During this time, the Civil War was in progress, Fred being in Germany half the time, he didn't sign up, but now, they needed more men to be medics...and more men to fight in the war...Fred thought he could learn the trade well enough and so he enlisted... So Fred was sent from where he was living in Pennsylvania down to the battlefield of Shiloh, located in Hardin County, Tennesee. He was placed under Maj. Gen. Ullysees S. Grant and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman and Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood was also in his division...

Fred was in the midst of the battlefield, explosions going off all around him, smoke filling the air...Fred dodged explosions here and there...He saw a man down, so he got down on his stomach and started to crawl over to him...Fred heard with his ears, more explosions, and felt the ground shake as more guns were going off. He was armed as well, with a musket rifle, and fired it countless times in an effort to keep off the enemy...He crawled over to the man, and Fred saw that he had a bad leg wound. Through the noise and explosions and guns being fired off, Fred temporarily fixed up the man's leg and picked him up, slinging him over his shouders, and ran back to camp...He went out onto the battlefield once more, bringing in more wounded men...He saw a young boy with a wound near his heart...Fred knew the boy well...He was young, 14 year old Paul Ingalls...The boy reminded Fred so much of himself...On the quiet side, but once you got to know the boy, he'd talk your ears off and wouldn't shut up! Fred and Paul were about the youngest in their group, so they got to know each other quite well...

"Ingalls..., How are ya, kid?" Fred asked, grasping the boy on his shoulder...

"Not so good, Fred...I'm not gonna make it..." The boy inhaled and on is face was a grimacing look...From the deep pain, because every time his chest moved, he could feel the enemy's bullet dig deeper into his chest.

"Don't say that, Paul...You don't know th..."

"Fred!...Face it! I'm gonna die out here!" Paul shouted...He calmed down and spoke..."It doesn't matter to me anyway...I know where I'll end up...but what bothers me is I won't make it out of this war and...I won't see him again..."

"Who?"

"Charles Ingalls...My second cousin...He and his family are the only kin folk I've got left...Told you Ma and Pa died last year of typhoid fever...That's why I joined the army...Had no where else to go...Charles...he wanted me to come live with him, Caroline and the girls...but...I didn't wanna impose...And I was a stubborn kid and wanted to be out on my own anyway..."

Fred chuckled..."Sounds kinda like me...Told you I left home...about that age..." Fred heard another wounded soldier screaming for him..."I'll be right back, buddy..." Fred crawled over to the other wounded man, who was screaming his head off. He had horrible leg and shoulder wounds...Fred tried to calm the man down...but the man kept screaming,..."Lay! Lay you've gotta help me!...Its to my knees!"

"What is?...Henderson, what are you talking about? What's to your knees?"

"The fire! The FIRE is to my knees! Oh God! Now, its reaching up to my hips!" He screamed, clutching onto Fred...

"Jake...WHAT are you talking about?...You're not on fire! You're just wounded! Very badly..." He shouted back at the young man in his 30's.

"FRED! The fire's at my waist now! Get me out! Help me!..." Jake Henderson said, clutching even tighter onto Fred...

"Henderson! Calm down!..."

I can't! I CAN'T! I feel the fire creeping up my chest! Now its at my shoulders, Lay!...Get me out of the burning FIRE!...HELP ME!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Henderson!...You're not on fire!...Are you loosing it, man?"

"OH GOD! Its at my ears! Don't let it go over my head!...Help me, Lay!"

"HENDERSON!" He shouted as he saw an aweful horrifying look come across Jake Henderson's face...The strong, 36 year old man died like that...His clawed hands still clutching Fred's shoulders...

Fred had no idea what he had just witnessed...It left him at a state of shock and he was afraid. Afraid of dying like that man...He didn't want to die that way...Fred crawled back to Paul, with a look of shock and fear still on his face...

"You okay, Fred?..." Paul Ingalls asked him...

"I think so..." Fred said, though he was shaking all over...

"Fred...I'd like it if you'd do something for me..."

