The summer had sped by.
New babies were on the way and the McCawley children were about to begin a new school year. For Joseph, it would be his first day ever and Rafe had been lucky enough to be off rotation so that he and Evelyn could be together to take the kids to school on their first day.
Danny and Sarah were happy to be home with their parents and their brother, but they wouldn't know anyone and Sarah had stayed closer to her mother than usual during the Labor Day weekend before the start of school.
Danny had spent the better part of his summer back in Hawaii with his father at Wheeler when he wasn't away on a mission. A decommissioned P-40 was still at the base that was used as a trainer and Rafe had taken his oldest up in it. It was something that he had promised his son that he would do and at every opportunity he went. He had even let Danny take the controls on occasion and it was during one of those flights that he had told his father that he wanted to join the Air Force and be a pilot.
He didn't know whether to be worried or proud. But Danny wasn't quite ten and still has plenty of time to make a final decision. Rafe had to admit though that he was the only one of his three children that had ever shown an interest to fly when he had taken his son up in his father's crop duster when they were still in Tennessee.
It was something that was on his mind as he and Evelyn lay together in their bed on the first day of school.
"You've been awfully quiet this morning, what's on your mind?" Evelyn asked him.
"Danny wants to be a pilot." He didn't know whether to smile or not.
"So you've told me. I thought that would make you happy." She told him.
"I would have thought differently if I hadn't been shot down twice."
"But Danny's too young." She reasoned. "And besides, once we get through this I don't think anyone is going to be able to stomach another war."
Rafe put his arms around her and sighed. "Ain't that what we said about the last one?"
She was silent for a moment before she also sighed. "I hadn't thought of it that way. But he's had you and your dad to teach him Rafe. And if it's what he really wants to do we can't tell him that he can't, can we?"
"Do as I say and not as I do?"
"Something like that." She smiled. "Rafe, I've seen the look on his face just before you take him up to fly and how it's all he talks about when you bring him home. That boy has flying in his blood, just like you do and it's up to us to help him any way that we can."
"What about college? That was somethin' that we wanted for all of them." He frowned.
"Isn't it more important that he may have found something that he loves to do? Instead of going to college, he'll join the Air Force. There's nothing wrong with that."
"But it ain't a college degree."
Evelyn leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You've always wanted what's best for the kids Rafe and if it means that Danny joins the Air Force instead of going to college, that's perfectly all right with me."
He looked at her and sighed again. "You really wouldn't mind?"
"He'd be serving his country and that is the noblest thing I could think for our son to do."
He smiled as he repeated something she had just said. "I hadn't thought of it that way."
"Come on Dad, it's time we get those kids of ours up because I don't hear anything." She sat up and stretched. She grabbed her bathrobe from the foot of the bed and after she sat up, put it on and cinched the sash. When she turned around, Rafe was still in bed as he watched her and he smiled. "What are you smiling at?"
"Just thinkin' how lucky I am to be married to you." His smile turned into a grin. "It's too bad we don't have more time."
Evelyn could feel her face flush. "I know."
He laughed softly as he sat up on his side of the bed and ran a hand through his hair. He got his own bathrobe from the foot of the bed and cinched the sash after he stood up. He looked at his bedside clock and it was 7:15. "Honey, what time do the kids need to be to school?"
"8:15." She answered as she stood at the bedroom door. "Don't worry Rafe, we have time."
He met her at the door and put an arm around her shoulders. "If we can get them up, we do."
There was a knock at the front door. "You get the kids and I'll get the door." She told him as she walked up the hall and heard the groan of her eldest son as his father roused him out of sleep.
"Just five more minutes Daddy, please." She heard Danny ask and she smiled. Some things hadn't changed. When she got to the front door, the Walker's were there with their two sleepy daughters.
Sandra smiled at her. "The girls wanted to come over and have breakfast with the kids before they went to school, but they went back to sleep after Danny and I got them up."
