War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 200

Chapter 14: Anna

“G

ood, you‘re back,“ Professor Scherer said. “How did the immunizations go?“

”Perfect. The prisoners behaved extremely well. I must say, your camp is one of the best-organized ones I’ve seen, Kommandant Greiner,“ she said with a smile, her thoughts in full gear on who would be best to propose her plan.

“I do what I can,” the commandant said, his face gleaming with pride. “It’s important to keep the prisoners at bay or you risk outbreaks of chaos and disorder.”

“The success of our campaign is in large part due to your excellent help,” Professor Scherer said and then addressed Anna, “Kommandant Greiner invited me to join him for dinner tonight.”

Anna held her breath; entertaining a bunch of Nazis was the last thing she wanted to do. But she shouldn‘t have worried, because he added, “Of course, I will arrange for my driver to return you home, since I will be staying at least two more days and also meeting up with the commandant from the nearby camp in Bergen-Belsen.”

Her heart leapt with joy and she quickly asked, “May I offer a suggestion?“

The professor nodded.

“Many of the

Ostarbeiter

coming to the hospital aren’t very proficient in German and we are in dire need of translators. I have found some prisoners here who are fluent in Polish, Russian and German.“ It was a stretch, but it might just work.

Professor Scherer raised an eyebrow.

”So, if Kommandant Greiner permits, we could take one or two of the prisoners on a work party with us?“

Both men furrowed their brows, seemingly not convinced with the idea.

”A Polish officer would surely help our cause, Herr Professor?“

After some discussion back and forth, it was finally agreed that Anna should choose one prisoner and deliver him to Berlin, where Professor Scherer would personally discuss the expected tasks with him upon his return.

Anna‘s body hummed with joy, ignoring the need to prevent a meeting between Peter and the professor. That problem she could tackle later.

That same moment, a knock on the door sounded and an emaciated figure entered the room, his eyes trained on the floor. “Please forgive my intrusion, Kommandant Greiner, but may I ask for the nurse‘s help in a medical emergency?“

Worried the emergency could be Peter or Stan, Anna answered before one of the men had the opportunity to deny the request, “Of course. I‘ll come with you.“ She turned to the professor with an apologetic smile. “I‘ll be right back.“

“You have a transfusion syringe?“ the prisoner asked her.

She‘d seen one in the big medical suitcase and nodded even as she hurried beside the man, “Are you the doctor?“

“Doctor and prisoner,“ he growled without slowing down his pace.

Her breath stalled when she entered the hospital barracks and saw Peter standing there with a big frown on his forehead, the sleeve of his left arm rolled up. Next, her glance fell on the pallid figure lying on the bunk.

“What‘s happened?“ she hissed, opening her medical bag and retrieving the syringe. Peter’s eyes went wide and she noticed a barely visible shiver running down his spine. “Nothing to worry about,“ she soothed him, although there was a lot to worry about. With his debilitated physical condition and the catastrophic hygienic conditions, the procedure was a huge risk.

“He‘s fallen and his leg wound opened again,“ the doctor interjected, taking the equipment from her hands and pointing at Peter to kneel beside the bunk.

“It was my fault,“ Peter said in a whisper for her ears only.

She shook her head and then watched with horror how the doctor pushed he needle into Peter‘s arm. “Wait. You have to disinfect the device first.“

He didn’t even turn around to look at her and continued to do the same with Stan while he mumbled, “Fräulein, you seem to have forgotten where you are.“ He fastened the hoses and applied the suction to start the blood flow from Peter to Stan, before he addressed Anna again. “If he faints, stop the blood flow immediately. I’ll see if I can find a piece of bread for him.“

Anna gazed at Peter who, for lack of a chair, knelt on the floor beside his brother, leaning against the bunk. She balled her hands into fists. No patient should be treated in conditions like this.

“I got the permission to take you back to Berlin,” she whispered.

“How?” His voice sounded as feeble as he looked. He’d been a strong man less than half a year ago, but fighting in the uprising and captivity had turned him into a shadow of his former self. Her heart bled looking at his sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.

War was beyond cruel.

“I said we could need a translator at the hospital.” She didn’t mention the tiny problem that Professor Scherer personally wanted to talk to him in his quest to secure goodwill.

Peter shook his head. “It won’t work.”

“Yes it will. I have a plan. Or you’ll die in here.” It wasn’t unheard of that prisoners escaped during a transport.

“I cannot leave,” Peter said after looking at his brother. “He’ll die without me. I cannot let this happen.”

A wave of fear swallowed her. Breathing became difficult and she saw red dots dancing in front of her eyes. The fear streamed down into her stomach and then surged up her spine again, turning into rage. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll take you home.”

“My home is my family. And while I love you more than anyone else in this world, Stan needs me now. I cannot leave him alone.”

She saw how much pride it cost him to say these words, to reject the offer for freedom, the promise for survival. His lips thinned, and he gave her an apologetic gaze full of regret, sorrow, and love. A single tear rolled down her cheek, because she could see the determination in his eyes. She knew there was nothing she could do to convince him to come with her.

“Anna, darling. I’m as heartbroken as you are, but I must do this for Stan. He’s my little brother, I cannot leave him alone. You’d do the same.”

She nodded. Deep in her heart she understood. She had sacrificed herself for her younger sister, too and she would do it again if she had to. But that didn’t make it less tragic.

Pressing a kiss on his lips, she whispered, “I love you. And I’ll think of you every day until you return to my side.”