𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝙓𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪'𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺—

𝙐𝙋𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝙀𝙍 eyes, Bryce realizes that Danny is no longer by her side. In fact, she was alone in the sterile room, and was now wearing a dark gray hospital gown. The small room smelled of bleach and disinfectant, and the blood that had previously pooled at the side of the bed— Bryce's blood— had been cleaned, with no trace left behind. The Dylan woman was relieved to see that her wound had been re-bandaged, and the sheets beneath her had been cleaned. But how long had it been since she fell asleep?

It was morning now; and it clearly hadn't been dark when the bombing started. She assumed she had slept for a quite a while, seeing how it had still been mid-day when Danny showed up at the hospital to be by her side.

Danny.

Her heart aches at the mere thought of him. Not only did he have to see her the day before, but he had to face the facts that she might not make it much longer. Bryce did feel better this morning— but she knew that she only felt that way due to the morphine that was injected into her veins from the intravenous infusion in her left arm. Hopefully, she would be able to get an x-ray that would tell everyone the severity of the bullet's travel. During the procedure, the surgeon hadn't been able to waste time with examining her complete state— he only had limited minutes to get the bullet out, then move on to another patient down the hall.

And that was the most terrifying part to Bryce; knowing that she, at this very moment, could be dying and no one would ever know. But she didn't consider the thought. She had too much to live for, and she wouldn't give up this easily— Bryce Dylan was not a quitter, especially when it came to the promises she had made to Danny. Forever. She intended on keeping that promise.

"Oh, you're awake," a nurse steps in, giving her a smile. "How are you feeling, Ms. Dylan?"

"Better," Bryce replies, clearing her throat. "I'm sorry, but was there a man here last night?"

"I traded shifts with Evelyn, but by that time, no one else was in the room," the woman tells her. "I hope you don't mind that I changed your bed sheets— though you probably didn't notice. The other one needed to be cleaned, as I'm sure you're aware. And I also brought some more blankets if you need them."

"Thank you," Bryce gives her a weak smile, her heart sinking. Where had Danny gone last night? The thought worried her slightly, because what if the bombings weren't over? There could be another wave coming at that very second, and he was out there somewhere, away from her. "Could I have something to drink? My throat is sore."

"Already on it—" she places her clipboard on the counter at the far side of the room, disappearing in the hallway for a short minute, before wheeling in a cart. It contained many trays of food, along with a row of water-filled cups. "Are you feeling up to eating?"

"I don't think I could," Bryce shakes her head, frowning. "I wouldn't be able to keep it down, I can feel it. Just some water, please."

The woman gives Bryce a sympathetic glance, bringing her a tray of food anyway. "I'm going to leave this on the table just in case, okay? Maybe you'll get hungry before lunch, and I don't want you to go without. And here's your water, Ms. Dylan."

"Thank you. And please, call me Bryce," she says, slowly placing her hands on the bed railing and trying to pull herself into a sitting position. Bryce grits her teeth at the immense amount of pain that bounds up her abdomen and ventures up her spinal cord. That wasn't good. "Your name is?"

"Amberley," the nurse says. "I'm a recruit, I just got in last night. After hearing about the . . . incident yesterday, states from all over sent out nurses and doctors to help out. We managed to get everything calmed down for a while."

"It was quite a thriller," Bryce chokes out, staring at the cup of water that Amberley had placed in her hand. "I just can't believe it happened. Everything was okay, and then . . . and then it wasn't. It came so fast."

"I can't even begin to tell you the death toll." Amberley states, shaking her head as her face falls. "The docks— it was a horrible sight to see. The shipwrecks in the harbor trapped so many sailors. There are men still there now, trying to get the survivors out. This isn't exactly what I was expecting my first trip to Hawaii to be like."

"Make that two of us," Bryce murmurs with a sigh. "If I'm being honest with you, I don't even know how I got here— all I can remember is helping my friend get under a car when the planes started firing . . . and then she asked if I was okay, and I blacked out. I can't remember how I got here after that. All I know is that when I came to, a doctor was digging into me to retrieve the bullet."

"I really wish you could get an x-ray," Amberley frowns. "I have no idea where the bullet could've hit. Do you have any pain right now?"

"In my back," she tells her. "Every time I move, the pain almost blinds me. It's a lot to handle, even with the morphine drip."

"I'm worried that it might've punctured an area near your spinal cord. I noticed a large bruise around the area when I was changing you— but it could be much more than that. Since the surgery was done so fast, he might've done something wrong. If it's that bad, then you . . . "

"I already know that I've lost a lot of blood," Bryce bites her lip. "I also know that if something goes wrong that rips my stitches, I could start to bleed internally and there's not much the staff here could do for me. My blood type is rare, and the hospital doesn't carry very much of it."

