Faith nodded. Carolyn leaned forward and looked across the aisle. “How’s GeeGee doing over there?”
Georgia sat across the aisle, face pale and strained. She gave a nervous smile. “I’m fine.” She looked anything but fine, but Carolyn understood all too well. Learning Jason had been seriously wounded in Afghanistan and flown to Landstuhl had them all on their knees.
They’d gotten the news two weeks ago that Jason had been wounded, but didn’t know until a few days later the extent of his injuries and where he had been transferred. Eventually, Jason would end up in the States, but how long before that happened? weeks? a month? two? Just as he’d done in the days following Faith’s birth, Mitch had moved mountains to get family members together during this time of crisis. He had gotten Jason home from Iraq within five days of Faith’s birth at Jenner. May Flower Dawn had spent a week in the hospital after Faith was born. Tests confirmed what she already knew: she didn’t have much time. The doctor ordered palliative radiation to control the pain. Dawn came home, and hospice was called in. Christopher withdrew from classes at Stanford and came home to spend as much time with his big sister as possible.
Everyone had worried about Jason. He’d been strong through Dawn’s last weeks, but grieved hard when she died. He lost weight, couldn’t sleep, wouldn’t talk. Pastor Daniel took him away for a few days, and Jason seemed better when they returned, less lost and broken. He held Faith close. When called back to duty, he went with God before him and as his rear guard.
Carolyn looked at the beautiful little girl sitting in the big, cushy leather seat next to her. If not for this adorable little munchkin, they all would have fallen to pieces.
“Champagne, madame?” A pretty, dark-haired flight attendant carried a tray of tulip glasses filled with juice or champagne. Georgia took orange juice.
Faith looked eagerly at Carolyn. “Can I have some juice, Grammy?” Carolyn said yes and declined anything for herself. She felt a little queasy with nerves. The last time she’d traveled any distance on her own was driving Chel across country after Woodstock, and that didn’t offer the best of memories. Dawn would have told her not to worry. God would be flying with them. She smiled as she imagined Jesus in uniform, sitting in the cockpit.
Faith squealed in delight and spread her arms. “GeeGee, we’re flying!” Georgia closed her eyes and gripped the arms of her seat. After what seemed a surprisingly short amount of time, the bell pinged and the captain announced the 747 had reached its cruising altitude and everyone was free to move around the cabin. Dinner was served. Carolyn took Faith to the bathroom, then strapped her back into her seat, covered her with a blanket, and read her favorite book to her, Horton Hears a Who! Faith fell asleep halfway through the third reading. Georgia had lowered her seat and finally looked peaceful.
Carolyn took out her wireless laptop. While she waited for it to boot up, she thought of how many times she’d used the computer over the past few years to connect with Jason on the other side of the world, Faith perched in her lap. When he came on the screen, she’d point. “There’s your daddy. Say hello, sweetheart.”
Jason would grin. “How’s my little girl?” Carolyn hadn’t wanted Jason to miss anything. She’d posted movies of Faith rolling over, sitting up, crawling. Faith had been walking by the time he came home from Iraq. Jason made the most of what little time he had with his daughter. Eighteen months after returning from Iraq, he was deployed again.
Georgia went to pieces when Jason was called up for a third tour of duty, this time in Afghanistan. “They’ll keep sending him,” Mitch told Carolyn. With so few men, the military had no choice but to reuse the ones they had. “As long as there’s war in the Middle East, he’ll be going in and coming back.” It didn’t look like it would end anytime soon.
Every night, Faith said the same prayer. “God, please bless Daddy and bring him home safe and soon. Help GeeGee not to worry so much. God bless Grammy Caro, Bumpa Mitch, Granny H, and Uncle Chris. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Then word came that Jason had been wounded and was being airlifted to a hospital in Germany. He wouldn’t be sent back into a war zone again. His war-won disabilities would bring him a Purple Heart and commendation, but also very likely an early out from the military. Jason had hoped to serve his full twenty years before returning to civilian life.
Mitch came on the screen. “Hey, darlin’. I miss you two already.”
