The Gettysburg Zone Part 11

Christmas was a month away. There was no festive air in the Hampton house. Karen was still missing. Despite the spiritual basis for the holiday, Marjorie Hamptom felt like Christmas was just another day. Where was the joy when your only child was missing and quite possibly dead? She hadn't cancelled the holiday visits. They would be in Richmond over Christmas and in Metarie, Louisiana for New Years. She knew that she probably should stay in Gettysburg, but she felt like she was losing her mind. Her pilgrimages to Wright Avenue were making her hear voices. Well, one voice in particular:Karen's. If she didn't get away from Gettysburg the men in the little white coats were going to come and take her away to a nice, quiet padded cell. Richard needed to get away, too. He was no longer berating Karen from the puplpit, although he always steadfastly denied ever doing that to begin with. But he seemed too easily resigned to accepting that Karen was dead. Marjorie couldn't bury her daughter...not even figuratively.


Robin McNeal was not as tall as Karen and not as well proportioned to her way of thinking. But she had dreamy brown eyes and rich chestnut brown hair. She'd held Mike Nichols heart from the first time they met. He was always so busy with work and his buddies that he'd never seemed to notice just how incredibly beautiful and giving she was. But as they were frantically trying to save Traci and Karen with the limited resources they had, he saw her selflessness and her dedication to those who meant the most to her. He knew then that she had to be his wife. She'd been giving him what he physically needed everytime he asked for the whole time they were together. Wasn't that two years? Damn! Why wasn't that important to guys? So he figured that it was about time that he gave her what she needed: a ring and maybe a baby like he knew she wanted. The I.U.D. would be tricky but he'd remove it himself, with her permission, of course. God! She felt do good in his arms. And, yes, he was a little jealous of what Paul had. Karen would never look at another man because she had her man emotionally and legally. Robin was as free as he was and he knew just how free he'd been. Hopefully she didn't and never would. She wasn't a virgin when they met and neither was he. But that didn't matter then and it didn't matter when he was making passionate love to her in the woods or the barn. She was adventurous and sexy and damn, she could make him see stars! He watched her dress in the alcove by the forge where he bedded down. She'd rocked his world and he was about to rock hers.
"Hey, baby, we need to talk," he said. She froze immediately. "It's not bad!"
"What do you need to discuss?"
He got down on both knees and took her hands in his. "We've been having too much meaningless sex."
She glared at him. "What we do is meaningless?" she asked in an irritated voice.
"No! No! It's always meant something! But I want it to mean more."
She got on her knees in front of him. "What more?"
He swallowed hard. "Marry me, Robin? Have my children and lets make the best of the life we have together."
She lowered her eyes. "I can't have your children."
He grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "I can remove that thing and we try. That's all I'm asking. Can we try?"
"You wanna make all this legal?"
"I want a Mrs. Nichols in my bed at night and I want it to be you. Whadaya say, Miss McNeal?"
She hugged him and started to undress again. "I say that I want to be Mrs. Mike Nichols, but I think I want to have him now and as much as possible for as long as I'm Miss McNeal!"
"B-But we just..."
She laughed and grabbed his ears. It was fun to see his eyes widen with shock. "You wanna talk or do you wanna act?" She didn't have to ask twice.



Angus's house smelled richly of cedar and spices. Christmas in 1863 was refreshing. There was no commercialism like in the twentieth century. Pine boughs topped every fireplace. Cedar logs made a fragrant and long burning fire. Robin baked cookies laced with cinnamon and nutmeg. There wouldn't be a tree until Christmas Eve and that wasn't a problem. In the twentieth century stores started putting Christmas decorations out soon after Halloween! By December 25th, Christmas had lost it's magic. Sure, the twinkle lights were pretty and the carols on the radio were pleasant enough. But the smell of pine and spices, unblemished snow covered fields and the soft glow of candlelight brought the magic of the season to a level that none of them had experienced. They all went for country walks in the crisp December air every night. They'd all given up on ever seeing home or family again. And although that was sad, they couldn't let that get them down. Angus provided them with a good home and he made them feel like family. And then there was the anticipation of another wedding in the spring. Mike had asked Robin to marry him on the evening of December 21st and she didn't hesitate to say yes. As they all walked in the fresh snow, it seemed like a million stars were smiling down on them.
