Chapter Five
Princess Nikki
A/N: Ok so I know. I'm a little overzealous with this story. Five chapters in two days! I just can't help myself! On with the story.
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Rafe and Ella finished unpacking. "Elle wanna go to the beach? You can finally swim in the Pacific?"
"Sure Rafe! I've just got to change."
Rafe changed quickly but Ella took much longer.
"Come on Elle! Are you ready?"
"I'm coming!"
She came down the steps quietly and slowly. Her hair was twisted up on top of her head; she wore a two- piece lavender bathing suit, the top tied around her neck and the bottoms showed a little leg. (A/N think of the white one Evelyn wore. Don't mean to sound too shallow with the description but I didn't want it to sound too um trashy)
Rafe's jaw dropped, she looked beautiful. "Wow."
"What do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful." He said as he reached foreword to tuck a loose tendril behind her ear.
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"No stop! Rafe! It's cold! I have to get used to it." Ella screamed. Rafe had picked her up from the warm white sand and was carrying her toward the ocean.
"I'm going to throw you in!" he said as he carried her into the almost waist high water.
SPLASH! Ella was dropped from Rafe's arms into the cool water. She went under and came up sputtering.
"Oh you are so going to pay. That was so mean." Rafe turned to run towards the beach when Ella jumped on his back and brought him down into the water with her.
"Oh so that's how we're gonna play the game, huh?" he said as he stood up and brushed the sand from his hair.
"You did it to me first!" Ella screamed and ran to the beach. She flopped down on the warm, white sand and tucked a towel under her soaking head. Rafe lay down beside her and stretched himself over her. He slowly brought his lips to meet hers, they touched briefly, and Ella opened her mouth more so Rafe could slip his tongue inside. They continued like this for awhile until voices and footsteps could be heard. Ella stood up and tried to shake the sand from her wet body as Evelyn, Danny, little Danny and Gracie approached over the cliff.
"Hi!" Ella yelled and waved to them. "Over here!" Rafe joined in. He stood up and kissed Ella on the ear. "And to think if they hadn't shown up." Rafe whispered to Ella. "Rafe McCawley! Get your mind out of the gutter! Who's to say I would have let anything happen!" she teased. "Well at least not out here in public." She whispered as an afterthought.
"Hi guys. What happened to you two?" Danny asked curiously, eyeing Ella's messed up, wet hair and the fact that the two of them were completely covered in sand.
"Rafe threw me into the water and I, well, I retaliated." She said with a mischievous smile.
The afternoon passed quickly for the group. They played in the water and built sandcastles with the kids. By five o'clock everyone was ready to go home. Tomorrow, being Thanksgiving, Rafe and Ella would go over to Danny and Ev's for dinner. ************************************************************************
Ella woke suddenly realizing she wasn't in her own bed. She bumped something beside her and almost screamed before she realized it was Rafe. The events of the night before came flooding back to her. She dressed quickly and walked downstairs to the living room where she picked up both Rafe's and her own clothing that had been hastily discarded as the two made their way upstairs to the bedroom. Then, she moved into the kitchen where she started to make breakfast. Rafe, smelling the food cooking came downstairs quietly and put his arms around Ella's waist.
"No regrets about last night?"
"None at all." She answered.
Rafe had been hoping she would say that, he didn't want to make her feel like she had to sleep with him just to be with him.
Ella placed a plateful of bacon and eggs in front of Rafe and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." She said.
"For what?" Rafe asked her.
"For loving me."
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"Amen." They all replied. Danny had just finished giving the blessing when Evelyn said "Okay! Now it's time for our Thanksgiving ritual. You all have to say what you're thankful for." Danny and Rafe started to protest "Aw Ev come on! Not again! Every year we all say the same things!" Danny mumbled.
"I'll start. I'm thankful for my family, all of you, oh and your health." Said Evelyn.
"Same for me. Oh and I'm thankful for having a best friend like Rafe." Danny told them.
