Tension
The cellar was cold and dark as five men took him downstairs; five men seemed to be a lot of resources to waste on one man. He was shoved roughly forward through the door. He managed to keep his balance till someone grabbed him from behind and threw him to the hard cold floor. Georg landed on his side hard and before he could attempt to rise, a hard fist connected with his eye. He was blinded by it, and another blow hit his body. Five men against one handcuffed man punching, kicking, jeering and laughing. A moment of reprieve between blows was filled with disparaging remarks about him or his family. The beating momentarily stopped and Georg was sprawled on the dirty floor gasping for air. Suddenly two burly soldiers lifted him by the arms and held him upright. "Rolfe" they called. "Here is your chance to prove to us what you've learned." Through his swollen eyes, Georg could see the blond hair and blue-eyed boy. His face was no longer hesitant and scared, as it was in the abbey, but cold and emotionless. A chill ran up Georg's spine as he looked at the boy. His face was stone like and so were his fists.
"They taught him well" was the last conscious thought he had.
Georg woke with a start. He sat upright so quickly that his head spun. It took him a few minutes to register that he was not in Zeller's captivity but in his bed in Berne. It is only a dream, he thought as the dizziness subsided. A nightmare, but it was one he lived through. His mouth felt dry and he felt an instinctive need to flee. Although cognitively he knew he was safe, his tortured mind refused to grant him peace.
"Georg?"
The bed sheets rustled as Maria rolled over to turn on her bedside light. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light.
"Are you okay?" She anxiously asked.
"I'm fine."
"You're sweating," Maria said as she reached to smooth his damp hair.
He flinched at her touch "I'm fine!" he snapped. Georg instantly saw Maria's face fall with hurt. "I'm fine," he said again, this time gently. "It was just a bad dream."
Georg rose from bed and entered the bathroom that was attached to their room. Maria heard the water momentary running before Georg emerged. He entered their bed and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," he apologized.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No" he replied dismissively as he lay down. "I'm sorry I woke you."
Maria swallowed the words she wanted to say and instead reached for the lights. Once more the room was dark. She lay down very close to him, as he feigned sleep. With one ear on his chest she could hear his heart beating wildly.
Something was wrong.
Something was wrong between them.
Something has been wrong between them for the last few weeks.
Last night they fought, again.
Other women warned her that marriage is difficult, that marriage is a relationship that needs to be nurtured and cultivated like a delicate flower. Maria herself knew that there were would be times that she and Georg would fight. Their personalities dictated such outcomes. Yet she thought the inevitable fight would come sometime down the road and when it did, they would deal with it well.
All through their engagement they were on such good terms. In truth, since the day Georg and Maria argued by the lake on the day he returned from Vienna, they did not clash. Maria would be the first to admit that she is hot-tempered, out spoken, and at times rude. And Georg can be a stubborn brute often, but he can also be sweet, kind, and even-tempered when he puts his mind to it. He had been so throughout their engagement, their honeymoon, and the first few weeks of their reunion. But the last few weeks they have been at each other throats. Something was not right with Georg. Maria knew that, but whenever she tried to ask him how he was feeling, he would say that he is fine. He was lying. She could tell he was and it hurt so much when he distanced himself from her and from the children.
At first it was so wonderful to have him back. She needed him close at all times and Maria so enjoyed having him back in her life that she failed to notice that Georg was physically with her, but emotionally distant.
There first fight occurred when Maria became concerned that Georg was not sleeping. Maria was a deep sleeper and if she was not pregnant, she probably would not have noticed that Georg had trouble sleeping. Their growing child had made sleep elusive. It seemed that the unborn baby would wait precisely for the moment that Maria would drift to sleep before beginning to kick and roll in her stomach. And even when Maria was not subjugated to an onslaught of movement from her very active child, the sheer weight on her back made her achy and uncomfortable. As other woman informed her, an expectant mother in her third trimester not being able to sleep, is a way that the body prepares for the actual sleepless nights of motherhood.
Thus, Maria was often awake and observing that Georg did not sleep. And when he was asleep, it was fitful. When she first asked Georg about it he dismissed her concerns. However, Maria was persistent in finding the cause of his insomnia, which irritated Georg to a point that he had yelled at her.
