I awoke a few hours later, groggy, with my head just beginning to pound.  Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was my nerves, but I was sick as I crawled upward, finally standing.  It was 4 am. on the kitchen clock.  I walked to the bathroom, cleaned myself up and 30 minutes later, sat down at the kitchen table.  Cleaning up the pieces of the shattered coffee cup, I had reheated some of the coffee and wrote the note that I had been thinking about for a long time.  It didn't take long. so when I finished, I placed it and the other envelope on the table. 

Sliding on my hat and coat, the clock chimed five as I made my way to Joey's room.  He was tucked into a ball, covers askew as I knelt by him. I started to whisper, but tears welled up and I couldn't finish what I was saying except in my mind.  Joey, I love you son.  If only you could know how much you and your momma mean to me.  I fought my way all over the Pacific to get back to you and I've gone and screwed that up now as well.  Joey, I'll be back, I promise son, I promise.  I've just gotta sort some things out in my mind, that's all...

My heart was heavy as I took a last look, gently pulling the door to.  I walked towards our bedroom.  Janet was asleep, hair blond and lovely, laying on the pillow.  I wish I could have seen those dark blue eyes once again, but after what I'd done to her earlier, she needed her rest.  Honey, I love you...God how I love you, your softness, the feeling I get when we're together....how could I mess that up.  I shook my head, knowing I had to leave, if only to try the only way I knew how to bring us back together.  Gently kissing her, I placed the covers over her and then quickly left the room. 

Making my way, I picked up my grip and headed out the front door.  The snow crunched under my feet as I made my way down the alley to the bus station.  The piece of paper with the address in my pocket touched my fingers and reminded me of what I had to do.  It was going to be a long ride.....

The sunset was beautiful tonight, golden and shining as it disappeared in the far horizon.  It always seemed that way out in California.  They walked on the boardwalk, hand in hand, her head resting on his shoulder.  It had been a wonderful day.  Starting early, they had spent the day walking, talking, seeing the sights.  It would be their last day together for quite a while.  She could hardly contain her feelings as he clasped her hand in his. This had to be love, just had to be.  Suddenly, Wade stopped and held her close.  She felt his body and pressed herself to him.  He bent down and kissed her, a long slow kiss. 

"Hey doll..."

"Yes darling..."

"Don't look that way...please..."

She walked over to the edge of the boardwalk, a sudden sadness coursing through her as she realized what was coming all to soon.

"Wait!"

"Oh Wade..."

"Darling, you know I love you..."

"I love you too, it's just...I don't..."

"What, my love..."

He held her close as they sat on the bench.

"I'll be worried about you."

"I'll be just fine."

"But the uncertainty....."

"Trust me, I'll be fine...we've got the best training, the best pilots..."

"It's been a grand day you know..."

"I know...."

Suddenly, he turned to her, eyes loving her and presented the small dark box to her. 

"Go ahead...miss...open it.."

She almost lost her breath and felt her heart race.

"Wade..."

"Well, go ahead..."

She opened the box and the small diamond caught the rays of the setting sun, provoking a fiery display.

"So, will you...will you marry me?"

She looked at him and the diamond and the sun and tried to take a picture, to hold it forever as a perfect day.  It had been a perfect day and one she would treasure forever.

"Yes, my darling, Yes...yes...I will..."

He grinned from ear to ear and picked her up in his arms, kissing her and holding her close.

"That's just peachy!"

Suddenly, the flight of P-40's low on the deck, raced by, their engines drowning out the sound of the surf.  Wade looked up, knowing it was his flight, right on time, just as he had planned.  Those jokers, he thought..and grinned.  It had taken him a lot of favors to pull this one off, but seemed to work.

"Come on honey, let's go!"

He grabbed her by the hand and they ran for the car.......

He crushed the butt and stood up.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry stand too.  He turned.

"Hey, you on this bus too?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yep...need company?"

"Hell yes..."

"Great...."

They picked up their luggage and headed out into the snow.  It was dark, the wind whistling through their coats, chilling them as the blowing snow obscured their vision.  They pushed onto the bus, feeling the warmth rush over them, melting the snow on their faces to water.

"Helluva night to be on a bus.." said Harry, "Man, when I get home, I ain't never going out on a night like this."

