Otto groaned and Celia saw he was slowly regaining consciousness. It would be a relief for him and the nursing staff that the wound on his leg had now been closed. He had been in such pain with the treatment but she knew that it would all be worth it, as it meant Doctor Burton had managed to save his leg from the damage the shrapnel had done and the threat of infection.
She pulled a chair to his bedside and sat, glad that she was by herself in the ward now that Sister and other nurses were elsewhere. Celia glanced at the door and around the room to double check that she was the only member of staff in the ward, and that the other patients were either asleep or busily reading. She took Otto’s hand in hers.
‘Otto?’
He murmured something but didn’t open his eyes.
‘Otto, it’s Celia,’ she soothed. ‘You’ve had your operation and Doctor Burton said it went very well.’
His eyelids flickered a few times before slowly opening. He gazed at her and she wasn’t sure he was fully awake, so went to say something further but stopped when he began to speak.
‘Celia.’ His voice was soft. He smiled then closed his eyes again. ‘Mein Schatz.’
Celia’s breath caught in her throat. She had picked up enough German to understand he was calling her his darling, or something similar. The tone of his voice was loving and she wondered for a moment if he knew she was the one sitting with him or if he was thinking she was someone else.
‘Otto,’ she said again, this time in a more professional tone, so as to not confuse the semi-conscious man. ‘It’s Nurse Robertson.’
His eyes opened once more and this time he appeared to be more conscious. ‘Celia. It is you.’ He swallowed. ‘I think I might have said something inappropriate.’
Not wishing him to be alarmed, Celia shook her head. ‘No, you didn’t.’
He didn’t seem convinced. ‘I didn’t tell you I loved you?’
‘No,’ she said smiling. ‘You called me your darling.’ As soon as the words left her lips, she saw his face light up. Damn. He had caught her out. Why hadn’t she pretended to be offended, instead of repeating what he had called her as if it was no matter at all? Fool. ‘I’ll make you a drink,’ she said, getting to her feet and letting go of his hand.
Otto reached out for her. ‘Please, don’t go. Not yet.’
Flustered and not sure what to do for the best, Celia tried to withdraw her hand from his. ‘This is wrong, Otto.’
‘I know.’
‘Then you must stop. You’re putting me in a difficult position.’ Was it guilt that she reciprocated his feelings, or fear of being found out that was worrying her most? She wasn’t sure.
He let go of her hand, embarrassed. ‘May I ask you a question before you go?’
How could she say no? ‘Of course you may.’
He went to say something but stopped. He thought for a moment, staring down at his hands before looking up into her eyes. ‘I was hoping you might feel something for me.’
She stared at him, surprised that he would ask her something so openly. He had meant every word he said, she realised, seeing the depth of emotion in his eyes. ‘You really do, er, like me?’
He swallowed. ‘More than that.’ His voice was barely above a whisper and held all the emotion she felt swirling around in her heart.
‘Oh.’
He looked troubled. ‘I am sorry,’ he said, shaking his head and pulling his hand back. ‘I did not mean to unnerve you. I should not have spoken. I spoke out of turn. I…’ He took a deep breath. ‘I shall blame the anaesthetic for me speaking out of turn.’ He smiled and she saw that he was trying to cover for his unexpected openness with her.
‘Hush,’ Celia said, wanting to stop his humiliation. She had hurt him with her silence. ‘Don’t be sorry,’ she said quietly as she rested her hand on his arm. ‘I’m a little taken aback, but only because your words were unexpected.’
‘You are not offended?’
She shook her head.
‘Then dare I believe you might have feelings also?’ He rested his hand on his chest, his eyes wide in disbelief. ‘For me?’
For such a strong, athletic man he seemed strangely vulnerable. She felt compelled to take him in her arms and comfort him, but knew she could never do such a thing. ‘I suppose I do.’ She could barely believe the words she was hearing coming from her lips.
He stared at her silently.
‘We must not dwell on how we feel, though,’ she said, thinking of how Elsie would react should she ever discover Celia had formed an attachment to one of their German patients. ‘This is war time and we are on opposite sides, whether we like it or not.’
‘We are.’ He looked deflated. ‘But one day this war will be over. We will find a way to be together then, maybe?’
Celia realised that she liked the idea but knew she mustn’t encourage him. She didn’t have it in her heart to hurt him by rejecting him, though. ‘Maybe, Otto. One day.’