Paul held his wife's hand tightly. She'd recovered from her bout with pneumonia just fine, but he was still worried about her. He gestured at the broad expanse of midnight blue velet sky. "I never thought of Gettysburg as being polluted, but I've never seen the sky look like this."
George looked at the diamond like stars. "You can't help but believe in God when you see something like that."
Suddenly Karen found all eyes on her. "What? George said it. Not me!"
Traci laughed. "You're contagious. Get around you and your religion starts to rub off."
Karen shook her head. "I don't have religion. I have faith. There's a difference."
Chris picked up a stone and tossed it in the air and caught it a few times. "Whatever it is you've got, you got us through this okay," he said finally.
"Now I know we're gonna have a blizzard! Chris gave Karen a compliment," Robin said with a laugh.
Chris shrugged it off. "Hey, I never said I didn't like her."
"Hey! I'm right here," Karen reminded him.
"I just think you could've done better than the goofball you're with," he said giving the rock a toss.
Karen rolled her eyes and was about to come back to that when the rock hit metal. The cannonball sent dirt and snow fifty feet into the air. The group hit the ground quick as debris showered down around them. As the last echo of the explosion died away, a new sound assaulted their ears. A sound vaguely familiar but hard to believe. It was an air horn! And it was coming from one of the many big rigs travelling U.S. 15. Paul helped Karen to her feet. The lights of Gettysburg left a glow in the sky that obsured the glow of the stars. They were definitely back to the twentieth century, but what year? Angus's house was gone but the barn still stood, leaning as if it could collapse at any minute. They began the long, cold walk to town. Mike was the first to spy a newspaper box. It was December 22nd, 1994! The trip back had propelled them forward a day. For once Chris had done something right. He was a genius purely by accident.
The walk back to town left the group bone numbing cold and virtually exhausted. But once in the town limits, all but Paul and Karen went their separate ways. Paul knew he should go see his folks, but his wife was between five and six months pregnant and she came first. He flagged down two cars to no avail. The third was the proverbial charm. Their nineteenth century dress didn't seem to elicit questions. Gettysburg prided itself on it's history and it wasn't uncommon for folks to dress in period garb no matter what time of the year. The Hampton house was dark. Paul was still apprehensive. Karen assured him that her parents were creatures of habit. For as long as she could remember they had spent Christmas in Richmond and New Years in Metarie. He watched her feel for just the right brick. Pulling out the loose masonry, she put her hand in and extracted a house key. She unlocked the door and replaced the key before going inside.
She turned up the thermostat and led him upstairs to her bedroom. It was virtually unchanged. For that she was very thankful. She looked back at Paul. He seemed afraid to step into her room. She grabbed his hand and yanked him in rather unceremoniously. "Get me out of these clothes," she said. Seeing his eyes twinkle, she frowned. "I've been waiting over a hundred years for a steaming hot shower. I'll take care of you after the facial hair comes off."
He rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Do I really have to shave it off?" he pouted as he undid the fasteners of her lavender dress.
She let everything slip to the floor. "Yes! It's like kissing King Kong." She had to laugh when he beat on his chest. "C'mon! You shave while I shower."
She let the hot water cascade over her sore muscles like a million massaging fingers. He shaved off the very last of the beard. The moustache looked kind of good, so he left that. "What are you gonna tell your folks about the baby?" he asked as he finished cleaning the sink.
"I don't know. It's not like I'm sixteen!"
