The Berlin Zookeeper: An utterly gripping and heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel, based on a true story by Anna Stuart

Author:Anna Stuart [Stuart, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture

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Ursula’s birthing, thank the Lord, was nothing like Sasha’s. They hustled her into the bunker and Katharina tried to block out the images of her dear friend’s blood across those same sheets six months ago. She clearly failed miserably for Ursula looked at her and said, ‘Cheer up, Kätsche. I promise I’m not going to die.’

‘Of course you’re not,’ she agreed crisply, not quite daring to believe it, but Ursula was amazing.

She paced the little bunker room between contractions, up and down, up and down, and when they came, she braced herself against the wall and panted like a dog until they subsided. The labour moved fast – ‘That’s me,’ Ursula joked through gritted teeth, ‘always in a hurry’ – and in the pause between raids, she pragmatically announced, ‘It’s coming now,’ and kneeled up on the bed.

‘Don’t you want to lie down?’ Gisela asked.

‘Lord, no! You’ve seen how the monkeys do it.’

Katharina thought of the chimps and baboons she’d seen giving birth. Ursula was right – they crouched down, often on a precariously high rock, and pushed the baby out, usually reaching round to ease it out themselves, though sometimes one of the other females assisted.

‘But they’re monkeys, Ursula.’

‘So they don’t have bossy midwives telling them what to do just because someone’s decided it’s more decorous. I’ve thought about it a lot and if it works for them, it’ll work for me.’

‘Very well,’ Katharina said, hands up, and it certainly did work for Ursula. The contractions came fast and hard, and she pushed down with all her might. After only three such pushes, Katharina could see the baby crowning.

‘You’re doing it, Ursula!’ she cried. ‘One more push.’

Ursula nodded, braced herself up against the bedstead, and when the next contraction came, bore down hard, filling the bunker with her determined roar. The baby’s head emerged and, like a seal diving, the rest of the body slipped easily out onto the sheets between her knees. They all stared as the baby opened its mouth, drew in a deep breath and wailed, pure and true. Ursula swept it up into her arms and covered it in kisses.

‘A girl,’ she said, drawing back to look down at her baby. ‘We have a little girl. Where’s Pierre?’

‘Don’t you want to clean up?’ Gisela suggested, looking at her friend’s bloody shift and damp face. But Ursula just laughed.

‘Come now, Gigi, he saw me all sweaty when he put her inside me, so he can surely cope now that she’s out?’

Gisela threw her hands up and Katharina, smiling, went round the curtain to fetch Pierre. He was already hovering and rushed to her, kissing each cheek, as she told him he had a daughter.

‘A daughter! God be praised, a daughter. Let me in – let me at them.’ He bundled Katharina aside like a man in a rugby match and made a dive for the bed. ‘Oh, my beautiful girl,’ he said, clasping Ursula tight. ‘My beautiful girls. We will call her Beatrice, yes, my love?’ Ursula nodded, and Pierre beamed and looked around at the others.

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