"No!" A woman's scream broke the clouds of Harm's dreams. He sat bolt
upright in bed. His eyes darted around the room; it was a sterile white
room, for all the beds had the same white linens on them. Around him, many
men lay with various injuries. The panic he'd felt in his sleep only
intensified when Harm realized he was in an army hospital. He tried to
swing his legs over the side of the bed, but someone pushed him back down.
"Whoa, you shouldn't be moving again so soon, buddy," the man said.
It took Harm a moment to recognize the face, and even then he was still ill at ease. "Keeter? What the hell happened? Where am I? Where's Mac?"
"Easy Harm," Keeter said, trying to placate his friend. "You're safe. We rescued you two days ago."
"Rescued? Where?" Harm asked as he sat back up.
"We got you out of some old man's house," Keeter explain. He was starting to worry about his friend. Maybe the fever had been worse than they had feared. "It was pretty interesting actually."
"What happened to the others?" Harm asked suddenly.
"What others?" Keeter asked. "More soldiers?"
"No," Harm said exasperated, "Mac, Bud, Harriet and the baby?"
Keeter knit his eyebrows together in confusion and he shook his head at Harm. "What are you talking about?"
"I was travelling with a woman," Harm explain rapidly, "She has wild brown hair, brown eyes, and fiery temper. A family, a blonde pregnant wife, stocky husband and a young son. What happened to them?"
Realization dawned on Keeter. "Harm, we took you from the house you were staying in," he said regretfully, "We thought they were confederate allies holding you hostage."
"You didn't," Harm said disbelieving. "What happened to them? Where are they?"
Keeter sat back; his friend's heated emotion was frightening. "I don't know. We just grabbed you and left."
"You left them unguarded," Harm yelled. "Alone. We were being pursued." Harm had flung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his clothes. Keeter had brought him new uniform.
"Harm, what are you doing?" Keeter said as he watched Harm dress in record time and start walking out of the hospital ward. "You're under orders to remain here until cleared for duty then report to Colonel James."
"Damn my orders," Harm called angrily back to him, as he mounted a horse outside the ward.
"Damn it, Harm," Keeter said under his breath as he too mounted a horse and took off after his cantering friend.
They rode in silence with Keeter leading the way. They rode over battlefields still stained red with blood, past empty farms and around the dreary woods. Harm wasn't aware of anything; all he could thing about was Mac. The way her eyes had looked when he'd last seen her, the way her hair fell over her shoulder, how she scolded him. He was driven by the fear that she was.. be he wouldn't allow himself to think about it.
They had been riding for several hours when Keeter slowed his horse. They turned a corner in the road, and beheld the charred scene of a destroyed farm. Where the house had once stood, nothing remained but a few broken black timbers, and the stone chimney. The barn was nothing but a burnt rectangle on the ground and the orchard and gardens were only ashes.
"Oh, God, no," Harm whispered as he jumped down from his mount. "Please, God, no." He ran forward to the remains of the house.
Keeter jumped down after him, and grabbed his arm before he had gone into the still smoking debris. "No, Harm," he said, his own voice strained, "It's too late."
Harm collapsed to his knees at the edge of the ruined home. He bent his head, which was heavy with grief. Visions of baby AJ laughing and playing and Harriet smiling sweetly at Bud flashed through his eyes. But they were followed by thought of Mac. Harm felt as though his chest was going to split open with the pain. His mind flooded with words he'd been too afraid to speak. A sudden howl of despair escaped him as he rocked back and forth on the black grass, Keeter standing behind him.
"Whoa, you shouldn't be moving again so soon, buddy," the man said.
It took Harm a moment to recognize the face, and even then he was still ill at ease. "Keeter? What the hell happened? Where am I? Where's Mac?"
"Easy Harm," Keeter said, trying to placate his friend. "You're safe. We rescued you two days ago."
"Rescued? Where?" Harm asked as he sat back up.
"We got you out of some old man's house," Keeter explain. He was starting to worry about his friend. Maybe the fever had been worse than they had feared. "It was pretty interesting actually."
"What happened to the others?" Harm asked suddenly.
"What others?" Keeter asked. "More soldiers?"
"No," Harm said exasperated, "Mac, Bud, Harriet and the baby?"
Keeter knit his eyebrows together in confusion and he shook his head at Harm. "What are you talking about?"
"I was travelling with a woman," Harm explain rapidly, "She has wild brown hair, brown eyes, and fiery temper. A family, a blonde pregnant wife, stocky husband and a young son. What happened to them?"
Realization dawned on Keeter. "Harm, we took you from the house you were staying in," he said regretfully, "We thought they were confederate allies holding you hostage."
"You didn't," Harm said disbelieving. "What happened to them? Where are they?"
Keeter sat back; his friend's heated emotion was frightening. "I don't know. We just grabbed you and left."
"You left them unguarded," Harm yelled. "Alone. We were being pursued." Harm had flung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his clothes. Keeter had brought him new uniform.
"Harm, what are you doing?" Keeter said as he watched Harm dress in record time and start walking out of the hospital ward. "You're under orders to remain here until cleared for duty then report to Colonel James."
"Damn my orders," Harm called angrily back to him, as he mounted a horse outside the ward.
"Damn it, Harm," Keeter said under his breath as he too mounted a horse and took off after his cantering friend.
They rode in silence with Keeter leading the way. They rode over battlefields still stained red with blood, past empty farms and around the dreary woods. Harm wasn't aware of anything; all he could thing about was Mac. The way her eyes had looked when he'd last seen her, the way her hair fell over her shoulder, how she scolded him. He was driven by the fear that she was.. be he wouldn't allow himself to think about it.
They had been riding for several hours when Keeter slowed his horse. They turned a corner in the road, and beheld the charred scene of a destroyed farm. Where the house had once stood, nothing remained but a few broken black timbers, and the stone chimney. The barn was nothing but a burnt rectangle on the ground and the orchard and gardens were only ashes.
"Oh, God, no," Harm whispered as he jumped down from his mount. "Please, God, no." He ran forward to the remains of the house.
Keeter jumped down after him, and grabbed his arm before he had gone into the still smoking debris. "No, Harm," he said, his own voice strained, "It's too late."
Harm collapsed to his knees at the edge of the ruined home. He bent his head, which was heavy with grief. Visions of baby AJ laughing and playing and Harriet smiling sweetly at Bud flashed through his eyes. But they were followed by thought of Mac. Harm felt as though his chest was going to split open with the pain. His mind flooded with words he'd been too afraid to speak. A sudden howl of despair escaped him as he rocked back and forth on the black grass, Keeter standing behind him.
