War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 324

Chapter 43: Anna

A

t least the buses are running again

, Anna thought as she stepped onto the bus taking her home after another night shift at the American hospital. The bus was filled with people heading for work and she had to walk all the way to the last row until she found an empty seat. She flopped onto the seat with a sigh and then almost jumped up again.

“Ursula, what are you doing here?” Her sister had the crumpled appearance of someone who’d spent most of the night awake.

“Me?” Ursula’s eyes widened in shock and she bit on her lower lip.

“Where’s Evie? And where have you been? You look awful.”

“Is that an official interrogation?”

“Well, since you choose not to answer, I’m getting my own ideas and they involve a certain man…” Anna couldn’t believe her sister had been reckless enough to spend a night with Tom.

“Shush.” Ursula glowered at her. “I’ll tell you alright, but not on the bus.”

“Good gracious! That sounds bad.”

“It is. Kind of.”

Anna was dying to hear the news, but she had to wait until the excruciatingly slow bus finally approached the stop nearest to their home and they got off.

“Tell me!” she demanded.

“I went to see Tom, and he smuggled me into his quarters.”

“Goodness! How could you? Illegally entering a British airbase. What kind of crazy woman are you?” Anna couldn’t believe her own ears. Her sister Ursula, the obedient girl who’d never done anything forbidden and never once gotten into trouble during their childhood. That same person had sneaked onto a highly guarded military airbase. Anna shuddered at the thought of what might have happened had someone seen her on site. “At least you didn’t get caught.”

“Actually, I did.”

Anna stopped in her tracks and jerked her head around, her jaw hanging agape. “You… what? You got caught? And they let you go?”

“Yes, and can you please hear me out without interrupting me every five seconds?” Ursula had an annoyed expression on her face.

Spunk

, Anna thought. When and where had her sister developed that unwavering determination, that steely courage to defy anyone and everything that stood in her way? “Sure.”

“When climbing out of Tom’s window someone saw me and confronted me. I panicked, ran, got held up by two MPs and was arrested.” They had reached their apartment building.

“Want to walk around the block while you keep talking?” Anna asked.

Ursula nodded and continued walking. “So they found out my stay permit has expired…”

I have good news for you on that front

. Anna kept the thought to herself and instead listened to her sister recounting the events of the night.

“… the soldier who confronted me seems to have a personal vendetta against Tom and he insisted I’m a Soviet spy.”

Anna felt like someone pulled the rug out from under her feet. If Ursula continued to pile worse on bad, she’d start screaming. “So why did they let you go?”

“It seems this Corporal Blake, the MP, he’s a friend of Tom’s and wants to help him.”

“Him? What’s with Tom?”

Ursula scrunched her nose. “Didn’t I tell you? This other guy, Bronson, the one who hates Tom, he reported him for espionage, treason and whatnot. So they had to arrest him.”

“Tom’s been arrested?” A dizzy spell attacked Anna. She would have expected this kind of irresponsible shenanigans from their younger sister Lotte, but not from Ursula.

“I should have had Peter throw you over his shoulder and carry you to the train back to Aunt Lydia’s.”

Ursula laughed. “I would have jumped off the first chance I got. There’s nothing that can keep me away from Tom.”

“Not even prison walls?”

“Well now, here’s the thing. This Ken Blake, he asked me to return at noon and ask for him. Then I can see Tom and convince him to confess.”

Anna groaned. They had reached their apartment building. “Is there more or can we go inside?”

“That’s it. I’ll know more in the afternoon.”

“Oh, I totally forgot,” Anna said as they climbed the stairs. “I have good news for you.”

“I could definitely use some good news.” Ursula smiled, reinforcing the bond between the sisters.

“Professor Scherer has managed to get you a permanent permit for Berlin.”

“Oh! Wow!” Ursula hugged and kissed her sister. “That’s fantastic.”

“Under one condition.” Anna knew her sister would hate the condition.

“What is it?”

