Rose of Anzio - Remembrance (Volume 4): a WWII Epic Love Story

by Alexa Kang

  Nobody knew where they were.

  Anthony.

  She reached for her rose pendant. So clear was her memory of his face and his smile. She could remember the way he walked up to her when she came to his base in Italy. He was so shocked, and so happy to see her. She could feel the warmth of his chest, his kiss, and his touch.

  Remembering her wedding ring, she took off her necklace and put the ring on it before she lay down again.

  I want to see you again. She kissed the ring and the pendant.

  I want to see you. She called out to him in her mind, a call into the void where no one could hear.

  The next morning, the boy came again and brought them more bread and coffee. A Nazi officer came too, and questioned them one by one. Afterward, a guard came and ordered them to follow him.

  "You. Stay." He pointed his rifle at the Blade, and indicated for him to remain in the room. Tessa did not want her friend to be separated from the rest of them, but they were compelled to do what they were told. She followed the guard downstairs with Ellie and Tyler. In the living room, the boy was feeding soup or porridge to the old man sitting by the fireplace. When the old man had finished eating, the boy pulled his blanket up over his body. Tessa tried to make eye contact with the boy, but he quickly looked away.

  Walking along outside, the guard did not appear hostile. Still, her fear would not subside. There was no telling what these people might do. These were Nazis.

  They arrived at a barn that housed the injured SS troopers. At once, it became clear they were brought here to work. Their appearance surprised the Nazi medical staff and patients. A slight commotion ensued. Some of the medics glared at them with suspicion. Others looked at Tessa and Ellie with great curiosity, exclaiming "Schwestern." The Nazi troopers had reacted this way yesterday too when they caught them. Tessa was once again struck by how surprised these men were to see female enemy prisoners.

  The guard spoke to the doctor in charge. The doctor eyed them once over, then said to Ellie. "You're the ranking officer?" He spoke good English.

  "Yes," Ellie answered.

  The doctor pointed to a group of men huddling on one side of the barn. "You three can start with changing their dressings. Clean their wounds. Supplies are over there." He showed them a stack of boxes and walked away.

  Ellie indicated to Tessa and Tyler to get started, but Tyler would not move. "These people killed my entire company. For sport. Not at war."

  Ellie's voice softened. "I know how you feel, but we have to do this. We have no choice. And we ought to do this. It's our job to save people." She tugged him gently on the arm. "Come on." Grudgingly, he acquiesced and started helping the enemy wounded.

  While she worked, Tessa took in the scene. The patients greatly outnumbered the medical staff. With only one doctor and a limited number of medics, all of whom looked exhausted and overworked, many injured people were waiting for a long time for their turn to be treated.

  She began to busy herself. Once she got started, she was glad to have something to occupy her mind. For now at least, the tasks before her distracted her from thinking about anything else. Every so often, she checked on Ellie and Tyler. Ellie, back in her element as a nurse, almost looked like she had forgotten she was a prisoner of war. She tended to each of the wounded, even smiling at them. Tyler, on the other hand, kept a grumpy face as he methodically treated the Nazi patients.

  At noon, the doctor gave them a short lunch break. More black bread and coffee. The bread no longer tasted as good as it had last night when they were ravenous. The lukewarm coffee provided no satisfaction either.

  "Maybe we'll be okay if they realize we're doing our best to help them," Ellie said, trying to brighten their spirits.

  "I wouldn't count on it," Tyler said. "I bet they'll get rid of us when we're no longer useful to them."

  Tessa touched her chest to feel her ring and her rose pendant hidden under her uniform. All she wanted was to see Anthony again. She would never ask for anything else if she could be granted this one wish.

  When their day was over, the guard took them back to the house. The boy was in the kitchen, and Tessa could hear him chopping vegetables. The old man was still sitting by the fireplace, half asleep. A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Struggling to breathe, his pale lips dropped open, letting out short spurts of shallow breaths.

  Displeased by the sight, the guard wrinkled his nose at the old man. "Take him back to his room," he yelled at the boy. "Oberst will be back soon."

