Chapter Twenty-Eight
Montpelier, Vermont
"Promise me that if he is agitated when he is waking from the ether, you will hold his hand," Maria requested for the fourth time.
"I promise," Max assured her. "I know that Georg has some difficulty when he is sick or having medication. He is my best friend; I promise I will take care of him. Do me a favor?"
"Of course," Maria replied.
"Take care of yourself. If he senses you are tired or unwell you know how he is," Max reminded Maria.
"I do," Maria replied. "Be safe. Take care of him, please."
Max nodded and got into the ambulance where Georg had been loaded a few minute ago. Maria had given him a kiss and hug and sucked in her breath. She was barely holding on, but she could not let Georg see her crack again.
"They're ready," Curtis told Max. "We have to get there in enough time to get Georg registered and settled so he can rest before the procedure tomorrow."
Max nodded and turned to get into the back of the ambulance. Maria wrapped her arms around her middle and took a deep breath. As soon as the vehicle pulled away from the curb, she doubled over in the worst pain she had ever felt, more than when she had been raped, more than when she had lost her parents...more than any other time she could remember.
Maria allowed herself a few minutes of grief because no matter what happened with Georg life as she knew it was going to change. The only question was, how much?
After five minutes, Maria took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. This was going to get her nowhere. She wasn't going to take care of the baby this way and if she caught a cold she would not be able to see Georg when he got back to Vermont. Maria turned and went back into the hospital where the children were all waiting. Georg was on his way to Boston and she had to be on her way home.
En Route to Boston
Max and Georg told story after story as they drove. They had Curtis in stitches most of the ride. "If the two of you were that much trouble when you were younger, why are you so hard on your daughters' perspective mates?"
Georg's face turned very serious. "I never wanted any of my daughters especially Marta to marry a man like me. I wanted all of my girls to be cherished and worshiped by a man who never put a foot wrong. I got spoiled with Matthias, he was so terrified I was going to say no that he towed the line pretty well. Sam was pretty mild-mannered then Marta brings you, the total opposite of what I wanted for her. Opinionated, tongue in cheek, very direct. You were not scared of me at all, and that scared me more than anything."
"I was so scared of you," Curtis confessed. "Marta was the love of my life, is the love of my life, and the idea of not being able to marry her based only on the fact that you said no had my knees knocking. Marta told me up front that if you said no, we were not going to get married. She wouldn't disrespect you like that."
"She told me and her mother that you were the love of her life and that she'd marry you at all costs," Georg confessed. "Maria was on me like white on rice telling me that I better figure out a way to accept you. The truth is, I was staring at myself, and it totally terrified me. I knew how deeply I was capable of loving, and I knew how deeply I was capable of hurting too. I've caused great pain in my life, to Agathe, to Maria, to all of my children, mainly the first seven, I never wanted my little girl into being in a position where she might remotely feel a fraction of the pain I had caused her mother, both her mothers with my temper. "
"Then why did you change your mind?" Curtis asked.
"Remember how you say that Marta is quiet until she isn't? Well, the quiet part she gets from her birth mother, but the until she isn't part, she gets from Maria. I knew if I ever wanted to sleep inside the house again that I better accept this marriage and like it."
Max erupted and laughter. "Yes, there is nothing that will quell the eye of the sea captain more than a few nights on the barn floor."
Georg rubbed his neck at the memory, "Quite true." The three men now laughed. "In all honesty, I couldn't accept you because I did like you. I realized out of all my sons-in-law you are the most threatening because you were capable of loving my baby in the same way, yet differently, than I loved her. With everything you have. You love your children that much; I can tell you do. You love my Marta, there's nothing you wouldn't do for her. She wasn't going to need her Papa after that."
"Marta will always need you, Georg" Curtis said softly. "She was a disaster when you had your heart attack. She held it up like a trooper when she needed to, but behind closed doors it was different. By the time Lida came to the hospital on Monday Marta really unleashed on her. I feel bad. Then both women were hugging and crying, real Hallmark moment."
