Day 10

Dietrich was glad that he didn't have to keep the bandage covering the black mamba bite wound on his arm for very long after leaving the hospital. The doctors insisted he keep it on, since his wound had come from an animal. However, it wasn't like it was an entirely unknown animal. Although he was rescued from the clutches of a honey badger in the wilds of Namibia, the black mamba who came to be known as Mahlah had been in the care of Cambridge's zoology department for many years. He was tested for everything under the sun, kept in a clean environment, given regular health examinations, and only fed prey that was bred and raised in the laboratory. The head researcher for the subdepartment of ophiology, Dr. Millington, told Dietrich he didn't have anything to worry about in terms of infection from Mahlah's bite. The worst was over. Now it was time to rest.

Dietrich had allowed the mamba to bite him and send him to the river in order to keep Troy alive when power-mad magpies attempted to drive him to his death. It was dangerous, and some might argue not intelligent, but there were no other options. As long as it saved Troy's life, Dietrich was prepared to pay a hefty price. The day after returning to Cambridge from the hospital in Scotland, the first thing Dietrich did was inform his wife, Esther, and wasn't at all surprised that she didn't sound happy with him. He just wasn't sure how unhappy she was. He hoped that she would express relief that he was alright and leave it at that.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Dietrich returned to Germany the day after enjoying some festivities with the Rats over their victory over the magpies, and was surprised to see his brother, Markus, leaving the house with Gunther. "Well, this is unexpected," Dietrich said.

Markus gave him a weak smile. "I wish this was under better circumstances, Hans."

"Why? Is everything alright?"

"Mostly. I am taking Gunther to the park for a little while. Esther would like to have a word with you."

"I see." Dietrich watched his brother leave, then went into the house, where Esther was scrubbing dishes in the sink. He wasn't sure how to greet her, so he stood still for a moment after setting his suitcase down and taking his boots off. He hoped for the best, and prepared for the worst, though he wasn't sure what "the worst" could be here. "Esther?"

"You. Stay where you are," Esther growled.

Great. Dietrich stayed put. This was exactly what he didn't want.

Esther set a dish in the drying rack before turning and storming over to her husband. "Are you insane?! Answer me honestly, Hans! Are you insane?! You must be, for you to think that getting yourself bitten by a venomous snake was a good idea!"

"I did not have a choice!" Dietrich snapped back. "Troy would have died if I had not done anything—"

"And you didn't once stop to think about what would happen if you failed?!"

"I knew perfectly well what would happen if I had failed, but I made it back, did I not?"

"You were perfectly willing to leave your son fatherless and me a widow! And did you forget your orphaned nephew, who you were so determined to help, is currently in training to become an army officer?! Did you really want him finding out that you died before his career even started?!"

"No! We had more than enough people there to help, and they were not going to let me die, no matter what!"

"Someone else could have helped Troy!"

"Any one of us would have been risking the same consequences!"

"Why did it have to be you?!"

"Because I know how Troy's mind works! No one else would have been able to keep him from losing his mind at the river!"

"What matters more to you, Hans?! Your friends or your family?!"

"They are my family! How dare you accuse me of not thinking you matter to me! I would have done the same for you or Gunther or Anselm! You should know that! I threw myself in front of you when we were in a car accident a few years ago! Have you forgotten about that?" Dietrich was finding it more and more difficult to keep himself composed. "When I was at the river, I swore I was going to get out of there so I could get back to you and the rest of my family. I refused to give up, no matter how difficult or painful it got."

"You are only saying that to make me less angry."

Dietrich felt like he had been punched in the stomach, and sputtered for a moment. "I cannot believe you. Are you seriously accusing me of lying?!"

"Yes!"

Dietrich was stunned into silence. He struggled to find the right response to this. "I will not stand for this. You are angry and irrational, and I refuse to continue this conversation with you until you have cleared your head." He put his boots back on before storming outside, heading down to the park to talk to Markus. He had expected Esther to be angry, but not this angry. His own frustration faded a little when he reached the park and found Markus watching Gunther running around with one of his stuffed animals.

"That was fast," Markus said.

"I need you to take Gunther for a few days," Dietrich said, not bothering with a greeting.

"May I ask what happened?"

"Because Esther needs time to return to rationality. There was an exchange of words, and she accused me of caring more about my friends than her or Gunther, and that I was lying when I told her that I was thinking of her when I was at the river."