Maria started to cry and Georg, feeling like the worst husband in the world, apologized profusely. The cycle continued. Maria would ask about it, Georg would verbally lash at her, Maria would cry, and Georg would beg for forgiveness. It caused for a miserable wife and irritable husband.
Maria always knew that Georg could be moody, but he was so often irritable and sad with her and the children. He tried hard to hide his feelings. He smiled a lot and engaged with the children, but his eyes had no sparkle, and smile seemed forced rather than genuine. He seemed happy to be home, but he was also sad. He was different.
But what killed Maria the most was how closed up Georg had become. He would not tell her what happened to him during the six months he was away. When ever she asked he simply said, "It's in the past and I won't dwell on it."
It was more than that though; he was not only closed emotionally but also physically. Maria was at first puzzled by it. At first, she was insulted and hurt by Georg's lack of interest in intimacy. She thought that he was un-attracted to her pregnant body. Georg said that he was concerned for the baby. He felt that Maria went through so much stress and he was scared that he might hurt her or the baby if they were together. Maria believed him and for a few weeks accepted what he had said. She was, after all, in the third term of pregnancy and they could not risk her going into labor early.
When she finally knew the truth it hurt her more than anything she thought possible.
The night was pleasant and Georg was in a good mood. The children were asleep and Maria and Georg retired early to bed. They lay next to each other, Maria was on her side and Georg massaged her arms with soft soothing motions.
"How do you feel? Georg asked.
"Like a whale."
"Like a whale?" Laughed Georg with his deep rich voice.
"Well look at me," Maria giggled, "I'm huge!"
"Maria, I've seen a whale, trust me you are far from it."
"You have? Where?"
"In the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of China."
"China?" She put her hand on her head and gave him her adorable exasperated look and waited for him to continue.
"I was very young, and before I started working on submarines. I was on deck and suddenly this enormous creature swam alongside the ship. It was majestic, enormous and so powerful. I only saw it for a few minutes but it was something."
He smiled at the memory. It was a genuine smile; Maria loved seeing him that way.
She snaked her hand under his nightshirt. "You're so warm," she purred.
Georg's eyes closed at Maria's touch, her hand on his chest caused explosive reactions in his body. He missed her; his body ached for her and her soft caresses slowly tortured him.
"I want you Georg."
His eyes snapped open at the boldness of her statement. Her eyes were dark with passion. Georg closed the lights and in an instant he was by Maria side. As he pressed his lips to hers the thoughts of his scars and the need to hide them from Maria left his mind. He could not refuse her anymore.
It was morning when Maria woke, they had forgotten to draw the shades the night before and the early summer light woke Maria long before she would have woken had the room been dark. Had the room been dark, she probably would have not seen that scars that were visible on her husbands back. When the surprise of seeing them had subsided, her feelings of shock were replaced by anger and hurt, feelings that she let her husband know. It had amounted to the worst argument that they ever had. Georg's reaction disturbed her greatly as he clumsily fumbled with his nightshirt trying to hide his shame. Months of suppressed emotions within Maria were unleashed on Georg who for once, was helpless, speechless, and had nothing to say.
His worst fear had come true. Georg knew Maria so well and he foresaw that she would react this way to his scars, thus he hid them from her. She was repulsed, he thought, by them and by him.
In her anger, Maria said thing she did not mean to say, but she said them and her words cut Georg as deeply as the whipping he received from Herr Zeller. He said nothing, but took in every word she said. She screamed at him and accused him of lying to her. She said words that were hurtful but true. Georg remained quiet as she verbally assaulted him. Like venom, her anger and her hurt seeped through every one of her words. His silence only fueled her anger more.
"For goodness sake say something!" she yelled.
"I think enough has been said," Georg finally replied with a shaking voice full of hurt. For the first time, his wife clearly saw the pain that was etched on his face. The pain that he hid beneath the surface and Maria realized that it was she who caused him to feel this way. Regret quickly filled her mind, but before she could utter another word, Georg had already fled the room.
The damage was done.
Georg managed to avoid Maria the whole day by locking himself in his study. He avoided everyone including the children. However, by the afternoon, Georg knew he was not being fair to them, so for his children sake he left the safety of his study to join the family. Georg followed the sounds of laughter to the garden. Unnoticed, he observed the family. The boys were playing ball with Louisa; Marta and Gretl were playing with dolls; while Liesl and Brigitta were reading. Maria was sitting down at the terrace table with a pitcher of lemonade beside her. She shifted suddenly in her seat and brought her hands together to rest on her abdomen.
