Epilogue
The witches landed on Midway in the evening and sat down to supper in the mess hall. It was incredibly crowded, until they realized that the men in front of them were the POW's they had rescued. The skinny men were constantly shivering until the laundry crew came up and began handing out blankets. Wrapped up like newborns, the deprived servicemen were elated as the kitchen cranked out a feast fit for kings – piping hot roast beef, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, and a savory beef gravy. For dessert they had produced pan after pan of Brown Apple Betty, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A strange mixture of tears and cheers erupted from the servicemen, as they could not contain their excitement, addressing the kitchen staff as angels from heaven.
"Wow… There are so many of them…" Jane began to tear up.
"I've never seen such a joyful ruckus in all my life." Shannon smiled.
"If people asked me ten years from now whether I thought this war was worth it, I'd think back to this moment and answer 'Fuck yeah.'" Glenda giggled.
Next day, the 7th JSF received their orders to fly home – a sort of bittersweet moment for everyone. The bomber units were loaded on to the elevator and were lifted to the flight deck with the witches, where Kurosawa and Chambers were blocking their path. The girls saluted, and it was returned as Chambers stepped forward.
"I'm very proud of all of you, taking the lead in my absence. Especially you, Kurosawa." He said warmly, as Aiko blushed profusely.
"I did what was expected of me, sir." She tugged on the brim of her hat.
"The hell you did." Larry laughed. "It prides me to know that you're more than capable of running this ship."
"Sir…!" Aiko stammered. "You couldn't mean-!"
"It's not in my power to promise anything, but I'll put in a good word for you." He winked. "Now girls, I hate to see you go but you've got your whole life ahead of you. Make it worth it."
"Sir yes sir!" The witches saluted.
Chambers was taken aside by a flight deck officer, and Aiko was left alone with the witches.
"Well… This is it." She twiddled her thumbs.
"Aw c'mon, you can do better than that." Glenda smirked.
"Pardon?" Aiko retorted.
"DOG PILE!" Denise shouted, as they all ran in to embrace her.
"H-hey! Watch your hands! No! That tickles!" Aiko laughed, until the hugging subsided. "Oh lord, I'm going to miss you girls." She sighed.
"You never know, we might meet again. Or maybe you'll meet someone else." Denise teased.
"Well, time will tell." Aiko smiled. "I want to wish you all good luck and great success in the future."
"And you as well, Kurosawa." Holly giggled. "C'mon girls, the home front awaits." Holly ordered, as they all gave Aiko a parting hug.
"Wait! Waaaaaiiit!" An unknown voice called out.
Theresa turned to see a very skinny girl running towards them. She recognized the voice, but not the person yelling. Aside from her malnourished body, the girl had long light blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a very dirty flight suit with dust and blood stains all over it.
"Wait…" Theresa squinted to read the name tag. "DRAEGER?!"
"BOLSTEAD! IT'S ME!" The girl urged.
Theresa dropped her gear and ran over to embrace the poor girl and was shocked to feel almost nothing but bone clutching against her.
"Dios mio… I thought I'd never find you again…" Terry began to cry, as Waltrud also cried on her shoulder.
"I was so scared… You wouldn't believe the things I've done to get here." Waltrud sobbed. "I missed you so much, and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you again."
"Well, can you fly? Why don't you come back with us?" Theresa pulled back a little.
"My bomber unit is destroyed. Our flight was bounced by a Teki squadron and I was the sole survivor. I salvaged what little I could before journeying to the city on foot where I found the other POW's, but there wasn't much they could do for me – too many survivors and not enough chow to go around. Every day was a struggle, with us waking up and seeing who didn't last the night. Things got so bad that about a third of our group tried to escape one night, only to be gunned down by roaming patrols… I still remember their faces…" She trailed off.
"Hey, I'm not going to leave you here. Not like this." Terry stood to her feet and turned to Aiko. "Can you lend us a hand?"
"I'll call for a C-2 Greyhound transport to follow you. It's the least I can do." Aiko grinned.
"Thank you, Aiko." Theresa squealed, as she held Waltrud tightly.
Later in the air…
The girls flew further from USS Midway and her crowded decks, until she, the fleet, and the Vietnam coastline disappeared in the Pacific. The hum of turbofans and turboprop engines filled the air, as they made their journey across the ocean. The C-2 Greyhound trundled along behind them, and Waltrud was given a radio earpiece to join the conversation.
"Anybody want some music?" Jane inquired.
"Dealers choice." Holly smiled.
"Got just the thing, boss." Jane beamed, loading up a cassette tape.
An acoustic guitar filled the comm channel as Jane patched it through.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge mountains, Shenandoah River." The girls all joined in as the chorus approached.
"Life is old here, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like the breeze
"Country roads, take me home
To the place, I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads.
"All my memories gather round her
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye
"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
"I hear her voice, in the morning hour she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
And driving down the road I get a feeling
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday
"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
"Take me home, down country roads
Take me home, down country roads…"
THE END