Wade dropped his grip on the seat next to Harry, saying nothing, but feeling the guilt wash over him, displacing the warmth with a quick chill.  He thought of Janet and then Joey.  He shook his head, feeling the paper in his pocket, an anchor, holding him back as he struggled to control his emotions.  They fell silent as the bus slowly ground though the snow, people's voices filling the bus with a low murmur.

"Ain't got too many people on here, do we Wade?"

Wade turned and counted.  A woman and her baby up front, two elderly couples and about three other servicemen, or ex-servicemen like themselves.  Oddly enough, there were three businessmen in the back, coats on, hats obscuring their eyes.  They hadn't moved since getting on board.

"You're right, not too many it seems...that's ok, it'll be a quiet ride..."

"I can always use the sleep...."

They peered through the darkness, trying to see the road below.  Time passed, one hour, two hours, and the climb increased as they headed through the mountains.  The snow had increased as well, and Wade felt the bus slowly being tugged to one hand and the speed drop.  He glanced at the driver, who it didn't seem to affect much.

"Harry..."

"umhmgg..yeah Wade..."  He strugged to a semi-awake position.

"You notice anything unusual?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean with the bus trip?"

"Well, now that you mention it, were we scheduled to climb this mountain?"

"I guess..that's what they said back at the station..."

Just then they felt a lurch and the bus lights flickered as it slid sideways on the road.  The woman screamed and the baby screeched an eerie imitation.  The gasps rose from the remaining passengers and Wade felt his heart jump a beat.

"Damn!" yelled Harry as he started to get up, and then quickly sat down.

Just then the intercom flickered into a sputtering, wheezing sound.

"We're alright folks....don't worry...the weather is forcasted to be just a bit worse, but we'll make it alright...just sit right back..."

Things calmed down for a while and Wade felt foolish, he a combat veteran scared silly by a little lurch in the road.  He pointed at the driver and Harry and him laughed, making light of the Texas accent and nonchalant manners.

"Old Tex up there, makes you think we're heading for the Rio Grande instead of the mountains." Harry spoke out.

"Yeah, where's his guitar?"  Wade laughed.


The bus slowly turned up the ridge, a flat level plain to their right and a cliff to the left.  Wade could just make it out thorough the blowing snow when he heard the bang of the blowout.  Once again the bus lurched towards the cliff and everyone screamed.  The driver fought valiently to right the bus, but it was to no avail!  They headed straight for the cliff!

"Dear God!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Wade lept up,holding on to the rack above his head.

"Harry, quick.............."

Tonite!!!!!



Stay tuned!!!

Time seemed to slow down as the bus continued its shimmy towards the cliff.  Harry turned to Wade.

"Whatttt??"

Harry tried to rise, but crashed to the floor as the bus lurched sickenly to the right away from the cliff.  They were headed for the plain.  Too late, Wade rushed for Harry, and he too fell to the floor in a heap.  The bus ran off the road, dropping from the elevated road to the ground below.  Screams pierced the darkness and bodies tumbled. 

"Harryyyyyy"

Wade gritted his teeth, sounding out the words and wrapping his legs around the legs of the seat as the bus began a series of flips.

One

Two

Three

Four. 

Sprayed by showers of glass and snow, Wade felt his world spinning lazily out of control into the pit of Hell.  It was combat all over and he shook with fright and anger.  It couldn't be!   Any minute now, he would wake back up and be home. 

"Righht here Wadeeeeeeee"

He faintly heard Harry through the grunts as something impacted them both.  It was the luggage, torn loose from the shelves above.  It snapped him back to reality as he realized where he was.

The bus came to rest on its side, entombed in silence, darkness and snow.  Wade heard the sound of the wind blowing through the glassless frames of the windows.  Suddenly, a flash and then flames as the gas line, stressed under the crash, tore open, violently showering the outside of the bus in flame.

Screams shattered his ears as the smoke poured in the bus.  Wade struggled to his feet.  He felt his head wet and painful, his ankle burning.

"Gotta get out....gotta find 'em."

He remembered how dangerous gasoline was.  He had experienced some similar instances in Saipan, flying Hellcats and Corsairs...and didn't want to rush to repeat any of it.  Fire was a bad way to go.  Through the darkness, he sensed the passengers rather than seeing them.  They were terrified by the oncoming flame.  It was at the front, burning its way back.

