Hello everyone.
I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. I did not abandon Danny and Ann, but it's been a struggle to figure out where to take this story. After another trip to Oahu at the end of October, it gave me inspiration to keep coming back and finish this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.
He finally pushed her away and it was his own damn fault.
How many times had she asked him not to press things and he pressed anyway, knowing that he would weaken her defenses and she would respond to his kisses and caresses? What in the hell did that say about him? Was Ann right in her assessment that all he wanted from her was her? Had it really come down to it becoming a challenge for him of talking her into his bed or did he really love her as he claimed to?
So much had changed in his life since he'd been brought home on a hospital ship and it didn't seem to be for the better. He thought he'd gotten a handle on things after Ann helped him with his sponge bath that late afternoon when things got so out of hand, but looking back all it seemed to do was make him want her even more. Especially because she was putting herself out of his reach and that made her more desirable.
Ann was right about him and he'd lost her.
He needed to apologize to her for his behavior from the previous evening but he wouldn't try to talk her into reconciling because he knew now that she needed to go her own way for awhile and he needed to concentrate on his career, or what was left of it.
It was all for the best.
His father roused him out of bed early the morning of the wedding when all Danny wanted to do was pull the blankets over his head and go back to sleep. But as Dad told him, if his mother was out of bed because of morning sickness there wasn't any reason he should get to sleep later than she because he'd had too much to drink.
When he refused to budge, Danny was threatened with being put in a cold shower. Knowing his father would make good on it, he found the energy to throw back the blankets and get his feet over the side of the bed. He sat in a bright sunlit room, his father made sure all the blinds were open and realized that he was being punished for his overindulgence.
He deserved it though and knew it.
"Can I trust you to get out of that bed and into the shower if I leave you here?" Dad looked really annoyed with his arms folded across his chest. "I won't come back and find you sleepin ', will I?"
"You won't find me sleeping." He sighed and ran a shaky hand through his freshly cut hair. It had gotten a little longer than military regulation made allowances for but he'd been stubborn about getting it trimmed. He wasn't so stubborn that he would embarrass Hank though and had gone to the base barbershop before the rehearsal.
"I don't know what's happened to you boy." His father sighed. "I've never seen you so unfocused, so unsettled."
"I came home from my last mission on a hospital ship, Dad. How focused would you be?" Danny shot back at him. "My whole damn career as a pilot could be over and there is nothing else that I've ever wanted to do."
"Daniel." Dad's voice quavered with controlled anger. "You have been usin' that chestnut as an excuse for your behavior toward your mother, toward me and especially Ann since you got home. She's stood by you all of this time tryin' to help and you've treated her as nothing more than a plaything."
"Hey, that's not fair!" Danny jumped up from the bed to stand toe to toe with his father. "I've never put her in a situation that we couldn't back away from."
"The point is that you put her in those situations in the first place." His father poked a finger into his chest. "If you loved her the way you say you do, you would never have allowed her into your quarters in the first place, let alone your bed."
How in the hell could he know about that? Ann wouldn't have told anyone and Hank wouldn't have said anything either.
"Are you tellin' me that it's true then?" The sound in his voice told Danny that his father didn't want to believe it.
"How do you know about that?" He could almost feel the blood draining from his face as he saw his father's reaction.
"Oh my God, it is true." Dad sat down on Danny's old desk chair and looked absolutely deflated. "I never would have believed that a son of mine would treat a young lady that way."
"We didn't intend for it to happen, it just happened." He tried to explain. "But we didn't go through with anything."
"Your mother tried to tell me you'd taken some serious liberties with Ann but I didn't want to believe her. I just didn't want to believe that you could do somethin' like that." He sighed. "We didn't raise you and your brother that way."
"I know."
"From your reaction, I'm guessin' that there have been other times when you weren't behavin' the way you should."
"No, Sir."
Dad stood up and Danny stepped back reflexively. "She did the right thing then. Ann is a young girl and not real experienced when it comes to boys and you should have remembered that. It was your job, bein' older to be the more responsible one and look after her, not taken advantage of her."
"I know that too."
