A/N:

This is the next to last chapter of Once Upon a Dream. All of the stories loose ends will be tied up in the Tenth and final chapter to be published on or before Tuesday, February 10, 2004. I promise you, you will get to see the Captain kick some mean old doctor butt as many have expressed their desire to see that occur. Thanks for reading.

Kris

Chapter Nine

Captain von Trapp ran into Maria's room as soon as the Baroness called him. He could never recall feeling such fear in his life, not even when Agathe died and the fright in Elsa's eyes for someone she really did not care for chilled him to the bone.

"Dr. Woss," the Captain asked hurriedly, "How is she?"

"She's very agitated. Her fever has gone up, it's over 104," Dr. Woss told him. "Do you have any ice?"

"Yes, we have an icehouse behind the boathouse," the Captain answered.

"Have the butler fetch some. We have to pack her in ice and get the fever down."

Baroness Schraeder didn't even have to be told, she turned and quickly went to find Franz so he could bring what the doctor needed to tend Maria. Shortly, she was back with Franz and two large buckets of chopped ice.

"Thank you, Baroness, Franz," the doctor acknowledged. "We have things under control for now, why don't you get some rest, Baroness."

Baroness Schraeder nodded and left the room, knowing that Maria had what she needed, an excellent physician and a man who loved her. The Baroness decided that she'd stay at the villa only until the danger with Maria had passed. If she did not recover, she would help Georg and the children over the loss, forever endearing herself to him. If she did recover, she would tell Georg of her suspicions and nobly step aside.

The Captain, for his part, had seated himself on the bed with Maria and helped Dr. Woss pack her feverish body in ice. She was shaking with chills and murmuring incoherently. The few words the Captain was able to make out were, help, hurt, please don't, and finally his own name on a sob.

"I'm here, Fraulein," he comforted, "I'm right here. It's all right. You'll be all right," he assured her.

His calm voice soothed her ramblings as did his gentle touch on her brow, "No one will ever hurt you again, Fraulein. I swear it."

Once the immediate crisis passed and Maria was sleeping more peacefully, the Captain settled back against the headboard, holding Maria upright against his side, while an exhausted Dr. Woss sat in a chair next to the bed.

"Was the baby born?" the Captain asked, trying to make light conversation with the doctor.

"Yes," she nodded, "a little girl. They called her Augusta."

"That's a lovely name," the Captain commented, brushing a strand of Maria's hair off her forehead.

"Yes, Ed and I have talked about children. But there never seems to be enough time," Dr. Woss got a wistful look on her face.

"Do it soon, Doctor. Do it before it's too late. It always seems like you have all the time in the world, and then you blink," the Captain sighed. "It seems like yesterday my Liesl was a tiny baby, and now she's a woman." He laughed and tender smile gracing his tired features.

"I never even thought I'd get married," Dr. Woss confessed. "I went to medical school in America and then I heard that there were a lot of people in Austria and Hungary that needed good doctors but couldn't afford them. So I came out here on a lark and what do you know, I married an Austrian lawyer and."

Dr. Woss' speech was cut off by another anguished cry from Maria. The Captain rocked her gently and tried to comfort her.

"The other day in the hospital, the Mother Abbess from Nonnberg told me that these dreams she has, she told me they really happened. If I only knew the son of a.that did this to her.he'd answer for it, believe me."

Dr. Woss' expression grew silent. She knew very well who had done those things to Fraulein Rainer, at least her husband did, but she debated the wisdom of telling Captain von Trapp given his very vulnerable state. He was magic with this woman, he looked at her the way she'd caught her Edward doing when he thought she wasn't looking. It was love in his eyes, unconditional love. Too bad the poor girl would probably not live to see it.

Dr. Woss came out of her reverie to see Captain von Trapp's eyes on her. The blue gaze held knowledge of her thoughts, "What do you know, Dr. Woss?"

"Not much," she sighed, "but my husband, he knows things about the people of Salzburg. He has a winning personality and people just tell him things. Anyway, he'd heard a story of a young girl who was orphaned and sent to live with missionaries. Once their daughter married they sent the girl to live with their daughter and her husband. The daughter died and the husband reared the child, only he was incredibly cruel and abusive to her. The uncle was Hans Schwartz and the child was Maria Rainer."

The Captain's visage grew dark and he unconsciously held Maria closer to his body an action meant to protect her.

"So that's why she was so afraid of him," the Captain murmured, "to think that I let her."

"You couldn't have known, Captain," the doctor comforted stifling a yawn.

The Captain stored the information in his brain for later use; his attention had to be on Maria and getting her well. Yet, he noticed Dr. Woss' obvious exhaustion.