He slid the shower door open and slipped under the hot spray with her. She looked a little shocked but she didn't resist. He washed her back and then slipped his hands around to rub her belly. The child she carried never gave it's mother a minutes peace! No wonder she was always so tired. It had been over three weeks since they'd made love. Some of that was his fault. He was always unsure of how to approach sex with her in that condition. But they were home in the twentieth century and he was certain that there was no longer any danger. When she turned around and kissed him fully he didn't hesitate to follow her lead. She dried off hurriedly to let him finish what would be a very brief shower. Joining her in her room he found her rummaging around for a book from the bookcase above her bed. The jacket said something about quotations, but she quickly stripped that off to reveal the true title. Her eyes sparkled and he figured that book was the infamous mail order title. The title was "Maximum Pleasure". She carefully extracted two one hundred dollar bills from the center of the book and put them on the nightstand. They would need modern clothes. She handed him the book and let him browse through it while she towel dried her hair. By the times his eyebrows shot up, she figured he was defiitely learning something. When he put the book down his eyes were dark and lusty. She didn't object to getting on her knees with him behind her,but she wasn't prepared for the intensity of their union. She hadn't cried out for quite awhile but, at that moment, being quiet was not an option for either one of them.
It felt weird being in her parents house in such an intimate situation. Her father would absolutely have a fit and her mother would probably cry a river's worth of tears. She laid in her bed listening to Paul snore wondering why all of this should be such a big deal. She was married, after all, and she had done it in the right order. But who would ever believe her? How could she possibly ever tell anyone what had happened without finding herself locked in a rubber room dressed in a very fashionable straight jacket? Obviously they would have to get married all over again. She doubted that the marriage that Angus had so carefully recorded at the courthouse would have much crediblity. Paul stirred. It was barely eight thirty three days before Christmas. Her parents were just reaching Richmond by now. She leaned down and kissed each of his closed eyelids before moving on to his lips. He gave her a drowsy smile and slipped his arms around her.
"Mmmm...I could get used to this," he said in a sleep laden voice.
"Not in my parents house, I hope. C'mon. It's time to tell our folks that we're back." It was an unpleasant task that neither of them looked forward to. She gave him some privacy when he called his family by busying herself in the kitchen. She was thrilled to find Cokes in the fridge. And the sound of the bubbles deadened the screaming coming from the hall. When he came to the kitchen, he was red faced and shaking. That couldn't be a good sign. She handed him a Coke and went back to making eggs florentine. He didn't seem ready to talk. Her pills were still sitting neatly on the top of the refridgerator. His eyes widened when she lined the required amount on the counter and began taking them. They were just vitamins and that couldn't possibly hurt the baby. "Vitamins."
"Prescription?"
She nodded and grimaced when the first one didn't go down right. "I'm anemic. I pass out a lot."
"You haven't been."
"I was eating better. No preservatives, red die number 2, and so on. Don't worry. I'm fine. So...?"
"Pop is a bastard. I'm a loser and you're...you're an Ivory Tower bitch. He's gonna bring the Charger here and my bank book and he never wants to see me, you or our kid."
She didn't say anything as she slid a plate in front of him. She forced herself to eat so the vitamins would stay down. Her parents wouldn't be any easier to deal with. "We'll make it."
"Karen, I don't have a job. My bank account doesn't have enough in it to cover two months rent! You're gonna need medical attention. And then there's all the stuff we need for the baby."
She covered his hand with hers. The gold of their wedding rings caught her eye. Angus had given them the wedding rings that he and his wife had worn. "Paul, honey, we've done the impossible remember? How many Gettysburg natives in this century witnessed and survived the Battle of Gettysburg? I have my college fund,"
His head shot up. "No!"
"Why not?"
"You're going to college, lady. I didn't even finish high school. You're too smart not to go."
"Okay. Then we'll find another way."
"I've got an uncle in construction. He was workin' in Philly. Maybe I could work there for two months and then come back for you."
Karen felt a nervous flutter start in her stomach. "And I'm gonna do what?"
"Your dad won't throw out his married daughter and his grandchild."
She swallowed hard. "N-No...of course not." She didn't think he'd throw her out. She figured he was more likely to kill her.



Paul made the call to Richmond and asked for Mrs. Hampton. When Marjorie Hampton got on the line, Karen took over. "Mom?"
Marjorie thought it was someone's idea of a joke. A very sick joke. "Who is this?" she asked sharply.
"It's Karen, Mom. Really. It's me." She held the phone away from her ear for a second as her mother screamed. Paul tightened his arms about her waist. "Mom, I'm home...in Gettysburg."
