Hannah~

It's time. Dr. Hicks has gone home, and everyone else is asleep.   Dr. Brewster has told me all that I'll need to steal from Dr. Hicks' office. He told me that there is a small chance that we might find some chloroform- Dr. Hicks keeps it under lock and key in a small lockbox under his desk, but the keys might be somewhere in his office. 

Dr. Hicks' office is pristine. Not a speck of dust in sight. It's ridiculously neat. That should make it easier to find the tools. Looking around, I realize it wouldn't have been hard to find them anyway- they're sitting on a metal tray towards the back of his office. I quickly grab them and carefully wrap them up in a small piece of cloth, so as to not cut myself. While tying up my bundle of medical supplies, I notice a small key sitting on the edge of the tray. It can't be... the key to the chloroform? I snatch it up and walk over to the big oak desk in the middle of the room. Exactly as Dr. Brewster said, there's a small black lockbox beneath it. I pull it out and stick the key into the slot, desperately hoping it'll unlock the box. Success! I hear a small click, and carefully open the lid. Inside the box is a small glass bottle, about six inches tall and about two inches wide. There really ISN'T much chloroform to go around. I stick the bottle and my cloth bundle back in the box and bring it downstairs to Dr. Brewster.

"I was able to get the chloroform. It's in the box," I whisper, even though there's no need to be quiet. I feel like I might disturb the silence of the night if I speak in normal tones. 

"Great!" Dr. Brewster whispers back. "It'll make the surgery a lot easier." I smile and nod, then hand him the box. "Excellent..." he mutters. "Hannah, go find some cloth to soak the chloroform with."

"Yes sir." I don't have to look long for a spare sheet- there's cloth lying around everywhere here. I hand it to Dr. Brewster, who pours a rather alarming amount of chloroform onto it. "Won't Dr. Hicks notice that much is missing?" I ask worriedly. 

"Maybe, but he hardly ever uses the chloroform anway."

"Okay," I reply, my fears not relieved. I put my hand over my nose and mouth with one hand, and set the folded cloth over Travis' nose and mouth. It works almost instantly. As soon as Travis is out, Dr. Brewster begins the surgery.  

Yay! Next part:

Travis~ Hannah found the chloroform. Thank goodness.

When she covers my mouth and nose with the soaked cloth I feel like I’m sinking into water and I can just barely make out the faces of her and the doctor above the surface. I feel like I’m choking for a minute and a strange smell is filling my nose. My ears feel like they’ve been stuffed with cotton. The only thing I hear is a mumble of voices that must be the doctor and Hannah.

Then, very faintly, I feel a sharp pain like the prick of a needle, but it feels like it’s coming from very far away and like it’s almost detached from me. I try to move but can’t.

I don’t know how long I lie here for. I vaguely see Dr. Brewster leaning over me and Hannah’s anxious face peering over his shoulder, and I hear their faraway voices through the odd sensation in my ears. But I’m still under the surface of the water looking up at them.

By and by the needle-like sensation begins to get worse. It’s sharper and stronger now, and I try to squirm away from it but I can’t. I kick weakly. Gradually, I begin to come around and the doctor’s face comes into focus. I blink rapidly several times, trying to clear my eyes and head from the feeling of being underwater, but things are still blurry. I jerk my legs weakly and subconsciously try to shake ff the cloth that still covers my mouth and nose.

Then suddenly my head clears and their faces are clear and distinct. But for a moment I have no idea what’s going on. I jerk up my head with a strangled yell, looking around in confusion. Hannah grabs my shoulder to keep me down.

“Good grief,” says the doctor, looking behind his shoulder at the dark doorway leading to the entryway. “Someone must’ve heard us.”

“Wh—what?” I ask, gulping. “Who…?”

“Shh!” Hannah says reassuringly. “We’re finished, Travis. We’re done. No one’s heard us.”

I put my head back down on the pillow and look around while Dr. Brewster begins to put away his tools. My chest has been wrapped in layers and layers of gauze and bandages and it’s hard to move. My right leg, also, is bandaged tightly. Hannah carefully buttons up my jacket over the bandage because, as she explains to me, all three of us would get into huge trouble if anyone found out what we’d done. I can’t let anyone see the bandage.

I’m exhausted. Dr. Brewster, after giving me a few kind remarks and a pat on the shoulder, left to put away his tools and catch a few hours of sleep before everyone else woke up. Hannah brings me some fresh cold water and a piece of salted pork she stole from the kitchen, and stay with me as I eat it. We don’t talk for fear of waking someone else up, we just quietly enjoy each other’s company.

When I finish, I lie back down feeling dead-tired. Hannah pulls up my sheet, plumps the pillow, smooths my hair, and says good-night. I watch her go, the lantern bobbing at her side, until she’s out in the entryway and I can’t see her anymore. 

TOP!

Sorry for not posting for such a long time. I'll post my next entry before Monday because I'm going to an overnight camp from Monday to Friday. 

April~

I follow my mother down a seemingly endless path through the woods as the sky above turns darker and darker shades of blue. "Where are we going?" I ask, but mother doesn't answer or stop walking. Running to keep up with her, I stumble on a tree root. When I look up, it finally dawns on me. I recognize the way the tree branches tangle together, the old stone wall, and the blanket of dry, brown leaves on the ground. Mother has brought us to my younger siblings "secret" hideout. 

She immediately drops down to her knees at the entrance, and starts calling my siblings names. "James, Caroline, Abigail.... Where are you?" She shouts.

When she gets no response, she tells me to crawl inside and try to find them. The little building is dirty and small, but at this point, I'll do anything to get my siblings back. I crawl in and start shouting my siblings names again. After a few minutes with no luck, I decide that I might as well give up. Then I hear a voice. "April?...." It's Mrs, Carson!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll write more later today.

I know I posted recently, but someone has to post! I'm sorry it's short:

Travis~ I wake up the next morning feeling woozy but otherwise better than I did. Hannah brings me plenty of water and some lively conversation. She tells me there’s a new nurse at the hospital. Her name’s Lydia, and she’s about our age. She came from a field hospital somewhere in Virginia. I hope she brings news of the war.

By and by Dr. Brewster comes over to my bed and asks me what I’m planning to do after I’m out of this hospital. I say,

“I’m going back into the army. That’s the only way to find my father.”

He sighs and looks a little uncomfortable. “Well—I’m afraid it’s not that easy. I won’t let you go back into the army just yet, not until you’re eighteen.”

“That’s not fair!” I say angrily. “You—that’s—well, how will I find my father, then?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he says slowly. “And I’ve come up with an idea, though it’s dangerous and I’m still not sure about it.” He looks straight at me. “You could become a spy.”

I wasn’t expecting that. I can’t picture myself as a spy, but here’s Dr. Brewster suggesting it. “Oh,” I say. “Uh—well, yeah. I could do that.” The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Being a spy would mean being near or behind enemy lines. That means closer to my father.

Dr. Brewster gets up. “Yes, well, think about it,” he says. “And please do think, don’t be rash.” He winks at me. “I know you’re prone to quick decisions. I’ll come back later today to talk it over.”

I already know that I want to be a spy. Not only is it a god chance to get close to my father, it’s also a pretty neat job. How many people like me get to be spies? Not many. I can’t wait to tell Hannah.