Epilogue
On Christmas night, all was calm considering the winter Atlantic's strong winds, and bright by the moonlight and street-lamps shining in the naval port of Annapolis. Everyone in the town – local residents, naval soldiers on leave, the naval academy students and their families, fishermen – were all asleep after the blessed but exhausting holiday.
Well, almost everybody.
Just like most of the buildings in Annapolis, the Von Trapp house was made of red brick; smaller than the villa they had left behind, but a comfortable, good, big house for the big family. Everyone in the household was asleep, except the young matriarch of the family. Like the previous Christmas night, she could not sleep from happiness.
She lay curled in bed, her husband fast asleep holding her from behind, as he did every night. She was tired, but not quite sleepy. Knowing how much undecorating and storaging would take place tomorrow, she knew it would be the wise choice to just stay in bed and wait for sleep to come to her. Looking on the bright side, she could just relish the sensation of being in her husband's arms; even when he was asleep, it was unconsciously secure. Even after over a year of this, she had yet to get used to it, and hoped she never did.
Just as she let her eyes close again, Maria opened them when she became aware of the fact that she was not the only one who couldn't sleep: the master of the house had just woken up, and was making that known to her.
Smiling to herself, Maria quickly slipped out of bed so as not to wake her sleeping husband. She put on her white and light blue robe as she tiptoed to the door to the smaller room next door, opening and shutting the door quickly.
A little blue nightlight was on in the far corner of the small room, and Maria turned on another little light by the door. The small whimpers she had heard and was hearing were coming from the basinet near the nightlight, and Maria knew that, give it a few more minutes, those whimpers would become full cries if nothing was done.
She had no intention of letting that happen.
Maria quickly went to the basinet and looked down at her infant son, smiling at just the sight of him. Reaching down, she caressed his face, and he instantly ceased in his crying and opened his eyes – his father's eyes – to look at his mother. They shared the same look of awe and love as the little infant's arms reached up for his mother.
The twenty-two-year-old smiled and obeyed her son's silent request, gently picking him up and careful to support his head. "Joseph Dominik Von Trapp, I should have known when you went to sleep earlier than usual it was too good to be true. Hungry, are you? Well, let's take care of that."
She cradled her son and carried him to the rocking chair, picking up the white cloth on the tiny table beside the comfortable chair. After sitting down, she loosened her nightgown to free her left breast for him to feed. After a minute of negotiation, little Joseph found what he wanted and eagerly had his meal.
Maria chuckled. "I thought so, little one. Your father told me that it's normal for babies to be this hungry, so perhaps there is hope you will not inherit your brother's appetite." She tore her gaze from her baby son and looked at the clock on the wall. "A little early for a midnight feeding, but I believe this falls into the same category."
She gently rubbed her son's tiny head, which was covered in soft, dark hair. "You know, when I found out I was expecting you, I really had no idea what to expect, or if I would be able to be as good as your father and siblings all believed I would be when you were born. I can't deny how nervous I was. I remember the day we arrived in America. That morning, your father and I were standing at the bow of the ship as the sun was coming up behind us…"
Maria could feel her husband's gaze on her, so she turned her eyes from the horizon and looked at her husband, who was smiling at her. "What?"
His eyes had a playful gleam. "I must say, Baroness, I'm very impressed with you. During our week at sea, I haven't seen you be seasick once. You've seemed right at home for a mountain girl."
Maria smiled modestly and shrugged. "Well, I'm as surprised as you are. And I don't think it's fair to give me all the credit." Maria rubbed her small baby bump. "I think he or she has inherited your sea legs and is helping me…" Her smile faded as she looked at where her hand rested, and she became quiet.
"Maria, what is it?" asked Georg, who could read his wife very well. His arm tightened around her shoulders. "You are feeling alright, aren't you?"
