New Year's Eve 1947 found Danny and Sandra Walker at home in Hawaii.

They had invited Red over to ring in the New Year and instead of a quiet evening with an old friend, it turned into a real celebration. He hadn't told Danny or Sandra that he'd gotten the McCawley's, Barbara, Martha and Gooz to come back to Hawaii because if it hadn't worked out, he didn't want them to be disappointed. It had been two years since they had all been together to see in the new year and this year was different not only because Danny and Sandra were married, but they had their baby.

Danny wondered to himself that evening what it was about babies that turned the most mature adult into a babbling idiot. Gooz was the worst of them all because as they soon found out, his wife was expecting. And though he'd never admit it to them, he was excited. He'd never been a man of many words, but with Annie in his arms, he wouldn't shut up.

No one had known he'd even married his girl when he'd returned to Kentucky. All anyone had received was an announcement after the fact and Gooz had finally admitted that the wedding had had to be pushed up much sooner than planned because they found out she was expecting. It wasn't meant to be for them though, because she'd miscarried soon after they wed. So it was with particular joy that he'd found out on Christmas Day that he was going to be a father.

He told Danny that he hadn't wanted to leave his wife, but she knew how much it meant for him to go and had insisted. "She's really something, Walker." He told Danny as he put his daughter down for the night. "I didn't think this marriage business would be for me, but she sure changed my mind."

Danny tried not to laugh. "I don't think you had a lot of choices Gooz."

"You don't understand; she gave me a choice. She said I didn't have to marry her and she would figure something out."

He looked at his friend in surprise. "Not many girls would do that."

Gooz nodded. "I was surprised as hell when she told me that. I never thought about not marrying her because I did love her. Hell, I still do." He flushed self-consciously. "Repeat that to anyone and I'll deny it."

"There ain't any shame in admittin' that you love your wife. I'm sure she feels the same way about you, though I sure as hell can't figure out why?" And then he did laugh.

"Dry up, Walker." He answered with a grin as he walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. Danny checked on Ann to make sure she was still asleep and wound up his mother's music box before he turned off his bedside lamp. It was his turn with the baby that night so that Sandra could enjoy the evening.

As she usually did, had told him she would take the baby so he could enjoy the evening but he had refused to let her talk him into it. The truth was, Danny wanted as much time with his baby girl as he could get. He would never tell Sandra, but it was never far from his mind about the kind of father he wanted to be. He wanted to be the kind of father that his child could be proud of and come to when they needed comfort or council. He wanted his child to know that he would always be there for them. Come hell or high water, as Tom McCawley would say.

Sandra looked up as he approached her. "Annie's asleep." He said.

She smiled at him. "She's on your side of the bed, I suppose."

"I told you she would be honey." And he kissed her cheek.

"That you did." She smiled back and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

That took Danny by surprise because if Sandra ever kissed him in front of anyone it was always on the cheek. It was her belief that anything more than that was unseemly. "Well, hell." He said with a grin.

"Happy New Year, Danny." She answered as her face flushed.

"It is now." He laughed as he pulled her to him for a moment and hugged her. "Have I told you recently how much I love you?"

"Not recently, but it's very nice to hear." And she hugged him back.

"All right you two." Barbara's amused voice broke in. "You're almost as bad as Rafe and Evelyn."

"There's no need to be insultin' now." Danny grinned at his best friend.

"It's goin' to take them a little while before they're as bad as we are." Rafe grinned back as he put his arm around his wife.

"Rafe McCawley." Evelyn admonished him with a smile. "That's enough of that."

"Just like old times." Martha commented with a shake of her head.

"And you wouldn't have it any other way." Red shot back.

"That's true." She admitted.

Danny knew they could go on like that for awhile, the verbal jesting back and forth. It had always been that way with them and he hoped it would never change. "All right y'all. We have all this food that needs to be eaten so let's get to it."

"Do we have enough champagne to toast at midnight?" Sandra asked him. "We weren't expecting such a big crowd."

"Don't worry honey. We have enough champagne to toast 1948 and 1949." He answered her as their friends began to gather around the table and sit down.

It was a happy group that shared a New Years Eve meal together and remembered other holidays when they were all so far from home and couldn't get home to their own families. As they always had, they remembered friends they had lost during the course of the war and were thankful as well that the rest of them had come through it in one piece.

When the meal was finished, everyone pitched in to clear off the table and clean up the kitchen. While Danny got the first bottle of champagne out of the icebox, Sandra set about locating the champagne glasses. They had been a wedding gift from Tom and Sarah McCawley and Sandra's parents. They had made Danny and Sandra promise that they wouldn't use them until there was a special occasion. Well, it couldn't get much more special then having their friends with them again.

Sandra turned on the radio and began to search for Guy Lombardo's New Year's Eve program. When she located it, she turned it up as the Royal Canadians played and the friends began to dance.

Danny begged off for a few dances to take care of Ann who needed to be attended to. Whether it was a diaper change, a dropped pacifier or her last bottle of the night, he was there to make sure that she was warm, dry and fed.

"Walker, you're going to spoil that kid." Gooz commented dryly as Danny came back out from the bedroom with an empty bottle in his hand.

"No he won't." Sandra told him. "I'll make sure of that."

"See Gooz, she keeps me in line." Danny laughed as he took the bottle into the kitchen and Rafe followed him.

"You're turnin' a few heads out there." His friend commented.

"How do you figure that?" He asked as he washed out the bottle and turned it upside down on the dish rack.

"Let's start with the fact that you're a grinnin' fool. Gooz thought for sure that grin you had on your weddin' day would have worn off by now."

"He ain't one to talk." Danny answered with a smile. "He's got a smile on his face that I've never seen."

"I know. It's just that they're all real happy to see you so happy, Sandra too. The two of you were always too damn serious."

"We were at war at the time, remember? It was never a certainty that I was goin' to come home and we both knew that. If we seem less serious now it's because we're together and we have Annie. It can't get much better than this."

Rafe laughed. "Like hell it can't. When your girl starts to get old enough that she knows who you and Sandra are is the best feelin' in the world. Then when you start addin' to your family, it gets even better."

"We ain't talked about that yet because we've been so busy with the baby and travelin' around seein' ya'll."

"It'll probably happen when you least expect it. That's the way it was with us."

Danny felt his face flush. "Well, the way things have been goin'; it ain't goin' to be anytime soon."

Rafe seemed to understand. "She's been tired with Ann and you haven't had the nerve to bring it up."

"That's it. She sleeps whenever she gets the chance and I don't want to tire her out even more." He explained.

"You don't need to explain anything to me Danny because Evelyn and I went through the same thing. The thing of it is, she may be waitin' for you."

Danny looked at Rafe and frowned. "I hadn't thought of that."

"That's because you're you. You always think about the other guy and never about yourself."

"Your daddy always told me that," He smiled.

"I would never tell you what you should do but I would suggest that you show her how much you miss her and she'll let you know if she's ready."

They were interrupted by a smiling Sandra standing in the doorway. "It's almost midnight and we're waiting for you to pour the champagne." She looked at Danny.

"Comin' honey." He answered and with a grin from his best friend, he followed her back out to the living room.

With glasses full and Guy Lombardo's orchestra playing "Auld Lang Syne", Danny and Sandra, Rafe and Evelyn, Barbara, Martha, Red and Gooz toasted the New Year and looked ahead to 1948.

Happy New Year to all of you!! Irish Rose