Thanks so much for the reviews everyone!! I really really appreciate it... so
keep 'm coming!
Chapter 2
For a second, the three of them stood in silence, just staring.
Then the Captain spoke. "How serious is it, Doctor?" he asked, his voice low and slightly trembling.
The Doctor walked towards the window. "We will have to wait and see. Tonight will be the worst for her. If the fever breaks before the morning, she will be fine. If it doesn't..."
He looked outside, and as the soft light of the moon shone on his face, Maria gasped in recognition. He looked so much like... But then the Doctor turned his head away from the light and the moment was gone.
Maria's look shifted to the Captain and she saw the despair in his eyes. He seemed unable to look at the Doctor any more, so Maria stepped forward. "I'll show you to the door, Doctor," she offered.
As she walked down the stairs behind him, she couldn't stop that feeling again: the way the Doctor moved, walked down the stairs, his head high, his step secure... so familiar....
He quickly turned around when they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I will come round early in the morning to check on her. If her fever rises, keep her cool, and try to make her drink, tea or water will be good. "
Maria nodded, and with a whisk of his cape, the Doctor disappeared into the darkness.
When Maria arrived upstairs again, the Captain was still standing silently by Louisa's door.
"Come, Captain," she said softly and guided him inside Louisa's room. She pulled up a chair near the girl's bed and sat the Captain down on it. 'You watch over her, "she told him. "I will get us some things we need to get her through the night."
The Captain only nodded, his eyes fixed on his daughter. 'Not my little girl..." Maria heard him mumble before she exited the room. "Not my little girl, too...I will not be able to live if I lose my little girl..."
Soon, Maria returned from the kitchen with a pot of tea, a jug of cool water, and some extra blankets and towels. She handed the cool water and a towel to the Captain.
"You can keep her forehead cool, Captain," she told him. The Captain looked up at her gratefully. It rendered him completely immobile to see his daughter lying here, her face turning red with the fever, the same way he had seen his wife die four years ago. He was glad Maria was there and helped him to regain some control.
After sharing a long look, the Captain broke away from Maria's stare, and dipped the towel in the cool water. Carefully, he wiped Louisa's brow, which made the girl toss around. However as she cooled down a bit, her moans subsided a little.
Maria sat down next to the Captain and together, they started on what would be a very, very long night.
As the evening progressed, Louisa's fever rose, no matter what the Captain and Maria tried. All night long, Louisa was very restless and delirious. She moaned and mumbled, tossed and turned, her face the bright scarlet colour that gave the disease its name. They cooled her with cold towels, held her hand, stroked her cheeks, but nothing seemed to be able to calm Louisa down. The night seemed to last forever, and as Louisa's temperature kept rising, it occurred more than once that Maria thought the Captain was on the verge of losing control. At one point, when Louisa - in her delirium - kept pushing away the hands and damp cloths that were trying to make her more comfortable, the Captain had jumped up, turned around, and kicked the chair he'd been sitting on across the room in a desperate outburst of emotion. Swearing, he'd pounded his fists against the wall, completely lost for a solution and unable to look at the agony of Louisa.
Maria had let him for a second, and then quietly went to pick up the chair. She put it back near Louisa's bed, and without a word, beckoned the Captain to come and sit near his daughter again. She knew he had needed that outburst, to stop him from going crazy - and he smiled somewhat apologetically at Maria as he sat down again. She just shook her head softly. "It's all right, Captain. I understand. Now here's another wet cloth for her forehead.'
The Captain accepted it gratefully and turned his attention back to his daughter, who had not noticed the scene at all. Again, the work started of keeping her calm, cool, and as comfortable as possible.
It seemed to go on for hours. But just as Maria thought neither the Captain nor Louisa would be able to take any more, she noticed how the girl finally sank into a deep, quiet sleep.
Maria looked on as the Captain pushed a lock of hair away from Louisa's forehead. He felt her skin and cast a grateful look upward to feel that it was cooler. Her fever was gone. Both father and daughter looked exhausted, but calmer.
The first , grey light of dawn filtered through the curtains into the room and gave the Captain's face an eerie, pale look, showing his exhaustion. But the relief was also plainly visible, and gratitude for the fact that his daughter had been spared. When he began to speak, it was so softly that Maria had to lean close to him to understand his words.
