1860

Jasper

I sighed as I ran my hand through my messy curls that Ma always had detested. After a good six or seven attempts to try and flatten my hair, she finally gave up and left to go and braid Catherine's. Even I couldn't get them to do anything besides stick out in every direction possible. Pa had given some of his oil once to try and slick it back instead of just using a comb, but after an hour or two my hair jut sprung right back up.

Catherine came running through the halls in her brand new dress that Ma and LeLe had been sewing for her for the last month or so. I never really got how we both had Ma's curls yet both Ma and Catherine could get them to do what they wanted while I was stuck looking like a mess.

"Jasper!" I laughed at Catherine as she called out, her excitement radiating everywhere.

"Hello, Catty. I assume you are having a good birthday so far." Catherine grinned widely as she finally made a stop by me.

"Oh yes, Jasper! Everything has been fantastic!" I couldn't help but smile at Catherine – she was so happy, I just had to be happy in response.

"I'm glad." Pa came in then, looking at his pocket watch that Catherine had given him earlier today. When Catherine was about seven, she started giving Ma, Pa, and I each one single gift on her birthday. And she was the only one that actually followed that tradition – the rest of the family had previously tried it before, but Catherine was the only one that actually kept it up.

"Come on now. Nathan has the carriage ready." Catherine took my arm then and smiled up at me. She never could stop smiling. It was one of my favorite things about her.

I helped Catherine into the carriage, and Pa and Ma followed soon behind. After that, we were off. Catherine was clearly anxious about what we had planned for her birthday. It was quite entertaining, actually, watching her fidget around in her seat next to me. Occasionally, she'd look at me at catch my gaze, or Pa's, or Ma's, and she'd study one of us as if our eyes alone could give away her surprise. And each and every time, she failed to decipher anything through our eyes, then her head would hang and she'd pout for about ten minutes before trying again.

An few hours later, the carriage stopped and Catherine straightened up in her seat, her grin now ready, yet nervous, for whatever awaited her. I knew what her main birthday gift was – the four of us were now in Galveston and ready for Catherine to enjoy her first day at the beach. The same gift was given to me when I was ten and Catherine was three, but no one in the family counted that since Catherine couldn't even remember that.

It only took Catherine a few seconds to put the smell of salt water and the sound of waves together before she realized where she was.

"The beach?" She looked at me, her eyes wide and amazed.

"Yes, Catherine. The beach." She squealed and clapped as I confirmed what her birthday present was. And Catherine then gave a very Catherine-like reaction: she flung open the carriage door and immediately started running for the sand. I laughed at my joyful younger sister as I walked out and helped Ma down the steps before I walked down to the sand myself. Catherine was enjoying and taking in everything around her like the lively ten year-old that she was. No one was going to reign her in now, that was for sure.

Ma was trying to get Catherine to behave, yelling at her to come back to where the road was so she wouldn't get sand in her new dress, but it was no use. I looked back at my parents who were smiling at my sister's clear happiness at being at the beach. While it wasn't Florida or anywhere on the east coast, Catherine had always wanted to go to Galveston – she would be fine.

After a minute or so of watching Catherine twirl around in the soft sand, chase after the seagulls, and just play around, she finally came running back and attacked Pa with a large hug, then did the same to Ma, and finally came around to me.

"Thank you so much! I am so happy and so thankful for this! It's unbelievable!" I laughed under my breath as Catherine let go of me. She was over the moon in delight – I could sense that it wasn't just me who was attuned to Catherine's glee. Nothing was going to be able to ruin her mood.

"I'm glad you're happy, darling. Let's go have some lunch, check into the hotel, and then we can come back to the beach," Ma said. I knew Catherine wasn't the happiest to leave her beloved sand and water, but she nodded and obeyed. She looked up at me and I smiled down at her then she took my arm like she usually did and we both followed Ma and Pa down the boardwalk to where we'd be eating.

"So, Catty…" Catherine looked up at me, her brown eyes shining and gleaming with curiosity. She knew the tone in my voice – I was looking for something.

"Yes, Jasper?" It was easy to tell that she knew exactly what I was going to ask her as well.

"You gave Pa that pocket watch earlier today and a handkerchief for Ma, but I'm still without one of your birthday presents." Catherine knew that I was just teasing her – I didn't need a present from Catherine. I had my own birthday for that.

"Yes, I know. But, I did get you one, do not worry."

"And when will I be receiving this present?" Catherine grinned up at me teasingly.

"When we get home." I chuckled. That would be tomorrow.

"Of course," I chuckled. Catherine just shrugged as Ma and Pa turned into a restaurant and we followed behind.

Lunch was very different than what I would have in Houston – the seafood was excellent and so much better than what I remembered from when I had last been there. Catherine, I knew, was enjoying everything that was being given to her.