Markus winced. "I did notice when I came to take Gunther for a bit that Esther was not happy, but… I was not sure how unhappy." He glanced at his brother. "Are you alright? With the snakebite, I mean."

"I have already made my recovery. There is nothing more to worry about."

"I certainly will not claim to be an expert, but everything I had heard about the snake you were bitten by says that you should not have survived."

"Even a black mamba bite is survivable with treatment, and it helps to have a friend whose blood happens to be the most powerful antivenom in the world." Dietrich let out his breath. "I was hoping Esther would be more relieved that I am alive, rather than angry at my decision. I cannot say I am surprised, though."

"I will admit, I was shocked when I learned what happened, but relieved you are still with us. I know how much Troy and the others mean to you."

"I told Esther that I would have done the same thing for her or Gunther or Anselm, and I have done similar things. I put myself in front of her when we were in involved in a car accident."

"I think this is different because the car accident was not your fault, and it was a split-second decision. You consciously chose to let this snake bite you."

Dietrich nodded.

"I know you came out alright, but the risk was quite high that you could have died."

"I am aware of that. I cannot promise that I would not do something like that again, because I would, for her, for Gunther, Anselm, you, or Troy again, if necessary. I will not apologize for trying to save someone else's life." Dietrich's frustration faded further. "I spent too much of my life being afraid of the consequences of doing the right thing."

"I understand that, but it would be wise to not destroy yourself in the process." Markus lowered his voice. "You already tried that once."

Dietrich didn't say anything in response, though he knew Markus was right.

His brother sighed, and touched his shoulder. "I will watch Gunther for a few days. I was thinking earlier that it might be best to give you and Esther some time alone anyway."

"Thank you. I… I appreciate it."

Dietrich returned home about an hour later, finding Esther was in the backyard, with a photo album in her lap. He contemplated making a cup of tea for her, but hesitated. He sighed before going out on the patio, noticing Esther didn't bother to look up at him. There were so many things that he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to. So, he sat in silence, letting Esther speak first, whenever that would be.

Esther turned a page in the photo album. Many of the recent pictures had been taken by Liesel, Markus's wife, from when their families had gone to the Alps for a few days the previous summer. In one photograph, Dietrich and Esther were holding hands while walking along the top of a grassy hill, the snowcapped mountains in the background. It was tempting to take Esther's hand now, but again, Dietrich hesitated. He gave a quiet sigh, never thinking he would see the day where he couldn't show affection to his own wife. It was saddening, distressing, even.

Esther remained quiet for another moment, then said, "You have never lied to me before. Why should you start now?"

Dietrich kept calm. "I would never lie to you. Even if I knew how much my actions at the magpies' castle would upset you like this, I would tell you the truth."

"It would be difficult for you to hide what happened." Esther gestured to the two small puncture wounds on Dietrich's left forearm.

"Well, technically, I could. I could have kept those covered with a bandage until they fully healed, and told you that I had suffered an accident. Mamba venom lacks the components of most other snakes that result in necrosis, therefore eliminating the possibility of disfigurement and scarring. I could have taken this to my grave if I wanted to." Dietrich shook his head. "I chose to be honest, though."

Esther sighed. "You have always been honest. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with you."

"Then you should know I am telling the truth when I say that I would have done this for you or Gunther or Anselm. Like I said to Markus, I refuse to apologize for saving someone's life, even though it meant putting mine in jeopardy."

Esther nodded, but said nothing.

"I truly was thinking of you when I was at the river. I wanted nothing more than to come home and hold you again, and that was what I did. Well—" Dietrich looked down at the table, "I have yet to actually hold you since I came home."

"So, you cannot promise that you won't do something like that again?"

"I will do whatever I have to in order to save someone's life, especially the life of someone who means the world to me."

"Can we at least hope that you are never in such a position again?"

"Of course we can."

Esther closed the photo album, and moved her chair closer to her husband to lean against him and rest her head on his shoulder. Dietrich put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head and whispering, "I love you."

Esther turned to give Dietrich a long, impassioned kiss on his lips. She paused it once to say, "I love you, too, Hans."

Dietrich allowed relief to come over him before continuing their kiss. He would always do his best to protect those he loved, but he hoped he never had to do something as crazy as letting a snake as venomous as a black mamba bite him again.