A Perfect Madness by Frank H Marsh

Author:Frank H Marsh [Marsh, Frank H]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Frank H. Marsh
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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EIGHTEEN

Erich, Görden Hospital, 1941

The night was good to Erich this time, no more other worlds to hide from, no more monsters to fight and slay. Dreams as they should be came to him, dancing magically throughout the night in his sleeping thoughts. Even though his father had sternly warned him about duty and honor and the consequences of failure, he still was his father’s son, and Erich knew his father would help him. With the start of his morning shift at the hospital still two hours away, an early morning walk in the cool air along the Havel River was the right place to prepare the words he would soon speak to his father. He would tell him then that performing one’s duty only out of fear has no honor, no goodness attached to it, unless it is the right thing to do at the moment. And surely now, all that was being expected of him was wrong.

Erich arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes early and went straight to the East Ward, where he saw Maria laughing with two nurses leaving from the night shift. As he approached them, the two nurses quickly walked away, leaving Maria alone standing by her desk.

“Good morning, Herr Doctor. You look fresh and well.”

“Thank you, I am. What time will the committee be here? Do we have time to see the children again before they arrive?” Erich asked in an excited tone.

Hesitating, Maria picked up the children’s files, handing them to him.

Erich hurriedly opened the first file, which was little Brigitte’s. A form that he had never seen before lay on top of the admitting sheet. But he read no further. On the left side of the form, the names of his father and Dr. Catel and Dr. Heinze were printed.

“My father was with the committee?” he asked, not believing his eyes.

“Yes. Dr. Brandt was detained in Berlin. They met here very early and left. That’s all I know. Dr. Heinze will be here soon to walk the morning rounds with you.”

“My father was with them?” Erich asked a second time, not listening to Maria’s words.

The winds of hope that had filled his sails this morning became as still and listless as an ocean calm, where he would flounder helplessly. On the right side under the heading “Treatment” were three columns with a space available parallel to each of the three names. A bold plus mark had been penciled in the left column by each name, which included his father’s. Erich’s heart sank and he asked Maria to get him a drink of water. The plus mark meant only one thing: the killing of the child. It had no other meaning. There was no other way to say it. All he had hoped for was one minus sign noted in the middle column, which would have allowed the child to live. His father could have done this, but didn’t.

Maria returned with a glass of water, placed it on the desk, and sat down next to Erich.

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