The price of a mile (Second story in the world war series)

Chapter 29-W.I.A.

Karl was put into immediate medical care at the field hospital, however needing a more professional surgeon. He was shipped up North after what could be removed from his back, as there's more serious injuries deeper in his back that require a more professional hand to remove in the Military Hospitals farther North.

After about a week, he's finally awoken out of his minor coma and he's in a hospital wing that's meant for the upper class ranking officers of the army.

Hearing soft steps in the room he can tell it's one of the nurses so, trying to push himself off his stomach he then asks "Fraülein, how long have I been asleep and where am I?" Karl asks groggily from the drugs that they're pumping into him for the pain.

Seeing that the Colonel finally awoken from his coma, Die Krankenschwester rushes over to his side saying with urgency "Herr you must rest! There's stitching along your side and back, you're wounds are still healing. So I ask you to please, lie still and rest." The young woman asks placing her hand against the space between his shoulder blades and with some pressure pushes him back down so he'll lay on his stomach again.

Seeing he understands and won't try to get up gin she gently removes his hand from his back and relaxes saying "To answer your questions, you've been unconscious for about a week and you're at the General Hospital of Bayreuth Deutschland." She says watching the reaction in his eyes.

They've considerably brightened apon hearing the news, as unbeknownst to her, Karl's only six hours from home! Bayreuth Germany is in Bavaria and as said he's only six hours from home since he lives near the Alps.

"Fraülein, eine frage. What's the extent of my injuries?" Karl asks laying on his stomach as the Nurse tends to his back making sure the stitching is good, changing bandaging and cleaning areas on his back to keep it bacteria free.

"12 fragmental pieces of metal shrapnel was imbedded in your back with lacerations, which was removed. A minor skull fraction, most likely because you've fallen hard on something harder, and by the looks of it when you came in they snapped your wrist back in place. Mind me asking Herr Oberst, but what the hell happened to you!?" she asks with concern in her voice, but over all impressed it didn't come out worse. Like paralyzation from his back wounds.

Chuckling Karl says "My command got surrounded in Italy, and a British tank thought it'd be funny to fire high explosive into my hiding position."

She raises eyebrow not amused then rolls her eyes with a scoff as she finishes up and then remembers. "Someone from the General board sent you a medal and some papers, you're going to be medically discharged from the Army until you recover enough to return. I'll be right back Herr Oberst." She says and Karl furrows his eyebrows taking in the news about what he was just told.

"Bloody hell..."Karl whispers as he hears the Nurse return and this time she comes into view and hell, she was gorgeous looking however. No woman could, nor would rival his Klaudia back at home.

She pulls up a chair and settles down, setting everything down on her lap and says " FIrst, you got a wound badge herr, second time being wounded?" She asks looking up at Karl as the man nods listening.

She continues on reading a letter that came with it "Oberst Kriesser, it's with great pride of the nation that you're presented with the 3rd class wound badge. The Führer sends his regards and many thanks for putting your life on the line for the Väterland, with pressing matters I'm unable to give this reward to you in person however. Get well soon Oberst! Signed General der infanterie Fredrich Schulz."

Smiling she continues onward and shows him his medical discharge papers and after a bit of explaining and talking about what happens with this, she stands on up.

"Your uniform is being repaired and washed, the doctor says in another two or three days you should be strong enough to walk." She adds and says her goodbyes before leaving to let the man rest in peace and quiet.

**Bavaria Germany**

Relaxing in the warm sunlight, Klaudia is enjoying the sunny afternoon as she watches little Albert and the newest member of the family Blitz. A yellow labrador retriever, the pups nearing 9 months old and Albert was the one that named him Blitz as the two bonded instantly.

Here in the fenced in front yard of their home, she continues to lounge about on this nice day watching the little ones play. But her attentions now caught by the postal truck making a stop across the street and the mail man waves walking up to the fence where the mail box is.

Rising from her seat she smiles and waves to the man as he tips his cap towards her and puts the mail into the mail box before he turns off to leave. Reaching the mailbox she opens it and reaches in withdrawing the two envelopes and then she makes her way back and sits back down in the comfortable chair she has in the shade.

Smiling she can hear the little yips and barks of Blitz tugging on some rope, playing tug-o-war with Albert. She opens the envelope and nearly had a heart attack right then and there.

She quickly reads through the letter from the army board "Mrs. Kriesser, I'm writing to inform you that your husband Karl, was wounded in action 11 days ago and he will be medically discharged until combat abled, he should be returning home today from the hospital up in Bayreuth." The man from the army board Commissions had written as she sighs with relief and smiles seeing Karl mailed his wage home too. This time it's a little fatter then she remembered and curiously opens it to find a letter from Karl within it as well.

She reads the date noticing this was mailed at the start of June when he became a Colonel and got his monthly pay, and today's June 19th. She pulls out the contents and her eyes widen seeing his newest pay role then quickly continues to read the letter.

"With my promotion now comes a higher pay grade, I'm making around 6,064 a month. I only need 150 to survive here at the moment, the rest is for you and little Albert meine liebe." A little surprised but really happy as they're just one more pay away from paying off the bank and then the house is theirs!

There's the sound of a car door opening and followed by some voices Klaudia looks back up curiously as there's three men standing by a jeep that has pulled up to the fence. She barely recognized the man that was her husband, wrapped up in bandages and needing crutches for support, but nonetheless.

She quickly stands up to meet him, it's a little hard for her to see him in such a state, but her pace quickens and she closes the distance as Karl makes it to the gate and there. She eagerly jumps into him and wraps her arms around her man that has finally came home to her.

"Karl I was so worried listening to the media, they said that losses where enormous on both sides at the start of Sicily, there where men in uniforms going down the streets, every day they came breaking the news about their sons or fathers fate." She says burying her face into his chest as tears are springing forth, remembering at one point how a few of those men stopped in front of their house looking for his name and checking the list before moving on.

Tenderly he moves his left arm around her back and hugs her to him, tired and with the fears of dying back in the thicket coming back to him. He tightens his hold as he's fighting back tears, standing with Klaudia in his embrace has him overjoyed that he has survived again to see her and little Albert.

As he thought back in the thicket, surrounded and getting shot at from all sides as his men died around him.

Back in those thickets of Italy, he thought he was never going to open his eyes again...

***

That's the end of this chapter and over all the last of the book! I'm really sad to see the end of this book, but it must be done.

I can't thank you all enough for reading this to the end, and overall being patient through my life hold ups that prevented me from posting at times.

Thank you all for reading, voting, and commenting throughout the story! There'll be a epilogue of course, so this isn't the exact very end, yet it is too.

Don't forget to bayonet that vote button, leave a comment about your thoughts and over all anything in general and the epilogue will contain information about the third book in the word war series I'll begin to fine tune before I post.