Part 83, Chapter 1264
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-Four
11th February 1958
Tempelhof, Berlin
“Let it go Katherine” Doug had said, “When Ilse is ready to talk to you, she will. If you hadn’t pushed so hard before Christmas, she would probably be more open now.”
According to Kat’s source in the Environmental Sciences Department at the University, Ilse had left her work a few hours early the previous Friday with Kiki of all people. As strange as it seemed, Ilse and Kiki seemed to have developed a friendship since Ilse had come back from Vietnam. It was Kiki who had come home with Ilse, who had looked completely shell-shocked by whatever had happened.
Kat had assumed that Kiki would be the weak link between Kiki and Ilse. However, she discovered a bit late that with whatever was going on Kiki wasn’t afraid to get back in Kat’s face over it. It seemed that Ilse had told Kiki that she thought that Kat would prefer to smugly gloat over her troubles rather than help her and that was a big part of why Ilse had not included her in whatever this was. Doug, who as always, insisted on being the aggravating voice of reason had said that the mere fact that Kat had cultivated a spy in her sister’s workplace pointed to a larger problem. One far larger than a Princess developing a backbone and being willing to stand up to someone with as fearsome a reputation as Kat’s. Was she really surprised that Ilse didn’t really trust her in certain matters?
Today, Kat had just received word that the man she had tasked with following Ilse and Kiki had been ordered to stand down and had then frantically left town. There were only a few people who had the authority to give an order like that. Judging by the man’s shaken reaction, Kat had sinking suspicion that she knew who it was. Worse, it was someone who could order Kat to go pound sand as well. What could Kiki have possibly told him that would get him to react in such a way?
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“My father said that he understands that the situation is complex and won’t discuss it with anyone” Kiki said, “He also supposes that he should be the first to congratulate you and Albrecht.”
It was a relief, a single call from Kiki and the people who had been watching Ilse for Kat had vanished. Unfortunately, she had needed to tell Louis Ferdinand the truth. That Ilse was going to the hospital to see how far her pregnancy was along and that she wasn’t ready to inform her sister, or anyone else yet. Laying on the table, Ilse could feel the cold metal of the imaging equipment against her, Doctor Berg and the technician talking inaudibly to each other as Kiki peered over their shoulders.
For Ilse, this whole thing was a bit humiliating. She remembered that the last time that she and Albrecht had made love was in early October while she was recovering from malaria and before she had gotten sick again. The influenza she had come down with mixed with hyperthermia that had kept her from recovering. She had assumed that she had suffered from a bout with some form of gastroenteritis on top of that. It seemed that a lot of Ilse’s assumptions were wrong these days. The thing was that she had a Doctorate in Biology and she was so completely unaware of herself in that regard that she had been pregnant for months without being aware of it.
Berg had told Ilse that she would due in early to mid-June if she was correct about the timing. Albrecht wasn’t coming home until August…
“It looks like you were correct about being around five months along and it looks healthy” Berg said to Ilse as she stepped aside so that Ilse could see, “Do you want to know if we have a little boy or girl in there?”
“You can tell that?” Ilse asked, slightly horrified. Berg sounded delighted to have asked that question. For Ilse it was a reminder of the reality of all this. Graf von Richthofen was out there, and with the attitudes that old buzzard had about these things. If it was a boy…
“We can to a certain to a degree” Berg replied.
“I don’t want to know” Ilse said, and she leaned back, afraid to look at the screen.
“That is a terrible habit to be in” Berg said, “One you really need to break. I am looking forward to making his or her acquaintance in a few months and you ought to be as well. Have you managed to inform your husband yet?”
Ilse winced at that. She could have talked to Albrecht via radio and several relays but that would require broadcasting her business across half the world. Since she had talked to Doctor Berg on Saturday afternoon and had been informed that yes, she was pregnant she had started to write Albrecht a letter but had stopped after she noticed that she had gone on for several hundred words about how she was a complete idiot and certain things they had assumed were in fact very wrong as it turned out.
“He’s in Vietnam” Ilse replied, “Rockets.”
“You’ve said that” Doctor Berg said, “You couldn’t just send him a telegram? It is important that we talk, come home for a few days when you can. Something along those lines.”
It couldn’t possibly be that simple could it?
