Back at Engebi, Weaver and Hall waited at the flightline and saw the Navy PBY while it turned on final and descended down to the runway.
Numerous other Marines started to gather while the news of Ben and Trevor arriving spread through the base like wildfire.
The PBY landed and rolled to a stop. Then it taxied to the flightline near the crowd that grew larger.
The PBY parked and shut off its engines. The rear door opened and Ben and Trevor stepped out.
The crowd cheered and rushed up to Ben and Trevor.
"Welcome home!" Henry yelled out while he pushed his way through the crowd to rush up to Ben and Trevor. "We're so glad you're alive," Henry added.
Many Marines also congratulated Ben and ignored Trevor.
Weaver and Hall pushed their way through the crowd with those two Marine Sergeant guards with sidearms.
Weaver extended his hands out to Ben, who shook it.
"Grayson, I'm so glad you're alive and thank you for finding that new Jap airstrip," Weaver said.
Ben looked proud of what he accomplished with Trevor.
Weaver looked at Trevor. "But Walker, I'm going to have to place you under arrest until we settle this issue with you taking off without orders," Weaver said.
"Sir, Walker saved my life. Can you forget about that little incident?" Ben pleaded.
"We'll let the board decide," Weaver replied then he saw the bullet wound in Trevor's leg.
"Get Walker some medical attention first," Weaver ordered, and then he looked at Ben's leg. "The same for Grayson," Weaver added.
The two guards each grabbed one of Trevor's arms and escorted him away and headed to the tents.
Then Weaver walked away and headed to the tents.
Ben looked upset while he watched the two guards escort Trevor away.
Later that day, Trevor and Ben lay in a bunk in the medical tent and recuperated after the doctor removed the bullets from their body.
Trevor stared at the top of the tent and looked worried that he was going to jail for stealing that plane. But at least he saved Ben's life.
Ben stared at the top of the tent and looked worried while he pondered how could he save Trevor from a life behind bars.
Inside the jail tent, Carl lay shackled on his bunk, and he stared at the ceiling. All he could think about was life behind bars for many years, probably for the rest of his life.
One of the guards entered the medical tent. He walked up to Carl and stared down at him. "I thought you should know that Lieutenants Grayson and Walker were rescued and arrived on base within the hour," he said while he stared down at Carl and fought his urge to punch the hell out of him. "I reckon your trial will start soon," the guard said then walked away and left the tent.
Carl just stared at the top of the tent and didn't show any emotion.
Back in Santa Barbara, Diana just changed Robert's diaper when there was a knock on her door.
"Just a minute," she yelled out while she pinned the diaper.
She placed Robert in his pen, then walked to the front door. She opened it and saw a Western Union man outside with a serious look. She knew what this meant and got nauseous.
"I'm sorry ma-am," the Western Union man said while he opened up the screen door and handed her the telegram.
Her hands trembled, and her eyes welled up while the man walked away.
Her hands shook while she opened up the telegram.
"We regret to inform you that Lieutenant Ben Grayson was shot down in the South Pacific and is officially missing in action and presumed dead," the telegram stated.
Diana dropped to her knees and sobbed. She feared the worse that her soul mate was dead.
The Western Union man walked down the sidewalk and got inside his car. He started it up and drove away.
Fifteen minutes later, the Western Union man drove down Memphis Avenue and stopped off at Lloyd Bannister's house. He parked along the street and got out of his car. He was in a hurry as this was his last message, and he was supposed to meet his buddies for some beers within thirty minutes.
He rushed down the sidewalk to Lloyd's front door. He knocked the second he arrived at the door.
After a few seconds, and the door creaked opened, and Lloyd stuck his head out. "What the hell do you want?" Lloyd asked suspiciously and snarled at the man.
"Western Union," the man replied then shoved the telegram at Lloyd who immediately grabbed it and rushed away.
Lloyd looked at the telegram and thought it was a publisher telling him he wanted to buy his manuscript. He immediately opened up and read the telegram.
"Mister Winston Walker. We regret to inform you that your son, Lieutenant Trevor Walker, is missing in action in the South Pacific and presumed dead," Lloyd read the telegram. He scratched his head, confused over the telegram. "Stupid military. They can't even deliver a message to the correct house," Lloyd said then he tore up the message let the pieces fall at his doorstep. He went back inside his house.
The next day, Ben was able to return to his bunk in the Humble Abode where he immediately got his Santa Monica picture out of his locker. He kissed Diana's picture then shoved it in his shirt pocket. He lay on his bunk and relaxed while he thought about his wife and son.
Weaver was inside his hut while he prepared for the board that was going to convene in thirty minutes.
One of the guards entered the tent with something in his hand. He walked up to Weaver and saluted.
"Sir, we found this in Lieutenant Eastman's seabag. I didn't know if this was important for the board," he said then he handed Weaver the modified Santa Monica picture.
Weaver looked at it and set it down on his desk. "Thank you, sergeant," Weaver said and saluted the guard.