"They all got Scarlet Fever, four years ago. The children, Agathe... the only one who wasn't affected was Louisa." He stared at the wall across from them as he talked, sharing his memories with Maria.
"Doctor Busch never understood why Louisa did not get the disease, but I was grateful. At least one member of my family was spared the agony of the Scarlet Fever... But after Agathe died, Louisa always felt guilty. She felt that she should have been sick, too, instead of her mother... I think that is why she became so silent and full of anger. She always felt guilty for her mother's death, no matter what I told her. I hope that now, she will realize it was not her fault."
Maria gasped when she heard this story. She knew there must have been a reason for Louisa to have become such a difficult child. Since Maria had arrived at the villa, Louisa had definitely improved, but she could still be an enigma to Maria at times.
She looked at Georg with compassion. How much had he gone through, losing his wife, staying behind with his grief, and seven children whom he did not understand anymore... She was grateful that now, the family bond had returned.
Gently, Maria took the Captain's hand and guided him out of the room. She led him outside and turned around the close the door behind her.
She stiffened as she felt a hand on her shoulder. As she and the Captain had worked to save Louisa's life, she had forgotten for a moment about the awkwardness between them. Now that all danger was gone, she suddenly became very aware of his presence again.
Slowly, she turned around. His hand remained on her shoulder and Maria was surprised and moved to see that tears were in the Captain's eyes.
"Captain..." she whispered, her heart going out to him. "She will be fine, I know she will... the worst is over!" she tried to comfort him. Her eyes grew wide as the tears finally began to fall freely on the Captain's face. His shoulders shook as looked downward, and his voice sounded strangled.
"I could think of nothing but her mother, and how she would die like her," he confessed, voice trembling. "I don't think I would have survived losing her, only just now that I've found my children again.'
Maria looked up at him, into those blue eyes, and felt a tear trickle down her own cheek, too. She put a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down.
'It's all over now, Captain. She just needs to sleep."
Following her instincts, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled her to him in a gesture of comfort. As he felt her warmth embrace him, the Captain managed to let go and let his tears run freely while he held Maria close to him. Maria rubbed his back to comfort him in his moments of anguish, and quickly she felt his sobs subside and his breath steadying again. For a second they stood just like that, and as the Captain calmed down completely, he looked up into Maria's face. A tear was silently trickling down her cheek, and he reached up to wipe it away in a soft, gentle movement.
"It's all thanks to you, "he said, his hand still on her cheek. "You made me find my children again. You helped me save Louisa. I owe you so much."
Maria shook her head. "No Captain, all I did was help a little bit."
But he shook his head again. "No, it's true... I owe it all to you..."
Their eyes locked, and slowly, the Captain moved his face closer to Maria. He put a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. Maria could feel his warm breath and as she kept looking into his eyes, she was completely lost in them. Their lips touched and finally, they continued what they had started that evening of the ball, when they had danced the Laendler.
Their embrace deepened and Maria moaned. She let her hands travel over Georg's back and gasped for breath as she felt his hands travel up her sides. He pulled his face back from hers for a moment, looking into her eyes. "Maria..." he mumbled, his eyes questioning. She nodded almost invisibly, and as his mouth found hers again, he picked her up and carried her to his room.
Once inside his room, he put her down gently, never taking his lips from hers. His strong hands roamed her body, feeling her soft curves under his hands. He had felt drained, exhausted, but feeling her movement under his touches made him full of life again. His hands moved to the back of her dress, but as his fingers touched the zipper, he drew back for a moment and looked into her eyes.
"Maria...'' he mumbled, and she looked up to him. Her eyes were so full of love and devotion that he almost knew he didn't even have to phrase the question that was on his lips.
"Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you're... I assume you've never...'' His voice trailed off as he wondered how to say the words. But she smiled at him, a loving, wanting smile that made his knees buckle.
"I'd never dream of giving myself to anyone but you," she said softly.
For a moment, their eyes locked and they gazed at each other.
He noticed the red flush to her cheeks, the heaving of her chest, the lush redness of her lips, and slowly he moved closer to her again. He could see how her longing deepened the blueness of her eyes, and suddenly, they were lost in each other's arms again, lips locking, hands moving frantically. Their clothing dropped to the ground and Georg slowly led Maria to the bed. They were finally able to let their love and desire be released in a night filled with love and passion.
