As always, my e-Mail is Swarri1349@aol.com
Thanks,
Stephen
 

A greatful thankyou to ED for his help on this chapter.

                    Chapter 3
             The Journey Home

     Johnny was brought out of his deep memories by a deep rumble from
north of town. The guns of Fort Hill, South Fort, and the other river
batteries were opening fire on the Union ironclads and steamers. Oh, how
Johnny wished this God damned war was over. He wanted to scream. He
heard a light moaning coming from the cot and saw Billy was stirring a little.
He tried to sit up but couldn't. Johnny took his hand and eased him back
down on the cot and washed his fevered face with cool water. Billy
motioned that he wanted a sip of water, so Johnny eased the tin dipper to
his lips and let the water ease down Billy's throat. Johnny eased Billy
back down on the cot and made a decision. He would take Billy to Holloman
House once more to take care of him. Billy soon was once more asleep on
the cot and looked peaceful. The wound had stopped bleeding, so maybe
there was hope. Billy needed to eat but there was limited foodstuffs
coming into town and most of that was going to the fighting men on the
front lines.

     Johnny walked outside into the cool night and listened to the heavy
guns firing; it never seemed to stop. The citizens of Vicksburg were
beginning to understand what "TOTAL WAR" meant. They began to
understand what the people of Virginia already knew by heart, and an end to
the whole damned thing was nowhere in sight for either side. Johnny walked
down the street, thinking to himself. When someone bumped into him, he
looked up; it was Adam. He grabbed the boy before he could move on; he
seemed to be in a rush.

     "Whoa, slow down, Adam."

      " Johnny, is it you?"

     "Yeah, it is me."

     "Oh, thank God it is you. How is Billy? Are you with him? What did
the doctors say about his condition?"

      Johnny pulled Adam into his arms and off to the side of the street.
"Ok, ok, one at a time."

      "Billy is not well. He was shot in the chest, close to the heart.
Yes, I am with him. The doctors told me he would die because they cannot
reach the bullet, but I believe we can save him, but we must move him to
Yazoo County and Holloman House."

      "So when do we move him? Asked Adam.

      "In the morning. I have a plan to get a horse and wagon and I was
headed that way. Now, if we can get it tonight, we leave tonight. In fact,
it would be much better, less people to see us leave, the better." They
walked back out into the busy street and headed toward the stables on
Levee Street to buy a horse and wagon and, if they could not buy it, they
would steal it. One way or the other, Billy was going home to rest. They
soon made it to the stables and they knew they were close just by the
smell of the horses and of he horse shit that filled the air. An old man
walked out to greet them.

      "Evening, Captain, evening, son."

      "Evening, sir", replied Johnny and Adam.

      "How may I help the Confederacy's best tonight?" asked the old man.

      "We need to buy a horse and wagon to take a friend home to Yazoo
County. He was wounded at Chickasaw Bluff in today's fighting".

      "Many mighty brave lads died today in that fight," replied the old
man.

      The old man looked around and said, "I got a horse and wagon and
you can have it for $10 dollars in gold coin".

      Johnny smiled, "Thank you, sir", and reached into his pocket and
pulled out two heavy gold coins and a smaller one and handed them to the
man. The man took the coins and placed them in his pocket. "The wagon is
around back and I will get you the horse."

      Johnny smiled, "Adam, looks like we got us a ride home." They walked
around back to look at the wagon. The wagon was in fair shape. It had seen
its share of hard labor and heavy loads, but looked strong enough to make
this trip, with its precious cargo of human life. The old man brought the
horse around and they hooked him to the wagon. The horse was a healthy
beast at least, and gentle. Once again the boys thanked the man and waved
goodbye as they pulled onto Levee Street, then up the hill to Cherry Street.
Johnny eased the wagon in front of the brick house where Billy was inside.
Orderlies saw the two boys pull up and walked out to meet them.

      "What you boys got in that wagon?" one asked.

      "Nothing right this minute."

      "Then what do you want?" asked the other man.