“Thank you for putting us in business class, Mitch. It’s luxurious.” They talked for a few minutes, and then he let Carolyn’s mother take his seat. Even Mom had grown accustomed to sitting in front of a computer and carrying on a conversation via webcam.
“How’s our munchkin, honey? Behaving?”
“Momentarily. She’s asleep. So is Georgia. They both conked out right after dinner, which was served on white tablecloths with china and silver. Can you believe it?”
“We had pizza on paper plates.” Mom winked, so Carolyn knew she was needling Mitch again. Carolyn could hear Mitch laughing and speaking in the background. “Oh, shut up.” Mom sighed. “He wants me to tell you I almost lost my dentures. Not to worry though. Your man is taking good care of me.”
“Don’t forget to use your walker, Mom.”
“Now don’t you start!”
Mitch leaned down so Carolyn could see both their faces. “Don’t worry about us. We get along just fine. If your mother misbehaves, I’ll send her to her room.” He gave Mom’s cheek a brisk kiss. “My turn.” Mitch helped Mom off the chair, then sat in front of the monitor. “Someone will be waiting for you at the airport. I arranged a ride to the train station.”
Mom leaned down. “I put something in your suitcase, honey. If you have time . . . well, you’ll understand. Give Jason a big hug from his granny-in-law.”
“The whole church is praying, Carolyn.”
Carolyn slept easily after that.
* * *
As the train flew down the tracks toward Landstuhl, Carolyn felt Faith pressed close beside her, Puppy Brown still tucked under her arm. He’d fallen from Faith’s seat while she slept on the plane. They’d been so busy gathering their things, they had forgotten him. Fortunately, one of the flight attendants spotted the well-worn, well-loved stuffed animal tangled in the blue blanket and caught up with them in the Jetway. Faith had held him at arm’s length and told him not to get lost again.
Carolyn kissed Faith on the top of her head. “Your great-great-grandfather came from this country, Faith. He grew up somewhere near Hamburg.” Carolyn imagined Oma making her way through Europe to England and eventually boarding a ship to cross the Atlantic, then marrying a German boarder who rented a room in her house. Under other circumstances, they could have been on a heritage trip with Mom and May Flower Dawn.
She and Mitch had talked about Mom’s coming, but she refused. “No, no. You need to get to Jason as soon as you can, and I’d hold you back. If I were younger, maybe, but not now. I’m not up to it.”
In truth, Carolyn had been relieved. Even with a wheelchair, the trip would have been too grueling for Mom, who had just turned ninety-three. She had a hard enough time getting from her rooms to the dining room table these days. Carolyn and Faith often served tea in Granny’s “parlor” rather than have Granny make the long walk to the kitchen.
Carolyn dreaded the time when she wouldn’t have Mom with her. The last six years had been precious, a time of finally getting to know each other. God had given them back the years the locusts had eaten, just as Dawn had prayed He would.
When they reached the Schloss Hotel, they checked in, went upstairs, dumped their luggage, and then took a cab to the hospital. Georgia had to provide Jason’s full name, serial number, and doctor’s name at the reception desk. The nurse gave them directions to intensive care. Only one person could go into the room at a time.
Carolyn sat in the waiting room with Faith. “Am I going to see Daddy, Grammy?”
“I hope so, sweetheart. That’s why we’ve come so far.”
When Georgia came out, Carolyn knew things weren’t good. Her smile wobbled as she took Faith on her lap and said Daddy was sleeping and it might be a while before he’d wake up.
Carolyn went in next. Jason looked like death, with tubes and IVs and everywhere machines beeping and blinking, his head swathed in white. His left leg had been amputated above the knee, his right set in a cast. His left arm was bandaged from wrist to shoulder. Carolyn took Jason’s right hand and leaned down. “It’s Carolyn, Jason. Faith is here with us. Everyone sends their love. They’re all praying. You hold on, soldier. You come back to us.” She kissed his brow. “You have Faith, Jason. She needs her daddy.”