"Then I don't need to say anythin' else, do I? Go take your shower now, I need to check on your mother to see how she's feelin'. It's been a long time since she's had mornin' sickness and it's been hard on her." And he walked out of the room.
Danny glanced at his dress uniform hanging on the back of his closet door and sighed as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
Two hours later, he was standing with Hank in front of a full-length mirror to help him with the tie of his dress uniform. The room his brother and sister-in-law were staying in was alive with activity. Hank's parents were coming and going and his three brothers were good-naturedly trying to get him away from the mirror so that they could check their own reflections.
While he and Evelyn decided they only wanted a best man and maid of honor, Hank still wanted his whole family involved in his wedding and had asked his brothers to be ushers. And in keeping with Evelyn's wishes, they were in casual pants, loafers and hula shirts.
"I don't know what that lovely girl sees in you Hank." Anthony Metcalf grinned at his brother. "It must be the uniform."
"Why do you think he went into the service, bonehead?" Joseph Metcalf answered. "No girl in the state of Illinois would give him the time of day when he was wearing civvies."
"No girl in the state of Illinois will give you the time of day either, smart-ass." Matthew Metcalf punched Joe in the arm. "That's why you aren't married."
"I don't see a wedding ring on your finger, so I wouldn't be calling anyone a smart-ass if I were you." Matt shot back. "Tony's only married because he had to get married."
Danny and Hank smiled at each other as the groom's brothers continued to needle each other.
"Amy and I didn't have to get married; we just had to move the wedding up a couple of months." He admitted and his face flushed. "And don't tell me that you don't have the prettiest niece in Oak Park."
Joe laughed and ruffled his brother's freshly brushed hair. "That's only because she looks like Amy."
"Thank God for that." Matt added as Tony grabbed a hairbrush off the dresser and ran it through his hair.
"I do every day, believe me." He grinned. "And we're hoping that our second looks like her too."
The laughing stopped as Hank, Joe and Matt looked at their oldest brother. "Your second?" Hank asked as a smile grew on his face.
"Consider it a wedding present, baby brother. You and Evelyn are going to be an uncle and aunt in about six months." Tony smiled at him and Danny could see a man who was deeply in love with his wife and content with being a father.
"Have you told Mom and Dad yet?" Matt asked.
"Of course we have. You didn't think I'd tell you knot heads before I told them, did you?"
"If you boys don't get a move on, Hank's lovely bride is going to start wondering where all of you are." A young woman walked into the room holding a fussy child. Danny could only assume that she was Hank's sister-in-law. "Tony would you take Lily for me? She needs her daddy to calm her down."
"Sure honey." He smiled as he took his daughter out of her mother's arms. "But if she spits up on my hula shirt before the wedding, we're going to have a talk."
"You big baby, I haven't forgotten about that." She rolled her eyes dramatically as she pulled a clean diaper out of an open suitcase on the queen-sized bed and slung it over his shoulder. "This should protect that nice shirt."
"What about the man in the shirt?" He feigned a hurt expression.
"He's not important because he's not the one getting married, but I love him anyway." Amy Metcalf smiled just before she kissed her husband full on the mouth in front of his brother's and the best man. "I'll come and get her before you have to start ushering the families to their seats."
"You look beautiful." The bemused young husband smiled at his wife as he rocked their daughter in his arms.
"As I recall, that's the last thing I remember you saying to me before we did something that pushed our wedding date up." She smiled back and Danny could see a light flush spread across her cheeks.
"I'm not sorry." He said and kissed the downy head of his little girl.
"Neither am I." She admitted before she turned on her heel and walked out of the hotel room.
"Man I'm lucky." Tony said to no one in particular as his eyes followed his wife. "Not only did I marry a beautiful woman, but she also gave me a beautiful daughter as a bonus."
"Spoken like a newlywed." Joe clapped his brother on the shoulder and grinned. "It really makes me want to be ill."
"You're just jealous because you don't have a girl as pretty as Amy or Evelyn." Matt reminded him.
"Says the guy who doesn't even have a girlfriend." Joe punched him in the arm in answer. "You can't get a girl if you don't get in the game."
