Ch. 7: Goodbye's

Georg awoke very early in the morning and couldn't even open his eyes. He realized he was sweating and that his head hurt badly. His vision was also blurred and he felt dizzy. He gently pushed the covers over onto Maria, who awoke instantly.

"Georg?" she asked, as she listened to him breathing deeply. "Georg, are you okay?" He didn't answer her; she immediately turned over and stroked his hair.

"Darling?" she asked again.

"My head hurts," he mumbled not even opening his eyes. Her eyes grew wide, and she quickly got up and ran into the bathroom. She came back into the room with a cold washcloth.

Maria put the washcloth on his head and stroked his hair softly.

"It hurts to even open my eyes. I feel dizzy and weak," he whispered. Leaving his side for a moment, she called a Doctor over. After she called, she returned to his side and waited with him in silence, for what seemed like forever before the doctor arrived. A tall middle-aged gentleman appeared at the door.

"Are you Mrs. von Trapp?" he asked. She nodded. "Hello I am Dr. Johansen, From Stowe Hospital and am here to check up on Mr. Von Trapp." Maria held back a tear and nodded again.

"Right this way please," she motioned, "he is very weak and can not see correctly. I called you because I think it has something to do with his tumor."

The doctor nodded and told Maria he would take a look at him. Maria knelt down and whispered to Georg that a doctor had come. After looking at Georg, for a while the doctor looked at Maria with sorrow.

"Can I see you outside for a moment?" he asked her. She nodded and showed the doctor out.

"Is there nothing you can do to help him?" she begged.

"I can give him medication to relieve some of the pain he's suffering from right now, but as for saving his life, there is nothing. He's dying and there is nothing we can do to fix that. I would say he will die in a matter of days."

"How much pain will he be in?" Maria asked softly.

"That's hard to say; everyone handles tumors differently. They hurt, some more than others. It's entirely possible that he will feel a little better than he is now, if that's what you want to know," he told her sadly.

"Thank you Doctor Johansen," Maria replied shakily as she showed him to the door. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about money right now," he told her. "I'll get by."

"But," Maria began.

"I'll handle it. Goodbye, Ms. Von Trapp." Maria looked at him gratefully. She walked into the living room where she discovered all her children looking with anguish at her. Taking another look at them she burst into tears. The children quickly took their mother in their arms and hugged her.

"It's not good news?" Liesl asked in a whisper when she had calmed down a bit. Maria shook her head, worried that she might start crying if she tried to speak. The children started to cry and Maria said,

"He's not doing well."

When the children had quieted Maria told them softly that she was going to check on Georg. He was still in too much pain to do much. Maria helped him sip some water before he fell back asleep.

For two days Maria sat by her husband's side. He was too sick to do much, but sleep and stare at Maria every now and then. The children helped around the house by cooking and doing chores.

Maria had never been so terrified in her entire life. She didn't want him to die. The worse part of it was she felt so hopeless about the situation. There was nothing she could do, but hold his hand and tell him how much she loved him. Maria noticed he seemed to feel a little better after three days.

Georg did feel much better. He didn't have as many migraines and he could see clearly. He smiled when he thought of how thrilled Maria had been when he told her he was hungry. Though he was much better, he knew that he still didn't have much time left to live. However, he was thrilled to be able to sit up again and do some of the things he used to. He decided live each moment, as if it were his very last.

"Georg, are you ready for visitors?" Maria asked sweetly one morning. He cocked his head not understanding what she meant. She smiled at him and motioned their children in.

The children walked in slowly and Georg noticed that Liesl was carrying a guitar in her hand.

"Father…this is for you," Liesl told him. Liesl gave the children a starting pitch and they started to sing,

"The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for a thousand years; the hills fill my heart with the sound of music. My heart wants to sing every song it hears." As Brigitta echoed, Maria joined the children and started to sing,

"My heart wants to beat like the wings of a bird that rise from the lake to the trees. My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze." They continued to sing as they inched closer to his bedside.

"To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls, over stones on its way. To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray…"

Softly, Georg began to sing.

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear what I heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music…" he paused and smiled at them. They all slowly sang the last line together.

"And I'll sing once more."

Georg smiled at them with tears in his eyes as they gave him a huge hug, much like they had done the afternoon he reconnected with them for the first time since Agathe had died. Maria smiled the same sort of smile she had had on that day, as the children motioned for her to come and join in the family hug. She ran to the other side of the bed and hugged them fiercely.

They didn't know what to say to one another; their feelings couldn't be put into words. Maria couldn't help but think that the time she and her family were spending together would be their last. Maria's thoughts were interrupted by Georg's soft voice.

"If it's all right with you, I'd like to talk with each of you individually," he told them not even bothering to add 'one last time'. The children nodded sadly and left the room leaving their parents.

"I'll be in the living room if you need anything," she told him as she walked to the door.

"Wait, Maria. Please stay with the children; they need you. I'm doing this now so that we have time to talk later. I love you."

Maria smiled at him and whispered she loved him too, as she exited the room. Once she closed the door she saw ten faces staring at her.

"Well," she began, "who wants to go first?"

When no one answered, Maria realized that they were not going to make this easy.

"All right, then if there are no volunteers, I say we start with Liesl…"

"That would make me last!" Johannes exclaimed angrily.

"We're always last because were younger," complained Eleanor.

"Then we'll start with Johannes and go from youngest to oldest, How's that?" she asked them hopefully. They all shrugged as Johannes went inside.

One by one, the children went in to say goodbye to their father privately. They all came out with red teary eyes. Maria comforted each one, growing sadder each time she saw one of her children exit the room with broken hearts.

Finally it was time for Louisa to go in. She had not said a word recently and had hidden her feelings well up until that point.

"I don't want to go in, Mother," she said without emotion.

"Louisa, darling are you sure? It may be your last chance to…"

"I don't want to go! I don't want to see him!" she said firmly with tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. Maria sighed.

"I think you and I should have a talk. Friedrich, you go in before your sister. And Liesl you go afterwards if were not back yet." Liesl nodded as Friedrich walked in the room. Maria took Louisa to the living room where they could talk, hoping she could find out what her daughter was really feeling.

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