Panzerfaust

Chapter 29 - Bulovka

April 13th, 1945, Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

Prague was in bloom. 

Shaking off its last dusting of snow and sludge, the flower boxes begin to be filled with the earliest blooms, streets lined with fragrant cherry trees, scattering their pink petals chased by the winds gallopping along the shores of the Moldau. 

I hope he can see it too. 

Armin Alexander Fölkersam. 

When they arrived at the hospital, the boy's little body already high with fever, this was the first name that came into her mind; maybe giving the grandfather's name will soften the heart of the old Baron. Baby Armin's condition slowly improved, his fever gone; but the doctors could not rule out damage to his sight yet. 

Little fists moved in the enclosed tiny gloves beating down on her chest as Sophia held him to take a look outside the window of the Bulovka hospital, preventing him to rub his eyes even redder. 

'Look at the trees, Armin. Fairies fly on those petals, smooth as silk. Fluttering and laughing and blowing kisses to you, but only if you finish your dinner. One more bite for me, please.' 

The tiny pink mouth curves downwards and the boy takes a deep breath before starting to wail. 

'Alright, alright, no more pottage. Just... don't cry, please.' That's just going to worsen his condition. Thankfully he is most likely just tired, not in pain. Babies cry wherever they felt like it - not necessarily because they were in distress - she told herself a hundred times - this is the only way they can communicate just yet. Hope I'll be better at this by the time my own is born.

'Frau Skorzeny, why don't you take a break while our patient takes a nap?' A nurse, smiling down at the young woman stops by the door, holding a pillow to her crisp uniform. 'Go out and see the city, there is a wonderful little cafeshop around the corner, they serve the most wonderful medovik you'll taste. Your baby boy will be safe and sound with me.' 

The sunlight is warm on her skin after exiting the sweet smelling shop, with a paper bag in her arms, full of Medovik. 

The sanatorium is full of recovering German officers, both from mental and physical exhaustion, weary of war. A chill runs down her spine as she passes crowd of young officers, eyeing her like a piece of cake as she makes her way to the high ranking officer seated alone, away from the crowd on the veranda. Why are they looking at me? Does it shows already?

Sturmbannführer Peiper is sitting under the sun with a book in his lap, with a little more colour on his cheeks since the last time she saw him, but still terribly skinny and exhausted.

Straightening her peach coloured skirt, she takes the seat across him, placing the paper bag on the table. 

'May I join you, Herr Peiper?' 

'Sophia! So good to see you. But I already told you to call me Jochen. How is the boy doing?'

'Better. By the energy he usually throws tantrums, you would guess he was never ever sick in his life.' Unpacking the bag, she unravels the pastry. 'I brought you a cake. Medovik. I was told this is the best in town. How are you doing?' 

Offering him a piece the honey cake, the officer takes it with gratitude.

He is silent for a while, fork dangling from his lips as if lost in thought. 'Quiet and peaceful. You're my second guest so far.'

'Did your wife visited from Bavaria? With the girls?' 

'No. But the Reichsführer did.' 

Laughter draws her attention to the side, coming from the group of officers she passed. Shaking her head, she turns back to Peiper with an angry expression.

'They're looking at you because you're pretty, do not think more into it.' He brings another bite to his thin lips. 'It's been a while since we all saw pretty women. Most nurses here are Ursulas with the ankles of a baby elephant.' 

'Baby elephants?' Bursting into a fit of laughter,  Sophia has a hard time sitting straight. 

'Yes. As graceful as a baby elephant in a porcelain shop.'

'Jochen, do not distract me! Did you told the Reichsführer about the letter?'

'Yes.' It takes some time until he raises his head from the cake, sad steel grey eyes meeting curious green ones. 'He told me to forget about it.'

'I am so sorry.' Squeezing his cold hand over the table, stroking up her thumb in in what she thinks can bring some comfort.

'Thank you... for the cake." A faint smile plays around the Panzerkommander's thin lips, tainted with the honey of the medovik. 'And your company.' 

She only returns to the hospital late into the afternoon, taking leisurely steps through the corridors. What would my mom think of me now? Would she be proud of me? Or ashamed? What about Lily? I did what she asked of me. I preserved her line, the last of her blood. 

"Sophia!' A rough male voice calls out her name and she wips around instantly, nerves alert.

There is a commotion in one of the rooms, and Sophia catches a glimpse of a young girl, crying and screaming held by two SS guards until one of them slams the door from prying eyes.

'Who are they guarding? In the maternity ward?' She asks the same nurse from earlier. 'Someone named Sophia?'

The woman answers with an emotionless face.

'Someone important. Who does not wants to be here.' 

Again and again she catched herself returning to the unknown woman - Sophia's - room, peaking through the curtains; the sadness and beauty that radiated from captivated her; she needed to know why she was so heartbroken.

'Ich kann dich sehen, weißt du das?'

'Entschuldigung, ich wollte Sie nicht stören...' Sophia felt herself blush scarlet red as she turned to leave her hiding place.

'You are not German.' The woman said turning her head to her direction for the first time. The sorrow in her desolate blue eyes made her heart clench.

'Ah, no I am not. I speak austrian german. I am sorry if it's difficult to understand through my accent.'

'No, I know you are not a German because no German would ever apologize to a Czech.' She spat the words as if it was a curse - maybe it was for her. 

'You are that boy's mother who has problems with his eyes.'

'I... yes. I'm here with him but I am not his mother; she died unfortunately. So did his father. Now I am taking care of him.'

The woman nods slowly in the cushions, her lovely face pale.

'I noticed you because we share a name - Sophia. I thought they were calling out my name. And...' She was rambling at this point. 'I thought maybe there is anything I could do for you?'

The patient shakes her head no, blonde tresses falling over the the white cushions.

'Okay. Alright. I should let you rest...' She is ready to pull back the curtain when she hears a weak voice from the bed calling out their names.

'Sophia. Can you come back tomorrow?'

Notes: 

Moldau, Vlatava, the main river of Prague, in german

Ich kann dich sehen, weißt du das, I can see you, you know that right?, in german

Entschuldigung, ich wollte Sie nicht stören..., I'm sorry, I did not wanted to disturb you, in german