"I think you should sleep, Dr. Woss. You've been up an entire day. I'll wake you if she needs you," the Captain told her. "You can sleep in the room across the hall."

Gratefully, Dr. Woss rose up and went to the room across the hall to get her rest. The Captain moved to the chair beside Maria's bed and took her small hand in his and silently prayed.

Maria stirred in her sleep a few times and an hour later, her fever began to go down a bit. The Captain continually bathed her brow with cool water and alternated praying to God and pleading with Maria.

"Oh, Fraulein, how did you do it? How do you manage to be so loving and kind with a past like that? I know, I know, God is with us always. I know you have incredible faith in him and that if you were sitting here instead of me, you'd find some good in this situation, you always do. You even managed to turn an ornery old sea captain into the loving father his children deserve. My God, I owe you so much Maria. I'm not sure if you can even hear me. I'm not sure I even want you too, but I have to tell you, incase this is the end, that I love you. You've stolen my heart, you've made me a better person, and I own you so much for that. So much.

"Fraulein, you've brought music back into my house, into my life. With a smile and a song you turned this dank, dark house into a bright, cheery home, and I love you for that too. I love you so much; and I can only hope that you will get well and tell me that I'm not alone in that. Maria, I couldn't bear it if you left me now. Please don't leave me, Fraulein," he pleaded, holding her hand next to his cheek, "please don't leave us."

The Captain could no longer stop the tears from falling from his eyes and he held Maria's hand. He knew the chances of her making it and he knew that tonight was critical in her recovery. If she survived the night.he could only pray she did.

The Captain must have fallen asleep while holding Maria's hand, for the next thing he knew; he felt a slight movement inside his hand. He jolted awake and looked at his hand clamped around Maria's. It must have been a dream, for her hand was as pale and still as ever.

Gently the Captain placed her hand on white sheets and rose to stretch his cramped back and neck. He was about to leave the bedroom and get Dr. Woss when he heard a sound from the bed. The voice was raspy and low, but it was undoubtedly Maria's.

"Captain," she was saying, "Captain, what.why are you in my bedroom?"

The Captain laughed with joyous surprise to hear her voice, "Oh, Fraulein, you've been so sick. You've had pneumonia. I thought I was going to lose you last night," he confessed.

"You're not that lucky," she quietly joked.

"Oh, I'm very lucky," he countered gently, "I'm also blessed. I'm going to get the doctor for you, don't go away."

"No, Captain, not the doctor, please I beg you," she cried out in fear.

"Not that, doctor, I know all about that now," he soothed.

"Don't go yet, I have something I have to tell you," she whispered, feeling a bit winded from the effort of speaking.

The Captain returned to Maria's bedside and sat down. She moved her right hand from where it lay on the sheets and searched for his own hand. He gently placed it in hers.

"Captain, last night, I'm not sure if I was dreaming, but.I want you to know, I owe you a lot too."

"Maria." he began but she cut him off.

"Let me finish please," she begged, growing tired, "because I want you to know that even with all the trouble I've caused and with all the fights we've had.I love you and this family too, and I don't plan on going anywhere."

Captain von Trapp smiled broadly, and gently leaned over the bed, "Oh, Maria," he whispered gently before he bent his head and claimed her lips in what would prove to be the first of many kisses the two would share.

A few moments later, the Captain awakened Dr. Woss who examined Maria and proclaimed that with a few more weeks of rest she would be as good as new.

"Now, I want you to follow the doctor's orders, Fraulein," the Captain commanded, after Dr. Woss left him alone to tend her. He tenderly pulled the blankets up over her and handed her a bowl of soup which she ate with gusto.

"I will, Georg, I promise," Maria told him, relishing the way his name sounded on her lips.

"Good, I don't want to have to feed you unless it's chocolate and strawberries, do you understand?" he scolded mildly.

"Yes," she nodded with a wicked smile. Her expression then turned serious, "Georg, what about Baroness Schraeder. It's not fair to her."

"Ssh," he soothed her, "I spoke to Elsa, and she understands and was quite gracious about it. I think she had it figured out before we did."

Maria nodded and took another bite of her soup, "What about my wrist?" she asked after a moment, "Is there any chance."

"Dr. Woss seems to think so, yes. She wants us to exercise it a bit each day and hopefully in a few more months, it will be good as new."

Maria smiled, at him and gave the hand he placed on her cheek a gentle kiss, "I never would have made it without you, Georg. I could feel you with me every moment, doing what you do best," she whispered.

"And what's that my Darling," he asked wickedly, "Kissing you? Holding you?"

"No," Maria shook her head, "Helping me, guiding me, steering my ship safely home. I love you, Captain von Trapp."

"And I you, Fraulein Maria, more than you'll ever know."