Everything was perfect for the rest of the day. Catherine loved and thrived in the sea, Ma read a book, and Pa and I talked on the beach. At the end of the day when we all headed back to the hotel, Catherine had tired herself out so much she was half asleep as Ma helped her to bed in her room and I retired with a book of my own to my own room.

I was happy that Catherine was happy and that she had had a good birthday.

Then I realized that Catherine would start counting down the days until she was eleven and laughed.

The next day, the four of us met at the breakfast room that they had at the hotel to eat before we headed off. Catherine said goodbye to her beloved ocean, and then we headed back to Houston.

When we parked in front of our home, and Ma and Pa got out first this time. Catherine sat there in her seat, her expression thoughtful.

"I had a wonderful time yesterday, Jasper." Catherine looked to me. I smiled at her.

"I'm glad, Catherine." She then sighed and looked out at the window.

"Time to go back home, I guess." Catherine stepped out then, but apparently her foot hadn't found a steady place, seeing as she slipped from the steps. I attempted to grab her arm or hand to right her, but she fell too quickly. Catherine also tried to grab the door, but instead ended up turning herself around so she then fell down directly on her head against the gravel road.

She didn't even scream. It had all happened just way too fast.


I couldn't believe it. Catherine…she wasn't dead, but she would be absolutely devastated. The blow to her head hadn't killed her, hadn't even given her a concussion, but instead taken something else from her.

Catherine was never going to be able to see again.

The doctor had told us around noon, only forty-five minutes or so after I had dashed Catherine to the hospital on the back of my horse that Nathan had immediately brought around to me. Ma and Pa had come about ten minutes after I had arrived…

The entire time I sat there before the doctor came around; I was wondering if I was ever going to see my sister again. She had been so happy, so bright the day before that I could not imagine her possibly being gone. She was only ten – how was it fair for her to die? And then die right before my own eyes? I was blaming myself for her fall…if I had gotten out first and then helped Catherine out, she never would have fallen. It was my fault that she could have been dead.

And then the doctor came and told us that Catherine was blind, but suffered no concussion. Ma had started crying, and I could feel tears well in my own eyes, but not a single drop fell. Catherine…blind…those beautiful brown eyes, Pa's eyes, would now be glassy and unseeing. Would they hold the same emotions again, now that they couldn't see the world around her?

The doctor came out again a few minutes after he had brought my family the mind-shattering news. I didn't look up at him - my eyes weren't worthy of anything if Catherine couldn't see. I kept my eyes shut tight, trying not to look up at the doctor.

"Jasper Whitlock?" I nodded and kept my 'gaze' to the floor.

"Catherine is asking for you. She wants to see you."

"She can't see me," I gritted out between clenched teeth. While I was only guilty a few minutes ago, I was now infuriated. How could this happen to Catherine? How could God let this happen to someone who was so sweet, so kind and gentle? How could He do this to someone as innocent as my sister?

"She's asking for you," the doctor simply replied. After a few seconds, I sighed and opened my eyes, though tried to ignore everything around me as if it wasn't there. I stood and the doctor took that as a sign that I would see her. The small journey to Catherine's room was short, but it seemed like forever to me. What was she going to do? Did she already know she was blind?

The doctor stopped in front of a door and I sighed and knocked on it carefully.

"Jasper?" A swarm of pain suffocated me as I heard my sister's voice full of tears, laced with absolute despair.

"It's me, Catherine," I called softly through the door.

"Please come in, Jasper." I hesitated for a second before I finally turned the doorknob and walked into Catherine's room.

She was looking in the direction of the drawer, but her eyes weren't looking directly at me, but just in the direction that Catherine had heard. She was actually staring at my chest, approximately…it broke my heart, Catherine's piercing, broken gaze.

"Jasper…my eyes..they're-they're…" I walked over to Catherine as she started to cry again. It was bone-chilling, watching Catherine cry through eyes that couldn't see anything at all, that held nothing but the mahogany color of her eyes.

"I know, Catherine. I know. I'm so, so sorry," I whispered. Catherine reached her arms out to me and I hugged her then closely to my chest as she cried even harder. I patted her head and sighed. My heart might have been broken, but Catherine's entire being was shattered.

As I sat there, I thought about what I could possibly do to make up for what had happened to Catherine.

I will protect her, I thought. I'll protect her.


Yes, I know - I blinded Catherine. I'm sorry, but some of you might see why I did this from a literary stand-point. And also, I'm sorry if this sounds rushed. I wanted to get y'all a chapter before the school week started again when I wouldn't be able to get another chapter out again for a while.

Reviews, please?

And just in case anyone is wondering, there are 5 more chapters before Jasper joins the war. ; ) I know, I know, it's long, but you'll see.