It seemed an eternity, but Danny was finally being released from the hospital.

The morning his doctor signed the release forms he told Danny that he would be allowed to sit up in bed or on the sofa but he was under strict orders to limit his time on crutches. His leg was on the mend and progressing the way the doctor wanted it to but he also said that Danny was going to have to be patient. Walking on it was out of the question and even with the aid of crutches, it put pressure on the leg he would just a soon avoid.

Danny agreed, reluctantly even though he knew his doctor was right.

He'd been allowed to get out of bed a few days before he was released so he could practice getting around on his crutches. There was always an orderly with him in case he lost his balance and it happened more than once. It worried him when it did because he didn't want to undo all of the progress he'd made and go back to square one. They always seemed to take it in their stride when Danny would panic and would tell him to relax. They would reassure him that his body was much more resilient than he thought it was and because of the care he was taking he would be just fine.

The afternoon he was released he sat in a wheelchair with his broken leg elevated, waiting to roll out the door. He looked around at the room that he'd had to call home for the past few weeks and was relieved that he wouldn't have to see it again. His mother had packed up his get-well cards and notes and taken them out to the car while he looked at all of the flowers he'd received from his family, his friends and people from the base.

When he'd had the opportunity to roll around the halls in a wheel chair, he saw more than a few rooms with occupants that were alone and had none of the cheery blooms that he'd been fortunate enough to have. He'd asked the nurse that morning if she would take the flowers to rooms that didn't have any because they should have the chance to enjoy them too.

His mother asked what he wanted to do about them when she returned and Danny explained.

"That's very thoughtful of you Danny. I'm sure that who ever receives them will be grateful." She smiled at him. "It's always interesting to see who you get flowers from when you're in the hospital."

"I was sure surprised." Danny agreed with a nod. "It was nice when my squadron commander sent flowers, but he knows me. When I got flowers from my wing commander, that was unexpected."

"That's because you've got a reputation as a dedicated pilot son." His father answered from the open doorway. "Besides, your wing commander is also mine and he had to clear that little expedition of mine to go find you."

Danny smiled at his father. "Then I should be sending him flowers, don't you think?"

"A thank you would suffice Danny." He laughed and then amended his comment. "A nice snappy salute and a thank you."

"When I'm back on my feet he'll get the snappiest salute he's ever seen."

"All right you two, let's say goodbye to this room and get Danny home." Mama smiled at them as she picked up Danny's travel bag from the bed and his father grasped the handles of the wheel chair and began to push.

"What on earth are you doing?" A nurse appeared suddenly with a look of panic on her face. "I'm sorry Major but you can't wheel him out of here, hospital rules. An orderly will have to do it."

"And how soon will he be here?" Danny's father looked irritated.

"In fifteen Hawaiian minutes." A smiling orderly showed up.

"I'm sorry?" Mama looked confused.

"You've lived on Oahu for all of these years and you don't know what fifteen Hawaiian minutes are?" He grinned.

"Fifteen minutes?" She asked logically.

"No Ma'am. Fifteen Hawaiian minutes can be anywhere from two minutes to four days." And he laughed at his own joke. "The Lieutenant tells me that you and your husband have been here since 1941."

"For the exception of four years, that is true." Mama sounded a little defensive and a little confused.

"I would also guess that you don't get off the military base much." He continued.

"I don't understand."

"If you've lived here this long, you have become Hawaiian. You're children were all born here, so naturally they are Hawaiian too. You should take the opportunity to see that there is more to Oahu than military bases and Honolulu. We have a history and a culture that is older than the United States because Hawaii was a sovereign country at one time. The islands are now a part of the United States but at our heart we are still Hawaiian."

"I didn't know." She sounded embarrassed.

"That is why I always try to tell people about this beautiful island, so that they will go to other parts and see the real Oahu, the real Hawaii." He finished and deftly took the wheel chair out of Major McCawley's hands and carefully pushed Danny out of the room and down the hall. The orderly stopped at the nurse's station so Danny could say goodbye to the nurses who'd cared for him and have one last chat with his doctor.

"I know how important it is to you to get back in the air Lieutenant but don't push it too hard. I want you back here in a couple of weeks to have that leg x-rayed again and we'll see where we are as far as how it continues to heal."

Danny nodded. "Can you tell me how soon it might be after that before I get this thing off and go back to my quarters?"

"I don't want to make any promises to you but I will amend my decision somewhat for you to stay off the leg." The doctor told him. "Since I talked to you this morning I had the chance to look at the x-ray I ordered a couple of days ago. I believe that your leg is strong enough for you to be up on crutches for short periods, so I'll allow you some limited movement."