"I feel perfectly fine, Georg, it's just…" She gave a shaky sigh and placed both hands over her stomach. "I suppose I'm…Georg, I never thought I would be having a baby…I never had any siblings and I was so young when my mother died…How will I know what to do? Will I be able to take care of it?"
Georg reached out his free hand and cupped her face, turning her head so she met his gaze. His own was reassuring and loving, as was his voice. "Maria, I know that when our child is born, you will love him or her with all of your heart. And you know it, too. So I know you will be a wonderful mother to our baby. And remember, my love, you won't be alone. I'll be right there every step of the way to raise this child with you. And I know our children are very eager to help."
Maria smiled and closed her eyes, pushing back her tears as Georg kissed her forehead. "I'm very glad that you have the experience you have, Georg," she confided. "And that the baby will be a part of such a big, supportive, loving family."
Georg gave her a soft smile, but his eyes were serious. "Do you realize what day this is? What happened a year ago today?"
Maria thought back, and gave a small gasp as she remembered, nodding. His hand continued to caress her cheek. "That day, I nearly lost you – and I would have deserved it if I did. But that day also marks the true beginning of our family. I vowed that day to be the best father I could be – for my children, for Agathe's memory, and for you. You are the reason this family is together."
Now Maria let a tear fall as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "Don't give me all the credit, Georg. You made the decision to reach out to them."
The couple were silent for a few minutes as they held each other. Finally, Georg touched her stomach, and said in a quiet, excited voice, "I cannot wait to meet our child."
Maria smiled and covered his hand. "Me, too." She lifted her eyes to the horizon and gasped. "Look, Georg! Is that land?" She pointed to the new dark line on the horizon.
Georg looked and smiled, holding her tightly to him. "Yes, it is."
They smiled at each other and shared a kiss.
The sound of her baby's tiny protests as he pulled his mouth away from her breast brought the young mother from her reverie, seeing her son was now full. "Oh, excuse me, sir," she said, smiling and putting her breast back. "What a good eater you are! Just let me…" She grabbed the white cloth and draped it over her shoulder before bringing Joseph up to burp.
As she patted his back and bounced him slightly, she reminisced again. "That was a happy time, getting settled into the house and making it our own. The only point of frustration was that Georg hardly let me do anything, especially if it involved moving heavy things. Finally we had to work out an agreement: I would not do any heaving lifting or pushing, but I would be allowed to do anything else. I must say, I'm very glad that Ellen decided to come with us. Her help was invaluable to me as you got bigger inside of me and your father got even more protective about us."
Her three-week-old son then burped, and Maria smiled before kissing his head. "Good boy." She was about to cradle him again to sing a lullaby, but then she got an idea. She looked at Joseph, who in turn looked back at her. She gave her son a mischievous smile. "Want to go on a little adventure with me?"
Joseph blinked and gave a small coo. Maria's smile widened, taking that as a 'yes.' After wrapping Joseph in a yellow baby blanket and cradling him again, mother and son quietly exited the nursery and went down the stairs into the living room. She was glad to see that the fire was still alive and the lights of the big Christmas tree had been left on.
Smiling broadly at the sight, Maria gently lifted her son up to he could take a look. "I want you to see this in its full glory, like my father would show me."
Joseph's blue eyes opened fully at this new sight. Though he had inherited his father's eyes, the expression of awe in them as the three-week-old infant took in the magical sight was much the same as his mother's. His little arms began to wave, in attempts to touch one of the many lights before him.
Maria laughed and sat down on the sofa nearby, resting Joseph so he sat back against her on her lap, so he could continue to look at the tree.
After kissing the top of his dark head, Maria murmured, still looking at the tree. "I was so happy to learn that you would be born before Christmas, little love, that you would be here to celebrate it with us. But I suppose you were already too good of a son, because you came a bit early. Two and a half weeks early to be exact…"
"I'm just running to the market to get some ingredients for the dinner tonight, all right, Maria?" asked Frau Schmidt as she put her winter coat on. Though there had been no snow yet in Annapolis, the winter winds off the Atlantic had dropped the temperature quite a bit.
