Chapter 8:Fast but not Far

By the time the Captain and Maria had reached Ana and Mikesh's bedroom door, the Captain was in his own state of panic. He was about to enter a domain that no man, unless he held a medical degree, should go. He stopped cold dead in his tracks feet from the bedroom.

"Fraulein, I can't go in there." He stated as a fact more than a plea. Maria who was in a hurry to get back to her patient stuck her head into the door of the bedroom. She said some soothing words to the moaning Ana, then impatiently turned to him wringing the apron that she was wearing in her hands. He imagined that in her imagination it was his neck instead of the flowered material that she so roughly handled. But that didn't start his feet from moving again…there was no way that he was going in there. It was improper, yes he surmised, improper. No man should see another man's wife, or his own for that matter, in this state.

"Captain?" Maria questioned advancing back towards him. She had this look in her eye that was a mixture of panic and danger. He wondered if the panic was there because of his refusal to help or the danger. "What are you doing?" Her fierce whisper answered his question for him. It was the danger. "You've had seven children!" She emphasized the word seven.

"No you see, that's where you are wrong, Fraulein." He raised his palms in front of him mid-waist and gave her a shrug. "My wife had seven children. For three of the children's birth, I wasn't even home. I was out at sea. For the others I did my duty and paced the parlor floor. So you see, I don't know anything about what's about to happen behind that bedroom door." He ended his statement by pointing at the door as if it was an approaching threat.

Maria took a long staggered breath and then narrowed her eyes at him. Somehow he knew he had already lost this argument. "Captain," she hissed through her teeth, "We are the only people in this house that can help her! Now," she pushed a finger into his chest, "get yourself together and get in there and help me!"

"But," he tried to argue back but she grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the door, "it's… it's… it's improper for a man to see this."

She stopped and turned to him with her hand still on the door knob, "Improper?" She questioned his choice of words, "Captain, man created this. For heaven's sakes God wouldn't have made it so and then placed social rules around the event. Adam and Eve were alone in the garden. Who do you think helped deliver their children?"

The Captain rubbed his chin, "Wasn't it the angels?"

He only had time for a short expletive before she yanked him into the room. Oh good God in heaven! What in the world was happening here? Thank goodness the power had gone out and the room was dark, only lit by candle light, otherwise he was sure he would have run right back out of the door. There on the bed Ana, a beautiful woman by her own rights, looked down right haggard. When the lighting outside flashed he saw her face contorted in pain in angles that simply wasn't natural to a person. And she was naked…oh yes, completely naked… except for a sheet that discreetly covered her bosom. Her legs were bent at the knee and sweat glistened off of them and her abdomen. Her bulging belly swelled high and hid her face from view if one stood at the bottom of the bed. Which is where he was now, holding the candle for Maria while she checked between Ana's legs for…what? He didn't know. He didn't want to know.

He dared not to look. He had no right to look. Yet, curiosity somehow got the better of him and he chanced a glance. And his body actually froze from the sight. He could actually feel his mouth gaping open-flies could be flying in and out of it for all he knew and he couldn't do anything stop it. He was infinitely rooted to this spot on this floor …forever. Why had he looked? He yelled at himself. Look at what you've done! His mind screamed on him. You have ruined our most favorite part of the female anatomy for us for eternity! You fool! And he wanted to yell at Maria that there was no way that God in heaven ever wanted man to see this! For if every man on the planet saw what was right here in his face the continuation of the human race would be in jeopardy!

"Captain!" He could hear Maria saying his name, but he still couldn't move. How long had it been since he had blinked he wondered before Maria shoved him in the arm. "Captain!" She said again and finally his eyes closed breaking him out of his spell. "The water Captain!?" She pointed over to the hearth where two pots of water sat on a grate over the fire. "I need you to empty the smaller pot of water into the basin to cool for the baby." Slowly he nodded his head. Right…water…he could handle that.

He set to task on his water duty. First he poured the pot of water into the small basin on the dry sink, then he went to find towels and scissors as he was instructed by Maria. This time she didn't have to ask him twice, his feet had never been so happy to move out of a room before! However much he never wanted to go back into that room of pain, he hastened his search for it seemed the baby was only moments away from entering the world. As he ran down the corridors of the upper hall he glanced out the front window facing the drive. "Mikesh where in the hell are you with that doctor?" He asked out loud when all that he saw out the window was darkness. No headlights in sight.