"If the Sun-Times sends me to Vietnam then the last thing I need is a girl. Or haven't you heard that being a newspaper photographer can be hazardous to your health these days?" He was serious for a moment and then seemed to recover his good spirits. "But then being the brother of the groom can be too. Just promise me Hank, that you won't throw the damn garter my way."
"Hanky, I think Matty has just thrown down the gauntlet of challenge." Joe laughed. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"
Hanky? Danny tried to keep a straight face.
"Relax, Joey." Hank told him with a shake of his head. "Evelyn has already informed me that she has no intention of participating in what she refers to as a sexist ritual, so the odds are you won't have to worry about dodging a garter."
"Thank God. I'm safe for another wedding." He made a dramatic motion of wiping his brow just as Hank's parents walked in.
"Son, Ann Walker tells me that Evelyn's just about ready to go. So if you're ready, let's get you downstairs." Mr. Metcalf told him and Danny could see a suspicious mistiness in his eyes.
Hank glanced at his brothers, his mother and then at Danny. "I feel like I've waited my whole life for her."
"It's worth the wait baby brother, trust me on this." Tony put a hand on his shoulder. "When you meet the right girl and wait for the right time to get married, everything else just seems to fall into place."
Joe and Matt let out exaggerated coughs.
"That's enough out of you two." Mrs. Metcalf scolded them and it seemed to Danny that she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Your brother and Amy are married, so I don't want any more joking about that."
"Yes, Ma'am." They both looked suitably chastised until their parents walked out of the room and the two brothers grinned at each other.
"Just for that, you jokers can take turns holding your niece for awhile." Tony chuckled as he handed his daughter over to Joe and draped the diaper over his shoulder. "And if she needs to be changed, flip a coin." He then looked at Danny and smiled. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to walk my little brother downstairs."
"Sure thing." Danny smiled back and clapped Hank on the shoulder. "I'll see you down there."
"Talk to her will you?" Was all he said and Danny could see the curiosity on the faces of his best friends brothers. "Try to set things right before Ev and I get married."
"I'll do what I can." He promised and walked out the door. When it closed behind him he understood for the first time why his friend was the way he was. There was genuine affection between the brothers, but there was also a keen sense of competition. They had all taken their own paths, but it didn't stop them from trying to one-up the other whenever they got the chance.
He was so deep in thought that he nearly walked into Ann as she came out of the room Hank and Evelyn would be staying in for their wedding night. Danny didn't know how he managed it, but Hank had gotten the same room he'd been in the night of the squadron Christmas party.
The look on her face was wary as Danny backed away from her. "I'm sorry Ann I didn't see you."
"You seemed pretty deep in thought." She conceded and looked as though she wanted to say something else.
"It's hard to believe that Hank is actually getting married." He admitted. "He always struck me as the kind of guy who was perfectly happy being a bachelor."
"Evelyn changed that, didn't she?"
Danny nodded. "She certainly did."
Ann's face flushed. "Well, I need to get downstairs. Mrs. Ahern tried to call and let the chaplain know that Evelyn's nearly ready but she can't get through to anyone."
He touched her arm and she seemed to reflexively pull away. "Let me do that, it's the least I can do." He offered.
"Thank you, but this is something I'd like to do. It'll get me out of that room for a little while." She sighed. "I'm not exactly in the frame of mind to be a maid of honor this afternoon."
"That's my fault." Danny conceded.
"Yes it is." Ann wasn't about to give him any quarter. "I've been looking forward to this day for months because I know how much they love each other. But after last night if there were any way that I could have gotten out of doing this without hurting them, I would have."
"I wish I'd handled things better than I did. I put you in a position I shouldn't have and you deserved a real proposal. I'm really sorry."
"I know you are." She told him but her stance didn't soften. "And you're always sorry when you've put me in a position that you knew you oughtn't to have and did anyway."
He could feel a wave of irritation wash over him. "I'm not completely to blame Ann."
"I know you're not and I told you that last night." She sighed again. "I encouraged some of it and that's something that I'll have to live with. But it's done and can't be changed."
"I miss you already." The words came out before he had the chance to think about them.
