A heartfelt smile came to the admiral's lips.
"Let me guess, a mixture of hymns and the latest songs hitting the airwaves."
"That about sums it up."
"She has all the words memorized the first time she hears a song. Put something to music and Lorri has it." The admiral paused for just a moment. "Josie was her biggest fan."
Rigg watched the other man, whose attention had strayed to a place in his mind. Both of Rigg's parents were alive, as were both of his brothers. He had no reference point to losing someone as close as a granddaughter. Clearly the man was hurting."
"Did you leave the island that day?"
"No, the next. I put a man in charge of her, and we got some food to her as soon as we could. She had found an excellent water supply and was sleeping in the plane, which was in a small clearing."
"And did she talk to you about what happened?"
"Not until Tuesday"
"What did she tell you?"
"That Clarence Fuller, the pilot, did all he could. She described the rain as being all around them. They couldn't see a thing. She said the trees rushed up to meet them, and all was black with the rain still coming hard. Her sister wouldn't answer her." Rigg made
himself tell the painful details. "It took her days to dig the holes. She buried the pilot first because she couldn't put Josie in the dirt at that point. She took Josie's locket and put it on.
"It sounds like she ate what food she could find, which wasn't much, and had plenty of water. She was a little confused and
84
mmdisoriented from time to time, but until she saw you from the
||office window, she hadn't fainted.
"We stopped again near Cooley, and she had an encounter with another boat crew. It was upsetting to her, but she handled herself well."
"Did you report the men?"
"No, sir. Miss Archer would not elaborate on what happened."
"So she might have been hurt?"
"No, sir. My men saw a sailor touch her hair and try to detain her by grabbing her wrist. My men were on hand a moment later, and Miss Archer was able to walk away."
"Do you know what was said to her?"
"No, sir."
Dean fell silent for a moment. Rigg watched him and waited.
"Where did she sleep on the boat?"
"In my bunk. I took Ensign Westland's bunk. I hung a sheet to give Miss Archer privacy."
Dean's eyes were suddenly intent.
"And your men were gentlemen?"
"Yes, sir. I would swear to it."
Dean didn't need to ask about Rigg's conduct. His gut told him there would be no offense there.
"Did you see the graves?" was the next question, coming on a rather hoarse voice.
"Yes, sir. They were in another clearing."
Dean's eyes closed for a moment. He tried to fight the tears, but it was no use. Rigg came to his feet. He went to the coffee pot, filled two mugs, and returned to the table.
Dean opened his eyes when he heard the mug placed in front of him. He stared down at it for a moment and then reached for
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his handkerchief. He blew his nose and took a moment to compose himself before reaching for the hot drink.
"I think you should also know, sir," Rigg said without permission, "that we had Zeros almost as soon as we left the island. We traveled in daylight and took down two planes, but one got away."
"And where was Lorri during all of this?"
"On her bunk. We also had a storm the night before we made port. She was very seasick."
Dean was without words. It wasn't enough that Lorri was plane-wrecked and had to bury her sister. She had also been on the boat when it was under enemy attack and experienced a storm only days later. The emotions running through him were so varied and strong that for a long time he said nothing.
Rigg was quiet as well. Again he was having to imagine this for someone he loved and could see why it would be nearly impossible to take in.
"When do you leave here?" Dean finally asked.
"Not for a week at least. Our problems can't be patched up any longer."
Dean nodded and stood. Rigg also came to his feet and saluted.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Dean released Rigg with a return salute and moved on his way.
Lorri was finally out of bed, running water to take a hot bath, when she realized that her period had stopped and no longer needed her attention. It hadn't run its normal course, but she knew better than to expect that.
86mil
I
I86Lori Wick
i1
| * For long moments she shivered, not with cold but with some
undefinable emotion. The water was hot all around her, but she I ifelt bruised, and her skin ached.
1 |"Josie," Lorri whispered, not wanting to cry but not sure she
I |had a choice. "I can't even visit your grave. I know you're not there,
but somehow I want to be near that marker."
ILorri's hand went to the chain and locket around her neck.
1 She squeezed her eyes shut, but hot tears still found a path down
|her face. She hadn't known that anything could hurt this much.
I' 11Her father had died when she was ten. She had cried and felt lost
' i] | -for a long time, but that pain was nothing to this.
'And as always, the need to see her mother squeezed painfully
around her heart. Ruth Archer never quite left her consciousness. II31She had missed her mother while working in Australia-at times
" illlishe'd been dreadfully homesick for her and for her sister-but
lill'ithis was different All at once Lorri felt five years old again. She
felt abandoned and alone, and in such need of her mother that she could hardly think straight.
ii.'
She breathed heavily, trying to control herself, but it was no J Jfuse. Harsh sobs broke from her throat. Sinking as deeply into the
water as she could get, she sobbed in agony, only able to form a 'few coherent words to God.
"Please help me," she whispered. "Please help me to get home."
'i
"How'd it go with the admiral?" Hugh asked as soon as he saw
Rigg.