Having found all of the items that Maria had requested he reached the bedroom door, took a deep breath and then went in. There in front of him Ana writhed on the bed, fisting the sheets in her hands while Maria was bent over with her head between the other woman's legs. Having heard him re-enter, Maria turned to him, "Hurry Captain!" She demanded.

Quickly he went and dropped the scissors that he had found into the boiling water. He was supposed to leave them in there for a minute, but with Ana screaming the way she was, he didn't have a minute to waste. Before they had even settled to the bottom, he took the tongs and scooped them back out. Running back over to the bed he lay towel on the table at the end of the bed and placed the scissors onto it.

Ana half sat up and tried her best to push. But she was more leaning to the side, exhaustion was evident.

"What do I do?" The Captain questioned Maria. His Maria, who was normally so reserved and half unsure of herself, was in complete and utter control. Here she was the calm one and he was thankful that it was she that was with him tonight and not Elsa. For he was certain, Elsa would have had no idea as to what to do in this situation.

"Can you help her sit up?"

Yes, he could do that. Plus he would be on the other side and not looking in at the nightmare that was happening down below. He gently sat behind Ana on the bed and with his torso pushed into her putting her into an upright position. He placed his hand on her forehead to soothe her and to hold her flailing body still.

"Now push Ana." Maria instructed the exhausted woman. "I can see the baby's head. It's almost here. Just a few good pushes and it'll be out." His heart swelled with pride as he watched Maria at work. His Fraulein was simply amazing. He couldn't believe how well she was handling this entire thing.

Ana let out a sound that the Captain hadn't believed another human being could create, then bore down turning red from the effort of pushing. When she ran out of breath she panted through what he assumed was curses of Mikesh and what he had done to her. He couldn't be sure, though, for she said it all in her native tongue. The only word he understood was Mikesh, so he the man was definitely a part of it.

"The head is out!" Maria exclaimed, "Oh it's beautiful!" Again the Captain's curiosity got the better of him and he left Ana for a moment to peer through her legs. Amazing, was all he could think at the sight. A tiny head was caught coming out of this person. Another human being half in the world and half not. He had seen death before…had created life…but never had he seen birth. It really was something beyond compare.

"Come on Ana," Maria yelled while turning and pushing the skin away from the baby's head helping the child into the world. "One more good push and we can get the shoulders out!"

The Captain resumed his position behind Ana and helped her back up into a sitting position. "Push Ana," he coaxed into her ear, "You can do this."

Ana grabbed her knees and bore down hard letting out a curse and a groan at the same time.

"It's here!" Maria exclaimed. "I've got her!" Ana let out a long sigh and pushed back. The Captain help to lay her beat body back down onto the pillows of the bed. He looked over at Maria who held the tiny creature in her arms, wrapping it in a towel before placing it on its mother's chest.

"She's not crying." Both Ana and Maria said at the same time. Ana looked at the baby in panic then at him and Maria.

He didn't know how he knew, but something triggered in the back of his mind. Some distant memory of knowledge that he recalled and instinctively his arms reached for the baby. He looked down at the gray face covered in slime and blood and just knew what had to be done. Placing his mouth over the baby's nose he sucked hard. His mouth became full of that which kept the child's breath. Then he opened the baby's mouth and repeated the process. Breaking contact, he spit the goop out onto the floor just as the child let out the first wail of her life. It was one of the most beautiful sounds his ears had ever had the privilege to hear. Then he placed the baby girl back onto her mother's chest where the woman cried tears of joy over her tiny head.

Maria came over to him wiping her hands on the now blood covered apron. He hadn't even realized that he was shaking until she grabbed his hands with her own to still his movements. Her face was beaming. And why shouldn't it have been? They had just helped a life into this world. Together…as a team.

"Captain," she began, but before she could get the words out he took her head into his hands and placed a hard kiss on her lips. Words were not enough right now. He needed to remember this moment for the rest of his life. Today he truly was a hero. They had decorated him in the navy and called him a hero during the war. The title never fit well with him though. How do you call someone a hero that was the cause of others deaths? But today, he had saved a life and he never wanted to forget this feeling or the way that Maria looked right now.

It wasn't a hot kiss. It wasn't a kiss for lovers. It was simply flesh against flesh. Stars didn't go off and the room didn't spin. But it said what he needed to tell her all the same.

