FicWad

After a long day and night of waiting, General Callahan is well enough to see his wife. He cannot yet walk, and his pain is still excruciating, but he is strong enough to sit in bed and to hold his youngest son. The entire Callahan family sits together for the first time in over two years, grateful for the chance to reunite and enjoy each others’ company. General Malone is not so lucky. He has a wife and children in Bridgeton who do not know that he is injured and would not be able to visit him, even if they did know. General Vaughan wishes to return to his own army, since he serves in the Western Army, where everything is far more regimented and formalized than in the Southern Army, where he is recovering from his injuries. The army is aiding the citizenry in its fight to reclaim Crosspoint. Several people who hid inside the city are returning to their units as fires are extinguished and the city begins to rebuild. He wants to return to his fellow generals and perform his full duties, but Doctor Sparrow tells him that he must rest for a time. He is not fond of this, for he is a restless man by nature.

Devon Callahan proudly announces to his father that he killed several guards and helped to rescue him. General Callahan looks to his wife, surprised that she would allow their underage son to participate in such a dangerous mission, but Rose-Marie tells him that she was desperate to get him back and that she only allowed Devon to go because of whom they were rescuing. Owen Callahan proudly informs his father that it was the first operation that Conan planned by himself and that it went quite smoothly. Conan hides behind Kian slightly, shying away from his father, despite the praise. He is not an officer. He does not intend to act like an officer. He is not ready to be an officer, and he knows this. He only planned a mission because nobody else knew what to do. He knew something had to be done, and he did it after much thought and consideration. His father lauds him for his sense and his efforts, but he secretly wishes that his father were angry instead for him having gone beyond what his rank dictates he should do and for having risked the lives of so many men for such a dangerous mission.

General Callahan is glad that he has such caring sons who would risk their own lives to save his, and he is very glad that there was only one minor injury related to the mission. He became a general in order to help his countrymen. It is his opinion that he cannot help his countrymen more than to suffer alongside them and to share in their pain. He has no fortune, despite his prestigious rank, and he is proud to be tortured alongside his men and to be injured in battle, though he wishes injury upon no man, save the enemy. He wishes for them to see that he is one amongst them, a soldier, not a politician. He suffered brutal torture because he did not flee, and he is glad that it was he who suffered, rather than one of his sons. The only thought that kept him sane through his ordeal was the thought of his wife. He imagined her by his side comforting him the entire time. He forced the pain out of his mind and made it immaterial and inconsequential because he wanted to remain strong for the wife he imagined to be there. He thought only of his wife and of seeing her and his sons again. The army may be his responsibility, but his children are his life. While undergoing torture, his most painful thought was concern that if he did not live, his youngest son would never remember having had a father. He also worried that Owen may have ripped his stitches again and that Brian would never grow to become the man he is destined to be. He worried that Brendan, who has a young family of his own, would abandon his duty to his country in order to be with them, should his father die. He worried greatly about how his middle children, Kian, Conan, and Devon, would handle his death, should he not survive.

Major Fitzmaurice is impatient. Doctor Sparrow refuses to let him see Emily, telling him that it is for his own good. He is determined to ensure that Emily will receive the Major warmly, but Major Fitzmaurice has never been a patient man, and his isolation is more marked now than it was before the rescue occurred. Doctor Sparrow is hiding a dark secret from his closest friend. Emily has said nothing to him, but he knows her secret. He is determined to ensure that Emily is strong enough to face Major Fitzmaurice with it before he lets them visit one another. Emily is healing far more slowly than the men have, so he tells Major Fitzmaurice that he must wait one more day before he can see her. Doctor Sparrow brings Major Fitzmaurice to Stillwater in the evening to The Thistledown Inn. News travels quickly in a small village, and, upon seeing Major Fitzmaurice’s uniform, the locals are quick to praise him. There are many among them who sell some or most of their wares in Crosspoint’s famous market, and, with the enemy withdrawing slowly from the city, there is now hope for future commerce. Even the gravedigger, who profits from starvation and unrest, has come to town for the evening to share in the merriment. He quietly raises his glass to the ghosts of the fallen, as if his dear old friend were with him still. Despite the praise and festivities, Major Fitzmaurice is oddly silent and morose. He has no appetite, which is unusual for him, and he drinks far more than he should. He and Doctor Sparrow stumble back to camp together barely able to walk. He collapses in Doctor Sparrow’s tent and instantly loses consciousness. His sleep is restless, but he is able to sleep some, which is all that Doctor Sparrow hoped for.