"It won't come to that." Amberley assures her. "You will be okay, Bryce."

"But what if the bullet penetrated one of my vital organs? What if I rip the stitches, start to bleed too much, then go into cardiac arrest because my heart can't function properly? What if—"

"We will find a way to solve the problems if they come about. Now, back to pains. Did you hit your head at any point yesterday?"

"When I tripped, I might've hit it against the pavement." Bryce nods. "Why?"

"Because I need to find out if you have a concussion. That could make things worse, especially if you were to have a seizure; it could cause brain damage."

"Am I interrupting?" Someone asks, tapping on the open door. Danny stands in the doorway, a smile gracing his features, and a bouquet of red roses in his grasp. "Good morning, beautiful."

"I'll give you two a few minutes," Amberley chuckles, shooting Bryce a wink. "I'll be back in a bit to ask a few more questions, Bryce. And please try to eat something while I'm gone."

"No promises," Bryce says, giving Amberley a warm smile as she exits the room. Danny walks inside, placing the flowers on the table next to Bryce's bed. He takes the seat next to her, instantly pulling her hand into his.

"How are you feeling?" He questions, rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

"Good, now that you're here," she chimes, laying back and relaxing into the bed again. She hands him her cup of water, before letting out a deep breath. "But it just feels so lonely in here. I'm cramped up, and I'd much rather be at home."

"I know, sweetheart, but it's better for you to be here," Danny says, his voice soft. "You need to focus on getting better so that when I get back, we can think about buying a house of our own and—"

Buying a house. Living with Danny. It seemed too good to be true; knowing that most of the dangers had passed, and she was so close to getting to where she wanted to be. So close to being happy.

"When you get back?" The woman asks, furrowing her eyebrows. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah . . . " he trails off, scratching the back of his neck. "Today, actually. And I won't be back for a while. Colonel Doolittle wants Rafe and I for a mission, and I don't want Rafe to do it by himself."

Her heart broke.

Because that's the moment when it all hit her— all the worrying that she had tried to hold back, all the fear, and grief, and sorrow; it was all back now. This was reality, so real things happen. Danny might not come back. And if he does, Bryce might not live long enough to see it. That was reality.

"How long will you be gone?" She manages, biting the inside of her cheek.

"A couple weeks." Danny tells her, before quickly continuing. "But I will write to you, and hopefully they will get back here before I do. So you'll know that I'm okay. Things will be okay, Bryce. I promise."

She wanted to tell him all that she feared. That they might not be able to have a home together, and get married, and live the happily ever after that they had both always wanted but never believed would actually happen until they met one another. And now, here she was, watching as Rafe stepped into the doorway expectantly, his uniform on and a kind smile on his face.

Danny was leaving her.

"Glad to see you're awake now," Rafe chuckles, leaning against the frame and removing his cap. "It's been a while since I've seen those crazy eyes of yours. You know, I kind of missed them."

"Or you missed me and you just don't want to admit it," Bryce jokes, despite the heavy feeling in her chest.

"Nice try, but I won't ever admit that." Rafe grins at her. "But I'm glad that you're okay, Bryce. Keep an eye on Evelyn for me while I'm gone, okay?"

"Can do, Lieutenant."

"Alright. You ready Danny?" Rafe asks, glancing down at his watch. "James wants us in . . . fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Danny replies. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Rafe nods, giving Bryce a wave before he disappears. Bryce's eyes meet Danny's, and she can feel the word 'goodbye' slipping from his lips.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Bryce swallows, her eyes stinging. "I'm really going to miss you when you're gone."

"This isn't goodbye, it's . . . it's a see you later." He shakes his head. "And I'm going to miss you more, sweetheart. But just wait until I get back. I've got so many plans for us."

"But Danny," she chokes out, her voice cracking.

"I will come back to you." Danny states without hesitance. "I love you so much Bryce, and there's nothing in the world that could keep me away."

"I love you so much more," Bryce cries, a sob falling from her lips as he begins to wipe away her tears.

"Don't cry, sugar, everything will be okay," he leans forward, placing a lasting kiss on her forehead. "Now get some rest and be ready for all the adventures we'll have when I get back."

Then his lips are on hers. She laces her fingers through his hair, holding on tight— the moment she let go would be the moment he left her. As she watches him leave the hospital room, she realizes that Danny had taught her so much in the short time that they had known each other.

But there was one thing he hadn't taught her; how to live without him.

_______