War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 194

Chapter 8: Anna

“F

räulein Klausen, do you have a minute?” Professor Scherer’s question stopped her on her way out.

She inwardly groaned since she’d just finished her twelve-hour shift at the hospital. Every fiber in her body hurt from the backbreaking work of lifting, moving, and turning patients. All she wanted was to rush home and flop onto the couch, her feet up in the air.

But she mustered a smile and said, “Off course, Professor Scherer.”

“Please accompany me to my office.” He turned and led the way to the basement, where most of the doctors and scientists had taken up residence for security reasons. Ignoring her aching feet and throbbing back, she followed him and didn’t even raise as much as an eyebrow when he closed and locked his office door before inviting her to sit at the small meeting table.

“Your remark about visiting the camps has been brewing in my mind for the last week. I think it’s an excellent idea,” he said, pouring them a glass of water each.

“What changed your mind, Professor?” Anna asked, not quite following.

“Can I trust you, Fräulein Klausen?”

Anna’s ears perked up and her previously tired brain kicked into full gear, giving the professor its undivided attention. “You have my absolute loyalty, Professor. You are my boss and my mentor. I would never do anything to compromise you.” It was true. In the current political climate he was one of the good fellows. Or at least one of the less evil ones. Either way, her fate was bound to his.

“I’ve been thinking about the time after the war ends.” He took a sip from his water, pushing his glasses up on his nose the way he always did when he felt nervous or doubtful. Or both. He lowered his voice and continued, “I’ve come to the conclusion that a defeat of the Nazi regime is imminent.”

“Defeat?” Anna all but gasped. Secretly she’d hoped, prayed and yearned for this to happen for the longest time, but hearing this verdict from one of the brightest men in Germany made it incredibly real.

“Unfortunately, yes. The news we receive from the propaganda ministry is meant to soothe the population, but what I hear from the generals is different. The Wehrmacht is attacked from East and West and reserves are depleted. The

Volkssturm

will only prolong the inevitable.”

Anna nodded. The

Volkssturm

was Hitler’s latest brilliant idea. She wondered whether anyone truly believed that sending untrained boys and old men into combat would turn the tide of the war.

“Or provide cannon fodder,” she said and immediately wondered whether she’d revealed too much when she noticed the professor’s surprised glance.

But he quickly composed himself and said, “When the Allies win they’ll be out for revenge and mow down everyone considered a Nazi. They’ll start with the obvious suspects. The Party leaders, the SS, SD, Gestapo…you name it. But I’m afraid they won’t stop at that. In their blood thirst they’ll go after everyone remotely involved with certain unfortunate things that happened.”

Unfortunate things? You mean the extermination of an entire race in the death camps? Or the working-to-death of prisoners in the concentrations camps?

The professor pushed up his glasses again and gave her a long, sorrowful look. “You and I, we might both be exposed and dragged into the witch hunt, even though we’ve never actively participated in the injustices committed.”

“We haven’t?” Anna couldn’t believe her ears.

Her mind drifted back to the all too fresh memory of the time she’d been tasked to research a tuberculosis vaccine. She’d later been horrified to learn that part of the experiment involved infecting imbecile children with the virus, even though no proof existed about the effectiveness of the vaccine.

“No, we haven’t. None of us has ever killed a person or committed a similar atrocity.”

The words caused her stomach to flip over. The blood drained from her face as the vicious abuse she’d suffered at Doctor Tretter’s hands dragged her back in time to Ravensbrück.

“You should not worry, my dear Fräulein Klausen,” the professor said, mistaking her paleness for fear. “Because I have thought of a plan to position us in a more favorable situation.”

Anna nodded, not really understanding his train of thought.

“So here’s how your concern about the health issues in the camps comes into play. We’ll dispense favors to those who can reciprocate should we need someone to vouch for us.”

“I see.” Anna didn’t think she needed someone to vouch for her, but she could understand Professor Scherer’s worries. He had a lot more to lose and he’d made his bed with the Nazis, which wouldn’t serve him well after an Allied victory. “But how and where should we dispense favors?”

