Confederate Lieutenant Anderson Blanks has grown weary of the War Between the States. He is all too aware of the tenuous thread that ties him to this earth -- as he writes a letter home to his sister, he realizes he may be among the dead by the time she receives the missive. His melancholy mood is shared by other soldiers in the campsite; in the cool Virginia night, the pickets claim to hear ghosts in the woods, and their own talk spooks them. Andy knows the "ghost" is nothing more than a wounded soldier left on the battlefield, dying in the darkness. With compassion, Andy takes the picket's lantern and canteen in the hopes of easing the soldier's pain. After a tense confrontation with the soldier, Andy is shocked to discover none other than Samuel Talley, a young man Andy's father had chased from their plantation when the romantic relationship between the two boys came to light. The last time the two had seen each other, Sam had been heading west to seek his fortune, and had promised to send for Andy when he could. Then the war broke out, and Andy had enlisted in the Confederate Army to help ease the financial burden at home. Apparently Sam had similar ideas -- he now wears the blue coat of a Union solider. Sam is severely wounded and infection has begun to set in. Andy can't sneak him into his own camp for treatment because all Union soldiers are taken prisoner. But Andy's Confederate uniform prevents him from seeking help from the nearby Union camp, as well. It's up to Andy to tend his lover's wound and get Sam the help he needs before it's too late ... and before Andy's compatriots discover Sam's presence.

A Heart Divided

He leaned down as Sam pulled him near. In all his memories, all his dreams, these kisses had neverfelt as wondrous as they did tonight by the unsteady light of his lantern. 


The words tumbled from Andy in a rush. Relief and fear twisted in his heart, making him sick. “What are you doing here? In a Federal uniform, no less? Your last letter said St. Louis…” 


“That was years ago,” Sam said with a breathless laugh. His hands clenched in Andy’s gray shirt, holding him close. 


Andy caught those hands in his. They were cold, so cold, and he tried to rub warmth back into the strong fingers. “How the hell did you get caught up in this damn war, too? And for the North? Sam.” The questions tumbled out in a rush and Sam laughed again, a sound that still managed to make Andy grin foolishly after all this time. “I’ve prayed for you and now you’re here. Here! Lord God. Maybe my men were right, maybe you area ghost and you aren’t really here at all—” 


Chapter 5