The Ghost Of The American Soldier

Chapter Two - Interlude

Philip Hamilton sits in his playroom, teething on an old stuffed animal. Laurens sits on the ground in front of him, silently observing the young Hamilton. It's been about a year since John Laurens was shot and killed in battle, only to be brought to the home of his best friend as some sort of ghost that only Philip, the Hamiltons son, could see.

The door opens slowly to reveal Philips mother, Elizabeth Hamilton. "Philip? You're awfully quiet..." she walks to the center of the room and picks up her child, totally oblivious to the Laurens, standing only a few feet from them. "Mommy is going to do some sewing in her room alright love?" she speaks in a baby like tone. Giving Philip one last kiss on his forehead, she leaves the room.

Philip begins crawling on the ground towards Laurens. The two formed an odd bond from the moment they met, The Hamiltons sometime question why their son will stare off into space for prolonged periods of time, but they brush it off to daydreaming or something of the like. "Hey little guy" Laurens says softly, lowering his face to meet the infants. Laurens never had a spot in his heart for children, but since his meeting with Philip, that all changed. And after all of the time that Laurens was there, he began to notice that Philip looks so much like his father, even as a baby.

That's the one thing that's conflicted Laurens in the past year. Alexander. His best friend, Was always feet away from him, but he couldn't talk to him. It made Laurens feel terrible. Did Alexander even know of his death? 

Almost like the lord heard Laurens thoughts, He heard eliza call out to her husband "Alexander there's a letter for you" This doesn't phase Laurens, Alexander gets letters mailed to him every week.

"It's from John Laurens, I'll read it later"

John perks his head up. Walking out into the family room where the couple sits, he watches in silence.

"No, it's from his father" Eliza says solemnly. Alexander raises his head from his desk. "His father?" he says with a confused expression, he pauses "Will you read it?" he asks. Eliza skims the letters before letting out a small gasp. She looks at her husband, unsure of whether to read it or not. She takes a deep breath and starts.

"On Tuesday the 27th, my son was killed in a gunfight against British troops retreating from South Carolina." Alex stiffens.

"The war was already over. As you know, John dreamed of emancipating and recruiting 3000 men for the first all-black military regiment"

   "Oh John..." Alex covers his mouth with his hand. Eliza fights back tears before finishing the letter"His dream of freedom for these men dies with him."

There is a sobering silence between the two of them, John walks up to Alex, and looks him dead in the eye, even though Alex can't see John.

"Alexander, are you alright?" Eliza asks, unsure of what to do next. John is so close to him, but has never been farther.

"I... have so much work to do" Alexander says, turning back to his desk. The scene is cut off by a small cry. Philips. Eliza snapped herself out of the moment and runs to aid her child. Laurens following behind her.

She sits in the rocking chair with Philip in her lap. "What's wrong love, are you hungry?" Eliza asks the fussy child. And before John can leave the room she begins breastfeeding Philip. Flustered and embarrassed for seeing what he shouldn't have seen, Laurens storms out of the room, as red as a British soldiers uniform.

He decides to wander around the house while Philip is being... fed. He walks first into the kitchen. Then the living area, then the bedrooms, until he finds his way to the office. He sees alex hunched over a stack of papers, murmuring to himself. He looks over Alex's shoulder to see what he's doing. He attempts to read some of the papers, when he notices

It's his handwriting.

Alex reads over letters that John sent him, and also at the letters that Alex never sent. He can't believe that Laurens is actually gone. The man that he shared drinks with not that many years ago

Is dead.

Alex jumps in surprise when a stack of papers falls off of one of the tables, falling to the ground. John stands there, unsure of how he even managed to move it... For the past year he hadn't been able to touch anything. Alexander stands and closes a window, before picking up all of the fallen papers.

Laurens decides that he's seen enough, and leaves the room, heading back to where Philip and Eliza were last. She's knocked out cold on the rocking chair, with philip sleeping peacefully on her chest. Laurens thinks for a moment

What happens now?

Do i just wander aimlessly for the rest of eternity?

Philip shifts his small body, losing his grip on his mother and slipping, Laurens jumps to attention and catches the child's head before it hits the side of a table, quickly adjusting him to how he was before. It was so fast that Laurens hadn't realized what happened until it did.

Was this it?

Am I supposed to look over Philip?

Can God just send me a sign?!

He leaves the room and sees that it's late night. Making his way to one of the empty bedrooms, He passes the office, and sees Alex fast asleep with his head on his desk. Laurens walks in for a moment, sighs, and blows out the candle on the desk.

"Goodnight my friend..."

Laurens enters an empty bedroom and makes himself comfortable in the twin sized bed. Staring at the ceiling he wonders what this new life will have for him... Was this what he was meant to do for the rest of his afterlife?

He didn't know, and he wouldn't know for a long time. But all he knew now was that even though he was dead, he was tired for some reason. He closed his eyes, and slipped off into a slumber.