When he was done he held her head still in his hands and looked into her wide eyes.

"You humble me, Fraulein." He said, just as the door to the bedroom swung open with Mikesh and the doctor flying through.

True to his word, Midas had been able to pull the Captain's car out of the mud. Or, rather, what was left of his car. The car was now a permanent convertible, for the soft-top shell had succumbed to the torment of the mud and the pulling…the Captain surmised. All that was left of the roof were some jagged pieces of metal that once moved the roof in and out of place. They stuck out like lost arms on either side of the back seat, as if they were searching for what was stolen from them. The back seat, however, which was made of gray Italian leather, was now a chocolate brown layer of filth. Mud that was half liquid and half backed flowed from the back seat like primordial ooze.

The Captain took all of this in, pacing around and around his car with his hand on his chin. While Maria kept smiling and telling him how wonderful it was that the car had been saved from the sinkhole. His silence was beginning to unnerve her. He hadn't said much really since he had kissed her after the baby's birth. The baby that Ana had named Georgia-Maria after her saviors, she had said, was doing well. Maria and the Captain had left with the doctor in hopes of starting their journey back home. Only, she was beginning to question whether or not this car could go anywhere.

"I can wash for you, yes." Midas informed the Captain that had just halted by the back bumper which hung like a crooked smile having been wired back into place quickly by Midas and his imbecile cousin.

"No," the Captain held up his hand, "no, I think the mud is the only thing keeping the rest of the car together." He came up close to Maria's side. His next words were not only meant to irritate her, but also made the bangs on her forehead fly with his exasperated breath, "Sort of like a paste."

"Oh it's not that bad, Captain." Maria soothed. "Nothing a little soap and water can't fix. At least the engine still runs."

"Yeah," Midas concurred in a not so convincing voice. "Engine is sound…good." He nodded his head exuberantly making the Captain question the sincerity.

Whatever, the Captain thought. As long as the machine could get them home, he didn't care what happened to it after that. He'd push the eyesore into the bottom of his lake once they got it home and lay the poor thing to rest. But first it needed to get them home.

He paid Midas the money and watched the grease monkey slink away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Now he was thinking he should have tried the engine before he let the mechanic leave.

"Get in." He said to Maria. He was trying not to be curt with her, they had just witnessed such a miracle together…but his car. Oh his car!

She did as she was told and took the seat beside him. Placing the key in the ignition he gave it a crank-surprisingly-nothing happened. He tried again with greater success. This time the engine made a little choking sound and black smoke came out of the exhaust. He raised his eyes up to heaven, why lord? Why, he questioned.

"hmmm" Maria mumbled in the back of her throat. He looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"Do you know how to drive, Fraulein?"

"Why yes Captain. I used to drive all of the time on my Uncle's farm. Back and forth to dump our garbage on Tri-…"

He raised his hand to cut her off; he didn't need to know all of the details. "Great. What's going to happen is—I'm going to push the car to jump start it. Once it gets going I need you to keep it at a slow pace so I can jump in. Don't stop the car for anything, though. Otherwise the engine will die again."

"Right." She gave him a little salute that irritated him to the core, "I can handle that."

The Captain exited the car not fully believing his Fraulein's faith in herself. Then he gave her directions to put the car in first gear, depressing the clutch and brake at the same time. This took five minutes alone. When she finally got the car into gear he gave it a little push on the short slope that they were stopped upon. The mud that was caked in the tires groaned from the effort, but the machine finally started to move after the third push.

"Release the clutch!" The Captain yelled as the car started to move at a faster pace. Thankfully the engine roared to life.

"Turn the ignition to on now!" He demanded quickening his pace to a full out run to keep up with the car.

They were going at a good speed now. The car having sputtered a few times in the beginning was warming up wonderfully. Just when he was about to open the passenger door to get in, Maria did the one thing he had told her NOT to do. She pressed the brake… hard. The car jerked to a stop behind the running Captain and quickly died again.

Since his own momentum hadn't slowed as fast as the car's, the Captain was now standing in front of the automobile, glaring through the cracked windshield at Maria.

He threw his hands high up in the air, "I said don't stop the car! Didn't I?" He fumed with his hands on his hips while gasping for breath. Max had been right, he was out of shape. Just that little bit of running had winded him. Or perhaps it was his fury.

