25: Cold Sweat

There was hope that Kielholz would sleep better after finding out Tobias was alive and recovering well from his injuries the following day. Langenscheidt certainly didn't regret staying up all night keeping Kielholz company. He had moments where he was ready to sleep, but refused to leave Kielholz alone, even though Kielholz had kept himself busy with books and letters he had received over the last year from Tobias.

Colonel Klink didn't hesitate to hand Kielholz a pass to visit his brother in the hospital, and explicitly warned Sergeant Schultz not to get in Kielholz's way under any circumstances. Langenscheidt was tempted to tell them that they didn't need to treat Kielholz like an aggressive animal, but stopped himself as he didn't want to stir up trouble.

The doctors reassured Kielholz that his brother was going to be alright, and Tobias himself was in good spirits, though he had bandages over much of the right side of his face from where shrapnel and splinters had been removed. He had a broken pelvis, a few broken ribs, and bruises covering most of his body, but his face brightened when he saw his little brother. Surely, that would have been enough to help Kielholz start to relax.

Langenscheidt stayed awake just in case, though his eyelids were getting heavy and the words in his book were starting to blur together. The last time he checked, Kielholz was asleep. By now, he should sleep through the night. Langenscheidt slid a bookmark between the pages he had been reading and lay on his stomach to place the book on top of his foot locker under the bunk, then curled up to finally sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he had been laying there, trying to sleep, when he heard the creaking of the boards holding up Kielholz's bunk, and Kielholz breathing heavily. Langenscheidt got up, and stood to find Kielholz lying awake and staring at the ceiling, cold sweat running down his face.

"What's wrong, Erich?" Langenscheidt whispered. "Are you alright?"

Kielholz rubbed his face, and a sob escaped his throat. "No… I dreamt… I dreamt someone came to camp and informed that Tobias died in the hospital."

"It was just a bad dream," Langenscheidt said. "You heard what the doctors said earlier today, and Tobias said he was feeling alright. He's going to be fine."

"It felt too real, Karl."

Langenscheidt gently squeezed Kielholz's shoulder. He didn't want to dismiss his friend's dreams or fears. After all, Kielholz would never do that to him. Sighing, Langenscheidt said, "What can I do to help?"

"I don't know if there is anything you can do at this point. At least… At least Tobias is alive, but… what if something happens? How am I going to tell Father? He already knows Tobias was injured, b-but I can't imagine telling him about Tobias dying. I told you how he reacted to Mama's death last year. I… I-I don't know how he would take losing one of his children."

"I'm afraid I can't help you there. Tobias was pretty lucky to make it out of the explosion alive. His injuries were minor compared to some of the others I overheard the doctors talking about. I even heard them mention Tobias wasn't a top priority because he's expected to survive and make a full recovery."

Kielholz gave Langenscheidt a worried look. "I'm not sure if that's supposed to help me feel better."

"In this case, I would trust the doctors' word. I did recognize some of them from my two surgeries earlier this year, so I think your brother is in good hands."

Kielholz nodded a little. "I guess."

"I even saw the name of the doctor who did your tonsillectomy on one of Tobias's papers. He's definitely in good hands."

Another nod, and another "I guess."

Langenscheidt resisted a sigh. "I really am trying my best to help."

"I know. I'm sorry."

There's got to be something that will help him relax enough so he can get some sleep. Langenscheidt worked his jaw as he thought. "Could you… Could you rub my shoulders? I've been feeling a bit tight today."

Kielholz gave him a more genuine nod, and motioned for him to turn around. Truthfully, Langenscheidt hadn't been feeling tight at all, but he knew giving Kielholz a chance, even a small one, to take care of him would help him feel better. Langenscheidt grinned a little while feeling the careful pressure from Kielholz's hands. When he puts that kind of effort into it, he's feeling confident in what he's doing. I just hope it helps you sleep well tonight, Erich.