11th February 1958
Tempelhof, Berlin
“Let it go Katherine” Doug had said, “When Ilse is ready to talk to you, she will. If you hadn’t pushed so hard before Christmas, she would probably be more open now.”
According to Kat’s source in the Environmental Sciences Department at the University, Ilse had left her work a few hours early the previous Friday with Kiki of all people. As strange as it seemed, Ilse and Kiki seemed to have developed a friendship since Ilse had come back from Vietnam. It was Kiki who had come home with Ilse, who had looked completely shell-shocked by whatever had happened.
Kat had assumed that Kiki would be the weak link between Kiki and Ilse. However, she discovered a bit late that with whatever was going on Kiki wasn’t afraid to get back in Kat’s face over it. It seemed that Ilse had told Kiki that she thought that Kat would prefer to smugly gloat over her troubles rather than help her and that was a big part of why Ilse had not included her in whatever this was. Doug, who as always, insisted on being the aggravating voice of reason had said that the mere fact that Kat had cultivated a spy in her sister’s workplace pointed to a larger problem. One far larger than a Princess developing a backbone and being willing to stand up to someone with as fearsome a reputation as Kat’s. Was she really surprised that Ilse didn’t really trust her in certain matters?
Today, Kat had just received word that the man she had tasked with following Ilse and Kiki had been ordered to stand down and had then frantically left town. There were only a few people who had the authority to give an order like that. Judging by the man’s shaken reaction, Kat had sinking suspicion that she knew who it was. Worse, it was someone who could order Kat to go pound sand as well. What could Kiki have possibly told him that would get him to react in such a way?
----------------------------------------------------------------
“My father said that he understands that the situation is complex and won’t discuss it with anyone” Kiki said, “He also supposes that he should be the first to congratulate you and Albrecht.”
It was a relief, a single call from Kiki and the people who had been watching Ilse for Kat had vanished. Unfortunately, she had needed to tell Louis Ferdinand the truth. That Ilse was going to the hospital to see how far her pregnancy was along and that she wasn’t ready to inform her sister, or anyone else yet. Laying on the table, Ilse could feel the cold metal of the imaging equipment against her, Doctor Berg and the technician talking inaudibly to each other as Kiki peered over their shoulders.
For Ilse, this whole thing was a bit humiliating. She remembered that the last time that she and Albrecht had made love was in early October while she was recovering from malaria and before she had gotten sick again. The influenza she had come down with mixed with hyperthermia that had kept her from recovering. She had assumed that she had suffered from a bout with some form of gastroenteritis on top of that. It seemed that a lot of Ilse’s assumptions were wrong these days. The thing was that she had a Doctorate in Biology and she was so completely unaware of herself in that regard that she had been pregnant for months without being aware of it.
Berg had told Ilse that she would due in early to mid-June if she was correct about the timing. Albrecht wasn’t coming home until August…
“It looks like you were correct about being around five months along and it looks healthy” Berg said to Ilse as she stepped aside so that Ilse could see, “Do you want to know if we have a little boy or girl in there?”
“You can tell that?” Ilse asked, slightly horrified. Berg sounded delighted to have asked that question. For Ilse it was a reminder of the reality of all this. Graf von Richthofen was out there, and with the attitudes that old buzzard had about these things. If it was a boy…
“We can to a certain to a degree” Berg replied.
“I don’t want to know” Ilse said, and she leaned back, afraid to look at the screen.
“That is a terrible habit to be in” Berg said, “One you really need to break. I am looking forward to making his or her acquaintance in a few months and you ought to be as well. Have you managed to inform your husband yet?”
Ilse winced at that. She could have talked to Albrecht via radio and several relays but that would require broadcasting her business across half the world. Since she had talked to Doctor Berg on Saturday afternoon and had been informed that yes, she was pregnant she had started to write Albrecht a letter but had stopped after she noticed that she had gone on for several hundred words about how she was a complete idiot and certain things they had assumed were in fact very wrong as it turned out.
“He’s in Vietnam” Ilse replied, “Rockets.”
“You’ve said that” Doctor Berg said, “You couldn’t just send him a telegram? It is important that we talk, come home for a few days when you can. Something along those lines.”
It couldn’t possibly be that simple could it?