      "We're here to pick up the Yankee and carry him to Yazoo County to be
with his kin folks before he dies."

      "Oh," replied the man.

      "Waste of time as we see it, he's going to die, no matter what.
Southern lead does that to a man, you know."

      Adam saw the pained look on Johnny's face but did not say anything.
Johnny and Adam walked inside and found the doctor and told him that they
wanted to move Billy home so he could be in peace. The doctor agreed and
told several orderlies to take blankets and other soft items and line the
wagon bed so he would be in as much comfort as possible for the long trip
north. Then the doctor pulled Johnny and Adam aside and asked them, "He
means a lot to you, don't he?"

      "Yes, sir, he does. he is a very good friend of mine and when he
dies, I want him to be among friends."

      "I see," replied the doctor.

      "Here, take this morphine and stomach salts, these should help him
rest, I would give you more but, as you know, we are in short supply as it
is."

      "Thank you, sir," the boys replied and helped the orderlies carry
Billy to the waiting wagon. They placed him on the blankets and pillows
made of sacks of duck feathers and straw and covered him with some more
blankets to keep the night chill away from him. Adam climbed in back with
Billy and they began to leave the city. The men at the hospital wished
them good luck and God Speed as they rolled down the brick street to the
north. Soon they came to the picket lines of the Confederate forces and,
with a slight pause, they passed through the lines. Billy continued to
sleep deeply, thanks to the morphine, and Adam was relieved. The horse
made good time and Johnny did not push him too hard, and soon they were
on Bell Road and begin to climb into the foothills of Walnut Hills, as
the area was called. The old road was rutted and badly maintained.

      The wagon jolted along and bumped along the ruts at a slow, steady
pace. Johnny knew it would be a long night ahead. He looked back and saw
Adam crying softly, holding Billy's head in his lap. "Don't worry, Baby,
he will be Ok, let's get him home and we will take care of him. Then we
will get momma Sallie to take care of him with her medicines and herbs
and he should recover just fine."

      Adam smiled, "It has been so long since you called me baby, but it
feels so good to hear it coming from you. Johnny, I love you so much."
Adam wiped the tears from his face and held Billy tighter and prayed
softly to a God he hoped that had not abandoned the South and the World
because of men's foolish ways and damned wars.

      The oil lamp put a feeble light in front of them and it displaced
the darkness of the tree-lined road. But nothing could displace the
darkness in his heart caused by the worry of Billy's condition. The slow
clop-clop of the horse's hooves and the sounds of the night surrounding
them and the creaking of the wagon wheels were all the sounds he heard.
Johnny looked over his shoulder and saw that Adam had fallen asleep
against one of the straw pillows lining the wagon, still cradling Billy's
head in his lap. Soon Johnny drifted off to sleep at the reins but the
horse continued his pace north with three sleeping boys in his care like
an old master. They all dreamed of different things but one thing in
common was that the dreams were restless, like the countryside around
them. Adam was the first one to awaken. He looked up and saw Johnny
sleeping, slumped over in the bench. He carefully placed Billy's head on
the pillows and climbed up and over to the bench seat and sat down beside
Johnny and took the horse's reins. The horse flicked his ears and snorted
as if to say, "We're going to make it, young master, we're doing just
fine," and continued his slow trot down the road into the darkness ahead.
Adam began to recognize some of the landmarks in the gloom of the night
and knew they were in Yazoo County finally. He saw the Green Plantation
house gleaming in the dark and knew only 5 more miles to Holloman House
and a warm bed. Adam gently woke Johnny and pointed out Green
Plantation and smiled. Johnny hugged Adam. "So, my sweet boy, we're
almost home." They glanced back and looked at Billy's fevered face but he
was sleeping peacefully; they could hear his breathing and knew he was Ok.
Soon they came to the forks of the road and Bend road, leading to Holloman
House on the Big Black River. They looked left and could faintly make out
the stores and churches of Phoenix in the distance. The horse was led onto
Bend Road and continued his pace. Johnny made him speed up just a little
and the horse replied with a snort as to say, "Yes, master, I know we're
almost home." The last two miles passed quickly with Adam leaning on
Johnny and looking at the well-known sights of the outer plantation
grounds. The slaves saw the wagon and halted it about a half a mile from
the main house and, once they realized it was their young master, they
were glad to see him, but frowns lit their weather beaten faces when they
saw Billy in the back, wounded. The slaves followed the wagon to the main
plantation house and John Sr. raced to the door when he saw his son and
the young boy that he adopted as his own several years back, but why were
they home in a broken-down farm wagon? Sarah, John Sr.'s wife and
Johnny's dear mother, came and stood beside her husband with a look of
deep concern on her face. The boys climbed down off the wagon and Sarah
grabbed her son and hugged him close and then she hugged Adam.

