The Lonely Goatherd – Chapter 4
Several weeks past and still the Captain had not returned. Everyday as different naval ships returned to Pola, Maria would keep a look out for the handsome Captain as the sailors poured onto shore but yet he remained out at sea.
On one hand, time seemed to drag on as she waited for him to return, but on the other hand, she was quite busy with the many wounded sailors the flooded into the hospital and so the weeks flew by quickly. She didn't have much spare time and any free time she did have, she spent making new clothes out of the material the Captain had sent her. Thankfully she was able to discard the ugly grey dress now that she had several new beautiful dresses to wear.
On the rare occasion that she did have an afternoon free, Maria found herself spending more and more time with the Baroness. She'd been surprised one day shortly after her visit to The Lonely Goatherd to find Elsa waiting for her outside the hospital. The woman asked Maria back to the tavern for an early dinner before the evening rush of sailors to the bar and Maria was astonished to find how well she got on with her. It seemed like Maria and Elsa had found a sort of kindred spirit in each other and Elsa admitted to Maria, more than once, how much she enjoyed Maria's company. And the more time Maria spent with Elsa, the more she learnt about the Captain. A story here, a small bit of information there – little by little Maria was gaining a bigger picture of the man who haunted her dreams. And Maria wasn't sure, although she suspected, that Elsa, in her own little way, was trying to play matchmaker between Maria and the Captain. Maria didn't quite know how she felt about the Captain. In many ways, Maria was incredibly attracted to him, and yet there was something intense and foreboding about the Captain that still made her unsure. She wanted him to come back, not only so she could apologise to him, but also to work out how she felt about him and to find out whether he reciprocated her feelings as well.
But still he didn't return and the weeks turned into months before one day, Maria was sent word from Elsa that the Captain's ship had docked back in Pola that afternoon. Elsa asked Maria to come to The Lonely Goatherd that night as she knew the Captain would be there. It took some quick talking and negotiating, but finally Maria was able to persuade Sister Berthe to give her the night off. Somehow, probably because they didn't want to miss out on the excitement, Margaretta and Sophia arranged to have the night off as well so all three ladies left the hospital to head for The Lonely Goatherd.
"Finally! Another night off, and now we're out for some fun," exclaimed Margaretta with a giggle.
"What do you mean? Another night off?" Sophia scoffed. "You've been sneaking out almost every night to meet up with sailors since we've been here!"
"Yes, but this time I have permission to go," Margaretta replied in exasperation rolling her eyes. "But, you know, I do blame Maria for all my night-time escapades."
"Me?" Maria was surprised.
"Yes, it all started when you took us to the Lonely Goatherd those months ago. I never knew there were so many handsome men in the navy. And fun, oh yes, sailors are fun, very fun." Margaretta battered her eyelids and gave the two women a wicked smirk.
"Fun? Oh no, Margaretta… you haven't been…?" Sophia spluttered.
"What?" Margaretta questioned, narrowing her eyes somewhat. "Oh NO!" she replied instantly the moment she worked out what Sophia was getting at. "No, of course not. I'm not one of those kinds of women. I'm not that foolish to allow one of those sailors into my bed. A few dances, some drinks and a kiss or two goodnight, and that's it."
"Well, that's a relief," exhaled Maria. "I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble. You remember the home for unwed mothers back in Salzburg? It wasn't a nice place to be. At least the Reverend Mother and the other nuns from Nonnberg Abbey used to help out those women and their babies."
"Don't worry Maria. You can trust me to keep out of trouble. I'm here for a good time, not to throw my life away by sleeping with a sailor who may never return from his next mission at sea."
"So you don't have anyone special at the moment?" Sophia asked Margaretta.
The woman shook her head. "No, it's too hard to choose anyway," she laughed. "I just love them all!" Margaretta threw her hands up in the air in a wide arc. "But Sophia, I can try and set you up with one of them, if you like." Sophia blushed nervously and nodded her head.
"What about you Maria?" Margaretta turned her attention to her friend. "A sailor for you tonight?"