Georg flinched a bit at that. Things with Lida were still so tenuous, but he couldn't focus on that now. "Long story short, I stopped hating you a long time ago, and I started respecting you. No more so than when you took care of my Maria. You kept our secret even from your own wife and I know my daughter, that must have been pretty difficult. You earned my respect that day, even more so than the day you saved my life. I am grateful to you for this, for setting this up, for battling with the other doctors, for giving us hope. Maria is as well. I'm grateful also that you pushed Marta into supporting the idea that Maria didn't come to Boston with us. She cannot take anymore, she really can't. Not with the pregnancy, not with the terror she's feeling about that. The idea of a hospital birth, without me by her side, she's scared."
Curtis nodded and sighed, "Georg, I have delivered a couple hundred babies and never once has a father been present. What good does it do? I'm really curious. The fathers are usually a nervous wreck. I couldn't even remember how to work my stopwatch when Marta had our kids."
"Perhaps the fathers are so terrified because they are removed. It is my reasoning that a connection between mother and father got the baby in, should it not be that both are connected when it comes out. A woman is at her most vulnerable when she is delivering. Why wouldn't the husband be at her side protect her, to comfort her? I'm only wishing the baby be born at the hospital because I couldn't bear anything happening to Maria."
"I must admit Georg is excellent at a birth," Max finally spoke up. "And I have shared in almost all of them. It will be strange not to be timing contractions and slipping Georg watered whiskey for the length of it."
'Well, you have certainly opened eyes," Curtis replied. "Georg, do you have any questions about what will happen tomorrow?"
"Only how long I'll be laid up," Georg replied.
"From the procedure itself, not long. You will be given some mild sedation so you will be groggy most of the day, but there usually aren't any complications, no pain...The rest depends on what we see. If you have blockage and enlargement of the heart muscle, I will have no choice but to advise you remain bedridden. If it is an arrhythmia and you have a blood clot from the electrical disruption, then we will work on handling it with medication, but you have to be a participant in that Georg."
"I got my wake-up call, Curtis," Georg sighed.
The men changed the topic back to old war stories. Curtis even threw in a few from medical school, but nothing that might sway Georg's acceptance of him. The journey went by quickly.
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Lida stood in the large ornate office of the St. Michael's Home for Orphaned Children and was stuck by how odd it was that the room was this nice. The home in New Haven had been downright ramshackle compared to this place.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," came a thick, deep voice with a distinct southern drawl. "I'm Andrew Manning and you are...Who are you?"
"I'm sorry," Lida said softly, studying her shoes. "I'm Lida von Trapp, I'm from the Hartford diocese. Father Brady arranged for me to volunteer."
"Ah, yes, Miss Trapp..."
"von Trapp," Lida corrected. "My legal name is von Trapp, the immigration officer made a mistake on the paper work. They added my father's title to his surname."
"Miss von Trapp then," Andrew replied. "I'm glad you are here. We have just got three new children left to us after their mother took off; their father cannot handle them. They are all new to this country and don't speak English. Would you happen to be able to speak uh..."
"German?" Lida finished for him. "My parents were the immigrants, not me. I was only six months old when we left Austria, but yes, I speak passable German. I'd be happy to help. What are my other duties?"
"You will care for all the children. Provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support for all of the children, and of course, when it is your turn, cook, clean, do the washing up, that sort of thing. I am the director of this orphanage. My family helped found it after the Carmichael orphanage was closed. It was the least we could do under the circumstances."
Lida nodded, "I'll do my best to be the best. My Papa always said that."
"Your father, German speaking Austria, last name Trapp. Is that Georg von Trapp, the U boat Captain?" Andrew asked.
Lida nodded. Whenever people knew about Georg she got nervous. This was America, she didn't know when she might run across a person that lost family at Georg's hands.
"My mother's father with under him in the Great War. He talked about him all the time. It seems he was a very smart, resourceful, and kind man."
Lida looked at Andrew and shook her head. "Is. My Papa is a very smart, resourceful, and kind man."
