Lizzie didn’t ask her any questions and waited for Audrey to speak.

“The navy came to see us,” she said in a dead voice. “He died trying to defend the airfield. He was killed by the Japanese. They’re sending his body home when they can.” Audrey’s voice sounded hollow to her own ears, as Lizzie sank into a chair and cried quietly. Her parents saw what was happening and could guess she had just had terrible news. “I’m sorry, Lizzie,” Audrey said, crying. “He loved you. I know that for sure. You’re the only girl he ever loved. He would have married you. He told me so. I love you. I’m so sorry, for all of us,” she said, and then broke into sobs and had to hang up. Lizzie’s father walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, as her mother stared at her in dismay. Lizzie was dissolving in front of them.

“Someone you knew well?” he asked her, and she nodded.

“Audrey Parker’s brother. Will,” she added. She wanted to say his name so they could hear it, and she looked up at her father with the shards of her broken heart spilling from her eyes. “I loved him, Daddy. He was a wonderful person.”

“I’m sure he was,” he said sympathetically. “It’ll be hard on his mother. She’s widowed, isn’t she?” Lizzie nodded. They had met at Lizzie and Audrey’s nursing school graduation, so he knew how ill she was.

“Audrey takes care of her.”

“I’m sorry. Let me know if there’s anything we can do, for either of them.” He didn’t react to her telling him she loved Will. He wasn’t sure what she meant by it, but it was no time to ask when she was so upset.

She did the only thing she could think of then. It was the only place she wanted to be, with the family he loved and who loved him. She belonged with them now.

Lizzie packed a bag and went to Pennsylvania Station, and took a train to Annapolis that night. She arrived at the house at eleven o’clock and rang the doorbell. Audrey opened the door and they sank into each other’s arms, mourning the boy they had all loved so much. The boy who wanted to fly and had loved planes all his life. The country was at war and he was one of the first casualties. Audrey wondered if her mother would survive it, if any of them would. He was so young and so handsome and such a good person, brother, and son. He would have been good to Lizzie, if he’d had time to do so. And now he was gone. Audrey couldn’t imagine what life would be like from this day on, without him, and neither could Lizzie. Their lives would be forever changed, more than either of them could even imagine.