Thanksgiving 1950.
Danny and Sandra tried to talk Rafe and Evelyn into letting them host dinner that year, but Evelyn insisted that she and Rafe have everyone at their house.
The way she explained it to them was that it had been too long since she'd been able to have her friends at her own table. Thanksgivings with Rafe's parents had always been wonderful days, but she was always aware that the table was Tom and Sarah's. She told Sandra that she knew it wasn't how they felt, but it was how she felt.
Put that way, the Walker's didn't have the heart to press the matter.
So much happened leading up to that Thanksgiving meal, not the least of which Rafe was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It happened in late September while he and Danny were returning from a mission and had been engaged by a couple of MiG's. Danny himself narrowly missed getting hit, a fact that he kept from Sandra. It was the first time since they were married that he had not told her something and he didn't like to do it. But a narrow miss was a narrow miss and it wasn't something he wanted her to worry about.
Rafe returned to flying a month later, after the Navy had fished him out of the water and put him on a hospital ship bound for Pearl Harbor. His doctor and their commander wanted to be sure that he was fully recovered before they let him go back up.
And though Red had not said anything and no one had the nerve to ask, the situation with Amy seemed to get more serious every time they were together. The sadness that always seemed to be with him began to fade and was slowly replaced by a man who seemed to be falling deeply in love. Danny told Rafe that Red had taken Betty's picture down from his locker door and eventually replaced it with a picture of Amy and him. It was a picture Evelyn took when they'd met the Walker's and the McCawley's at the beach one Sunday afternoon and she presented a copy to each.
So there was much to be thankful for that year.
Sandra thought it was a wonder that people weren't tripping over each other as they came and went from the kitchen. Rafe was keeping an eye on the turkey while she and Amy tried to help Evelyn prepare the rest of the meal. But she kept shooing them out of the kitchen and insisted that they relax in the living room. She knew that Danny and Red were having as much luck as they were with trying to help, but even they gave up eventually. It was plain to see that the McCawley's wanted to do this by themselves.
Evelyn did relent at one point when it came time to set the table for dinner. From what Sandra could see, she was up to her elbows in potatoes as she mashed them and didn't want to stop. Sandra and Amy volunteered to do it for her while Danny and Red amused the children.
When it finally came time to sit down, everyone helped put the food on the table and when everything was ready to go she insisted that they sit down. Danny settled Shelby in her high chair, while Sandra and Evelyn settled Ann and Joseph in theirs.
Rafe came out with the turkey on a platter and set it down. He stood there for a moment and Danny could see that he was barely containing his emotions. "Before I start carvin' up this bird I just wanted to say how happy Evelyn and I are that y'all could be with us and our youngest today. This is like so many Thanksgivin's we had the last time we lived here and one of the nicest differences is to see Red sittin' at the table with someone besides Gooz."
Danny looked at his best friend and grinned as everyone else laughed. "She's a lot prettier than Gooz is, that's for sure."
"All right Danny that's enough out of you." Rafe grinned back at him. "What I'm tryin' to say is that I didn't think that Evelyn and I would ever have this opportunity again and it sure is nice that we got a second chance."
He looked down at the other end of the table and saw Evelyn smiling at her husband. "And you try to tell me that you don't have a way with words."
"When it comes from my heart Evelyn, it ain't that hard." He replied before he picked up the carving knife. "All right everyone, who wants dark and who wants light?"
Red and Amy insisted on staying to help clean up the kitchen.
The children were asleep and every once in awhile, Danny or Sandra would go check on the girls. Evelyn had told her to put them on her bed because there was less chance that Shelby would roll off.
By the time the kitchen was back in order, Red was ready to take Amy home. She had an early call at the hospital and had to get to bed.
"I was a little worried what my first holiday away from my family was going to be like." She told Sandra and Evelyn. "I didn't know anyone for the first month that I was stationed here and now I know all of you."
Sandra nodded. "We understand how you feel. You're in a strange hospital in a strange city. That's why it was so nice for us because we all transferred together and had the holidays to share with each other."
"We're just glad you had a nice day and chose to spend it with us." Evelyn added.
"Red's spoken of all of you so much and how you helped him get through an awful time in his life. He's told me so often about how you worried about him and made him a part of everything you did."
Sandra took her hand. "We were just waiting for you to come along and put a real smile back on his face. You give us so much credit for this, but you deserve a lot of it too."
Amy's face flushed and she smiled. "It's because we all care about him so much."
"Are you girls still gabbing?" Red walked up to the group and put his hand on Amy's elbow. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. "I was just thanking them for a nice day."
"Rafe has always roasted a heck of a bird." He smiled. "I think I might just walk back to my quarters when I drop you off." He joked.
"We were glad you could make it. And it was nice for us to be able to have you here." Evelyn told them as she walked them to the door and were met by Rafe.
Sandra walked over to Danny and tucked her arm through his. "She really is a nice girl Danny."
He grinned at her. "That she is honey, but you're still at the top of my list."
"And you're at the top of mine." And she kissed his cheek.
"Y'all ain't goin' to start somethin' are you?" Rafe called from the front door.
"I can't now because my wife would only tell me that we shouldn't start somethin' that we can't finish." He answered.
"And he would be absolutely right." Sandra answered.
"That's my girl." Danny grinned as Rafe closed the door.
"I started a pot of coffee before Red and Amy left." Evelyn remarked with a smile as she came to stand next to Rafe. "You two are more than welcome to join us."
Danny added. "Throw in a piece of my wife's pumpkin pie and you got a deal."
"That sounds fair." Evelyn answered as they walked into the kitchen to pour the coffee and slice up Sandra's pumpkin pie.