  The boy stopped what he was doing and hurried to the old man. The old man stirred and bowed over.

  "Sir," Ellie said to the guard. "He looks ill." She went to the elderly man and placed her hand on his forehead. "He has a high fever. He needs help."

  "We don't have any medicine to spare for him," the guard said. "And you should mind your own business."

  "Please," she said. "Let us try and take care of him. I can make him feel better."

  "I said mind your own business," the guard shouted.

  The front door opened and Pfeiffer walked in. Everyone became silent all at once. The guard stood at attention. Pfeiffer stared at all of them, his eyes cold like steel until he saw Ellie. "What's going on?"

  "The old man is sick, sir," Ellie said. "We'd like to attend to him. We can help him."

  "I told them to mind their own business," the guard said.

  Pfeiffer held up his hand to shush the guard and smiled. Tessa remembered this same perverse smile from when they were first captured.

  "Please, Commander. Let us help him?" Ellie summoned her courage and asked.

  Pfeiffer came closer to her. She looked away to avoid his gaze.

  "And if I grant you your wish, how will you thank me?"

  Ellie tensed. Pfeiffer laughed when she didn't know how to answer.

  "Tell you what, Fräulein. Your friend here can take care of the old man." He tossed a dismissive glance at Tessa. "Why don't you join me for dinner? I see our Belgian friend's got a nice hot meal cooking." He smiled at the boy and went into the kitchen. When he came out, he held up a bottle of wine to show Ellie.

  Bewildered and scared, Ellie didn't know what to do. She looked at Tessa, who was equally uncertain.

  "Go! Get the old man to bed and take care of him," Pfeiffer said to Tessa. "Get us our dinner," he said to the boy. "I'm hungry."

  Tessa helped the old man onto his feet. The boy watched her bring the old man to his bedroom, then hurried back into the kitchen.

  "See, Fräulein? Everything's fine." Pfeiffer lifted a lock of Ellie's hair, admiring it as she shuddered. "Have a seat." He invited her to the table and opened the bottle of wine.

  Ellie sat down across from Pfeiffer. In the bedroom, Tessa helped the old man lie down on his bed. On purpose, she left the bedroom door open to keep an eye on Ellie.

  Pfeiffer poured himself a glass of wine, then noticed Tyler and the guard standing by the stairs. "Go," he said to the guard. "Take him upstairs. You brutes get out of my sight."

  The guard poked Tyler with his rifle. Worried, Tyler looked back at Ellie several times as he walked up the stairs until he couldn't see her anymore. In the bedroom, Tessa tried to put the old man in a comfortable position. The boy came in with a basin of warm water and a small towel.

  "Thank you." Tessa smiled at the boy. "What's your name?"

  "Mathias. Mathias Zegher."

  "Hello, Mathias. I'm Tessa. Tessa Graham."

  Mathias smiled back. "He's my grandfather."

  She wiped the sweat off the old man's face with the towel. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

  Mathias shook his head. "Will you make him better?"

  "I'll try my best." She wished she could do more, but without medicine, there was not much she could do. The boy sat down on the bed next to his grandfather and touched the old man's arm.

  "Where are your parents?" Tessa asked.

  "They died in a bomb raid. After that, everyone in the village left. My grandfathe
r's too sick, and we couldn't leave."

  "I'm sorry."

  Mathias stroked his grandfather's face. The boy looked so helpless, Tessa wanted to give him a hug.

  "I have to serve the Oberst his dinner." He got up and left the room.

  Tessa examined the old man. His pulse was weak and his breathing sounded congested. She suspected he might be suffering from the flu or pneumonia. She wished she had proper medicine and equipment to help him. All she could do was to try to make him more comfortable. When he fell asleep, she went back out to the living room.

  In the living room, she found Pfeiffer slumped over on the table, asleep. His bowl of potato stew barely touched. Ellie sat stupefied in her chair, staring at him. Her bowl of potato stew also untouched. Mathias stood by the kitchen entrance, too afraid to come out.