Liam visits General Callahan long after the rest of the unit has gone to bed. He wants to speak to him and to comfort him somehow. He knows that the General must be in excruciating pain, and Liam is amazed that he is not more bothered by it. General Callahan is still awake. He is busy contemplating battle scenarios visible only in his mind and wonders how he can train young troops who never saw the Revolution how to fight in the streets. He learned how by trial and error, and he is unsure that, for all his experience, he would be able to write a coherent method of training troops for urban combat. Keeping one’s senses is the most important piece of advice he can give them, but he cannot teach them how to do so. He also cannot teach men how to improvise, and he considers that extremely important. He cannot tell his colonels how to teach their men, and he knows that many of the colonels are, themselves, too young to remember the glorious Revolution and do not know any urban tactics. He can merely hope that there are not too many casualties while this army, accustomed to fighting in open fields and thick forests, learns urban combat tactics.

Liam sits by his side, unnoticed for several minutes. He then breaks the silence and says, “General, your son, Conan, he’ll be a fine leader someday.”

“That he will, Captain. That he will.”

“I’d be honored to serve under him when that day comes.”

“As would I. I can tell the lot o’ ye made sure he’d not see failure on his first mission. I know someone helped him.”

“The plan was his, as was the reconnaissance.”

“Aye, but someone questioned him on detail. My sons are impulsive, as am I. It is not one of the better traits that runs in our family. Conan is smart, but he is not yet experienced enough to see every possible outcome.”

“Aye, sor.”

“Good. Never trust a new commander without askin’ him ‘bout detail. Never run into the battle with no escape plan. Never enter a city without knowin’ how an’ when to get out an’ how not to be seen.”

“Conan’s a smart lad.”

“That he is. I would’ve liked to see him go to Bridgeton Military Academy, but now, well, he’ll make Lieutenant soon enough, an’ sure, well, what’d be the point? He’s got somethin’ his brothers an’ me ain’t got.”

“What’s that?” asks Liam, sure that he already knows the answer.

“Curiosity. He’s too smart for the rest of us. Some day, he’ll be a great commander, an’ I’ll be known for bein’ his father rather’n bein’ a General in me own right. But Fitzmaurice was right. It took his fist to knock the sense into me, but he was right. I was too hard on the boy.”

“He turned out alright. I’m sure Fitzmaurice is glad to have Emily back.”

“Have they seen each other yet?” asks General Callahan somewhat nervously.

“No. I don’t think they have,” replies Liam, suddenly aware of the fact that Major Fitzmaurice has not yet had his reunion, thinking it odd that Doctor Sparrow would disallow it, given the fact that he is Major Fitzmaurice’s close friend.

“She’s a lovely woman. He’s a lucky man. I hope he can see that.”

“I’m sure he can. He’s a good man, in his own right, a bit headstrong, but a good man.”

“I jus’ hope…” trails General Callahan.

“What, sor?” asks Liam.

“Nothin’. ‘Tain’t me business to say.”

The next day, the men, though decimated by injury and illness, join in battle. Colonel Callahan directly orders Major Fitzmaurice to return to camp after he is shot in the arm. He is not completely alert. He does not have a hangover, but he is distracted and preoccupied, and Colonel Callahan deems it dangerous to the other men in the unit. Major Fitzmaurice is determined to continue fighting regardless of what he is told, but Colonel Callahan threatens him with a dishonorable discharge if he disobeys his orders again and tells Conan to follow him, lest he try to return. When Doctor Sparrow sees Major Fitzmaurice’s injuries, he knows what has happened. He gives Major Fitzmaurice his own blood after removing the fragments of lead and putting his arm in a cast. The break is a particularly bad one. His upper arm is shattered. Major Fitzmaurice needs his rest, so Doctor Sparrow sends him to his own tent, which is completely unoccupied and not shared with anyone, unlike the majors’ tent. When Colonel Callahan and the men return from battle, Colonel Callahan looks first in the majors’ tent, then in the surgery, and then in the Doctor’s tent where he finds Fitzmaurice. He begins to shout until Doctor Sparrow, his apron dripping with blood, runs from his surgery to tell the Colonel to leave Major Fitzmaurice alone. Colonel Callahan replies that military matters are not a doctor’s business, but Doctor Sparrow, who is just as quick to reply with sarcastic comments and threats as Major Fitzmaurice is, informs Colonel Callahan that injured patients are not a colonel’s business and that harassing them will lead directly to their not returning to combat for an extended period of time and his finding a boot lodged in a particularly uncomfortable area for the first time since he was a corporal.

