Chapter Ten
May, 1939
Spring came early to Austria in 1939 and summer came on i Spring came early to Austria in 1939 and summer came on its heels and vigorously. Soon everything was in full bloom, including Maria's pregnancy. She felt the child inside of her moving all the time now. If only Georg could see it, feel it, share it with her.
Dr. Skinner's men were a very obedient lot. They followed his orders, stayed out of the family's way, and let them live as peacefully as they could under the circumstances.
It seemed that while the actual Nazis were being obedient, their own pseudo-Nazi was not. It seemed none of Maria's pleading that day did any good at all. Friedrich was as stubborn as his father when it came to natural loyalty only Friedrich's was a lot more dangerous than Georg's. Even Georg knew where to draw the line, when it was time to surrender conviction in favor of a more intimate goal.
Frau Schreiner had accepted Maria's invitation to join the family at the villa. There were now two pregnant ladies in the villa and the clocks were ticking away for both of them. Both missed their husbands terribly and both prayed and dreamt that their beloved heroes could be by their sides when the babies came, though with the men on continuous missions, it seemed nearly impossible.
It was impressively hot for the end of May. The children were out of school and they passed the time swimming in the lake or boating on the water. Maria and Helga Schreiner passed their time sewing little garments for their babies.
"Oh, Maria," Helga whined. "How can you be so chipper? It is so hot."
Maria smiled sympathetically, "It'll be over soon. Then I'll be a mother, again, and you'll be a mother for the first time. It's worth all the heat and pain in the world," Maria comforted looking lovingly at the children she and Georg shared.
"You're amazing, as amazing as my husband told me in his letters. That is as amazing as your husband told mine you were," Helga told her. "You love his children as your own, you tolerate his absence for so long and with the baby coming, and you let your home be a haven for the men of Reich. You are amazing, Maria."
Maria was no longer listening to what Helga was saying. Some vague part of her noticed but she was more focused on the children playing near the boathouse. She was almost directly focused on Marta who was swinging herself between the steps and the top of the boathouse railing. Somewhere in Maria's conscious mind she was aware of Helga talking to her, but her mother's inner voice was screaming at her.
"Ooh, Marta, be careful, Sweetie," she whispered to herself, "Be careful."
Maria was out of her chair before Marta hit the ground and was running toward her as quickly as her pregnancy would allow.
"Mother!" Liesl called out the second Marta fell only Maria was already halfway there. Once she got there, she was almost relieved to hear the little girl crying.
"Marta!" Maria cried, kneeling down by the child. "Tell Mother what hurts, Baby."
"My arm," she sniffed. "I fell on it."
Maria looked at Marta's arm, it was twisted in a strange direction. Maria knew right away it was broken.
"Louisa, could you and Kurt please go and find Dr. Skinner for me?" Maria asked calmly. She hated asking that Nazi for help, but Marta needed medical attention and she could at least tolerate Dr. Skinner.
Louisa was off like a shot with Kurt at her heels to the stables to find Dr. Skinner while Liesl and Maria helped the crying little girl inside the house. All the while Helga was watching this exchange, marveling at how Maria knew Marta would fall before she did it. Friedrich was also watching from his windows. He never joined in the family activities anymore; he only was active in youth activities and nothing else, he never even ate dinner with the family.
Dr. Skinner came as soon as Louisa called him. He met Maria and the rest of the children just outside the villa.
Dr. Skinner studies Maria as she led a crying Marta to the steps. Maria's face was pale and draw, her eyes dark. The later stages of pregnancy were difficult in the best of circumstance, and these certainly were no ideal. He had never observed Maria going into Salzburg to see a doctor nor had he seen a physician or midwife come to the villa. He was more concerned about the mother than the crying child, but for now he would fix only what he was asked to do.
"What happened her, Miss Marta?" he asked gently, hunkering down to her level.
"I fell," she sniffed clinging to Liesl and Marta's skirts.
"I can see that," Dr. Skinner smiled gently. "How about we go inside, and I take a look?" he asked knowing if the child agreed she would be easier to treat than if her mother forced her.
"Will it hurt?" Marta asked wide eyed.
Dr. Skinner was a large man. He was tall and broad, close to a head taller than Georg or Max. He was intimidating to say the least with his crisp uniform and "black spider" arm band. Though his smile, Maria observed was gentle.
"Well," Dr. Skinner spoke the truth. "It'll hurt a little, but it'll hurt a lot less than it does now after you let me fix it, I promise."
Maria ran a comforting hand over Marta's hair, "It'll be all right, Sweetie. Mother will be there with you the whole time." Maria fixed the doctor with a look that dared him to say otherwise, though he never would. "Let's go inside, come on, darling."
Maria took Marta and Dr. Skinner to the Captain's study, where the doctor put Marta on the desk to examine her arm.
Maria hovered like a mother hen, watching every move the doctor made, ready to pounce on him if she thought Marta was being hurt unnecessarily. The child whimpered a bit when Dr. Skinner examined and set her arm but was a real trooper while he was casting it.
"All finished, Miss Marta," he declared with a gallant bow. "Now, you must keep the cast very dry. Wrap it when you bathe and unfortunately, no swimming for a month or so until that cast comes off," he instructed.