      "Why are you boys home from Vicksburg?" asked John Sr.

      "Father, it is Billy. He was wounded at Chickasaw Bluff in the
fighting and I found him wounded on the battlefield and got him to the
hospital in Vicksburg but the doctors told me he might not live. I did not
want to trust that doctor since Billy is wearing blue. They would rather
just kill him or let him die."

      "Oh, dear God, not Billy!" Sarah raced to the wagon. John Sr. was
beside her before either boy realized he had moved from the front porch
of the house.

      "We must get him inside now and call Doctor Hancock." John Sr.
ordered four of the house servants to carefully carry Billy inside and
upstairs to his room on the 3rd floor of the house. The 4 men carefully
unloaded and eased Billy through the big oak door and inside the house,
then following the candle of Sarah up the stairs to the bedroom. Sarah
quickly turned down the covers of the bed and quietly stepped out so
Johnny and Adam could remove what was left of Billy's uniform. Once
Billy was undressed and covered from the waist down. Sarah once again
moved in the room, carrying a pitcher of water and some clean linen
for Billy. They heard the horse and knew that John Sr. was headed to
town to get Doctor Hancock as quickly as possible. They all knew that
John was an expert horseman and would be there before anyone else had
gotten started. They carefully peeled the blood-soaked bandages away
from the wound and, thankfully, it had stopped bleeding. Sarah had
ordered one of the housemaids to put on some water to heat so they
could clean Billy and so that Johnny and Adam could cleanse also
before retiring for the night. Billy began to stir as the morphine
slowly wore off and he opened those sparkling blue eyes.

      "Where am I?" he said softly and with effort.

      "You're home, Billy" said Johnny.

      "Baltimore?" asked Billy.

      "No, Holloman House," and Sarah brushed the hair out of his eyes.
Billy smiled, "Mother Sarah, is that really you or am I dreaming still?"

      "Yes, my dear boy, it is me, Mother Sarah." A smile formed on
Billy's face but he still did not see Johnny and Adam in the corner,
smiling.

      "Mother Sarah, who brought me home? I was dreaming that Johnny was
at the hospital and he and Adam brought me home, with dear sweet Adam
holding my head all the way, but I know it was a dream, wasn't it?"

      Johnny and Adam walked over and smiled. "Do we look like a dream,
Billy?" asked Adam.

      "If we do, you better wake up because we look like nightmares,
dusty and ragged nightmares."

      Billy smiled and said, "Not nightmares, but saints who have fallen
on hard times upstairs."  Johnny, Adam, and Sarah all laughed. Billy
coughed and turned pale in the face as the pain in his chest increased
slightly. Sarah was beside him, wiping his face. "Don't worry, John has
gone to fetch the doctor and they will be here soon."

      As Billy was waking in the plantation house. John Sr. was racing his
horse through the woods. He did not take the road, but the quickest way he
knew through the trails, saving time. He raced down the main dirt street
and up to Doc's house and knocked on the door.

      "Just one moment, please," said the soft voice of Mrs. Hancock and
she opened the door. "Hello, Mr. Kingston."

      "Good evening, Mrs. Hancock, is Doc around? I need him quickly."