“Obviously to people who’ll have something to say after the war. So we’ll start with the prisoner camps where they keep officers.”

“Doing what?” Anna asked, her heart hammering as she immediately thought of seeing Peter again.

“We’re going there to vaccinate the prisoners against typhus.”

“But we don’t have enough serum to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of prisoners,” Anna objected.

“That is true. Therefore we will only vaccinate the officers, but they will recognize our goodwill and make sure my name will be mentioned as someone who has helped them alleviate their dire conditions.”

Anna fluctuated between being appalled at the professor’s deliberate activities to save his own skin and admiration for his brilliant plan. It would work, she was sure of it. What unfortunate prisoner wouldn’t remember the man who came to offer even a modest relief? Could she even condemn the professor for wanting to protect his future? Was it bad to do the right thing, if it was done for the wrong reasons?

She decided to put all scruples aside and use Professor Scherer’s plan of redemption to further her own ends and find a way to get Peter out of captivity.

“That is an excellent idea, Professor. We will do some good for those pour souls.”

“I always intended my research to benefit all mankind, but the political climate in Germany didn’t allow for this,” he said with a grave voice. Then he clapped his hands and said with much more enthusiasm, “We’ll start tomorrow morning. Our first visit will be the

Reservelazarett V

here in Berlin. Meet me there at eight.” The Reservelazarett was a temporary hospital that usually hosted wounded Wehrmacht soldiers, but this one also treated a few dozen enemy officers.

“Yes, Professor. Good night.” Anna stood and left the office to return home.

Her sister Ursula greeted her with baby Eveline in her arms. “You look tired.”

“I am. We receive more patients every day and two of the nurses didn’t show up this morning. Nobody knows their whereabouts.”

Ursula nodded. She didn’t need to say a word for Anna to understand her thoughts.

Probably killed in the last air raid

.

“Shush, Evie,” Ursula said and put her finger into the baby’s mouth to soothe her.

“Can I hold her?”

“Sure.” Ursula handed over the baby and disappeared into the kitchen to return a few moments later with two cups of steaming tea. The scent of lemon balm reviving Anna’s energy.

“Thanks.” Anna settled onto the couch with the baby on her lap, putting her feet up and swallowing the hot, slightly acidic liquid. It trickled down her throat all the way into her stomach and warmed her from inside. “Professor Scherer wants to commend himself to the Allies and plans a vaccination campaign in one of the Reservelazaretts.”

“That doesn’t make much sense, does it?” Ursula said, rising an eyebrow.

“Oh, it does. He’ll vaccinate enemy officers, hoping they’ll survive the war and vouch for him to whomever has the say after all of this is over.”

“Wow. So even he is convinced the Allies will win?”

“He considers it a very real possibility and is planning ahead to secure his future.” Anna paused for a moment, before she continued, “If I could convince him to visit Fallingbostel…”

Ursula’s eyes widened and she put down her cup with a thud on the small couch table. “You’re not still thinking about seeing Peter?”

“I am.” Anna pushed out her lower lip, awaiting a stern sermon from her older sister.

“Do you know how dangerous this is? And foolish? If the Gestapo finds out who Peter really is, we’ll all be dead.”

“Nobody will find out.”

Ursula rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to dive into another monologue, but Anna stopped her with a severe glare.

“I have to do this. And you know it. If there’s even the slightest chance to rescue Peter and–”

“You crazy woman. Do you really think freeing Peter is even a possibility? It’s not like you can just go in and walk out with him.”

Anna clung to the warm baby in her arms, pushing all doubts aside. “It has worked with Lotte…”

“It did,” Ursula said, shoving Anna’s legs aside to settle beside her on the couch. “But at what price? Do you really want to go through this again?”

Anna shivered at the memory of the worst time in her life. “I’ll think of a better plan this time. Once he’s out of there he can resume his German identity.”

“Don’t get your hopes up; the chances that you’ll actually be able to get Peter out and both of you live to tell the tale are next to zero.” Ursula put her arm across Anna’s shoulders and added, “But if you need my help, you know where to find me.”