'I think all right. He might want to see me again." "Will he be around that long?"
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"He didn't say when they were leaving."
"Did you see her?"
Rigg shook his head, his gaze hooded.
'The men have been asking about her."
Rigg nodded. "If I see Admiral Archer again, I'll tell him."
Quinn came looking for Rigg just then. His news about the parts for their repairs was so disheartening that it drove everything else from Rigg's mind.
"Someone had a hot bath," Dean teased Lorri as soon as he let himself back into the room. She was still in the chair, her hair ^ damp, the room a little moist. "It felt nice."
"I'll bet it did. PTs are not known for their fine bathing facillities"
"I didn't know a bathroom could be that small," Lorri said, fp&nd Dean smiled at his first glimpse of the woman he once knew. "How about some breakfast?" "With coffee?" "Yes, ma'am." "Then I'm all for it."
Lorri set her grandfather's Bible aside and followed him from the room. It was early, so many officers and enlisted men were inI$ie mess hall. Lorri sat in the separate dining room for the offi
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Lori Wick
1
"Hello, Lionel," Lorri said as she approached him where he stood by the coffee urn, greeting him with a smile.
Lionel smiled right back, pulling his hat from his head in the process.
"Hello, Miss Lorri. You're looking well"
"
Thank you. I wasn't sure if you would still be here."
"We have repairs to make."
"And then where do you go?"
Lionel grinned as he said, "Back out on patrol."
A quiver of fear raced through her, unexpected and almost confusing.
"Are you all right, Miss Lorri?"
"Yes, I just felt afraid for a moment."
"For us?"
"Yes."
"That's kind of you, Miss Lorri, but we won't go until theStormis fully ready."
Lorri nodded, not able to explain her memory of having been aboard during an attack. She glanced around a bit, and that's when she noticed that Lionel was holding a cup of coffee.
"I should let you get to your breakfast before it gets cold."
Lionel nodded kindly, not anxious to be away, but not certain how long he should detain her.
"You take care of yourself, Miss Lorri," he put in after a few heartbeats of silence.
"You do the same," Lorri urged him as well.
She moved back to the officer's mess, finding her grandfather waiting in the doorway.
Dean knew no end of emotions as he watched her come to him. He hadn't wanted to disturb her conversation, but having
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his granddaughter talking with ease to an enlisted man was not something he ever expected to see. Clearly she was very comfortable with this sailor.
"Are you ready for breakfast?" he asked when she was close.
"Yes. Did I hold you up?"
"Not at all," he answered, giving her a smile of reassurance and still trying to figure out the odd emotions moving through him.
In the midst of this he realized it didn't matter. She was safe. She was not unscathed, but she was alive, and he was going to get her home. He would deal with his own odd mix of emotions at another time.
90Ill
i#ht
m
Harmony Hills, California
Ruth Archer stood at the living room window, her eyes going from the driveway to the street and back again every few seconds. She had told herself she was ready. She had prepared as best she could, but in her heart she knew that when she saw Lorri without Josie her heart would break all over again.
For a moment she let her mind go back to the day her father-in-law's telegram arrived. Max had not heard the door. Ruth had stood still for long moments, her mind trying to grasp the words.Lorri found. Josie lost.Ruth thought they would be branded on her heart forever.
And now she waited. Not every day since, but certainly today. A second telegram had come. Dean and Lorri were on their way. They would be home this day: August 16,1945.
A car slowly trailed up the street and drove past. Ruth sighed quietly and turned from the window. It was silly to stand there for what might turn into hours. She would want her strength when Lorri finally arrived. Ruth settled into a chair in the living room,
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one that still gave her a view of the street, and began to think about the little she knew.
Neither telegram had provided her with details. The ranch had reported what they'd known: Lorri and Josie had left Carson Point in a plane on June 1. The plane was piloted by Clarence Fuller, and the three of them never arrived at their destination. In her mind the miles of ocean had stretched forever. The chances of survival were slim. And yet she hoped. That was the type of person she was. She was not going to decide it was bad news but wait for word. There was no point in crying over imagined events. And when worry came, she confessed it and reminded herself that the Lord Jesus Christ was in control.
Nevertheless, seeing those words-Josie lost-had plunged her into a place she'd never visited. She didn't know why it was different from burying a mother and a spouse, but she knew firsthand that it was. In sudden pain, her breath caught in her throat, her heart realized she wasn't even able to bury her daughter. She had been lost at sea.
"Mother?" Max's voice sounded from the stairway just before she entered the room.
"Yes, Max."
"I shut Jo's door. Was that all right?"
Ruth looked at her youngest child-no longer a child but a young woman-and tried not to hold on too tight. At the moment she wanted to tell Max that she was never leaving home.
Ruth gave a small shake of her head.
"It's not all right?" Max questioned.
"It's fine, honey. My mind wandered for a moment"
Max sat down and stared at her mother. Ruth stared back Max was the first to speak.
