"Remember that God is with us in our time of trouble. He never leaves our side." Dieter's words were like a warm blanket of comfort.
"Have you ever lost anyone close?" Jo asked, when she could speak again.
Dieter nodded. "My brother Ernst was killed in the Great War. I was just ten years old when it happened. All I understood was I'd never see his face again, or talk to him, or play games with him, and that made me very sad."
"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" Jo was suddenly very curious, yet at the same time, she wondered whether he'd already told Martina at some point in the past.
He smiled. "I have one remaining brother, and three sisters. I hope you can meet them all soon."
"Do they all live here in Berlin?"
"No. My sister Sophia is married to a Jewish man. Thankfully, they were already resettled in Switzerland before things got as bad as they are now. My oldest brother, Max, is a scientist in Gottingen. The rest of my family still lives here." He turned to Mrs. Klein. "And how do you feel today, Rita? Are you in any pain?"
"Nothing the good Lord can't help me bear." She smiled and patted Jo's arm. "It's much easier with my Martina here. She's like a ray of sunshine."
"Indeed she is. Shall we pray?" He took Mrs. Klein's and Jo's hands into his own. "Dear Lord, we ask that you would continue to bless Rita Klein, and keep your hand of healing upon her. Bring peace and comfort to the Weber family in their time of sorrow. We ask your hand of protection over Horst in Stalingrad, and if it is your will, we ask a swift end to this war and a safe return of our countrymen, and those of the Allied troops as well. In your name, amen."
"I love to hear you pray," said Mrs. Klein.
"I was a little surprised to hear you mention the Allied troops," said Jo.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? They have family and loved ones who long for their safe return as well."
"War is so stupid," Jo mumbled.
A nurse entered the room and proceeded to take Mrs. Klein's vitals. Jo remembered how Beth had looked in the ICU following her transplant - the tubes, the ventilator, the IV. How was Beth faring now? Was there any way she could find out what was going on back in her own world? Did that world even exist anymore?
After the nurse had left, Mrs. Klein closed her eyes. "I'm going to rest now. You young folks do whatever you want."
Dieter's eyes met Jo's, and in an unspoken agreement, they left the room and walked outside into the sunshine.
"You're quite right, you know," Dieter said as they walked along the sidewalk surrounding the green grass of the hospital grounds. Large trucks rumbled past on the street. Jo shuddered involuntarily, wondering what - or whom - they contained.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"When you said war was stupid. Certainly God expects his children to get along better than they do."
Jo gulped. Questions sprang to her mind. Should she tell him about the situation with Frieda and the Messers?
She took a deep breath. "Your sister with the Jewish husband."
"What about her?"
"You said they're in Switzerland now."
"They've been there for four years. A friend and I helped them cross the border, but why do you ask?"
She glanced around quickly to make sure nobody was in earshot.
"Well, you see, I have this friend - Frieda. She worked with Renate and me at the factory. One day she took me home with her and showed me the Jews her family was hiding behind the wall."
She glanced at him to see he was calmly waiting for her to continue.
"She said she needed me to bring milk and eggs to them. Renate helped me, but one day after Papa died, she came home and told me they were all gone! Frieda's family, I mean. Renate and I have both been worried sick about them since then. I keep thinking maybe they're in Switzerland, or somewhere."
He gazed earnestly into her eyes as he took both her hands into his own. "I will pray for their safety."
"My father once said, pray as if everything depends on God, and act as if everything depends on you." She was talking about her father in Concord, but of course he had no way of knowing that. "I suppose all we can do is pray, at this point." Her voice was almost a whisper, A moment later, she felt his finger gently brush her cheek. It sent an electric shock down her spine.
"Dearest Martina, you were always the wisest of my confirmation students." Confirmation classes? When had those been?
"You realize that in some cases, prayer is all we are capable of, and yet in others, we also have the power to act."
Jo shook her head, bewildered. "Whatever are you talking about?"
He cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should be headed back."
Jo found sleep impossible that night. To have been uprooted from her twenty-first century life in Concord and plunged into Martina's life in Berlin in 1942 was one thing; to be jerked away from her new family when she was just starting to get used to them and sent somewhere else was another. How did Dieter fit into all this? He must play some major role, but what was it?
And what about Fritz? Would she ever see him again? If she did, what would their relationship be like, after all she'd been through?
She wasn't surprised at all when Dieter came to her grandmother's hospital room again the next day - and the next. She was always glad to see him and enjoyed his company very much. She soon realized that the two of them shared a special bond - so much so that, although she missed her family and Fritz back in Concord, she found herself hoping she could remain where she was at least a while longer.
True to her word, Renate wrote to her every day. One day she included news that filled Jo with happiness.
"I finally received word from Freida that she and her family are safe. Of course she can't say where they are, but they are all well, and she also wanted me to tell you that homes were found for all the puppies, so none of them had to go to the pound."
She read the letter to Mrs. Klein and Dieter the next day.
Dieter frowned. "Puppies?"
"Can't you see? It's in code, in case the letter was intercepted. It means the Messers are safe, too."
"Praise God!" said Mrs. Klein.