"Sure...Anything Paul..." Fred muttered...He was still in shock from watching that young man die.

"Send word to the Ingalls for me, will ya?...You and I both know I won't make it alive."

"Will do, Paul..."

"I've got their address right here..." Paul said, pulling an old envelope out of his uniform...He gave it to him. Fred put it in his own Civil War uniform...

Paul reached up and gripped Fred's hand. Fred sqeezed back. "Hope to you again someday...friend...Goodbye." Paul told him.

Fred was silent as he watched the young boy close his eyes and die at peace...It was so different from the death he had just witnessed...and Fred didn't understand why...

The war had soon ended...Fred, who was in his Civil War uniform, was on a stagecoach heading to Walnut Grove, Minnesota so he could keep his promise to his young friend, and tell the Ingalls' the news of the boy's passing...

Fred had his dark green carpet bag with his things in his lap. A young lady in a light pink calico dress and bonnet was sitting across from him...

"Heading home, soldier?" She asked him, and smiled even though the jolt of the stagecoach kept moving her slightly.

"No...I'm doing a favor for a friend of mine...He...umm...died in the war..."

"I'm sorry to hear that...What a great price to pay...Just to serve your country...Thank you..."

"You're welcome, ma'am..." He said and reached out to shake her hand, as she already had it extended...

"I'm Christi...Christi Loyalton...": She smiled.

"Fred Lay..." He said, introducing himself. "So why are you heading to Walnut Grove? He asked.

"To see my aunt...Melinda Foster...She works the post office there...

"I see...said the blind man to his deaf friend...as he picked up his hammer and saw." Fred smiled.

The saying made Christi laugh a little. That was just Fred...He loved making people laugh.

The stagecoach had stopped, as they were now in Walnut Grove. Fred hopped down and extended a hand out to the young lady and helped her down from the stagecoach.

"Thank you, Fred." Christi smiled.

"Do you need help finding your way around?..." Fred chuckled, "Then again,...I don't know my way around here as much as the next guy!"

"Well, we'll just have to help each other out! Won't we?" Christi laughed. Fred held out his arm and Christi set her hand on him. And the two started out. "...Oh, there's my aunt!...Aunt Melinda!" She called out to her. Mrs. Foster saw them and walked over...

"Christi...How are you, child?" She said, hugging her neice.

"I'm doing just wonderful!...Ready to help you at the post office. I'm really excited!...My first grown up job!"

"And I'm sure you'll do just fine!...Who is this handsome stranger?" Mrs. Foster asked, refering to Fred.

Christi blushed. "This is my new friend,...Fred Lay. We met on the stagecoach."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Foster." Fred said, shaking her hand.

"So what brings you to Walnut Grove?"

"I am looking for a ...Charles Ingalls..." Fred said, glancing at the envelope in his hand...

"Oh, he's busy working over at the mill, but I believe I just saw Mrs. Ingalls in the mercantile..." Mrs. Foster smiled. "Maybe Caroline would be able to help you instead."

"Thank you, ma'am..." Fred said, tipping his Civil War cap to the women and headed into the mercantile.

Mr. Oleson was at the counter, with Caroline looking at some bolts of calico...

"Excuse me...but I'm looking for a Mrs. Caroline Ingalls..." Fred said, and Caroline turned around.

"I'm Caroline Ingalls..."

"Mrs. Ingalls...I'm sure you can see by my attire that I've just come out of the war...Ummm...I was a friend of a relative of your husband's...Paul Ingalls..."

"Yes...I remember Paul...Such a sweet boy..." Caroline smiled, remembering him.

"Ummm...I have some news I need to tell you and your family..."

"News?" Caroline questioned.

"Yes ma'am...And it isn't good...I'm sorry to say..." Fred said...

A/N: Paul Ingalls, Jake Henderson, Christi Loyalton are all my own characters. Yay! lol. And the idea that Fred was a medic in the war was my idea as well...He was never in the Civil War, because he wasn't even alive then! lol. He was born in 1886. He was in the German Army in 1907 to 1909 in the calvary and infantry division. :)