"I'm sorry," Andrew said quickly. "I am truly sorry, I thought that as my grandfather and your father would be around the same age that he might have passed away."
"Thankfully, not yet," Lida replied. "If you'll show me where those children are located in this enormous space, I will see to them, see what I can get them to tell me."
"Yes, come this way," Andrew replied. 'You can start by getting their names."
Lida squared her shoulders and put on her best smile. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Boston, Massachusetts
"Mr. von Trapp, Dr. Leland, Mr…" Dr. James Roberts looked at the three men that had just arrived on his cardiac ward.
"Detweiler," Max supplied. "Very close friend."
"Mr. Detweiler, I'm Dr. Roberts, it's a pleasure to have you here and looking so well," the young man smiled. Georg couldn't help but think this man looked younger than Curtis and Curtis was Friedrich's age, not exactly old.
"I'm feeling much better," Georg replied. "But just this morning I had one of those rushes and my heart was pounding. All I was doing was lying in bed. It's enough to make me lose my breath."
"Well, tomorrow we will find out why and figure out a way to help," Dr. Roberts assured Georg. "Dr. Leland tells me that your wife hasn't joined you, that she is with child, and it was your wish that she remain in Vermont, is that correct?"
Georg nodded, "This has been very stressful on her, and she had a few problems with her last pregnancy."
"Then who will make medical decisions for you in the event there are complications or difficulties that arise during the procedure?" Dr. Roberts asked. "Will I be calling Mrs. von Trapp?"
Georg shook his head, "Curtis," he replied quickly. "Curtis will make my medical decisions while I'm here. If something happens, I want Max to be there when Maria finds out. We've had a promise since navy days we would do that. Only Max never got married."
Max looked down at his hands. If Georg only knew. Max smirked a bit, he would tell him soon enough.
The doctor made notations then, "If you gentleman will excuse us, I need to examine my patient and establish some baselines before the procedure. We'll be a few minutes."
"Max," Georg spoke up. "Call Maria, tell her we have arrived and I'm seeing the doctor, will you?"
Max nodded and stepped out with Curtis as the doctor began to examine Georg. Dr. Roberts asked him a whole manner of things. He had him breathing in and out, holding his breath, moving his extremities. "Have you noticed any changes in your mobility or in your stamina since the heart attack?"
Georg laughed, "Stamina is a thing of the past. I have to get up three or four times in the night to use the bathroom with that pill they gave me for the blood pressure. It drives me crazy, and my legs still feel like I'm walking through mud."
"Mmhmm," Dr. Roberts replied and made some notes. "Fatigue is normal after a heart attack, though many patients get their stamina back over a few months' time. Raise your leg off the bed and don't let me push it down."
Georg didn't like the fact that the doctor had both legs on the bed within a few seconds. "That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?"
"Again, some weakness is expected after a heart attack, but I'm going to get a neuro consult to be sure while we have you here. There's a chance that you lost some oxygen to your lower limbs and that's causing some muscle weakness. Again, treatable, but it takes time."
"I'm going to have to learn some patience, aren't I?" Georg asked wryly as the doctor covered him up and made a few more notes on his chart.
"It's a marathon not a sprint, I'm afraid," Dr. Robert replied. "Rest is the key, and depending on what we see tomorrow, medication, diet, and exercise will be added to make the conditions manageable, but we can't cure them. Do you understand? A lot of what happens going forward is going to depend on you."
Georg bit his lip, "I've made it this far counting only on myself and my wife most of my life. I think I can manage."
Dr. Roberts smiled again. He liked this older, distinguished, slightly ornery man who's care he was charged with. "I believe you can," he replied before leaving the room to prepare for the next day's procedure.
A/N: Lida's settling into her new role, Maria is trusting Max with Georg, and Max has a secret to boot. I know I've said this before but I really have a feeling we are in the home stretch of this now. I know the ending will of course be Maria's giving birth, but what about Lida. Will she be home in time, and will she be received well when she gets there. A few more misunderstandings might come up, but Georg had a very important message for his daughter.
Stay tuned.