  "What happened?" Tessa asked.

  "I don't know," Ellie said. "I guess he's drunk."

  Tessa came over to the table. Snoring slightly, Pfeiffer was sound asleep. She picked up the wine. There was still a quarter bottle left. "What a lightweight."

  Ellie cracked a smile for the first time since they returned to the house. Mathias still didn't know if he should come out of the kitchen. The kitchen gave Tessa an idea. "Mathias, is there any food left? I'm hungry too."

  "Yes. I'll get you some stew."

  "No," she kept her voice nonchalant. "You go check on your grandfather. I'll help myself."

  "Okay."

  Tessa went to the kitchen counter. She opened the cabinet doors and checked what was kept inside. As discreetly as she could, she pulled out the counter drawers one by one. Her heartbeat and breath quickened when she discovered the drawer with cooking utensils. She brushed the knives with her fingertips. This was her only chance. She rummaged through the silverware until she found a sharp knife that could fit in her jacket.

  "Grandpa's asleep." Mathias' voice startled her. "Do you need help?"

  "Sure." She turned around and smiled at Mathias. "Can we bring some food to my friends upstairs? I'd like to eat with them."

  "Yes." Mathias took several bowls out of the cabinet and filled them with stew. While he prepared the food, Tessa returned to the living room and said to Ellie, "You might as well eat, or you're going to be hungry all night."

  Less frightened now that Tessa was with her, Ellie crammed down her now cold potato stew. Mathias brought out more bowls of stew and a jug of water. Tessa thanked him, and she and Ellie proceeded to bring the food and water upstairs. The guard raised his gun when he heard their approaching footsteps.

  "Can you let us inside?" Tessa asked as casually as possible.

  The guard eyed them up and down with suspicion, but nonetheless opened the door and let them into the room. When they entered, the Blade and Tyler jumped to their feet. The guard locked the door behind them.

  "Are you all right?" Tyler asked.

  "Yes," Tessa said. "Here's some food for you." She laid down the tray of potato stew. While she, Tyler, and the Blade ate, Ellie collapsed onto one of the mattresses. "I was so scared," she said with huge relief.

  "We need to get away from here," the Blade said. "I have a bad feeling about Pfeiffer. He's evil. I can feel it in every fiber of me."

  "Don't talk like that," Tessa said. "You're frightening Ellie." She took the knife out of her pocket. "Look what I got."

  The Blade's eyes livened when he saw the knife.

  "Shhhh." Tessa put a finger to her lips. "You have to be careful with this. If they find this on you, they'll kill you."

  "You don't need to tell me." He took the knife from her. His spirit and vigor returned, like a hawk that had found its wings again.

  "Are you two sure about this?" Tyler asked.

  "No," Tessa said. "I'm not sure about anything. But if we have a chance to escape…" She exchanged a glance with the Blade.

  The Blade understood. He smiled back at her. "If we have a chance to escape, we'll take it."

  24

  In the week before Christmas, the 33rd Field Hospital followed the Third Division and arrived at Strasbourg. All morning, Aaron had scoured the city's famous Christmas market, searching for ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree for the medical staff. The market had begun as early as 1570. It was one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. Scores of American soldiers were wandering around the stalls, looking for gifts to send back home. The Free French Army had liberated the city last month, and the Allies now occupied this beautiful place. It had survived the war and German occupation intact and was once again a picturesque scene of peace and civilization. With the war still going on, he couldn't have asked for a more pleasant place to spend the holidays.

  Strolling down the streets back to the hospital, he marveled at medieval churches and the black-and-white timber-framed houses. He felt as if he had been transported to an old world of fairytales, to a land of magic. Everywhere, beautiful young girls in Alsatian costumes walked the streets, extending their welcomes. He could almost forget the turmoil of the present time.