"I'm thankful for my toy plane" little Danny told them matter-of-factly.
"I'm thankful for finding someone as special as Rafe. And for all of you because otherwise I would have had to be by myself for the holidays." Ella said.
"I'm thankful for having Ella in my life. She means more to me now then I ever thought anyone would." Rafe said.
Danny and Evelyn, who were seated at the other end of the table, squeezed each other's hand, both thinking the same thing: Had Rafe really moved on?
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"Evelyn? What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?" Ella inquired.
"Not until one, but I have to drop the kids off at the babysitters first, why?"
"Because I'm done around one and you could just take the kids with you to the hospital, and we could switch off, I'll take Danny and Grace back home and you can get them when your done."
"That sounds great! I'll be done by three."
After Evelyn had had the children she refused to stop working all together, so she just cut her hours to two or three a day.
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Rafe and Ella returned home to their large, rented house. Rafe went upstairs to use the bathroom, while Ella settled herself on the back porch, which had a beautiful view of the ocean. Rafe went back downstairs to find Ella, he noticed a light on in the back of the house and figured that's where she was.
He leaned against the doorjamb, just watching her as she watched the ocean. Unbeknownst to Rafe, Ella knew he was there.
"It's beautiful isn't it?"
"What?" Rafe questioned.
"The ocean."
"See, I was thinking she is beautiful. Not it, I wasn't paying any attention to the ocean."
"Rafe!" Ella said blushing.
They snuggled together on the sofa just resting, when Ella said, "I'm tired I think I'll go to bed."
"Yeah, me too. Now Miss Ella will you be sleeping in your own bed or mine?" Rafe said with a cocky grin.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" ************************************************************************
Rafe awoke again to the smell of breakfast cooking. This was definitely something he could get used to. He went down to the kitchen where he found Ella making pancakes in her pajamas.
"Didn't bother to get dressed? I'm sure the nurses will love that look, I know I do."
"Oh stop it you tease! Here eat. I have to go get dressed."
Forty-five minutes later Ella returned dressed in her nurses uniform
"Come on I'll drop you off on my way to Hickam." Rafe said as he put his arm around her waist.
Rafe opened the door for Ella and kissed her goodbye. "Don't be givin' the nurses a hard time. Be a good girl."
"You sound like my father." ************************************************************************
Ella walked up the steps to the hospital where Barbara, the head nurse was waiting at a desk just inside the door. "Hi I'm Ella Carraway. I've just transferred here from New York."
"Huh? Oh sorry. I was just watching that guy in the car." She was referring to Rafe. "He looks just like this guy I knew once."
"Oh that's my boyfriend, Rafe."
"Rafe as in Rafe McCawley?"
"Yes. Do you know him?"
"Yes I do. He was stationed here when I was. I knew him through a friend of mine."
"Oh well I met him in New York, we're here for the holidays visiting his friends Danny and Evelyn Walker."
"I haven't seen him in years. I'm surprised Ev didn't mention he was coming in." ************************************************************************
"Okay be good for Ella! I'll see you guys around three!" Evelyn said as she met Ella outside of the hospital.
"So did you both have lunch?"
"Yes, mommy made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Gracie had a bottle."
"Okay, how about if I get you some ice cream? And I'll get some lunch."
Ella pushed the baby carriage and talked to Danny as they walked to the café around the corner.
Ella finished her sandwich and Danny ate his ice cream, then they left for Rafe and Ella's. ************************************************************************
"So Danny?"
"Yeah Rafe."
" What do ya think of Ella?"
"I like her. She seems real sweet. It was very nice of her to offer to watch Danny and Grace for Ev. You really do like her don't you?"
"Like her? I love her. I was kinda thinking of making her a permanent part of the family. Back in New York, I bought a ring for her. I was going to wait to see what you thought of her, I'm going to give it to her on Christmas."