The guard walked out of Weaver's hut.
Thirty minutes later, Weaver convened the small board in the briefing tent, which was comprised of Major Hall, Major Ballard, and Captain Justin.
Carl sat shacked in the jail tent, and Trevor sat shackled in another tent. Both had armed guards that watched over them.
Ben sat in a chair in front of the officers who sat behind a table.
"At first, I thought a Zero shot at me, but I couldn't see any signs of him," Ben said.
"How did you know it was a Zero?" Weaver asked.
"Lieutenant Eastman told me I had a Zero on my tail," Ben replied.
"And where was Lieutenant Walker?" Ballard asked.
"Somewhere nearby. Exactly where I don't know," Ben answered.
"After you were shot down, then what happened?" Hall asked.
"I ditched in the water and tried to get out of my plane. But my harness was jammed, and I was stuck. Then Lieutenant Eastman said he would cover me," Ben said.
"And where was Lieutenant Walker at this point?" Justin asked.
"At first he was still up in the air, but then he ditched his plane close to my plane," Ben said.
"He ditched his plane near you?" Weaver asked to make sure he understood.
"Yes, sir," Ben replied.
"Then what happened?" Justin asked.
"Lieutenant Walker jumped out of his plane and swam over to my plane. Then he cut my harness and helped out of my plane," Ben said.
"Were was Lieutenant Eastman at this moment," Hall asked.
"He was coming after us," Ben said.
"Coming after you? Meaning to rescue you?" Justin asked.
"No, sir. He was coming after us to kill us. He fired his machine guns at my plane, but Walker pulled me into the water in time. Then while we swam, Carl flew back around and strafed my plane, and it blew up," Ben said then his eyes welled up at the thought of Carl trying to kill him.
"Then what happened?" Ballard asked.
"Walker swam to his plane and removed his life raft. Then immediately after that, Carl flew back around and strafed his plane, and it blew up," Ben said then wiped away his tears.
"Why would Eastman do such a horrible act?" Hall asked.
"Well sir, it seems that he always loved my wife and couldn't bear the thought that she married me and not him. I guess he thought that if I was dead, he could marry Diana," Ben said.
"We all know you two were best friends from your hometown. So I don't believe you would lie about someone you cared about," Weaver said then he opened up his shirt pocket and removed Carl's modified Santa Monica picture, and showed it to Ben. "Is this your wife?" he asked.
Ben removed his Santa Monica picture and showed it to Weaver. "This was taken on the day I proposed to Diana," Ben said while he handed it to Weaver.
Weaver looked at the two pictures over then handed Ben back his picture.
"Sir, please forgive Lieutenant Walker for stealing that plane, as he saved my life. Now I have a chance on seeing my son grow up," Ben pleaded while his eyes welled up.
Weaver and the other board members whispered to each other for a few seconds. Then Weaver looked at Ben with a serious look. "Dismissed Captain," he told Ben.
Ben got up and saluted the board members who saluted back.
Ben did an about-face and walked out of the tent.
"Bring in Lieutenant Walker," Weaver yelled out.
A few seconds passed, and a guard escorted Trevor in the briefing tent.
They stood him before the board members.
"Lieutenant Walker, based on the testimony provided by Lieutenant Grayson, which matches your testimony, we're not going to bring you up on charges for stealing one of my planes. But I'm still going to confine you to your barracks for two days," Weaver said.
"Yes sir," Trevor replied while he was smiling inside.
"Now, what in the hell possessed you to steal a United States airplane to fight in that mission?" Weaver asked.
"It was a spur of the moment instinct. I had this horrible feeling that Lieutenant Walker was going to be killed and I had to stop it," Trevor replied.
"But we're in a war, and it's unfortunate, but people die," Weaver snapped back.
"I know sir, and I don't have any excuse. I'm sorry," Trevor replied.
Weaver looked at the other officers. "I'm going to send Pearl Harbor a message to have Lieutenant Eastman court-martialed for attempted murder. And then I'm going to have Lieutenant Walker discharged from my corps," Weaver said.
All the other officers nodded in agreement.
"Board dismissed and confine Walker to his bunk," Weaver ordered the guard.
Trevor saluted the board, and all members saluted back.
The guard escorted Trevor out of the briefing tent.
"I need a drink," Weaver told the other officers who nodded in agreement.
They got up and walked out of the tent.
Later that day, Ben ate dinner in the chow tent with Henry and was surrounded by numerous Marines. They listened in horror while Ben told the whole story about Carl. Trevor sat with everybody and had his guard watching over him.
Way off in the corner of the chow tent, Carl ate dinner all by himself while his guard watched over him. There was a brief moment where the guard placed a hand on his billy club and thought about whacking Carl upside his head. But he refrained because hitting Carl wasn't worth spending time in jail.
