Page 62 of The Last Safe Place

“I’ll answer,” called Ilse.

“No, wait—” Michaela lived in constant fear of the SS knocking on the door to take her away. But it was too late, Ilse had already opened the door.

“Mutti, there’s a man with a message for you.”

Michaela sighed in relief. That didn’t sound like the SS. Sliding her feet into slippers, she shuffled to the door, where a young lad of no more than fifteen was standing. “Are you Frau Kronberg?”

“Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?”

“Anton Seifert. He’s very ill. A bilious attack or something. Please, can you come? Frau Seifert says it’s urgent!”

Michaela’s heart missed a beat, though her face didn’t betray her shock. “Yes, of course. Let me get my medical bag.” She turned to Eva, who’d come down from upstairs. “I have to leave again. You’ll have to eat dinner by yourselves. Warm up the casserole and don’t wait for me. I might not be back until late.”

“Alright.” Her daughter’s disappointed face was like a knife in Michaela’s heart. She truly wasn’t a good mother to them. During the day she worked in a weapons factory; in the evenings and on weekends she was out caring for patients. The two girls had been much better off with Carola.

They couldn’t have stayed with her, she reminded herself.It’ll get better once we’re in Switzerland. Then you’ll have more time for them. With a heavy heart, she grabbed her medical bag and followed the messenger outside.

She stiffened as she watched him walk over to a bicycle with an apologetic, “You’ll have to sit on the rack.”

Good Lord! What have we come to?The ban on using public transport had made everything so much more complicated. Taking her life in her hands, she clambered onto the rack behind him and looked for something to hold on to but found nothing. The boy rode at breakneck speed, with her struggling to keep upright, until he finally shouted over his shoulder, “You’ll have to wrap your arms around me, I can’t keep my balance like this.”

Reluctantly, she clung to the boy. To her surprise, the ride became much smoother, and her heart no longer hammered with the fear of crashing at any moment. By the time their ride finally ended in a Berlin suburb, she had lost all feeling in her bottom and legs.

“We’ve arrived,” the boy announced.

But her legs failed to cooperate, and she was forced to murmur miserably, “I can’t get off, my legs have gone numb.”

“Wait, I’ll help you.”

She had no idea how he managed to swing his leg over the handlebars of the bicycle and get off, all while holding the bicycle steady. She was just grateful that he held out a hand and helped her down from the rack.

As soon as her feet stood on solid ground, a painful tingling swept through her legs as the circulation returned. She gentlystamped on the ground several times, before she told the boy, “Thank you, you can let go now.”

“Sure?” he asked, grinning.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes to take you home.”

Michaela dreaded the thought of repeating the torture all the way home, regardless she smiled gratefully at him. “That’s very kind of you.”

“Don’t mention it.” And with that, he hopped back on and raced away.

She turned to the run-down little house where the Seiferts lived. They’d obviously been waiting for her, because just as she raised her hand to ring the bell, the door was opened by a young girl. “Frau Kronberg?” At Michaela’s nod, she said, “Please follow me. Herr Seifert is upstairs. The doctor has just left.”

Michaela couldn’t help wondering why she’d been fetched so urgently if another doctor had already seen him.

“There you are, Frau Kronberg,” Frau Seifert appeared, a deep wrinkle creasing her forehead. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“Your messenger said it was urgent. What can I do?”

“I need a second opinion.”

Michaela had already suspected something along those lines. If her fears proved true, a difficult decision was needed. “Shall we talk first, and you can tell me the other doctor’s diagnosis?”

Frau Seifert nodded uncertainly. “Wouldn’t you rather examine my husband yourself?”

“I will, though I’d like to gather all the information first, so I know what to look for.”