Doctor Sparrow’s concerns shift from Major Fitzmaurice being able to accept Lieutenant Barrett’s secrets to Lieutenant Barrett being bothered by Major Fitzmaurice’s injuries, which delay him a day longer in being able to see her because Doctor Sparrow is healing him with blood, though he should be sending him home to Bridgeton to recover normally, as the practice is forbidden except in the most extreme circumstances where the injured party would almost certainly die or lose a limb if left to heal traditionally, though amputations do occur when even blood is not enough to save both life and limb. Doctor Sparrow argues that Major Fitzmaurice may have lost his arm were he not given blood, though, in reality, he is sure that his surgical abilities, honed by dealing with many such cases, would almost certainly have been able to save it. He also argues that a complete healing with no loss of function would have been unlikely otherwise, which is true, though Major Fitzmaurice has always had little dexterity in his left arm, which is the injured limb in question.

Jack, who remains with the Thirteenth Bridgeton, largely for his own protection and the proximity of a surgeon, eagerly awaits Kerrigan’s return. He and Rose-Marie Callahan have been caring for Kerrigan’s son, as well as Angela and the madam Annemarie’s son, whose name is Scott. He is considering sending Angela and Scott to Lynn to raise, but he would rather that his brother Shane raise Angela so that she learns the ways of her own race. Lynn desperately wants a child, but he is unsure if the baby boy will accept her as his mother. She has no experience raising children of her own, and, though she would gladly accept the orphan as her own, he is not certain that she knows how to raise it as her own. Rose-Marie cannot offer the baby a place in her household. She has three sons and a refugee living at home with her, and her husband is away. Jack can only think of two families besides his own that have the resources to take in the child, but he does not want to have to ask Doctor Sparrow’s wife to take him in, since Doctor Sparrow has a contract to stay with the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry, meaning that the child would be raised without a father, and he does not want to have to ask Brian and Kelly Sparrow, Doctor Sparrow’s parents, to take him in, since they spend a large amount of their time caring for and ensuring the wellbeing of their daughter Bridget’s six children. She has been in and out of prison for much of the past year, and her husband, Michael Crane, cannot run his business and care for his six children without help.

Lieutenant Barrett asks Doctor Sparrow about the infants she hears crying at night. He tells her that one belongs to Miss Kerrigan, who has yet to emerge from Crosspoint, that one is a Werewolf girl whose mother is barely clinging to life, and that one is an orphaned boy. He also tells her that Jack is the one primarily caring for them, with the temporary help of Rose-Marie Callahan, and that he is determined to find the orphaned boy a home, already having one in mind for the girl, should her mother die. Lieutenant Barrett mentions that she has a friend with two boys around the same age, one of them adopted, in Bridgeton who would gladly open her home to a third child, and Lieutenant Barrett offers to provide monetary aid as needs be, since she has a vast inherited personal fortune that she feels would do more good if used to help others, rather than sitting completely unused by herself or anyone else. She believes that she must act upon the noble intentions that her father never had the chance to realize.

By the time that Major Fitzmaurice is well enough to have his cast removed, he is extremely desperate to finally see how well Emily is recovering. She is quite weak, but she can sit upright in her bed and speak with visitors. Major Fitzmaurice dons his dress uniform and medals, something he rarely does, except by direct order, and strolls across the camp as soon as Doctor Sparrow says that Emily is awake and in good spirits. It has been a week since she was rescued, and he has not yet seen her. He has not seen her since Liam’s wedding, and much has changed since then. At first, Lieutenant Barrett hardly recognizes her fiancé. He looks somehow older, more tired, and more haggard than she remembers, but she greets him warmly. For his part, he sees a certain sadness and fear in her eyes that he has never seen before. Doctor Sparrow knows something. Emily did not tell him, and he, in turn, cannot tell Major Fitzmaurice, as he is sworn to secrecy by the code of ethics to which all doctors are subjected from the day they enter medical school. Major Fitzmaurice is not happy about this reality, but he respects it because he knows that his friend is a doctor and that he has no choice in the matter. He can no more tell Doctor Sparrow about battle plans than the Doctor can tell him about patients’ lives, even when the patient happens to be his own fiancée.

