we can teach Ev. too." Danny grinned.
"I am never going in another plane with you again Danny!!" She screamed from down the hall. Danny shrugged at Rafe then they both laughed.
"Let's go Uncle Rafe!!!" Josh yelled, tugging on Rafe's arm.
"Go where?"
"Fly!!! Come on daddy!!" Josh said as he struggled to pull both Danny and Rafe.
"You tryin' to pull our arms off? Come here..." Danny said, picking Josh up off the floor, and tossing him over his shoulder. Josh laughed happily while Danny and Rafe took him outside. Evelyn sighed and watched them leave, smiling to herself. She knew no matter what happened, Danny would always be there for Josh, and Rafe would always be there for the both of them. She laughed when she heard Josh's voice over the motor of the plane. She knew everything was going to be all right.
"One thirty?" He asked, sitting up, looking around. It was day time out, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes. Evelyn could be heard talking to Josh from downstairs, and he smiled at that. He hadn't been home in a few months, and missed the sound of his son's laugh. He kicked the blanket back, and swung his legs to the edge of the bed. Slowly Danny stood up, and stretched. He wore a white wife beater and blue pajama bottoms. His feet padded across the carpeted floor, soft beneath his bare feet. Quietly he opened the door, and stepped into the long hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. It wasn't the biggest house, but he bought it on his own, his home for Josh and Evelyn. Evelyn's back was to him, and Josh was sitting on a chair eating breakfast. Danny sighed and put his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Good mornin'. well, afternoon. Now what smells so good?" He asked, kissing her cheek. She grinned and picked up the bowl and poured the batter onto a pan on the stove.
"Pancakes." Evelyn said, grabbing a spatula in one hand and a bowl of blueberries in the other. Danny pulled up a chair next to Josh and watched him eat his lunch, laughing.
"Pancakes for lunch?" Josh nodded his head, chewing. Once he finally swallowed he looked at his father. "Want some?" Josh asked, pointing to his plate.
"No thanks buddy. I hope mommy's cooking some for me too." He looked at Evelyn who was flipping the pancakes into a plate.
"These aren't all for you." She smiled, forking a few into a separate dish and placing it on the table in front of Danny.
"Blueberry!! My favorite. Thanks Ev." He said as he shoved the pancake into his mouth. Evelyn watched and shook her head.
"At least cut them up Danny. You have worse manners than Joshua." She sighed and returned to the stove, pouring more batter onto the pan. Rafe entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, and pulled up a chair beside Danny.
"Hey."
"Hey Rufe. Sheep ell?" Danny asked him with a mouthful of pancakes. Rafe stared at him for a few seconds and laughed.
"Yea. I was tired. Morning Ev. Can I have breakfast too?" Rafe asked, turning in his seat to see her. She placed a plate in front of him and smiled.
"Way ahead of you. Josh, you all done? You just sat down," Evelyn asked, watching as Josh scrambled down from his seat and ran off towards his bedroom.
"Yes!!" He yelled, his footsteps echoed through the halls. Evelyn sighed and sat down at the table, watching Danny and Rafe eat. Danny finished eating his lunch and after a few minutes looked over at Rafe.
"Something has been bothering me forever....Why did you volunteer to go to the Eagle Squadron Rafe?" Danny asked, staring at his plate. Rafe was caught off guard, and looked over at Evelyn, who sat quietly. He thought for a minute, then sighed.
"I don't know, I thought I could help out." He shrugged.
"You were almost killed."
"Danny, that was years ago. Don't-"
"We still need to talk about it. I mean, when we were flying to Tokyo, something could've happened to us. You wanted me to go the other way when you saw the Japs. What if I did Rafe?" Evelyn looked at Rafe, then to Danny, but both men were looking down, not sure what to say. Danny took a deep breath.
"What if I listened to you, and one of us ended up dying?"
"What do you want me to say to you Danny? Damn it, I know what happened, okay? You're fine, I'm fine, we're all okay because you risked your life to save us." Rafe said.
"I know that Rafe, I just am afraid every time I get into a plane because it reminds me so much of Pearl, and of China. Isn't it the same for you?"
"...Yea. Its scary, only because we lived through it. We're the lucky ones." Rafe said, finally looking over at Danny.
"In a way." Danny sighed, picking at a string on his pants. Rafe looked down, realizing what Danny was talking about.
"I owe my life to you Danny." Rafe said softly, and Danny glanced a him.
"What the hell are you talking about-"
"What you said before. You did save my life, more than once. If you had listened to me in China, my plane would've crashed. Maybe killing me or the crew. You were the one who wanted us to bail out. You were the one who was shot. Not any of us."
"Rafe.." Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. Evelyn stood up and walked away from the table, and left them alone.
"I mean it. You saved my life, and I want to thank you." Rafe said, his voice cracked when he said that.
"You saved mine too. You always did Rafe. You were always trying to protect me from the rest of the damned world. I have a beautiful wife and wonderful son thanks to you.. You didn't take her away from me, which you could have. I wouldn't have blamed you either. I owe you all I've got Rafe." Danny said. Rafe looked at him again and Danny smiled helpfully.
"You're my best friend Rafe. Nothing will change that." Danny said. Rafe pulled him for a hug and patted him on the back.
"Nothing." Rafe repeated. Joshua ran back into the room, holding a toy plane, spinning in circles. Danny laughed when he saw his son and turned to Rafe.
"I'm glad we're still okay. I wouldn't trust anyone else to teach him to fly." Danny said, not taking his eyes off Josh. Rafe saw the pride in Danny's eyes and grinned at that. Never before had he seen his best friend so happy.
"Remember when we first flew?" Rafe asked, an evil gleam in his eyes.
"Yea... boy, you're dad was sure mad at us." Danny laughed, remembering when they were ten, and turned Rafe's father's crop duster on, and the plane flew. Maybe only a few feet off the ground, but it didn't matter to them.
"I'm glad we can teach Josh. It'll be fun." Rafe said.
"Hell, maybe we can teach Ev. too." Danny grinned.
"I am never going in another plane with you again Danny!!" She screamed from down the hall. Danny shrugged at Rafe then they both laughed.
"Let's go Uncle Rafe!!!" Josh yelled, tugging on Rafe's arm.
"Go where?"
"Fly!!! Come on daddy!!" Josh said as he struggled to pull both Danny and Rafe.
"You tryin' to pull our arms off? Come here..." Danny said, picking Josh up off the floor, and tossing him over his shoulder. Josh laughed happily while Danny and Rafe took him outside. Evelyn sighed and watched them leave, smiling to herself. She knew no matter what happened, Danny would always be there for Josh, and Rafe would always be there for the both of them. She laughed when she heard Josh's voice over the motor of the plane. She knew everything was going to be all right.