92
[ill 'i"I don't want to cry when I see Raine."
|j|"Why not?"
j||"I don't want that to be her first memory, me being a big baby."
ij"So you don't think she'll cry; you don't think I will?"
Max sighed. "I guess we all will-maybe even Grandpa." "He just might."
"I just wish I knew what happened." This was not the first time Max had voiced this, and even though they had spoken of it, Ruth warned her again. I,'if I"Don't let your curiosity overrule your good sense, Maxine.
. ,|Whatever happened, it must have been awful. Lorri will tell us
f Iwhen she's ready. We're not going to pepper her with questions-
not today, and not ever."
. IMax nodded, her face composed, but the questions still
||JI Ipestered her. Was Raine really all right? How could Jo die but not
l' trRaine? Where in the world had she been all this time?
Ir|jlFor a moment a shudder ran over her. At times when she
' -thought about her oldest sister never coming home, she ached with
pain. The news was still so new that Max was quite numb inside, but every so often pain washed over her, pain so acute that it took I!her breath away.
Watching her, Ruth saw her daughter's anguish but opted not to question her. She believed she knew the answers. And if they spoke of it just now, they might be in tears before Lorri and Dean ifl'IUarrived.
W"Ruth's eyes went to the window. She hoped it would be soon.
II
Gasoline rationing was over. Stories on vegetables, canned fruit, and fuel oil-all released from restriction-filled the newspapers.
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Nearly every article concerned the winding down of the war or life after the fact. Nearly four weeks after being united at the base in Australia, Dean and Lorri now waited at the U.S. Naval Base outside Harmony Hills, California, for their ride home. They shared a newspaper, heads bent as they devoured the words.
Thankfully it was not a long wait. After just a bit of detail work, a sailor appeared and told them the car was ready and waiting.
The newspaper had been a diversion. Lorri was so anxious to be home, she couldn't stop the pounding of her heart. She was on her feet and headed to the waiting car before the man finished speaking.
Ruth had meant to relax, but by the time the car pulled into the driveway, she had been back at the window for some time. Her first reaction had been to run outside, but she knew instinctively it was the worst thing she could do.
Instead she stared at the gaunt figure of her daughter as she climbed from the interior of the vehicle. Tears already streaming down her face, Ruth watched Lorri pause and look up at the house. Without warning, Lord's gaze swung to the window. Ruth's and Lorri's eyes locked for just a moment, and then both were on the move. They met just inside the front doorway, tears unchecked, arms reaching to grab and hold on for dear life.
"Mother, Mother," Lorri sobbed, not able to get close enough.
Later it would hit Ruth very hard that her daughter was painfully thin, but right now her arms didn't notice. Right now her baby was home. Her baby was alive.
"Here we go." Dean's quiet voice came to Ruth's ears as he gently propelled them out of the doorway and into the small foyer
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Vlnloljlll
I'll'just outside the living room. Not until Dean did this did Lorri
llilllnotice her sist
er standing to the side, waiting her turn.
ill
||!|i"Oh, Max!" Lorri cried, an arm going out to drag her in.
IffTheir small cache of luggage inside, Dean shut the door on
IIIthe world and stood back and watched. Tears filled his eyes as he
1stood and waited, dreading the story he would later have to tell
111n'sdaughter-in-law.
Ill"I need to sit down," Lorri said after a time. She'd been feel-
liit'ii
ing good, strong even, but the last few minutes had taxed her.
Dean stepped forward and helped her into the living room and onto one of the chairs. Max sat at her feet, and Lorri looked down at her.
"Your latest picture didn't do you justice, Max. You've become a beautiful young woman."
"Don't say that, Raine. You'll have me bawling again." Lorri laughed in comfort and delight. She sounded like the [same old irrepressible Max she'd always known. Lorri reached to
stroke her dark, thick hair, amazed at how shiny and full it was.
'"Do I smell turkey?" Lorri suddenly noticed.
|"Mother has one in the oven."
iLorri looked across to where Ruth sat on the sofa.
"You're baking a turkey?"
"With all the trimmings," Ruth told her with a smile. "Thank you, Mother." Lorri smiled across at her and willed herself not to cry again. She glanced around the room, not wanting to feel like a stranger but not sure she had a choice. It was a very long time to have been away.
"You need to sleep, don't you?" Dean spoke up. Lorri rolled her eyes. "I hate being so transparent."
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"Just stretch out on the sofa, Raine," Max suggested. "I'll talk to you until you drop off."
"That sounds wonderful."
Lorri found three people fussing over her in the next few minutes. A blanket was laid over her and a pillow placed comfortably under her head. Lorri laughed a little at the way they hovered.
"Sleep as long as you like," Ruth said, kissing her softly on the cheek.
"Don't let me miss dinner."
"I won't."
Dean stroked her hair and smiled into her eyes before following Ruth from the room. Max, back on the floor, as close as she could get, looked into her sister's eyes. ' "I missed you,Raine."
"I missed you too, Max." Lorri reached for her hand.