"How limited?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. After three weeks of lying in a hospital bed with his leg elevated he was going to have the chance to get up on his feet, well one foot anyway and off of his backside. It was a baby step to getting back on both of his feet for good, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Let's start with ten minutes a day and I won't include that as part of using the bathroom or bathing. Of course I've already told you about how to handle that so I don't think I need to repeat it." He smiled.

"No you don't. Baths only until this thing comes off and I have to make sure that's it's wrapped in plastic to keep it from getting wet." Danny smiled back.

"That's why I also suggested sponge baths. You might not feel as clean as you would with a regular bath, but it would still get the job done if you're worried about getting the plaster wet." The doctor added. "I know you'd like to do as much for yourself as possible but I think you made the right decision to stay with your parents until the cast comes off. You've already figured out how ungainly the damn thing is and it's reassuring that you'll have someone close by to help, just in case you need it."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me. You never kept me in the dark about how bad my leg was and what it was going to take to get it to heal the right way." And he reached up to take the doctor's hand and hold it in a firm grasp. "I know that you talked to my parents about the possibility of taking my leg because you didn't know how bad it was going into surgery. I'm grateful that you didn't and gave it a chance to mend."

"That's always a last resort son. No surgeon takes lightly the idea of having to amputate a limb and if we have another alternative, we always try and take it." He explained as Danny let go of his hand. "I was relieved to say the least that I didn't have to because I knew it would mean an end to your career as a pilot."

Danny glanced over at his father and smiled. "Dad and I had a long talk about that. If it turned out that you couldn't have saved my leg, I would have adjusted. I spent four years at the Air Force Academy and I could have found a way to put my degree to use in some way and not leave the service."

The doctor nodded his approval. "That attitude would have helped tremendously if you'd been put in the situation, but now it can serve in helping you to do what's necessary to complete the healing of that leg."

"That's my plan." He smiled and raised a hand in farewell to the doctor and the nurses that he'd come to know during his stay. The orderly rolled him to the entrance of the hospital and was flanked on either side of the chair by his parents as they got closer to the door. He wanted so badly to be outside and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and the breeze on his face. He'd been to the solarium a few times when he'd been able to roll around in a wheel chair and then graduated to crutches, but it was still within the confines of the hospital.

The front doors opened and the orderly wheeled him out to the front of the hospital. His father took the travel bag from his mother and left to get the car. The tropical breeze brushed against his face and he smiled. In a few more minutes, Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital would be a reflection in the rear view mirror of his parent's car and one more step on his road to recovery.

"What are you smiling for Danny?" His mother asked as they waited.

"I'm outside." He said simply. "And I'm not in hiding."

"That a reason to smile Lieutenant." The orderly commented from behind him. "You've had a rough road to travel these last few weeks and the journey is almost over."

Danny looked back. "It sure feels that way. As soon as this cast comes off, I can start in rehab and get back in the air."

"Take it one step at a time." He advised gently. "The doctor knows how much you want to fly again and he knows what it 's going to take for you to get there."

He nodded. "I know and I don't plan on doing anything that will jeopardize that."

"That's good because I sure don't want to see your face in here again." The orderly grinned at him. "At least not as a patient."

Danny laughed as the young man clapped him on the shoulder.

He didn't know why exactly, but he and the orderly, Sam hit it off right away and he did whatever he could to help Danny. He was a Hawaiian by birth but his heritage was Samoan, a fact that he never hesitated to mention. He could see the young man had a deep pride in where his family came from, but a deeper pride in being a Hawaiian. When he was finally able to wheel around in a chair, Sam was with him and it was he who was there when Danny needed a strong body to help him when he was learning to walk on crutches.

It was because of him that Danny began to learn about the island where they had both grown up. And by his own admission, didn't know much beyond Wheeler, Honolulu or Waikiki. He never seemed to have the time to do much exploring when he was younger because his nose was always deep in his schoolbooks. Sam was working his way through college and was a sophomore at the University of Hawaii.

He still hadn't decided on a major and was taking several different courses to figure out what it was he wanted to do. He needed to declare by the end of the spring term, but was still trying to figure it out. Danny thought that with his cheerful disposition and easy laugh, he should work in a hospital or some kind of setting where he would be able to help people.

"You still here Lieutenant?" Sam asked with a laugh. "Your father just pulled up and your mother is waiting."

"I'm sorry. I never used to have time for daydreaming and it's all I seem to be doing these last few weeks." Danny admitted.

"That's all right, you know? You could have lost your life when you crashed and didn't. You could have also lost your leg and it looks as though you'll be able to keep it. You've had some pretty big things happen to you, not including that pretty girl of yours and whether you realize it or not you're life has changed. It's good to take the time to reflect on it." He sounded wiser than his years, much like Ann did sometimes and maybe that's why they'd hit it off. He was just as direct as Ann was and it was something Danny appreciated.

