A/N: Chapter 5 is finally here, and I am quite pleased with it. Please
read/review, it is very much appreciated.
Chris, the Reviewer: You have no idea what your review means to me. Thank you with all of my heart. I don't know who you are but, thank you so much. This chapter is for and your best friend. I hope you get to read it. ^_^
~*~
Chapter 5
Alive
His eyes snapped open. It was as if he had jolted awake from an intense nightmare, his breathing clipped and fast. The only sound in the vast ward was his panting – yet it was not alone. Rafe lifted his gaze to see Danny staring up at the ceiling, gasping much like himself. Realization didn't set in immediately, and he only looked.
"What?" he asked after a while of loud breathing.
"Home of the Brave," the wounded pilot repeated. Something glimmered in his dark eyes that did not move from the shadows on the ceiling. "Home of the Brave." They had each calmed to only quiet gasps, their breathing steadying with each passing minute. And Rafe finally caught himself.
"Danny?" he said breathlessly, his heart stopping as he waited to know that it was real. Danny took another breath with his eyes on the ceiling, before dropping his head to the side, and those eyes met Rafe's. Rafe stared into his best friend's eyes hard, while Danny looked at him with that familiar boyish quality of his. The pause that ensued seemed to go on forever; yet after that eternity, Danny's lips slowly curled into a faint smile – tender with love. And Rafe couldn't smile back – he shut his lips, as his eyes welled up anew.
"Danny," he breathed, the name brought forth from his lips as the rivers of joy broke through his heart, flooded his soul, and overflowed. He bowed his head to the bed and began to weep, his other hand reaching across for Danny's. The injured pilot was taken a bit by surprise yet settled into it quickly, warmth visibly rising up into his face with that smile barely made. Tentatively, he lifted his hand to hover above Rafe's head, before finally laying it down. He stroked over his best friend's tousled hair as Rafe wept silently into the smooth coverlet. Danny broke into a shuddering laugh with tears springing up into his own eyes when Rafe sobbed audibly, with shoulders beginning to shake. Danny's hand moved down to Rafe's back and rubbed comfortingly, ignoring the IV and the hospital bracelet that accompanied his arm.
"Aw, come on now, Rafe," he began after a while. "We can't be crying like children when we're war pilots." He smiled with tears rolling from the corners of his eyes, streaking their way down his cheeks. He held on to Rafe's hand reassuringly and looked upon his best friend with tenderness in his eyes that he felt throughout his whole being.
"I'm so sorry," Rafe whispered, turning his head just a little.
"Don't be," Danny said in return. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Rafe shuddered into a strange, involuntary grin.
"How can you forgive me so easily?" he questioned, really more to himself than to Danny. Danny smiled, unseen by Rafe.
"Because you did nothing wrong," he told his best friend. Rafe sat up, unashamed of his moist face.
"Nothing wrong?" he echoed. "Danny, I didn't understand." The smile had disappeared from Walker's face, and he stared at Rafe with glimmering eyes.
"I was angry at you," Rage continued, looking straight into his brother's eyes. "I treated you like shit, and I made you feel bad."
"And you right to," Danny replied. "I was the one that screwed up, Rafe. I'm the one who should be sorry."
"Don't you say that," Rafe chided abruptly. "Don't you come down on yourself, Danny." His best friend bowed his head to look away from him. "You didn't do anything but move on with your life when you believed I was gone. I was irrational to think Evelyn would never move on."
"Or maybe you just didn't care if she did or not, as long as she didn't move to me," Danny said, looking back up. Rafe stifled a sigh.
"You're right," he admitted resignedly. "When I came back, I wasn't just upset because she wasn't mine anymore. I was upset mainly because you had her. I guess it would've been different if it were any other guy." Danny nodded and looked down again.
"But I don't care anymore," Rafe added, bringing Danny's eyes up to his own again. "I realized that you matter more than my pride. I would rather step back and let you have Evelyn, than fight you for it and lose the only brother I've ever had." Danny smiled close-lipped and his eyes grew glassy again.
"You don't have to," he said quietly.
"I know," Rafe said. "But I want to." And Danny kept smiling. After a long while of silence, of the two of them shifting their hands in each other's, Danny spoke up again.
"Is it true?" he began, earning a questioning look from Rafe. "That Evelyn is expecting?" The words felt so strange to say. Rafe smiled this time, nodding.
"Yeah," he said. "You did good while I was away." Danny smacked him playfully upside the head. His eyes glittered. "I can't believe it," he said in awe.
"Scares the shit out of you, doesn't it?" Rafe asked.
Danny laughed. "Just a little." They grinned at each other for a moment, before looking away again and going to their own thoughts.
"Rafe," Danny began, as he stared out one of the distant windows.
"Yeah, Danny?" Rafe answered, turning his head back to look at his best friend.
