Tear In Time (36 page)

  Gen.
Negley and Dr. Morgan both nodded in reply. Quiet came over the room for a
moment, creating an awkward silence. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, David changed
the subject.

  “Well,
sir, where are we off to next?” David asked.

 
“South,” Gen. Negley responded. “The Rebs are on the run and we mean to keep it
that way.”

  “Hmm.
The south is good. Chattanooga would be better,” David responded.

 
“Actually, David, we do have a need for someone to help with aggressions in
that area. Gen. Rosecrans has been active down there and could use some help,”
Gen. Negley replied. “After your performance on the field two days ago, I feel
confident you could be of great assistance to the general. You may leave as
soon as you are fit to travel.”

  “Thank
you, sir. Would Dr. Morgan be able to join me?” David asked.

  “I
suppose I could loan this ole coot to you for a short time,” Gen. Negley
replied, patting his old friend on the shoulder.

  “That
will be all the time I will need,” David said with a small smirk.

TT:
Chapter 10

August
1863

  “Well
David, I appears that your calculation has paid off,” Dr. Morgan said.

  “And
it only cost me a bullet wound to my side,” David joked.

  “You
were very lucky, lad. If it had been an inch the other way, I wouldn't have had
the skill to treat you,” Dr. Morgan responded.

  The two
rode side by side, leading the column of soldiers now under David's command.
David looked back at the men and nodded to the sergeant marching beside his
squad. With a cordial smile, the sergeant acknowledged David's salutation and
continued his forward stare.

  “It's
good to be king,” David joked again.

 
“Leading men is an awesome responsibility, lad, requiring continuous
monitoring. I just hope you're well enough for the heavy burden that has now
been placed upon you,” Dr. Morgan said. “How does your wound feel?”

  “Well,
it's still leaking a bit, but I'm past the danger zone. I'll be alright. By the
time we make Chattanooga, it should be healed,” David replied.

 
“Anymore word from Gen. Rosecrans about Chattanooga?” Dr. Morgan asked.

  “No, just
that one letter about his bombardment of the city. It would have been nice if
we arrived back there under more peaceful circumstances. Now that he's stirred
up a bee's nest, it's going to be a lot harder to move around that area
undetected,” David replied.

  “Yes,
I quite agree, lad,” Dr. Morgan said. “Finding the exact location of that
portal after a year will be difficult. We don't even know what to look for, and
that area might have changed a bit, especially after two battles. If we are
carrying out aggressions while trying to locate the portal, it could be
challenging.”

  “I
know. I thought about that, but I'm still optimistic we'll find it,” David
replied.

  As the
two rode down the wide dirt road, David's face lost its contented expression. Dr.
Morgan noticed a saddened look on his face and questioned him about it.

  “Son,
are you ok? You look like you just lost your best friend,” Dr. Morgan asked.

  David
thought for a moment then spoke, “Well, doc, it's funny you should put it that
way. After the year we've spent together, I feel I'm closer to you than anyone
I've ever known in my life. To call you just my friend would be an insult to
you. I consider you my second father, believe it or not, and the truth is I've
been thinking about not going back,” David said, restraining his emotions.

 
“David, I too am deeply troubled with your return. In some small way, I am
hoping that we do not find that portal. When I think that the young man I
consider my son will be leaving and that I will never see him again, my heart
feels torn like the pain from a loved one lost in battle. I would feel a richer
man to have you as my friend, my son, for the rest of my life. But alas, David,
I cannot allow the grief from loss to influence the quality of my morals. You
must return. The laws that govern time and history demand it,” Dr. Morgan said
in impassioned tone.

  David
looked at his old friend, reached across and placed his hand on his shoulder
and replied, “I know, doc. It's just very hard to accept.”

  “Yes,
lad. It sucks,” Dr. Morgan replied.

  David
stared at the old doctor for a moment, shocked by his usage of 20th Century
slang. David suddenly burst into laughter as his old friend stared blankly
back.

 
“Incorrect articulation?” Dr. Morgan asked, quickly understanding the source of
David's laughter.

  “Well,
let's just say if a schoolmarm heard your usage, she'd crack you knuckles with
a ruler,” David replied, still chuckling a bit.

  “Oh,”
Dr. Morgan replied in simple understanding.

  The two
rode in silence, digesting their thoughts. Suddenly, Dr. Morgan burst out in
laughter as the finally understood his grammatical error.

  “You
got it?” David asked, now chuckling himself.

  Dr.
Morgan nodded and continued his laughter, drawing in David as well. As the two
rode and laughed, they soothed the pain of their sadness.

--- --- ---
--- ---

  As the
days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the long trek to Tennessee brought
with it the cooler temperatures of November. The cooler nights and mild days
made their rough living easier to accept, and they moved faster because of it.
Entering the valley of the Tennessee River, the sight of Chattanooga, with its
pleasant rolling hills and majestic Signal Mountain, sent butterflies through
David's stomach as he thought about the prospect of returning home.