“Billy? That yourself?” asks Emily.

“Aye,” replies Major Fitzmaurice. “Everyone says I look awful. I ain’t done too well since I found out. Doctor Sparrow said ye wasn’t well enough to see me yet.”

“I was well enough a few days ago. What happened to yourself?”

“A stupid accident.”

“From me rescue?”

“No. From me own stupidity and carelessness. Careful ‘bout that arm. ‘Tis still sore.”

“What’d ye do? Fall from your horse?”

“No, I was shot,” admits Major Fitzmaurice, embarrassed by his own carelessness.

“Dear God!“ exclaims Emily. “What’ve ye been doin’ since I got taken?”

“First, commandin’ half the unit, first in Crosspoint, then in a field wi’ no supplies, then sleepin’ an’ drinkin’ too much.”

“You poor dear,” she says. “Come here.”

“I’m afraid I’ll hurt ye.”

“I’m weak, but the pain is mostly gone. The blood was slow to work, due to the nature of me injuries or sommat like that. Brendan can explain it to ye better. He’s the doctor.”

Major Fitzmaurice sits next to Emily, and his touch comforts her greatly. He asks, “What happened to ye when they took ye?”

“They didn’t kill me. I’ve money to me name, so they figured they’d ransom me, but they didn’t realize that I’ve no family to give it to them. They were goin’ to send ye a note to fetch it, but they never got to,” replies Emily.

“What did they do to ye?”

“They beat me ‘til I was bloody an’ unconscious, but they were always careful not to touch me face. They’d rape me. Five or six o’ the bastards every night, even after I was unconscious. I’d no blanket or clothes to hide meself or to keep meself warm. When Liam carried me out, he gave me a spare uniform from one o’ the guards. They’d tie me down an’ gag me so I couldn’t fight nor scream. ‘Twas awful. The worst part is that they forced General Callahan to rape me.”

“He what!?” asks Major Fitzmaurice, shocked and extremely angry. Doctor Sparrow, who is standing nearby, moves to position himself in a way that he could intervene, should Major Fitzmaurice’s famous temper get the better of him and he start throwing things as usual.

“He’s a gentle soul, truly,” says Emily quietly.

“I‘ve seen him beat the shite out o’ men what didn’t deserve it an’ have three whores at a time.”

“He’d never lay a finger on a woman if she told him not to. He spent the entire night an’ every night after that tellin’ me he’d rather’ve died than done that but they’d’ve killed the both o’ us, an’ he didn’t want to have to see me die, for the sake o’ yourself an’ me friends back in Bridgeton. He’s not been able to look me in the eye since. Please, Billy, tell me ye ain’t mad wi’ me. Ye’re tense as could be.”

“I’m not mad wi’ ye. I’m not mad wi’ the General neither. I was, but I see that he did what he had to so’s he could see his childer an’ his wife again an’ so’s ye could live. He’d no choice. I’m mad as fuck at the bastards what did this to ye. I’ll ne’er leave ye, Emmy. I’ll stay beside ye as long as it takes ‘til ye’re yourself again.”

“Thankee, Billy. I was afraid ye’d leave after ye heard that.”

“No. I’ll stay ‘round as long as it takes. I promise. Ye’ve nothin’ to fear from me.”

“’Tis odd. I had to keep me mind away from it. I had to do somethin’ or I’d’ve gone crazy while they had me like that. I couldn’t help but think…”

“Thank what?” asks Major Fitzmaurice, hoping that Emmy’s thought is not too gruesome.

“I couldn’t help but think ‘bout how these big, tough wolves can’t get their hole without rapin’ or payin’ an’ how they don’t measure up. They were tiny.”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to laugh at that or if I should be angry ’bout it or flattered ye noticed that an’ said I’m bigger.”

“I don’t mind if ye laugh. Jus’ so long as ye’re still the Billy I left behind.”

“I am. I’m a bit older an’ a bit wiser, perhaps, but I’m still the same Billy. Are ye the same Emmy?”

“Not quite. I doubt I’ll e’er be. I’m afraid now. I don’t want nobody to get near me or touch me…ye’re jus’ somethin’ else entirely. The thought o’ seein’ yourself again kept me sane.”