“You’ll have to work at the hospital.”

Ursula gulped and turned greenish-pale around the nose. She had an irrational fear of blood, needles and all things hospital. Even the distinctive smell made her skin crawl. Her voice was but a whisper, “Does he expect me to become a nurse?”

“God forbid! We don’t need fainting nurses.” Anna giggled. “In fact, it was his first suggestion, but I managed to convince him that it wasn’t in the best interest of our patients. But since you’ve been practicing your English all this time, I told him you’d be a good secretary who can deal with the American bosses.”

“Oh, Anna, I love you!” Ursula hugged her sister again and they stumbled against the apartment door. Just as they had found their footing again, the door opened and a scowling Peter peeked his head out.

“What on earth… Anna… Ursula? Why are you putting up such a fuss?” He glanced suspiciously at the crumpled but positively glowing Ursula and asked, “Are you drunk?”

“No!” Ursula hugged her brother-in-law, dancing him around and said, “I got a stay permit. I got a stay permit.”

Peter shook his head at his wife and retreated into the apartment, the singing and dancing Ursula still in his arms. Inside, he extricated himself from her embrace and took cover behind the sofa. Anna followed him and fell into his arms.

“Are you tired?”

“Yes, but I need to talk to you first. You still have half an hour before you need to leave for work, right?”

Peter kissed her and watched as Ursula disappeared into the bathroom. “Let’s go into the kitchen. I have the water boiling for coffee.”

He poured her coffee and handed her some hard and dry biscuits. By the look of his ice-blue eyes boring into her Anna knew he had picked up on her disturbed mood.

“You’re late,” he said.

“Ursula and I walked around the block.”

“A romantic sisterly walk at dawn after a grueling night of work?” He teased her.

Anna got up and closed the kitchen door. “She spent the night with Tom on base and they both got arrested. Tom is accused of espionage and waiting for who knows what.”

“That is indeed a reason to go for a walk.” He flopped into the chair beside her, sipping on his steaming hot coffee.

They sat in silence for a while, his arm around her shoulder giving her the comfort she craved so much. Coming home to his side every morning or every night was what kept her grounded, sane, and optimistic in a bleak world. She wouldn’t survive if he left her… a fear squeezed down on her, pressing the air from her lungs.

“What else has you tied in knots?” he asked, pulling her closer.

She’d been holding Professor Scherer’s offer a secret for fear Peter would feel inferior and leave her. He’d joined the Polish army at eighteen and being a soldier was everything he’d ever learned.

“Professor Scherer thinks I should continue my biology studies.”

“Really? That’s good, right?” Peter asked.

“Very.”

“Can you do this while working as a nurse?”

Naturally he was worried about food rations. The winter had been harsh and many people in Germany had starved to death. Her job at the American hospital came with perks: food on site. Her meager outside rations supported the family, especially Jan, who seemed to be always hungry.

Anna kissed him on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. “The professor offered to move me to the biology department once again, where I can combine my work and my studies.”

“So where’s the problem?” He took her face into his hands and locked eyes with her.

“It’s just…” She shrugged. “This is just the first step. Professor Scherer is convinced I can make it big in the world of science. If I accept his offer, he’ll show me off to his colleagues. I’ll be working long hours on prestigious projects and he even plans to make me head of a department as soon as I finish my studies.”

“And now you’re worried you’re leaving me and Jan behind?”

She nodded, afraid that he would agree with her assumption.

“Oh, sweet Anna. I love you for everything you are and I fought for the longest time with my feelings of not deserving such a spectacular woman as yourself. I never felt worthy of your love. Not until you taught me I could still be a man and protector even if you are more intelligent and earn more than I do. I will always love you and I will proudly be the man behind the famous human biologist you’re bound to become.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You’re not angry?”

“Of course not. If anything, I’m proud of you. Professor Scherer may have malleable morals but he has an uncanny eye for talent.”

“I love you, Peter.”

“I love you too, Anna.”