Dr. Ziegler was already in the office when Werner entered in the early morning of the 11th of December. He looked unhappy as he filled out his lab journal. "They're all dead, Werner. Our vaccine was good for nothing." He sighed, looked up and shrugged. "I sent the vaccine back to Germany. They're going to study it in a lab that has more things...so we're relieved of that now." Werner was shocked, but he didn't know what to say. He just nodded politely. He didn't know how upset the doctor was about this fact so he coudln't judge if he should say something or not. "That Wojciechowski is getting on my nerves..." Werner grew more attentive as his superior mentioned the pole. "He's cheeky, always responds in polish...unless you're around, then he speaks german." Dr. Ziegler added thoughtfully. He looked up at Werner and raised his eyebrows. "Either you're a polish spy too, you're a natural manipulator or he's a homosexual."
"I don't think it's any of that, Doctor." Werner said a bit embarassdly.
"Are you homosexual Werner?"
"No...doctor." Werner replied. He didn't feel nervous but he felt uncomftorable.
"True. You told me you were going to see a girl...well, anyhow. I don't think I need you here today or tomorrow." Dr. Ziegler picked up his journal again. Werner wasn't sure if he'd been excused to leave or not. "You can go, Werner."
"Thank you, Doctor." Werner said. He slipped out the door and closed it behind him. He was still going to show up to work tomorrow, just in case the doctor had changed his mind. Having nothing better to do and not wanting some other officer to recruit him for some job, he headed to the phone booth. Maybe Marie was already awake and free to talk. He'd missed the sound of her voice...
"Guten Morgen, hier ist Killian Werner. (good morning, it's Killian Werner)" He said after the person on the other end had picked up.
"Hello, Killy, here's Marie." To his delight it was Marie who picked up.
"How are you doing, did you sleep well?"
"Yes I did, thank you. What about you, Killy?"
"I slept fine. It was pretty cold last night though..."
"Oh, talk about it! I had to shovel the snow off the road this morning. It feels so much colder than even a week ago."
"I think so as well." Werner agreed.
He was about to ask her about the book she was reading when Nikolai burst into the telephone booth. He didn't seem to recognize that it was Werner who was on the phone. He grabbed the receiver, slammed it down to end the call and picked it up, dialing faster than Werner thought was possible. Werner was squeezed against the wall, he wiggled his way out behind Nikolai and left the booth, staying just outside the doorway. Nikolai shoved his left hand in his pocket. He jumped from one foot to the other, clearly agitated. "Pick up." He repeaitidly hissed under his breath. Werner heard the ringing stop and be replaced by the crackling of the line; Nikolai had been connected.
"What do you think you're fucking doing! I told you to fucking leave Essen!" His voice was shrill. "I told you to fucking leave Essen, Darya, I told you to leave!" He didn't pause long enough for her to give him a full answer. "Darya! Darya, Darya!" He said her name in a pleading tone, his emotion switching from furious to pained in a second. "Darya, we talked about this last night. It's not safe in Essen. Please don't stay there..." His voice cracked. Her answer must have made him angry because the flames flared up in his eyes and he kicked the wall with his boot. "Darya, are you listening to me! Are you even hearing what I am saying? Their going to bomb Germany...I know it! Get out of Essen, go somewhere that isn't an industrial city!" He started to raise his voice, shouting into the receiver as if that would somehow change her opinion. "I'm not there to protect you, Darya, I can't pull you out of a bombed building! No - No I'm not overreacting! Darya if you don't leave in the next week I will desert my fucking post and drag you out of Essen myself!" He slammed his fist on the little table that the phone stood on. "Don't hang up on me Darya, how dare you! Darya? Darya?" He started to redial the number but Werner stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Nikolai, don't." And Nikolai listened. He'd totally forgotten that he'd pushed someone to the side as he'd lunged for the phone. He stared at Werner in confusion for a second, as if he recognized him but couldn't place where from. He opened his mouth to say something but the frog in the back of his throat swallowed his words. Werner could taste alcohol on his breath. "Call her again when she's calmed down...and have you been drinking, Nikolai?"
"Don't call me Nikolai." Nikolai answered with a hiccup, he pushed past Werner but staggered from the left to the right as he walked through the hallway. Werner grabbed him by the sleeve.
"You can't go back to work like that. Call in sick, I have the day off. We can talk." Werner said. His expression was so serious that Nikolai just nodded.
The silver-haired SS-Officer cried as the young one phoned one of the stations to report his illness. He blamed it on a bad potatoe from last night. Luckily for them the man who'd answered liked Nikolai and let it slide. Werner half-carried, half-dragged his friend to a place he was sure no one would pass by.