"All right, Ellen," said Maria, barely looking up from her copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. "Be careful out there."
She heard the back door close and resumed reading her story. It wasn't long before she felt her child kick in her bladder area. Sighing, she marked her place in her book and heaved herself up out of the chair. Maria spared a longing look at the sofa, but knowing that if she used it she could never get out of it on her own, she had resorted to do her reading in the comfortable arm chairs.
"Wonderful timing, baby," she murmured, noting that this would be the third time this morning she would be using the bathroom. Once that was taken care of, Maria walked – or waddled – back towards the living room.
But she didn't make it there. All of a sudden, she felt a strange sensation in her lower body, and she groaned, clutching her swollen belly. Suddenly she heard the sound of water splashing to the dark-wood floor and felt something wet pouring down her legs, soaking her dress. Craning her neck to look over her very pregnant belly, she gasped.
"It's too soon…" she whispered as she hobbled to the nearby telephone, holding her belly and feeling suddenly afraid. She was, after all, all alone in the big house, with the children at school, Georg at the academy and Frau Schmidt at the market. Not to mention this was not supposed to happen for at least another two weeks.
When she got to the phone, she picked it up and called the number of the naval academy. Perhaps it would have been better to call the doctor first, but Maria really needed to hear her husband's voice. The phone rang several times before the secretary answered. "Annapolis Naval Academy, can I help you?"
"Um, yes, hello, I am Captain Von Trapp's wife and I need to speak to him right away."
"Well, he is teaching right now, Mrs. Von Trapp, but he can call you back in about a half an hour when lunch begins."
Under any other circumstances, Maria would have just left a message and said 'thank you,' but this was not any other circumstances. In a desperate, frightened voice, she held her belly more firmly and said, "Please, miss, my water just broke and I'm all by myself."
A brief pause. "Of course, Mrs. Von Trapp, just hold on for a minute while I patch him through."
"Thank you," breathed Maria, and leaned against the wall as she waited to hear his voice, which she soon did.
"Maria, what is it?" she heard him ask in a concerned voice. Since there was no background noise, she knew he was taking the phone call in his office, and because she rarely called him at work, of course he would sound concerned. But hearing his voice did wonders for a state of mind.
"Georg, I know it's too early, but my water just broke," she said apologetically, frightened.
The smallest of pauses, and then Georg spoke to her in a calm, reassuring tone that was in-control – exactly what she needed. "Is Ellen there with you? Have you called the doctor?"
"No, Ellen's at the market, you're the first I've called."
"All right. You get yourself upstairs and into bed, time the contractions as they come. I will call the doctor and pick him up on the way home. We'll be there very soon."
"No, Georg, you have to teach, I'll be just fine –"
"Listen to me, Maria. Everyone here will understand; you are the most important thing in my life, and you need me. So I will be there. All right?"
A tear of gratitude slid down Maria's cheek. "All right, I'll be strong."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Maria smiled as she slipped her forefingers through each of her son's little hands, which he gripped tightly. "Thank goodness the first contraction didn't come until I was on the bed. They were nearly five minutes apart by the time your father and the doctor arrived. They told me it was a relatively quick labor, but oh my, it didn't feel like it." Maria leaned down and met her son's gaze, her face upside down to his, and he cooed in surprise. "You made me work very hard, sir!"
She kissed his nose and raised her head again. "It seemed to last forever, but you arrived just before your brothers and sisters came home from school. That certainly was a surprise to me, because there were moments in that labor I didn't think I was going to make it. But it was all worth it, once I heard you cry for the first time and once Ellen laid you in my arms. My first thought was, I'm so glad you look like your father…"
She smiled wistfully again. "What a happy day it was. Your siblings were so happy to meet you, especially your brothers. They'd been praying for a little brother from the beginning. And don't worry, they'll protect you when your sisters want to dress you up in baby-doll clothes. Your father and godfather Dominik, too. He came down the moment godmother Liesl called him that night with the news. And I'm very glad he's here for the holidays with us." She thought of Joseph's godparents, and knew that they were on the road to becoming as close as she and Georg were. While Maria had no objections, knowing for a long time how perfect they were for each other, she was glad they were not rushing into anything – they had their whole lives ahead of them.