"What?" Margaretta's proposal took Maria by surprise. "Oh no, that's no necessary," Maria stammered. "But there is someone I'm hoping to try and meet up with tonight at the tavern."
"Someone?" Margaretta questioned pursing her lips together as she tried to work out whom Maria could be talking about. There was only one person she knew of. "Would it be that Captain who paid you so much attention last time we came here together?" Margaretta's tone was accusing. Maria opened her mouth to reply but Margaretta continued. "Because if it is, I've told you before, he's no good. I've heard so many nasty stories about him from many of the sailors. Maria, you should stay well away from him."
Without revealing everything she knew about the Captain, Maria knew she had to set her friend straight. "Margaretta, I think all those apparent nasty stories are just rumours. You don't know anything about him, or what he's been through…"
"And you do?"
Maria nodded. "I can't say what, but I do think you're judging him unfairly. I did too once, and I was wrong, so very wrong and I feel terrible about it…" Maria's voice trailed off.
She didn't say anymore and the three women walked in silence the rest of the way to The Lonely Goatherd. Seeing the tavern up ahead and knowing that the Captain would be inside, suddenly Maria felt nervous and she had no idea what she was going to say to him when she saw him. She glanced down at her dress: a cream blouse with frills at the sleeves under a light brown bodice with a long flowing dark beige skirt. It was nice dress and practical, but not the prettiest in her collection. She had wished she could have worn the gown made from the light blue chiffon cloth but she was still in the process of completing it. The only other dress, which was prettier than the one she was wearing, was the one made from the material with tiny red and green flowers imprinted on a white background. She had been saving that dress for a special occasion, but thinking about it now, Maria wondered whether she should have worn that dress instead. But there was no time to go back and change outfits. Maria let out a sigh and followed Margaretta and Sophia into the tavern.
Like the first night when they'd come to The Lonely Goatherd, the tavern was noisy and full of smoke and drunken sailors. Also, once again there was a pair of men standing on a nearby table swaying side to side with their arms linked and yodelling loudly.
Maria glanced around the crowded room looking for some sign of the dark haired Captain but she couldn't see him. Almost at once Margaretta disappeared into the sea of sailors dragging a half-reluctant, half-enthusiastic Sophia behind her.
Maria was left alone. She stood off to the side and continued to scan the room for anyone she recognised. After a few minutes, the Baroness appeared from the back room and the whole tavern erupted in loud and wild cheers. Once again she was clothed in a sleek red number, her platinum blond curls piled high upon her head. As Elsa pirouetted around the room, she caught sight of Maria out of the corner of her eye. She gave Maria a half-smile and inclined her head towards a table several rows behind her. Maria tried to peer around the crowd but then as several men moved away, she saw him!
The Captain was sitting with Max, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked tired and thin, older even, Maria thought, like he'd been through a lot over the past months. She watched him for several moments before she took a deep breath, hummed a few lines of I Have Confidence then began to make her way across the room to his table.
Almost like he sensed she was there, the Captain looked up in her direction before she was even half way across the floor. His gaze was so intense that it almost knocked the air out of her lungs. She stopped and looked back at him. For a moment he seemed pleased to see her, but then his expression hardened and he looked away. Not being put off, Maria continued walking over to his table.
"Hello," she said brightly and gave him a wide, yet slightly nervous smile. "I thought I just might find you here." She tried to playfully punctuate her words to try and disguise just how uneasy she was feeling about speaking to him after what had occurred between them the last time they'd spoken.
"Was there something you wanted?" he asked tersely. Any premise that he might have been pleased to see her was gone. He seemed irritated and almost angry that she was there.
"Well, I… uh, you see that…" she spluttered, not quite knowing where to start.
"Yes, get on with it." His abrupt and brisk manner shook her. She blinked several times, feeling a little miffed at his poor treatment of her.
Her temper flared. "Captain, I haven't seen you in months. I had expected that perhaps you might be a little friendlier towards me and not just dismiss me without listening to what I have to say."