"The driver!" 

Wade screamed, sensing that it was too late, the cold winter wind whipping the flames to a frenzy with fresh air.  He felt a tug on his sleeve and saw the woman.  She had been pushed back to where he was sitting.  One of her arms was twisted behind her, broken and blood flowed freely from her cheek, sliced neatly open by the glass from the windows.

"My baby...God...my baby!"

"Where.."

"I don't know, please, you've got to find her!!!"

She racked herself with sobs while pulling herself up.  The smoke was getting thicker now, and he coughed involuntarily.  They didn't have much time left.  He lurched to the back of the bus, wrenching open the door, turning back to the rest of the people in the bus.  He saw Harry start to emerge from the cloud of smoke, pulling the elderly couples with him.  One of the men was missing, the others, bleeding and covered in soot from the fire.  The woman with the baby ran towards the opening, eyes frantic.

"My baby!" 

She turned to go back to the front of the bus and Wade held her back.  There was no way.  If she went, she wouldn't come back.

"Listen, there's no time!"

"Let me go!" Her screams echoed in his ears and she violently wrenched away from him.  He grabbed her by the waist.

"Dammit, stop!"

"Leave me alone!"

She continued to fight like a wildcat.  Wade suddenly picked her up and threw her out the door to the snow below.  Turning, he ripped a corner of his shirt, tying it around his nose and hearing the cries of the baby, plunged into the cloud of darkness.....

It was impossible to see.  The smoke was blinding, acrid in his nose as he dropped the shirt corner in his search for the baby.  Cries all around him, he plunged to the floor, grabbing frantically at anything.  He felt the corner of a shoe, then quickly drew his hand back as the flame jumped to his sleeve.  Banging it out on his coat, he searched on, coughing uncontrollably.  He wouldn't last much longer this way.

"Damnit!  Where are ya kid?" 

He was at the front of the bus, running into another body.  The heat was intense, radiant, painful.  His head ached. The kid was nowhere!  He had to go...before he got trapped himself.  Turning, he heard a faint cry to the left and felt a tiny arm in his fingers.  The cry was louder then stopped.  He wasn't gonna make it.  Positioning himself on the opposite side, he tugged gently and the body came to him.

The kid!

A baby lay swaddled in the blanket that had been carefully wrapped around it, charred, but still in one piece. Since he couldn't see, he felt.  The body was warm, but the eyes were closed.  He couldn't tell if there was breath or not.   Scooping the remains of the blanket and the baby, he cradled the bundle to himself and crawled for the back of the bus.  Just then, he heard the crack and the fireball out of the corner of his eye.

Too late!!!!!!!!

The tank had gone up and he winced, holding the baby close as his world erupted in heat, smoke and gas, lifting his body in a tidal wave of noise and pain.....

He was back on Henderson Field underneath his Wildcat and washing machine charlie was pounding the hell out of the field.  He couldn't get up, something was binding his arms.  The acrid smell of smoke filled his nose and his head hurt bad.  He couldn't move....damn!!!

-------------

"Hey, he's moving!"

Harry pushed the crowd out of the way, picking him up, his clothes smoking, falling off in pieces.

"Water...,"

The voice was faint, the skin reddened and black as he struggled to a sitting position.

"Anybody got some water?"

Harry stood up, and the crowd pulled back.

"Anybody?"

One of the servicemen ran back to the pile of belongings pulled off the bus and begane rummaging through it.

"Maybe something over here...."

Harry turned back as Wade looked around.  The woman knelt down next to him

"You saved my baby, you know that don't you?"

"Huh?...baby???"

And then it came back to him.  That's what he had been doing, wasn't it.  Harry pushed to his side.

"Here, drink this..."

He held the bottle to Wade's blacked face.

"You need this more than water anyway....."

Wade managed a grin before slobbering some down and passed back out.....

Dear Readers,

A humble apology is due to you from me.  I havn't been keeping up with my writing...and that isn't fair to you.  I think at this point, I'm going to cut this one short...it's got some great stuff in it, but at this point, it's tough for me to keep adding to it.

Unless of course you would like to run with it?????????????  That would be double-cool if you did.....


In any event, I do apologize for my lazying around with the story...I hope you liked what I at least started with...


Sincerely,

the_librarian