Princess Nikki
A/N: Ok so I know. I'm a little overzealous with this story. Five chapters in two days! I just can't help myself! On with the story.
************************************************************************
Rafe and Ella finished unpacking. "Elle wanna go to the beach? You can finally swim in the Pacific?"
"Sure Rafe! I've just got to change."
Rafe changed quickly but Ella took much longer.
"Come on Elle! Are you ready?"
"I'm coming!"
She came down the steps quietly and slowly. Her hair was twisted up on top of her head; she wore a two- piece lavender bathing suit, the top tied around her neck and the bottoms showed a little leg. (A/N think of the white one Evelyn wore. Don't mean to sound too shallow with the description but I didn't want it to sound too um trashy)
Rafe's jaw dropped, she looked beautiful. "Wow."
"What do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful." He said as he reached foreword to tuck a loose tendril behind her ear.
***********************************************************************
"No stop! Rafe! It's cold! I have to get used to it." Ella screamed. Rafe had picked her up from the warm white sand and was carrying her toward the ocean.
"I'm going to throw you in!" he said as he carried her into the almost waist high water.
SPLASH! Ella was dropped from Rafe's arms into the cool water. She went under and came up sputtering.
"Oh you are so going to pay. That was so mean." Rafe turned to run towards the beach when Ella jumped on his back and brought him down into the water with her.
"Oh so that's how we're gonna play the game, huh?" he said as he stood up and brushed the sand from his hair.
"You did it to me first!" Ella screamed and ran to the beach. She flopped down on the warm, white sand and tucked a towel under her soaking head. Rafe lay down beside her and stretched himself over her. He slowly brought his lips to meet hers, they touched briefly, and Ella opened her mouth more so Rafe could slip his tongue inside. They continued like this for awhile until voices and footsteps could be heard. Ella stood up and tried to shake the sand from her wet body as Evelyn, Danny, little Danny and Gracie approached over the cliff.
"Hi!" Ella yelled and waved to them. "Over here!" Rafe joined in. He stood up and kissed Ella on the ear. "And to think if they hadn't shown up." Rafe whispered to Ella. "Rafe McCawley! Get your mind out of the gutter! Who's to say I would have let anything happen!" she teased. "Well at least not out here in public." She whispered as an afterthought.
"Hi guys. What happened to you two?" Danny asked curiously, eyeing Ella's messed up, wet hair and the fact that the two of them were completely covered in sand.
"Rafe threw me into the water and I, well, I retaliated." She said with a mischievous smile.
The afternoon passed quickly for the group. They played in the water and built sandcastles with the kids. By five o'clock everyone was ready to go home. Tomorrow, being Thanksgiving, Rafe and Ella would go over to Danny and Ev's for dinner. ************************************************************************
Ella woke suddenly realizing she wasn't in her own bed. She bumped something beside her and almost screamed before she realized it was Rafe. The events of the night before came flooding back to her. She dressed quickly and walked downstairs to the living room where she picked up both Rafe's and her own clothing that had been hastily discarded as the two made their way upstairs to the bedroom. Then, she moved into the kitchen where she started to make breakfast. Rafe, smelling the food cooking came downstairs quietly and put his arms around Ella's waist.
"No regrets about last night?"
"None at all." She answered.
Rafe had been hoping she would say that, he didn't want to make her feel like she had to sleep with him just to be with him.
Ella placed a plateful of bacon and eggs in front of Rafe and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." She said.
"For what?" Rafe asked her.
"For loving me."
************************************************************************
"Amen." They all replied. Danny had just finished giving the blessing when Evelyn said "Okay! Now it's time for our Thanksgiving ritual. You all have to say what you're thankful for." Danny and Rafe started to protest "Aw Ev come on! Not again! Every year we all say the same things!" Danny mumbled.
"I'll start. I'm thankful for my family, all of you, oh and your health." Said Evelyn.
"Same for me. Oh and I'm thankful for having a best friend like Rafe." Danny told them.