      "HERBERT", called Mrs. Hancock, "Mr. Kingston needs you now."

      The big frame of Herbert Hancock walked through the door. Herbert
Hancock stood about 6'4" and weighed 200 pounds; he was slightly balding
and what hair he had left was snow white.

      "Hello, John, how can I help you tonight?"

      "I need you to come with me. It is Billy. Johnny and Adam brought
him in just moments ago. He was wounded in the fighting at Vicksburg."

      "Oh, dear Lord, not the fine young lad from up North. I thought he
would be up North fighting for the Damned Yankees."

      John knew he could not tell the whole truth about Billy being
wounded.

      "No, sir, he stayed behind and was with Johnny when a minie ball hit
him in the chest."

      "Let me grab my bag, John. Would you please saddle up my horse and
we will be on our way."

      John rushed outside and placed a saddle on the doctor's horse and
soon Doc Hancock was ready with his bag and bottles of medicines. The two
men galloped out of the yard and headed for Holloman House as fast as the
horses would run.

 Sarah had moved Billy's uniform and hid it. She did not want Doctor
Hancock to see it. It might mean trouble. Doctor Hancock was a fire-eater
and hated everything to do with the North and its people except for a few.
Billy was one of them; any friend of the Kingston's was a friend of his.
Sarah did not want to take the risk anyway.

      They soon heard the horses galloping up the drive and the slaves
grabbed the reins as the two men climbed down and ran into the house and
up the stairs. Doctor Hancock looked over at the pale face of Billy. "Oh,
my," but was relieved that he did not see any blood from the hole in
Billy's chest. He listened to Billy's heart and his breathing, felt for a
pulse and it was strong. Then he opened his bag and removed a metal device
that looked like a long pair of scissors that were very sharp on the end.
He looked around the room and asked that Sarah step out and for John Sr.
to come over to the bed. Then Doc reached into his bag and brought out a
small metal canister.

      "John, hold this linen cloth over Billy's face and sprinkle a very
fine mist of this ether powder onto it. This will keep Billy from waking
up and causing any more damage to the wound area."

      John Sr. placed the cloth over Billy's face and began to sprinkle
the fine strong-smelling powder onto it. Billy's breathing began to calm
down and smooth out as he drifted into a deep sleep. Doctor Hancock then
removed an iodine solution from his bag and began to swab Billy's chest
around the wound to kill the infection. Johnny was watching every step of
the procedure until he looked over and saw Adam. Adam was pale and
exhausted. Without saying a word, Johnny picked the boy up and carried
him out of the room and quietly closed the door.

      "Johnny, I wanted to stay," protested Adam.

      "No, young man, you need your rest and to clean up". Johnny carried
Adam a few doors down to his room and sat Adam on the big feather bed.
Johnny stripped off Adam's worn shoes and woolen socks, then his butternut
trousers and great coat. Then he unbuttoned Adam's undershirt and pulled it
off. The smooth young flesh greeted him like always. Adam was now 19,
but he had lost none of his boyhood charms. Light hair surrounded his
nipples but everywhere else he was still smooth as the finest silk. Then
Johnny unbuttoned Adam's trousers and pulled them away. Adam's dick
greeted him and his balls had a little more red hair around them but not a lot.
His legs were still smooth for the most part also. Johnny took a cloth out of
the warm water sitting beside the bed and began to wash Adam. Starting
with Adam's face, he scrubbed away the dust, the grime, and the tear
stains from that wonderful boyish face, then he cleaned his neck and wiped
Adam's chest, circling the golden ring on Adam's nipple. Adam let out a
low moan. Johnny continued to wipe Adam's chest and stomach, cleaning
away the grime and sweat. Then he continued down to Adam's waist and
wiped some more, brushing Adam's soft cock. Johnny took Adam's cock and
began to wipe it down and slowly it grew hard until it was at its full 7 inches
of hard glory. Johnny then scrubbed the boy's balls and dipped the rag again
into the water and worked on Adam's legs and feet until they were clean and
white again. Johnny stood Adam up and pulled a linen sleep shirt over the
boy's head and shoulders, turned Adam around to face him and kissed Adam
full on the lips. "My boy, it has been too long since I had a chance to do
that to the one I love the most in this life," whispered Johnny. Johnny
then placed Adam in the big bed and pulled the covers over him.