The next four days were carefree for Trevor and Ben. While some of the men went on missions, they just relaxed as their flying days were over according to Weaver's orders. Trevor even fulfilled a promise and paid Bourne the cash he promised for double-checking his machine guns. Ben also bought Bronson a few beers at the Stress Reliever like he promised.
Five days later, Trevor and Ben were packed and entered a Navy PBY that was going to start their journey to Pearl Harbor. They looked happy until two guards brought Carl still shackled, into the plane.
The whole ride in the PBY and the Naval ship was quiet between the two best friends who never made eye contact.
Carl's court-martial started in Pearl Harbor the day after they arrived. But Carl surprised everybody and confessed immediately to attempting to kill Ben and Trevor. He decided to be responsible for his horrible actions and take his punishment like a man hoping they would be lenient on him.
Carl avoided eye contact with Weaver, Hall, Ben, and Trevor while he was escorted out of the courtroom with a twenty-five-year sentence in Fort Leavenworth.
The court-martial was dismissed.
Meanwhile, back in Santa Barbara, California, Diana's mother stayed with her to help care for Robert. Diana cried for two days straight while she tried to cope with the news that Ben was missing in action and knew this meant he was dead.
Two hours later, in Hawaii, Trevor and Ben stood inside the personnel building in uniform with purple hearts pinned to their shirts. They were at the counter for pay and just received their honorable discharges. Ben just received his compensation for being at Engebi. The female Corporal Jane Meeker was looking into why Trevor's pay records were not on file in their office.
"I don't know where Lieutenant's Walker's pay records could have been filed," Jane said from behind the counter to a fellow coworker.
Ben pondered for a solution. Then he glanced at Trevor's purple heart. His eyes lit up with an idea to get Trevor's pay. "He was wounded in the war, can't you scrounge up some cash for him taking a bullet for Uncle Sam?" Ben asked Jane with charming eyes.
She looked at Ben then looked at Trevor. She pondered a solution. She walked away to her superior's office.
"It's alright, Ben. We can leave, and I know the Marine Corps with catch up with my pay," Trevor said as this was making him nervous that they would find out he's a fake.
Then Jane returned with an envelope, and she handed it to Trevor. "I'm sure your records will show up in a couple of days, and I'll get it updated. Here's your pay," she said.
Trevor looked inside and saw the cash. "Thank you, corporal," he said then motioned for Ben that they should leave. He opened up his seabag and shoved the pay envelope inside. They grabbed their bags and walked away.
They walked through the office area and headed to the main doors, and they soon left the building.
They stood outside the personnel building.
"That court-martial was the hardest thing I have ever done. The next hardest part will be telling Diana what he did in the South Pacific," Ben told Trevor.
"Thanks for testifying on my behalf back in Engebi," Trevor said.
"It's the least I could do since you saved my life," Ben replied with a smile, then he thought of a great idea. "You know, since we're both civilians again and have plenty of time ahead of us, I want you to meet Diana and Robert back in Santa Barbara," Ben offered.
Trevor looked speechless with Ben's offer. "I don't know. I mean," Trevor stuttered a little nervous.
"I won't take no for an answer," Ben insisted.
"Okay," Trevor replied a little nervous.
"Great, let's get to a phone, and I'll call her to let her know I'm coming home," Ben said while they walked away.
An hour later back in Santa Barbara, Diana was heating up Robert's bottle in the kitchen. Her eyes weren't as red as her crying finally subsided. Robert sat in his playpen in the middle of the room.
Her kitchen phone rang. She walked and picked up the phone. "Grayson residence," she answered in a little bit of a depressed tone.
"Diana, it's me, Ben," he replied.
Diana looked shocked as if she heard a ghost. "Ben? It can't be you. The Marines said my husband is missing in action in the South Pacific and might be dead," Diana snapped back a little pissed. "How dare you play this cruel joke on me," she yelled back.
"No, baby. It's really me. I was shot down, but I survived," he pleaded from the phone.
"My husband's probably dead," she cried out, and her eyes welled up.
"No, baby. It's me. I proposed to you in Santa Monica. We have a son named Robert. We made love in Mexico beach in Florida," Ben cried out from her phone.
Diana looked confused for a few seconds, and then she believed her caller was her soul mate. "Ben? It's really you?" Diana cried out and sobbed.
"Yes, baby, it's me, and I'm coming home for good," Ben said.
"Hurry home, honey. I miss you so very much," Diana cried into the phone.
"I'll be home soon, and I'm bringing home a special friend," he said.
"You're bringing home, Carl?" she asked while she wiped away her tears. "His mother will be so happy. I'll have to call her," Diana added.
"No, honey. Carl's not coming home with me and please don't call his parents. I'll explain everything when I get there," he said.
Then Diana feared the worse about Carl. "Did he get killed in action," he asked while her lips trembled.
"No. He's alive. Like I said, I should explain everything when I get home," Ben said.
"Okay baby. I love you," Diana said and hung up the phone. "Daddy's coming home," she said to Robert.