He laughed. "I guess this is somethin' we can look forward to in another year with Annie. Wakin' her up and havin' her fall back asleep before school."
"Come on in you two. If you want to put the girls down on the sofa, they can sleep until breakfast is ready." She smiled back.
"Do you want me to get anything started Ev? I don't mind." Sandra offered.
Evelyn though about it for a moment before she nodded. "If you could start the coffee for me while I get dressed, that would be wonderful. I'll be right out." And she headed back down the hall.
Danny and Sarah were up and had started to get dressed in their rooms. She stopped in front of Joseph's room and saw Rafe on the edge of the bed as he tried to convince his youngest to get up. "Come on son. Mama and I are goin' to take you and your brother and sister to your new school this mornin'. But if you don't get up, you won't be able to come with us."
"I don't want to leave Mama all by herself." He said.
Evelyn stepped into the room and walked over to her son's bed. "Don't worry about me Joseph. Your dad will be with me after we take you to school so I won't be alone. And we are so happy that your such a big boy now that you get to go to school like Danny and Sarah."
That seemed to get him to think.
"What do you think?" Rafe asked his son. "Do you want to be a big boy like Danny?"
He nodded and as Rafe stood up, Joseph reluctantly got out of bed.
"That's a good boy." He praised him.
Evelyn smiled at her husband before she kissed his cheek. "Danny and Sandra are here with the girls and I'm going to get dressed."
"All right honey." He replied as she walked out of the room and headed back down the hall to her room.
By the time she had gotten dressed, the kids were also dressed and in the dining room. Sandra had poured them all a glass of juice and headed back into the kitchen. Evelyn followed her and proceeded to prepare a breakfast of bacon and eggs and with Sandra's help, got it served to the kids.
In the meantime, Rafe had gotten dressed because as they put breakfast on the table he had come back up the hall in civvies and sat down.
She kept an eye on her watch as everyone ate and before she knew it, it was time to go. "You go ahead Ev, I'll clean up here."
"Not in your condition you won't." Danny told her.
"Oh honestly Danny. I'm not ill, I'm going to have a baby." She laughed.
"Well, you ain't goin' to do it alone then."
Evelyn looked at Rafe and they smiled. Danny had become so overprotective of her since she'd had such a rough go with Ann and had fretted while she had been pregnant with Shelby. Sandra had called her one night when she'd been about seven months along with Shelby and at the end of her wits because Danny wouldn't let her do anything.
With Sandra's okay, Rafe had had a long talk with Danny and had tried to persuade him to lighten up. He told his friend that every baby was different and the second child would more than likely be easier than the first.
"I appreciate the offer Sandra, but I can take care of that when Rafe and I get home." Evelyn told her but the look on Sandra's face made her change her mind. "But on the other hand, it would be kind of nice to not worry about it. Thank you for offering Sandra, I'll take you up on it." And she hugged her friend.
"Thanks Ev. I'll have the kitchen spotless before you come back."
"We'll have it spotless." Danny said and smiled at Sandra. "If that's all right with you?"
"Thank you Danny." And she kissed his cheek. "I'd appreciate the help."
"Well now that we've got that settled, it's time to get these kids of ours to school." Rafe told them as Danny and Sarah got into their sweaters and Rafe helped Joseph on with his.
Evelyn had gone into the kitchen to get Danny and Sarah's lunches and handed them each a bag.
"All right McCawley's, the bus is leavin'. Let's get goin'." Rafe rounded his kids up and headed them out the front door.
"We'll be back as soon as we can." Evelyn told them as she followed her family.
As they walked to the car, Evelyn turned for a moment and saw Danny, Sandra and the girls at the door.
"Good luck." Sandra called after them. "Have a good day."
Evelyn smiled back and waved as the kids got settled in the back seat and Rafe started the car as she got in and sat down. "Everyone ready to go?"
"Ready." They all told her as Rafe pulled the car out of the drive and headed toward their first day of school.