He'd carried the ring with him since he bought it before the last mission.

Captain Daniel Walker didn't know it at the time but he, Rafe and the other pilots were going out on their final mission. And it was before that mission that he had decided that it was time to buy a ring. Rumors were rampant that the war was almost over because the Jerries had surrendered earlier that year and if that rumor turned out to be true, Danny didn't want to waste any time.

He felt that the time had come to propose.

He'd found the McCawley's at the beach one afternoon after he and Rafe had returned and had shown the ring to Rafe and Evelyn. They were both happy that he had decided to finally pop the question and wished him luck. He'd returned to the barracks and pulled his dress uniform out of his locker. He had made a reservation at the Royal Hawaiian and had planned the proposal over a glass of champagne.

He tried to get the best look at himself that he could from the small mirror that hung inside his locker door and his stomach was suddenly in knots. After all of the discussion about marriage he was about to ask the most important question of his life and he was scared. What if she said no? And as much as he loved her, was he really ready for the responsibility of marriage? And what about kids? The war was over and he wasn't sure about his own future so how could he ask the woman he loved, more than anything, to take him on?

Her ring was in his uniform pocket as he walked to the barracks door and the knot got bigger. He sighed before he headed back to his bunk and sat down on the edge and put his head in his hands in frustration.

Danny didn't know how long he sat there before he realized that he couldn't go through with it. He knew in his heart that he was a coward for not going through with something he'd wanted for such a long time. But he also knew that he didn't want to have any doubts that he was doing the right thing for himself and especially for her.

So he took the ring box out of his pocket and put it on the top shelf of his locker. He unbuttoned his uniform jacket and hung it up then he loosened his tie. He knew he had to call Sandra to break their date and had no idea what he was going to say to her.

Sandra put the receiver back in the cradle and sighed. Something was wrong even though Danny had assured her that everything was fine. It wasn't like him to break a date and she was worried.

She'd gotten into her best dress because Danny had told her he was going to take her someplace special. She walked into her room and looked at herself in the dresser mirror. She had always tried to look her best, whether it was at the hospital or off duty. Tonight though, she had pulled out all of the stops because she felt somewhere deep inside that Danny was finally going to propose.

She turned away from the mirror and sat down on the edge of her bed and started to cry. She didn't notice that Barbara and Martha had come into the room and sat down next to her and put their arms around her.

She took her glasses off and folded them in her lap. She covered her face with her hands as the other girls sat next to her and tried to comfort her.

Barbara tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and asked quietly. "Is there anything we can do for you Sandra?"

She shook her head.

"We've given you a hard time about not telling us about Danny, but we really want you to be happy. I hope you know that." Martha added.

"I know." Sandra could barely talk.

"What's got you so upset? You've been walking on a cloud since Danny came home and now you're in tears." Barbara commented.

Sandra sat up and dried her eyes with a handkerchief that Martha handed to her. She trembled as she put her glassed back on and she sighed. "It's silly really."

"What is?" Martha asked her.

"Danny was going to take me to dinner at the Royal Hawaiian and he just called and cancelled. The thing is, I think he was going to propose."

Barbara grinned. "The Royal Hawaiian? That sounds like a proposal to me."

Martha glared at her. "Barbara."

"Sandra, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It sounds to me like he got cold feet and when he realizes what an idiot he's being, he'll come around."

"Or you can go and talk to him yourself." Martha suggested.

Sandra looked at Martha and shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't do that."

"Why not? Sandra, this is 1945. If you love Danny and you know that he loves you, you can't let him do this."

"He hasn't actually done anything. This dinner could have been a celebration for the war finally being over."

Martha shook her head. "Sandra, you're in your best formal. He was going to take you to the swankiest hotel on Oahu and I'd bet my last dollar that he was going to be in his best dress uniform. If that isn't a set up for a proposal, I don't know what is."

"Well, it doesn't really matter now."

Barbara took her hand. "It's going to be all right Sandra. Just give him some time because given time he'll feel really rotten about this."

That got her to smile. "But I don't want him to feel rotten."

"Well, at least that got a smile out of you. Do what you feel is right honey and we'll stand behind you."

"Thanks Barbara and you too Martha. I'll think about what you said."

They stood up and headed to the door. "We're going to the Black Cat for dinner. Would you like to come with us?" Barbara asked her.

"Thanks anyway, but I think I'll stay here."

Martha frowned at her. "Are you sure?"

"You two go ahead. I'm all right."

"If you change your mind, you know where to find us." Barbara told her as she followed Martha out the door.

Sandra took a deep breath, stood up and walked to her closet. She found a pair of slacks and a blouse and after she took one more look at herself in the mirror, she changed.