Georg leans towards Maria, "Fraulein, Fraulein speak to me". Georg turns her head towards him and he sees the gash on her forehead. Realizing that she is unconcious fear takes hold. He slowly lays her down on the front seat.He pulls his hankerchief out of his front pocket and wipes the blood away. Holding her head he starts to feel something he hasn't felt in a long time. He touches her cheek with his hand and a familiar feeling rises inside him. Pushing these feelings aside for the moment he puts his attention to the task at hand.
He studies the cut and is relieved that it is not too deep. He does notice that a large bump has formed. Again he calls her name but she is still out. Georg looks around to see if he can tell where they are. He gets out of the car but all he sees is the blinding snow.
"I need to see if there is a house or barn, some kind of shelter from this storm" Georg thinks to himself. He checks on Maria one more time, covering her with a blanket he takes from the backseat.
" I'll be right back Fraulein" he says to Maria. She makes no movement as Georg covers her tightly with the blanket. Georg steps out of the car and starts on his search. He finds it hard to walk as the wind and snow are pushing against him. He searches the horizen for any sign of a shelter. " I know I saw a small cabin on the way up here, if only I could be sure I was going the right way", Georg thought to himself.
Just as he was about to turn back he saw it. It looks sturdy enough he says to himself, but he had to make sure. He opens the door and looks around. The roof looks sound and there is a fireplace and a small bed. Over in the corner is a large pile of wood. Georg closes the door and heads for the car. He opens the door and tries to get Maria to regain conciousness.
" Fraulein wake up I have found shelter, but you need to wake up", Georg lightly shakes her shoulder and is relieved when Maria starts to stir. Her eyes slowly open and she moans as she tries to get up.
" Whhhat happened? She asks still somewhat in a daze.
" We had an accident and you hit your head. You need to get up slowly Fraulein", Georg says as he helps her up.
"I have found shelter for us from the storm. Do you think you can walk? Georg asks her as she tries to focus.
" Yes, I think I can make it alright" she answers him with a slight smile. Georg helps her out of the car and they head in the direction of the cabin. Just as they reach the door Maria collapses. Georg opens the door and carries her in. He gently places her on the bed and looks around for a blanket. Opening a small cabinet he finds a down blanket. He takes off her wet coat and covers her with the blanket. Georg then sets about lighting a fire. He places two logs in the fireplace and searches for some matches. He finds a desk and searches the drawers. He is about to give up when he spies a box of matches by the stove in the small kitchen. Goerg finds some paper and starts a fire. Georg searches the cabin for a lamp as it was getting dark outside.
Frau Schmidt opens the door hoping the car she heard pull into the driveway is the Captain. To her dismay Herr Detweiller and the Baroness greet her.
" Herr Detweiller, the woman says sounding somewhat dissapointed, I was hoping it was the Captain. He and Fraulein Maria left this morning for Mondsee and they are very late in returning.
Max looks at Elsa and notices the expression on her face. Concern, somewhat but he also sees a hint of jealousy. It occurs to him that he is not the only one who has noticed the change in Georg since returning from Vienna. This new governess seems to have a big influence on him and that's not all. Max also has noticed the way Georg looks at her, especially the other night when he sang. At the end of the song their eyes were focused on each other as if no one else was in the room. He has not seen Georg look that way at another woman since Agathe.
Georg had told both of them about his reason for going to Mondsee and why he was taking Maria. But this was before the song. He and Elsa had been in Salzburg all day. He was seeing perspective acts for the festival and Elsa was getting her hair and nails done, which took all day of course.
"Should we send a search party for them Herr Detweiller?" Frau Schmidt asks.
" It's not that late, they may have stopped to see if the snow stops. I will call the authorities if they are not home in a couple of hours"said Max as he tried to alleviate Frau Schmidts concern. Max looked at Elsa and he could tell she was worried. He wasn't sure if it was concern over Georg being allright or the fact he was alone with Maria. Nevertheless he was sure his friend, along with Maria, was just fine, probably sitting in some lovely restaraunt enjoying a good meal.
Georg sits in a chair beside Marias bed. He tries to stay awake but he finds himself nodding off. He wakes up only when he hears her moan. He finds himself doing something he hasn't done in a long time. He prays. " Father please don't take her from us,"he whispers silently. The children need her, I need her."Georg falls asleep and wakes when he feels the rays of the sun on his face. He looks at Maria.
Sitting by her he is struck at how beautiful she is. She is still unconcious and he could tell she is running a fever. He gets up and goes to the cabinet in the small kitchen to see if there is any food. He finds a couple cans of sardines and some crackers. He also finds some dried beef and a bottle of brandy on the shelf. Not much he thinks to himself but it will do. He finds some tea and boils some water over the fire. As he is making the tea he hears a familiar voice.
" Captain where are we? What happened?" she says as she tries to sit up. She immediately moans and lays her head back on the pillow. The Captain walks over to her and sits beside her.
" Careful Fraulein you have a nasty bump on your head and you are running a fever" he says as he pulls the blanket up closer to her shoulders. He sees Maria look around the cabin. "I found the cabin and went back to get you. You made it to the door before you collapsed. You have been out ever since. I made some tea. Would you like some?
Maria nods her head yes and he pours some into a cup. He holds the cup and slowly puts it up to her lips. She sips the tea slowly and puts her hand up when she has had enough. The Captain places his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. The minute his hand touches her she feels it. His hand is warm and soothing. Her heart beats faster and her stomach feels as though she has butterflies in it.
He put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature but as he touches her , his heart starts to beat faster. He feels a heat rise inside him. Why is she having this effect on me he thinks to himself? He smiles at her and she smiles back.
" You feel cooler. That's a good thing" Georg says as he pulls his hand from her forehead. Maria stares at him and touches his temple with her finger. " Your bleeding Captain" she says.
Georg reaches up with his hand and takes her hand in his. Georg holds her hand and as she tries to release her hand he grips her hand tighter. They stare into each others eyes. Realizing he has her hand he suddenly feels awkward and releases his grip. " You really should clean that wound before it becomes infected" she says to him as he gets up.
" Don't worry Fraulein I have had worse wounds than this one " he laughs. You forget I did serve in the war.
" Oh yes I forget that you were a sea captain. You really don't look or act like one", she says as he pours himself some brandy.
" May I ask what a sea captain is suppose to look and act like? he asks sitting back down.
"Well, I pictured a sea captain to be much older. His hair would be gray and he smokes a pipe. He would be gruff and would always be shouting orders", you are nothing like I had pictured" she says smiling at him.
" Are you sure?" he asked. " I was rather gruff with you and I did shout at you."
" Yes you did but you have changed" she say as he offers her some more tea. As he offers her the cup they touch once more and this time the Captain softly carresses her hand with his.
" Maria " he says softly. I was very worried when you hit your head. I was afraid you might not wake up. I was afraid we might lose you"