It seemed to be the last thing she wanted to hear. The frown on her face deepened before she turned her back on him without another word and walked to the elevator. Luck was with her because the door was open as she reached the elevator and got on without a backward glance. So much for setting things right.
The door to Tony and Amy's room opened and the Metcalf brothers headed in a rush toward the open elevator. "Hold the door please." Tony called out and Danny saw Ann's slender fingers curl around the open door, keeping it from closing. When Hank reached the open car and it registered who was waiting inside, he glanced back at Danny who shook his head. Hank's shoulders slumped a bit and sighed as he stepped in. Ann's fingers uncurled and as the doors slid closed he could hear the brothers talking to her.
Danny watched them close and suddenly wished that he could rewind the last twenty-four hours and do them over again. At the very least, he wouldn't have proposed; he'd done it for all the wrong reasons and she saw through it.
He walked to the elevator that she'd just taken and pushed the call button so he could go downstairs.
When he reached the lobby, Tony was holding his daughter in one arm as his wife had a hold of his other. As he was walking them to their seats Danny noticed that the brothers all had fresh leis around their necks. After she'd sat down, Tony handed the baby to Amy and kissed her. As he walked back up the aisle, Joe was walking Danny's mother to her seat with his brother and his father, in his dress uniform behind them.
He hadn't had another chance to talk to his father since that morning but it was probably just as well. He was pretty steamed and Danny didn't blame him. As she sat down, Danny noticed his mother's pale complexion, which was in stark contrast to the perpetually light tan that always seemed to be there. He couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through.
As Joe came back up the aisle, Matt was walking Ann's mother and Tony escorted Shelby to their seats with Major Walker also in his dress uniform, following behind. The plan had been that Danny's parents and Ann's parents would be the last seated before Hank's father walked Hank's mother down the aisle and Evelyn's father escorted Evelyn's mother down the aisle.
He suddenly realized that Hank was beside him and Danny could sense his nervous energy. "It's almost time Henry, so hang in there."
"I'll be a hell of a lot happier in about ten minutes when this is all over." He admitted. "So did you get a chance to talk to her?"
Danny looked at his best friend and didn't want to tarnish what should have been a carefree day. "We can talk about it later."
"Just answer the damn question, will you?" Hank asked.
"We talked a little, she's still mad and I don't blame her." Danny was succinct.
"You're a real idiot you know that." He stated. "You took something that should have been memorable and romantic for the both of you and wasted it. I'm surprised that she didn't slap you for that."
Danny felt his face warm in embarrassment. "She did."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Hank frowned at him. "If I'd been within earshot of what happened, I would have punched your lights out."
"You and my dad both." He admitted. "He was pretty upset with me earlier and with Mama's morning sickness worrying him, it sure as hell didn't help."
Hank's frown became a look of concern. "Dan, your mother didn't need to come today. Ev and I would have understood if she weren't feeling well enough."
Danny shook his head. "Mama wouldn't have missed this for the world. She's always thought a lot of you and even though she was disappointed that you and Sarah broke up, she could see how happy Evelyn made you. She was really touched when you invited my family."
"I like your mother. She was one of the first people at Wheeler to welcome me here when it wasn't a part of orientation. She made sure that I knew how to get around the base, where the P X was and where your parents lived. It seemed important to her that I feel a part of this base and a part of your family."
"You were a part of Sarah's life at the time and she wanted you to know how much that meant to her." He explained.
"Have you heard from her recently?" Hank asked and Danny could see his eyes darting back and forth, presumably looking for the chaplain who hadn't arrived yet.
"I talked to her a couple of days ago and she was wondering if you and Evelyn got her card. You know that she decided not to come because she's not ready."
He nodded. "I didn't really believe that she would come home for this but I wanted to at least extend the invitation. As far as the card is concerned, Ev got it and she appreciated it a lot."
"I'll tell her."
"Thanks." He smiled before he looked at his watch and the smile became a frown. "Where's that damn chaplain?"
"I'm right here son." A firm voice behind them seemed to come out of nowhere and Hank had the grace to flush. "I was just upstairs talking to your lovely bride. She's on her way down, so let's get this show on the road so I can marry the two of you."
