Chapter Twenty-Six

Lida stepped back quickly and dropped her hands to her side. "I'm sorry, Papa. I didn't want to wake you. I…I just wanted to see you."

Georg didn't reply, he just sat and looked at her. His precious Lida Rose was here in front of him, after a long, painful silence. He didn't know what to say.

Lida bit her lip and looked down at Georg's hand as it rested on the sheets. "Well," Georg said softly. "You are seeing me. Sit down if you'd like."

Lida shifted a little bit. "How do you feel? You look better today."

Georg scoffed, "Compared to what? I haven't seen you in months and the last time I hadn't just had a heart attack."

"I saw you Monday when you were just waking up and Mama was arguing with your doctor. You were pale and tired, very tired."

"I am still tired," Georg confessed. "And I suppose compared to Monday, I do look better. I feel better."

"Good," Lida replied. "Papa…I wanted to see you for days, but now that I am here I don't know what to say."

Georg wanted to reach out and pull Lida close to him and tell her it was all a bad dream and everything was all right.

"You don't have to say anything," Georg said after a beat. "I know what it feels like to have your world stop turning, to lose your grip on everything you feel ever mattered to you. It makes you do stupid things. I made me do some very ill-considered things before I met your Mama." Georg reached out his hand toward his daughter and Lida slid her small hand into his.

For a moment, Georg just let himself feel it. Lida's small little hand cradled in his much bigger one. That was how she learned to walk, he recalled

Stowe, Vermint

August 1939

"Come on, little one," Georg encouraged his tiny little daughter as he knelt on the floor holding her upright. Lida had done all of her milestones early, except start to walk. She seemed to like crawling and fitting herself into a whole manner of insane places in their small, four room apartment. Now that they had moved into their new house, Georg expected to have Lida running straight away.

"Georg," Maria chastised. "She will walk when she is ready. She is not much past one year yet."

"I know, but she wants to walk," Georg replied. "I can tell. All I have to do is entice her a little bit."

Maria shook her head, "You have done this eight times, I defer to your judgment."

"Here, I know. Have her walk to you. I'll hold onto her and you reach out, see what she does. She likes to snuggle with you almost as much as I do."

Maria shook her head, "You are something else, Georg." Still, Maria got down on her hands and knees and opened her arms to her little daughter.

The baby's personality was starting to show. She was sweet, warm, brave, but short tempered and quick to anger. Georg pointed out to Maria all of Lida's traits seemed to come from her.

"I know," Maria laughed. "She has so much of my personality doesn't she?"

Georg met her eyes in reply. "Okay Lida Rose," Georg encouraged. "Go see Mama. Go to Mama, go to Mama."

Georg held Lida's tiny hands in his as Maria held her arms out to the baby girl. Lida held on tightly to Georg's, all of her trust in her Papa as she took her first tentative little steps toward Maria.

"There she goes!" Maria squealed in delight. "Oh, my big girl!"

Maria never felt such pride. Neither had Georg.

Montpelier, Vermont

"Papa?" Lida pressed. She had called Georg three times. "Are you all right?"

"I was just thinking about when you were tiny," Georg replied. "You were such a little spitfire. You knew your own mind even then, but you always seemed to stop and look back to me and look to hold on. It seemed like you knew that I had to be there to protect you, that I would keep you safe."

Lida swallowed, "You did. I always felt so safe with you and Mama. I always trusted you to ..."

"All I ever wanted to do was protect you, Lida," Georg sighed. "And I can see that the way I chose to do that was hurtful. I also know that lack of intention to cause pain to someone is not an absolution."

"No, it's not, " Lida replied. "I know that you only wanted to protect me, Papa and after what I saw the other day, Mama taking that doctor's head off, I realized she is a lot tougher than I thought.. I see things more clearly now. I had a long talk with Father Brady."

"And what were you seeking there you felt you couldn't get right here?" Georg asked, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. "Perhaps your own absolution?"

Lida nodded, "I just needed to feel better, Papa, but I still don't. I still feel vicious and hateful and spoiled…"

"You aren't hateful, Lida Rose. A vicious fighter, so am I. Spoiled, my yes. I spoiled you, Lida. I spoiled you and doted on you more than any of your siblings, even Julia, and she is the baby. I felt that if I could love you just that much more that I would make up for any pain surrounding your birth, but I see we can add that to my list of failures."

"You didn't fail, Papa," Lida comforted. "I think it was a mistake not to tell me. It was like by not telling me you weren't admitting that…Oh, I don't know. I am not a von Trapp, not by blood, and it feels that way, it always did somehow."

"How?" Georg pressed."Tell me how. I don't understand how that was. I never felt any differently about you. You were born into my hands, did you know that? Your Mama and I needed you and wanted you to be born into love. You weren't created in it, that's true enough and I will never forgive myself for that, but we made sure you had love all your life and I know I never failed in that."

As Georg made that declaration he felt his heart rate speeding up. It was how he felt so many times before the aching would set in along his shoulder and his neck. Georg closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sometimes that helped when he felt his heart speed up.

Lida noticed the change in Georg's manner and moved closer, "Papa?"

"I'm growing tired, my sweet," Georg excused. "I think I need to rest for a while. Can we continue this discussion soon? When I'm feeling stronger?"

