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"You're doing exactly the right thing," Dr. Rothmann reassured her. "Just hold that baby close a minute longer." He sat beside Ada. He listened to her heart, took her pulse, and said: "How do you feel, my dear?"
"I'm so tired," she said.
Rothmann gave a satisfied nod. He stood up again and looked at the baby in Carla's arms. "A little boy," he said.
Erik watched with a mixture of fascination and revulsion as the doctor opened his bag, took out some thread, and tied two knots in the cord. While he was doing so he spoke to Carla in a soft voice. "Why are you crying? You've done a marvelous job. You've delivered a baby all on your own. You hardly needed me! You'd better be a doctor when you grow up."
Carla became calmer. Then she whispered: "L
ook at his head." The doctor had to lean toward her to hear. "I think there's something wrong with him."
"I know." The doctor took out a pair of sharp scissors and cut the cord between the two knots. Then he took the naked baby from Carla and held him at arm's length, studying him. Erik could not see anything wrong, but the baby was so red and wrinkled and slimy that it was hard to tell. However, after a thoughtful moment the doctor said: "Oh, dear."
Looking more carefully, Erik could see that there was something wrong. The baby's face was lopsided. One side was normal, but on the other the head seemed dented and there was something strange about the eye.
Rothmann handed the baby back to Carla.
Ada groaned again, and seemed to strain.
When she relaxed, Rothmann reached under her skirt and drew out a lump of something that looked disgustingly like meat. "Erik," he said. "Fetch me a newspaper."
Erik said: "Which one?" His parents took all the main papers every day.
"Any one, lad," said Rothmann gently. "I don't want to read it."
Erik ran upstairs and found yesterday's Vossische Zeitung. When he returned, the doctor wrapped the meaty thing in the paper and put it on the floor. "It's what we call the afterbirth," he said to Carla. "Best to burn it, later."
Then he sat on the edge of the bed again. "Ada, my dear girl, you must be very brave," he said. "Your baby is alive, but there may be something wrong with him. We're going to wash him and wrap him up warmly, then we must take him to the hospital."
Ada looked frightened. "What's the matter?"
"I don't know. We need to have him checked."
"Will he be all right?"
"The hospital doctors will do everything they can. The rest we must leave to God."
Erik remembered that Jews worshipped the same God as Christians. It was easy to forget that.
Rothmann said: "Do you think you could get up and come to the hospital with me, Ada? Baby needs you to feed him."
"I'm so tired," she said again.
"Take a minute or two to rest, then. But not much more, because Baby needs to be looked at soon. Carla will help you get dressed. I'll wait upstairs." He addressed Erik with gentle irony. "Come with me, little Nazi."
Erik wanted to squirm. Dr. Rothmann's forbearance was even worse than Frau Rothmann's scorn.
As they were leaving, Ada said: "Doctor?"
"Yes, my dear."
"His name is Kurt."
"A very good name," said Dr. Rothmann. He went out, and Erik followed.
vi
Lloyd Williams's first day working as assistant to Walter von Ulrich was also the first day of the new parliament.