***
Chapter 2
For a second, the three of them stood in silence, just staring.
Then the Captain spoke. "How serious is it, Doctor?" he asked, his voice low and slightly trembling.
The Doctor walked towards the window. "We will have to wait and see. Tonight will be the worst for her. If the fever breaks before the morning, she will be fine. If it doesn't..."
He looked outside, and as the soft light of the moon shone on his face, Maria gasped in recognition. He looked so much like... But then the Doctor turned his head away from the light and the moment was gone.
Maria's look shifted to the Captain and she saw the despair in his eyes. He seemed unable to look at the Doctor any more, so Maria stepped forward. "I'll show you to the door, Doctor," she offered.
As she walked down the stairs behind him, she couldn't stop that feeling again: the way the Doctor moved, walked down the stairs, his head high, his step secure... so familiar....
He quickly turned around when they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I will come round early in the morning to check on her. If her fever rises, keep her cool, and try to make her drink, tea or water will be good. "
Maria nodded, and with a whisk of his cape, the Doctor disappeared into the darkness.
When Maria arrived upstairs again, the Captain was still standing silently by Louisa's door.
"Come, Captain," she said softly and guided him inside Louisa's room. She pulled up a chair near the girl's bed and sat the Captain down on it. 'You watch over her, "she told him. "I will get us some things we need to get her through the night."
The Captain only nodded, his eyes fixed on his daughter. 'Not my little girl..." Maria heard him mumble before she exited the room. "Not my little girl, too...I will not be able to live if I lose my little girl..."
Soon, Maria returned from the kitchen with a pot of tea, a jug of cool water, and some extra blankets and towels. She handed the cool water and a towel to the Captain.
"You can keep her forehead cool, Captain," she told him. The Captain looked up at her gratefully. It rendered him completely immobile to see his daughter lying here, her face turning red with the fever, the same way he had seen his wife die four years ago. He was glad Maria was there and helped him to regain some control.
After sharing a long look, the Captain broke away from Maria's stare, and dipped the towel in the cool water. Carefully, he wiped Louisa's brow, which made the girl toss around. However as she cooled down a bit, her moans subsided a little.
Maria sat down next to the Captain and together, they started on what would be a very, very long night.
As the evening progressed, Louisa's fever rose, no matter what the Captain and Maria tried. All night long, Louisa was very restless and delirious. She moaned and mumbled, tossed and turned, her face the bright scarlet colour that gave the disease its name. They cooled her with cold towels, held her hand, stroked her cheeks, but nothing seemed to be able to calm Louisa down. The night seemed to last forever, and as Louisa's temperature kept rising, it occurred more than once that Maria thought the Captain was on the verge of losing control. At one point, when Louisa - in her delirium - kept pushing away the hands and damp cloths that were trying to make her more comfortable, the Captain had jumped up, turned around, and kicked the chair he'd been sitting on across the room in a desperate outburst of emotion. Swearing, he'd pounded his fists against the wall, completely lost for a solution and unable to look at the agony of Louisa.
Maria had let him for a second, and then quietly went to pick up the chair. She put it back near Louisa's bed, and without a word, beckoned the Captain to come and sit near his daughter again. She knew he had needed that outburst, to stop him from going crazy - and he smiled somewhat apologetically at Maria as he sat down again. She just shook her head softly. "It's all right, Captain. I understand. Now here's another wet cloth for her forehead.'
The Captain accepted it gratefully and turned his attention back to his daughter, who had not noticed the scene at all. Again, the work started of keeping her calm, cool, and as comfortable as possible.
It seemed to go on for hours. But just as Maria thought neither the Captain nor Louisa would be able to take any more, she noticed how the girl finally sank into a deep, quiet sleep.
Maria looked on as the Captain pushed a lock of hair away from Louisa's forehead. He felt her skin and cast a grateful look upward to feel that it was cooler. Her fever was gone. Both father and daughter looked exhausted, but calmer.
The first , grey light of dawn filtered through the curtains into the room and gave the Captain's face an eerie, pale look, showing his exhaustion. But the relief was also plainly visible, and gratitude for the fact that his daughter had been spared. When he began to speak, it was so softly that Maria had to lean close to him to understand his words.