"When she has the baby, I want you to be godfather," Danny said decidedly. Rafe was taken aback by this.
"Seriously?" he said in disbelief. Danny looked at him again and smirked.
"Well, who else would it be?" he said. Rafe's grin broadened, and he nearly chuckled aloud.
"I want you to be a part of our lives forever," Danny continued, looking back to the window where sunlight had appeared. "I don't ever want to be apart." His voice had grown quiet, the way Danny was in truth.
"We never will be," Rafe told him. "Because I'll never leave you." Danny smiled at him warmly, as if he taken the sunlight with him when he turned his head back. They didn't speak again for another long while, until Rafe brought up the letter.
"Oh," Danny initially responded, blushing boyishly, and Rafe almost laughed.
"Here," he said, smiling, and offered his own letter to his best friend. Danny took it in surprise, carefully unfolded it, and began to read. Rafe watched his eyes fill with tears. Danny shuddered into a smile as he finished and sat up without a second thought to the pain to put his arms around Rafe. He pressed his eyes shut, tears spilling from beneath his dark lashes, and smiled with his head on Rafe's shoulder and the letter crumpled in his fist. Rafe enveloped his brother in his arms, sighing to feel Danny alive against him. They remained in their embrace for a long time, not wanting to let go of the feeling of everything being all right again.
"I love you," Danny admitted in a gentle whisper.
"I know," Rafe said. "I love you, too." And Danny's heart broke, as the tears came profusely.
After a long moment, they let go, and Danny eased back down onto his pillow. Rafe dried his face with the back of his hand, as Danny sniffled with quivering lips.
"Does it hurt?" Rafe asked him, referring to his wounds.
"Yeah," Danny admitted. "It would be worse without the morphine, though."
"I hate to think you're in pain," Rafe said, and Danny's eyes looked as if they were about burst with the tears that pooled in them.
"It's all right," he breathed. "I'm all right, now."
"McCawely," Dolittle called from the door, getting Rafe to look over his shoulder. "Time's up," the Colonel said. Rafe nodded, before turning back to face Danny. He stood up, still looking down into his best friend's face. Dolittle watched as he leaned down to give Walker one last hug, and Walker reached up with opened arms eagerly.
"I'll see you," Rafe reassured, laying his forehead against Danny's close. Danny smiled, and Rafe let go. He walked away, down the aisle of beds toward the door and Dolittle, not wanting to look back to make leaving any harder.
Chris, the Reviewer: You have no idea what your review means to me. Thank you with all of my heart. I don't know who you are but, thank you so much. This chapter is for and your best friend. I hope you get to read it. ^_^
~*~
Chapter 5
Alive
His eyes snapped open. It was as if he had jolted awake from an intense nightmare, his breathing clipped and fast. The only sound in the vast ward was his panting – yet it was not alone. Rafe lifted his gaze to see Danny staring up at the ceiling, gasping much like himself. Realization didn't set in immediately, and he only looked.
"What?" he asked after a while of loud breathing.
"Home of the Brave," the wounded pilot repeated. Something glimmered in his dark eyes that did not move from the shadows on the ceiling. "Home of the Brave." They had each calmed to only quiet gasps, their breathing steadying with each passing minute. And Rafe finally caught himself.
"Danny?" he said breathlessly, his heart stopping as he waited to know that it was real. Danny took another breath with his eyes on the ceiling, before dropping his head to the side, and those eyes met Rafe's. Rafe stared into his best friend's eyes hard, while Danny looked at him with that familiar boyish quality of his. The pause that ensued seemed to go on forever; yet after that eternity, Danny's lips slowly curled into a faint smile – tender with love. And Rafe couldn't smile back – he shut his lips, as his eyes welled up anew.
"Danny," he breathed, the name brought forth from his lips as the rivers of joy broke through his heart, flooded his soul, and overflowed. He bowed his head to the bed and began to weep, his other hand reaching across for Danny's. The injured pilot was taken a bit by surprise yet settled into it quickly, warmth visibly rising up into his face with that smile barely made. Tentatively, he lifted his hand to hover above Rafe's head, before finally laying it down. He stroked over his best friend's tousled hair as Rafe wept silently into the smooth coverlet. Danny broke into a shuddering laugh with tears springing up into his own eyes when Rafe sobbed audibly, with shoulders beginning to shake. Danny's hand moved down to Rafe's back and rubbed comfortingly, ignoring the IV and the hospital bracelet that accompanied his arm.
"Aw, come on now, Rafe," he began after a while. "We can't be crying like children when we're war pilots." He smiled with tears rolling from the corners of his eyes, streaking their way down his cheeks. He held on to Rafe's hand reassuringly and looked upon his best friend with tenderness in his eyes that he felt throughout his whole being.