The Captain sat bolt upright in his seat eyes blazing, about to make a sharp retort. But before he could, Max placed one hand on his arm. "Georg, the girl is right. And I think you should listen to what she has to tell you."
The Captain threw his friend a peeved look then let out a deep breath. "All right Max," he conceded before he flicked his eyes back to Maria. "My apologies Maria." The Captain's tone had softened somewhat although there was still an edge to his words. "All right, what is it you wanted to say?" he asked.
But before Maria could reply, Max interrupted. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to get another drink, and perhaps some strudel." The lieutenant flashed a charming smile then stood and left the Captain and Maria alone.
The Captain didn't speak but just stared intently at Maria, rapping his fingertips impatiently on her table in front of him. Maria was feeling more uneasy by the minute but she was determined to not let him shake her. "Err… Captain," Maria cleared her throat, preparing herself to say what she'd come there to say.
But before she could, a waitress, who was carrying a couple of large jugs of water, tried to squeeze past the Captain's table and tripped over a chair leg. All of a sudden, Maria found herself completely drenched from top to toe as the entire contents of both jugs of water landed on top of her.
"Eeek…!" Maria squealed in surprise. The Captain jumped to his feet. At once the waitress began apologising profusely as Elsa seemed to vaporise out of thin air next to them.
"Maria, darling! Are you all right?" Elsa asked as Maria nodded, glancing down at her now bedraggled appearance. She couldn't have been more wet than if she'd fallen out of a row boat into a lake: hair plastered to her head and her brand-new dress absolutely sopping. Maria sighed in defeat and shook the excess drops of water from her hands as another waitress arrived with a towel. "It's okay: it's just water," she sighed.
As she wiped her face down with the towel, Maria could see the Captain observing her with a look of mild amusement on his face. But his smirking ignited something inside her and she was instantly annoyed. She shot him a peeved look. "I suppose you think this is funny?"
"No!" the Captain denied and lifted both hands up innocently. "Not at all." But as he continued to grin at her, Maria felt her temper rising further. She opened her mouth to snap something back at him.
Elsa, standing between the Captain and Maria, could sense the tension between her two friends. She gently took the towel from Maria's hands. "Now, Maria. Please let me get you something clean and bright to wear so you can get out of these wet clothes. But while I'm gone, how about you chat nicely with Georg? I seem to recall that you had something pressing to say to him."
She nodded faintly as Elsa left in a flurry. Maria felt the Captain's eyes on her as he waited for her to speak. He gestured to her to continue. "You were saying…?"
Maria closed her eyes, inhaled deeply then began. "I, uh, wanted to thank you for the precious gift you sent me."
"What precious gift?"
"The material? For my new dresses? You sent them to me, didn't you?"
The Captain didn't answer right away, instead he clicked his tongue against his teeth for a few moments. "Yes I did," he finally admitted. "I couldn't have you roaming all about Pola in clothes that looked like they'd been made from some old drapes." Maria smiled as it seemed like he was giving her a gentle poke about her previous attire. "And besides, I said I would and I did. I'm a man of my word," he concluded softy, casting his eyes downwards, the grin on his face disappearing completely.
"Yes, I can see that," said Maria genuinely.
The Captain raised his eyes up and cast them over Maria, up and down several times. He frowned. "Was that one of your new dresses?" he asked. Maria glanced down at her saturated dress and let out a defeated laugh. "Well, it was."
"You look very beautiful," he told her, "Still. Despite the water." The way he continued to look at her made Maria's breath catch in her throat and she felt her cheeks flush pink. "So what happened to the old dress, the grey one?" he asked.
"Oh I had to throw it out," Maria explained with a laugh. "I tried to give it to away to the poor, but even they didn't want it!"
For the second time that night, Maria noticed the Captain's lips curl upwards in a half smile like he wanted to laugh too but then the moment was gone and his expression returned to stern. His demenour had suddenly switched back to the same cold, unfriendly manner that he was portraying when she'd arrived at The Lonely Goatherd. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.
"Anyway, so you've thanked me. Was there anything else?" he inquired abruptly.
