Welcome to chapter five!
As always, thank you for reading my story and please make sure to review!
"Well, miss, you are expecting a baby" the doctor said with a sneer, "and from the looks of it you have been for around 3 months now. You should expect baby sometime in early September." The doctor stared at Maria – disgusted at the idea of an unmarried mother. Maria looked to Ottie who had been called into the examination room. As far as the doctor was concerned they were Miss Brown (an unmarried, pregnant woman) and her friend Mrs Hall.
Something inside of her head was screaming, she felt like all the life had been knocked out of her. As if her current circumstances weren't hellish enough, God just decided to make her biggest nightmare a reality. This is not how an expectant mother should feel. Like they would rather be dead.
"...vitamins! You'll be eating for two now" the doctor laughed, clearly making a joke about something she should have been listening too. She couldn't. All she could think about was how this little baby inside of her that she should be overflowing with love for felt like it was going to end her life.
"So, I'll go now and you may get dressed and leave." the doctor said moving hastily towards the examination room door.
"NO!" was all Maria said when the doctor left. Ottie moved to hold her. Georg couldn't know. He had too much on his plate and this news would give him a hope stronger than her willingness to keep this baby.
"Maria, what will you tell, Georg?" Ottie asked gently.
Maria chewed on her lip, her eyes lifeless and said, "Nothing. He can't know!"
Ottie gathered Maria in his arms and squeezed her so tightly, it was as if he thought she was going to disappear. Pulling back and looking into her sorrowful eyes, she said "Ria, I know this is hard for you, but you have to tell him, it will be obvious soon enough."
It killed Maria to lie to her husband, especially after how long it took them to build their trust but she needed time to process. After all this was her biggest nightmare, perhaps if she ignored it, it would disappear.
"Then I won't tell him until it's obvious!" she said harshly, "Ottie, I can't have this baby" she said numbly before sliding off the bed and going behind the room divider to redress.
Maria ended up keeping her little secret to herself for three more weeks and by now the tiniest bump had appeared on her lower stomach. She knew Georg had noticed her weight gain but like the gentlemen he was he hadn't said anything. Ottie, Josef, and their children were still in the hotel and Ottie had been keeping a watchful eye on Maria.
Josef an ex-army commander had also been "requested" to join the Nazi's but, much like Georg, felt he could never accept. The Hauser family had also decided to move to America. At first Georg was worried that this would draw attention to their own escape, but Maria reassured him that very little people knew of the close relationship between the two families.
Maria rubbed her temples in effort to dissipate the pain the was building there. Since finding out she was with child, Maria had frequently experienced migraines – she did her best to hide them from Georg. She didn't know how or when she was going to tell him about the baby, but she knew she still wasn't ready. She thought she would have been able to confide in Ottie some more but even that was too difficult.
All of a sudden, the door to her bedroom slammed open against the wall and she jumped in fright, clasping her hand to her chest. Georg was out with the younger children and Liesl, Friedrich and Louisa were exploring with some friends they had made in the hotel. Focusing on the blurry object flying into the bedroom she was relieved to see it was only Liesl – clearly returned from her excursion. She immediately became angry, why would she storm in like that? She was sure her sudden bursts of anger were due to her pregnancy, but she wouldn't think about that right now.
"What on earth are you doing?" Maria shouted at the young girl, failing to notice the anger mutating her features. Liesl's fury only built when her mother began to scold her.
"I have every right to be angry after what I just heard" Liesl spat, walking up to her mother, and squaring her shoulders, ready to attack.
"Oh, really and what is it you have heard" Maria said, holding her ground. Liesl tended to be dramatic, so they were likely about to have a heated discussion about a dress or a new boy who had caught her eye.
"I heard Baroness Hauser talking to Baron Hauser...about you!" Liesl pointed a long finger directly at Maria's chest.
That couldn't be good.
"She said that you refuse to have any children with father!" Liesl said incredulously.
Maria had nothing to say, Liesl should never have heard that conversation, it wasn't her place, and, in any case, it wasn't even relevant. She had to have children with Georg now.
"How could you be so cruel!" Liesl spat.
Maria opened her mouth ready to speak, what exactly she wasn't sure. She was so shocked by Liesl's, usually a lovely girl, behaviour that she didn't notice the large presence in the doorway until his angry voiced boomed, "You will never speak to your mother like that again, young lady! Apologise at once!"
Georg, obviously back from his outing made his way over to the pair of women with a similar anger flooding his features as Liesl had moments prior.
"B-b-but father. How coul-" she stuttered, fearful of her father's reaction. She knew she had crossed a line and completely disrespected her mother, she was just so hurt on her father's behalf.
"But nothing Liesl, you eavesdropped in on an adult discussion and as per usual have blown it out of proportion. Leave my sight at once!" he said, not looking at her, eyes fixed firmly above her head.
At her father's words, Liesl gave her mother a withering stare and sculked out of her parents' bedroom to the one she shared with her sisters across the hall.
Once the door had softly closed; Maria couldn't help the sobs that escaped her. Georg didn't say anything, but he pulled her into his chest and waited until the tears subsided.
"Darling, she didn't mean it...' Georg said in a futile attempt to make her feel better.
With a cruel laugh Maria countered, "on the contrary, she meant every word, Georg. I knew I would tear this family apart..." she struggled out of his grasp and made her way to the window, wiping the tears from her cheeks roughly with her cardigan sleeve.
Hesitantly following her, Georg placed his hand on his shoulders and reassured his wife, "You have done nothing of the sort, Liesl is a dramatic little girl, and she will understand one day, you don't have to worry, sweetheart. She will feel bad soon enough." He turned her to face him and cupped her cheeks in his palms, swiping away her remaining tears.
Maria didn't believe his words but her tears had only aggravated her migraine and so she simply nodded and told Georg she would take a nap.
"Before you do, darling, I have some news...this time next week we will be stood in our very own house in Maryland. I will need you to help me organise the children. Everything is working out my love." he said with a chuckle. Maria was ecstatic to finally be moving out of the hotel but there were dark times to come and she didn't know if she was strong enough to face them.
"It appears it is!" Maria gave him a weak smile, wishing that were true.