With a newspaper in his hand, and his feelings still hurt, Georg walked to where she sat. He sat down, poured himself a glass of lemonade and began reading his paper, without acknowledging Maria's presence.
Maria felt awful for what she said earlier, but how could she apologize to Georg while his head was hidden behind newspaper. She shifted again in her seat, and once again brought her hand to rest on her abdomen. She was very uncomfortable and the ache in her back was driving her mad. In addition, her current guilt and her earlier display of anger seemed not to only affect Georg, but the baby inside her as well. She felt her insides being assaulted by what she mistakenly thought were an array of kicks.
Out of the corner of his eye, Georg saw his wife wince again. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked trying to keep his voice as causal as possible.
"I'm fine, it's just an ache."
The children where laughing and talking loudly only a few feet away, but there were a tense silence between them.
Georg resumed reading his paper but his brain did not comprehend the words he saw, as he noticed once again Maria visibly wince.
His anger towards her was gone and concern clouded his mind "shall I call the doctor?" Georg asked starting to get anxious.
"No, it's nothing really" Maria replied, "The baby is not due for another three weeks-
The words barely left her mouth when she felt a sharp pain radiating from her side. Georg instantly jumped from his seat as Maria's face paled. "I'm taking you inside, now!" his tone of voice conveyed that there was no room for discussion. He wrapped his arm around her and led her into the house.
The children noticed their parents' sudden disappearance and quickly caught up to Maria and Georg who were slowly climbing the stair to their bedroom.
"Liesl," Georg said sharply, call Frau Rast and boil a pot of water.
"Children, sit in the parlor and read. Stay out of trouble, Friedrich you're in charge," Georg instructed.
Once Maria was settled upstairs, Georg left to call the doctor while Frau Rast helped Maria change into a nightgown.
Frau Rast had left to fetch more towels and Maria was alone in the quiet room.
Fear and anxiety filled Maria as she sat in a semi-upright position. Yet she also felt excited that the moment of birth had finally arrived. She was still mad at Georg for keeping what happened to him to a secret, in addition to the guilt feelings she had for hurting him.
But most of all she was upset of what has become of their relationship and she was offended by Georg cold and businesslike approach to the whole situation. Overwhelmed by her conflicting emotions, Maria was unable to control her tears any longer as she began to bitterly cry.
As Georg entered the room, Maria hastily tried to wipe away her tears. In every situation she felt she needed to be strong and brave. Georg was alarmed by her state and quickly knelt by his wife.
"What is it Maria, why are you crying?" He asked as he gently wiped away tears from her face.
Maria couldn't answer as another contraction came and when it passed her reply came in the form of a hiccup.
"What is wrong, are you in a lot of pain?" Maria shook her head, "then what is it darling please don't cry, I can't bear to see it," he pleaded.
"Georg" she gasped, as she grabbed his arm. After the contraction passed she regained her breath. She looked into his blue eyes; there was no anger there, just love and concern for her. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I said such dreadful things to you." Maria admitted the real reason behind her crying.
Georg gently smiled. "There is nothing you should apologize for, you were angry and I should know better than to take anything a pregnant woman says to heart."
"I love you Georg," Maria sobbed.
"I love you too darling."
"Stay with me" she pleaded, "I'm so scared."
"I promise, I will."
She looked so small and scared, so young. Although it was not considered appropriate for a husband to be present during labor, Georg knew that there was no way he could abandon Maria. He did not care how much the doctor would disapprove; he was not leaving his wife side. "I'm here" his breath caught in his throat as he uttered those words. He never witnessed the birth of his other children. And a few months ago neither Georg nor Maria believed it possible that he would be there witnessing the birth of their first child together.
By nightfall the newest member of the von Trapp family entered the world. He was small, but he and his mother were otherwise in good health. He was named Georg Maximilian, after his father thought to be forever lost, and the man that saved his father's life. His proud parents and brothers called him Maxim, but his sisters preferred Little Max so to not confuse him with their favorite uncle.
A/N Thank you to Emm for Betaing this chapter.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story, your support has helped me keep going, there is about four more chapters to go!