When Carolyn came out, Georgia stood, holding Faith’s hand. The nurse had said she could stay as long as she wanted, and it would be good if she talked to her son. She leaned down and kissed Faith. “Don’t wait around here, Carolyn. She needs to go to bed. I’ll be fine.”
After dinner in the hospital cafeteria and looking in on Jason once more, Carolyn took Faith back to the hotel. She tucked her granddaughter into bed and read Horton Hears a Who! again.
“Grammy? Is Daddy going to die?”
Carolyn didn’t want to lie. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”
“Does he still want to be with Mommy?”
Children never missed anything. “Mommy would want him to stay here until you’re all grown-up.” She held her granddaughter close, and they prayed Daddy would wake up soon and get better.
Georgia didn’t come back to the hotel that night.
Getting ready the next morning, Carolyn found the bundle of letters from Oma’s friend Rosie Brechtwald tucked under her clothes.
When Carolyn and Faith arrived at the hospital, Georgia was just coming out of Jason’s room in intensive care. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
* * *
“He’s going to be okay!” Carolyn cried as she shared the news with Mitch and her mother. Mom leaned down behind Mitch and asked for medical details. “He came out of the coma last night. They’re moving him into another room tomorrow morning. That’s all I know.”
“How’s Georgia holding up?”
“She’s exhausted, but a lot better than she was.” Carolyn ran her hand over her granddaughter’s head. Faith grinned around her straw and then went back to drinking her milk. People milled around the hospital cafeteria. “Faith got to see Jason this morning. He’s pretty weak right now, but he smiled.” She winked at Faith. “A big smile when he saw his little girl.”
Mitch asked questions, and Carolyn told him as much as she knew. “He’ll be sent back to the States for rehabilitation. Texas, I think.” Carolyn spotted Georgia entering the cafeteria and waved her over. “Georgia just came in. She’s smiling. There must be more good news.”
Georgia leaned in to say hi to Mitch and Hildie, then asked Faith if she wanted to talk with Daddy. He was asking for her. Georgia took Faith by the hand, and Carolyn said she’d follow in a minute.
“Mitch, I’ve been thinking about going to Switzerland in a few days, as soon as we know everything is fine with Jason. I’d like to see Oma’s hometown. Would that be all right with you?”
Mitch nodded. “Mom told me about the letters. Maybe you can even find someone from your grandmother’s friend’s family to give them to.”
“I don’t know if Hotel Edelweiss is still there, but I’ll see what I can find. Georgia will keep Faith here. We bought a few games and crayons and a coloring book to keep her occupied. She’s been good as gold. Jason told her she’s going to grow up to be as beautiful as her mommy. He’s been carrying a picture of May Flower Dawn he took when they were first married and living in San Luis Obispo. Faith thought she was an angel with a halo of light. Jason told Faith her mommy always read her Bible in the morning as the sun was coming up. I told Jason I want a copy of that picture. It would make a wonderful portrait.”
Mom leaned closer so Carolyn could see her on the screen. “Take lots of pictures, honey. I’d love to see where Oma grew up.”
* * *
Carolyn searched the Internet and booked one night at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Zurich. The grand old hotel was expensive, but it was right across the street from the train station. Now that her plans were falling into place, she felt like a child facing the first day of school. She laughed silently at herself. Oma had gone around the world by the age of twenty-three! It seemed ludicrous to hesitate in the face of any challenge with Oma’s blood running through her veins. “You have to take life by the horns,” Oma said once.
Oma had certainly done that. Oma had told her about the fake Count and Countess Saintonge who ran the housekeeping school in Bern, about Herr Derry Weib and Chef Warner Brennholtz at the Hotel Germania in Interlaken. She had talked about Lady Daisy Stockhard and her spinster daughter, Miss Millicent, always on the hunt for a suitable husband. It had surprised Carolyn to find out Mom hadn’t heard any of those stories.
She got up early, packed, and kissed Faith on the forehead. Georgia walked her to the door. “I don’t know how to thank you and Mitch for flying me over here, Carolyn.”
Carolyn hugged her. “Jason’s our son, too. I’ll call tonight so you can tell me how our boy is doing.”