"Yes but…I thought I was…you needed…I…" her words were stolen in terror as he continued to glare at her.

"GRRR.." the Captain growled deep in his throat, "Don't think. Just do as I tell you. Alright Fraulein?"

Maria looked down murmuring a "Yes Captain," as he walked past her back to the tail end of the dead automobile.

They repeated the process all over again. This time with more effort on his part, for they were now on flatlands, no more hill to help him gain momentum. This time when the car turned over he didn't hesitate, instead he dove into the back seat commanding Maria to keep her foot on the gas. It wasn't until after he landed with a splat that he remembered why he didn't want to be in the back seat, for he was now covered head to toe in mud having splashed down in the ooze. Taking the borrowed clean handkerchief from Mikesh out of his back pocket, the Captain wiped the substance off his face while climbing into the front seat next to Maria.

"Should I pull over so you can.."

"NO!" he cut off Maria before she could even finish her suggestion. "No, you'll have to drive for a little while. At least until the battery has charged a bit."

"Oh," she replied, white knuckling the steering wheel. They were driving now through the center of town. There were a few people milling about on the quiet streets and they were all looking slightly annoyed at them. The Captain realized that as the car was slowly moving down the street the loose mud from the tires was spitting out. Large mud balls were flying out at the unsuspecting pedestrians unlucky enough to be walking by as they rode past. Smacking them as they went about minding their own business- in the face, neck, legs, anywhere it could reach really. Behind them a long line of angry people were mobbing following the slow moving car- ready for revenge.

"Ah Fraulein," the Captain began as he surmised the angry mob behind them. "I think you need to shift now."

"Shift, Captain?"

"Yes, shift into the faster gears. I think it's in our best interest to get out of here as fast as possible."

"Ummm, I don't know how to shift."

The Captain swung his head from the angry mob that were now making obscene gestures at him to Maria.

"I thought you said you knew how to drive?"

"Well yes, my Uncle's truck. I know how to drive that. And the only gear that worked was first gear. And the road that I drove on wasn't a road, per say, just a flattened patch of cow pasture."

The Captain turned back to the angry mob that was gaining ground on them. One old lady in particular was wielding a large loaf of bread over her head. The mud ball that had struck her had left an angry brown streak down the left side of her face.

"Wonderful." The captain murmured. "Listen, press the clutch down and I'll shift the gears from here. Just press the brake and the clutch at the same time then slowly lift your foot off."

"Oh Captain, I don't think that's a good idea." A rock smashed against the back of the car. The Captain repeated his instructions again, this time in haste. "But Captain, I don't know…" But he wasn't listening to her. He grabbed the gear shifter and began putting the car into second. This time a brick hit the back tail light breaking the glass. The Captain slammed the car into third gear, the transmission growled from the abuse and Maria's knuckles turned even whiter while she man-handled the car.

The car roared down the street jerking left and right. She barely missed the milk cart itself, but nicked the edge of a crate that was lying on the street. The crate flew across the small front yard of the house it was in front of and smashed to bits at the owner's feet.

"Maria!" The Captain exclaimed while at the same time grabbing the steering wheel when she was about to smash into the town's fountain. He tugged hard to the left, but Maria in a panic yanked right, and sent them hurdling over the cement wall of the fountains pool. They splashed to a stop into the fountains water. The tail end of the car still hung on the dry side of the street. Its back tires were in the air spinning fast looking for asphalt to grab on to. The air around them filled with smoke. When it cleared a bit, the old woman with the loaf of bread approached the car. Swinging it, she smacked the Captain on top of the head. Subsequently breaking the loaf in half. She walked away clutching the remaining half in her hand and yelling a cheer.

The Captain, having braced himself with a hand against the dashboard, picked up the other half of the bread. Regarding Maria, who was still white knuckling the steering wheel and staring forward into the fountains cascading water, he waved the bread in front of her face.

"Well, at least we have something to eat for lunch now."

Thank you all again for reading and for all of the wonderful reviews. I wanted to say that I appreciate the time you all take in letting me know how much you are either enjoying or not enjoying (as is sometimes the case )this story. I am having a great time writing it and love hearing all of the feedback…so keep it coming. Side note…I don't own the Sound of Music.

I hope everyone has a joyous holiday season and a wonderful New Year!