“’Afore I forget, I found your locket.”

“I thought I’d lost it forever. Where was it?”

“In the grass by your tent.”

“Right where I was snatched. Thankee, Billy. This means more to me than anythin’ in the world.”

“I’m sorry I ever let that happen to ye.”

“Ye didn’t.”

“I wasn’t there, an’ I feel as guilty as I would if I gave ye to ‘em meself. Yourself an’ the Doctor are the on’y real family I got, an’ there was a day when I’d lost both o’ ye. I know I can’t live without ye.”

“Don’ feel bad. An’ don’ be mad wi’ the men in me unit neither. They scarce saw it an’ got ready to run. I love ye, Billy.”

“I love ye too, Emmy.”

“Billy?”

“Aye?”

“Stay the night wi’ me. I know ‘tis ‘gainst policy an’ all that, but jus’ for tonight can’t hurt nothin’,” begs Emily.

“I doubt the Colonel’d mind,” replies Billy. “He knows what I’ve gone through jus’ to see ye again. I doubt he’ll lament me havin’ one night wi’ me best girl. ‘Specially not after what she’s been through.”

“Thankee, Billy.”

“Have ye thanked Conan? He’s the one what figured out how to save ye. Have ye thanked Doctor Sparrow? He’s the one what broke the lock. Have ye thanked Liam? He’s the one what carried ye out. Have ye thanked Doctor Sparrow again? He’s the one what saved your life. All I did was give ye some o’ me blood an’ wait for ye wi’ no patience a’ ‘tall. I did nothin’. ”

“Ye’re here. Ye wanted to be here all along.”

“I did, but, in a way, I didn’t. I didn’t want to see what they done to ye.”

“Ah, Billy, I’m fine. I swear.”

“Ye could’ve died!” exclaims Major Fitzmaurice.

“I didn’t, now did I?” asks Lieutenant Barrett.

“I suppose not.”

“What d’ye mean ye suppose? Sure, I’m right here next to ye!”

“I don’t never want to feel that helpless again. ‘Twas like bein’ a child all over again but without the fun bits like runnin’ in the streets.”

“I doubt ye ever will be.”

“I mean, I’ve lost men ‘afore, but…ne’er…”

“A woman?”

“Not one I love.”

“I love ye too, Billy.”

After a few days, Major Fitzmaurice is eager to return to combat. Doctor Sparrow cannot dissuade him, despite his medical expertise, and Colonel Callahan needs the help, so he does not order Major Fitzmaurice to remain in camp any longer. After another week of resting, Lieutenant Barrett returns to her unit, finally well enough to fight. Slowly, the Southern and Western Armies liberate Crosspoint City. Since only infantry units, archers, and sharpshooters are useful in the urban environment, once a neighborhood is won, the rest of the units help to rebuild it, which, in some cases, is quite laborious, while in others, it is a simple task. Some neighborhoods, the ones that are easiest to win, are nothing but charred remains. Others, such as the market district, sustain further damage in the effort to regain their territory, a fact which has the unfortunate effect of turning public opinion against the armies who are camping near the city, despite their willingness to rebuild the city and their actual presence and mission as liberators. Some of the local tavern owners refuse to serve men in uniform, regardless of what that uniform is, and many neighborhoods band together to refuse passage to units trying to win back nearby sections of the city. Other neighborhoods bar the soldiers altogether, preferring to win their own independence, albeit with weapons smuggled into the city by the army, rather than letting soldiers come near their homes. They would rather fight for their own freedom than have such trouble.

Such dissent bodes well for the enemy, who seizes the opportunity to cause heavy casualties, both military and civilian, among the chaos. Their mission is not to seize the city; it is to gain territory in the surrounding countryside, to burn the cities after surrounding them, and to either slaughter, enslave, or evict any remaining inhabitants. The entire war is a dispute over the Werewolvish King’s desire to conquer valuable farmland. The Werewolvish economy now depends upon warfare, and they reached an agreement to end a long war with the Demons a few years ago. Since then, their economy has suffered greatly, and parts of their nation have been affected by a severe drought, causing poor harvests and food shortages. The areas closest to the border region have been largely unscathed, so they are trying to gain valuable farming territory along the Vampiric side of the traditional border and to enslave soldiers and civilians alike in order to work on large plantations to offset the lack of available food in the central and coastal parts of the country. Very few of their people live on the Vampiric side of the border, and they have no use for the cities that are positioned as trading centers near the main border crossing routes. They are merely interested in removing trees and cities in order to gain as much arable land as possible.