 
Scanning the region with his field glasses, David searched for enemy activity
within the township. Chattanooga, still in the hands of the Confederates,
bustled with energy as steam-driven paddle boats loaded and unloaded enemy
supplies. David moved his binoculars to the high ridge on Signal Mountain.
Protruding like thorns from a beautiful rose, Confederate cannons sat posed
menacingly at the cliff’s edge, watching over the quiet city, ready to unleash
their destruction at any moment.

 
“Dammit, doc, do you see that?” David asked angrily.

  David
handed the binoculars to Dr. Morgan. Scanning the mountaintop, he said, “This
is bad, David. The portal is located on the other side of that mountain. The
land is in enemy territory,” Dr. Morgan responded, handing the binoculars back
to David.

  “Now
what do we do? Man, this sucks,” David said, trying to control his anger.

  “Well,
we better tread lightly, lad. If those guns catch our scent, they'll cut us to
ribbons,” Dr. Morgan replied.

  “I
know. I think we better double back and sneak out of the valley. We’ll have to locate
another site for the medical camp. We can send a messenger to Gen. Grant
informing him of our location before he arrives,” David replied.

  “A
sound plan, David. We are grossly outnumbered until the rest of Gen. Grant's
army arrives. In the meantime, we can set up a new infirmary elsewhere. I
noticed a clearing in the valley before this one. It might suffice,” Dr. Morgan
suggested.

  “I
agree. It seemed big enough and the river was just a short distance away. Being
that we are just a small detachment, I guess there’s nothing we can do now
except make camp and wait for reinforcements,” David responded. He paused a
moment then asked, “Any ideas on how we can get to that portal?”

  “Well,
lad, I’d say we could possibly sneak around the back side of the mountain. The
two of us could slip past their scouts as long as we were quiet. I won’t lie to
you, lad. It is a very dangerous proposition,” Dr. Morgan replied grimly.

  David
looked at Signal Mountain and the enemy cannons that protected it. He looked at
Dr. Morgan for a moment, then asked, “Are you as nervous about crossing enemy
lines as I am?”

  “Lad,
I'll have to change out my under-britches three times before we’re through,”
Dr. Morgan returned with a smile.

  David
nodded with a smile and replied, “Lucky you. I don't have extras. I’ll have to
soil the same pair three times.”

---- ----
---- ---- ----

  The
two set up camp in the valley beyond the reach of the enemy. With orders to his
men to secure the camp, David and Dr. Morgan rode out in search of the time
portal. As they kept their distance from the mountain, they rode quietly,
staying low and used the natural irregularities of the terrain to disguise
their appearance.

  Three
hours later, Dr. Morgan rode his horse through the forest of aspens, working
his way west toward the clearing that he had chosen as his infirmary more than
a year earlier. With each minute that passed, David's heart began to race. As
the trees began to thin out, he sweated with nervous anticipation, soaking through
his shirt and coat.

  Dr.
Morgan entered the clearing and slowly rode over to where he set up his camp a
year earlier. Stepping down off his horse, he looked toward the area of the
portal. He swallowed hard, then looked with sadness toward David as he stepped
down off his horse.

  “Well,
son, this could be it. Moments from now, we may never see each other again,”
Dr. Morgan said, struggling to hold back his emotions.

  “I'm
trying not to think about that prospect. I keep thinking maybe you could come
with me, but then I realize how silly that would be. You'd hate living in the
future,” David said.

  “I'd
hate it? Why would I hate it? I thought the future is a wonderful place to
live. Less hardship and less sickness. It sounds incredible,” Dr. Morgan
replied.

  “Don't
get me wrong, doc. I miss my life in the future, but this life here in the past
is much more rewarding. Here in this time, people and events are genuine. They are
meaningful. People are driven by honor, duty, morals, and well-intended
purpose. In my time, people are driven by money. It's quite a shallow world to
live in,” David finished with deep conflict in his eyes.

  “Well,
as much as I would love to see the future, I believe that we have tampered with
historical events enough. You must return and I must stay. That is the way of
things. I just hope the world you return to is the same world you left,” Dr.
Morgan said, using logic to control his emotions.

  “Well,
one thing is certain: without Stonewall, things are going to be a little
different,” David added.

  “Hmm,
quite right,” Dr. Morgan replied. He looked off toward the area of the time
portal and said, “Well, shall we venture over and see what happens?”

  David
swallowed hard and replied in anxious tone, “I'm ready.”

  The
two men walked slowly toward the portal area, each step slow and deliberate, as
if their boots weighed a hundred pounds apiece. Every few steps, they looked at
each other for reassurance, then continued on. As they entered the area,
David's hair stood up on the back of his neck and he stopped in his tracks.

  “Doc,
this is it. I can feel it. The hair on my neck is tingling,” David called out
in excited tone. “You'd better back up before the portal takes you too.”

  The
two turned to each other and shook hands. Staring into each other's eyes, David
felt his emotions welling up inside him. With his eyes beginning to tear, he
pulled his old friend to him and hugged him. He felt a return embrace and the
sound of a sniffle as the old doctor struggled to hold his emotions.