  In the spirit of the holidays, he and his staff had decided to decorate the patients' wards. The best part was the Christmas tree. All winter, the forests had been their bane. Now, for once, the forest was giving them something to enjoy. He had brought a bag full of ornaments back from the Christmas market. As he expected, the nurses were thrilled when they saw what he had gotten. They spent the afternoon decorating the wards, and putting baubles and trinkets on the Christmas tree. When they finished, the staff urged him to place the star on the top. Humbly, he agreed and did so to their delight. The nurses and staff cheered, and the patients applauded and laughed. In their celebration, no one noticed Fran Milton on the other side of the room.

  On the other side of the room, Fran glimpsed Aaron and the merrymakers out of the corners of her eyes while she examined a patient's medical chart. She hardly noticed when Dr. Bernstein, one of their senior colleagues, came up to her. "Captain, my wife sent me these graham crackers. Would you like some?" He offered her graham crackers on a plate.

  "No, thank you."

  Cheers erupted from the group by the tree again when a corpsman brought in gift-wrapped packages. Fran watched Aaron arrange the packages under the tree. Noting the sadness in her eyes, Bernstein asked, "Why don't you join in the fun?"

  She looked away from the group back to the chart in her hands. "Christmas is just another day to me. I don't have time for anything trivial. We have too many patients to attend to."

  "I don't celebrate Christmas either. It doesn't mean we can't get into the holiday spirit. Truth be told, we all can use some happy distractions."

  "If everyone's distracted, who'll be around to make sure our work gets done?" She hung the chart back on the patient's bedpost. "I'm giving most of the nurses a day off on Christmas. I'll be on duty personally so they can enjoy their time off. The problem is, people don't always appreciate the ones who give the most." She looked pointedly at Aaron.

  Bernstein looked toward Aaron and the nurses. The festive mood in the room was brought to a halt when Colonel Callahan entered. The staff stopped their activities. The colonel ignored the formality and approached Aaron right away. From his heavy strides and grave expression, Aaron could tell that something serious had happened. Bernstein and Fran looked at each other. They both walked over to the colonel and Aaron to find out what was going on.

  "I'm sorry to bring you the bad news, especially now," Callahan said to Aaron, and looked at the rest of the nurses. "Ellie Swanson and Tessa Graham have been reported missing."

  The news turned everyone speechless.

  "What do you mean, missing?" Aaron asked.

  "They're MIA. They were last seen at their field hospital a week ago. No one has seen them since."

  The nurses let out a collective gasp. Fran glanced curiously at Aaron. His face had turned stone white.

  "What happened to them?" Aaron demanded to know.

  "Command up North is doing their best to try to find them. That's all I
know."

  The nurses hugged each other. Some began to cry.

  "I'm sorry for the sad news, but I thought you'd all want to know," Callahan said. "We're notifying their families now. Rest assured, the army will do everything they can. No one wants the news of women being taken prisoners to travel back home. That'll keep the pressure on command to find them."

  "Find them?" Fran said. "That's only if you assume they're still alive." Everyone stared at her, stunned and indignant at her cold, emotionless reminder. "What?" she asked. "I'm speaking the truth. Anything could've happened. We should be prepared for the worst possible outcome."

  "No," Aaron said, his voice full of distress. "Colonel, you have to find them."

  "We'll do everything we can," Callahan promised again.

  Aaron looked at the floor. The news had sent him reeling. Fran knew what she had to do. Later, when he had had a chance to think through what must have happened to the missing nurses, she would have to help him prepare for the worst. She would have to be there to see him through when the loss of Ellie Swanson became inevitable.

  For days, the Nazi troops remained in the small village. Tessa had no idea what their captors were up to or why they had chosen to stay in this area. From the sounds of artillery shells that went off nearby sometimes, she speculated that the Nazis might be engaging in combat with the Allied troops. Their front line seemed to shift constantly. The distinct sounds of American weapons and German artillery fire came from all different directions. Every day, she prayed that the Allies might come storming into the village to their rescue.

  She also guessed that the Nazis were in combat because of the continuous number of wounded soldiers delivered to the makeshift hospital. Every morning, the SS guard would bring her, Ellie, and Tyler there to work. Their captors' medical staff had been stretched beyond their limit, and they took full advantage of their captive prisoners' help.