"Thank you sir." He said in way of apology.
The chaplain was not as old as Danny thought he would be. He looked to be in his late forties, with streaks of gray at his temples and had the bearing of a career officer. He'd probably seen some kind of action during the Second World War and possibly Korea. There was a look in his eyes, which hinted at that.
"Follow me Lieutenant." He smiled at Hank and gave him a pat on the back before he walked down the aisle toward an arch that was woven through with every native flower that Evelyn could find. She'd fallen in love with Oahu and wanted elements of Hawaii incorporated into their wedding. Hank had joked with Danny at one point that she loved the Islands more than she loved him. He knew it wasn't true, but Hank loved to tease her about it.
Once they had taken their positions, a young woman approached them with three leis hanging from her arm. She took one of them and put it around the chaplain's neck and then did the same for Danny. The third was longer than the other two and it was placed around Hank's neck and she gave him a kiss on each cheek. "A gift from your bride." The young woman told him with a smile as she turned and walked up the aisle and disappeared.
He watched Hank and Evelyn's parents gather together as they got ready to take their own walk down the aisle. He saw the same woman who'd given leis to the chaplain, to Hank and himself give each parent a lei of their own and they were also longer, as Hank's was. From what he could see, she seemed to be explaining something to them and it was then that Mr. and Mrs. Ahern exchanged leis with Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf.
Danny didn't know if it was Hawaiian custom or if it was something that Evelyn dreamed up. He supposed that she wanted to make the day as memorable for every one else as it was for her.
Once the guests were all seated and Hank's brothers had taken theirs, the gathering quieted. With the sound of the surf behind him, Danny waited with his best friend as the groom's parents and the bride's parents walked together down the aisle to the accompaniment of Hawaiian music from a small group Evelyn hired for the occasion.
He watched as her brother John reached forward and patted their father on the shoulder as he and Mrs. Ahern took their seats and then he reached back and put his hand on his son's. It was a gesture that was so much like Danny and his own father and it further rubbed raw the confrontation they'd had that morning. He wanted to talk to Dad but knew that it would probably make the situation worse, so he would have to wait it out. Mr. Ahern then kissed his wife on the cheek, said something to her and stood up. She grasped his hand and smiled before he turned to walk back up the aisle.
His emotions were further rubbed raw as Ann appeared at the open doors and he thought she'd never looked lovelier, except the night of the Big Band dance. He didn't have the chance to appreciate earlier how she looked because her sudden appearance caught him off guard. There was a plumeria flower tucked behind her right ear and it rankled because Hawaiian custom said that if a woman wore a flower behind her left ear, she was married or spoken for. But a flower behind the right ear meant that she was unattached. If he hadn't been such a goon toward her, it would be behind her other ear.
A cream colored, floral patterned dress she wore flattered her. It was floor length and just off her shoulders that showed off her ever present tan. She also wore a lei of white plumeria around her neck and carried a matching bouquet. Her painted toenails peeked out from under the hem as she began to walk down the aisle in open-toed sandals as the small band began to play "Blue Hawaii". Evelyn certainly had decided to embrace everything Hawaiian for her wedding and incorporate as much of the Islands as she could into the event.
While he watched Ann walk toward them, she studiously kept her eyes looking straight ahead and all but ignored him. She did stop for a moment to smile at Hank and then took her place next to the minister.
Evelyn's sudden appearance on the arm of her father elicited a low whistle of appreciation from Hank and the few that heard it laughed softly. His brother Tony shook his head in amusement while his sister-in-law Amy sat next to him looking as though she were trying to stifle a laugh of her own. They then stood with the rest of the guests as Mr. Ahern began the slow walk down the aisle with his daughter.
It was a happy day for the Metcalf's and the Ahern's and Danny couldn't help but feel a little envious. If he'd played his cards right, it might have been his parent's and Ann's together on a day like this one, sometime in the future.
Evelyn Ahern was a vision; any man would have to be blind not to see that. She was wearing the formal she'd worn to the squadron Christmas party and it wasn't lost on Hank because his face turned red with a flush and a smile broke out across his face as he watched her father walk her toward him. In her hair was a crown of plumeria flowers instead of a veil and a matching lei was draped around her shoulders. The look was completed with a bouquet of matching frangipani blossoms.
Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, which Hank told Danny at one time was the way he preferred it.
As Evelyn and her father came to a stop in front of the chaplain, the song concluded and he motioned for the guests to sit down. Mr. Ahern looked happy but a little reluctant to let go of his daughter's arm, but he kissed her cheek and let her go before he stepped back. That was Danny and Ann's cue to turn and face the chaplain with Hank and Evelyn so he could begin the ceremony.
"Friends, we are gathered here together on this glorious day to join as one Henry Mason Metcalf and Evelyn Frances Ahern. To say that their courtship was unorthodox would be an understatement." Hank and Evelyn's parents smiled because they knew how true those words were. "Their feet were set on different paths when Evelyn came here to this beautiful island to work and with such a large base; there wasn't any reason for them to find each other. But God works in mysterious ways and He found a way to bring these two young people together.
"I've had the privilege over these short months to witness for myself the love and devotion Henry and Evelyn obviously feel for the other. I feel privileged and humbled as well that I have the opportunity to join them in marriage today. So I will ask Evelyn's father if it is his wish that his daughter be married to this man."
"It is her mother's and my wish." He replied as he grasped Evelyn's hand for a moment before he returned to his seat next to Evelyn's mother.
"Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf, is it your wish that your son be married to this woman?" He asked them.
"It is." Mr. Metcalf replied with a smile as he answered for his wife.
Danny glanced at Hank and got the sudden feeling he wanted to make a wise crack but knew that he wouldn't, so the chaplain seemed to do it for him. He glanced at Mr. Metcalf and with a straight face replied, "That was the correct answer."
Maybe that was his way of relaxing the nerves of the bride and groom and their parents, but it worked because the small group laughed softly and Danny could see Hank's whole body relax as the chaplain opened his prayer book.
"Lieutenant, you and your lovely bride have come here today to pledge yourselves to the other. You have asked your family and closest friends to bear witness to this pledge. So I ask you, will you take this woman to be your wife for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until you are parted by death?"
Hank grasped Evelyn's hand in his and smiled at her. "I will."
The chaplain nodded his approval and turned to Evelyn. "Young lady, you and your Lieutenant have come here today to pledge yourselves to the other. You have asked your family and closest friends to bear witness to this pledge. So I ask you, will you take this man to be your husband for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until you are parted by death?"
She smiled at Hank and Danny couldn't remember when he'd ever seen her look happier. "I will."
"The rings, if you please." The chaplain held his book out and waited as Danny and Ann placed the rings on the open pages. He caught her eye for a moment and she flushed before they stepped back, taking Evelyn's bouquet in her free hand.
"These rings that will be worn by the bride and groom are tangible symbols of the commitment they are making to each other today. They serve as reminders of the vows they take and of the love that stands behind those vows and their commitment.
"Henry, take Evelyn's ring. Place it on the third finger of her left hand and recite your vows."
"Evelyn." He began as he picked up her ring from the prayer book and stopped to clear his throat. He slipped the ring half way up her finger and cleared his throat again. "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity for as long as we both shall live." And proceeded to nudge it into place.
"Evelyn, please take Henry's ring. Place it on the third finger of his left hand and recite your vows."
"Henry." She picked up his ring from the prayer book. As she slipped in on his finger her voice was barely audible and the breathy quality of it told Danny that she was trying not to cry. "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity for as long as we both shall live."
The chaplain closed his book. "Henry and Evelyn came here today as two individuals and will leave this ceremony as one. May God grant them both a long, happy and fruitful life together. So, by the power vested in me by the great state of Hawaii and the United States Air Force, I declare that you are now husband and wife.
"Lieutenant Metcalf, you may kiss your bride." He informed them with a smile of his own because the notion that they were suddenly married seemed to stun them and Danny put a hand on Hank's shoulder.
"That's your cue, Henry." He prompted his best friend.
That seemed to shake the new husband out of his state of shock and from Evelyn's reaction, Hank must have been grinning from ear to ear. "Hell's Bell's Ev, we're married!"