"I'm thankful for my toy plane" little Danny told them matter-of-factly.
"I'm thankful for finding someone as special as Rafe. And for all of you because otherwise I would have had to be by myself for the holidays." Ella said.
"I'm thankful for having Ella in my life. She means more to me now then I ever thought anyone would." Rafe said.
Danny and Evelyn, who were seated at the other end of the table, squeezed each other's hand, both thinking the same thing: Had Rafe really moved on?
************************************************************************
"Evelyn? What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?" Ella inquired.
"Not until one, but I have to drop the kids off at the babysitters first, why?"
"Because I'm done around one and you could just take the kids with you to the hospital, and we could switch off, I'll take Danny and Grace back home and you can get them when your done."
"That sounds great! I'll be done by three."
After Evelyn had had the children she refused to stop working all together, so she just cut her hours to two or three a day.
************************************************************************
Rafe and Ella returned home to their large, rented house. Rafe went upstairs to use the bathroom, while Ella settled herself on the back porch, which had a beautiful view of the ocean. Rafe went back downstairs to find Ella, he noticed a light on in the back of the house and figured that's where she was.
He leaned against the doorjamb, just watching her as she watched the ocean. Unbeknownst to Rafe, Ella knew he was there.
"It's beautiful isn't it?"
"What?" Rafe questioned.
"The ocean."
"See, I was thinking she is beautiful. Not it, I wasn't paying any attention to the ocean."
"Rafe!" Ella said blushing.
They snuggled together on the sofa just resting, when Ella said, "I'm tired I think I'll go to bed."
"Yeah, me too. Now Miss Ella will you be sleeping in your own bed or mine?" Rafe said with a cocky grin.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" ************************************************************************
Rafe awoke again to the smell of breakfast cooking. This was definitely something he could get used to. He went down to the kitchen where he found Ella making pancakes in her pajamas.
"Didn't bother to get dressed? I'm sure the nurses will love that look, I know I do."
"Oh stop it you tease! Here eat. I have to go get dressed."
Forty-five minutes later Ella returned dressed in her nurses uniform
"Come on I'll drop you off on my way to Hickam." Rafe said as he put his arm around her waist.
Rafe opened the door for Ella and kissed her goodbye. "Don't be givin' the nurses a hard time. Be a good girl."
"You sound like my father." ************************************************************************
Ella walked up the steps to the hospital where Barbara, the head nurse was waiting at a desk just inside the door. "Hi I'm Ella Carraway. I've just transferred here from New York."
"Huh? Oh sorry. I was just watching that guy in the car." She was referring to Rafe. "He looks just like this guy I knew once."
"Oh that's my boyfriend, Rafe."
"Rafe as in Rafe McCawley?"
"Yes. Do you know him?"
"Yes I do. He was stationed here when I was. I knew him through a friend of mine."
"Oh well I met him in New York, we're here for the holidays visiting his friends Danny and Evelyn Walker."
"I haven't seen him in years. I'm surprised Ev didn't mention he was coming in." ************************************************************************
"Okay be good for Ella! I'll see you guys around three!" Evelyn said as she met Ella outside of the hospital.
"So did you both have lunch?"
"Yes, mommy made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Gracie had a bottle."
"Okay, how about if I get you some ice cream? And I'll get some lunch."
Ella pushed the baby carriage and talked to Danny as they walked to the café around the corner.
Ella finished her sandwich and Danny ate his ice cream, then they left for Rafe and Ella's. ************************************************************************
"So Danny?"
"Yeah Rafe."
" What do ya think of Ella?"
"I like her. She seems real sweet. It was very nice of her to offer to watch Danny and Grace for Ev. You really do like her don't you?"
"Like her? I love her. I was kinda thinking of making her a permanent part of the family. Back in New York, I bought a ring for her. I was going to wait to see what you thought of her, I'm going to give it to her on Christmas."