At first, Jo didn't recognize the young man as he approached, but as he drew closer, she realized he was a thinner, older-looking version of Horst!
She gave a cry of joy as she dashed down the stairs and threw the door open. Seconds later, she felt herself enveloped in Horst's arms. When at last he released her, she looked up into his eyes.
"How did you know where to find me?"
"I've just come from home," he told her with a smile. "Mama told me you and your husband had moved to England."
By now, Dieter had joined them. Horst embraced him.
"You were once my confirmation teacher, and now, you're my brother," he said.
"I'm honored," Dieter replied. "You remember Werner Bohmke."
"Of course! My new nephew." Everyone laughed, as Werner was more than ten years older than Horst.
"And here's our son, Dieter," said Sybille. "He just turned two in April. Come say hello to your Uncle Horst, Dieter."
The little boy was hiding shyly behind his mother's skirt. Sybille moved aside so Horst could see him.
Horst bent down to the child's level.
"Hello, Dieter."
"Hello," said little Dieter.
"Shake hands?" Horst offered his right hand. After a few seconds, little Dieter offered his own. Horst laughed as he shook it.
"Some day I'll get a hug."
"Come, sit and have a rest," said big Dieter. "I know you've been through a terrible ordeal."
He helped Horst settle comfortably on the sofa and brought him a cold beer. Horst rested and sipped his beer for a few seconds, then began to tell his story.
"I hadn't eaten or slept in days when the Soviets rounded us up and made us march. We marched for hours and hours. Many of us didn't make it. Every so often someone would fall to the ground, and a Russian would put a bullet in his head.
I often felt like I couldn't take another step, but then in my head, I could hear Papa talking to me. 'You have to survive, Horst. Someone must look after your mother.' I'd see her face, and that would give me the strength to go on."
Little Dieter had been listening with rapt attention the whole time. Horst smiled at him.
"Come here, little buddy."
The child went to him, and he picked him up and held him as Jo and the others waited patiently.
"We smelled the camp before we reached it. The closer we came, the worse it smelled, until we finally reached it, and the stench was overpowering. The combined smell of unwashed bodies, rotten food, animal droppings, and things I don't even want to think about. I know I'll never forget that smell."
"It must have been even worse than the hospital." Jo shuddered with the memory.
"Much worse. They crammed five or six of us into one bunker to sleep at night. In the morning, half of us would be dead. Just imagine waking up underneath a stiff corpse and having to climb out from under it first thing in the morning."
"Horrible!" Sybille agreed.
"They gave us one piece of bread each to last a week, and in exchange, we had to work harder than we ever had before, chopping down trees and building houses and bridges. Many more of us dropped dead of exhaustion. I kept seeing Mama's face and hearing Papa's voice, and that gave me the strength to keep on going."
"God kept you alive for a reason," Dieter observed.
"When they finally let us go, my first thought was to check on Mama and make sure she was all right. I made it back by force of will alone - and with the help of God, of course."
Horst glanced guiltily at Dieter. Jo was sure he'd added the second part of the sentence for the pastor's benefit.
"I hiked part of the way home, and was able to catch rides with occasional motorists who felt sorry for me. I'd never been happier to see Mama. She welcomed me inside and gave me all the love and attention I'd been missing for so long. I spent many hours catching up with her and Renate, and getting re-acquainted with Konrad and meeting little Heinz."
Jo smiled. "And in January, you'll have another new niece or nephew!"
"You?" He looked startled for just a moment, then grinned. "Well, congratulations! I'm glad to hear it!"
"Our family is growing by leaps and bounds," Dieter observed.
The Baumgartners decided to spend Christmas Day with Mrs. Weber and New Year's with Dieter's parents. By December, Jo had grown very bulky and ungainly. To support her enlarged abdomen, she had to walk with her back slightly tilted and, as a consequence, got frequent backaches.
Having been through it herself, Sybille sympathized with Jo's discomforts and gave her helpful advice on eating smaller meals to prevent indigestion and putting her feet up often to avoid swollen ankles.
They arrived at Mrs. Weber's house around lunchtime on December 24. Mrs. Weber greeted them at the door with many hugs and kisses.
"And you will soon bless me with another grandchild." Mrs. Weber stroked Jo's swollen belly.
"As active as he is, Dieter's sure he's a boy," Jo laughed.
"You'd better choose an alternate name, just in case," Mrs. Weber advised.
Horst appeared, looking much as he had before he'd left for war, except for the lines around his eyes. After visiting with Dieter and Jo, he'd returned to his mother's house to stay. He embraced them both warmly.
"You look so much better than the last time we saw you," Jo told him.
He patted his belly. "You know how good Mama's cooking is," he said with a grin.
Jo and Dieter stayed for Christmas Day and several more, then journeyed on to Paul and Julia's. Around lunchtime on New Year's Day, Jo developed a backache which steadily grew worse, until it felt as if she was being squeezed around the middle in a vise. The pain came over her in waves, taking her breath away.
"It's time to go to the hospital," she told Dieter.