      Then he walked out the door and back toward Billy's room and stepped
in the room. John Sr. and Doctor Hancock were still working on Billy. Both
men were covered in sweat, and Doc Hancock had blood on his sleeves and
arms. His medical instruments were covered in Billy's blood. "Ok, John,
ease up on the ether, I have located the bullet and now the most dangerous
part is getting it out without damaging any more tissue or causing
uncontrollable bleeding on the inside". Neither man heard Johnny slip in,
exhausted, but still he could not leave his friend, his soul-mate alone.
Johnny's eyes were red and puffy, begging for sleep and it was now well
past midnight but Johnny refused to rest, to even close his eyes for a
minute. He walked over to the bedside and grasped Billy's hand and gently
held it. John Sr. and Doc Hancock looked over briefly and saw Johnny's
haggard looks and puffy eyes but neither could tell the boy to go to bed.
It would do no good because they knew he would not leave the room again,
not until he knew Billy was safe. Slowly Doc Hancock moved back over
Billy and took his long gleaming instrument and began to probe inside
Billy's chest. Johnny watched, then had to turn away as the metal turned red.
John Sr. looked at his son and, for the 2nd time since the boy had turned into
a man, saw tears flowing down Johnny's cheeks, flowing like a river of
sorrow trying to wash away the pain. After what seemed forever to Johnny
but actually was only two hours, Doc Hancock stood up, dropped the minie
ball into the wash basin, and sighed in relief. He had removed the bullet
and the tissue was still intact around the area. Johnny was relieved but
knew that Billy was not out of woods yet. There still was the chance of
infection and complications and long process of healing. John Sr. put the
ether down and removed the linen cloth from Billy's mouth. They began to
wash the area free of blood and iodine solution. Doctor Hancock began to
bandage the wound area with gauze and very thin linen so the area could
breathe freely. They covered Billy up with blankets, blew out all the
candles except one near the bed. One of the servants took the basin of
water out of the room. Doctor Hancock and John Sr. stood up and were
beginning to walk out of the room and they looked back and saw Johnny.
John told Doctor Hancock to meet him in the library in a few minutes. Doc
Hancock walked out of the room and said a small prayer to himself and to
God. John Sr., a big man by any standard and one not to piss off no matter
what the situation, slowly walked to his son and picked him up in his arms
and carried Johnny to the room down the hall and placed him on the bed.
Then called one of the manservants to clean the boy up and place him in
bed for the night. The servant walked in and did the job quietly and
quickly, then placed his young master in the bed beside Adam. Johnny
dreamed.

 "Thank you so much, Herbert, for removing the bullet. If that boy
dies, it will kill my son." John Sr. already knew there was more than
friendship between Johnny, Billy, and Adam, but Doctor Herbert needed not
to know that now or ever as far as he was concerned. John Sr. paid Herbert
in gold coin and saw him to the door as one of the slaves held his horse
and soon the clopping of the horse's hooves faded into the night. John
poured a glass of whiskey, downed it in a gulp, and went to bed beside
his wife and all was silent in the old house. While John Sr. slipped
into bed beside his wife the boys were dreaming, and in one there was
love and happiness, in the other only pain.