With public opinion turned against them, many soldiers begin to abandon their cause. The memory of monarchism runs deeply through most of Hell. The Banshees have always been ruled by a consulate, but everyone else has had a king at some point in time. Despite the popularity of the Revolution, the Senate is very young, and many, including some of those who were among the worst oppressed under the previous regime, are mistrustful of it, longing again for the stability of a monarchy, even if the price of that stability is poverty and misery. Along the border, trade has dwindled since the Revolution, causing much discontent. The autocratic monarchy is unwilling to deal with the republic formed in the wake of the unrest, so the citizens in both nations who live along their shared border suffer greatly, though in times of peace, trade on a local level across the border is allowed. Many here do not fully support or respect the government. Some would rather be ruled by a foreign power than by the Senate, and therein lies the problem: the armies are fighting for the Senate. With strong and fond memories of a monarchy, even an oppressive one, and current discontent with the military presence, public opinion becomes hostile in certain areas. Due to the hostility, some men desert and others refuse to fight to the accepted standard, having lost morale. Those in command are desperate to regain order, whether it be in their units, in the case of the colonels, or whether it be in the entire army, in the case of the generals.

In the case of one General, the war is truly too much to bear. General Callahan, normally a stalwart fighter, grows weary of listening to stories about battles and not being able to see them for himself. He does not long for a different life, and he is unapologetic of his vocation and lifestyle. Rose-Marie will not leave his side, even to bring her sons home. She is home schooling them in the camp of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry because she is afraid to leave her husband’s side. He remains weak and weary. He has not lost his will to fight, merely his ability. Not being able to do as he pleases wears him down further. The pain does not bother him, but the inability to be true to his nature and practice his hobbies does. Many of the men of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry are husbands and fathers. They are grateful to have the General’s younger children around because they remind them so much of their own. The soldiers dote upon the boys and keep them busy in the evenings, which is much appreciated by Rose-Marie. General Callahan’s recovery is extremely slow, despite Doctor Sparrow’s best efforts. General Callahan is determined to make a difference and to rally the men, but he is still unable to walk unassisted.

Kerrigan is among the last of the refugees to emerge from the city. She and her generals remained well-hidden and heavily armed, and they were able to survive through her trickery, she having left her hiding place dressed in rags with her face and hair covered, always surrounded by a crowd, always alert to the presence of danger, in order to procure food for them. She is eager to see her son again and to return to Court City and to her husband. As soon as he was able, Jack wrote Morietur a letter informing him of his wife’s whereabouts and unknown status and that his son was safe. Morietur is not angry with Kerrigan, nor is he disappointed. For once, he knows that he will remain calm and will be able to control his rage. She could not have wanted to be forced into hiding. She even saw to it that their son was cared for by a trusted friend. He awaits her return eagerly, having been separated from her for nearly a month. For him, time spent distant from his wife, particularly if he has concerns for her safety, makes him more appreciative of her and far calmer around her. He is not a changed man, but he is a man who understands the predicaments and dangers of war very well. He knows that Death would have told him if his wife had died, but the worry about what else may have happened is more disconcerting than an actual death is. The unknown is far worse than the knowledge that someone is at rest.

With serious and constant ongoing supply problems, heavy casualties, and shattered morale plaguing the Army, by the time they regain the entirety of the City of Crosspoint and its outlying areas just before Yuletide, the conditions have deteriorated so far that even the most resolute of soldiers have determined the war to be a lost cause. General Callahan now lives in a boarding house in town with his wife and three youngest sons. They are attending a local school until their father is well enough for their mother to return to Bridgeton with them. The General is still quite weak. His elder sons worry about him constantly, despite the hardships faced by their own unit. Jack is a frequent guest, as are General Malone and Doctor Sparrow, Major Fitzmaurice, and Emily Barrett, who frequently visit together. Doctor Sparrow cannot find a physical cause for General Callahan’s weakness. He knows that it is not scurvy, consumption, plague, rickets, or polio. Even Doctor Sparrow, who has practiced medicine in Bridgeton’s slums, is saddened to see the proud General reduced to being assisted across the room by his wife and to walking with a cane. Rose-Marie is determined to care for her husband and to raise her sons properly. With Devon and Brian enrolled temporarily in a school in Crosspoint, she is free to care for her husband during the day, and with their older brothers frequently visiting or bringing the three boys to camp in the evenings, she is free to care for him then as well. She hopes for a miracle, believing that it would be the only way for him to be cured. His condition has been stable since a couple of days after his release, but all of a sudden, two weeks before Yuletide, his condition takes a dramatic turn for the worse. His breathing slows and becomes labored, and he develops a severe cough. Doctor Sparrow arrives as quickly as he is able, and he determines that the General has both Bronchitis and Pneumonia. He tells Rose-Marie to keep her sons out of their father’s bedroom and her husband locked inside of it. He gives her a facial mask to wear in his presence and instructs her how to help him. This illness only weakens his resolve further.

