The bullet pierced through his flesh in one swift moment. His breath caught in the back of his throat, as he looked down at his chest, stunned. He felt his knees buckle beneath him, and he toppled to the ground. He lay there, not moving, barely breathing, wincing at the pain of his throbbing wound. And then there she was, smiling at him from hundreds of miles away.
"Don't be scared," she whispered.
"Evelyn," he tried to speak.
"I love you, Danny. And I'll be waiting for you when you get back."
Danny's heart broke in his chest, as he remembered. Evelyn. And then, as quickly as she had come, she disappeared. In her place, was Rafe, his eyes full of panic, and his cheeks wet with blood and tears. His trembling fingers worked frantically to free Danny of his wire bindings. He looked down at the gunshot wound and cringed, closing his eyes and then opening them again.
"Danny..." he whispered.
Danny blinked, slowly realizing the nature of the situation. "I'm...not...not...gonna..." He choked, his words coming in short gasps, but still he continued, "...I'm so cold...not gonna make it..." He looked up into the eyes of the man who had always been there, who had always looked out for him. And now, lying in a pool of his own blood, he felt like he had finally returned the favor.
"Yes you are, Danny. Yes you ARE!" the other man nearly screamed.
"Do me a favor," he said softly, "Let somebody else...spell my name...on the tombstone." He tried to smile, his dying body quivering uncontrollably.
"Danny...Danny, please!" Rafe exclaimed, filled with panic and fear. "Please don't leave me...you can't leave me."
Danny closed his eyes, and for a second, Rafe feared he had lost his childhood friend. He looked from side to side frantically at the group of people who stood nearby, their heads bowed. In the distance, he could see what appeared to be a truck, speeding forward in their direction.
"Just hold on a little longer, just hold on!" he exclaimed; yet Danny did not move. "You can't die! You can't!" Rafe sobbed, holding Danny's body close to his own, "You're gonna be a father." Danny's eyes slowly opened, and he looked up at him, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "You're gonna be a daddy, and I wasn't supposed to tell you..." he cried, his words barely distinguishable.
Danny lifted his head up, and Rafe cradled it in his arms. "No..." he whispered, "No... you are."
The words cut through him like a knife, and the tears fell faster down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Danny. For everything."
Danny tried to nod his head. "Take care of...take care of h..." his voice faded, and his eyes closed.
"Danny...Danny, no!" Rafe cried, pulling his limp body into his arms, and embracing him. "Land of the free, Danny... Land of the free..." he mumbled, waiting for an answer. But his friend said nothing.
She stood on the runway and waited. There wasn't anything else she could do, so she waited; and she prayed. A woman beside her pointed to something in the air. Evelyn looked in the direction the woman was pointing, and her heart nearly stopped. The aircraft was approaching. Never taking her eyes off it, she watched as the plane landed, then skidded to a halt a few feet in front of her. The knot in her stomach tightened as the doors opened, ever so slowly.
The colonel was the first one to exit the plane. His expression was one of sorrow and loss, and he silently but quickly walked down the stairs onto the runway. One by one, several pilots filed out of the plane, and as each one passed, the heavier Evelyn's heart grew. Teardrops began to sting the corners of her eyes. Oh God, please tell me one of them made it... Almost as if to answer her prayers, a man stepped out of the aircraft. His tall, muscular frame was covered in a tan pilot's uniform, and an officer's hat sat slightly crooked on the top of his head, hiding his shortly cut brown hair. As he walked down the steps, he removed his hat, to reveal a bruised face with a solemn expression. He looked up, and his eyes met hers. She formed a small smile, but he did not return it. Instead, he waited at the end of the stairs until the last pilot had left the airplane, then made his way back inside.
Evelyn's heart nearly beat out of her chest as she slowly walked towards the stairs. Rafe appeared again in the doorway, his hand supporting the end of something that was still hidden in the shadows of the aircraft. Evelyn raised her trembling hands up to her mouth, as Rafe stepped forward and began his journey again, down the long set of stairs. She watched as a stretcher appeared, another pilot holding the other end. Once they had reached the bottom, she rushed to their side, the teardrops finally escaping her eyes, and looked down at the man on the stretcher. Evelyn reached out and brushed the chestnut colored hair away from his closed eyes, and took a deep quivering breath. She looked up at Rafe, who placed his arm gently around her shoulders, and she wept.
