Female Trouble

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"How are the prisoners?"

"The woman is frightened," Lieutenant Leck answered. "I believe she is too frightened to cause us any trouble."

"And the sergeant?"

The junior officer shrugged as he answered. "The sergeant is defiant but he hasn't caused any trouble so far. In fact, he hasn't done much of anything, including talking. He gave us his name, rank, and service number when he was first captured and hasn't said a word since."

"Were either of them injured?"

"Not seriously Sir. The woman was injured when a truck exploded near her. She was knocked to the ground and sustained some bruises. The sergeant was not injured."

Dietrich nodded. "I will be going down to see them later. In the meantime make sure that all of their needs are addressed. I understand that the woman is a nurse?"

"Yes sir," the lieutenant confirmed.

"See to it that she is treated with the respect her profession has earned."

"Yes sir."

"Very well Lieutenant, leave your report on my desk. Once you relay my orders concerning the prisoners you are free to see to your own needs. Please join me in my quarters this evening for dinner. I would like to discuss security with you."

"It would be my pleasure Captain. I'll see to the prisoners and then see to my men. I am looking forward to dinner Sir."

Dietrich smiled. "Then I will leave you to it Lieutenant. I too have tasks that need to be completed before our evening meal. Until then Lieutenant." The captain excused the junior officer and returned to his own work. It took him several hours to work his way through the piles of reports on his desk. Between the incoming and outgoing reports there were a lot of them. By the time he finished the last one, it was getting late. He glanced at his watch and decided that if he wanted to visit the prisoners before the evening meal, he would have to hurry.

Captain Dietrich left his office after telling his clerk where he would be if he was needed. The long walk to the cellblock gave him time to consider what he needed to do. While he had every right to keep both prisoners, he was reluctant to keep the woman. His sense of honor told him that keeping her would be wrong, an affront on decency. He began to think of ways to return her to the Allies.

The woman, Lydia Fontane, was huddled in her cell shaking with fear. Her wide eyes darted toward each new sound, her body jerking in reaction to each one. Dietrich couldn't help but feel protective toward the young woman. As an Army nurse she had volunteered to serve in a hospital near the front lines but he doubted that she had expected to end up a prisoner of war. He could sympathize with her fears, sometimes he felt much the same way.

He walked the length of the hall and stopped in front of her cell. He studied her as the guard unlocked the door. She seemed to shrink even further into herself. "Miss Fontane." He nodded politely as he stepped through the door.

Her head snapped up at his greeting. "You speak English?"

The question was obviously rhetorical but he answered it anyway. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"What do you want?"

"I thought that I would stop in and make sure that you had everything you needed. I gave my men orders to make sure that all of your requirements were met. Are you comfortable?"

Lydia nodded as she studied the tall officer in front of her. He was good looking, an observation she kept to herself. He didn't have the mean look she had expected of a German officer. She thought his eyes showed intelligence while still looking gentle. All in all, he was certainly not what she had pictured in her head.

"Who are you?" She wanted to ask him what he was but decided to go with the less offensive question.

"Captain Hans Dietrich, base commander, at your service."

"You're the base commander?"

"Yes, I am." Dietrich smiled at her startled expression. "That is why I can tell my men to see to all of your needs."

"Oh, yes, I see what you mean."

"Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?" Dietrich smiled his softest smile in an attempt to put her at ease.

For the first time Lydia seemed to find her courage. She pulled her shoulders back and glared at him defiantly. "You could set me free."

This time Dietrich tried to hide his smile. "That is hardly the way to treat a lady. If I set you free you would just get lost and die on the desert. It would be most unpleasant for you I can assure you. I have another idea; why don't I contact the Allied base and have them send someone to pick you up?"

"There is no need to be cruel Captain," Lydia blushed. "We both know that you won't do that." Lydia tried, but she couldn't hide the tears that leaked from her eyes.

The sight of the tears changed Dietrich's mind about teasing her. His expression sobered as he took a step toward her. He stopped as she backed away. "Actually Miss Fontane, that is exactly what I plan to do with you." At her look of disbelief he hurried to explain. "I pride myself on being an honorable man Miss Fontane. Honorable men do not wage war on women. My only true option is to return you to the safety of an Allied base. I assure you, that is my intention."

"You're going to send me back?" Hope flared in her eyes as she watched his face.

"Yes, Miss Fontane, I am." Dietrich nodded. "I will make you as comfortable as I can until the proper arrangements can be made. As I am sure you realize, this may not be as easy as it sounds. It may take a little time, but rest assured, it is possible."

"What about that man?" Lydia pointed to the sergeant stretched out on his cot in the cell across the aisle.

"He is a prisoner of war Miss Fontane. A truck will arrive tomorrow to take him to a POW processing center. From there he will be sent to one of our POW camps for the remainder of the war." Dietrich was watching the sergeant and noticed the tensing of his muscles as his fate was revealed. He had expected the sergeant to be awake and listening to his conversation with his fellow prisoner. A sudden thought occurred to Dietrich and he turned back to the nurse. "Miss Fontane, would you consider having dinner with me in my quarters? I assure you the food is much better than what you will get in here. We can discuss the best way to get you back to the Allied base." Dietrich waited patiently for Lydia to answer. He could see the indecision on her face and wasn't inclined to rush her.

"Can I think about it Captain?"

"Of course," Dietrich answered with a polite bow. "Lieutenant Leck will be joining me too. You won't be forced to eat alone with me in my quarters." Too late he realized that two strange men might intimidate her even more than one alone. "If it is the thought of being alone with the two of us that bothers you, I could see if there is a female nurse on the base who speaks English to join us."

"You would do that?" Lydia pleaded with her eyes.

"Can I send someone to get you then?"

"I guess so," Lydia stammered. Her hand automatically pushed her hair back into its bun.

Dietrich noticed the gesture and realized that he had overlooked a very important social concern. "I will send the young woman to get you. She will be here early so you have time to bathe and do your hair before dinner. It has been my experience that such things are important to women. If you will excuse me, I will go and locate the nurse and make sure she is free. There is one thing…"

"Like what?" Lydia asked.

"I am not certain that there is such a nurse on this base, a nurse that speaks English, that is. I will do my best to find one, but if it isn't possible, would you still join me for dinner? I will have a female nurse there even if she doesn't speak English."

"That would be agreeable Captain. I look forward to dinner. Thank you."

The captain bowed and smiled. "It isn't often that I have such lovely company for dinner. I am sure it will be a pleasant night, for both of us. I must go now and make the arrangements." He stepped out of the cell and noticed the sergeant still lying on his cot. "Is there anything you need Sergeant, other than your freedom that is?" The sergeant's shoulders bunched but he didn't react in any other way. Realizing that he wasn't going to get a verbal response, he turned and left the cellblock.