Though a return to the site of their former camp is a small condolence to the remaining members of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry, a lack of fresh troops, mail, and necessary supplies have broken most of the men. Liam’s still provides the only true comfort to the men, many of them drinking well past the point of inebriation every night in order to get any rest, their stomachs completely empty aside from the alcohol. Despite the lack of supplies, the men are determined to see that General Callahan’s youngest three sons, who are the youngest victims of the army’s shortages, have a proper Yuletide with gifts and a feast. Killian is often seen in camp running underfoot, trying to follow his older brothers, and the boys have endeared themselves to the soldiers. They are the only semblance of normalcy in the wilderness outside of Crosspoint. Visits to the city have become more infrequent as the hostilities against the soldiers have grown. General Callahan’s sons still visit their father frequently and bring their brothers to camp, but the rest of the unit contents itself to gamble amongst each other and to drink from Liam’s still. As winter truly arrives and shows its fury, the men become further isolated.

On Yuletide, all of the Bridgeton units collaborate on a feast and a plan. All of the colonels are tired of trying to motivate men who have simply lost the will to fight. Generals Callahan, Malone, and O’Casey of the Southern Army, all Bridgeton natives, visit the Western and Southern Army units celebrating Yuletide. They are not there as Generals. They are there as soldiers. General O’Casey, frequently called the “Baby General,” is wearing his old uniform from when he was a corporal, complete with his old insignia. His father, who was a Revolutionary General, is there as well, having traveled all the way from Bridgeton and having escorted the Malone family with him, including Ardal Malone, General Malone’s grandfather and Saxen O’Casey’s dear friend. The challenges for Ardal Malone are great here, since only has one leg, having had the other one amputated just below the knee in order to save his life early in the Revolution. With two retired Revolutionary Generals in their midst, the men are on their best behavior. The supplies are still lacking, so the Generals, past and current, arranged for food to be delivered from the train station by various men from each unit. They also gave their own money so that their men could have Yuletide festivities, despite the desolation outside of Crosspoint. The District Five Bridgeton units, who serve in the Western Army, are guests of the District Thirteen and District Twenty Bridgeton units, who serve in the Southern Army. There are no boundaries between camps, and no men stand on watch at the edge of the camps, since everyone is awake through the night feasting. Even those serving punishments for behavior which breaks the Army’s codes of conduct are given a pass for the night and allowed to join the festivities. There is nothing but gaiety and mirth, and, for a short time, the war is forgotten. The fires burn brightly and warmly, despite the winter chill.

The Generals still worry that this celebration, this ruse, will have little effect on morale. Conan suggested it to them, since the Thirteenth Bridgeton desperately wanted a Yuletide celebration and to see to it that Devon, Brian, and Killian Callahan got a proper holiday, despite being away from home. It is the first time they have seen their father since he fell ill with pneumonia and bronchitis. Their mother has been struggling to keep him sane the entire time he has been ill. He has wanted badly to be able to smoke, but Doctor Sparrow ordered him off of tobacco for the duration of his illness. Doctor Sparrow, finally deeming him well enough to see his younger children, glares and mildly disapproves of General Callahan smoking so soon, concerned about the potential averse consequences, but he does not object loudly, since it is Yuletide, and he, himself, is also smoking. Despite the fact that it would be medically sound to tell a patient recovering from breathing problems not to smoke, he cannot bring himself to do so while smoking, since he is truly bothered by hypocrisy. It is also Yuletide, and he cannot begrudge a man his vices on Yuletide.