Lida stood up. Suddenly, she didn't have the heart or the guts to tell Georg she planned to leave home. She would have to find another way to tell him the rest if what was in her heart.

"Can I do anything for you Papa?" Lida asked. "Are you in any pain? I can help move your pillows maybe?"

"Just take the one pillowl there by my legs and put it behind my back so I can sit up more," Georg requested.

Lida as Georg asked of her, then kissed Georg's cheek. "I'll see you again, Lida Rose?" he asked.

"Yes, Papa," Lida replied. "You will see me again."

With one more gentle kiss, Lida left Georg's hospital room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Georg managed to barely choke back his tears.

When Georg was sure that Lida had gone, he hit the call bell. His nurse came in a moment later. She knew Georg disobeyed doctor's orders if they didn't answer him quickly. "Yes, Mr. von Trapp, do you need something?"

"Yes," Georg replied. "I need some morphine and I need you to call Dr. Leland, my heart feels like it is going to pop out of my chest."

The nurse started to take Georg's vitals and had Curtis called. Luckily, he was home and able to confer with the nurses. "His pressure isn't too bad, 145/94 and his respiration is normal, 15. His rate though, 155 "

"Okay, 2 of morphine, 500 of acetylsalicylic acid, and get his legs up," Curtis ordered. "Where is Trapp?"

"Earlier today, she left the hospital with Mr. Detwiler. I think Mr. Von Trapp wanted her to get a rest. He had another visitor for a while, then he rang for us and said his heart was pounding."

"Do exactly what I said, no more, no less," Curtis ordered. "I'm on my way."

Marta looked over at Curtis. "Papa?" Her voice was laced with fear.

"Yes," Curtis replied. "Not sure if it is another run of arrhythmia or another infarct, but his numbers aren't too bad. I think it's all right. Hold my supper?"

Marta nodded and gave Curtis a kiss before he dashed out the door. Marta knew enough about heart attacks to know if Georg had another serious attack so soon after the last he would not survive. She closed her eyes in a quick prayer before plastering in a smile to serve dinner to her children.

By the time Curtis got to the hospital, the medication was working and Georg was loudly complaining about having been propped up like he was. "Well, sounds like you're okay," Curtis said breathlessly. He had run from the parking lot.

"I feel fine now, except ridiculous," Georg replied. "Tell us of you don't feel well…Look at the shape of me, this is why I don't speak up."

"Let me take a look, then we can set you up more comfortably. Rhythm strip!"

Curtis looked at the print out in his hand. Now he had proof of Georg's irregular heart beats. "Deep breath and hold it," Curtis advised as he listened. "Breathe again." He listened further. "You sound good right now and your vitals look fine. I think you had another run of tachycardia and then…you panicked. Which is good, until we get you on the right meds, you feel off, you panic, and call for help."

Geoeg rolled his eyes. "Don't tell Maria. She is already under so much pressure, please don't tell her."

"I can't," Curtis replied. "Doctor/patient privilege. Who was the visitor you had before this?"

"Do you think it was related?" Georg answered Curtis' question with a question.

"Likely not," Curtis replied. "These things happen. Stress is a trigger certainly but something has to be structurally wrong in the heart for it to happen. Who was it?"

Georg smiled softly, "My little Lida Rose. We had a nice visit until I started to feel sick. I didn't tell her, she is in a dark enough place right now. I said I was tired. I am tired."

Curtis looked at Georg's rhythm again and took his vitals. "You sound okay. Pressure is normal, you're breathing sounds fine, heart rate is normal. I think you should rest up for Boston."

"Do you think Boston will make the difference? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair but I don't want widow Maria with an infant either."

"I think it will," Curtis replied. "If I'm right, and I think I am, we can manage this. It will take time and cooperation from you but I can do it. Your hiking days are probably over, but sitting by the fire rocking a baby, chasing toddlers and kissing Maria at the market in front of 100 people should be a go."

"Get out here, Curtis," Georg playfully dismissed his son-in-law.

"Goodnight, Georg," Curtis laughed as he shut the door.

Marta was waiting on the porch when Curtis got home so if the news wasn't good she didn't upset her kids. Gretel was waiting with her.

"He's fine," Curtis replied. "Vitals right down the middle, but he had a run of atrial fibrillation while he had a ventricular bradycardia, his heart was confused. I am convinced more than ever now he will need digitalis."

"If you think that will help, why didn't you give it to him already?" Gretl asked.

"I need to be sure," Curtis replied. "If we treat the wrong thing. We'll know on Tuesday. He had 2 of morphine, he'll sleep until morning. Even if your mother comes back tonight. He doesn't want her to know. He's afraid for her and the baby."

Marta and Gretl both nodded, "Should he be?" Marta asked.

"No need to worry," Curtus assured the sisters. "They were arguing like always this morning. They are going to be just fine."

A/N: There it is. Part one of the reunion. There will be another portion of that in a few chapters, not to worry.

Next few chapters we will see growth for Lida, a surprise from Max, some closure for the family over Lida's birth origins and of course the birth of the newest von Trapp in a compromise sort of way. Let's just say all the girls should take wife lessons from their mother. Keep reading and reviewing. Love to hear your thoughts.