Once again, his harsh tone threw her. "W-well actually," she began. "I wanted to talk to about that day at the hospital. I wanted to apol…" But before she could finish her sentence, loud yelling and sounds of a scuffle coming from over the other side of the room interrupted them.
The Captain's head snapped up and whipped around trying to see what was going on. There was a group of sailors pushing and shoving each other several tables over. The Captain got to his feet intent on breaking up whatever argument was going on. But before he could, Max appeared in the midst of the group of quarrelling men.
"Now, men," they heard Max say firmly as he placed his palms on the chests of two of the men to separate them. "Take this outside. The Baroness has a rule about brawling in her tavern, you know that."
Several of the men grumbled and shrugged then threw their hands up in the air, like the disagreement wasn't worth it and turned around to go back to their drinks. But one of the other men was determined not to let them go without a fight. He pulled a knife. The Captain saw the glint of the metal blade as the sailor raised his arm in the air to strike.
"Max!" the Captain yelled. "Look out, he's got a knife!"
Too late, Max turned around to try and deflect the blade as the man attacked the other sailor. Max got caught in the crossfire and the knife plunged into his side. Max let out a groan as he sank to the ground. The other sailors around him scattered.
The Captain leapt up out of his seat and ran towards Max, both Maria and Elsa not far behind. As he reached his friend, the Captain scanned the room wildly for the perpetrator. He saw the sailor who had stabbed Max running for the door. "Get that man!" the Captain bellowed and several sailors near the door jumped on the man and pinned him to the ground. They then dragged him to his feet and held him tight. "Take him down to the base and find the commander," the Captain ordered. "Tell Commander Zeller what happened then hand that man over and have him locked up."
As soon as the sailors had hauled him out of the tavern, the Captain dropped to his knees at Max's side. "Max?" he whispered, lightly tapping his friend's face trying to rouse him. When Max didn't open his eyes, the Captain scanned his eyes down Max's body to the stab wound in his side. There was blood gushing out of Max's side and immediately the Captain took off his jacket and placed it over the wound to try and stop the bleeding. The bloody knife was lying on the floor next to him.
He sensed someone kneeling down next to him and he felt soft hands on top of his pushing down. "Captain," Maria said. "You have to put pressure on the wound otherwise he'll lose too much blood."
The Captain nodded and pushed down harder but there was a lot of blood still coming out.
"Sophia, Margaretta!" Maria called out, wildly looking around for her friends. A few seconds later, they both appeared looking fearful. "Run back to the hospital," Maria instructed, "and get the ambulance over here quickly. We need to get the lieutenant to the hospital as fast as possible."
As they left, Maria helped the Captain maintain pressure on the wound and together they managed to slow the bleeding considerably. Elsa fetched a pillow and a blanket to make Max more comfortable as he was going into shock and several of the barmaids began to clear out the tavern.
As they knelt together side by side, the Captain turned to look at Maria and she was surprised to see genuine fear in his eyes. "Will he be all right?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I hope so. We have to get him to the hospital quickly and he'll need surgery to close up that wound. It may be touch and go, I'm afraid but I promise I will do everything I can to help him."
"Thank you Maria," he breathed and he moved one hand slightly in order to clutch onto hers. They were kneeling close enough to each other that they were able to press their foreheads together while Maria whispered a silent prayer.
A few moments later, there was a commotion as the ambulance from the hospital arrived and several other nurses came in with a stretcher. It took a few of them to roll Max onto the stretcher and carry him out of the tavern. Maria stayed with Max the entire time, not willing to let the pressure off the stab wound until they were back at the hospital and Max was in surgery lest the wound start bleeding again. She left the Captain at The Lonely Goatherd with Elsa and the promise that she'd be in touch as soon as she knew anything about Max's condition after the surgery.
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Several hours later, Maria sat at Max's bedside in the hospital. She felt exhausted as it had been a long and unpredictable night. It had been several hours since they'd arrived at the hospital and although Max had come through the surgery in the end, it had been touch and go at one point because he'd lost so much blood. She knew it might be days before the lieutenant woke up but she wanted to stay with him as long as she could so he wouldn't have to be alone.