Doctor Sparrow’s wife is staying in his tent for a few days, having traveled with Molly Boland and Molly’s son, who has never seen his father. Mrs. Sparrow brings out a side of the doctor that few in the unit have ever seen. Doctor Sparrow is typically seen with Major Fitzmaurice, as they have been friends since they were children. They share a disdain for many of the higher-ranking officers and a sense of humor. They also share a quick temper and a tendency to respond sarcastically and to bend as many rules as possible for their own benefit, traits that do not typically endear them to those above them but which make them heroes to the men in the unit. When Major Fitzmaurice is not present, Doctor Sparrow is a quiet man who keeps to himself, only allowing a few others to spend time with him, those men being Liam, Conan, and Captain Boland, whom he treated as a patient though an extended illness, which likely began as a mild rheumatism, evolved into bronchitis and pneumonia, and, when left untreated, led to a susceptibility to tuberculosis, which is what it had become before Doctor Sparrow arrived. Around his wife, Doctor Sparrow is a different man entirely. He is not the outgoing, mirthful man that he is around Major Fitzmaurice, nor is he the quiet doctor who keeps to himself and his practice that he is when he is alone. He is merry enough, but he is reserved. He does not drink very much, for fear of inebriation, nor does Major Fitzmaurice, since Mrs. Sparrow would disapprove, and she continually extinguishes his and Major Fitzmaurice’s cigarettes, reminding them that they are to behave like gentlemen, to which the two of them agree, quietly cursing her insistence on propriety in their minds all the while.

Captain Boland, who was already drunk from too much eggnog before his wife arrived unexpectedly, sits by the fire with her and their son laughing and singing carols to which he only knows half of the words. Few have ever seen him so joyous. He honestly thought that he would be spending Yuletide alone with the liquor while everyone else celebrated, as Mrs. Sparrow and Mrs. Boland were among the last to arrive. Doctor Sparrow and his wife planned it that way. Doctor Sparrow knew that Captain Boland could not afford to have his wife come to Crosspoint for Yuletide because of the expenses involved in raising their child and buying a house. He also knew that Captain Boland wanted to see his wife and son more than anything, so Major Fitzmaurice, Emily Barrett, and the Sparrows paid for her and her son to come to Crosspoint and to return to Bridgeton, knowing that Colonel Callahan could not possibly give him Yuletide leave, due to the depleted number of men in the unit and that he could not afford to travel anyhow.

Major Fitzmaurice, who, despite Annie Sparrow’s best efforts at controlling him and Doctor Sparrow in front of the polite company and children, has managed to have more than one drink, bends down and whispers rather loudly to Captain Boland, “Merry Yuletide to ye, Captain.”

“This was your doin’?” asks Captain Boland, surprised.

“Me an’ the Doctor. Couldn’t stand to see ye drinkin’ alone on Yule. Ach, no! We couldn’t very well have that, could we?”

“Thankee, Major. Thank the Doctor when ye see him. ‘Tis truly been a blessin’ to me.”

“That I will, Captain. That I will. An’ a merry Yuletide to ye!”

“Yourself as well, sor.” After Major Fitzmaurice leaves, Captain Boland turns to his wife and says, “He’s ne’er like that. I swear it.”

Lynn, Shane, Laura, Jason, John, and Mary have all traveled from Highton, the twins from Kilainaigh City, and Shannon and Siobhan from the Witch Country in order to spend Yuletide with Jack. He has another small cottage in Crosspoint, rebuilt on the site of the old one, though he spends little time there, still, not feeling entirely safe in the city surrounded by hostile civilians and without the protection that the Thirteenth Bridgeton provides. Crosspoint is not and never will be his home, despite the fact that he is at home with his troops, more so than he is in Highton, far from battle. He is again glad to have his sons in his arms, his brothers at his side, and his wife in his bed. Even he could not justify traveling home for the holidays, not while his men are left in a distant city to suffer, not while he is needed.

Conan Callahan goes from camp to camp with his father spreading mirth and good cheer. Combining celebrations was his idea, and he is determined to see his plan succeed. For a short while, all is well in the fields outside of Crosspoint, despite the death and misery surrounding the men stationed there. It is truly a merry Yuletide for all. General Callahan swells with fatherly pride as he recognizes the raw determination he had in his own youth manifest in his son, and he cannot help but remember Liam’s words while he watches his fourth son save the morale of his fellow soldiers in much the way that he saved him from torture. Conan will be a fine leader someday.