"Karen, we've been worried sick! Where have you been?"
"I wasn't in a position to come home or call."
Marjorie's voice took on a suspicious edge. "Did Paul...did he harm you?" "No! He protected me through it all."
"We'll turn around right now. Should be home by dawn."
"No. I'm fine...really. Promise me you'll spend the night in Richmond. You need the rest."
"We need to see you!" Marjorie insisted.
Karen sighed. "I'm not going anywhere. I swear. I won't get a wink of sleep knowing you're on the highway, dead tired. Please, Mom." After a second or two, Marjorie Hampton gave in. Karen hated what she was about to do. But she couldn't let them come home and find her in her condition without fair warning. "Mom, there's something you need to know."
Her mother couldn't keep the catch out of her voice. "Honey, are you...on drugs?"
"No! Heavens no!"
"I-I'm...I'm between five and six months pregnant."
Her mother's voice turned icy. "Paul's baby?" "Yes, ma'am but..."
"We'll discuss it tomorrow evening," her mother said curtly and hung up.
Karen shivered. "That didn't go well."
Paul laughed and nuzzled her neck. "I shouldn't be here to greet my in-laws?"
"I shouldn't be here to greet your in-laws! Get me some decent clothes tomorrow morning. I've got to look very married. But don't leave tonight.."
He took her hand in his and started up the stairs with her. "I'll get you a Big Mac, too. Can't have my kid not knowin' about the finer things in life."





Marjorie hated herself for slamming down the phone. She should've called right back. For all those months she had berated herhusband for being judgmental. She'd done the same thing...exactly the same thing! She begged and pleaded with God over the last six months to bring her daughter home safe and He had. She wasn't in a position to set conditions. There might be extinuating circumstances. She hadn't thought about that. And no matter what those circumstances were, she was going to be a grandmother. She sat back as Richard set the car on course back north to Gettysburg. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Marjorie didn't even remember half the passages he'd spouted when she'd told him the good news...and the bad news. Well, up until that exact moment in the car she had thought it was bad news. As they drove in silence, she was re-evaluating that very fact. But she could tell that her husband still viewed the news as negative by his clenched jaw mucsles and the throbbing vein in his neck.
"And she didn't say why or how?" he asked through clenched teeth.
Marjorie laughed to lighten the moment. "I think I already know how, Richard," she said patiently.
He took his eyes off the road briefly to glare at her. "This is not funny, Marjorie. The girl has jeopardized my position in the Christian community!"
"Richard, this isn't about you. It's about Karen and the baby and..."
"And what? Paul? The punk saw an opportunity and he took it. Now it's up to us to clean up the mess."
She sighed heavily and slumped down in the seat. "It's not our mess, Richard. Karen is responsible and level headed."
"If she was that damned responsible and level headed, she wouldn't be pregnant!"
Richard very rarely swore and she felt her stomach do a flip. It was just after lunch. Depending on the holiday traffic around D.C., they could make it back to Gettysburg in anther three or four hours. Six at the outside and she might try to push for the outside window on purpose. She was afraid for the first time. Afraid of the irrepairable damage he could do to the parent child/relationship in the state he was in. And, although Karen was hardly a child anymore, she didn't want her running off without having a place to run to.




Karen got up at dawn out of force of habit but he seemed too content to stay snuggled under the comforter wrapped tightly under his neck. She blew a stray hair out of her eyes. She'd dug a jogging suit out of her closet the night before. She loved Paul with every fiber of her being but his idea of what she should wear somehow didn't jive with her father's. She didn't know what time her folks would be back home. She needed to get him up and running so she could go with him to get the maternity clothes she needed. She reached under the sheets for him and bit her lip to keep from laughing. He was already up. Time to get him running.. She blew in his ear and closed her hand slightly. His eyes fluttered and he smiled. The drawl in her voice caressed his ear like a lover's tongue and she wasn't even touching him. "I still...don't want to do..."
His eyes shot open and he wasn't sure he could trust his voice. "But?"
She released him and laid on her back. "I'm ready to be done."