"They all got Scarlet Fever, four years ago. The children, Agathe... the only one who wasn't affected was Louisa." He stared at the wall across from them as he talked, sharing his memories with Maria.
"Doctor Busch never understood why Louisa did not get the disease, but I was grateful. At least one member of my family was spared the agony of the Scarlet Fever... But after Agathe died, Louisa always felt guilty. She felt that she should have been sick, too, instead of her mother... I think that is why she became so silent and full of anger. She always felt guilty for her mother's death, no matter what I told her. I hope that now, she will realize it was not her fault."
Maria gasped when she heard this story. She knew there must have been a reason for Louisa to have become such a difficult child. Since Maria had arrived at the villa, Louisa had definitely improved, but she could still be an enigma to Maria at times.
She looked at Georg with compassion. How much had he gone through, losing his wife, staying behind with his grief, and seven children whom he did not understand anymore... She was grateful that now, the family bond had returned.
Gently, Maria took the Captain's hand and guided him out of the room. She led him outside and turned around the close the door behind her.
She stiffened as she felt a hand on her shoulder. As she and the Captain had worked to save Louisa's life, she had forgotten for a moment about the awkwardness between them. Now that all danger was gone, she suddenly became very aware of his presence again.
Slowly, she turned around. His hand remained on her shoulder and Maria was surprised and moved to see that tears were in the Captain's eyes.
"Captain..." she whispered, her heart going out to him. "She will be fine, I know she will... the worst is over!" she tried to comfort him. Her eyes grew wide as the tears finally began to fall freely on the Captain's face. His shoulders shook as looked downward, and his voice sounded strangled.
"I could think of nothing but her mother, and how she would die like her," he confessed, voice trembling. "I don't think I would have survived losing her, only just now that I've found my children again.'
Maria looked up at him, into those blue eyes, and felt a tear trickle down her own cheek, too. She put a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down.
'It's all over now, Captain. She just needs to sleep."
Following her instincts, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled her to him in a gesture of comfort. As he felt her warmth embrace him, the Captain managed to let go and let his tears run freely while he held Maria close to him. Maria rubbed his back to comfort him in his moments of anguish, and quickly she felt his sobs subside and his breath steadying again. For a second they stood just like that, and as the Captain calmed down completely, he looked up into Maria's face. A tear was silently trickling down her cheek, and he reached up to wipe it away in a soft, gentle movement.
"It's all thanks to you, "he said, his hand still on her cheek. "You made me find my children again. You helped me save Louisa. I owe you so much."
Maria shook her head. "No Captain, all I did was help a little bit."
But he shook his head again. "No, it's true... I owe it all to you..."
Their eyes locked, and slowly, the Captain moved his face closer to Maria. He put a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. Maria could feel his warm breath and as she kept looking into his eyes, she was completely lost in them. Their lips touched and finally, they continued what they had started that evening of the ball, when they had danced the Laendler.
Their embrace deepened and Maria moaned. She let her hands travel over Georg's back and gasped for breath as she felt his hands travel up her sides. He pulled his face back from hers for a moment, looking into her eyes. "Maria..." he mumbled, his eyes questioning. She nodded almost invisibly, and as his mouth found hers again, he picked her up and carried her to his room.
Once inside his room, he put her down gently, never taking his lips from hers. His strong hands roamed her body, feeling her soft curves under his hands. He had felt drained, exhausted, but feeling her movement under his touches made him full of life again. His hands moved to the back of her dress, but as his fingers touched the zipper, he drew back for a moment and looked into her eyes.
"Maria...'' he mumbled, and she looked up to him. Her eyes were so full of love and devotion that he almost knew he didn't even have to phrase the question that was on his lips.
"Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you're... I assume you've never...'' His voice trailed off as he wondered how to say the words. But she smiled at him, a loving, wanting smile that made his knees buckle.
"I'd never dream of giving myself to anyone but you," she said softly.
For a moment, their eyes locked and they gazed at each other.
He noticed the red flush to her cheeks, the heaving of her chest, the lush redness of her lips, and slowly he moved closer to her again. He could see how her longing deepened the blueness of her eyes, and suddenly, they were lost in each other's arms again, lips locking, hands moving frantically. Their clothing dropped to the ground and Georg slowly led Maria to the bed. They were finally able to let their love and desire be released in a night filled with love and passion.
***