"All right Sam, how are we going to do this?" Danny asked as the orderly locked the brakes on the chair.

"Leave it to me."

"My broken leg is in your hands." He quipped and in a matter of minutes, he and Danny's father had him settled in the back of the car with his cast propped up on a pile of blankets. But even with a pillow behind his back to cushion him against the door, it was uncomfortable.

"Do you have someone to help you when you get him home?" He heard Sam ask his father.

"We do son, thank you. And thank you for helpin' him as much as you did, his mama and I sure do appreciate it." Dad stuck out his hand he shook the orderly's hand.

"You need any help, just call. I'll be there in fifteen Hawaiian minutes." He laughed and Danny saw his mother smile.

"I hope it won't take that long." She laughed in return as Dad started the car and they pulled away from the hospital entrance. He watched out the back window and answered Sam's wave goodbye. He couldn't help but wish, again that he was going back to his own quarters but he knew it wouldn't be possible until his cast came off. He just had to resign himself to accept that and as he held back a sigh, he knew he would.

"How are you doin' back there Danny?" His father asked as he merged onto a stretch of road he didn't recognize. "Are you comfortable enough?"

"About as comfortable as I can be." He answered.

"It won't take long honey." Mama turned around in her seat and smiled. "You haven't said as much to Dad or to me, but we know how much you'd rather be going back to your own place. You've been on your own since you went to the Academy and I know it feels like you're taking a step backward. But this is only temporary until your cast comes off and you can start hobbling around on your own in your own space."

"Thank you Mama." Danny smiled in gratitude because he was afraid she wouldn't understand and he'd underestimated her.

"And some of your mama's home cookin' won't hurt either. In fact in will probably put some meat back on those bones of yours." Dad smiled at him for a moment in the rear view mirror before he put his attention back on the busy road.

"I think I've lost at least thirty pounds." He speculated. "But with this cast feeling as though it weighs about that, I guess it all evens out."

"We're just glad that you came out of the experience with just a concussion and a broken leg." Mama added.

"So am I."

Before he knew it, Dad was bringing the car to a stop at the entrance to Wheeler and the M P saluted. "Welcome home Lieutenant. It's nice to have you back on base."

"Thank you Sergeant, it's nice to be back." Danny said as he returned it and the guard turned his attention to Danny's father.

"Sir, Major Walker wanted you to know that he'll be at your quarters to help if you need it."

"I appreciate the information Sergeant." He put the car in gear as he was waived through and headed toward the house. As they got closer Danny couldn't help but remember how he felt when he and Sarah came back from Tennessee after being separated from their parents for over a year.

His stomach was in knots at the time because they were coming back to a house that he didn't really know and a military base that looked different than he remembered. Of course, he wasn't yet four when they left Hawaii and was barely nine when his parents brought he and Sarah back to their birthplace.

When Dad pulled into the driveway Danny's family, Ann's and Danny's best friend sat on the front porch. They seemed to be having a hell of a good time and he tried to hold back a sigh as they descended toward the car as it came to a stop.

Ann, to her credit stood back on the porch with her mother and waited for him.

Everyone seemed to want to help get Danny out of the car and his crutches out of the trunk. He had to admit though, with Dad, Major Walker, Joe and even Tom to help he was out of the car a lot faster than he was put in and the crutches were under his arms.

With his father and godfather beside him, Danny hobbled his way gingerly up the front walk and toward the porch. There were only two steps he would need to take, but to him they seemed insurmountable.

"Hang on son, we'll give you a hand." Dad reassured him as he and Ann's father stepped up onto the porch and after he put his arms around their shoulders, he was boosted up over the stairs and brought him into close contact with Ann.

"Welcome home." She smiled at him shyly.

"It's nice to be home Ann." He smiled back at her. And to be so much closer to you.

She seemed to sense what he was thinking because her face flushed.

Mama opened the screen door and urged him inside. "I know you'd like to stay up on those crutches and keep walking, but we really need to get you situated."

He nodded. "Yes, Ma'am I know."

The happy group followed him into the house and his mother directed him to the sofa, where a spot was set up for him at the end of the coffee table to prop up his leg. "I asked your doctor if it would be all right if we did it this way. I imagine that you're tired of lying down and sitting up in bed, so at least this way you can have your one good foot on the floor."

"I appreciate that Mama, thank you." His thanks to her was sincere as he struggled to sit down and Dad picked his leg up from the floor and settled it on the nest of pillows.

Ann was hanging back again and the more Danny watched her, the more he wanted to kiss her. But he knew that as long as his family and hers were present it wouldn't happen.

As soon as they cleared out however, that would change.