He thought he'd misheard but when he rolled over, her eyes told him he'd heard every single word with crystal clarity! He kissed her first, running his hands doen over her body to start. But he didn't want her to change her mind and, throughout her pregnancy, she could do that at the drop of a hat! He started at her neck and moved down over her. For once the baby seemed to be sleeping. He was thankful for that. This time his tongue touched her skin and she didn't cold cock him with her knee! She was whimpering softly like a kitten and her hands were entangled in his hair. He doubled his efforts until out of the corner of his eye he saw her heels dig into the mattress. The fitted sheet popped both corners by his ankles and he was suddenly seeing stars without her ever touching him! He didn't think that was even possible! He took one last taste and brought himself up to her eye level. Her breathing was heavy and ragged and her eyes questioning. If he bent to kiss her, would she be revolted by the taste of her own body on his lips? She answered his question for him by grabbing his ears and pulling him down for the deepest kiss he'd ever had.
He collapsed on the bed next to her. "Jesus!" Despite the state they were both in, he felt her elbow hit his ribs with jackhammer force. He bit his lip and cleared his throat. "Sorry!"
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet. For a second her knees felt wobbly but she felt his hands support her. She looked back over her shoulder as she got her "sea legs". "Just don't forget who and what you're with, sweetheart. And..." She pulled on the very elastic jogging pants. "And doing still grosses me out. Now get your very able body out of bed and take your wife shopping for maternity clothes."
The Charger was outside the Hampton house. It had snowed the night before and the car was covered. He tossed her his keys so she could get inside and turn over the engine while he dusted off the windows. There was a note on the dash reminding him that he was pretty much disowned. Paul crumpled the note and tossed it into the middle of Baltimore Street and got into the car. When his hand was on the shifter, hers closed over it. He looked over into the loyal blue eyes of his wife and smiled. "You're worth it, remember?"
They did their shopping and paid the required visit to McDonalds. But when they drove to the Lee statue on Confederate Avenue where they always indulged in their fast food, both grew quiet. Karen put her hands over her ears, trying to shut out the memories of the screams of the dead and dying. They'd opened the vortex and both felt like they were being sucked down into it. Gunfire flashed around them yet the field remained calm and snowcovered. Paul fired up the Charger and followed the logical path. A calm snow flurry dumped fat, feathery snowflakes on Devil's Den and Little Round Top. Paul guided the car out to the Taneytown Road from Wright Avenue. The dilapidated barn caught both of their eyes at once. Paul grabbed her hand and squeezed it In the pure white of the snowcovered field, they could both make out the uneven foundation stones that stood in mute testimony to a house that once partnered with the barn that sat lonely and forlorn in the middle of nowhere. Before he could stop her she was out of the car and across the virginal snow of the empty field. She'd often joked that wasn't giving birth to a baby but a full grown linebacker because she was so big already. But as she ran toward the barn, he had trouble keeping up with her.
She looked around trying to remember where the pump and the house had been in relationship to the barn. Finally she walked resolutely to a spot that somehow completed a triangle. She got down on her knees and dusted away the snow. Years and years of tourist footprints had compacted the soil and, combined with the cold, she felt certain that, even though she didn't know just what should be there, it was way beyond finding. She turned to Paul who had gotten down beside her. Without a word, they dug in the cold ground together. She was cold and her back hurt and she was about to give up when her finger touched something cold and metalic. It wasn't a button or a bullet. She looked down to see what appeared to be a buckle of some type with the outline of a shamrock carved into it. It wasn't big enough for a cartridge box or whatever else they used buckles for. This buckle was deliciate and didn't have the U.S. mark anywhere on it. She pulled it up and found that it was still firmly attached to a leather strap that should've long disappeared. When the torn end shot up from the frozen ground, it brought up a wooden hitchhiker. The object ended up in front of Paul. It was plain to see that the wooden relic was the business end of an old drumstick. The shamrock identified the Irish Brigade.
"Andrew's drum. I told him...I promised him I'd find it," she said in a voice that betrayed how near to tears she was. "I never looked after..."
"After he died in your arms?" He helped her to her feet, taking the artifacts and guiding her back to the Charger. "I think Andrew is telling you that it doesn't matter anymore."