She rolled her eyes with a smile and the guests burst out laughing. Ann had a wistful smile on her face and looked as though she might cry.
"That was a very interesting response Lieutenant." The chaplain tried to keep a straight face. "But you haven't kissed her yet."
"Oh, yeah." He answered as he put his arms around Evelyn's waist and she put her arms on his shoulders. It was surely only meant to be a brief kiss, Evelyn's stance seemed to indicate that but the longer they kissed, they seemed to forget that they were in front of a crowd of people and her arms found their way around his neck.
The chaplain took it all in stride and gently cleared his throat. "Son, that's what your wedding night is for."
There was laughter again as Hank finally let go of his new wife and Evelyn's face was flushed. "We have to start this marriage out on the right foot." He said it to her so softly that Danny was surprised he heard it.
"You did that, Lieutenant." Evelyn smiled back and kissed his cheek.
"Ladies and gentlemen." The chaplain raised his hands slightly to get the attention of the guests one last time. "Family and friends, it is my pleasure and my honor to introduce to you Lieutenant and Mrs. Henry Metcalf."
Danny smiled as the families of Hank and Evelyn stood up and applauded. The happiness on the faces of their parents and their brothers made him feel good because they obviously approved of the match. The Hawaiian group began to play again as Ann handed Evelyn's bouquet back to her and kissed her cheek. Danny shook Hank's hand and had to clear his own throat to talk. "You did good Hank."
"Thanks Dan." He replied as Evelyn took his arm and they walked back up the aisle. Danny hesitated to offer Ann his arm, not because he didn't want to feel her touch but because he didn't know how comfortable she would be.
The chaplain settled that however. "Lieutenant, Miss Walker you're next."
Danny offered his arm to Ann and as he predicted she would, took hold of it gingerly. They followed behind the new Mr. and Mrs. and he could feel the tension in Ann's light grip. "I'm sorry." Was all he could think to say. It seemed to be taking forever to get back up the aisle because Hank and Evelyn kept stopping so people could shake their hands or just touch them.
"I know." She said quietly. "I thought you should know that I'm leaving to go back to Ohio for school."
In his shock and surprise, Danny stopped in the middle of the aisle, but the chaplain got him moving again. "Finish this at a later time, son."
"You're just telling me this now?" He wanted to know. "Don't you think I had a right to know?"
They walked into the hotel and the crush of people made it difficult to talk. He gripped her hand so she couldn't let go of his arm and he found a small alcove and pulled her in for some privacy.
She wanted to be anywhere but there with him, he could see it in her face but he wanted to know why she hadn't bothered to tell him.
"We're not dating anymore, in case you've forgotten." Ann reminded him. "I haven't been formally accepted yet, but my advisor doesn't see any reason why I wouldn't be."
He didn't want her to go. "I thought you were going to go back to the University of Hawaii in the fall."
"Danny, I've been thinking about this for awhile. And it finally dawned on me that if I stayed here and tried to go to school, my focus would still be mainly be on you. Even if I lived on campus, which Mama talked Dad into letting me do I'd still be too close to you. If I stay here I won't finish school and it took me a long time to accept that. I love you Danny and I know you love me, in your own way." He sure as hell didn't like the way she qualified his feelings for her. "But if I don't follow through and go to college, I'll always regret it."
"Why not go to Tennessee then? I'd have a better chance of seeing you." He reasoned.
She took a deep breath and seemed to carefully consider what she was about to say. "At this point in time, I don't want you to have a better chance of seeing me. You need to concentrate on getting back in the air and doing the job you were trained for. And you won't do that as long as I'm here because I'm a distraction to you and frankly, you're a distraction to me."
"Lieutenant McCawley?" Tony Metcalf interrupted their conversation and all Danny wanted him to do was go away. "My brother and Evelyn are waiting for the both of you."
A tear began to roll down Ann's cheek and she lightly swiped it away. "I'm sorry we've kept them waiting." And she headed toward the reception.
"Lieutenant, is everything all right?" He seemed genuinely concerned.
Danny sighed. "Things have been better."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I." He replied as the two men headed toward the reception to toast the newlyweds.