Maria felt helpless. She'd said prayer after prayer until she was all prayed out – she didn't know what more she could do except to be there and wait. But then she wondered whether Max could hear what was going on around him. She felt a little silly sitting there talking to an unconscious man, but Maria wondered whether singing might help. Singing always made her feel better whenever she sad and she decided that it couldn't hurt.
She began to sing softly. "The hills are alive, with the sound of music…"
XxXxXxXxXx
The Captain had waited for hours with Elsa at The Lonely Goatherd. She'd sent all the customers and staff home for the night after the stabbing so the place was empty apart from him. He paced up and down around the room in agitation waiting for news on Max. Finally he couldn't take waiting anymore and decided to head down to the hospital himself to find out how his friend was.
The hospital was dark and the corridors were deserted. The only person he'd bumped into was the night nurse who told him that the lieutenant was out of surgery and pointed him in the direction of the ward.
He was so concerned about the welfare of his friend that he barely noticed the sounds of music coming from the ward as he approached and it was only as he stood at the doorway that he realized it was Maria singing. She sat at his friends' bedside, her head in her hands singing a tune that he had once known so well but had forgotten.
"… to laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way, to sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray…"
Her light, sweet voice seemed to stir something inside him, something that had been frozen and shut out for so long and he found himself drawn into the room, the sound of his own voice mixing perfectly with hers.
"… I go to the hills when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear, what I've heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music and I'll sing once more…"
Maria looked up surprised to see the Captain standing next to her, touched by the emotion in his voice. As the song ended, they looked at each other in silence before Maria broke the quiet by getting up off her seat. "Captain, please sit down. I'm sure Lieutenant Detweiller would much prefer you to be by his bedside than me." The Captain gratefully took the seat and Maria hovered at the end of the bed while the Captain gazed down at his friend.
"So, tell me," the Captain began not taking his eyes off Max. "The surgery: was it a success?"
Maria nodded faintly. "Yes, but he'd lost a lot of blood. He was lucky. It could have quite easily gone the other way."
The Captain turned to look at Maria. "Thank you, for everything." He turned back to Max. "You know Max is my only friend, apart from Elsa, that is. I'm not sure what I would have done if anything…" his voice trailed off.
"He's going to be all right Captain," Maria tried to reassure him, approaching him and placing one hand on his shoulder. "And you should know," she added quietly, "Max isn't your only friend." Feeling her hand on his shoulder and hearing her words, he twisted his face so that he was looking into her eyes. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. Maria wiped a stray tear from her cheek with her other hand.
"Captain," she began. "Last time we spoke before you went away, I said stupid, thoughtless things to you and I apologise. I didn't mean…"
"Stop," he said quietly. "Maria, please stop. You have nothing to apologise for. I am the one who needs to apologise to you. I behaved badly time and time again, forgive me?"
"I do, but you'll have to forgive me too. I'm far too outspoken; it's one of my worst faults."
"No, not at all. You're right. I don't have any friends, not anymore. I killed them all and I've been running away from my mistakes and my guilt ever since."
Maria's heart went out to him. "But you don't have to run anymore," she soothed. "You can learn from your mistakes. You can start again. There's still time…"
The Captain shook his head. "How can I start again when everything I touch turns to death or tragedy? Even Max."
"But he isn't dead! He survived! You have to stop putting yourself down. From what I see you're a fine man and a brave one. You have so much to offer if you'll let go of your fear and trust yourself again."
The Captain closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nostrils. "How?" he choked.
"One day at a time, I suppose. And let your friends help you. I know Elsa cares a great deal for you, and…" she paused, "so do I."
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "You do? Even after I've treated you so appallingly?"
"Even then," she smiled. "I had hoped that perhaps we can get to know each other better, as friends… Georg." Somehow Maria felt it was a relief to call him Georg now rather than 'the Captain' all the time.
Georg smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. "I'd like that very much, Maria."
A/N: Thanks everyone for your review. I've love to hear what you think of this chapter too. Please review!