A new decade began. In January, U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb the previous year. In February, pro-communist riots erupted in Paris, and in April, one of the happiest and most fulfilling events of her life came to Margot Frank Gaebel.

It started as just another ordinary day. Margot was clearing the breakfast table while Peter buttoned his shirt and Wilhelm scampered around in his pajamas. Peter saw his wife wince and froze.

"Are you all right, liebling?"

"I'm fine." In truth, Margot had had a slight backache that had been coming and going at irregular intervals since early that morning.

"Are you sure?" Peter took several steps toward his wife.

"I just have a slight backache, but I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, the baby isn't due for another two and a half weeks."

He frowned.

"Go on to work, darling. It's not that bad. I'm sure it'll pass soon."

He gave her a hug and a kiss. Wilhelm looked up at him and waved. "Good-bye, Vati."

"Good-bye, Spatzle." Peter picked him up and kissed his cheek. "Take good care of your Mutti, all right?"

"I will!"

Margot watched as her husband opened the door and left. A brief feeling of foreboding swept over her, but she tried her best to ignore it. She finished clearing away the table and dressed Wilhelm. She decided to bake an apple pie to surprise Peter upon his return from work that evening, but a quick glance in her cupboard told her she didn't have enough sugar.

"Looks like we'll have to go to the grocery store," she told Wilhelm, who grinned.

During the short walk to the grocery store, her backache returned, a little more painful than before. I'll just take a nap when I get back home, before I start on the pie, she told herself.

As soon as she entered the store, she spied a large barrel of shiny red apples near the entrance. "Apples, Mutti!" Wilhelm exclaimed, tugging on her skirt and pointing.

Margot smiled. "We have apples at home, sweetheart." She soon found the sugar and took it to the cashier, who smiled at her. "Not much longer until your new little one is here."

"I can't wait." Margot rubbed her back. "My husband has his heart set on a little girl, since we already have a son."

"You'll love it, whichever it is," the cashier replied.

Margot paid for the sugar, then looked around for her son. "Wilhelm? Ah, there you are!"

Wilhelm sat at the foot of the barrel, holding a half-eaten apple. His cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk's.

"You naughty boy!" Margot scolded, smacking his hand. "I told you we had apples at home! I'll pay for it," she told the cashier.

The cashier laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it. Good-bye, little boy!" She waved at Wilhelm.

"Good-bye!" He waved back.

When Margot got home, she sat the sugar on the counter, got Wilhelm settled for a nap, and laid down herself.


Peter had a niggling feeling all morning. Despite Margot's reassurances that she was fine, he couldn't shake his unease. As soon as his lunch break arrived, he dashed to his car and flew back home, where he found his wife lying in bed, groaning in pain. "I'm going to call the doctor right away!" he exclaimed, but Margot grabbed his hand.

"Please don't leave me!" Her eyes were wide with panic, her face was flushed, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. "The baby - it's coming right now!"

She grimaced and bore down. His hands were shaking so badly that he could hardly remove her panties, and he gasped when he saw that the baby's head was already visible. Fighting panic, he was struggling to decide what to do when it came to him that the most important thing was to keep Margot calm.

"It's all right, liebling," he told her. "I'm here, and everything's going to be just fine."

Margot bit her lip to stifle a scream as she bore down again, and this time, the baby's entire head emerged. "You're doing great," Peter told his wife. "You're almost there."

Margot began to sob. "I don't know if I can do it..."

"Of course you can!"

A moment later, she groaned and bore down again, and the newborn's entire body slid into Peter's hands. He placed the child on Margot's abdomen and went in search of a knife.

"My baby!" Margot's hands reached to stroke her child's slippery body. Peter returned and cut the cord, and the newborn wailed. He returned the child to her while he went to fetch a clean basin of water and soap. He brought them and began to clean the baby, who by now had stopped crying and was sucking on a balled fist.

"You're simply the most beautiful little girl in the world!" he cooed to her.

"A girl?" asked Margot.

Peter laughed. "See for yourself!" He showed her, then began to pin a diaper on his new daughter.

"Vati?" Peter turned to see Wilhelm standing in the doorway, his eyes round as saucers.

"Come see your new sister!"

Wilhelm slid a finger into his mouth as he approached the infant, who turned her blue eyes toward him. "Hello, baby." He looked from his sister to his mother. "Are you all right, Mutti?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just a little tired, that's all."

"Your Mutti's a very brave woman," Peter told his son.

"So is your Vati," Margot added. Peter took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"We need to call your parents," Margot mumbled from inside his arms. "Mine too."

"I'll take care of all that," he told her. "You just stay right here and rest. You're certainly entitled." He knew he'd have to call the brewery as well, but right now, that was the farthest thing from his mind.