A/N: This chapter and the next are especially for my reviewer, Dasie.

Believing

Emily was so convinced she would be in Charlie's arms very soon she sat with both of her arms crossed over her chest. She was actually imaging she was holding Charlie.

As she did that eerie frightening feeling went away. The air around her stirred but the window was closed. She thought, that was the swish of an angel's wings. And she believed the angel was there to confirm her belief that Charlie was indeed alive.

Emily didn't even realize the car had stopped. Bus opened her door, he saw her in that odd position and she didn't move.

"Emily, we're here. Are you alright?"

Emily stirred from her position. "I'm more than alright. Bus, you may not believe in angels but I do. One was in the car with me. I believe it was a sign that Charlie really is alive."

Bus didn't have a reply. He offered Emily his hand to exit the car. Before walking on to the bus stop Emily reminded him.

"I'll see you at seven o'clock at the hospital."

"And I'll tell the admiral you will be driving him to the airport. I know he'll be delighted."

They departed. Bus went into the hospital and directly to the admiral's room. He found him dressing. He spoke in a firm voice.

"Bus, get me out of this place. I'm tired of using a hospital room for my office. After I got my wits about me, I missed having everyone nearby. Tell me. Has Charlie's body been brought back to Southampton?"

"I don't know for sure. I do know I saw the corpsmen and medics arrived on the beach before I left. They have people assigned to bring back the bodies. Remember, we try not to leave anyone behind, even the dead."

"Yes, I know. What's my flight time back to Washington?"

"It's at twenty-two hundred hours."

"I suppose I will get some sleep on the plane. I'll also have time to compose my report to the committee on naval affairs. And I'm going to see to it that Charlie is given a military funeral and is buried in Arlington Cemetery. That's the least I can do.

"Did you finally speak to Emily?"

"Yes sir and she doesn't believe Charlie is dead. She said something about her being a Doubting Thomas."

"He was one of Jesus' disciples who didn't believe the others that Jesus was alive. It may come true for her just as it did for Thomas."

"I only know. Charlie looked dead to me."

"Emily road with me here. She caught a bus back to the motor pool building. She's sure she can find a car. She wants to drive you to the airport."

"Good, I want to see her and tell her keep the faith."

Bus didn't tell him about the angel conversation he had with Emily. He might have thought he had now cracked up.

Instead, he helped him pack the few things he had in the hospital room. He went back to his hotel room to pack all the things he had there. One of the hotel attendants helped load all of it in his car. He returned to the hospital to stay with the admiral until Emily arrived.

Emily had no difficulty locating a car to use. Bus was waiting outside with the admiral's bags.

After they were loaded in Emily's car he went back for the admiral. He spoke when he saw her.

"Bus told me you believe Charlie is alive."

"I do, sir. My feeling is stronger than ever."

"Hang on to that feeling. You never know it may be real."

The admiral got in Emily's car. She followed Bus to the airport. It was now twenty hundred hours.

They arrived a half hour later as the plane's inspection had been completed. Emily did her duty and opened the car door for him.

Emily knew the admiral was now his old self. He was fully in command. He spoke with authority while looking Bus in the eye.

"I want you and Paul Adams to pack up the files, my war books and be sure and clean out my desk. I want both of you in Washington by Wednesday night. And you can forget about that tomb."

"Yes, sir. Have a good flight."

As soon as Bus turned to walk away, Paul Adams approached him. "Bus, can I see you a minute?"

"What's wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost."

"I haven't seen one; I heard one speak."

"Are you looney?"

"No, I just took a call from the Sixth Relocation Center in Southampton, the place where they are bringing the casualties from France."

"Was the caller looney?"

"Will you stop with your loony questions. This is serious. He told me he has a Lieutenant Commander Charles E. Madison ready to be released. He needs a uniform and transportation.

"Then Charlie got on the phone. He asked me to tell Emily he's okay. And to tell you if he sees you again, he's going to punch you between your legs."

"He's really alive. Darn it Paul. That picture has been seen by millions. And now the navy has a coward as a hero."

"I don't understand you. I thought you would be happy. Isn't Charlie your buddy?"

"I used that word loosely. I expected Charlie to perform his duty; instead he tried to desert his assignment."

"I doubt the admiral feels that way. He now knows he was unstable when he ordered a movie to be made of the first dead man on Omaha Beach being a sailor. You better go tell him Charlie's alive."

"I suppose I must."

Bus was not happy. He called out. "Admiral, sir, don't board yet."

"What do you need commander?"

"Charlie's alive, sir."

"Say that again."

"Charlie's alive. He's waiting at the Sixth Relocation Center in Southampton for transportation."

"That's the best news in the world. Now I'll have Charlie brought to Washington for a hero's welcome. You see, he's living proof the navy will still be needed after the war in the Pacific is over. He can tell all about the importance of the navy engineers and how ships of all kinds brought the foot soldiers to the beaches of France to destroy Hitler's army."

Emily, who had been standing by her car, was hearing bits and pieces of this conversation. Her mind was trying to compute what she thought she heard.

She took a deep breath and walked closer. The admiral, who was already on the platform at the top of the boarding stairs, saw her out of the corner of his eye.

He saw she was blinking; a sure sign a woman is trying to hold back tears.

"Miss Barham, I know those are tears of joy which are about to spill from your eyes. I'm sure you heard me say, Charlie's alive."

"Is it true, sir?"

"I have no doubt. Bus I want you to get in that car and drive Emily as fast as you can to Southampton. I want to put her fears to bed. You can then make arrangements to get Charlie to Washington. Emily can come too and even her mother if she wants to. They need to be in Washington to see him receive the Navy Cross."

"Yes, sir."

Bus and Emily walked towards her car. "Emily, you need to know what really happened on Omaha Beach."

"And I need to tell you. I listened to the radio the night of the invasion; I heard you when you gave Charlie the camera."

"I didn't know there was a reporter nearby with an open mike."

"I also heard someone say he was going to be sick."

"A lot of the men were sea-sick; the water was very rough. The ship went up and down with the big waves. Most men tried to sleep but I don't think Charlie did. When three o'clock arrived, the engineers went into the water. By five they had defused all the mines.

"It was now time for us to transfer into a small landing vessel. Charlie didn't want to get up. I pulled on him and almost pushed him over the side of the ship to get him in it. A large wave turned the boat on its side and dumped, Charlie, the Ensign with us and me into the water.

"By the time I surfaced Charlie had already made it to the beach. The allies' ships began to fire their artillery guns at suspected German soldiers hiding in the cliff. I'm sure many zoomed past Charlie and scared him to death. He was now running back into the water."

"Bus, what did you expect? He's a coward."

"I knew that, but in the heat of the moment all I could think about was getting a picture of the first dead man being a sailor for Admiral Jessup. You heard him that night he barged in on you and Charlie."

"Yes, I did. What happened next?"

"Emily, I drew my gun from its holster and raised it in the air. I fired it, thinking the bullet would land near Charlie and cause him to flee for the beach. But it hit him. He fell but was able to get up and he ran for cover on the beach. There was none.

"Now our airplanes were dropping bombs on the Germans. I think one came close to Charlie; its force must have turned him up-side-down. He landed on his stomach. When the Ensign and I saw him he was lying motionless.

"Emily, he really did look dead. He didn't appear to be breathing. I assume that when the corpsmen and medics arrived they must have discovered he had a pulse and a hospital ship brought him to Southampton.

"Now, let's get in your car and I will follow the admiral's order to drive as fast as I can to Southampton."