She caught the early train to Zurich. The scenery was glorious, the passengers friendly. Hotel Schweizerhof couldn’t have been more convenient. She checked in and asked where she might do some shopping. Her winter coat kept her warm in Sonoma County, California, but she knew after walking from the train station that it wouldn’t suffice in the Alpine country of Switzerland. And she’d need boots instead of walking shoes.
She hunted from store to store until she found a coat and boots at reasonable prices. After a late lunch in Old Town, she headed back toward Hotel Schweizerhof. She spotted the ornately beautiful Swiss National Museum, but it was too late in the day to visit. She went inside the Central Station and had dinner in a café where she could watch travelers come and go.
She called Georgia that evening.
“Jason was in a lot of pain today. Faith and I went out for a long walk.” Georgia laughed. “I needed to wear her out before we went back to the hospital.” Faith had crawled up into bed with Jason while Georgia was in the bathroom. “The nurse found her asleep next to her father, with Puppy Brown tucked under her chin. When she started to move her, Jason told her to leave her there.”
Before calling it a night, Carolyn e-mailed Mitch.
Hotel Schweizerhof is a grand, glorious old hotel right across from the train station where I dined this evening. I’m having dessert now—a bar of Lindt white chocolate with almonds, which was delivered, free of charge, to my room. Tell Mom I’ll bring her some. Off to Steffisburg tomorrow.
* * *
Carolyn caught the morning train to Thun. Resting her chin in her hand, she gazed out the window at one picture-perfect Christmas scene after another passing by. Small bursts of color, painted or natural, splashed against the white. The Alps rose like mighty sentinels on guard.
The two-hour train ride passed quickly, and she found herself standing once again in the crisp Swiss air, her breath steaming like a dragon’s. The station manager spoke English. Yes, Hotel Edelweiss was still in business, though it didn’t take in as many guests as it once had. He knew the family very well. “Ilse Bieler and I went to school together.” He made two calls. A room was available. A taxi was on its way.
While she waited, snow fell like goose down after a pillow fight. The driver took her along a small river, across a bridge, and along the main street of what had been Oma’s childhood hometown. A white church with a thick bell tower stood at the end before the road curved right. He drove up the hill overlooking Steffisburg and parked in front of a two-story Bernese-style house. A small sign with Hotel Edelweiss painted in red had been bolted to the dark wood of the house.
As Carolyn walked up the steps, a woman wearing ski pants and a heavy blue and red sweater opened the door. She had dark hair and brown eyes and looked to be
in her late thirties, around the same age May Flower Dawn would be, had she lived. Carolyn felt a sudden welling sense of loss. She introduced herself. “Ludwig Gasel called earlier. He said you have a room.”
“Come in, please. I’m Ilse Bieler. My family owns the hotel.” The woman stepped back, leaving the doorway open.
Carolyn liked the cozy feel of the stained wood walls, red sofa and chairs, multicolored woven carpet, and fire ablaze and crackling. Ilse Bieler showed her to a room upstairs with a view of the church steeple among the trees. “We have coffee and cookies downstairs,” Ilse told her, then closed the door as she went out. Carolyn quickly unpacked and went downstairs. She hadn’t come all this way to hide in her room. Ilse Bieler offered coffee. “What brings you to Steffisburg?”
“My grandmother grew up here. I was curious to see if any family members might still be here. She had a special friend who lived here at the Hotel Edelweiss.”
“Really? What was your grandmother’s name?”
“Schneider.”
“A common name. Do you know anything about them?”
“Oma said her father was a tailor and her mother a dressmaker. She had an older brother, Hermann. I don’t know what happened to him. Her mother died young. And she had a younger sister, too. Her name was Elise.”
“Elise.” Ilse lifted her shoulders. “Also a common name.”
The telephone rang and Ilse excused herself. She spoke German for several minutes and hung up. “The church may have information on your grandmother’s family.” Ilse suggested Carolyn check the public records as well, and she told her how to find the building where they were stored. “And you’ll meet my grandmother later. She’s napping right now. But she knows everyone in town.”