Marion Kummerow - From the Ashes

He’d start with ruthlessly evicting the hospital patients in the morning.

Finally, Marlene had found a useful task. Her parents were constantly complaining about the hardships that had befallen them and, frankly, she’d scream if she must hear it one more time. How much more satisfying was it to spend her time tending to badly injured people and experiencing their gratitude.

Every morning she rushed to the hospital as soon as she woke. But that day she was in for a horrible surprise. A group of Russian soldiers infiltrated the building, forcefully evicting the patients and confiscating every piece of furniture. She pressed her back against the wall, waiting for two soldiers to pass her, before she slipped inside looking for Dr. Ebert.

Her glance fell on a rather smart young man who barked orders in Russian at the soldiers. But he wasn’t in uniform, which was a peculiar. Instead he wore a dark blue business suit consisting of pants with a sharp crease and a well-fitting jacket.

The man noticed her and crossed the room to approach her, giving her ample time to study his gait and face. He seemed well-educated, poised and definitely in charge of whatever was happening here. His blond hair was cropped short and he had alert gray-green eyes. She judged him to be in his late twenties, but nowadays it was so difficult to tell. He could be much younger, because he didn’t have the worn-out, battle-hardened expression most soldiers, even the youth, featured.

He didn’t look Russian at all and she could have sworn he was German, which was all but impossible. A German barking orders at Russian soldiers?

“Fräulein, are you in charge of this place?” he asked in perfect accent-free German. But what surprised her most, was his soft tone, unlike the usual bellowed commands the Russians issued.

“No, mein Herr, that would be Dr. Ebert. I’m just an auxiliary nurse.”

He smiled and his formerly cold eyes exuded warmth, while he stretched out his hand, “I’m Werner Böhm, in charge of the culture and education taskforce of the Soviet High command.”

“Marlene Kupfer,” she said, unsure what to think about him. This Herr Böhm seemed nice enough, but apparently, he worked for the Russians.

“I’m pleased to meet you Fräulein Kupfer, and while I certainly applaud the work you’re doing here, unfortunately my orders require me to inform you that this is an unauthorized operation and you must vacate the building as of today.” The green of his eyes faded into a cold gray and he looked honestly sorry.

Marlene couldn’t help but blurt out, “Unauthorized? Are you kidding me?”

He raised an eyebrow before answering, “Fräulein Kupfer, I can assure you this is not a joke. Your little hospital is a sanitary danger for national health. My orders stipulate that this operation has to be shut down immediately.”

“I can’t believe you monsters remove bedridden patients under some phony rules!” Marlene was livid. She balled her hands into fists and would have strangled the man in front of her, if it hadn’t been for Dr. Ebert’s intervention who’d appeared like a ghost behind her.

“Herr Böhm, I beg you to pardon my nurse. She is still young and temperamental. I will see that your orders are fulfilled. But would you be so kind to tell your soldiers to leave the handling of the patients to us?“ Dr. Ebert didn’t flinch. He was a man who had seen everything and there was nothing that could get him upset.

Marlene glared daggers at the poor doctor, but she reluctantly accepted that it was no use resisting the occupying authority. Things only got worse when people put up a fight. Most of the patients in this room could testify to this fact.

Even though Herr Böhm looked pleasant enough, he was as much a monster as the rest of the Russian devils. These so-called liberators behaved worse than the Nazis ever had.

“Thank you, Dr. Ebert. To reward your cooperation, I will give you until tomorrow morning to vacate the building,” Böhm said, glancing expectantly in her direction.

Did he expect her to be grateful for his generosity? Not until hell froze over. Self-righteous bastard. But a nudge from Dr. Ebert made her put a good face on the matter. With her sweetest smile she said, “Thank you very much for this incredibly humane and considerate offer. It’s an honor to attend to the orders bestowed upon us by the Almighty Soviet High Command.”

Herr Böhm’s face took on a pleased expression, but when he noticed the poisonous sarcasm in her voice, he suddenly looked as if he’d chewed on a lemon.

She rejoiced at the small victory. But not for long.

A lazy grin crossed his face, “If this is your wish, I’m sure one of my Mongol soldiers would be willing to bestow his attention upon you, Fräulein Kupfer.”

An icy hand gripped her heart and Marlene wished to shrink and disappear into a bomb crater. He couldn’t be serious about his threat, could he? Thankfully she didn’t have to explore the seriousness of Böhm’s words, because Georg entered the room.

“What’s going on here?” Georg asked, concern written all over his face.

“The Soviets have come to evict us, because our hospital hasn’t been properly authorized,” Dr. Ebert explained.

Marlene noticed the steep crease forming on Georg’s forehead, even though his voice was calm. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I am very serious, as is this gentleman here.” Dr. Ebert pointed at Böhm. “Herr Böhm is a member of the Soviet military government and chairman of the culture and education taskforce of the Gentner group.”

Georg’s head swiveled around with an expression of disbelief in his eyes. The two men were about the same age, but couldn’t look more different. The Muscovite was blond, tall, and had an air of authority about him, while the German was shorter, thinner, with brown hair and friendly brown eyes.

During the past days Marlene had come to appreciate Georg’s warmth and kindness. He had a God-given talent at handling the patients and never once raised his voice even during the most frustrating moments. She knew he would become a great doctor once he could take up his studies again.

Böhm seemed to feel the need to say something and raised his voice. “I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, I’m merely following my orders and I trust that you will have it vacated by tomorrow morning.”

Marlene glared at him, but knew better than to engage him again. He was a monster. Like all the Russians.

“Why would the Soviet Command do such a thing?” Georg asked as soon as Böhm had left the building, the soldiers trailing behind. “They must not be aware of the dire situation.”

Georg was a bright young man, but he was also very trusting, always believing in the good in people. There was just one problem — the Soviet governors weren’t good people. As far as Marlene was concerned, the bastards were obsessed with power and had little concern for individual lives.

“What are we going to do now?” Marlene asked.

“I don’t know,” Dr. Ebert’s shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked aged beyond his years. He had worked miracles, after Bruni’s lover had organized the penicillin, and Zara was on the way to recovery. Marlene was forever indebted to him and she wished she could comfort him, tell him everything would be all right.

“I may have an idea,” Georg said. “Let me check, I’ll be back in an hour.” Even before he finished speaking, he sprinted from the building, leaving Marlene and Dr. Ebert wondering what he was up to.

As promised, he returned about an hour later with a bright smile on his boyish face. “I found a room!” He blurted out. “It’s in the American sector, and it’s perfect. It has running water. And electricity. This is so much better than what we have here, and I already talked to the American administration and they are okay with us using the entrance hall for our field hospital.”