"I'm so sorry," Rafe whispered, turning his head just a little.
"Don't be," Danny said in return. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Rafe shuddered into a strange, involuntary grin.
"How can you forgive me so easily?" he questioned, really more to himself than to Danny. Danny smiled, unseen by Rafe.
"Because you did nothing wrong," he told his best friend. Rafe sat up, unashamed of his moist face.
"Nothing wrong?" he echoed. "Danny, I didn't understand." The smile had disappeared from Walker's face, and he stared at Rafe with glimmering eyes.
"I was angry at you," Rage continued, looking straight into his brother's eyes. "I treated you like shit, and I made you feel bad."
"And you right to," Danny replied. "I was the one that screwed up, Rafe. I'm the one who should be sorry."
"Don't you say that," Rafe chided abruptly. "Don't you come down on yourself, Danny." His best friend bowed his head to look away from him. "You didn't do anything but move on with your life when you believed I was gone. I was irrational to think Evelyn would never move on."
"Or maybe you just didn't care if she did or not, as long as she didn't move to me," Danny said, looking back up. Rafe stifled a sigh.
"You're right," he admitted resignedly. "When I came back, I wasn't just upset because she wasn't mine anymore. I was upset mainly because you had her. I guess it would've been different if it were any other guy." Danny nodded and looked down again.
"But I don't care anymore," Rafe added, bringing Danny's eyes up to his own again. "I realized that you matter more than my pride. I would rather step back and let you have Evelyn, than fight you for it and lose the only brother I've ever had." Danny smiled close-lipped and his eyes grew glassy again.
"You don't have to," he said quietly.
"I know," Rafe said. "But I want to." And Danny kept smiling. After a long while of silence, of the two of them shifting their hands in each other's, Danny spoke up again.
"Is it true?" he began, earning a questioning look from Rafe. "That Evelyn is expecting?" The words felt so strange to say. Rafe smiled this time, nodding.
"Yeah," he said. "You did good while I was away." Danny smacked him playfully upside the head. His eyes glittered. "I can't believe it," he said in awe.
"Scares the shit out of you, doesn't it?" Rafe asked.
Danny laughed. "Just a little." They grinned at each other for a moment, before looking away again and going to their own thoughts.
"Rafe," Danny began, as he stared out one of the distant windows.
"Yeah, Danny?" Rafe answered, turning his head back to look at his best friend.
"When she has the baby, I want you to be godfather," Danny said decidedly. Rafe was taken aback by this.
"Seriously?" he said in disbelief. Danny looked at him again and smirked.
"Well, who else would it be?" he said. Rafe's grin broadened, and he nearly chuckled aloud.
"I want you to be a part of our lives forever," Danny continued, looking back to the window where sunlight had appeared. "I don't ever want to be apart." His voice had grown quiet, the way Danny was in truth.
"We never will be," Rafe told him. "Because I'll never leave you." Danny smiled at him warmly, as if he taken the sunlight with him when he turned his head back. They didn't speak again for another long while, until Rafe brought up the letter.
"Oh," Danny initially responded, blushing boyishly, and Rafe almost laughed.
"Here," he said, smiling, and offered his own letter to his best friend. Danny took it in surprise, carefully unfolded it, and began to read. Rafe watched his eyes fill with tears. Danny shuddered into a smile as he finished and sat up without a second thought to the pain to put his arms around Rafe. He pressed his eyes shut, tears spilling from beneath his dark lashes, and smiled with his head on Rafe's shoulder and the letter crumpled in his fist. Rafe enveloped his brother in his arms, sighing to feel Danny alive against him. They remained in their embrace for a long time, not wanting to let go of the feeling of everything being all right again.
"I love you," Danny admitted in a gentle whisper.
"I know," Rafe said. "I love you, too." And Danny's heart broke, as the tears came profusely.
After a long moment, they let go, and Danny eased back down onto his pillow. Rafe dried his face with the back of his hand, as Danny sniffled with quivering lips.
"Does it hurt?" Rafe asked him, referring to his wounds.
"Yeah," Danny admitted. "It would be worse without the morphine, though."
"I hate to think you're in pain," Rafe said, and Danny's eyes looked as if they were about burst with the tears that pooled in them.
"It's all right," he breathed. "I'm all right, now."
"McCawely," Dolittle called from the door, getting Rafe to look over his shoulder. "Time's up," the Colonel said. Rafe nodded, before turning back to face Danny. He stood up, still looking down into his best friend's face. Dolittle watched as he leaned down to give Walker one last hug, and Walker reached up with opened arms eagerly.
"I'll see you," Rafe reassured, laying his forehead against Danny's close. Danny smiled, and Rafe let go. He walked away, down the aisle of beds toward the door and Dolittle, not wanting to look back to make leaving any harder.
