Summery

What if Maria didn't go back to the Abby after the talk with the Baroness? What if she returned to her abusive alcoholic uncle? Will the Captain find out? Will he try and get her back? Or will she forever be destined to live an unhappy life? Being beating by her uncle for the rest of her life? Read to find out!


Chapter 16: Shell Shock (PTSD)

"What have I done?!" Thought Maria as she made her way from the dining room. "I just raised my voice! To Gretl! What is wrong with me?"

Making her way to the main hallway, Maria sat down on the staircase and began thinking back to what just happened during dinner. She remember, although hearing Gretl ask her to help her cut up her food, not having the energy to answer her back. It was as if she was in her own little world where no one and nothing could hurt her. It was only at this point that she realised that Fredrick, like her, wasn't fully himself at dinner. Earlier he was as proud as a father, gazing upon his new-born child for the first time, at least that is what Liesl had told her after she had visited her in the safety and comfort of her room after the incident had occurred and Georg had taken her away. However, at dinner, while the other children where once again gushing over how 'heroic' he was he didn't say a word. In fact, Maria was positive that the only acknowledgement he gave was a simple nod of the head. Not touching his food, pushing it around on his plate with his fork; deep in thought.

"My love?"

Maria looked up from where her eyes had been plastered on the tiled floor in front of her and met the eyes of her boss and newfound love. They where filled with a range of different emotions: sadness, worry, love. However, the one emotion that Maria was expecting to see and that very moment but could not find was anger. He walked towards her, his slightly heeled shoes clicking against the marble floor. Sitting next to her on the staircase he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry!" Maria all but shouted, before he could even say a word. "I don't know what came over me! I would never speak to Gretl like that! Or any of the children for that matter!"

"I know love, I know." Said Georg with a slight chuckle. "Darling, you've been threw a very difficult ordeal over the past few weeks. It's only natural that you react strangely, in fact I would be worried if you didn't.

Relieved that he wasn't angry or upset with her Maria, with an innocent smile, looked up at Georg and said, "So are you telling me, that at this very moment you are not worried about me?"

"Of course I am! I am always worried about you, and I don't want you to ever think otherwise."

They both fell into a comfortable silence which engulfed the main entrance.

"Captain."

The couple looked up to find Frau Schmidt standing before them. Embarrassed at being found in such an intimate position with her boss, Maria untangled herself from Georg and stood up. Announcing that she would leave them both to talk, making her way across the main entrance and into the garden where she could hear the loud antics of 6 out of 7 von Trapp children. Once gone Frau Schmidt begun again.

"Sir, I don't mean to step out of my place." she stopped, giving herself a few seconds to determine if she could continue. Not seeing anything amiss he her bosses demeanour, she continued. "However, I once courted a lovely gentleman when I was in my youth, he was a lot like you sir, he was a medical student you see. Everyday he would come visit me after his classes and tell me a single thing that he found the most interesting, he was such a character. Very handsome..." Frau Schmidt trailed off.

Clearing his throat to gather his housekeepers attention once again he said, "As lovely as this young gentleman sounds Frau Schmidt, what has this got to do with anything?"

"Ah. Right. Yes. Anyway one night he had returned from his classes very excited to tell me all about the new discovery at the time which they where calling "Shell Shock Syndrome".

After receiving a confused look from her employer, Frau Schmidt started to laugh causing Georg to become not just even more confused but rather impatient. Sensing that something was not right Frau Schmidt stopped laughing immediately, "I'm terribly sorry Captain, it's just rather surprising to see a naval hero not know the meaning of Shell Shock."

"I would like to remind you, Frau Schmidt, that I was thousands of miles underwater. Trapped in a tiny submarine with over 15 other men, the only syndrome you are going to come across is long term claustrophobia."

"Shell Shock, Captain, is an anxiety disorder that has been caused by a very stressful or frightening event, in this case Maria and Fredrick regarding the issues of her uncle and cousin. You see sir, those with Shell Shock often relive the horrible event in either flashbacks or nightmares which in turn causes them to have trouble sleeping."

Realisation hit Georg like a bullet, he just new that there was something deeper going on. Not long ago had Maria said she had been having trouble sleeping, due to nightmares. Perhaps Maria had been suffering with this for years and he just didn't know about it.

"What can we do to help her?"

"Unfortunately Captain, at this point not a lot. The only thing we can do is wait, we will keep an eye on her behaviour to see if it gets worse or better and just go from there."

"It's not ideal, however it will have to do. For now, but I will do everything in my power to find a solution that will help her." With that Georg went to his study, determined to help the love of his life.


Authors note:

So this is my very first fan fiction and I don't really know what to think of it, I am not the best writer in the world and will without a doubt get writers block very early on writing this story so please review and if you have any ideas please feel free to PM me or place it in a review and I will be more than happy to find a place for it in my story.

Stories That Never End

AKA - Dani X

P.S - I'm back! I feel like I apologise to you all far to much and that I am constantly making excuses as to why I have been away. So just because it feels like a tradition here is another excuse, I left school a year early and started college in August last year! I just didn't realise how much time all the work took up and I truthfully didn't know if I would ever have time to post again but after receiving a review for the first time in months asking me to come back, here I am. I don't feel like this is my best work as I've been away for so long, but I'm sure whatever skills I had will return soon. Thank you so much to the person who wrote that review, hopefully you know who you are. If it wasn't for you, you wouldn't be reading this now.