      Adam dreamed the morning was bright and clear in the little town of
Washington and the three boys awoke fresh in the early morning light of
the summer day. Adam awoke first and was confused at the nice room, then
he looked to his side and saw Johnny sleeping peacefully. The covers had
slipped during the night and his wonderful body was in full view. Adam's
eyes wandered down from Johnny's smooth chiseled face and down his
chest, then lower to his waist and Johnny's smooth legs. Adam's eyes were
full of wonder and lust and he felt himself grow hard. Then he felt the soft
cock on his other side pressing against his ass and looked over. It was
Billy lying on his side with his wonderful body. This was the first time
Adam saw Billy's beautiful body and in the golden sunlight he looked like
a Greek god. Billy was smooth everywhere except for the light trails of
black hair running from his navel to the root of his cock. Adam knew he
was not dreaming and if he was, he never wanted to wake up. Adam decided
to get comfy between the two teens. He moved slowly back against Billy's
limp cock and slid his hand behind him and rubbed Billy's cock between
his ass cheeks feeling the softness and the warmth while his other hand
rubbed Johnny's smooth chest. Johnny rolled over toward Adam and Billy
and threw his arm over both of them, pressing Adam between the two boys.
With Billy's cock resting in the cleft of his ass and Johnny's rubbing
against his own boyhood, Adam could barely move if he wanted to, but who
in their right mind would want to, and drifted back off to sleep, trapped
between two men. He was powerless while Adam dreamed of lust and love.

      Billy was in hell. He was sweating in the blue uniform of the 12th
Maryland regiment, loading and firing his musket along the blue line into
the gray backs on the hill above them. Rebel cannon boomed, spraying the
line with canister, and grapeshot shells whistled overhead, crashing into
the supply wagons and tearing gaping holes into the line. Men screamed,
others prayed, some could do nothing but stand there frozen by the events
changing lives forever. Billy saw the steamboats on the river but they
were powerless to help. The sailors could not train their guns high
enough to hit the Confederates high on the hills. But the Southern gunners
could hit them at will and so they pulled back out into mid-stream,
cutting off any chance of retreat, for in front of the blue line were the
Confederates, behind them the river, and on the sides steep gullies and
swamps. There was no retreat, only death or capture, but what scared Billy
the most was Johnny was on that hill firing at him. The battle raged and
the world went mad, men lay dying in the hot southern sun as the lead rain
poured down among them. Was there hope at that minute? There was hope
for no one. Why, for God's sake, did Sherman order them to attack here of
all places? He was mad, just like Grant, both of them stark raving mad. The
black powder burned his nose and blinded his eyes but he continued to fire
as men and boys fell on both sides of him. Friends, strangers, all of them
dead or wounded. Billy reached for his canteen to get a drink of water. As
he pulled the cork stopper and placed it to his lips, he found it empty,
no relief for his parched lips, nothing but sweat and blood and the
continued roar of the cannons and crackle of muskets. Hell on Earth had a
new meaning, "CIVIL WAR". Billy heard a high pitched scream and saw
little Davie go down. "Oh, Lord, not Davie!" The blonde haired boy and the
Stars and Stripes fell into the dust. Billy ran to the boy's side. "Davie, oh,
Davie". The boy was gasping for air and found none. He tried to sit up but
could not move. His blood was soaking into the flag, staining it dark
crimson red. "Oh, God, no, why Davie? Why?" Billy cupped the boy's head
in his hands and held him until the last breath flowed from Davie's lungs.
'What next?' thought Billy, standing back up and picking up his gun. Slowly
he fell back to the rear and continued to fire at the gray back soldiers on
the hill. Everything now was a blur of smoke, fire and pain.

      Billy could not get the images of little Davie out of his mind and
every minute he thought about it, he grew madder at the world. Young Davie
never would experience true love, never see his family again, would never
grow old. Hot tears flowed down Billy's grimed face but he continued to
fire without thinking; he loaded, aimed, and fired over and over. Billy
looked upon the top of the hill and saw an angelic face dressed in gray,
standing beside him another younger angel. Johnny and Adam, only for a
moment did those faces shine out of the smoke of the battle and all hate
fell from his mind. His two best friends, well, thought Billy, my two best
lovers. With that thought running hot through his mind. a musket fired and
Billy felt the ball hit him in the chest and spin him around. He gripped
his chest and saw the bright blood and he collapsed to the ground, the
world fading to gray and angelic faces looking down, he smiled as he
slipped into darkness. Billy screamed!