She gave a soft sigh and looked at the Christmas tree again. "Thank God for your father, Joseph. He never left my side for one moment. I couldn't have done it without him."
"Yes, you could have."
Both Maria and Joseph turned their heads to find Georg standing in the doorway, in his purple bathrobe and smiling sleepily. "What are you doing up, darling?" asked Maria, smiling at him.
"Well, I woke up to find you and the master of the house were not in your respective rooms, so I thought I would inspect the situation," he said, approaching them and sitting down beside them. "And, remembering last year, I had a very good idea of where you would be."
Joseph, seeing his father, held out his little arms to him, and Georg's smile widened. He reached out and took his youngest son to cradle him in the crook of his right arm, so he was facing his mother. "Are you keeping your mother up?" Georg asked in a mock-stern voice.
Maria laughed and shook her head. "He was just a bit hungry, and he's been very good tonight. Then again, he's been such a good boy since he came into the world."
"Yes, I would say so," said Georg, looking down at his youngest child, who was looking right back up at him, identical eyes and identical gazes. The father stroked the son's cheek and kissed his dark head before turning to his wife, who was smiling softly at the pair of them. He reached out his free arm to pull her to him, and she gladly rested against him and joined him in looking at their son, their creation, their miracle.
When their son gave a big yawn, both proud parents chuckled. Georg looked at Maria. "Shall you sing the lullaby, or shall I?"
"Both of us, I think," replied Maria, reaching out a hand so her son could grasp her finger. She began to sing, and soon Georg joined her.
Edelweiss, edelweiss,
Every morning you greet me.
Small and white, clean and bright,
You look happy to meet me.
Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Edelweiss, edelweiss,
Bless my homeland forever.
They watched their son fall asleep as they sang, and they continued to watch him after the song was done.
Neither of them had any idea of what the future would bring. There would be tragedies, as there always must be in life: Father Norbert would pass in one year's time, and the Reverend Mother would pass in two year's time. The worst would come in three years, when they would learn that Hans's cover was blown and he was executed. It led Georg to a depression only Maria and his children could help him out of.
There would be great joy as well. In five years time, two joyous events happened: the end of the great war and the marriage of Liesl and Dominik. By that time, Georg and Maria would not only have Joseph as proof of their love, but twin girls: Barbara and Augusta. And, in ten years, Georg would fulfill his promise to Maria and take her back for a visit, once the scars of war were healed. Though their villa was no longer theirs to visit, her mountain and her spot there had remained private and just the same as she had left it.
But on that Christmas night, the husband and wife only lived and thought of the present, watching their beautiful son sleep for long moments after putting him back in his basinet. This image was at least as beautiful as the portrait of the holy family that hung by the Christmas tree.
Eventually, Maria and Georg tore their gazes from their son and looked at each other. No words were said because no words could describe the emotions they felt for each other, could reflect all they had come through to get to this point of complete love. And as they shared a kiss, both knew in every part of their being that, whatever the future would bring, they would face it together all the days of their lives.
And that is just what happened, thanks be to God.
The End
A/N: Well, that's all that she wrote. What a wonderful experience writing this story has been, and I can't believe I've done it so fast considering the length! I cannot thank all of the readers enough who have gone through this with me, and all of the reviews that have been left (seriously, over five HUNDRED? OMG!). A new story is already in the works, so keep an eye out. I'm not dead yet!
Perhaps my favorite actor has the best words for it. Go to Youtube, look up the video "JULIE ANDREWS AFTA09" and watch what the last person says. What he says about her perfectly describes what I feel about all of you.
