The young boy rose up out of the tall grass. He held his rifle above his head and said,”Don’t be a feared gal, I mean ye no harm.” Bessie Faye called to her Pa, “It’s ol right, he’s a reb. He means no harm.”
He took one step toward her, when a shot rang out from the brush behind him. His gun went high into the air and he fell to the ground screaming in agony. Bessie Faye fell silent to the porch floor.
Pa ran out toward the boy, not seeing Bessie Faye. Then he looked around and saw her. Shot in the belly, blood everywhere. He stood still for a few seconds in shock. Then ran to Bessie Faye and lifted her and carried her to the bed. “Oh Lord Maw, she’s gut shot. Run fer Aunt Sade, quick as ye can. If in anybody can help her its Aunt Sade. “Pa went back outside to see about the boy. He was still screaming something fierce, “Oh Lord Almighty, he’s gut shot too.” He bent down and lifted him up and carried him inside. And put him on the other bed. His blood soon soaked through the straw mattress and dripped on to the bare board floor. By now Bessie Faye was moaning softly, but still not awake. He found a towel and held it to her bleeding belly.
The Yankees that shot them was forgotten and was never seen.
Maw and Aunt Sade rushed through the door and went to Bessie Faye, “She has a bad gut shot. I’ll do what I can, ye know that.”
Lift her on to the table and I’ll see how bad it is.”
Git all the moonshine ye have. Pour it down her throat. If in we’re lucky she won’t come to.” After Aunt Sade poked and looked, she said, “The Minnie ball is still in there. It’s gotta come out or she’s good as dead. Ye’ll have to hold her down and I’ll try to get it outta her.” After a lot of probing with a long pair of tweezers and a lot of blood loss, she raised up with the ball in the tweezers.’
“Thank God, she didn’t wake up. But she’s in bad shape. Don’t hold out much hope fer her.”
When they had her back in her bed she turned he attention toward the boy. All this time he had been screaming and yelling. He wasn’t as lucky as Bessie Faye, he was awake.
“Poor lad, he’s too young to be fighting in a war.” muttered Aunt Sade. She took scissors and cut away his clothes. “Oh my Lord, all his manhood is gone, all his lower belly is blowed clean off. The bullet went through him and into Bessie Faye. They both shot with the same bullet.”
“At last we can do is try to keep him quiet. He’s not going to make it. He’s better off not to make it.”
Nothing changed for either of them all that day and night. The next morning Bessie Faye opened her eyes, but didn’t speak. The boy no longer moved and thrashed about. No more blood dripped onto floor. By noon he lay still with his eyes wide open. Maw closed his eyes and covered him with a quilt. “Poor little red, don’t even know your name. Ye Maw will never know what happened to her boy.”
They buried him in back of the garden under a beech tree. Pa made a wooden cross and carved “Johnny Red” on it. That was all they could do.
Now all energy went toward Bessie Faye. Aunt Sade stayed by her side day and night. Finally she started to stay awake longer, but was in great pain. They mixed potions from herbs for her to drink and to put on her wound. Little by little she got better. After several weeks she could sit up, and then stand with some help. After that it wasn’t long till she was moving about the house.
One day about six months after the shooting, she said, ‘Maw something is wrong inside of me. I feel something in there. It’s moving about.”
“Oh chile, maybe ye ain’t healed up proper in there. I’ve noticed ye ain’t had ye curse since the shooting. I guess ye jest ain’t mended proper yet. “A few weeks later Bessie Faye went to her Maw again. “Maw, I tell ye theys something in my belly. It moves all the time. Come here and fell fer your self. ‘Maw placed her hand on Bessie Faye’s swollen belly, “Lord chile, it feels like kickin to me.”
They sent for Aunt Sade again. She had Bessie Faye lay on the bed and she felt of her belly. ‘Why chile, ye is in a family way.”
They all looked at each other in horror. ‘I can’t be. I ain’t never had no dealings with no man, Never. Pa, Maw ye know I ain’t!”
“That’s right!” said Maw. “I’d know if in she had. She ain’t ever had no chance to be with no man.”
Aunt Sade sat down and wiped her face with her apron tail.
“Well I’ll tells ye what I think happened.’
When that minnie ball ripped through the red boy, it carried his seed into Bessie Fay’s belly. She’s going to have that reb boy’s baby. Fer Shore.”
Pa cussed, kicked, hollered and shouted, He carried on something fierce. He cussed the war, the North, the South and God himself. After he ran out of steam, Aunt Sade said,” Now settle yourself. There’s nothing to be done now, sept have this har young gun. And another thing I don’t want to hear of ye mistreating Bessie Faye, nor the young gun when it gets here. They is both innocent in the eyes of God. Jest as that poor boy laying out yonder a hidden in the tater patch was innocent. Maybe he was a deserter and run away from the war, but who can blame him fer that?
Pa said, “Alright, alright, you is right it’s jest such a shock.”
Bessie Faye gave birth to a fine baby boy three months later.