Carterson Prison, New Mexico, January, 1865

His heart pounding in his chest, nauseated with worry, Mike Peterson gripped his makeshift crutches and awkwardly, slowly, got himself upright from where he had been keeping watch near the hidden trap door to the root cellar. It seemed best, now that he had sounded the alarm, to move away, so as not to draw any more attention to the camouflaged location. He moved off with studious slowness, just as grey and dusty and tired as every other man in the camp. He kept his eyes down as if his every thought was for his broken limb, but he was in a torment of fear for his friend trapped down below, and the family who had done so much to care for him since his injury. Please keep them safe, please keep them safe, he prayed over and over. Please keep them safe until our troops get here to set us free.

Down below, the clanging had stopped, leaving only the harsh sound of their breathing as Heath, Rivka, and Hadassah looked at each other, eyes wide in the dim room. The twins stirred, awakened by the noise. Heath was first to speak.

"Rivka, Doctor, grab your stuff. You said you can up and git without leaving any evidence behind. Here's your chance. Go. Go! I'll bring the twins. Rivka, bring your mother to the cave. You understand? Move."

The two women jumped into action, shutting down their corner of the root cellar in less than a minute, transforming it into two bundles, one on each of their backs. Rivka led the way to the cave entrance. Bringing up the rear with a boy on each hip, Heath quickly swept his gaze over the cellar, looking for any glaring signs of habitation. Satisfied, he ducked into the tunnel, speaking softly to the boys, reassuring them that they would be safe and they were on their way to another, better, hiding place. He could feel their warm hands gripping his shirt, their breath as they rested their heads on his shoulders. He was awed by the trust they placed in him, a poor, beat-up, fatherless kid just turned 16.

Heath had seen how it would have to be, the moment the alarm sounded. He knew what he would have to do, and he knew neither Rivka nor Hadassah were going to be happy about it. But nothing was more important right now than getting this family away safe.

They had arrived at the wall. Rivka looked at Heath, her dark eyes wide and intense. "Who first?" she whispered urgently. "You have a plan, Heath, yes? What do you want me to do?"

What he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and make her promise him she would be safe, promise him she would grow up and grow old in happiness, promise to go become a physician, just please promise him she would survive this hellhole and go on into the future. But he couldn't say that. If he did, she would know that he was staying behind.

"I'll boost you up there first. You've seen it before, you know what to expect. Then I'll pass the boys up to you."

She nodded, breathless, focused on getting up the ledge and thinking about how to get the boys safely up there. Heath made a step with his hands as he did before. He winced as she used his shoulder as a foothold, but he bit back any sound of pain.

"I've got it, I can climb up pretty easily," she called back. She scrambled forward up into the dark, her weight lifted from his arms. "OK, I'm in the cave. I'll reach back down and pull up the boys."

"You ready, boys? Got a whole new bear den for you cubs. When I boost you up there, look for your sister. Reach for her hand and she'll pull you up into the cave, understand?" The boys nodded, looking at him seriously. One at a time, Heath kissed them on their heads and boosted them up to the ledge to their waiting sister.

He and Hadassah could hear their cries of amazement from up above. "Mama, wait till you see, it's beautiful!"

"I'm coming, mein kinder," she called, but she was looking intensely at Heath.

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "I'm going to get you up there the same way," he said hoarsely, now not meeting her eyes. "Then I'll pass up your bags to you - "

She interrupted him, speaking softly. "Heath, there must be a way. Please. Think. Think of some way you can come with us." Her eyes were filling with tears.

"He has to find me down here. Hadassah - " He looked into her face now, resolute. "He has to. Otherwise he'll go hunting. It's the only chance you have. He has to think he's found what he's looking for."

"Heath, no - "

"I'm going to collapse this tunnel behind me. He must not even suspect there is something down here besides the one tunnel."

The twins laughter, along with Rivka's, echoed down from above. "Heath! Come up! You have to see!"

He looked up toward the ledge, then back to Hadassah. The sadness and worry of his expression gave him an aspect far older than his years. He stepped closer to Hadassah, speaking earnestly.

"It's going to be dangerous enough, you understand? If I was with you, yes, I might be able to scout us through to meet up with the Union troops, but we'd have Bentell right on us and we'd likely never make it that far." He shook his head. "This way, he'll have me. The only chance you have is to get away from here without Bentell even knowing you were here and gone. Rivka knows the terrain by heart. Trust her."

Slowly, Hadassah nodded. "I see why you sent Rivka up there first."

"I figured she might not be willing to go along with my plan."

"Neither am I, truly, motek," she said sadly. She placed a hand on either side of his face. "You come find us in Albuquerque. My brother-in-law is Mordechai Levi. He is a merchant, well-established there. He will have news of us, if anyone does." She drew him into a hug. "You are a good, good man, Heath. You are a blessing. You survive this, understood? You must. You must stay with us who need you and love you."

"Yes ma'am." He pulled back, as the distant sound of shouts began to reach them. "Time to go. Up," he commanded, and boosted her up the same way. He quickly sent the two bundles up to follow. More shouts, and a metallic banging, and the barking of dogs. Heath began to back away from the ledge, reaching up with his fingertips to find the edges of the timbers holding up the ceiling.

As the first timber came cracking and crumbling down, he could hear Rivka's voice, cracking with grief, shock, anger.

"What? Where is he? Heath! Mama, no, we can't leave him here, no - Heath - "

He gritted his teeth, digging his fingers in to bring down the next timber, his vision blurring with tears. Behind him, there was a sound of hammers and the groaning of crowbars. Beyond the cloud of dust from the falling wood the twins echoed their sister's call. "Heath don't go - " He backed away, reaching for the next timber. Sobbing now, his hands bleeding, he pulled down the beams, one after the other, until finally, mercifully, he could no longer hear the sound of their calling.

He fell back into the root cellar, hurriedly throwing lose dirt and debris over the entrance to the side tunnel to disguise its existence. There was a crash behind him, as the trap door - which they had locked from within to buy time - was breached with pry bars. Heath turned and ran down the main tunnel, praying for the guards to follow. No thought now of fear waiting for him in the dark. All that mattered was drawing Bentell away from Hadassah and her family.