"No swimming? But it's so hot," she whined.
"I know, but you have to keep your cast dry, so your arm won't get wet underneath. If that happens your skin will get really itchy and you wouldn't want that, would you?" he asked, putting things in such a way that it was easy for her to understand.
"No," Marta shook her head. "I won't go swimming."
Dr. Skinner could see the child was disappointed so he smiled again, "But in a day or two when the cast sets better you can get all your brothers and sister to sign it, even your mother. Now, I want to talk to your mother for a few minutes, so why don't you run along and show your brothers and sisters your cast?"
Marta went off to the nursery to show her cast off while Dr. Skinner turned his attention to Maria, He had to say something about how she looked. He was concerned, he'd seen pregnant women look this way before and the ending wasn't a happy one. "Will she be all right, Dr. Skinner?"
"She'll be fine, Baroness. It was a very simple break," Dr. Skinner assured her. "I'm worried about you."
"Me?" Maria queried. Why would he be worried about her?
"Yes, you look very pale and all the heat...and I noticed no one's been out to examine you and you never go into Salzburg. I think it's necessary for me to examine you and make sure everything is going along as it should with your pregnancy."
"You want to examine me?" Maria repeated in disbelief. The man was crazy if he thought she'd let him touch her in such an intimate way. She planned to have her baby at home with Frau Schmidt and Frau Gunther to help her. Childbirth wasn't an illness, it was a beautiful and natural thing that mother nature took care of more or less on her own. Still, she was exhausted and her legs were swelling in the hot temperatures. She had to counter him somehow, "What about Helga? She's due around the same time."
"Ah, Frau Schreiner was examined by my associate Dr. Wagner just yesterday. Plus, she looks a lot better than you do, color wise," Dr. Skinner explained.
Maria knew he was right. She had not felt well in days, the heat getting to her overburdened body. Yet, some stubborn sense of pride or misguided sense of loyalty to Georg kept her from giving in to the doctor's request. "I'm fine, Dr. Skinner. Just tired. As before, if I need your help, I'll let you know. Now I must go and check on my daughter."
Maria turned to go, feeling a bit guilty for being so rude and not properly thanking Dr. Skinner for helping Marta. She stopped in the doorway, "Dr. Skinner, I am grateful for you helping Marta today. Would you, as a thank you, join the family for supper?"
The man's eyes lit up at the invitation, "It would be my honor, Baroness."
The more Dr. Skinner watched Maria and observed her in parenting and running the house, the more he envied the Captain. He was a very lucky man to have such a women as his life partner. Dr. Skinner would enjoy spending more time with Maria and the family, he desired one of his own so much.
Maria nodded in response and left the study; a stabbing pain ran up her back. She paused a moment, but the pain receded almost as soon as it came.
Maria climbed the steps and began to inform the children the Marta's arm would be fine and they were having a guest for dinner.
When she reached Friedrich's room, she stopped. She hated going in there with all the posters and photographs and articles about Hitler and the Reich; it made her heart hurt and her stomach turn. She could see so much Georg in Friedrich only it was so very dark.
"What?" he barked opening the door to see his very pregnant stepmother standing there.
"Friedrich, I'd like to join the family this evening for supper. Dr. Skinner will be our guest. He graciously helped your sister today, I wish to thank him properly," Maria explained.
Friedrich was happy at the prospect of having a like minded person to eat with for a change. Maria rubbed her very sore back as she waited for his answer.
"All right," Friedrich agreed. "I'll come."
Maria winced as she felt another pain and Friedrich, who despite his loyalties had a space in the corner of his heart that cared for Maria, quickly asked, "Are you all right?"
Maria smiled brightly, heart soaring at the glimpse of the son she knew, "I'm fine," she responded. "I'm just fine. See you at supper."
As Maria left to instruct Frau Schmidt to set another few places at the table Maria felt a wet sensation between her legs. She looked down at the carpet to see a puddle of bloody water at her feet. She cried out as another strong pain grabbed her and her knees turned to jelly. She could no longer hold herself upright.
Friedrich heard Maria's cry and went out to see what happened. Friedrich saw Maria on her knees in a puddle of blood and water. He shouted for help as loud as he could, "Liesl! Frau Schmidt! It's mother!" Maria smiled slowly at hearing that word leave Friedrich's mouth once again, it was a lovely sound to hold onto as her vision gave way to unconsciousness.
Liesl got there first, "Mother!" she shook Maria's shoulder. "Mother, wake up!" When Maria didn't move Liesl instructed her brother, "Get Dr. Skinner, there's blood."
Frau Schmidt joined Liesl in the hallway as Friedrich went at top speed to get the doctor. "Is there supposed to be blood?" Liesl asked.
"Sometimes," Frau Schmidt replied. "But not this much. We're very lucky to have a doctor already here, I suppose."
Friedrich arrived with Dr. Skinner a minute later. "Help me get her into the master suite," he instructed Friedrich. "I know the Baroness preferred a midwife, but I think, under the circumstances, I best see to this delivery myself."
Frau Schmidt was not about to argue. She followed the doctor to the master bedroom then dismissed him while she and Liesl got Maria settled in bed in her nightdress. It was going to be a long night.